Timeless Torah

Moral problems ultimately have a right course of action and a wrong one. Moral dilemmas however are situations in which there is no right answer. Is Annapolis putting Prime Minister Olmert in a moral bind?  read more »

When Jacob hears that Eisav is on the warpath with 400 mercenaries, he responds by first preparing for battle, then praying, and finally appeasement? Why isn’t prayer #1 on the emergency list?  read more »

At times evil appears as a brother who kisses you, or an angel who wrestles with you, but regardless of the disguise, here is one strategy on how to counter the enemy.  read more »

When two people are engaged in an intellectual argument, why does one offer ideas while the other resorts to violence? Eisav’s aggressive kiss disguises more than anger. It grudgingly admits defeat.  read more »

One more man named Jacob is no cause for concern for the forces of evil. It is Jacob’s G-dlike aloneness that evil cannot tolerate. This lesson should serve us well. A Jew is different, he is above the fray.  read more »

Man by nature is a gregarious animal. He craves company. Jacob was different. Discover why the Jew’s willingness to stand alone is not to the same as being lonely.  read more »

Angels have no set names. Yet Rashi identifies this particular angel as Samael? How this can be is rooted in the two faces of evil.  read more »

Who is the Jew? Is he like Isaac removed from the cares of the world? Or is he like Abraham engaged in changing society? Only Israel fresh the battlefield can answer the question of our identity.  read more »

When Jacob met Eisav he declared, “Please take my blessing. ” Still the passage ends, “And Jacob emerged complete.” This is a stunning truth. To be complete we do not need Eisav’s blessings. But what do we need?  read more »

Jacob wrestled, but with whom? The text merely says, “a man.” The Sages identify him as the angel of Eisav. Though the passage resists easy interpretation, it holds the key to understanding Jewish identity. For it was then that Jacob acquired the name that his descendants would bear throughout eternity, “The children of Israel.”  read more »