PHILOTORAH VAYEITZEI May HaShem protect our soldiers and the hostages; may He send Refu'ah Sh'leima to the many injured; may He console the bereaved families and all of Israel, may He end this war with success and peace for Medinat Yisrael and Klal Yisrael wherever they are. YERUSHALAYIM in/out times for VAYEITZEI 6 Kislev 5785 <> December 6-7, '24 4:00PM <> PLAG 3:32PM <<>> 5:15PM <> R' Tam 5:47PM Use the Z'MANIM link for other locales and other times CALnotes Kiddush L'vana With the molad of Kislev being early Sunday morning, three full days later brings us to Wednesday morning. Later that day after dark is the first opportunity for Kiddush L'vana this month, according to Minhag Yerushalayim. That's Wednesday, December 4th. Many shuls will go for KL on Motza'ei Shabbat, December 7th. Seven-days-after-the-molad people will have their first op on Sunday night, December 8th. Keep in mind that cloudy and hopefully rainy nights at this time of year can present a problem for Kiddush L'vana. Starting out looking for the Moon from the earlier time of M.Y. increases your chances for saying Kiddush L'vana. If you are a regular Motza'ei Shabbat KL-sayer - or - a seven-days-after person, you might want to ask your Rav if saying KL at the earlier time is okay for you. Note also, that it is preferable to say KL with a minyan, but saying it by yourself is acceptable. And when the issue is the weather, saying it by yourself at an earlier evening can be a better idea than waiting for a minyan. Furthermore, Minhag Yerushalayim, based on the minhagim of the GR"A, holds that taking the earliest opportunity is most preferable because of Z'RIZIM MAKDIMIM L'MITZVOT. Chanuka is on the way Note that the days of the week on which dates in the Jewish Calendar fall - from the beginning of Adar all the way through the year until the 29th of Marcheshvan - follow the LO ADU ROSH rule. This means that those dates - 295 of the possible 385 dates - all have four days of the week on which they can fall, and three days on which they cannot fall. The 30th of Marcheshvan is unique in that it has only 3 possible days of the week on which it can fall - Sunday (like this year), Tuesday, or Thursday. The first of Kislev, which can follow the 29th of Marcheshvan (when there is no 30th) or the 30th (obviously, when there is a 30th), can fall on any of six days of the week. Interestingly, 1 Kislev can only NOT fall on Shabbat. Same for the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th (which is the fifth day of Chanuka - the only day of Chanuka that never falls out on Shabbat. The other days of Kislev also each have a day of the week on which they don't ever fall. This includes the beginning of Chanuka (25 Kislev) - meaning that Chanuka can begin (and end) on any day of the week except for Tuesday. That also means that the first candle cannot be on Monday evening, but can be on any other day of the week. We've gotten this far, let's finish the year's cycle. The 30th of Kislev - which is the first day of R"Ch Tevet (when there are two days), which is also the sixth day of Chanuka, can fall on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Shabbat - but not on Sunday, Wednesday, or Friday. That makes it a LO ADU day also, but not aligned with the abovementioned other 295 dates with 4 on & 3 off. The first of Tevet (which can be the only day of R"Ch or the second day when there are two days R"Ch) can be on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday - that's five days on and only two days off. That becomes a pattern for all of Tevet (29 days) and all of Sh'vat (30 days). Then when Adar begins, things go back to the LO ADU pattern of 4-on-&-3-off. How so? The 30th of Sh'vat can fall on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday in a 12-month year and on Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday in a 13-month year. Even though that is five possible days of the week altogether, it is only four possible days in each of a Shana P'shuta and a Shana M'uberet. That means that Rosh Chodesh Adar will have its four possible days of the week and Rosh Chodesh Adar Rishon will have its four possibles. In either case, Adar begins the 4-on-3-off once again. Summary: 295 dates have a LO ADU pattern 1 date is 30th of Marcheshvan 29 dates in kislev 1 date is the 30th of Kislev 59 dates in Tevet & Sh'vat That's a total of 385, the number of possible Jewish Calendar dates. As I've said (warned might be a better word) often, Calendar details might not be for everyone, but if you are reading these words, it probably means you are the other part of everyone. VAYEITZEI 7th of 54 sedras; 7th of 12 in B'reishit Written on 235.3 lines, ranks 12th Vayeitzei is one single very long (closed) Parsha. It's being a S'TUMA fits with the fact that it is a continuation of the To-l'dot story. It is the Torah's longest Parsha S'tuma, and second only to the Parsha P'tucha that is all of Mikeitz (254.6 lines) FYI: The Torah has 54 sedras and contains a total of 674 parshiyot - That's an average of 12.48 parshiyot per sedra. Vayeitzei and Mikeitz are each one parsha only. At the other end of the range is Ki Teitzei with 44 parshiyot. Vayeitzei's single parsha is almost 12 times the average number of p'sukim per parsha. 148 p'sukim - ranks 6th in the Torah 2021 words - ranks 4th in the Torah 7512 letters - ranks 5th in the Torah Ranks 3rd in B'reishit in P/W/L MITZVOT Vayeitzei has none of the 613 mitzvot It is one of 17 mitzva-less sedras Nonetheless, there are messages, mussar, and lessons to be learned from Sedras without mitzvot. Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary [P>] and [S>] indicate start of a parsha p'tucha or s'tuma. X:Y is Perek:Pasuk that begins the parsha; (Z) is the number of p'sukim in the parsha Kohen - First Aliya - 13 p'sukim - 28:10-22 [S> 28:10 (148)] Yaakov leaves Be'er Sheva and goes to Charan. SDT: There are different explanations concerning the wording of this pasuk, as to why the Torah mentions Yaakov's departure (especially having mentioned it a couple of times at the end of To-l'dot). Rashi explains that a prominent person not only influences his surroundings, but his absence from a place is also felt, in a negative way. Therefore, the Torah not only tells us that Yaakov went to Charan; it also tells us that he left Be'er Sheva, and his absence was felt - even though Yitzchak (and Rivka) remained there. (Perhaps, especially because Yitzchak and Rivka remained in Be'er Sheva - they would feel Yaakov's absence the most!) Another explanation - In leaving Be'er Sheva, Yaakov was fulfilling the wishes of his mother Rivka, who feared that Eisav would kill Yaakov if he remained. In going to Charan, Yaakov was fulfilling the wishes of his father, Yitzchak (and also his mother's), who sent him there to find a suitable wife. The pasuk tells us of Yaakov's departure from Be'er Sheva AND his journey to Charan, to show us that it was important to satisfy the wishes of BOTH his parents. (Rivka did not tell Yitzchak about the danger to Yaakov if he were to remain home.) He encounters "The Place" (it is unidentified in the text, but is traditionally considered to be Har Moriah, the site of the Akeida, and the location of the future Beit HaMikdash) and stays the night. He dreams of a ladder with its feet planted on the ground and whose top reaches the heavens. Angels are ascending and descending the ladder. VAYIFGA BAMAKOM... KI VA HASHEMESH - and he encountered the Place... for the Sun had set. VAYIFGA is related to P'GI'A, which is a synonym for Praying (based on Yirmiyahu 7:16). From here the Gemara teaches us that the fixing of Arvit (a.k.a. Maariv) is attributed to Yaakov Avinu. SDT: The S'fat Emet points out that the ladder in Yaakov's dream is described first as having its feet planted on the ground (representing worldliness and/or basic decency) and then its head reaching the heavens (representing spiritual pursuits). This is consistent with the famous maxim - DERECH ERETZ KODMA LATORAH, worldliness (should) precedes Torah. In the dream, G-d appears to Yaakov at the head of the ladder and reiterates to him the promises He made to Avraham and Yitzchak. These oft-repeated promises have consistently included the possession of the Land and the "countless" nature of their descendants. This prophecy also includes G-d's promise of protection for Yaakov on his sojourn. Yaakov awakens from his sleep and acknowledges the sanctity of the Place. When Yaakov awakens in the morning, he takes the stone (formerly referred to in the plural) that was at his head, and erects it as a monument, which he then anoints. He names the place Beit El. Yaakov vows allegiance to G-d. SDT: "And I will return to my father's home and HaShem will be for me, G-d." Ramban explains the connection between Yaakov's return home with his "acquisition of G-d". The Gemara in Ketuvot states that he who lives in Eretz Yisrael is like one who has G-d; he who lives outside Israel is like one without G-d. Yaakov's return from Lavan's house to his father's was a physical and spiritual Aliya - as is Aliya to Eretz Yisrael in our own time. Avraham Avinu was born in Chutz LaAretz and was commanded by G-d to go and live in Eretz Yisrael, the