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Parashat B'reishit "In the Beginning"
October 24, 2024 | 22 Tishrei 5785
Title: Creation Is Constant Unfolding
By Rabbi Dave Yedid, Base Denver
Let’s go back to the very beginning. Genesis 1:1—the first verse of the Torah–holds so much. It is the beginning of the beginning, the opener, the hook that brings us in to the beautiful creation story. As we know in Jewish tradition, interpretation of the verses of the Torah can, and have, taken us so many different places and led us to vastly different conclusions over the centuries.
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ
When God began to create heaven and earth…
Rather than translating the first words of the first verse: B’reshit bara Elokim, “In the beginning, God created heaven and earth” I prefer the translation above, “When God began to create heaven and earth…” This translation is consistent with the word b’reishit as it appears throughout Tanakh, and also suggests an ellipsis of an ongoing action rather than a singular act, suggesting that creation was not a one-time event but an ongoing process in which God is still very involved.
Before we recite the Shema, we encounter the line in our Siddur:
וּבְטוּבו מְחַדֵּשׁ בְּכָל יום תָּמִיד מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית
And in the Divine’s goodness, God renews–continually, day after day–the works of creation.
This, too, conveys creation as an ongoing process, the world renewed. What would it feel like to think of creation as not only a static event of the past, but also a constant process of transformation and unfolding? How does the bush growing between a crack in the sidewalk change each day? How is the tree, now shedding its leaves, renewed each day by the Divine’s goodness?
As we begin the Torah from its beginning once again, I invite us to look closer at the text and the world in front of us.
Parashat Noah
October 31, 2024 | 29 Tishrei 5785
Title: Why an Ark?
By Kevin Levin, Latin America Jewish Educator
The Torah tells us about humankind’s progressive decadence and corruption leading to the flood that wipes away most of mankind. Our lone hero of the story, Noah, survives by building a Divinely-commanded ark. Midrash Tanchuma asks why Noah was not simply spared of the chaos and was forced to work to save himself and his family. The text responds: “Seeing Noah build the ask would lead his peers to ask him what he is doing... Thus they might be able to understand God’s anger and return to the good path...but they did not take heed”. Another version of the story goes even further back in God’s plan: Noah even planted the cedar-trees himself, watered and took care of them, but among his curious neighbors who asked him about his behavior during something like 120 years (!), he received nothing but mockery and laughs. Rashi brings the chances of repentance even later in time, writing that in the beginning the Flood started as a seemingly benign rain in order to open another window for repentance, but it was again not used.
Noah is not mentioned as an active preacher, but as someone who showed off a different example and ultimately failed to convince anyone. He is good, but could he perhaps have been better? The Torah in fact provides us with other examples of positive leadership, such as Abraham (who bargains with God to save evil-doers during the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah) and Moses (who pays a great sacrifice to save his people and not himself, from the time he saved an Israelite slave being beaten up until his death). Both ended up in a better situation than Noah, who after the flood is depicted as drunk and having a demeaning later stage of his life. We can learn from this about the many opportunities to turn one’s way, but also about what it means to be a good leader: ultimately, nobody can be saved alone. A true example is the person who cares about their community and the world around them.
Parashat Lech-Lecha "You Shall Go"
November 7, 2024 | 6 Heshvan 5785
Title: Trust the Process
By Tiffany Harris, Chief Program Officer
Parashat Lech-Lecha (Genesis 12:1–17:27) recounts the story of God calling Abram (later Abraham) to leave his homeland and journey to a new land that God will show him. God promises to make Abram into a great nation, bless him, and make his name great.
When I read this, I think a lot about Abraham's willingness to leave everything behind and venture into the unknown, based solely on God's command. Would I be bold enough to take the same action? It exemplifies a profound trust and the charge for each of us to follow our unique path even when the future is uncertain. Parashat Lech-Lecha is also a powerful statement about embracing change and taking risks, believing that challenges and unknowns are part of a broader covenant and plan.
