Prisms: Insights into Chumash Bereishis & the Yamim Tovim - Rabbi Michael Schoen

Pass a beam of monochromatic light through a prism, and watch it turn into a brilliant rainbow of color after color. Similarly, the words of the Torah lend themselves to many interpretations: there are, our Sages tell us, seventy facets to the Torah. In Prisms, Rabbi Michael Schoen examines some of these many facets. In a concise and readable fashion, he poses questions on aspects of Chumash Bereishis and the Yamim Tovim, answering them with elegance and insight. Why did Avraham insist on a daughter- in-law whose predominant trait was chesed, loving-kindness? Why does the Torah state that Yaakov loved Rachel more than her sister, and elsewhere imply that it was Leah whom he loved? How did the avos observe the mitzvos before they had even been given on Mt. Sinai? What are the basic differences between the miracles of Chanukah and Purim? By closely examining the words of the Torah, as well as Rashi and other commentators, Rabbi Schoen offers illuminating answers to these and many other questions.