Weekly Torah Reading, Va’era, January 25, 2020
Exodus 6:2-9:35 “Alas for Those Who Have Passed Away” The first two verses of this week’s reading have long posed a problem for interpreters. God says to Moses, “I am the Lord. But when I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, …
Weekly Torah Reading, Shemot, January 18, 2020
Exodus 1:1-6:1 A Serious Question In this week’s reading, God calls to Moses from a burning bush and tells him that he is to go back to Egypt and lead the Israelites to freedom. To this Moses responds, …
Weekly Torah Reading, Vayḥi, January 11, 2020
Genesis 47:28-50:26 The Once and Future Scepter At the end of his life, Jacob gathered his sons together in order to give each of them his fatherly blessing. But in fact, his three oldest sons didn’t end up …
Weekly Torah Reading, Va-yiggash, January 4, 2020
Weekly Torah Reading, Va-yiggash January 4, 2020 Genesis 44:18-47:27 After They’ve Seen Paree After Joseph revealed his true identity to him brothers, he sent them back to Canaan to tell their father Jacob the good news: his long-lost …
Weekly Torah Reading, Shabbat Hanukkah/Mikketz, December 28, 2019
Weekly Torah Reading, Hanukkah/Mikketz, December 28, 2019 Genesis 41:1-44:18 Down with Repetition! Sometimes the Bible doesn’t seem to like exact repetition. In this week’s reading, for example, the Torah starts by relating Pharaoh’s dream: Seven cows, “well favored …
Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyeshev, December 21, 2019 Genesis 37:1-44:17 His Father’s Face In this week’s reading, it is said that Jacob “loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he was the son of his old age” …
Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyishlaḥ, December 14, 2019
Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyishlaḥ, December 14, 2019 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 …
Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyetze, December 7, 2019 (Genesis 28:10-32:3)
Keep on Climbing 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 reached to the …