Family

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The Tears of Yosef (Audio)
Rabbi Chanoch Waxman | 22 minutes
The description of the final days—and deaths—of Yaakov and Yosef share linguistic and symbolic similarities, but these similarities show that many details are missing in the death of Yosef. Why does his death and burial seem to involve less honor? The textual juxtaposition of these stories hints that the reason for the disparity is more than the many intervening decades. There is a message about relationships, family, and the tension between vision vs. destiny.
Listen
Shani Taragin |
The root "Shama" - to hear or listen - is a key word in Numbers 30, where the laws of women's vows are detailed. This is one of the units that interrupts the sequence of the Sin of Pe'or and the war against Midian, when Bnei Yisrael take revenge on the Midianites for enticing them to sin. The sin of prohibited relations leads to the destruction of the family unit, whereas listening and hearing one another - the theme emphasized in this chapter - enable a strengthening of the family unit and home.
Rehabilitation of the Family Unit
Shani Taragin |
God commands Moshe to count the nation, a command which interrupts the sequence between the Sin of Pe'or and the war of retribution against Midian. In addition to the military purpose of the census, and the need of a current count for settling the land, the census at the end of BeMidbar emphasises the family unit. Thousands were killed in the plague following the Sin of Pe'or, where illicit relations brought destruction upon the family unit. The census emphasizes the need to rehabilitate the nation by rebuilding and reinforcing the family unit.
Men Who are Brothers - Avraham and Lot
Rabbi David Silverberg
Avraham's Conflict Resolution with Lot
Rabbi David Silverberg
Avraham’s Success and Lot’s Distress - Foregoing Serenity to Help a Brother
Rabbi David Silverberg
Kinship Despite Conflict: Avraham and Lot
Rabbi David Silverberg
Avraham's Epilogue - Devotion to Family
Rabbi David Silverberg
Lavan, His Mother's Brother
Rabbi David Silverberg
Lavan, His Mother's Brother
Rabbi David Silverberg
The Dudaim: Friendship Between Sisters
Rabbi David Silverberg
Netziv on Yaakov's Brethren Gathering Stones
Rabbi David Silverberg
Psalm 127: The Difference Between “In Vain” and “Tranquility”
Part 6
Rabbi Elchanan Samet
This psalm, with its two halves, deals with the fundamental values of man's life, with his most basic existential needs: a roof over his head, a city to defend him from enemies, and food for the subsistence of himself and his family. The family is the crown of all the other values mentioned before it, and they all constitute conditions and preparations for its establishment. This is because family is not merely a necessary aid to the survival of its members, but rather, with the establishment of a family, a person realizes his most basic human mission: to emerge from his solitariness and give rise to progeny who will perpetuate his existence over the course of the generations.

Our psalm in its entirety describes adult life from the building of a house and attaining a livelihood, to the siring of children and their reaching adulthood, when they can already assist their father.
The Tears of Yosef
Rabbi Chanoch Waxman
The description of the final days—and deaths—of Yaakov and Yosef share linguistic and symbolic similarities, but these similarities show that many details are missing in the death of Yosef. Why does his death and burial seem to involve less honour? The textual juxtaposition of these stories hints that the reason for the disparity is more than the many intervening decades. There is a message about relationships, family, and the tension between vision vs. destiny.
Yosef's Motives
Rabbi David Silverberg
The Importance of Fraternity: Parashat Mikeitz and the Story of Haman
Rabbi David Silverberg
Yosef's Dreams and Treatment of his Brothers in Egypt
Rabbi David Silverberg
What did Reuven Really Mean?
Rabbi David Silverberg
Yosef Raising his Grandchildren
Rabbi David Silverberg
Shmini: Comforting Cousins
Rabbi Jay Kelman
Family Feeling
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
Repeatedly in this week’s parsha we read of social legislation couched in the language of family. “Your brother” in these verses is not meant literally. At times it means “your relative”, but mostly it means “your fellow Jew”. This is a distinctive way of thinking about society and our obligations to others.

This article is part of the Covenant & Conversation series.

To read more from Rabbi Sacks or to subscribe to his mailing list, please visit http://www.rabbisacks.org/. You can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Family Feeling (Audio)
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | 8 minutes
Repeatedly in this week’s parsha we read of social legislation couched in the language of family. “Your brother” in these verses is not meant literally. At times it means “your relative”, but mostly it means “your fellow Jew”. This is a distinctive way of thinking about society and our obligations to others.

This lecture is part of the Covenant & Conversation series.

To read more from Rabbi Sacks or to subscribe to his mailing list, please visit http://www.rabbisacks.org/. You can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Matot - Family or Flocks
Rabbi Jonathan Snowbell | 17 minutes
In Parashat Mattot, the men of Gad and Reuven request the eastern side of Jordan as an inheritance. Their request troubles Moshe, and though it is granted (with some modifications), it should trouble us as well. What are our priorities, and what were theirs? They were so consumed by thoughts of their flocks and riches, and thought they could influence their children even without seeing them often - by telling great stories and building a great altar. It didn't happen as they imagined, though, and their children became distant from the other Israelites. We, too, must ensure that we have our priorities straight, and that we put our family at the forefront of our minds.
Malakhi’s Opening Chapter
Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky
Malakhi structures his prophecy as an ongoing series of dialogues between God and the Jewish People, forming the backbone of the book and as well as its central motif.

