Insight 5778-14: Balancing Life

For Vayechi
 
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5778-13: AN EXISTENTIAL MOMENT

For Vayigash
 
Not yet available on the Nishma website

INSIGHT 5778-12: CHANGING PERSPECTIVE

For Mikeitz and Chanukah
 
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5778-11: FORMAL AND INFORMAL

For Vayeshev
 
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5778-10: THE OUTSIDER

For Toldot
 
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5778-09: THE PARENT–CHILD RELATIONSHIP

For Toldot
 
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5778-08: DYNAMIC REALITY

For Chayei Sarah
 
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5778-07: DIFFERENT QUESTIONS

For Vayeira
 
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5778-06: THE UNIQUENESS OF AVRAHAM AVINU

For Lech Lecha
 
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5778-05: THE BASIS OF ETHICS

For Noach
 
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5778-04: CONNECTING TO CREATION

For Bereishit and Simchat Torah
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 57 78-03: LIVING IN THE SUCCAH

For Sukkot
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5778-02: THE PERSONAL AND THE COMMUNAL

For Yom Kippur
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5778-01: AWE OF HEAVEN

For Rosh Hashanah and Vayeira
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-43: V’HALACHTA B’DRACHAV

For Ki Tavo
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-42: CONSIDERATIONS OF JUSTICE

For Shoftim
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-41: The Subtlety of True Ethics

For Ekev
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-40: The Struggle of Faith

For V'etchanan
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-39: AVEILUT AND TZOM

For Tisha B'Av
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-38: FINDING THE BALANCE

For Parshat Mattot
Not yet available on the Nishma website


It is interesting to note, in consideration of the thoughts expressed in the Insight, the midrashic view that the tribe of Gad was really motivated, in their request for this land on the other side of the Jordan, by a desire to remain in the land in which Moshe was buried. They wanted to stay near their teacher. See Yalkut Shimoni, Vezot HaBracha 962.

Insight 5777-37: Dignity

For Parshat Balak
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-36: THE FLOW OF THE TEXT

For Parshat Chukkat
Not yet available on the Nishma website


This recognition of how distraught the Jewish People were in response to Miriam's death may also, perhaps, provide some insight into their behaviour in regard to their request for water. The nation suffered a great loss and they felt it. This may have affected even this new generation which would be entering the land. The emotions of the moment may have been a mitigating factor.

This may also have been a factor in regard to Moshe and Aharon. They lost their sister. This fact still does not explain what transpired with them -- which ultimately is seen as a mystery -- but their emotions of the moment may be a matter to consider in some way. (The fact is that this would be a factor which would make them possibly less culpable, adding to the overall question of what actually happened that brought forth this response from God.)

RBH

Insight 5777-35: GETTING THE MESSAGE

For Parshat Korach
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-34: Loshon Hara

For Parshat Shelach
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-33: THE REALITY OF THE REVELATION AT SINAI

For Shavuot
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-32: ACKNOWLEDGING GOD

For Parshat Bechukotai
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-31: DISTINCTION IN KEDUSHA

For Parshat Kedoshim

Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-30: THE DYNAMICS OF RELATING

For Parshat Kedoshim
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-29: WHAT IS JEWISHNESS?

For Parshat Shemini
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-28: A Structure of Freedom

For Pesach
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-27: THE HUMAN CONTEXT OF MITZVOT

For Parshat Tzav
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-26: THE FULL ROLE OF THE KOHAIN

For Parshat Pekudei
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777--25: TIME TO IMPROVE

For Parshat Ki Tisa
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-24: WHAT, REALLY, ARE WE SUPPOSED TO REMEMBER?

For Parshat Zachor, Ki Teistzei and Beshalach
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-23: "Separation of Church and State"

For Terumah
Not yet available on the Nishma website


One may wonder how the ideas developed in the Insight may impact on the concept of Freedom of Religion which would seem to flow from this separation of church and state. Does the Torah, thus, accept no concept of Freedom of Religion? On one hand, this would seem obvious but given that the Jewish People have benefited from this concept as practiced by others, it would seem difficult to dismiss it outright. 

In this regard, please see my latest shiur on Koshertube on "Religion and Freedom of Religion" at http://koshertube.com/videos/index.php?option=com_seyret&Itemid=4&task=videodirectlink&id=23990 and also available on the new Koshertube of Youtube site at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9oy8aH5joo  

Insight 5777-22: THE REAL TORAH ETHOS

For Mishpatim
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-21: The Torah Nation

For Yitro
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-20: THREE DAYS WITHOUT TORAH

For Beshalach
Not yet available on the Nishma website


 It should be noted that the Rav then extends his idea to further explain the similar value in all readings of Tanach. We, thus, also gain similar strength in all readings of a haftara and the megillot.  - RBH

Insight 5777-19: Gold and Silver

For Bo
Not yet available on the Nishma website

It  should be noted, in that God assured Avraham that the nation would leave with riches and also effectively God was directing the nation to receive their just compensation from the Egyptians (see T.B. Sanhedrin 91a), this act of asking for the valuables was obviously beneficial for the nation at the time. It was the nation's mindset at the time which could not see this. The argument would thus be that God should have, perhaps, challenged this mindset rather than accepting it through changing the language of His directive.

Insight 5777-18: FREEDOM, REVERANCE AND ACTION

For Va'era
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-17: ESSENTIAL DISTINCTION

For Shemot
Not yet available on the Nishma website

Insight 5777-16: Communication

For Vayechi
Not yet available on the Nishma website

As an illustration of this issue, I would like to share this story of the Chafetz Chaim.

In the city in which Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman, a foremost student of the Chafetz Chaim, was the Rav, there was a wealthy man who wanted to meet the Chafetz Chaim. This man asked Rav Elchanan to try and arrange this, which he was happy to do. The man then went to Rodin to spend some time in the company of the Chafetz Chaim.

Upon this man's return to his home, Rav Elchanan asked him all about his trip and what he learned about the Chafetz Chaim. The man replied that, in truth, he was really impressed with the Chafetz Chaim's son for anytime he wanted to speak you could see the struggle within him as whether this would be proper or not. As for the Chafetz Chaim, though, he just talked to everyone without any hesitation. He didn't see any specialness in his behaviour.

Rav Elchanan then asked the man whether, in all the time he was with the Chafetz Chaim and in the all the conversations which he overheard, he ever heard the Chafetz Chaim say anything incorrect. The man thought and replied that he did not. Now, Rav Elchanan said, you understand the true greatness of the Chafetz Chaim: he can communicate with all in a manner that looks absolutely normal but he also, at the same time, maintained the highest ethical standards.

Indeed, Rav Elchanan said, the Chafetz Chaim's son is a great man for he understood the challenge of communication and always tried to do what was right. He, though, was still not the Chafetz Chaim who had internalized in his being the answer to this challenge.

RBH

Insight 5777-15: Torah and Context

For Vayigash
Not yet available on the Nishma website