Category Judentum

Exodus – Kings and Gods

A few weeks ago, the film Exodus – Kings and Gods was launched and, in anticipation of the upcoming Torah readings about the liberation of the Israelites from slavery, I decided to watch the movie. I wanted to see how…

Parashat Sh’mot

A few weeks ago, the film Exodus – Kings and Gods was launched and, in anticipation of the upcoming Torah readings about the liberation of the Israelites from slavery, I decided to watch the movie. I wanted to see how…

Vayechi

Year 3 Genesis 49:27-50:26 (Plaut p 313; Hertz p 187) Haftarah I Kings 2:1-12 (Plaut p 323; Hertyz p 191) Jacob’s final blessing to his children and grandchildren precedes demand that he be buried in the ancestral grave in Hebron…

Vayiggash

Year 3 Genesis 46:28-47:27 (Plaut p 293; Hertz p 174) Haftarah Ezekiel 37:15-28 (Plaut p 302; Hertz p 178) The great re-union of Joseph and his aged father Jacob/Israel lead to a welcome for all of Bet Yisraeil—the House of…

Hanukkah

Stories have great power. We tell stories about ourselves and about our communities because they give our lives meaning, and they help us navigate between the past and the future. We use stories to help us make sense of the…

Vayeishev

Genesis 39:1-40:23 (Plaut p 252; Hertz p 147. ) Haftarah Amos 2:6-3:8. (Plaut p 263; Hertz p 152) The parashah tells the stories of how Jacob’s other sons sold Joseph into captivity in Egypt, of how Judah wronged his daughter-in-law…

Wajeze: Jakobs Feilschen mit Gott?

Der Wochenabschnitt Wajeze berichtet von Jakobs Reise nach, seinem Leben in, und seiner Flucht aus Haran. Er erzählt von Jakobs erster Begegnung mit Rachel und von den Jahren, die er für Laban arbeiten muss. Der Bericht schildert die gemeinsamen Lebensjahre…

Vayetze: Bargaining with God ?

Parashat Vayetze tells of Jacob’s travels to Haran, his sojourn there, and his return to Canaan. It recounts Jacob’s first meeting with Rachel, his time working for Laban, living with Rachel and Leah, and the birth of all his children…

Vayera

Genesis 21:1-22:24 (Plaut p.132; Hertz p.71) Haftarah Second Kings 4:1-37 (Plaut p.149; Hertz p.76) Parashat Vayera includes the well-known report of Abraham’s plea to God to save the lives of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. While the effort that…