Weekly Torah Reading Vayyera’ November 19, 2016
“Now I know” and Divine Omniscience When his wife Sarah at last gave birth to a son, Abraham was overjoyed. He cherished the boy above all things and marked the day of Isaac’s weaning with a special celebration. No …
Weekly Torah Reading, Lekh-Lekha, November 12, 2016
The Amazing Melchizedek When Abraham (technically, still “Abram”) learned that his nephew Lot had been taken prisoner by an army invading Canaan, he did not hesitate to act. “He led forth his trained men, 318 of them, born in …
Weekly Torah Reading Noaḥ November 5, 2016
Minor Mysteries After the great flood had subsided, Noah planted a vineyard. In due time it bore fruit, and Noah made some wine from it. Perhaps because he had not consumed any alcohol for some time, he became inebriated …
Weekly Torah Reading, Bereshit, October 29, 2016
Don’t Touch That Tree! Who was responsible for the Fall of Man, Adam or Eve? I’m sure some learned readers may object to this very formulation. The whole idea that what happened in the Garden of Eden was some …
Weekly Torah Reading, October 22, 2016
God “Passed in Front of” Moses This week’s Torah reading (for the Sabbath that falls during the festival of Sukkot) returns us to a familiar passage in the book of Exodus, chapter 34. There, God is said to have …
Weekly Torah Reading Ha’azinu October 15, 2016
A Nation of Fools Before his death, Moses gives the people his prophetic farewell song, known in Hebrew by its first word Ha’azinu (“Give ear!”). In this song, Moses recounts Israel’s recent history, starting with the exodus, but then foretells …
Weekly Torah Reading Vayyelekh October 8, 2016
Moses Didn’t Want to Die In this week’s Torah reading, God instructs Moses that the time has come for him to die—in fact, He says this more than once. The reading opens with Moses relating that “the Lord said …
Weekly Torah Reading Nitzavim, October 1, 2016
A Minor Change in Translation “Today, you are all standing before the Lord your God,” this week’s reading opens, “your chiefs, your tribes, your elders, your officials, every man of Israel.” But there’s something wrong with this list (which …