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.

From Creation to Corruption “These are the generations of Noach. Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations; Noach walked with God.” (Bereishit 6:9) The Torah wastes no words in showing how far the world has fallen since its birth. In Bereishit , creation moved from chaos toward light. But by Noach , the light has dimmed; the very order that once reflected divine wisdom now mirrors human confusion. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, an

In the Beginning of the Journey The Torah doesn’t begin with order. It begins with potential — with a world that is raw, uncertain, and waiting to take shape. “In the beginning of God’s creating the heavens and the earth — when the earth was astonishingly empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep…” (Bereishit 1:1–2) Before there was light, there was confusion. Before clarity, there was chaos. The Torah isn’t ashamed of this beginning. It presents it honestly, almos