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.
Father and Son
Despite the fact that they embodied two very different approaches to life, Isaac sensed that everything he is and has derives from Abraham, while Abraham saw in Isaac the fulfillment and realization of his deepest self.
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The Rebbe on the Kibbutz
Freely translated excerpts from a letter written by the Rebbe in September of 1964 to Israeli author Kaddish Luz, on communal living.
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The Determined Chooser
“Choice vs. Determinism.” How much control do we really have over our actions?
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The Duplicity of the Jew
The Jew dresses in Esau’s clothes, but he refuses to allow the clothes to make the man.
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Redigging the Wells of Love
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are the forefathers from whom we learn Jewish values. In Abraham we see a fountainhead of Jewish generosity and social commitment.
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Percentage of the Dough
If a person makes his spiritual moments the focus of his life, regarding all else as but the means to their end, then his entire day is a singularly holy endeavor.
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Toldot: Mixing G-d and Politics
A response to the thousands of emails written about the previous essay which discussed the notions of “conservative” and “liberal” belief in America…
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The Plot Thickens – Jacob & Esau: Two Nations
We now have before us Abraham, father of all nations, Ishmael father of the Arab/Muslim world, Esau, father of the Roman/Christian/Western world and Jacob, father of the Jewish world.
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