Naphtali, Son of Jacob
After four years of marriage and desperate to have a child, Rachel gave her handmaid, Bilhah, to her husband Jacob to be an additional wife and to bear children in her name. Any children…
Naphtali, Son of Jacob
After four years of marriage and desperate to have a child, Rachel gave her handmaid, Bilhah, to her husband Jacob to be an additional wife and to bear children in her name. Any children…
Vayechi 5780-2020
"The Critical Importance of Timing" (updated and revised from Vayechi 5760-1999) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Vayechi, includes almost a full chapter…
Vayishlach 5772-2011
“Jacob Lines Up His Family for the Encounter With Esau” By Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayishlach, after his epic struggle with the angel, Jacob prepares…
Dan, Son of Jacob
Rachel had Jacob’s heart, Leah had his children. For four long years, Rachel watched her sister give birth to son after son until she could bear it no longer. Frustrated but determined,…
Vayeishev 5778-2017
Vayeishev 5778-2017 “The Jealousy Between Brothers” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Vayeishev we read of the powerful forces of jealousy and enmity that rip apart…
Gad, the Son of Jacob
The patriarch Jacob loved his wife Rachel, but it was his wife Leah who initially made him a father (since Rachel was unable to conceive for many years). When Rachel presented her…
Vayeitzei 5765-2004
"Rachel: Portrait of a Matriarch" Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Vayeitzei, we are given perhaps the most extensive and most intimate view of Mother Rachel. We…
Vayeitzei 5769-2008
"Leah, the Fourth Matriarch" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In parashat Vayeitzei, Jacob leaves Beersheba, fleeing from his brother Esau who threatened to murder him. Upon his arrival at the…
Vayechi 5768-2007
"The Struggle Over the Birthright" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The struggle over the birthright is a recurring theme throughout the book of Genesis: Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac,…