Rabbi Farkas writes that Abraham has just experienced two very dark events; his son Isaac has left him, and they never meet again, and his wife Sarah has died alone. And yet, the Torah tells us that the LORD blessed Abraham in all things. He cites Rabbi Sacks, who wrote that God does not do it all; we are responsible as well.
DetailsRabbi Greene considers the problem of someone you know who is struggling, but you don’t know what to do to help them. There is a tension between what you think might help, and what they think they need. Then again, they may not even know. We can have the best of intentions, yet do things that do not help at all.
DetailsIsaac is quiet, introspective, and meditative. In fact, the Sages attributed his afternoon meditation to prayer. However, the Talmud is not concerned with the nature of meditation, as much as it is with the halakhah of prayer. Rabbi Sacks observes that there were two types of leaders at the time – patriarchs and prophets; no priests yet. Everyone prayed differently, and each prayer was unique.
DetailsRachel Travis considers the madras, wherein a young Abraham questions his father’s faith in the carved and molded idols. Abraham is a rebel. Yet in the Torah, Abraham is 75 when God speaks to him for the first time, with an incredible challenge and promise.
DetailsRabbi Barenblat blogs on whether or not God should have created humanity. The question is challenging; most of our perception of reality is in opposing views. She questions why the need for polarization?
DetailsGod speaks the incredible words to Abraham, “go forth to the land that I will show you”, yet the Torah tells us very little about Abraham, other than his deeds. His few identified attributes—gentle, kind, gracious—don’t generally relate to the founder of a new faith.
DetailsRabbi Strimber is concerned with the conflict between the years that Noach spent anticipating the flood and building the ark, and the other fact that Noach did not believe that the flood would ever happened. This fact is understood because he didn’t enter the ark until the very last minute. The conflict is resolved by considering actual human nature; we can understand something on an intellectual level, without that reality touching our consciousness.
DetailsRabbi Sacks observes that the Tower of Babel narrative is only 9 verses, yet its historicity is interesting. The ziggurat, which is what the Tower was, represented the ancient Mesopotamian city states, where humans first settled. The buildings were remarkable for their design, size, and building materials.
DetailsRaemia Luchins writes about the complexity of the phrase “The earth had become corrupt before Hashem, and the earth was filled with chamas”. It seems simple, but it is actually describing a world “whose internal warning systems have stopped functioning.” In other words, the corruption came about gradually, reflecting cracks in the society.
DetailsDr. Moster considers the complexity of the grammar: b’reishit may refer to “in the beginning”, or “from the beginning”, or “the beginning”, depending on different historical translations into Aramaic or English. What is the true meaning of the prefix “b”?
DetailsRabbi Springer notes the rapid transition from “very good”—the work of creation—to “nothing but evil all the time” at the end of the parashah. She considers Isaiah 42:5-7, which starts with a focus on the creation of human beings, starting with Adam, and transitioning to “all people who come from this one person”. Isaiah focuses immediately on the creation of “people” instead of a single person.
DetailsRabbi Sacks is concerned about the disconnect between Adam’s blaming his wife for leading him into sin, and then giving her a new name. Another disconnect is God’s punishment of them by exiling them from Eden, and then providing them with clothes, a kindness. The change of mood in both instances doesn’t make sense.
DetailsDr. Kalmanofsky writes about the interplay between the Written and Oral Torahs, which established a basis for ongoing fresh interpretation. We honor our ancestors in this way. While the Written Torah is an anchor, dancing with the Oral Torah provides joy and art.
DetailsRabbi Margles cites Talmud Sukkah 12a, which instructs us to take the husks, bare vines, and dry stalks—leftovers—for the roof of the Sukkah. This seems contradictory to the mitzvah. For instance, we are instructed to choose the most beautiful etrog available, and decorate the Sukkah. She cites Rabbi Gershon Chanoch Henoch Leiner of Radzyn who taught about the spiritual significance of the holy refuse.
DetailsRabbi Sacks observes that Kohelet is “the man who had it all”, and yet, when looking back upon his life, he could only say that it was meaningless. His failure to find meaning is directly related to his obsession with “I” and “me”; the more he pursues his desires, the emptier his life becomes. The culture of narcissism leads to loneliness and despair, as Kohelet discovered.
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