Friday 5 April 2013

Playing with Fire - Parasha Shemini (Videos)

Now Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu each took his fire pan, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered before HaShem alien fire, which He had not enjoined upon them. 2 And fire came forth from HaShem and consumed them; thus they died at the instance of HaShem.
This weeks Torah reading deals in part with the death of Aaron’s two sons Nadab & Abihu after they disobeyed the commandment of HaShem and offered a strange fire to Him.  It also deals with the Laws

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E avvenne all’ottavo giorno

Parashat: Sheminì (L'ottavo)
Parashà: Wayqrà' (Levitico) 9,1-11,47
Haftarà: 1 Samuél (1 Samuele) 20, 18-42
L'ottavo giorno, dopo i sette giorni della loro inaugurazione, Aronne ed i suoi figli cominciano ad officiare come kohanim (sacerdoti), e la presenza divina va a dimorare nel Santuario.
Aaron ed i suoi due figli maggiori, Nadav e Avihu, offrono a D-o un "fuoco estraneo” che Hashem non comandò loro di accendere:

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Friday 29 March 2013

Techiyat HaMeitim - the Resurrection

Techiyat hameitim means the resurrection of the dead. Rambam stated: "I believe with perfect faith that the dead will be brought back to life when God wills it to happen." (This is the 13th and last of Rambam's Principles of Faith) Is there no hope for the dead? Is our life simply finished -- over -- when we die? No, not at all. Notice the words of the Rav Shaul. "If in this life only we have hope in Mashiach, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Mashiach risen

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Galut (the exile) and Mashiach

Galut or Golus (Hebrew: גלות‎), means literally exile. Galut or Golus classically refers to the exile of the Jewish people from the Land of Israel. There were altogether four such exiles. These are said to be alluded to in Abraham's biblical vision of the future of his descendants according to Bereishit Rabba (44:17): "And behold, a great, dark fear fell upon him." "'Fear' refers to Babylonia ... 'dark' refers to Media. ... 'great' refers to

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Wednesday 27 March 2013

E Moshé disse ad HaShem (Pésach)

Parashat: Pésach (Pasqua)
Parashà: Shemot (Esodo) 33:12-34:26 (I Sefer)
Maftir: Bamidbar (Numeri) 28:19-25 (
Haftarà: Yechezkel / Ezechiele 37:1 - 14
Questa lettura si conclude con l’esortazione relativa al dovere di Israele di restare fedele a D-o. Israele deve ad HaShem sia la sua esistenza e sia la libertà, la liberazione dalla schiavitù. La Parashat sottolinea l'importanza di Pesach e delle osservanze rituali.

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Learning Hebrew – The letter Resh (עִבְרִית)

The Hebrew Letter Resh (Heb. רֵשׁ ;ר), the twentieth letter of the Hebrew alphabet; its numerical value is 200 It is symbolic of wickedness as well as higher consciousness. However, the Hebrew Letter Resh is the 20th letter in the order of the Alef Bet, the number 20 seems to be a number or time of waiting (enduring) in scripture. Maybe this has to do with its double , 40, which is also a time of testing. Isaac waited 20 years for a child, Jacob served Laban

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Sunday 24 March 2013

Comandò

Parashat: Tzav (Ordine)
Parashà: Vayikra / Levitico 6:1 - 8:36
Haftarà: Yermiyahu / Geremia 7:21 - 8:3; 9:22
La Parashat inizia con un comando: (“E il Signore parlò a Mosè, dicendo: לֵּאמֹר משֶׁה אֶל יְהֹוָה וַיְדַבֵּר”), e comandò ad

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Thursday 14 March 2013

Ahava is a word of action

This last week we had a double Parashat, with the ending of the book of Shemot or Exodus, bringing to us the idea about giving and participating in community with the building of the Mishkan, bringing Kehal Israel as one where together we would do according to their own giftedness in the areas in which God has endowed us. To do so we all first need to check ourselves and be right with Him — this means to be right with our fellow man.
The word “love” in Hebrew, ahava, is a

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E chiamò - Sidra Vayikra

Il terzo libro della Torah, Vaikrà, conosciuto anche con il nome di Torat ha korbanot, legge dei sacrifici od anche Sefer ha tararà ve ha kedushà, libro della purità e della santità, inizia con questa Parashat che così introduce la chiamata: לֵאמֹר מוֹעֵד מֵאֹהֶל אֵלָיו

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Friday 8 March 2013

Learning Hebrew – The letter Kuf (עִבְרִית)