Just as in Parashat Lech-Lecha, where Abraham ventured into the unknown with trust in God's guidance, we are reminded that moments of challenge and uncertainty require us to trust the process, hold onto our core values, and remain committed to our community. In this crazy, challenging year, may we find the courage to embrace uncertainty, the strength to remain steadfast in our purpose, and trust that our collective actions will shape a stronger, more vibrant future with the Moishe House community beside you every step of the way.
Parashat Vayera "And God Appeared"
November 14, 2024 | 13 Heshvan 5785
Title: Good People - Questionable Actions
By Mina Pasajlic, Global Jewish Educator
There is so much going on in Parashat Vayera that it feels overwhelming! We have the story of three guests – angels, who come before Abraham in the desert heat. Abraham rushes to welcome them and prepares them a meal. The three angels inform him that next year Sarah will give birth to a son and Sarah laughs. We have the story about Sodom, and we see Abraham negotiating with God. Then comes the story of Lot, his wife turning into a pillar of salt and his daughters who get Lot drunk, lie with him and become pregnant. We then read about Abraham introducing Sarah as his sister and she is taken to the Philistine king Abimelech. In this same parashah, Sarah gives birth to Isaac, and she asks Abraham to banish Hagar and Ishmael, which Abraham does. Abraham and Abimelech make a truce in Beer Sheba. And, as if this wasn’t enough already, we have the binding of Isaac. Overwhelming, right?
Every time I read this parashah, I end up having so many questions. But one thing that I always see is the human aspect of Abraham, Sarah and everyone else appearing in this parashah. We see them negotiating, being hospitable, saying things they shouldn’t say, being afraid, and caring about each other. Real human-like qualities. They are not perfect people who don’t make mistakes. They are just like you and me – trying to be good people and believing that what they do is the right thing to do in that situation. But I still struggle a lot with Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice Isaac, especially when I read just a few lines earlier how persistent he was when negotiating with God about saving Sodom if there are righteous people living in the city.
This parashah has good stories, and we see people with great human qualities. At the same time, we might not approve of some of their actions. How do we reconcile our feelings and opinions on someone who we know and believe is a good person, but they do something we can’t understand and/or approve of? Can we truly judge someone’s actions when we never found ourselves in the same situation? It may feel overwhelming just thinking about it – kind of like this week's parashah - but it’s worth having a conversation about it!
Parashat Chayei Sarah "Life of Sarah"
November 21, 2024 | 20 Heshvan 5785
Title: Awkward Phase
By Rabbi Jackson Mercer, Base Boston
The Parashah of Chayei Sarah begins by declaring and perhaps celebrating our matriarch Sarah’s life, one that the Torah says spanned 127 years. Though the line is strange, it literally says “the life of Sarah was one hundred and twenty seven years, the years of Sarah’s life.”
The great Torah commentator (R’ Shlomo Yitzhaki) Rashi points out the repetition of the final piece, “the years of Sarah’s life.” Obviously, the Torah wouldn’t accidentally or unthoughtfully repeat itself so the echoing must reveal to us something new. Rashi says this is to teach us that
each of those years was equally good.
What does it mean for each of our years to be independent yet equally good? The Sefat Emet, R’ Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter of Ger, a teacher of my ancestors, describes that for many people we grow into ourselves. We become more confident, more competent, more content as we age and become accustomed to the world around us. It is then that we start to shed some of our bad habits and really live as our most optimal selves, for a short time.
Not our matriarch Sarah - this passage teaches us that Sarah never had an awkward phase, was never a moody teen. She lived a life fully lived. She was righteous through and through, even when she grew, she grew from holy to holier.
But what about for us, those of us who without a doubt had an awkward phase and perhaps are still growing out of being a moody teen, even at 30? Every year of Sarah’s life being one filled with maximum holiness means that every year of our lives are filled with the possibility of holiness. Sarah is a reminder that no matter where we are, the world does in fact ask something of us and we have the ability to rise to the world to meet it where we are called.