land that he and his descendants would receive from G-d in perpetuity. Yitzchak Avinu was born and raised in Eretz Yisrael, lived here all his life, never having stepped foot outside the Land, and was "reminded" of that fact by G-d, when Yitzchak might have left because of a famine (as did his father). Yaakov Avinu was born in Eretz Yisrael and left the land for an extended time. In Parshat Vayishlach, we find his returning to Eretz Yisrael is both a physical return and a spiritual one. Jews - as far as Eretz Yisrael is concerned - have one of three role models to emulate. You are either born in Israel and live your whole life here. Or you come on Aliya from the place of your birth, or - if you were born in Israel (or lived here at one time) and left to live elsewhere, you work your way back to Eretz Yisrael. And the Gemara/Rambam's point: Coming on Aliya is not just a mitzva, it is the way a G-dless person acquires G-d for himself. Levi - Second Aliya - 17 p'sukim - 29:1-17 Assured of G-d's protection upon leaving the Land (something Yaakov had reason to be unsure of), his pace quickens. He sees a well in a field, with three flocks of sheep gathered around. The well is covered by a large rock. It was the practice of the shepherds to gather at the same time each day so that they would have the manpower necessary to remove the rock and then replace it after the sheep drank. (This, to prevent water from being stolen by one shepherd or another.) Yaakov asks the shepherds who they are and why they gather so early in the afternoon to water their sheep. When they tell him that they work for Lavan, Yaakov asks about his uncle's wellbeing. The shepherds point out the approaching Rachel, daughter of Lavan. They explain to Yaakov that they must cooperate with each other in order to physically remove the stone from the well. Just then, Yaakov sees Rachel, his cousin, and approaches the rock and single-handedly removes it from the mouth of the well in order to give water to his uncle's sheep. Yaakov kisses Rachel and weeps bitterly. (He weeps because he sees with Ru'ach HaKodesh that they are destined not to be buried together.) Yaakov tells Rachel who he is - what their relationship is - she runs off to tell her father. When Lavan hears, he runs to welcome Yaakov, and brings him home to hear "the whole story". Lavan "offers" Yaakov a job and tells him "to name his price". Lavan had two daughters - Leah, the older one and Rachel, the younger one. Leah had "weak" (sensitive) eyes and Rachel was very beautiful. Shlishi - Third Aliya - 31 p'sukim - 29:18-30:13 Yaakov loves Rachel and offers to work for seven years in exchange for her hand in marriage. Lavan agrees and the time flies by in Yaakov's eyes because of his great excitement. At the end of the seven years, Yaakov asks that the marriage take place. SDT: Towards the end of Parshat To-l'dot, Rivka Imeinu hears (with Ru'ach HaKodesh) that Eisav intends to kill Yaakov. She tells Yaakov that he should go to her brother in Charan and stay there YAMIM ACHADIM. That seems to mean, for a few days. Asks the GR"A, how can seven years be called YAMIM ACHADIM? He gives a DRASH to answer that question. First of all, YAMIM in the Torah does not only mean 'days'. In a number of places, YAMIM means SHANIM, years. Second, the Midrash tells of Shabbat complaining to HKBH that it is alone - the other days of the week all have partners: Sunday & Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, but it, Shabbat is ECHAD, a lonely one day. HaShem consoled it by saying that Bnei Yisrael would be its partner. The GR"A then points out that a year has 50-55 Shabbatot, so YAMIM ACHADIM can be a year of Shabbatot, which comes out to be seven years with contain about 354 Shabbatot. Thus YAMIM ACHADIM, with YAMIM meaning years and ACHADIM meaning Shabbatot, the ECHAD among the days of the week, matches SEVEN YEARS. Lavan gathers the locals for the wedding festivities and substitutes Leah for Rachel (with, we are taught, the cooperation of the girls). SDT: Although Lavan was the deceiver, and had his own motives, our Sources indicate that it was Rachel who facilitated the switch, motivated by love and compassion for her sister. Rachel gave her private "signals" to Leah to save her from a probable marriage to Eisav, Yaakov's biological elder. This compassion serves her descendants well many years later, when she "intercedes" before G-d following the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. Tradition tells us that G-d "softened" the punishment with a promise of our return, only after Rachel pleaded before Him. According to Tradition, the Avot and Moshe Rabeinu had not succeeded in their pleas on behalf of the people. When Yaakov confronts Lavan about the deceit, Lavan says that it is improper to marry off the younger before the older. (This is the minhag in many communities, despite its Lavanic origin.) Yaakov agrees to work an additional seven years for Rachel. Zilpa and Bilha are the hand-maidens of Leah and Rachel respectively (commentaries say they too were daughters of Lavan, from a PILEGESH - there are other opinions as to who exactly they were, including a Midrash that says they were nieces of Devora, Rivka's nursemaid). Yaakov showed his obviously greater love of Rachel. As a result, G-d made Leah fertile and Rachel barren. Next the Torah tells us, in rapid succession, of the births of Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda. Leah names each son (Levi was named by Yaakov or perhaps by an angel) with a name that expresses her thanks to G-d and her feelings under the unusual circumstances of her life. Rachel, jealous of Leah, complains to Yaakov that she has no children. Yaakov gets angry with her, saying that it is G-d's doing, not his. Rachel gives Bilha to Yaakov to have children whom she will raise as her own. Dan and Naftali are born. Leah, realizing that she has stopped having children, gives Zilpa to Yaakov. Gad and Asher are the results. Notice the rapid fashion the Torah employs to tell us of the build-up of Yaakov's family. With Avraham and Yitzchak having such a difficult time fathering children, Yaakov has 8 sons in a span of 16 p'sukim! R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya - 14 p'sukim - 30:14-27 Rachel begs Reuven to give her the special (fertility) herbs (DUDA'IM, mandrake) that he had gathered for his mother, Leah. When Leah complains to her, Rachel promises that Yaakov could sleep with her that night in exchange for the herbs. When Yaakov returns from the fields, it is Leah who goes out to greet him - something Yaakov questions, and Leah explains. G-d answers Leah's prayers of despair, and she gives birth to Yissachar and then Zevulun. Then Leah gives birth to a girl, Dina. Finally, G-d "remembers" Rachel and she becomes pregnant. She gives birth and names her son Yosef, praying that she will have yet another son (giving her not fewer than the handmaidens had. Leah has also prayed to G-d that her sister should not be shamed by having fewer sons than the hand-maidens.) After Yosef is born, Yaakov asks his leave of Lavan. He desires to return to his fathers' home. He asks for his wives, children, and compensation for all the work he has done for Lavan. Lavan acknowledges that he has been blessed because of Yaakov. Chamishi - 5th Aliya - 32 p'sukim - 30:28-31:16 They make an arrangement by which Yaakov will be paid. Lavan repeatedly attempts to minimize the births of the goats and sheep that will be Yaakov's. G-d has other plans and Yaakov becomes very wealthy. The details of the speckled, banded, spotted animals and how which gave birth to what, are obscure. The bottom line is that Lavan attempts to cheat Yaakov (again) and is completely unsuccessful. Lavan's sons feel that Yaakov has cheated their father. G-d tells Yaakov to return to his birth-place. Yaakov calls to his wives and explains the situation to them. He tells them of being instructed by an angel as to what to do with the animals. Rachel and Leah feel as strangers in their father's house, as if they have no share in Lavan's wealth, and they will do as G-d commands. Shishi - Sixth Aliya - 26 p'sukim - 31:17-42 Yaakov prepares to leave. Meanwhile, Rachel takes her father's TERAFIM in his absence. When Lavan becomes aware of Yaakov's departure, he sets out in pursuit. G-d appears to Lavan in a dream and warns him not to harm Yaakov in any way. When Lavan catches up to Yaakov, he confronts him about the unannounced departure and the missing terafim. Rav Aryeh Kaplan z"l in The Living Torah, explains Terafim according to different opinions. Some say they were idols that were worshiped. This opinion adds that Rachel took them to save her father from the sin of idolatry. Others are of the opinion that they were meditative devices that would enable Lavan to divine the whereabouts of Yaakov. Thus Rachel's motive was to prevent Lavan from pursuing Yaakov & Co. Yaakov answers in kind, expressing his anger at Lavan's repeated attempts to cheat him. As to the terafim, Yaakov permits Lavan to search for them and boldly declares that the one who took them shall not live. Lavan fails to find his terafim because Rachel convinces him not to search her person or