התחלהStart herethree to begin with
Why Avraham's small victory proved G-d rules the world
Kedarla'omer's name hints he denied G-d; defeat revealed One King over all.
AI translationAI summary
Why did Avram need to leave his father's house too?
Based on the Rambam, each step is a greater escape from bad influence toward G-d's presence.
AI translationAI summary
Why good intentions count but evil intentions don't
Blessing Avraham is rewarded even as mere intent, unlike a curse, says Kiddushin 40.
AI summary
קריאהThe readingGenesis 12:1-17:27 · all of it in the booklet
What each aliyah says, with its page in the booklet. The text itself is on Sefaria.
First Aliyah
Avram's unconditional response to the Divine call to leave his homeland for an unknown destination establishes him as the founding model of faith and obedience, trusting in G-d's promise of blessing, land, and nationhood despite having no visible guarantee. Facing famine immediately upon arrival, he descends to Egypt, showing that even the chosen path of the Avot (Patriarchs) involves trials and practical caution, as seen in his request that Sarai present herself as his sister.
Second Aliyah
Sarai's beauty leads to her being taken into Pharaoh's palace, but G-d (the Divine Name) afflicts Pharaoh's household with plagues, compelling him to release her and send Abram away unharmed and enriched. Abram returns to Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel) to the very place of his earlier altar between Bethel and Ai, where he again calls out in the name of G-d, showing that divine providence protects the Avot (Patriarchs) even in exile and draws them back to the sacred sites of their original devotion.
Third Aliyah
To avoid strife, Abram graciously lets Lot choose his territory first, and Lot selfishly picks the lush but morally corrupt plain of Sodom, separating from Abram who remains in Canaan. After the separation, G-d reaffirms His covenant with Abram, promising him and his offspring the entire land forever, and Abram settles in Hebron, building an altar there.
Fourth Aliyah
Avraham’s decisive rescue of Lot from the four invading kings demonstrates his courage, loyalty to kin, and reliance on G-d rather than on the spoils of war, as shown by his refusal to take any of Sodom's wealth for himself. His encounter with Malki-Tzedek, king of Shalem and priest of G-d Most High, who blesses him and receives a tenth of the spoils, highlights Avraham's recognition of G-d as the ultimate source of victory and blessing.
Fifth Aliyah
Abram refuses any reward from the king of Sodom, insisting that his wealth come only from G-d and not from a mortal, so that none could claim credit for making him rich. When Abram voices his anguish over remaining childless, G-d promises him offspring as countless as the stars, and Abram's emunah (faith) in this promise is reckoned to him as righteousness.
Sixth Aliyah
At the Brit Bein HaBetarim (Covenant Between the Pieces), G-d assures Avram that his descendants will endure exile and slavery before inheriting the land of Canaan, sealing this promise through a unique covenant ceremony. Later, after Sarai gives Hagar to Avram and tensions arise, G-d renews His covenant with Avram, now renamed Avraham, promising him multitudes of descendants and nations.
Seventh Aliyah
G-d establishes brit milah (the covenant of circumcision) as the eternal sign of the covenant, commanding that every male, homeborn or purchased, be circumcised at eight days old, while Sarai's name is changed to Sarah and she is promised a son, Yitzchak, through whom the covenant will continue, with Yishmael separately blessed to become a great nation. Avraham, at ninety-nine, immediately fulfills this command by circumcising himself, Yishmael, and all the males of his household that very day.
Maftir
Avraham fulfilled the mitzvah (commandment) of brit milah (circumcision) at age ninety-nine, together with his son Yishmael at age thirteen, and on that very day every male in his household—whether born into it or acquired from outside—was circumcised alongside him. This immediate, wholehearted compliance demonstrates Avraham's complete devotion in carrying out G-d's command without delay.
Haftarah
Israel's complaint that G-d has ignored its cause is answered with the assurance that the eternal Creator never tires and grants strength to the weary who trust in Him, even as He directs the course of nations and empires. Though Israel may feel lowly as a worm, G-d promises as Redeemer to uphold, help, and transform His chosen servant into an instrument of strength against all who oppose it.
מדרשMidrash5 teachings · 2 in the booklet
The classic midrashim on the reading.
How Avraham first discovered there is a G-d
Seeing a lit building, he reasoned it must have an owner—so G-d answered, 'I am the owner.'
AI summary
Why did Avraham need to leave home to become great?
Like sealed balsam oil, his greatness only spread once moved from its place.
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Why the mitzvot's details matter so much
Rav says rules like slaughtering method exist to refine us, as fire refined Avraham.
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Even selfish actions can earn reward for the good done
Og hoped Avraham would die warning him of Lot's capture, yet received long life.
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Why Sarah's name change meant she outranked Avraham
The removed yod rises before G-d, who places it into Joshua's name.
