A not-too-farfetched reading of the end of Chapter 45 can indicate that only one person intended to go down to Egypt to stay there. “… And bread and food for his father for the journey” (45:23). “He saw the wagons Yosef had sent to carry him…” (45:27) “Israel said, ‘My son Yosef still lives: I will go and I will see him before I die.’” (45:28) more

This week, as Jews across the world celebrate Chanukah, they also remember the victory of the Maccabees against the brutal rule of Antiochus IV, designated “Harasha” (“the wicked”) by rabbinic tradition. Antiochus’s main aim was to Hellenize the Jews in the ancient land of Israel by forcing them to adopt Greek customs in place of Jewish ones. more

Near the end of my portrait session, Dr. Ranan Wolff puzzled: “But you never asked me to smile!” True. I never do. My approach is to get meaningful expression that only comes from … more

It’s interesting to study the haftorahs, the Prophetic scriptures added to weekly Torah readings. If you first scan the portion of the week and then read the haftorah, inevitably there is a … more

An Ellison win would be another signal of the Democratic Party becoming the anti-Israel party. “Ellison’s association with the Nation of Islam … more

Parashat Vayishlach contains the rather perplexing pasuk: “And G-d went up from him [Jacob] in the place where He had spoken with him.” (Bereishit 35:13)* We immediately find that … more

This Wednesday, Nov. 29, marks the 70th anniversary of the passage by the United Nations of Resolution 181, specifying a partition plan that would ultimately lead to the establishment of a Jewish … more

We are now approaching the end of the Three Weeks, the saddest period of the Jewish year. It concludes with Tisha b’Av, commemorating the destruction of two Holy Temples. In an oft-quoted … more

The primary focus of our parasha is the illness known as tzara’at. The unique nature of this class of disease is emphasized by the Rashbam in his introduction to our topic:  “All … more

In commentary on Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s denigrating of Jews, a vital dimension of her outbursts has been largely overlooked. Pundits have seen her motivation as a deliberate rejection … more