Weekly Torah Reading

Genesis 32:4-37:1 “Pay Up!” On the eve of his return to the land of Canaan, Jacob learned that his brother Esau, who had previously sworn to kill him, was now on his way to meet him—accompanied by 400 men! Naturally, …

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Genesis 28:10-32:3   Interpreting the Angels Jacob left Beer-sheba bound for Haran. Stopping for the night at a certain place, he fell asleep and had a strange dream. “And behold, a ladder was set in the ground, and its top …

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Genesis 25:19-28:9 A Common Message   The three encounters between Jacob and Esau in this week’s reading seem to contain a common message. The first time the twins “meet” is in their mother’s womb. They pressed hard against each other, …

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Genesis 23:1-28:9 A Gene in the Family   In this week’s portion, Abraham sends his (unnamed) servant to the city of Nahor to find a bride for his son Isaac. When the servant arrives, we are introduced to two important …

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Genesis chapters 18:1-22:24 “Now I know…”   The Torah’s account of Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son Isaac has raised questions among readers since ancient times. Among other things, commentators wondered why God needed to test Abraham in the first place. …

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Genesis 12:1-17:27 Now I Know…   This week’s reading contains one particularly puzzling episode. After Abraham has arrived in Canaan, a famine strikes the land, and he and his wife Sarah are forced to travel down to Egypt in search …

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Genesis 6:9-11:32   The Bad Side of Tower-Building   This week’s Torah reading ends with a somewhat mysterious incident, the building of the Tower of Babel. The Torah recounts that a ragtag band of people (apparently all of humanity at …

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Genesis 1:1-6:9 Blind Luck This week’s reading opens with an account of the creation of the world, including the creation of the first two human beings, Adam and Eve. These chapters are so significant that we tend to overlook the …

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