Rabbi Haim Shaul

“My only talent was being passionately curious.” -Albert Einstein At the end of the book of Shemot, the Torah describes the generosity of the entire nation in their donations towards the…

This description of Adar being the ‘happy’ month is referenced in Megillat Esther when we witnessed the obliteration of our sworn enemies and the Jewish nation experienced ‘light and happiness’…

Immediately after the ecstatic, spiritual experience of last week’s Parasha, the Torah immediately brings us down to the ‘real world’ describing in minute detail the social laws that form the…

Joseph, before he died, made the family pledge to bring his body back to their ancestral home when they would eventually return to the land of Israel. In the beginning…

Being in servitude in Egypt is a very large part of continuing Jewish identity. We are told over and over again to remember that we were once slaves in Egypt…

The blessings bestowed by Yaakov on Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Menashe, are the most enduring blessings within all humanity. 3,400 years after they were given, we still reference them in…

One of the most common questions asked about Yosef’s interpretation of Paroah’s dreams is why Yosef inserted at the end of his explanation unsolicited advice to appoint a food czar…

A basic challenge that faces all humanity is how we relate as individuals to the material, physical world we live in. In a few simple words, the Torah lays out…

When we read the story of the sale of Esav’s birthright we see a sequence of events that seem at first glance to be completely out of order. First, we…

Very often, we find powerful gems of wisdom hidden in the seemingly mundane conversations in the Torah. When Lot is bidden to flee the city of Sodom, before the impending…