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Parsha
Essays on the weekly Torah portion, the holidays and Jewish thought.
Parsha Bereishis – the War Against Evil We are all shaken up and in a state of profound sorrow at the barbaric, murderous attack against thousands of our brothers and… Parsha Chaya Sara – the Fall of Yishmael The week’s parsha concludes with a list of Yishmael’s progeny and where they resided. In the very last verse, the Torah states:… Parsha Lech Lecha – Israel the People and Israel the Land The Jewish nation is presently in a state of war. It is not only the Jews living in Israel that have been attacked and are… Parsha Miketz – Provisions, Breaking and Hope As Joseph’s prediction of a famine that would devastate the residents of Egypt and Canaan came true, Jacob sent his sons to… Parsha Noach – a Hamas-Less World By Divine providence, we are going to read the parsha of Noah at a time the Jewish people are engaged in a war against the evil… Parsha Toldos – the Third Bais Hamikdash The Patriarch Isaac engaged in digging wells. The Torah, in this week’s parsha, recounts how the first two wells he dug were… Parsha Vayeira – Don’T Forget the Low When You Go High Abraham had just undergone circumcision at the age of 99 and was sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. Our… Parsha Vayeitzei – Numerical Superiority In this week’s parsha, Jacob flees from his brother Esau’s wrath. On his way, he falls asleep and has an unusual dream in which he… Parsha Vayishlach – Learning from Evil Jacob fled the wrath of his brother Esau and stayed with his uncle Laban for 20 years. Our parsha this week relates that Jacob is… Parsha Haazinu – Receptivity to Torah The Torah portion Ha’azinu is a song in which Moses first rebukes the people and then showers them with words of consolation. One… Parsha Nitzavim Vayeilech – Moses’ Paradigm Shift The second of the two sections of the Torah that we will read this Shabbos begins with the words: “Vayeilech Moseh-Moses went, and… Parsha Ki Savo – the Missing Letter vov Parshas Ki Savo is known for the blessings and curses that were promised to the Jewish people for compliance or non-compliance… Parsha Ki Seitzei – Corrupting the Power of Speech Ki Seitzei is the richest parsha in terms of its number of commandments. One of those commandments relates to the two nations of… Parsha Ekev – the Cure for Infertility As a reward for our commitment to the commandments G-d promises us many things, among them we read the following in this week’s… Parsha R’Ei – Infinite Blessings and Finite Curses This week’s parsha opens with the words: “See, I present before you today a blessing and a curse.” The Hebrew word for “I” used in… Parsha Vo'Eschanan – Double Consolation The haftarah for this week is taken from Isaiah, who declares: “Nachamu, nachamu Ami-Comfort, comfort My people, says your G-d.”… Parsha Devarim – Snow White In his final soliloquy, Moses recounts the events since the exodus from Egypt. He describes the defeat of the two Emorite kings… Parsha Matos-Masei – Fighting the Wars of Midian and Amalek Anashim-Righteous Men After the Midianite leadership corrupted many of the Jewish men, causing a major plague that killed 24,000… Parsha Pinchas – the Road to Redemption The end of last week’s parsha describes how Pinchas zealous killing of the consorting Jewish prince, Zimri with the Midianite… Parsha Chukas Balak – Mezuzah Power The Jewish nation stood on the cusp of their conquest of Canaan, situated in close proximity to the Moabite Kingdom. Balak, the… Parsha Korach – Talis Versus Tzitzis Korach, Moses’ cousin, started a rebellion, directed against Moses and Aaron. Korach argued that Moses had arrogated to himself…