THE MITZVAH TO be holy is an interesting one because it is one of the few for which a reason is given. God told us that we have to be holy because He is holy.

THE POWER OF a moment. One second, life can be going in one direction, and the next, completely another direction. It can start all-time bad and turn into all-time good, and vice versa.

THE LAWS OF purification from tzora’as seemingly have little to do with Shabbos HaGadol. True, Moshe himself became a metzora on Har Sinai when he spoke badly about the Jewish people:

THE LAWS OF spiritual impurity do not have much relevance today for us since we are not really impacted by them. Without a Temple, and without a red heifer with which to purify ourselves, we live in a state of tumas meis, impurity from the dead, the most severe form of all.

THERE IS A minhag for tzaddikim to fast on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, even though we normally do not fast on a Rosh Chodesh. The reason for the exception? Because it was the day that Nadav and Avihu were struck down by God for bringing a “strange fire” on the eighth day of the inauguration ceremony. Just like that one of the happiest days in Jewish history became one of the saddest.