Mazel Tov to Gidon on the birth of his Granddaughter!

Published: Tue, 11/18/25

Updated: Wed, 11/19/25

"Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.”

Genesis 25:21

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Hi friend,

This coming Shabbat's Torah portion, read on Saturday, November 22nd, is Parashat Toldot. In this week’s reading, Toldot, Jacob and Esau are born. Isaac relocates to Philistine where he digs wells, resulting in friction between him and the locals. Rebecca and Jacob successfully deceive Isaac, tricking him into giving to Jacob the blessings he had intended for Esau.

Mazel Tov to Gidon on welcoming his tenth granddaughter! This newsletter has been quite busy recently, so we are only getting to announce the birth of Gidon's Tenth grandchild(!) today!

Check out this AI interview with Gidon Ariel! I think it turned out pretty well—what’s your take? Check below!

Join us in exploring the Weekly Bible Chapter: Pharaoh’s Confirmation Bias with Rabbi Avraham Norin, and let’s learn and reflect together!

Please enjoy this teaching of our beloved Root Source teacher, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz of blessed memory, about this week's Torah portion, Toldot, and share your thoughts with us!

Last week, our popular Root Source teacher Rabbi Gedalia Meyer talked about Chayei Sara. Watch it below.

Check below to hear what Gidon Ariel and Richard Booker have to share.

We sign off with a nice comment and a beautiful photo of Great Crater, Israel.

Shalom,

Gidon Ariel and Bob O’Dell
Root Source Founders

Parashat Todlot

Rebecca had trouble conceiving. Isaac and Rebecca prayed for children, and after twenty years of marriage Rebecca became pregnant. She was concerned about her exceedingly difficult pregnancy, and was advised by G‑d that this was due to two children – two nations – struggling in her womb. She gave birth to twin boys: a hairy, ruddy boy named Esau, and a second son, born clutching his brother’s heel, named Jacob. Esau became a hunter, while Jacob was an honest man who frequented the schools of Torah. Isaac favored Esau, while Rebecca preferred Jacob. One day, Esau came home from the field hungry, and pleaded with Jacob to give him some of the stew he was cooking. Jacob agreed to Esau’s request provided that he give him his birthright as firstborn in exchange—and Esau acceded to this barter. There was a famine in Canaan, and Isaac was escaping the famine by traveling to Egypt via Philistine when G‑d told him to remain in Philistine. G‑d also informed Isaac that he would visit upon him all the blessings He had promised to Abraham.

Mazel Tov to Gidon on the birth of his Granddaughter!

Congratulations to Shira Rina and Ori Vangrover on the birth of their daughter this morning at sunrise, a sister to Nachman Simcha, Yosef Adin, and Roni Leah, a tenth granddaughter to Devra and Gidon Ariel.

Check here!

An AI interview with Gidon Ariel - what do you think?

I think it’s not all that bad at all! What do you think? My conversation with Rabbi Nechemia Coopersmith on Delphi...

Check here!

Weekly Bible Chapter:

Pharaoh’s Confirmation Bias

Despite Moses and Aaron’s signs and wonders, Pharaoh repeatedly “hardens his heart” and refuses to release his Israelite slaves. What does it mean to “harden one’s heart” and why does the Torah first say that Pharaoh hardened his own heart and later say that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart?

Read here!

Parashat Toldot: Unblocking Stopped-Up Wells

The Philistines in the biblical narrative are often associated with the concept of “stam” (meaning “insignificance” or “ordinariness”), which reflects a mindset of avoiding deep engagement or commitment to any issue or belief. In the context of Isaac redigging his father’s wells, the Philistines are depicted as filling the wells with earth, thereby rendering them useless. This act symbolizes their tendency to make everything mundane and devoid of meaning, not out of malice but as a way of avoiding the deeper questions of life. The Philistines do not engage with the world in a way that brings true meaning or change but instead dull everything to avoid confrontation with important moral or spiritual questions. The attitude of stam is powerful because it requires no proof, meaning, or commitment and creates a world where nothing is truly significant.

Read Here!

Chayei Sara:
Rabbi Gedalia Meyer's Weekly Torah Study

“Avraham willed all that he possessed to Yitzchak; but to Avraham’s sons by concubines Avraham gave gifts while he was still living, and he sent them away from his son Yitzchak eastward, to the land of the East.” (Genesis 25:5-6) What do we really own? What do we really possess? And what were the gifts Avraham gave his sons by his concubines after giving all that he possessed to Yitzchak?

Watch the video

Conversations:

Gidon Ariel and Richard Booker -

January 13, 2024

Gidon and Richard discussed topics like Gidon’s volunteer work driving cancer patients and transporting Gaza/West Bank patients despite risks, childhood values of outdoor play and respect for elders, and the dwindling number of Holocaust survivors. They also reflected on ministry work emphasizing love, unity, and education about Christian roles during WWII, and Gidon shared his father’s remarkable Holocaust survival story and life in Israel.

Watch here!

Comments

We get so many comments!
Here is one from Dawn in an appreciation email:

"Hi Gidon, I just wanted to say thank you for recognizing there is a need for people like me that want to learn more about Judaism. I am so happy you and Bob created Root-Source. I truly appreciate you."

Great Crater, Israel

Enjoy this photo of the Great Crater, Israel by Shai Pal.

Blessings and Shalom,
Bob and Gidon

https://root-source.com

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