by Rabbi | Jan 24, 2021 | Rabbi's Blog, Uncategorized
The portion begins with the plagues of locusts and darkness, and its bulk is the death of the firstborn and the going out of Egypt. Bo is the parsha of the Exodus, in the sense that it is here when we read the last night of the Jews in Egypt. It is in Bo that three of...
by Rabbi | Jan 13, 2021 | Rabbi's Blog
Dear friends, As more and more information becomes available about the storming of the Capitol on Wednesday, not just about the violence, the victims and participants but also about the details of those harrowing hours, I would like to share a few thoughts. The first...
by Rabbi | Dec 6, 2020 | Rabbi's Blog
Vayishlach is a packed portion, mostly focusing on Yaakov and his road to redemption from being Yaakov to becoming Yisrael. The portion opens with Ya’akov sending messengers to Esav, their encounter and their settling things out. It is in this story that Ya’akov has...
by Rabbi | Dec 6, 2020 | Rabbi's Blog, Uncategorized
Our portion is Vayishlach, and it is the last one where angels figure extensively through one of the patriarchs, Ya’akov (Jacob). With next portion, Vayeshev, the presence of angels will diminish – Yosef has no encounters with angels. But angels will...
by Rabbi | Nov 28, 2020 | Rabbi's Blog
Vayetze is a fundamental portion for our collective historical arch in the Torah. It brings the birth of the carriers of the story onwards – the children of Yaakov, who will become the Children of Israel. Many of the stories we read in our portion have correlations...
by Rabbi | Nov 22, 2020 | Rabbi's Blog, Uncategorized
Toldot is the one reading that is dedicated to Yitzchak alone – and Yitzchak’s character and personality are not very developed since he is squeezed between two strong characters, Avraham and Yaakov. He also marries a strong woman, which is Rivkah. Early in the...
