1 Vayera (Genesis 18, 1 – 22, 24) – the story of Sodom and Gomorrah
The Talmudic rabbis compared Abraham as the spiritual father of the Jewish people with Noah. I want to cite two such rabbinic sources that are sensitive to the humanistic ideal…
2 Lech Lecha (Genesis 12, 1 – 17, 27) – the phrase lech lecha and parallel to the story of the binding of Isaac
The Torah reading of Lech Lecha begins (Genesis 12, 1) with God telling Abraham to go (lech lecha) from his country, from his homeland, and from the house of his…
1 Lech Lecha (Genesis 12, 1 – 17, 27) – the choosing of Abraham
Seemingly, the story of Abraham in the Hebrew Bible begins with the command lech lecha, “go for yourself” (Genesis 12, 1) in which Abraham is commanded by God to leave…
3 Noah (Genesis 6, 9 – 11, 32) – the Biblical account of the tower of Babel
The obvious question that arises in relation to the Biblical account of the tower of Babel is - what is the sin or wrongdoing that the builders of the tower…
2 Noah (Genesis 6, 9 – 11, 32) – roots of humanistic psychology in the Noah story
In the Torah reading of Noah, after the destruction of the flood, and after Noah and his family are saved, Noah offers a sacrifice (Genesis 8.21): And the Lord…
1 Noah (Genesis 6, 9 – 11, 32) – the Biblical account of the flood
The great revolution of the Hebrew Bible is reflected, in my view, in the very beginning of the story of Noah. After God repents of creating the human being due…
5 Bereishit (Genesis 1, 1 – 6, 8) – the Sabbath as a bridge between the two Biblical stories of creation
The Sabbath is without question of central importance in the Hebrew Bible and in the Jewish tradition. According to the opening story of creation, the Sabbath is a part of…
4 Bereishit (Genesis 1, 1 – 6, 8) – the two Biblical stories of creation
There are actually two stories of creation at the beginning of the Hebrew Bible - the opening account of the creation of the universe in six days with God resting…
3 Bereishit (Genesis 1, 1 – 6, 8) – the story of Adam and Eve
It is simply shocking (and astounding that people do not notice) that the term sin does not at all appear in the story of Adam and Eve. The term sin…
2 Bereishit (Genesis 1, 1 – 6, 8) – the ungrammatical opening verse of the Bible
Many, and even among Hebrew speakers, are not aware that the very first verse of the Hebrew Bible, Genesis 1, 1 is actually not grammatical. Rashi, the great Biblical commentator…