Thoughts on the Parashat Miketz The Torah portion for this week contains the famous story of Joseph, Pharaoh and his dreams of seven fat cows that are swallowed up by seven lean cows, and of seven fat ears of grain swallowed by seven lean ears. Joseph interprets the dreams to mean that seven years of […]

When I was 13 or 14 years old, I really wanted to have a pair of Wrangler jeans. However, my parents thought they were relatively expensive, so they would buy me pairs of other, cheaper brands instead. Then they would spend the money thus saved to send me to an additional summer camp or to […]

You’ve prepared your clothes for the next day. You brushed your teeth. You turned off the light. You’ve assumed your favorite sleeping position. But somehow you cannot fall asleep. Does this sound familiar? Many of us experience problems with falling asleep. We are bothered by thoughts for which we did not have time throughout the […]

Thoughts on Parashat Vayetze [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]And Laban said to him, “You are truly my bone and flesh.” When he had stayed with him a month’s time. (Bereshit 29:14)[/perfectpullquote] Jacob, at the urging of his mother and father, escapes from his brother, Esau, who, overwhelmed with anger at the lie […]

Beit Warszawa, 9th. November 2018 The Hebrew word ‘Toldot’, the name for this week’s sidra, strictly means ‘Generations’ – Those who have been born – and is used more loosely to mean ‘The Generations’ and ‘History’. The Hebrew verbal root ”Y’L’D” is used to mean ”to be born” or ”to give birth” – ”Yeled” is […]

Mi Dor va Dor — from generation to generation – these words have a special significance in our tradition. They symbolize the continuity of the chain of passing on Jewish tradition despite centuries of persecution, due to which throughout the first thousand years after the destruction of the Temple the number of Jews living across […]