Parashat Toldot “Generations"
November 28, 2024 | 27 Cheshvan 5785
Title: Guaranteeing Future Returns
By Matt Bonney-Cohen, Director, Base Programming
Anyone who has invested money in the stock market is familiar with the warning: past performance does not guarantee future returns. This is pretty lucky for Yaakov, as his performance in Parashat Toldot is pretty terrible. He is responsible for deceiving his father and fracturing the relationship with his brother. If this is all we knew about the relationship between Yaakov and Esav, we would not expect future positive returns either. In fact, we might think it impossible that the twin brothers would ever speak again, that Esav would ever be willing to reconcile with Yaakov.
But we’ve read this book before. We know that in two weeks, in Parashat VaYishlach, we will read about the reunion of Yaakov and Esav, one of the most emotional moments in all of Torah. Yaakov himself didn’t think it possible, but in fact, this seemingly unsalvageable relationship is restored. One of my favorite aspects of the Tanach is its insistence on depicting our ancestors as human. Holy, yes - but fallible, too - making it so we can put ourselves in their shoes and learn from their mistakes and shortcomings. Given the divisions within our country and within the Jewish community, many of you might feel there is someone like Esav around your Thanksgiving table. How might you instead use this opportunity to work towards a better version of yourself, while also believing that the Esav in your life will do the same?
Parashat Vayeitzei “And [Jacob] Left”
December 5, 2024 | 4 Kislev 5785
Title: There’s Always More to the Story
By Rabbi Shari Shamah, Jewish Life Specialist
‘Tis the season for Hallmark rom coms. At practically every moment of the day, Hallmark gives us a chance to get sucked into a feel-good seasonal love story. I’ll admit it, I’m a fan. Yes, they’re cliché. No, they aren’t that well done. No, they don’t represent enough diversity in their casting, or LGBTQ+ stories. Yes, I have seen EVERY SINGLE Jewish/Hanukkah related one. Despite it all, when Hallmark comes on, I am transfixed. I love a good love story.
This week’s Parashah is also quite a love story. We are taught that when Jacob saw Rachel he was instantly smitten and asked her father Laban for her hand in marriage.
“So, Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.” Genesis 29:20
So great was Jacob’s love for Rachel that it passed by quickly. Just like in any Hallmark movie, there must be a conflict, in this case, it was that Leah, Rachel’s older sister, was not married The custom at the time was for the older to be married first, so Laban tricked Jacob into marrying her first and she lay with Jacob as a married woman.
“When morning came, there was Leah! So, he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I was at your service for Rachel! Why did you deceive me?” Genesis 29:25
How was this deception even possible? If Jacob and Rachel hung out for 7 years wouldn’t Jacob have recognized that it was Leah instead of Rachel. The Midrash[i] teaches that Rachel communicated the secret signs that she and Jacob shared so that Leah wouldn’t be embarrassed. This implies that sisterly love prevailed, and that Rachel knew the plan and communicated this with her sister. The Midrash reminds us that there is more to a story than what we hear, and multiple perspectives. If we poke a little deeper and give the benefit of the doubt, we often uncover hidden gems. Looking at it from Rachel’s perspective, we also learn that even when things do not work out the way you had planned or wanted, kindness and compassion can still go a long way.
Do you agree with the Midrashic claims that Rachel knew what was going on?
How good are you at recognizing that there is more than one side to a story?
How can you find a way to be kind or compassionate even when the outcome is not what you wanted?
[i] Midrash Aggadah Genesis 29:25.1
Parashat Vayishlach “And He Sent”
December 12, 2024 | 11 Kislev 5785
Title: The Beauty of Loss
By Adira Rosen, Jewish Life Specialist
CW: Death, loss
As I look out the window of my apartment I see the last leaves of fall clinging to the tangled branches of the trees. I think about how every year, the trees show us the beauty of natural loss. In September and October, the trees are at the height of their beauty as they explode in colors of red and orange, and yellow. And then, at the right time, their leaves fall and leave us with a bare tree–at rest for the winter.
