Category Archives: The Week in Rashi

Vayikra: Calling, Speaking, and Fear Amid the Fire

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Rabbi Leib Zalesch

How do we find the will to proceed in the face of fear and trauma? An insight from the greatest of all prophets.

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We Are What We Plant: Noach and the Perpetuation of Mankind

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Rabbi Leib Zalesch

What role should Noach have played in the repopulating of the world after the flood, and did his later-in-life priorities set the world back rather than advance it? Learn more in this week’s “Parsha Perspicacities.”

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Parshat Shemot: On the Learning of Empathy and Jewish Leadership (In Honor of My Parents’ 50th Anniversary)

Posted on July 18, 2024 by Rabbi Leib Zalesch

I was privileged to share in the 50th wedding anniversary of my parents last Shabbat, and I presented words of Torah in honor of the occasion. Below is an expanded version of those thoughts. Perhaps others will find them edifying … Continue reading →

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Parshat Shemini: The Snake and the Curse of Having it All

Posted on March 27, 2022 by Rabbi Leib Zalesch

Parshat Shemini is popularly known for its section on the laws of Kashrut, though this topic does not actually present itself until the sixth Aliyah. Nevertheless, with the esoterism of much of the rest of the Parsha, Kashrut becomes an … Continue reading →

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Love Interrupted: When Ya’akov Finally Fell for Leah (Vayishlach)

Posted on November 25, 2018 by Rabbi Leib Zalesch

Parshat Vayishlach opens with Ya’akov’s multi-pronged preparation for meeting his estranged brother Eisav. Famously, he sends gifts to his brother, prepares for war, and prays. When it comes time to meet Eisav, we find this final bit of preparation: ספר … Continue reading →

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