In one of the greatest transformations in all of literature, Joseph moves in one bound from prisoner to prime minister. What was it about Joseph — an outsider to Egyptian culture, a … more

T wo pasukim in our parasha, Bo, tell the story of our people’s departure from Eretz Mitzrayim: •It came to pass at the end of 430 years, and it came to pass in that very day, that … more

Someone recently sent me this story about Moe Berg, the strangest Jew ever to play baseball: When baseball greats Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig went on tour in baseball-crazy Japan in 1934, some fans … more

In its description of the Jubilee year, the Torah tell us in 25:9 that the shofar is to be sounded throughout the land on Yom Kippur of Yovel.  Noting how we don’t blow shofar when Shabbos … more

It is interesting to note the absence of Moshe from the parsha of Tetzaveh. For once, Moshe, the hero, the leader, the liberator, the lawgiver, is off-stage, and the only instance where the name … more

We finally made it! The week our Torah reading catches up with that of Israel! We have been misaligned with our brothers and sisters ever since they observed Shabbos and read Parshat Shemini on … more

There is quite a bit of sadness attached to this Sabbath, the last of the year. Sure, we look forward to a new year with new blessings and new opportunities. But we cannot escape the fact that … more

Sefer Vayikra is the sole book in the Tanach in which the phrase “v’yarata m’elokecha” (“and you shall fear your G-d”) is found. It appears three times in Parashat … more

After a cliffhanger at the end of last week’s Torah portion, our parsha, Vayigash, opens with arguably the most impassioned plea in all of the Bible — Yehuda pouring out his heart to … more

Imagine if there was a member of Congress who openly supported an anti-Semitic movement, issued multiple statements promoting traditional themes of Jew-hatred and then gave a speech … more