Parasha of the Week

  Vayigash We left off last week with Joseph's pronouncement that he was keeping Benjamin as a slave for stealing his wine cup. Judah steps forward to challenge the decision and offers himself as a slave instead of Benjamin. Joseph is overcome with emotion, clears the room of all Egyptians and then reveals his identity to his unsuspecting brothers.  The brothers are shocked! They suspect Joseph's intentions, but accept his offer to bring the extended family to Egypt. Jacob is initially numb and disbelieving of the news, but becomes very excited to see his son.  During the famine, Joseph buys up all of the property and people in Egypt for Pharaoh with the grain stored during the seven good years. The Torah recounts the 70 members of Jacob's family which went down to Egypt. Jacob reunites with Joseph, meets Pharaoh and settles with the family in the Goshen district.  * * * Dvar Torah  Rabbi Zelig Pliskin When Judah decides to argue with the Egyptian viceroy (who w...

  Joseph is the dreamer.   At once, it is a gift and a curse.  It is a gift because the dreams are prescient.  Each one accurately predicts the future.   Joseph prophesies.  Who would not covet the ability to be privy to what will happen tomorrow?  It is a curse because Joseph is oblivious to the meaning and import of his dreams.  Innocently, Joseph approaches his family and does not flinch from sharing details of a prophesy that has them groveling before their younger sibling.  His brothers realize the gravity of the dream; they recognize the gift and use it as a weapon against him.   Jacob, the father, also understands Joseph’s gift.  Even as he rails against the implication of Joseph’s night visions, he ‘guards what Joseph has spoken.’    As years pass Joseph changes.  Almost unnoticed Joseph is transformed from dreamer to interpreter of dreams.  Does Jose...

  "They shall make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them. According to what I will show you, after the form of the Tabernacle and the form of all its vessels, and so shall you do." (Exodus 25:8)   The Talmud comments that the end of the verse -- " so shall you do " -- means: "so shall you do through all the generations." (Sanhedrin, 16b) This is the only  parhsa  not in the Book of Genesis in which the name of Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our Teacher) does not appear. One reason for this is that after the sin of the golden calf (next week's  parsha ) Moshe Rabbeinu prayed to Hashem (God) that He pardon the Jews for their sin. "...but if not, erase me from Your book" (Exodus 32:32). Though Hashem did forgive the sin, the words of a tzaddik are so powerful they have an affect even if predicated on a condition. And so Moshe Rabbeinu's name does not appear in the  parsha. Nochum of Chernobyl once lost sensation in his legs on Shabbat. H...

Based on Rebbe Nachman "Well," his wife asked, "if your shoes are so beautiful, why does everybody else make a healthy profit from their shoes and you make a pittance?" "I'm not losing money, am I?" answered the Innocent. "And besides, why should we talk about others? This is their story and this is my story." All sorts of materials were used in constructing the Mishkan: wool, linen, animal hides, gold, silver and copper. Various instruments and parts were fashioned from these materials: the Menorah, the Table, the Torah Ark, beams, curtains, overhangs and more. It's nice to be gold necklace and have everybody ooh-and-ah over you. It's nice to be silver candlesticks and sit as a centerpiece and be admired. It's rough being a copper pot, sitting on a hot fire, being dropped and banged around. It's an honor being a beautiful woolen curtain, announcing the entrance to God's inner chamber. It's a blast being the Altar, bei...

 On God. These words are sung in the Shabbat and holy day Musaf:  Holy, holy, holy, the universe is filled with His radiance.   There is not quadrant or even an infinitesimal speck in the most remote regions of the cosmos that does not contain the essence of the Almighty.  The universe is filled with Him.  Yet we label the most proximate place of God as the Shechina.  Shechina is the “Place “ where the Holy One, blessed be He, can be most strongly felt. In Terumah, there is an elaborate description on creating and maintaining a “place” or Mishkan where the presence of the Holy One can be found.  In fact the parsaha is devoted to sorting out the specific details of how to construct this dwelling place for God. Question: Did we not just say that there is no place in the universe where Divine sparks cannot be found?  Why then build a Mishkan for God? The decision to have a Mishkan, or dwelling place on earth, dedicated to God...

  The world only stands because of three key elements: Law, Truth and Peace.     Pirkay Avot 1:18   Law is the consistent and just application of rules to insure life in society.  Mishpatim contains the elements necessary for governance.  It is not enough to “feel” that we are doing the right thing because we might be wrong.  After all, is it not clear that our first order of business is to protect ourselves?  With self-interest at the heart of our actions we cannot be trusted to care for others with the same standard that we care for ourselves.  Torah recognizes that the broad strokes of Law are central to existence.   Pray for the government, warns Rabbi Hanina.  If it were not for the fear of such a hierarchy and order man would consume one another.   Pirkay Avot 3:2   If we rely upon people to do the right thing without consequences or binding law evil will ascend with dizzying swiftn...

  The last 17 years of Jacob’s life were spent in Egypt.  Like all   tzaddikim  the aging Patriarch was told of the moment of his death, so he gathered his children around his bedside as he was about to leave this world.  Yet before Jacob speaks to his children, he first blesses his grandchildren, Ephraim and Manasseh.   Young, innocent and untainted grandfather Jacob blesses them and to this day we bless out children in the same way, “May G-d make you as Ephraim and Manasseh.” Then Jacob turns to his children. Question:  what would you do if you knew you had hours perhaps a day to live? What would matter? What you want to put in order? What words would you need to speak?  Is there something that was left undone?   Imagine the feeling and import of dying. Is there a reason why G-d only reveals this secret to  tzaddikim  and keeps the rest of us in dark?    The Torah reading tells the...