He Blessed Joseph
![Divrei Torah - “He blessed Joseph and he said, ‘Oh G-d before Whom my forefathers Abraham and Isaac walked, G-d Who shepherds me from my inception until this: May the angel who redeems me from all evil bless the lads [Joseph’s sons]](https://treeforisrael.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Divrei-Torah-22-1024x1024.jpg)
In the Torah section of Vayechi, we read of Jacob’s coming on in years after emigrating to Egypt to reunite with his cherished son Joseph who has become the viceroy in Egypt, second in command only to Pharaoh. Before his passing, Jacob chooses to talk individually to each of his twelve sons, whereby he blesses […]
Land of the Priests
In the Torah section of VaYigash, we read of the rapprochement – at first apprehensive and then joyous – between Joseph’s brothers and Joseph, the heart-warming reunion between Joseph and his father Jacob, the emigration of Jacob and Joseph’s brothers to Egypt and the steps taken by Joseph, Pharaoh’s viceroy, to fight the enormous famine […]
Discerning and Wise Man
After wallowing in prison on trumped up charges for two years, Joseph is finally released. Pharaoh has a dream and it is recognized that the only one that can properly interpret it for him is Joseph. Joseph proceeds to tell Pharaoh that his dream connotes a period of seven years of prosperity in Egypt followed […]
A Mind Focused
In the Torah section of VaYeshev, the Torah informs us of a series of events in the life of Joseph, first of two sons to his mother Rachel, the favored wife of Jacob. Like his mother, Joseph was favored by his father. “And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons since he was a […]
The Miracle of Nature
In the beginning of the Torah section of VaYishlach, we read that Jacob sent malakhim “to Esav his brother to the land of Seir, the field of Edom” (Bereshit 32:4). The word malakhim in this verse could be interpreted as messengers. However, Rashi ad locum interprets the word to mean angels. In light of his […]
Sacrificing for the Self-Respect of Another
We read in the beginning of the Torah section of Vayetze, “Jacob departed from Beer-sheva and went towards Haran” (Bereshit 28:10). Jacob leaves his parents to go to his uncle Lavan, in order to escape his evil brother Esav as well as to find a wife among his uncle’s daughters, as per his parents’ advice. […]
A Test of Character and Intelligence
The Torah portion Chaye Sara begins with informing us of the passing of our first matriarch, Sarah. “Sarah’s lifetime was one hundred years, twenty years, and seven years, the years of Sarah’s life. Sarah died in Kiryat Arba which is Hebron … and Abraham came to Sarah and to bewail her” (Bereshit 23:1-2). After this, […]
At Knife’s Edge
In his attempt to prove that “truth is subjectivity,” the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard argues that the least evolved of all human beings is the aesthetic man whose sole goal is self-indulgence and pleasure and the avoidance of pain and boredom. In contrast, the ethical man chooses to dwell within the sphere of duty. However, […]
The Power of Aiding Others
In the Torah section of Lekh Lekha (Bereshit 14:13), we read, “And the fugitive came and told Abram.” On this verse, Rashi comments, in accordance with Bereshit Rabbah, that this fugitive was Og, who later waged war with the Israelites, descendents of Abraham. Og informed Abraham of Lot’s capture with the intended purpose of getting […]
Dishonesty Can Carry a Heavy Price
In the beginning of the Torah section of Noach (Bereshit 6:13), we read, “And G-d said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with robbery through them; and behold, I am about to destroy them from the earth’”. Rashi, as per the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 108a, […]