The Language of Fractals

Last updated on: November 22, 2021 at 2:21 pm By Hebrew College

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

Say You Met An Angel

Last updated on: November 18, 2021 at 12:47 pm By Hebrew College

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

The Languages We Speak

Last updated on: November 11, 2021 at 12:09 pm By Hebrew College

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

The Voice of Jacob, the Hands of Esau

Last updated on: November 4, 2021 at 2:37 pm By Hebrew College

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

I’m a Stranger Here Myself

Last updated on: October 27, 2021 at 5:44 pm By Hebrew College

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

It Takes Practice to Be Surprised
(Parashat Vayeira (Genesis 18:1-22:24)

Last updated on: January 18, 2022 at 6:33 pm By Hebrew College

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

Life in a Spiral

Last updated on: October 15, 2021 at 10:27 am By Hebrew College

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

Beautiful & Broken: Abram’s Vision

Last updated on: October 5, 2021 at 12:17 pm By Hebrew College

Parashat Noah (Genesis 6:9–11:32) By Rabbi Or Rose | October 05, 2021 This week’s Torah portion includes two great dramas: the Flood story (chapters 6-9) and the tale of the Tower of Babel (chapter 11). In the closing lines of the reading, we are briefly introduced to the great patriarch Abraham (still known as Abram at this point). This introduction, however, is terse and understated, especially considering the drama of the two earlier narratives. We learn nothing about Abram’s character... Read more

Difficult Beginnings

Last updated on: September 30, 2021 at 3:30 pm By Hebrew College

Parashat Bereshit, Genesis 1:1–6:8 By Dr. Susie Tanchel | September 27, 2021 “All beginnings are hard,” commented Rashi, a medieval Jewish commentator, on a verse in the Torah. Yet, this week, as we begin a new liturgical cycle of the Torah with the reading of Bereishit 1, this does not immediately appear to be the case. After all, God quite easily creates the world from the pre-existing unformed matter (1:2). Indeed, all God needs to do is speak, and... Read more

A Sukkot Story for the Pandemic Generations

Last updated on: September 20, 2021 at 10:42 am By Hebrew College

Shabbat Sukkot (Exodus 33:12-34:26; Numbers 29:17-34) By Rabbi Shira Shazeer | September 20, 2021 Mazel tov! We’ve made it through a second pandemic High Holy Days and reached Sukkot, the season of our joy. Most Jewish holidays have a core story. Passover is zman cheiruteinu, the time of our liberation. Shavuot is zman matan torateinu, the time we were given the Torah. Hanukkah and Purim each have a story. Even Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur have the narratives of the birthday of the world,... Read more

What does "Hoshea" mean in Hebrew?