Parashat Vayishlach ends with the death of our matriarch Rachel. Our matriarchs and patriarchs share the experience of “מת” death but the language used to talk about the death of the patriarchs and the matriarchs is starkly different. The patriarchs are given the privilege to “גוע” expire, naturally, in their right time, whereas the matriarchs simply “מת” or die. Ibn Ezra comments on the usage of “גוע” in the context of Avraham’s death in Bereshit chapter twenty-five verse eight. He explains, “Expired refers to a death wherein the soul leaves the body in a moment, without pain or delay…Every expiration (גוע) is a death, but not every death is an expiration (גוע)...” One can certainly say that Rahel, who died in childbirth, was not granted the opportunity to “expire” in the quick and painless sense that Ibn Ezra describes.
Rachel's death–a tragedy–actually highlights for me how loss is not always tragic. The trees of the Northeast, for example, might look like they’ve lost everything but they were given the opportunity to “גוע” expire, naturally, in the right time. The trees teach us about the beauty and privilege of natural loss. And they remind us that the wintery days of grief are in fact temporary as we know spring will come again.
How do we look toward spring when we are sitting in a wintery world?
Why do we think the deaths of the matriarchs and patriarchs are told in such different ways?
How else might this dichotomy of “גוע” vs “מת” help us better understand loss?
Parashat Vayeshev “And He Settled”
December 19, 2024 | 18 Kislev 5785
Title: Seeing People Up Close
By Aiden Pink, Jewish Life Specialist
This week’s parashah begins the multi-week saga of Joseph and his siblings, a tale so rich in meaning and drama that it has inspired novels, movies, ballets, paintings – and, of course, a pretty goofy Broadway musical. It makes sense that the story has struck a chord throughout history: Many people can understand, and perhaps even sympathize, with the family rivalry that drives the plot, when Joseph’s brothers get jealous of their father’s greater love for him, and despise his pompousness in declaring to his parents and siblings that he was destined to be better than them.
It says in Genesis 37:18 that the brothers “saw him from afar, and before he came close to them, they conspired to kill him.” In the context of the story, "saw him from afar” probably means that Joseph was standing some distance away from them when they hatched their plot, but Rabbi Saul Weiss has a more meaningful interpretation: “This was the tragedy! His brothers saw him from afar - they had grievances against Joseph, some real, some imagined - but they always saw him 'from afar.' They never sat down with him to air their grievances, to confront him with the evil report of them which he brought to their father.”
In our own lives, we all have people – maybe family members, maybe coworkers, maybe friends (or “friends”) - with whom we have complicated ties, such that we only choose to see them “from afar,” and don’t do the frustrating-but-rewarding, up-close work of addressing issues and repairing relationships. One of the lessons from this story is about what can happen – to them and to you – if you don’t make the effort to see their humanity.
Are there people in your life that you only “see from afar”?
Are there people who you feel only see you from afar?
How can you go about the process of seeing each other up close?
Parashat Miketz "From [the] End"
December 26, 2024 | 25 Kislev 5785
Title: From the Pit to the Palace: Cultivating Wise and Discerning Leadership
By Rabbi Sofia Zway, Base LA
After Pharoah awakes from a series of disturbing dreams, he summons Joseph – whose reputation as a dream-interpreter precedes him – to make sense of the images he has dreamed. Joseph, unlike Pharoah’s magicians, reveals to Pharoah the prophecy in his dreams: seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Joseph tells Pharoah to hire a leader who is “wise and discerning” to oversee the land of Egypt and manage the land to ensure that they can plan for the seven years of famine. The commentator Ramban suggests that Joseph told Pharoah all of this so that Pharoah would choose him for this task. Indeed, Joseph becomes Pharoah’s second-in-command and ensures that Egypt is well-prepared for the seven years of famine.
