In the harsh reality he faced, Yehudah did the best he could, say some commentators. At the very least, he saved Yosef from death. Yehudah is praised for recognizing what was achievable. But others criticize him and feel he could have achieved more.
Is this the country we have been waiting for? Absolutely! It’s not yet total light, but it has a lot of light.
Reading about Yaacov’s marriages to Leah and Rachel is an appropriate time to recall some of the duties incumbent upon Jewish husbands.
Parashat Vayetzei's Ashkenazi and Sepharadi haftorahs are back to back in the book of Hoshea, but have different themes.
Although I am a Hebrew speaker, I traveled to the USA, in order to teach Torah, meet our Jewish brethren, learn about their strengths and the challenges they face, and counteract the negative picture of Israel in the media by describing the gooness of the Land of Israel.
When someone is in harmony, they connect to the soul's source, which exists beyond the limits of linear time. They operate at the level of "thought," which is instant and limitless.
Modeling is the only authentic and impactful form of education.
Whether the Jew is wealthy or poor, mighty or weak, it seems we face our troubles in isolation. Not during the Holocaust, not in 1948, noy today. Except that we are never actually alone.
Each of the three daily prayers has its own special nature.
One cannot deny Mamdani’s contribution to the efforts of encouraging Jews to return home.
When hatred becomes normal, when lies replace truth, and when the “faces” around us change, the Torah teaches us to recognize it. That is what Yaakov saw before he returned to Eretz Yisrael.
These are challenging times for our people, and for all good people.
In the end, they parted, by making a covenant - at Laban’s behest - between them, but what did Laban really want?
In this week's parasha, Leah thanks G-d when Yehuda is born and we thank G-d every morning before we get out of bed.
It was not about Kashrut or Shabbat or prayer, but something deeper and more pervasive.
There is a deep, ongoing tension within Am Yisrael regarding which tribe represents the proper approach to the Shechina, and which tribe should host the Mikdash.
May we take this poignant lesson to heart, and understand that Eretz Yisrael cannot be bargained for. It is our land, and the vision and desire of millions of our brethren, over thousands of years of Jewish history, have always rested on the Land of Israel.
Learning how to live one's life by emulating the deeds and words of a great man, a man of extraordinary humility, drive and moral clarity, a leader who carried Klal Yisrael in his heart.
Jews who are invited to the homes of non-Jewish acquaintances for a Thanksgiving meal should keep the Purim story in mind. Yes, it's your life, but the Torah includes the rules on how to live it.
![Guess who's coming for [Thanksgiving] dinner?](https://2.a7.org/files/pictures/203x125/1204437.jpg?autocrop=1 "Courtesy")
Yaakov Avinu reminds us that wherever a Jew may be, his inner compass must point to Eretz Yisrael.
In departing from his parents, Yaakov was in fact obeying their wishes and thus fulfilling the commandment to honor one’s parents. Why then should the Sages say that the length of his absence is a cause for punishment?
Life without familiar faces is difficult - even for great people.
The War of Gog and Magog is described in Ezekiel, Chapter 38, as a war in which all the nations of the world rise up against us, and with God’s help we are victorious.
The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life. It has revolutionized the way we think about G -d the human soul, the world and our place in it.
The Rebbe said in a letter written to someone inquiring about homosexuality, “if it were beyond human control, Hashem would not have made it a sin.”
Developments in Christian theological thought, and changing attitudes among Jews about engaging with others, may finally have us moving beyond the ancient conflict between Jews and Christians.
Every Jewish male is commanded to write a Torah scroll for himself. Today the practice is to fulfill the commandment of writing a Torah scroll in partnership. A woman too may study from the sacred Torah scroll.
Parents cannot prevent their child from performing a mitzvah, whether it be learning Torah, marrying, praying, or moving to Israel.
Our Sages teach in the Gemara that even one who has no field must give thanks to God, for ultimately the livelihood and survival of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel depend upon rain.
Eisav certainly ranks as one of the worst personalities presented to us in the entire Bible. And yet, here we see that he did excel in something.
