Sivan Says: Taking the Torah Personally

On this week’s parsha [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.32.4-36.43?lang=bi&aliyot=0], Ya’akov returns home to face his fears and his brother Esau, and earns his eternal name, Israel, by fighting with an angel. But this story of extraordinary struggles contains a few key insights for us ordinary people trying to bounce back from very difficult blows. How is an ancient ruling about not eating one specific cut of meat a reminder of what we ought to do when the going gets tough? Tune in to find out.  Sivan Rahav-Meir [http://sivanrahavmeir.com/home-en/] is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Portion WhatsApp group [https://chat.whatsapp.com/GbUlxd3eghn5TvBfIEt3lK], where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book [https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324020820], available directly from the publisher [https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324020820], or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts [https://cms.megaphone.fm/organizations/0e16ef80-ec1c-11e8-890a-c757c41c4d34/podcasts/2b7ad012-e21d-11ee-8886-fb7998c0ccf5/episodes/956a538a-e21d-11ee-95a8-673c7ef75413/tabletmag.com/podcasts].

On this week's parsha [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.28.10?lang=bi&aliyot=0], we meet Ya'akov as he flees his brother Esau's wrath. But as the story unfold, he transforms into a man in full, no long running away from something frightening but working towards a good and great goal. How can we, too, stop seeing ourselves as victims and connect instead to a higher, brighter calling? Tune in to find out. Sivan Rahav-Meir [http://sivanrahavmeir.com/home-en/] is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Portion WhatsApp group [https://chat.whatsapp.com/GbUlxd3eghn5TvBfIEt3lK], where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book [https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324020820], available directly from the publisher [https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324020820], or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts [https://cms.megaphone.fm/organizations/0e16ef80-ec1c-11e8-890a-c757c41c4d34/podcasts/2b7ad012-e21d-11ee-8886-fb7998c0ccf5/episodes/956a538a-e21d-11ee-95a8-673c7ef75413/tabletmag.com/podcasts].

On this week’s parsha, Toldot [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.25.19?lang=bi&aliyot=0], the Torah gives us Isaac, a man with a dilemma: when the one and only Abraham is your dad, what do you do for an encore? The answer has to do with digging wells, an activity that may not sound glamorous but holds many key insights to happiness, community, and spiritual growth. What can we do in our lives to continue Isaac’s sacred and absolutely necessary well-digging? Tune in to find out.  Sivan Rahav-Meir [http://sivanrahavmeir.com/home-en/] is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Portion WhatsApp group [https://chat.whatsapp.com/GbUlxd3eghn5TvBfIEt3lK], where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book [https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324020820], available directly from the publisher [https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324020820], or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts [https://cms.megaphone.fm/organizations/0e16ef80-ec1c-11e8-890a-c757c41c4d34/podcasts/2b7ad012-e21d-11ee-8886-fb7998c0ccf5/episodes/956a538a-e21d-11ee-95a8-673c7ef75413/tabletmag.com/podcasts].

On this week’s parsha, Chayei Sarah [https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.24.13-14?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en___.YXAzOnRhYmxldDphOm86MmRhNmMxMDY5MmIxMTlhMzFmZDVkYjdlODgzNzdmNDk6Nzo4NTA1OjhlZDEyOGI4ZjRjOWI4ZDNmYWIzOTJmNTJhZjU3M2JiNGY5NTQyY2MyYTA4NTE1YTQwYTA0YTFmMTI5OTA5Njc6aDpUOk4], the Torah gives us one profoundly brilliant life hack: always do more. But what does it mean in practice? And how can we apply this principle, embodied by Rebecca, to continue and grow as people in every area of our lives? Tune in to find out.  Sivan Rahav-Meir [http://sivanrahavmeir.com/home-en/] is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Portion WhatsApp group [https://chat.whatsapp.com/GbUlxd3eghn5TvBfIEt3lK], where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book [https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324020820], available directly from the publisher [https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324020820], or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts [https://cms.megaphone.fm/organizations/0e16ef80-ec1c-11e8-890a-c757c41c4d34/podcasts/2b7ad012-e21d-11ee-8886-fb7998c0ccf5/episodes/956a538a-e21d-11ee-95a8-673c7ef75413/tabletmag.com/podcasts].

On this week’s parsha, Vayera, the Torah teaches us that if we want to help people, we have to do more than merely offer them food, drink, and other basic necessities. True charity, we learn, involves giving people the education they need to have faith and strive to uplift themselves and others. What can we learn from Abraham about being kind to strangers? Tune in to find out.  Sivan Rahav-Meir [http://sivanrahavmeir.com/home-en/] is a leading Israeli journalist, media personality and Torah scholar. You can sign up for her The Daily Portion WhatsApp group [https://chat.whatsapp.com/GbUlxd3eghn5TvBfIEt3lK], where Sivan sends small insights about Judaism and current affairs. Check out Liel’s new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book [https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324020820], available directly from the publisher [https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324020820], or wherever you purchase books. You can find all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts [https://cms.megaphone.fm/organizations/0e16ef80-ec1c-11e8-890a-c757c41c4d34/podcasts/2b7ad012-e21d-11ee-8886-fb7998c0ccf5/episodes/956a538a-e21d-11ee-95a8-673c7ef75413/tabletmag.com/podcasts].