This week's Haftara encourages us to test God: Bring the full tithe...and thus put Me to the test - said the LORD...I will pour down blessings on you. In other words, we should give charity and expect blessing in return. But another verse teaches us Do not test the Lord - can we reconcile these verses? The Malbim explains
'Should any person from you bring forward to the LORD an offering...so begins the Torah's discussion of sacrifices. How do we bring a sacrifice today? The Sfat Emet answers this question by explaining the verse "from you bring forward to the LORD and offering" in light of the Mishna in Pirkei Avot "do away with
Bezalel was charged with constructing the Mishkan, and Moses reports that God "filled him with a spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in every task, to devise plans." Why was he chosen? He was a grandson of Hur, who the Midrash posits, was stoned to death after he challenged the
After the sin of golden-calf, God terms us a "stiff-necked people." The Hebrew word used is "oref," which really means the back and bottom of the head. The Netziv quotes a medieval view that this part of the brain was responsible for forming habits and making decisions - God was blaming our neurology! Yet, later
