Parshah Columnists

A virtuous person thinks in terms of duties and responsibilities. What is my role? What is my obligation? But a leader thinks in terms of needs. What are the needs of this person? This organization? This population?

We can put up with quite a lot when we know there’s an end to it.

"His eyes are red with wine," Jacob blessed his fourth son Judah, "and his teeth are white with milk." In a Chassidic discourse, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi explains the spiritual significance of "teeth", "whiteness", "redness" and "wine"

In an age of instant messaging, instant coffee and instant soup, how long would you wait for a return on a favor before you wrote it off? Patience may be considered a virtue but for many, we are too impatient to be that virtuous...

It would be helpful to know the date of the final Redemption. But the Redemption would not be perfect were it brought about with such help. (“Parsha Perks” with Dr Michael Chighel | Vayechi)

Much of Judaism is a vast, sprawling set of laws that govern what you do. Where’s the G‑dliness, the holiness, in it all?

Judaism isn’t only for those naturally passionate or excitable.

Wine represents passion and love. Wine awakens emotion within a person, bringing to the fore feelings that are sometimes hidden within the heart.

One moment of action, against nine years of prayer and fasting...

A distinction between men and women is described in Jacob's last request from his son Joseph

Jacob and Moses give the blessing of oil to the tribe of Asher. But there seems to be one difference between the two blessings. What is its significance and the eternal lesson in our lives.

Many act like it ain't happening. They dress the dead in tuxes and ballroom dresses and do the dead's hair and apply them with make-up. We're here to celebrate a life, they chirp, while the elephant in the room swishes his large head

After all others failed, Rachel successfully persuaded G-d to eventually bring her children back from their exiled lands. What merit did she have which swayed G-d?

Reuben's descendents were destined to be the royalty of Israel. But alas, because of his shortcoming, that right was taken from him, and the kingship of Israel was transferred to Judah. But why Judah?

Truth is consistent, from beginning to end. To truly live, one needs to be alive throughout one's life...

G‑d created Adam and Eve unclothed, and they walked around the Garden of Eden . . . naked. If public nudity was fine with G‑d, why does the Torah tell us to be modest, to cover up, to subdue our natural allure? What changed?

People of the highest stature, high priests, looked for a wife from the daughters of Asher . . . Which is odd, if you think about it. Why would such a holy man pursue a wife from a neighboring tribe just because she was beautiful?

Jews don’t glorify death, even though we believe that there is glory after death. Instead, Jews celebrate life. So, long after someone dies, we continue to celebrate his or her life. Even the Torah’s description of death can be viewed as a description of life. Especially the death of Jacob.

All day, I couldn’t shake the haunting image of a child, shaken from sleep, startled out of complacency, crying instinctively for his mother.

There is a difference between experiencing suffering and perceiving that experience as suffering.

Our sages say that Jacob never died alive. What is the message to us and can we reconnect to our deceased loved ones?

Some people just don’t appreciate the blessing that children bring. They figure there’ll be plenty of time in the future to settle down and get serious. Why not enjoy their lifestyle or build a career first.

Knowledge may bring power, but absolute knowledge brings utter powerlessness

Why was the leadership of Israel taken from Reuben and given to Judah? What does this teach us about the leaders we should choose to follow and the leadership we should display?

Not only did he have no desire for revenge, he would not even concede that his brothers had actually succeeded in doing anything to him for which he should feel wronged...

Teshuvah is the ultimate assertion of freedom. Time then becomes an arena of change in which the future redeems the past and a new concept is born – the idea we call hope.

Joseph had in double measure one of the necessary gifts of a leader: the ability to keep going despite opposition, envy, false accusation and repeated setbacks.

Don’t we all harbor inside of us memories that elicit our strongest emotions against individuals who deceived or misled us?

“This was not during the rainy season, when I could claim that it was because of the mud that I did not bring her to Hebron. The roads were dry and good. Still, I buried her alongside the road to Ephrath . . .”

At first, I was stubborn, not wanting to consider the suggestion that the day might come.

An incredible story of hope, miracles and prayer.

Even when our people were swallowed up by the Egyptian monster, the divine breath never left us.