Parsha: Vayeshev

Improbable Endings and the Defeat of Despair (Vayeshev 5778)

4th December 2017

We live life looking forward but we understand it only looking back. As we live from day to day, our … Read more

19th December 2016

One of the most fundamental questions about the Torah turns out to be one of the hardest to answer. What, … Read more

30th November 2015

In his Laws of Repentance, Moses Maimonides makes one of the most empowering statements in religious literature. Having explained that … Read more

8th December 2014

This is a true story that took place in the 1970s. Rabbi Dr Nahum Rabinovitch, then Principal of Jews College, … Read more

18th November 2013

Reuben is the leader who might have been but never was. He was Jacob’s firstborn. Jacob says of him on … Read more

3rd December 2012

The deception has taken place. Joseph has been sold into slavery. His brothers have dipped his coat in blood. They … Read more

17th December 2011

One of the most fundamental questions about the Torah turns out to be one of the hardest to answer. What, … Read more

27th November 2010

From Vayeshev to the end of the book of Bereishit we read the story of Joseph and his brothers. From … Read more

12th December 2009

In Genesis 38, temporarily interrupting the story of Joseph, we read the fascinating story of Tamar, one of the more … Read more

20th December 2008

Who was she? We know little about her except her name, Tamar. Judah, fourth son of Jacob, had “gone down” from his … Read more