Parshat Beshalach תשפב This Shabbat, on which we read the Torah portion ofבשלח (Beshalach), is called שבת שירה (Shabbat Shira),the “Shabbat of the Song,” because this sedra (portion) contains the song that the Jewish people sang to Hashem in appreciation for the salvation that they experienced from…
Parshat Bo תשפב On Rosh Hashanah this year, the Jewish calendar year changed from 5781 to 5782 (Rosh Hashanah means the “head of the year” or the beginning of the new year.) This number represents the years that have passed since…
Parshat Va'eira תשפב This week’s portion’s opening two verses contain four different holy names of Hashem. (ב) וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹקִים אֶל משֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי יְדֹוָד (ג) וָאֵרָא אֶל אַבְרָהָם אֶל יִצְחָק וְאֶל יַעֲקֹב בְּקֵל שַׁקָּי וּשְׁמִי יְדֹוָד לֹא נוֹדַעְתִּי לָהֶם 2) Elo(k)him spoke to Moshe and…
Shemot תשפב This week begins the second book of the Torah, Shemot - Exodus, which opens with the Jewish people’s slavery and redemption from Egypt and concludes with the completion of the Tabernacle. As the story commences, Pharaoh had just decided to reduce…
Parshat Vayechi Upon hearing that his beloved son Yosef was alive and well in Egypt, Yaakov gathered his family and moved there. And following Yosef’s advice, Yaakov and his family settled in Goshen, far from the Egyptian settlements, so that…
Vayigash תשפב After Yosef revealed himself to his brothers, they hurried home to tell Yaakov that Yosef was still alive and that he was the ruler of Egypt, second in command only to Pharaoh. Yaakov’s response was to immediately go down…
Chanukah תשפב This evening, before coming to Partners, we lit the third Chanukah candle. We celebrate the holiday of Chanukah by lighting a new candle for each of its eight days, until we light eight candles on the last day. The…
Vayeshev תשפב For 20 years, Yaakov hid in Lavan’s house from his brother Esav, who had vowed to kill him. Just after Yosef was born, Yaakov told his family, “It’s time to leave and return to my parents’ home.” What…
Parshat Vayishlach תשפב Our world has come to realize that we most successfully educate our children by example, not speeches. We can instruct our children from morning till night not to gamble, but if we ourselves gamble, it will be futile.…
Vayetzei תשפב Yaakov was forced to leave home because his brother Esav had vowed to kill him. This week’s portion begins with Yaakov’s journey (Genesis 28:10): י) וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע וַיֵּלֶךְ חָרָנָה 10) Yaakov left Beer Sheva and travelled towards Charan.…