Weekly Torah Reading, Mikketz, December 8, 2018

The Fear of God   Joseph’s abilities as a dream interpreter eventually landed him a job as a high Egyptian official in charge of grain supplies. Meanwhile his family in Canaan had begun to feel the effects of the predicted …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyeshev, December 1, 2018

The Assembly of Ladies   A strange story circulated about one part of this week’s parashah, the story of Joseph’s encounter with Potiphar’s wife.   According to the Torah, the wife of Potiphar (otherwise nameless), is obsessed with Joseph, the …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyishlaḥ, November 24, 2018

Ten Percent On the eve of his return to the land of Canaan, Jacob learned that his brother Esau, who had previously sworn to kill him, was now on his way to meet him—accompanied by 400 men! Naturally, Jacob was …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyetze, November 17, 2018

Keep on Climbing   Jacob left Beer-sheba bound for Haran. Stopping for the night at a certain place, he fell asleep and had a strange dream. “And behold, a ladder was set in the ground, and its top reached to …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Toledot, November 10, 2018

What a Difference an Aleph Makes!   In this week’s Torah reading, Isaac is now dwelling in Beer Sheba, and the Philistine king, Abimelech, comes with his aides to meet him. Isaac and Abimelech have had rather frosty relations, so …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Ḥayyei Sarah, November 3, 2018

Like Uncle, Like Nephew (Sort of)   In this week’s portion, Abraham sends his (unnamed) servant to the city of Nahor to find a bride for his son Isaac. When the servant arrives, we are introduced to two important figures: …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyera’, October 27, 2018

“Now I know…”—“Didn’t You Know Before?”   Nowadays, this week’s Torah reading justly troubles a great many readers. It contains the famous account of God’s command to Abraham to kill his own son, sacrificing him like some animal on an …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Lekh-Lekha, October 20, 2018

Abraham’s Request   This week’s reading contains one particularly puzzling episode. After Abraham has arrived in Canaan, a famine strikes the land, and he and his wife Sarah are forced to travel down to Egypt in search of food. (Egypt, …

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