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Toldot: Praying with the Fervor of a Pitchfork
The beginning of the parsha depicts the powerful scene of Yitzchak and Rivka praying together for a child. Rav Bregman1 notes that the pasuk first describes the prayer and only then explains that Rivka was barren rather than first stating the childlessness leading to the prayer. This unexpected structure echoes the Gemara2 which tells us…
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Why Does a Man Need to Give His Wife a Get?
Marriage is one of the most sacred unions, and in Judaism marriage plays a central and holy role. In fact, in Jewish texts, we often see Israel compared to a bride and Hashem to a groom, as in Shir HaShirim and many places in the prophets. One may assume that, given the importance and sacredness…
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Something from Nothing: Finding Hashem Through Infertility
Looking back at my past IVF treatments, I am reminded of the book I read as a child, Something from Nothing. The book tells of a little boy, Joseph, whose grandfather shows him a beautiful blanket. As Joseph gets older and outgrows the blanket, his grandfather, a tailor, is always on hand to rework it…
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Prayer and Hitbodedut: Reflections on Connecting to Hashem in Different Ways
How many times have I raced through davening because of a busy schedule? Or got distracted by the people around me, noises outside, or even the phone ringing? And I can’t even count the number of moments where my own trifling thoughts creep into my daily prayer that I can’t even remember the words I’ve…
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With Fire in Her Soul: The Power of Candle-Lighting
Two silver candlesticks stand proudly at the centre of the table; flickering with warmth and holiness, inviting the regal presence of the Shabbat queen. Two flames; one symbolising the husband and the other, his wife… Six days a week, we live in darkness. We stumble around in exile, sometimes in confusion, trying to make the…
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Chava, The Giver
Adam and Chava lived in a place of exquisite perfection. Their world was beautiful and rich, filled with every physical and spiritual comfort imaginable. Their only command was not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge, the Eitz Hadaas. However, within one day of their creation, the snake had enticed Chava to eat of its…
