Out of Control!
As a result of Pharaoh's recalcitrance to permit the Jewish people to leave Egypt, he and his nation were struck with a total of ten plagues. With regards to each of them, the Torah emphasizes that it only inflicted the Egyptians, and did not affect the Jewish people...
Balancing the Scale
In this week's reading we are introduced to a new Pharoah, "who did not know Joseph" [Ex. 1:8]. Pharoah had an imagined, entirely unfounded worry: "And it will be, if a war will occur, that he [all the Jews] will join our enemies" [1:10]. Ever wonder where the "dual...
A Spiritual Opportunity Knocks
In this week's reading, we study the reunion of Jacob and his son Joseph after 22 years of separation. Joseph, who rose from slavery and imprisonment to become Viceroy to the Pharaoh in Egypt, urged his father to join him, so he could provide for him and the family...
Chanukah is Breaking News
At the beginning of this week's reading, Joseph seems to be in a hopeless situation. Not only has he been separated from his family, sold into servitude in Egypt, but he has been thrown into prison as well. But when it was time for his redemption, it was immediate and...
The Spark that is the Key to Jewish Endurance
A merchant once entered the marketplace, his camels loaded high with flax to sell. A blacksmith noticed the spectacle of tall, cumbersome loads of flax, and wondered aloud, "Where will all that flax go?!" A clever fellow answered him, "What's the problem? One blow of...
This Is the Real Reason Jews Love Money
Jacob was traveling with his family to meet his brother Eisav (Esau) whom he had not seen for many years. Along the journey they passed over the Yabok river. After sending the family across, along with all the possessions, Jacob found himself alone. Why didn't he...
Prayer Secrets from Jacob’s Masquerade
Isaac summoned Esau to give him the blessings of the birthright, blessing of success and prosperity, before his passing. Jacob, who had already purchased the birthright from Esau many years prior, was guided by his mother Rebecca to disguise himself as Esau, and he...
For Goodness Sake
Eliezer, Abraham's servant, embarked on his mission to the land of Haran and the house of Besuel to find a wife for his master's beloved son, Isaac. As kindness to others was the hallmark of Abraham's life, Eliezer hoped to find a young woman who excelled in this same...
Impression Discretion
Abraham's two children, Yitzchak (Isaac) and Yishmael (Ishmael), were at first raised in the same household. Abraham and Sarah had been miraculously blessed with Yitzchok, their first and only child, while Yishmael was born to Abraham and Hagar, Sarah's maidservant,...
The Benefits of Being Separate
Our reading this week begins, “And G-d said to Avram, go for yourself, from your land, and from your birthplace, and from the house of your father, to the land that I will show you” [Gen. 12:1] Rav Shamson Raphael Hirsch explains that this is in no way repetitive....
Turning Signals
Last week's Torah portion described the degradation of mankind leading up to the flood (the Mabul) — "G-d saw that the evil of man was great in the land, and all thoughts of his heart were only evil, all the time (Genesis 6:5)." G-d decided to erase his original...
Viduy Verbalized
We are now in the "Ten Days of Teshuva (commonly translated as repentance)." The elements of Teshuva are verbal confession, regret, refraining from the negative behavior and pledging to do better.Verbal confession, Viduy, can be found explicitly in the Yom Kippur...
