Parshat Noach: Tale of Four Cities
On Yom Kippur I spoke about the Tale of Three Cities. Today I would like to talk about four cities. The Torah looks askance at cities. They are often places of injustice and oppression whereas the wilderness is a place of peace, a place where we can hear God’s still small voice. The first city mentioned in the Torah is Enoch, established by Cain after being cast out to wander the earth for killing his brother. So the first city was built by the first murderer. A man who bragg
Bereshit: Cure Before the Wound
In the Talmud, Tractate Megillah, which primarily discusses the story of Purim, Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba quotes Rabbi Yochanan as saying that God caused Pharaoh to become angry with his cupbearer so that he would be there for when Joseph was thrown into prison. It was Joseph interpreting the cupbearer’s dream that eventually led to Joseph’s redemption. Thus the means of Joseph’s salvation was established before he was ever accused by Potiphar. In like manner, in this same passag
