Setting boundaries. A vital concept in relationships whether between individuals or groups. And near the end of this week’s parsha, the issue of boundaries comes up. Here Jacob lifts a large boulder (the issue of stones is a theme in Jacob’s life – the Hebrew letters for stone are a combination of father and children…
Who are we? Our choice? Or our heritage? Here Isaac and Rivkah have twins – Jacob and Esau, who was born red skinned and hairy. Two nations emerge from them, striving for different goals. One will follow the ethics of Torah and the other will pursue power at any expense. And they both will produce…
Miracles? At times kindness itself is a miracle! In this week’s parsha Eliezer, Abraham’s representative, is sent to find someone who could be a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac. Eliezer goes to an area where there was less idle worship, and when he comes to a well he sees a young woman Rivkah who generously…
Can we challenge God? Here, Abraham warned by angels, who he took for strangers in need of food and comfort, who later said that they would destroy the city of Sodom whose inhabitants were cruel to outsiders enslaving them and physically and sexually attacking them. But Abraham challenged God saying if there were even as few…
Who protects us? Abraham, the first advocate of all monotheism was tested by God. And one of his tests was, when he was confronted by Nimrod, who had the skin of the snake from the garden of Eden, and wielded authoritarian deceitful power demanded that Abraham worship idols and even worship fire and ,when Abraham…
What do we value? The end of this parsha is about the tower of Babel. Under a totalitarian rule people constructed this giant structure to challenge even God, rising it into the clouds (a thanks to the painter Breugel whose masterpiece I have adopted). And the subservient people were so obsessed with this project, that according to Midrash, they valued the…
(I had planned a less disturbing image but after the horror of October 7, 2023 this emerged) The beginnings with possibilities of joy and pain as well. We lived in an Eden and were expelled for foolish desires, kept out by an angel with a fiery sword and what happens next is our children killing each…
(I had planned a less disturbing image but after the horror of October 7, 2023 this emerged) The beginnings with possibilities of joy and pain as well. We lived in an Eden and were expelled for foolish desires, kept out by an angel with a fiery sword and what happens next is our children killing each…
What happens when we pass on our wisdom to the next generation? Here the Zohar speaks about this parsha where Moses is passing on leadership to Joshua. Above Moses are the vibrancies of what’s called Zer Anpin, which is the 7 upper cosmic sephirot, and more importantly, Moses is equated to the sun. Joshua represents malchut ,the…
Who are we? The Zohar speaks to this parsha that talks about Moses addressing all the people standing before him, and the commentary is that it isn’t just all the people that were there at the time, but all the people from every time, from our time; and specifically it talks about the 10 tribes that were…