The details about the place from where Avram will be leaving seem entirely superfluous. A journey to a new land automatically requires leaving your current (and previous) land, and obviously your home and place of birth! On the other hand, knowing the details about where he’d be relocating to would have helped him plan and prepare for the journey. Yet, […]

“…And my covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant…” – Bereishit 17:13 והיתה בריתי בבשרכם לברית עולם – בראשית יז, יג “Our father Avraham observed the entire Torah before it was given,” says the Talmud (Kiddushin 82a). Chassidus explains, however, that the mitzvos our forefathers observed of their own initiative did not have the ability to impact and […]

Og was a rationalist and a cynic (see Beraishis Rabba 53), but he could still respect humanitarian causes based on rhyme and reason. So it wasn’t surprising that he’d encourage Avram to save his own flesh and blood from captivity. Yet, at their root, Og’s motives were entirely impure. For though the cause was justified and logical, Og knew that […]

In a covenant, the two parties commit to remain devoted to each other unconditionally, even if eventual discoveries or circumstances might be cause for them to lose favor in each other’s eyes. Yet, human beings are inherently limited and therefore undergo constant changes, such that there is no way to guarantee that even a covenant will truly last forever. The […]

What does the Torah teach me when we read of the destruction of the world with a flood? And what can I take to my self growth from this parasha Duration of class:1:05:17              

“….And only Noach and those with him in the Ark survived….” (Bereishit 7:23) ״…וישאר אך נח ואשר אתו בתבה…״ – בראשית ז,כג In our holy task of providing the world with its spiritual sustenance, we must take a lesson from Noach’s devotion to tending to the needs of his passengers and dependents, the animal kingdom. Despite his saintliness and piety, Noach […]

 ״….צא מן התבה אתה ואשתך ובניך ונשי בניך אתך: כל החיה אשר אתך מכל בשר בעוף ובבהמה ובכל הרמש הרומש על הארץ הוצא אתך….״ – בראשית ח, טז-יז In his prophecies of the Messianic era, Yeshayahu (11:6) describes how “the wolf shall live with the lamb, and a leopard shall lie with a young goat…and a small child shall lead […]

“…..Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations….” – (Bereishit 6:9) ״…נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדורותיו…״ – בראשית ו,ט The two opinions brought by Rashi do not necessarily disagree regarding Noach’s actual level of righteousness. It’s possible that all agree that in comparison to Avraham, Noach’s righteousness was far from ideal.  Nevertheless, Noach was not entirely to blame […]

In the aftermath of the Flood, the world was introduced to two seemingly opposite extremes. On the one hand, the earth achieved stability and permanence – after the Flood, G-d swore to never again destroy the world. Conversely, the human life span was drastically shortened: from an average close to 1000 years before the Flood, to an average of 100-200 […]

“…And it was evening and it was morning, the sixth day…” – Bereishit 1:31 וירא אלהים את כל אשר עשה והנה טוב מאד ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום הששי   – בראשית א, לא At the conclusion of its account of the first day of creation, the Torah sums up the day saying, “It was evening and it was morning, one […]

“….And yosef died at the age of one hundred and ten years, and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt….” – Bereishit 47:26 ״….וימת יוסף בן מאה ועשר שנים ויחנטו אותו ויישם בארון במצרים…״ – בראשית מז, כו Upon concluding the reading of any of the five books of the Torah, the entire community customarily calls out, […]

“….And his sons carried him….” – Bereishit 50:13 ״….וישאו אותו בניו…״ – בראשית נ,יג Rashi notes that Yaakov’s coffin was carried by all but two of his sons, Levi and Yosef, who were replaced by Menasheh and Ephraim instead. “Levi shall not carry it because he (i.e., his tribe) is destined to carry the Aron. Yosef shall not carry it […]

The Midrash explains that the “man” that Shimon and Levi are said to have killed in their wrath is actually a reference to quite a few men: the entire adult male population of Shechem. Yaakov calls all of them “a man,” because they were like no more than one man before Shimon and Levi. What place does this tribute to […]

From the teachings of the Noam Elimelech (Elimelech of Lizhensk) Duration of class: 32:04              

“…And Yaakov called for his sons and said, “gather and i will tell you what will happen to you at the end of days.” – Bereishis 49:1 וַיִּקְרָא יַעֲקֹב אֶל בָּנָיו וַיֹּאמֶר הֵאָסְפוּ וְאַגִּידָה לָכֶם אֵת אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָא אֶתְכֶם בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים – בראשית מט, א The Talmud (Pesachim 56a) explains that Yaakov sought to reveal to his sons the end of […]

“…..I buried her there along the road to Efras, which is Bies-Lechem…..” – Bereishit 48:7 ״…..ואקברה שם בדרך אפרת היא בית לחם…״ – בראשית מח,ז Rachel’s burial place would naturally have been in Me’aras Hamachpela, alongside her husband. Instead, Rachel was buried on the roadside in order to hasten her children’s eventual return from exile, as explained in the Midrash.“When […]

We all born with some character traits that we need to work on, but can we recognise what they ate and what is the way to refine them Duration of class: 57:25              

“…Now, your two sons who were born to you in Egypt before I came to you, to the land of Egypt, shall be considered mine; Ephraim and Menasheh shall be to me like Reuven and Shimon…..” – Bereishit 48:5 ״…ועתה שני בניך הנולדים לך בארץ מצרים עד בואי אליך מצרימה לי הם אפרים ומנשה כראובן ושמעון יהיו לי….״ – בראשית מח, […]

“…Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, “so said your son, Yosef: G-d has made me master over all of Egypt. Come down to me, do not tarry….” – Bereishit 45:9 ״….מהרו ועלו אל אבי ואמרתם אליו כה אמר בנך יוסף שמני אלוקים לאדון לכל מצרים רדה אלי אל תעמוד…״ – בראשית מה, ט Twenty-two years […]

“…Do not be afraid of going down to Egypt, for there i will make of you a great nation. – Bereishis 46:3 אַל תִּירָא מֵרְדָה מִצְרַיְמָה כִּי לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל אֲשִׂימְךָ שָׁם – בראשית מו, ג As Yaakov and his family made their journey to Egypt, G-d appeared to Yaakov and told him: “Do not be afraid of going down to Egypt; […]