1. Shemot 13:17 – Why does Rashi refrain from citing the Midrash? יג:יז: ויהי בשלח פרעה את העם ולא נחם אלהים דרך ארץ פלשתים כי קרוב הוא – ונוח לשוב באותו הדרך למצרים, ומדרשי אגדה יש הרבה Ex. 13:17: When Pharaoh let the people go, Elohim did not lead them…
When my daughter was in third or fourth grade in an ultra-orthodox school, she told me of an interesting exchange she had with her Humash teacher. The teacher spoke about the survivor who escaped the war in which Lot, Abraham’s nephew, was captured, and said that it was Og the…
Whomever has those three character traits… jealousy, arrogance, and an insatiable soul, is a disciple of Balaam the wicked. This Mishna concisely describes the shortcomings of Balaam, a man who is referred to in the Torah as both a prophet and a sorcerer. He is a man who seems to…
Noah, the man of the land, started [rebuilding after the flood] by planting a vineyard. He drank of the wine, became inebriated, and exposed himself naked in his tent. Ham, Canaan’s father, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside the tent. Shem and Yephet took the robe…
Reading Between the Lines in Miketz Questions for discussion: In verse 41:14 we read that Yosef “shaved and changed clothes”. Whose initiative was it? Can it be proven from the grammar? How does Pharaoh echo Yosef’s language? How are Yaakov and Pharaoh similar in their treatment of Yosef? Why did…
For Parashat VaYeshev I have a confession to make. I love Tanakh. Obsessed with Tanakh. I go back to familiar verses and read them over and over again, looking for unturned stones under which I find treasures. At times, I feel that commentary takes away from the beauty and dynamics…
For Sefer Beresheet This article is not a commentary, rather food for thought, an invitation to explore the many layers of this fascinating First Book of the Torah. It is shorter than the regular column, yet longer, since the reader will need to research the ideas presented here, decipher them,…
“They shall eat the meat on that night, roasted, with matzoth and bitter herbs” The first ever lean burger, is the central dish, at least verbally, at our Seder table. We all follow the Mishnaic maxim of Rabban Gamliel, which obligates us to pronounce the words פסח מצה ומרור –…
ויתן אל משה ככלותו לדבר אתו – He gave Moshe [the Tablets] when He concluded speaking with him. These words describe the transmission of knowledge from master to disciple, and it is only natural that they sparked a lively discussion in the Midrash. Here is one paragraph of the Midrash…
Prayer is not a biblical commandment. According to Nahmanides, that is. According to Maimonides, it is a biblical commandment, but even he agrees that the original concept was much more limited than it is today, as one would pray once a day, in a language and format which suited him…