I recall an incredible series of coincidences that to me were nothing short of miraculous. A student had been desperate to speak with me, and we finally managed to connect in New York the day … more

The Pesach Haggadah lists the Ten Plagues (makkot) in order of their appearance in sefer Shemot: “These are the Ten Plagues that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought upon the Egyptians in … more

Bear with me as I make a case here. Shmot 4:14-16: After giving a number of excuses for why he should not be the Deliverer, including that he is uncomfortable with his own speech-abilities, G-d … more

It is reasonable to claim that the Torah is divided into two parts: narrative and law. Sometimes, law is intertwined in the presentation of the narrative; sometimes the narrative informs our … more

Sefer Shemot introduces us to the illustrious triumvirate of Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam — three of our people’s greatest prophets. Moshe and Aharon’s contributions are universally … more

The act of a kiss appears twice in our parsha, Vayechi. The first time is when Yosef presents his sons to Yaakov for a blessing. The second time is immediately after Yaakov dies, when Yosef … more

Sefer Bereishit contains the only instances in Tanach of the phrase, “Am I instead of G-d?” One of these appears in our parasha, Vayechi (50:19), and the other in parashat Vayatze (30:2). … more

This week’s parasha, Vayigash, concludes with the pasuk: “And Israel dwelt (vayeshev) in the land of Egypt in the land of Goshen, and they acquired property in it, and they were prolific … more

My wife and I first lived in Queens and there we befriended a couple — the husband worked for the district attorney. One Shabbos he told us about a “Yom Kippur moment” he … more

It seems almost trivial, but one of the difficulties of my time in Lebanon was the lack of space, a sense of being on top of one another.  During a scramble to get into the bunker when the … more