In his “Living Torah,” Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan summarized the many options of what the 4th plague may have been, based on Midrash and commentaries: Flies (Rabbi Nechemiah), wild animals (Rabbi Yehuda) (Sh’moth Rabbah 11:4) (based on a literal reading of Psalms 78:11); dog-flies (Septuagint); blood-suckers (Philo); mixture of insects and snakes (Sefer HaYashar); Beetles (scarab or dung beetle); wolves (Rashbam), panthers, eagles or other birds (Midrash Tehillim 78:45); giant squid (Midrash Aggadah). more

There are certain things in life we take for granted, and chief amongst these are the relationships we have built over a lifetime. So one wonders exactly what Hashem (G-d) is saying at the beginning of this week’s portion: “And G-d spoke to Moshe and said to him ‘I am G-d’.” (Exodus 6:2) Why is G-d introducing Him/Her self to Moshe? more

How does one make life meaningful? How do we make sure that we are living every moment to its fullest potential? This week’s portion, Shemot, contains a powerful indication to Judaism’s recipe for a meaningful and joyful life. more

Commentaries have a field day trying to pinpoint what was Moshe’s sin that sealed his fate not to bring the people to the Promised Land. Even the language of the Torah is inconclusive, because when the episode of Mei Merivah (Bamidbar Chapter 20 – the “Rock incident”) took place, Moshe and Aharon are informed they will not “bring” the people to the land. It is only later that they are told they, too, will not “enter” the land (Bamidbar 20:24, Devarim 4:21 (referring to Bamidbar 14:30?), Devarim 32:52). more

The officers of the children of Israel saw them in distress, saying, “Do not reduce [the number] of your bricks, the requirement of each day in its day.” They met Moses and Aaron standing before them when they came out from Pharaoh’s presence. And they said to them, “May the L-rd look upon you and judge, for you have brought us into foul odor in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to place a sword into their hand[s] to kill us.” more

Of all the unexpected visitors I have ever received, none even come close to the surprise I got in the summer of ‘94. I was teaching a course on Jewish values deep in the mountains of Pennsylvania, at a camp called Moshava, near Indian Orchard. We were in the middle of an intense discussion on Jewish ethics, when I noticed three fellows standing at the entrance to the lodge. Their features were far- eastern; Chinese, it seemed, and they were standing patiently at the door, taking it all in. more

This week’s parasha (Torah portion) contains a verse that seems to defy all manner of understanding: “Now Joseph’s brothers saw that their father had died…” (Sefer Bereishit 50:15, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach). What can the Torah possibly mean when it tells us this? more

By and large, the tribe of Shimon does not fare well in the Biblical story. The second of Yaakov’s sons is completely bypassed for any leadership role. The Yalkut Shimoni notes (Shoftim 42) that the tribe of Shimon, “Never had a judge or a king, on account of the sin of Zimri.” more

A not-too-farfetched reading of the end of Chapter 45 can indicate that only one person intended to go down to Egypt to stay there. “… And bread and food for his father for the journey” (45:23). “He saw the wagons Yosef had sent to carry him…” (45:27) “Israel said, ‘My son Yosef still lives: I will go and I will see him before I die.’” (45:28) more

t should have been one of the most powerful and exciting days of my life; I can still see all the guys, in their dress uniforms, preparing for the final ceremony; instead, it was one of the most depressing. more