A Surprising Mitzvah for a Non-Kosher Animal Among the thousands of species of animals on the planet, the donkey stands apart in a most surprising way. Despite being a non-kosher […]
Weekly Torah Portion
Insight and themes on the weekly Torah portion (parshah) read aloud in synagogue.
Pharaoh’s Refusal and the Loss of Free Will In this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Va’eira, Moses is sent by God to inflict plagues upon the Egyptians for refusing to let […]
Why Didn’t Moshe Perform the First Plagues? The time had come for the Egyptians to be held accountable for the suffering they had inflicted upon the Jewish people. God decreed […]
After many years of oppression and crushing labor, the long-awaited moment arrived: Klal Yisrael (the Jewish nation) was ready for redemption. Moshe’s Reluctance to Lead Moshe Rabbeinu (our leader, Moses) […]
How to let go and let God Pharaoh’s Plan This week’s Torah reading, Parshat Shemot, discusses the difficult enslavement forced upon the sons of Israel. One day, the stargazers told […]
Why Are We Called Yehudim? Have we ever stopped to consider why the Jewish people are called Yehudim? After all, Yehudah was not the firstborn—he was the fourth son of […]
Yaakov’s Final Blessings and the Language of Animals What does it mean that Yaakov (Jacob) compared some of his sons to animals? In this week’s Torah reading Yaakov calls all […]
Jacob was about to reveal to his children about the messianic era, the time that Mashiach would arrive. But the holy Divine presence was removed from him, so instead he […]
Exploring the reason behind our desire to fit in Yosef’s Strategy in Presenting His Brothers to Pharaoh In this week’s Torah reading, Parshas Vayigash, the family of Yaakov (Jacob) moves […]
The Emotional Reunion of Yaakov and Yosef Words can hardly capture the emotion that Yaakov (Jacob) must have felt when he was finally reunited with his beloved son Yosef (Joseph) […]
