In Parshat Naso, we come across a fascinating mitzvah. The only one in the entire legal system of 613 mitzvot that directly involves a miracle.

If I forget you Jerusalem, may my right arm forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I don’t remember you if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.” (Tehillim 137:5-6) These two verses capture a vital tenet of our religion and culture, the centrality of Jerusalem.

What is time? Where did it come from? Why do we have time? Why do we care about time? What is the importance of sanctifying time? This week’s parsha, parshat Emor, sheds some light on these questions.

What is ארץ ישראל philosophically? Why do we need the land of Israel? Can’t we live as Jews anywhere?

Speech is a powerful tool for communicating our ideas, but lashon ha’rah – ‘evil speech’ – can have harmful effects on the speaker, subject, and the listener.