…art of legacy building 23 November 2022 – Toldot Rabbi Johnny Solomon: Unconditional love 30 November 2022 – Vayetze Rebbetzin Lauren Levin: Jacob’s ladder – A blueprint for humanity 7 December 2022 – Vayishlach Rav Alex Israel: Shimon and Levi – Saviours or savages? 14 December 2022 – Vayeshev Dr Lindsay Simmonds: A holy people – Deception, violence and salvation…
…have to empower, encourage, and praise them. Vayeshev: How Praise Can Empower Dream dreams, understand and articulate the dreams of others, and find ways of turning a dream into a reality – these three gifts are leadership, the Joseph way. Mikketz: Three Approaches to Dreams The stories of Judah and his descendant David tell us that what marks a leader…
…Lecha Vayera Chayei Sarah Toldot Vayetse Vayishlach Vayeshev Mikketz Vayigash Vayechi Shemot (Exodus) The book of Exodus – Shemot – is the West’s meta-narrative of hope. It tells an astonishing story of how a group of slaves were liberated from the mightiest empire of the ancient world. Theologically, its message is even more revolutionary: the supreme power intervenes in history…
…to take place. The calf begins to cry for its mother. The cow, hearing the calf cry, rushes to the field, and there, while its attention is distracted and it is thinking only of its child, the yoke is placed upon it. Tanhuma, Vayeshev, 4 The script God writes for His people is sometimes circuitous and terrifying. The Sages applied…
…God: .יהי רצון שתשרה שכינה במעשי ידינו May it be God’s will that His Presence lives in the work of our hands.” Notes [1] Leviticus Rabbah 34; Ruth Rabbah 5; Tanhuma (Buber), Vayeshev 13; Yalkut Shimoni, Ruth 604. [2] See Edward N. Lorenz, The Nature and Theory of the General Circulation of the Atmosphere (Geneva: World Meteorological Organization, 1967); The…
…Silence saves us from evil speech but in and of itself it achieves nothing positive. What then is lashon hatov? One of the most important tasks of a leader, a parent or a friend is focused praise. We first discussed this idea in parshat Vayeshev, where we examined the classic text on this – a Mishnah in Tractate Avot in…
…lead. A leader should never try to be all things to all people. A leader should be content to be who they are. Leaders must have the strength to know what they cannot be if they are to have the courage to be truly their best selves. [1] Deuteronomy 31:19. [2] Tanhuma, Vayeshev 8; cited by Rashi in his commentary…
…VAYISHLACH: If you find yourself struggling with faith, you are in the company of Jacob-who-became-Israel, the father-in-faith of us all. VAYESHEV: Seen through the eye of faith, today’s curse may be the beginning of tomorrow’s blessing. MIKKETZ: What can be healed is not holy. God does not want us to accept poverty and pain but to cure them. VAYIGASH: We…
…that one of the greatest blessings of my life.” Rabbi Sacks also offered this longer reflection on the impact of Rabbi Rabinovitch: https://youtu.be/zuwiq8Ocr2g Here we highlight three of Rabbi Sacks’ Covenant & Conversation essays that were inspired by Rabbi Nachum Rabinovitch: The Courage to Live with Uncertainty (Noach) The Heroism of Tamar (Vayeshev) My Teacher: In Memoriam (Matot – Masei)…
…who lived in the 11th century, said to his grandson – who is known as Rashbam and you’ll see in the Mikraot Gedolot (the great multi-commentary editions of the Torah) that there is a commentary there by Rashi’s grandson, Rashbam. At the beginning of Parshat Vayeshev, he says that he discussed matters very much with his grandfather and this is…