Bemidbar

The Torah is not a book of Fairy Tales. Fairy tales almost always have happy endings, but not every story in the Torah has a happy ending.

The land of Israel has always posed a problem for the Jewish people. On one hand, it is and always has been our national homeland. On the other hand, the record of the Jewish people in the land of Israel, and their behavior and attitudes, has often been a spotty one.

Our Parasha refers to the different reactions of three groups. Yehoshua and Kalev returned from their mission to Eretz Yisrael with reinforced belief in Hashem. The ten spies returned confused and lacking in belief. The Ma’apilim tried to reach Eretz Yisrael after Hashem had commanded them not to.

What brocha should I recite before eating a donut? Does it make a difference whether it is an American-style, hole-in-the-middle donut or an Israeli-style jelly donut? Must I separate challah from the donuts I am frying for Chanukah? I just purchased a donut shop that is quite distant from any Jewish community. Must I make sure that challah is taken?

A historical application of a word found in this week's Parshat Beha'alotkha in Jewish communities throughout the world, showing how it clearly also applies to celebrating Yom Ha'Atzma'ut in our time.

when Bnei Yisrael are in the desert they yearned for what they ate in Egypt. how come?

After the nation has reached a true “high” – we were freed from Egypt, we received the Torah, we built & then dedicated the magnificent Mishkan – it all seems to break down.

It is essential to grasp the difference between two concepts often confused, namely power and influence. We tend to think of them as similar if not identical. People of power have influence.

At the beginning of time there shone a light called the "Ohr Haganuz." With this light you could see from one end of the world to the other - meaning you could see the connection between cause and effect. God hid that light away after 36 hours but there are still times when you can still catch its glow.