“And the entire Israelite community came out before Moses.” (Exodus 35:20) We read two parashot (portions) this week because of the way the Jewish calendar is calculated.  Months are determined by the moon’s cycle, but the year is determined by the sun’s.  Therefore, a Jewish year can have from 50 to 55 weeks.  Since the [...]

“Moses was not aware that the skin of his face was radiant, since he had spoken with God.” (Exodus 34:27) Parashat Ki Tisa finds Moses descending Mt. Sinai carrying the original luchot habrit (tablets of the covenant) only to find the Israelites worshiping the golden calf with a wanton orgy.  Moses smashes the luchot in [...]

“God heard their moaning and God remembered His covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. “(Exodus 2:24)   Parashat Sh’mot is the first parasha (portion) in the Book of Sh’mot, known in English as Exodus (an abbreviation of the Greek, Exodus Aegyptous.)  It establishes continuity with the end of the Book of Genesis by repeating [...]

“The Lord was with Joseph and he was a successful man…” (Genesis 39:2) Parashat Vayeshev begins the saga of Joseph and his brothers, the longest narrative in Genesis.  Joseph’s fate swings wildly from being his father’s favorite, to being sold into slavery, from rising to prominence in Potiphar’s house, to being accused of seduction and [...]

“Jacob gave the site, where God had spoken to him, the name of Bethel.” (Genesis 35:16) Parashat Vayishlach contains some intense drama, not all of it G-rated.  Jacob wrestles with an angel, is re-named Israel, and reconciles with his brother Esau.  Rachel dies, and Reuven, Jacob’s eldest son, sleeps with Bilhah, his father’s concubine.  This [...]

“When Rachel saw she had borne Jacob no children, she became envious of her sister; and Rachel said to Jacob,”Give me children or I shall die.” (Genesis 30:1)   Parashat Vayeitzei is a real soap opera!  Jacob runs for his life and spends twenty years working for Lavan, his uncle (seven years for Leah, seven [...]

“Then his brother emerged, holding on to the heel of Esau; so they name him Jacob…” (Genesis 25:26) Parashat Toldot raises important questions about identity.  Jacob, later to become Israel, is initially described as, “…a mild man who stayed in camp.”  (Gen.  25:27) Later, the Torah describes how he colludes with his mother, lies to [...]

 “Abraham came forward and said, ”Will you sweep away the  innocent along with the guilty?” (Genesis 18:23)  A theodicy is a defense of God’s goodness and greatness despite the existence of evil and suffering in the world.  It’s a fancy word that addresses the eternal question of why bad things happen, often to good people. [...]

“And she called the Lord who spoke to her, “You are El-roi,” by which she meant, ”Have I not gone on seeing after he saw me?” (Genesis 16:13) Parashat Lekh Lekha is the beginning of the Jewish journey.  Lekh Lekha also is the beginning of the Muslim journey, since Abram (later Abraham) has two sons, [...]

“I have set My bow in the clouds, and it shall serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth” (Genesis 9:13) Parashat Noach represents the end of the “pre-history” section of the Torah.  The first eleven chapters of Genesis tell  universal stories of creation, as God repeatedly forms partnerships with humans [...]