How Marriage Makes Us Who We Were Meant to Be
I think this is why people like weddings so much. Each wedding has a bit of an “other-worldly” quality. Watching two people come together, we believe in the possibility of new beginnings.
Marriage
What Do Marriage and Winemaking Have in Common?
There is a reason the Talmud teaches that a funeral procession must make way for a wedding party when passing on the road: Life must take priority over death. A marriage is a commitment to life, and to hope. I find it a privilege to stand under a chuppah (wedding canopy) with a couple who have chosen to commit their lives to each other in front of beloved family and friends.
Jacob Awakens to the Sexual Assaults Suffered by His Children
In Parashat Vayeishev , we read that Joseph suffers sexual harassment at the hands of Potiphar’s wife. Joseph is the patriarch Jacob’s second child to face sexual violence, after his daughter Dinah was raped ( Gen. 34). In this midrashic monologue, we wonder how Jacob reacted to the news of what happened to Dinah:
How Can We Avoid Conflict Among Siblings?
Have you ever wanted to kill (or seriously harm) your brother (or sister, or other relative)? The Book of Genesis is replete with enough examples of intended fratricide that we ought to take notice.
Where Was Sarah During the Akeidah (the Binding of Isaac)?
In Parashat Chayei Sarah (the life of Sarah), we learn that our biblical matriarch Sarah lived 127 years, she died, and Abraham purchased her burial cave in Hebron (Gen. 23:1-20). Sadly, the only Torah portion named after a woman provides few hints about her life or final days.
