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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 Read More >

'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 Read More >

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 Read More >

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 Read More >

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 Read More >

Covenantal Language By Dr. Jerome Chanes In commemoration of the Yahrzeit of my dad, Manuel Simcha ben R. Ya`akov Avraham Chanes, z"l; and in honor of Ora Horn Prouser and David Greenstein Parashat Toldot is one of the classic 'transition' narratives of our Scripture in which 'covenantal' language'language, used in key settings in the Chumash, Read More >

In the Blindspot-light By Rabbi Steven J. Rubenstein Each year I cringe when the postcard arrives in the mail reminding me that my appointment with the optometrist is due. A couple of years ago my eye doctor welcomed me to the club of those whose eyesight would gradually diminish with age. I know from experience Read More >

The Quality of Gossamer By Linda Shriner-Cahn Jacob comes to an unnamed spot, running to an ill-defined future, from a traumatic past. Everything is unsure. He has no moorings. He is untethered, and then he puts a rock on the ground, rests his head, dreams, and is transformed. 'God was in this place and I, Read More >

Jacob's Struggle with the Angel By Rebecca Tenenbein This d'var Torah is written in loving memory of my grandparents Edith Tenenbein, Alexander Tenenbein, and Abe Newborn, z"l Jacob must go back to his homeland, Canaan, but first he must settle accounts with his brother, Esau. Twenty years have passed since Jacob ran away with the Read More >

Fraught with Background By Alan Levenson Erich Auerbach (1892'1957), a great German-Jewish scholar of literature, once wrote that to fully appreciate any particular character or narrative in TaNaKh (Jewish Bible) one must appreciate that they are 'fraught with background.' In Genesis 37 we are given several good reasons for the brothers' hatred of Joseph. He Read More >