The letter Kuf  is the nineteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In Hebrew, Kuf is spelled with three letters: קוף Kuf, Vav and final Pei, which literally means “monkey, baboon, or ape.” In Aramaic, קוף Kuf means “the eye of a needle.”
The letter Kuf equals the number one hundred in the Hebrew alphabet, signifying the completion of living matter. It is said that at the age of one hundred a person returns to

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Wednesday 6 March 2013

Appropriating His Community: Moshe Rabenu

Weekly Sidra: Ki Tisa (when you lift up)
Torah Portion: Shemot / Exodus 30:1-34:35
Haftorah: Melachim Alef / I Kings 18:20-18:39
This parashah, Ki Tisa begins with the giving of the half shekel by every man over 20 years, equally rich and poor alike as an offering to make atonement for their souls.  This takes place after the golden calf incident showing us that we cannot take this book chronologically but according to the stories and pictures it is telling us. We

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E fece radunare - Vayakel - Pekudè

Parashat: Vayakel - Pekudè (Radunò - Questo è il computo)
Parashà: Shemoth (Esodo) 35:1-40:38
Haftarà: Melachim Alef / I (I Re) 7:51-8:21
La Parashat di questo Shabbat è divisa in 7 sezioni.
Inizia con la Mitzvah dello Shabbat e la pena per la sua trasgressione. Si noti che il passo 35:3 (.הַשַּׁבָּת ,בְּיוֹם

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Monday 25 February 2013

Quando alzerete (la testa)

Parashat: Ki Tisá (Cuando tomes el Número)
Parashà: Shemoth (Esodo) 30:11-34:35
Haftarà: Melachim Alef (I Re) 18:1-39
La Parashat Ki Tisa racconta, tra l’altro, la storia del vitello d'oro, sicuramente uno dei peggiori peccati commessi dal popolo di Israele nei loro viaggi nel deserto. Sarà necessario soffermarsi su questo punto della Parashat, omettendo la trattazione di altri punti non parimenti interessanti da un punto di vista

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Learning Hebrew – The letter Tzadi (עִבְרִית)

Tzadi’s saying sound is like "tz” or “ts” as in tsade or that end-word sound of mets or nuts. It is one of the Hebrew letters that has a sofit or final form. Tzadi has a gametric numerical value of ninety (90).
Iyun: The sofit form of the letter represents the elevated Tzaddik, standing up with arms lifted upward in victory and praise.
The eighteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, ,צ is called Tzadi. In modern Hebrew most speakers refer to it as

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Thursday 21 February 2013

He is asking us to build Him a place

Parashat Terumah | תרומהפרשת
The word terumah comes from the root רום “room” which means to elevate. God is allowing Israel to build a predetermined place, a sanctuary, the tent of meetings, the mishkan, all interchangeable terms, where He would manifest His Presence. They would have the experience that He was with them. What was God doing with Israel? This was a young nation coming out from another

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Wednesday 20 February 2013

What is Bitachon (Trust) in HaShem?

Generally translated as trust, bitachon is a powerful sense of optimism and confidence based not on reason or experience, but on emunah (active faith). You know that "G‑d is good and He's the only one in charge," and therefore you have no fears or frets.
That is, if a bad occurrence happens, then true, it is a bad occurrence to us. That is, on the revealed plane to us this appears bad. However, on the hidden level it is good. That is, everything that occurs to us G-d

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Tu devi comandare

Parashat: Tetzavvè (Tu ordinerai)
Parashà: Shemoth (Esodo) 27:20 - 30:10
Haftarà: Yechezekiel (Ezechiele) 43:10-27
La Torah specifica che l'altare sul quale venivano fatti gli olocausti era in legno e ricoperto da un sottile strato di rame, ed è pertanto indicato come "altare di rame" o "altare degli olocausti". Nel Midrash si racconta come Moshe chiede a D-o “Tu mi mi hai comandato di fare un Altare di legno di

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Tuesday 12 February 2013

Non mi stai ascoltando, ci sei?

