Toldot (Genesis 25:19-28:9) Torah Reading Nov. 22, 2025: Honest Reading
The family dramas in the book of Genesis are a powerful example of the realness of the characters and stories of our biblical ancestors overall – they are not “teaching stories” with simple heroes and heroines whose qualities and actions are to be emulated wholesale, but instead they are human, complex, troubled, often inspiring and, yes, heroic. But even knowing this, I don’t think I’m the only one who often thinks I am supposed to find the stories more inspiring than troubling. This sometimes leads me to gloss over passages that disturb me, looking for the parts that are easier to quote without explanation, the chapters where insight shines clearly through to our own time and place.
But it is actually by reading the stories with attention to the parts that disturb us that we engage their full power. Can we relate to Rebecca’s distress at her twin children fighting in her womb – so much so that she asks why she exists? Can we look squarely at the agonizing experience of parental favoritism, how it impacts sibling relationships, and how we may have seen this play out in our own families? Can we ask each other whether Isaac is really fooled by Jacob’s costume into giving him his brother’s blessing, or if possibly he himself is unsure and not being honest with himself?
Our stories are meant not simply to be read and cherished but to challenge us and offer light and perspective. We can reap that reward when we read them closely and honestly, as with the stories of our own lives, allowing ourselves to be disturbed as well as inspired.
Terumah (Exodus 25:1-27:19) Torah Reading 2/21/26: Offerings about Antisemitism
February 18, 2026 by Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller • D'var Torah, Uncategorized
“Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart is so moved” (Ex. 25:2).)
This Sunday afternoon (4-5:30 pm), we will gather to share experiences of antisemitism with each other. We have invited Jews from the region to join us, so we will welcome them as well. A couple of non-Jewish clergy members will also join to listen with us.
Can this kind of sharing of experiences be considered a gift? Daring to share a painful experience and how it has impacted us can be healing for the ones sharing as well as for those listening. We can feel less alone, more accompanied and understood, and in the telling, we may also gain perspective on the experiences that are harder to attain when they live only in our own hearts and minds.
Antisemitism dehumanizes Jews, painting false and limited pictures of who we are, and using them to cause harm. Like racism, sexism, and other oppressions, antisemitism is embedded in our larger culture, and to heal from it requires facing how it has impacted us. This includes recent and distant experiences, those that form dramatic stories and those that seem “small” but hurt us nonetheless.
With the instruction to bring gifts to build the tabernacle (to house the Torah) comes the clarification that even though God is calling for these gifts, what is invited are gifts from the heart. Different from other offerings, which are expected for various reasons, this one is motivated by each person’s desire to give.
You are invited to share an experience and/or to listen to others. This listening space will be sacred and confidential. If you would like to share something you heard or learned, you may do so without sharing identifying information about the person who shared it. We will ask each person who chooses to speak to keep their sharing to 3 minutes, and we invite you to prepare your sharing in writing or notes in order to be able to cover what you hope to say.
“And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them” (Ex. 25:8). By building a sacred space for sharing and listening, we will invite the presence of the Source of healing and connection to dwell and grow among us, just as God described and calls for in our Torah portion.