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Weekly Torah
Yaakov avinu’s (our forefather Jacob’s) midnight encounter with a mysterious angel: Who was this angel, what was his purpose, and by what name was he known? Yaakov overcomes the angel, and by doing so gains insight into all these questions. He also acquires for himself a new name, a new identity, and a new role to play in establishing the Divine presence here on this earth.
Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4-36:43)
Parashat Vayishlach is read on Shabbat:
Kislev 17, 5773/December 1, 2012
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Yaakov our patriarch laid his head down on the site of the altar upon which Yitzchak his father had been bound, and rose up with the knowledge that this was the very place from which Avraham had declared, “G-d will be seen.” This is the Temple Mount of today, and it is incumbent upon the children of Yaakov/Yisrael that the One True G-d is seen from this place.
Vayeitzei (Genesis 28:10-32:3)
Parashat Vayeitzei is read on Shabbat:
Kislev 10, 5773/November 24, 2012
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The work of the patriarchs, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov was to establish in this world an eternal bond between man and G-d. Toldot chronicles the struggle for supremacy between two radically different approaches toward leadership: the way of Yaakov, and the way of Esav. Esav excelled in so many ways he seemed a natural for the part. And after all, he was the first-born. There was but one thing missing from Esav’s understanding of life: the fear and the acknowledgment of G-d. Forever stymied by his own egotistical take on life, Esav languished, while Yaakov assumed the mantle of leadership.
Toldot (Genesis 25:19-28:9)
Parashat Toldot is read on Shabbat:
Kislev 3, 5773/November17, 2012
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Sara imenu – our matriarch Sara – was a woman of unparalleled beauty and spiritual strength, whose power of prophecy was greater, our sages teach us, than that of her husband Avraham. Yet, according to Midrash, she was ultimately felled by an enemy common to us all: the satan who feeds on our own fears and casts stumbling blocks along our way.
Chayei Sara (Genesis 23:1-25:18)
Parashat Chayei Sara is read on Shabbat:
Marcheshvan 25, 5773/November10, 2012
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Why was Avraham avinu interceding on behalf of the wicked people of the decadent city of Sodom? Was he your typical bleeding-heart liberal who can’t distinguish between right and wrong? On the contrary, Avraham was showing his faith to the one true G-d and to the role that G-d granted him as guarantor of humanity.
Vayera (Genesis 18:1-22:24)
Parashat Vayera is read on Shabbat:
Marcheshvan 18, 5773/November 3, 2012
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Avraham avinu traveled far into his own being in order to discover the Source and Supreme Guide of all creation, but the relationship he forged with G-d and the role he assumed for himself as citizen of G-d’s domain was firmly based in this world and firmly founded on the principle of personal responsibility.
Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:1-17:27)
Parashat Lech Lecha is read on Shabbat:
Marcheshvan 11, 5773/October 27, 2012
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The first lesson we are taught by Torah concerning the ten generation epoch spanning from Adam to Noach is that man’s behavior toward his fellow man has a direct and powerful effect on the natural world around him. Proper human conduct is a prerequisite for any effective environmental activism to succeed in preserving the magnificent ecosystem that G-d has blessed us with. A civilization that loses its moral compass will come crashing down, and take the natural world with it. A cautionary tale.
Bereshit/Noach (Genesis 1:1-11:32)
Parashat Noach is read on Shabbat:
Marcheshvan 4, 5773/October 20, 2012
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