Birth: Human, Nation, Trees

Tazri’a begins with the shortest perek in the Torah - Vayikra 12 has 8 p’sukim - which deals with the births of boys and girls, specifically the TUM’A and TAHARA status of their mother and the korbanot that a YOLEDET brings at the end of a specified period of time.
The Maftir of HaChodesh - from Sh’mot 12 - presents the early phase of the birth of the nation of Israel - the mitzva to set up a Jewish Calendar and the mitzvot related to the very first Korban Pesach on the night of the Exodus

Birth: Human, Nation, Trees

Tazri’a begins with the shortest perek in the Torah - Vayikra 12 has 8 p’sukim - which deals with the births of boys and girls, specifically the TUM’A and TAHARA status of their mother and the korbanot that a YOLEDET brings at the end of a specified period of time.
The Maftir of HaChodesh - from Sh’mot 12 - presents the early phase of the birth of the nation of Israel - the mitzva to set up a Jewish Calendar and the mitzvot related to the very first Korban Pesach on the night of the Exodus

Birth: Human, Nation, Trees

Tazri’a begins with the shortest perek in the Torah - Vayikra 12 has 8 p’sukim - which deals with the births of boys and girls, specifically the TUM’A and TAHARA status of their mother and the korbanot that a YOLEDET brings at the end of a specified period of time.
The Maftir of HaChodesh - from Sh’mot 12 - presents the early phase of the birth of the nation of Israel - the mitzva to set up a Jewish Calendar and the mitzvot related to the very first Korban Pesach on the night of the Exodus

Word of the Month

A weekly feature of Torah Tidbits to help clarify practical and conceptual aspects of the Jewish Calendar, thereby better fulfilling the mitzva of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem…

Torah from Nature

Hummingbird

320 species of this smallest of all birds - the smallest of which is the Bee Hummingbird… as small as they are, their brains are twice as large as our own, relative to body size… they lick, not suck, nectar from flowers flicking their tongues about 12x per second… they remember and
recognize flowers they have visited and return to them only after giving them enough time to replenish their nectar. They communicate vocally… they see in a wider range of colors than other birds… they beat their wings up to 200x a second. This is physically demanding… they have the largest heart relative to size of any animal their flying technique is closer to a bumble bee’s then to that of any other bird… as they hover their wingtips trace a figure eight pattern rather than up and down… thus enabling them to fly forwards, backwards and even upside down. To maintain their strength they visit an average of 1500 flowers daily (The i book of animals)

From the Writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook by Rabbi Chanan Morrison

The inauguration of the Mishkan concluded with a blessing from the Kohen Gadol: “Aharon lifted his hands towards the people and blessed them. He then descended from preparing the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings” (Vayikra 9:22).
When Was the Blessing Recited?

A Reason for the Dietary Laws

Vayikra 11:7 - And the swine, for it has a split and separated hoof, but it does not chew its cud; it is impure to you.
Tiferet Yisrael 8:133:
There are those who give a natural reason for commandments, saying the Torah forbids pig because it gives rise to a deleterious condition in the body. This is certainly true, but not the reason for the prohibition.

Sanctuary Sobriety

Context: In the shadow of Nadav and Avihu’s tragic death, God turns to their father, Aharon, and commands:
“Do not drink wine or intoxicating beverage, you and your sons with you, when you come into the Tent of Meeting, and you will not die; this is an eternal decree for your generations. In order to distinguish between the sacred and the profane and between the impure and the pure, and to teach the children of Israel all of the statutes that God has spoken to them through Moshe.”

P'sukei d'Zimra: Y'HI CH'VOD - Hashem prevails

Meaning: translation…
...Hashem annuls the counsel of nations; He balks the designs of peoples. Many designs are in man’s heart, but the counsel of Hashem - only it will prevail. The counsel of Hashem will endure forever…
Theme:
An essential concept of the prayer
The End of the Story

SH'MINI The Stork and the Heron

I don’t think that parents tell this one to their children anymore, but they used to when I was a boy. When children once inquired about where babies come from, they were told that the stork brought them.
The stork is a migratory bird that was very familiar to people living in central Europe. The stork would suddenly, almost mysteriously, appear in the spring after a long absence during the cold winter.

Suing the Doctor in Halacha and Secular Law

Last week we read Rabbi Shlomo Dichovsky’s opinion in the case of a doctor who encouraged parents to continue with a pregnancy which resulted in the delivery of a child with a birth defect. In his opinion, the doctor may not be held legally responsible and may not be sued, even if he had instructed the couple not to undergo extensive prenatal testing.

And Aharon lifted his hands and blessed them

After the seven days of installment, Moshe calls Aharon and his sons to OHEL MOED for the eighth day. After bringing a number of sacrifices, Aharon lifts up his hands and blesses the people.
When thinking about the blessings that the Kohen gives to the people, we may wonder a bit. We all know that the kohanim have no possessions of their own and they own no land. Everything they receive from the gifts of the people. So when they bless the people, is it sincere? We could think that they have ulterior motives every time they raise their hands to bless