Mikeitz – Some Bad in our Bloodline
Many years ago, a wise rebbe of mine, addressing instances of financial finagling by some members of the tribe, explained that the forefathers of us Jews whom we revere are Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov,...
Notes From the War, Dec. 4: An Optimistic Take On Achdus
While we celebrate it here in Israel, many fret about it as well. On the one hand, achdus is our most potent spiritual weapon in wartime. This is not to minimize the efficacy of...
Vayeishev – What’s Wrong?
When we read the account of Yosef’s unfair imprisonment – and his eventual release after the Egyptian ruler is informed by the sar hamashkim, the butler, of Yosef’s G-d-given ability to interpret dreams...
Vayishlach – Much Vs. All
One might not expect the key to happiness to be hidden in the meeting of Yaakov and Esav recounted in the parsha. But it’s there. When Yaakov explains the lavish gifts he had sent...
Rav Chaim Shmulevitz’s Powerful Wartime Questions
by Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Weisz Rav Chaim Shmulevitz zt”l asked powerful questions during the Yom Kippur War: Why don’t we see awakening in prayer and learning despite the crisis of war? He concludes it...
Nosei B’ol Im Chaveiro
by Rabbi Shaya Karlinsky The coverage of the horrors of the Simchas Torah carnage in Mishpacha magazine generated many letters to the editor. Some complained that showing the images (and they were quite benign...
Vayeitzei – Stairway to Peoplehood
Sometimes an idea can only be possible after a certain point in history. One example might have to do with the imagery of Yaakov’s dream at the start of the parsha. The message delivered...
A Message That Should Not Be Missed
Dear Friends, We have each other and we must treasure each other. For the nation that dwells alone and has had good reason to feel alone, Monday and Tuesday were days of incredible strength...
Notes From the War – November 17, 2023
May I still use the word “exhilarated,” or has a certain Cornell professor banished it from the use of decent people? Assuming it is allowed, it describes the way everyone I spoke to felt...
Toldos – Knowing That One Doesn’t
As the tale goes, a learned non-Jewish cleric challenges the town’s Jewish populace to have its greatest scholar meet him on a bridge over a raging river, each a heavy weight tied to his...