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מפרשיםClassical Commentaries4 teachings
The comments on Lech-Lecha that teachers cite most, each beside a voice that reads the verse differently.
Avram's trip to Egypt foretold his descendants' future exile
Famine, plunder, plagues, and a wealthy exodus all foreshadowed Israel's story in Egypt.
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Why did Sarai treat Hagar harshly, and was it wrong
Ramban calls it a sin punished by Yishmael's birth; Sforno sees deserved, fitting discipline.
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Why the Torah dwells on small details of the patriarchs' travels
Avraham's journey to Shechem, Ramban says, foreshadows Israel's later conquest there.
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Why leaving home was the hardest part of the test
Sages debate if the command came in Ur or Haran, but agree all three ties were hard to cut.
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חסידותFrom the Chassidic Courts26 teachings · 7 in the booklet
One teaching from each court with something to say on Lech-Lecha, many not otherwise available in free English translation.
Why the soul is sent down into an earthly body
By choosing to serve G-d through eating and daily needs, earthliness becomes a dwelling place for divine life.
AI translationAI summary
Why Avraham's small victory proved G-d rules the world
Kedarla'omer's name hints he denied G-d; defeat revealed One King over all.
AI translationAI summary
Why did Avram need to leave his father's house too?
Based on the Rambam, each step is a greater escape from bad influence toward G-d's presence.
AI translationAI summary
Why good intentions count but evil intentions don't
Blessing Avraham is rewarded even as mere intent, unlike a curse, says Kiddushin 40.
AI summary
What does it really mean to 'go for yourself'
Push past body, birth, and family obstacles toward your soul's own source.
AI translationAI summary
Why did Avraham really journey to the Land of Israel
Avraham went only to fulfill the mitzvah; Lot came hoping to share the promised wealth.
AI translationAI summary
Even Avraham's faith was a gift, not his own doing
He saw his emunah itself as tzedakah from G-d, not his own achievement.
AI translationAI summary
Why holding back from excess brings inner peace
The text reads 'go from your land' as curbing earthliness to fuel Torah, prayer, and mitzvot.
AI translationAI summary
Bringing others closer to G-d carries spiritual risk
Inner fire of self-judgment, like Shabbat, guards the heart from attaching negativity.
AI summary
Why these three martyrs matched Avraham's faith
After Yechezkel told them no rescue was coming, they still gave themselves up with total certainty of death, like Avraham at the furnace.
AI translationAI summary
Why did Avraham need any benefit at all?
Leaving home let his kindness spread, treating everyone like his own family.
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Why true prayer aims above personal needs
Avraham's plea for a child was really for the Torah, and personal good followed.
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Why Avraham needed the Land to perfect kindness
His rescue of Lot pulled him toward severity, until Malki Tzedek's bread and wine restored his chessed.
AI translationAI summary
Why did Avraham ask for a sign only later
He doubted meriting resurrection's promise, hinted only at the Covenant between the Pieces.
AI translationAI summary
Why holiness works through one chosen part, not everything equally
Avraham first wanted all creation drawn to HaShem, but 'Lech lecha' taught one nation, one good point, must be chosen so the rest is nullified.
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Why Lech Lecha means stripping away the soul's coverings
Three garments — from father, mother, and self — must be shed, in that order, to transcend nature.
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Why the Torah tells Avraham to leave three things behind
Each phrase marks a step: beat desire, fix inborn traits, turn family pride into holy glory.
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Why calling G-d 'You' in prayer is itself a kindness
Clay-formed humans addressing the King directly reflects divine chesed, hinted in Malki-Tzedek's blessing to Avram.
AI translationAI summary
Hardship itself is where a person finds G-d
Avraham's two altars show Torah and prayer refine character and undo the serpent's harm.
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Why true teshuvah makes a person a new creation
Leaving will, birth-nature, and father's ways lets blessing flow through the Avot first.
AI translationAI summary
Why Avraham waited to circumcise himself
He kept all Torah already, but sought G-d's own future circumcision of the heart.
AI translationAI summary
Why did old age only begin with Avraham?
His constant practice of kindness drew down a deeper, more ancient kindness into the world.
AI translationAI summary
Avraham's real test was staying balanced about money
He prayed for neither poverty nor riches, so wealth left him sober, not joyful like Lot.
AI summary
Why Israel's survival became a law of nature
Since Torah sustains the world and Israel sustains Torah, nature itself resists Israel's end.
AI translationAI summary
Why believing you've barely started serving G-d is righteousness
True tzaddikim (righteous ones) ask for nothing but an unearned gift, humbly starting fresh each day.
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Your humble origins shouldn't limit your hopes for greatness
G-d told Avraham to leave the limiting thought that his idolatrous roots blocked him from righteousness.
AI translationAI summary
בני זמננוModern Commentaries2 teachings
Rabbi Sacks's essay on Lech-Lecha, and the Netziv on its verses.
