Generations
-
- 5784, Abraham, Bereshit, Chayyei Sarah, Generations, Genesis, Hagar, History, Inheritance, Keturah, Rabbis, Sarah, Secondary Wives, Stories
A Worthwhile Pursuit
Sarah lived…and died, among other wives. Last week’s parsha, Chayei Sarah, includes Keturah’s introduction. There are so many sources I need to explore in depth; Keturah is not someone about whom I have much…
- 5780, Abraham, Ancestors, Bereshit, Beshert, Chayyei Sarah, Death, Dissertation Diary, Genealogy, Generations, Genesis, Hebron, Isaac, Life, Marriage, Matriarchs, Parsha, Patriarchs, Rebekah, Sarah
Burials & Besherts
The last parsha was filled with Sarah’s life, and this one is, well…not. She dies almost immediately – the title, taken from the opening verse, instead offers a glance back. From here, Parashat…
- 5780, Annual Cycle, Bereshit, Creativity, Dancing, Deuteronomy, Devarim, Dissertation Diary, Farewell, Generations, Genesis, High Holidays, Liturgy, Moses, Parsha, Presence, Rashi, Simchat Torah, Sukkot, Torah
Dancing With Creation
Sukkos is the time of our joy, and Simchas Torah offers a highly tangible expression of our ecstatic expression. Whether momentary or mundane, each year we return in joy to the beginning of…
- Childbirth, Children, Family, Generations, Komps Kaos, Leviticus, Maternity Leave, Offering, Parents, Parsha, Provision, Purity, Ritual, Separation, Skin Diseases, Tazria, Vayikra
Ancient Maternity Leave
Parashat Tazria consists of only two chapters, but they are packed to the gills with instructions about bodily purity. This year, the opening verses caught my attention – instructions for women following childbirth.…
- Ancestors, Bereshit, Blessing, Brothers, Culture, Egypt, Genealogy, Generations, Israel, Jacob, Joseph, Komps Kaos, Oath, Parsha, Shemot, Text Study, Textual Criticism, Torah, Vayechi
The End of the Beginning
The end of Bereshit – an accomplishment that feels markedly set within each year of Torah engagement. We have traipsed through our creation stories, begun to wrestle with our relationship to G!d (and…
- Bereshit, Brothers, Chanukah, Dreams, Egypt, Generations, Interpretation, Jacob, Jail, Joseph, Komps Kaos, Leaders, Light, Menorah, Parsha, Pharaoh, Potiphar, Slavery, Thanksgiving, Vayeishev
Stars in Your Eyes
Dreamers – Joseph seems to represent this wide-ranging group. Some dreamers are visionary – they provide us with new ideas and take us where we need to go. Joseph does this for Pharaoh…
- 5779, Barrenness, Bilhah, Fertility, Genealogy, Generations, Jacob, Journey, Komps Kaos, Laban, Leah, Midrash, Parsha, Rachel, Sister Wives, Tribe, Vayetzei, Zilpah
Sister-Wives for Real
Our foremothers did a lot of kvetching & worrying about fertility. Barrenness is a recurring theme in scripture for these important matriarchs, yet we rarely remember their recorded struggle to conceive. The first…
- 5779, Anger, Blessing, Boiling, Esau, Genealogy, Generations, Isaac, Jacob, Jewish Food, Komps Kaos, Parsha, Rebekah, Stew, Toldot, Twins
Boiling Point
There seems to be a lot of food in this parsha. When we talk about the word toldot, mostly people say, “Oh, that’s the generations” – “It’s all about their lineage” – “Those…
- Abraham, Bereshit, Chayyei Sarah, Death, Descendants, Genealogy, Generations, Isaac, Kaddish, Life, Mourning, Parsha, Pittsburgh, Rebekah, Sarah, Synagogues
Lifecycle
Every year we talk about the irony of this week’s parsha: Chayei Sarah, or the life of Sarah. In reality, the only thing we are told about Sarah’s life is the number of…