Why Are We Commanded to Keep the Pieces of the Broken Tablets?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 3, 2022 | Covenant, Repentance, Seventeenth of Tammuz, Temple, Terumah

As part of building the Tabernacle, God instructed Moses to place the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments into the Ark of the Covenant. But, as we know, there were two sets of tablets; the first, inscribed by the finger of God, was cast down and shattered when Moses...

The Parochet Curtain: Separating Between the Holy and Holy of Holies

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 2, 2022 | God, Holiness, Prayer, Temple, Terumah

In the Tabernacle, and later, in the Temples in Jerusalem, a curtain, called a parochet, separated the “Holy” from the “Holy of Holies.” The only person who passed through this curtain was the Kohen Gadol (high priest) on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. In order to...

Where is the Ark of the Covenant?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 1, 2022 | God, Temple, Terumah

After leaving Egypt and receiving the Torah at Sinai, the Jews were commanded to build a Tabernacle. At the epicenter of the Tabernacle was the Ark of the Covenant into which were placed the stone tablets.  Made of acacia (shittim) wood and measuring a half amah long,...

The Tabernacle: Making God Our Neighbor

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 31, 2022 | God, Holiness, Israel, Marriage and Relationships, Temple, Terumah

In the book of Exodus, God gives Israel a commandment that seems decidedly undivine; to build Him a house to live in. The Israel Bible explains why the verse says to build God a house so that he may “dwell among them,” the people, and not that he may...

Are Unicorns Kosher?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 30, 2022 | Terumah

The Torah gives detailed instructions on how to build the Tabernacle including precise weights and measures. But one element remains a mystery; the skins of the tachash used for the outer covering of the Tabernacle, and as a slipcover for the holy vessels while they...

What does the Torah say about Abortion?

by Rabbi Tuly Weisz | f 28, 2022 | Mishpatim

Abortion is a very serious issue in today’s society, with more unborn children being terminated every year than any other cause of death. Judaism goes far to protect the life of an unborn child and even allows for the violation of the Sabbath to save the life of...