This week's parsha
Unless otherwise noted, "This week's Parsha" comprises articles taken from contributors to the Chabad.org website. We show the original author's name here, so that proper attribution is given. For the sake of brevity, footnotes cited in the original author's writings are omitted from this website. If you need to see the citations, please refer to the original articles on the Chabad.org website.
The Strangest Shidduch
Imagine the holy son of a saintly Rebbe marrying the daughter of a renowned atheist, straight off a socialist commune. Pretty far-fetched, no?
This week's Torah portion talks of a very similar shidduch (match). We read the story of the marriage of Isaac and Rebecca -- the first Jewish wedding. The shadchan (matchmaker) who conjured this shidduch certainly had a very active imagination. It is difficult to find two people who stemmed from more different environments.
On one side there was Isaac, the first Jew who was "holy from birth," born to righteous parents and entered into the covenant with G-d when he was eight days old. He was raised in a home of holiness and purity, and was consecrated to G-d when he was "sacrificed" by his father on Mount Moriah. He was so holy, in fact, that he was forbidden to leave the sacred confines of the Land of Israel.
This week's Torah portion talks of a very similar shidduch (match). We read the story of the marriage of Isaac and Rebecca -- the first Jewish wedding. The shadchan (matchmaker) who conjured this shidduch certainly had a very active imagination. It is difficult to find two people who stemmed from more different environments.
On one side there was Isaac, the first Jew who was "holy from birth," born to righteous parents and entered into the covenant with G-d when he was eight days old. He was raised in a home of holiness and purity, and was consecrated to G-d when he was "sacrificed" by his father on Mount Moriah. He was so holy, in fact, that he was forbidden to leave the sacred confines of the Land of Israel.
Hebrews Not Welcome
"No Hebrews Allowed." It's the first reference that comes to my mind when I hear us called Hebrews. Okay, I know YMHA means the Jewish YMCA, and HIAS a Jewish Immigrant Aid Society, but still, Hebrew – when talking about people, not our language – smacks of long-hand for Hebes.
In Biblical times the name Hebrew was a put down often enough. Ivri: the one who crossed over. The one from on yonder, the foreigner. And no, Ramses University didn't credit diversity appreciation courses. But if Ivri was a put down, it also contained a measure, sometimes a substantial measure, of respect.
In Biblical times the name Hebrew was a put down often enough. Ivri: the one who crossed over. The one from on yonder, the foreigner. And no, Ramses University didn't credit diversity appreciation courses. But if Ivri was a put down, it also contained a measure, sometimes a substantial measure, of respect.
A Journey with an Unknown Destination
Every human being has goals and aspirations, Life is a long journey and no two individuals have the exact same destination, And while sometimes we may temporarily stall in the course of this journey, our aims always simmer in the recesses of our minds, eventually boiling over and propelling us onwards.
As possessors of G-dly souls, our aspirations also include a natural desire to become more spiritually attuned and thus draw nearer to our Father in Heaven, In this area, too, every individual's ambitions are "personalized," reflecting his or her understanding and appreciation for Torah and mitzvot, One person may consider a particular level of observance and spirituality to be the very acme of holiness, while another will view that very same level as a nice starting point.
This week's Torah portion begins with G-d's command to Abraham: "Go forth from your land…to the land that I will show you." This is the first communication between G-d and Abraham, the first Jew, which is related in the Torah, With this instruction G-d also transmitted to Abraham an important foundation of Judaism, lesson number one which every Jew must study and implement.
As possessors of G-dly souls, our aspirations also include a natural desire to become more spiritually attuned and thus draw nearer to our Father in Heaven, In this area, too, every individual's ambitions are "personalized," reflecting his or her understanding and appreciation for Torah and mitzvot, One person may consider a particular level of observance and spirituality to be the very acme of holiness, while another will view that very same level as a nice starting point.
This week's Torah portion begins with G-d's command to Abraham: "Go forth from your land…to the land that I will show you." This is the first communication between G-d and Abraham, the first Jew, which is related in the Torah, With this instruction G-d also transmitted to Abraham an important foundation of Judaism, lesson number one which every Jew must study and implement.
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