Parshas Ki Sisa

The Torah shows how much it values Jewish Women in two places in this week's parsha. The first is the commandment to make the Kiyar out of the copper mirrors the women used in mitzrayim to beautify themselves for their husbands. The second is that women did not partake in cheit ha'eigel. They didn't donate their jewelry for the Golden Calf.

We see here that women have tremendous power and intuition. We know when to elevate the physical gifts we have and when to hold back with self control. By being aware of our strengths, we can achieve so much while we are alive!

May we be able to utilize the intuition we were given to make good decisions, help other people and exercise self control!

Parshas Tetzaveh

Hashem commanded Moshe Rabbeinu to build a mizbei'ach for the burning of the ketores, a mixture of spices. If one spice was left out, the whole ketores was not kosher. One of the spices, chelbina, had a bad smell. But when it was mixed together with all the other spices, it was considered pleasing before Hashem. 

We see from here that we must have unity between all types of Jews. Hashem loves when we are together, regardless of our differences. We should never think another Jew is bad enough not to be considered one of us. We shouldn't have a "holier than thou" attitude. It's when we are united that Hashem takes the greatest pleasure in us.

May we be able to love and accept all types of Jews, regardless of their outer appearance or our judgement of who we think they are! 

Parshas Terumah

The measurements of the aron were all in half amos. The aron, which had the luchos inside, represents someone who studies Torah.

We see from here that someone who learns Torah always feels a small sense of incompleteness. No matter how much we learn, we remain humble with the knowledge that there is so much more to learn. Torah is so deep and so vast. As soon as we touch on one topic, we realize there is so much we didn't know. This makes us feel so in awe of how much more there is to learn and know and grow!

May we be able to keep our thirst for Torah alive and continue to delve into the beauty and depth of the Torah!

Parshas Mishpatim

We are told not to cause pain to geirim-converts because "you were strangers in mitzrayim." Since we know what it's like to be a newcomer, we need to be more sensitive to those who are new to Judaism. 

Our life experiences help us become more sensitive to other people in similar situations. If we know that when we are super busy (with a simcha, moving to a new house or while someone close to us is sick lo aleinu,) there's no time to eat, we can send food to a friend when they are overwhelmed with life. We can apply this to so many areas in our lives, as long as we look out for and notice when people need us to step in and be there for them. 

May we able to use our intuition that comes with life experience to always be on the giving end!