Perhaps this is why we find the first two Torah portions covering a span of 20 generations – From Adam to Noach and from Noach to Abrahm. And then the Torah slows down and for the rest of the book of Bereishis/Genesis the Torah covers a total of 4 generations in great detail.  

 

In fact one of the names of the book of Bereishis is the book of the upright as it is ultimately the story of the founding of our People.

 

The stories are not all easy, nor are they all pleasant. But they are all stories that carry with them profound lessons and meaning and establish for us a collective history and memory; the story we come from.

 

In the words of our Rabbis; the stories of our forefathers are a sign for their children. A sign on the road lets you know that there is danger ahead or opportunity ahead. It lets you know that someone has walked this path before and if you follow the instructions you can get safely to your destination and avoid hardship where possible and at least know how to navigate through the difficulties ahead.

 

So, let’s take the teachings of our Rabbi’s with the insight of Professor Marshall Duke and let’s recognize the powerful stories of these coming weeks.

 

Read them, internalize them, speak about them to your loved ones, it will strengthen us in times of challenge and make us all more resilient.

 

Shabbat Shalom and Good Shabbos! We hope to see you Saturday night at our Cafe Chabad Dinner featuring a talk on “Modern Perspectives on Science & Judaism.