We spin the dreidel from the TOP, and we spin the Gragger (noisemaker) on Purim from the BOTTOM. Rabbi Mordechai Becher looks at the significance of this and other ideas behind the simple Dreidel. View this video directly on Vimeo.
Joseph is only a teenager when he is sold as a slave. How was he able to develop enough strength of character to pass so many tests while still so young? View this video directly on VIMEO
Gentiles have always hated the Jews, but when Jews hate the Jews, that is something that hurts Rabbi Becher even more. View this video directly on Vimeo.
As the weather gets colder one of the things that I have been thinking of is chapped skin. Yes, my hands get very rough and chapped. I use a hand cream on them, but, when I put on my tie I can actually feel the fabric catching on my skin! I cannot help thinking that…
Joseph faces extraordinary temptation as his master’s wife attempts to seduce him. His father’s image saves him, foreshadowing a later heroic attempt by King David to save his son. View this video directly on Vimeo
Bloody Coat = Bloody Libel How is the sale of Joseph connected to anti-Semitism throughout history? View this video directly on Vimeo
Just two brief ideas about dreams, which are a central theme of the parsha this week and next week. Joseph tells his brothers about his dreams and a terrible feud ensues. Later on Joseph interprets the dreams of Pharaoh’s servants and then of Pharaoh himself , leading to salvation and redemption. One beautiful idea that…
Parshas Vayeishev Dreams feature prominently in our Parsha. The dreams of Joseph that precipitated his slavery in Egypt, the dreams of Pharaoh that needed interpretation, and the dreams of Joseph’s fellow prisoners, that eventually led to his release. The word for dream in Hebrew is “chalom”, spelled chet, lamed, mem. A great Chassidic thinker once…