Did Avraham break from his father or complete his path?
The midrash has him smashing idols; Maimonides says he reasoned his way to one G-d.
AI summary
Being numerous like dust could also mean being lowly
Stars promise many men of stature, not just vast numbers like the dust.
AI summary
הלכה יומיתDaily HalachaKitzur Shulchan Aruch Yomi · Sunday to Shabbat
A few paragraphs of practical law a day: the whole Kitzur in a year, with each festival’s laws learned before it.
The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch was written in 19th-century Hungary. Times and directions of prayer reflect the author's location; ask your rabbi for local practice.
The Laws of Tzitzis
If you take off your tallis with the intention of putting it on again immediately, even if you did so for the purpose of going to the lavatory, when you return and put it on again you do not recite the berachah over it (the tallis). (Since it is permissible to enter the lavatory with it [i. e. even while wearing a tallis] it is,therefore, not considered an interruption). However, if your intention was not to put the tallis on again immediately, and then you changed your mind and did put it on again, you must recite the berachah over it. If your tallis fell off accidentally, [then] if part of it remained on your body, regardless if most of it fell, as long as part of the mitzvah remained upon you you are not required to repeat the berachah when you readjust [the tallis]. However, if none of the tallis remains on your body, although you are holding it in your hand, [then] since no part of the mitzvah remains on your body, for the mitzvah is not to hold the tallis in your hand, but for the body to be wrapped in it, you must, therefore, say a berachah when you put the tallis on again. If this happens to you during prayers at a point when you are not permitted to interrupt, you should not recite the blessing then but wait [instead] until you are permitted to recite the berachah, [at which point] you should grasp the tzitzis in your hand and recite the berachah.
The Laws of Tzitzis
The strings of the tzitzah must be twisted and if any string becomes unravelled from its twistedness then any unravelled part is considered as if it were cut off and as if it does not exist.
Laws of Tefillin
The mitzvah of tefillin is also a very precious mitzvah, for the entire Torah is similar to tefillin, as it is said: "In order that the Torah of Hashem be in your mouth." And someone who does not put on tefillin, is reckoned among the transgressors of Israel who sin with their bodies, [i. e., tefillin are worn on the arm and head]. Similarly one who puts on invalid tefillin, not only fails to perform the mitzvah, but he also recites many berachos in vain, which is a grave sin. Therefore, you should be careful to purchase tefillin from an expert, and God-fearing scribe. Similarly, the tefillin straps should be purchased from a trustworthy person to be sure that the leather was processed for the sake of tefillin, from hides of a kosher animal. But among our many sins is the temptation to purchase tefillin and tefillin straps from anyone who sells them cheaply, [even though] their tefillin are invalid. Every God-fearing person should consider this: if he is concerned to select proper material for his clothing and utensils, then certainly he should not economize and worry about the cost when buying articles to serve God, blessed is His Name. You should therefore be careful to purchase [only] those tefillin that are definitely kosher, even though they cost more. You should take care that they are always in proper order, and that the batim and straps are always black. You should smear the straps with oil regularly to ensure their blackness, (but they should not be smeared with the oil of a fish called "fishtron" because this oil is derived from a non-kosher fish.) If the tefillin were damaged even slightly or if the stitches tore, you should immediately consult a rabbinic expert to determine their validity. You should be especially careful regarding the corners [of the batim] and specifically to the shel rosh because they frequently rub against objects which cause dents making them invalid. And also very frequently when tefillin become old, a separation appears in the upper hide of the shel rosh making it invalid. You should be greatly concerned about all of these matters. All who are careful [in the observance] of the mitzvah of tefillin and treat them with sanctity, not speaking of trivial or secular matters when wearing them, will have his days lengthened, and is assured of a share in the World to Come, as it is said: "Hashem is upon them (for they carry upon themselves the Name of Hashem in the tefillin) and they shall live; and in all these things will my spirit live, and You will give me health and give me life." The word, tefillin, means judgement and admonition (and therefore the lamed has a dot in order to compensate for the second lamed which is missing) because the tefillin are testimony and proof that the Divine Presence dwells upon us, as is stated in Scripture: "All the peoples of the earth shall see that the Name of Hashem is called upon you etc." Our Sages, of blessed memory, explain that this refers to the shel rosh upon which is formed the letters shin of Hashem's Name, Shadai. And therefore you should not cover the shel rosh completely with the tallis.
