I. Rivkah’s Question — The First Act of Attunement “ וַיִּתְרֹצְצוּ הַבָּנִים בְּקִרְבָּהּ… וַתֵּלֶךְ לִדְרֹשׁ אֶת ה’. ”, “The children struggled within her… and she went to inquire of Hashem.”  (Bereishit 25:22) Parshat Toldot begins with a moment of inner confusion that Rivkah cannot ignore. What she experiences is not ordinary discomfort; it is a kind of turmoil that presses for understanding. Chazal describe the struggle as something that “pursued” her — movement that was

I. When a Life Teaches Beyond Words “וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה מֵאָה שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים — שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי שָׂרָה.” “And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and twenty years and seven years — the years of Sarah’s life.” (Bereishit 23:1) The Torah could have stated simply that Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years. Instead, it repeats the phrase “the years of Sarah’s life,” suggesting that there was something whole and complete about the way s

Introduction — From Seeing Ourselves to Seeing Others Until now, the human story has been one of self-preservation. From Adam through Noach, people saw only their own needs, their own fears, their own survival. Even faith, in its early form, was still self-centered — a means to stay safe, to endure. In Lech Lecha , Avraham took the first step beyond survival: he walked. But in Vayera , he takes the next step in human evolution — he sees. The willingness to move, learned in Le

Parenting a neurodivergent teen rarely hinges on perfect conversations. It rests on safety, steadiness, and faith. When we learn to read behavior as communication and offer calm instead of control, connection grows. The 5S’s—Safe, Seen, Soothed, Secure, Significant—become a quiet language of healing at home.

From Survival to Calling The Torah turns a quiet but decisive corner with the words, “ וַיֹּאמֶר ה’ אֶל־אַבְרָם לֶךְ־לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ ” — “And God said to Avram: Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.”  (Bereishit 12:1) Until this moment, the human story has been one of endurance. Adam and Chava are exiled from Eden. Noach survives the flood.