The last number of decades has brought to light an increasingly difficult problem in Jewish life both here in Israel and in the Jewish world generally. It is the rise of alcoholism and its related tragedies. There is also a considerable amount of drug use among Jewish youth and it is not restricted to particular groups within that society. It would be simple to say that these... READ MORE →
Shifra and Puah give Jewish children life in this week’s parsha. Midrash and Rashi point out that Shifra and Puah were really Yocheved and Miriam. In God’s world where everything eventually evens out, Moshe, Yocheved’s son and Miriam’s brother will be saved from the Nile and its tides and crocodiles by another woman who saved children, Batya, the daughter of the... READ MORE →
השבת נשלים את קריאת ספר בראשית. עם סיומו של החומש הקדוש הזה, נראה שהעם היהודי נמצא בגן-עדן קטן. יעקב הולך לעולמו כשהוא מוקף במשפחתו המאוחדת, בנו יוסף הוא המשנה למלך מצרים, נכדיו לומדים איתו את דרכי האלקים,... READ MORE →
This Shabat we will complete the reading of the book of Bereshith. At the conclusion of this holy book it appears that the Jewish people are in a mini-paradise. Yaakov leaves the world surrounded by his now united family, his son Yosef is the viceroy of Egypt, his grandchildren have come to study the values and ways of God with him and the Lord has promised... READ MORE →
תקופת האבות ושנים עשר השבטים שיצרו והרכיבו את העם היהודי מגיעה לסיומה בפרשת השבוע. המשפחה של השבעים, בית יעקב, תוסיף לגדול ולהתרבות ולהתמודד עם מאות שנים של ייסורים ושעבוד במצרים לפני שתזכה לגאולה. דבר מכל זה... READ MORE →
The end of the era of the Avot and the twelve brothers that created and formed the Jewish people takes place with this week’s parsha. The family of seventy – the house of Yaakov – will grow and multiply and face centuries of pain and slavery in Egypt before being redeemed. None of this is yet apparent in this week’s parsha. The deathbed scene of Yaakov is... READ MORE →
I had my little great granddaughter as a guest in our home this past Shabat. As I was with her I thought about the importance and connection of generations within Jewish society. This bond has unfortunately been weakened in our time by all sorts of issues and problems that have arisen with the breakdown of the traditional Jewish family. Even though I am realistic about my age I... READ MORE →
The long hoped for reunion of Yaakov and Yosef actually occurs in this week’s parsha. The Torah records for us this poignant and emotional moment. Yet, it tells us that Yaakov remained apparently emotionless while Yosef wept. The rabbis of the Talmud compound the mysterious behavior of Yaakov by stating that Yaakov at that moment recited Shema. What does this mean? Many... READ MORE →
העולם היהודי סובל ממגיפה של מנתצי מיתוסים, יהודים ולא יהודים. חג חנוכה הנפלא הוא הזדמנות שמוציאה את מנתצי המסורת בהמוניהם, אנשים שטוענים שאירועי חנוכה מעולם לא התרחשו או לפחות לא התרחשו בדרך... READ MORE →
The Jewish world suffers from a plague of debunkers, both Jewish and non-Jewish. The occasion of the wonderful holiday of Chanukah brings out the debunkers in their hordes. Chanukah never happened or at least not in the way that the Talmud and tradition transmit its happenings. A noted op-ed Jewish (?) columnist in the New York Times wrote that in his opinion the... READ MORE →
