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Kenneth Cohen

Kenneth Cohen

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

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The Enemy that Oppresses

There is a commandment to make two special silver trumpets. They were used to give instructions to the camp in the desert as to when it was time to...

latest 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

No Second Chance

The punitive system of the Torah is set up where a punishment only comes for the violation of one of the 365 commandments. There is no punishment for...

yesterday 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Honor Comes in the End

There is an expression in Judaism, סוף הכבוד לבוא, that the honor will come in the end. We are meant to shy away from seeking honor, and...

yesterday 3

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Judaism and Sensitivity

When a great man passes away, it should be a time for reflection. The passing of Rav Gershon Edelstein, of blessed memory, is one such example. The...

01.06.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Power of the Tongue

The Orchot Tzaddikim has a little different approach in explaining the power of the tongue. There is an attempt to specifically show how speech can be...

31.05.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Pay Yakov Not Eisav

The Gemara in Masechet Brachot, makes an interesting observation. The subject of the Sotah, the woman suspected of being unfaithful, follows the...

30.05.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Narcissism and Nazir

It is so fascinating to find parallels in Judaism to secular concepts. The term “narcissism,” describes a personality disorder where an individual...

29.05.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Shalom Bayit

The incident of the Sotah, the woman suspected of being unfaithful to her husband, is found in Parshat Naso. This is the only commandment in the Torah...

28.05.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Quarantine

Parshat Nasso gives instructions regarding the quarantining of individuals with various types of impurity. It speaks of the one who has come in...

28.05.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Torah Study Brings Joy

The emphasis of the holiday of Shavuot, is not only the receiving of the Torah, but there is important emphasis on studying Torah. The Talmud in...

25.05.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Judaism Survives

The Shavuot holiday is an acknowledgement of the greatest day in human history. The entire Jewish nation heard G-d speak on Mount Sinai, as they were...

24.05.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Torah is for Man

The Gemara in Masechet Shabbat 88b, tells the story of how Moshe Rabbeinu ascended to the Heavenly heights. The ministering angels were at first...

23.05.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Flattery

It is interesting that the Orchot Tzaddikim after discussing אמת and שקר, truth and falsehood, continues with a chapter on חניפה, flattery....

22.05.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Study Torah Carefully

Parshat Bamidbar consists of many technical points connected with the journey of the Jewish people in the desert. There is a census taken, and there...

21.05.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

“Tafkid”

One of themes of Parshat Midbar, is the idea of “Tafkid,” having a role to play. This is related to the various roles of the Levite tribe. Aside...

20.05.2023 6

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Make Yourself Like a Midbar

The Baal Haturim noted that the last Pasuk of Vayikra ended with the words, אלה המצוות, “and these are the commandments.” This week’s...

18.05.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Yom Yerushalayim

This week we celebrate one of the greatest miracles of modern times. Joshua took seven years to conquer thirty-one kings. Israel liberated its...

17.05.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

One Thing Leads to Another

The Torah gives a serious warning as to how one might get into a progression of one bad deed leading to the other. Rashi emphasizes this by way of...

16.05.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

No Substitute for Hard Work

Rashi comments to the words, אם בחוקותי תשמורו, “If you will keep my statutes,” that we must be עמלים בתורה, “Striving...

15.05.2023 30

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Taking Interest

The prohibition against the taking of interest, is viewed as a very severe violation of the Torah. The damage is not seen immediately, but in the long...

14.05.2023 40

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Money-The Real Test of Religion

There is a classic question asked about the first Pasuk in Parshat Behar. The Parsha begins by telling us that the laws of the Sabbatical year was...

13.05.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Fairness in Business

This week we read the double Parshas of בהר-בחוקותי, which concludes the third book of the Torah, ויקרא. Parshat Behar contains many...

11.05.2023 60

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Honesty at all costs

The Orchot Tzaddikim speaks of many positive and negative character traits. There is a chapter on arrogance and another on humility. There is another...

10.05.2023 50

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Marrying a Kohen

Another method of deriving Torah laws is the concept of Kal Vachomer. This is a type of logic known as a fortiori reasoning. If something light is...

09.05.2023 60

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Ten for a Minyan

There are thirteen methods used to derive various laws of the Torah. There is a daily morning prayer in the name of Rabbi Yishmael, where he lists...

