Torah Commentary

Parashat Lech L’cha contains the first of three wife-sister episodes in the Book of Genesis. These moments are disturbing. As the original patriarch and matriarch of the Jewish people, we want to see a strong and loving relationship between Abraham and Sarah.

Perhaps the Western world’s most common experience when attempting contact with an entity greater than ourselves is the dreaded phrase: “Your call is very important to us.” In these words, all too often, is a sentiment that simply does not inform the painful experience that follows—a seemingly en

Robert Frost ends his magnificent poem, "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening," with the words, "The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep." Frost's poem speaks to inherent sense of restlessness.

In one form or another, all ancient civilizations were typically defined by (1) sojourn in a designated land; (2) a governance structure that was at once autonomous and indigenous; and (3) a religion organized around well-defined cultic sites, usually administered by a priestly guild or caste.