Hal Miller

Shabbat Parashat Vayechi - 5786 Rabbi Hal Miller   Yosef then removed them from his knees and he prostrated himself with   his face toward the ground. [Bereishit 48:12] Did Yaakov actually have his grandsons sitting on his lap? What does the Torah mean that "Yosef then removed them from his knees"? We know from Bereishit [41:45] that Pharaoh gave Yosef a wife at the time Yosef interpreted the king's dreams. Yosef had interpreted that God was ready to implement the famine plan

Shabbat Parashat Vayigash - 5786 Rabbi Hal Miller   And you are commanded (to say) do this. Take for yourselves from the land of   Egypt wagons for your small children and for your wives, transport your father   and come. [Bereishit 45:19]   The sons of Israel did so, and Yosef gave them wagons by Pharaoh's word,   and he gave them provisions for the journey. [Bereishit 45:21] There are many questions involved with the wagons described here. Why did Pharaoh command Yosef to t

Shabbat Parashat Mikeitz - 5786 Rabbi Hal Miller    And the seven years of famine began to approach, just as Yosef had said,   and there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was   bread. [Bereishit 41:54]   All the land of Egypt hungered, and the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread.   So Pharaoh said to all of Egypt, "Go to Yosef. Whatever he says to you, you   should do." [Bereishit 41:55] The first of these two verses ends by telling us that in

Shabbat Parashas Vayeishev - 5786 Rabbi Hal Miller   Then Yehudah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, "Remain a widow in your father's   house until my son Shelah grows up" for he said "Lest he also die like his brothers."   So Tamar went and lived in her father's house. [Bereishit 38:11] Why did Yehudah push Tamar aside? Our verse gives a reason, "Lest he also die like his brothers", but is that his only thinking? Rashi writes, "he would push her away with a straw for he did

Shabbat Parashat Vayishlach - 5786 Rabbi Hal Miller   Then God said to him, Your name is Yaakov. Your name shall no longer be   called Yaakov rather Yisrael shall be your name. And He called his name   Yisrael. [Bereishit 35:10] A few weeks ago we read [17:5] "your name shall no longer be called Avram but your name shall be Avraham". The wording in Hebrew is virtually identical with our verse. Or HaChayim notes that the Gemara "Berachot 13 states that anyone who calls Avraham