An Elul thought a day on each of the Torah readings of the year continues - parashat ha-yom!

For today, Va-Yeira, the fourth parashah of the Torah, Genesis 18:1 - 22:24, and the ongoing stories around Abraham.

Sarah gives birth to Isaac, a miraculous child of her senior years, and casts out Hagar, the mother of Ishmael. The Torah itself offers us a better alternative for surrogate motherhood in the Rachel and Leah who offer their handmaids to Jacob and raise their children as their own.

An Elul thought on this: we admit that we can improve situations by rethinking our approaches, and sometimes going back to the drawing board.