Malakhi consistently sees the world through the lenses of the intimate relationship between God and the Jewish People. In this sense, he is fittingly named “my messenger,” emphasizing the immediacy of the connection between God and His people.

Malakhi places great emphasis on the centrality of family relations to our responsibilities not only toward God, but also our fellow Jews and humanity.

Although the Second Temple has not yet attained the honor described in Haggai’s prophecy, Malakhi chastises the priests for relating dishonorably to the sacrificial service. Apparently, given the Temple’s relatively sorry state, the priests likely saw no reason to act reverentially toward the service. Moreover, although the exact date of Malakhi’s prophecy is unknown, the sense is that the Temple had already been functioning for some time. At this point, the Temple was likely no longer a novelty, and quite possibly was taken for granted by the priests.

Today, many younger people take the existence of Israel for granted; they did not see the founding of the State or the miraculous victories in wars, such as in 1967. The challenge of the current generation is not to fall into the trap that ensnared the priests – to remain passionately committed to Jerusalem even when its restoration is no longer freshly imprinted upon our hearts.
Harsher Criticism
Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky
Echoing the covenant of peace forged with Pinhas, and especially Moshe’s blessings before his death, in this passage Malakhi castigates the priests for their shortcomings not in regard to their role in the sacrificial service, but as Torah teachers. In contrast to a previous era, in which the Levites observed the covenant and feared the Almighty, they have now “turned out of the way of that course.”

The emphasis on the priests’ lapses as halakhic decisors, although to a degree rooted in earlier Biblical passages, sounds strikingly post-prophetic. All this betokens a clear transition in leadership from priest as primarily focused on the Temple service to one also centered on Torah education.

In light of the centrality of the familial metaphor, it may be that the dialogue between God and the nation is the perfect organizing principle. Constructed as a series of tense exchanges between quarrelling but loving spouses, the discussion motif offers a realistic snapshot of a marital relationship and is therefore particularly apt.
Malakhi’s Grand Conclusion
Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky
By addressing the immediate concern of the mediocre Temple service while nostalgically hearkening back to a golden age, Malakhi hews to his mandate of remaining anchored in his own times while summing up all of Nevi’im.

Malakhi mirrors Tzefania, but his subject differs. For Malakhi idolatry is no longer a burning issue. The point of emphasis therefore shifts from pagan worship to an exclusive focus on ethics and morality. By building off the language of his predecessors yet addressing contemporary concerns, all the while prophesying about the Messianic period, Malakhi continues to stay true to his multiple mandates.

As an antidote to the shortcomings of Eliyahu’s overly zealous leadership, at the End of Days he will enact an historic reconciliation among family members and between God and His people.

The culmination of Sefer Malakhi and Nevi’im offers an inspiring message that is at once relevant to its time and simultaneously universal: The reunification of family is a signal of redemption. That family includes both the Jewish people and God Himself. This comforting message must have proven powerfully uplifting for the beleaguered Shivat Tzion community. Like Zekharia, Malakhi reminds the people that redemption would ultimately arrive, and that modest steps toward repentance and building families were steps toward that deliverance.
Lech Lecha: Family Feud
Rabbi Jay Kelman
Toldot: All My Children
Rabbi Jay Kelman
Vayeitzei: Consequences of Jacob's Deceit
Rabbi David Fohrman |
Last week, we saw Jacob trick his father Isaac and stole Esau's birthright, devastating his brother and causing him to cry. Are we really meant to applaud Jacob's behavior? In this video, Rabbi Fohrman explores the scene when Jacob and Rachel first meet, in which Jacob too cries. Through a deeper understanding of this midrash, we are shown special insights into the text and can begin to understand how Jacob can be called a man of truth.

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Matot: Why Is The End of Bamidbar So Anticlimactic?
Rabbi David Fohrman |
The Torah is a book of great drama, why does the narrative ends with a seemingly-unnecessary story about a random conquest of some towns? In this week and next week, Rabbi Fohrman paints a picture of epic connections to the stories of Jacob, Joseph and Judah.

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Masei: Why Is The End of Bamidbar So Anticlimactic? II
Rabbi David Fohrman |
In this video, we still ask, why does the Torah end the narrative sections with the story of Yair ben Menashe conquering some towns? In finding the answer, Rabbi Fohrman teaches us about true reconciliation: brothers taking care of brothers.

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Beha'alotecha: The Torah's Guide To Parental Love
Rabbi David Fohrman |
In this week's parsha video, Rabbi Fohrman delves deeper into the Priestly Blessing and its relevant lessons, challenging us to see the path of parental love laid out in the Torah.

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VaYishlach: Where Was Rivka?
Rabbi Jay Kelman
Family Reconciliation
Rabbi Ben-Tzion Spitz