Posts by Julia Blum

WAS SHAUL A MEMBER OF SANHEDRIN? Our next meeting is with Paul (Shaul -Saul). When Stephen was stoned by the Sanhedrin, Shaul was present:  “Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.” This is the first mention of Paul in the New Testament. We all know that soon, Shaul will […]

My dear readers, finally, we can go back to the series that was paused because of the holidays – to comments on the book of Acts.  I would like to remind you why I have chosen this particular book to discuss. More often than not, the book of Acts is perceived as a demarcation line, […]

  Another year has flown by – another “strange” year, with many unexpected, and sometimes unthinkable things happening right before our eyes. This is the sixth time I am entering a New Year together with you – and for the sixth time, together with you, I am trying to unveil the future and to understand […]

 For I Know The Thoughts That I Think Toward You[1] In our last portion, VeYigash, we witnessed the climax of Joseph’s saga – when Joseph “could not restrain” himself and revealed his identity to his brothers – a very happy ending to a very dramatic story. It seems that the story is over now, so […]

In our last portion, we saw Joseph overwhelmed by his love for Benjamin and crying in the inner room. We have to remember these tears of love that Joseph had to hold back. We have to remember them because right from the beginning of the next chapter we are again mystified. Literally a few lines […]

We continue our journey through this passionate Bible story: the story of Joseph and his brothers. We are in the Torah Portion Miketz, Genesis 41-44. These chapters are my absolute favorites in the book of Genesis, so I will definitely need lehitapek -– “to restrain myself” – in the same way, as we will see […]

Beware of Royal Apparel!  The story of Joseph and his brothers forms the last part of the book of Genesis. This story begins in our new Torah Portion, Vayeshev. It opens with the word Vayeshev (hence the name of the Portion), usually translated as “settled”, or “dwelt”:  “Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was […]

Our portion today, VeYishlah, covers two very important meetings in Jacob’s life. Traditionally, the encounter at Peniel is considered the most important event in Jacob’s life—and rightly so, it defined not only Jacob’s own name and destiny,  but the name and destiny of the whole people! However, I would like to bring your attention to […]

Three Prayers You would remember that at the end of the last Portion, Toledot, Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-Aram to take a wife from there. This happened after the story of the “stolen blessing” – the blessing that Jacob received from Isaac while pretending to be Esau. In fact, Jacob was fleeing from the wrath […]

“And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begot Isaac” (VaEile toledot Izhak) – this is the beginning of the new Torah Portion, Toledot. These very words, VaEile toledot, occur eleven times in the book of Genesis, serving as a heading for its major divisions and “making descent a keystone of biblical history”[1]. […]