And YHVH said to Abram, “Lekh Lekha (go forth, but literally go to yourself) from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃ For me, the
The parashah begins with God’s call to Avram (his name won’t be changed to Avraham until later) to “Go forth from your land, from your kindred, from your father’s house, to the land that I will let you see. I will make a great nation of you and will give
If ever there were a person for whom Psalm 145 — the Ashrei — was written, it is Avraham. Ashrei begins: “Happy are they who dwell in your house” and then continues through the Hebrew alphabet to list God’s attributes and blessings bestowed on us and our reasons for giving
B’shem Hashem elohei yisraelMiyimini Michael u’mismoli gavrielUmilfanai uriel um’akhorai refaelV’al roshi, v’al roshi, shekhinat el. In the name of God, the God of IsraelTo my right is Michael, to my left is GavrielIn front of me Uriel, and behind me RafaelAnd on my mind, and over me, Shekhinat El —From
There is so much wonderful meat for discussion in the Joseph story that it is easy to skip or skim the story of Judah and Tamar — or of Tamar and Judah — to get back to the next installment of Joseph in Egypt. Even when read with care, it
[Editor’s note: This piece was written for Martin Luther King weekend several years ago, and refers to specific events occuring at the time it was written. However, its insights remain relevant over a decade later.] This week, we arrive at the final portion of the book of Genesis as we
Few conflicts are as significant in our lives as our struggles with those who are most close to us: the members of our family. Who we were, who we are and who we will become is most clearly seen in our relationships with our parents, our siblings, our spouses and
In this week’s parasha our attention is focused on Noah and his family’s experience in the ark. The flood has subsided and the doors of the ark have opened. God has commanded Noah to exit the ark and to release the animals back into the world. (Genesis 8:15-19) God next
Each year, on the second day of Rosh Hashana we discuss the Akeida – the story for the binding and near sacrifice of Isaac. Each year we, collectively, struggle with the psychological impact and the personal ethics of the story. How could a father do such a thing? What did
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