One of the featured motifs of Sefer Bereshit, the Book of Genesis, is sibling discord. It began with fratricide when Cain killed Abel, and continued in each generation of the patriarchal/matriarchal narrative. Yitzhak and Yishma’el couldn’t coexist; the twins Ya’akov and Esav had to separate for 20 years before they could see each other again; and Continue Reading »
Of all the heroes in the Bible, only one character earns the title Tzaddik, righteous, from the Rabbis. That character is Yosef, the man who rises from obnoxious teenager to Egypt’s chief economic adviser, from slave to master of his family’s destiny. And perhaps most significantly, Yosef is the one to break the cycle of sibling Continue Reading »
Nothing tells the story of Hanukkah quite like its repertoire of songs. Each song emphasizes a different angle to the holiday–the fun of spinning the dreidel (Sevivon), God’s role in the miracle (Ma’oz Tzur), the power of the Maccabees (Mi Yemalel). But to me, there’s one song that is really what Hanukkah should mean in the 21st Continue Reading »
As the eldest of 12 brothers, Reuven should have immense authority. And in a moment of crisis, he steps forward. Hearing his brothers’ murderous designs on Yosef, he makes an attempt to save his obnoxious younger sibling’s life: “He said, ‘Let us not take his life.’ And Reuben went on, ‘Shed no blood! Cast him Continue Reading »
After 20 years of estrangement, Ya’akov is about to encounter his twin brother, Esav, and he’s not entirely sure what to expect. He hopes for the best, but plans for the worst. Rashi says that Ya’akov prepares for three distinct contingencies: one, to simply give his brother a present; two, he prepares through prayer; and Continue Reading »
Did he really think his crimes would go unpunished? The stories of Sefer Bereshit, the Book of Genesis, are so brilliantly interconnected. That’s evident in this week’s Torah portion, Vayetzei, as Ya’akov the deceiver is himself the victim of a sibling swap. Then he cons the ultimate con-man, his uncle Lavan. No doubt CNN would refer to Continue Reading »
“When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the outdoors; but Jacob was a mild man who stayed in camp” (Genesis 25:27). With this famous verse, the descendants of Ya’akov, the Jewish People, have been painted with one brush as docile, bookish, and weak. And it’s our own fault, for Continue Reading »
Two weeks ago, in Parshat Lekh-Lekha, we read the story of Avraham the Warrior, victorious in the battle that rescued his nephew, Lot. Much has happened to him in the interim, but now, in Parshat Hayei-Sarah, we see him at the end of his life, undertaking one more challenge. It’s time to find a wife for Yitzhak, Continue Reading »
We simply can’t get through difficult times, like these wrought by the winds of Sandy, without the kindness of others. So many of us in this community, which was far luckier than others, have opened our doors to those left without heat, power, or more. We have tried to look in on those who might Continue Reading »
I have always been intrigued by the brief exchange between Avram and the King of Sodom in this week’s parshah, Lekh-Lekha. Avram the man of faith proves to be quite capable as a man of war. After hearing that his nephew Lot has been taken captive when Sodom ended up on the losing side of Continue Reading »
