We would say that the Louisiana Purchase is among the biggest real estate steals in history. But also right up there is Abraham’s purchase of the cave of Machpeilah that we read about...
Before I entered the classroom that evening, I already knew that Zalman would come prepared with some dazzling piece of scholarship. The regular reader of this column...
All of us are familiar with the importance of hospitality, but a commonly known midrash elevates its significance beyond what we would expect. At the beginning of this week’s parsha, Abraham is communing...
Circumcision may reasonably be viewed as sacrilege. After all, removing the baby’s foreskin tampers with God’s creation. By commanding Abraham to circumcise himself, God rejects this manner of seeing the world. Although He...
If you are reading this column regularly, you may remember that Miriam was the shy participant in the class that I have been describing. You will surely remember that this...
We would expect the person chosen by God to rebuild humanity would be incredibly righteous. Indeed, the Torah itself states at the beginning of this week’s portion that Noah was the most righteous...
The three women in the class unanimously favored one point of view. The six men were evenly split, three agreeing with the women and three disagreeing vehemently....
“And God said, “Let there be light! And there was light” (Genesis 1:3) This bold and beautiful turn of phrase by the King James Bible enables it to express the power and majesty...
This happens all the time. You meet someone new, either being introduced to him by someone else, or taking the initiative yourself by saying, “Hi, my name is Tzvi Hersh. What...
