Altar

Found 19 Search results

1. The Korban Pesach - Sacrifice or Feast?

   Prof. Jonathan Grossman

   The Pessach God commands the nation to bring in Egypt includes various sacrificial elements - but one of the essential elements of a sacrifice - an altar - is absent. This essay posits that the homes of Bnei Yisrael were made into an altar for the purpose of sacrificing the Pessach. This supposition sheds light on the function of the Pessach sacrifice in this parasha and throughout Tanach.

2. Eliyahu on Mount Carmel (Part 4)

   Eliyahu's Preparations for the Descent of God's Fire (Part 2)

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   Eliyahu’s invitation to the people to approach is meant to facilitate the continuation of the paused dialogue that the prophet began when he approached them. Eliyahu wants mass participation and maximum transparency for his actions. By choosing to repair a destroyed altar of God, Eliyahu hints at the restoration of Divine service, to which this entire occasion is geared.

3. Eliyahu on Mount Carmel (Part 4)

   Eliyahu's Preparations for the Descent of God's Fire (Part 3)

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   Eliyahu builds the altar with twelve stones, and his actions are reminiscent of the altar that Moshe constructed at Sinai. Moshe created a covenant between the nation and God concerning the commandments of the Torah, while Eliyahu created a covenant concerning the recognition and acceptance of God. The reference to Ya’akov-Yisrael is meant to create a dividing line between the twelve tribes of Israel and the foreign elements that are threatening the unity and uniqueness of the nation.

4. Eliyahu on Mount Carmel (Part 4)

   Eliyahu's Preparations for the Descent of God's Fire (Part 4)

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   The trench is meant to collect the water that is poured upon the altar, but it also represents the demarcation of the place of the altar in God's Name. It is for this reason that the digging of the trench is mentioned immediately after erecting the altar in God's Name. The purpose of pouring water multiple times on the altar is to involve as many people as possible to make it clear that the miracle was real and not a deceit.

5. Eliyahu on Mount Carmel (Part 7)

   The Nation's Response

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   “The Lord is God” is the nation’s response to the universal element of the challenge. The capturing of the prophets of Ba’al is their response to the national one. The prophets were not killed on Mount Carmel which is a place of an altar. The killing of the prophets appears to be a prophetic command which is attributed to Eliyahu and not the nation.

6. The Closing Mitzvot

   Rabbi Alex Israel | 39 minutes

   Although many shiurim on Yitro focus on the Ten Dibrot, this shiur diverges and focuses on the maftir-- the last few pesukim of the parasha, beginning with “You yourselves have seen that I have spoken with you from the Heavens.” What is the significance of the set of laws in the pesukim that follow?

7. The Tzitz

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   What is the role of the tzitz? In this article, Rabbi Yaakov Medan explains that the tzitz comes to bring about God's favorable acceptance of the sacrifices, even if mishaps occurred while they were being offered. Referencing Biblical and Talmudic sources, Rabbi Medan lists the specific types of sins for which the tzitz atones - for the altar and for the ritually impure sacrifices brought upon it, as well as for the impudence and brazenness that led to the desecration of God's name at the altar with a false oath.

8. Cosmetic Beauty

   Rabbi Ben-Tzion Spitz

9. Mesheh Hokhma: Why did Yitzhak Build an Altar Now?

   Rabbi David Silverberg

10. What is the Difference Between a Mizbeach and a Matzeiva?

    Rabbi David Silverberg

11. The Second Haftara for Hanukka

    Rabbi Aytan Kadden

12. The Journeys of Avraham and Yaakov and the Purpose of Conquering the Land

    Dr. Yael Ziegler | 30 minutes

    In many ways, Yaakov's journey in Canaan is very similar to Avraham's journey. But Yaakov seems to stay in Shechem for too long. Why does Yaakov stay in Shechem? By comparing the stories of Yaakov's and Avraham's journeys, and noting echoes in the Book of Yehoshua, we gain insight into the purpose of inheriting the Land of Israel: it is not only to develop a national homeland, but to disseminate a national idea-- the Divine mission of the People of Israel.
     