We learn from Joseph what wise and discerning leadership looks like: Joseph has foresight, the ability to see into the future and anticipate challenges and prepare for them ahead of time. As young Jewish leaders, we often have to learn this skill the hard way – through trial and error. But we must face those mistakes with an attitude of curiosity so that we can learn from them and overcome them. Wisdom and discernment are not innate – they are qualities that are forged “in the pit” - through challenge and hardship. Just as Joseph rose from the pits to the palace of Egypt, we all have the capacity to grow into the wise and discerning leaders that the world needs us to be. Ken Yehi Ratzon!
What wisdom and discernment have you gained as a leader through Moishe House?
Parashat Vayigash "And He Approached"
January 2, 2025 | 2 Tevet 5785
Title: How Do We Approach?
By Michele Schulman, Senior New York Community Manager
This week, we read Parashat Vayigash, and this portion is essentially the falling resolution to Joseph's story in the book of Genesis. It begins with Joseph finally revealing his true identity to his brothers in Egypt. He is emotionally reunited with his father Jacob, and then the rest of his family. And finally it concludes with the Jewish people moving to the land of Egypt and thriving into a "great nation." The portion builds on everything that's happened before it to a climactic ending that forever changes the fate of the Jewish people.
What I find most interesting about this portion is its name: Vayigash - "and he approached." It's a constant theme throughout this narrative - and the structure of the Torah at large. We are approaching the end of Genesis, getting ready to move into the next book of Exodus. Joseph and his brothers moved towards forgiveness and love for each other. Jacob had a second chance to approach his beloved lost son and heal his broken heart. And of course, the Jewish people walk into a new beginning in a new place, trusting God's promise to "Fear not to go down into Egypt for I will make of you a great nation. I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again."
As we begin 2025, reflect on all the things that have happened in 2024 that built you up to this new moment. What are you approaching in this new calendar year? What are you leaving behind as you move towards your future?
Parashat Vayechi "And He Lived"
January 9, 2025 | 11 Tevet 5785
Title: The Power of Deathbed Promises
By Rabbi Dave Yedid, Base Denver
While this Parashah’s name is literally about life, the narrative is about Jacob and Joseph’s deaths. Jacob lives at the end of his life in Egypt, after being able to reunite with his son Joseph, whom he assumed was dead, and is able to bless his children and grandchildren. On his deathbed, we read:
When Jacob finished his instructions to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and, breathing his last, he was gathered to his kin.
(Gen 49:33)
I love this image of being “gathered into [one’s] kin,” both physically (by exhuming bones and storing them in an ossuary) and symbolically (being greeted by my ancestors’ souls on the other side).
Per Egyptian custom, Jacob is embalmed and mourned for seventy days, but Pharoah permits his family to travel to Canaan for an Israelite burial and seven days of mourning, as was Jacob’s dying wish. It’s striking that our Jewish forefather's death is marked with such cultural hybridity.
At the end of the Parashah, Joseph is about to die. Joseph is so significant in Egyptian society, he knows he can’t be buried outside of Egypt. Joseph states:
I am about to die. God will surely take notice of you and bring you up from this land to the land promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob…When God has taken notice of you, you shall carry up my bones from here.
(Gen 50:24-25)
According to Rabbi Jill Hammer, Joseph’s demand “gives the nation of Israel something to live for” and “makes sure the people remember who he is, remember where he is buried, and remember their connection to the land of Canaan….The oath to Joseph means his family cannot forget who they are. Joseph is doing a chesed for his descendants: his deathbed request makes the Exodus possible.”
The deathbed wishes Jacob and Joseph entrust to their loved ones bend the arc of the book of Genesis—marked so deeply by family brokenness—toward wholeness. May we all be blessed to live many long years, in a life that arcs toward wholeness.