Biblical Names Sometimes Reflect Character

Parshat Shlach

by Rabbi Avi Billet

 The Torah presents individuals and groups of people using names that sometimes reflect something about them. The Talmud (Sotah11b) tells us that the father of Kalev ben Yefuneh was named Chetzron, and that “Yefuneh” is a word describing how he “turned himself away from the viewpoint of the spies.” (This is based on Divrei HaYamim I 2:9,18. A number of commentaries quote this Talmudic statement) 

Kalev is credited with marrying two women – first Azuvah, and after her death, Efrat, and our Sages tells us Efrat was Miriam, and the name Efrat (אפרת) is because the Israelites multiplied (פרו ורבו) in her merit. 

Moshe’s father-in-law is credited with having up to 7 names, each one speaking something about the man, more than helping us know what his real name was. 

Even Moshe Rabbenu’s name, the one he is most famous for, was given to him by the daughter of Pharaoh. The Sages teach us (Vayikra Raba 1) that he had ten names, and it explains each name’s significance: Yered, Chever, Yekutiel, Avigdor, Avi Socho, Avi Zanoach, Toviah, Shmaya ben Netanel, Hasofer, Halevi. Presumably his parents named him when he was born, but that name is not revealed to us in the Torah. 

 Similarly when it comes to the nation of Israel, they are sometimes referred to as עם (nation), קהל (community), עדה (assembly), and בני ישראל (Children of Israel). Do each of these words really mean the same thing? Are they referring to different groups of people? Do they refer to different attitudes of the people? Is it dependent on context for us to figure out who we are reading about? 

Was Aharon Punished Along With Miriam?

Parshat B'haalotkha 

by Rabbi Avi Billet

Though I touched upon this subject last year, many issues with the tale of Miriam and Aharon speaking about Moshe remain unresolved. One question that should easily stand out is “was Aharon punished?” 

The rules of Lashon Hora are fairly clear that both speaker and listener (the mekabel) are guilty of the deed (see the Introduction to Lashon Hora in the Sefer Chafetz Chaim). Even if a person merely listens and does not respond, the person is considered to have been an active participant. If indeed that is what Miriam and Aharon engaged in, and are therefore guilty of, it would seem that Aharon should have been similarly punished. 

The Devotions of the Nesiim - the Same but Very Different

Parshat Naso

 by Rabbi Avi Billet 

Chapter 7 contains the offerings and gifts of the Nesiim, which are presented as being mostly the same as one another, both in words and even in their cantillation. Why all the repetition? Why not just say ONCE what each Nasi brought as a korban, and then say “Each Nasi brought this same offering”? 

 Rabbi Moshe Shternbuch explained that when the Torah describes each Korban, introducing it with the word קרבנו, the Torah is telling us that each one brought HIS OWN Korban, irrespective of knowledge of what each Nasi brought before him. After the fact, as it turned out, each set or group of offerings was the same. 

 Think, for example, how many people give donations in multiples of 18. There isn’t a “requirement” to do so, yet many people will end up giving the same donation because of an association to the word חי (“life”) which has a numerical value of 18.

 Sometimes people think alike, even if they don’t consult with one another. And so, Rav Shternbuch explains, each Nasi happened to think alike. But they weren’t copying one another. In listing each set of korbanos, the Torah might have presented a different result from each Nasi had they actually been different. The fact is that each one came to his contribution on his own, without consulting others. That they turned out the same is coincidental. 

 So what was the thought process? Here are some possibilities.

Are We Celebrating the Giving of the Torah on the Right Day?

Shavuos Morning Sermon 5786/2026

In looking over some material that I used many years ago, I came across a question that had never bothered me. But now it actually bothers me. Before I share the question, let us consider a little bit of background information. 

Background

We read this morning that the Bnei Yisrael arrived at Sinai at the beginning of the third month, even though there are other ways to read it – such as “בחדש השלישי לצאת בני ישראל מארץ מצרים” – “in the 3rd month after they left Egypt, meaning now into the 3rd month since traveling, sixty days into the journey – they came to Sinai.” This reading would put their arrival there at the 15th of Sivan the earliest, with Matan Torah coming a few days after that. 

 While that is a legitimate reading of the text, it is essentially universally accepted that they arrived at Sinai at the beginning of the 3rd month on the calendar, which we now call Sivan. They received the Torah a few days later – though the Talmud records a debate as to whether it was the 6th or 7th of Sivan. 

