Table Talk

This week's parsha is Parashat Kedoshim. In this parsha G-d tells B'nei Yisrael that they must be holy because they are His nation and He is holy. G-d gives our ancestors many mitzvot in this parsha and tells us that by keeping these mitzvot we can become holy.

Some of these holy mitzvot are to pay your workers on time, to treat others the way you want to be treated, to help the poor, and to never speak Lashon Hara. Lashon Hara means gossip or talking about someone behind their back.

These mitzvot are important to keep until this day. When You do a mitzvah it means you do something good, and this gives you a very special feeling inside.

In this week’s parsha, G-d commands us to give gifts to the needy by leaving a corner of our field for the poor to take food. Today, most of us don’t own a field, but we can still do this mitzvah in our own way. One time I did this mitzvah was when my family went to the supermarket to buy food for lunch. We were all starving. But then we saw there was a poor old lady sitting in the street. We offered her some food and she gratefully took it. This made me feel good inside.

In our parsha G-d also commands us to not spread gossip among our friends. One time, there was a group of people who were being mean to my friend and spreading gossip about her. I thought that if I was in that situation I would like someone to stand up for me. So I stood up for her and told them that it was very rude to treat someone like that. My friend thanked me for standing up for her. I am very glad I did it.

Another teaching in our parsha is - “v’ahavta l’reyecha camocha” - which means that you should love your neighbor as you love yourself. One time in my old school there was a girl in my class who broke her leg and needed help to walk up and down the stairs. I knew that if I ever needed help getting around that I would want my friends to help me. So I decided to help her get around school that whole week. Soon, she got better and didn't even need my help. She was still so thankful for that week that I treated her like I would want to be treated.

From this parsha we learned that not only do performing Mitzvot make you feel good, they also make you feel closer to Hashem.

Thank you and Shabbat Shalom!