Chayei Sarah 5780
To Have a Why The name of our parsha seems to embody a paradox. It is called Chayei Sarah, “the life of Sarah,” but it begins with the death of Sarah. What is more, towards the end, it records the death of Abraham. Why is a parsha about death called “life”? The answer, it seems […]
Parashat Vayeira
Friday, November 15, 2019 /17 Heshvan, 5780 Parashat Vayeira Genesis 18:1-22:24 Dear Friends, During a Torah portion jam packed with stories such as the Binding of Isaac, Abraham and Ishmael’s circumcision, and the birth of Isaac, the Torah gives us a powerful lesson in rebuke. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were known for their […]
Vayera 5780
Negative Capability I have written about the binding of Isaac many times in these studies, each time proposing an interpretation somewhat different from the ones given by the classic commentators. I do so for a simple reason. The Torah, and Tanach generally, regards child sacrifice as one of the worst of evils. Child sacrifice was […]
Parashat Lekh L’kha
Friday, November 8, 2019 /10 Heshvan, 5780 Parashat Lekh L’kha Genesis 12:1-17:27 Please note: This post is a special guest Parashat from Cantor Ilan Davidson Dear Friends, In every person’s life, there are moments when we, like Abraham, hear a voice inside saying, “Lech Lecha — Go forth!” It is up to us whether or […]
Lech Lecha 5780
A Palace in Flames Why Abraham? That is the question that haunts us when we read the opening of this week’s parsha. Here is the key figure in the story of our faith, the father of our nation, the hero of monotheism, held holy not only by Jews but by Christians and Muslims also. Yet […]
Parashat Noah
Friday, November 1, 2019 /3 Heshvan, 5780 Parashat Noah Genesis 6:9-11:32 Dear Friends, This week’s Torah portion includes the curious story of the Tower of Babel. Taking place just after the flood, nine short verses describe a world in which people are working together for a common purpose. They say to one another, “Come, let […]
Noach 5780
The Light in the Ark Amid all the drama of the impending Flood and the destruction of almost all of creation, we focus on Noah building the ark, and hear one detailed instruction: Make a tzohar for the ark and terminate it within a cubit of the top. (Gen. 6:16) There is a difficulty understanding what “tzohar” means, since […]
Parashat B’reisheet
Friday, October 25, 2019 /26 Tishrei, 5780 Parashat B’reisheet Genesis 1:1-6:8 Dear Friends, “If I confess what motivated me, a woman, to become a rabbi, two things come to mind. My belief in God’s calling and my love of humans. God planted in our heart skills and a vocation without asking about gender.” – Rabbi […]
Bereishit 5780
The Genesis of Love In The Lonely Man of Faith, Rabbi Soloveitchik drew our attention to the fact that Bereishit contains two separate accounts of creation. The first is in Genesis 1, the second in Genesis 2-3, and they are significantly different. In the first, God is called Elokim, in the second, Hashem Elokim. In the first, man and woman are created simultaneously, “male and female He created […]
Parashat Hol MaMo-eid Sukkot
Friday, October 18, 2019 /19 Tishrei, 5780 Parashat Hol MaMo-eid Sukkot Exodus 33:12-34:26 Dear Friends, On Sukkot, there is a tradition to invite honored guests into the sukkah. Tonight we are blessed with three such guests: incredible men who have offered to share their stories about how they became homeless, and how they rebuilt their […]