 And while I know I just said “received the Torah” – technically they heard the Aseres HaDibros. They said נעשה, and in Mishpatim we hear about their saying נעשה ונשמע, and in Va’Eschanan the version we hear is ושמענו ועשינו. And over the next 40 days Moshe Rabbenu had a Chavrusa with Hashem during which time he was told the Mishpatim of Parshas Mishpatim, and perhaps even all the Mitzvos of the Torah, but the people weren’t really exposed to it until Moshe came down with the 2nd set of Luchos. So when the people received the Torah is a matter of perspective or preferred point of view. 

Is It Really a Numbers Game?

 Parshat Bamidbar

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

When we go through the census of the tribes, we find that most tribes’ population are in the 40,000s and 50,000s. The largest tribe is Yehuda with 74,600. The next is Dan, with 62,700. 

 The smallest tribes are Ephraim, Menashe and Binyamin, with 40,500, 32,300, and 35,400 respectively. A reasonable perspective to add is that Yosef’s tribe is second to largest, because Ephraim and Menashe together would equal 72,800. This would make Binyamin the actual smallest at 35,400, as long as we count Levi separately (as the Torah does). They are counted from age 30 days and up (everyone else is 20 and up), and their total – the way the Torah summarizes it – is 22,000. A number of commentaries note that it’s actually 22,300 – a point beyond the scope of our topic here.

 Ramban pins their relatively stunted growth on the tribe of Levi somehow not being subjected to slavery, and therefore not being blessed in the manner described in Shemos as פרו וישרצו וירבו ויעצמו במאד מאד – the population explosion that other tribes had. Incidentally, when counted from the ages of 30-50, to see how many could serve in the Mishkan, the tally was 8,580.

 And yet this is still not such a great method of measurement. How many slaves died? How many children weren’t born due to tiredness or the threat of Pharaoh’s soldiers? How many babies did Pharaoh have murdered? Was a particular tribe treated differently than the others by God? Surely population growth is not a competition. 

Tzedek is Outward and Mostly Self-Reflective

Parshat Behar-Bechukosai

by Rabbi Avi Billet

The Torah describes the concept of leasing land, which will be returned at the Yovel year. How people use that land during their lease is very much dependent on their own skills and talents. Will they farm the land? Build a manufacturing plant? Hire workers and pay a living wage? Create opportunities for employees to bring out their own talents? 

 The Torah goes on to describe the needy Jew, and our responsibility to him. 

 25:35: If he becomes destitute, וְהֶֽחֱזַ֣קְתָּ בּ֔וֹ גֵּ֧ר וְתוֹשָׁ֛ב וָחַ֖י עִמָּֽךְ (you shall support him, whether stranger or resident, and he shall live with you). 

The first point is that it doesn’t matter who the person is. Whether GER or a TOSHAV – YOU have to give him CHIZUK. Encourage him. Give a kind word. Don’t turn him away or turn him off. וחי עמך means that you, the Jewish people, can never become guilty of losing someone to other influences or paths. 

 Even this instruction begs us to ask: Is anything foolproof? Will there be 100% retention rate? Is it possible to prevent EVERYONE from falling through the cracks?

How Many Holidays Are During Sukkos?

I was privileged to present this material - in a much expanded way - for Torah In Motion on 4/30/2026

The class is available online https://torahinmotion.org/classes/parshat-emor-how-many-holidays-are-there-in-tishrei-the-strange-phenomenon-of-the-holiday

or on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW_ZetzHvrw

If you choose to watch - I highly recommend speeding up the video to 1.5 or 1.75 speed 😇

Parshat Emor

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

The holiday we mostly call Sukkos is mentioned in the Torah five times. 

Shmos 23:16 – “And the holiday of the ingathering at the צאת (end/beginning) of the year, when you gather your doing from the field.” 

Shmos 34:22 – “And the holiday of ingathering at the תקופת (time) of the year.” 

[Many commentaries note that the words צאת and תקופת refer to a time of the year when the agricultural season comes to its conclusion, which is as the fields are closing up in advance of the winter, after the ingathering/harvest.]

In both of those cases, the Torah does not give a date, does not tell us how many days, and only mentions the concept of “ingathering” as it calls the festival “Chag HaAsif” – essentially the Jewish version of Thanksgiving.