Before our forefather Yaacov passed away, he instructed his son Yosef to make sure that he would not be buried in Egypt; rather, that he only be buried in the Land of Israel, in the Cave of Machpeila, where his ancestors and his wife Leah were buried. The Egyptians held Yaacov in high esteem, because …
Category: Beraishis
Dec 21
Protection!
Tomorrow, Friday December 22, is the public fast day of Asarah B’Teves – The Tenth day of the Hebrew month of Teves. Our prophets established it as a day of fasting to commemorate a tragic event that took place in our history on this day. As we are well aware, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem …
Dec 14
Bulldozer!
The Holiday of Chanukah is celebrated for eight days. The focal point of the Holiday is lighting the candles on the Menorah, as we recite the special blessings. The opportune time to light the Menorah is a bit past sunset and the basic law is that the flames should last for at least a half …
Dec 07
Everyone Counts!
Recently, the results of an election for City Council in a small town in Washington State was determined by only one vote! It gets even better. When the loser was interviewed he said he had personally declined to cast a ballot for himself, stating that would’ve been “’Narcissistic’; I felt like it was stacking the …
Nov 30
Alone!
This week’s Parsha describes our forefather Yaacov preparing for and then meeting up with his hateful brother Aisav. This is a precursor to what we are currently living through. In fact, our great Sage, Rebbi Yehudah Hanasi, who committed our Oral Law to writing and authoring the Mishna, before he would meet with the hateful …
Nov 22
Extraordinary Dose!
After our forefather Yaacov received the patriarchal blessing from his father Yitzchok in a seemingly manipulative fashion, the Torah tells us that Yitzchok realized that Yaacov, rather than Aisav, was indeed worthy, and the one deserving to receive the blessing. Aisav was burning mad and decided to eventually kill Yaacov. Rivka was informed through prophecy …
Nov 16
Nothing’s Changed!
Would you believe that this week’s Torah portion dedicates a significant amount of time discussing our forefather Yitzchok’s dealing with Avimelech the King of Philistines in the land of Gerar. Gerar is located in the southern coastal area of the land of Israel, a.k.a. Gaza. In 4000 years, nothing has changed. The Torah tells us …
Nov 09
It Makes a Difference!
At this time, when our brethren are at war and we are experiencing much uncertainty and upset over the upsurge of antisemitism in the US and around the world, the frequent thought flashing through our minds is, “What can we do?” As Jews, we turn to prayer, we contribute, we contact our relatives and friends …
Nov 02
Lift Our Eyes!
The approach of sadistic, barbaric and repulsive terror gangs is nothing new. In this week’s Parsha, the Torah relates to us that two angels came to the city of Sedom with the mission of rescuing Avraham’s nephew Lot and his family, and to destroy the utterly wicked cities of Sedom and Amorah. Sedom had an …
Oct 26
Make The Palace Shine!
This week’s Parsha begins with G-d’s first communication to our forefather Avraham, who was 75 years old at the time. Our sages debate at which age Avraham recognized that there is a Creator. It was either at the tender age of three or when he was 48 years old. During this time, aside from just …
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