Parashat Vayechi (Genesis 47:28–50:26) By Rabbi Neal Gold | December 13, 2021 Does Judaism have a “secret handshake”—a coded way of “speaking Jewish” within the family, so to speak? A wonderful midrash offers a whimsical take on that question. In the final chapter of Genesis, we read of the deaths of both Jacob and Joseph. And we learn that the Israelites’ standing in Egypt has changed radically during the years between the demise of father and son. Jacob was buried... Read more
Parashat Vayigash (Genesis 44:18–47:27) By Rabbi Max Edwards | December 7, 2021 After many years of distance between Jacob and his son Joseph, we read of a remarkable reunion in Parashat Vayigash. Certain that Joseph died long ago, it takes a moment for Jacob to internalize the words of his children who inform him that Joseph, his beloved son, is still alive and thriving in Egypt: They went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land... Read more
Parashat Miketz, Genesis 41:1–44:17 By Rav Hazzan Ken Richmond | December 01, 2021 Hanukkah always arrives at a dark time of year, when we in New England are feeling the urge to hibernate. The days are shorter, the weather colder; Shabbat begins and ends in the late afternoon. The outside activities and pleasures of summer and fall are diminishing, along with the chances to socialize, to linger, to eat with friends outdoors. Despite having experienced these seasonal shifts annually for... Read more
Parashat Vayeshev (Genesis 37:1–40:23) By Matthew Schultz | November 22, 2021 The Torah speaks in the language of fractals—never ending patterns that are identical at both the level of the micro and the macro. Fractals are everywhere in nature. Think, for instance, of a fern. Under a magnifying lens, each leaf appears to be a fern itself, with its own leaves, each of which are—in turn—shaped like ferns. The fractal nature of the Torah is nowhere more clear than in Parashat Vayeishev,... Read more
Parashat Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4-36:43) By Rabbi Gray Myrseth | November 15, 2021 He said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking,” but he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (Genesis 32:27) I land at your feet and the sky comes down. Falls into my open mouth. Rain pours down my throat, lightning glances off my teeth. I only wanted to touch you and now the span of the heavens fills my chest. The way I... Read more
Parashat Vayetze (Genesis 28:10-32:3) By Leah Carnow | November 9, 2021 As I write, I am in Jerusalem, studying during my third year of rabbinical school. Each day here I am reminded of how much I love the way Hebrew feels on my tongue, how much joy I derive from using Hebrew to talk about both the most mundane and the most meaningful experiences of life. Speaking in Hebrew makes me feel proud, like I belong here. And each day,... Read more
Parashat Toldot (Genesis 25:19–28:9) By Rabbi Neal Gold | Nov 01, 2021 Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer that I may feel you, my son—whether you are really my son Esau or not.” So Jacob drew close to his father Isaac, who felt him and wondered. “The voice is the voice of Jacob, yet the hands are the hands of Esau.” (Genesis 27:21-22) There was Jacob, standing anxiously before his father and feeling like an incredible dork. How had his... Read more
Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23:1–25:18) By Naomi Gurt Lind | Oct 25, 2021 “People are strange when you’re a stranger. Faces look ugly, when you’re alone.” —Jim Morrison, The Doors Jim Morrison’s classic lyrics from his bout with depression in 1967 have been playing in my mind recently. There is so much that is unsettling about the time that we are in, as we come out of the pandemic, but don’t. We are meeting in person now, but skittishly. We smile through... Read more
By Rabbi David Maayan The first three verses of Parashat Vayeira present a number of puzzles to the Torah’s readers: And Y-H-W-H appeared to him [Abraham] by the terebinths of Mamre; he was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot. He lifted up his eyes, and saw, and behold: three men standing near him. He saw, and he ran to greet them . . . . He said, “ADONAY, if I have found grace in your eyes,... Read more
Parshat Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:1–17:27) Yael Werber | Oct 12, 2021 Eleven years ago, I moved to New York City, young, naive, and without any idea of where I was going next. The first apartment I moved into turned out to be uninhabitable, so, two days into my New York City adventure, I was left without a home, a job, or a place to spend the night. Thankfully, I had a relative in Washington Heights who took me in and... Read more
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