Bereishit
CategoryDvar Torah for Parshat Toldot 5772
Dvar Torah for Parshat Toldot Blessing in Disguise “[Yitzchak] did not recognize [Yaakov] because [Yaakov’s] arms were as hairy as his brother Esav’s …” (Genesis 27:23). The age-old question: How did Yitzchak Avinu (our Patriarch) err to think that Esav was worthy of a great blessing? Even if we’ll grant that Esav fooled him into … Continue Reading
Esav Lives!
Esav Lives! Sad, but true. Living in the Land of Israel, I usually ignore talk media, i.e., radio and TV—especially TV. (There are many reasons why I avoid it. One is that I choose to not have a TV!) Visiting in the USA, as I have been for the last few weeks, I have been … Continue Reading
Dvar Torah for Parshat Chayei Sarah
Dvar Torah for Parshat Chayei Sarah One Thing They Can’t Take Away “Give me a burial plot … If it be your desire that I bury my dead … speak on my behalf to Efron” (Genesis 23:3,8). What about Maarat HaMakhpelah (the Twin Caves) made Avraham Avinu (our Patriarch) so intent on making it the … Continue Reading
A Chassidic Story (#16)
A Chassidic Story (#16) With God’s help I hope—and pray—to visit the kever (grave site) of the Rebbe, Reb Zushia of Anipoli this week. So here’s a story, fairly well-known in chassidic circles, about the Rebbe, Reb Zushia and the parshah (weekly portion) we read this morning, Bereishis. The Rebbe, Reb Zushia once asked his … Continue Reading
Dvar Torah for Post-Chanukah
Dvar Torah for Post-Chanukah Based on Sichot HaRan (Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom) #1 By Ozer Bergman Multiple-Choice Quiz: Are your Chanukah candles still burning? A) No B) Yes C) Don’t know D) Unable to answer The correct answer is any and all of them. Allow me to explain. Your physical Chanukah candles have certainly burnt out … Continue Reading

















