by katie@betalef.org | Nov 23, 2022 | Torah Reflections
Tol’dot: Genesis 25:19 – 28:9 “Why we Need Conflict” The twin brothers Esau and Jacob wrestled each other even before they were born. Both, it seems, wanted to be the firstborn in order to inherit the Divine promise to Abraham from their...
by katie@betalef.org | Nov 16, 2022 | Torah Reflections
Chayei Sarah: Genesis 23:1 – 25:18 “Where Life Hangs by a Fragile Thread” “The cry of the shofar is the tears of Sarah.” Thus says a midrash describing the moment when Sarah was told that Abraham had taken her son Isaac and had slaughtered him...
by katie@betalef.org | Nov 9, 2022 | Torah Reflections
Vayera: Genesis 18:1 – 22:24 “A Place of Great Evil” Whereas Lech Lecha invites us to consider the nature of Sacred Space, Vayera introduces us to its complete opposite: the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. This story, combined with the...
by katie@betalef.org | Nov 2, 2022 | Torah Reflections
Lech L’cha: Genesis 12:1 – 17:27 “What We Are Called Upon To Do” Ramban, Rabbi Moses Nachmanides (13th century Spain), comments at length on a verse in the Torah that at first glance does not seem to hold much importance in the early...
by katie@betalef.org | Oct 27, 2022 | Torah Reflections
Noah: Genesis 6:9 – 11:32 “The Outer Dimension of Sacred Space” Whereas a major theme of last week’s parashah (B’reishit) was the human inner dimension of Sacred Space, the two main events of Noah draw our attention to the outer dimensions of...
