Who Are You, Am Yisrael?

by Rabbi Yechezkel Frankel, translated by Hillel Fendel

Israel/Jacob: Why is his life so complex and conflicted? And what's the connection to us?

Va'era: Revealing the Divine Value to History

 by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, VisionMag.org

It is through the story of Israel, as it unfolds throughout time, that humanity sees history as possessing Divine meaning and purpose.

What Do These "Shovavim" Days Mean to Us?

by Rabbi Gur-Aryeh Argaman, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel

The initial letters of the weekly Torah portions that we read publicly over the course of the next few weeks, starting with Shmot, spell out the Hebrew word "Shovavim." Thus, the coming weeks are the "Days of Shovavim," widely regarded as days of fasting and atonement. 

The acronym Shovavim is also a Hebrew word meaning "troublemakers." In Yirmiyahu 3,22 appears the prophet's exhortation, "Return [repent], children who are shovavim" – and thus is revealed the connection between repentance and this Shovavim period.

Between Israel and the Gentiles

by Rav Zalman Baruch Melamed, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel

The relationship between the Jewish people and the other nations of the world is quite complex. Tremendous thought has gone into the search to understand the reasons for this complexity, and many books have been written about why this strange relationship has always existed. And even with all that, we're still left with the sense that the basic fundamental explanation still eludes us. 

Vayehi: The 12 Tribes as Unity, Not Uniformity

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, VisionMag.org

Only as a “kingdom of priests and holy nation” that reveals HaShem’s Oneness over all spheres of life can Israel fully express His Ideal and lead mankind to experience a world of total blessing.