Robert Alter parallels the twins Peretz and Zerach with the better known twins Jacob and Esau. In his words, “the name Zerach means ‘shining’ as in the dawning of the sun, and so is linked with the ...

With an Modern Orthodox, Sephardi background, Rabbi Olivier Benhaim has been a student of Torah and of the Jewish way for most of his life. He lived in Israel for close to 10 years, where he studied ...

Michael Pincus is the rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford, CT. This week’s Torah portion — Parashat Vayeshev (Genesis 37:1-40:23) — features the first part of the story of Joseph and ...

This week, the Torah opens its curtain on a new act of Jacob’s life and introduces us to Joseph, his beloved son. Though the parasha mostly focuses on the beginnings of Joseph’s epic story, it begins ...

In Genesis Chapter 38, the second chapter of our parsha this week, we learn about a particularly challenging episode in the lives of Judah and Tamar, including how Tamar tricked Judah into having ...

Why did crime drop dramatically in New York City during the 1990’s? While many factors certainly contributed to the drop, criminologists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling suggested an intriguing ...

The chopped ingredients for “Joseph’s Technicolor Stew,” a dish inspired by the Torah portion Vayeshev. As a foodie, I eat seasonally. But this year, my menus are planned week by week, and around more ...