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Category Archives: 2015
A Brief Note on Groundhog Day – Parsha Vayigash
The elements of God’s design for one line of Abraham’s descendants begin to mesh in Parsha Vayigash. He had promised that they would be, at some future point, a great nation, both in reputation and number but, again at some … Continue reading
Posted in 2015, Genesis/Bereshit, Vayigash
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A Brief Note on Sticky Sagas – Parsha Miketz
In Parsha Lech Lecha the Torah records some of God’s promises to Abraham; that his descendants would be given a land of their own and that they would prosper, be great in numbers and in repute. There was a third … Continue reading
Posted in 2015, Genesis/Bereshit, Miketz
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A Brief Note on Dramatic Tragedy – Parsha Vayeshev
The saga of Jacob and his sons has the air of brutal honesty; he and his mother deceive Isaac and then he in turn is deceived by his wives to be Leah and Rachel. Moreover, he is deceived by his … Continue reading
Posted in 2015, Genesis/Bereshit, Vayeshev
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A Brief Note on Dishonouring Honour/Honouring Dishonour – Parsha Vayishlach
Honour is a very amorphous concept whose exercise is often guided by very subjective determinants. In Parsha VaYishluch, the idea of honour; what it is and to whom does it belong, is illustrated by two incidents that stand apart from the … Continue reading
Posted in 2015, Genesis/Bereshit, Vayishlach
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A Brief Note on Loss – Parsha Chaye Sarah
Abraham is one of the great hero’s of the Torah, a brave warrior, a generous host and uncle, and most importantly a loyal and noble man with complete and absolute faith in God. What He said, he heeded; what he … Continue reading
Posted in 2015, Chayei Sarah, Genesis/Bereshit
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A Brief Note on Angels – Parsha VaYera
It should remain clear that the Torah was written purposefully and very successfully to; inter alia provoke discussion, which leads to more discussion and continual interpretations. In that regard, it has been very successful. These discussions can at times elucidate the distinct … Continue reading
Posted in 2015, Genesis/Bereshit, Vayetze
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A Brief Note on the Good Book – Parsha Lech-Lecha
Traditional commentators shy from labeling the Torah as a book of history or science and reject attempts to describe it as literature, notwithstanding as a reporter of lives lived, challenges met and events unfolding, it most certainly is. Importantly, it … Continue reading
Posted in 2015, Genesis/Bereshit, Lech-Lecha
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A Brief Note on Fallen Angels and the Human Condition – Parsha Noach
This week’s Torah reading is Parsha Noach, colloquially the Flood Tale. Briefly, a mere ten generations following Creation, God appeared to despair of the human enterprise and resolved to dissolve them and the flora and fauna, and reshape the face … Continue reading
Posted in 2015, Genesis/Bereshit, Noach
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A Brief Note on: When did it all Begin – Parasha Bereshit
The opening verse of Parsha Bereshit can be translated into English in a number of different ways. The 1917 edition of the Jewish Publications Society’s translation of the Torah read “In the beginning God created” which was revised in the … Continue reading
Posted in 2015, Bereshit, Genesis/Bereshit
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A Brief Note on the Torah – Parsha Vayelech
Sforno adopts a heroic viewpoint in his interpretation of the events described in the opening scene of Parsha Vayelech. He envisions a triumphant Moses sallying forth into the encampment, with Joshua, his anointed successor at his side. To emphasize the transition in … Continue reading
Posted in 2015, Deuteronomy/Devarim, Vayelech
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A Brief Note 