The Binding Walls of Jerusalem
Jewish unity is an important value in the Torah. God only rests his presence on the Jewish people when they…
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The Continuity of Jerusalem
Our parsha opens with the broadest of all possible lenses. While Moshe is beset with pain over the Jewish people’s…
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Trusting G-D in Jerusalem
In this week’s parsha, Moshe heroically protects his Jewish brother by killing the cruel Egyptian overlord. To protect his standing…
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The Communal Torah of Jerusalem
In Yaakov’s final blessings to his children, he juxtaposes Zevulun and Yissachar. He first blesses Zevulun for his ships and…
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Yosef: The Diaspora Jew Who Self-Defines as Zion
The Midrash in this week’s parsha compares Yosef to Zion. Each step of Yosef’s journey – from his initial favored…
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The Maccabees, Jerusalem, and the Land of Israel
The Maccabean revolt revolved around several axes. On one level, it was a fight against religious persecution. The Greeks forbade…
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The “Coincidences” of Jerusalem
This week’s parsha begins the long saga of Yosef’s life. His eventful story begins as a young teenager in his…
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The Goodness of Jerusalem
When Yaakov hears that Esav is approaching him with a small army of four hundred soldiers, Yaakov understandably is fearful:…
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The Long-Short Wait
Yaakov faces many challenges in our parsha. Perhaps the most pernicious is that Lavan interferes with the most precious and…
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The Planting of the Shechina in Jerusalem
Yitzhak tends to repeat the behaviors of his father Avraham. Therefore, when there is a famine in the land it…
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