Torah With A Twist

Toldot- I am the Favorite! As I write this now, I have a smile that can not be contained, and a few tears of joy and fond memories!  With each passing year on the anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah (Portion/Parsha/Reading), and how proud I made my parents, grandparents, brother, family and friends!    Like most Bar Mitzvah boys, my voice sang out with with a pubescent tone/squeak, although already deep and extremely loud and able to project, I pushed aside the microphone with such vigor, in extreme confidence (I started out at a young age), as I was going to ROCK the house of over 300 of my guests, er' my family's guests; my entire family basically and so many friends. On the Night of/Day of…..My dad was proudly seated next to me on the pulpit/bema.  My mom sat in the first row, along with my older brother who was 17 at the time, my 2 nanas, and my grandpa Nate, who my dear and loving son is named after.  I remember vividly the smiles, and tears of...

In this week's Torah reading, we read about Abraham and Sarah and their wonderful and amazing  marriage, and their true loving relationship, even after Sarah's passing.  She understood things that he did not, and he did things she was unable.  A true partnership, and of true meaning!  They had the value of understanding, balance, tolerance, and honest acceptance of the gifts the other had from within.  This is a true healthy  blueprint for any and all relationships . In the beginning of this Parsha (Torah Portion), Abraham is purchasing the place for Sarah to be buried, and not only for his beloved Sarah, but a plot big enough for her, and eventually the entire family.  He wanted to be buried next to his wife; the same woman who shared his world! His love and his respect for her is/was    'chessed shel emes' , A true and loving kindness. His purchasing the cave of the Machpelech, really declared that she was his partner,...