In the first part of this article, I want to distinguish between two fundamentally different conceptions of the holiness of the Torah (the 5 Books of Moses) for we as…
In the Torah reading of Vayechi, Jacob before he is about to die calls his sons together so that he can tell them of their future – “And Jacob called…
The Torah reading of Vayigash opens with one of the most moving speeches in the Biblical literature. Judah delivers the moving speech on behalf of Benjamin who had been taken…
The term tshuva, which is a central concept of the Jewish tradition, is often translated inadequately as repentance, but literally means return in the sense of a return to the…
Seemingly, the story of Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38) appears out of place, and is inserted in the middle of the story of Joseph and his brothers. Rashi (the great…
The term tshuva (תשובה), which is a central concept of the Jewish tradition, is often translated inadequately as repentance, but literally means return in the sense of a return to…
Psalm 15 speaks of one who may dwell in the Tabernacle of the Lord, and on the holy mountain of the Lord – and, among other things, the psalm describes…
Two things stand out regarding Isaac. First, the Bible tells us that Isaac is blind physically (Genesis 27, 1) – and, seemingly he is also blind from a spiritual point…
The Torah reading Chayei Sarah begins with the death of Sarah – and Abraham then seeking a burial place for Sarah. Abraham wants to buy the cave of Machpelah, which…
One of the most popular ways of understanding the story of the binding of Isaac through the ages, especially from a religious point of view, is that Abraham’s silence and…