13. The Complementary Verses of the Command Concerning the Mishkan

    Rabbi Yehuda Rock

    The four complementary verses that conclude the commands concerning the Mishkan describe the daily sacrifice and its purposes: a meeting place between God and Israel, sanctification of Ohel Moed and the altar, the emanation of the Shechina, and the sanctification of the Kohanim. Through an examination of the text, we can notice that these purposes serve to map out the important milestones in the narrative of the Torah, from the time of the forefathers up until Sefer Bamidbar. 

14. Targum Onkelos

    Dr. Avigail Rock

    In this first lesson of the series Targum Onkelos is examined. There is no doubt that Targum Onkelos succeeded, for over a millennium, in maintaining its honored place in the Jewish community as the authoritative translation of the Torah.  In every publication of the Torah with commentaries, Targum Onkelos maintains its place of honor, and throughout the Jewish world, the weekly study of the Targum is a halakhic obligation.

    The challenges, difficulties and limitations of any translation of the Bible are visited as well as the specific overarching principles of Targum Onkelos that include:

    • Simple translation of the text without details from the Midrash
    • Avoids the anthropomorphization of God
    • Explanation – not translation – of metaphors
    • Explanation – not translation – of biblical poetry
    • Varying translations of similar terms in different contexts in order to avoid the desecration of God’s name
    • Maintain the dignity of the leaders of the Jewish nation, often concealing questionable actions
    • In accordance with Halakha

15. Where is “the Place which God shall Choose”?

    Rabbi Dr. Yoel Bin Nun

    When reading Parashat Re’eh, Torah scholars and biblical researchers alike generally understand the phrase, “the place which God shall choose” as referring solely to Jerusalem (Mount Moriah). This understanding makes it  difficult to explain the sacrifices offered to God upon bamot, literally “high places,” the ad hoc altars described in several places in Tanakh. We examine Biblical texts, commentaries, midrash, and archeological findings at Khirbet Qeyafa to reach new understandings about the presence and dismantling of bamot.

16. From Inside to Outside: Yom Kippur and Sukkot

    Dr. Yonatan Feintuch

    Sukkot follows almost immediately after Yom Kippur and both share in the atmosphere of Tishrei – one of soul-searching, gazing at the year gone by, atonement, and looking towards the future. Still, as we know, these festivals are very different in essence, mood, and in the laws that characterize them.

    In this article I suggest that the two holidays sit at opposite poles of single continuum: one that stretches from inwardness to outwardness.

17. Terumah: Is There a Face Hiding in the Tabernacle?

    Rabbi David Fohrman |

    In Parshat Terumah, we are given explicit details about how to build the mishkan, the Tabernacle that traveled with the nation of Israel through the wilderness. In this video, Rabbi Fohrman suggests that the mishkan might represent a hidden 'face' - and asks us to think about who we really are, our physical bodies, or the souls that lies behind them?

     

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18. Parshat Yitro - Of Gold, Silver and the Earthen Altar

    Rabbi Chanoch Waxman | 30 minutes

    The end of Chapter 20 of Exodus mentions that altars are to be earthen. What is wrong with cut stone altars? There is an idea of the meeting of heaven and earth for the earthen altar, but there is also a connection with the prohibition of idols of silver and gold. There are problematic types and mandated types of intermediaries. There is the Golden Calf on the one hand, and the Mishkan and the earthen altar on the other. The tension lies in the question of what Bnei Yisrael will choose.
     

19. Sefer Vayikra: Archaeology

    Nachliel Selavan | 19 minutes

    This is an analysis of the Archaeology of the Sefer Vayikra by Nachliel Selavan.

    Archaeology Snapshot is a discussion on the location, timeline, main characters and highlights from history and archaeology, for each Sefer in Tanach.