Parshat Vayishlach 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 תש"פ In every Amidah (also called the ‘Shemoneh Esrei’, the extended silent devotion that constitutes the core of our daily prayers), we address HaShem as the “G-d and the G-d of our fathers Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov.” How are…
When most people think of a trip to South Africa, they think of the rich and diverse flora and fauna. Some think of safaris and game drives where you can see majestic animals normally only seen in the zoo placidly…
Parshat Toldot תש"פ Yitzchak and Rivkah had been married for over twenty years and had not been blessed with children. They prayed fervently for children, Yitzchak in one corner and Rivkah in the other. HaShem listened to Yitzchak’s prayers,…
The information below is true, as much as you may want it not to be. It was reported on NPR on March 23, 2013. There is a man whose name I won’t tell you, who has a dog, whose name…
Chayei Sarah This week’s Torah portion, named Chayei Sarah, “Sarah’s Life,” begins as follows: (א) וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה מֵאָה שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי שָׂרָה (ב) וַתָּמָת שָׂרָה בְּקִרְיַת אַרְבַּע הִוא חֶבְרוֹן בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן וַיָּבֹא אַבְרָהָם לִסְפֹּד…
Vayeira תש"פ In this week’s portion, Vayera, we learn about how HaShem destroyed the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorah. The Torah reports (Genesis 19:24,25): "וַה' הִמְטִיר עַל סְדֹם וְעַל עֲמֹרָה גָּפְרִית וָאֵשׁ מֵאֵת יְדֹוָד מִן הַשָּׁמָיִם. וַיַּהֲפֹךְ אֶת הֶעָרִים…