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Parashat Vayeira starts with a cliffhanger. We’re told that God appeared before Abraham, but that’s it—we never find out where God appears or what God says. Instead, we get three desert wanderers, who have important news for Abraham. So, where is God in this story?

Translated, Chayei Sarah means “the life of Sarah.” It’s an odd title for a parashah that opens with Sarah’s death, but even though this parashah doesn’t detail Sarah’s life, it does teach us about the kind of life she lived.

Many of us know the story of Jacob and Esau, the brothers who could not be more different from one another.

This parashah introduces many laws and rituals that might seem irrelevant to our modern lives, but what do these laws teach us? How do we bring them into our lives? A.J.

Parashat Vayechi is the last portion in the book of Genesis, so Rabbi Rick Jacobs takes this opportunity to discuss some of the larger themes from this first book of the Torah that resonate with us today: the defining story of “audacious hospitality”; the challenges of engaging the next

In Parashat Vayigash, Joseph, now a high-ranking Egyptian leader, finally reunites with the brothers who sold him into slavery. The moment where Joseph reveals himself has been a dramatic analog in the history of Jewish/Catholic relations.

Parashat Mikeitz is the second parashah in the Joseph cycle, which is remarkable for many reasons—one of which being it’s biggest missing character: God.

In Parashat Vayeishev, Joseph is asked by his father to go check on the “shalom”—the peace, or wholeness—of his brothers. Those familiar with Joseph’s story know that he had differences with his brothers even though they had the familial connection.

In Parashat Vayishlach, Jacob has a transformative night encounter where he wrestles somebody—but who? Is it a guardian angel, an actual adversary, his conscience, or something else?