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Dec 14, 2017, 2:48 PM

‘We’re Having a Miracle’ Chanukah 5778

I was in Great Neck, NY, last week visiting the North Shore Hebrew Academy. This is not your run-of-the-mill High School. It is a high-tech factory producing the next generation of Torah-observant senators, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists. The school is...

Dovid Kornreich

Dec 11, 2017, 11:03 AM

The Biblical Joseph: A Typical Victim of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Could it be that Joseph is a more fitting #metoo Biblical ‘poster child’ than Dina? I noticed that before the Torah reading of two Saturdays ago, there was a plethora of blog posts and online sermons dedicated to forging a...

Dec 10, 2017, 12:04 PM

Comforted but Not Comfortable

A Thought for The Week: There was a custom – in the pre-translated Chumash days – that on Shabbat afternoon people who could barely read, and certainly understood no Hebrew, would gather in Shul to hear someone repeat (in...

William Hamilton

Dec 8, 2017, 7:23 PM

Prophets and politicians

"You came at a poignant time in Israel’s history” a shopkeeper at Yad VaShem’s bookstore said yesterday. She was warmly greeting one of the Police Chiefs participating in our ADL Counterterrorism Mission. Headlines notwithstanding, it has been and remains...

Dec 8, 2017, 7:34 AM

It’s Not the Thought That Counts: A Lesson From Parshat Vayeishev

Some say it’s the thought that counts, but I disagree. I mean, I don’t care if my kids think about behaving nicely or cooperating, I care if they actually do it. And I can tell you that my wife...

Leonard Grunstein

Dec 7, 2017, 11:14 PM

A Striking Tale of Role Reversal and Lesson for our Times

Joseph, also known as, Yosef the Tzaddik, is a towering figure in the Bible. He is the quintessential immigrant, who overcame the most daunting of challenges to become a superstar in ancient Egyptian society. In this week’s Torah portion, we...

Sharona Margolin Halickman

Dec 7, 2017, 5:27 PM

Harassment in the workplace

The Talmud, Brachot 63a teaches: “Rebbe said, ‘One should not appoint an apotropos (custodian) over his home, for had Yosef not been appointed by Potiphar, he would never have come to the brink of sin.’” Breisheet Chapter 39 tells Yosef’s...

Dec 7, 2017, 4:47 PM

The defeat of despair

Joseph and Potiphar's Wife, by Guido Reni 1630. (Wikipedia)

Joseph's endurance reminds us that the bad things in life may herald imminent good (Vayeshev)

Dec 7, 2017, 1:04 PM

Judah’s test of leadership: Navigating in a treacherous world [Parshat Vayeshev]

Why are Jews (Yehudim) referred to as such? Historically speaking, the vast majority of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who remained committed to their traditions and faith after the first exile (586 B.C.E.) come from the tribe...

Dec 6, 2017, 5:33 PM

‘Stripes of the Rainbow’ Parashat Vayeshev 5778

This shiur will be slightly different than our typical shiur in that it consists of two parts. Both parts are connected with Joseph’s coat and both are based upon ideas from my wife, Tova. The shiur was written together. The...

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