Overheard at the Library…
Shmuel Yosef ("Shai") Agnon was both a Nobel laureate in literature as a writer of modern Hebrew fiction, as well as an observant Jew. A story, attributed to him, begins with him eating in the Hebrew University library -- according to the story, this was permitted...
We Get By With A LOT of Help From Hashem
The Jewish people found themselves at the mouth of the sea, with Pharoah and his army closing in on them. At that moment, gripped with fear, seeing no other alternative, they cried to G-d for help (Ex.14:10). "They embraced the expertise of their fathers" (Rashi's...
A Spark of the Divine
While the Jewish nation began with such illustrious figures as the Patriarchs and the Matriarchs, the Jews in Egypt began a spiritual descent after the passing of Jacob's children. In the beginning of this week's Torah Portion, G-d instructs Moses to approach the Jews...
Our Scarcest Resource
When I login each morning, I get a pop-up with news (or purported news) stories. So when I sat down to do my work, I was offered the opportunity to read "10 reasons why I don't want an iPad" for the holidays. I am very involved with high tech, of course, and don't own...
Chai Anniversary II
In this week's reading, our Patriarch Yaakov blesses his children. He is also the first to adopt a child, as it were: "Ephraim and Menashe, like Reuven and Shimon will be mine" [48:5] -- Yoseph's two eldest children were then counted as Tribes of Israel. Extending the...
“Chai” Anniversary of Emailed Torah
When Joseph reunites with his father after their long separation, the Torah describes their encounter by saying, "He appeared before him, fell on his neck, and he wept on his neck excessively." The expression "he appeared before him" (V'Yaira Ailav) is curious, for we...
