…book of Bereishit turn on the subject of clothes (the nineteenth century English writer Thomas Carlyle wrote a book, Sartor Resartus, dedicated to a “philosophy of clothes.” In a certain sense Bereishit is an anti-philosophy of clothes). There are Esau’s bigdei chamudot, “best clothes,” that Jacob puts on to take Isaac’s blessing. There is the ketonet pasim, the “richly embroidered…
…the Jewish State 1953-4, http://www.leibowitz.co.il/leibarticles.asp?id=85. What do you think the debate between Ramban and Rambam can teach us about the complexities of decision-making in Jewish history? Looking back at the stories we have read so far in Sefer Bereishit, what are some other instances of collective responsibility? How do you see the notion of ‘Kol Yisrael arevin zeh bazeh’ (all…
…he called it the Torah. And,” said Reb Tzaddik Hacohen of Lublin, “since we say in our davening and since, after all, we know this to be true, that hamechadesh betuvo bechol yom tamid ma’aseh bereishit (God makes the world new every single day), therefore there must be something new in Torah every single day.” I find it incredibly moving…
“God appeared to Abraham in Elonei Mamrei, as he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.” The eighteenth chapter of Bereishit is structurally difficult to understand. It can be divided into three parts: 1. God appears to Abraham as he is sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the…
…of Genesis 1 remains. As the Rabbis put it (Bereishit Rabbah 8:1; Sanhedrin 38a): “Why was man created last? In order to say, if he is worthy, all creation was made for you; but if he is unworthy, he is told, even a gnat preceded you.” The Torah remains God’s supreme call to humankind to freedom and creativity on the…
…Birth of Forgiveness”. [2] Yevamot 65b. [3] Midrash Sechel Tov, Toldot, 27:19. [4] Isaiah Berlin, ‘Two Concepts of Liberty,’ in Isaiah Berlin, Henry Hardy and Ian Harris, Liberty: Incorporating Four Essays on Liberty. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2002. See also the important work by Stuart Hampshire, Morality and Conflict. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1983. [5] Bereishit Rabbah 8:5. [6] Thomas Nagel, The View From Nowhere, New York, Oxford University Press,…
…humanity to 70 nations and 70 languages happens in Bereishit Chapter 10, not Bereishit Chapter 11. So, all the other thing of one speech and one language of Bereishit Chapter 11 of the Tower of Babel is not the pristine innocence of humanity all speaking the same language. That is if the chapters are in the correct chronological order. What…
…note of your feelings, not that I necessarily agree with them or you. [8] For more on the theme of listening, see above, Covenant & Conversation on parshat Bereishit, “The Art of Listening,” and on parshat Bamidbar, “The Sound of Silence.” What can words achieve that images cannot? How are words central to our relationship with God? How does listening…
…the rich complexity of time: the ticking clock, the growing plant, the ageing body, and the ever-deepening mind. [1] Although this, too, is the subject of an argument. In Gemara Rosh Hashanah 11b (quoted by Rashi Bereishit Chapter 8:13) Rabbi Yehoshua says this occurred in Nissan and Rabbi Eliezer counters that it happened in Tishrei. Why do you think time…
…human spirit can rise above nature, testifying that there is something real that transcends nature. That is a life-changing idea. We are as great as our ideals. If we truly believe in something beyond ourselves, we will achieve beyond ourselves. [1] Bereishit Rabbah 53:11. Shemot Rabbah 1:1. [2] Bereishit Rabbah 53:11. [3] Ibid. [4] Bereishit Rabbah 63:6. [5] Tanhuma, Toldot…