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PARSHA POSTS: TOLEDOT

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Nov 28, 2025, 5:36 PM

Parshat Vayeitzei 5786

“Then Yaakov kissed Rochel and he raised his voice and wept.” Bereishis 29: 11 In this week's Parsha we read about how when Yaakov met Rochel at the well, he experienced conflicting emotions. He felt tremendous joy at having finally...

Richard Diamond

Nov 26, 2025, 8:33 PM

The Jewish Problem With Donald Trump

image by ChatGPT

The Jewish Problem With Donald Trump What the Talmud asks of us that politics does not There is no serious doubt that Israel has benefitted from Donald Trump’s approach to the region. He moved the US embassy to Jerusalem and formally recognized...

Dana Greitzer Gotlieb

Nov 24, 2025, 10:24 AM

‘Two Nations in Your Womb’ – Now What?

Photo by Dana Greitzer (AI-enhanced via DALL·E / ChatGPT)

What if Rebecca’s struggle with Jacob and Esau isn’t only about two ancient brothers, but about the tension between “field and tent,” space and time, inside each of us? On parenting, labels, Shabbat, and building small “tents of time”...

Karen Reiss Medwed

Nov 24, 2025, 12:52 AM

Toldot, a Tale as Old as Time (thanks to @Disney)

Sometimes we find inspiration in telling our Torah through means beyond our traditional commentators. And sometimes that even means turning to popular media for some guideposts, some music, to keep our story alive. This is a parasha, told through...

Yael Chaya Miriam Gray

Nov 23, 2025, 7:04 AM

Four Entered Pardes: The Three Lights Of Tohu . . . And Rabbi Akiva: A Chiddush

There is a story told in the Talmud as if it were simple: Four entered Pardes. Ben Azzai gazed and died. Ben Zoma gazed and lost his reason. Acher gazed and cut the shoots. Rabbi Akiva entered in peace and left in peace. But nothing...

Nov 21, 2025, 8:51 PM

Business concept illustration of businessman wearing smiling face mask, dissemblance, pretend, falsity concept

The Talmud teaches that this world is the “world of falsehood”—while the World to Come is the “world of truth.” In this world, we experience distortion, manipulation, half-truths, and illusions that pull us off center. How are we meant to...

Nov 21, 2025, 8:42 PM

Parshah through the Mediator’s Lens: Toldot

Toldot, created by author via ChatGPT.

Navigating Deception and Favoritism: Mediation Lessons from Parshah Toldot The weekly Torah portion Toldot is one of the most instructive texts for conflict-resolution practitioners. It is filled with interpersonal tensions, hidden agendas, and the long-term consequences of unresolved communication. At...

Richard Diamond

Nov 21, 2025, 8:27 PM

Where Are Israel’s Shepherds to Save Us from the Wolves?

Image by ChatGPT

Israel needs leaders who guard the flock of Klal Yisrael, not wolves worried only about their next meal. From the very beginning of our story, the Bible insists on a strange qualification for leadership: shepherding. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all...

Yael Chaya Miriam Gray

Nov 21, 2025, 7:06 PM

Esav’s Real Sin

When the boys grew up, the Torah says only this: “וַיִּגְדְּלוּ הַנְּעָרִים, וַיְהִי עֵשָׂו אִישׁ יֹדֵעַ צַיִד, אִישׁ שָׂדֶה, וְיַעֲקֹב אִישׁ תָּם, יֹשֵׁב אֹהָלִים.” “When the boys grew, Esav became a skillful hunter, a man of the field; and Yaakov was...

Nov 21, 2025, 6:55 PM

Clash of Philosophies

The Alshich described the clash that existed between Eisav and Yakov. It was not merely the clash between a Tzaddik and a Rasha, but it represented two world views. We see from Eisav’s willingness to sell his birthright for a...

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