Sefer Bereishit contains the only instances in Tanach of the phrase, “Am I instead of G-d?” One of these appears in our parasha, Vayechi (50:19), and the other in parashat Vayatze (30:2). … more

This week’s parasha, Vayigash, concludes with the pasuk: “And Israel dwelt (vayeshev) in the land of Egypt in the land of Goshen, and they acquired property in it, and they were prolific … more

My wife and I first lived in Queens and there we befriended a couple — the husband worked for the district attorney. One Shabbos he told us about a “Yom Kippur moment” he … more

It seems almost trivial, but one of the difficulties of my time in Lebanon was the lack of space, a sense of being on top of one another.  During a scramble to get into the bunker when the … more

One of the more popular questions asked about Chanukah is why is it celebrated eight days if the miracle of the oil was only for seven days? Meaning, if the people who rededicated the holy Temple … more

It was one of the darkest moments of my life, although in retrospect it seems almost trivial. After completing two months of basic infantry training, two months of tank school training followed by … more

Chanukah and Purim, the two rabbinically based chagim, are joyous days of celebration and giving thanks to Hashem. My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal, the Rav, described their … more

It seems that every week another famous personality is outed as a predator or abuser, and publicly fired and condemned. Most of these cases involve a man using his position of power to get away with … more

Many years ago, at a melaveh malka in Har Nof in the Bostoner Beis Medrash, I heard a wonderful story from Rav Levi Yitzchak Horowitz, the Bostoner Rebbe. It seems that after Reb Yissachar, the … more

Our parasha, Vayashev, begins with the pasuk: “Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojourning, in the land of Canaan” (Bereishit 37:1). At first glance, it appears to be … more