Bereishit, בְּרֵאשִׁית, beginning-ing, is the very first word of the written Torah. In the cycle begun 1500 years ago by rabbis in the Mideast, we begin studying and practicing this first section, or parashah, of Torah each year, entering this consciousness of beginning-ing…
BEREISHIT | Beginning-ing Read More »
I first turned to Torah as a spiritual wisdom text in the midst of wandering through feelings of emptiness and void. I was, and always am, beginning and continuing the journey of life. How do we find meaning and live with a sense of integrity and gratitude, fully celebrating this precious gift, and at the same time deeply engaging with the overwhelming suffering and darkness that hovers over everything?
Bereishit | No Beginning, No Ending Read More »
The opening words of the second weekly Torah portion offer comfort after the first week’s disappointing debut and imminent ending of humanity. The Hasidic teachers understood the need for balancing suffering with a way out, echoing the Buddhist Four Noble Truths. There is suffering, yes. And there is a way out.
Noach | Words are Windows or Words are Walls Read More »
The third wave of Covid is flooding the earth. The suffering is tremendous. Some have arks of refuge; many, many more don’t. How does the story of Noah help me understand what is going on and what Ark I am called to build?
NOACH | We Don’t Survive By Standing on Firm Ground Read More »
This Torah portion begins with יְהוָה, formless and eternally present, speaking to Abram. Abram will lech lecha, go forth to himself, to enter his true power as a human. He will go to himself and go forth from his ancestral heritage. By walking this path, an integration of coming and going, of who he has been and who he will become, he will become Abraham, the father of many peoples.
LECH-LECHA | Return to Yourself and the Need for Hope Read More »
Abraham is destined to be “the father of a multitude of nations.” He embraces what Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh and Hasidic masters call “aimlessness.” In Torah, the entry to the path of aimlessness is “lech lecha,” going out from inherited, unexamined, and conferred identity, to go into yourself and then to go out again.
VAYEIRA | Aimlessness and Identity Read More »
Abraham has cut himself open and sits at the opening, totally undefended, so that all the future generations will thrive: the generations of Ishmael/Ismail, and the generations of Isaac.
VAYEIRA | Open and Present Read More »
In rabbinic times, it was said that the reason this cave, Machpelah, was so important to Abraham is because you could see all the way to the Garden of Eden from inside. So Abraham negotiated with the indigenous Hittites for the rights to bury Sarah in the cave of Machpelah. He took care to make an agreement that valued what each party was giving.
CHAYEI SARAH | The Road to Hebron Read More »
What continues after our death? Is aliveness limited to one bodily manifestation, or does it continue in ever-changing forms? This week’s Torah portion, the Aliveness or Life of Sarah, is the story of the aliveness of Sarah and Hagar continuing after Sarah’s death.
Chayei Sarah | The Aliveness of Sarah and Hagar Read More »
The twins, Jacob and Isaac, are struggling in Rebecca’s womb and she cries out to God, “Why? Why do I exist if this is life?” God replies to her that this struggle is necessary and will continue. It will not be fair or just or understandable. One nation will rule over the other, this is their karma.
TOL’DOT | Making room for all of us to be blessed Read More »
