"Rabban Yocḥanan ben Zakkai’s students asked him: ‘For what reason was the Torah stricter with a…
Yitro: Who was at Sinai
What kind of book is the Torah and who is it meant for? Rashi begins his commentary to the Torah…
Beshalach: Great Expectations
Throughout the Exodus story, the Jewish people are silent. We do not know what they were thinking…
Vaeira: Yes Thank You
That man sins is part and parcel of being human. It is the basis of the most special day of the…
Shemot: No Thank You
“And Moshe was frightened and he said, behold the incident is known. And Pharaoh heard…
Vayechi: Joining the Covenant
The opening 11 chapters of Sefer Breisheet can be read as explaining why there was a need…
Vayigash: A Test of Leadership
It is clear already from the sale of Yosef, that Yehuda had leadership potential. It was he who…
Mikketz: Royal Politics
Yosef was a most charismatic person. He was young, attractive and as the Torah tells us on three…
Vayeishev: Yosef and Greece
The annual Torah reading cycle has us reading the story of Yosef during Chanukah[1]. While in most…
Vayishlach: He Was Afraid
“And Jacob was very frightened and distressed” (Breisheet 32:8). After some 22 years Yaakov Avinu…
VaYetze: Worse than Pharoah?
“Go out and learn what Lavan the Aramean sought to do to Yaakov, our father; Pharaoh only decreed […
Toldot: Out in the Field
Our Sages were no respecters of persons. When they felt a wrong was committed, they called it out…
Chayei Sarah: A Blessed Life
Yitzchak brought [Rivka] into mother Sarah's tent and he married Rivka. She became his wife, and he…
Vayera: Avraham's Torah
Rabbinic tradition maintains that the Torah existed even before the creation of the world, in…
Lech Lecha: A Faithful Journey
The Torah provides very little biographical information. Rather, it highlights significant events…
Noach: Unity and Uniformity
“And the entire land were of one language, and the same things” (Breisheet 11:1). What a beautiful…
Breisheet: From Beginning to End
A history book, a law book[1], a book of theology, editorial comments, a book of philosophy, a…
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…