The Actual Apprentice
(Torah Portion: Noach) The Actual Apprentice Noach warned the wicked people of his generation that if they did not repent a flood would destroy the world. Noach was busy with the construction of the ark for one hundred and twenty years. Finally the dreadful day arrived; the flood which Noach had been warning the people …
Who Is the Heir?
(Torah Portion: Lech Lecha) Who Is the Heir? Our forefather Avraham had a younger brother Haran. After he died, Avraham married Haran’s daughter Sara and assumed responsibility for his son Lot. For many years, Avraham and Sara were childless and Lot assumed that he would inherit Avraham’s vast wealth. Because Lot was certain that he …
Thanks, Love, Sorry and Praise
(Torah Portion: Vayaira) Thanks, Love, Sorry and Praise The Torah relates that our forefather Avraham prayed to G-d to save the wicked people of Sedom and Amorah in the merit of righteous people that lived there. It turns out, there weren’t even ten righteous people living in the cities, and thus they were unworthy of …
Say That Again! How Old was She?
(Torah Portion: Chayai Sarah) Say That Again! How Old was She? Our Sages tell us that our matriarch Rivka was three years old when she married Yitzchok. I have heard many times a cynical reaction to this statement, “Come on, rabbi, how is this possible?!” Let us first explain how the sages derived that Rivka …
The Roman Emperor and Rebbe
(Torah Portion: Toldos) The Roman Emperor and Rebbe Our matriarch Rivka conceived after many years of praying and hoping for a child. Rivka’s excitement became dampened when she noticed that each time she passed a place where Torah was studied the baby would start kicking as if it wanted to get out, and when she …
Long But Short
(Torah Portion Vayaitzai) Long But Short After our forefather Yaacov received the patriarchal blessing from his father Yitzchok, his parents instructed him to leave Israel and travel to his mother Rivka’s family to find a wife. Rivka, as a concerned mother, being well aware that her brother Lavan was a deceitful person, gave Yaacov instructions …
Comforting
(Torah Portion Vayishlach) Comforting The Torah relates that while Yaacov was traveling back to Israel after a long absence, he received the sad news that Devorah, the elderly nursemaid of his mother, passed away. Our Sages infer from the wording of the text, that Yaacov was also notified about his mother Rivka’s death at the …
The Rest of the Story
(Torah Portion Vayaishev) The Rest of the Story This week’s Portion deals almost entirely with the life events of Yosef / Joseph. Yosef was the first child born to Rachel and the eleventh son born to Yaacov. Yosef had an especially close relationship with his father. He looked the same as his father, and their …
A Happy and Joyous Chanukah
(Torah Portion Miketz) A Happy and Joyous Chanukah We are all well aware of the story of the Chanukah miracle. A few Macabees defeated the massive Greek forces, allowing the Jews to recapture the Temple in Jerusalem which the Greeks had ransacked during their three year occupation. The Macabees wished to immediately restart the Temple …
Optimism!
(Torah Portion Vayigash) Optimism! In the Book of Iyov – Job, the verse states, “He (G-d) placed a limit on darkness.” The Medrash says that this refers to Yosef, and explains, “G-d fixed the amount of time that Yosef would be in jail.” Rabbi Shimon Shwalb o.b.m. explains: Yosef languished in jail for twelve years …
Fasts Usually Go Slow
(Torah Portion Vayechi) Fasts Usually Go Slow Friday, December 17th is the public fast of Asarah B’Teves ? The Teenth day of the Hebrew month of Teves. Our prophets established it as a day of fasting to commemorate the tragic event that took place on this day. We are all aware that the Temple Mount …
