Tag: Genesis
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The Power of Not Accepting One’s Situation
Dear friends: I appreciate all those who follow me here and read my writings. I have recently started a Substack, and have been posting there as well. I am considering moving all of my posting to that platform, so I invite you to subscribe to my blog over there https://rabbi360.substack.com/ Thanks! The story of Joseph…
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We Are Living in Sodom
It was already two weeks ago in our Torah reading cycle, but I can not get the story of Sodom and Gomorrah out of my head. In Genesis 18 we read how God says, “the outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave!” (v. 20) and vows to destroy them.…
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Was Noah a Righteous Person?
This week in the Torah we read the famous story of Noah and the Flood. We learn that God has decided that the people on earth are too evil, and therefore they need to be destroyed. Humanity itself—along with the other life on earth—will survive as God instructs Noah to build an ark and load…
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Joseph Ate Alone
In the climatic moment of the Joseph story that we read this week in our Torah reading, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. The man the brothers thought was the vizier of Egypt—the government official who was in charge of food distribution during a great famine—turned out to be the brother they had sold into…
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Torah tl;dr: “Bereshit”
We need each other. Now that we have passed Simchat Torah, we begin our Torah cycle anew at the beginning. And still more to say in 60 seconds. Listen to the latest episode of my podcast here: 60 Seconds to Wisdom. Short Teachings on the Weekly Torah Portion. Suitable for All Who Seek.
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Torah tl;dr: “Vayehi”
Make meaning of the past. New episode of my podcast here: 60 SECONDS TO WISDOM. Short teachings on the weekly Torah portion. Suitable for all who seek.
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If a Tree Talks in the Forest, Does it Make a Sound? (On Tu Bishvat)
Today is Tu Bishvat, the new year of the trees. Originally an ancient holiday used to determine the age of trees and the fitness of fruit for Temple offerings, the day in contemporary times has become an opportunity to reflect on Jewish views of nature. Adopting a mystical tradition, we hold a Seder (as on…
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Here We Are Again, For the Very First Time
This was one of my favorite phrases to come out of my recent 18-month program on mindfulness and embodied spirituality for Jewish clergy, run by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. One of my teachers, Rabbi Jonathan Slater, spoke them as we came to one of our last mediation sessions of the program. I echoed these…
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The Significant Anonymous
As a rabbi, people often ask me who my favorite character from the Torah is. Well, actually, no one has ever asked me that. But I will answer anyway. And while it is hard to choose, my vote for one of my favorite characters is the mysterious man in the Joseph story. Who, you may…
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