Rachel
- 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, 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…
- 5784, Actions, Bereshit, Bilhah, Decisions, Esau, Fear, Genesis, Jacob, Joseph, Leah, Parsha, Rachel, Scarcity, Vayishlah, Zilpah
Scaredness and Scarcity
This week, I made a risky and scary move – action upon a decision about which I had total clarity during a conversation erev Rosh Hashanah. (Here’s where I tell you how exceedingly…
- 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…
- 5779, Benjamin, Challah, Covenant, Death, Esau, Estrangement, Israel, Jacob, Komps Kaos, Parsha, Rachel, Rape, Reconciliation, Revenge, Struggle, Thanksgiving, Tribe, Vayishlah, Wrestling
Growth Through Struggle
After leaving Laban’s household, Jacob must face another strained relationship in a scary encounter. His estrangement from Esau was alway sin the background of his journeys, his relationships, and his self-definition. Before Parashat…
- 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…
- Altar, Benjamin, Bereshit, Dinah, Esau, Forgiveness, Jacob, Journey, Parsha, Rachel, Rape, Reconciliation, Vayishlah, Wrestling
Multiple Personas
This week the weather was much colder, leaving me and my fellow students bundled up even inside, seeking warm places to study for exams and write papers. We have only this weekend left…
- 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…
- 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…
