Self-Mutilation Prohibited The tools necessary to cope with bereavement are inherent in Devarim 14:1. This pasuk tells us: “You are children to Hashem, do not
Yaakov’s death unleashed fear and terror amongst the brothers. Free of the restraining influence of his father, Yosef would certainly avenge his sale as a
Last year, my friend Leibe Leichter had a flight that was canceled. He didn’t receive a refund after a reasonable time, so he spoke to
Editor’s note: This series is reprinted with permission from “Insights & Attitudes: Torah Essays on Fundamental Halachic and Hashkafic Issues,” a publication of www.TorahWeb.org. The
The Talmud Yerushalmi writes that kibud av v’em, honoring parents, is of the loftiest of mitzvos. A person is exempt from the observance of other
There is an expression, “ma’aseh avot siman la’bonim,” the actions of our forefathers are a lesson for us now. In parshas Vayechi (48:8-10), we read
In Nedarim 62b, Rava asserts that Torah scholars are exempt from the “kraga,” or head tax. As Rav Steinsaltz notes, “kraga” is derived from the
I think most people agree that people shouldn’t air their dirty laundry in public, nor should they broadcast their personal issues to everyone they meet
וַיִּקְרְבוּ יְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָמוּת וַיִּקְרָא לִבְנוֹ לְיוֹסֵף וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אִם נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ שִׂים נָא יָדְךָ תַּחַת יְרֵכִי וְעָשִׂיתָ עִמָּדִי חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת אַל נָא
Author’s Note: As we wind down Sefer Bereishit, this week will be the final installment of Parenting from the Parsha. It’s been two years since
אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי … וְהַלֻּחֹת מַעֲשֵׂה אֱלֹקים הֵמָּה וְהַמִּכְתָּב מִכְתַּב אֱלֹקים הוּא חָרוּת עַל הַלֻּחֹת, אַל תִּקְרָא חָרוּת אֶלָּא חֵרוּת, שֶׁאֵין לְךָ בֶן
At the end of Parshat Vayechi—which of course is also the end of Sefer Bereishit—Yosef tells his brothers that Egypt is only a temporary stop.
