Hashem Visits Avraham Parshat Vayeira opens with a remarkable scene. Avraham Avinu (our Patriarch Abraham), just three days post–brit milah (circumcision), on what Chazal (our Sages) say is the most […]
Weekly Torah Portion
Insight and themes on the weekly Torah portion (parshah) read aloud in synagogue.
Our Patriarch Avraham This week’s Torah reading focuses on our Patriarch Avraham (Abraham), who was faced with many hardships on his way to becoming one of the greatest people in […]
Winning People You’ve probably heard the phrase, “He’s got a winning smile.” It means that when this person smiles, it wins people over, makes them comfortable, or even more so, […]
Hashem Reveals Himself To Avraham Avraham (Abraham) was privileged to have Hashem (God) reveal Himself to him. As we see in the opening of our parashah (Torah portion), Hashem appeared […]
וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ וַיֹּאמַר בָּרוּךְ אַבְרָם לְק-ל עֶלְיוֹן קֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ… אִם מִחוּט וְעַד שְׂרוֹךְ נַעַל וְאִם אֶקַּח מִכׇּל אֲשֶׁר לָךְ וְלֹא תֹאמַר אֲנִי הֶעֱשַׁרְתִּי אֶת אַבְרָם. He blessed him, and he […]
The Great Flood Happened… One of the biggest catastrophes the world ever experienced is recorded in this week’s Torah reading. The sins of the inhabitants of earth reached such a […]
The Evil Generation The generation of Noach was filled with wickedness and idol worship. Their behavior was so corrupt that the entire world had to be destroyed. Only the righteous […]
“And the earth had become corrupt before Hashem, and the earth had become filled with lawlessness. And Hashem saw the earth and behold it was corrupted, for all flesh had […]
Chanoch’s Greatness “And Chanoch walked with Hashem, but he ceased to exist, because Hashem had taken him”. Bereishit 5:24 Yalkut Reuveni quotes a Midrash that Chanoch (Enoch) would stitch shoes, […]
In The Beginning The Torah begins, “Bereishit barah elokim – in the beginning Hashem created” (Bereishit 1:1). Targum Yerushalmi renders, “with wisdom Hashem created”. Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch shlit”a explains that […]