Parashat: Terumà (L'offerta)
Parashà: Shemoth (Esodo) 25:1 - 27:19
Haftarà: I Sèfer Malchìm (I Re) 5:26 – 6:13
La Parashà di Terumah è composta da 146 versetti e contiene 2 comandi ed 1 divieto.
Vediamo, in sintesi, gli argomenti trattati: HaShem impartisce a Moshè il comando di raccogliere dal popolo le offerte delle materie prime necessarie per l’edificazione del Mishkàn, (il Tabernacolo),

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Learning Hebrew – The letter Peh (עִבְרִית)

The seventeenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is called “Peh” it has the sound of “p” as in “park.” The sole difference between the letter Peh and the letter Feh is the presence or absence of the dot in the middle of the letter (called a dagesh mark). When you see the dot in the middle of this letter, pronounce it as a "p"; otherwise, pronounce it as "ph" (or “f”). The Hebrew letter Peh has the numeric value of 80.
The

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Tuesday 5 February 2013

Tutto ciò che Hashem ha detto, noi lo faremo

Parashat: Mishpatim (Ordinanze)
Parashà: Shemoth (Esodo) 21:1-24:18
Haftarà: II Sèfer Malchìm (II Re) 12:1-17
La parashat Mishpatim è estremamente importante in quanto introduce ed è la fonte dei primi 53 dei 613 precetti, dei quali 23 positivi e quindi prescrittivi e 30 negativi, contenenti divieti.
Le norme legali contenute nella parashat rigurdano il come trattare i servi ebrei, la distinzione tra la figura

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Pirque Avot. Mishnah Avot 1:11

Avtalyon disse: studiosi saggi, state attenti alle vostre parole (fate attenzione acciocché le parole non siano ambigue tanto da essere fraintese), per timore di essere ritenuti responsabili e puniti con l’esilio, e verrete esiliati in un luogo di acque malsane; i discepoli che vi seguiranno berrano quelle acque e moriranno, ed il Nome del Cielo sarà profanato.

וישתו ,הרעים המים

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Sunday 3 February 2013

Jewish Worship and Prayer

Recitation of prayers is the central characteristic of Jewish worship. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book. Observant Jews are expected to recite three prayers daily and more on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays. While solitary prayer is valid, attending synagogue to pray with a minyan (quorum of 10 adult males) is considered ideal.
As with most religious services, the length and content of the synagogue service

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Pirque Avot. Mishnah Avot 1:10

Shmaya e Avtalyon ricevettero (la tradizione) da loro (Yehuda ben Tabai e Shimon ben Shatach). Shmaya dice: Amare il lavoro; disprezzare il potere, e non farti conoscere (non diventare intimi) dai politici.
 
Nel commentario alle precedenti Mishanayoth, abbiamo focalizzato che il perfezionamento avviene secondo due parametri: amore e timore. Ma vediamo, in dettaglio questi due parametri anche alla luce della presente Mishnah.
.לרשות

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Thursday 31 January 2013

Learning Hebrew – The letter Ayin (עִבְרִית)

The Hebrew letter Ayin ע is the sixteenth Hebrew letter. Ayin has the shape of the English or Latin "y". The Hebrew letter Ayin represents the number seventy in the Hebrew alphabet and numerology. It is a symbol of perception and insight.
The Ayin Harah (evil eye) and Ayin Hatova (good eye): The source of the ayin hara is again a lost feeling of connection to HaShem.  The source of the Ayin Hatova is to be connected to our loving Father.
The Hebrew letter ע

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Wednesday 30 January 2013

HaShem will fight for you: Parashat Beshalach

This portion Beshalach begins the journey of Israel moving out of slavery and into faith. Ramban wrote a book called “Sefer haEmunah vehaBitahon” ספר הואמונה הביטחון   which describes the process of going from faith to trust.  Let's not confuse one with the other, even though it may not be easy to understand.  You cannot trust unless you have faith

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Ricordati del giorno di Shabbath; Parashat Yitro

Parashat: Yitrò (Ietro)
Parashà: Shemoth (Esodo) 18:1-20:23
Haftarà: Ysha'ihàu (Isaia) 6:1-13
Il Signore ordina ad Israele di ricordare il sabato: la mitzvà di osservare lo Shabbath è uno dei Dieci Comandamenti che gli israeliti ricevettero ed ascoltarono direttamente dalla voce dell’Eterno alla falde del Monte Sinai. Nella Torà si legge: “Ricorda il giorno del Sabato per santificarlo; lavorerai per sei giorni

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Friday 25 January 2013

HaShem, your Healer - Parashat Beshalach

In Parashat Beshalach we reach the climax of the exodus from the Egyptian exile―the parting of theRed Sea and the song the Children of Israel sang at the sea.
HaShem led the people away from the sea, into the desert. Soon, however, the bitter reality of their journey in the wilderness eventually caused the people to complain to Moshe. After three days without finding water, the Israelites finally arrived at Marah ("bitter"), a place where the water was undrinkable. The

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The value of daily Hitbodedut

