JTS Torah Commentary

When Does Hagar See

Oct 30, 2026 By Ofra Arieli Backenroth | Commentary | Vayera

The story of Hagar poses difficult questions about loyalty, trust, and, eventually, the meaning of evil. Beginning in chapter 16, the narratives opens with a promise from God to Abram: “I will establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you, for all their generations, an everlasting covenant” (Gen. 16:7).[2] However, there is tension between God’s promise to Abram to be the father of a great nation and have many descendants and the fact that Sarai is barren. Hagar, an Egyptian maid, is brought to Abram by the childless Sarai, and later becomes his wife and the mother of his first-born son, Ishmael. Sarai initiates this chain of events while a mostly inactive Abram follows Sarai’s wishes and God’s commands.

The Future of Torah: Jewish Learning in the Age of AI

Oct 26, 2026 By Zohar Atkins | Public Event video | Video Lecture

With Rabbi Dr. Zohar Atkins, JTS alum, scholar, writer, and founder of Lightning, a lifelong learning AI platform

Artificial intelligence is transforming how we find, organize, and create knowledge. What could this mean for a Jewish tradition built on centuries of interpretation, debate, and discovery?

A Parent’s Prayer

Oct 23, 2026 By Yael Landman | Commentary | Lekh Lekha

When we think about Abraham and prayer, we might immediately recall the patriarch’s bold petition to God on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. We might even think of God telling King Abimelech that Abraham is a navi, a prophet, and thus has the special capacity to pray on the king’s behalf. Yet Abraham emerges as a person of prayer even earlier in his story. Following years of his wife Sarah’s infertility, and the birth of Ishmael to Abraham and Sarah’s slave Hagar, Parashat Lekh Lekha narrates the Divine promise to Abraham that Sarah will finally give birth. But instead of expressing joyous gratitude to God, Abraham responds: לוּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל יִחְיֶה לְפָנֶיךָ —“If only Ishmael could live before you!” (Gen. 17:18).

Senior Sermons: Class of 2027

Oct 22, 2026 By JTS Senior Sermon | Commentary | Public Event video | Senior Sermon

Presentations by senior Rabbinical School students in 5787 Claire Bruder – Lekh Lekha

Claire Bruder – Senior Sermon (RS ’27)

Oct 21, 2026 By JTS Senior Sermon | Commentary | Public Event video | Senior Sermon | Lekh Lekha

Lekh Lekha All Class of 2027 Senior Sermons