Monday, December 8th 2025   |

Commentaries

Person in the Parsha: SHELACH

By TZVI HERSH WEINREB

OF GRASSHOPPERS AND JEWISH PRIDE

Just as there were six million victims, so were there at least six million stories. One of those stories seems to have occurred many times, because I’ve heard it...

Person in the Parsha: BEHA’ALOTECHA

By TZVI HERSH WEINREB

HUMBLE, NOT WEAK

I don’t usually disagree publicly with lecturers, particularly when they are expressing opinions which are mostly consistent with my own. But there was one time when I felt that...

Person in the Parsha: NASO

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

UNIFORMITY AND UNIQUENESS

One of the interesting paradoxes of human life is our tendency to copy one another and to try to “fit in” with friends and acquaintances, while simultaneously trying to be...

Person in the Parsha: BEMIDBAR (SHAVUOT)

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

FLOURISHING IN THE DESERT

I trace back my love of poetry to Mr. Perle. He taught freshman English in the high school I attended. I remember him as diminutive in stature, but not...

Person in the Parsha: BECHAR-BECHUKOTAI

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

THE PROCESS OF SIN

It is a word that one hears frequently these days, in many contexts. The word is “process.” It is a word that reflects our growing recognition that there are...

Person in the Parsha: EMOR

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“LIKE ALL OTHER BOYS”

The custom is fairly prevalent nowadays, but it was not a common practice thirty years ago when my friend raised his sons. He would seek out especially pious rabbis,...

Person in the Parsha: ACHAREI MOT-KEDOSHIM

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“HOLINESS: A DEFINITION”

He never returned phone calls. He certainly never returned e-mails. He rarely smiled.

He had very sophisticated tastes in wine and fine liquor. A seven-course gourmet dinner with a wine...

Person in the Parsha: TAZRIA-METZORA

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“GOING AT IT ALONE”

“No man is an island.” “It takes a village.” These are just some of the clichés that are used to convey the importance of social groups, of the realization...

Person in the Parsha: TAZRIA-METZORA

By RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“GOING AT IT ALONE”

“No man is an island.” “It takes a village.”

These are just some of the clichés that are used to convey the importance of social groups, of the realization...

Person in the Parsha: SHEMINI

By TZVI HERSH WEINREB

“AGING GRACE”

We all applaud when an old man runs in the marathon. We expect that his physical powers diminished long ago, and when he proves otherwise we celebrate for him. We are impressed...