Parashat Bo: Monotheistic Matzah and Protective Pesah
“They shall eat the meat on that night, roasted, with matzoth and bitter herbs” The first ever lean burger is the central dish, at least verbally, at our Seder table. We all follow the Mishnaic maxim of Rabban Gamliel, which obligates us to pronounce the words פסח מצה ומרור – but there is something much […]
Parashat VaEra: Free Will Means Responsibility
Who is in Control? The ten plagues were meant to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. But it seems that Pharaoh didn’t have a say, because God kept hardening Pharaoh’s heart. If God disrupts or controls Pharaoh’s decision-making process, how can he hold him accountable for his decisions? This question fascinates believers because it […]
Parashat Vayehi: Favorite Son vs. Man of the People
Choosing a college major is a tricky business. You start studying for the profession most in demand at the moment, just to find out four years later that the world has drastically changed. Programming, or coding, has been one exception and a safe bet for the last couple of decades, but this too is about […]
Parashat VaYigash: Torn Between Father and God
In his royal chambers, covered in fine Egyptian linen sheets, Zaphenat Pa’aneah, aka Joseph the Hebrew, wakes up screaming, awash in cold sweat. His wife, the delicate noblewoman Asenath, finds his shaking hand and holds it, whispering “you had that nightmare again, honey?” Her husband is too startled to talk, taking a deep breath before […]
Parashat Miketz: Reading Between the Lines
By Rabbi Haim Ovadia Two years after Yosef correctly interpreted the dreams of the royal cupbearer and baker, Pharaoh had two disturbing dreams. He summoned all his advisors and sages but none of them provided a satisfying interpretation. The cupbearer, seeing an opportunity for reward, broke the silence regarding his criminal past, and told Pharaoh […]
Parasha of the Week: Vayeshev
Are You Really Sorry? By Rabbi Haim Ovadia [Gen. 37:1] Yaakov settled in the land of Canaan, where his father was a sojourner. [2] Despite having many children, Yaakov saw Yosef as his true descendant, because he was the son of his first and true love, Rachel. Though Binyamin was also Rachel’s, he carried the […]
Parasha of the Week: Vayishlach
Are You Really Sorry? By Rabbi Haim Ovadia The dramatic encounter between Yaakov and Esav provides an insight into the concept of indirect apology. Yaakov goes through the process of apology and forgiveness internally, positioning himself as both the offender and the offended. After he emerges from the process innocent or not guilty, he proceeds […]
Parasha of the Week: VaYetze
Please Listen Carefully! In the book “You Just Don’t Understand”, Deborah Tannen analyzes the different conversational styles of men and women. Tannen analyzed hundreds of conversations between men and women, and she explains that many of these dialogs go awry because the two sides are not really having a conversation. They are not talking to […]
Parasha of the Week: Toledot
“Measure for Measure” There is a millennia old debate whether Yaakov did right in deceiving his father into giving him Esav’s blessings. I believe the answer is in the Talmudic idiom which is the title of this article. The rabbis coined that idiom because they noticed that the biblical narrative shows parallelism between one’s actions […]
Parasha of the Week: Chaye Sarah
We tend to think that Avraham sent his servant to Haran to find Yitzhak a woman from Avraham’s family. I would like to prove that Avraham had no such intention, and that finding Rivka, who was related to Avraham, was a bonus point for the servant. I believe that Avraham turned to Haran not because […]