Jewish tradition places great significance on names. With the addition of just one letter, at the age of 99, Abram becomes Abraham and his transformation to the father of many nations is confirmed. At ...

Our guest this week is Rabbi Michelle Dardashti, the Rabbi of Brown RISD Hillel and Associate University Chaplain for the Jewish Community at Brown University. Rabbi Dardashti was ordained and ...

The Torah presents Abraham not as a spiritual giant chosen by default but as Everyman. He is not depicted as a polished hero with prior accomplishments but as an ordinary person. In this week’s Torah ...

This week’s Torah portion is Lech-Lecha: Genesis 12:1 – 17:27 Lech-Lecha, the divine command to Abraham in Genesis 12:1, is often translated as “Go forth.” But the Hebrew is richer and much more ...

From Yemenite Jews in Operation Magic Carpet to Soviet refuseniks, Ethiopian families, and Bnei Menashe from India, Isaiah’s vision has been realized in our own time. When God first spoke to Abraham, ...

While there is unanimity among Jewish religious thinkers that the primary covenant, Brit Sinai, took place at Sinai, there is disagreement about its precursor. In his Kol Dodi Dofek, Rabbi Yosef Dov ...

“Lech lecha me’artzecha… Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you” (Bereishit/Genesis 12:1). With these words, God calls Abram into ...

Before we get to Lech Lecha, let’s take a look at the timespan of the whole Torah as compared to Parshat Bereishit and Parshat Noach. We will not count the first two pesukim – “Bereishit bara…” and “V ...