9 Lessons
Parashat Hashavua Parashat Hashavua: Why Specifically in Eretz Yisrael?
The desired Garden of Eden is here in Yerushalayim..
Bereshit Tzel, Tzelem, Tzela – A New Look on the Creation of Man
The Torah stresses the word tzelem (image) in its description of how man was created in “a divine image” (Bereishit 1:26-27). It also seems to connect this distinction to the fact that man was created as male and female. According to all explanations, the concept of “in the image of Hashem” relates mainly to man’s spiritual side; this is not related to man’s physical side, which is actually connected to sinning. In the second description of man’s creation (ibid. 2:7), the Torah does describe a physical creation (“earth from the ground”), into whom Hashem breathed, thereby providing him with a living spirit.
Bereshit The Roots of Urbanization and Ecological Disregard
Parashat Bereshit
Many societies refer to the ground under our feet as Mother Earth; Adam abused his rights in the Garden of Eden; Cain is told that even with hard work, he would not succeed in working the land productively; Cain built a city and named it after his son, Chanoch;