A Failed Analogy

Analogies are a frequently used educational tool, because they are easily understood and internalized. Just say "toe is to foot as finger is to hand," and a young child now knows that the appendages attached to the foot are called toes. Mathematically, the expression...
They are different, after all

They are different, after all

Rabbi Yaakov Galinsky zt"l says something on this week's reading that could have been drawn from current events, though his twelfth yahrtzeit will be next month on the Jewish calendar. In this week's reading, Moshe and Aharon come before Pharoah, to demand the right...

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Why Did Yehudah Fight?

Why Did Yehudah Fight?

This week's reading begins, "And Yehuda approached him," [44:18] confronting Pharoah's viceroy, his brother Yosef, on behalf of their brother Benyamin. Rashi says he now spoke harshly, with sharp words. My teacher, Rav Asher Rubenstein zt"l, pointed to one of the...

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G-d Is Always With Us

G-d Is Always With Us

Because of the way the Jewish calendar is built, and the Torah readings are laid out, our reading this week is almost always read on Chanukah—in 17 out of the 19-year cycle. We read this portion, about the redemption of Yosef from prison, during the holiday, and in...

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Redemption Started from Kindness

Redemption Started from Kindness

In our reading this week, Yosef (Joseph) refuses the advances of his master's wife, and is thrown into jail. He was entirely innocent, and she had lied about what transpired. He would have been fully justified to wallow in his own sorrow, dealing with no one. Instead,...

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The Two Sides of Esav

The Two Sides of Esav

One of the advantages of writing and publishing Divrei Torah online is that it's very easy to go back and look at one's own previous work, whether to get inspiration or even to share again a Dvar Torah that today's audience may not have seen. This week, I found an...

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Beyond Scrupulous

Beyond Scrupulous

In this week’s parsha, Avraham went to Abimelech, King of Gerar, to complain about a well of water that Avraham's servants dug to provide water for his people and flocks, but which Abimelech’s servants had stolen. Instead of simply apologizing and taking...

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