A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT FROM RABBI MORDY This week’s Parsha concludes the Book of Genesis. There is much to learn from it; it contains “the last will and testament“ of Jacob, including his final blessings and instructions to each of the tribes. The name itself – Vayechi – means, “and he lived,” which references the legacy of Jacob; what teachings… Read More

A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT FROM RABBI MORDY This week’s Parsha contains lots of moving parts. Joseph is reunited with his brothers and then his father and there is lots of drama associated with their reunion. Joseph sends his brothers back and forth to their father in Israel, frames them by planting his goblet in one of their sacks then accusing… Read More

A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT FROM RABBI MORDY This week’s Parsha, Behar, contains various laws, including that of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. What I would like to focus on, however, is the name of the Parsha. “Behar” means “on the mountain,” which indicates its significance; the laws of the Torah were communicated to Moses on Mt. Sinai. But why is the parsha… Read More

This week’s Parsha – Vayechi – concludes the Book of Genesis, the first of the “Five Books of Moses.” Traditionally, at the end of each book, the synagogue calls out in unison, “Chazak chazak venischazek!” Which means “Be strong, be strong and may we be strengthened,” thus giving us a little inspiration and charge to move on into the next… Read More

This week’s Parsha – Va’era – is chock full of lessons. It contains the beginning of the Ten Plagues of Egypt and the beginning of the end of slavery. It always seems like it was G-d testing a variety of tortures against these slave drivers and was throwing things against the wall to see what would stick and eventually get… Read More