The rabbinic tradition portrays Yaakov and Esav as two sharply contrasting personality types. Even their manner of speaking is interpreted as a window into their inner character. The very choice of words each uses becomes significant. Esav’s…
Category: Other
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It’s Always Possible to Change
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Don’t worry, Israel will be just fine. And the world too.
It’s like suspended animation. The war is mostly over. Israel defeated Iran and its proxies. The last living hostages are out of Gaza. An international force is poised to enter Gaza, but Hamas won’t disarm and the international force seems…
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Isaac, the Genocide Libel, and the Persistence of Antisemitism
Jews are sometimes accused of finding antisemitism everywhere, even when it does not exist. There is some truth to this claim; no less an authority than the Netziv (R. Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin, 1816–1893), who composed an entire monograph on…
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Michael Eisenberg on Israel’s Trillion-Dollar Future
I call on all of you, readers of Sapir in the Diaspora, to bring your capital, talents, networks, and sense of purpose to a Jewish state that cherishes life, peace, and human dignity. Help create Israel’s trillion-dollar economy. Abraham’s…
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My Grandparents’ Legacy and the West Bank
The images of young Israelis in the West Bank brandishing guns and clubs, killing Palestinian farmers, torching their crops and property, makes me think of my maternal grandparents. I can only imagine how Papa Sam and Grandma Bessie would respond…
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“We would not be who we are without the graduates of the Yemin Orde Mechina”
“On behalf of the State of Israel, I would like to honor you today—your contribution to the country’s security, its social resilience, its economy, education, spirit, and culture—to every field and domain. We would not be who we are…
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“The Tortoise and the Hare” Toledot 5786
“The Tortoise and the Hare” is one of the most well-known of Aesop’s fables. It is a timeless tale of arrogance versus endurance: the cocky Hare, all speed and swagger, mocks the plodding Tortoise and bolts ahead, only to nap mid-race in…
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Parashat Tol’dot: A Hidden Collaboration Part 2
The following essay is a highly revised version of the d’var Torah I posted here in 2023, 2024 and 2025, each time adding more supporting commentary. This year I have re-edited it also into three parts: Rivkah and Isaac both in one way or…
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Adam’s Fear of Lilith: Sheer Terror Before the Unbounded Feminine of Tohu
There is a moment in the very beginning of creation where Adam stands before the first feminine presence that emerges from the left side of the cosmos — and he trembles. This is not a moral failing. It is a metaphysical event. The masculine of…
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From Einstein to Epstein — How Did We Get Here?
There was a time when the word Jewish genius summoned images of chalk-dust, violin cases, telescopes pointed toward the heavens, and a tiny man from Ulm bending reality with a pencil. Einstein was not perfect—far from it—but he symbolized…
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