Bible
Parshat Vaera: What the Torah Leaves Out
This Torah portion features a passage recounting the genealogy of Moses and Aaron -- with some glaring omissions.
Parashat Shemot: The Essential Name of God
Moses’ inquiry about God’s name reveals the essential quality of how God manifests in the world.
Parashat Vayechi: The Legend of You and Me
Jacob’s blessing to his son Joseph offers a potent metaphor about maintaining steadfastness in a world defined by rapid change.
Parshat Vayigash: A Tale of Two Brothers
This Torah portion opens with a passionate exchange between Joseph and Judah, two brothers with distinct personalities.
Parashat Miketz: Coercion vs. Love
This Torah portion begs the question of whether it’s acceptable to use coercive power to have people to do something that’s good for them.
Parashat Vayishlach: Honoring the Best of Jacob
This Torah portion interperses multiple momentous encounters with the divine realm with a series of fraught incidents between humans.
Parashat Vayetzei: Leah’s Hidden Blessing
Why does the Torah specifically mention the "weak eyes" of the matriarch Leah?
Parashat Toldot: Opening the Conversation
This portion records the first instance in the Torah of someone initiating a dialogue with God.
Chayei Sarah: The Reverberations of Familial Violence
The lingering trauma of Isaac’s near-sacrifice is felt in his relationship with his wife Rebecca and in the generations that follow.
Parashat Vayera: The Uniqueness of the Binding of Isaac
Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son should be seen as a unique situation never to be repeated.
Lech-Lecha: In Praise of Holy Discomfort
A lesson in the role of discomfort in fomenting social change.
Parashat Noach: How Societies Collapse
The story of the flood is an object lesson in the kinds of crimes that pose existential social threats.