The Binding Walls of Jerusalem
Jewish unity is an important value in the Torah. God only rests his presence on the Jewish people when they are unified. We are told that the Jewish people were as one person with one heart when God gave them the Torah. Considering the importance of this unity, we must inquire about how it practically […]
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The Continuity of Jerusalem
Our parsha opens with the broadest of all possible lenses. While Moshe is beset with pain over the Jewish people’s current suffering, God tells him about the bright future of this people. God says that He will take them out from Egypt, give them the Torah, bring them to the promised land and they will […]
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Trusting G-D in Jerusalem
In this week’s parsha, Moshe heroically protects his Jewish brother by killing the cruel Egyptian overlord. To protect his standing in Egypt and his life, Moshe tries to hide his actions. However, already the next day, Moshe realizes that the story is out. The Torah describes Moshe’s emotional reaction: “Moshe was frightened and thought: Then […]
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The Communal Torah of Jerusalem
In Yaakov’s final blessings to his children, he juxtaposes Zevulun and Yissachar. He first blesses Zevulun for his ships and seafaring nature: “Zevulun shall dwell by the seashore; He shall be a haven for ships.” Then, Yissachar is compared to a donkey bearing a heavy burden who finds a good place of rest. Rashi, citing […]
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Yosef: The Diaspora Jew Who Self-Defines as Zion
The Midrash in this week’s parsha compares Yosef to Zion. Each step of Yosef’s journey – from his initial favored status to his seeming downfall to his rise as viceroy of Egypt – occurred to Zion as well. Zion enjoyed an initial favored status, was cast into exile only rise again in the future. The […]
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The Maccabees, Jerusalem, and the Land of Israel
The Maccabean revolt revolved around several axes. On one level, it was a fight against religious persecution. The Greeks forbade the study of Torah and certain key mitzvot. In fact, the revolt began when a Hellenized Jew was about to sacrifice an animal to a pagan deity and Matityahu stands up and kills him. On […]
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The “Coincidences” of Jerusalem
This week’s parsha begins the long saga of Yosef’s life. His eventful story begins as a young teenager in his father’s home and through a highly unlikely series of events he winds up as the viceroy of Egypt and is instrumental in saving a civilization from extreme hunger. His journey is (literally) the material of […]
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The Goodness of Jerusalem
When Yaakov hears that Esav is approaching him with a small army of four hundred soldiers, Yaakov understandably is fearful: “Yaakov became very frightened and was distressed.” Soon, his fears are realized when he is alone at night and is attacked by an angelic representation of Esav. Desperately, Yaakov is forced to fight for his […]
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The Long-Short Wait
Yaakov faces many challenges in our parsha. Perhaps the most pernicious is that Lavan interferes with the most precious and intimate day of Yaakov’s life – his wedding day. Lavan switches the bride and Yaakov is forced to wait seven years to marry his true love, Rachel. The Torah describes this waiting period with a […]
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The Planting of the Shechina in Jerusalem
Yitzhak tends to repeat the behaviors of his father Avraham. Therefore, when there is a famine in the land it seems that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and take refuge in Egypt. God, however, has other plans and tells him “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land that I […]
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