Sparks of Torah: Recent Episodes

Rabbi Dovid Nussbaum

Weekly inspiration from the Parsha by Rabbi Dovid Nussbaum of Yeshiva Toras Chaim, Denver

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Can we talk during the Musaf on Rosh Hashanah?

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What can we substitute for the lack of blowing shofar the first day of Rosh Hashanah?

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If one does not use the second ma'aser properly is there a punishment?

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Is there a punishment for not using the second ma'aser funds correctly

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The importance of the mitzvah of bringing the first fruits to the Beis Hamikdash

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Our essence

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The severity of the Torah

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Kingship in our nation

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Adding on to the Torah

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The importance of scholarship in Torah

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Can we add?

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Praiseworthy

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The prominence of Torah

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Understanding Shabbos Nachamu

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Rejoicing on Yom Tov

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Hiding in the right place

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A perspective on Tisha B'av

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Exile, the ultimate redemption

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Avenging Hashem's Honor

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Marching Forward

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Are we there yet?

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The designation of the Red Heifer

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Appreciating what we have

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The art of Tithing

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When is it too much?

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When the obligation of separating challah takes place

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Finding our path through faith

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The Mitzvah of Pesach Sheini

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The Mitzvah of the Trumpets

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Uniting our people

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Building an altar

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An impacting vision

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Selling the First-born's right

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Our Legacy from Avrohom

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Teaching others

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The truth of the matter

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Performing a mitzvah with alacrity

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Hashem's benevolence

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The father's obligation to circumcise his son

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Eternity

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What caused the Flood?

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Was Noach a drunkard?

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Why was Adam not allowed to eat from the Tree of Knowledge?

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Hashem's Sovereignty

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Adding on to a Mitzvah

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Using this world for the right purpose

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Power of the Sukkah

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The strength of Torah

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Relating to Yom Kippur

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Moshe's journey through life

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We must wake up

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Listen to the Voice

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Bowing in the Beis Hamikdash

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The importance of simcha

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The power of the Sages

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Influencing others

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Planting in the Beis Hamikdash

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Thinking the thought

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The sanctity of a shul

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The source of blessing

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The essence of prayer

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The Ultimate compassion

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Do we really believe?

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Our Legacy of stability

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A judge's fear

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Nobility

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Can we trust you?

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Does your speech speak to you?

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Does a non-jew inherit?

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Why we count

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The power of Torah study

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The power of unity

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PETA Torah style

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The power of the flesh

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Guarding the Beis Hamikdash

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Reconstructing Creation

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An explanation of the prohibition to doubt Hashem's supremacy

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A deeper understanding of the mistake of the spies

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A deeper understanding of the mistake of the spies

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Responding to a difficult situation

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The honor of Torah

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When does one become obligated to receive lashes for transgression of Torah law?

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Why become a Nazirite?

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Why are we here?

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The angelic Jew

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A short expose on the mitzvah of tithing your animals

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How miraculous is our world?

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Why we blow the Shofar on the Jubilee year

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The theme of the Jubilee year

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Are women obligated to count the Omer?

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Sacrificing for Hashem

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Discussing stealing real estate

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How to have a healthy heart

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Can a minor count Sefirah after he becomes Bar Mitzvah during the Sefirah

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Explaining the prohibition of eating blood

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An explanation of counting the omer

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An explanation of Hallel

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Should we eat matzah the whole Pesach?

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Recognizing Hashem's benevolence

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A discussion about the process of purfiying the metsorah (leper)

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Why this Shabbos is referred to as Shabbos Hagadol?

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The prohibition of benefitting from Tzora'as clothing

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The importance of the month of Nisssan

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The prohibition of allowing a minor to transgress

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The power of the Red Heifer

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Why we eat and drink on Purim!

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What's in our hearts?

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How documents work

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Why destroy Amalek?

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Upgrading that which is holy

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Our journey in the desert

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Accomplishment of a mitzvah in its entirety

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Was it enough?

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Is a minor's donation to the Beis Hamikdash acceptable?

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Who should lead us; Hashem or His angel?

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The unique quality of the priestly garments

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The priestly garments

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The mitzvah to build the Beis Hamikdash

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The purpose of the Beis Hamikdash

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When do we decide according to the majority opinion?

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The advantage of having a mentor/Rebbe

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The Mitzvah to Believe in Hashem

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Hashem's magnificence

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The ultimate mitzvah

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What is true redemption?

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A discussion of the prohibition of owning chametz on Pesach

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The mitzvah of the Pesach sacrifice in Egypt

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Should one raise his voice during the Shemoneh Esreh?

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Why all the plagues were needed?

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Is writing equivalent to speaking?

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Understanding the nobility of the 12 tribed

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An analysis of acquisition of land through battle

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The beginning of the Egyptian exile

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When you are allowed to interrupt reciting the Shema

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The battle of the Kings!

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Why do we make a blessing when we see the Chanukah lights?

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Why is Chanukah eight days?

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Discussion of the berachos of Chanukah

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The underlying theme of Chanukah

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Did Yaakov transgress when he did not fulfill his vow immediately?

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Why was Yaakov punished that his daughter Dina was abused by Shechem?

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Understanding the obligation to tithe

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Our impact on the world

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Can a minor marry?

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Merging fear of Hashem with Chesed

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Can a slave perform a marriage?

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The upshot of Akeidas Yitzchok

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Alacrity in performaning mitzvos

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Why did Sara laugh?

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Understanding enhancement of the mitzvah of Bris Milah

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Why did Avrohom want to become enriched by the Egyptians?