belongings. Had it not been for G-d's protection, Yaakov tells Lavan, you would have left me with nothing. In the Hagada we read/say: VAYEIRED MITZRAIMA (Yaakov went down into Egypt), and this is qualified by, ANOOS AL PI HADIBUR, usually translated as "Forced by Divine Decree". There is another explanation offered: It was Yaakov's DIBUR, his statement, that forced himself down into Egypt. How so? He inadvertently condemned Rachel to an early death by his words to Lavan. This can be construed as killing B'SHOGEIG. Punishment (and atonement) for that is EXILE. (Really, to a city of refuge, but for this DRASH, exile to Egypt will do.) Not only does this explanation fit the DIBUR part, but it can also explain why the Hagada connects Yaakov's descent into Egypt with Lavan. [Another explanation of a connection between Yaakov's time with Lavan and his (Yaakov's) descent into Mitzrayim goes like this: Lavan's switching of Leah for Rachel planted the seeds of jealousy between Rachel and Leah. This led to the friction between Leah's sons - Yosef's Brothers - and Rachel's son, Yosef. That resulted in Yosef being sold into slavery in Egypt, which in turn brought Yaakov and family down to Egypt.] Sh'VII - Seventh Aliya - 15 p'sukim - 31:43-32:3 Lavan answers that the women are his daughters, that the children are his (grand)children, and the animals are his as well. Yaakov and Lavan make a pact and form a mound of rocks as a sign of their agreement. Yaakov offers a sacrifice to G-d and swears to the covenant. In the morning, Lavan kisses his children and grandchildren, blesses them, and returns home. Yaakov continues on his journey and encounters angels (of Eretz Yisrael - the sedra thus comes full circle - he left Eretz Yisrael with Vayeitzei and now is about to return to the Land). On the way, Yaakov names the place Machanayim. Last 3 p'sukim are repeated for Maftir. Haftara 28+2* p'sukim - Hoshei'a 12:13-14:10 *Sources suggest concluding the haftara with Yoel 2:26-27, in order to end the haftara on a better note than Hoshei'a ends with. S'faradim read the 17-pasuk portion of Hoshei'a that precedes the Ashkenazi reading, 11:7-12:12. Chabad do also, but they continue for two more p'sukim - namely, the first two p'sukim of the Ashkenazi reading. This concluding portion of the book(let) of Hoshei'a begins with reference to Yaakov's journey to Aram to find (and work on behalf of) a wife (wives) - hence its obvious connection to the sedra. The prophet points out to the People of Israel their humble origins, in an attempt to put things in perspective and restore their faith and reliance upon G-d. The last 9 p'sukim of the haftara are also the first 9 p'sukim of the haftara of Shabbat Shuva. UNSHALMA FARIM S'FATEINU "... so will we offer the words of our lips instead of bulls." This is the textual link between prayer and korbanot. Remember, the origin of Maariv is found in the sedra. CLARIFICATION: UNSHALMA FARIM S'FATEINU does not mean that there is a trade-off between Korbanot and T'fila (sacrifices and prayer). It does not mean that when there are no korbanot, we pray and when there are korbanot, we don't. Not so! Prayer predates korbanot. Prayer existed before and DURING and after, and IYH when the Beit HaMikdash will be rebuilt. We will always have prayer. The text will be different for some of the prayers, depending upon whether we have a Mikdash or not. But there always was, is, and will be prayer. The meaning of the words of Hoshei'a tell us that between Beit HaMikdashes (Batei Mikdash), our T'filot do double duty. They continue to be prayer, and they (temporarily) take the place of the korbanot. We daven Shacharit at the same time as the morning Tamid was brought. We daven Mincha at the time when the afternoon Tamid was brought. We daven Musaf when the Musafim were brought in the Mikdash. (Actually, Musaf's fate might be different from the three davenings of the day.) The gemara makes it clear that davening is more than korbanot. Davening is asking G-d for mercy (and many other things). It is praising Him, thanking Him, acknowledging that everything comes from Him. Imagine how exciting and special it will be to daven Shacharit WHEN the Avoda is being done in the Mikdash, not just at the same time it used to be done. May we merit that, speedily in our time. Quotes to Ponder and Live by Taken from A Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein z"l A person must learn to use his ruts as footholds. It is better to experience certain difficulties than to expend the time and effort required to avoid them. A long time ago feature of Torah Tidbits, revived currently for PhiloTorah Bringing the Prophets to Life Weekly insights into the Haftara by Rabbi Nachman (Neil) Winkler Author of Bringing the Prophets to Life (Gefen Publ.) VAYEITZEI - 28+2* p'sukim - Hoshei'a 12:13-14:10 Faith in Time of Challenge SIFREI N'VI'IM ACHARONIM, the books of the later prophets, do not often recount events of the earlier Patriarchs, those found in Sefer B'reishit. This is quite understandable as these books record the words of those n'vi'im, from Yishayahu to Malachi, that were addressed to generations living at least one thousand years after the era of the forefathers. Their prophecies, admonitions and consolations were crafted to be timely lessons for those living at that time and place. Given that truth, it is curious to find the opening words of our haftara, those spoken by the navi Hoshei'a, to be those recalling Ya'akov's flight to Aram, where he was constrained to work in order to win the hand of his wife. This first verse grants us an obvious connection to the weekly parasha - but, ostensibly, has little connection to the very community which the navi hopes to impact with his message. In order to understand the significance of the haftara's introductory words and why Hoshei'a evokes the experience of Ya'akov for his own generation, we must first recognize the haftara's first words are not the opening of the prophet's message! Indeed, the preliminary p'sukim are taken from the final three verses of the perek and, therefore, are linked to the navi's message, found in the earlier p'sukim. When we look back to the opening of prophet's message, we read Hoshei'a's words censuring Israel for their deceitful ways and foretelling the inevitable punishments that Hashem would bring down upon them. He especially underscores the perfidious behavior of Israel toward their Heavenly Father, reminding Israel of how their Heavenly Father had remained faithful to Ya'akov and saved him from harm them. This mention of G-d's encounters with Ya'akov introduces the prophet's portrayal of the suffering that Israel would undergo, but is meant to insure the nation of Hashem's ongoing protection and eventual salvation. And it is this theme that opens our haftara. Consider: the verses that open our haftara with the description of Ya'akov's [Israel's] difficult years of slavery in Aram, close with the depiction Israel's [Ya'akov's] release from difficult years of slavery in Egypt - all due to G-d's salvation!! Through understanding the opening of the haftara and its connection to the earlier p'sukim, we can better reveal the overall theme of the message of Hoshei'a and, consequently, the lesson to be learned. The bulk of this reading in taken from the thirteenth perek of Hoshei'a and its focus is one of contempt and censure of Israel. Hoshei'a addresses the northern kingdom of Israel, a realm that, since the rule of their first king, Yerov'am, had been guilty of improper worship of Hashem, outright idolatry and the adoption of abominable pagan practices from the cultures that surrounded them. And yet, the idolatry was less an act of rebellion against G-d as much as a reflection of their fear of conquest, a fear brought upon by their lack of confidence in G-d's abilities and His faithfulness to them. It is for this reason that the navi tells of the struggles of Israel, the man, and Israel, the nation. Despite the seemingly impossible challenges that faced them and despite the improbability of resolving them, they believed and trusted in Hashem's power and His promises to His nation. And, as a result, remained faithful to Him. It was a crucial message to send to Israel of Hoshei'a's time… and, given the overwhelming challenges we have been facing over these many months, it is a welcome message for our generation, as well. ParshaPix explanations The fun way to go over the weekly sedra with your children, grandchildren, Shabbat guests TO-L'DOT Unexplaineds <> four pictograms that represent Rehovot City emblem, building complex, emblem of Weizmann Institute, particle accelerator <> 5 Yitzchaks - sort of President of Israel, Yitzchak Herzog, Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz, Sid Caesar - his Hebrew name was Yitzchak, Isaac Newton under the apple tree, Shai Abramson (Avraham's son) <> Five new Unexplaineds The new name for Ponagansett, Mass. is Padanaram 20 switching with 200 is for B'CHORA and B'RACHA (the KAF and REISH switching place in the word) <> Two Unexplaineds Both for Machar Chodesh. The three arrows from the haftara and the calendar page at 29, as in Erev Rosh Chodesh. Vayeitzei <> The first five photos down the left side