Vezot Habracha: Eternal Security The roots שכן and בטח appear together twice in Parashat Vezot Habracha: דב‘ לג:יב – לְבִנְיָמִן אָמַר...

Parshas הַאַזִינוּ Do We Hear What’s in the Balance? אָזֶן : ear מֹאזְנַיִם : scales אִזוּן : balance הַאֲזִינוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וַאֲדַבֵּרָה...

Summary of the essay for P' Haazinu: The word עקש appears for the first time in Scripture in this week's Parashah. Rashi explains the...

Parshas וַיֵלֶך The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful רָעָה: evil, bad רוֹעֶה: shepherd מַרְעֶה: pasture תְּרוּעָה: teruah, sound of the...

Parshas נְצָבִים Sweetening the Din עֶרֶב: evening מַעַרַב: west, מַעַרִב: evening prayers עַרָבָה: desert עַרָבוֹת: willow branch עַרַב:...

Parshas כִּי תָבוֹא There Is Nothing Greater אָמֵן: Amen אֶמוּנָה: trust אֻמָנוֹת: trade, artisan אוֹמֶנֶת: midwife, nurse, babysitter...

The Torah says, “A judge you shall not curse and a prince/king in your nation shall you not curse” (Ex. 22:27). This passage forbids...

Parshas כִּי תֵצֵא War — What Is It Good For? לֶחֶם: bread מִלְחָמָה: war כִּי תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל אֹיְבֶיךָ וּנְתָנוֹ ה’ אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ...

The Torah mentions a special prayer which Moshe would say when the Ark of the Covenant would begin to travel (we say this prayer when...

Parshas שׁוֹפְטִים The One Who Has the Light Shines the Way שֶׁמֶשׁ: sun שִׁמוּשׁ: to use, to serve שַׁמַשׁ: shammash שַׁמַשׁ: shammash...

fter Joseph told his brothers about his dreams, which seemed to foretell Joseph’s eventual rise to greatness and leadership over his...

Parshas רְאֵה A Sky Full of Stars — Knowing Our Place שָׁם: there שֵׁם: name הַשֵׁם: Hashem, the name שֵׁם: son of Noach נְשָׁמָה: soul...

Have you ever heard an old Jewish Bubby (Yiddish for “grandmother”) refer to wild kids as chayot or behemot? Do you know what she’s...

Parshas עֵקֶב Heal the Heel and Walk the Straight Path עֵקֶב: if only, to step upon, because of, end reward עֵקֶב: heel עִיקוּב: curved...

The Bible uses many words that mean “rain”. The rationale for this might simply be that rainfall was so important to ancient Jewish...

“Listen O heavens, and I will speak, and the earth shall hear the words of my mouth…” (Deut. 32:1). These are the opening words of a...

Parshas וָאֶתְחַנַן A Bridge Over Troubled Waters עָבַר: past עִבְרִי: Hebrew (person) מַעַבַר: bridge, crossing עַבֵירָה: sin, a breach...

Parshas דְּבָרִים Giving Sound to the Silence דְּבָרִים: words דָבָר: thing מִדְבָּר: desert דְבִיר: Holy of Holies אַבְּרָא כְּדַבְּרָא:...

The Number Eleven R. Yonah ibn Janach (990–1055) explains that ashtei-asar is a contraction of the words al (“on”) and shtei-asar...