Living in Fear
Due to the widespread famine in Canaan, Jacob and his family descended to Egypt to live under Joseph's care. Before the journey, G-d appeared to Jacob and said "Don't fear going down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I will go down with you and I...
Where We Must Work
In this week's reading, the time for Yosef's redemption finally arrives. Pharoah has dreams, his sommelier (wine butler) suddenly remembers Yosef, and Yosef is hastily pulled from jail, given a haircut, and sent to interpret the dreams of Pharoah. Two weeks ago, I...
Fragrant Lights
"A bit of light pushes away a great deal of darkness." Joseph was sold as a slave to Egypt by his own brothers, marking the beginning of the darkest chapter of his life. As we noted last year, the caravan which brought Joseph to Egypt normally carried odorous...
No Blind Faith
I remember, more years ago than I care to disclose, traveling to Israel for a summer program of study in a yeshiva (rabbinical school) for the first time. I planned the trip carefully; given that the university I was attending ended its year later than most, there...
Strong Voices
Yitzchak (Isaac) calls for Esav (Esau) to receive the blessings reserved for his firstborn son. Following the instructions of his mother Rivka (Rebecca), Yaakov (Jacob) poses as Esav before his blind father, wearing Esav's clothing and disguising his arms to resemble...
In Word and Deed
It's not enough to "talk the talk;" so we learn from this week's reading. In public, Ephron declared that he would give Avraham the Cave of the Patriarchs for free, but then he expected a massive payment of 400 Centurions (the equivalent of 40,000 silver coins). For...
Partner With the Infinite
The Torah uses various names for G-d, and each one expresses a unique manifestation of G-d's interaction with the world. One of the lesser-known names is "Sha-dai." The literal translation of this name is "Who - Enough" which the Sages expand to "The One Who said to...
The Light Within
When Lemech named his new son (at the end of last week's reading, Gen. 5:29), he called the boy "Noach", saying "this shall comfort us (yeNaCHameinu) from our work and the difficult labor of our hands." But the name Noach was prophetic in a different vein, as the name...
Vice Voices
"If you don't get the best one available, you might as well not have any." "You can't do it. It's impossible; they're expecting too much from you." "Why do you trust them? The whole thing is questionable and unclear." Do these doubting comments sound familiar? We may...
The Party That Never Ends
There was once a man, whom we will call Andy, who was diagnosed with a rare and severe illness. Unique conditions often call for unconventional treatments, and he was advised to try psycho-physical therapy: he was told to find someone who lives in complete joy with no...
Another Chance to Change
Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment, gave us a chance to reflect upon the past, and perhaps make some New Year's resolutions for the future. So why do we celebrate Yom Kippur, the Day of Repentance, ten days later? First and foremost, our Sages teach us that the...
The Cry of the Shofar
What has more power to change the present than crying? When someone we love begins to cry - a child, a friend, a spouse - it's as if the world stops in its place. "What's happened?" "You're upset about something." "What can I do to help?" "Are you hurt?" The tears...
