Our guest today is Rabbi Moshe Davis of the Brith Sholom Beth Israel congregation in Charleston, South Carolina. Rabbi Davis received his BA in psychology, MS in Jewish education as well as rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University. He is a co-founder of the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA), a nonprofit organization which assists women who are unjustly refused a get by their recalcitrant husbands. Since its founding in 2002, ORA has resolved over 100 cases. Prior to his current position, Rabbi Davis served as the Assistant Rabbi of United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston (UOS), a congregation of 350 members. While in Houston, he ran a community-wide growth initiative, in conjunction with the City of Houston, as well as the Orthodox Union, which recently chose Houston as their model city for Affordable Orthodox Living.
This week's Torah portion – Parashat Vayetze (Genesis 28:10-32:2) – features the story of Jacob's dream and Jacob's ladder, Jacob's first encounter with Rachel at the well, and his marriage with her and with her sister Leah after being cheated by their father Laban. Our discussion focuses on the idea of Jacob (who married two sisters) as an example of a person who kept the mitzvoth.
If you would like to learn some more about Vayetze, take a look at our conversation with Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch.
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