91快活林

The First Mitzvah

Oct 24, 2008 By David Hoffman | Commentary | Bereishit

If the Torah is fundamentally a book of law, a work intended to instruct us on how to live a life that is holy and good, why did the Torah begin with the story of creation? More precisely, why did the Torah begin with the story of Genesis鈥攐f God鈥檚 creation of the world鈥攁nd not the first commandment to the Israelites which is to establish a calendar: 鈥淭his month shall be unto you the beginning of the months,鈥� found later in Exodus 12? This is the first question that Rashi, the central medieval commentator on the Torah, asked on the opening words of the book of Genesis.

Is Seeing Believing?

Oct 23, 2010 By Deborah Miller | Commentary | Vayera

Is seeing believing? Or, to put it another way, is seeing necessary for believing? I am not asking a theological question, but a psychological/social/emotional one.

Why Religion?

Nov 12, 2010 By David Hoffman | Commentary | Vayetzei

Big picture: What is religion trying to do in the world?

The Miracle of Hanukkah

Dec 27, 2008 By David Hoffman | Commentary | Hanukkah

Stories have great power. We tell stories about ourselves and about our communities because they give our lives meaning, and they help us navigate between the past and the future. We use stories to help us make sense of the world and our place in it. Not far behind the seemingly innocent plots of many of the stories we tell about our community’s religious history lie profound existential truths addressing our most pressing religious concerns.

Singing of Freedom

Oct 9, 2008 By David M. Ackerman | Commentary | Tishah Be'av | Yom Kippur

Maya Angelou鈥檚 celebrated poem, 鈥淐aged Bird鈥� (Shaker, Why Don鈥檛 You Sing. Random House, 1983) has long inspired me, especially at this time of the year. Grippingly, the poem contrasts 鈥渁 free bird [who] dares to claim the sky鈥� with 鈥渁 bird that stalks down his narrow cage,鈥� a creature of limited vision and range. Although the 鈥渃aged bird stands on the grave of dreams,鈥� he still has longing in his heart. 

The Connection between Twins

Dec 17, 2005 By 91快活林 Alumni | Commentary | Vayishlah

By Rabbi Lyle Fishman

While each family relationship in Genesis elicits dorsheini (“investigate, probe, and derive a lesson”), for me the relationship between Esau and Jacob holds especial interest. I am the younger of identical twin brothers. Although the biblical twins were clearly distinguishable by both outward appearance and personality traits, their “twinness” is intriguing.

What Next? A Free People Finds Its Way

Jan 22, 2016 By Daniel Nevins | Commentary | Beshallah

From the air Eretz Mitzrayim, 鈥渢he narrow land鈥� of Egypt, reveals itself as a vast expanse of sand and stone broken only by the twisting dark line of the Nile. I saw this first hand as a student in 1985, . On either side of the great river, a thin strip of green extends for a few kilometers to the east and west. The Nile looks like a mighty green cobra whose tail points at the first cataract near Sudan, and whose broad triangular head is the delta fanning out to strike the Mediterranean Sea.

Speaking for the Silenced

Nov 20, 2010 By Andrew Shugerman | Commentary | Vayishlah

Commonly found in coroner’s offices across North America is the following motto: “We speak for the dead to protect the living.” Ancient and modern biblical commentators have taken a similar stance toward the rape of Dinah and its aftermath. A close examination of Genesis 34 and contemporary responses to its narrative will show how one of the Torah’s most troubling passages can inspire us to take action. We must, in the words of Proverbs 31:8, “speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.” We must address similar injustices in today’s society in order to protect the living.