Drinking the Waters of Torah
Nov 13, 2004 By Ismar Schorsch | Commentary | Toledot
In rabbinic parlance, water stands for Torah.
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A Dialogue Across the Ages
Nov 29, 2003 By Ismar Schorsch | Commentary | Toledot
Like his father Abraham, Isaac is driven by famine to take refuge in the city of Gerar, in the western Negev northwest of Be’er Sheva. The abundance of water for their large herds is what spurs them to relocate, and it is over water that both of the patriarchs contend with the locals. In the first instance, Abraham accuses the ruler of Gerar, Abimelech, that servants of the latter stripped him of a well that he had dug. Abimelech professes to be ignorant of the theft and willing to make amends; whereupon he and Abraham strike a pact. A gift of seven ewes by Abraham will serve to legally establish his claim of ownership of the well. Indeed, according to the biblical account, the pact gives rise to the name of Be’er Sheva, “the well of seven.” At the time, the dominion of Gerar must have stretched eastward to Be’er Sheva, which appears to have had no ruler of its own (21:22-32).
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Food’s Symbolic Burden
Dec 3, 2005 By David C. Kraemer | Commentary | Toledot
It has often been noted — and properly so — that Parashat Toledot is framed by two stories of deceit and dishonesty.
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The Challenges and Joys of Parenting
Nov 25, 2006 By Steven Brown | Commentary | Toledot
Parshat Toledot is the epitome of the challenges, struggles, ambivalences, and joys of parenting.
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Torah As Water
Nov 26, 2011 By Charlie Schwartz | Commentary | Text Study | Toledot
The metaphor of Torah as water has always resonated with me. With Torah as water, the idea of learning, engaging with, and living through our sacred texts comes into focus. Just as we cannot live for long without water, so too will our lives become desiccated and empty without the study of Torah.
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Poor Isaac
Nov 7, 2007 By David M. Ackerman | Commentary | Toledot
Poor Isaac; wedged between “exemplary” Abraham and “vivid” Jacob, he exhibits very little personality of his own.
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A Strong Woman in the Bible
Nov 29, 2008 By Daniel Nevins | Commentary | Toledot
What do you make of our matriarch Rebecca? Certainly she is the boldest and most independent of the mothers. When as a girl she sees a stranger at the well, she rushes to water his caravan of thirsty camels, and then invites him to stay at her house. When offered the chance to travel with this man back to a distant land and a mysterious husband, she volunteers without hesitation. When her pregnancy becomes difficult, she seeks out God and challenges Him with the bold question, “Why do I need this?” When her husband seems ready to bless the wrong son, she quickly conspires to rearrange the action so that Jacob will receive the primary blessing. In all of these actions, Rebecca is seen as a woman of strength and decisiveness.
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Reconciliation of Faiths
Nov 29, 2003 By Rachel Ain | Commentary | Toledot
Sibling conflict is not a new story in the Torah. Isaac knows well his own history of sibling rivalry with Ishmael. They spent years apart, yet reconciled over the burial of their father Abraham. So too in this week’s parashah we see a rift between two siblings. Jacob stands before his father Isaac in disguise and takes a blessing that rightfully belongs to Esau. Upon hearing this, Esau cries out to Isaac, “Have you only one blessing, father?” (Genesis 27:37) How could Isaac, the father of both sons, in fact choose only one son to bless? How could there in fact, be only one blessing?
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