The Weekly Mission- Torah Portion by Isaiah Rothstein

Parshat Miketz (Chanukah), We have light! My holy friends, many of us are familiar with the Jewish people’s incessant struggles throughout history. Chanukah is one of the reminders of our nation’s grueling past. The Jewish people were oppressed and murdered for expressing their spirituality, and as a result, people hid their passionate hearts. Many Jews were also persuaded by the precious “gifts” that the Greeks had to offer and a spiritual genocide began. “Few against the many,” the Jews stood up for their passion. They were not willing to sacrifice their relationship with G-d and the Hashmonayim fought for victory. The ashes of the Holocaust still float in the air, leaving many Jews feeling abandoned by G-d. We sometimes say, “If there is a G-d, how could something so tragic happen?” As a nation, we have been through hell on earth and we have entered yet another exile. We were sold into slavery and were uncertain regarding our destiny as a people. But then, light emer...

Yaakov’s role in the Torah has seemingly now been placed on the back burner, so-to-speak. As the Torah states, he is now a man who is “settled.” He fulfilled his mission of bringing the 12 tribes into existence, essentially the progenitors of the Jewish people. Joseph was someone who Yaakov loved dearly. Yaakov invested more time into Joseph than he did for his other sons. Joseph stayed close with his father and learned the secrets of HaShem’s world with him. As we see in this week’s parsha, Joseph, like the other leaders in the Torah, quarrels with his brothers. Joseph provokes his brothers by telling them his dreams, which indicate that they will one day bow down to him. This bothered them greatly, and thus, they sold him into slavery. Joseph is sold into slavery and then sent down to Egypt. (Please note, this is a very simple summary of this story--- there is a lot more to be discussed and analyzed further). While in Egypt, Joseph, like the rest of our forefathers, was blessed with ...

Weekly Mission: Parshat Vayishlach In this week’s Torah portion, Yaakov’s journey continues. Yaakov left his father’s house as an attempt to save himself from Esav. He was broke, alone and uncertain, but Yaakov continues, enduring many more tests, and he prevails. He returns to his father’s house with his wives, children, excessive livestock, and peace (relatively) with his brother Esav. The extent of Yaakov’s greatness is portrayed in a small but important story that also demonstrates today’s unfortunate truth about our great nation. With G-d’s help, however, we can build ourselves up as individuals, so we can collectively settle in harmony. “Yaakov was left alone and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn” (32:25). As Yaakov’s family settles for the night near the Jordan River, Yaakov crosses back over the river in order to retrieve forgotten utensils. The midrash points out that when Yaakov crossed over, he was greeted by a shepherd. This...