Articles in Vayeshev
Can you Guarantee My redemption?
This week, we read about Judah’s encounter with Tamar. On the surface, it looked like an intimate rendezvous on the side of the road. On a deeper level, something historical and fundamental occurred. Judah, the leader among his brothers, fathered the ancestor of King David and Mashiach. Our sages saw …
Vayeshev: Jewish Survival
What is the secret that has enabled the Jewish survival over two thousand years of our diaspora?
Two weeks ago, we read about Jacob’s sojourn in his uncle Laban’s home. Last week we read about Jacob’s harrowing return journey home. Among many other challenges, he encountered his brother Esau, and they …
Vayeshev: Dare to Dream
Dream on, is an expression we use when someone shares a hope that seems fantastical. To dare to dream is to have the courage to think beyond the box; to push the envelope. Plans that people dismiss as impossible, are the stuff of dreams. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a …
Vayeshev: My Brother’s Keeper
Cain famously asked, “am I my brother’s keeper?” History has not taken kindly to Cain and has responded with a resounding yes, you are your brother’s keeper. But Cain had done ill by Abel. What if it is the reverse, suppose your brother does ill by you, are you still …
Vayeshev: Prosperity
After Jacob returned from Haran, where he contended with the avarice and deceit of his uncle Laban, he was forced to face his long-standing nemesis and brother Esau. Once that was done, Jacob sought to settle down and raise his family in relative peace and comfort. He hoped to enjoy …
Vayeshev: Identity Crisis
The Schism
Are you different things to different people? Do your workplace and home environment support conflicting values? Is your social culture different from your religious culture? Does your family live by one ethos and your neighbors by another?
How do you deal with the dichotomy? Do you blend in wherever you …
Vayeshev: At Home
Where We Feel At Home
The story is told of a Chassid who would travel on business to St Petersburg and return home to his Rebbe’s court. In St. Petersburg he would don modern attire and mingle with his business colleagues, at home he reverted to the Chassid’s garb.
Feeling uncomfortable with …
Vayeshev: You Are A Gem
Two Names
G-d appeared to Jacob and said, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.”[1] Nevertheless, the Torah continues to make repeated use of both names, Jacob and Israel, in every following chapter until Jacob’s death. This is because the …
