ב"ה

Vayeishev 5762 - December 7, 2001

Righteous Individual vs. Righteous Leader

Why was the leadership of Israel taken from Reuben and given to Judah? What does this teach us about the leaders we should choose to follow and the leadership we should display?
Parshah
Vayeshev Home Page
Joseph and his brothers, Judah and Tamar, Potiphar's wife, the Butler and the Baker... There's the Biblical story, the Midrashic interpretations, and the deeper dimensions revealed by the Chassidic masters
Story
The Black Carriage

Reb Shmuel reputedly said to the Rebbe: “If you are a true Rebbe, you have nothing to fear by being arrested. If you are not, you deserve whatever they will do to you”
What's So Terrible About Idolatry?

I don't mean massive temples with human sacrifices. What about a civilized idolater, in the privacy of his own home? What's so terrible?
Parenting
Getting Your Way

If I said "No" to my child for something they wanted and then changed my mind, would it come across as a weakness on my part?
Eating

No sooner Done the deed
They always proceed To feed
Chanukah Preview
An eight-part journey into the soul of Chanukah... Tzvi Freeman's Menorah Files... Chanukah Stories…
"Love is strong as death" (Song of Songs 8:6) -- this is the love with which Jacob loved Joseph... "Envy is harsh as the grave" (ibid.) -- this is the envy of the brothers to Joseph. What can love achieve in face of envy?
— Midrash Tanchuma
Print Magazine

The month before Rosh Hashanah, taught Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, is a precious month. For thirty days, you can find the Ultimate King awaiting you outside the city, on a rustic path that winds through an empty meadow.

What’s the advantage of meeting the King in a meadow?

Because when you meet the King in His palace...