The book of Sh’mot is described as the book of Exile and Redemption. It opens with the account of the Israelites’ integration into Egyptian society. By the time of Joseph’s death, at the age of 110 years, for legal and economic reasons it became impossible for them to leave. As a result of Joseph’s measures […]
Sermon for Vayechi 5773 A large section of today’s Sidra is devoted to Jacob’s blessings to his children and grandchildren. Indeed, it is a Sidra with lots of beautiful blessings and I only wish that they will be fulfilled for us. Nevertheless, when we read Jacob’s messages to some of his sons, we realize that […]
TASHLICH One of the most well-known customs, which we observe on Rosh Hashanah, or in the days before Yom Kippur, is the practice of the ceremony of Tashlich. It originates from a speech delivered by the Prophet Micah, who lived in the eighth century BCE. He said: Who is a God like you, who […]
The name of this week’s Sidra means “At the beginning”. It comes from the Hebrew word Rosh, which means HEAD. The first chapter describes the creation of the world in seven days. It is worth noting that many commentators agree that the Torah is not meant to teach only history and that the account we […]
The Sidra of Vayechi begins in the Torah scroll in a unique way. All the others Sidrot begin on a new line, or on the same line, with the space of nine letters separating them from the previous Sidra. But this Sidra begins in the middle of the paragraph, without any break. It seems […]
THE CHANUKKAH PUZZLE I expect that many people will have heard that CHANUKKAH is often referred to as a minor Festival. So my first question is: Why is it called a minor Festival? The reason is because it did not originate in the days of the Torah and none of the eight days are considered […]
Today’s Sidra begins with a long and passionate speech by Judah in which he pleaded with Joseph on behalf of Benjamin. He was scared. He wasn’t sure if it was correct protocol to address such an important man without specific permission, nor was he at all sure how Joseph would respond to him. But he […]
The Sidra of Mikketz describes Joseph’s miraculous rise to power. Unfortunately, ancient Egyptian documents, which shed clear light on the whole story of the Israelites’ migration and stay in Egypt, have not yet been discovered. Therefore, there are different opinions regarding the identity of the King of Egypt who appointed Joseph to his high […]
This Sidra of Vayeshev is devoted, mainly, to the story of Joseph. It begins by telling us that when Joseph was young, he was cared for by Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives, because his own mother, Rachel, had died. Leah had six children of her own, so she had no time to look after […]
The Sidra of Vayishlach begins with the story of Jacob’s return to the land of Canaan after 20 years of absence. He was extremely concerned about meeting Esau, and was determined to do all in his power to secure peaceful coexistence with him. Therefore, he sent messengers to speak to him as humbly as they […]