BIO (2024)

BIO: Pesach Steinberg is a community Rabbi in Melbourne Australia and is married with five daughters and two sons-in-law. He is involved in the kashrut industry, is a prison chaplain, author & publisher, sits on industry boards for ethics in human research, has worked in Synagogue administration and has been the Rabbi of a Synagogue. He graduated from Mount Scopus College and Monash University and received semicha from HaRav Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg zt’l. Pesach is also the Australian Ambassador for Sar-El Israel, which places volunteers on IDF bases throughout Israel. (as at 1/1/24)

Sunday, May 25, 2025

Bechukotai: Keri - keriv - ivaker

God says in the tochacha "if you walk keri with Me". So many different translations for this word. The Aryeh Kaplan Chumash has a list. But it means something like badly, casually, familiarly, contrary, selfishly, carelessly, etc. Keri is also not such a nice word in halachic Hebrew for someone who is impure and needs to go to mikvah.

But this word can very easily be changed into something good, because in the parsha there are also 2 instances of the word kariv which means to come close and be connected. Often this is with a korban (more letters added to keri). So adding a Hebrew ב beis fixes the word. And a beis is also comparable to the number 2. 

So you see, with 2 you can fix things. A relationship can fix things. And all good relationships where people are respectful and not careless are a blessing. By taking care of both people in a relationship it removes the keri, perhaps meaning selfishness and only thinking of yourself. Because maybe that's what leads to being keri, it's just about you.

One more instance of keri or kariv appears in the parsha, but this time with the letters rearranged. God finally says לא יבקר בין טוב לרע do not yivaker-distinguish between good and bad... Because it will not be holy (Lev27:33). This is like we have read a number of times in Torah, God does not want your offerings. God just wants you to do the mitzvot, the commandments. Do not distinguish only yourself, just do the right thing and think of both us.

Please God this will bring peace, freedom and loving relationships.

Friday, May 2, 2025

Hannah's weekly update

Hi all!!
Hope you've all had a fun week

This week has been good, but pretty full on.

Last shabbos I was at the swidlers with Livi, and we had the best time with the family and meeting their friends. Also, one of the swidler boys works at a cookie place and gave us free cookie-croissants on motsai.😋😋

Sunday was good, I had morning classes and then ulpan and song writing in the arvo, both of which I really enjoyed. my hebrew is slowly improving... 

Monday was morning classes and then I had my internship at shaarei tzedek which was good, and then went to ben yehuda with my friends! It was a lot of fun seeing all my friends from other seminaries, and trying pastito for the first time (BEST pasta place in israel!!!). 

Tuesday we did a really cool hike near beit meir (near latrun- the halfway point between jeru and tlv), and the views were stunning. It was especially exciting as a number of fighter jets flew over multiple times. the hike focused on Israel's attempt to capture beit meir and surrounding arab villages. Tuesday night and Wednesday was yom hazikaron, so we had a very moving tekes in the ICC. it was also very scary driving through all the bushfires. At one point, givat washington became very smoky and ashy as the wind moved all the fires to us.

Wed night/thursday for yom ha'azamut we watched golda (so good) and had yummy BBQ food from my teacher Rav K. We went to meryl Lee's house in the morning for brunch and beit shemesh for a picnic. In the arvo was at gan sacher where all the vibes are at.

Spending shabbos with my friend sophia at her family friends in even shmuel:) they're lovely. 

Gotta go for shabbos, love and miss you all!!!