PARSHA POSTS: VAYETZEI

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Dec 31, 2024, 7:20 PM

10 Critical Q&A’s on Israel—to share with your loved ones

Knowledge is Power; Ignorance is Outright Dangerous Ignorance is at all time highs. Willful distortion of the truth about Israel is rampant at the highest echelons of power, exposing Jews everywhere to danger. In response to the brazen arson of a...

Dec 13, 2024, 1:43 PM

The Ladder of Purpose: Dreams, Relationships, and Responsibility

“What happened in your day, today?” is the most basic way to connect with a loved one. For some families this question is a brief nod of respect. For others it calls for a nice glass of wine with...

Dec 11, 2024, 6:10 AM

Tectonic Shifts: Toward a New Middle East of Peace and Prosperity

This past Shabbat, I encountered an intriguing gentleman named Mark from Connecticut, who had come to Israel on a solidarity visit. His purpose? To bring strength and encouragement (chizuk) to the people of Israel amidst a backdrop of turmoil...

Dec 10, 2024, 8:58 AM

Vayetze: Naming the Future from the Past

Artwork by Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1665-70)

Following last week’s Toldot – genealogies, or generations – Vayetze sees the naming of eleven of the twelve Tribes of Israel, giving names to the generations that will follow. Across two chapters of Tanach, two of Ya’akov’s wives –...

Alexander I. Poltorak

Dec 9, 2024, 7:31 AM

Binary Universe III: Two Camps of Angels

This post continues the discussion we began in "Bereshit: The Binary Universe I" and continued in "The Binary Universe II: Angels as Microprocessors." At the end of Parshat Vayetze, Jacob meets two camps of Angels: And Jacob went on his way,...

Alexander I. Poltorak

Dec 6, 2024, 8:32 PM

The Binary Universe II: Angels as Microprocessors

Introduction This essay is a sequel to “Bereshit: The Binary Universe I.” The first instalment explored the ideal of a binary universe hinted at by first letter of the Torah—the letter Bet (ב). We explored how the primordial duality of...

Dec 6, 2024, 8:02 PM

‘I Will Return In Peace’: Jacob’s Timely Lesson In Conflict Resolution

Like all of the Torah’s narratives, Jacob’s departure from the land of Israel operates on multiple levels. “Vayetizei Yaakov mi’Be’er Sheva vayeilech Charana/And Jacob went out from Be’er Sheva and set out for Charan” (Genesis 28:10). While the verse...

Areyah Kaltmann

Dec 6, 2024, 6:22 PM

When the World Goes Mad: Israel’s Fight Against Antisemitism at the UN

“Am I dreaming? Has the world gone mad – or have I?” Science fiction writer H.G. Wells penned this timeless phrase over 100 years ago, but this quote feels more relevant now than ever. This week, the UN General Assembly...

Dec 6, 2024, 5:45 PM

Wrestling with the human and Divine

Dvar Torah Parshat VaYetze Rabbi Neal Borovitz Rabbi Emeritus Kol Dorot On his flight from his family compound in Beer Sheva to Haran and then on his return from Haran 22 years later, Torah shares with us Jacob’s fear and anxiety in...

William Hamilton

Dec 6, 2024, 5:26 PM

A bit more strength

“Listen,” said Or, the female IDF Battalion Commander we met a couple of weeks ago. She was confronting a troubled soldier who’d recently gone AWOL and was never reachable when he went home for Shabbat.” That story’s not going...

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