Tuesday, Tammuz 1, 5786 / June 16, 2026
Tuesday, Tammuz 1, 5786 / June 16, 2026
Today is the second day of Rosh Chodesh Tammuz. This week’s Parsha, Korach, is about the revolt of Korach against Moshe and Aaron. Korach, who was Moshe and Aaron’s cousin, also from the tribe of Levi, gathered two hundred and fifty people, mostly of the tribe of Reuben, and together they revolted against Moshe’s leadership and Aaron’s position as the High Priest.
Q. Jacob had twelve sons from whom the twelve tribes are descendent. One of Jacob’s twelve sons was Levi, yet the tribe of Levi is not one of the twelve tribes, so how are there twelve tribes without Levi?
A. Before his passing, Jacob blessed his son Joseph, ruler of Egypt, that Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Menashe, will be like Jacob’s own two sons, that they will be two tribes in Israel. Instead of Levi, who was not counted as part of the Ten Tribes, Joseph’s two children became two tribes, thus forming twelve tribes.
Q. Why is it that of all the twelve tribes, Korach was able to influence the people of the tribe of Reuben to join in his revolt against Moshe and Aaron?
A. The tribe of Reuben was Korach’s neighbors, they both camped on the southern side of the Tabernacle. Thus, it was easier for Korach to influence them. Our sages tell us that from here we learn the importance of choosing to live next to good and righteous neighbors.
Q. Why wasn’t the tribe of Levi designated as one of the twelve tribes?
A. G-d commanded that when the Jewish people come into the Promised Land, the land should be divided amongst the twelve tribes. However, the tribe of Levi was designated for G-d’s service in the Holy Temple. The tribe of Levi was not involved in cultivating the land and were not counted in the twelve tribes.
Q. If the tribe of Levi didn’t have any land how did they survive in the physical world?
A. G-d designated certain gifts which every Jew had to give them, so they can have what they need for their physical existence. However, they were dedicated to spirituality.
Even after the destruction of the Temple, the Kohen has special status. He is called up first to the Torah and the Levi second. The Kohen performs the three-fold blessings on holidays, and the Levi washes his hands before he performs the blessings. As we believe firmly that Moshiach is coming any day and the Third Temple will be built, the Kohen is prohibited to partake at a funeral or enter a cemetery, so as not to become spiritually defiled. This would render him impure and not be able to perform his duty in the Holy Temple.
Q. G-d punishes measure for measure. How is Korach’s punishment of being swallowed into the ground a measure for measure punishment for his sin of arguing against Moshe and Aaron?
A. Rabbi Bunim of Peshischa explains it as follows: “Our sages say that Korach was very intelligent, smart, wealthy etc. Based on his many qualities, in the end he would have been appointed to a position of leadership. However, being a jealous person he didn’t want to wait but wanted it immediately. His punishment was also measure for measure, that instead of waiting to be buried after he lives out his full life, G-d buried him now...
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY & CHODESH TOV
Monday, Sivan 30, 5786 / June 15, 2026
B"H
Monday, Sivan 30, 5786 / June 15, 2026
Today is Rosh Chodesh Tammuz. This week’s Torah reading in the Diaspora is Parshat Korach. The Parsha begins with the story of Korach’s rebellion against Moshe and Aaron.
Korach was a member of the tribe of Levi and a cousin of Moshe and Aaron. He was jealous of Moshe who was the leader of the Jewish people and Aaron being the High Priest. When his younger cousin, Elitzafan, was also appointed to a leadership position, Korach gathered 250 of the leaders of the people and together they rebelled against Moshe and Aaron.
Korach declared to Moshe and Aaron, "The entire congregation is holy... Why do you exalt yourselves above the congregation?" To prove that Moshe was misleading the people, Korach asked Moshe, “What is the law when a house is full of Torah scrolls, does the house still need a mezuzah on the door? Moshe replied that it needed a mezuzah.
Korach argued, “How is it possible that the entire Torah, which contains two hundred and seventy five chapters (Parshiot), cannot accomplish what the mezuzah, which is but one small part of the Torah, can?! It makes no sense and these laws are from G-d. With this Korach wanted to prove that Moshe was not speaking in G-d’s name and as a result wanted to disqualify the leadership positions which Moshe appointed.
Moshe warned Korach that his uprising was not against him and Aaron but against G-d.
When Korach didn't repent, Moshe told everyone to distance themselves from Korach and his people. The Torah tells us what happened next. "And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up and their households." Korach and the leaders of the revolt disappeared into the ground. The others who were with Korach were burnt in a fire sent from G-d. Korach’s sons did not die because they repented at the very last moment.
Our sages say in Pirkei Avot, “Who is a rich? Whoever is happy with his share!” Korach was one of the wealthiest people, but he was not happy with his share. Because of his jealousy and envy, he used his wealth to gain power and argue against Moshe and Aaron, G-d’s appointed leaders of the Jewish people. In the end, Korach and all his wealth were forever lost.
Q. What is the explanation behind this law? Korach’s argument seems to be a very logical one. Why should a house full of Torah scrolls, which contain the entire Torah, need a mezuzah on the door?
