Power Parsha

Miketz: An End to the Darkness

The contrast between the beauty of Jews celebrating the first night of Hanukkah on Bondi Beach and the horrific acts that followed compels us to ask: how do we respond to such darkness? Joseph, too, in Parshat Miketz, is immersed in darkness – thrown into a pit, brought down to Egypt, and forgotten in prison…

Power Parsha

Vayishlach: Responding to Antisemitism

A number of commentaries understand Yaacov’s encounter with the ish in Parshat Vayishlach as symbolizing the Jewish people’s struggles with their adversaries throughout history. If so, what guidance might this episode offer us in confronting today’s vehement strain of antisemitism? Already before their birth, God tells Rivka that Yaacov and Esav are the founders of…

Power Parsha

Vayetze: On Sacred Spaces

The word makom (place) appears repeatedly at the start of Parshat Vayetze as Jacob sets out on his journey: “He came upon the place (ba-makom)…” What is this place? Its very ambiguity becomes a key to understanding Judaism’s vision of sacred space, from Jacob’s world to our own. Rashi identifies the makom with the site…

Power Parsha

Toldot: Promoting Truth

What is meant by the verse in Micah, “Give truth to Jacob”? The commentaries discuss this question in Parshat Toldot, where the themes of truth and deception are front and center. The question feels especially urgent today, as we—the children of Yaacov—struggle to make truth heard and to dispel the deceptive narratives told about Israel.…

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About Me

I’m Karen Miller Jackson, a certified Matan Morah l’Halakha, Jewish educator and writer. Welcome to my blog which provides Torah from a woman’s perspective for modern, busy people. To subscribe via email please sign up or by whatsapp here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CKLpCygJaBf20sKbNmRV1u