Toldot

Toldot
Was Rivka a Prophetess?

Was Rivka a Prophetess?

When reading through Parshat Toldot, one may conclude that Rivka was a prophetess. In fact, we find in Breisheet Raba and Yalkut Shimoni that all of the foremothers, Sara, Rivka, Rachel and Leah were prophetesses.If Rivka was a prophetess then why is Sara the only...

Toldot
Yitzchak’s Disengagement

Yitzchak’s Disengagement

In Parshat Toldot, Breisheet 26:1-3, there is a famine in the Land so Yitzchak and Rivka head down to Avimelech, king of the Plishtim in Grar (region of the Gaza strip) as Avraham did. God appeared to Yitzchak and said:“Do not go down to Egypt: dwell (shchon)...

Toldot
The smell of Eden

The smell of Eden

In Parshat Toldot (Breisheet 27:15), Rivka dresses Yaakov in Esav’s garments in order to make sure that Yaakov receives the better blessing: “Rivka took the garments of Esav, her elder son, that were coveted (hachamudot), that were in her keeping in the...

Toldot
The True Heroes

The True Heroes

I grew up in the North Riverdale section of the Bronx, New York in the 1970s. As there were no Modern Orthodox synagogues near my home at that time, we used to take a long walk along the Henry Hudson Parkway every Shabbat morning until we finally reached the...

Toldot
Rivka’s Prophecies

Rivka’s Prophecies

Rivka is a very confident woman. In Parshat Chayei Sarah, we see her confidence when giving water to a stranger and his ten camels, inviting him and his camels to stay over at her family’s home, following him to meet Yitzchak and knowing right away that...

Toldot
Making the Desert Bloom

Making the Desert Bloom

SPONSORED IN HONOR OF THE BIRTH OF BRADLEY DYLAN LEOPOLD BY PROUD PARENTS JENNIFER AND KEVIN LEOPOLD AND PROUD BROTHER TYLER JONATHAN LEOPOLDIn Parshat Toldot, Breisheet 26:13-15,19-20 we read "And the man (Yitzchack) grew great and went forward and grew until he...

Toldot
Too Close for Comfort

Too Close for Comfort

After trying to conceive for twenty years, in Parshat Toldot, Rivka finally became pregnant. Rivka’s pregnancy was different from the pregnancies of the other matriarchs. In the cases of Sara, Rachel and Leah who were all barren, once they were able to...