Jacob
Dispel Darkness with Light and Love

Dispel Darkness with Light and Love

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Many scholars place Joseph’s descent to Egypt at around 1500 BCE. The Maccabees dedicated the Temple in year 165 BCE. These two events were separated by more than one thousand years and seem entirely...

read more
As Good as a Share in the World to Come

As Good as a Share in the World to Come

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Learning Torah with my ten-year-old son is a challenging experience. He asks the obvious questions that are disturbingly difficult to answer. “Abba, did God promise all of Israel to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?” he...

read more
The Hidden Message of the Sciatic Nerve

The Hidden Message of the Sciatic Nerve

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz Babies are, for the most part, born perfect. Their skin is pearly smooth and everything is pristine and in it's right place, except for their teeth. I remember that when my children were small, I would wake them...

read more
The “Key” to Jacob’s Marriage with Rachel

The “Key” to Jacob’s Marriage with Rachel

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz I once went to a distant town and needed to stay at a hotel. I found one possible location and entered. I approached the front desk and asked the clerk, “How much does it cost to stay here for the night.” He...

read more
Finding Your Place

Finding Your Place

I was complaining to a friend that I had never traveled and never seen the amazing sites around the world. He suggested a road trip to Las Vegas. ‘“I work hard for my money and hate gambling,” I said. “Not for the gambling,” he responded....

read more
What Only a Father Can Do

What Only a Father Can Do

Father’s Day is a delightful blend of a secular and religious holiday, combining consumerism with the Biblical mandate to “Honor thy father.” But is it artificially amplified? Are fathers really that important? Mothers are clearly...

read more
Counting Jacob’s Blessings

Counting Jacob’s Blessings

Before he leaves the world, Jacob blesses his sons (Genesis 49). Similarly, Moses also blesses the tribes before he dies (Deuteronomy 33). But the two sets of blessings are very different. Not all of Jacob’s blessings are positive. It is,...

read more