Parashat Va-yishlach [Genesis 32:4–36:43] features the actions Jacob takes in preparation for his meeting with Esau after 20 years, the mysterious wrestling match with the מלאך [malakh, understood as a divine messenger or a human messenger], the actual meeting, the ravishing of Dinah [as Nahum Sarna entitles the episode], a theophany at Beth El, and the genealogy of Esau. It represents the concluding chapter for Isaac and Esau, as well as Deborah, the nurse of Rebecca, and Rachel, who dies shortly after giving birth to Benjamin, as he is renamed by his father.

It was just Eliot and me this week. Jeremy is in Israel for the Rabbinical Assembly convention this week, but was under the weather, and thus unable to join us. We wish him a refu’ah sh’lemah, a speedy recovery, and look forward to next week when we hope that Jeremy is at full strength, as are we! Our conversation focused on the opening chapter of the parashah, as we sought out the meaning in Jacob’s preparation, and struggled to understand the significance of Jacob’s nocturnal encounter. We hope you enjoy it!

We continue to be mindful of the hostages, may they be returned speedily to their families, and the soldiers defending Israel as members of the Israel Defense Forces, may they be removed from harm’s way. Shabbat Shalom.

Parsha Talk, with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Va-yetze [Genesis 28:10-32:3] was my Bar Mitzvah parashah many, many years ago! It opens with Jacob leaving Be’ersheva for Haran, fleeing for his life or looking for a wife. It ends with Jacob on his way back to the land of his birth. A lot happens between those two events, including his marriage to the sisters Leah and Rachel, and the birth of his first 11 sons and his daughter.

Our conversation focused mostly on the beginning scene and the scene at the well, though we touched upon some other matters as well as the well. Please let us know what you think.

This week’s show is dedicated to the memory of Omer Neutra z”l, my former student, whose death on October 7, 2023 was announced earlier in the week. His body has been held hostage in Gaza since then. We continue to be mindful of the other hostages, may they be speedily returned to their families, and the soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Forces, may they be removed from harm’s way. Shabbat Shalom.

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Toldot [Genesis 25:19-28:9] is the sixth of the 12 weekly Torah readings in the Book of Genesis. With the death of Abraham and Ishmael last week, the story this week concentrates on the family of Isaac and some of the key events in the life of Isaac: the birth of his twin sons, the wife-sister story in the 2nd generation, and the deceiving of Isaac by Jacob [and Rebecca] to acquire the blessing of the first-born for Jacob. Our conversation concentrated on the story not directly related to Isaac, which is the acquisition of the right of the first-born for Jacob by the sale of lentil soup. The word for blessing [ברכה, b’rakhah] and right of the first-born [בכורה, b’khorah] sound nearly the same, and certainly the stories are two be seen together. Whereas Jacob is the main actor in the sale of the birth-right, in the acquisition of the blessing, Jacob is portrayed as a passive character, first driven by his mother Rebecca, and then allowing his father to draw the wrong conclusions about his identity. It is sometimes surprising that just a few verses and commentary spark so much conversation!

On the 418th day of the war, we continue to be mindful of the hostages, may they be returned speedily to their families, and the soldiers defending Israel as members of the Israel Defense Forces, may they be removed from harm’s way. With the onset of the ceasefire in the north, we remain hopeful that peace may soon descend on the region. Shabbat Shalom.

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Chayyai Sarah [Genesis 23:1-25:18] begins with the death of Sarah and the acquisition of the Cave of Makhpelah from Efron the Hittite. This sale and consequent burial of Sarah establishes Abraham’s claim to the land, for he now is the legal owner of a plot of land. The largest section of the parashah is devoted to finding a wife for Isaac. Avraham sends his servant, whom the rabbis identify as Eliezer, back to his ancestral homeland to find a wife amongst his kin, with the proviso that the servant may bring the woman back to Canaan, but under no circumstances is he to take Isaac to the ancestral homeland. This story, and in particular the oath with which Avraham sends off his servant, provides the basis for our conversation this week. Chapter 25 narrates the subsequent marriage of Avraham to Keturah, whom the rabbis identify as Hagar, and the birth of 6 more sons. In turn, Avraham dies and is buried, and Ishmael dies as well, clearing the way for next week’s parashah which focuses on Isaac and his family.

