Parsha Vayishev: A Torah of Leadership

Happy Hanukah everyone, This shabbat, we read the parsha (Torah portion) called Vayishev which means, “And he sat,” as in, “And Yaakov (Jacob) sat in the land of the journeys of his father, in the land of Cnaan,” which is the first verse of the parsha. I tend to look at the usage of the word sitting, in the way English uses the word squatting.  Squatting means more than just sitting.  It also means to sit in a place in … Continue reading

Parsha Vayishev: Fate or Free Will

Hanukah begins just as Shabbat is going out.  This reminds me of what rabbi Aaron, the rabbi of a shul I prayed at when I was in Jerusalem, said a few years back.  He shared how Hanukah is a time of juxtaposition between the individual and the community.  I want to take it a step further; I want to talk about the juxtaposition of free will and fate.  Now before anyone asks about free will versus haShem (God) being all … Continue reading