Rabbi Sacks addresses the ambiguity of Terah and Abraham. Terah worshipped idols, but took the first steps towards a new homeland and life. Abraham broke with the pattern of idolatry, risking disrespect for his father, and completed Torah’s journey.
Rabbi Zamek drashes on the selection of species to be included in the Ark, commenting that if most of us had a choice, we would have excluded certain life forms, such as leeches or cockroaches. As he states, this perspective reflects only our own personal interests, without considering the well-being of the entire world that was created.
Rabbi Barenblat composes a beautiful poem on the theme of understanding.
Rabbi Sacks compares the morality in the Flood narrative to Games theory. He cites The Prisoner’s Dilemma, a model invented in 1950, demonstrating that cooperation produces a better outcome for both parties. He carries this discussion forward to ultimately demonstrate that the first moral principle in the Torah is the first moral principle to be scientifically demonstrated.
Rabbi Weiss states that our world can itself be a mixture of chaos and void, considering global warming, warfare around the world, societal divides. Parashat Bereishit teaches us that chaos and darkness are frequently the precursor to transformational change, rather than the conclusion of our story. In the Torah, God calls the light out; in our daily lives we need to be our own source of transformation.
Rabbi Sacks questions whether we can understand our history without the “prehistory” – the narratives of Abraham and Sarah and their offspring, the narrative of Adam and Eve, the Flood, and the Tower of Babel. He cites Rabbi Isaac who stated that the Torah should have begun with Exodus 12:2 – the first of the months, when the first commandment was given to Israel.
Rabbi Creditor writes of the Ushpizin, mystical spirit guests who are invited in during Sukkot. Traditionally, they remind us of the brokenness of the world, and how to repair it. Yet there is a contrast between the celebration of plenty during Sukkot and the lives of many who are bereft of food and shelter. Rabbi Creditor writes of his experience in visiting Ghana and how it influenced his understanding of Sukkot.
Fragile rejoicing – songs for Sukkot
Rabbi Sacks writes of parallels and contrasts represented in the life of Moses. He died, as the text states, “his eyes undimmed, his energy unabated”, whereas Abraham died “an old man and full of years.” Moses never lost the vision that drove him to the end from his original encounter with God at the burning bush. Yet he was the ultimate in humility.
Rabbi Buchdahl teaches that “rebuke” – the usual translation of tochecha – doesn’t quite capture the meaning. The root means “evidence”; giving someone tochecha is like holding up a mirror to them. Tochecha, in reality, relates to love. What do love and tochecha have to do with Yom Kippur?