בס”ד Exodus 6:2-9:35 One Story or More then One? At first glance, the Torah portions from Shemot to Beshalach contain one story—the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. The sequence of events is familiar to all of us: the cruel enslavement of the Israelites; Moses cast upon the water in… Read More »Parshat Va’eira – So that Egypt will know G-d
בס”ד Exodus 1:1 – 6:1 A New King? What is the significance in the fact that the “new king arose, a king that did not know Yosef” (Exodus 1:8)? There are two Divine Attributes, personality traits of G-d’s, that become apparent to us through the way He guides the events… Read More »Parshat Shemot – The King that Did Not Know Joseph
בס”ד Genesis 47:28-50:26 Genesis 47:28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were a hundred forty and seven years. What is the significance of Torah’s mention of the the fact that “Jacob lived in the land of… Read More »Parshat Vayechi – What is True Living?
בס”ד Genesis 44:18-47:27 Genesis 45:1-5 1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried: ‘Cause every man to go out from me.’ And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. 2 And he wept aloud;… Read More »Parshat Vaygash – Meeting the Real Self
בס”ד Genesis 41:1-44:17 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. (Genesis 41:1) At the End In the Midrash, there are two perspectives on this verse, specifically with regard to the phrase קץ, ketz, “at the… Read More »Parshat Miketz – Is There an End to Darkness?
בס”ד Genesis 37:1–40:23 Spirit of King Messiah “And the earth was null and void, and darkness covered the deep, and the Spirit of G-d hovered above the waters” (Genesis 1:2). The “Spirit of G-d” mentioned in the verse refers to the spirit of the king messiah. In fact, the numerical… Read More »Parshat Vayeshev – The Scheme of Redemption
בס”ד Genesis 32:4-36:43 This Torah portion is both a continuation of the narrative concerning Jacob, the matriarchs and their children, as well as a series of prophecies and mystical secrets hidden within that narrative. Jacob, while moving his family back to the land of Canaan, and on the path to… Read More »Parshat Vayshlach – Wrestling Until Dawn
בס”ד Genesis 28:10-32:3 In the beginning of this week’s Torah portion we read: וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם וַיָּלֶן שָׁם, כִּי-בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, וַיִּקַּח מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם, וַיָּשֶׂם מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו; וַיִּשְׁכַּב, בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא “And Jacob encountered the place and lay down there, for the sun had set. And he took stones from those that were in… Read More »Parshat Vayetzei – The Place
בס”ד Genesis 25:19-28:9 The Torah describes Jacob as איש תם, a straightforward person (Genesis 25:27), and as the Torah personality who is the embodiment of truth (Micha 7:20). It is hard to imagine such a person participating in a plot of any kind, let alone one that involves theft. Yet,… Read More »Parshat Toldot – Stolen Goods
בס”ד Genesis 23:1-25:18 The expression, “baruch Hashem!” (meaning, “thank G-d”, or “praised be G-d”), is probably the most commonly-used phrase in the cultural sphere of Orthodox Jewry. It is a catch-all expression that is used to answer questions like, “how are you?”, or to indicate gratitude when things have gone… Read More »Parshat Chayei Sara – True Grattitude
