One of the great miracles we commemorate on Chanukah is the victory the Jews had over the Greeks. The Greeks severely oppressed the Jewish nation, especially in outlawing the practice […]
Weekly Torah Portion
Insight and themes on the weekly Torah portion (parshah) read aloud in synagogue.
This week’s Torah portion, Parshat Mikeitz, picks up our story after exactly two years have passed. Pharaoh has woken up from a night in which he dreams two disturbing dreams […]
Knowing your weaknesses is your greatest strength. In this week’s Torah reading, Yosef was sold by his brothers and ended up in Egypt as a slave in the house of […]
In Mishlei, King Solomon tells us, “Daaga b’lev ish, yashchena;” If a person has worry in his heart, he should quash it. The Gemara1 teaches that R’ Ami and R’ […]
It’s one of the great mysteries of the Torah: why did Yosef’s own brothers plot to kill him? These Shevatim (tribes) weren’t ordinary people. They were the Shivtei Kah – […]
“וְיִשְׂרָאֵל אָהַב אֶת יוֹסֵף מִכׇּל בָּנָיו כִּי בֶן זְקֻנִים הוּא לוֹ וְעָשָׂה לוֹ כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים” And Yisrael (Yaakov) loved Yosef more than all his sons because he was a son […]
Unnecessary Precautions In this week’s Torah reading, Yaakov (Jacob) prepared to meet his brother Eisav (Esau). Yaakov was returning to his homeland, where Eisav lived, after being away for many […]
And Sit There The verse in this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Vayishlach, says (35:1), “And God said to Yaakov (Jacob), “Get up and go up to Beit-El and sit there, […]
In this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Vayishlach, our patriarch Yaakov returned from Padan Aram to the land of Israel, and prepared to meet his wicked brother Eisav, after not seeing […]
Winning The Fight In the beginning of this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Vayishlach, Yaakov returns to his homeland where his brother Eisav is preparing to attack him with four hundred […]
