galut

“The Role of Exile in Jewish Theology”

What is the purpose of exile and what role does exile play in Jewish history?

“When a Jew Goes Down to Egypt”

How is it that for 22 years, the second most powerful person in Egypt never found the opportunity to visit the land of Canaan if only to see his beloved father and family, from whom he had been so brutally separated?

"The Sealed Torah Portion"

Parashat Vayechi is the only portion in the Torah that is "sealed," beginning as a direct continuation of the previous week's parasha, Vayigash. There are many reasons suggested by the rabbis for this "closure." Their numerous responses lead us on an intriguing and revealing excursion of Judaism and Jewish history.

"The Mitzvah of Living in the Land of Israel"

In parashat Masei, G-d commands the Jewish people that when they enter the land of Canaan they are to drive out all the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, for G-d has given the land to the People of Israel to possess it. The ancient tradition holds that there are 613 mitzvot in the Torah. However, there is no definitive listing of those 613 mitzvot. Consequently, the question arises of whether there is an explicit Torah mitzvah to settle in the land of Israel or not. This question was an issue of great dispute between Maimonides and Nachmanides.

"Revealing the Time of the Coming of the End of Days"

Parashat Vayechi is the only Torah parasha that has no empty spaces between the beginning of the new parasha and the end of the previous week's parasha. Vayechi is consequently considered a "sealed" parasha. The rabbis say that the reason the parasha is sealed is because Jacob wished to reveal when the end of days would be--when the Messiah would arrive. G-d, however, did not agree that Jacob should reveal this information. The Malbim explains that revealing when the Messiah would arrive would have left the Jewish people depressed that the wait would be so long. However, now that we have come much closer to the Messianic era, it is permissible to calculate and predict the arrival time of the Messiah.