Shilo, Shechem and Jerusalem
In Yaakov’s blessing to Yehuda he grants him the position of leadership: “The scepter shall not depart from Yehuda, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet; Until Shilo comes, And the homage of peoples be his.” The first half of the verse is fairly straightforward – that Yehuda should be the long term king […]
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Jerusalem As The Light Of The World
The holiday of Chanukah revolves around the fire and light of our Menorahs. Generally, light is understood to be a symbol of spirituality, Torah and a person’s soul. This is based on the verses:: “For a mitzvah is a candle and the Torah is light” and “The candle of God is a human soul.” Accordingly, […]
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The Grace of Jerusalem
When Yaakov and his family return to the Land of Israel, they make an extended stay near the city of Shechem: And Yaakov came safely [to] the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan aram, and he encamped (va-yichan) before the city. On a simple level, the […]
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The “I” of Jerusalem
After Yaakov’s stirring dream of the angels ascending and descending the ladder, he awakes upon Temple Mount all startled and bewildered. The Torah tells us that he exclaims: “Indeed, the Lord is in this place, and I did not know [it]!” Rashi explains that he meant that if he had known the sanctity of his […]
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Jerusalem And The Blessings
Our parsha tells the dramatic story of Esav and Yaakov struggling to be the recipient of their father’s blessing. Despite his wild and uncouth manners, Esav desires these blessings and Yaakov is willing to engage in subterfuge in order to “steal” them from his older brother. What was so special about these blessings? Here are […]
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A Review of Pre-Israel Land Ownership in Judea
A Review of Pre-Israel Land Ownership in Judea[1]John D. Reisner Arab and leftist mythmaking is never so industrious as when it turns its attention to the issue of ‘palestinian’ land rights. The habitual projection of leftists, in this regard, to smear Jewish reclamation of their property with the guilt of their own imperial sins serves […]
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The Portal of Yerushalayim
Besides the basic wood and tar necessary to build a boat, God tells Noah that the teivah requires one more item: “A Tzohar you shall make for the teivah.” What is a Tzohar? Rashi cites two opinions from a midrash: Some say [that it was] a window, and some say [that it was] a precious […]
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Redeveloping and Regreening Jerusalem
Those of us who live in Israel and have the merit to travel when we want to Jerusalem often times focus on the national and religious significance of Jerusalem, while neglecting the foward reaching expression that Jerusalem is meant to have and currently developing. While our historical religious claims to our capital should never be […]
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Jerusalem As A Process
The Torah opens with God creating the world. One would think that God’s creation would be perfect, an ideal setting within which to live. And while there is much beauty and order in the cosmos, we know that God intentionally did not create a perfect world. The final verse of the creation story is: “And […]
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Building the Sukkah and Yerushalayim
On Sukkot there is a mitzvah to dwell in the Sukkah – “in sukkot you shall dwell for seven days.” At first glance, it would seem that since the mitzvah begins on the Chag itself that is the time that the sukkah becomes significant. However, a survey of some halachik sources indicates that the building […]
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