Parshat Shavua

The Parasha and Current Events: Strength and conquest

The Esaus of the world are impressed only by strength - with which Ya’akov is endowed when necessary and which the Maccabees evinced..

Strengthening the connection between the Jews and the Holy Land

Ove and above sustaining life, the air of the Holy Land uplifts the individual soul while its earth spurs our national development.

Deciphering the demise of Devorah, Rivka's nurse

Devorah was Rivkah Imenu’s tutor as well as her nursemaid, sent by Rivkah to instill what a grandmother can teach a grandchild.

VaYishlach: Reuben's Sin

Israel's first Ashkenazi Cheif Rabbi, leader of Religious Zionism:'Oral Torah adds insightful understanding through careful examination.'

A winning combination

Jacob's fear at meeitng Esau shows the merit of living in Israel. Even today, we must show the world that the land belongs to the Jews.

The Parsha and Current Events: Surviving evil

Eventually evil devours itself, but there are times when it succeeds - and the time is not right to fight. Jacob knows that truth.

What did Isaac see in Esau?

Isaac rightly felt that Jacob's potential needed the help of Esau's activism, but that synergy can only happen at the end of time.

The Daily Portion

Cultivate patience, never give up

Many things require continued striving and much patience, as the story of Jacob so clearly teaches us.

The Daily Portion

What do we do when everything changes?

Life occasionally compels us to leave our comfort zone and deal with crisis. A biblical and modern model.

Vayetze: Prayer before sleep‏

Israel's first Chief Rabbi, iconic leader of Religious Zionism: It is only the soul that experiences visions while dreaming.

Inconsolable and impoverished

Why did Yaakov cry when he met Rachel?

To leave 'a place'

There will be time where we all need the courage to exit and leave our safe and comfortable zones to do the work that needs to be done.

The power of thought

​​​​​​​A few words in the Zohar that seem to describe a geographical location provide insight into our entire.essence.

The inestimable worth of the individual

It was the Soviet Union and Communism that saw people as being mere cogs in a great machine, the state. Not so the Jews.

Which is harder, the test of poverty or the test of wealth?

Jacob was faced with two diametrically opposed tests. He passed them both.

LIght in dark times

The ability to survive and to recover is part of what it takes to be a leader. Covenant & Conversation for Vayetse.

The Daily Portion

Finding God in unexpected places

Life is truly a ladder set up on the ground, but its top reaches heaven.

Is an ultrasound during pregnancy permitted?

Does the Torah permit an ultrasound to know the gender of a baby before it's born?

Esau's place in history

Esau's error is a foolish and sometimes tragic one that many of us make in our lives.

Isaac, too, was tested - by G-d and man

The Sages said that Yitzchak represents 'gevura', courage and might, but it is Abraham, Moses and Joshua who waged wars. What do they mean?

Prayer and choices

Praying is a process that moves in two directions.

The Daily Portion

Patience: not available on Amazon Prime

I discovered two incredible details in this week's Torah portion

Toldot: How can an Isaac and Rivkah raise a child who is wicked?

Commentators give several reasons for this to have happened, as it has throughout history, but perhaps the simplest explanation is the best.

Jacob and the Pandemic

Why are our voices today more powerful than ever before?

A message to Donald Trump from the Parasha

Perhaps, if Trump does not overturn the election results, it is so that his merits remain etched in the eternal memory of our nation.

Abraham's weapon against uncertainty

The greatest victory over disappointment and failure is the courage to move forward. Abraham's message for today is in this week's parasha.

A paean of praise to our Matriachs, Sarah and Rivkah.

This Torah portion tells us that Abraham was blessed "with everything" and some commentators say that means having a daughter.

Little things can make a big difference

Life is not made up of firework displays, but anyway, how much useful light do fireworks provide?

Did Sarah laugh?

Sara laughed when G-d told her she was going to have a baby at age 90! Or did she? She denies it! And who's asking, anyway? I

The final test

Why does G-d ask Abraham to do the tenth and final test, but command that he do the others?

Vayeira: 'Sanctity in Space' - as synagogues begin to reopen

Torah from Israel's first Chief Rabbi, iconic leader of Religious Zionism: 'What is religious humility? Why have a set location for prayer?'

