“… be watchful to do all the laws and the judgments that I’m putting in front of you today.” Deuteronomy 11:26 Before crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land, the Children of Israel are reminded about their Divine Covenant. Laws and judgments are to be followed. In juxtaposition, the Patriarch Isaac is confined toContinue reading “Toldot’s Ten Commandments’ Moment”
Category Archives: abraham
Death’s Sanctity: Chayeh Sarah
And after that Abraham buried Sarah Genesis 23:19 The Torah holds one’s passing sacred. The Portion Chayeh Sarah unleashes life lessons surrounding death’s sanctity that continue throughout the Pentateuch. With one’s passing, there is the inevitable gathering of individuals. Some harboring long-standing consternation towards fellow funeral attendees. When Venn Diagramming life activities with the DecalogueContinue reading “Death’s Sanctity: Chayeh Sarah”
Virtue Unleashed? Lech Lecha
Can one person transform the world? According to the Torah Portion Lech Lecha, “Yes.” For over two thousand years, scholars, commentators, and social scientists have tackled the Lech Lecha phenomena. In Modernity In 2000, Malcolm Gladwell explored the viral nature of human activity. In The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference,Continue reading “Virtue Unleashed? Lech Lecha”
The Question: “Why?” Lech Lecha’s Ten Commandments’ Moment
Make it make sense? The Torah Portion Noah’s Post-Flood Covenant should have solved all of the world’s problems. Correct? After all, the God-Human covenant assured that a world would not be subjected to another deity inflicted devastation. It was also sealed with a rainbow! Only a double rainbow could have made it better!! Genesis 8:21-22.Continue reading “The Question: “Why?” Lech Lecha’s Ten Commandments’ Moment”
Hitting the Goat Lottery? Yom Kippur’s Torah Portion
Can two goats and three High Holiday Torah Portions unlock atonement’s mechanics? In this instance, a Three-of-a-Kind meeting a Two Goat Lottery sheds light. Some of the Hebrew Bible’s most troubling of tales unlocks an atonement tool. Atonement The Hebrew Bible’s focus on truth, justice and righteousness fails to completely address Atonement. Atonement is arguablyContinue reading “Hitting the Goat Lottery? Yom Kippur’s Torah Portion”
The Rosh Hashonah Torah Portion’s Ten Commandments’ Moment
Get up. Carry the boy and hold him in your hand, because I shall make him a big nation. Genesis 21: 23 The Rosh Hashonah Torah Portion tackles both matters of faith and covenant. Abraham, in the portion, is embroiled in a familial crisis. He must deal with competing maternal interests. Sarah, his wife, isContinue reading “The Rosh Hashonah Torah Portion’s Ten Commandments’ Moment”
Tazria: Beyond Comprehension?
Are there matters beyond comprehension? The Torah Portion Tazria’s Circumcision Commandment, when viewed in context, may be one of them. Appearing in Leviticus, the commandment was promulgated post-Exodus and pre-entry into the Promised Land. In a general biblical perspective, a circumcision commandment should be something benign. The instruction was: “[a]nd on the eighth day theContinue reading “Tazria: Beyond Comprehension?”
Location, Location, Location! Toldot
In Lech Lecha, God famously instructs Abraham to go to the Promised Land. In the Torah Portion Toldot, God advises Isaac, Abraham’s son, not to leave that very land. Genesis 12:1,26:2-3. What is the fixation over this parcel? Sans Hebrew Bible, extra-biblical sources support the Promised Land’s uniqueness. Geography and history shows Canaan’s incubation effect.Continue reading “Location, Location, Location! Toldot”
The “Art of the Deal” OT Style: Chayeh Sarah
There are deals. And then there are deals. Abraham- in the Torah Portion Chayeh Sarah- makes a deal. Was it a deal or was it such a deal? On first impression, Abraham’ deal violated the mythic 614th commandment: “Thou shalt not pay retail.” Upon further review, there was much more to the deal. In ChayehContinue reading “The “Art of the Deal” OT Style: Chayeh Sarah”
A Father’s Plan: A Lech Lecha Ten Commandments’ Moment?
The Lech Lecha Torah Portion cannot be read in isolation. Immediately prior to it, the Torah passages provide a contextual dimension to Abraham. These pre-Lech Lecha facts are often not addressed in extra-biblical renditions of the story. They may, however, reveal Lech Lecha’s Ten Commandments’ connection like other Book of Genesis passages. Before “Lech Lecha”,Continue reading “A Father’s Plan: A Lech Lecha Ten Commandments’ Moment?”
The Ten Commandments Project 