What do you find more restful - relaxing on a couch, or carrying packages? It seems like a silly question, right? "He saw that rest was good, that the land was pleasant, and he tilted his shoulder to take a burden. (Gen. 49:15)" This is how Jacob, on his deathbed,...

Joseph's tears flowed as he wept on his father Jacob's shoulder. It had been 22 years from the time Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers, only to learn that he had been tragically devoured by a wild desert beast. Jacob was inconsolable for 22 years, but his...

When lighting the Menorah on Chanukah, we are instructed to light one light the first night, adding one light (to the left of the first) each night until lighting eight on the final night of the holiday. This is one of the famous arguments of the House of Hillel and...

Yaakov's sons saw their brother Yosef as a threat, and devised a plot to kill him. The oldest brother, Reuven, seeing that his brother Yosef was about to be killed, quickly came up with a plan. Reuven said, "Do not spill his blood. Throw him into this pit in the...

A tale told by technical support engineers goes as follows: Larry was happily browsing online when his new computer suddenly went blank. He pressed the power button on and off multiple times, but that didn't help. Knocking the monitor, banging on the keyboard, and...

Jacob, fleeing from the threat of his brother Esau, was alone in the desert, homeless and penniless. That night he slept on the desert floor, and when he awoke he prayed to G-d for safety and his basic necessities. His simple prayer ended with the pledge "All that you...