Hitbodedut is the Hebrew word for meditation, literally meaning self-isolation or seclusion. Practically, this means going away to a place where you can be alone and away from everything and be there without your MP3 player, lap top, cell phone, beeper, fax or anything which you are used to carry around with you and may cause you distraction.
"When ever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward

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Thursday 24 January 2013

Learning Hebrew – The letter Samech (עִבְרִית)

The letter Samech equals the number sixty in Hebrew numerology. The Hebrew letter ס Samech, or spelled out in Hebrew is the fifteenth letter in the Hebrew alphabet, symbolic of the endless cycle of life in its circular form A circle represents infinity, because it has no beginning or end. The letter Samech is a symbol of support and protection. This is inferred by its all-encompassing shape, and asserted by its meaning: 'support'. The letter Samech is one of the only two fully

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Wednesday 23 January 2013

Crypto / Sephardic Jews /Anusim

Some Sephardic Jews are part of a distinct cultural heritage different from the majority Ashkenazi population in the United States, Israel, and elsewhere. Sephardic Jews traditionally spoke Ladino, a Judeo-Spanish dialect not Yiddish. “Sepharad” is the Hebrew word for Spain, but Sephardic refers to the descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jews who ended up all over the world.
In 1492, when the Jews were expelled from Spain (and then, in 1496, from Portugal), Sephardic

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Cognomi Ebrei Italiani

Prima lista di cognomi ebrei italiani, stranieri, ashkenazi e sefardi. Comprende personalità ebree ed ebree occulte (marranos) dell’economia, dello spettacolo, della cultura, della politica mondiale storica e contemporanea. Presto seguiranno una seconda lista ed alcuni link molto utili.
Elenca dei cognomi di circa 10.000 famiglie Ebree D'Italia.
Prima di far seguire l’elenco, devo premettere alcune considerazioni generiche: L’elenco comprende circa 1650 cognomi

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Tuesday 22 January 2013

Messianic Jewish Emuna: Redemption

“So are we Jews better off? Not entirely; for I have already made the charge that all people, Jews and Gentile alike, are controlled by sin. As the Tanach puts it, ‘There is no one righteous, not even one! No one understands, no one seeks God, all have turned away and at the same time become useless; there is no one who shows kindness, not a single one! Their throats are open graves, they use their tongues to deceive. Vipers’ venom is under their lips. Their mouths are

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L’agnello e la redenzione: Beshalach (Il envoya)

Parashat: Beshalach (Il envoya)
Parashà: Shemoth (Esodo) 13:17-17:16
Haftarà: Shofetìm (Giudici) 5:1-5:31
Abbiamo visto come il piano di HaShem per i credenti ha inizio solo con la salvezza, con la redenzione, un processo che dura per tutta una vita. Indubbiamente, convincere Faraone di permettere a Iisrael di lasciare l'Egitto, non è stato che soltanto l'inizio del piano di HaShem per Israel: il nucleo centrale di questo piano, dopo aver

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Sunday 20 January 2013

Plant A Tree in Israel for Tu Bishvat

$18 dollars (per tree). Do so in honour of a loved one, a friend, for a birthday, wedding, or just for yourself. A card will be sent to you or the person designated acknowledging that a tree has been planted in Israel in their honour.
Tu B’Shevat Is Almost Here, So Get Ready To Plant Some Trees!
Tu Bishvat (Hebrew: טו בשבט  ) is a minor Jewish holiday, occurring on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat (celebrated this year on

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Thursday 17 January 2013

Learning Hebrew – The letter Nun (עִבְרִית)

The Hebrew letter "Nun" is the fourteenth letter of the alef-beit, which equals "David," the progenitor of the eternal Kingdom of Israel. The heir to David is Mashiach ben David, of whom is said: "As long as the duration of the sun his name shall rule." Our Sages teach us that one of the names of Mashiach is Yinon ("shall rule").
There are two types of nuns. The “bent” Nun (Nun kefufah) either begins or is in the middle of a word. The

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L’agnello e la redenzione: Parashat Bo (Viens)

Parashat: Bo (Viens)
Parashà: Shemoth (Esodo) 10:1-13:16
Haftarà: Yermihàu (Geremia) 46:13-28
La presente Parshat Bo descrive la conclusione delle dieci piaghe e l'esodo dei Bnai Yisrael dall'Egitto. Descrive, tra l’altro, e ne è un aspetto importante, anche i primi comandamenti che Moshe comunica al popolo. Moshe stabilisce il calendario della Torah. Il mese della redenzione è identificato come il primo mese, gli altri mesi

