Ta Shma

Avital Hochstein. The verses that open parashat VaYeitzei constitute a response to the fundamental question—what is prayer? What is its meaning for the person who prays, and even more than that how does it affect the God to whom it is directed? In the way the verses are read by our Sages, they are so bold as to suggest that in fact prayer aspires to “touch” “affect” lifgo’a God; this Hebrew root is rich in meaning and we will spend this dvar Torah exploring it. The seventh of Rabbi Avital Hochstein's weekly Divrei Torah for 5777.

Dena Weiss. In celebration of 10 Years of Mechon Hadar, the extended Hadar community will be learning all of Pirkei Avot together at a pace of 3-5 mishnayot a week, concluding with a Siyyum Celebration on March 2, 2017. Each podcast includes the full text, a translation with explanations, and a short Dvar Torah inspired by that week's mishnayot.

פרשת תולדות נותנת לנו הצצה לתוך דמותו המורכבת של יצחק, פעם דמות המונעת מקשרים

ומתחברת, ופעם דמות מנותקת ומנתקת.

Avital Hochstein. From Isaac to Esau. Isaac is a complex figure: at times motivated by inter-personal ties and connected, and at times both an isolated and an isolating personality. I would like to explore the expression of both these aspects of Isaac in our parashah. The sixth of Rabbi Avital Hochstein's weekly Divrei Torah for 5777.

Avital Hochstein. Avraham and Sarah are the first biblical figures who are described as old. This appears in last weeks parashah and is summarised again in this week’s: “Avraham was old, advanced in age” (Genesis 24:1). In Talmud Bavli (Bava Metzia 87a), a midrash comes to the simultaneously logical and fascinating conclusion that since no one in the Bible is described as old, zaken, until this point, then “there was no old age until Avraham.” The midrash continues to make the claim that Avraham actually asked for aging. What does this tell us about the nature of aging and its importance to being human, like the other etiologies in Genesis? How is old age portrayed, and what does the text come to suggest regarding how we should relate to aging ourselves? We will explore these questions through the lens of two parallel midrashim that describe Avraham’s request for aging. The fifth of Rabbi Avital Hochstein's weekly Divrei Torah for 5777.

זִקנה מופיעה בתנ"ך בפעם הראשונה בהקשר של אברהם ושרה, זאת בפרשה הקודמת וכפי שמסוכם בפרשתנו: "וְאַבְרָהָ֣ם זָקֵ֔ן בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים" (בראשית, כ"ד, א). המדרש המופיע בבא מציעא (דף פ"ז עמוד א) מודע לכך, ומצהיר מתוך כך כי: "עד אברהם לא הייתה זִקנה". המדרש ממשיך ומספר שאברהם ביקש את הזקנה, בקשה שאינה בהכרח אינטואיטיבי לנו כאנשי העולם המודרני. מה מספר לנו תיאור הבקשה אודות מאפייניה של הזקנה? כיצד מתוארת הזקנה, ואיזה יחס כלפיה מציע לנו הטקסט? נבחן שאלות אלו על ידי עיון בשתי גרסאות שונות של המדרש המתאר את בקשתו של אברהם לזקנה

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Avi Killip. In celebration of 10 Years of Mechon Hadar, the extended Hadar community will be learning all of Pirkei Avot together at a pace of 3-5 mishnayot a week, concluding with a Siyyum Celebration on March 2, 2017. Each podcast includes the full text, a translation with explanations, and a short Dvar Torah inspired by that week's mishnayot.

ברצוני להציע שתי קריאות, שהן למעשה שתי פרשנויות, לסיפור עקדת יצחק: האחת מדגישה הקרבה

מוחלטת לאל והשנייה רואה בערכם של מערכות יחסים מסר מרכזי של סיפור העקדה.

Avital Hochstein. This week, Rabbi Avital Hochstein discusses two readings—essentially two interpretations—of the story of the Akeidah, the binding of Yitzhak. One of them emphasizes making the ultimate sacrifice for God, while the other sees the central moral of the story as focused on the value of relationships. The fourth of Rabbi Avital Hochstein's weekly Divrei Torah for 5777.

Dena Weiss. In celebration of 10 Years of Mechon Hadar, the extended Hadar community will be learning all of Pirkei Avot together at a pace of 3-5 mishnayot a week, concluding with a Siyyum Celebration on March 2, 2017. Each podcast includes the full text, a translation with explanations, and a short Dvar Torah inspired by that week's mishnayot.