When Free Will is Miraculous
Our reading begins, "And G-d said to Moses, come in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may place these signs among them" [10:1]. This seems to contradict the idea of free will, which is a core concept in Judaism. Much as...
Carrying True Wealth
Rav Yaakov Galinsky zt'l tells a story he attributes to Rabbi Yisrael Mayer Kagan, the Chofetz Chaim. There was a gemstone dealer from St. Petersburg who traveled all the way to Danzig (today Gdansk, Poland) to a sale. Even today, this trip takes more than a day by...
Seizing the Moment
“And Yosef could no longer hold back, from all those standing around him…” [45:1] For months, Yosef had kept up appearances. He treated his brothers coldly, as if he did not know who they were. Now, however, he “could no longer hold back.” He declared himself to be...
Mirroring the Past
In this week's reading, Yosef is sold, enslaved, and taken to Egypt, where he is purchased by Potiphar, chief executioner to Pharoah. He soon earns Potiphar's trust, such that Yosef is entrusted to manage Potiphar's house and all his property [Gen. 39:1-4]. This works...
Joining Together
The Torah says that after Yaakov left his parents, fleeing from his brother Esav, "he came to the place" [28:11]. Rashi explains that he came to Mount Moriah, the same "place" mentioned previously, when Avraham brought Yitzchak to that same place, the site of the...
All this, and no more
Rivka told her son Yaakov that he must take food to his father, Yitzchak, and receive the blessings that her husband intended to bestow upon their older son, Esav—but Yaakov was reluctant. If his father realized, he said, "I will have brought upon myself a curse, not...
When Fear is Required
One of the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov is found in a popular Jewish tune: "All the world is a very narrow bridge, and the main thing is not to be afraid at all." He was speaking about the physical world—because, when it comes to fear of Heaven, just the...
Abraham “the Hebrew”
Since the horrific massacres that took place in the Land of Israel earlier this month, students on campus have faced rallies for "Palestine" that quickly devolved into explicit Jew hatred. Earlier this week, so-called protesters discovered that there were Jews...
The Truly Good, the Mediocre… and the Evil
“These are the products [children] of Noach; Noach was a righteous man, pure in his generation, and Noach walked with G-d… And G-d said to Noach, the end of all flesh comes before me, for all the earth is filled with Hamas because of them, and behold, I will destroy...
The Brotherhood and Depravity of Man
Two thoughts come to mind from our parsha, the reading this week. First of all, the notion of a “brotherhood of man” comes from our Torah; it is one of its first lessons. Today this is such a common idea that we don’t give it much thought, but in reality it is quite...
The Luxury of Austerity
On the Mitzvah of dwelling in a Sukkah, the Torah says, "In order that your generations will know that I placed the Children of Israel in Sukkos when I brought them out of the Land of Egypt; I am Hashem Your G-d" [Lev. 23:43]. What is the "knowledge" that we gain by...
The Power of Bad Habits
"Is this the way you pay Hashem back, foolish nation and unwise…" [Deut. 32:6]. The Talmud teaches (Tamid 32b) "Who is Wise? The one who sees the future." This is not a reference to prophecy, but to the ability to perceive the logical consequences of our actions. One...
