Parsha Vayishev: A Little of the Torah Barleycorn

Hello from the heart of darkness… Ok, maybe I am exaggerating, but we are coming into the darkest week of the year, the week of the new moon closest to the winter solstice.  And what do the children of Yisrael (Israel) do during the darkest week?  They light candles! Now perhaps I should have saved this intro for the shabbat that falls during the week of Hanukah, but I couldn’t resist using it here.  We’ll see how it fits into … Continue reading

Hanukkah: It’s All About Trust

Hanukkah started tonight; so, I thought I would share a thought or two about it. Why did the sages make Hanukkah a holiday? The obvious answer is the two miracles:  defeating the Greeks and the oil lasting 8 days.  However, we have had other miracles like these that the sages did not turn into holidays:  Joshua stopping the sun and the defeat of Cicero two name just two.  So why did the sages make a holiday of Hanukkah? The answer … Continue reading