The second parasha of Torah weaves stories that are familiar the world over, because they are central narratives to our shared human experience. We sin, we survive, we are fractured and dipersed by cultural distinctions, yet our human capacity for true purpose and faith remains. G-d understands our inherent weakness and loves us not just in spite of it, but in some ways because of it. After all, as Noah finds out, human weakness and sin can be the vital impetus that helps us to drive forward...

The first parasha of Torah allows us to begin our understanding of how G-d brought the world into being, and possibly even a little bit of why. It's a story of kindness and sin, generosity and failure, all bound up in individual characters and one lineage. But it's not all bad news - the parasha ends as G-d finds hope that a good human migth truly exist. The haftarah from Isaiah gives us further insight into G-d's purpose for us and G-d's frustrations at how we routinely fail to meet those...