We read in Parashat Vayeshev of the hatred that Yosef’s brothers felt toward him. The background to their hatred is the special love shown to Yosef by their father, Yaakob, who made him a special garment (“Ketonet Pasim”...
On recent trips to Eretz Yisroel, I noticed a change in the simple greeting of boker tov, good morning. Instead of receiving a boker tov in return, I would hear boker ohr, morning...
Dreams Once Bereishit hits its second half, everyone starts dreaming. Yaakov has two dreams. Yosef has two dreams. Paraoh’s butler and baker are dreaming. And Pharaoh himself is dreaming. “I have a dream” is how you can sum up...
A couple of months ago, when the conflict between Israel and Lebanon erupted, we published an article titled ‘Is Lebanon Part of Israel’s Promised Territory?’ We discusses how Hashem promised Avraham Avinu the Land of Israel, extending from the...
On Chanukah, we insert Al Hanissim into our davening and bentching. It is very practical for us to discuss all the halachos that apply to this. Some questions we will discuss are: Why is it said? Is there a difference...
Does the OU allow music to be played at restaurants they certify? Many restaurants want to have an ambiance and they want to have live music playing. What’s the OU’s policy when certifying these establishments and how do...
When a country sends its army to war, they don’t just teach the soldiers how to shoot and then tell them, “Go to the front!” The great minds of the army prepare (hopefully) wise strategies and tactics to outmaneuver and...
Dear Rabbi and Shira, Hi! I’m a big fan of your column and enjoy reading it on a weekly basis. I’m having a problem dating. My next-door neighbor, Moshe and I...
Time to go home. After twenty long years in the house of Lavan, Yaakov was finally able to return home. While Lavan made the years challenging and difficult, at the same time, HaShem blessed...
This week’s parsha contains the pasuk: “And Yaakov remained alone and a man wrestled with him until dawn” [Bereishis 32:25]. The Medrash sees a connection between Yaakov remaining alone and the “Aloneness” of the Almighty. Even more strikingly, the Medrash...