Parshat Hashavua

Joseph's warning to his brothers not to quarrel on their way instructs us as well in our relationships with our families and the larger Jewish community.

By judging others favorably and responding to them with kindness, we add holiness to the world.

To be fully educated and human we must study a range of disciplines--humanities and sciences, secular and Judaic.

Joseph's status as an outsider, and the outsider status of the Jewish people, allow for critical insight into the deeper truths of the surrounding people.

Jacob's response to his dream provides us with two models of discovering God's presence.

Through his experiences with his nephew Lot, Abraham learns valuable parenting skills.

We can attain godliness by acting with kindness towards others.

The miracle of the ram caught in the bushes was that, in the final moment, Abraham was able to perceive it as an alternative to sacrificing his son.

In his covenant with Avimelech, Abraham provides us with an example of how to build peace, justice, and kindness where they seem to be absent.