I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai [Almighty God], but I did not make Myself known to…
Category: Torah
A Kaleidoscope of Protest
Saturday January 20, 2017 At the downtown transit hub, local groups assemble. They carry homemade signs. I am a person. Hell hath no…
Wake up, wake up!
Don’t stress, and don’t be angry with yourselves that you sold me here into slavery; actually God sent me ahead…
Is Joseph a Robber Baron? (Vayigash)
Torah portrays characters with unflinching honesty. Take Joseph, for example. Handsome, smart, insightful, spiritual, a quick study — and maybe…
By Spirit Alone (Haftarat Hanukah)
Between 538 and 520 BCE, a first wave of Jews exiled from Judea by Nebuchadnezzar leave Persia to come home.…
When Bridges Collapse (Miketz)
Last week, the 14-member U.N. Security Council passed, with a vote of 13-0, a resolution condemning Israel’s expansion of settlements…
Family Dynamics (Vayeshev)
As a newlywed, I used to say, “The hardest part of marriage is having in-laws.” Life in my own odd…
Jacob's Crossings—and Yours
At the first meeting of a class, discussion, or spiritual direction group, I invite people to introduce themselves. Sometimes, I’ll ask…
Magic Stones (Vayetze)
Jacob sets out from Beersheva towards Charan. He encounters a place, and sleeps there, because the sun has set. He…