Last week’s parasha concludes with Yosef’s undeserved imprisonment in an Egyptian jail at the false accusation of Potiphar’s wife. While incarcerated, he rose to the top of dungeon … more

One of the many well-known pasukim found in our parasha, Ki Tisa, refers to the totally Divine nature of the first set of Luchot HaBrit: “Now the tablets were G-d’s work, and the … more

The expression, “And you shall love the L-rd, your G-d” appears twice in the Torah, the first instance in Parashat Vaetchanan (Devarim 6:5), and the second in this week Parashat Eikev … more

Parashat Yitro is preeminently the parasha of the Aseret Hadibrot (The Ten Commandments). The great Jewish philosopher and biblical exegete, Rabbeinu Saadiah Gaon (882-942), suggests in his Sefer Hamitzvot (Book of the Commandments) that the Aseret Hadibrot are actually a summary of all of the 613 Torah commandments more

Our parasha, Eikev, contains a phrase, familiar to many, that is found in the first blessing of the Shemoneh Esrei: “He is the great (hagadol), mighty (hagibor) and awesome … more

Our parasha, Vayetzei, begins with the well-known words: “And Ya’akov left Be’er Sheva, and he went to Haran.” (28:10) In his Commentary on the Torah, Rashi explains this … more

Sefer Vayikra is the only book in Tanach where we find the expression, v’yarata m’elokecha (“and you shall have awe for your G-d”). It appears three times in Parashat … more

The laws pertaining to the construction of the succah are many and varied. Our Sages created an entire Talmudic tractate that analyzed every conceivable aspect of the succah’s constitutive … more

Our parasha contains the sole instance in the Tanach of the expression, “He took and placed (va’yikach va’yitan) the testimony into the ark” (Shemot 40:20). Rashi explained … more

The mishpatim are most often viewed as a category of laws the Jewish people theoretically could have formulated on their own. In many instances, Torah contrasts these with the term chukim, as we find … more