…Meir: Bnei Akiva? So, Bnei Akiva and the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Rabbi Sacks: I mean, you look at our heroes, Yehudah, whose name we carry because we are yehudim. Yehudah was the man who sold his brother as a slave. You know what, he did teshuvah, aval ashemim anachnu (Bereishit 42:21), you know, he said, clearly haelokim matza et avon avadecha…
…replied, ‘I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?’ ‘They have moved on from here,’ the man answered. ‘I heard them say, “Let’s go to Dothan.”’ So Yosef went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.” (Bereishit 37:15-17) There is no other moment like this in the rest of the Torah: three…
…will intercede on our behalf in history. This faith is a core idea in Judaism. The Core Idea The Book of Bereishit is all about God interacting with human beings and making an impact in their lives. But this was only ever on an individual basis. God had never influenced history on a national level like He was about to…
…and ensure its sustainability (see Bereishit 2:15). There are also various laws that protect the integrity of the natural world, found in these parshiyot in the Book of Vayikra. Rabbi Sacks is suggesting that the reason this parsha contains both these commands about the environment as well as the commands to love the neighbour and the stranger is because they…
…ask not just about the How of continuity but also the Why. Why are we here? Why are we Jews? To what destiny are we summoned? To what task are we called? To answer that question we have to go back to the beginning, and to our book of beginnings, the book of Bereishit. Read the book carefully and you…
…is forced to leave the land because of famine. What is the message for us there? The climax of Sefer Bereishit – Yosef reassures his descendants concerning Israel: Bereishit 50:24-26 The core of Moshe’s mission – deliver the people to Israel: Shemot 3:1-8 The climax to the whole Torah – fulfilment of the covenant taking possession of Israel: Devarim 34:1-4…
…the heart’? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this new post-temple form of service? Talmudic debate over the origin of tefillah Talmud Bavli, Brachot 26b Shacharit – Avraham: Bereishit 19:27 and Tehillim 106:30 Minchah – Yitzchak: Bereishit 26:3 and Tehillim 102:1 Ma’ariv – Yaacov: Bereishit 28:1 and Yirmiyahu 7:16 Core Questions Do you think modern tefillah in our age…
…discover new insights into the famous stories of our forefathers and mothers. This online series sets out to explore and develop Rabbi Sacks’ thought on the weekly Torah portion. Lecturers of the highest quality, both local and international, are scheduled to deliver shiurim which will develop Rabbi Sacks’ ideas on each parsha in Sefer Bereishit, and they will distill key…
…God to Bnei Yisrael’s enemies. And Yaacov had just said to God, “I am unworthy of all the kindness and faith that You have shown me.” (Bereishit 32:11) This is not physical fear. It is the fear that comes from a feeling of personal inadequacy. Sometimes the greatest have the least self-belief, because they know how immense is the responsibility,…
…book of Shemot and spans five parshiyot (Terumah, Tetzaveh, half of Ki Tissa, Vayakhel, and Pekudei). It is interrupted only by the story of the Golden Calf. Why is it so long, and so detailed? In Bereishit, God’s creation of the entire universe is described in just thirty-four verses. Why focus on the Mishkan, which was just a temporary structure…