Hiding in the Open Daily By Rabbi Label Lam And G-d spoke to Moshe and said to him; “I am Hashem! I appeared to Avraham to Yitzchok and to Yaakov as El Shaddai, but with My name HASHEM I did not make Myself known to them. (Shemos: 2-3) What’s this whole business with the names…
Category: 613 mitzvos
Parshas Vaera
Note: The Shabbos Torah Reading is divided into 7 sections. Each section is called an Aliya [literally: Go up] since for each Aliya, one person “goes up” to make a bracha [blessing] on the Torah Reading. 1st Aliya: The year is 2448 and Moshe had unsuccessfully confronted Pharaoh. The situation had gotten worse, not better,…
Sfas Emes Parshas Vayechi
Parshas Vayechi By Dr. Nosson Chayim Leff Sfas Emes, Zechuso Tagein Aleinu, Parshas Vayechi. 5631 The Sfas Emes begins by focusing on the parsha’s first four words: “Vayechi Ya’akov be’Eretz Mitzrayim… ” (“Ya’akov lived in Egypt…”). The Sfas Emes sees special significance in the Torah’s decision to start the parsha with the word ‘Vayechi’ Why?…
Parashas VAYESHEV
SECTION IX. VAYESHEV. And Jakob dwelt in peace in the land of the sojourning of his fathers, in the land of Kenaan. These are the generations of Jakob. Joseph was a son of seventeen years. He had come forth from the school, and was a youth brought up with the sons of Bilhah and…
Parashat Vayeshev / פרשת וישב
1. “And Ya’akov sent messengers” Rabbi Yehuda begins with a discussion of the Good Inclination and the Evil Inclination, two angels that constantly abide by man. When man is virtuous, the Good Inclination gains dominion over the Evil Inclination, and the right side prevails over the left. Rabbi Elazar then speaks of the Shechinah and…
Parshas VAYEISHEV
Torah Reading: VAYEISHEV Gen. 37:1-40:23; Numbers 7:18-29. Haftara: Zechariah 2:14-4:7. B’rit Chadashah: Acts 7:9-16 “FROM THE DEPTH OF HEBRON”: JACOB & HIS CHILDREN “These are the generations of Jacob. These are their dwellings and rollings (GILGULIM) until they came to a state of habitation (YISHUV). The first cause was that ‘Joseph was seventeen years old.’…
VAYISHLACH
1. “And Ya’akov sent messengers” Rabbi Yehuda begins with a discussion of the Good Inclination and the Evil Inclination, two angels that constantly abide by man. When man is virtuous, the Good Inclination gains dominion over the Evil Inclination, and the right side prevails over the left. Rabbi Elazar then speaks of the Shechinah and the legions of holy…
VAYISHLACH
UNIVERSAL TORAH: VAYISHLACH By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum Torah reading: Gen. 32.4-36.43. Haftara: Obadiah 1.1-21. Major Testimonies: 1Qurintaus 5.1-13. (Optional substitution: Hosea 11.7-12.12). THE ENCOUNTER WITH ESAU At the end of the previous parshah, VAYEITZEI, we saw Jacob at MOUNT Gil’ad in his final encounter with Laban, who represents the evil husk in its spiritual manifestation,…
Haftorah – Parshas Vayeitzei
Parshas Vayeitzei Hoshea 12:13 – 14:10 This week’s haftorah is devoted to the Jewish nation’s severe plunge into idolatry. The Judean kingdom ultimately succumbed to the rampant practices of the Samaritan kingdom and engaged itself in foreign worship. This abhorrent conduct traced back to the days of Yeravam ben N’vat, the first Samaritan king. Shlomo…
Parsha Summary – Parshas Vayeitzei
Parshas Vayeitzei Note: The Shabbos Torah Reading is divided into 7 sections. Each section is called an Aliya [literally: Go up] since for each Aliya, one person “goes up” to make a bracha [blessing] on the Torah Reading.1st Aliya: Yakov experiences the famed prophecy of “Jacob’s Ladder”. 2nd Aliya: Yakov arrives in Charan, encounters Rachel,…
Sfas Emes – Parshas Vayeitzei
Parshas Vayeitzei By Dr. Nosson Chayim Leff Sfas Emes, Zechuso Tagein Aleinu, Vayeitzei, 5632 The parsha begins: “Vayeitzei Ya’akov miBe’eir Sheva, vayeileich Charana.” (ArtScroll: “Jacob departed from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.”) ArtScroll is presenting the pshat — the simple/plain/surface reading — of this posuk. I urge you to take a good look at this…
Sfas-Emes, Zechuso Tagein Aleinu, Toldos, 5631
Parshas Toldos By Dr. Nosson Chayim Leff Sfas-Emes, Zechuso Tagein Aleinu, Toldos, 5631 The Sfas Emes takes us back to the subject — and the reality — of “hester.” That is, HaShem is at all times present, but is “hiding” behind nature and chitzoniyus (superficial appearances). Last week, in Parshas Chayei Sara, the Sfas Emes…
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