VaYeishev – 5779 Genesis 37:1 – 40:23 Rabbi Jack Riemer asks a fascinating question: what do you do when you come out of the pit? VaYeishev describes how Joseph falls from his status as the favored son of Jacob, to the depths of a bor reiq, she’ayn bo mayim (an empty pit, in which there […]

VaYishlach – 5779 Genesis 32:4 – 36:43 Words matter. Language frames, well, everything. When we study a foreign language, we learn not only the words, but the culture of the people who speak them. For this reason, it is incredibly difficult if not impossible to translate literature from one language to another without losing something […]

VaYeitze – 5779 Genesis 28:10 – 32:3 This week Jacob literally finds himself between a rock and hard place. After stealing the Blessing of Succession from Esau by tricking their father Isaac, Jacob flees the camp for his life, hoping for safety and security with his Uncle Laban. That night he dreams of angels climbing […]

Toldot – 5779 Genesis 25:19 – 28:9 Here we go again! In this week’s parasha famine strikes the land, as it did in the time of Abraham, and Isaac brings his household to Abimelech, king of the Philisitines, for safety. The only problem is that, being a stranger, Isaac is afraid – especially because Rebekah […]

Chayei Sara – 5779 Genesis 23:1 – 25:18 [This commentary was written before the tragic attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue where 11 Jews were killed this past Shabbat. I am leaving it unchanged. Although the pain and sorrow are still raw for many of us, these words may resonate now more than ever […]

VaYeira – 5779 Genesis 18:1 – 22:24 In last week’s parasha Abram left the only life he had ever known behind when God called, and in so doing, became the world’s first Jew. This week, God commands Lot and his family to flee the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, specifically telling them not to stop […]