A. There is a wonderful lesson in this. This teaches us that it is not enough for one to conduct themselves according to the laws and ways of the Torah and be a good Jew within their home. One has to be a good Jew also in public. A Jew must be proud of being Jewish and exhibit it also on the outside, by affixing a mezuzah on the outside, so that everyone will recognize that this is a Jewish home and a dwelling place for G-d.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY WONDERFUL DAY& CHODESH TOV
Friday, Sivan 27, 5786 / June 12, 2026
B"H
Friday, Sivan 27, 5786 / June 12, 2026
At the end of this week’s Parsha (in the Diaspora), Shelach, the Torah tells us about the mitzvah of Tzitzit (fringes). The Torah says, "And G-d spoke to Moshe saying: Speak to the Children of Israel and say unto them that they make fringes in the corners of their garments... that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of G-d, and observe them..."
We perform this mitzvah by wearing the Tallit (prayer shawl), a four cornered garment, during prayer. We also wear a Tallit Katan (small Tallit) all day so that we perform the mitzvah all the time.
Q. Why do many keep their Tzitzit on the outside?
A. To make sure that the Tzitzit are always visible, for the Torah states, "so that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of G-d". By exposing the Tzitzit, one can "look upon it" and thus “remember” all the mitzvot.
Q. How does one remember all the Mitzvot (commandments) when looking at the Tzitzit?
A.There are 613 mitzvot in the Torah. The numerical value of the Hebrew word Tzitzit (90+10+90+10+400) is 600. Each Tzitzit has 8 strings and 5 knots. Together (600+8+5) add up to 613 which is the total amount of mitzvot. Thus, by looking at the Tzitzit, we remember all the mitzvot.
Q. What is the significance of placing the Tzitzit on the four corners of the Tallit?
A. This reminds us that wherever a Jew turns, he must focus on the mitzvot.
During the summer months we recite Pirkei Avot - Chapters of our Fathers. It is a compilation of rabbinical teachings on proper conduct. After each chapter of Pirkei Avot, we recite, "Rabbi Chananya son of Akashya said: The Holy One blessed be He, wished to make the people of Israel meritorious; therefore, He gave them Torah and Mitzvot in abundance..."
Thus, the many mitzvot which G-d gave us are not to burden us, rather, an expression of His love for us, so we can be more connected to Him.
A Chassid once complained to his Rebbe that, due to his widespread business activities, he had very little time to perform mitzvot.
The Rebbe replied, "The Mishna says that G-d wanted to merit the Jewish people, so He gave them mitzvot in abundance. When one builds a house, there are mitzvot associated with it. When a person works in the fields or in business, there are many mitzvot to perform there too. G-d distributed His mitzvot in every area of our lives, so we can connect with Him each day of our lives no matter what our occupation is."
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montreal candle lighting time: 8:25 / Shabbat ends: 9:42
Thursday, Sivan 26, 5786 / June 11, 2026
B"H
Thursday, Sivan 26, 5786 / June 11, 2026
In the past few Parshiot, the Torah describes many of the episodes in which the Jewish people complained and rebelled against Moshe, which in essence means they rebelled against G-d.
For example, last week we read how they complained about the manna – their heavenly food that came each day. In this week’s Parsha we will read how they complained about going into Israel, after hearing the negative report from the 10 spies. In next week’s Parsha, Korach, we will read about another rebellion against Moshe and Aaron, this time by Korach and his 250 men.
Even though these events took place over three thousand years ago, they contain a lesson for us today.“Torah” comes from the word “teaching.” What lessons do these negative stories teach?
The Jewish people of that generation had seen and experienced great miracles; The Ten plagues, the Exodus, the splitting of the Sea, the pillar of cloud and fire which accompanied them in the desert, the manna, which came from heaven each day and the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai etc., one miracle greater than the other. So how can we understand the fact that they lacked trust in G-d?
The answer is that because they saw miracles continuously, they mistakenly viewed them as nature. They thought, “How can it be otherwise?” As a result, they took these things for granted and stopped appreciating the wonderful miraculous blessings that G-d provided for them daily. They stopped seeing G-d’s hand in everything and complained about trivial things.
The lesson for us is that we, too, must realize and appreciate our daily miracles!It is essential that we realize them as such and not take them for granted. If we only took the time to think about how many breaths we inhale and exhale each day, how many steps we take every day and how many words we speak each day, etc. etc., we would appreciate the magnitude of our daily blessings.
What’s more, our appreciation of all these wonderful blessings would automatically alleviate our feelings of anxiety and distress in our day-to-day life.
A mother was once walking along the seashore with her son, when a huge wave carried him out to sea. The mother began praying, “Please G-d, give me back my child!” Shortly afterwards a huge wave deposited her child unharmed at her feet. The mother embraced the child, “Thank you G-d!. Thank you! I will be forever grateful to you!” Then she looked at her child again, looked up to heaven and said, “And what about his hat…?”
Every morning, we recite a number of blessings thanking G-d for giving us so many wonderful things in life. These blessings are found in the beginning of the Siddur (daily prayer book). Reciting them and concentrating on the good which we receive each day reminds us not to take things for granted, thus our days will be better days!
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
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