The Lord appears to Moshe at the beginning of this week’s parsha with a recounting of His relationship with the fathers of Israel, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. The Talmud comments that the Lord, so to speak, complained that it is a sadness and loss that those who were once here and alive are no longer so. This is in connection with Moshe’s complaint to God that... 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 →
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 →
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 →
מחבר ספר תהילים שואל את השאלה "מאין יבוא עזרי?" אין לו ספק שהישועה תבוא אליו כך או אחרת, אך הוא לא יודע איך זה יקרה. החיים כל כך בלתי צפויים והפכפכים עד שאין אדם, ממשל או מוסד שבאמת יכולים לתכנן... READ MORE →
The psalmist asks the question “from where shall my salvation arise?” He has no doubt that salvation will somehow come to him but he does not know how that will occur. Life is so unpredictable and volatile that no person, government or institution can truly plan with certainty its success and salvation. “The best laid plans of mice and men…” certainly are... READ MORE →
יעקב אבינו מבקש לבלות את שארית ימיו בשקט ובשלווה, ליהנות מהנכדים שלו ולעסוק בהתפתחותו הרוחנית האישית. זה בעצם מה שכולנו מאחלים לעצמנו לעת זקנה, כשאנחנו מרגישים שהקרבות הגדולים של החיים כבר... READ MORE →
So our father Yaakov wishes to spend the rest of his days in peace and serenity, enjoying his grandchildren and pursuing his spiritual growth. Is that not what all of us wish for ourselves as we grow older and we feel that the major battles of life are already behind us? Yet, as Rashi points out, based on difficult tests of Yaakov in his life - Lavan, Eisav, Shechem,... READ MORE →
In this week’s parsha, our father Yaakov, fresh from his successful escape from Lavan, prepares to encounter his brother and sworn enemy, Eisav. He sends malachim to deal with Eisav before he will actually meet with him face to face. The word malachim signifies two different meanings. One is that it means agents, messengers, human beings who were sent on a particular... READ MORE →
