At the close of Genesis, Jacob blesses his children. Two blessings that stand out in their positive predictions are those of Judah and Joseph. 

In this episode we examine the developed aspects of these progenitors amongst the Jewish people, and how they have faired and are fairing in the world. We look at the core of Jewish identity and what aspects are essential to it. 

What place do they hold within you?

Judah shines in this parasha. He has gone through a great deal of strife and suffering in his life thus far, but he has had a reckoning with himself and has made a huge change in his life. He has found his full identity and owned it. Allowing him to courageously protect his youngest brother, his father, all of his other siblings and prepare a foundation and scaffolding for the development of the Children of Israel into the future.

In this episode we examine these events, their ramifications and implications on our own lives.

Joseph becomes viceroy of Egypt and puts his brothers through a harrowing ordeal. He insists that they bring Benjamin down to Egypt which causes their father great strife. But Judah is going through his own strife, growth and change. He steps up to guarantee that he will bring Benjamin back to Jacob and that he will be personally responsible for him. By the end of the parasha, he is challenged to do exactly that.

In this episode we focus on Judah, his growth, and what we might learn from him in terms of our own growth and healing.

What happens when a family breaks? Where does the jealousy, animosity and hatred come from? We examine the dynamics and find that there is one issue underlying it all.

In this video we look at the Children of Israel - the origins of the Jewish people and the dysfunction of their family. It is filled with jealousy, hatred and violence - all amongst kin. What is happening here and why? We consider what it means for us as human beings and as Jews.

Jacob finds himself alone and in a precarious position while he anticipates meeting his twin brother after 20 years. Esav is on his way towards him with 400 men and there is no indication that it is friendly. Jacob prepares through prayer and pragmatism, but must experience a powerful struggle which will determine how the fateful meeting will unfold. In this episode we examine the struggle and what we can draw from it about being Jewish in the world.

Laban is the maternal grandfather of the Jewish people. And yet, he is one of the more unsavoury characters in the Torah. Who was he? What did he care about? How did he influence the Jewish family and what might it mean for us today?

Esav and Yaakob are twins who, with all of their differences have striking similarities. The differences between them can be subtle. But they are significant because they define us as a nation. In this episode we discuss the relationship Yaakob and Esav have with time. And how that has direct implications on how we as Jews, see the world and live every day.

Link to Podcast mentioned in this episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6eVvopDpwg42TxiUMXKPVi?si=rM6ZcVZyQcC260Awdmwsrw

In this episode we look at the marriage of Rebecca and Isaac - particularly Rebecca's complete lack of hesitation to go to him once she determined it was the right thing to do for her life. We explore procrastination, why it's important to pay attention to and what we can do about it.

Abraham has entered into covenant with God, and for the first time, God has a partner in the world. He recognises that he must include Abraham as his partner in His decisions and actions in the world. The first of these instances is the decree on the destruction fo Sodom. In this episode we explore the nature of God's attention both to Abraham and to Sodom and discover in it important implications to our own lives.

The lives and attributes of the forefathers shapes the frame of our own as a people. We look to the Torah's presentation of their stories and draw from them guidance to our own way of being in the world. It informs our identity and our aims as a people and as individuals who make up the people. In this episode we look at Abraham as an iconoclast and how that way of being might inform our own need to stand apart and challenge norms.

Books recommended in this episode:

The Geography of Thought by Richard E Nesbitt - https://tinyurl.com/ycuahxjw

https://tinyurl.com/bdzx68wn