Bemidbar

Similarities and Differences Between Obvious and Hidden Miracles? You Won't Believe It!

The Torah reading of this week deals with the Red Heifer which is characterized as being a commandment beyond the ken of human understanding and rational interpretation.

When opening up their morning newspaper, why do atheists turn to the horoscope page?

The connection between this week's Haftarah reading (from the Books of the Prophets) and the Torah portion of Hukat is very clear. In both of them we read how the Emorite king, Sichon, refused to allow Israel to pass through his land on our way to the Promised Land – paving the way for Israel to defeat him in battle...

The common denominator between Moshe's anger at Israel and his hitting of the rock for its water

“Is this the Torah and this its reward?” we are tempted to say. What was Moses’ sin that it merited such punishment?

In Josephus' description of what happened after the destruction, he talks about the thickness of the stones in Jerusalem and the difficulty of destroying them. "I would never have been able to breach these walls if it wasn't for the Jews fighting among themselves and the disputes between them." About the unlimited power we can attain and about the havoc that controversy can cause.

Our parasha, in its poetic part, describing the geopolitical situation, mentions a city called Meidva as a central city in the Moavite region of Transjordan. Surprisingly, though, in Divrei Hayamim, Meidva is described as a city of Amon, not Moav. Let us explain what might have happened.

The Prophet Shmuel is the "cause" for the uprising by Korah and his gang. But if we look more deeply, we will see that Shmuel is also the rectification of Korah's sin! How so?

The rebellion of Korach is not a small offense but a great personal failing like the sin of the Golden Calf. It is a mortal blow to the continuity of the Jewish people and to its very survival.