Anyone hurt by a close family member will relate to Joseph in this week's Torah portion, Vayigash. Sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, Joseph manages to become the second-in-command viceroy to Egypt's Pharaoh. Unrecognized by his brothers, who...
By Rabbi Seth D Gordon
• Published November 24, 2010
Even a casual read of this week's parashah reveals that the narrative shifts from Ya'akov to his children; Yoseph assumes the lead role, and Yehudah, Re'uven and his other brothers are his supporting cast. But Ya'akov remains the subject of the opening...
As the holiday season approaches, I find myself thinking about what an overwhelming and emotional time of year this is for many people. Some of us love the holidays - the smells of turkeys roasting and latkes frying, extended celebrations with family...
By Rabbi Josef A. Davidson
• Published November 10, 2010
Jacob brought his brother's anger upon himself in last week's Torah portion, Toldot, when he tricked the blind Isaac into giving him Esau's blessing. Esau vowed to kill his fraternal twin brother following his father's death. Rebecca, ever the director...
By Rabbi Lane Steinger
• Published November 4, 2010
Picture the aged Patriarch, confined to his bed, eyes too dim to see. He summons his oldest child, his first born and favorite son. Isaac says to Esau, the hirsute outdoorsman, the manly hunter, "Make for me tasty dishes such as I love and bring them...
By Rabbi Lynn Goldstein
• Published October 20, 2010
You might say that some of the people I work with in the city have lived-or still do, in a modern day Sodom and Gemorah. Each person's story is different, each person's reaction to the situation is different, and each person's struggle is different. But...
By Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg
• Published October 13, 2010
How does a journey begin? It begins with a moment - it could be a thought, a realization, an "aha" a phone call. And the journey that lies ahead, whether good or bad, often leaves us with a certain amount of fear as we face the unknown. In this week's...
By Rabbi James Stone Goodman
• Published October 6, 2010
You entered the Ark Noah (Genesis 7:1), that is teivah which is also the word for the basket into which Yocheved would place baby Moses for safekeeping (Exodus 2:3). Moses was saved by the teivah. Teivah also means word. You entered the teivah, Noah,...
by Rabbi Mordecai Miller
• Published September 29, 2010
One of the most eye-opening classes I was privileged to attend during my years at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institue of Religion, Cincinnati, Ohio was the elective given by Professor Chanan Brichto. His subject was the opening chapters of Genesis...
By Rabbi James Stone Goodman
• Published September 1, 2010
On this day [Rosh Hashanah] the moon is covered, and it does not shine until the tenth day, when Israel turns. — Zohar On Selichot, we introduce the notions that we will pick up and follow through the days of Awe. Selichot are piyyutim (piyyut from...
"It shall be, when you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell therein, that you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground ... and you shall come to the priest that shall be...
BY RABBI JOSEF A. DAVIDSON
• Published August 18, 2010
When a nation goes to war against its enemies, it is not unusual for soldiers, who are usually very young and unable to participate in the normal social activities of youth, to come upon women in the time of battle and to view them as objects subject...
