Something changes about the Torah’s narrative in the middle of this week’s parsha. For 9 plagues we have followed the story as it unfolds in the normal narrative time of Egypt – with its warning speeches to Pharaoh, description of the plagues and their repercussions, and the continual hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. Now suddenly, on […]
SHORT ESSAY: On Freedom and eternity (Parashat Bo) Read More »
God first appeared (last week) to Moshe as a burning bush. Maybe this was a test: What made God decide to speak to him, to choose him as His partner on earth? “Moshe said: I must turn aside to look at this marvelous sight; why doesn’t the bush burn up?” It was Moshe’s ability to
SHORT ESSAY: Turning Aside to See the Miracle (Parashat Va’era) Read More »
Holding one of my children and stroking her hair, listening to her breathing, I feel a wave of gratitude wash over me. We are both awake and very still. I feel full, fuller than I thought possible. There is nothing more I could want in this world than this child. Thank you, God, for this
SHORT ESSAY: Glimpses of fullness (Parashat Vayetze) Read More »
How quickly and how far does the family of Yaakov descend in this parsha! Hatred festers unchecked among the brothers, and turns to violence against Yosef who is thrown down into a pit and sold “down” to Egypt as a slave. The Torah draws a parallel between this descent of Yosef’s (hurad) and that of
SHORT ESSAY: Hope at the Bottom of the Pit (Parashat Vayeshev) Read More »
This week’s parsha is framed by angels. At its start, as Yaakov leaves home, running away from his angry brother, he lies down and dreams of angels going up and down a ladder. The story then unfolds about his adventures away from home, in Haran — his years of work for Lavan, his marriages and
SHORT ESSAY: On the Accompaniment of Angels (Parashat Vayetze) Read More »
My youngest son Asher, upon being asked what materials he thought would be necessary for the building of the Tabernacle described in this week’s parsha, replied: “Cement.” It’s true. One would have expected the building of a house of God to require cement, something to hold the pieces together in a permanent way. But no,
SHORT ESSAY: God’s Mobile Home (Parashat Terumah) Read More »
The children of Israel, on the eve of their departure from Egypt in last week’s parsha, paint their doorposts and lintels with the blood of the paschal lamb. The Sefat Emet suggests that the image of the doorway is significant. They are on the cusp of a new life. God has created a doorway into
SHORT ESSAY: The Beginning of the Journey (Parashat Beshalach) Read More »
On his death-bed, Yaakov gives the following blessing to his grandchildren, Menasheh and Efraim: The God before whom my fathers Avraham and Yitzhak walked,The God who has been my shepherd from my birth to this day,The Angel who has redeemed me from all harm—–Bless the lads [Hebrew, ne’arim].In them may my name be recalled,And the names of my
SHORT ESSAY: On Protection and Connection (Parashat Vayechi) Read More »
Vayitzak tze’akah gedolah umarah ad me’od. “He cried out an exceedingly great and bitter cry (Gen 27:34).” This is the Torah’s description of Esav’s reaction to the news that his brother Yaakov had stolen his blessing. We can rationalize Yaakov’s actions. He had in fact bartered for the first-born rights earlier in the parsha so
SHORT ESSAY: Esav’s Cries (Parashat Toldot) Read More »
Avraham had many admirable characteristics, but he was not always the most attentive husband. His son, Yitzhak, on the other hand, now he was a good husband. Yitzhak’s response to Rivkah’s barrenness was quite different from Avraham’s response to Sarah’s. Yitzhak prays for her. What a novel concept! Avraham spends a parsha and a half waiting
SHORT ESSAY: Yitzhak As the Good Husband (Parashat Toldot) Read More »