God appears to Abraham. Three strangers pass by and Abraham offers them hospitality. One of them tells Abraham that Sarah will have a child. Sarah, overhearing, laughs in disbelief. God then tells Abraham of the judgment He is about to visit on the people of Sodom. Abraham engages in a momentous dialogue with God about justice. God agrees that if…
…Joseph Dweck is the Senior Rabbi of the S&P Sephardi Community of the United Kingdom. A Closer Look Delving deeper into the thoughts shared by Rabbi Sacks on Vayera, Rabbi Dweck shares his reflections on the main piece of the week. What do you see as the main message from ‘To Bless the Space Between Us’? A challenge for us…
…a tree to the plants that grow beneath. The role of love, human and Divine, is, in the lovely phrase of Irish poet John O’Donohue, “to bless the space between us”. ● These questions come from this week’s Family Edition to Rabbi Sacks’ Covenant & Conversation. For an interactive, multi-generational study, check out the full edition at www.RabbiSacks.org/covenant-conversation-family-edition/vayera/to-bless-the-space-between-us/ How does…
…in developing their religious faith, while becoming independent thinkers? When is your faith in God tested? What helps you stay strong and committed in times like these? Parsha in Passing In Vayera, we see Avraham’s extraordinary kindness, hospitality, and family challenges. First he and Sarah are visited by three angels disguised as men, and they swiftly provide them with food…
“Take your son, your only son, the one you love—Isaac—and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Gen. 22:2 Thus begins one of the most famous episodes in the Torah, but also one of the most morally problematic. The conventional reading of this passage is that Abraham…
It is the hardest passage of all, one that seems to defy understanding. Abraham and Sarah have waited years for a child. God has promised them repeatedly that they would have many descendants, as many as the stars of the sky, the dust of the earth, the grains of sand on the seashore. They wait. No child comes. Sarah, in…
There is an image that haunts us across the millennia, fraught with emotion. It is the image of a man and his son walking side-by-side across a lonely landscape of shaded valleys and barren hills. The son has no idea where he is going and why. The man, in pointed contrast, is a maelstrom of emotion. He knows exactly where…
…his responsibility, not mine.” Then, in this week’s parsha of Vayera, comes the great moment: a human being challenges God Himself for the very first time. God is about to pass judgment on Sodom. Abraham, fearing that this will mean that the city will be destroyed, says: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are…
…civilisation depends on strong families. Can you present this argument and explain why? On the Parsha Written by Sara Lamm Inspired by the Teachings of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks The Parsha in a Nutshell At the beginning of Vayera, Avraham is now 99 years old, and Sarah is 89. Avraham eagerly hosts three guests, who are angels in disguise,…
…the Education Companion section (below in grey). Educational Companion Torah Trivia: this week’s answer A: In Chayei Sarah which we read this week, we see Ephron begin his job as a police officer (shotair) – see Rashi, Bereishit 23:10 – and last week in parshat Vayera it was Lot’s first day as a judge (shofait) – see Rashi Bereishit 19:1….