In the Torah we are taught to love God, “with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might” “b’khol levav’kha, b’khol nafsh’kha, uvkhol m’odekha”. This is a totalistic demand, certainly ...

While reading Parshat Vayishlach this year, I was struck by the imbalance between speech and silence and what it suggests about power and action. On one hand, we see Jacob’s detailed plans and spoken ...

In this week’s Torah portion, Vayishlach, the Torah tells us that after Yaakov’s struggle with Esav’s angel, “the sun rose upon him” (Genesis 32:32). This simple statement harbors deep meaning, ...

you may wonder how to identify them. Treat everyone you meet as if they are one and you’ll be right every time. I’d like to send angels to where all the wars are to distract the perpetrators with ...

THAT IS what happens in this week’s Torah portion. After his wrestling match with the stranger, Jacob undergoes a change of personality, a transformation. He gives back to Esau the blessing he took ...

It is apt that this week’s Torah portion, Parsha Vayishlach, should so often coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25 November) and the beginning of the 16 ...

A young woman is gingerly applying lipstick for her upcoming date, unaware of the horrible fate awaiting her. This may sound like the description of a new Netflix drama but it’s actually a scene in a ...

Nationhood is hard. Forming a cohesive people able to take the reins of its own national promise is a tortuous journey. It typically entails internal battles within the polity, and external ones with ...