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"Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the Universe, Who forms light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates all." (Shacharis prayer) Like anything written by Chazal, these words are filled with eternal significance. What do they have to do with Chanukah? Plenty. What is darkness? Is it simply the absence of light or does it have substance in itself? Darkness is associated with suffering. "In the evening one lies down weeping, but with dawn . . . a cry of joy" (Tehillim 30). In Mitzrayim, during the ninth plague, the darkness was so thick it prevented the Egyptians...

(Note by the poster: I realize I am taking a chance in posting the following, but I am trying to make a point. I beg all of you, before hitting the "abuse" button to please first read the article in its entirety and then to please read my comments below it. I believe even those who disagree with the theology of the article will recognize the point I am trying to make by posting this here. Thank you.)NOTE: We're still working our way through a long list of letters that have arrived in recent weeks. If you've sent us a...

Everyone has heard of the Talmud, the accompanying oral part of the Torah. But what is not so clear is that the Oral Torah actually preceded the written Bible we have today!It's important to clarify a common misconception many have about the role of the Oral Torah in Judaism. The Oral Torah is not an interpretation of the Written Torah. In fact, the Oral Torah preceded the Written Torah. When the Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai 3,300 years ago, God communicated the 613 commandments, along with a detailed, practical explanation of how to fulfill them. At that point in...

When the Torah wishes to inform us of the 'historical' reason for a holiday, it certainly knows how to do so. Take for example the two other pilgrimage holidays - Chag HaMatzot and Succot. Even though these holidays are also presented from their 'agricultural' perspective (see Shmot 23:14-17), the Torah informs us of their historical perspectives as well (see Shmot 12:17, 13:3 etc. and Vayikra 23:42-43). Therefore, it is simply baffling that the Torah presents Shavuot only from its agricultural aspect, without mentioning even a word about its connection to events of Matan Torah! In this week's shiur, we attempt...