UNRAVELING FEAR AND FAITH Genesis 35:11 “Jacob became very frightened, and it distressed him…” Genesis 32:8. After hearing that his brother Esav was coming toward him with 400 men, the Torah tells us of Jacob’s trepidation. However, during Jacob’s awesome dream of a ladder reaching up to the heavens with… Read More »GENESIS 35:11 – JACOB’S DISTRESS
Discovering Hashem’s Presence through Humility “Jacob awoke from his sleep, and said: Behold, Hashem is in this place and I did not know” (Genesis 28:16). According to the Tifferes Shlomo, Jacob is exclaiming that he was able to sense the presence of Hashem in this place because he didn’t recognize… Read More »GENESIS 28:16 – TRANSCENDING THE ‘I’
2 Kislev 5784, 15 November 2023 “Flee to Lavan, my brother in Charan. Stay with him for a while until your brother’s anger subsides. Until the anger of your brother subsides from you…” (Genesis 27:43-45). Rabbi Abraham Twerski explains that these verses are not redundant. How was Jacob to know… Read More »GENESIS 23:3 – LIKE ONE’S REFLECTION IS SEEN IN WATER
28 Cheswan 5784, 12 November 2023 “Abraham rose up from the presence of his dead” (Genesis 23:3). The Radomsker Rebbe understood this passage according to a teaching by Rabbi Eliezer cited in the Talmud (Shabbat 153a). He would always say we should do teshuvah (return to G-d) one day before… Read More »GENESIS 23:3 – RETURN TO G-D THE DAY BEFORE YOU DIE
17 Cheshvan 5784, 1 November 2023 “Avraham came forward (‘vayigash’) and said: Will You wipe out the righteous along with the wicked?” (Genesis 18:23) The word ‘vayigash’ appears three times in scripture in the context of someone coming forward and approaching another with a request. Here, where Abraham prays for… Read More »GENESIS 18:23 – THE MEANING OF ‘VAYIGASH’
13 Cheshvan 5784, 28 October 2023 “He took him outside and said: Look now to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them. And He said to him: So will be your offspring” (Genesis 15:5). There are actually billions of stars, so are we to… Read More »GENESIS 15:5 – THE JEWISH PEOPLE WILL NOT GIVE UP!
6 Cheshvan 21 October 2023 “You shall make a skylight for the ark…” (Genesis 6:16). The word for skylight, ‘tzohar’ means illumination. The word for ark, teivah also means word. Based on this, the Baal Shem Tov suggested that there is an embedded message for us in this verse. We… Read More »GENESIS 6:16 – LIGHT INTO OUR PRAYERS
2 Cheshvan 17 October 2023 Rav Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin famously taught that the first time a word appears in the Torah is its headquarters. This is an appropriate idea to keep in mind as we begin our study of the Torah again this week with the portion of Bereishis… Read More »GENESIS 3:9 – WHERE ARE YOU?
28 Tisrei – 13 October 2023 G-d formed man of dust from the ground (adamah) Genesis 2:7. This is why the human is called Adam. But this verse concludes by telling us that G-d blew into his nostrils the breath of life. Breath in Hebrew is neshima – this refers… Read More »GENESIS 2:7 – MAN IS DUST AND POTENTIAL
26 Tisrei – 11 October 2023 G-d had made it very clear that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was not to be eaten, and that “on the day you eat of it you will surely become subject to death” (Genesis 2:17). If that was the case, how… Read More »GIVE ME CLARITY OR GIVE ME DEATH!
