Leah
Vayetzei – Synthesis of Opposites
What is the significance of the contrast between Rebecca coming to Israel to marry Isaac, as opposed to Jacob going to Charan to marry Rachel and Leah? Why is it as ‘hard’ for Hashem to create matches between men and women as it is for Him to split the sea? Why did Jacob remove the…
Read MoreVayetzei – Thanks and surrender
What can we learn from the names Leah gave her children? What is the progression we observe? Why does she thank Hashem with Yehuda’s birth? What is the connection between thanks and admission (surrender)? How does one surrender when the ego is strong? Find out in this week’s Parsha Podcast. Running time: 24:02
Read MoreVayetzei – Catalyst for Good
Why do we find that Esav’s anger is the catalyst for Yakov being sent to Charan to begin his family? Why is there so much emotional difficulty surrounding the relationships of Leah, Rochel and Yakov? Why does Yakov face the challenges of Lavan? Why does Yakov decide to return when Yosef is born? Find out…
Read MoreDina and Shechem revisited (again)
I have had some interesting responses to the podcast/post on Dina and Shechem, and I wanted to share some of my further thoughts on the matter. Much of the following thoughts came as a result of discussions I had with my wife as well as my sister. I also thank TQ for bringing up this…
Read MoreShechem, Yosef and Dina
Some wild and interesting thoughts occurred to me last week, and I hope you will indulge me for a few moments. I do not have a source for any of my conclusions, but the basis is information you will recognize, and the implications will be quite intriguing. When the Torah describes Dina’s birth, the commentaries…
Read More