In Parshat Yitro, we encounter one of the most fundamental mitzvot in the Aseret HaDibrot: “Zachor et Yom HaShabbat l’kad’sho” – “Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it.” The Torah commands us to work for six days and then rest on the seventh, “For in six days Hashem made the heavens and the earth, and…
At the end of parshat Vayeishev, we find Yosef in jail, interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and baker. Yosef lived with emuna and bitachon—he trusted that everything Hashem does is for the best, no matter how it looked at the moment. Think about Yosef’s life up to this point. His brothers hated him…
In this week’s Parsha, Toldot, Yitzchak Avinu asks Eisav, “V’asei li matamim ka’asher ahavti”—make me delicacies like what I love—not just food, but delicious, enjoyable dishes. At first glance, this might seem surprising. Why would Yitzchak, one of our greatest spiritual leaders, place so much focus on the pleasure of food before giving the brachot?…