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Dec 28

Thistly Crowns!

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 …

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Jan 05

A Boost!

At the end of the life of our forefather Yaacov, his son Yosef came to his bedside with his two sons, Menashe and Efraim. Yaacov proclaimed that these grandchildren, Efraim and Menashe, will each be a tribal head among the ranks of his own children. Yaacov then spread out his hands to bless Efraim and …

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Dec 16

Like Fish!

Our forefather Yaacov lived in Egypt for seventeen years while he and his entire family were supported by his son Yosef. When Yosef heard that his father was ill, he went along with his two sons, Menashe and Efraim, to visit and receive blessings. At this meeting Yaacov told Yosef that his two sons would …

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Dec 31

Bounce Back!

The Torah tells us that Yehuda was the only one of Yaacov’s children able to convince Yaacov to entrust him to bring Binyamin to Egypt and return him safely home. When Binyamin was accused of stealing Yosef’s goblet, it was Yehuda who stood up to Yosef, leading Yosef to finally reveal himself to his brothers. …

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Jan 08

Bless You!

The Torah relates that before our forefather Yaacov died, he called in his sons to confer a blessing on every one of them. Yaacov also took this opportunity to reprove the children who had acted in ways he did not approve. Our Sages tell us that Yaacov, as well as our leaders Moshe and King …

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Dec 19

Secret Code!

Although the life of our forefather Yaacov was filled with challenges, the last seventeen years of his life, when he lived in Egypt, were idyllic. His entire family was intact and there was an infrastructure of Jewish life and study in the land of Goshen, the area designated for the Jews in Egypt. Yaacov and …

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Sep 26

Fasts Usually Go Slow

(Torah Portion Vayechi) Fasts Usually Go Slow Friday, December 17th is the public fast of Asarah B’Teves ? The Teenth day of the Hebrew month of Teves. Our prophets established it as a day of fasting to commemorate the tragic event that took place on this day. We are all aware that the Temple Mount …

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Sep 26

A Powerful Mitzvah

(Torah Portion Vayechi) A Powerful Mitzvah! Our forefather Yaacov became ill, and sensing his death drawing near, called for his son Yosef, the Viceroy of Egypt, and asked him to swear and guarantee to him that he would be buried in the Cave of Machpaila in Israel. Yosef swore, assuring his father that the matter …

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Sep 26

Staying Alive

(Torah Portion Vayechi) Staying Alive! This week’s portion tells us that our forefather Yaakov lived the last years of his life in Egypt. The title of this week’s Portion is Vayechi – and he lived. The Torah draws our attention to the word “and he lived” to indicate that during the final seventeen years of …

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Sep 26

Hand in Hand

(Torah Portion Vayechi) Hand in Hand At the onset of my recent trip to Israel, the El Al security detail at Newark airport asked me a list of standard questions. His final question was, “Are you carrying a weapon of any type?” I said, “Yes.” He was quite surprised by my response, and before he …

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