Hi, Before we leave Egypt? We should think about why we were there to start with. Why was it G-d’s “master plan” that we become a nation in Egypt? What’s wrong with Florida! And why did we have to be slaves in Egypt? … Jewish tradition has many insights into this question. Here’s one. The […]

Hi, Jacob had left the Land of Israel for two reasons. One, his brother Esau was furious that Jacob received the blessings from Isaac. And was planning to kill him. Second, his mother Rebecca sent him to her family to find a wife. Jacob was now returning to his parent’s home in Israel.  (Genesis 32:4) […]

Hi,   Sorry I missed you on Friday.   We were speaking about the importance shared goals in a marriage.   … And shared goals don’t just make a marriage more meaningful.   They make it more romantic!   Because the more meaningful our goals?   The deeper our lives.   And the deeper the […]

Hi, I’ve been sitting at my computer thinking. We’re about to start the next Torah portion, so I was looking for a small nugget to share. Here’s what came to mind. … One of the great Rabbis of the past generation always looked for lessons in life. In his days, it was the telegraph. He […]

Hi, Isaac and Rebecca have twin sons.  Jacob and Esau. Isaac favors Esau but Rebecca favors Jacob.  (Genesis, 25:28) … Isaac is old, blind and close to death. His love for Esau blinds him. And he wants to give the blessings to Esau before dying. Rebecca sees the true nature of Esau and knows that […]

Hi, Hope you’re having a great day! We’ve seen that in Jewish tradition, Abraham personifies acts of kindness. And Isaac? He represents Divine service. Things like prayer.  Introspection.  Spirituality. You might think of Isaac as a very big Tzadik.  An extremely righteous man. A “holy man.” And sometimes we have a picture of such people. […]

More about Rebecca. We have seen that Abraham sent his trusted servant Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac. The test was chessed.  Acts of kindness. Rebbeca passed the test. With flying colors! … It’s easy to miss a small detail in the story. With a very big lesson. Eliezer set up a test. He’ll […]

Hope you had a great holiday. …Sarah. Abraham’s wife. The first matriarch of the Jewish People. She passes away in the city of Hebron. (Genesis, 23) … Sometimes we say about someone, “They will live on…” And special people are remembered for generations. But then there’s someone like Sarah. Who achieves what very few others […]

Hi, Hope you’re having a great day. Are you ready for a shocker? Here it goes. The “Ten Commandments” is not a Jewish idea! Are you still there? I’m referring to the name. In Hebrew it’s called Aseret Hadibrot.  The Ten Utterances. It’s the commandments, out of hundreds, that we heard straight from G-d. The […]

Here’s one last thought about the Akeida. A small detail that can be overlooked. Abraham passed this most difficult test. In Jewish tradition it’s the ultimate spiritual act. Showing that he follows G-d no matter what. And he’s told “… Now I know that you are a G-d fearing man. Since you have done this thing, […]