Ta Shma

Pharaoh succeeded.  He brought the Children of Israel into a state of slavery.  The opening of Parashat Va’Era focuses on one particular consequence of this: the loss of the ability to listen.

What does it mean to strive toward unity and togetherness in a moment in which we are so divided? What is gained—and what is lost—by holding fast to notions of klal yisrael? Is it possible and even desirable to bridge our differences, or are there times in which our values take priority over notions of togetherness? R. Avi explores these questions through biblical, midrashic, and hasidic sources in her lecture in memory of Dr. Eddie Scharfmanm, given in 2026.

Source sheet: https://mechonhadar.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/mh_torah_source_sheets/StrausbergPromisePossibilityUnity2026.pdf

The deterioration of relations between Egypt and the Children of Israel proceeds rapidly.  What values, emotions, and perspectives make such a breakdown possible—and what could prevent it?  The contrasting figures of Pharaoh and his daughter offer two opposing models, each of whom go through three steps.  On the one hand, Pharaoh exemplifies the descent from relationship into fear, oppression, and alienation.  On the other, his daughter represents a path grounded in courage, relationship, empathy, and a belief in the possibility of mutual flourishing.

For generations our relationship with God has been mediated through texts written almost entirely by men. In these sessions, Rabbi Avi Killip explores a collection of midrashim, written by contemporary Israeli women writers, exploring images of God that are uniquely female oriented while being deeply rooted in the images and language of the Torah and classical midrash. "And God Waited" engages with midrashic answers to an imagined question “What might God be waiting on from us?”  Recorded in Summer 2025. 

Source sheet: https://mechonhadar.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/mh_torah_source_sheets/KillipAndGodWaited2025.pdf

We find ourselves at the closing moments of the Book of Genesis—moments of transition as a family becomes a nation. We stand on the threshold between Yosef’s personal trauma and the national trauma soon to come, the slavery in Egypt. What mindset does Parashat VaYehi seek to give us as a tool for facing the suffering of Egypt?

We know about the fasts that mark the destruction of the Temple from a prophecy of Zekhariah.  While the Jewish exiles were in Babylon, the prophet was asked whether traditional fasts would continue to be observed.  In his response, Zekhariah refers to four fast days. 

The word “vayigash” (“he approached”) opens one of the most dramatic scenes in the Torah: a climactic moment in the tense encounter between Yehudah, the brothers and Yosef, a moment in which the fate of the entire family rests on the words and actions of a single person.  “And Yehudah approached him and said…” (Genesis 44:18).

For generations our relationship with God has been mediated through texts written almost entirely by men. In these sessions, Rabbi Avi Killip explores a collection of midrashim, written by contemporary Israeli women writers, exploring images of God that are uniquely female oriented while being deeply rooted in the images and language of the Torah and classical midrash. “Birthing Worlds,” the second class in this series, introduces midrashim on the life experience of birthing and pregnancy loss as windows into the divine experience of creation and revelation. Recorded in Summer 2025. 

Source sheet: https://mechonhadar.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/mh_torah_source_sheets/KillipBirthingWorlds2025.pdf

Parashat Mikeitz teaches that dreams hold immense power: the power to bring downfall or renewal, life or death, destruction or creation, war or peace. This means that the way we, as human beings, pursue a dream—whether out of spiritual emptiness or fullness, with an expectation that it will disconnect or connect—places before us both choice and responsibility.  

One of the differences between the Hanukkah candles and the other significant candles in our religious practice, the Shabbat candles, is their location. While Shabbat candles are lit inside the house, in the private domain (or, the technical term: reshut ha-yahid), the Hanukkah lamps are ideally lit in the doorway that connects to the public domain (reshut ha-rabim). But what is the significance of this difference? What is the meaning of the liminal space of the doorway? And what spiritual message does the invitation to illuminate it contain?