Torah Study Date Saturday, March 19, 2022 Verses Covered Bereishit (Genesis) 37:6-19 Next Session Saturday, March 26, 2022 Starting at Genesis 37:20 Last week we discussed Joseph’s first two dreams. In the first one, we noted, Joseph says, behold, when we were binding sheaves in the field, behold, my sheaf rose–and stood up, too—and, behold, […]
Jacob Favors Joseph
Torah Study Date Saturday, March 12, 2022 Verses Covered Bereishit (Genesis) 37:1-5 Next Session Saturday, March 19, 2022 Starting at Genesis 37:6 Last week we discussed the fact that, though the text indicates we are going to hear the line of Jacob (after having heard the line of Esau in chapter 36), we do not […]
Genealogies
Torah Study Date Saturday, March 5, 2022 Verses Covered Bereishit (Genesis) 36:1-36:43 Next Session Saturday, March 12, 2022 Starting at Genesis 37:1 Last week, we discussed all of the genealogies of Genesis 36. We discussed that they make a nice transition from the story of Jacob to the story of his sons, particularly Joseph. We […]
Birth and Death
Torah Study Date Saturday, February 26, 2022 Verses Covered Bereishit (Genesis) 35:13 – 35:29 Next Session Saturday, March 5, 2022 Starting at Genesis 36:1 Last week we discussed God being on Jacob (“And God went up from on him…”) and wondered if that meant Jacob experienced God’s presence more than others (the shekhinah, the immanence […]
Purification and Name Change
Torah Study Date Saturday, February 19, 2022 Verses Covered Bereishit (Genesis) 35:1-35:12 Next Session Saturday, February 26, 2022 Starting at Genesis 35:13 Last week we discussed God telling Jacob to go up to Bethel, live there, and build an altar to God. We discussed the significance of building an altar and wondered whether we have […]
Guile and Slaughter
Torah Study Date Saturday, February 12, 2022 Verses Covered Bereishit (Genesis) 34:12-34:31 Next Session Saturday, February 19, 2022 Starting at Genesis 35:1 Last week we discussed Jacob’s sons speaking with guile when they answer Shechem and Hamor, and noted the term for guile, mirmah, was applied previously to Jacob when he took Esau’s birthright and […]
Hamor’s Offer to Jacob
Torah Study Date Saturday, February 5, 2022 Verses Covered Bereishit (Genesis) 34:3-34:11 Next Session Saturday, February 12, 2022 Starting at Genesis 34:12 Last week we discussed Shechem cleaving to and loving Dinah and wondered what that meant (was he attracted to her? In love with her? desirous of a connection with her—or with her people?). […]
Reconciliation and Degradation
Torah Study Date Saturday, January 29, 2022 Verses Covered Bereishit (Genesis) 33:10-34:2 Next Session Saturday, February 5, 2022 Starting at Genesis 34:3 Last week we discussed Jacob asking Esau to accept his gift and the fact that, more literally, he asked Esau to accept his blessing and we wondered about that blessing, what it was […]
Jacob and Esau Kiss
Torah Study Date Saturday, January 22, 2022 Verses Covered Bereishit (Genesis) 33:1-9 Next Session Saturday, January 29, 2022 Starting at Genesis 33:10 Last week we discussed Jacob seeing Esau coming with 400 men and then dividing the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maids. We wondered if that was tantamount to using them as […]
Struggling with God and People
Torah Study Date Saturday, January 15, 2022 Verses Covered Bereishit (Genesis) 32:22-32:33 Next Session Saturday, January 22, 2022 Starting at Genesis 33:1 Last week we discussed Jacob taking his maidservants, wives, and children and crossing the Jabbok ford and noted the text refers to eleven children when there actually were twelve (eleven sons and one […]