Matriarchs
- 5785, Abraham, Affliction, Conflict, Flood, Hagar, High Holidays, Ishmael, Israel, Matriarchs, Memory, Middle East, Mourning, Psalms, Sarah, Secondary Wives, War
Seeking to be Seen
I have never been happier to study the “secondary wives,” an often-forgotten group of people, and when remembered, almost always misunderstood. Who can be blamed – there is a dearth of information, missing…
- 5784, Advice, Delegation, Exodus, Greeting, Jacob, Jethro, Judges, Laban, Leaders, Matriarchs, Moses, Parsha, Rachel, Relationship, Rulers, Shemot, Tzipporah, Yitro
Greetings…
I’ve been reading about greetings in the Bible recently – in particular, a long discussion in The Lost Matriarch (Jerry Rabow) about Jacob’s greeting of Rachel, then Laban. In Parashat Yitro, the simplicity and…
- 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, Bereshit, Bilhah, Genesis, Hellenistic Judaism, Jacob, Laban, Leah, Matriarchs, Parsha, Patriarchs, Philo, Rachel, Sarah, Stones, Tribe, Vayetzei, Zilpah
Setting up Stones
Last week I listened to the entirety of Parashat Vayetzei, leyned from the bima of the oldest shul building in the U.S., Touro Synagogue. (I’ll dedicate a post soon to my first experience…
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- 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…
- Bereshit, Bethel, Bilhah, Dreams, Esau, Jacob, Leah, Matriarchs, Parsha, Patriarchs, Presence, Rachel, Staircase, Tribe, Vayetzei, Zilpah
A Divine Presence
This week, Cincinnati got pretty cold. The weather experts say there’s a polar vortex moving through three quarters of the United States this week – well, I can tell. I’m bundling up on…
- 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…
- Altar, Bethel, Covenant, Descendants, Dreams, Esau, Gilead, Inheritance, Israelites, Jacob, Laban, Leah, Matriarchs, Parsha, Patriarchs, Rachel, Shepherd, Tribe, Vayetzei
Family Feuds
The third of our patriarchs, Jacob, produces some of the best drama in the narratives of Genesis! This week’s parsha, Va-yetzei (Genesis 28:10-32:3) moves the reader from a story of love and strength…
- Aramean, Be'er Sheva, Birthright, Blessing, Esau, Isaac, Jacob, Laban, Matriarchs, Parsha, Patriarchs, Rebekah, Toldot, Twins
Twins & Enemies
Although he is the patriarch inhabiting the least biblical space, Isaac’s name arouses admiration, suspicion, and scandal. This week’s parsha, Tol’dot (generations), reminds us of what we’ve just read: that Isaac is Abraham’s…
