Rashi quotes a Midrash that through God, the Menorah made itself. What is the message of this Midrash? The verse tells us: And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to Aaron and say to him: 'When you light up the candles...And this is the plan for making the Menorah" First God instructed Aaron to

Samson's parents had trouble conceiving. An angel appears and promises them a child. Upon hearing the angel's promise, Samson's father tells him What is your name? When your word comes true, we shall honour you. The angel replies Why do you ask my name when it is a mystery. What is the mystery? When Jacob struggles with

Ruth may be our most famous convert. Some say her name derives from rava, which means fertile or well-watered. Yitrowas another famous convert and his name derives from yeter, which means additional or extra. These figures expanded the Torah and are crucial to it. This point is highlighted by the fact that on Shavuot, when

Any love that is dependent on something, when that thing perishes, the love perishes. But love that is not dependent on something, never perishes (Pirkei Avot 5:6). This Mishna teaches that love comes in many shades. Something specific may inspire love but it won't sustain it. When there is no expectation of anything in return,

Who is a hero? One Hebrew word, gibor, describes strength, heroism and courage. It appears in the fourth chapter of Pirkei Avot that we study this week: "Who is a "gibor"? One who controls his impulses, as it says: "Better one who is slow to anger than one who is mighty... (Proverbs 16:32)" This teaches us that there are many