1. After Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, the Torah states that Joseph fell upon Benjamin's neck and wept and Benjamin wept upon Joseph's neck. The Torah commentator, Rashi, tell us that Joseph wept over the two temples that were destined to be in the portion of the tribe of Benjamin and would inevitably be destroyed. Benjamin wept over the tabernacle at Shiloh, destined to be in the portion of the tribe of Ephraim, descendents of Joseph, which too was destroyed. One might ask, why not weep over your own...
I this week's Torah portion, Vayeishev, we again see hashgacha pratis ( divine providence). There was a plot among Yaakov's sons to kill Joseph because they saw that their father loved him most. The brothers hated Joseph and could not speak peacefully to him. Reuben, the oldest brother, rescued Joseph from their conspiracy; he told the brothers not to shed his blood but, rather, throw him into a pit and they heeded his plea. Could the brothers have known that this event was the beginning of the redemption of...
Chanukah and Vayishlach: the ultimate in hashgacha pratis ( divine providence)In keeping with the theme of part 1, Kislev as a month of miracles, power, victory and redemption, let's take a look at another event in the life of Yaakov Avinu, an event that occurred in this week's Torah portion. At night, Yaakov was preparing for the encounter with his brother. He brought his two wives, two maids, his eleven children and everything he owned across the river, Yabok. After bringing everyone accross the river, the Torah...
In this week's Torah portion, vayishlach, the Torah relates some of the events that took place in the life of our patriarch, Yaakov. We see Yaakov Avinu battle with an angel as well as his preparetion and confrontation with his brother Eisav, who is filled with over twenty years of hatred and is coming to kill him. Yaakov then deals with the kidnap and violation of his daughter, Dinah, and the subsequent retaliation by his two sons, Shimon and Levi. This act caused Yaakov to fear the revenge of the surrounding...
A 5 year old boy was learning this week's Torah portion, Vayeitzei, with his rebbi. When they came to the section of Yaakov's dream, the rebbi posed a question to his young student: In the dream there was a ladder and angels were going up and down, do you see anything out of order here? The boy just smiled and said it seems normal to me. But angels come from heaven, said his rebbi, they should be coming down first then climbing back up. The young book smiled again and said, rebbi it is just a dream and in the...
In this week's Torah portion, Shoftim, we are commanded not to practice sorcery, fortune-telling and divining. These were the practices of the nations living in the land that we were about to enter, the land that G-d was giving to us as an inheritance, Eretz Israel. The Torah calls these practices an abomination to G-d. Instead of following these practices, we are told that we should be perfect (tamim) with G-d. The great Torah commentator, Rashi, in translating the word tamin goes away from the more common use...
Sometimes when I visit shuls across the country, rabbis ask me about why I keep telling the Jewish people how special they are. They tell me that we all know that we are chosen, so tell us something new; maybe a new insight on the Torah portion, a novel idea in chassidus or some new story that will inspire the people. Well most Jewish people don't realize who they are, to whom they are connected and their mission in this world. Some think that it is up to someone else to make this world a dwelling place for HaShem...
Our sages teach that the affliction described in Parshas Tazria/Metzora is not a bodily disease but a physical manifestation of a spiritual illness. A type of punishment designed to show the offender that he must change his ways. The primary cause of this affliction is slander. The malady is named tzara'as, a discoloration that can appear on the skin, hair, clothing or even a house. The Torah teaches that the afflicted person should be brought to Aharon the priestor one of his sons for examination to determine whether...
The Torah never uses extra words or even extra letters unless conveying a special message. For example, in one case, the Torah uses extra words to teach us not to say negative things when possible and to, instead, put words into a positive light. In parsha Shemini, though, we see the opposite. Here the Torah tells us that certain animals are tamei (impure) and warns us against eating such non-kosher food. It could have added extra words to say they are not tahor (not pure) thus avoiding negative language. The Torah...
An inspirational clip about the final step in the conversion process of Yaakov Ephraim and wife, Sarah Devorah. As we can learn from here, we all have a special mission to bring G-dliness into this...
Former evangelical pastor, now orthodox rabbi. Yaakov Ephraim travels through out the entire country inspiring Jews to reconnect with their heritage and strengthen religious observance.
Theme created for Posterous by Obox
