That man sins is part and parcel of being human. It is the basis of the most special day of the year, that of Yom Kippur. Proper preparation for, and…
Shemot: No Thank You
“And Moshe was frightened and he said, behold the incident is known. And Pharaoh heard about the affair and he sought to kill Moshe…
Vayechi: Joining the Covenant
The opening 11 chapters of Sefer Breisheet can be read as explaining why there was a need for a Jewish people. G-d created man in His image and…
Vayigash: A Test of Leadership
It is clear already from the sale of Yosef, that Yehuda had leadership potential. It was he who convinced the brothers not to murder Yosef, something…
Mikketz: Royal Politics
Yosef was a most charismatic person. He was young, attractive and as the Torah tells us on three occasions, he was an ish mazleach, a successful man…
Vayeishev: Yosef and Greece
The annual Torah reading cycle has us reading the story of Yosef during Chanukah[1]. While in most years it is Parshat Mikketz we read on Shabbat…
Vayishlach: He Was Afraid
“And Jacob was very frightened and distressed” (Breisheet 32:8). After some 22 years Yaakov Avinu is returning home. Afraid that Eisav – who years…
VaYetze: Worse than Pharoah?
“Go out and learn what Lavan the Aramean sought to do to Yaakov, our father; Pharaoh only decreed [death] on the males but Lavan sought to uproot…
Toldot: Out in the Field
Our Sages were no respecters of persons. When they felt a wrong was committed, they called it out – be that person Noach, Avraham, Moshe or anyone…
Chayei Sarah: A Blessed Life
Yitzchak brought [Rivka] into mother Sarah's tent and he married Rivka. She became his wife, and he loved her. Yitzchak was consoled for the loss of…
Vayera: Avraham's Torah
Rabbinic tradition maintains that the Torah existed even before the creation of the world, in essence serving as the architectural blueprint of…
Lech Lecha: A Faithful Journey
The Torah provides very little biographical information. Rather, it highlights significant events in their lives from which we can deduce and debate…
Noach: Unity and Uniformity
“And the entire land were of one language, and the same things” (Breisheet 11:1). What a beautiful description of a world at peace! A world in which…
Breisheet: From Beginning to End
A history book, a law book[1], a book of theology, editorial comments, a book of philosophy, a description of G-d, a code of ethics, a lesson on…
Vzot Habracha: The Ends of the Chumash
If one wants to get a quick overview of a book one tends to read the introduction or perhaps the opening pages. That is where a typical author sets…
Haazinu: Calling G-d's Name
“Haazinu Hashamayim vadebera, vatishma haaretz imrei pi, Give ear, O heavens, let me speak; Let the earth hear the words I utter” (Devarim 32:1). In…
Nitzavim: Water and Wood
"You are standing this day all of you before the Lord your God: your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel: your…
Ki-Tavo: The Joy of Gratitude
Why does misfortune befall the Jewish people? While there is no simple answer – or perhaps no answer at all - to this complex problem of theodicy,…