Winners Don’t Go Out of Bounds
It's a hot, humid day in the middle of summer. Out from the ice cream parlor walks a fellow with a waffle cone, briefly escaping the oppressive temperatures as he enjoys his frosty delicacy. Of course, you are inspired to want one for yourself. You check for your...
Blind to the Obvious
Did you ever ponder how blind we can be? This week's reading gives us a lesson in how we can become caught up in events, unable to see outside the narrow scope of our own goals. And as a result, we miss out on something so crucial. As the Jews journeyed out of Egypt,...
Losing His Head
In this week's reading, Moshe calls upon Pharoah to release the Jewish nation to worship in the desert, but "G-d said to Moshe, the heart of Pharoah is heavy, to release the people." [Ex. 7:14] The Medrash explains Pharoah's behavior with a parable. A lion and the...
Driven to Givin’
The Torah tells the story of Moshe's rise to prophecy, and to leadership over the Jewish people. Although raised in the house of the mighty Pharoah, Moshe left the palace to observe first-hand the suffering of the Jewish slaves. Ultimately, Moshe's empathy and defense...
Their Eyes and Hearts Were Closed
The Chumash (Five Books of Moses) is divided into various sections. We are most familiar with the division of the books by "Parsha," referring to the portions commonly read each week in synagogues. This week, for example, is Parshas Vayechi. But in reality, this usage...
Why the Miracle of Oil?
The reason why we light the Menorah on Chanukah is to commemorate the great miracle that happened during the war against the Hellenists regarding the Temple oil. After the Greeks had defiled the Holy Temple during the battle with the Jews, only one flask of pure oil...
The Three-Part Success Plan
Our parsha begins with Jacob's return to the Land of Israel. Though he had left penniless, after his years with Laban he now had wives, a large family, and extensive property. And now that he was returning to his home, all that he had was at risk. Thirty-four years...
Not Enough Time
This week's reading provides what seems, in an initial, superficial view, to be a romantic account. When Yaakov (Jacob) sees Rachel, he gains superhuman strength, single-handedly rolling away the cover of a well, a stone that ordinarily took a team of shepherds to...
Red, Red, His Name is Red
Esau was tired, returning from a day in the field, and he saw his brother Jacob cooking lentils. "Feed me some of this, the red, this red, for I'm exhausted," he said. "This is why his name is Edom - Red." (Genesis 25:30) Esau was drained, his guard was down, and in...
A Next-Level Approach
We are keenly aware of many levels of communication and connection with others. Broadly speaking, the closest level of connection, of course, is when we converse face-to-face. But we can also communicate via video, on the phone, and through the written word. I'm not...
What’s on the Other Side?
What does G-d have in store for me next? This question must plague the mind of most of us from time to time, and it was likely the question on the mind of our Patriarch, Abraham. After moving with his family and his father to the land of Charan, Abraham is told to...
Stop the Flow Before the Flood
The story of Noah and the great flood actually began at the end of last week's Torah portion. That is when G-d determined that the moral corruption of man had reached terminal levels. His decision was to erase all of mankind, indeed the whole world, and start afresh....
