Genesis, the Book of Many Faces
For Sefer Beresheet This article is not a commentary, rather food for thought, an invitation to explore the many layers of this fascinating First Book of the Torah. It is shorter than the regular column, yet longer, since the reader will need to research the ideas presented here, decipher them, and agree [or, hopefully, disagree] […]
Sweet, Sweet Torah!
Moshe mobilized the Israelites away from the Sea of Reeds. They came out to the desert of Shur, and they walked three days in the dessert, without finding water. They came to [the lake of] Marah, but they could not drink the water of Marah, for they were bitter, therefore it was named Marah. The […]
Law of Responsibility
שָׁלֹ֣שׁ רְגָלִ֔ים תָּחֹ֥ג לִ֖י בַּשָּׁנָֽה – You shall celebrate three pilgrimage holidays a year (Ex. 23:14) We all know the three pilgrimage holidays, Pesah, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Do we also know how Shavuot differs from the other two? Well, to begin with, Shavuot has no set day in the Torah, but is rather celebrated fifty […]
VaYera – Parasha Pointers
In his commentary, both on this and on the previous Parasha, Rashi quotes Midrashim which suggest that Avraham questioned the importance of the circumcision and whether it is necessary. There is nothing in the text to support it, and it would be safe to assume that the authors of the Midrash responded to a contemporary […]
Evolution of Ethics
The first chapters of Leviticus, though at first sight seem to suggest no more than a catalog list of sacrifices, are actually a guide to life and to the intention of the Giver of the Law. We have to zoom out of the detailed list of the different categories, the animals or substances used for […]
The Eight Commandments
The Torah refers to the content of the Tablets of the Law, given to Moshe on Mount Sinai, not as the Ten Commandments, but rather as עשרת הדברים – the Ten Concepts (Ex. 34:28; Det. 4:13; 10:4). That is because the first and the last of the ten concepts cannot be counted as commandments, hence […]
Torah: Does it Make Sense?
Do you have to understand the laws of the Torah to be able to observe them? This is not a new question. It was probably born at the same moment the laws of the Torah were introduced to the Israelites for the first time, but it has gained prominence in Talmudic times, as scholars were […]
Selfish Sodom
Many believe that the sin of Sodom was Sodomy. That word was coined after the events described in Genesis (19:1-10): The messengers came to Sodom and were greeted by Lot, took them home and offered them food and shelter. As they were getting ready to sleep, the townspeople besieged the house and demanded that Lot […]
Trust Crisis
At the end of chapter ten of Numbers (verses 35-46), the following, very famous paragraph, is framed by two inverted נונים: וַיְהִ֛י בִּנְסֹ֥עַ הָאָרֹ֖ן וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֑ה קוּמָ֣ה׀ יי וְיָפֻ֙צוּ֙ אֹֽיְבֶ֔יךָ וְיָנֻ֥סוּ מְשַׂנְאֶ֖יךָ מִפָּנֶֽיךָ. וּבְנֻחֹ֖ה יֹאמַ֑ר שׁוּבָ֣ה יי רִֽבְב֖וֹת אַלְפֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל When the ark traveled, Moshe would say: “Rise, YHWH, let your enemies scatter and your […]
Noah: Power of Babble
For Parashat Noah Genesis is the Book of Communication. Even before mankind is introduced, God creates the universe uttering words which become reality. Not only that, even the inanimate elements mentioned in the opening verses of the creation – the heavens, the earth, the abyss, God’s spirit, and the water – are described elsewhere in […]