How could Abraham pray for the wicked people of Sodom?

Rabbi Dessler: If they were allowed to remain alive, they would surely continue to transgress.

Don't look back!

A blast of burning chemicals petrified Lot's wife, who still hankered for life in Sodom, it's where her heart was. A lesson from history.

Did Avraham Avinu “love” G-d or “fear” Him?

At Avraham's tenth and most difficult test, Akeidat Yitzchak, the Torah praises him as "G-d-fearing," and not as one who loves G-d.

Which mitzva is more important? Man to man or man to G-d?

Can a tzaddik be righteous but not good?

For the Shabbat Project: Lot, ancestor of Moav

A study of a prosperoous and greedy society, of cruelty, perversion - and divine retribution, culled from Parshat Vayera and the Midrash.

Swapping Land for Peace

The Torah's Position on Land Concessions for Peace (Vayeira)

What is the Torah's stand on swapping land for peace? A classic commentator lays down a principle based on the Abraham/Avimelech agreement.

Drops of Light:

What really made Abraham great?

In the portion of Lech Lecha we meet Abraham - the first Jew. He taught the world about G-d. But he also taught us a lesson on how to live.

The Daily Portion

What's the solution?

After the Flood, it seems that humans have learned nothing. Until...

The lost generation

Noah was a survivor but he failed to reach the people of his time as Abraham did..Was that due to lack of faith in himself or in the people?

Great potential

A fundamental theological cornerstone of Judaism is found in this parasha: Man must continue the process of creating things anew.

Thorns and thistles

The difference between the Hebrew letters Daled and Resh is almost indiscernable, but in two specific words, they make all the difference.

Correcting a sin from the days of creation

Was the real sin of Adam and Eve impatience?

The power of permission

The Torah is not a joy-killing mechanism, but a system meant to refine the joys of life and elevate then to a spiritual dimension.

Isn't Sukkot supposed to be happy?

If Sukkot is the Festival of Happiness, why do we read on Megilat Kohelet, which seems to be a very depressing book?

The arc of the moral universe

Covenant & Conversation for Haazinu 5781.

Talking Parsha: This Will Be The Best Year!

Rosh Hashanah, the day of judgment, is followed by the 10 days of Tshuva (repentance). Shouldn't it be the other way around?

The Daily Portion/ To bring every part of us

Within our souls are different and varied parts. Collect them, compare them and see what should be changed in the New Year.

Finding the balance between Nitzavim and Vayelech

How quickly society changes acceptable human behavior! What was unthinkable and perverse is today admired and sometimes even enforced.

Ki Tavo: Bikkurim, the offering of our hands

The Torah stresses ‘the hands’ in the mitzva of Bikkurim, for a symbolic, moral and historic reason.

The whole picture

There is something illogical about the commandment of the firstborn. And why separate the first fruits from the rest?

Why are stones so important in our tradition?

The Hebrew word "even" means "stone" but it also is a composite of the words for father and son.

What's the one thing you need most?

This week the Torah teaches us the key ingredient to living our lives and serving G-d, without it, everything else falls apart

The Daily Portion / Every day like new

It is a challenge to continue keeping the Torah with the same level of anticipation as at Mount Sinai.

Confession of good?

​​​​​​​Many think that in order to repent one must look evil, the affair teaches us that the secret of success is actually in looking good.

Don’t Get Comfy in Diaspora

Don’t Get Too Comfy in Diaspora (Ki Tavo 2020)

Baruch Gordon quotes a commentary on the First Fruits offering which delivers a powerful message to Diaspora Jews today...

Be silent and listen

The lockdown meant that we could listen to the poetry and passion of the prayers. And prayer is about listening, not just speaking.

A Torah reading with 76 different commandments!

Our Sages found a pattern in the commandments found in one reading that make up over 12% of all the 613 mitzvot in the Torah.

The Daily Portion / To do the obvious

The simple and obvious things we must be sure to do can easily be forgotten or ignored. The Torah reminds us of them.

Ki Teitzei: Remembering Miriam's punishment

Torah from Israel's first chief rabbi, the iconic leader of Religious Zionism.