“When a righteous person leaves a city, its glory, its splendour and its beauty depart from it.” (Rashi, citing Bereshit Rabbah 68.6) Our parashah begins in terror: Jacob is running from certain death. We put it in more elegant ways in different translations, but the truth is that our ancestor was a refugee, running away,Continue reading “Shabbat VaYetze 5786: We Are All Diminished”
Tag Archives: Jacob
Shabbat Ekev: Down at the Heels
We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure,but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must havethe stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthlessfurnace of this world. To make injustice the onlymeasure of our attention is to praise the Devil. from Jack Gilbert, “A Brief for the Defense” This week we read parashat Ekev, inContinue reading “Shabbat Ekev: Down at the Heels”
Shabbat VaYishlakh: Waiting To See
Looking to the future is normal. Even though it is true that we only have the moment in which we live, we spend most of our moments either looking back and remembering, or looking forward and wondering. When we are hoping and expecting good times to come, it’s diverting and pleasant to plan for them:Continue reading “Shabbat VaYishlakh: Waiting To See”
Shabbat VaYetze: Rough Neighborhood
not every boundary, or border, is healthy אַל־תַּ֭סֵּג גְּב֣וּל עוֹלָ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר עָשׂ֣וּ אֲבוֹתֶֽיךָ׃ Do not move the long-standing boundary marker which your ancestors have established – Mishle (Proverbs) 22.28 In this, the third year of the Triennial Cycle of Torah, we discover the benefits of having our attention forced away from the marquee event (Jacob’sContinue reading “Shabbat VaYetze: Rough Neighborhood”
Shabbat Toldot: Parental Blessings, Sibling Rivalry
As we enter the most difficult time of the year for those who feel any kind of pain or regret related to their family of origin, our Torah offers for our consideration an ancient story of family discord. It touches upon favoritism vs aptitude, truth vs smoothing relationships, avoidance vs honesty. Most of all, though,Continue reading “Shabbat Toldot: Parental Blessings, Sibling Rivalry”
Shabbat VaYekhi: Deathbed Blessings
Two good things are near to you and far from you, far from you and near to you: Repentance is near to you and far from you, far from you and near to you. Death is near to you and far from you, far from you and near to you. – Kohelet Rabbah 8.17 In parashatContinue reading “Shabbat VaYekhi: Deathbed Blessings”
Shabbat VaYeshev: Not Home Yet
וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב יַעֲקֹ֔ב בְּאֶ֖רֶץ מְגוּרֵ֣י אָבִ֑יו בְּאֶ֖רֶץ כְּנָֽעַן “Jacob settled in the land where his parents had lived” – Gen 37.1 The narrative of Jewish history, that is to say the story we tell ourselves about who we are and where we come from, is rooted in the myth of a garden. Eden, as the mythicalContinue reading “Shabbat VaYeshev: Not Home Yet”
Shabbat VaYehi: Death and Love
It is far easier to talk about loss than it is to talk about love. It is easier to articulate the pain of love’s absence than to describe its presence and meaning in our lives. – bell hooks I believe profoundly in the power of Torah learning to help us deepen our spiritual grounding andContinue reading “Shabbat VaYehi: Death and Love”
Shabbat VaYishlakh: Becoming Whole By Becoming Oneself
There’s a crack in everything – that’s how the light gets in – Leonard Cohen ז״ל In this week’s parashah, the eponymous ancestor of the People of Israel is given the name Israel. The deceiving, conniving, too smart by half Jacob has apparently achieved some kind of transition. The people Israel has for two thousandContinue reading “Shabbat VaYishlakh: Becoming Whole By Becoming Oneself”
Shabbat VaYeshev: Minority Status
Hanukkah begins on Sunday December 2 at sundown. We always find it in proximity to the parashat hashavua which we study this week, VaYeshev. The word means “he returned” but we might also read it as “here we go again.” One month after the massacre of our fellow Jews joined in Shabbat prayer in Pittsburgh,Continue reading “Shabbat VaYeshev: Minority Status”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 