Self & Fellow

The classical interpretation is that Leah and Dinah’s behavior is being condemned as unbecoming the Jewish woman’s virtue of “innerness.” But a careful analysis of the source texts shows the very opposite to be the case . . .

The closer G‑d brings us to Him, the more keenly aware of our own utter nothingness that should make us.

Sometimes it all seems so hopeless. You can feed a hungry child, yet millions more remain hungry. For every good deed you do, so many evil deeds are committed . . .

It is written in the Torah: “Jacob heard that his daughter Dina had been defiled. But his sons were in the fields with the cattle and Jacob kept his silence until they returned home. Hamor, father of Shechem came to Jacob to talk. And when Jacob’s sons re...

From beginning to end, Genesis 34 tells a terrifying story. Dina, Jacob’s daughter – the only Jewish daughter mentioned in the entire patriarchal narratives – leaves the safety of home to go out to “look at the daughters of the land.” She is raped and abd...

Why did Simeon and Levi kill the people of Shechem? Were their actions morally justified? Morally imperative? And why do they serve as the prototype for the law of bar mitzvah, the Jewish boy’s attainment of maturity and responsibility?

Where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob failed, a young girl could have succeeded

We should never underestimate the power of our good behavior on others, even someone with a long history of belligerence like Esau.

The Kabbalists see Esau and Jacob as the embodiments of the primordial world of Tohu (“Chaos”) and our present reality-process of Tikkun (“correction”)

There’s an ancient custom to recite the Torah portion of Vayishlach prior to embarking on dangerous travel. Yaakov’s encounter with Eisav conveys remarkable directions in facing unnatural challenges and mortal enemies.