Emor Text message

Parashat Emor (You shall tell)

In this section we are commanded to count the Omer. Every day between Pesach and Shavuot we add one more day.

In Biblical times this mitzvah expressed a strong agricultural relationship between the people of Israel and its land.

How can the Jews who live outside of Israel relate to this mitzvah, too?

I strongly believe that counting the Omer expresses our deep desire to be further from Egypt and closer to Sinai.

Every day that passes we are less slaves and more a holy people.

Rabbi Fabian Werbin

In memory of my beloved mother and teacher Miriam Rachel bat Israel Itzchak Z"L

Kedoshim Text message

Parashat Kedoshim (you shall be a holy nation)

There is an explicit prohibition in the Torah that has become very relevant in recent decades.

In Leviticus 19:29, the Torah forbids tattoos. The main reason for this prohibition is learned from the context in which it appears, and, it is that other nations used to have tattoos on their bodies (maybe some type of idolatry).

It is not a secret that many young people (and adults, too) have chosen to have tattoos on their bodies.

Here is where the Torah becomes more relevant.  During the Shoah many Jews were forced to have a number marked on their arms. It is difficult to understand how some may do it voluntarily…

The prohibition against making a tattoo on your body is still current, and after the Shoah, it gained a new significance.

In memory of my beloved mother and teacher Miriam Rachel bat Israel Itzchak Z"L

Acharei Mot text message

Parashat Acharei mot (After the death)

The text surprised us…

Leviticus 18:3 “You must not do things like they are done in the land of Egypt, where you used to live. And you must not do things like they are done in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you.”

So… If you are not supposed to do things like in Egypt or Canaan, you are supposed to do things like… in the desert - in the Midvar.

The desert was the place where we received the mitzvoth, where we formed as a people, where we built ourselves.

The Torah is telling us, keep building yourself every day. Do not think that the start or the end is what matters. What matters is the journey. As Antonio Machado says in his famous poem (in Spanish):  Caminante no hay camino, se hace camino al andar. “Wayfarer, there is no way. Make your way by going farther.”

In memory of my beloved mother and teacher Miriam Rachel bat Israel Itzchak Z"L

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Fabian Werbin

Shabbat candles in Bethesda 7:48

Shabbat ends : 8:49

Metzorah text message.

Parashat Metzorah (Leper)

You will have leprosy in your houses…

In Rashi’s explanation we can find the essence of Judaism.

“Heb. וְנָתַתִּי, lit. and I will give (leprosy in your houses) This is [good] news for them that lesions of tzara’ath will come upon them, because the Amorites had hidden away treasures of gold inside the walls of their houses during the entire forty years that the Israelites were in the desert, and through the lesion, he will demolish the house (see verses 43-45) and find them. — [Vayikra Rabbah 17:6]”

The essence of Judaism is turning a curse into a blessing.

In memory of my beloved mother and teacher Miriam Rachel bat Israel Itzchak Z"L

Tazria Text message

Parashat Tazria (When a woman conceives)

The Torah speaks in this section mainly about skin diseases.  Skin diseases are usually related to impurity.

All of a sudden in the middle of the description, there is the following verse:

Leviticus 13:13:  “…then the priest will make an examination. If the skin disease has covered the person’s whole body, the priest will declare the infected person clean. If the person has turned entirely white, he is clean.”  If the disease covers the whole body, that person is pure.  If 99% of the body is affected, impure, 100% pure.

There are many interpretations to this difficult verse…

I would like to share a short story. When I was at Haifa University, I had a teacher who, in his first class, told us:  “You can only get 98 points in this class. 100 is God. 99 is the teacher…”

I didn’t like the idea of the 99, but that idea that only God is 100, I loved it!

In memory of my beloved mother and teacher Miriam Rachel bat Israel Itzchak Z"L

Shemini Text message

Parashat Shemini (The Eighth Day)

There are not many places where Moses makes mistakes in the Torah but even though he is a human being, a special one, Moses made mistakes.

Moses got upset with Aaron’s sons and it looks like they were right…

We always try to put some make up on the mistakes of great people to make them look better, but the Torah in this section presents Aaron correcting Moses his brother.

In Leviticus 10:19-20, “Look,” Aaron said to Moses, “today they (Eleazar and Itamar) offered their purification offerings and their entirely burned offerings before the Lord, but these things still happened to me! Would the Lord have approved if I had eaten a purification offering today?” ²⁰ When Moses heard that, he approved (he was satisfied).

Here we see Moses’ greatness.  He not only accepted his mistake, but he first listened to his brother.

How many times we fail not only by accepting that others are right, but we also fail by not even listening to others…

In memory of my beloved mother and teacher Miriam Rachel bat Israel Itzchak Z"L

Tzav Text message

Parashat Tzav (Command)

This section describes a special type of fire that was present in the tabernacle.  This fire must burn at all times, and may not be extinguished.

In fact these are the first words of the parasha.

Immediately after that, the Torah tells us that the priest had to clean the ashes (dirt) that were left in the altar.

We can learn a beautiful lesson from this. If we want to keep the fire burning all the time, we need to make holy even the most mundane activities. If we can find G-d even when we take out the trash, we always be able to keep the fire burning.

In memory of my beloved mother and teacher Miriam Rachel bat Israel Itzchak Z"L