Young religious Zionist Torah scholars connect Eretz Yisrael to the parasha. In Parashat Toldot, the Malbim explains that the “Shechina” resides in the Land of Israel.
This week’s Parsha, Toldot, provides understanding of Rav Kook’s philosophy of Jewish militarism and power. It sheds light on what should be a Jew’s attitude toward serving his Nation, and on the use of Jewish power.
Rivkah didn't want to deceive her husband, she Just wanted Jacob to display another side.
Isaac appreciated Esau’s ability to hunt and dominate the beasts, the trait needed to dominate bestial peoples. Could Yaakov do the same?
Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva, founded by Rabbi Avraham HaCohen Kook, served as the nucleus for the major spiritual and educational role played by Religious Zionism in the Jewish State. Last week thousands of alumni and friends came to offer their thanks and celebrate.
In our time, “the voice of Yaacov,” spoken with supplication, with gentle spirit, and with a sincere desire to bring satisfaction and goodness to others, must serve as a guiding light.
The wondrous outcome of Rivkah's pregnancy, is that all that the nations create in this world, in the end result, is for the benefit of Bnei Israel, in their service of Hashem.
Water has been a defining component of Israel’s history, from Noah’s flood through the lives of our Patriarchs to our own time. It is part of the symbiotic connexion between the Jewish nation and the Land of Israel. As the Land has welcomed its nation back home, so the nation has rejuvenated the Land.
The story of the blessing of Yaakov is full of deception. How can we understand that?
A reflection on the 18th anniversary of the Mumbai terrorist attack and the Yartzheit of Gavriel Noach and Rivka Holtzberg הי“ד. In memoria
Everyone invited to dinner gets to eat. G-d’s portion is the Torah that we study and the food we give to the poor.
This parasha teaches us that even when the chances of success seem slim, a person must make an effort, do his part, and leave the rest in Hashem’s hands.
From the root of the word atar (“to entreat”), the Sages derived that prayer is heard only when there is peace among those praying.
An appreciation of man’s godliness should both deter murder and inspire us to bring more human life into the world.
In recent years, the clear divide between the seen and unseen has diminished. The force that broke this divide was not religion but science itself.
Ethiopian Jewish immigrants to Israel brought a willingness to contribute and a pure Zionism centered on longing for Jerusalem as a heavenly city, but they also brought a previously unknown holiday that has been officially recognized in the State of Israel.
We all confront many situations in which it is tempting to put a spin on things and manipulate the facts so that they are more in line with our interests or prevent catastrophe. Are we allowed to do so?
Yitzchak and Rivkah loved what they lacked.
Rabbi Hauer's shloshim took place this week. His way of life was humility, but as our Sages wisely said, “one who runs from honor, honor chases after him.”
How can it be possible that so many great haredi Rabbis err in their opposition to Zionism?
The three great dangers that have always confronted Am Yisrael, in days of yore and today.
It is the “Patriarchs’ acts of kindness” and their vibrant, natural Torah that will redeem their descendants in the final generation
The children of Ishmael are destined to rule the Holy Land when it is empty, and they will hinder Israel from returning, until the merit of their circumcision, which is an incomplete covenant, ends, just as the period of the giants ended.
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: The Morning, Dusk, and Night of Judaism.
The demands of public service can strain devotion to one’s own family - a tension faced by three of the most important figures in Jewish history: Avraham Avinu (our patriarch), Moshe Rabbeinu (our teacher), and David Hamelekh (the king).
The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life. It has revolutionized the way we think about G -d the human soul, the world and our place in it.
Life confronts us with the Absolute and the Ideal. The former leaves no place for compromise; the latter demands that we be flexible. The parasha shows us the differrence.
Sarah recognized Hashem - with Abraham - when she was thirty-eight, the thirty-eighth year being reckoned with the earlier period, of not knowing Hashem.
Once again Hebron and the Land of Israel are rising to renewed life, this time through the descendants of Avraham our father, who settle the Land of the Patriarchs and Hebron with self-sacrifice.
