Click HERE (study guide) for: Did Rembrandt Know Rashi?
Jacob Wrestling the Angel & Embracing the Inner Struggle
Torah, Rashi & Art Masterpieces Study art masterpieces of Rembrandt, Dore and Moreau, as well as Rashi to discover the message and meaning of Jacob wrestling with the Angel. “Did Rembrandt know Rashi?” Enjoy this source sheet study guide that includes texts and artworks.
Click HERE (video) for: Hanukkah: The Whole Megillah. Judah Maccabee insisted that we create an eight-day festival of lights starting the 25th of Kislev. In his words (1 Maccabees 4:58): “The day of dedication of the altar should be kept in its season from year to year for eight days with joy and gladness.” That last phrase, “joy and gladness” is parallel to a phrase in the Megillah. What is the story to retell at Hanukkah time?
Click HERE (video) for: Careful Who You Keep Friends With. According to Jewish tradition, God is both a merciful and strict judge. In the end, God will exact justice from the haughty and those who unleash terror. There is a spiritual lesson to learn for all of us when nations of the world are called to pay for their crimes. Listen to this presentation about this week’s haftarah which is Obadiah 1:1-21.
Click HERE (video) for a study of the beginning of Parshat Vayishlah: After He Sent the Angels Jacob Was Afraid and Distressed. Rashi picks up on two different verbs in verse 32:4-8 of our weekly Torah portion. What was he afraid of? What caused him distress? Wasn’t God on his side? Despite his fear, Jacob pursued peace and at least to meet his brother after years of estrangement.
Click HERE (study guide) for: Investigating Rashi and His Sources: Jacob, Alone With An Angel Or There With His Brother?
Is Rashi basing himself on a Midrash in Bereishit Rabbah when he describes the famous scene of Jacob wrestling with the angel? At his disposal Rashi had many midrashic sources. Was this the one that informed his comment on the wrestling match before dawn?