Synopsis This essay begins from the dream-saturated narratives of Vayetze, Vayeshev, and Miketz—Jacob’s ladder, Joseph’s dreams, and the dreams of Pharaoh and his ministers—and asks
In the first aliyah of the Torah portion Toldot, the Torah turns inward: before Jacob and Esau become nations, they are in conflict within one
Summary This essay examines two consecutive narratives from Parshat Vayeira, each featuring a well and each posing a distinct epistemological challenge. Hagar’s well (Genesis 21:19)
(Parshat Vayeira, Genesis 21:14-21) Hagar and Ishmael are dying of thirst in the desert. In her despair, Hagar places her son under a bush and
And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have become worn out, will I have ednah [renewal]?” (Genesis 18:12) Sarah’s laugh is more than skepticism—it
Everyone marvels at the beauty of a rainbow—its perfect arc, its radiant colors. Yet, in truth, the rainbow doesn’t exist out there. The spectrum of
By Alexander Poltorak This essay is dedicated to the Upsherenish of our dear grandson, Tzemach Asher Noam, Sheyiḥiyeh, which took place today in Houston. May
In his commentary on this week’s Torah Portion, Yitro, Rabbi Chayim Vital, writing in the name of his teacher, the Ari-zal, states that Abel was
And for the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the purification from sin, and running water shall be put thereto
…[H]e who tries to cure the soul, wishing to improve the moral qualities, must have a knowledge of the soul in its totality and
So the present passed over before him; and he himself lodged that night in the camp. And he rose up that night, and took his
November 19, 2018 And he [Jacob] dreamed, and behold! a ladder set up on the ground and its top reached to heaven; and behold, angels
The previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Rebbe Rayatz (a.k.a. the Fridriker Rebbe) told the story about his father, the Rebbe Rashab. Once the brother of Rebbe