Hanukah begins just as Shabbat is going out. This reminds me of what rabbi Aaron, the rabbi of a shul I prayed at when I was in Jerusalem, said a few years back. He shared how Hanukah is a time of juxtaposition between the individual and the community. I want to take it a step further; I want to talk about the juxtaposition of free will and fate. Now before anyone asks about free will versus haShem (God) being all … Continue reading
Hi everybody. I hope this finds you all in good health and good spirits. The portion of the torah that we read this week is a continuation of Yaakov’s (Jacob) journey to becoming Israel. It includes the reconciliation of him and his brother Esau, and the destruction of the city of Schem, the death of Yaakov’s parents and his wife Rachel, and ends with Esau moving to make room for Yaakov, which is followed by a strange, repetitive listing of … Continue reading
The parsha (Torah portion) for this week , along with the beginning of the next week’s parsha, gives us a blueprint for how to live and interact with people. There are 3 scenarios that the Torah looks at: How do you deal with someone who changes the rules on you, How to deal with somebody who accuses, and What to do when you are feeling threatened. The latter scenario is in next week’s parsha, so maybe I will talk about … Continue reading
This week’s parsha (Torah portion) is called Toldot (generations in English). Let’s look at what this word, generations, means. Generations implies cycles, and cycles are circles. Each generation is born, lives, and dies. That is its cycle or circle. However, before a generation dies, it creates a new generation, turning the circle into a spiral. I find it strange to call this parsha Generations when most of this parsha talks of one generation and prior parshas have also mentioned lineages … Continue reading
This week’s parsha (Torah portion) has a lot in it. A very quick summary goes like this: Sarah dies and Abraham buys the cave called Macpelah to bury Sarah in. Then he sends his servant Eli-ezer to find a wife for his son Yitzchak (Isaac). After Eli-ezer returns with Rivka (Rebecca), Abraham dies and Yishmayil and Yitzchak bury Abraham next to Sarah in the cave called Macpelah. What is interesting about the name of the cave is that it comes … Continue reading
This week’s parsha (portion of the Torah we read this week) is called Vayera. It has a lot in it including the destruction of Sdome and Gemorah, and the roots of where King David. However, none of those things are what I feel like talking about today. Today, I want to talk about one of the lesser known things that I found interesting in our parsha: The story regarding Abraham, Sarah, and Avimelech (which translates to, “My father the king,” … Continue reading
As I read the parsha (weekly Torah portion) in Hebrew, I like to to pretend that names are not just names, but that they mean something. This give me the freedom to translate them. The text takes on a new meaning in the process. For example, in this week’s parsha, Lech lecha (go to yourself is a translation from Hebrew), we find Avram setting up an alter between two towns: Bet-El and Ai, and from there he calls to god … Continue reading
I heard this from a friend of mine, Drew Tik (I mention him because it is always good to name your sources). This week we read about Noah and the flood, followed by the tower of Babel, followed by being introduced to Abram. Why was the tower story put in between the two? Noah, in Hebrew means to rest; so, Noah was a laid back kind of guy. Ok, he did what god told him to do, but outside of … Continue reading
Is it time to write about our weekly parsha (Torah portion) already? It seems like I just wrote one. Ah, yes. This is what happens when we finish our cycle of the Torah and begin again. There really is no time, which means no rest for my Torah thoughts. Such is life. So, here we are, back to the beginning. The parsha is called Breisheit and has many, many meanings. It is normally translated as, “In the beginning.” However it … Continue reading
The Torah really does not have a beginning and an ending. Today (Sunday) is the end of Succot, and on its heals is Simchat Torah which means, “Happiness of Torah.” On Simchat Torah we finish reading the Torah, and start again to read the Torah. We also dance with the Torah and celebrate simultaneous endings and beginnings. If there was only one thing to learn from the Torah, then this cycle would be a circle. However, when you read the … Continue reading