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Jewish resilience, the story of the German parachute, and the key to righteousness.

It was a clash of titans, and the outcome would affect the Jewish people for the rest of history. No, I'm not talking about Moses and Pharaoh or Esther and Haman. I'm talking about Joseph and Judah.

Joseph had become the second most powerful man in Egypt, and his brothers had been supplicants coming to purchase food during the years of famine. They did not recognize that they were dealing with the brother whom they had sold into slavery. Instead, Joseph accuses them of being slaves and manufactured a situation where he could take his brother Benjamin away from the family.

Judah stands up to stop this from happening. The speech he makes forces Joseph to change his approach and finally reveal his true identity to the brothers. Judah won the battle. Why does this matter? Read More

Matchmaking is not a simple thing. Just observe the care with which Abraham tasked his servant, Eliezer, with the mission of finding a wife for Isaac. All of us who wish to set people up can learn a lot about how to succeed at it from this section of the Torah.

The first thing to note is that Abraham gave his servant the job, rather than leaving his son to find his own beloved. It raises the question of whether matchmaking is simply a logistical process (a sort of search engine for potential mates), or is it a counseling process. The answer to this question will help make us better matchmakers, if we seek that role. Read More