Midrash Manicures

In light of the tragedy in Newtown, CT, Rabbi Buechler, founder of Midrash Manicures, has composed a prayer that encompasses a line from this week’s Torah portion about blessing our children. Feel free to use this prayer as a resource for you and your community.

This week’s Parasha features the origin of the blessing that many parents offer their sons on Friday evenings, “May Hashem make you like Ephraim and Menasheh.” When Yaakov went to bless his grandsons, he put his right hand on Ephraim, the younger son, and his left hand on Menasheh, the older son. Yosef thought that this must be a mistake, as he believed that his older son should receive the first born blessing. Yaakov however, tells Yosef: “I know my son, I know.” (Bereshit 48:19) The Midrash in Continue reading →

We hope you have had a wonderful Hanukkah! If you have any questions about applying and maintaining your decals, please visit our Nail Decals FAQs. Todah Rabbah to everyone who sported Hanukkah Nail Decals this week!

“Man plans and God laughs” is a popular Yiddish proverb. After throwing him into a pit, the brothers thought that they would never see Yosef again. In quite a turn of events, Yosef reveals himself to his brothers in Mitzrayim. While Yosef may no longer bear his coat of many colors, he is now well-coated as the distributor of food rations in Egypt. Yosef attributes his success entirely to Hashem and reassures his brothers that they should in no Continue reading →

Happy Hanukkah from Midrash Manicures! Thank you to everyone for your support of Midrash Manicures during this holiday season. If you have any questions about applying and maintaining your decals, check out our Nail Decals FAQs.

“I dreamed a dream” may sound like it comes from the trailer for the upcoming movie Les Miserables, but these words also touch on a theme from this week’s Parasha, Miketz. After all of the magicians and wise men of Egypt were unable to explain Pharaoh’s dreams about cows and ears of corn, Yosef comes to the rescue. Not only does Yosef interpret Pharaoh’s dreams but he also goes on to offer Pharaoh the idea that someone should oversee preparations for the famine in Egypt. Continue reading →

Are you ready? Hanukkah starts this Saturday night! Now’s the time to give the gift of Hanukkah Nail Decals. Personalized gift options are available. Orders can arrive at your doorstep within 2-5 days. The perfect gift to share with your friends and family!

Guest Midrash Manicure by Gaby Marantz

A few months ago Good Morning America ran a story about a father who posted on his blog that he favored one son over the other. I shared this news clip with my day-school students, as we were at the time studying the story of Yaakov and his favoritism of Yosef. Yosef did not have such a great reputation among my students, since he went out of his way to share his self-aggrandizing dreams with his brothers. Upon watching the news clip, however, my students began to express feelings of empathy for Yosef, as he was burdened with the pressure of being the favorite son. Continue reading →

Midrash Manicures has teamed up with Shalom Sesame for Hanukkah! Shalom Sesame offers awesome educational resources for children for Hanukkah, including videos such as Hanukkah with Veronica Monica and Hanukkah Extreme Makeover Edition. To find out more, visit ShalomSesame.org.

Parashat Vayishlach contains a narrative that is “rated R,” one that is often skipped over in religious school. Chapter 34 of Bereshit describes how Dinah, the daughter of Yaakov and Leah, “went out” of the confines of her village and ended up in the city-state of Shechem. We do not know why Dinah left her hometown but we do know that the son of a Shechem aristocrat almost took Dinah as his wife. This narrative is replete with images of assault, force, love, and family ties, yet we never hear from the main character herself. Continue reading →

After Yaakov discovered that he had married the wrong sister, his father-in-law Lavan told him: “It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the older.” (Bereshit 29:26) Yaakov, who had never been short for words, did not respond to Lavan. Parashat Vayetze simply states that “Yaakov did so” and agreed to work for Lavan for another seven years in order to earn Rachel as his wife. Why was Yaakov silent? One possibility, offered by Bible scholar Nahum Sarna, is that perhaps Lavan’s words struck a chord in Yaakov’s past and reminded him of his own childhood struggles of an older versus younger sibling. Continue reading →

The lines outside of Starbucks after Hurricane Sandy reminded me of the Esav’s statement in Parashat Toledot: “Give me some of that red red stuff!” (Bereshit 25:30) For centuries, scholars have wondered why Esav so desperately wanted to drink the “red red” stuff that Yaakov had cooked. Nahum Sarna, a 20^th century Bible scholar, explained how the description of the Yaakov’s stew as Continue reading →

Chayei Sarah is bookended by the loss of two major figures in Jewish history, Sarah and Avraham. By way of the following story, the authors of the Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah 62:2) ask whether this Parasha was really the right time for Avraham to pass away: Rabbi Akiva and his students used to sit and study under a fig tree, whose owner would get up early every morning and gather the fruit from this tree. Continue reading →

“Helicopter parenting” is a buzzword in modern society. In Parashat Vayeira, we see Sarah’s strong reaction to Yishmael “playing” with Yitzchak (Bereshit 21:9). The authors of the Midrash wonder why this “playing” caused Sarah to have such a strong reaction to the point where she banished Yishmael and his mother Hagar. The Midrash in Bereishit Rabbah 53:11 suggests that Yishmael and Yitzchak were engaged in more than just child’s play. Continue reading →

The Midrash in Bereshit Rabbah 39:9 asks why Hashem’s request for Avram to leave his homeland is so verbose. Hashem tells Avram: “Go forth, from your land, from the land of your birth, from your father’s house” (Bereshit 12:1). The Midrash explains that the reason this verse contained so many words was because Hashem wanted to acknowledge the extent of the sacrifice that Avram would have to make in order to enter Canaan. Continue reading →

Some people need an extra nudge to get out of bed in the morning. Noah needed an extra nudge to get onto the ark. The Torah states that Noah and his sons and his wife went into the ark “Mipnei Mei HaMabul” “because of the waters of the flood” (Bereshit 7:7). The Midrash in Genesis Rabbah 32:6 asks: Why does the Torah state that it was “because” of the flood waters that Noah and his family entered the ark? Didn’t God already tell Noah about the flood? Continue reading →