On his death bed, Father Jacob offers blessings to his sons gathered around him. According to the Rabbis, his blessings were prophetic: predicting what will await each in the future (Genesis Rabbah 98:2). For Judah, Jacob foretells kingship: “The scepter shall not...
Those familiar with the chanting of the Torah – not just its study – are aware of a specialized notational system called “trope.” Trope allows for the cantillation of the text, modulation of voice over longer passages, and the proper accenting of words. The Talmud...
Apparent inconsistencies are fertile ground for Biblical commentary. Consider, for example, the words of Joseph in Genesis 42:16. In order to test the truthfulness of his brothers’ story, Joseph decides that nine of the ten shall remain imprisoned and one will...
Joseph cast into the pit (Genesis 37:24) is the transition point of the narrative between the original plan of ten of his brothers to kill him and the secret plan of Reuben to rescue him. But in the context of the Bible as a whole, the act of casting a victim into a...
Of all the characters mentioned in the first half of the Book of Genesis, none has aroused the disdain of the Rabbis more than Esav. As the Rabbis read the text, the character of Esav was practically pre-ordained. Even within the womb Esav had a proclivity for...
A divorce attorney began his intake interview with a female client by asking if she had any grounds. She replied: “About two acres.” “No,” said the lawyer. “I meant what is the foundation of this case?” She said: “Concrete, brick and mortar.” “No,” said the lawyer. “I...
The Torah portion centers on arrangements for the burial of Sarah. But it also ends with a narration of the death of Abraham (Genesis 25:9). Surprisingly, Yishmael who – along with his mother – was unceremoniously expelled from Abraham’s household (Genesis 21:14),...
Although the concept was already known in the 1950’s, it was under the Reagan administration in the United States that the neutron bomb was developed and deployed. The “neutron bomb” is a version of an Enhanced Radiation Weapon: a nuclear device that emits many times...
Before psychologist Amos Tversky died in1988, he conceded that over his professional career he lost many good friends over his finding that the notion of a “hot hand” among basketball players was a myth. The shared wisdom was that the player who successfully makes his...
In 2020 a scientific expedition was launched with the intent to study climate change on earth. It was awkwardly named MOSAIC – Multi-disciplinary-drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate. Sixty scientists and technicians supplemented the crew aboard an...