Rabbenu Bachya ben Asher begins his commentary on the book of Vayikra with an introduction, in which he includes a verse from Mishlei 22:4: “In the wake of humility comes fear of the Lord, … more

The beginning of our parasha, Vayetze, describes the first steps that Ya’akov took on his journey to Haran in order to escape the wrath of his brother, Eisav, and find a fitting wife from his … more

The custom is fairly prevalent nowadays, but it was not a common practice 30 years ago when my friend raised his sons. He would seek out especially pious rabbis, generally quite elderly ones, to … more

Melanie Reid, a journalist with The Times of London, is a quadriplegic who, with a wry lack of self-pity, calls her weekly essay Spinal Column. She told how she, her husband, and others in their … more

Teaching in the old city of Jerusalem, one develops awareness for the different types of people that can wander in off the street. Many of the people who frequent the old alleyways of Jerusalem are incredible people with incredible stories. We once had a fellow wander in who was absolutely convinced that he was King David. more

Our parasha, Bo, tells the story of the Jewish people’s departure from Egypt: “It came to pass at the end of 430 years, and it came to pass in that very day, that all the legions of the … more

There are certain phrases or expressions that many of us find hard to say. “I love you” is one of them. Another such phrase is “thank you.” Although these words are … more

The namesake of our parasha is Balak, King of Moab. He correctly believed that his country was existentially threatened by the fledgling Jewish nation. As such, he sought to annihilate us before … more

Court: A place and a system any healthy society needs, but no one really wants to visit. Just like a judge: Someone you want as a friend, but not someone you want to meet at work all too often. A date in court is not something most people look forward to, and the feelings such a visit generates range from frustration and trepidation, all the way to outright fear and terror. more

The name name “Be’er Sheva” appears a total of nine times in Sefer Bereishit, and serves as the opening verse of our parasha, Vayatze: “And Jacob left Be’er Sheva and … more