On the 411th day of the war, we continue to be mindful of the hostages, may they be returned speedily to their families, and the soldiers defending Israel as members of the Israel Defense Forces, may they be removed from harm’s way. Shabbat Shalom.

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Va-yera [Genesis 18:1-22:24] is filled with interesting material: the announcement of the birth of Isaac, Abraham’s conversation with God about the fate of Sodom & Gomorrah, the second wife-sister story, the banishment of Ishmael and Hagar, and the Binding of Isaac [these latter two which we read on Rosh Hashanah]. Our focus this week was on the opening scene and what we can discover about the relationship between Abraham and Sarah. We did not move far from this topic and hope you will find that we had interesting things to say!

On the 404th day of the war, we continue to be mindful of the hostages, may they be returned speedily to their families, and the soldiers defending Israel as members of the Israel Defense Forces, may they be removed from harm’s way. Shabbat Shalom.

Parsha Talk Lekh Lekha with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky.

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Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat No’ach [Genesis 6:9-11:32], the second parashah in the Book of Genesis, primarily deals with the flood, the great cataclysm in which God destroys the world he had so carefully created in the opening chapters of The Torah. Noah, in whom God has found favor, is instructed to build an ark and to enter it with his wife, his three sons and their wives, and representatives of all the land animals and birds [there is some disagreement about the actual numbers]. The world is then destroyed by a massive rainstorm which inundates the earth. The ark finds a resting spot on Mt. Ararat. At some point Noah is instructed to leave the ark, after which he makes sacrifices to God. The last chapters of the book include the repopulation of the earth with the mention of the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japhet; the story of the Tower of Babel, and the 10 generations from Noah to Avram, setting the stage for Avram’s dramatic entrance next week.

We continue to be mindful of the hostages, may they be speedily returned to their families, and the soldiers defending Israel as members of the Israel Defense Forces, may they be removed from harm’s way. Shabbat Shalom.

Parsha Talk Bereishit - with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. After the holidays of Sh’mini Atzeret and Simhat Torah [Thursday and Friday, October 24 and 25], we begin the annual Torah reading cycle with parashat Bereshit [Genesis 1:1-6:8]. What kind of world has God created for us and what is our particular role in it as human beings. We spent a fair amount of time trying to unpack the Cain and Abel story, which I have long found one of the stranger stories in the Torah. What exactly is its Torah? What is it designed to teach us? Give a listen and let us know what you think!

As the war continues we remain mindful of the hostages, may they be speedily returned to their families, and the soldiers defending Israel as part of the Israeli Defense Force, may they be removed from harm’s way. As we conclude the holiday of Sukkot, may the sukkah of peace descend upon all troubled parts of the globe. Hag Sa’me’ah and Shabbat Shalom.

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Tomorrow night [Wednesday, October 16, 2024] begins the holiday of Sukkot, known in Jewish tradition as z’man simchateinu, the time of our rejoicing. The concluding days, Thursday and Friday, October 24-25, are Sh’mini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. Every year, these latter days mark the end of the long holiday season, which may be said to have begun on the first day of the month of Elul, the month preceding Tishri, when the shofar is first blown in the morning service to announce the upcoming penitential season. This year, they also mark the date on the Hebrew calendar on which the October 7th War began.

How does one find joy amidst such sorrow? We devoted our show this week to the holiday of Sukkot, discussing the question of how to celebrate in the wake of the war, as well as the symbolism of the sukkah and the 4 species [lulav, etrog, myrtle, and willow]. We will return to the weekly parashah next week, when the annual cycle begins with the opening parashah of B’reshit, the Book of Genesis.

We continue to be mindful of the hostages, may they be speedily returned to their families, and the soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Force, may they be removed from harm’s way. May the sukkat shalom, the Tabernacle of Peace, descend upon us. Chag Same’ach and Shabbat Shalom.

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. On this Yom Kippur edition of Parashah Talk we spend our time talking about Yom Kippur, Kol Nidrei, and forgiveness, among other things. Our hearts weigh heavily as we continue to think about and pray for the hostages in what is now their second year of captivity. May they be speedily returned to their families. May the soldiers in the Israel Defense Force be removed from harm’s way. May peace and quiet descend on all troubled places in the world in which we live. G’mar Hatimah Tovah. May your seal for the new year be one of goodness.