Isaac
- 5784, Abraham, Bereshit, Bilhah, Egypt, Genesis, Hagar, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Keturah, Leah, Matriarchs, Parsha, Patriarchs, Rachel, Rebekah, Sarah, Vayechi, Zilpah
Egypt in the End
The final parsha of Bereshit/Genesis, Vayechi, comes with an ending of what we have come to know as the originating line of Jewish/Israelite heritage, marked traditionally by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – with the…
- 5784, Abraham, Bereshit, Bilhah, Egypt, Genesis, Hagar, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Joseph, Judah, Leah, Parsha, Potiphar, Rachel, Slavery, Tamar, Vayeishev, Zilpah
Forgotten Anchors
This parsha is astoundingly anchored by stories of women, often regarding how their actions affect the men in these stories. Parashat Vayeshev begins with the story of tension between Jacob and his brothers. For…
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- Abimelech, Akedah, Bereshit, Circumcision, Genesis, Hagar, Isaac, Ishmael, Lot, Love, Mountain, Parsha, Questions, Sarah, Sodom, Vayera
Favoritism & Erasure
Only four parshiyot in this week, we reach Vayera – following a journey of the promised birth of Sarah’s son by blood (since, technically, Ishmael was Sarah’s son through her שפחה, “maidservant,” Hagar)…
- 5781, Abraham, Akedah, Cliffhanger, Dissertation Diary, Doubt, Genesis, Hagar, Isaac, Ishmael, Mamre, Midrash, Parsha, Provision, Sacrifice, Sarah, Sodom, Trust, Vayera, Visitors
In With the New…Doesn’t Get Rid of the Old
The fourth parsha of our year is intense: beginning with a birth announcement and ending with a near-death experience. Well, technically, beginning with a newly-named Abraham sitting in his tent’s opening…waiting? hoping? wondering?…
- 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, Abraham, Bereshit, Challah, Change, Dissertation Diary, Genesis, Intimacy, Isaac, Journey, Laughter, Lekh Lekha, New York, Parsha, Relationship, Sarah, Songs, Travel
Where are Jew Going?
Perhaps the alliteration of Lekh-Lekha brings about all the attention this parsha gets. From a challah-venture who borrows the name, to Debbie Friedman’s well-known song, this seems to be a favorite of parshiyot followers.…
- 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…
- Bereshit, Birthright, Differences, Esau, Generations, Hate, History, Isaac, Jacob, Matriarchs, Parsha, Patriarchs, Rebekah, Relationship, Shabbat, Toldot
Navigating Differences
Parashat Toldot kinda gives itself away in the title, since the first story presents the newest patriarch, Jacob, with his twin brother Esau. The central story of their fraternal conflict takes up the…
