Perhaps Man’s greatest fear is his ultimate irrelevance, that we really don’t make a difference and that in the greater scheme of things…
Pekudei: Time and Space
“And it was on first month of the second year on the first of the month that the Tabernacle was erected” (Shemot 40:17). The first of…
Ki Tisa: The Golden Garden
"And the people saw ki boshesh Moshe, that Moshe delayed in coming down from the mountain" (32:1). As a young nation coming from…
Terumah: Child's Play
Judaism sees the sparks of the Divine within the most mundane of activities. Revelation at Sinai is followed by a series of laws dealing with such…
Mishpatim: Free the Slaves
One of the revolutions that Judaism brought to the world was its attitude towards, and its treatment of, slaves. Whereas in the ancient world slaves…
Yitro: The Essence of Torah
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,…
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…