1. Bereishis

5781 Haftorah The Haftorah discusses the interaction of Elisha with the wife of Ovadiah and then with the אשה השונמית. The Avudraham and the Levush explain the reason why this Haftorah was chosen for Parshas Vayera is because the second story is about אשה השונמית who had no children and was promised by Elisha that she would have a child. This is מענין הפרשה of Yitzchaks birth which says כעת חיה ולשרה בן and Rashi there explains this is the same expression Elisha uses when promising the אשה השונמית a child....

5781 Leave Everything Known and Familiar The Parshah begins with Hashem telling Avraham Avinu לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך. Although there are some who are of the opinion that the first נסיון Avraham encountered was the כבשן האש in אור כשדים which is not recorded in the Torah, the אבות דרב נתן and the Rambam in Peirush Hamishnayos אבות פרק חמישי are of the opinion that this command from Hashem was the first of the ten נסיונות....

5780 יש דורשים לגנאי ויש דורשים לשבח The Parshah begins אלה תולדת נח נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדרתיו את האלהים התהלך נח. On the word בדרתיו, Rashi says the following: יש מרבותינו דורשים אותו לשבח, כל שכן שאלו היה בדור צדיקים היה צדיק יותר, ויש שדורשים אותו לגנאי, לפי דורו היה צדיק, ואלו היה בדורו של אברהם לא היה נחשב לכלום. Even though it’s debated as to which it is, it must be that both are true....

5781 Shabbos Breishis This Shabbos is referred to as Shabbos Breishis, as opposed to other Shabbosos that we call it Shabbos Parshas Noach and the like. The Gemara in Baba Basra 121a actually refers to every Shabbos as “Shabbos Breishis” in the context that Shabbos does not require Kiddush Beis Din as opposed to the holidays of the year. However, the Minhag Yisrael is to refer to this Shabbos in particular as Shabbos Breishis which would seem to imply that that with this Shabbos we are beginning something new....

5781 The Kiddush this Shabbos was sponsored by the Feldinger family in honor of the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Akiva Moshe. Connection of Bar Mitzvah to Parsha This Shabbos is very appropriate for celebrating his Bar Mitzvah not only because it’s actually the week where he is becoming a Bar Mitzvah, but actually because Parshas Vayechi is apropos for a Bar Mitzvah as will be discussed. (Once a Rebbe came to a village and a Jew came over to him and said Rebbe, in your on honor I’m going to make my son’s Bar Mitzvah....