Then the Lord said to Moses, “Hold out your arm toward the sky that there may be darkness upon the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be touched.” Moses held out his arm toward the sky and thick darkness descended upon all the land of Egypt for three days. People could not see one Continue Reading »
The parsha opens with God telling Moshe that, “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob… as El Shaddai, but I did not make Myself known to them by My name Adonai.” Sh’mot/Exodus 6:3 Rashi, in his commentary, questions the purpose of the grammatically unnecessary use of the extra “to”s before the names Continue Reading »
A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are much too numerous for us. Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase; otherwise in the event of war, they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from Continue Reading »
Jacob lived seventeen years in the land of Egypt, so that the span of Jacob’s life came to one hundred and forty-seven years. Continue Reading »
“Then Judah went up to him and said,” B’reysheet / Genesis 44:18 The opening verse in our Torah portion is generally rendered, as the JPS translation above does, to indicate that Judah moves closer to the Egyptian vizier before beginning his impassioned plea on behalf of his brother Benjamin. Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk suggests that this may Continue Reading »
After two years’ time, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, when out of the Nile there came up seven cows, handsome and sturdy, and they grazed in the reed grass. But presently, seven other cows came up from the Nile close behind them, ugly and gaunt, and stood beside the cows on the bank Continue Reading »
This morning, we woke to hear terrifying and tragic news about the terrorist attack on Jews gathered to celebrate the first night of Hannukah on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Throughout the world we stand together with all Jews as “Am ehad im lev ehad – one people with one heart,” offering one another solace and strength Continue Reading »
Hanukkah is a winter holiday. It shines light in the darkest time of year. Each night we add another light, increasing until the entire Hanukkah menorah is illuminated. The lights have been kindled in millions of homes over thousands of years. It was not always easy: Already in the Talmud there are provisions for lighting Continue Reading »
And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, at Kiriath-arba — now Hebron — where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. Isaac was a hundred and eighty years old when he breathed his last and died. He was gathered to his kin in ripe old age; and he was buried by his sons Esau and Jacob. Continue Reading »
Your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you and your descendants. (B’reysheet / Genesis 28:14) Rabbi Aharon Levin1 begins his comment by noting that the Continue Reading »
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