BE YOURSELF In this week’s Torah portion, Yaakov (Jacob) blesses all of his children, highlighting through his blessings each son’s particular strengths. The only way that we can achieve our […]
Weekly Torah Portion
Insight and themes on the weekly Torah portion (parshah) read aloud in synagogue.
In this week’s Torah portion, Parshas Vayigash, Yaakov (Jacob) and his son Yosef (Joseph) dramatically see each other for the first time in many years. It is a very emotional […]
WHO SERVED FIRST? The central theme of the Torah portions that we are reading now is Yosef being the Chief Minister or Grand Vizier of Egypt. This calls for a […]
PHARAOH PRETENDS In this week’s Torah portion, we will read about Pharaoh’s dream and Yosef’s interpretation. Pharaoh having a dream was a pretty normal thing because Pharaoh lived in a […]
In this week’s Torah portion, Esav and his henchmen try to kill Yaakov. This struggle is symbolic of the many nations that have tried to wipe out the Jewish people. […]
What’s in a name? In the Torah, quite a bit. Throughout the Torah, names of our ancestors are not only monikers but also literary insights into the personality, nature, and […]
This week’s Torah portion begins with the words “vayeitzei Yaakov,” which means, “Jacob went out.” This is most appropriate because in this week’s parsha, Yaakov will get married- and how […]
In this week’s Torah portion, we are introduced to the father of all crooks, Lavan, the brother of Rivka (Rebecca), the wife of Yitzchak (Isaac). In the upcoming Torah portions, […]
In this week’s parsha, we are introduced to Yishmael, whose descendants are today’s Arabs. A number of years ago, I was approached by a group of Muslim terrorists. They told […]
In this week’s Torah portion, we are told about Avraham Avinu’s prayer for the city of Sodom. Besides for this prayer, Avraham Avinu is known for a different prayer: the […]
