Female LessonParashat HashavuaSeries'LibraryPiskei Din (Hebrew)Test YourselfShorts AreaOur sedra of Chukat is so named because it includes the ritual of the Para Aduma, which is considered the "chok par excellence." This same compound renders other people tahor while at the same time making the administering Kohen tamei; even Shlomo - the wisest of all people – could not understand it. (Why would any dead animal make someone ritually pure?!). A chok is a law for which the meaning is not readily understood. Every law – chukim, too – has a reason; we just don’t always know what that reason is (see Yuma 67b). Interestingly, the Mitzva of Kibud Av V’Aym is considered by some (e.g. Rav Yosef Engel) to be a chok! The most well-known chukim are Tzitzit & the laws of Kashrut, though numerous m’farshim nevertheless offer a rationale for these Mitzvot. In many ways, the chukim are actually the most important mitzvot, because we perform these purely out of faith & allegiance to Hashem, rather than because they make sense to us, like mishpatim, civil laws
Many have attempted to solve the question, what is THE difference which can find the common denominator between all 31 differences between the 2 versions of the Ten Commandment? This innovative article suggests that our sages already answered this with one sentence in a well-known Midrash, just most never noticed that seemingly innocent sentence. It deals with the basic difference between the masculine side of the Torah and the feminine.
Rav Kook makes some very interesting "diyukim" (deductions) from this passage in the Talmud about when to wash or moisterize (with oil) right before left, and regarding anointing one's entire body, and relates to small "timely" fixings, as opposed to general improvement.
"FREEDOM CAME WITH A FLAG”- The First Flag of Israel
The Ramban explains that the exodus from Egypt was led by the first flag of Israel. This short article brings many unknown historic and halachic proofs of the importance of the Israeli flag.
Rav Kook makes some very interesting "diyukim" (deductions) from this passage in the Talmud about when to wash or moisterize (with oil) right before left, and regarding anointing one's entire body, and relates to small "timely" fixings, as opposed to general improvement.