Tag: Torah
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A Modern Midrash on Rebecca and Isaac
Author’s disclaimer: Please note that what follows is a modern, exploratory and creative midrash, centering on the events in Bereshit/Genesis 27, which was originally written in 5777 and does not necessarily reflect my current thinking and approach. In this midrash, I seek not to offer an absolutest reading, but instead…
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On Deception and Its Consequences: Parashat Toldot 5777
I wrote this drasha originally in 5777 (November 2016). When I read the story of Yaakov stealing Esau’s blessing from their father, Yitzchack in this week’s parsha, Parashat Toldot, I am filled with a wide array of often conflicting emotions. I feel a profound personal connection to Yitzchack, understand his…
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The Sfat Emet on Sukkot
This piece was originally written in 5777/2016. The Sfat Emet has many teachings about Sukkot which intersect well with his description of Yom Kippur as being like a mikvah. We are required to dwell in the Sukkah for the seven days of the holiday of Sukkot (as well as Shemini…
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Or HaMeir on Bereshit
This piece was written in 5777/2016. In his commentary on Bereshit, the Or HaMeir refers to two of the earliest Jewish mystical concepts—the notion that the Torah proceeded everything and the notion of a Ma’aseh Bereshit consciousness. When we think about the creation story, which has been interpreted and reinterpreted…
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The Sfat Emet on Yom Kippur
This drasha was originally written in 5777. One of the most beautiful teachings I have encountered about Yom Kippur is from the Sfat Emet. The Sfat Emet uses the symbology and metaphor of a mikvah to talk about what Yom Kippur is and how it functions. Yom Kippur is this…
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ELI Talk: We All Were At Sinai: The Transformative Power of Inclusive Torah
Rabbi Tuchman delivered an ELI Talk We All Were At Sinai: The Transformative Power of Inclusive Torah in which she offers a new paradigm for understanding the religious import of including all within our sacred spaces.
Rabbi Lauren Tuchman 