Vayechi-Body Language in the BibleBody Language in the BibleIn his parting words to his children, Yaakov admonishes Shimon and Levi for having killed the inhabitants of Shechem after Dina was defiled. Yaakov prays that his soul not been associated with them because BE’APAM…
Va'yeshev – the power of words The power of words The words that changed the world The Midrash Rabbah on Vayikra (16:2) relates the following incident: There was a certain peddler who would travel around the towns…
Vayishlach-Spiritual and physical dangers Spiritual and physical dangers The scene is set in this week’s Parsha for Yaakov and Esav’s meeting for the first time since Yaakov received his bracha from Yitzchak. We read the story of Yaakov, preparing with fear and…
Vayishlach-Don’t leave things behind and don’t be embarrassed to be tidy Don’t leave things behind and don’t be embarrassed to be tidy The night before meeting his brother Esav, while alone in the…
The exact meaning of the word “haphtarah” is not entirely certain. However, according to Rabbi David Abudraham15 (14th century Spain) all the haphtarah of the year are inextricably bound up with the persecutions…
Vayetze-The rise and fall of empires-Why?The rise and fall of empires-Why? This week’s Torah portion describes Jacob’s vision of a ladder stretching between heaven and earth. As we read in Genesis…
Vayetze-money-moneyAnd behold, a ladder was standing on the ground, and its top reached the Heavens” (Gen. 28:12) SIR Moses Montefiore, an outstanding Jewish figure, international diplomat, great philanthropist of the 19thcentury…
Vayetze -a zaddik needs people of caliber to appreciate his value.The Torah tells us that Yaakov left Be’er Sheva for Charan (Bereishit [Genesis] 28:10).Rashi asks: “Why tell us where is he is leaving from (we know that…
Vayetze – To give a name Rabbi Yitzchak Luria Ashkenazi Ben Shlomo (5294-5332 = 1534-1572 C.E.) the Ari Hakadosh says that parents may be gifted with a small amount of prophecy when they…
Parshat ToldotThe beginning of Parshat Toldot [the Torah portion, Toldot] reintroduces us to the birth of Yitzchak Avinu [our father, Isaac] as it begins to detail his legacy as the second of our forefathers.…
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