Parshat Vayechi 5779
Parshat Vayechi תשעט This week’s portion is the portion of blessings. In it, our forefather Yaakov bestows blessings on Yosef’s two sons, Ephriam and Menashe, and on all of his own sons, the 12 Tribes of Israel. As we look…
The Nuclear Reactor in the Backyard
Parshat Vayigash
Becoming an Eagle Scout, the highest-level Boy Scout, is much like stamp collecting, except that you have to do particular tasks to collect those stamps, or merit badges as they are called in Eagle-speak. There are over a hundred different…
Parshat Vayigash 5779
Parshat Vayigash תשע"ט 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…
The Layaway Angels
Parshat Mikeitz/Chanukah
It doesn’t look like we’ll be having snow angels this Chanukah in our area, but instead we got a different kind of angel, the layaway angel. Like so many good things, layaway angels got their start in the great state…
Chanukah 5579
Chanukah תשע"ט Have you ever wondered where the nameחנוכה - Chanukah comes from and what it means? The Sages who instituted Chanukah as a holiday created the name and it is a combination of two words: חנו כ"ה , which…
The Epidemic No One Talks About
Parshat Vayeshev
lonely adjective lone·ly | \ˈlōn-lē \ Definition of lonely 1a: being without company 1b: cut off from others 2: not frequented by human beings 3: sad from being alone 4: producing a feeling of bleakness or desolation From the Merriam-Webster…
Parshat Vayeshev 5779
Vayeshev תשעט This week’s portion relates the events leading up to Yosef becoming the Viceroy of Egypt. Hashem told Avraham Avinu in the ברית בין הבתרים - the covenant between the parts--that his children would be slaves in a foreign…
Parshat Vayishlach 5779
Vayishlach תשע"ט Yaakov lived in his Uncle Lavan’s house for 20 years. Yaakov had come alone, penniless, and completely righteous. Now, after living with the scoundrel Lavan for two decades, Yaakov remained a perfect tzaddik. He had passed his first…
Are You a Chewy or a Crispy?
Parshat Vayetzei
There are two types of people in the world, those who like their chocolate chip cookies crispy, and those who like them chewy. There are rumors that there exists a third type of human, the one who likes chocolate chip…
Parshat Chayei Sarah 5779
Chayei Sarah תשעט Avraham and Yitzchak returned safely from the Akeida, and now it was time to plan the next stage of Avraham’s legacy. Yitzchak almost lost his life, and had he died, Avraham’s entire contribution to the world would…