Mirroring the natural world which progresses along a steady cycle of days and nights, summers and winters, and life and death, the human experience is marked by fluid motion of joy and hardship, laughter and tears, failure and progression. It has been noted that on an EKG monitor, the sign of life is a wavy line which rises and falls whereas a flat line signifies death – life is necessarily synonymous with an epic struggle and a tumultuous journey. In…

In this week’s parsha, Yaakov Avinu blesses his sons before his passing. In his glorious beracha to his favorite son, Yosef, Yaakov says, “The blessings of your father surpass the blessings of my ancestors, to the utmost bounds (ta’avas) of the eternal hills.” The Sefas Emes reveals the awesome depth of this beautiful beracha. The Gemara teaches that one who takes pleasure in Shabbos merits a boundless inheritance, “nachlah b’li meitzarim”. This boundless inheritance is associated with Yaakov Avinu, as…

In stark contrast to the distant, aloof, strict, and harsh nature commonly associated with rabbinic leadership in the years preceding the Baal Shem Tov’s arrival on the scene, the Chassidic vision of “the tzaddik” stood for the very opposite; love, compassion, support, and comfort. Rebbe Nachman writes: “There are those people who say that when the tzaddik of towering stature, he is unable to relate to this-worldly matters because of his greatness and distance from the world. But the truth…

“And Yaakov finished commanding his children and he pulled his feet onto the bed and he expired and was gathered unto his nation” The Torah teaches that in the final moments before his passing, “Vayeiaseif raglav el hamita”, Yaakov Avinu pulled his feet onto his bed. We know that each word in the Torah carries tremendous significance and relevance. Why is it important for the Torah to mention this seemingly trivial detail? Perhaps we can suggest the following answer. The…