Reuven Chaim Klein

Noach: Hark! Two Arks! ~ 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...

Lech Lecha: Names of a People ~ Reuven Chaim Klein

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,...

Lech Lecha: Energizing the Tired and Exhausted ~ Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Vayeira: The Man With Enough Light ~ Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Chayei Sarah: Take a Bow ~ Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Chayei Sarah: Maybe Yes, Maybe No ~ Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Toldot: Names of a People ~ Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Vayeitzei: Like a Rock ~ Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Vayishlach: The Gift of Giving ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Vayishlach: Angels and Agents ~ Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Vayeishev/Chanuka: Olives and Oil ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Vayeishev: Words for Nations ~ Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Mikeitz/Chanukah: Playing with Fire ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Vayigash: Speaking in Tongues ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Vayigash: Speaking in Tongues ~ Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Vayechi: Say Your Prayers ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Shemot: Prophets and Visionaries ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Shemot: The Pharaoh and The King ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Va'era: Down by the River ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Va'era: Just Because ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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,...

Bo: The Sign is Coming ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Bo: Turning off the Lights ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Beshalach/Tu B’Shvat: Tree Words ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Beshalach: Sweet and Pleasant ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Yitro: Myself and I ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Yitro: God’s Best Friend ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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,...

Mishpatim: Rabbi of Robbers ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Mishpatim: Forever & Ever ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Terumah/Rosh Chodesh Adar: The Beauty of Adar ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Terumah: Sacred Spaces ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Tetzaveh/Purim: For Crying Out Loud ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Tetzaveh: Hats and Belts ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Ki Tisa: Mercy or Pity? ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Ki Tisa: Divine Dictator or Populist King ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Vaykahel/-Shekalim: The Glory of Adar ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Vayakhel/Pekudai: The Clothes Making the Man ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Vayikra: Don’t be a Behemah or a Chayah! ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Shemini: Of Corpses and Carcasses ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Tazria-HaChodesh: Old Month versus New Month ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Tazria-Metzora: Approaching Reproaching ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Acharei Mot: Confronting Death ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Kedoshim: Burke and Rebuke ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Acharei-Kedoshim: The Realm of the Undertaker ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Emor: When Just Counting Doesn’t Count ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Emor: An Appropriate Epithet ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Behar: Words of Redemption ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Bechukotai: A Collection of Curses ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Nasso: Razor Sharp ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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...

Nasso: A Crown is a Crown ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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

Behaalotcha: Desiring a Desire ~ Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

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