Lech-Lecha 5770 - October 30, 2009
|
|
|
|
The Skyline Man
A Stick Figure Vignette
By Dovid Taub
A little guy drinking coffee in a soul-crushingly boring little diner where the prevalent philosophy is that the lights are “just on” . . . |
|
World Puzzle
By Tzvi Freeman
Who exploded the world? What should we do with the pieces? |
|
Got Parents?
By Manis Friedman
Our relationships with our parents don't need to be as complicated as we might make them... |
|
The Absurdity of Sin
By Ben-Tzion Krasnianski
From the "Kabbalah and the Psychology of the Soul" Video Series |
|
Jewish.tv
Inspiration, practice and entertainment
Browse our library of Jewish videos on Jewish themes, traditions, holidays, parshah and more. |
|
|
|
Can You See the Rainbow?
By Mendy Herson
Think about it: our behavior is our feedback to G‑d, our response to His gift of life, as clouds are earth's feedback (in the form of vapor) to the warmth of the sun... |
|
A Heavenly Show
By Chana Weisberg
Some of the firecrackers made loud swooshing noises as they exploded. Others were virtually silent. The firecrackers that crackled the loudest didn't necessarily produce the brightest results... |
|
Jews Down Under
By Judie Fein
The first Jews to arrive were about 1,000 convicts, who landed on the Aussie shores between 1788 and 1852. Few of them were violent, and most were shoemakers, tailors, watchmakers, grooms, ostrich-feather manufacturers, silk-glove makers... |
|
She Won't Commit
By Aron Moss
My girlfriend of two years isn't sure she wants to get married. She just says she feels "it" hasn't clicked. I felt a click a long time ago and would very much like to marry and spend my life with her. What can I do? |
|
I Can't Stop Nagging!
By Mirish Kiszner
I badger my husband for everything, from the tie he chooses to wear, to the way he talks to me, to the odd hours he keeps. Of course, my criticism doesn't help anyone. How can I learn to bite my tongue? |
|
Should Parents Apologize to their Children?
By Sara Chana Radcliffe
There are many parents who present themselves to their kids as if perfect. Such parents never apologize for anything because, in their opinion, they are never wrong. At the same time, they may be very hard on their children... |
|
|
|
Septic Sam
By Zalman Velvel
Rabbi Levi looked down at the old man and sighed. It was sad to come to this, he thought, dying all alone in a hospital room, with no family or friends to give testimony to the life he led. |
|
The Nazi Accomplice in the Circumcision
An account by Rabbi Israel Spira, the Rebbe of Bluzhov
The woman seemed oblivious to my words. "A knife," she repeated. "I must have a knife. Now. Before it is too late" |
|
A Business Proposal
By Yanki Tauber
I returned to my compartment in a state of confusion. The last thing I had expected from the Rebbe was a business tip |
|
|
|
Evolution and Its Moral Consequences
By Aron Moss
It's more than a question of which theory or theology is more convincing. Beliefs have consequences |
|
The Birth of Moral Selfhood
By Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
"Leave your land, your birthplace and your father's house, and go to the land I will show you." These words are among the most consequential in the history of mankind |
|
|
|
The Parshah in a Nutshell
Lech-Lecha - Genesis 12:1-17:27
Abraham’s journey, Sarah’s abduction, Lot relocates to Sodom, the Promised Land is promised, the “Covenant Between the Parts,” Hagar and Ishmael, Abraham’s circumcision . . . explored, examined and expounded upon in this week’s Torah reading. |
|
Parshah In Depth
A summary and overview of the week's Torah portion with selected readings from the midrash and commentaries |
|
Jew: Noun or Verb?
By keeping quiet about Abraham's beginnings, the Torah tells us all there is to know about ours
By Mendel Kalmenson
Wouldn't the Biblical narrative flow better if we knew a little more about Abraham, its main character? Why was he singled out for a resettlement mission that promised huge dividends? What had he done to merit fathering G‑d's chosen nation? |
|
Trust and Respect
Did Abraham "abandon" Sarah in Egypt?
By Rochel Holzkenner
Abraham's plan would effectively remove himself from Pharaoh's hit list... and make Sarah available for Pharaoh's hedonistic abuse! Talk about a lack of chivalry! Is this Abraham, the first Jewish husband and the ultimate mentch? |
|
The Abraham Principle
The Logic of Faith
By Arnie Gotfryd
On closer inspection, it seems more akin to ecology than to ethical monotheism... yet this one elegant idea developed by a child some 3,800 years ago, has transformed the world forever |
|
A Journey with an Unknown Destination
Having a defined goal is beneficial in other areas of life, but a handicap in a person's spiritual journey
By Naftali Silberberg
The roadmap leading us on or spiritual journey has very precise directions. The only thing missing from the directions is the destination. |
|
The Three Journeys of Abraham
Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
What drives a man to leave his “land, his birthplace, and his father’s house” for an unknown destination? Yet driven we are, in search of something more than what our parents, teachers--indeed our very nature and genes--have to offer. |
|
|
|
The Last Jew
On the significance of the 7th of Cheshvan
Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
Where is the world’s most ordinary place? A fifteen days’ journey from Jerusalem, in a field on the banks
of the Euphrates. |
|
Jewish Mother's Day
Rachel & the 11th of Cheshvan
By Yitzchak Ginsburgh
The 11th of Cheshvan, the day of passing of our matriarch Rachel, is truly the Jewish Mother's Day... |
|
Do Jews Celebrate Halloween?
By Tzvi Freeman
I know its origins aren't very "Jewish," but I'm worried that my kids will feel left out if they can't go trick-n-treating in the neighborhood... |
|
|
|
Mommy's First Day of School
by Yael Hanover
When the separation anxiety is mine |
|
|
|
Jewish “Heroes” Finalists Announced
By Chana Kroll
Organized by the umbrella organization of North American Jewish communities, the Jewish Communities Heroes contest asked rank-and-file Jews to nominate individuals who have positively affected the lives of others. |
|
After 80 Years, Commentary Sees Light of Day
By Dovid Zaklikowski
Drawn from a collection of scholarly thoughts penned more than 85 years ago, a recently published Torah commentary sheds light on the insights of a Russian-born Chasidic rabbi who earned a reputation as an erudite teacher, editor and expert on Jewish law. |
LOGIN
ASK THE RABBI
