Tag: Torah Insights
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Two “New Pharaohs” There are two “new Pharaohs” in Parshat Shemot. The first is obvious: a new king rises who “doesn’t know Yosef,” and the darkness begins. But the second is quieter: Pharaoh dies… and the slavery still doesn’t loosen its grip. Bnei Yisrael cry out again, and this time Hashem “hears,” “remembers,” and redemption…
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Vayeshev opens like a world falling apart. A boy torn from his father. A pit. A sale. A shattered family. A righteous soul imprisoned. It looks like collapse. But the Midrash reveals the opposite: “Everything that happened to Yosef happened to Tzion.” Yosef’s descent isn’t random pain — it’s the pattern of every exile we’ve…
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When we look at Yosef’s life in Parshat Vayeshev, he almost seems superhuman. Sold by his own brothers. Taken to a foreign country. Forced into slavery. Thrown into prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Anyone else would collapse under the weight of it all. Yet Yosef stays steady. The Torah doesn’t describe anger, despair,…
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Both Avraham and Sarah laughed when they heard the impossible: that a child would be born to them in their old age.But their laughs were not the same. Avraham laughed out of joy — out of awe at the greatness of Hashem and the beauty of a promise being fulfilled.Sarah laughed out of disbelief —…
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It’s easy to make promises about what we’ll do if we have abundance.“If I win the lottery, I’ll give so much tzedaka. I’ll do endless chesed.” We’ve all said it, at least in our hearts. But here’s the truth: the challenge isn’t in making those promises before the blessing comes—it’s in following through once it…
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Shiluach Hakan, Honoring Parents, and the Power of Bitachon You’re walking a quiet trail and see a bird’s nest. A mother bird hovers protectively over her young. The Torah says: send away the mother, then take the eggs, “it will be good for you, and your days will be lengthened.” Ramban explains this mitzvah cultivates…
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Climbing the Right Mountain We’ve all heard of rock bottom — when a person loses everything and only then realizes it’s time to change. But Parshat Shoftim warns of another danger that’s spoken about far less. When you spend so much time climbing the mountain of success — money, fame, luxury — only to reach…
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Hashem wants us to love one another — not only in words, but in how we see, judge, and treat each other.Parshat Shoftim opens: “V’shaftu et ha’am mishpat tzedek” — judge the people with righteous judgment. The Rachmastrivka Rebbe explains that we begin Elul with Shoftim because as we prepare for Rosh Hashana and our…
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“Let me go over and see the good land…” Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest leader in our history, pleads with Hashem to enter Eretz Yisrael.He doesn’t ask for comfort, reward, or recognition.All he wants is to step foot in the land Hashem promised. Chazal ask: Why did Moshe want to enter Eretz Yisrael so badly? Was…
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This week, the Torah doesn’t just tell us that Pinchas killed Zimri and Kozbi — it highlights who they were: Zimri, a prince of Shevet Shimon. Kozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader. These weren’t random sinners. They were powerful, connected, and dangerous to confront. Yet Pinchas didn’t flinch. He acted alone, with pure zeal…
