“And G-d saw that Leah was hated and He opened her womb. Rachel remained barren” (Breisheet 29:31). G-d has mercy on the “rejected” wife, and thus…
Toldot: Family Dynamics
It is hard to imagine a more disparate couple than Yitzchak and Rivka, the quiet contemplative husband who would "meditate in the fields" (24:63),…
Chayei Sarah: Riding a Camel
“Let the maiden to whom I say, ‘Please, lower your jar that I may drink,’ and who replies, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels’—let her be the…
Vayeira: Praying for Sedom
We first hear of Sedom as the Torah records the genealogies of the children of Noach. “And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you come to…
Lech Lecha: Time to Sin
One of the beautiful aspects of the Torah is that it presents its “heroes” not only through their greatness but also through their faults. Moreover,…
Noach: Great Parenting
Noach was a righteous, pure person who found favour in the eyes of G-d and saved the world from destruction. While some like to downplay the…
Breisheet: Clothes Make the Woman (and Man)
“The two of them were arumim, naked, the man and his wife, yet they felt no shame (Breisheet 2:25)." In the Garden of Eden, in the world as it was…
Ki Tavo: Language Barriers
Those of us living in Canada are especially sensitive to the importance of language to the fabric of a country. The language that one speaks is, more…
Shoftim: Chopping Trees
War brings out the worst in people. Rape, unjustified killings, pillage, random acts of destruction are sadly, tragically and inevitably the natural…
Re'eh: G-d's Children
Parshat Re’eh contains a series of laws that on the surface have little to do with each other. As Moshe prepares the people for entry to the land, he…
Va'etchanan: For The People
Ask anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of the Bible why Moshe could not enter the Land of Israel and more likely than not they will tell you because…
Eikev: Loving G-d
Eight times – interestingly, all in sefer Devarim – the Torah tells us we are to love G-d, the first and most famous mention being in what is known…
Devarim: Just Courts
“"The signature of G-d is truth" (Shabbat 55a). Our Torah, which serves as a description of G-d, is the method for implementation of truth in a world…
Massei: The Details are for Later
“And the Egyptians were burying all their first born, who had been killed by G-d” (Bamidbar 33:4). Occupied with grief and despair, the…
Balak: Religious Wars
It is rare that people fear mere numbers of Jews. Instead, it is our ability to do so much with so little that makes many view us as Goliath, as…
Korach: Finding Holiness
The survival of the Jewish people in the desert was a direct result and only possible because of Divine intervention: the splitting of the sea; water…
Shelach Lecha: What is Your Name
Names play a crucial role in our tradition. We have names that describe our origins, Adam – "from the soil” (Breisheet 2:7); names that define one’s…
Beha'alotcha: Time to Complain
One of the causes for disappointment with the generation that left Egypt was their constant complaining. Each week, as we study sefer Bamidbar, we…