A Year with the Sages: Wisdom on the Weekly Torah Portion (JPS Daily Inspiration Series)

380 Pages·5.718 MB·English

by  Reuven Hammer

“Any publication by Rabbi Reuven Hammer is cause for celebration.
His wisdom, warmth, and depth are treasures. A Year with the Sages
is exceptional— the contemporary sage, Rabbi Hammer, guides us
in walking the path of the ancient sages.”
— Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, dean of the Ziegler School of
Rabbinic Studies, American Jewish University
“Reuven Hammer examines a portion of each week’s Torah and
holiday readings in a unique tri- partite fashion— Explanation,
Exposition of Sages, and Personal Reflections— offering us his in-
depth knowledge of Torah, erudite mastery of Rabbinic sources,
and enlightening reflections, respectively. The end result— A Year
with the Sages— is a truly valuable contribution to us all.”
— Shalom M. Paul, professor emeritus of Bible studies, Hebrew
University in Jerusalem
“A Year with the Sages offers a learned, relevant and eloquent reac-
tion to each among the entire year of weekly Torah portions. These
essays are insightful in preparing for Bible Study classes, for ser-
monic presentations, and for an on- going rhythm of engagement
with sacred texts. Rabbi Hammer’s breadth of knowledge com-
bines scholarship with current- day life wisdom. This is a worthy
addition to both personal and communal Jewish libraries.”
— Rabbi Alan Silverstein, president of Mercaz Olami, past president
of the International Rabbinical Assembly and of Masorti Olami
“Hammer sheds insightful light on the meaning of Torah for both
the rabbinic period and our time.”
— Rabbi Steven Reuben, senior rabbi emeritus of Kehillat Israel
Reconstructionist Congregation in Pacific Palisades, California
“Hammer has chosen his rabbinic texts wisely; his comments are both
scholarly and contemporary, and offer us meaningful life lessons.”
— Rabbi Vernon Kurtz, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El in
Highland Park, Illinois, and author of Encountering Torah: Reflections
on the Weekly Portion
A Year with the Sages
JPS Daily Inspiration Series
University of Nebraska Press
Lincoln
A Year with the Sages
Wisdom on the Weekly Torah Portion
Rabbi Reuven HammeR
The Jewish Publication Society
Philadelphia
© 2019 by Reuven Hammer
All rights reserved. Published by the
University of Nebraska Press
as a Jewish Publication Society book.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Hammer, Reuven, author.
Title: A year with the Sages: wisdom on the weekly
Torah portion / Rabbi Reuven Hammer.
Description: Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press;
Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, [2019] |
Series: jps daily inspiration series | “Published by the
University of Nebraska Press as a Jewish Publication
Society book.” | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: lccn 2018047889
isbn 9780827613119 (cloth: alk. paper)
isbn 9780827617896 (epub)
isbn 9780827617902 (mobi)
isbn 9780827617919 (pdf)
Subjects: lcsH: Bible. Pentateuch— Commentaries. |
Fasts and feasts— Judaism. | Aggada.
Classification: lcc bs1225.53 .H3574 2019+
| ddc 222/.107— dc23 lc record available at
https:// lccn .loc .gov /2018047889.
Set in Merope Basic by Mikala R. Kolander.
To the memory of my mother- in- law,
Shirley Robbins Kotin,
a woman of independence and a loving
mother, grandmother, and great- grandmother,
on the fifteenth anniversary of her death.
She girds herself with strength
and performs her tasks with vigor.
— Proverbs 31:17

Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xiii
i. Genesis (beRe’sHit)
Bere’shit: A Fence Too Tall 3
Noaḥ: Human Nature 8
Lekh Lekha: Making Souls 13
Va- yera’: Loving One Another 18
Ḥayyei Sarah: Sarah’s Tent 23
Toledot: The Voice of Jacob 28
Va- yetse’: The Place 34
Va- yishlaḥ: Jacob’s Dilemma 39
Va- yeshev: Joseph the Youth 44
Mikkets: The Dangers of Power 48
Va- yiggash: Learning with a Sage 53
Va- yeḥi: No Unworthy Children 58
ii. exodus (sHemot)
Shemot: Where Was God? 65
Va- ’era’: Steeped in Idolatry 70
Bo’: Divine Protection 75