Parashat Lekh-Lekha: Hagar, The Immigrant Worker
This parashah begins the story of Hagar's vulnerable place in the household of Abraham and Sarah. Rabbi Renee Bauer asks us to recognize the "Hagars" found all around us.
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Weekly Learning
Torah and Beyond
Video Greeting for the New Year
In this Rosh Hashanah video message, Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., president of Reconstructing Judaism, explores the ways in which remembering the past is crucial to moving forward into a sweet New Year.
Hashivenu: A Podcast on Resilience
The deep themes of the High Holiday season drive us to make sense of what's truly important, and sustain us as we strive to recapture those ideals We speak with Rabbi David Teutsch and Rabbi Deborah Waxman about the meaning they find in these holidays.
More on Parashat Lekh-Lekha
Go to Yourself: Abraham and the Spiritual Journey
This week’s Torah portion begins with God’s dramatic call to Abram to go on a life journey that will change him forever. But this potential transformation comes with a price: to pursue this quest Abram and his wife Sarai must leave behind their home, the habitual, and head into the unknown.
Posted on October 20, 2017 by
Rabbi
Jonathan Kligler
D'var Torah
Be a Blessing
Avram and Sarai model a sense of trust in the face of uncertainty. How can we find that sense in our own lives?
Posted on October 20, 2017 by
Rabbi
Steven Nathan
D'var Torah
Avraham, Happiness, and God's Open Hand
Our lives are filled with both blessings and hardships. Ellen Dannin suggests Avraham’s approach as a model for making sense of this tension.
Posted on October 20, 2017 by
Ellen Dannin
D'var Torah
Desperate Immigrants: An Ancient Jewish Story
Abraham and Sarah’s desperate journey to Egypt as refugees reminds us that remembering the heart of the stranger is at the core of Jewish experience.
Posted on August 16, 2017 by
Rabbi
Maurice Harris
Article
Hagar: The Immigrant Worker
This provocative Rosh Hashanah sermon draws parallels between Hagar, Sarah’s mistreated servant, and today’s immigrant workers.
Posted on August 15, 2017 by
Rabbi
Renee Bauer
Sermon
Lekh Lekha and the Promised Land: Text Study
This text study, prepared by Rabbi Nina Mandel, contains pairs of passages examining biblical and contemporary notions of what “Promised Land” means, and how it has been interpreted by Jewish thinkers over the millennia.
Posted on November 30, 2016 by
Rabbi
Nina Mandel
Document
