Your failure could be the very best thing that has ever happened to you. We learn this from Parshat Vayeishev. The Torah tells us, “vayehei Hashem et Yosef, vayehei ish matzliach”, Hashem was with Yosef and Yosef was a successful man. Why both statements? If Hashem was with Yosef, it […]
Parasha
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The essence of our Judaism is gratitude. Parshat Vayeitzei describes how after the births of her first three children Leah felt particularly despondent and this was reflected in the names she gave them. But, when she gave birth to her fourth child she declared, “ha’paam odeh et Hashem”, “this time […]
Why did Eisav not keep his favourite clothes in his own home? This fascinating detail emerges in Parshat Toldot, from the fact that when Rivka was preparing her son Yaakov to see Yitzchak his father, to deceive him, and to declare, “I am Eisav,” she needed to put Eisav’s clothes […]
What are the ingredients necessary for somebody to become an eternal role model? In Parshat Chayei Sarah, Eliezer travels to Mesopotamia in search of a wife for Yitzchak. He meets Rivka and she engages in such incredible altruism at the well side. He asks for water and she says, “I […]
In Jewish law, this appears to be the most irrelevant instruction. In the Shulchan Auruch, Orach Chaim, chapter 218, we are given details of blessings, and our sages tell us that when one is standing at a place where a terrible tragedy took place, we should recite the bracha of […]
In Parshat Lech Lecha we are told about the very first occasion on which a person was taken hostage, when Lot was captured. Abraham, his uncle, realised that he needed to be rescued and so the Torah tells us that Abraham mobilised every single person within his household – altogether […]
We should always try our best not to be like Noah. That is one of the key lessons of Parshat Noah. At the beginning of the parsha, the Torah tells us “va’tishachet ha’eretz lifnei ha’Elokim” – “and the earth was corrupted before God.” The Kotzker Rebbe brilliantly gives different punctuation […]
Right now on the Jewish calendar we are between Simchat Torah and Shabbat Bereishit. As we are all aware, on Simchat Torah we concluded the Torah, the concluding word of which is Yisrael – and therefore the last letter of the Torah is lamed. And on Shabbat, we will commence […]
Why the State of Israel is central to Jewish identity. By Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis It is said that Chaim Weizmann, who would later become the first president of the State of Israel, was once asked by a member of the House of Lords why Jews were so fixated on […]
D’var Torah for Shabbat Shuvah What is the correct title for this coming Shabbat, the Shabbat which takes place between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? Some people call it Shabbat Shuva, others call it Shabbat Teshuvah. Now actually both are fine, but which one is better? If you are going […]