…not yet fulfilled, a task not yet completed, a future seen from afar but not yet reached. And the paradigm case – the model on which all others are based – is the ending of Bereishit in this week’s sedra. Remember that the story of the people of the covenant begins with God’s call to Abraham to leave his land,…
…violence and God regretted that He created man, vayinachem Hashem ki asah et ha’adam (Bereishit 6:6), God regretted that He created man. And then He brought a Flood and then came the Tower of Babel and they started wanting to storm Heaven. And the third group of angels said Ribbono Shel Olam, ”forgive us, but we told you so,” and…
The story of the first eight chapters of Bereishit is tragic but simple: creation, followed by de-creation, followed by re-creation. God creates order. Humans then destroy that order, to the point where “the world was filled with violence,” and “all flesh had corrupted its way on earth.” God brings a flood that wipes away all life, until – with the…
…be different – began with the words Lech lecha, which could be translated as “Go to yourself.” This means: follow the inner voice, as did those who came before you, continuing their journey by bringing timeless values to a rapidly-changing world. [1] Bereishit Rabbah 42:8. LIFE-CHANGING IDEA #3 Follow the inner voice, as did those who came before you, continuing…
The stories told in Bereishit chapters 21 and 22 – the sending away of Ishmael and the binding of Isaac – are among the hardest to understand in the whole of Tanach. Both involve actions that strike us as almost unbearably harsh. But the difficulties they present go deeper even than that. Recall that Abraham was chosen “so that he…
…going to launch this 929, we’re going to launch it in English and make it a global thing. I thank President Rivlin for his full support. It’s a beautiful project. They said, “Say something about Bereishit, you know, just to launch the thing.” It’ll be in August, I think, we’re launching it. And I said, “How did how does the…
…“dust of the earth” to the morally responsible agent the Torah calls “the image of God.” [1] For more on Cain and Abel, see the essay “Violence in the Name of God”, Covenant and Conversation: Genesis, p29. [2] Bereishit Rabbah 36:3. Why is it important to take personal responsibility for your actions? Where do you think morality comes from? If…
…morality innate and intuitive, or does humanity need guidance from the outside (i.e. God)? Try to bring the stories from the book of Bereishit (and other parts of Tanach) to illustrate and develop the discussion. Some thoughts to consider: Do we all have the responsibility for leadership or does this depend on the acquisition of a specific skill set and…
…(London: Vallentine Mitchell, 2005). Ibid., 4. Ibid., 4–5. Bereishit Rabbah 55:8. Is there a middle child in your family? What challenges do you think a middle child faces within the family dynamic? Do you think Isaac felt like a middle child? Have you ever experienced antisemitism personally? If not, do you know anyone that has? Can antisemitism be explained rationally?…
…fight him. Yaakov’s reaction to the news is immediate and intense: Then Yaakov was greatly afraid and distressed… (Bereishit 32:8). His fear is understandable, but the Torah’s description of his response is also puzzling. Why use two verbs that are similar in their meaning? What is the difference between fear and distress? To this a Midrash gives a profound answer:…