Tagged ‘Toldot’
Parashat Toldot
“The Deeds of the Ancestors–A Sign for Their Descendants” A Dvar Torah for Toledot by Rabbi Len Levin Imagine the story of Isaac and Rebekah, Esau and Jacob, updated to our time. Updating the characters is the easier part. We … Continue reading »
Parashat Toldot
by Rabbi Isaac Mann The story of the conflict between Jacob and Esau, which is central to this week’s Torah portion, leaves us with many unanswered questions. Among them is one that is raised by the famous 13th century exegete Nachmanides … Continue reading »
Parashat Toldot
Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky The negative attitude towards Esau in rabbinic literature is familiar to many and exemplified by the midrash that states “It is a well known teaching [halakhah] that Esau hates Jacob.” (Sifre on Deuteronomy, Beha’alotkha 69) These midrashim were … Continue reading »
Parashat Toldot
By Rabbi Isaac Mann One of the most popular derashot (homiletical interpretations) that rabbis make use of when delivering sermons on the Sabbath of Terumah is one that explains the reason that the Torah forbids the removal from the Aron (the Ark) of … Continue reading »
Parashat Toldot
How Much Love is Too Much? By Rabbi Judith Edelstein This week’s parashah, Toldot, was my son’s Bar Mitzvah portion 13 years ago. I can still vividly recall teaching him Torah and Haftarah chanting. We started nine months before the date because … Continue reading »
Parashat Toldot
Don’t Forget the Lentils By Rabbi Katy Z. Allen What about the lentils? “Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the open, famished. And Esau said to Jacob, ‘Give me some of that red stuff to … Continue reading »
Parashat Toldot
By Rabbi Isaac Mann Of the three Patriarchs, Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov, we know the least about Yitzhak (Isaac), around whom this week s Torah portion is centered. Unlike his father or his son, the Torah tells us precious little about … Continue reading »
Parshat Toledot
‘A New Look at Esav’ (Page references to Chumash Etz Chaim) Rabbi David Mark In this parashah, we meet Esav and Jacob for the first time’they are twins, but unalike. Esav is ‘red, like a hairy mantle’ (Gen 25:25, p.147), … Continue reading »
Parashat Toldot
By Doug Alpert How do we define greatness? And moreover, by what criteria do we establish those who we believe possess qualities of greatness as our leaders? I pose these questions as a means to understanding our patriarch-Yitzhak Avinu/Isaac. If … Continue reading »
Parashat Toldot
By Tad Campbell In honor of my teacher and chaver, Rabbi Joel S. Wasser. Travel the world, or simply look at the foreign coins mixed up with your regular change and the most obvious thing about any, whether large or … Continue reading »
