Why isnt the episode of Avraham in Ur Kasdim in the Torah?
Our Shemona Esrei, the staple point of prayer, begins by mentioning the Avos. How Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov each accepted and were accepted by Hashem. The Bracha ends off with ברוך אתה…מגן אברהם....
View ArticleCurses! The sensitivity of syntax
After entering into a covenant with Avraham, Hashem grants an incredible blessing to him and his descendants: ואברכה מברכיך ומקללך אאור – I will bless those who bless you and those who curse you, I...
View ArticleEmbittered Lives
Hashem told Avraham that his children would be enslaved in a land not their own for 400 years. Yet we find that they left after just 210 years of actual enslavement. Where are the missing 190 years?...
View ArticleCircumcision, and man’s achievement
Avraham enters into a covenant with Hashem, and is blessed that his descendants will be many, they will be great, and they will inherit the land of Israel. The sign of the covenant, is circumcision:...
View ArticleBe all you can be
Hashem’s very first communication with Avraham begins with an instruction to abandon all he knows: לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך אל הארץ אשר אראך – “Go for yourself, from your land, your birthplace,...
View ArticleGrowth – transcending your comfort zone
Avraham’s true ascent to greatness begins when Hashem calls on him: וַיֹּאמֶר ה אֶל-אַבְרָם, לֶךְ-לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ – Hashem said to...
View ArticleEverything Has It’s Time And Place
Avraham and Hashem spoke many times. We find that after the instruction to leave his birthplace, something happens that never happened before: וַיִּפֹּל אַבְרָם, עַל-פָּנָיו; וַיְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ...
View ArticleAll You Can Be
Hashem’s very first communication with Avraham is the immense challenge to abandon all he grew up with: לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך אל הארץ אשר אראך – “Go for yourself, from your land, your...
View ArticleDon’t Run Before You Can Walk
Avraham and Hashem spoke many times. We find that after the instruction to leave his birthplace, something happens that never happened before: וַיִּפֹּל אַבְרָם, עַל-פָּנָיו; וַיְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ...
View ArticleDisruption
When God reached out to Avraham to leave his homeland, Avraham never knew where he was going. Avraham was told לך־לך, and he just went. The Sfas Emes finds this interaction, the first of it’s kind,...
View ArticleA Wish Upon A Star
One of the most beautiful promises ever made was the one God made to Avraham about his future descendants: ויוצא אתו החוצה ויאמר הבט נא השמימה וספר הכוכבים אם תוכל לספר אתם ויאמר לו כה יהיה זרעך – He...
View ArticleThe Illusion of Perfection
The Torah is written in the language of humans, and storytelling is one of humanity’s most powerful tools. Some parts of the Torah are communicated in the forms of laws, and others in the form of...
View ArticleThe Call to Action
Avraham is called the Hebrew, meaning stranger. He is counter-cultural. In his resistance to social trends and public opinion, he earns the blessing of being a father of multitudes. וַיּוֹצֵא אֹתוֹ...
View ArticleThe Filter of Wealth
Abraham Lincoln famously said that any man can handle adversity; but if you wish to truly test a man’s character, give him power. Power and money are fungible, as both represent easy access to options....
View ArticleThe Covenant of Perfection
To be a Jew is to renew an ancient covenant, adding a link to the chain that bridges the ages. For Jewish men, the covenant is expressed through the mitzvah of the circumcision, although the colloquial...
View ArticleLooking Out for Yourself; for Others
Philosophers debate the nature of altruism, the practice of being concerned with the welfare of others, and how self-interest can intersect with it. Altruistically, Avraham is the first man to reach...
View ArticleGod Needs Partners
Avraham was a powerful icon whose legacy has reverberated across the ages. The way the Torah sums up his life is that he had it all: וְאַבְרָהָם זָקֵן בָּא בַּיָּמִים וַה’ בֵּרַךְ אֶת־אַבְרָהָם בַּכֹּל...
View ArticleLift As You Climb
In the introduction to the Flood story, the Torah introduces Noach as the righteous man of his day. This is famously taught to be an ambiguous description – that Noach was the greatest in his...
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