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V'einei Yisroel kavdu mizoken lo yichal lir'os vayageish osam eilav vayishak lahem vaychabeik lahem(48:10)If Yaakov was blind how did he, in the very next possuk, say "to see your face I did not think, and behold Hashem showed me also your descendants."? The Steipler Gaon...

I found a Zohar in Parshas Vayechi that seems to describe that after one sins the sin runs after him and "moves into his house and lives together with him, in order to injure him." I understood it to mean that the sin takes over the person and causes him to sin and the ...

Yaakov personified the כח of קדושה. Thus, Yaakov told Reuvain "Kochi v'reishis oni" - complete שמירת הברית. This could also explain why Yaakov had Yosef swear with his yerech. Rashi says why with respect to Avrohom but not Yaakov. Perhaps it was the chavivos for shemiras ...

In the blessing for Yosef, according to Rashi, Yaakov blessed him because he extended his height so that Eisav should not look at his mother. The question is, what was Yosef scared of? Maybe before, when Rochel was barren, she thought that Yaakov may divorce her and Eisov...

PARSHAS MIKETZ SHABBOS CHANUKKA This week's Parsha has a terrific lesson that we can apply to our struggle and to our lives. Here Goes: We find that when Yosef Hatzaddik speaks to Pharo He speaks with tremendous humility Pharo tells him "I hear you can decipher dreams" Yo...

The Shiltei Giborim on Meseches Shabbos writes a famous remez to Chanuka found in parshas Mikeitz, וטבוח טבח והכן, the word ‹vehachen› and the ches from the word ‹tevach› spell Chanuka. Last year, my daughter found another remez, where Yehuda says ונלכה ונחיה, the last tw...

Reb Yeruchum explains the Torah's use of the word "mekeitz" as opposed to simply saying "And it was two years" based on the midrash, which quotes the possuk "keitz som l'chosech" - "an end he placed for darkness" - as referring to the two-year period during which Yosef sa...

It says in Tehillim (37:23) "By Hashem are a man's footsteps established, and He shall favor his way". The Rebbe writes that each step a man takes, even though he feels that it is according to his will, really his steps are guided by Hashem as it is Hashem who guides the ...

זאת עשו קחו מזמרת הארץ... מעט צרי.... מעט דבשthe Shvatim said to Yakov that Yosef accused them of being deficient in shmiras ha'yesod, 'meraglim atem', liros es 'ervas' haaretz. Yakov said, זאת עשו with this you can repair the blemish. kechu mizimras haaretz, (הארץ בגימט'...

Parashat Miketz begins with Yosef still languishing in an Egyptian dungeon, where he had been imprisoned on false charges. Pharaoh's cupbearer had been in the dungeon together with Yosef, but was released from prison and reinstated, as Yosef had predicted. Before the cu...

The “Tzadik Tomim” of Our Generation "נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדרתיו". פירש רש"י: "ויש שדורשים אותו לגנאי; לפי דורו היה צדיק, ואילו היה בדורו של אברהם לא היה נחשב לכלום". “Noach was a ‘Tzadik Tomim’ in his generation”. (Parshas Noach) Rashi tells us: Some interpret the ext...

In this week’s Parsha, we witness the confrontation between Yakov and Esav. Chazal identify three approaches which Yaakov Avinu employed in preparation: “Doron, Tefila VeMilchama” - gifts, prayer, and war. Based on the Zohar and the Ramban, Rav Dessler ZT’L says that this...

The Torah tells us that Yaakov was attacked by the Malach of Esav. As dawn approached and Yaakov prevailed, the malach asked to be freed. Chazal tell us that the reason it was so urgent for the Malach to leave, was because each Malach receives one chance to say Shira and ...

Disaster One afternoon a man came home from work to find total mayhem in his house. His three children were outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was...

We all know the story of Yaakov and the shepherds from Parshas Vayetze. Did you ever wonder how Yaakov Avinu single handedly removed such a large rock from on top of the well? If he was an “Ish Tam Yoshev Ohalim” how did he have this kind of super-human strength? To answ...

In this week’s parsha (29-10) we find that Yaakov Avinu was incredibly strong. He moved a stone, which required many shepherds to roll, without difficulty. Rash”i says that the Torah tells this to us to show us that he was very strong. The obvious questions are: 1. How di...

The possuk says that the Malachim were עלים וירדים בו. Rashi points out that first they were going up and then going down. I think Rashi is giving a mesage of chizzuk. In order to fall one must go up first. So if you do fall know that there must have been an aliyah fi...

Vayesfu kol ha'adarim v'galelu ess ha'even me'al pi habe'eir.Every one of us walks around with 'wellsprings' in our hearts. But - a problem! There is a huge rock on top! We cannot remove it by ourselves. The individuals who can singlehandedly remove the stone are few &...