The Torah’s Special Genetic Code
During Biblical times, our ancestors did not understand genetics, DNA codes, chromosomes and the transmission of physical attributes, as we understand them today. While the sages do note…
Serach’s Seranade
When perusing the list of the generations of Jacob found in Genesis 46, one gets a strange sense that there was a powerful genetic predisposition in Jacob's family for male children.…
Favoritism
“A person should never discriminate among his children even to the extent of a thread [garment] weighing only two weight-measures of silk, similar to that which Jacob gave to Joseph but…
Biblical Twins
Today is “Twins Day.” Twins have long been a source of great fascination for many, as demonstrated by the vast number of studies and stories that have used twins as their subject. Twins,…
Mother Rachel
The patriarch Jacob had four wives (all at the same time): Leah and Rachel and their handmaidens Bilha and Zilpah. Rachel, however, was the wife that Jacob truly loved. But while Rachel…
A Battle For Burial
Do you know who is buried in the Cave of the Patriarchs (Meh'arat Ha'machpelah) in Hebron? Actually, 8 ½ people are interred there. They are: Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and…
Vayeishev 5765-2004
"A Personality Profile of Joseph" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Vayeishev, we encounter the twelve tribes of Israel in their early stages of development,…
Favoritism
“A person should never discriminate among his children even to the extent of a thread [garment] weighing only two weight-measures of silk, similar to that which Jacob gave to Joseph but…
Serach’s Serenade
Upon perusing the list of the generations of Jacob found in Genesis chapter 46, it is likely to conclude that there was a powerful genetic predisposition in Jacob’s family for male…
Vayeishev 5763-2002
"Judah Emerges as the Leader of Israel" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, Vayeishev, presents the opening chapter of one of the great human sagas--the story of Joseph and…