There is one passage in our Torah portion that has always bothered me. I’d never heard a satisfactory teaching on this passage until I listened to Avivah Zornberg’s teaching, linked here. (Thank you, ...

This week’s parsha is called Vayechi, “And he lived.” Yakov spent the final 17 years of his life in Mitzrayim, Egypt. There, he “lived” quietly, peacefully, with no external threats and no internal ...

Parshat Vayechi has always been a special Parsha for me as it was my older brother’s Bar Mitzvah portion. I was in 4th grade for the weekend spectacular at the Washington Hotel (may its memory be for ...

In this week’s Parsha Yaakov passes away. The brothers are now fearful of a vendetta from Yosef. They suspect that Yosef was only kind to them because their father was alive out of deference to their ...

I believe in the power of brachas. My father’s favorite way to end a conversation is “many blessings” – and I’ve adopted it for myself, trying to say it a few times a week to different people and say ...

Why does Jacob, in his blessings to Simon and Levi, say that they will be achalkem (separated) and afitzem (scattered) among all of Israel? (Genesis 49:7). Rashi notes that as teachers of Torah, the ...

As I have mentioned in previous articles, one of the things I love about Judaism is that every week we as Jews are connected in our study of the weekly Torah portion. Jews all over the world are ...