Chayei Sarah

The Public and the Private

By Peggy de Prophetis

While reading this week’s parashah, Chayei Sarah, I was struck by the contrast between things that should happen in public and things that should be allowed to happen only in private.

In Bava Batra 2a and b, there is a discussion about whether partners who live in a courtyard and who agree to build a wall, do so in order to prevent visual trespass. The question raised is whether or not visual trespass is damaging. And there are other places in our tradition where the issue of personal privacy is expressed. For example, in Exodus 28:33’35 it says that the high priest’s robe should
have a golden bell so that the people will know when he enters the Temple. From this our rabbis deduced that we should warn people before we enter a room lest we come upon them doing or saying something that should be private.

In Read More >

By ahsilver|2006-03-23T07:39:42-05:00March 23, 2006|

VaYera

By Rabbi Aryeh Meir

In this parashah we are shown both the greatness of Avraham and his response to difficulties and tests that he faces: He argues with God over the destruction of S’dom and Amora; he nearly loses Sarah to the king of Gerar; he is forced to expel Hagar and Ishmael; he nearly sacrifices Isaac at Mt. Moriah.

After these highly charged episodes, the Torah takes a break by recounting the genealogy of Nahor, the brother of Avraham.

Some time later, Abraham was told, ‘Milcah too has borne children to
your brother Nahor: Uz the first-born, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel
the father of Aram; and Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and
Bethuel”Bethuel being the father of Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore children: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah. (Genesis 22:20’24).

According to one modern Bible scholar, the genealogy comes here (following the binding Read More >

By ahsilver|2006-03-23T07:37:35-05:00March 23, 2006|

Lekh Lekha

Protecting Our Roots
By Peg Kershenbaum

There is, says Qohelet, A time to plant and a time to uproot what is
planted (3:2). When I was a little girl, my grandfather taught me about
gardening. First he showed me how to weed the garden. We pulled the
weeds from the earth and shook the soil from the roots, saving it for
the other plants. The weeds wouldn’t grow without soil, of course. Then
Grandpa showed me how to transplant. He tried to keep the root ball
intact when he moved the plant’dirt, roots and all’into a better
environment. More importantly, he showed me how to decide when it was
the right time to transplant.

Many of us understand the feeling of rootlessness. When, as
newlyweds, my husband and I went to California to pursue a wonderful
educational possibility, we had to abandon our New York pace; we had to
temper our Brooklyn Read More >

By ahsilver|2006-03-23T07:36:22-05:00March 23, 2006|

Lekh Lekha

‘And You Shall Be a Blessing’
By Enid C. Lader

In this week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, God tells Abram to ‘Go for yourself from your land, from your birthplace, and from the house of your father.’ (Gen. 12:1) Sarna, in the JPS Commentary on Genesis, writes: ‘The enormity of God’s demand and the agonizing decision to be made are effectively conveyed through the cluster of terms arranged in ascending order according to the severity of the
sacrifice involved: [leaving his] country, extended family, nuclear family.’ Ramban suggests that each level helps Abram narrow the focus of God’s call’not only leave his country, not only leave his kinfolk, but also leave his father. Abram will be continuing the journey his father began in Ur of the Chaldeans as he leaves Haran for the land that God will show him.

God’s call to Abram is accompanied by a list of seven promises:

‘I will Read More >

By Rabbi Enid C. Lader|2006-03-23T07:34:29-05:00March 23, 2006|

Noah

By Halina Rubinstein

The story of Noah is a second creation story, a second opportunity for both God and man to correct past mistakes. God sees the evil that men have done and regrets that he created man (Genesis 6:6) and determines to destroy all of life. This would presuppose the belief that God is not omniscient in that God could not predict this eventuality. Medieval philosophers grappled with this problem as do we moderns. What is of interest here is God’s covenant with Noah.

After emerging from the ark, God made a covenant with Noah and showed a rainbow as a sign that He would never again send a flood to destroy all living things. Traditionally and to this day, there is a blessing that may be recited when one sees a rainbow: Baruch atah adonai elohenu melech ha-olam, zocher habrit v’n-eeman b’vrito, v’kayam b’ma-amaro,

Blessed are you, God, Ruler of the universe, who Read More >

By ahsilver|2006-03-23T07:30:43-05:00March 23, 2006|

Noah

By Halina Rubinstein

The story of Noah is a second creation story, a second opportunity for both God and man to correct past mistakes. God sees the evil that men have done and regrets that he created man (Genesis 6:6) and determines to destroy all of life. This would presuppose the belief that God is not omniscient in that God could not predict this eventuality. Medieval philosophers grappled with this problem as do we moderns. What is of interest here is God’s covenant with Noah.

After emerging from the ark, God made a covenant with Noah and showed a rainbow as a sign that He would never again send a flood to destroy all living things. Traditionally and to this day, there is a blessing that may be recited when one sees a rainbow: Baruch atah adonai elohenu melech ha-olam, zocher habrit v’n-eeman b’vrito, v’kayam b’ma-amaro,

Blessed are you, God, Ruler of the universe, who Read More >

By ahsilver|2006-03-23T07:30:43-05:00March 23, 2006|

Bereshit

Looking Beyond Our Neighborhood
By Irwin Huberman

In the beginning . . . . the Torah reminds us not only to love our neighbor, but also to extend compassion to those in need throughout the world.

In recent months the television news has been dominated by a seemingly endless stream of images from New Orleans to Pakistan, as we witness the devastation caused by hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters. It is often hard to grasp the significance of these events. For many, the non-stop images, the casualty totals and the ongoing requests for assistance have led to a feeling of numbness and powerlessness. It is often too easy to retreat and to turn a blind eye.

One of the most important arguments in Judaism, based on this week’s parashah, takes place in the Talmud as Rabbi Akiva and Ben Azzai debate what is the most important principle of Judaism. It was Read More >

By Rabbi Irwin Huberman|2006-03-23T07:19:06-05:00March 23, 2006|

All shall unite to do God's will with an open heart.

All shall unite to do God's will with an open heart.

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