Jewish Texts

A summary of the first portion of the Torah.

Judah's plea to Joseph marks his transition into claiming responsibility and facing the consequences of his actions.

A flood destroys all living creatures, aside from Noah, his family and the animals in their ark.

As Jacob descends to Egypt he calls on the God of Isaac to assure him that this decision is correct.

Like Judah's approach to Joseph, the people of Israel must sometimes remind God of our unique commitment to one another.

Through his experiences with his nephew Lot, Abraham learns valuable parenting skills.

The sequence of the six orders follows the precedent of Scripture

Sarah's death illustrates the flaw of attempting to impose perfect justice on an imperfect world.

The creation of humans and our variability expressed in Bereshit present us with endless choices and challenges for how to live our lives.

The rabbinic sages and later philosophers and mystics offered many ways to categorize the mitzvot and explain their significance.