Why does the Torah begin with the Genesis story? If it is a book of Law, ask the rabbis, why not start with the first commandment? On an individual level, perhaps it teaches us that just as God first ...

Let’s start off with some pronunciation – probably not everyone’s favorite subject. This week’s sedra name is often transliterated as Vayechi. But that is not a faithful rendering into English. We ...

Why does the Torah start with struggle instead of serenity? You’d think it might begin with a peaceful paradise – lush gardens, people living in harmony, a divine lullaby of calm. But no. Right from ...

On a recent morning, we arrived a few minutes early to my 2-year-old daughter’s pre-school, and I explained to her that she couldn’t go into the classroom just yet. “Why, Mommy?” she asked. “Your ...

"...Thus, the true source of the tension between Yehuda and Yosef was this clash between an emphasis on Chessed, versus an ...

In this week’s video, we explore the unexpected link that ties all the stories in Parshat Bereishit (Genesis 1:1-6:8) together. Have you ever considered why God chose to tell us these specific stories ...

The Torah tells us at the end of Parshas Bereishis that G-d reconsidered His decision to create man and “grieved in His heart.” The Rambam and other medieval philosophers stress that G-d does not ...

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