No one relishes their struggles. Life’s challenges are often daunting, fraught with uncertainty and fear of failure and loss. Conventional wisdom bids us to take the path of least resistance and avoid difficulty. And yet, time and again, we see that the hard times in our lives are often the ones of greatest growth, and Continue Reading »
Some say it is from this week’s Torah portion that our rabbis derived the custom of wearing a kippah to cover one’s head. “And Jacob went forth from Be’ersheva…” says the opening verse of our parashah, Vayeitzei. Would our father Jacob go out without covering his head? Of course not, said our teachers. So much Continue Reading »
Parsha Toldot, Genesis 25:19−28:9 In this week’s Torah portion, Toldot, begins an epic wrestling match between two very dissimilar twins, Jacob and Esau. The Torah is full of bitter sibling rivalries, for example Cain and Abel, and Joseph and his brothers. But the struggle between Jacob and Esau is different. It is so deeply rooted Continue Reading »
A Message for Chayei Sarah What is the essence of the Torah? For some, like Rashi, the Torah is a book of law – the vessel through which God gave us commandments to guide our lives. He argues that the Torah should have begun with Exodus 13, where we learn the first of the 613 Continue Reading »
Religious poetry, prayer, and scripture are filled with longing to behold God’s presence. Even Moses, who heard God’s voice at the burning bush,[1] pleads in vain for a vision of God’s face. “No human can see My face…”[2] says God in response. Elijah experienced God in a whirlwind, an earthquake, and a still small voice, Continue Reading »
When I was 19, I had a lech l’cha moment. I heard an inner voice telling me lech l’cha, go forth, go to the land of your ancestors, to the land of your people. Go to your roots. Go find a part of yourself you do not yet know. I was in the middle of Continue Reading »
What are we to do if we find ourselves in a time or place of declining standards — moral, social, cultural, academic – name the field? Is it appropriate to adjust our expectations of ourselves and others in response to such changes? When others expect less of themselves, is it right for us to follow Continue Reading »
TBE’s High Holy Day Food Drive of 5782 / 2021 collected 225 bags of food weighing 2141 pounds (over a ton!) for the Food Bank Network of Somerset County. TBE’s food donations will feed 40 to 60 families for about a week and a half. This single donation was the most the Food Bank received Continue Reading »
Rabbi Ben Bag Bag said of the Torah, “Turn it over and over, for all things are contained in it.”[1] The Torah is like a diamond. Examined from any angle, a different facet of its brilliance is revealed. It is ancient, and yet seemingly ever new. It is well known, yet unceasingly surprising. It is Continue Reading »
