Introduction from the Book
…ויעש ה’ אלהים לאדם ולאשתו כתנות עור וילבישם – בתורתו של ר’ מאיר מצאו כתוב: כתנות אור
“And Hashem Elohim made for Adam and his wife garments of leather and clothed them”—in the Torah of Rabbi Meir they found that it was written: “garments of light…”
– Midrash Beresheet Rabbah 20:12
After partaking of the Forbidden Fruit, Adam and Eve suddenly became aware that they were naked. Ashamed, they quickly covered themselves up with fig leaves before God provided them with proper leather garments. Yet, in his personal copy of the Torah, Rabbi Meir wrote not “garments of leather”, kotnot ‘or (כתנות עור) but “garments of light”, kotnot or (כתנות אור). The words are pronounced essentially the same way, the only difference being the letter ayin replaced with an aleph.
Our Sages teach that initially Adam and Eve were beings of radiant light. Only after consuming the Fruit did their light fade away, and their bodies were left covered in skin. Prior to the Fruit, when Adam and Eve gazed upon each other they saw one another’s inner glow, and felt nothing but pure love; after the Fruit, they saw frail skin, and all of its lustful trappings. This is why they were so ashamed.
Ever since, it is the mission of each person to see through the deceptive outer skin of others to find the goodness radiating from within every human being. And it is the life’s work of each person to bring forth their own inner light that is concealed deep inside.
Our Sages teach that the Torah, too, was initially glowing with pure light, with all of its profound wisdom and esoteric secrets openly revealed, easily graspable by all. After the Fruit, the Torah similarly underwent a concealment, and now we must toil in its words, and dig ever deeper to unlock its infinite wisdom. Jewish texts often affirm that there are shiv’im panim laTorah, “seventy faces to the Torah”. Each verse and each word—if not each letter and stroke of the scribal pen—has seventy layers of meaning. And each layer itself can be interpreted in multiple ways. Nonetheless, elu v’elu divrei Elohim chaim, “these and these are the Living Words of God”—it is all one Torah.
This is the secret of the shift from the letter ayin to the letter aleph, for ayin has a numerical value (gematria) of seventy, while aleph has a value of one. All seventy layers emanate from the one Torah; all shine forth from its original, primordial light.
Like man, the Torah has been clothed in garments, seventy garments that may take a lifetime to uncover. The following seventy essays on the weekly parasha and holidays aim to shed a little bit of that light.
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Contents
Genesis
Beresheet
- The Big Bang and the Age of the Universe
- How Jewish Law is Supposed to Make You Better
Noach
- Noah’s Ark & the Tower of Babel: Not What You Think!
- The Zohar’s Prophecy of Another Great Flood
Lech Lecha
Vayera
- Secrets of the Akedah
Chayei Sarah
- A Mystical Journey through the Lives of Sarah
Toldot
- Isaac and Rebecca: the Secret to Perfect Marriage
- The Origins of Jerusalem and the Priesthood
Vayetze
Vayishlach
- With Whom Did Jacob Wrestle? The Surprising Identity of Jacob’s “Angel”
- Embracing Converts, and the Seeds of Amalek
Vayeshev
- Was Joseph Really Sold By His Own Brothers?
Miketz
- Does Archaeological Evidence Prove the Biblical Narrative of Joseph?
- The Flood, the Tower, and Egypt: Why Were the Israelites Enslaved?
Vayigash
- The Incredible Story of Serach bat Asher
Vayechi
- How Jacob Prophesied All of Jewish History
Exodus
Shemot
Va’era
- The Meaning of God’s Names
Bo
- The Ten Plagues: Destroying the Idols of Egypt
Beshalach
- Should We Still Be Praying for Mashiach?
- The Mystery of Manna
Yitro
- Jethro and the Druze
- The Puzzle of the 613 Commandments
Mishpatim
Terumah
- How Charity Can Save Your Life
Tetzave
Ki Tisa
- Unmasking the Golden Calf: Who, Why, and How?
Vayak’hel-Pekudei
- Mysteries of the Mishkan: Understanding the Tabernacle and its Sacrifices
- Shabbat, Technology, and Our Cosmic Purpose
Leviticus
Vayikra
- The Names and Divisions of Angels
Tzav
- Space Travel in the World to Come?
Shemini
- The Holy Souls of Nadav and Avihu
Tazria-Metzora
Acharei-Kedoshim
Emor
- Secrets of the Menorah Psalm and the Jewish Holidays
Behar-Bechukotai
Numbers
Bamidbar
Nasso
- Are More Restrictions Good for Judaism?
Beha’alotkha
- Shaving and the Mystical Power of Beards
Shlach
- A Deeper Look at the Sin of the Spies
Korach
- King Solomon on Feminism
Chukat
- Who Was Miriam the Prophetess, and What Did She Prophesy?
Balak
Pinchas
Matot-Massei
- Do Jews Really Follow the Torah?
Deuteronomy
Devarim
48. The Amazing Story of Og, the Giant King of Bashan
Va’etchanan
49. What Are the Jewish People “Chosen” For?
Ekev
50. Keys to Living a Long Life
Re’eh
- How to Receive God’s Blessing
Shoftim
52. Why Taking Care of the Environment is a Torah Mitzvah
Ki Tetze
53. Does the Torah Allow Polygamy?
Ki Tavo
54. 1909: The Year that Ended the “Jewish Curse” and Fulfilled Prophecy
Nitzavim-Vayelech
55. How Did Adam Live 930 Years?
Ha’azinu
56. Should Jews Believe in Astrology?
V’Zot HaBerachah
57. The Incredible Midrash of Moshe’s Death
Holidays
Rosh Hashanah
58. Why is Rosh Hashanah the New Year?
Yom Kippur
59. The Problem with Kapparot
Sukkot
60. Uniting Heaven and Earth
Chanukah
61. Did the Jews Really Defeat the Greeks?
Purim
- Israel and Amalek: The Cosmic Struggle
- The First Jewish Holiday
Pesach
64. Transcending Nature
Shavuot
- The Real Ten Commandments You’ve Never Heard Of
More Holidays
66. The Spiritual Significance of Sefirat HaOmer
67. The Hidden History of Lag B’Omer
68. Tisha B’Av: The Untold Story of Napoleon and the Jews
69. Why Tu B’Av Is More Important Than Yom Kippur
70. Tu b’Shevat: The Prime Ministers of Israel and the Coming of Mashiach
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