5757

  Separation and differentiation are words which are synonymous with Judaism. Indeed, they define the religion. Hashem has set us apart from the nations of the world to be His. From the very beginning His master-plan was that we should be distinct. We are to distinguish ourselves by our observance of the Divine laws, as well as our overall demeanor and virtue. It is evident that the underlying purpose of the Jewish dietary laws is to separate us from the nations. We are elevated from the rest of the world by the food that we eat, the special food that…

The Torah concerns itself with our attitude towards the individuals who are unknowing. Although one who is deaf cannot hear our curse, it does not mitigate its evil. We are the ones that are affected by the curse, since we sink to the level of cursing people. We must realize that people are only vehicles. The evil they perpetrate is meant for us to sustain. We would do well to introspect our own deeds and correct them.   Rashi explains that while only a degenerate person would place a stumbling block before the blind, this pasuk also has a metaphorical…

Hashem commands us to be holy because He is holy. This is enigmatic. How can we compare ourselves to Hashem? Just because He is holy, does that mean that it is so easy for us to become holy? Imagine a poor man standing in front of a bank begging for alms from the people that come out of the bank. A wealthy man comes along and asks him, “Why don’t you go inside the bank and withdraw a few thousand dollars to tide you over?” The poor man looks back at him incredulously and says, “From what should I make…