are goats and sheep with different patterns <> next to the animals are two sticks <> and a peeler. The peeler is for the sticks and the sticks are for the ewes and nannies to look at so their offspring will have different patterns <> two photos of mandrakes, as in the DUDA'IM that Reuven picked for his mother and which Rachel acquired from Leah in a deal <> the road signs were seen by Yaakov after he left Be'er Sheva, which is why B7 is pointing back where he came from, with Charan indicating the direction he must take. In that same direction was HAMAKOM, the place which he encountered <> Herby's Bakeshop, is in Beit El <> across the bottom - kind of obvious, but ask your family and/or guests <> the stone Yaakov rested his head on when he slept (after establishing Maariv). That is, when he awoke. When he went to sleep there were many (12) stones. The rock is also the one that covered the well that Yaakov removed so that Rachel (and the other shepherds) could water their sheep <> It also stands for the rock that Yaakov set up as a MATZEIVA to mark his agreement with Lavan (GAL-EID) the rock is at the base of a sculpture near Givat Mordechai, which represents Yaakov's ladder <> ice cream - in Hebrew, G'LIDA, which is taken for the Aramaic word for ice, as in mentioned in Targum Onkeles, when Yaakov mentions the cold icy nights he spent tending Lavan's flocks <> the logo for the Philadelphia Phillies. That team has the ignoble honor of being the losingest team in MLB and in all major league sports (in the US). They have lost 11,326 times (since 1883). Perhaps, then, they are the incarnation of the teams that did play in LUZ, an older name for Beit El <> an owl with a speech bubble. Owls say HOO. add the extraterrestrial and we get HU ITI, said by Yaakov when he set the conditions for his wages <> sine wave; that's wave, as in GAL, as in GAL-EID <> a South Park character playing dodgeball, which is similar to the game MACHANAYIM, as in the concluding word (and pasuk-count siman) of Vayeitzei, referring to the twin camps of angels <> The kipa is for an old corny joke (groan quietly so no one nearby with think you are under the weather). How do we know that Yaakov Avinu wore a Kipa? It says, Vayeitzei Yaakov, Yaakov went out... Would he go out without a kipa?! <> Yaakov promised to give G-d MAASER, one tenth, .1 <> the emoji is for the turn in Lavan's face to Yaakov - part of why Yaakov decided to leave <> the oil can represents the oil Yaakov used to anoint the stone at the beginning of the sedra o three pics from the haftara <> The matador waving his red cape at - not a bull, but a pair of lips. As in the haftara, UNSHAL'MA FARIM S'FATEINU, and our lips (voices in prayer) will replace the bulls (sacrifices), for the time being. When the Beit HaMikdash is rebuilt, prayer will become just prayer once again. Since the Churban, it has been doing double duty <> Paddington Bear with the Cubs baseball cap Xed out represent DOV SHAKUL, a bear without offspring <> the smiley with the dunce cap - of Efrayim it is said, HU VEN LO CHACHAM, he is a not-smart child <> sheep at the well are sheep around the well <> Perry WHITE is for Lavan <> Half a YO-YO is YO. With the safe, we get YOSEF <> The sculpture on the road with a turn off to Givat Mordechai is Jacob's Ladder <> The wine bottle with the emblem of Lebanon is in the haftara - YEIN LEVANON <> The fellow with the tophat is Mandrake the Magician - DUDA'IM <> The two hearts and the infinity symbol all intertwined is a symbol for twins - as Leah and Rachel were, according to some sources <> and two Unexpalineds In Memory of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z"l The Birth of the World's Oldest Hate VAYEITZEI "Go and learn what Lavan the Aramean sought to do to our father Yaakov. Pharaoh made his decree only about the males whereas Lavan sought to destroy everything." This passage from the Haggada on Pesach - evidently based on this week's Parsha - is extraordinarily difficult to understand. First, it is a commentary on the phrase in D'varim, ARAMI OVEID AVI. As the overwhelming majority of commentators point out, the meaning of this phrase is "my father was a wandering Aramean" - a reference either to Yaakov, who escaped to Aram [Aram meaning Syria, a reference to Haran where Lavan lived], or to Avraham, who left Aram in response to God's call to travel to the land of Canaan. It does not mean "an Aramean [Lavan] tried to destroy my father." Some commentators read it this way, but almost certainly they only do so because of this passage in the Haggada. Second, nowhere in the Parsha do we find that Lavan actually tried to destroy Yaakov. He deceived him, tried to exploit him, and chased after him when he fled. As he was about to catch up with Yaakov, God appeared to him in a dream at night and said: 'Be very careful not to say anything, good or bad, to Yaakov' (B'reishit 31:24). When Lavan complains about the fact that Yaakov was trying to escape, Yaakov replies: "Twenty years now I have worked for you in your estate - fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for some of your flocks. You changed my wages ten times!" (31:41). All this suggests that Lavan behaved outrageously to Yaakov, treating him like an unpaid labourer, almost a slave, but not that he tried to "destroy" him - to kill him as Pharaoh tried to kill all male Israelite children. Third, the Haggada and the Seder service of which it is the text, is about how the Egyptians enslaved and practised slow genocide against the Israelites, and how God saved them from slavery and death. Why seek to diminish this whole narrative by saying that - actually - Pharaoh's decree was not that bad, Lavan's was worse. This seems to make no sense, either in terms of the central theme of the Haggada or in relation to the actual facts as recorded in the biblical text. How then are we to understand it? Perhaps the answer is this. Lavan's behaviour is the paradigm of antisemites through the ages. It was not so much what Lavan did that the Haggada is referring to, but what his behaviour gave rise to, in century after century. How so? Lavan begins by seeming like a friend. He offers Yaakov refuge when he is in flight from Eisav who has vowed to kill him. Yet it turns out that his behaviour is less generous than self-interested and calculating. Yaakov works for him for seven years for Rachel. Then on the wedding night Lavan substitutes Leah for Rachel, so that to marry Rachel, Yaakov must work another seven years. When Yosef is born to Rachel, Yaakov tries to leave. Lavan protests. Yaakov works another six years, and then realises that the situation is untenable. Lavan's sons are accusing him of getting rich at Lavan's expense. Yaakov senses that Lavan himself is becoming hostile. Rachel and Leah agree, saying, "he treats us like strangers! He has sold us and spent the money!" (31:14-15). Yaakov realises that there is nothing he can do or say that will persuade Lavan to let him leave. He has no choice but to escape. Lavan then pursues him. Were it not for God's warning the night before he catches up with him, there is little doubt that he would have forced Yaakov to return and live out the rest of his life as his unpaid labourer. As he says to Yaakov the next day: "The daughters are my daughters! The sons are my sons! The flocks are my flocks! All that you see is mine!" (31:43). It turns out that everything he had ostensibly given Yaakov, in his own mind he had not given at all. Lavan treats Yaakov as his property, his slave, a non-person. In his eyes Yaakov has no rights, no independent existence. He has given Yaakov his daughters in marriage but still claims that they and their children belong to him, not Yaakov. He has given Yaakov an agreement as to the animals that will be his as his wages, yet he still insists that "The flocks are my flocks." What arouses his anger, his rage, is that Yaakov maintains his dignity and independence. Faced with an impossible existence as his father-in-law's slave, Yaakov always finds a way of carrying on. Yes, he has been cheated of his beloved Rachel, but he works so that he can marry her too. Yes, he has been forced to work for nothing, but he uses his superior knowledge of animal husbandry to propose a deal which will allow him to build flocks of his own that will allow him to maintain what is now a large family. Yaakov refuses to be defeated. Hemmed in on all sides, he finds a way out. That is Yaakov's greatness. His methods are not those he would have chosen in other circumstances. He has to outwit an extremely cunning adversary. But Yaakov refuses to be defeated, crushed or demoralised. In a seemingly impossible situation Yaakov retains his dignity, independence, and freedom. Yaakov is no man's slave. Lavan is, in effect, the first antisemite. In age after age, Jews sought refuge from those - like Eisav - who sought to kill them. The nations who gave them refuge seemed at first to be benefactors. But they demanded a price. They saw, in Jews, people who would make them rich. Wherever Jews went they brought prosperity to their hosts. Yet they refused to be mere chattels. They refused to be owned. They had their own identity and way of life; they insisted