…neck in Vayishlach (see Bereishit 33:4). 2. When Yosef and Binyamin fell on each other’s shoulders when they were finally reunited in this week’s parsha (Bereishit 45:14). 3. When Yosef threw his arms around his father Yaacov’s neck and wept on his shoulder during their emotional reunion – which occurs at the end of our parsha this week (Bereishit 46:29)….
The Parsha in a Nutshell This summary is adapted from this week’s main Covenant & Conversation essay by Rabbi Sacks, available to read in full via the left sidebar The book of Bereishit ended on an almost serene note. The family reunited. Yaacov’s long-lost son was returned to him. Yosef forgave his brothers. Under his protection and influence, the family…
…Bereishit chapter 11). What did Yitzchak and Arpachshad have in common? Answer: Yitzchak and Arpachshad were both born to 100-year-old fathers. Shem was 100 when Arpachshad was born (see Bereishit 11:10). Avraham was 100 when Yitzchak was born (Bereishit 21:5). This question has been adapted from Torah IQ by David Woolf, a collection of 1,500 Torah riddles, available on Amazon….
…Answer: Noach and Er. In Bereishit 6:8, the Torah says that Noach found chein, favour, in Hashem’s eyes. Chein is Noach spelled backwards. In Bereishit 38:7, Yehuda’s firstborn, Er, is said to be ra – evil – in Hashem’s eyes. This question has been adapted from Torah IQ by David Woolf, a collection of 1,500 Torah riddles, available on Amazon….
…not just a simple narrative of envy and reconciliation. Rather, as Rabbi Sacks explains, it’s one of sibling rivalry – the root of all conflicts in Sefer Bereishit. Other examples include Kayin and Hevel, Yitzchak and Yishmael, and Yaakov and Eisav. In these stories, the younger sibling represents the present-day Jewish condition – diminuitive, misunderstood, resented, but ultimately resilient. Yosef’s…
…we feel that Esau was the rightful heir of the covenant; that history has taken a wrong turn; that things should have been otherwise. Manifestly this is not so. Rebecca favours Jacob, and in Bereishit, mothers know their children better than do their fathers. Esau – the hunter, the man who “despised his birthright” once he had sold it -…
…playing in the first chapter of Bereishit is as Creator. Just as God is creative, so we should try to be creative. Bereishit teaches us how to be creative –in three stages. The first stage is saying “Let there be.” The second is “and there was.” The third stage is seeing “that it is good.” What makes humans unique among…
…the stories of the patriarchs and matriarchs. They explained it using this principle: ma’asei avot siman lebanim, “What happened to the parents was a sign for the children.” They saw that certain stories in Bereishit must be seen as an early forerunner, a parallel to similar, later events. The classic example is in Bereishit 12 when, almost immediately after arriving…
…18:10). Three people in the Torah use this expression – and all of them are non-Jews, people outside the Abrahamic covenant. The first is Noach, who says: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem” (Bereishit 9:26). The second is Avraham’s servant who is sent to find a wife for Yitzchak: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of…
…Rights and Wrongs (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2008), 393. [3] John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, Washington, DC, 20 January 1961. [4] Read Rabbi Sacks’ Introduction to his Essays on Ethics to understand his expanded thoughts on this notion. Discussion questions for Bereishit What do you think the Torah intends for us to learn from the concept that we were…