NEW YORK -- If your mother has never seen your face -- if you have never had a face to be seen -- if, in a sense, you have never been born -- do you have a mother? If your mother has always called you "son," can you ever really become her daughter? For...
Our deepest relationships are not defined by strength, but by vulnerability. Our parsha begins with Judah approaching Joseph from a position of weakness. He offers his own life in exchange for his younger brother, Binyamin. In his plea, his vulnerability...
By Rabbi James Stone Goodman
• Published November 23, 2011
Isaac entreats God, and God is entreated. Same verb, different structure. It is one of the words we encounter in Torah that is considered prayer.The same root, transitive and reflexive. Isaac entreats God, and God is entreated. We cannot actually translate...
BY RABBI HYIM SHAFNER
• Published November 16, 2011
This week's Torah portion, Chayei Sarah, "The life of Sarah," begins with Sarah's death following the story of the akedah, binding of Isaac, at the end of last week's portion. Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, known as RASHI, a famous 11th century French commentator...
In this week's Torah portion we see two very different sides of our patriarch Abraham. God tells Abraham He plans to destroy the wicked city of Sodom and instead of being happy that God is removing wickedness from the world, Abraham argues to save the...
By Rabbi James Stone Goodman
• Published November 9, 2011
At the end of his lifeAbraham ascended to the top of the chariot of Ezekielit was covered with the dew of light. Abraham dressed in hand-me-down celestial garmentssaw the future -a vision of reconciliationfrom what was missing in his generationhe saw...
BY ROBERT A. COHN, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
• Published August 10, 2011
St. Louis Jewish author Allan Richard Shickman has published a vivid third installment in his critically acclaimed "Zan Gah" series, with the release of "Dael and the Painted People: Zan Gah 3" (Earthshaker Books, $9.95, paper). Shickman's first two books...
