56 Lessons
A leader must be a wise man who anticipates the future
Learning from Yosef how a leader should behave and should look ahead.
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu | KIslev 29 5782
Yosef & Yehuda, Nationalism & Universalism?
In this week's Torah portion of Miketz, we encounter Yaakov's sons Yosef and Yehuda, two leaders in Israel who appear to represent two different approaches...What is very interesting is that we find in the writings of the saintly Rav Kook that the roles of Yosef and Yehuda seem to actually be reversed. Rav Kook deals with the concept of two Messiahs, one to be followed by the other; Messiah ben Yosef and Messiah ben David (descended from Yehuda)...
Rabbi Amatzya Berkowitz | Kislev 29 5782
Appearance and Reality
The encounter between Joseph and his brothers is the fifth in a series of stories in which clothes play a key role. What all five cases have in common is that they facilitate deception. In each case, they bring about a situation in which things are not as they seem.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Kislev 28 5782
Timing Is Everything
"…what cannot be solved by wisdom, will eventually be solved by the passage of time." It seems that time is never neutral, and that its passage certainly influences decisions and events that take place in human society.
Rabbi Berel Wein | Kislev 28 5782
Empowering Others
Paul O'Neill's tenure at ALCO Aluminum Company as CEO from 1987 to 2000 increased the value ofthe company's shares five times, and its market capitalization by $27 billion. How did he do it?
Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair | Kislev 28 5782
The Many Implications of Shever
In the middle section of Parashat Miketz, that root is “shever.” Not only is it used many times, but it is also used with different meanings. We will take a look at several of the contexts and learn more about this important and versatile root.
Rabbi Yossef Carmel | Kislev 27 5782
Diaspora Is Affliction (Even When You're Rich)
Israel National Torah
An explanation of why Yosef referred to Egypt as the "land of my affliction" even when he was one of the most powerful and wealthy individuals living there. (Hint: It's connected to the fact that Egypt is not Israel)
Baruch Gordon | Tevet 3 5780
Miketz
Rabbi Berel Wein | Tevet 2 5781
Two Years of Days and Miracles in Those Days
Rabbi Yossef Carmel | Tevet 2 5781
A Sweet Change of Pace
What beracha does one recite over chocolate-covered raisins?
The Torah teaches that the second time the brothers came down to Mitzrayim, Yaakov told them to bring treats from Eretz Yisroel with which to woo Pharoah. Of course, they had no chocolate to bring, but we can discuss a different royal treat that the Aztecs considered a royal beverage.
Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff | Tevet 2 5781
Three Approaches to Dreams
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Kislev 27 5781
Yosef’s Menora
Rabbi Stewart Weiss | Kislev 29 5780
Not Raising One’s Hand or Leg?
Rabbi Yossef Carmel | Kislev 29 5780
Joseph and the Risks of Power
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Kislev 24 5780
OIL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL
Rabbi Stewart Weiss | Kislev 26 5779
Water to Extinguish the Flame
Last week we saw that Yosef, before telling its details, told his brothers that he had a dream. This was meant to convey that he was divinely chosen to be the prophet/leader and that this was done to try to put their acrimony to rest. We also posited that, with the content of the dream, Yosef reassured them that even though he would be the continuation of the forefathers, they would still have a positive role to play, which had not happened in previous generations.
Rabbi Yossef Carmel | Kislev 27 5779
The Universal and the Particular
Mikketz 5779
Mikketz 5779
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | KIslev 25 5779
A G-d Who Cares for Others
In Paroh’s dream, he was standing on top of the Nile (Bereishit 41:1). Chazal stressed that this is a hint at the phenomenon that the evil exist “on top of their gods” (Bereishit Rabba 69:3). The Nile is the god of Egypt because it gives them life, turning the river course, found in the midst of a scorching desert, into a flourishing pearl of growth and sustenance. An Egyptian god is a god to the extent that it “produces results,” providing needs and desires. The idol of a defeated nation stops being their idol. Egypt knew that they developed because of the Nile and knew how to value the provider of food and water. They knew, in their eyes, how to provide treats and tributes for the Nile. If one sacrifices before a god, it is based on the assumption that it will provide the one who offered it a net gain.
Rabbi Shaul Yisraeli zt"l | Kislev 26 5778
The Stuff of Dreams
Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff | Kislev 24 5778