Week of 10/17/23. Our Torah portion, Toldot, may be translated as “generations,” but can also be understood as “history.” The sedrah begins by explained that Isaac and Rebekkah do not

Week of 11/10/23. Although this sedrah is called the “life of Sarah,” it really begins by explaining her death, and Abraham’s quest to find a suitable burial place for her.

Week of 11/3/23. Three consecutive Torah portions deal with the life of Abraham and his family. Last week, we encountered him and his relationship with God. We also saw him

Week of 10/27/23 Our Torah portion begins to trace the saga of the Israelite monotheists, who enter into a covenant with the Eternal, and thus are given special promises for

Week of 10/20/23 This sedrah’s story is given over to the adventures of Noah, one of the early humans on the earth. The purpose of the story is partly phenomenology,

Week of 10/13/23 The first book of Torah is known as Be’resheet, as is our Torah portion. “In the beginning, God created….” although this classic translation is not quite right

Week of 10/6/23 As we conclude the yearly cycle of Torah readings, and celebrate Simchat Torah this Shabbat, we focus on the last chapter of Deuteronomy. The text begins with

Week of 9/29/23 We are almost at the end of Deuteronomy, but our Torah reading cycleis interrupted by the great festival of Sukkot, the harvest holiday. In Exodus it is

Selichot Shabbat September 8, 2023 This Shabbat, proceeding Rosh Hashanah, includes two Torah portions for our reading. “Nitzavim,” is a verb meaning “standing,” i.e. “you are standing this day before

Shabbat September 1, 2023 Our Torah portion addresses the time when the Israelites will settle in the land of Israel, and bring offerings of the “first fruits” from the harvest.