Parshat Vayetzei 5785

Esav has vowed to kill Yaakov for stealing his blessing from Yitzchak, so Rivka and Yitzchak decided to send Yaakov to Rivka’s brother, Lavan. This would both protect Yaakov from his brother’s wrath and find him a wife. On Yaakov’s way to Lavan’s house, he passed the future site of the Holy Temple. The Torah

Can I stop driving please!<br> Parshas Toldos 5785

I can’t wait for the self-driving car. I can’t wait to get into my car, which will know where I’m going because it’s connected to my calendar, and take out a book and start reading, or take out my laptop and start working. My car spends the next twenty minutes driving; I spend it working,

Parshat Toldot 5785

Nachmanides (49:23) calls Genesis “The Book of Creation”. השלים הכתוב ספר בראשית שהוא ספר היצירה בחדוש העולם ויצירת כל נוצר, ובמקרי האבות כולם שהם כעין יצירה לזרעם, מפני שכל מקריהם ציורי דברים לרמוז להודיע כל העתיד לבא להם The book of Bereshit, is the book of Creation of the world and everything in it, and

Sweet but not Tasty<br>Parshas Chayei Sarah 5785

Revenge is sweet. No one knows for sure where the phrase came from, but likely it was from someone who experienced that sweetness. But there are other phrases as well, that describe the other side of revenge. “Revenge is like a rolling stone, which, when a man hath forced up a hill, will return upon

Parshas Chayei Sarah 5785

This week’s portion begins with Sarah’s passing at age 127. The Torah reports that her years were all equally righteous and that Sarah lived a perfect life. Now it became Avraham’s responsibility to bury her in an appropriate place. It is remarkable how much attention Avraham and the Torah gave to the seemingly simple matter

Here are my pet peeves, what are yours?<br>Parshas Vayera 5785

Pet peeves. We all have them, and we can’t really explain why we have them. They are the little things that could go unnoticed by most people, but seem to be particularly outsized grievances to us. People who walk slowly while texting in middle of a crowded street, people who use the word “like” like