Toldot
The physics of the family tree: the deeper the roots, the sweeter the fruit.
Twins are born to Rebecca and Isaac. These were not identical twins. One was destined to become a man of the fields, while the other would grow to be a man of the academic tents. One would give birth to the Western world, while the other would give birth to the Nation of Israel. Esau and Jacob, two brothers with very different storylines. The arms are the arms of a warrior, but the voice is the voice of a scholar. After tricking his brother out of the rites of the firstborn, by utilizing the arms of a warrior but the voice a scholar, Jacob flees from the wrath of his twin.
The Sound of Light: Tension & Resolution
The secret of balance is about discovering the rhythm that lies within the different forces in our lives. Life is about cadence.
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Toldot: The Power of Human Exertion
Who fully grasps a concept, one who immediately comprehends it, or one who must struggle to understand it? Part five of Samech Vov discusses this question, and examines the value of human exertion.
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Toldot: My Child
Every generation is part of an unbroken cycle of ‘fruit.’ It is through children that we create an eternal legacy, one which we are part of ourselves.
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Toldot: Beyond Life And Death
My granddaughter just arrived from another world, and has brought us a message of hope. Despite the tragic losses and senseless pain, beyond the incomprehension of it all, life is born yet again.
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Toldos: Back to Reality
The universe is at war and has always been at war. The ultimate victor will be not the one with the most powerful weapons. It will be the one with the most powerful spiritual vision.
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We Shudder
The universe is at war and has always been at war. The ultimate victor will be not the one with the most powerful weapons. It will be the one with the most powerful spiritual vision.
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The Determined Chooser: Choice vs Determinism
How much control do we really have over our actions? So can man be held accountable for his behavior? Is the good we do truly to our credit? Is the evil our fault? Isn’t it all a matter of genes and environment? A discussion of choice vs determinism.
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Toldot: Our Response to Tragedy
The Jewish response to a gruesome attack, is to channel all our outrage and fury into a spiritual eruption of building an even stronger Jerusalem, both physically and spiritually.
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The Spiritual Meaning of Straw
Esau wished to tithe the straw of life, to attribute spiritual worth to animal fodder. Instead of exploiting the material to serve the spiritual, he wished to invest the material with a significance and value of its own, which is the spiritual meaning of straw.
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A Legacy of Laughter
Toledot is no mere word: it is a word that embraces the cosmos, spans the whole of history, and describes our purpose in life.
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