"And he saw an Egyptian man hitting a Hebrew of his brothers" (2:11). To the slave in Egypt, being beaten up by our tormentors was the norm…
Vayigash: Thank You for That
"And Joseph could not restrain himself" (45:1). After 22 years, Joseph and his brothers were to be reunited. In probably the most emotional…
Chanukah: Moving Home
On the surface, it is difficult to understand why we celebrate Chanukah, a festival commemorating the rededication of the Temple and Jewish…
Chanukah: Turkey and Latkes
Chanukah is a most popular holiday, even amongst “secular” Jews. For those living in Israel, the vastly outnumbered Maccabees defeating…
Vayeshev: The President and the Viceroy
One of the messages I try to hammer home to my students is that everything in the Torah can be understood as editorial comments on current events.…
Toldot: And He Grew Up
"Vayigdal Haish, and the man grew up and grew more and more, until he became very big" (Breisheet 26:13). At first glance, this is…
Chayei Sarah: Like Mom and Dad
“And Yitzchak brought her to the tent of his mother; and he took Rivka, and she was for him a wife, and he loved her; and Yitzchak was consoled…
Vayera: 20/20 Vision
It is a truism that two people can look at the same thing, yet see something quite different. One person might see a beautiful piece of art, whereas…
Noach: The First Terrorists
"In the midst of the day, b'etzem, Noach came, and Cham and Yefet, the children of Noach, and the wife of Noach, and three wives of his…
V'zot HaBracha: Four Giants
“And Moshe was one hundred and twenty years when he died” (Devarim 34:7). It is a beautiful, if somewhat unrealistic, custom to offer…
Sukkot: No Pain, No Gain
The Talmud classifies sukkah as a mitzvah kalla, a light and easy mitzvah. Where one must be almost deathly ill before one is permitted to eat…
Yom Kippur: 20/20 Vision
In trying to develop the potential of man, the Mussar movement[1] developed two different approaches to the sinning of man. One school of…
Rosh Hashanah: A Matter of Time
Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the new year. But strangely, it does not mark the end of the old year. That task belongs to the holiday of…
Nitzavim: Minding My Business
“Lest there be a man or a women or a family or tribe...when they hear this curse, they will bless themselves, saying peace will be to me, and I will…
Ki Tavo: Real Estate Talk
The central aspect of the Pesach seder is the mitzvah of sippur yetziat mitzraim, retelling and reliving the Exodus experience. The Rabbis chose, as…
Ki Teze: Finders Weepers, Losers Keepers
It is often hard for us to realize that concepts we take for granted are foreign to others. That helps explain why so many in the Western world are…
Shoftim: Seeking Justice
Almost always, wrongdoing requires that people work together to perpetrate such. As has been accepted in the legal systems of Western countries, it…
Re'eh: Cohesive Community
The destruction of the Temple in the Year 70 caused a major historical shift regarding the focus of Judaism. Pilgrimages to Jerusalem ceased, new…