November 23, 2017 11:00 pm / Leave a comment
Preview: The midrashic partnership between Yissachar may have its textual origins in a much older partnership: that of Rachel and Leah, which immediately preceded the birth of these two boys.
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July 1, 2015 7:51 pm / 3 Comments on The Men in the Middle (Balak)
Preview: Yitro and Bilaam were both religious leaders of Midian. One became a good friend of Israel’s while the other set out to destroy them. Why?
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March 6, 2015 5:41 am / 5 Comments on You Can’t See Me (Ki Tissa)
Preview: On the meaning of the curious phrase, “man shall not see Me and live” – including parallels between Moshe, Eliyahu, and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
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January 8, 2015 3:16 am / 7 Comments on Look Who’s Talking (Shemot)
Preview: Why would Hashem choose a leader with a “heavy tongue and heavy mouth” to act as His spokesman to Pharaoh? For a clue, let’s look to an unlikely source: the “Tale of the Eloquent Peasant,” a very popular ancient Egyptian story about a man of great oratory skills who advocated for justice before the Pharaoh. Plus, other approaches.
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November 14, 2014 3:41 am / 3 Comments on Plea for Privacy (Chayei Sarah)
Preview: The tent as a symbol of privacy in Tanach, and how that symbol manifests in the lives of Avraham/Sarah vs. Yitzchak/Rivkah.
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October 24, 2014 4:32 pm / 2 Comments on It’s a Generational Thing (Noah)
Preview: Noach’s parshah begins the same way Yitzchak’s does: אלה תולדות נח vs. אלה תולדות יצחק. But Noach’s parshah is traditionally called “Noach” while Yitzchak’s is traditionally called “Generations.” Why? Exploring the surprising parallels (and “anti-parallels”) between these two may highlight the critical distinction between these two great men.
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April 17, 2014 11:25 pm / 3 Comments on On One Foot (Kedoshim)
Preview: Midrash analysis: What’s the symbolism of learning the entire Torah “on one foot?” Perhaps the implication is that conclusions reached from such a posture are fundamentally unbalanced. To practice “halacha” properly, one must eventually place both feet on the ground. Plus, commentary on the phrase “כלל גדול בתורה.”
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