Monthly Archives: November 2012

ETERNAL WRESTLING MATCH by Rabbi Baruch Cohon

          This week’s Torah section, Vayishlakh, includes a famous struggle.  Genesis 32 recounts how Jacob, expecting to encounter his vengeful brother Esau, sets up a camp for his 4 wives and 11 children on the safe … Continue reading

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WHO IS A ZIONIST? By Rabbi Baruch Cohon

          An old comic definition of a Zionist went like this: “A Zionist is a Jew who collects money from another Jew so that a third Jew can move to Jerusalem.”  No politics, just charity.           When my oldest … Continue reading

Posted in Abraham, Baruch Cohon, Ben Gurion, Book of Genesis, Eretz Yisrael, Isaac, Israel, Jacob, Jacob's Ladder, Jerusalem, Jewish, Jewish Blogs, Jewish Traditions, Judaism, Theodore Herzl, Torah, Torah Study, war, Zionism, Zionist | Comments Off on WHO IS A ZIONIST? By Rabbi Baruch Cohon

A NOBODY? by Rabbi Baruch Cohon

This week we read a section called Toldos Yitzhok – literally, the history of Isaac.  Very quickly we see that Isaac, the second of our patriarchs, is described in terms of other people.  He is the son of Abraham, the husband of Rebecca, the … Continue reading

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AT THE GOING RATE by Rabbi Baruch Cohon

          The 23rd chapter of Genesis finds Abraham negotiating with the Hittites among whom he is living.   Sarah just died, and Abraham needs a place to bury his wife.   He asks the Hittite elders seated at the gate of Hebron … Continue reading

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WHAT IS A MIRACLE? by Rabbi Baruch Cohon

When Abraham and Sarah learn that Sarah will bear a child, we read in Genesis 17-18, they both laugh. Abraham wipes the smile off his face, and asks Divine consideration for Ishmael, his son with Hagar.  But Sarah considers the whole idea … Continue reading

Posted in Abraham, Baruch Cohon, bashert, Book of Genesis, Isaac, Jewish, Jewish Blogs, Jewish Traditions, Miracle, nisekho sheb'khol yom imanu, Rabbi, Sarah, Torah Study, Yitzkhak | Comments Off on WHAT IS A MIRACLE? by Rabbi Baruch Cohon