Posts
Lech Lecha: Homeland
The Midrash in Bereshit Rabbah 39:9 asks why God’s request for Avram to leave his homeland is so verbose. God tells Avram: “Go forth, from your land, from the land...
Lech Lecha: Homeland
The Midrash in Bereshit Rabbah 39:9 asks why God’s request for Avram to leave his homeland is so verbose. God tells Avram: “Go forth, from your land, from the land...
Vayeira: Helicopter Parenting
“Helicopter parenting” is a buzzword in modern society. In Parashat Vayeira, we see Sarah’s strong reaction to Yishmael “playing” with Yitzchak (Bereshit 21:9). The authors of the Midrash wonder why...
Vayeira: Helicopter Parenting
“Helicopter parenting” is a buzzword in modern society. In Parashat Vayeira, we see Sarah’s strong reaction to Yishmael “playing” with Yitzchak (Bereshit 21:9). The authors of the Midrash wonder why...
Chayei Sarah: Ripe Old Age
Chayei Sarah is bookended by the loss of two major figures in Jewish history, Sarah and Avraham. By way of the following story, the authors of the Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah...
Chayei Sarah: Ripe Old Age
Chayei Sarah is bookended by the loss of two major figures in Jewish history, Sarah and Avraham. By way of the following story, the authors of the Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah...
Toledot: Energy Drinks
The lines outside of Starbucks after Hurricane Sandy reminded me of the Esav’s statement in Parashat Toledot: “Give me some of that red red stuff!” (Bereshit 25:30) For centuries, scholars...
Toledot: Energy Drinks
The lines outside of Starbucks after Hurricane Sandy reminded me of the Esav’s statement in Parashat Toledot: “Give me some of that red red stuff!” (Bereshit 25:30) For centuries, scholars...
Vayetze: Desperate Housewives of Haran
After Yaakov discovered that he had married the wrong sister, his father-in-law Lavan told him: “It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the...
Vayetze: Desperate Housewives of Haran
After Yaakov discovered that he had married the wrong sister, his father-in-law Lavan told him: “It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the...
Vayishlach: An Untold Story
Parashat Vayishlach contains a narrative that is “rated R,” one that is often skipped over in religious school. Chapter 34 of Bereshit describes how Dinah, the daughter of Yaakov and...
Vayishlach: An Untold Story
Parashat Vayishlach contains a narrative that is “rated R,” one that is often skipped over in religious school. Chapter 34 of Bereshit describes how Dinah, the daughter of Yaakov and...