Hi, Isaac and Rebecca have twin sons.  Jacob and Esau. Isaac favors Esau but Rebecca favors Jacob.  (Genesis, 25:28) … Isaac is old, blind and close to death. His love for Esau blinds him. And he wants to give the blessings to Esau before dying. Rebecca sees the true nature of Esau and knows that […]

Hi, Hope you’re having a great day! We’ve seen that in Jewish tradition, Abraham personifies acts of kindness. And Isaac? He represents Divine service. Things like prayer.  Introspection.  Spirituality. You might think of Isaac as a very big Tzadik.  An extremely righteous man. A “holy man.” And sometimes we have a picture of such people. […]

Hi, Hope you’re having a great day! We’ve seen that in Jewish tradition, Abraham personifies acts of kindness. And Isaac? He represents Divine service. Things like prayer. Introspection. Spirituality. You might think of Isaac as a very big Tzadik. An extremely righteous man. A “holy man.” And sometimes we have a picture of such people. […]

Hi, Love. It’s a word we hear very often. A man and a woman meet. Fall madly in love. Get married. And live happily ever after! … At least that’s how it goes in the movies! In real life? It’s just as likely that they won’t. … Here’s how the Torah describes the marriage of […]

More about Rebecca. We have seen that Abraham sent his trusted servant Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac. The test was chessed.  Acts of kindness. Rebbeca passed the test. With flying colors! … It’s easy to miss a small detail in the story. With a very big lesson. Eliezer set up a test. He’ll […]

Hi, Tuesday we spoke about a Jewish wedding. Today?  The hard part. Finding the right one! Its time to find a wife for Isaac. … Ask someone these days, “What are you looking for?” You might hear things like, “Accomplished. Witty.  Intelligent.  Or athletic.  Has to love the outdoors.” And of course, “romantic!”! Deeper people […]

Here’s one last thought about the Akeida. A small detail that can be overlooked. Abraham passed this most difficult test. In Jewish tradition it’s the ultimate spiritual act. Showing that he follows G-d no matter what. And he’s told “… Now I know that you are a G-d fearing man. Since you have done this thing, […]

Thank G-d!  The Akeida has a happy ending! You may remember it from Hebrew School. Or maybe you couldn’t wait and you finished the story! At the last minute G-d tells Abraham to stop. (Genesis 22, 10-13) “You passed the test.  Now I know that you fear G-d! And that’s all I ever wanted.” … […]

Hi, … It’s one of the most famous stories in the Torah. And one of the most difficult. The Akeida.  The “Binding of Isaac”. We could spend weeks on it.  Full time.  Not just a minute a day! But here are some thoughts. G-d commands Abraham to bring his son Isaac as an offering. G-d […]

Hi, We’re about to start one of the most fundamental and challenging stories in the Torah. Abraham is tested.  Challenged. The story of the Akedah.  The “Binding of Isaac”. (Genesis, 22) Abraham is told to bring his son Isaac as an offering to G-d. Before we get to the story, a few words about challenges […]