Torah Talk

This is Torah Talk for the week of January 3rd, 2021 Exod 1:15   The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah. What do these names mean — and why are they mentioned at all, when even the king’s name is not? This week’s handout: […]

This is Torah Talk for the week of December 27th, 2020 Gen. 49:3  “Reuben, you are my first-born …” But was he really?  Reuben is so insignificant in biblical history that scholars invent an important pre-history for him.  Andrew Tobolowsky says there may be a different answer to this puzzle. This week’s handout: 12 Vayehi […]

This is Torah Talk for the week of December 13th, 2020 Gen. 44:9     Whichever of your servants it is found with shall die; the rest of us, moreover, shall become slaves to my lord.”  10 He replied, “Although what you are proposing is right [גַּם־עַתָּ֥ה כְדִבְרֵיכֶ֖ם כֶּן־ה֑וּא], only the one with whom it is found shall be my […]

This is Torah Talk for the week of December 6th, 2020 Gen. 37:21       But when Reuben heard it, he tried to save him from them. He said [וַיֹּ֕אמֶר], “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben went on [וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֣ם ׀ רְאוּבֵן֮], “Shed no blood! Cast him into that pit out in the wilderness, but do not touch him […]

This is Torah Talk for the week of November 29th, 2020 Gen. 32:20       Jacob set up an altar there and called it El-elohe-yisrael. What does this name mean … and why would you name an altar? This week’s handout: 08 Vayishlach 5781 Learn Biblical Hebrew! Donate via Paypal! Once again, you can click here to listen to Ben Sommer’s […]

This is Torah Talk for the week of November 22nd, 2020 Gen. 28:18       Early in the morning, Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He named that site Bethel; but previously the name […]

Gen. 25:29  Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the open, famished [עָיֵֽף]. 30And Esau said to Jacob, “Give me some of that red stuff to gulp down, for I am famished”—which is why he was named Edom. Why does the Torah say that Esau is עיף (which usually means “fatigued”) […]

This is Torah Talk for the week of November 8th, 2020 Gen. 24:19 When she had let him drink his fill, she said, “I will also draw for your camels, until they finish drinking.” Believe it or not, when these camels finish drinking, they will point us to another book in the Bible that’s closely […]

This is Torah Talk for the week of November 1st, 2020 Gen. 22:14       And Abraham named that site Adonai-yireh [יִרְאֶה], whence the present saying, “On the mount of the Lord there is vision [יֵרָאֶֽה].” The Hebrew words seem to be winking at us to say that this is Mount Moriah — and don’t forget […]

This is Torah Talk for the week of October 25th, 2020 Gen. 12:5         Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the wealth that they had amassed, and the persons that they had made [וְאֶת־הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂ֣וּ] in Haran; and they set out for the land of Canaan. The medieval commentators explain […]