Ideas by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. Words by me. You, along with every human being, are engaged in a lifelong search.…
Category: Torah
Hiding My Secrets
Jacob has a secret spiritual name. It’s Shemesh, sun. But Joseph figures it out. Allusions to the sun frame the…
Biblical Genealogy is Fun
Do Biblical genealogies make your eyes glaze over? This week’s Edomite genealogy, filled with subtle treasures, just might change your…
Expectations (Short Version)
After Jacob dreams of a ladder connecting heaven and earth, he vows: If God will be with me, and watch…
Jacob's Name: Bad or Good?
Next, his brother came out [of the womb], his hand holding Esav’s heel (ekev), so they called his name Jacob…
Accepting Flawed Ancestors
According to the Orthodox Stone Edition Chumash, we should be careful about identifying too closely with our ancestors. Our ancestors…
Mothers in the Amidah
Should we name our ancestral mothers, the matriarchs or Imahot in formal prayer? Specifically, in the Amidah, the standing silent…
Work of Love
Love certainly includes a fairy-tale aspect. No one can really say completely why he or she loves someone. The special…
Maternal Theology
My earliest memory of speaking or thinking about God: I am five years old, maybe only three years old, hanging…