Reuven Chaim Klein

We are all familiar with two very different arks that are mentioned in the Bible: The Ark of Noah and the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of...

Reuven Chaim Klein My wife and I were once traveling in the subway in Los Angeles, and a friendly African-American stopped us to ask,...

In one of Isaiah’s prophecies (that happens to be read as the Haftarah for Parshat Lech Lecha), he describes G-d as, “The Giver of...

The Hebrew word for a blind person is iver. Cognates of that word appear in such Biblical quotations as “Do not put a stumbling block in...

The two seemingly unrelated stories in this week’s Parshah find common ground in bowing. When telling of Abraham buying the plot that...

The word “maybe” in English is neutral; it belies not the speaker’s preference regarding the possibility of which he speaks. The same is...

My wife and I were once travelling in the subway in Los Angeles, and a friendly African-American stopped us to ask, “Hey! Are you guys...

I’m not a geologist, nor do I pretend to be one. But I do think that we can draw some fascinating insights into the Holy Language by...

The Gift of Giving Ahead of the epic meeting of brothers, Jacob sent his older brother Esau quite a generous tribute, consisting of 550...

A “messenger of G-d” refers to either an angel or a prophet, but what about a “messenger of Jacob”? When Jacob sent a message of peace to...

Olives and Oil During these days of Chanuka, everybody is talking about the miracle of the Menorah and the jug of shemen zayit zach (pure...

When a very pregnant Rivka consulted with the prophets Shem and Ever to find out what is in store for her unborn child, she was informed...

Playing with Fire When telling of the future downfall of the descendants of Esau, the prophet Ovadiah (Obadiah 1:18) refers to the House...

Speaking in Tongues In the Hebrew language, there are two different words for “language”—safa and lashon. If taken hyper-literally these...

In the Hebrew language there are two different words for “language” — safa and lashon. If taken hyper-literally, these two words actually...

Upon his deathbed, Yaakov bequeaths to his favorite son Joseph the city of Shechem “which I took from the Amorites with my sword and my...

When G-d appoints Moshe as His emissary to redeem the Jewish People from their Egyptian bondage, He splits the leadership position into...

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com The Pharaoh and the King I still remember my fifth grade Rebbe, Rabbi A. Y. Berman, asking the one...

Before bringing the Plague of Blood, G-d tells Aharon to stretch out his staff over the different bodies of water in Egypt. He tells...

Just Because Before the Plague of Hail, Moshe warns the Pharaoh that he truly deserves to be killed, but that G-d had said, “nonetheless,...

In Parshat Bo there are three signs: The plagues in Egypt are called a “sign” (Ex. 10:1-2), the blood which the Jews were supposed to...

Turning off the Lights The ninth plague in Egypt was the plague of darkness. When describing this plague, the Torah relates that G-d told...

This upcoming week is a little-known holiday called Tu B’Shevat (the 15th of the month of Shevat). The Mishna (Rosh Hashanah 1:1) says...

Photo by mali maeder on Pexels.com Sweet and Pleasant Not long after the Jews’ Exodus from Egypt, they travelled in the desert for three...

Myself and I The Ten Commandments famously open with the words, “I am Hashem your G-d who took you out of Egypt…” (Ex. 20:2). In this...

The Midrash tells us that Moshe’s father-in-law Yitro (Jethro) had seven different names by which he is called in the Bible: Yitro,...

Rabbi of Robbers The Amoraic sage Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, also known as Reish Lakish, serves as the quintessential baal teshuvah, as he...

The Torah (Ex. 21:6) teaches that if a Hebrew bondsman opts to continue with his master after his initial seven-year indenture, then “his...

This week ushers in the month of Adar in all its glory. Like all the months of the Jewish calendar, the name Adar is derived from the...

There are two words which refer to the accumulation of holiness on a spatial level: Mishkan and Mikdash. Although the Talmud (Eruvin 2a)...

When Esav found out that the blessing from his father Yitzchak had been given to Yaakov, Esav “cried out a great and bitter cry” (Genesis...

Hats and Belts The Torah teaches us about the special garments to be worn by the Kohanim (priests) while performing the ritual duties in...

As Moshe prayed to G-d to forgive the Jewish People for sinning at the golden calf, G-d revealed to Moshe His Thirteen Attributes of...

Divine Dictator or Populist King After Joseph told his brothers about his dreams, which seemed to foretell Joseph’s eventual rise to...

The Beauty of Adar This upcoming week ushers in the month of Adar in all its glory. Like all the months of the Jewish calendar, the name...

The Malbim and others explain how a bevy of apparent synonyms for “clothing” actually differ from one another. As many commentators note,...

Have you ever heard an old Jewish Bubby (Yiddish for “grandmother”) refer to wild kids as chayot or behemot? Do you know what she’s...

In the aftermath of the Ten Spies fiasco, the Jewish people were doomed to remain in the wilderness for forty years until the rise of the...

This Shabbat we read Parshat HaChodesh, the last of four special Torah readings before Pesach. Parshat HaChodesh establishes Nissan as...

Edmund Burke (1729-1797), the father of contemporary conservatism, purportedly said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is...

The Torah introduces the laws of the sacrificial services of Yom Kippur by noting that G-d relayed them to Moses after the...

Edmund Burke (1729-1797), the father of contemporary conservatism, purportedly said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is...

In this essay we will explore the different words for gehinnom (commonly translated as “hell” or “purgatory”). The Talmud (Eruvin 19a)...

The Torah commands us to count the days and weeks from Passover until Shavuot (Lev. 23:15-16). Interestingly, the Torah portion which...

The common word for a tombstone in spoken Hebrew is a matzeivah (literally, “monument”), and, indeed, when Yaakov buried his wife Rachel,...

The end of Leviticus speaks about different forms of redemption in the legal sense. It mentions the rights — or even commandments — of...

The Torah says, “A judge you shall not curse and a prince/king in your nation shall you not curse” (Ex. 22:27). This passage forbids...

When detailing the laws of the Nazirite, the Torah forbids him from cutting his hair by stating, “A razor (taar) shall not pass over his...

A Crown is a Crown Malbim defines these three words by explaining the differences in their physical properties. He explains that an...

The Torah relates that not long after the Jews left Mount Sinai, the erev rav — who were the “mixed-multitudes” of Egyptians that joined...