RABBI YEHONASAN GEFEN

בס”ד Vayechi (Genesis 47:28-50:26 ) Bereishit, 49:8: “Yehudah, you your brothers will acknowledge…”Targum Onkelos, Bereishis, 49:8 “Yehudah, you admitted and you were not ashamed – your brothers will acknowledge you.”Targum Yonatan, Bereishis, 49:8: “Yehudah, you admitted in the incident with Tamar, because of that your brothers will acknowledge you and Yehudim will be called on your name.”Bereishit… Read More »PARSHAT VAYECHI 5785 – THE CONNECTION BETWEEN HUMILITY AND GRATITUDE

בס”ד Vayigash (Genesis 44:18-47:27 ) Bereishis, 45:12: “And behold, your eyes see and the eyes of my brother, Binyamin, that my mouth is speaking to you.”Rashi, Bereishis, 45:12: “In my honor, and that I am your brother, and that I am circumcised like you, and moreover, that my mouth that is speaking you is… Read More »PARSHAT VAYIGASH 5785 – HEBREW AND THE HOLY TONGUE

בס”ד Mikeitz (Genesis 41:1-44:17 ) On Chanukah we celebrate the momentous defeat of the Hasmoneans over the mighty Greek army and the subsequent miracle of the oil that lasted eight days. The war with the Greeks was far more than a standard military confrontation between two nations striving to attain power. This… Read More »PARSHAT MIKETZ 5785 – CHANUKAH’S IDEOLOGICAL CLASH

בס”ד Vayeshev (Genesis 37-40 ) Towards the end of the parsha, Joseph finds himself in a hopeless situation, having been in prison for ten years with no prospect of freedom. Then Joseph interprets the dreams of Pharaoh’s ministers, beginning the process of his meteoric rise to the position of viceroy over the… Read More »PARSHAT VAYESHEV 5785 – STEPPING OUT OF OUR OWN WORLD

בס”ד Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4-36:43 ) Upon his return to the land of Israel, Jacob sends a peace-making message to his hostile brother, Esau. He begins the message saying, “I lived with Lavan and have lingered here until now.” (1) The Sages elaborate on Jacob’s words, “I lived with Lavan and nevertheless I… Read More »PARSHAT VAYISHLACH 5785 – USING THE YETZER HARA FOR THE GOOD

בס”ד Vayetzei (Genesis 28:10-32:3 ) Bereishit, 28:12: “And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder (sulam) was standing on the ground and its head was reaching to the heavens…”Baal HaTurim, 28:12: Dh: Sulam: “Sulam (ladder) is the numerical value of mammon (money).” The Torah portion opens with Yaakov’s famous dream involving a ladder with its legs on the… Read More »PARSHAT VAYETZEI 5785 – THE BENEFITS AND DANGERS OF MONEY

בס”ד Toldot (Genesis 25:19-28:9 ) Bereishit, 28:8-9: “And Esau saw that the Canaanite daughters [that he had married] were wicked in the eyes of his father Yitzchak. And Esau went to Yishmael and he took Machalat the daughter of Yishmael, the son of Avraham, sister of Nevayot, as well as his wives, for… Read More »PARSHAT TOLDOT 5785 – ESAU’S WIVES

Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23:1-25:18 ) בס”ד Bereishis, 25:5-6: “And Avraham gave everything that he had to Yitzchak. And to the children of the concubine, he gave gifts.”Rashi, 25:6: Dh: Avraham gave gifts: “The Rabbis explained that he gave them the name of impurity.”Rashi, Sanhedrin, 91a: Dh: Shem Tumah: “Sorcery…” At the end of this week’s Torah… Read More »PARSHAT CHAYEI SARAH – ABRAHAM’S IMPURE GIFTS TO HIS CHILDREN

Vayeira (Genesis 18-22 ) בס”ד Bereishis, 22:1-2: “And it was after these matters, and G-d tested Avraham, and he said to him, Avraham, and he said I am here. And He said, please take your son, your only son, who you love, Yitzchak…”Rashi, Bereishis, 22:1, Dh: Achar Hadevarim: …“And some say [it refers to] after… Read More »PARSHAT VAYEIRA – YISHMAEL AND THE BINDING OF ISAAC

Lech Lecha (Genesis 12-17 ) בס”ד Bereishit, 12:5: “And Avram took Sarai his wife, and Lot, his nephew, and all their property that they acquired and the souls (nefesh) that they made in Charan.”Rashi, Bereishit, 12:5, Dh: The souls that Avraham made in Haran: “That they brought them under the wings of the Divine Presence;… Read More »PARSHAT LECH LECH – ITS ALL ABOUT THE EFFORT