By Rav Reuven Tradburks The sale of Yosef in Parshat Vayeshev is one of the most famous stories of the Torah. Yaakov settles, finally, in the land of Israel. Yosef is favored. Yosef has 2 dreams. Yaakov sends Yosef to inquire of his brother’s welfare. The...
Little Moshe Muñoz, a three-year-old in Ecuador, just got his first haircut and he is very excited. It wasn't just a haircut, though. There is a special custom that many Jews have of waiting until a boy is three to cut his hair for the...
By Rav Reuven Tradburks Yaakov’s challenges never seem to end. He returns to the land of Israel. He is fearful of a confrontation with Esav. He prepares by dividing his entourage. A man fights him through the night, changing his name to Israel from Yaakov at...
By Rav Reuven Tradburks Our Parsha begins with Yaakov fleeing the land of Israel from Esav’s murderous intent and it concludes with his return to the land of Israel. He dreams as he leaves of a ladder reaching to Heaven with G-d promising that He will...
This week saw two in-person events at our Ma'ani Center after many months of mostly Zoom programs due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The first was a tour of our new exhibit on the Kaifeng Jewish community. The tour, which was held in English, included a slide...
Yehuda Singson, a member of the Bnei Menashe community, made aliyah from Manipur, India, in 2007 with the help of Shavei Israel. Initially settling in Pardes Chana, the then 30 year old moved to Maalot where he studied in the yeshiva and eventually married his wife,...
By Rav Reuven Tradburks This is the parsha of Yitzchak and Rivka’s life. Rivka has twins, Esav and Yaakov. Yaakov buys the birthright from Esav. Yitzchak goes to Gerar in a famine, is told not to leave the land, digs the wells Avraham dug and renews...
By Rav Reuven Tradburks Our Parsha is the transition from Avraham and Sarah to Yitzchak and Rivka; Sarah dies at the beginning of the parsha, Avraham toward the end. Avraham buys Maarat Hamachpela where Sarah is buried. Avraham directs his servant to travel to Avraham’s land...
When 235 Bnei Menashe arrived earlier this month, there were actually 261 who were expected. A number of them were unable to make the flight due to Covid-19, and a few had passport issues that caused delays. Thankfully, those who had Covid all tested negative, and...
A beautiful, new, educational exhibit about Kaifeng Jews recently opened at Shavei Israel's Ma'ani Center. Designed mainly with magnificent pictorial panels, it tells the story of the Kaifeng Jews from the past to the reawakening of their Jewish spirit, to their dreams of aliyah and living...
