Vayera Gen. 18:1 – 22:24 By Jen Smith, Torah Blogger In Parshat Vayera, amidst miracles and moral upheaval, we encounter a quiet, luminous phrase: El Roi – the God who sees me.[1] These are the words of Sarah’s handmade, Hagar, an Egyptian servant who must have felt afraid or invisible, used, and abandoned. And yet, […]

Lech-Lecha Genesis 12:1–17:27 By Jen Smith When God first speaks to Abram, the words are startlingly simple: Lech-Lecha…Go forth from your land, your birthplace, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. (Genesis 12:1) There’s no roadmap. Instead of opening the chapter of Abram’s story with declaration of faith or theology, […]

Noach Genesis 6:9–11:32 By Jen Smith Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once wrote, “The universe is not a finished product that we gaze upon; it is still being created.”  in Bereshit, we are reminded that to live a Jewish life today is to be a co-creator with God, to bring forth light in a sea of […]

Bereshit Genesis 1:1–6:8 By Jen Smith These may be the most famous words in all of Torah: Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim v’et ha’aretz – In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Jewish mysticism teaches that the “moment” of Creation, wasn’t a moment at all. Far from the one-time event captured inside […]

Ha’azinu Deuteronomy 32:1 – 52  By Jen Smith  Parashat Ha’azinu is unlike almost anything else in the Torah. After forty years of wandering, after laws, stories, and struggles, Moses concludes his life’s mission with a poetic song:  “Give ear, O heavens, let me speak; let the earth hear the words of my mouth…” (Deut. 32:1)  […]

Parshat Vayeilech/Shabbat Tshuvah Deuteronomy 31:1–30 By Torah Blogger, Jen Smith This week’s Torah portion, Vayeilech, begins with two simple words: Vayeilech Moshe “And Moses went.” Now, I don’t know about you, but when I hear that, I smile. Moses is 120 years old. Where exactly is he going? At that age, I’d be happy if […]