The Kind of Jelly I Fear<br>Parshas Noach 5785
When I think of jellyfish, I think of the bright colorful gummy candies I used to eat as a kid. But when I think of swimming in the ocean, I think of the living jellyfish. As a matter of fact,…
Parshas Noach 5785
In this week’s portion, Noach, we learn about the first two of the three famous “generations” spoken about by our Sages. They are (1) theדור המבול - the “Generation of the Flood,” and (2) the דור הפלגה, the - “Generation…
Do You Know a Fearless Maid?
Parshas Vayechi 5784
The year 1888 was not an uneventful year. The National Geographic Society was founded, and began telling a hungry public about the wonders of people and places all over the world. De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd. was founded in South…
Parshas Vayechi 5784
Parshat Vayechi תשפד When thumbing through the pages of the Chumash, have you ever wondered what the פפפ or ססס at the end of almost every parsha in the Torah mean? The פ stands for פתוחה, an open paragraph,…
The Pearly Gates
Parshas Vayigash 5784
Sixteen years ago, I visited China for the first and so far only time. The purpose of the trip was to attend the dedication celebration of a Torah scroll a friend of mine had purchased for the Chabad of Pudong…
Parshas Vayigash 5784
Vayigash תשפ"ד After Yosef revealed himself to his brothers, they hurried home to tell their father 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…
Tales from the Stoveside
Parshas Mikeitz and Chanukah
Last night we had a Chanukah party at my house. I was busy preparing for an important lecture, so I was hoping to stay out of the kitchen entirely. But just when I thought I was free and clear, I…
Parshas Vayeshev 5784
Vayeshev תשפד The second verse in this week’s parsha (Genesis 37:2) starts out telling us about Yaakov’s descendants, but then focuses only on Yosef. (ב) אֵלֶּה תֹּלְדוֹת יַעֲקֹב יוֹסֵף 2) These are the chronicles of Yaakov, Yosef … …
I’m Feeling Lonely
Parshas Vayishlach 5784
Dying, like birth, is something best done alone. But while in birthing there are occasional Buy One Get One Free twin deals, when it comes to dying, if two people are dying together it is usually the result of a…
Parshas Vayishlach 5784
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 smoke, but if we ourselves smoke, it will be futile. They think,…