The name of the sedra

MI (rhymes with tea) is WHO and HU is HE and HI (same as he) is SHE - remember this Hebrew-English ditty?
The confusion between HU and HI (i.e. masculine and feminine) in the Torah is confusing even only in Hebrew. And that’s because HU is spelled HEI-VAV- ALEF (close to 1500 times in Tanach) and HI is also spelled HEI-VAV-ALEF (quite often - about 200 times in Tanach to 300 for the HEI-YUD-ALEF spelling of HI). When the antecedent of HU or HI is right there before the pronoun, then whether it is a HU or a HI is easily knowable - assuming you know which words are masculine and which are feminine.

Divrei Menachem

Leadership is one of the critical factors that fashion the way society progresses. In Biblical times, leadership of the people was largely in the hands of the Kohen Gadol, at least insofar as his prayers and offerings would atone for the sins of Bnei Yisrael. Accordingly, the way in which the KG conducted himself had very serious consequences for the community as a whole.

FROM BADBAD TO KUSHWAIT part quatre

Ed. note: The Purim 5741 issue of the OU’s Jewish Action carried an updated Purim story by Yaffa Ganz. She has done some further updating since. Beginning with Purim Katan (this week), Torah Tidbits is please to present Yaffa Ganz’s.

MicroUlpan

A RIMON by any other name…

RCDJ/Memphis writes:
Love the Torah Tidbit… This time - ooops! little error(s):

Torah from Nature - Vayikra

AARDVARK

medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa… the only living species of its order. Note: there are over 5000 species of mammals, which are subdivided into 19 orders. There are over 2200 different species of rodent and over 1000 species of bats… but only one species of aardvark, in its own order… the aardvark has no close relatives at all. Its name means ground pig, from the Afrikaans/Dutch because of its burrowing habits.

Sacrifices vs. Fasting - Adapted from Ein Ayah vol. I, p. 82

When the fourth-century scholar Rabbi Sheshet fasted, he would add the following request to his Amida prayer:
Master of the Universe! You know that when the Temple stood, a person who sinned would bring a sacrifice. Although only the fats and blood would be offered on the altar, the person would be granted atonement. Now I have fasted, and my fat and my blood have diminished. May it be Your Will that the decrease in my fat and my blood should be considered as if I offered them on the altar, and my offering was accepted. (B’rachot 17a)
Rabbi Sheshet’s prayer is inspiring, but it makes one wonder: Why should one go to the trouble of bringing a sacrifice if the same atonement may be achieved through fasting?

The Humble Prince

Vayikra 4:22 - If a leader will sin and negligently do one of the commands of Hashem which should not be done, and be guilty.
Rashi - The word for “if” in this verse is ASHER, related to ASHREI, which means fortunate or happy. Fortunate is the generation whose leader puts his heart to seeking atonement for his mistake, ever more so for his intentional misdeeds.

Confronting Korbanot

Context: With the opening of the book of Vayikra, we enter the world of korbanot.
In chapter upon chapter of text, God commands the newly formed Jewish nation, encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai, concerning the rituals that will define the sacrificial rite in the Sanctuary.
Questions: The very existence of korbanot creates a powerful quandary.

Y'HI CH'VOD - HaShem's Joy

Meaning: translation…
May the glory of Hashem endure forever, let Hashem rejoice in His works. Blessed be the Name of Hashem, from this time and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting, Hashem’s name is praised.
Theme:
An essential concept of the prayer
NACHAS

Is One Allowed to Sue a Doctor?

Most people are grateful to the medical professionals who treat them. They feel that their doctors do all they can to provide the best and most appropriate treatment, even if they are not always successful.
However, there are cases in which one may feel that the doctor was in error and performed an unnecessary treatment, or made a wrong judgment. These are the cases that usually fill the media and make for fascinating reading, but they are the minority.
Couples who feel that a doctor made a mistake in treatment often ask us whether they should take him to court and sue him for malpractice. Is there any halachic objection to suing a medical professional?

Sacrifices for Jewish Education

If you were planning the curriculum for a Jewish school for young children the logical place to begin learning Chumash would be from Bereshit. But in most boys CHEDERS they start to learn from this week’s portion, from the book of Vayikra. Did you ever wonder why little boys in Cheder start learning the Torah from Vayikra the middle of the Torah and not from the beginning?

Parsha Points to Ponder

1) Why does the Torah repeatedly use the phrase SONS OF AHARON (BNEI AHARON) when describing the Kohanim preparing sacrifices instead of simply calling them KOHANIM (for example 1:5 and 1:7)?
2) Why does the Torah have to stress that IT IS A LAW FOREVER, FOR ALL GENERATIONS IN ALL PLACES YOU INHABIT, ALL FATS AND ALL BLOOD YOU MAY NOT EAT (3:17)? Don’t we already know that laws of the Torah are eternally binding?