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Monday 14 January 2013

Niddah: Separation Laws (Kosher sex)

One of the basic building blocks and foundations of Jewish life revolves around the subject of “Taharat HaMishpachah” or family purity.
"And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean" Leviticus 15:19,20
Family Purity Laws,

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Friday 11 January 2013

Learning Hebrew – The letter Mem (עִבְרִית)

Mem מ is the thirteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is also the second of the five final letters that when at the end of a Hebrew word are depicted differently. The mem is the thirteenth letter of the alef-beit. It has the sound of “m” as in “mom.” The pictograph for Mem looks like a wave of water, whereas the classical Hebrew script (Ketav Ashurit) is constructed of a Kaf (20) with a Vav (6) beside it. Note that the gematria for these components equals

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Thursday 10 January 2013

Pirque Avot. Mishnah Avot 1:9

Shimon ben Shatach disse: interroga i testimoni ampiamente, e stai attento alle loro parole, perché i testimoni possono capire dalle domande al fine di mentire (possono capire dalla domanda quale dovrà essere la risposta).
.לשקר ילמדו מתוכן שמא ;בדבריך זהיר והוי

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Chevlei Mashiach - Birthpangs of the Messiah

חבל משיח  “Chevlei Mashiach” means the “Birthpangs of the Messiah.” Messianic Judaism (All Judaism is by theory Messianic) teaches that the arrival of Mashiach is accompanied by birth pangs. This is also sometimes referred to as the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble.”
Jewish writings often refer to the birthpangs of Mashiach - Chevlei Mashiach. These birthpangs are the corporate suffering of the Jewish

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Pirque Avot. Mishnah Avot 1:8

Yehuda ben Tabai e Shimon ben Shatach ricevettero da loro (Yehoshua ben Prachiah e Nitai HaArbeili). Yehuda ben Tabai disse: Non fare di te stesso un "avvocato," e quando i litiganti sono in piedi davanti a te, entrambi devono essere visti come colpevoli, e quando vanno via (dopo che è stata emessa la sentenza) devono entrambi essere visti come innocenti, perché hanno accettato la decisione.
 .הדיינים

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Monday 7 January 2013

Mashiach is the leper scholar

When one studies rabbinic ideas of the Mashiach one comes upon a very curious idea: Mashiach is a Leper! Where does this idea come from? We'll tell you below, but first consider some of the rabbinic references. Babylonian Talmud: "The Mashiach --what is his name?...

The Rabbis say, The Leper Scholar, as it is said, `surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him a leper, smitten of God and afflicted...'" (Sanhedrin 98b speaking of Yeshayahu /

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Io stesso ho rivelato - Parasha Va’iera

Parashat: Vaerà (E sono Apparso)
Parashà: Shemoth (Esodo) 6:2-9:35
Haftarà: Yesha’yahu (Isaia) 66:1-24
La storia raccontata nella presente Parashat si incentra inizialmente su Moshè, che riceve la rassicurazione da parte di HaShem di una redenzione prodigiosa, e così quindi lo esorta a comunicare questa promessa al popolo ebraico. Ma il popolo ebraico, tuttavia, non presta ascolto alle parole di Moshè perchè

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Thursday 3 January 2013

La Mujer Judía - Tzniut

La Mujer Judía refleja una pureza enorme en su manera de ser y actuar. Es una mujer integra con un nivel espiritual grande. Se cuida mucho tanto en su aspecto físico y en su aspecto interno. Es segura de sí misma; es buena madre, buena esposa y buena amiga. Es considerada una princesa, ya que todo el honor de una princesa reside en quedarse en sus hogar y dirigirlo (Salmos 45,14) y es lo que hace.

Se viste recatadamente, es decir usa vestidos decentes sin

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Pirque Avot. Mishnah Avot 1:7

Nitai HaArbeili ha detto: prendi le distanze da un cattivo vicino, non ti attaccare ad una persona malvagia, e non distogliere la mente da le cose cattive .
.הפורענות מן תתייאש ואל , לרשע תתחבר ואל רע ,משכן

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Learning Hebrew – The letter Lamed (עִבְרִית)

The letter Lamed (Heb. לָמֶד) is the 12th letter of the Aleph-Bet, has the numeric value of 30. The diagonal upper stroke began at a higher point than the other letters of the alphabet, while the rightward base was drawn just beneath the ceiling line.
Factoid: The letter Lamed should have two Tagin on top of them, which allude to "Chesed (kindness) and Din (Judgment)". Therefore, the right one should be taller.
The Hebrew letter Lamed is

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