Pharaoh was a powerful ruler, assumed by his people to have divine qualities. He was surrounded by a group of wise advisers, the greatest sages of Egypt. But an amazing thing happened. Pharaoh had … more

For the better part of the 40 years we have been trying to come to terms with Palestinians, but somehow our dream seems no closer to reality than it did when Begin agreed to an autonomous Palestinian … more

Reading through Chapter 42 from a panoramic perspective of history, one sees a premonition of many things in store for the descendants of Yaakov. The best way to read it is in the original Hebrew, … more

Sometimes it takes someone else to show you what you should have seen all along. I was driving home the other day when suddenly a car sped by on my left, trying to overtake me and the cars … more

When we look at Chapter 38 of Bereishit, there are many questions. Timeline questions: Did Yehuda marry before or after the sale of Yosef? How old was Tamar? How old were Yehuda’s sons? How … more

Yosef is the sole figure in Tanach to whom our Sages attach the title hatzaddik, the righteous one. The second-century work Seder Haolam Rabbah is one of the earliest Rabbinic sources where this … more

When Yaakov first arrived in Haran, he encountered shepherds waiting at a well. It might have been the same well where his mother met Eliezer 97 years earlier. And if it was, things had certainly … more

When I was studying for my doctorate in psychology, we had a number of fairly strict requiarements in addition to our courses in psychology. For example, we were expected to possess a reading … more

Our parasha begins with the famous words, “And Yaakov left Beersheba, and he went to Charan” (Bereishit 28:10). Yaakov’s departure is a direct response to his mother Rivka’s … more

And Yaakov went on his way, and angels of G-d met him. And Yaakov said when he saw them: ‘This is G-d’s camp.’ And he called the name of that place Machanaim” (Bereishit … more