Rav Soloveitchik was asked why our generation was the one to merit witnessing the creation of the State of Israel. After all, there were so many…
Terumah: The Moving Ark
Just as the Shabbat is the pinnacle of physical creation, the Mishkan is the pinnacle of spiritual creation. The Exodus and the revelation at Sinai…
Mikketz: Joseph's Pain
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, even…
VaYishlach: Changing Names
Names play a significant role in Jewish thought. A cursory glance at the names given to the twelve tribes signifies the importance of each name.…
VaYetze: Why Leave Home?
It is quite evident that Yitzchak and Rivka had differences of opinion regarding the difficult task of raising their twin boys. Their contradictory…
VaYera: Moderating Chesed
Judaism eschews extremism. This obligation to be moderate is codified into law by no less an authority than the Rambam; it is, as he points out, "the…
Breisheet: Science and Torah
“In the beginning G-d created the heaven and the earth” (1:1). Light, sky, land, vegetation, animals and humans: the Torah's…
Lech Lecha: The First Child
"Sarai said to Abram, 'G-d has kept me from having children. Come to my concubine; perhaps I will be built up through her'" (16:2…
Vayikra: Lasting Impressions
Modern psychological research has shown that infants begin processing information even before they are born, and impressions made on children have an…
Breisheet: Spin Doctor
Spin. The art of manipulating the facts to fit one's agenda has been fine-tuned in the era of mass media. Companies will pay millions…
Bamidbar: Blossoming Desert
The desert conjures up images of heat, hunger, thirst, wastelands and wandering, certainly not a place to stage important events. Yet it was in the…