on the basic human right to be free. The host society then eventually turned against them. They claimed that Jews were exploiting them rather than what was in fact the case, that they were exploiting the Jews. And when Jews succeeded, they accused them of theft: "The flocks are my flocks! All that you see is mine!" They forgot that Jews had contributed massively to national prosperity. The fact that Jews had salvaged some self-respect, some independence, that they too had prospered, made them not just envious but angry. That was when it became dangerous to be a Jew. Lavan was the first to display this syndrome but not the last. It happened again in Egypt after the death of Yosef. It happened under the Greeks and Romans, the Christian and Muslim empires of the Middle Ages, the European nations of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and after the Russian Revolution. In her fascinating book World on Fire, Amy Chua argues that ethnic hatred will always be directed by the host society against any conspicuously successful minority. All three conditions must be present. [1] The hated group must be a minority or people will fear to attack it. [2] It must be successful or people will not envy it, merely feel contempt for it. [3] It must be conspicuous or people will not notice it. Jews tended to fit all three. That is why they were hated. And it began with Yaakov during his stay with Lavan. He was a minority, outnumbered by Lavan's family. He was successful, and it was conspicuous: you could see it by looking at his flocks. What the Sages are saying in the Haggada now becomes clear. Pharaoh was a one-time enemy of the Jews, but Lavan exists, in one form or another, in age after age. The syndrome still exists today. As Amy Chua notes, Israel in the context of the Middle East is a conspicuously successful minority. It is a small country, a minority; it is successful, conspicuously so. Somehow, in a tiny country with few natural resources, it has outshone its neighbours. The result is envy that becomes anger that becomes hate. Where did it begin? With Lavan. Put this way, we begin to see Yaakov in a new light. Yaakov stands for minorities and small nations everywhere. Yaakov is the refusal to let large powers crush the few, the weak, the refugee. Yaakov refuses to define himself as a slave, someone else's property. He maintains his inner dignity and freedom. He contributes to other people's prosperity, but he defeats every attempt to be exploited. Yaakov is the voice that says: I too am human. I too have rights. I too am free. If Lavan is the eternal paradigm of hatred of conspicuously successful minorities, then Yaakov is the eternal paradigm of the human capacity to survive the hatred of others. In this strange way Yaakov becomes the voice of hope in the conversation of humankind, the living proof that hate never wins the final victory; freedom does. Around the Shabbat Table: Do you think the resilience Yaakov demonstrated is an inherently Jewish quality? How can holding onto our identity help us in difficult situations? Consider other stories of Jewish resilience in the Torah and modern-day history. What similarities can you find across the narratives? Y'HI ZICHRO BARUCH Message from the Haftara - Rabbi Katriel (Kenneth) Brander God's Unending Love - HAFTARA OF VAYEITZEI Despite variations in the choice of verses, all traditions - Ashkenazim, Sefaradim, and Teimanim - read from the closing chapters of Hoshei'a for the haftara of Parshat Vayeitzei. Taken together, these traditions give us the opportunity to hear the message of the prophet Hoshei'a, the first of the minor prophets, in addition to identifying the connection to our parsha. What is most striking about Hoshei'a's prophecies is the juxtaposition of his stern rebuke of the people alongside his belief in God's unyielding love for them. The prophet witnesses and bemoans the sinfulness of the people as they demonstrate infidelity to God and injustice to their fellow men and women. "Efrayim surrounds Me with deceit, the House of Israel with guile" (12:1). Hoshei'a gives language to God's fury at such behavior: "Like a bear robbed of her young, I attack them, and rip open the casing of their hearts; I will devour them there like a lion, the beasts of the field shall mangle them" (13:8). Yet despite the threat of destruction, Hoshei'a shares with us God's insistence on continuing to love us. "I will heal their affliction, generously will I take them back in love; for My anger has turned away from them" (14:5). This prophetic orientation, insisting on divine love even in the midst of divine disappointment, stands out in Hoshei'a's prophecies. "Hoshei'a came to spell out the astonishing fact of God's love for man. God is not only the Lord who demands justice; He is also a God Who is in love with His people" (Heschel, The Prophets 44). And in the midst of these prophecies, we meet Yaakov, who also plays a central role in our parsha. In passing, Hoshei'a mentions Yaakov's flight to Aram, where he worked in order to be granted a wife. As the hook from the haftara back to the parsha, it is easy to overlook the relevance of the verse within the broader scope of the prophetic message. Hoshei'a is rebuking the people for their trickery in business, which they deny constitutes real wrongdoing. "A trader who uses false balances, who loves to overreach. Efrayim thinks, "I have become rich; I have gotten power! All my gains do not amount to an offense that is real guilt" (12:8-9). It is here that God reminds the people of Yaakov, whose story abounds in accusations of trickery, and who is eventually fooled by Lavan into first marrying Leah before wedding Rachel. Here, the people are being reminded that Yaakov, on the heels of fleeing the brother with whom he's had an uneasy relationship, himself becomes the victim of trickery. Yet all this fits within the broader flow of Hoshei'a's message - that even in the face of sinfulness, God does not forsake the people, but rather God desires our eventual return. The closing verses of the haftara make a second appearance on Shabbat Shuva, as Hoshei'a pleads with us, on God's behalf, to return to God and mend our ways, assuring us that God "will be like dew to Israel, who will blossom like a lily" (14:6). This is the message we need to carry with us - always, and especially in this moment. God does not forsake us, and God's love for us NEVER expires. Even when we fall short of divine expectations, the door towards return is never shut, and the invitation is never rescinded. It may take seven years of toil or more, but there is always a way back to the all-loving God. - PhiloTorah D'var Torah T'FILOT & the AVOT It is well-known that our three daily prayers are attributed to the Avot - Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. But to be more detailed... The Gemara in B'rachot (26b) brings a dispute (of sorts) between Rabi Yosi b'Rabi Chanina, who says that our T'filot were established by the Avot - and Rabi Yehoshua ben Levi, who says that T'filot were instituted based on the daily korbanot in the Beit HaMikdash. Although the focus of this PTDT is the connection between the Avot and our three-times-a-day T'filot, I would like to make an important point about the Korban connection to davening. T'fila - prayer - pre-dates the Avoda in the Beit HaMikdash. Davening existed before the Mishkan and Mikdash, during the tenures of the Mishkan and Mikdash, and ever since. And will continue during the Messianic times with the Third Beit HaMikdash. It is specifically the three times a day aspect and the timing of those thrice-daily t'filot that were purposely matched to the korbanot. The way I like to put it - Davening was, is, and always will be. However (or AND or maybe BUT), during the time when we are sadly without a Mikdash, davening takes on the additional role of connecting and reminding us of the Avoda which was and which will be. I guess we are including the korbanot angle of davening in this PTDT after all. Especially if we point to the haftara this week. It contains the famous expression, UNSHAL'MA FARIM S'FATEINU (and let us render [for] bulls [the offering of] our lips.). This gives the impression that davening replaces korbanot and that when there are korbanot, what? we don't daven? Both ideas are wrong. This is what was expressed above. With that said, let's get back to the Avot. The Gemara elaborates on the statement that our Avot established the t'filot by quoting two p'sukim each, for each of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. The first of each pair of p'sukim expresses a time of day and an action done by each of the Avot. The second pasuk equates that action with prayer. For Avraham, the Torah tell us that he rose early in the morning... and STOOD before G-d. The second pasuk shows us that AMIDA (standing) also means davening. Taken together, the p'sukim describe Shacharit and attribute it to Avraham. Yitzchak went out to the field to commune, LASU'ACH before evening (late afternoon). The second pasuk points to SICHA as a synonym for davening. Hence, the association of Yitzchak with Mincha. Similarly, the Torah tells us that Yaakov encountered the Place and slept there