Fulfilling G-d's commandments is the essence of Torah. "If not for my covenant, day and night, the laws of heaven and earth, I would…
Beshalach: Dying in the Desert
“And Pharaoh approached...they saw the Egyptians marching at their rear, and the people became very frightened. The Israelites cried out to G-d…
Bo: Timing is Everything
Judaism places great emphasis on the proper use of time. For serious students there is practically no greater sin than that of bitul Torah—the…
Vaera: It Took A While
Moshe was frustrated. Having been coerced by G-d to redeem the Jewish people, things were not going as planned. As Moshe confronted Pharaoh,…
Shemot: Irrational Thinking
Amongst the unsung heroes of the Jewish people are Shifra and Puah. Despite the genocidal decrees of the Egyptian regime against Jewish newborns,…
Vayechi: Time for a Kiss
People often mistakenly think that truly righteous people are somehow different, perhaps not totally "normal". Somehow we assume that…
Vayigash: A Pilot Trip
"And he [Yaakov] sent Judah ahead of him l'horot, to make preparations, in Goshen (Breisheet 46:28). With great fear and trepidation, Yaakov, along…
Mikeitz: Home Sweet Home
That one has a natural love for one's place of birth is a truism long recognized by our Talmudic sages. Emigration is never an easy prospect,…
VaYeshev: The Successful Man
Our Sages attach the appellation Tzadik, righteous one, to Yosef, presumably because of his ability to withstand the sexual advances of Potiphar’s…
VaYishlach: The Unsung Hero
How common it is for people to return from a funeral and realize how little they knew about the deceased. All too often, it is only after a person…
VaYetze: From Yaakov to Yisrael
“And Yaakov was a pure man, dwelling in the tents” (Breisheet 25:27). Like his father before him, Yaakov had little interest in the wider…
Toldot: The Strength of Yitzchak
Our Sages identified each of our patriarchs and matriarchs with the character traits that they best exemplified. Avraham, the master of hospitality…
Chayei Sarah: Growing Old, Staying Young
"And Sarah lived one hundred years, twenty years and seven years; these are the years of Sarah's life” (Breisheet 23:1). A famous…
VaYera: Moving Out of Town
One of the fundamental issues of debate amongst observant Jews regards the degree of openness with which one meets the surrounding culture. Should we…
Lech Lecha: In Defence of Terach
Our rabbis famously debate the righteousness of Noach. Was he a tzadik only relative to the corrupt society in which he lived, or was his…
Noach: Defending Noach
For years, psychologists have debated the impact of the environment (nurture) on the development of human beings. Can we be inherently changed by…
Breisheet: Sin and Sinning
The holidays of Tishrei—with their emphasis on sin, repentance, reconciliation, and joy—are behind us. It is time to get back to our “normal”…
V'zot HaBracha: From G-d to Man
When writing a book, a good author will introduce the major themes of the book in the opening chapters, develop these and other secondary themes…