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An in-depth analysis of the mitzvah of Tzitzis

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Why not drink?

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An appreciation of the mitzvah of Succah

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The power of repentance

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The gain of repentance

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We are different

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The purpose of creation

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The mitzvah of bringing ther first fruits

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Our acceptance of the covenant of Torah

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Defining the mitzvah of honoring one's parents

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The level of mitzvah performance

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Capital Punishment

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Why we fight

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A review of the halacha of erasing writing on Shabbos

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Is blood so bad?

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Women making a beracha on learning Torah

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Dealing with difficulties in life

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The obligation of a mezuzah in a jointly owned house

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The power of our actions

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The prohibition of fearing the litigants

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Recognizing Hashem's mercy

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The power of witnesses

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The danger of certainty

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The obligation to hasten to perform a mitzvah

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Our connection to Hashem

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The death penalty for the antagonist

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What is a true blessing?

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Can you wear the priestly garments outside the Mishkan/Beis Hamikdash?

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Who dug the well in the desert

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Respecting an emissary of a Rabbinical Court

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Living in a contaminated environment

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Which wavelength are you on?

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Defining our faith in Hashem

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A discussion of the laws of blessings

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A discussion of the laws of slander

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The Mitzvah to carry the Ark

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An in-depth analysis of the blessings of the Kohanim

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A discussion of the custom to spread grass and put trees in shul on Shavuos

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The essence of the Mishkan

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An exposition on acquiring land with money

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Are we rewarded in this world when we do a mitzvah?

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The Mitzvah of counting the Omer

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The essence of the sacrificial order

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The underlying theme of marriage

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The connection between last week's parshios and this week's

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Discussion of the laws of immersion in a mikveh

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The essence of the Metsorah

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The significance of the Beis Hamikdash

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The fundamental understanding of not consuming non-kosher food

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The nusach of davening for the last days of Pesach

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The relevance of Shir Hashirim to Pesach

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How to fulfill the mitzvah of Magid

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Our connection to the Pesach Offering

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Invalidation of a mitzvah done improperly

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Understanding the impropriety of stealing for a mitzvah

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Prohibition of performing part of an act of desecrating Shabbos

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Mishkan - atonement for the Golden Calf

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The transgression of assisting others to do something wrong

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The significance of the tablets that the Ten Commandments were inscribed upon

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The obligation of tzitzis on the tunic of the High Priest

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The inauguration of the Mishkan

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The walls of the Mishkan

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The showbread's significance

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Responsibility for a hazard

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Does Protocol Matter?

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The prohibition of making an unnecessary blessing

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The preparation for receiving the Torah

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The importance of preparing for Shabbos

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The potency of the manna

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An analysis of the mitzvah to eliminate chometz before Pesach

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The three pillars of Judaism

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The status of a Rabbinical obligation

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The kingship of Moshe

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An explanation of the prohibition of striking another person

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Defining the Egyptian exile

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Who can be a witness?

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Defining the first-born right

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The importance of abstention

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The importance of your community

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Making a stipulation on one's action

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The fulfillment of Yosef's dreams

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Exploring the extent to honor parents

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Explanation of the dispute between Yosef and his brothers

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Why was the city of Schechem destoyed?

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The essence of the blessing of Yitzchok

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The fulfillment of tithing (Ma'aser)

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The essence of an agreement

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The type of clothing that Rivka put on Yaakov

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Why Rivka decided Yaakov should receive the blessings from Yitzchok

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The halacha of purchasing land from a non-Jew

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The importance of our mission in life

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The exemption of women to circumcise their son

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The essence of our service to Hashem

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Discussing the father's role in Bris Milah

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The Light at the end of the Tunnel (exile)

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Can one fulfill a mitzvah although he does it improperly?

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The opportunity to do a mitzvah

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The essence of Marriage

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Man's purpose

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An appreciation of the Righteous

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Stature of Moshe

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An analysis of the prohibition of shaking the Lulav and Esrog this Shabbos

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The importance of the mitzvah of Succah

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In depth explanation of fulfilling a beracha through someone else

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The purpose of the Jewish people

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Why we don't blow the shofar on Shabbos

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Approaching Rosh Hashanah with a proper outlook

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The mitzvah to write a Sefer Torah

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An in-depth discussion of the mitzvah of bringing the first fruits to Jerusalem

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Acknowledging benefits from Hashem

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The laws of eliminating a dangerous attacker

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Amalek our nemesis

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The authoritative responsibility of our Chachomim {Sages}.

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The cleansing of a community.

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Can we obligate others to give tzedaka?

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Our relationship to Hashem through the mitzvah of tzedaka.

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A fundamental understanding of the mitzvah to bentch (Grace after Meals).

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Are we allowed to test Hashem?

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Can someone only obligated in a mitzvah D'rabanan (Rabbinically) fulfill a mitzvah D'oraysa (of Torah law)?

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Finding comfort even in galus.

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The power of bribery to corrupt even the purest of men.

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Realizing through Tisha B'av how much Hashem loves us.

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An explanation of Rashi's approach of making a vow.

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United we stand, divided we fall. A synopsis of the shortcomings of the Tribes of Reuven and Gad in their quest to dwell outside of Eretz Yisroel.

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Eved Ivri: Once his master dies, why does he go on to serve the master's son?

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Pinchas killed Zimri and merited Kehuna and the Bris of Shalom. What's the connection between the action and the reward?

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How the rise and fall of the wicked ultimately brings honor to Hashem.

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The importance of Shevet Levi, & the power of personal growth.

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A shepherd is only as great as his flock: The impact of a Tzibbur on its leader.