Tag Torah sparks by Rabbi Schell

At the beginning of 2011, while protests were happening in Egypt against the regime of Hosni Mubarak, a joke did the rounds, which claimed that the Jews had warned the Egyptians that they would refuse to rebuild the pyramids if…

This Shabbat, we conclude the Book of Genesis with Parashat Va-y’chi.  Whenever we finish reading a book, even a book of Torah, it is important to reflect on where we have been, what we have covered since the beginning of the…

After last weeks parashiot focusing on Jacob/Israel and his older sons, Parashat Vayeishev (24.12.) introduces the concluding narrative of the first book of Moses with telling us the story of Joseph who is first sold by his brothers into slavery and than rises to…

Our parasha reports the way Isaac was tricked into giving Jacob the blessing for the firstborn, taking advantage of his blindness. But was Isaac really blind, was he really not able to notice that it was Jacob who stood in…

Say this when you mourn for me: There was a man- and look, he is no more. He died before his time. The music of his life suddenly stopped. A pity! There was another song in him. Now it is…

The story of the Akeidah, the “Binding” of Isaac, is certainly one of the most terrifying and troubling accounts in all of the Torah. The Rabbis since the dawn of Rabbinical discussion have been arguing its merits and problems. How…

Names carry with them all sorts of associations: memories, hopes, dreams, and possibilities.  The names we are given and those that we choose, tell the world something about ourselves: they may announce our ethnic origin or possibly something about our…

Words can hurt us because they contain enormous power. For the same reason, they can also inspire, uplift, and enlighten us. They can even create something out of nothing. We see this idea illustrated strikingly in the opening chapters of…

Yom Kippur isn’t an easy day. Not because of the fasting. What isn’t easy is the affliction of the soul, the practice of going deeply into ourselves and revealing our innermost fears, doubts and insecurities in front of the Eternal.…