Angels in Our Midst
Rabbi Zvi Teichman Within the Torah’s depiction of the encounter between Yaakov and Esav lay many lessons for our survival in dealing with this physical enemy called Edom, and the more arduous battle against its spiritual representation, our ultimate adversary — the Yetzer Hara, the evil inclination. Yaakov’s initial reaction is to send a message […]
Parshas Vayishlach
Rabbi Berel Wein The prophet of Israel, describing what can unfortunately be characterized as the usual situation in Jewish life, states that it is comparable to one who flees from the lion and finds oneself in the embrace of a bear. Our father Jacob, who barely escapes from the treachery of Lavan, soon finds himself […]
Parshas Vayeitzei
Rabbi Berel Wein Our father Jacob was a very strong and powerfully physical person. We read of his physical prowess in his previous encounter with the shepherds of Charan and later of his wrestling match with the angel of Eisav at the river of Yaabok. His sons, though young in years, are also very powerful […]
Parshat Toldot
Rabbi Berel Wein In the competition between the brothers Eisav and Yaakov, Eisav originally downplays any long-range view of the situation. He demands immediate gratification and is therefore more than willing to relinquish his birthright – which is only a long-range asset – in favor of an immediate bowl of hot lentils. As the Torah […]
To See with Our Eyes Closed
Rabbi Zvi Teichman And it came to pass, when Yitzchok had become old, and his eyes dimmed from seeing… His blindness here, the Midrash teaches, has a twofold meaning. Figuratively blinded to Esav’s feigned righteousness that deluded Yitzchok into thinking that perhaps Esav was worthy of being his successor, and literally, physical sightlessness. Both factors […]
Parshas Chayei Sara
Rabbi Berel Wein Our matriarchs of Israel were very strong personalities and were formidable women. The life experiences of our mother Sarah are an excellent example of this assessment of character and behavior. From the Torah narrative, we are informed early on that she is infertile, unable to conceive and give birth naturally. Nevertheless, we […]
Sing a Song of Shabbos
Rabbi Zvi Teichman On Friday night our prayers focus on that very first Shabbos, the seventh day of creation, reflecting on the benevolence of G-d who gifted us this world, avowing that He is the One who is the source of all our blessing. On Shabbos day we reaffirm in our prayers, that second most […]
Parshas Vayeira
Rabbi Berel Wein Wars, family dysfunction, and the danger of future extinction are the challenges that confront our father Avraham and our mother Sarah in the narrative that dominates this week’s Torah reading. In this era, correcting the past and editing personal biographies to make people’s lives appear perfect, serene, and smooth is especially true. […]
Parshas Lech Lecha
Parshas Lech Lecha
Rabbi Berel Wein There is much comment and many different interpretations regarding the first two words of the second verse of this week’s Torah reading. The second word “lecha,” “for you,” seems to be somewhat redundant in the construction of the sentence. Rashi therefore interprets it to mean “for your benefit and good.” The L-rd […]
