From JobShuk…back in the day
There are several juicy topics in this Parsha that I’d love to discuss, but I’ll pick one that has helped inspire me during these days of darkness. (Note: my darkness was increased after I wrote most of this post, and then lost it due to a browser crash. That, amongst other factors, contributed to another …
Continue reading “Nisht in Shabbos Gereht, vol. 13: Parshat Bo”
In Parshat VaEra, we see Moshe and Aharon begin to perform miracles and bring plagues onto the Egyptians. It seems that magic was not uncommon to the Egyptians. For every miracle performed by Moshe and Aharon, the Egyptian Magiciansattempted to debunk the miracle by doing the same "feat". The first and most famous incident was …
Continue reading “Nisht in Shabbos Gereht, vol. 12: Parshat VaEra”
The book of Shmot, called Exodus in English, begins with the Jews going into slavery. The Torah tells us that the more they were afflicted, the more they grew and multiplied. It seems that the Egyptian plan backfired. Instead of leading to their breakdown and demise, the hard labor caused them to flourish. The Artscroll …
Continue reading “Nisht in Shabbos Gereht, vol. 11: Parshat Shmot”
(Editor’s Note: I apologize for falling behind in this series while I’m in the US on vacation. This message, while still a bit unclear in my mind, is an important one which I hope, with G-d’s help, will be clear to you.) Yaakov "blesses" his sons on his deathbed in this week’s Parsha, essentially telling …
Continue reading “Nisht in Shabbos Gereht, vol. 10: Parshat Vayechi”
On my vacation to the US visiting family, it seems I quickly got infected by the Chutz LaAretz mentality. "Is he good for the Jews" is the primary consideration for many US Jews when looking into political candidates. The Torah tells us that Pharaoh is pleased to learn of Yosef’s brothers’ presence in Egypt. The …
Continue reading “Nisht in Shabbos Gereht, vol. 9: Parshat Vayigash”
At the beginning of Parshat Miketz, Paraoh summons Yosef to ease his mind after 2 disturbing dreams. I choose to stay away from the translation of liftor as "interpret"; it has the same root as pitaron which means "solution". Paraoh’s regular sorcerers and advisers tried to interpret the dreams, but he probably already knew what …
Continue reading “Nisht in Shabbos Gereht, vol. 8: Parshat Miketz”
Although we have a few business deals in this parsha, due to their unique nature, we won’t analyze those this week. Instead, we’ll focus on one’s attitude towards business, and subsequently, life in general. When looking over the parsha, one can’t help but notice the "Cardinal Sins" demonstrated by some of our greatest forefathers. Excuse …
Continue reading “Nisht in Shabbos Gereht, vol. 7: Parshat Vayeishev”
Parshat Vayishlach contains 2 major stories of military strategy employed by Yaakov and his sons on their return to Israel. The first story concerns Yaakov’s confrontation with his brother Eisav, and the second tells us of his sons’ dealings with Chamor and Shchem. But what do these have to do with business? It’s not a …
Continue reading “Nisht in Shabbos Gereht, vol. 6: Parshat Vayishlach”
Begrudgingly, we’re going to learn a business lesson this week from Lavan. I can offer 2 justifications for this: 1) since the history of the Jewish people was kick-started through Lavan’s intervention, it must have been G-d’s will, 2) we can still learn positive lessons from the actions of bad people. Without saying that the …
Continue reading “Nisht in Shabbos Gereht, vol. 5: Parshat Vayetzei”
Once again, our Parsha begins with a business transaction. This time, it takes place between two brothers, Eisav and Yaakov, over a strange item: the right of the firstborn child, the Bechora. The background to this story is rather limited. Eisav is a hunter, he has his father’s love, and he returns from hunting on …
Continue reading “Nisht in Shabbos Gereht, vol. 4: Parshat Toldot”