Torah Portion: Vayechi (Genesis 47:28–50:26) Parashat Vayechi is the final portion of the book of Genesis, yet it does not feel like an ending. Instead, it feels like a handoff—a quiet transition from promise to process, from family to nation. One of the first things the sages point out is that Vayechi is a “closed portion” ( parashah setumah ). There is no visual break between the end of Vayigash and the beginning of Vayechi. According to Rashi , this teaches that when Ja

Torah Portion: Vayigash (Genesis 44:18–47:27) Last week, in Parashat Miketz, we left off with tension hanging in the air. Joseph—still unrecognized by his brothers—had placed a final test before them. Benjamin, the youngest and most vulnerable, stood accused. The question remained: Had the brothers truly changed? This week’s Torah portion, Vayigash, answers that question in one of the most powerful moments in the entire book of Genesis.

There is something unsettling about Joseph’s story — not in his suffering, but in his timing. By the time Joseph’s brothers stand before him in Egypt, the famine is already underway, the storehouses are already full, and Joseph’s authority is already secured. The work that mattered most has already been done. And yet, nothing feels resolved. His identity remains hidden. His family remains fractured. Recognition has not yet arrived. Miketz teaches a difficult truth: completion

The Torah never uses the word Mashiach lightly. And yet, Jewish tradition has long recognized that certain figures in Scripture carry messianic weight — not because they are the Messiah themselves, but because they embody a pattern God repeats throughout history. Among these figures, Joseph stands unique . The sages do not merely view Joseph as a righteous individual or a successful administrator. They see him as a prototype of redemption , a shadow of a future deliverer wh

Parashat Miketz does not end with Joseph’s elevation alone. Beneath the historical narrative lies a prophetic pattern — one that Scripture will echo centuries later. The Torah is not merely telling us what happened; it is revealing how God redeems . Joseph’s story becomes a living template. The Righteous One Hidden, Then Revealed Joseph is rejected by his brothers, sold for silver, falsely accused, and imprisoned — though innocent. For years, he is hidden from the world. Whe

Genesis 41:1–44:17 There are moments in life when everything feels suspended — promises unfulfilled, prayers unanswered, doors closed. Parashat Miketz opens precisely in such a space. The portion begins with two simple but powerful words: “Miketz shnatayim yamim” — “At the end of two full years…” (Genesis 41:1). Two years after Joseph correctly interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker, Joseph is still in prison. Forgotten. Waiting. Silent. And yet, what look

Parashat Vayeshev — Genesis 37:1–40:23 1. Introduction: The Illusion of Settling The portion begins with one word: Vayeshev — וַיֵּשֶׁב — “And he settled.” Yaakov finally wants to rest, to live in peace after decades of conflict. But the rabbis say something powerful: “The righteous seek to dwell in tranquility, but God says: Is it not enough what awaits you in the World to Come? Must you also demand rest in this world?” In other words: Comfort is not where destiny grows. God

The story of Dinah in Parashat Vayishlach is more than a tragic incident—it is a mirror into the fractures inside Jacob’s family long before Shechem ever appeared. To understand why Jacob responded one wayand why his sons responded another, we must go back to the beginning.

Night settled slowly over the camp, pulling its long shadow across the tents of Jacob and his children. The torches burned low, and the sound of livestock quieted. A heavy stillness lay over the camp—a stillness Jacob felt inside his chest.

Vayishlach (“And he sent”) opens with Ya’akov Avinu (Jacob our Father) preparing to meet Esav after twenty years of separation—twenty years filled with fear, guilt, and unanswered questions.

This week we enter one of the most mysterious moments in all of Scripture — Ya‘akov’s dream of a ladder spiraling into the heavens. But what if that ladder wasn’t straight at all? What if Ya‘akov saw the very blueprint of life — a living, spiral staircase like DNA, with angels ascending and descending on the divine code that would shape Israel and bring forth the Messiah? Discover how ancient rabbinical commentary, Hebrew text, and the teachings of Yeshua illuminate this mome

1. The Torah Narrative in Context 1.1 The Birth of Two Nations (Gen. 25:19–34) Rebekah conceives twins after years of barrenness. The struggle in her womb leads her to inquire of Adonai, and God reveals: “Two nations are in your womb… the older will serve the younger.” (Gen. 25:23) From the beginning, this is not merely a story about two brothers — it is prophetic history. Esau represents a man of the field, impulsive and led by his appetites. Jacob represents a quiet man, dw

Bereshit / Genesis 23:1 – 25:18 Introduction Parashat Chayei Sarah begins not with Sarah’s life — but with her death . “The life of Sarah was one hundred years and twenty years and seven years — these were the years of Sarah.” (Genesis 23:1) The sages have long noted that the name of this portion is paradoxical. Why is the portion called "Chayei Sarah" — the Life of Sarah — when the very first thing recorded is her death? Rashi teaches that the Torah lists Sarah’s years in t

Fire did not fall on Sodom as a random punishment. It was the climax of a culture that hardened itself against compassion, humility, hospitality, and justice. Sodom was not just immoral — it was apathetic. Self-centered. Comfort-addicted.Spiritually numb. Ezekiel gives the divine diagnosis: “Behold, this was the guilt of Sodom — she had pride, fullness of bread, abundance of idleness — but she did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.”— Ezekiel 16:49 This is crucial.

Before fire ever fell…before judgment ever came…Abraham stood in the gap. He didn’t say: “They deserve it.” “They’re wicked.” “Let God take care of them.” Instead — he pleads. He negotiates. He uses covenant status not for his own benefit…but to lift the burden of others. This is the true heart of priesthood. The righteous do not delight in judgment — they seek mercy. This is exactly what the apostolic writers understood. Paul writes: “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer t

This week’s portion opens with a simple yet overwhelming sentence: “And HaShem appeared to him…” (Genesis 18:1) Avraham is sitting outside his tent — still sore from circumcision — in the heat of the day. It’s quiet, it’s dry, the desert is still. And suddenly… God shows up. But God doesn’t appear alone. Three mysterious visitors approach Avraham’s tent. And even in pain, Avraham runs to serve them. He doesn’t hesitate. He doesn’t wait for them to ask. He offers his best — fr

The portion Lech Lecha opens with a simple yet life-altering command. God tells Avram to leave everything — his land, culture, and family and journey toward a promise unseen.

1. Introduction — More Than a Tower For centuries, the story of the Migdal Bavel (מִגְדַּל בָּבֶל) — the Tower of Babel — has been told as a cautionary tale about human arrogance. But what if the tower was never just about rebellion or architecture? What if it represented humanity’s first attempt to build a religious center of revelation, a place where heaven and earth could meet — a temple for divine inquiry? In Genesis 11:1-9, the people of Shinar united under one speech (L

Few verses in the Torah have generated more confusion than Genesis 6. Some claim it tells of angels who descended to earth, married women, and produced hybrid offspring — giant half-gods. But this interpretation does not come from the Torah, nor from traditional Jewish thought. It arose centuries later under Greek influence and apocryphal imagination. The Torah’s account is far more profound — and far more human.

Parashat Noach • Genesis 6:1 – 11:32 “But God remembered Noach…” — Genesis 8:1 Before the Flood: When the Sons of God Lost Their Way Genesis 6:1–8 Before the ark, before the floodwaters, Scripture opens with a world that had lost its spiritual identity.It reveals why God chose to reset creation — not out of chaos, but out of righteous restoration. “When men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of