Resources

Parashat Toldot tells a story of three wells dug by Isaac. Abraham Avinu has just died, and Isaac, not yet “Avinu,” seems to struggle to find his own way in the world. He is summoned, but the path is not clear. Isaac sets about re-digging his father’s old wells. Is he searching for something of...

For Parshat Chukat, Rabbi Jill Hausman writes about selfishness.

This lesson plan for upper elementary or middle school students introduces them to portraits of several Israeli families and invites them to ask what dreams they might dream for Israel.

The girl who will become bat mitzvah in my shul on Parshat Lech Lecha has noted that her special day falls a week before the anniversary of Kristallnacht, which members of her family witnessed. So she requested I let her leyn her portion from the Czech “Shoah” scroll in our ark. Those who possess such...

Last week, my worlds collided. I once trained as an opera singer, and though I have traded Gluck for gemara, I remain a fervent supporter of the arts. I have a weekly appointment that brings me within a block of the Metropolitan Opera House, at Lincoln Center, and I often stroll through the plaza, admiring...

On its surface, Chayei Sarah is one of the tamer portions in all of the Torah. It is the only parasha in Genesis in which there is a complete absence of conflict and destruction. Yet there is an extremely rich subtext here, one that can be read in relation to the dramatic and disturbing events...

When we tell others the stories of our lives, we often find ourselves spicing up the narrative a bit as we tell and retell the story. It’s only human to exaggerate a bit, especially if our audiences don’t seem to be giving the stories the attention we feel that they deserve. Our additions add an...

These are the words Joseph spoke to his brothers; words of identification, love and reconciliation. In four Hebrew words (Gen. 45:12), Joseph has bridged an insuperable chasm between his brothers and himself. And in speaking as he did, he closed a chapter about lives marked by separation. There are chasms that mark our lives, keeping...

As this d’var Torah goes to print, we are in the middle of a second cease-fire, wondering whether this one will last beyond its three days. Nearly half of the casualties from this war are civilians, including hundreds of children. I believe that Israel not only should continue to exist but should thrive, with the...

Earlier this summer, before the fighting began in Israel, I led a birthright trip. From June 16th-26th, there was one issue on the minds of nearly every Israeli I met: the kidnapping of Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaer, and Eyal Yifrah, the Israeli teens who were taken on June 12th. Throughout the trip, we knew nothing...