Vayigash — No Fair
Imagine the emotions of Yosef’s brothers at the start of the parsha. They have been grievously treated by Tzafnas Pa’ene’ach, the Egyptian king’s viceroy, who accused them falsely of being spies, then insisted that...
“Give Me Yavneh and Its Sages”
Realistic Orthodox Judaism Saves by Accommodation (Another Reply to Ben Shapiro’s article in the Jewish Press) by Rabbi Michael J. Broyde This article is an expanded and footnoted version of an article published in...
My White House Park Bench Chanukah
Should you ever happen to find yourself in an ornate, high-ceilinged room and a military-uniformed string ensemble is segueing from a flawless rendition of a Bach Concerto to an equally impressive (if considerably less...
Parshas Miketz – Second Time Around
Yosef, as an Egyptian viceroy, is so emotionally conflicted as he maltreats his brothers, who don’t recognize him, he has to leave the room to cry (Beraishis, 42:24). Why he felt he had to...
Why Ben Shapiro Isn’t Quite Right
Ben Shapiro’s stinging rebuke of Modern Orthodoxy ought to be met with two reactions. The first is full-throated acclaim for his central premises, articulated with his usual clarity and incisiveness: Torah values must reign...
Vayeishev – Never Say Die
He refused. That is the meaning of the word vayima’en, a word used twice in the story of Yosef in this parsha, once to describe a refusal by Yaakov Avinu, the second to describe...
Reactions to Avi Ciment’s “The Modern Orthodox Conundrum”
Avi Ciment’s recent series, The Modern Orthodox Conundrum (Part I, Part II and Part III), is an absolute must-read. The author rivetingly lays forth the issues facing Modern Orthodoxy and suggests solutions, with great...
Vayishlach – Laws of Nature and of Human Nature
“As surely as I have established My covenant with day and night – the laws of heaven and earth – so will I never reject the offspring of Yaakov…” (Yirmiyahu 33:25-26) There are...
Vayeitzei — Love as a Mission
What a bizarre reaction Yaakov has when he first sees Rachel, his wife-to-be: He kisses her and loudly cries. (Beraishis, 29:11). Stranger still, at least at first read, is one of the explanations the...
Parshas Toldos – Holiness and Hooves
“I’m forty years old.” Esav said to himself (Beraishis 26:34). “Father was 40 when he got married,” he rationalized, according to Rashi. “I should do the same.” (The pasuk itself just notes Esav’s...