“Then G-d said to Moses: GO to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart…” (Exodus 10:1). This is almost universally the way this verse is translated. However, the actual Hebrew is “Bo el Par’oh” which literally means ‘COME to Pharaoh and not ‘go’ to Pharaoh. The translators probably felt that… Read More »EXODUS 10:1 – COME WITH ME
“…I will bring you out from under the burdens (sivlote) of Egypt…” (Exodus 6:6). The Gerrer Rebbe points out that the word “sivlote” doesn’t only mean burdens – it can also imply tolerance. The Hebrew word “savlanute” means patience. He takes the verse to mean that Hashem will deliver us… Read More »EXODUS 6:6 DO NOT BE TOLERANT
“He said: Do not come any closer. Take your shoes (na’alecha) off your feet (raglecha), because the place where you are standing is holy ground” The word for ‘your shoes’ in Hebrew can also mean ‘your lock’, and the Hebrew word for ‘your feet’ can also mean ‘your habits’. How… Read More »EXODUS 3:5 – LIVE CONSCIOUSLY AND MINDFULLY
“After these events, someone said to Yosef: Behold your father is ill…(Genesis 48:1). According to the Talmud (Baba Metzia 87a) until Jacob, there was no illness. Then Jacob prayed that people get ill before passing away and illness came into being. Prior to Jacob’s prayer, people had no prior intimation… Read More »GENESIS 48:1 – JACOB WAS ILL?
“Israel extended his right hand and placed it on Ephraim’s head, though he was younger, and his left hand on Menashe’s head. He maneuvered his hands because Menashe was the firstborn” (Genesis 48:14). When Yosef brought his two sons to be blessed by Jacob, he placed his older son facing… Read More »GENESIS 48:14 – HOW TO ACT PURPOSEFULLY
Genesis 35:11 Pharaoh said to Joseph: Since G-d has informed you of all this, there is no one as wise and understanding as you” Pharaoh was not able to find anyone who could interpret his dreams to his satisfaction until Joseph did. However, if Joseph received the interpretation from G-d,… Read More »GENESIS 41:39 – WHY DOES PHAROAH GIVE CREDIT TO JOSEPH?
UNRAVELING FEAR AND FAITH Genesis 35:11 “Jacob became very frightened, and it distressed him…” Genesis 32:8. After hearing that his brother Esav was coming toward him with 400 men, the Torah tells us of Jacob’s trepidation. However, during Jacob’s awesome dream of a ladder reaching up to the heavens with… Read More »GENESIS 35:11 – JACOB’S DISTRESS
Discovering Hashem’s Presence through Humility “Jacob awoke from his sleep, and said: Behold, Hashem is in this place and I did not know” (Genesis 28:16). According to the Tifferes Shlomo, Jacob is exclaiming that he was able to sense the presence of Hashem in this place because he didn’t recognize… Read More »GENESIS 28:16 – TRANSCENDING THE ‘I’
2 Kislev 5784, 15 November 2023 “Flee to Lavan, my brother in Charan. Stay with him for a while until your brother’s anger subsides. Until the anger of your brother subsides from you…” (Genesis 27:43-45). Rabbi Abraham Twerski explains that these verses are not redundant. How was Jacob to know… Read More »GENESIS 23:3 – LIKE ONE’S REFLECTION IS SEEN IN WATER
28 Cheswan 5784, 12 November 2023 “Abraham rose up from the presence of his dead” (Genesis 23:3). The Radomsker Rebbe understood this passage according to a teaching by Rabbi Eliezer cited in the Talmud (Shabbat 153a). He would always say we should do teshuvah (return to G-d) one day before… Read More »GENESIS 23:3 – RETURN TO G-D THE DAY BEFORE YOU DIE
