Posts Tagged: Jacob
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
You’ve been asked the question before. Are you a glass-half-full kind of person, or is your glass always half-empty? You might think to yourself -- who...
The Power of an Oath
Over the past few decades, a new area of psychological research has emerged that has changed the way that psychologists understand a very familiar aspect of human...
Our Relationship With God Is Why We Exist
Earlier this week, Jack Kagan passed away in London, at the age of 87. I don’t imagine you’ve ever heard his name. He was an...
How the Light Gets In
Why Jacob? That is the question we find ourselves asking repeatedly as we read the narratives of Genesis. Jacob is not what Noah was: righteous,...
Prophets of the Jews
According to the Talmud, the Jewish people produced 48 prophets and seven prophetesses (Tractate Megillah 14a). In the Middle Ages, Rabbenu Hananel ben Hushiel (990-1053 CE)...
Finding Light in Dark Times: Jewish Leaders Persevere
What is it that made Jacob - not Abraham or Isaac or Moses - the true father of the Jewish people? We are the "congregation...
Shavuot (Pentecost) Guide for the Perplexed 2013
1. Shavou'ot (Pentecost) was, originally, an agricultural holiday, celebrating the first harvest/fruit by bringing offerings (Bikkurim-ביכורי×) to the Temple in Jerusalem. Following the destruction of...
Encountering G-d
It is one of the great visions of the Torah. Jacob, alone at night, fleeing from the wrath of Esau, lies down to rest,...
The Sandy Path to Inspiration
Free Plowing Back in the '40s, a Jewish guy was arrested for smuggling guns into Israel, then known as Palestine. He was taken into one of...
