“Vayechi Yaakov b’Eretz Mitzrayim {And Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt} for seventeen years. And the years of Yaakov’s life were one hundred and forty seven years.[47:28-29]” The parsha of “Vayechi Yaakov {And Yaakov lived}” paradoxically deals with Yaakov’s…
The Talmud (Zevachim 116a) discusses what made Yithro, a gentile priest, come to join our nation? R. Yehoshua says it was the war of Amalek; R. Elazar HaModai says the giving of the Torah; R. Eliezer says the splitting of…
As Yaakov takes leave of this world, he beseeches his son Yoseph with the following request “and do for me kindness and truth, please don’t bury me in Egypt”. Rashi mentions that kindness one does with the dead is termed…
The end of life somehow affords a clearer perspective than ever before, so a person’s last words are arguably the most powerful they’ll ever say. Accordingly, halacha gives great import to the words of a dying person, permitting certain financial acquisitions not…
Anyone who was really focusing on their watches at midnight on the 31st December would have noticed something strange. If you were one of those people who couldn’t wait for 2016 to be over, then unfortunately you would have had to…
As we complete the first book of the Torah we are left with a subconscious message hinted throughout the Parasha. It all begins with the name of this week’s Parasha – Vayechi. In essence the Parasha relates Yaakov’s last years…
You Only Live Once, but are you alive? Some YOLO’s eat, drink and make merry, for after all, tomorrow they may die. But is that real life? In the words of my rebbi, “Are you alive because you are alive or because a bus…
