The Torah is keen to mention how our forefathers made a fortune, each one in his own way, a sort of rags to riches story specific to him.
The Chinese translate the word "Judaism" in a unique way taken from this week's Torah reading.
Weekly Torah study: Vayishlach.
One rock or many stones?.What typifies the Jewish people? What makes them a klal?
What's going on in this parsha? Why is this the build up to the name change and what dooes it have to do with Am Yisrael being named Israel?
Holocaust victims have no headstones, no matzeiva. I derive some chizuk, some support, from the beautiful teaching in Parshat Vayishlach.
Yaakov makes his first step into the "boxing arena" He is injured because this is now reality.
Yaakov could have chosen to leave this struggle behind and continue with his preparations for Esav.
Jacob was neither the first nor the last of his people who would need to learn the power of solitude.
Soon, we will be witnessing a dramatic turnabout in the attitude of most gentile nations to the Jews and to Israel.
Eating the fruits of the Land is not merely a matter of physical health, but one of spiritual health..
The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life.
Yaakov apparently is done with running, and now turns to face his problems and his adversary, head-on, face-to-face.
Why didn't Jacob try to avoid meeting his brother?
Chani Weinroth z"l knew about all-encompassing suffering firsthand, but managed to advise wisely those suffering and those around them..
What are we talking about – shortening life, or shortening dying?
The question of keepomg Shmitta laws as farmers and consumers arose with the 1st Aliyah founding of agricultural colonies in Eretz Yisrael
Shouldn't Yaakov have sympathized with Rachel, who felt her life was worthless unless she had a child? Why his sharp retort?
Jacob's dream came true when he, near the Holy Land, saw the angels of the Land of Israel. That is the power of coming to live in Israel.
“Ruach”, the breath of life. The Spirit of Life within each of us. The freedom to soar, towards the heights of our potential.
A short story. About an age-old history.
First, we must learn to identify ourselves as servants of God.
There is nothing quite like the feeling of love. Mentioning Yaakov's love for Rachel is a rarity in the Tanach.
Without question, Yaacov was in great need of the angels who accompanied and protected him, but why not the same ones everywhere?
The Talmud teaches us that some dreams have the quality of being a minor type of prophecy.
This Torah tells us about Yaakov's conversation by the well. Why does the Torah describe this conversation in such great detail?
Hashem was saying something to us. What will our response be? Will it be to turn over and ignore it, or will we respond appropriately?
To better understand the idea of angels, it is better to see them as “the message” rather than as “the messenger”.
Life isn’t a generic formula that can be applied to everyone equally.
Our own experiences suggest that time, rather than being a straight arrow, is an undulating chord. Does that explain Yaakov's patience?
Each of the four starring characters in the Jacob story has his own attitude towards this world and the world to come.
It is as if Rebecca and Jacob were not affected by the usual constraints of time and were not concerned about them.
The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life.
Ask the Rabbi: Custody in halakha, the duality of Jewish life and other topics.
Isaac wanted to bless Esau because he feared Jacob would not be able to stand alone in the face of the forces of evil.
The major focus of Toldot is on Yitzḥak preserving his father Avraham’s teachings and passing them on to his twin sons Esav and Yaakov.
Digging wells is a mirror image of uncovering G-d within our physical reality. Op-ed.
A missing letter allows a different reading and a different meaning to a verse.
What if Medinat Yisrael would have been established 100 years earlier in 1848, and not 1948?
Maybe we can borrow a few metaphors from baseball to help America Jews understand that Judaism in the Diaspora is the Little Leagues.
Jacob held on to Esau’s heel holding him back. The name Jacob refers to this aspect of restraint, reining in fierce forces of our nature.
Hanukkah is coming, the story reminding us that in the past, we have become enamoured with our own power and too secure in our position.
Why was it so important for Yaakov to take the Beracha Yitzchak intended for Eisav, and why is it important for Ya'akov to be the firstborn?
Are sibling rivalry, sibling strife, the Will of God?
Our priorities, our behavior, and the atmosphere in our homes all play a part in who our children will become.
The "toldot"of the Patriarchs are a lesson in the ways fathers leave an impression on their sons.
There is an inherent difference between the generations and genealogy of Noach and that of Yitzchak.
Rabbi Kook ztz”l explains that the effect Shabbat has on each individual, Shmitta has for all of Israel. There is a way to maximize that.
Yitzchak, in a sense, was no more blind at his old age then he was when he was younger.
Did Jacob take advantage of his brother's hunger to get hold of the birthright?
Truth emerges at the end, but there is truth in every moment. One of the gifts G-d gave us was the chance to achieve salvation in a moment.
Why are they working overtime to destroy the Jews and their State, perhaps harder now than at any time in the State of Israel's history?
The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life.
Rivka emerges as the more perceptive parent in this parsha. There is more to this than it seems.
Asking the Rabbi about Jewish monks and nuns, Hammurabi and the Hebrews, the roles of history and destiny., two brothers and two crowns.
Take a good look at how Abraham acts and perhaps add to your score on the entrance exam to the World to Come.
When excavations for building in Eretz Yisrael reveal ancient Jewish burial areas, what is the permitted course of action?
Remembering the Persian king who carried out God's promise to the Jews at the 1st Temple destruction and allowed them to return to Israel.
We have been privileged to have the remains of righteous people brought to Israel for reburial. Why is this important?.