because night had fallen. The second pasuk shows us that P'GI'A (encounter) is a term for prayer. Hence Maariv from Yaakov. As long as we are on the subject, let's look at one aspect of davening - namely, that Shacharit and Mincha have the repetition of the Amida with Kedusha, and Maariv does not. The correspondence between T'fila and Korbanot points to there being a difference between Shacharit and Mincha on the one hand, and Maariv on the other. Shacharit and Mincha correspond to the two daily T'midim - the lambs offered in the morning and the afternoon. Maariv corresponds to the simmering on the Mizbei'ach of the fats and parts of the day's korbanot. No sacrifices were brought at nighttime. The HEKTEIR CHALAVIM V'EIVARIM continued through the night, mostly so the Mizbei'ach would continue to be used at night. Originally, Shacharit and Mincha were both obligatory and Maariv was optional or voluntary. Today, all three davenings are required, but some elements of the difference between Shacharit and Mincha vs Maariv still exist. Most notably, the above mentioned Repetition (CHAZARAT HASHATZ). Before the age of printing, most people did not have handwritten siddurim to daven from. Davening was mostly said by heart. At Shacharit and Mincha - the required T'filot, the system developed that one person would say his Amida aloud so that those who did not know the davening by heart would be able to fulfil their obligations by listening and answering AMEIN to the Shatz's Amida. This then evolved into the Shatz saying his Amida silently, as everyone else who knew how to daven, and then repeating the Amida for those who needed it. This further evolved into the current practice of a repetition of the Amida - even if everyone present said his/her own. Teimanim (Yemenite Jews) still have one person saying his own Amida out loud, rather than saying it quietly and then repeating it. More on this at some future time. PTDT MicroUlpan L'GA-GEIL LE-SA-MES Believe it or not, these two 'Hebrew' words have come into the language from English and the internet. LE-SA-MES is a verb meaning "to send an SMS" to someone. And L'GAGEIL is a verb meaning "to Google" something, to do a Google search. Walk through the Parsha with Rabbi David Walk VAYEITZEI ON THE ROAD AGAIN I really had the urge to call this piece: Walk Discusses Walking, but I controlled myself (with difficulty). We are indeed going to cover the verse: And Ya'akov lifted his feet and WALKed to the Land of the Children of the East (B'reishit 29:1). So, we will get to a discussion about the act of walking. But first things first: Where, in fact, was Ya'akov headed? Well, the area called Land of the Children of the East contains the city of Charan. This is where Avraham lived after fleeing Ur and before heading for Eretz Yisrael, and this is where the servant of Avraham went to find Rivka as a wife for Yitzchak. Most scholars identify this location as modern Harran in Turkey, which is about 500 miles from Beer Sheva. Since caravans travelled between 15 and 25 miles per day, the trip could be made in about a month. But my true focus on the verse is about the language V'YISA YA'AKOV RAGLAV VAYEILACH, 'and Ya'akov lifted his feet and went (or walked).' What is this 'lifting of his feet'? Rav Ovadiya S'forno offers what is probably the literal meaning of this phrase: When a person proceeds on a journey voluntarily, at his own initiative, this is described in terms of his personality carrying, lifting his own feet. When the initiative is not his, under orders against his will, his feet are described as carrying him. Cool! But there are many interpretations of this unusual phrase. The Netziv suggests that, "He feared falling into a 'stumbling block', therefore he 'elevated his steps (RAGLAV, 'feet' or 'legs'). The implication is that his walking was elevated for the purpose of not being pulled (or 'dragged') into a spiritually negative state like that of B'nei Kedem. He was preparing himself greatly to be more careful." Many others suggest that now he would be walking under his own power as opposed to earlier in his trip when he had travelled miraculously through the process called K'FITZAT HADERECH, 'jumping the route'. Probably, this is the origin of the now famous term in the Dune series of books and movies, Kwisatz Haderach. This is the title of their messiah figure and is translated as 'The Shortening of the Way'. I guess Frank Herbert knew some Midrash. However, the literal meaning of our phrase is advanced by Rashi, Rashbam and Radak, and is: He now could travel with a lightness to his step, because of the great assurances of protection he had just received from God in the Dream of the Ladder. For my money, though, the most interesting interpretations are more mystical. The Ohev Yisrael (the first Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel, 1748-1825) suggests that previous to God's promises of protection in the Dream, Ya'akov specifically feared the magicians and necromancers of that area (remember Bilaam came that general area). He now had become aware that his physical form was represented as the human face on God's Divine Throne (in Yechezkel's vision, but he saw it in the Dream), and he therefore 'lifted' his physical body parts to a higher spiritual plane. This 'lifting' would keep him safe from evil machinations. He had figured out a critically important reality. We can, through Mitzva performances, raise our physical body parts to higher spiritual realms. This gave Ya'akov new confidence and a spring to his step. But my favorite approach is that of the S'fat Emet. The second Gerer Rebbe sees our verse in a Janus-like context. Our verse which describes the new elevated spirit of Ya'akov should be seen as both a result of the previous story and as an introduction to the next episode in our story about to unfold. In 5641 (1880), the Rebbe explained that in the Dream of the Ladder, Ya'akov came to understand his pivotal role in both this physical world and the heavenly spiritual realm. He is the bridge, the connector, between Heaven and Earth. He is the Ladder. It was at this moment that he instituted ARVIT, the evening prayer, because he came to understand that we can, and must find light even in the darkness. On the other hand, in 5635 (1874) the Rebbe wrote about the next incident. When Ya'akov rolled (GAL) the rock (which normally required many shepherds to move) from upon the well, he was also revealing (GAL) the enormity of one's YETZER HARA ('evil impulse'), and, more importantly, the fact that we have the power to 'roll that impulse away'. He found 'good' where others saw 'bad' or, at least, an impediment to good (watering the flocks). He revealed and accessed this power when he 'lifted his feet'. The Rebbe saw our verse as the transition from the previous story to the next incident. He also is revealing that this verse signifies the emergence of Ya'akov as a spiritual giant in the world. The former 'simple tent dweller' enters the world stage as the hero of his life and destiny. The message is very powerful and persuasive for us all. We can become the champions of our own lives by rising to the occasion. We all must learn from Ya'akov to lift up our feet and conquer whatever challenge must be met. If we do this in sincerity and purity, we must believe that God will bless our efforts. So lift up those feet and get moving! Rav Kook Torah by Rabbi Chanan Morrison <> www.ravkooktorah.com The T'filot of the Avot According to the Gemara (B'rachot 26b), the Avot (forefathers) instituted the three daily prayers: Avraham - Shacharit Yitzchak - Mincha Yaakov - Ma'ariv Is there an inner connection between these prayers and their founders? Rav Kook wrote that each of these three prayers has its own special nature. This nature is a function of both the character of that time of day, and the pervading spirit of the righteous tzadik who would pray at that time. The Morning Stand Avraham, the first Jew, established the first prayer of the day. He would pray at daybreak, standing before God: "Avraham rose early in the morning, [returning] to the place where he had stood before God" (B'reishit 19:27). Why does the Torah call attention to the fact that Avraham would stand as he prayed? This position indicates that the function of this morning prayer is to make a spiritual stand. We need inner fortitude to maintain the ethical level that we have struggled to attain. The constant pressures and conflicts of day-to-day life can chip away at our spiritual foundation. To counter these negative influences, the medium of prayer can help us, by etching holy thoughts and sublime images deeply into the heart. Such a prayer at the start of the day helps protect us from the pitfalls of worldly temptations throughout the day. This function of prayer - securing a solid ethical foothold in the soul - is reflected in the name AMIDA (the "standing prayer"). It is particularly appropriate that Avraham, who successfully withstood ten trials and tenaciously overcame all who fought against his path of truth, established the "standing prayer" of the morning. Flowering of the Soul in the Afternoon The second prayer, initiated by Yitzchak, is recited in the afternoon. This is the