Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Vayigash (Genesis 44:18 – 47:27) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “And Joseph fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.” (Gen. 45:14) This poignant moment when these two brothers are reunited after a separation of twenty-two years is one of the most tender scenes… Continue Reading “Shabbat Shalom” – Vayigash 5779
Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Miketz (Genesis 41:1 – 44:17) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I had a dream last night, and no one is able to interpret it….” (Gen. 41: 15) There is an unusual symmetry in the portion of Miketz as well as in Vayeshev, both of which deal… Continue Reading “Shabbat Shalom” – Miketz 5779
Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Vayeshev (Genesis 37:1-40:23) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “And there passed by Midianite merchants, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver, and they brought Joseph down to Egypt. (Genesis 37:28) Who bears the ultimate responsibility… Continue Reading “Shabbat Shalom” – Vayeshev 5779
Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4-36:43) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, and they wept.” (Gen. 33:4) Years ago, a college classmate provocatively announced that he planned to name his first son “after the most maligned figure in… Continue Reading “Shabbat Shalom” – Vayishlach 5779
Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Vayetze (Genesis 28:10 – 32:3) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to wear, so that I shall come back to my fathers house in peace, then… Continue Reading “Shabbat Shalom” – Vayetze 5779
Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Toldot (Genesis 25:19 – 28:9) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “And Rebecca spoke to her son Jacob, saying… And now, my son, obey my voice according to which I command you…” (Genesis 27:5,7) One of the many glories of the Bible is that it recognizes the complex personality especially of… Continue Reading “Shabbat Shalom” – Toldot 5779
Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23:1 – 25:18) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “My lord hearken to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me.” (Genesis 23:14) A significant part of this Torah portion deals with Abraham’s purchase of the Hebron grave-site… Continue Reading “Shabbat Shalom” – Chayei Sarah 5779
Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Vayera (Genesis 18:1 – 22: 24) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “Take your son, your only son, the one whom you love, Isaac, and dedicate him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of.” (Genesis 22:2) As we have seen, there are… Continue Reading “Shabbat Shalom” – Vayera 5779
Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:1-17:27) By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “…and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3) Our biblical tradition seems to live in a constant paradox of tension between the universal and the particular; our obligations to the world at large and our obligations… Continue Reading “Shabbat Shalom” – Lech Lecha 5779
Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Noach (Genesis 6:9-11:32) By Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “Noah was a righteous man, whole-hearted in his generations; Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9) Was Noah truly righteous? And what does true righteousness entail? At first blush, this shouldn’t even be a question. Surely, the opening verse of the portion suggests that… Continue Reading “Shabbat Shalom” – Noach 5779
Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Bereshit (Genesis 1:1-6:8) By Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) Why does the Torah, the word of God given to Moses as His legacy to the Jewish people, begin with an account of creation, going off into gardens of Eden and towers… Continue Reading “Shabbat Shalom” – Bereishit 5779
Parshat V’zot HaBracha (Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12) Rabbi David Stav It is interesting to note that Hashem chose to end His Torah, “And there was no other prophet who arose in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, as manifested by all the signs and wonders, which the Lord had sent him to perform in the… Continue Reading “Parsha to the Point” – V’zot HaBracha 5779
