…book of Psalms: His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, Nor His delight in the legs of the warrior; The Lord delights in those who fear Him, Who put their hope in His unfailing love. Psalm 147:10-11 In Bereishit Rabbah, it is indicated that the division of the sea was, as it were, programmed into Creation from…
…I am indebted for this entire line of thought to Mr. Joshua Rowe of Manchester. Others have pointed out that a similar idea was subsequently and independently written by Rav Yoel Bin Nun in volume one of Megadim. [2] Rashi to Bereishit 35:22; Shabbat 55b [3] Abarbanel to Bereishit 25:28. Isaac loved Esau, Abarbanel argues, because he was the firstborn. Isaac…
…people equally? Around the Shabbat Table Why do you think Moshe was so desperate to have Aharon help him with this task? Is it more natural to have a sibling relationship like those characters from the Book of Bereishit, or like Moshe and Aharon’s? Is the relationship with your siblings more like those in the Book of Bereishit or like…
…of the Kiddush we make on Friday night. We call Shabbat a remembrance of creation (zikaron lema’aseh bereishit) as well as a reminder of the Exodus (zecher liyetziat Mitzrayim). However, once we set the Vayikra account in the context of these other two, a richer pattern emerges. There are three primary voices in the Torah: those of Kingship, Priesthood, and…
…discussion on Shoftim, Bereishit 1 gives us the mandate to “subdue” and “rule” creation, including animals, but Bereishit 2 gives us the responsibility to “serve” and “guard.” Animals may not have rights but they do have feelings, and we must respect them if we are to honour our role as God’s partners in creation. From the Thought of Rabbi Sacks…
In The Lonely Man of Faith, Rabbi Soloveitchik drew our attention to the fact that Bereishit contains two separate accounts of creation. The first is in Genesis 1, the second in Genesis 2-3, and they are significantly different. In the first, God is called Elokim, in the second, Hashem Elokim. In the first, man and woman are created simultaneously: “male…
…think was going through Yaakov’s mind when Esav was approaching? The Core Idea After his wrestling match with the angel, Yaakov was told: “No longer shall you be called Yaakov, but Yisrael, for you have fought with God and men, and have won” (Bereishit 32:29). This new name is in fact given a second time in our parsha. After his…
The Parsha in a Nutshell After all the family fights and arguments we have seen in the Book of Bereishit, this chapter gives a peaceful end to the story. Yaakov is finally reunited with his beloved son Yosef, and meets his grandsons for the first time. This is the only time in the Torah we see a grandfather together with…
…of the Pharaohs were among their most lavish creations. Tutankhamun’s, discovered in 1922, is a dazzling example. The Torah notes the attention the Egyptians gave to death. At the end of Bereishit, we read of how the Egyptians accompanied Joseph and his family in the funeral procession to bury Jacob. The Canaanites noted, “The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony…
…before I die” (Bereishit 27:4). Whether it was the food that Isaac loved, or what it represented about Esau’s character – that he cared enough for his father to find him the food he liked – Isaac needed the presence of love to be able to make the blessing. Why then does the blessing for this mitzvah and no other…