hour when the temporal activities of the day are finished, and we are able to clear our minds from the distractions of the world. The soul is free to express its true essence, unleashing innate feelings of holiness, pure love and awe of God. The Torah characterizes Yitzchak's afternoon prayer as SICHA (meditation): "Yitzchak went out to meditate in the field towards evening" (24:64). The word SICHA also refers to plants and bushes (sichim), for it expresses the spontaneous flowering of life force. This is a fitting metaphor for the afternoon prayer, when the soul is able to naturally grow and flourish. Why was it Yitzchak who established this prayer? Yitzchak exemplified the attribute of Justice (MIDAT HA-DIN), so he founded the soul's natural prayer of the afternoon. The exacting measure of law is applied to situations where one has deviated from the normal and accepted path. Spontaneous Evening Revelation And what distinguishes Ma'ariv, the evening prayer? Leaving his parents' home, Yaakov stopped for the night in Beit-El. There he dreamed of ascending and descending angels and divine promises. Yaakov awoke the following morning awestruck; he had not been aware of holiness of his encampment. "He chanced upon the place and stayed overnight, for it became suddenly night" (28:11). The "chance meeting" - a spiritual experience beyond the level to which the soul is accustomed - that is the special quality of the evening prayer. The night is a time of quiet solitude. It is a time especially receptive to extraordinary elevations of the soul, including prophecy and levels close to it. Unlike the other two prayers, the evening prayer was not (originally) obligatory. But this does not reflect a lack of importance; on the contrary, the essence of the evening prayer is an exceptionally uplifting experience. Precisely because of its sublime nature, this prayer must not be encumbered by any aspect of rote obligation. It needs to flow spontaneously from the heart. The voluntary nature of the evening prayer is a continuation of Yaakov's unexpected spiritual revelation that night in Beit-El. Gold from the Land of Israel, pp. 65-67. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. I, p. 109, Olat Re'iyah vol. I, p. 409 Parsha Story Stories and Parables from the famed Maggid of Dubno by Rabbi Chanan Morrison The Son and the Wallet - VAYEITZEI After Yaakov left his home in Be'er Sheva, he vowed to serve God faithfully if God would: (a) protect him on his journey, (b) provide him with food and clothing, and (c) return him to his father's house. God, in fact, appeared to Yaakov in a vision, promising: "I am with you; I will protect you wherever you go and bring you back to this land." This covered Jacob's first and last requests. But what about the food and clothing? Cash for the Trip Michael needed to send his young son on a long journey. He prepared everything the boy would require for the trip, including a wallet with cash to pay for various expenses on the way. But before his son headed out, Michael heard disturbing news. Bandits were making trouble on the roads, attacking and robbing innocent travelers. Michael decided that the situation was too dangerous for his son to travel on his own; so, last minute, he changed the plan. He would join his son on the journey. As they started out early the next morning, the boy suddenly looked nervous. "Father, where is the money purse you prepared for me? I will need it for my expenses on the road!" Michael smiled. "Son, what do you need money for? I will be with you on the trip. I will pay for everything we need." "I am with you" The father's response is exactly what God told Yaakov: "I am with you, and I will protect you..." Since God would be with Yaakov, it was no longer necessary for Him to promise food and clothing; God would watch over all of Yaakov's needs. "I will not abandon you", God promised Yaakov. I will always be there to answer your prayers. Adapted from Mishlei Yaakov, pp. 66-67 Q&A Reprinted from Living the Halachic Process by Rabbi Daniel Mann - Eretz Hemdah, with their permission [www.eretzhemdah.org] Lighting Chanuka candles away from home Question: My wife and I will be spending part of Chanuka in a guesthouse as part of a group. The group will be the only ones on the premises. Part of my family will be at home. Do I light Chanuka candles where I am and, if so, where? Answer: The gemara says that a guest is obligated to light Chanuka candles at his host's home, but it is sufficient to give money for some of the oil that is used to be included in their lighting. (Some say that more oil must be added in order for the contribution to be significant.) The gemara adds that Rav Zeira, who used to pay toward the oil, stopped doing so once he got married (but was sometimes away from home by himself) because his wife would light for him in his home. Thus, it would seem that as long as there are bar/bat mitzva age children at home lighting, you are exempt from lighting away from home. The Taz posits that a wife is automatically assumed to light with her husband in mind. However, others in the household (e.g., bar mitzva age children) should have their relative(s) specifically in mind. Yet, there are additional factors that complicate matters, and these factors are different for Ashkenazim and Sefardim. The Maharil, one of the pillars of Ashkenazic p'sak and, especially, minhag, says that nowadays a person who is staying at an inn should light his own candles (even if his wife is lighting at home). This is because two realities have changed. One is that the place of lighting with the related PIRSUMEI NISA (publicizing the miracle) has been moved indoors. Secondly, now it is customary that all the members of the household light. Therefore, if one of the guests does not light, others may think that he has chosen not to take part in the mitzva; they may not realize that he has a household that is lighting for him. The Terumat HaDeshen rules that, even though one is exempted by his family, since there is a concept of mehadrin, a guest who is interested in lighting may do so with a b'racha. Moreover, in general, there is a preference that a person light his own candles rather than add on to the host's oil. This is all the more so in a case like yours where you are part of a group where everybody is a guest at a commercial institution. This is different from joining an existing household, which more naturally incorporates others. As far as where to light, the Rama says that the location where people eat is the proper place to light. One could argue whether it is preferable to also light in or outside the room where one sleeps [beyond our scope], but given that most guesthouses are understandably reluctant to permit fire hazards, the lighting in the joint dining hall should suffice. For Sefardim, there are two major differences. Firstly, the Shulchan Aruch does not accept the Terumat HaDeshen's permission to make a b'racha when his household will exempt him. Secondly, the Shulchan Aruch states that when the guests have sleeping quarters with a different entrance than that of the ba'al habayit (homeowner), they should light there; otherwise, it might be suspected that the occupier of the dwelling is not lighting. It is unclear whether that situation requires lighting with or without a b'racha (when there is a candle lighting at home) The Kaf HaChayim, therefore, suggests hearing the b'racha recited by someone who is certainly obligated. Where there is a problem getting permission to light in the room, it may be reasonable for Sefardim to light without their own b'racha in the joint dining area and to try to ensure that someone lights in front of the building or wing where they sleep on behalf of all of them. Another rationale of leniency is that in a campus that is occupied by one group whose members light uniformly, the issue of suspecting one another is weaker than usual. The Daily Portion - Sivan Rahav Meir Five ideas about this week's Parasha Translated by Janine Muller Sherr 1) Parashat Vayeitzei is the seventh parasha in the Book of B'reishit.  It opens with Yaakov leaving the Land of Israel to escape from his brother Eisav, and ends with Yaakov escaping from his father-in-law Lavan, and returning to Israel. 2) This parasha establishes the foundation of our nation, describing the birth of most of Yaakov's children over the course of less than 10 years. Yaakov faces many challenges before bringing his family back to the Land of Israel. 3) One of the most famous images in the parasha is that of Yaakov's ladder. This ladder is set up on the ground and its top reaches to heaven. Before Yaakov goes out into the world, he is given a message to strive to connect heaven to earth and thus to imbue his life with meaning and purpose. 