One of the most difficult questions we face when looking at the narrative of the plagues in this week’s parsha, Vaera, in understanding verse 3 in chapter 7. In explaining how the plagues will … more

When the Israelites leave Egypt, there is much discussion as to how they received the wealth they took with them from Egypt. Was it borrowed, taken — or received as a gift or payment for the … more

By the time Yaakov dies at age 147, in parashat Vayechi , his sons range in age from 62 (Reuven) to 56 (Yosef, Zevulun, and possibly Asher), to around 48 (Binyamin). As we know how old Yosef is … more

W hen we read the story of Yosef and his brothers carefully, a number of things jump out at us that mirror the Torah’s narrative from the depiction of creation. Beginning with … more

This is adapted from a column published in 2008. I can’t get the Holtzbergs out of my head. Not just because their images are all over the news and on every Jewish web site or because … more

In Parshat Ki Seitzei we are told about a man who has two wives, one who is beloved ( ahuva ) and one who is detested ( s’nuah ) (Devarim 21:15). Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch notes that the term … more

Our parsha, Toldot, shares three stories. The first is the background to the birth of Eisav and Yaakov and the sale of the bechora (birthright); the second is in the chapter dedicated to the life of … more

Every year, Shabbos Chayei Sara is accompanied by a special Jewish gathering in Hevron, the “City of the Patriarchs.” The source for this is our parsha, in which we find Avraham … more

I’ve taught a weekly parsha class using “Ha’ktav V’hakabbalah,” the commentary of Rabbi Yaakov Tzvi Mecklenberg. As it doesn’t appear in a typical Chumash, it is … more

The verse in Yeshayahu 54:9 twice contains this curious phrase: “For this is to Me [as] the waters of Noah, as I swore that the waters of Noah shall never again pass over the earth, so have I … more