Torah Commentaries

Moses’ inquiry about God’s name reveals the essential quality of how God manifests in the world.

Jacob’s blessing to his son Joseph offers a potent metaphor about maintaining steadfastness in a world defined by rapid change.

This Torah portion opens with a passionate exchange between Joseph and Judah, two brothers with distinct personalities.

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.

This Torah portion interperses multiple momentous encounters with the divine realm with a series of fraught incidents between humans.

Why does the Torah specifically mention the "weak eyes" of the matriarch Leah?

This portion records the first instance in the Torah of someone initiating a dialogue with God.

The lingering trauma of Isaac’s near-sacrifice is felt in his relationship with his wife Rebecca and in the generations that follow.

Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son should be seen as a unique situation never to be repeated.

A lesson in the role of discomfort in fomenting social change.

The story of the flood is an object lesson in the kinds of crimes that pose existential social threats.

The banishing of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden marks the beginning of humanity’s path to fulfilling its destiny.