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…
Sukkot: The First Sin
“And you shall take for yourselves on the first day, the fruit of the hadar tree, date palm fronds…
Reflections on Daf Yomi Turning 100
Rosh Hashanah marked 100 years of Daf Yomi. I have seen surprisingly little written about this…