08.05.2023 50

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Kindness to Animals

Parshat Emor has sixty-three of the 613 Mitzvot of the Torah. Only Parshat Ki-tetze, has more, with seventy-four. While the main topics are the rules...

07.05.2023 60

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

The High Priest

The position of Kohein Hagadol, High Priest, is very fascinating. Aharon was the first Kohein Gadol, and he was followed by his son, Elazar. This...

06.05.2023 40

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Holy Kohanim

This week, we read פרשת אמור. It contains the special rules that apply to the Kohanim, and how they are to be treated. In Temple times, they...

04.05.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Truth and Peace

It is a well known principle in Judaism that in order to achieve Shalom, peace, there must be Emet, truth alongside it. This is a true on a national...

03.05.2023 30

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Righteous Israelis

There are certain instances in a person’s life, when his slate is cleaned of all his previous sins. The wedding day is such an example, when there...

02.05.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Democracy and Torah

We learned this week of the Torah’s commandment of וחי בהם, that we are to live by the Mitzvot and not die by them. This is a source for the...

01.05.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Religious Jews Are Not Deprived

Parshat Kedoshim begins with the words, קדושים תהיו, “Be holy.” The Rabbis comment on this by saying, קדש עצמך במותר לך,...

30.04.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

G-d, Woke, and Morality

We are living in very tumultuous times. The representation of truth and morality, has very different extremes. The “woke” culture, borders on...

29.04.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Army of Hashem

It is not a coincidence that the double Parshiot of Acharei-Mot- Kedoshim follow Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut. If we translate the names of...

27.04.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Loving the Land

There is such an amazing contrast today, in terms of how Jews of all backgrounds, view the State of Israel. Israel’s Independence Day, is a day of...

26.04.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Acknowledge the Miracle of Israel

It is very difficult to understand how Jews worldwide fail to appreciate the miracle that is the State of Israel. It is even more difficult to...

25.04.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Proper Speech

When we discuss the illness known as צרעת, or leprosy, it is always connected with the subject of Lashon Hara, evil speech. This is explained as...

24.04.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Worried Parents

The Gemara in מסכת נדה, gives an unclear explanation as to why a the Brit of a Jewish boy is on the eighth day. The intent was for all present...

23.04.2023 30

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Dealing With Difficulties

We are now in the period between Yom Hashoah and Yom Hazikaron. We remember those who perished in the Holocaust, as well as our fallen soldiers. It is...

22.04.2023 8

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Giving Birth

This week, we read of the details involving the purification process of the יולדת, the woman who gives birth. There is a period of separation...

20.04.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

To Separate

The word, להבדיל, “to separate,” is found only five times in all of Tanach. It appeared twice in Parshat Shemini. The Book of Bereishit...

19.04.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Managing a Home in Temple Times

It is a little more understandable as to why Jews have gone so far astray from their Jewish observance, when we consider what we lost. If we gain a...

18.04.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

The Temple and Purity

We often speak of the great loss that we have by not having a functioning Beit Hamikdash. The Temple served as a place of inspiration for the entire...

17.04.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Sober Kohanim

The consensus opinion regarding the sin of Nadav and Avihu, was that they entered the Holy of Holies in a state of intoxication. We know this because...

16.04.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

That Makes Sense

There is a large section in Parshat Shemini that deals with an explanation of the Kashrut laws. This is the source for the requirements of animals,...

15.04.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Respect Your Elders

There are many interpretations as to why Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon, deserved to be put to death. The Baal Haturim lists at least five...

14.04.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

And Aharon Was Silent

As a Torah educator, it was always my task to show the value of living a life of faith in G-d, along with the observance of the Mitzvot. The question...

13.04.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Rejoicing When Enemies Fall

The seventh day of Pesach celebrates the defeat of the Egyptians, with the splitting of the Red Sea. Then Moshe and all of Israel, erupted in song and...

11.04.2023 20

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Song of Songs

We read Shir Hashirim on Shabbat Chol Hamoed. The connection to the holiday of Pesach, is that it speaks of ultimate redemption for the Jewish people....

10.04.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

Cheerios and the Omer

The Sefirat Haomer is connected to a significant law that even has applications today. On the second day of Pesach, an Omer sacrifice was made using...

09.04.2023 10

The Times of Israel (Blogs)

Kenneth Cohen

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