In Parshat Vayera, Abraham’s nephew Lot is rescued by angels from the sinful city of Sodom, and after he and most of his family escape, the city is destroyed by heavenly fire. These seem to be the main plot points of the narrative. And yet, upon closer inspection, there actually seems to be a larger story being told, one that might make us question what we know about the real sin of Sodom. Woven into the account of the destruction of Sodom are a host of subtle references to a different story in the Bible – to, of all things, the Garden of Eden.

What do these two stories have to do with each other? Is there some common theme or lesson that runs through them both? In this video, Rabbi Fohrman explores the links between the stories, and suggests that Sodom might not have been the lawless place we usually imagine. Instead, it had a different problem – and understanding it holds the secret to how one can truly follow the path of God in building an ideal society.

One of the defining characteristics of Abraham and Sarah is their custom of doing extreme acts of kindness. Yet, upon closer inspection of the Biblical stories about them, they seem to do some very unkind things! Take the story of Hagar and her son Ishmael, for example. How can Abraham and Sarah kick them out of their home and send them into the desert? How should we understand this action, which seems so inconsistent with Abraham's and Sarah’s character?

Join Rabbi Fohrman as he explores more deeply the actions of Abraham and Sarah. Surprisingly, his answers take us to another Biblical story, one that allows us to understand these actions and their repercussions generations later.

The Binding of Isaac (in Hebrew, the Akeidah) is one of the most difficult stories in the entire Bible. Why does God ask Abraham to bind his son as an offering? How can Abraham even entertain the idea of killing Isaac? The Torah says that God is testing Abraham, but is this kind of blind loyalty really what God wants from us?

In this video, Rabbi Fohrman picks apart a brief dialogue that takes place between Abraham and Isaac as they ascend the mountain. This deeper look into the words exchanged by father and son – and the silences between them – points us to the crux of Abraham’s test and how he withstands it. You may well have been misunderstanding the binding of Isaac all of this time: It's about far more than Abraham’s obedience to God.

In this video for Parshat Vayera, David Block and Immanuel Shalev turn to one of the most curious conversations in the entire Torah: when Abraham musters his chutzpah and pleads head-on with God, attempting to save the city of Sodom and Gomorrah from Divine destruction.

God promises that if there are even 10 righteous people who dwell there, then God will spare the entire city. And then, something odd happens: the conversation ends, abruptly – and God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah.

Why did the conversation end at 10? Why did God proceed with His destruction? Was it because Abraham wasn’t righteous enough to save them? What about Lot, Abraham’s nephew, who was dwelling in Sodom – didn’t he deserve to be saved?

David and Imu ask the tough questions about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and uncover a fascinating insight about what it takes to be truly righteous in the eyes of God.

For more on Vayera:

• The Real Test Of The Binding of Isaac

• The Troubling Story Of Hagar's Outcast By Abraham

• Abraham's Journey

• Akeidah: Was The Sacrifice Of Isaac Heroism Or Murder?

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