In this week’s parsha, Vayechi, Yaakov blesses his grandsons, Ephraim and Menashe. He then turns to Yosef and assures him that Hashem will be with him, ultimately bringing him back to the land of his fathers. In this moment, Yaakov makes a unique gift to Yosef: the city of Shechem, granting him an additional portion…
This week’s parsha, Vayeitzei, highlights the power of tefillah—prayer—and how its effectiveness is proportionate to the depth of emotion we bring to it. Hashem doesn’t want only our words or intellect; He desires our hearts, souls, and entire being in our connection with Him. This idea comes to life in the contrasting stories of Leah…
We can learn a lot about Bitachon from Eliezer, Avraham Avinu’s servant. Avraham makes Eliezer promise to follow his directions and go to the place of Avraham’s birth to find a wife for his son Yitzchak. Eliezer swears but asks “what if she won’t come home with me?” Avraham tells him that if the girl…
As a child, Rosh Hashana felt like an endless marathon of prayers. I’d sit on an uncomfortable folding chair in the overflow section of the social hall, which they’d open up to accommodate the extra crowd for the Yamim Noraim. Fidgeting in my seat, I’d flip through the machzor, counting the pages left, then cutting…