“…And Miriam, the prophetess, Aharon’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women came out after her with tambourines and with dancing….- Shemot 15:20 וַתִּקַּח מִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן אֶת הַתֹּף בְּיָדָהּ וַתֵּצֶאןָ כָל הַנָּשִׁים אַחֲרֶיהָ בְּתֻפִּים וּבִמְחֹלֹת – שמות טו, כ The drowning of the Egyptians in the sea (after Bnei Yisrael had safely passed through) […]

Every month has a special blessing and a special power that we can tap into and enjoy this G-odly blessing. In this video Rabbi Anava is explaining about the month of Shvat Duration of class: 1:00:53

“….He placed food in the cities, the food of the field surrounding the city he put within it….” – Bereishit 41:48 ״….ויתן אכל בערים אכל שדה העיר אשר סביבותיה נתן בתוכה…״ – בראשית מא, מח In Rashi’s commentary on this verse, he notes that some of the local soil was mixed in with the grain when placing it in storage, […]

“….At the end of two years, it came to pass that Pharaoh was dreaming…..” – Bereishit 41:1 ״….ויהי מקץ שנתים ימים ופרעה חולם…״ – בראשית מא, א Yaakov’s move to Egypt with his family was brought about by a series of dreams. Yosef’s dreams caused his brothers to hate him and sell him as a slave, and his eventual owners brought […]

“…And Yaakov saw that there was grain being sold in Egypt. Yaakov said to his sons, “why should you purport [to be content]?” – Bereishis 42:1 וַיַּרְא יַעֲקֹב כִּי יֶשׁ שֶׁבֶר בְּמִצְרָיִם וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב לְבָנָיו לָמָּה תִּתְרָאוּ – בראשית מב, א When hunger came upon the Land of Canaan, Yaakov encouraged his sons to travel to Egypt to buy grain. According […]

  Shimon and Levi are each referred to in this verse as איש, a man. The Midrash calculates that this story took place barely thirteen years after the birth of Levi, the younger of the two brothers, and yet Levi is called a man, indicating that at the age of thirteen he had the emotional maturity of a grown man. […]

First night of Chanukah. Rabbi Anava is doing Havdalah, then lighting the first candle of Chanukah followed by a class about the essence of Chanuka Duration of class: 57:15              

Dinah’s socialness was inherited from her mother, explains Rashi. The Torah’s association of these two women who “went out” suggests that their presence in the public arena was considered excessive by the Torah’s standards of modest conduct. Despite the value of a lesson in feminine dignity, this interpretation seems contrary to the Torah’s trademark sensitivity. Would the Torah make a […]

In this short video Rabbi Anava explains one of the mystical reasons why we light the Chanuka candles right after Sundown and till the stars come out and what benefit we gain from this Mitzvah Duration of class: 25:22              

As we celebrate Chanukah we often wonder what when on then and how is it connected to our times. The war with the greek then is still a battle we fight now – Fascinating class with Rabbi Alon Anava Duration of class: 1:08:15              

As we celebrate Chanukah we often wonder what is this holiday about and why are we lighting candles to celebrate this holiday. Must be something deeper than what we think…. Fascinating class with Rabbi Anava that reveals what we were missing Powerful Tikon at the end of the video Duration of class: 1:07:34              

“…And leah said, “…now my husband will reside with me, for i have borne him six sons,” so she named him zevulun…”  – bereishis 30:20 וַתֹּאמֶר לֵאָה . . הַפַּעַם יִזְבְּלֵנִי אִישִׁי כִּי יָלַדְתִּי לוֹ שִׁשָּׁה בָנִים וַתִּקְרָא אֶת שְׁמוֹ זְבֻלוּן – בראשית ל, כ When our matriarch Leah bore her sixth son, she named him Zevulun, a derivative of […]

For fourteen years before this fateful night and twenty years after, Yaakov never lay down to settle in for a good night’s sleep. Now, Yaakov was spending the night at “the place”, precisely the spot where the Beis Hamikdash, Judaism’s holiest site, would some day stand. How could it be that specifically here Yaakov lay down for a relaxing and […]

“….On the third day, Lavan was informed that Yaakov had fled. He took along his kinsmen and pursued him for the distance of seven day journey….” – Bereishit 31:22-23 ״…ויוגד ללבן ביום השלישי כי ברח יעקב, ויקח את אחיו עמו וירדוף אחריו דרך שבעת ימים….״ – בראשית לא, כב-כג   There is a famous teaching of the Baal Shem Tov […]

Yaakov and Zevulun represent two opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to Torah study. Yaakov is called “an innocent man, who dwelled in tents (25:27),” referring to his extended studies in the “tents of Shem and Ever (Rashi),” the academies of Torah study of his time. Zevulun, on the other hand, famously arranged with Yissachar that “Zevulun will […]

Yitzchak was blind in his old age, but he couldn’t have been completely oblivious to Eisav’s unrefined character and conduct. His intentions to bless Eisav, nonetheless, must have been based not only on what he didn’t see or know about Eisav, but on what he did see in him. The Torah relates that Yitzchak devoted a lot of energy to […]

Our patriarchs and matriarchs were perfectly righteous people. In the words of the Tanya (Chapter 23), “throughout their lives they sanctified their every limb to serve exclusively as a ‘chariot’ for the implementation of G-d’s will.” From where then could Eisav, the child of the saintly Yitzchak and pure Rivka, have developed an attraction to idol-worship when he was but a […]

  Yaakov was a devoted son, and his mother’s welfare was surely a concern for him. Yet, Rivka’s promise, “Let your curse be upon me,” persuaded Yaakov to go ahead with her plan to trick Yitzchak into blessing him, and not Eisav, with the greatest blessings that Yitzchak had to offer. If Yaakov himself was afraid of Yitzchak’s curse, (should […]

  Avraham could not possibly have observed all the mitzvos in their physical form. In order to physically observe the mitzvah of wearing Tefilin, for example, the Tefilin must contain certain parshiyos, portions of the Torah, some of which speak about the Exodus from Egypt. As the Exodus took place more than three centuries after Avraham’s passing, Avraham’s fulfillment of this […]

A cloud began hovering over the tent immediately upon Rivka’s arrival. When she settled in and began going about her daily activities, Yitzchak noticed a special blessing in the food she prepared. When the candles that Rivka lit before Shabbos were still burning a full week later, Yitzchak became fully confident that Rivka was an heir to his mother’s saintliness, […]