It is no wonder that this week’s parasha is named Toldot; it begins, with a classic leitmotif of Tanach, with the words אלה תולדות יצחק בן-אברהם, ‘these are the generations ...

I am still thinking of the Akeidah, and the scent of the burnt offering lingers. Echoes of that story resonate in this Torah portion as Isaac, Rebecca, Esau, and Jacob engage in a painful ...

The literal translation of this week’s parsha, Toldot, is “generations.” It is, therefore, not surprising that the stories in this week’s parsha can teach us valuable lessons for the ...

In the beginning of the parsha, as Esav sells the rights of firstborn to Yaakov, the Pasuk adds ויבז עשו את-הבכרה – Esav mocked the privilege of the firstborn. Rashi adds that he ...

Toldot presents us with a narrative driven by complex characters. The meaning of their names might foreshadow their future roles, but events are not presented as predetermined, as they might be in ...

It is often said that women in the Bible play a very secondary role. And it may be true that the Bible was written in a very different society to the one in which we live today. Nevertheless, if you ...

It’s an anxiety that acts as a kind of macabre inheritance with roots in our ancient texts. At the onset of Parashat Toldot, the text reads “Abraham begot Isaac.” The Hebrew for “begot” literally ...

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It’s also the synopsis of “Toldot” — this week’s Torah portion. In Toldot, which means “generations,” the new generation of Abraham’s family comes to life as Isaac and Rebecca welcome the birth of ...

“Isaac dwelt in Gerar… and he said, ‘She is my sister’…. And when he had been there a long time, Abimelech, king of the Philistines looked out at a window and saw Isaac sporting with ...

In this week’s Torah Portion of Parsha Toldot, the verse begins “This is the story of Isaac, son of Abraham.” What is the starting point of Isaac’s story? Not any of the good deeds he ...