Rabbi Shaya's Thoughts

Finding Meaning in Repetition

Thursday, May 28, 2026 - 11:00 AM

Being able to see a situation from more than one perspective is important. Yet often, instead of asking questions, debating a subject, or trying to go beneath the surface in search of deeper meaning, we simply take the one view for granted.

Even while learning Torah, we can fall into a passive mode of study. We may read, learn and retain the information, but not ask hard questions. In this week’s Torah portion, Naso, we are tested in this regard.

We learn how the leaders of the twelve tribes each brought offerings to dedicate the new Mishkan, the Tabernacle. The interesting thing is that they all brought the exact same gifts. No differences!

Seemingly, the Torah could have listed one gift and simply stated that the other eleven leaders brought the same offerings on the following days. Why the need to repeat the description of the gift in detail twelve times?

We can simply answer that when something is repeated, it shows that it matters. It is precious. Worth repeating.

But once we begin looking a little deeper, we start asking more questions. What is the meaning behind these gifts? Why these specific items? Why in these quantities?

As expected, the commentators find layer upon layer of symbolism in the offerings. But beyond the individual meanings behind each gift, perhaps the broader message of the offerings themselves can be understood to mean expressing gratitude to G-d and taking ownership of the words of the Torah.

Not only thanking G-d for everything He gives us, but showing that we, the Jewish people, are internalizing the messages of the Torah and making them part of ourselves.

Perhaps that is one of the foundations of Judaism. In serving G-d, we focus on what G-d does for us. However, that alone is not enough. It is also important to think about what the Torah means to us, personally. How its teachings can shape us, challenge us, and help us grow as people.

The detailed repetition of the tribal leaders’ offerings, together with the many interpretations behind them, teaches us this important lesson:

Do not just accept the surface explanation. Ask questions. Try to understand more deeply. And most importantly, internalize the Torah’s teachings.

Shabbat Shalom

A Skilled Negotiator

Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 12:50 PM

Have you ever had a conversation with someone that is going nowhere, and you feel frustrated? Now imagine arguing with an angel. You are not even on the same playing field. What can you say? You are in this physical world, and they are in the heavens.

Moses was faced with this exact challenge, and G-d put him up to it.

Here is the backstory: According to the Midrash, when it came time for G-d to give the Torah to the Jewish people, the angels came running to G-d, arguing: Why are you going to give the Torah to creations of flesh and blood? The Torah should remain here in the heavens.

G-d turned to Moses and said: Answer them.

Moses rose to the challenge and asked the angel, “Do you have a father and mother to honor? Do you conduct business dealings? No. Therefore, the Torah belongs to us.”

Great comeback.

However, this conversation needs to be understood.

The angels had a legitimate first-rights claim. That is because there is a law that says that if a property goes on the market, the neighbors have the first rights to purchase. The angels claimed that they should have the first right to the Torah. But arguing that the Torah is more relevant to us than to them does not seem like a legitimate response.

So let’s take a deeper dive into Moses’s response:

If you want to raise a building, you place a lever under the foundation so that you can lift the entire structure. You do not pick it up from the top floors.

The same applies to the world at large. The world, including the higher worlds, the world of angels, can only be elevated when we, human beings living in this physical world, elevate ourselves through performing Mitzvot, such as honoring our parents, dealing honestly in business, and refining everyday life. The Torah gives us the guidelines and laws to do these things.

Moses was not arguing that we deserve the Torah more than the angels. He was saying something much deeper: For the angels themselves to benefit from the Torah, human beings must first do their job here below. By giving the Torah to the physical world, everyone, even the angels, ultimately benefits.

Moses did not merely defeat his adversaries with a clever response; he showed them that their own deeper interest was being served as well.

When we understand the deeper needs of other people, we can resolve arguments in a way where everyone gains.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Shavuot

Pride and Humility

Thursday, May 7, 2026 - 11:00 AM

Can one take pride in being humble? Pride can be understood to mean standing tall, feeling important, and feeling significant, while humility can be understood as demanding us to step back, to recognize that we are not the center of attention.

Can we feel both pride and humility at the same time?

The name of this week’s double Torah portion, Behar and Bechukotai, sheds some insight.

The first portion starts off with the words “Behar Sinai” or Mount Sinai. Yet we don’t call the Torah portion by its full name; we simply say, Behar, “the mountain.” Why is Sinai not mentioned?

There is a well-known idea regarding Mount Sinai. The Torah was given on a mountain to teach us the importance of having pride. A Jew must stand tall and recognize the greatness of the Torah and the responsibility that comes with it. At the same time, it was given on the smallest and simplest mountain, Sinai, to teach us the importance of humility.

Mount Sinai itself is a balance: greatness together with smallness, pride together with humility. However, our portion name reads just the opposite—by dropping the name of the mountain instead of emphasizing it, it seems to tell us that this balance is not very necessary. The name Behar, the mountain, seemingly helps us focus on our importance, and not on the balance.

Then Bechukotai, the second portion for this week, reins us in. Bechukotai means commandments. The type of commandments that are beyond our comprehension. Observing such Mitzvot requires complete submission. The focus shifts. It is no longer about what makes sense to us, or even makes us feel important. The focus is about doing something simply because G-d said so. This is the essence of humility.

In truth it is not Behar OR Bechukotai, pride OR humility, it is Behar AND Bechukotai, pride AND humility.

When we immerse ourselves completely in the study of Torah, we don’t just become educated with some lofty, external ideas; we internalize what the Torah is teaching to the point that it shapes who we are.

The word chukotai is connected to chakika engraving. When something is written, it remains on the surface. But when something is engraved, it becomes part of the object itself.

If Torah is only “written” on a person, then pride can easily turn into ego. It becomes about personal achievement--my knowledge, my observance. But when Torah is “engraved” within our soul, everything changes. The Torah is no longer something that we have; it becomes who we are.

The two and final portions of the book of Leviticus teach us the flow of the process:

First, we must stand tall like a mountain, recognizing the importance of what it means to be a Jew. Then, through intimate engagement with the Torah and Mitzvot, we can reach a level where that very strength is infused with humility.

Yes, we should stand tall like a mountain, and remain humble at the same time.

Shabbat Shalom