In Miketz, the penultimate Torah portion of the Joseph narrative, Joseph experiences a dramatic reversal of fortune. When we last saw Joseph, he had gone from his father’s favorite child, to a [...]
There was something about Joseph. He didn’t seem able to keep up with his brothers. He couldn’t control himself. He often blurted out statements that were alternatively unfunny, [...]
“Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he wrenched Jacob’s hip at the socket. Then he said, “Let me go, for [...]
The End of the Running Man – Parashat Vayetze; Written by Rabbi Charles Savenor Jacob is on the run. Having tricked his father and brother with his intellectual acuity and physical ability, [...]
The great collection of rabbinic aphorisms known as Pirkei Avot – or Sayings of our Ancestors – includes this statement: “al tis-ta-kel ba-kankan e-lah be-mah she-yesh bo – don’t look at the jug [...]
How Matan Chat Works What is #matanchat? #matanchat is a monthly scheduled Twitter chat on topics in inclusive Jewish education. What if I don’t know how to participate in a Twitter chat? There [...]
“And the Eternal appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre; he was sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day.” ~ Genesis 18:1 This is the opening line of parshat Vayera, named [...]
Parshat Lech L’cha begins a journey. It is not just the journey of a single individual, Abraham; nor is it just the journey of his family. The story that we begin this week, does not end this [...]
This week’s Torah reading, Parshat Noah, contains the famous account of the great flood. Just one week after we read about the creation of the world, God decided that the sins of humankind had [...]
When we run Matan Institute inclusion training sessions for educators and synagogue professionals, we are frequently asked to provide specific ways to help classroom teachers recognize the [...]