Parshat Bo (Exodus 10:1-13:16) Rabbi David Stav The saga of the exodus from Egypt reaches a climax in this week’s portion, Bo. After Egypt endures nine plagues in the course of one year, the Egyptians now face the final and most
Parshat Vaera (Exodus 6:2-9:35) Rabbi David Stav Last week, as we began the Book of Exodus, we read anew about how the People of Israel became enslaved by Pharaoh. Their conditions worsened with time, but Moshe, chosen by God to speak
Parshat Shemot (Exodus 1:1-6:1) Rabbi David Stav Out of terrible human tragedies can come the most remarkable universal examples of heroism and humanity. Such is the case in Parshat Shemot. Curiously, although the Torah condenses hundreds of years of slavery and
Parshat Vayechi (Genesis 47:28-50:26) Rabbi David Stav Ironically, the only two Torah portions whose names contain the word “chayyim” – life – center on death. The first is Parshat Chayei Sarah, which details the burial of our matriarch, Sarah. The second
Parshat Vayigash (Genesis 44:18-47:27) Rabbi David Stav Parshat Vayigash features a description of the difficult encounter between Joseph and his brothers, after a 22-year period of estrangement and physical separation. As the second most powerful leader in Egypt, Joseph accuses his brothers
Ladino After Auschwitz by Rabbi Eliahu Birnbaum, Director of OTS’s Straus-Amiel and Beren-Amiel Emissary Training Programs The “bad guys” in the story of the Salonika community are not the Greeks, but rather the Germans. In the city that absorbed Spanish evacuees and
Parshat Miketz (Genesis 41:1-44:17) Rabbi David Stav This week’s reading, Parshat Miketz, opens with Pharaoh’s dream, which features skinny cows devouring fat cows, and thin, withered sheaves of wheat devouring sheaves that were full and beautiful. Pharaoh is troubled by his
Parshat Vayeshev (Genesis 37:1-40:23) Rabbi David Stav Parshat Vayeshev centers on the sale of Joseph by his brothers, an event that led to the entire family going down to Egypt and the slavery that ensued there. Over the generations, commentators have
Parshat Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4-36:43) Rabbi David Stav After spending nearly twenty years away from home, Jacob returns to the Land of Israel. But his return is marred by a glaring absence at home. We recall that his mother Rebecca was the
Parshat Vayetze (Genesis 28:10-32:3) Rabbi David Stav As Jacob escapes from the Land of Israel from his murderous brother and heads for Haran, God shows him a vision of a ladder rooted in the ground whose top reaches the heavens, and
Parshat Toldot (Genesis 25:19-28:9) Rabbi David Stav “It came to pass when Isaac was old, and his eyes were too dim to see…” [Gen. 27:1]. Why did Isaac go blind? Was this an ailment of old age? Or perhaps was it an
Parshat Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23:1-25:18) Rabbi David Stav Parshat Chayyei Sarah begins with the death and burial of our matriarch, Sarah, who passed away at the age of 127. Abraham, wishing to bury her, needed a burial site. Since he was a
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