Jewish tradition places great significance on names. With the addition of just one letter, at the age of 99, Abram becomes Abraham and his transformation to the father of many nations is confirmed. At ...

This week’s Torah portion is Lech-Lecha: Genesis 12:1 – 17:27 Lech-Lecha, the divine command to Abraham in Genesis 12:1, is often translated as “Go forth.” But the Hebrew is richer and much more ...

This week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, begins with the story of a man who stood alone, Abram who became Abraham. It is hard for us moderns to imagine the courage and conviction that Abraham’s journey ...

In this week’s Torah portion, “Lech Lecha,” we learn about Abraham – arguably one of the most remarkable figures to ever walk this Earth. Living in an ancient, savage world of idol worship, he was the ...

The Torah between Abraham and Herzl: Israel’s call to moral leadership - opinion The Torah portions Lech Lecha, Vayera, and Hayei Sarah form a trilogy of leadership, from vision to continuity. Abraham ...

Before we get to Lech Lecha, let’s take a look at the timespan of the whole Torah as compared to Parshat Bereishit and Parshat Noach. We will not count the first two pesukim – “Bereishit bara…” and “V ...

One of the most important concepts in Genesis is the idea of brit (covenant). Covenant is a contract between God and people – in the portion of Lech Lecha, between God and the founders of the Jewish ...

While there is unanimity among Jewish religious thinkers that the primary covenant, Brit Sinai, took place at Sinai, there is disagreement about its precursor. In his Kol Dodi Dofek, Rabbi Yosef Dov ...

Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its ...

Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its ...

Rabbeinu Bachya, writing around 1300 C.E., suggests we should understand our verse as an explanation of Genesis 12:1: “leave your parents’ house.” He states that Abram felt cursed when he lived with ...