Laws of Tefillin
The tefillin must be put on while standing. You should not shake the tefillin out of the bag, because this is disrespectful to the mitzvah, but you should take them out with your hand. You first put on the shel yad and before you tighten the knot recite the berachah: lehani'ach tefillin (the letter hay has the vowel kametz and the letter lamed of the word tefillin has a dot in it). You then tighten the knot and wind the strap around your arm seven times, and then immediately put on the shel rosh. Before tightening it on your head recite the berachah: al mitzvas tefillin (the letter vav has the vowel pasach). You then tighten the shel rosh and say the verse: Blessed [is His] Name, Whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever. The reason it is necessary to say: Blessed [is His] Name, Whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever, is because there is some doubt regarding the [second] berachah, and because there is a doubt regarding this berachah there is consequently also a doubt if one who hears the berachah should answer Amein or not. Therefore, it appears to me that it is preferable to recite this berachah in an undertone. After putting on the shel rosh coil the strap of the shel yad three times around the middle finger, once on the middle section and twice on the lower section.
Laws of Tefillin
The prescribed width of the tefillin straps, whether of the shel rosh or the shel yad, cannot be less than the length of a barley kernel. The prescribed length for the shel rosh, for both right and left straps [is that it be long enough] to reach until the navel or slightly above it. Some authorities maintain that the right strap should extend until the circumcision, (Shimusha Rabbah), and it is proper to follow the stricter view as the best way to fulfill the mitzvah. The strap of the shel yad must be long enough to tighten the bayis to the muscle, and to make seven coils around the arm and three coils around the middle finger, with enough left to tighten it. If the strap breaks, whether of the shel rosh or the shel yad, you should consult a rabbinic authority.
Laws of Tefillin
The tefillin are removed while standing. You should unwind the coils from the middle finger and two or three coils from the arm. The shel rosh is removed first and then the shel yad because it is written "They shall be for totafos between your eyes." Since it says "They shall be" in the plural tense, our Sages of blessed memory, elicit that as long [as the shel rosh] is between your eyes, both tefillin should be on you. Therefore, you put on the tefillin shel yad first and remove the shel rosh first, so that whenever the shel rosh is on you, the shel yad should also be on you. You should remove the shel rosh with the left hand which is the weaker hand in order to demonstrate that you are reluctant to remove them, because ideally the mitzvah is to wear the tefillin the entire day; but because our bodies are not always clean we remove them immediately after prayers. You should not remove the tefillin in the presence of the Seifer Torah nor in the presence of your rebbe but you should turn aside [and remove them]. It is a custom ordained by our Sages to kiss the tefillin when putting them on and taking them off. You should not remove the tallis until after taking off the tefillin.
Laws of Mezuzah
According to Rambam, a house must have these ten conditions for it to require a mezuzah: It must be at least six square feet, it must have two door-posts, a lintel, a ceiling, doors, an opening with a height of at least ten handbreadths, it must be used for secular purposes only, it must be used as a dwelling for people, it must be for dignified usage and it must be a permanent dwelling. It is a positive commandment to affix a mezuzah on every doorway. Even if you have several rooms and each room has several entrances that are made for entry and exit, even though you are accustomed to use only one of these doorways, nevertheless, all of the doorways must have a mezuzah. [Also] even if the number of dwellers has diminished and you (the present dweller) now require only one doorway, nevertheless, all the doorways must have a mezuzah. However, if there is a particular doorway which is designated only as a place of entry for periodic deliveries and there is also an additional doorway which is used for both entry and exit, then the doorway which is used solely for delivery is exempt.
Sources & translations
| Bereshit Rabbah | The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah, 2022 |
| Ibn Ezra | Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004 |
| Kedushat Levi | Kedushat Levi translated by Rb. Eliyahu Munk |
| Likutei Moharan | Likutey Moharan Volumes 1-11, trans. by Moshe Mykoff. Breslov Research Inst., 1986-2012 |
| Mei HaShiloach | Living waters, the Mei HaShiloach. Trans. and edited by Betsalel Philip Edwards, Jerusalem, J. Aronson 2001 [Revised digital edition, 2021] |
| Radak | Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash |
| Ramban | Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976 |
| Rashi | Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934 |
| Sforno | Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash |
| Steinsaltz | The Steinsaltz Tanakh - English |
| Torah and Haftarah | Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, published by JPS |
| Woodcut illustrations | drawn by AI in the style of a woodcut |
| Kitzur Shulchan Aruch | Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, trans. Rabbi Avrohom Davis, Metsudah Pub., 1996 (CC-BY), via Sefaria |
| Translated by AI | Arvei Nachal, Avodat Yisrael, Bat Ayin, Beit Aharon, Beit Yisrael (Ruzhin), Chiddushei HaRim on Torah, Degel Machaneh Ephraim, Divrei Emet, Irin Kadishin, Likutei Halakhot, Maor VaShemesh, Me'or Einayim, Noam Elimelekh, Ohev Yisrael, Ohr HaMeir, Peri Tzadik, Sefat Emet, Shem MiShmuel, Tiferet Shlomo, Toldot Yaakov Yosef, Torah Ohr, Yismach Moshe, Zera Kodesh (how) |