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Jacob, realizing he is about to die, gathers his 12 sons to receive a blessing. But first, Jacob calls upon two of his grandchildren – Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Menashe – to receive blessings. Why would Jacob place priority on blessing grandchildren over children? As every grandparent

One night Pharaoh had two dreams that disturbed him greatly. The first dream was of seven thin and ugly cows who were eating seven large, healthy cows. The second dream was of seven thin, wilted ears of grain swallowing up seven healthy and full ears of grain.

Esau and Jacob were twin brothers. Esau spent his days hunting in the fields and his brother, Jacob, spent his time studying and learning. One day, Jacob was making a stew when his brother Esau came in from a long day of being in the field and…

We often leave blessing people to those of a particular stature. Perhaps a great rabbi, a Cohen (priest) or a bride or groom on their wedding day. Although these people do have special strengths when it comes to giving a blessing, it is interesting to note that

As Moses comes to the end of his life he urges the Jewish nation to make sure its court system is established with “highly qualified judges who also have impeccable character” (Deut. 16:18). One of the ideas behind this is that knowledge is not enough. Our interactions

When Moses was told by God that he wouldn’t be able to lead the Jewish people into the land of Israel, his knee-jerk response was not focused on his own fate, but rather to make sure that the Jews would still have someone in his absence who

The story of Moses striking the rock is only a short seven verses of the Torah. And yet it is one of the most well-known stories of all. (Try it yourself: Write a story in seven sentences that will be remembered by much of the world  three

And Korach took” (Numbers 16:1). Korach was an astute, wealthy and charismatic person. He had so many blessings yet he lost it all and became the paradigm of human tragedy. Rashi teaches us that what led him to make such a major mistake in life and challenge

The Jewish nation has spent just over a year in the desert and is now poised to enter the Land of Jewish dreams. Overnight, everything changes. Ten out of the twelve scouts come back with a negative report after a 40 day mission into the Land: “We