Questions

1. Why is it necessary for the Torah to repeat the…

The saga of Yossef and his brothers is remarkable. Yossef who was seen as a threat to his siblings and sold as a slave became his brothers’ salvation during the famine. All of the twists and turns recorded in the text would at least leave the brothers confused. Certainly the result that the brother sold as a slave, the individual who tested the brothers’ character should emerge as a ruler overseeing the day to day operations of Egypt not to mention control the region’s food store during a…

Questions

1. What is the connection of Mikeitz…

The sidra is cast against the background of a regional famine. Yossef rises literally from the depths of a prison pit to second in the Egyptian leadership and his brothers’ initial forays in reuniting with their estranged sibling. This sidra is generally read during the festival of Chanukah. Consequently the fact these events coincide belies a connection between them. What is the common thread between Yossef and the Maccabim?

A common theme between the two is how one remains true to…

When several events take place within a short period of time one should wonder about a common theme. The sale of Yossef by his brothers and Yehudah's subsequent separation are two major events in the Sidra. Earlier in the week the release of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Ladi, the Baal HaTanya ZT'L ZY'A from Czarist captivity and the first publication of Tanya is celebrated on 19 Kislev and latter next week, Chanukah begins. The separation in time between these events does not take away from an…

Yehudah and Chanukah, Hidden Messages

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר מָ֣ה הָֽעֵרָבֹון֮ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶתֶּן־לָּךְ֒ וַתֹּ֗אמֶר חֹתָֽמְךָ֙ וּפְתִילֶ֔ךָ וּמַטְּךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ וַיִּתֶּן־לָּ֛הּ וַיָּבֹ֥א אֵלֶ֖יהָ וַתַּ֥הַר לֹֽו, and he said, “What pledge…

Studying the Hidden Torah is the Antidote for a Test of faith

וַיִּֽזְרַֽח־לֹ֣ו הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר עָבַ֖ר אֶת־פְּנוּאֵ֑ל וְה֥וּא צֹלֵ֖עַ עַל־יְרֵכֹֽו, the sun rose for him as he passed Penuel and he was limping on his hip. (Bereishis…

Rachel Our Mother A’H died during the birth of Binyamin calling him Ben Oni, the child of my travail (Bereshith 35:18). Ya’akov buried his wife on the roadside approaching Beit Lechem with a grave marker that remains to this day (35:19-21).

Ya’akov’s other wives Billa and Zilpa are buried in Teveria along with Yocheved and her daughters in law Zipora and Elisheva bat Aminadav and Leah is buried with her husband within Chevron’s Cave of Machpelah. Why was Rachel denied repose with…

Yaakov Was the Sun

וַיִּפְגַּ֨ע בַּמָּקֹ֜ום וַיָּ֤לֶן שָׁם֙ כִּי־בָ֣א הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח֙ מֵאַבְנֵ֣י הַמָּקֹ֔ום וַיָּ֖שֶׂם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֑יו וַיִּשְׁכַּ֖ב בַּמָּקֹ֥ום הַהֽוּא, He encountered the place and spent the night there because the…

Imagery in the Biblical narrative is not mere literary artistry. Rather as G-D‘s prose the message conveyed reaches beyond time and space. The well known image of Ya’akov our Father’s A’H dream is a prime example. Bereshith 28:12 “And he dreamed, behold there was a ladder rooted on the Earth with its top reaching the Heavens and the L-rd’s angels were ascending and descending upon it”

The Targum Yonatan ben Uziel TZ’L associates the ascending angels with the two sent to…