Parsha with Rabbi David Bibi

Let’s begin where the parsha begins: “וידבר ה’ אל משה בהר סיני לאמר…” “And Hashem spoke to Moshe on Mount Sinai, saying…” Rashi immediately asks: Why does the Torah specify Har Sinai in this context? Isn’t the entire Torah from Sinai? What’s the Torah trying to emphasize by attaching these particular laws—Shemitah, the sabbatical year—to the mountain? And that’s our first clue: we’re not just bein...

  As we return to it today, let’s dedicate our learning—לרפואת יצחק בן מרגלית, and לעילוי נשמת ניסים בן סלחה, the father of our dear friend Jessica. May the light of Torah we uncover today bring healing, elevation, and connection.   

  Pesach Sheni is the holiday of second chances.      Lamah nigara? Why should we be left behind?     Amalek attacked us on Pesach Sheni. And when you hear that, it’s like — whoa.   Of all the days Amalek could choose to attack… He chooses the day that screams, “It’s never too late.”       Amalek stands for doubt.   The Torah hints at it:...

Before we begin today’s episode, I want to dedicate these words—to the ones who teach us love not through speeches, but through presence.   To all the wives, mothers, and grandmothers who build homes of kindness and strength… And personally—to my own wife, on the occasion of our 40th wedding anniversary. Forty years of building, of growing, of learning what love really means—together.  &...

Lets take a deep dive into one of the most haunting and misunderstood moments in the Torah: the death of Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon HaKohen.   We’ll follow their story from Parshat Shemini, through the intervening portions of Tazria and Metzora, all the way to this weeks Acharei Mot and Kedoshim—and reframe their deaths not as tragedy, but as the highest form of intimacy and divine l...

This week, we’re reading a double perasha of Tazria. And Mesorah. These are two parshiyot that, at first glance, seem… not exactly glamorous.   (Based on the Teachings of the Shvilei Pinchas, our teacher, Rabbi Pinchas Friedman)    They’re all about strange skin conditions — tzara’at — rituals of impurity, offerings involving birds and wood and wool and hyssop.      B...

Rabbi Shabtai Sabato YOM HAATZMA’UT page 297   Today, we celebrate not only a date on the calendar or a declaration from 1948—we celebrate the beginning of the fulfillment of a 2,000-year-old dream. A dream born in the heart of Yaakov Avinu. Carried by David HaMelech. Whispered in the wind of every exile. And now, with Hashem’s kindness, unfolding before our very eyes in Eretz Yisrael.  ...

The Seruf for Iyar is a Yud and Heh followed by a Heh and Vav based on the pasuk: “יתהלל המתהלל השכל וידוע אותי” — “Let the one who praises, praise only through understanding and knowing Me.”    Based on the Teachings of: The Peri Tzaddik (פרי צדיק) is the name of a famous sefer written by Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin (1823–1900). He was a major Chassidic thinker, originally from a Lit...

Parshat Shemini, a parsha that holds an astonishing secret: the exact midpoint of the Torah — both in words and in letters — is found here. But it’s not just a cool trivia fact. This secret reveals a deeper message about Torah, support for Torah, and the spiritual roles we play.    The Torah's Midpoints — More Than Math In Vayikra 10:16, we find the phrase: 'ואת שעיר החטאת דרש דרש משה וה...

Today’s parashah is Shemini—a portion filled with fire and silence, Divine closeness, and the holiness of separation. But today, we’re going to zoom in on something subtle. Almost hidden. A moment tucked into the laws of kashrut, that carries a whisper of deep mussar.      And it begins with a story.      A 24-year-old boy is sitting on the train with his father. &nbs...

Some of us have the practice that before doing a mitzvah—whether it’s putting on tefillin, lighting candles, or studying Torah—we pause and say a short tefillah: LeShem Yichud Kudsha Brich Hu u’Shechintei. A quiet moment to dedicate what we’re about to do to Hashem, to unite the spiritual worlds. And even if we don’t say the whole LeShem Yichud, many of us still whisper a familiar line: Vihi Noam...

We begin this weeks perasha  וַֽיְהִי֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִ֔י קָרָ֣א מֹשֶׁ֔ה לְאַהֲרֹ֖ן וּלְבָנָ֑יו וּלְזִקְנֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ On the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel. Inspired by Rabbeynu Bachya and Ramban, please join me on a journey—a journey through numbers. But not just any numbers. Two numbers that sit quietly in our tradition, and yet, they pulse wit...

The Hidden Structure of Nisan - A Month Outside of Time

This Pesach, a simple question turned into a deep journey. The Torah tells us in Parshat Bo:      “And Hashem will pass through to strike Egypt… and He will see the blood… and He will not allow the destroyer to enter to strike.”        וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה לְחָק־לְךָ וּלְבָנֶיךָ עַד־עוֹלָם. (שמות י”ב, כד)      We did it once in Eg...

  I wrote and recorded this Tuesday. On Wednesday, the President suspended the tariffs for 90 days and the stock market shot up a record amount for a single day …. what will be tomorow?  Rabbi Abittan, Zecher sadik livracha, often reminded us that the great test of our generation is bitachon—trust in Hashem. He would say that because of the comforts we’ve been blessed with, it’s easy to...

The Watch and the Worth – A Passover Thought We begin Vayikra with a mystery: וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־מֹשֶׁה—with a small aleph. Chazal teach that Moshe, in his humility, wanted to write וַיִּקָּר—like a casual encounter. But Hashem insisted: no, write וַיִּקְרָא—with a calling. A term of love, of nearness. Because Hashem valued Moshe—even more than Moshe valued himself. And that’s the secret of geulah, of...

When I was a kid I enjoyed playing baseball. We started at whiffle ball on the sidewalk and the driveway, graduated to soft ball in the park and when we had only a few of us, grabbed a broom stick and spalding and headed for the school yard. The key to hitting in baseball is to make contact. I think the key to the Seder and to Pesach is to make contact   

During the first 12 days of Nissan, we read the korbanot hanesi’im — the offerings brought by each tribal prince during the dedication of the Mishkan (Bamidbar 7). On day 13, we read “Zot chanukat hamizbe’ach.” After that, many communities continue saying the reading each day through day 21, and add names of departed loved ones for merit.

  Parshat Pikudei begins with Moses giving a complete accounting of all the raw materials collected for the building of the mishkan along with details on how these materials were used. Realizing that we already were given this information we ask why the need for an official audit which seems to be a redundancy. We know that audits typically follow questionable actions or accusations. So what...