Parashat Vayigash tells the dramatic story of Yosef’s revealing his identity to his brothers. In the years after they sold him a slave, Yosef miraculously rose to the position of vizier in Egypt. When the brothers came...
“And Yehudah approached him...
The Torah tells us, “Va’yechi Yaakov be’eretz Mitzrayim – And Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt.” The Baal HaTurim reveals that the gematria, the numerical value, of the word va’yechi is 34. He explains that 34 represents the...
It states (45:1) “Yosef couldn’t restrain himself in the presence of all who stood before him...
There is something strange about the Chanukah celebra- tion. The festival of C h a n u k a h commemorates an extraordinary victory -- of the Mac- cabees, a relatively small and dedicated force of fighters, against one...
Ask Americans what the greatest threat we face is and you will get a range of answers. Some will say it is global warming and climate change. Others think it is the issue of illegal immigration and unsecured borders....
From My Upcoming Sefer: The Traveler’s Guide If a person is traveling and their spouse or children light the Chanukah candles at home, they fulfill their obligation through that lighting. However, there is a halachic debate regarding whether the...
Dear Rabbi and Shira , Hi. I’m a weekly reader of your column. I figured this was the right place to ask my question. On my friend’s very first date, she got...
As we all know, we use olive oil to light the Chanukah menorah. Recently, olive oil has become very popular for its health benefits. Olive oil has many other uses as well (see below). In previous years, its...
I. Reasons to Deviate Rav Yosef Karo (16th cen., Israel; Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 676:1) says that the first blessing on Chanukah lights is: “le-hadlik ner Chanukah, to kindle Chanukah light.” Many have noted how puzzling this is because the...