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Matan Torah, Marriage and the Channeling of Divine Desire

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  In Parshas Yisro, as the Jewish people prepare for the receiving of the Torah, we find a fascinating concept brought out in Exodus 19:15. In addition to the preparations including the washing of clothing and placing a boundary around Har Sinai, we also find that the Torah instructs the Jewish people to stay away from intimate relations for 3 days prior to the Giving of the Torah. Exodus 19:15 וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־הָעָ֔ם הֱי֥וּ נְכֹנִ֖ים לִשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֑ים אַֽל־תִּגְּשׁ֖וּ אֶל־אִשָּֽׁה And he said to the nation, “Be ready for the third day: do not go near a woman.” Rashi, quoting the Gemara in Shabbos 86a says that this is specifically referring to refraining from intimate relations. On a simple level, this was due to spiritual purity, that as the Jewish people prepared for the prophetic experience of receiving the Torah, they needed to be in a state of Tahara, hence the separation. Only much later in the Torah, in Devarim 5:27 does the Torah share with us the narrative that after th...
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The Song of Miriam and the Cosmic Collapse of Gender

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  We see a very interesting concept in this week’s Parashas Beshalach. Right after the epic Song of the Sea where Moshe Rabbeinu sings a long song of praise for the miracle of the splitting of the sea and the downfall of their Egyptian enemies, his sister Miriam adds a song as well. Take a look for yourself: Shemos 15:20-21 (כ) וַתִּקַּח֩ מִרְיָ֨ם הַנְּבִיאָ֜ה אֲח֧וֹת אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־הַתֹּ֖ף בְּיָדָ֑הּ וַתֵּצֶ֤אןָ כׇֽל־הַנָּשִׁים֙ אַחֲרֶ֔יהָ בְּתֻפִּ֖ים וּבִמְחֹלֹֽת׃ (כא) וַתַּ֥עַן לָהֶ֖ם מִרְיָ֑ם שִׁ֤ירוּ לַֽיהוה כִּֽי־גָאֹ֣ה גָּאָ֔ה ס֥וּס וְרֹכְב֖וֹ רָמָ֥ה בַיָּֽם׃ (20) Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, picked up a hand-drum, and all the women went out after her in dance with hand-drums. (21) And Miriam chanted for them: Sing to GOD, who has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver have been hurled into the sea. Some basic questions jump out from the text itself. Why was this song necessary at all? Especially with the fact that the Midrash tells us that even unborn fetuses in t...
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Black Tzippora, White Moshe and the Cosmic Marriage that Shaped the World

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  In Parshas Shemos, we are introduced to the wife of Moshe Rabbeinu, Tzippora. And it’s interesting, because Moshe might be the center figure of all of Jewish thought who we know a tremendous amount about, but his wife Tzippora, much less so.  We know she grew up in Midian and her father was Yisro. We know she saved Moshe’s life when he was about to be killed for the sin of delaying the Bris Mila of his son. We know that Moshe separated from Tzippora as he rose up the level of prophecy. But that’s about it… at least on the surface.  But the truth is, the Torah is not interested in historical facts and family trees. The union between Moshe and Tzippora was of cosmic significance, we just have to dive a little deeper to understand why. The Maharal in his Be’er Golah 5:2 discusses why Moshe had to marry a wife from a foreign nation and not from within Klal Yisrael. He discusses that in fact, Moshe’s soul was so big, he was already considered encapsulated of all of the Jewis...
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Parshas Vayechi - Yaakov, Yosef and the Strength of the Struggle

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  Parshas Vayechi is one of the most fascinating parshas in the Torah. Originally dubbed “And he lived”, the truth is it describes Yaakov’s death and final blessing to his children.  Yaakov gathers them together and offers to reveal the secrets of the Messianic Redemption. According to some sources he lost that prophecy due to the lack of unity amongst the brothers. Others explain that the full revelation was hidden, but much was still revealed in the blessings to the tribes themselves. In Yaakov’s beginning to bless his firstborn Reuven, he describes in Genesis 49:3 רְאוּבֵן֙ בְּכֹ֣רִי אַ֔תָּה כֹּחִ֖י וְרֵאשִׁ֣ית אוֹנִ֑י יֶ֥תֶר שְׂאֵ֖ת וְיֶ֥תֶר עָֽז Reuven, you are my first born, my might and the first fruit of my vigor, exceeding in rank and exceeding in honor. The Gemara in Yevamos 76a explains that Reuven was formed from the very first drop of seed that Yaakov ever emitted in his entire life, at the age of 84. While from our perspective this might seem like an odd thing to...
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Parshas Miketz - Yosef, Asnath and Revealing the Torah's Secrets

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  Parshas Miketz, which often coincides with Chanukah, is filled with many deep and profound ideas. I’d like to touch on one of them, namely the discussion about Yosef and his marriage to Asnath. As we explained in the article HERE this union was very unique. Asnath in fact was the daughter of Dinah and Shechem. The marriage of Asnath and Yosef represented a cosmic reunification and planted the seeds for the final redemption.  But that was just the beginning. Let’s see how this marriage is depicted in Parshas Miketz and allow us to gain even deeper wisdom and understanding. The Torah, in Genesis 41:45 states: וַיִּקְרָ֨א פַרְעֹ֣ה שֵׁם־יוֹסֵף֮ צָֽפְנַ֣ת פַּעְנֵ֒חַ֒ וַיִּתֶּן־ל֣וֹ אֶת־אָֽסְנַ֗ת בַּת־פּ֥וֹטִי פֶ֛רַע כֹּהֵ֥ן אֹ֖ן לְאִשָּׁ֑ה וַיֵּצֵ֥א יוֹסֵ֖ף עַל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃  Pharaoh then gave Joseph the name Tzafnas-paneach; and he gave him for a wife Asnath daughter of Poti-phera, priest of On. Thus Joseph emerged in charge of the land of Egypt. What does Yosef’s new...
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The Rape of Dinah and the Seeds of Redemption

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  One of the most tragic and perplexing stories in the entire Tanach takes place in Parshas Vayishlach, Genesis 34, with the abduction and rape of Jacob’s only daughter Dinah.  While it is clear that the Torah is communicating many layers to this story including the condemnation of rape, abuse, and the support of female victims, there is a deeper mystical layer as well, one that touches on the Secrets of Creation and the Roots of Redemption.  There are many intriguing details that can be gleaned from the text that hint to us that there is a hidden layer within this narrative. One of these facts comes out right in the beginning of the story in Genesis 34:3, where it describes, after the son of the local ruler Shechem ben Chamor abducts and violates Dinah, things take an unexpected turn: וַתִּדְבַּ֣ק נַפְשׁ֔וֹ בְּדִינָ֖ה בַּֽת־יַעֲקֹ֑ב וַיֶּֽאֱהַב֙ אֶת־הַֽנַּעֲרָ֔ וַיְדַבֵּ֖ר עַל־לֵ֥ב הַֽנַּעֲרָֽ Being strongly drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob, and in love with the maiden, ...
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