4) This parasha contains a famous verse which highlights the special connection between Yaakov and Rachel. "So Yaakov served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her." Yaakov worked seven years to win Rachel's hand in marriage, but to him it seemed like merely a few days because he loved her so much. 5) Each of Yaakov's sons will be the progenitor of his own tribe. One of the sons born in our parasha is Yehuda. Our matriarch Leah calls him this name to express her gratitude at his birth: "This time, I will thank the Lord!" The word Yehudi (Jew) is derived from the name Yehuda (Judah). The Jewish people are known by this name because, at the heart of being a Jew, is a sense of gratitude for the constant good bestowed upon us by God. Gratitude is part of our DNA. To receive Sivan Rahav-Meir's daily WhatsApp: tiny.cc/DailyPortion From the Writings of Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher z"l The Rise and Fall of Yaakov's Angels Yaakov had a dream, a ladder was set on the ground and its top reached up to heaven, and Angels of G-D were going up and down on it" (B'reishit 28). What is the meaning of this Heavenly Ladder? Life is like a ladder, a series of ups and downs. The ladder that was standing on the ground showed Yaakov that we must use the physical world as a ladder with which to elevate ourselves by serving G-D. Through our service of G-D we help all of existence to fulfill its ultimate destiny. The Angels that were going up and down convey the idea that all of creation depends on us. Even the rise and fall of the Holy Angels is related to our actions. If we use the physical world for holy and spiritual purposes, then all of creation, including the Heavenly Angles is elevated. But if we abuse G-D's world by neglecting the Torah, then all of creation, even the Holy Angels descends along with us. This reality demonstrates the awesome and frightening power of the human being. The Mishna in Avot states, "Know what is above you". Rav Chaim Volozhin translates this Mishna differently, "If you want to know what is above in Heaven, it's up to you!" What we do here on earth has cosmic repercussions in Heaven. According to Kabbala, this world is like a ladder that reaches up to heaven. G-D's Angels, meaning human beings, who come into this world to fulfill G-D's Will, some of us are going up, while others are going down. No one remains forever at the same level, for spiritual progress that endures requires constant spiritual struggle. That is why sometimes one goes down a step, so that when one comes back up, one experiences greater joy and spiritual growth, Y'RIDA L'TZORECH ALIYA - Descent for the Purpose of Ascent. As the Mishna in Avot states, "According to the pain is the gain." It's the constant struggle with the Evil Impulse (Yeitzer Hara) that develops our spiritual strengths and moral character. NO PAIN, NO GAIN! -ESP Y'HI ZICHRO BARUCH OzTORAH by Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple z"l THE DUALITY OF JEWISH LIFE The sidra ends with the words, "And he (Yaakov) called the name of that place MACHANAYIM" (B'reishit 33:3). The name means "a double camp". Rashi's explanation of the name is that two bands of angels met there: the angels of the Diaspora who had accompanied Yaakov until now, and the angels of the Holy Land. Some of the other commentators see it as the meeting place of two worlds, the world of the angels and the world of human beings. The Rashi view hints at the duality that makes up Jewish life - the Diaspora and the Land of Israel. Each of the two centres has its own nature and essence. Each one needs the other. David Ben Gurion, for his part, was adamant that Israel was the only place to be a Jew and that the Diaspora meant the kiss of death to Jewish life and tradition. Actually there are places in the Diaspora where Judaism is flourishing and places in Israel where it is threadbare, and the best approach is to see the two centres as partners that can and must fructify each other. The second explanation of the name also asserts that there are two centres, one being heaven and the other the earth. If we look for a lesson for day-to-day human life it is that there is God in each place, and there is a constant challenge to bring God down to earth to accompany His human creatures on all their paths, with another challenge to elevate human beings and let them taste the blessings of spirituality. In the sages' view, Birkat HaMazon suggests that the unique moment to attain this height is on Shabbat, which is MEI-EIN OLAM HA-BA - a foretaste of heaven, and heaven is YOM SHEKULO SHABBAT, the day which is an unending Sabbath. THE PLACE When Yaakov left Be'er Sheva, he had no idea where he would spend the night. Eventually "he happened upon HAMAKOM, the place", "he took some of the stones of HAMAKOM, the place" and "he lay down (to sleep) BAMAKOM, at the place" (B'reishit 28:10-11). "Place" gets mentioned several times - not "a" but "the" place. It was not any old place but a particular place, though we are not given details of who chose it and why. Realising that God had led him there, Yaakov called the place Beit-El, "The House of God". In rabbinic commentary HAMAKOM, "the place", is The One Who is in Every Place, i.e. God. Nothing Yaakov did was by accident. God guided him and accompanied him every step of the way, bringing him to a pre-ordained location. God who is everywhere had set His eye on this place. Hence Yaakov said, "Surely God is in this place, and I didn't know!" (28:14). It is one of the paradoxes of theology that HaShem is both the universal God of the world with a writ that runs across the whole of Creation, and yet is also in every individual place where we let Him in. -OZ Y'HI ZICHRO BARUCH Sedra Highlight - Dr Jacob Solomon VAYEITZEI In getting ready for a quick getaway from Lavan after 20 years service: Lavan had gone to shear his sheep, so Rachel stole the terafim that belonged to her father [Lavan]… Ya'akov with all [his family, including Rachel] ran away (31:19-21). What actually were the terafim that Rachel stole? Rashi explains that they were household gods. Rachel's taking them away was an act of piety and protest to keep her father away from AVODA ZARA, from idolatry. The Rashbam translates terafim differently. Citing sources elsewhere (e.g. Shmuel Alef 15:23), he suggests that the terafim were not objects of worship, but oracles. Lavan knew the occult practice of using such items to find out what he wanted to know. Thus stealing them was not merely an act of piety, but one of necessity: Rachel did not want those terafim to give any indication of where Ya'akov and his family might be and come chasing after them. These terafim were the sources of Lavan's power. In referring to them as 'his gods' (31:30), he meant terafim, the objects that had the power to direct him. The oracle was seen as functioning as HA-RO'EH, the seer. This difference between Rashi and the Rashbam could be pointing to something far more fundamental: why was Yitzchak, like Avraham Avinu before him, so insistent that his children should not marry into local families in the Land of Canaan, but from Charan, a far-away Mesopotamian community? Both, according to Rashi were into AVODA ZARA; why was the far-away culture any better than the local one, other than one was descended from blessed Sheim and the other from the cursed Canaan, son of Cham? The Ohr HaChayim offers the following explanation. Though the people of Charan had their faults, their AVODA ZARA was more superficial than ingrained. In contrast, Canaanite society's very foundations incorporated idolatry and sexual immorality. That fits in nicely with the Rashbam, who identifies the terafim as mere oracles, rather than the full-fledged household gods according to Rashi and other commentaries. This approach gives us an insight into the Avot's values in choosing a marriage partner, which indicates an eternal message. That is the importance of setting priorities; to distinguish between insurmountable barriers on one hand and challenges that can be overcome with goodwill and patience on the other. Avraham and Yitzchak insisted that those who would carry their spiritual destiny forward - to raise their people and ultimately humanity to live in harmony with the Almighty - needed to marry someone whose way of life could be fully compatible with that purpose. Thus Yitzchak married Rivka, Ya'akov married Rachel and Leah. Such harmonising qualities were exemplified by the chesed that Rivka showed to Eliezer the servant of Avraham. When Eliezer, tired after a long journey, just asked her for a drink of water, she showed sensitivity to his real needs and drew water not only for him, but for his 10 camels (and that is many, many, pitchersfull of water). In doing so, she behaved according to the norms of her society and those norms reflected well on her society. It was not a special show put on for visitors in the hope of getting a profit later on. That resonated with the legendary chesed and life's work of Avraham Avinu, bringing humanity closer to the Almighty, Creator of the World: "For… the entire world is built on chesed" (T'hilim 89:3). By comparison, AVODA ZARA (Rashi) or mere occult practices (Rashbam) may well belong to flaws of the intellect rather than to the deep fabric of a person's operating system. These can fade rather than create lasting barriers. Such processes are part of growing into Torah-compatible principles and community. This principle is of utmost importance today when choosing whom to marry. Are our outlooks and ideals similar? Is our cultural software compatible with each other? Can we merge in promoting our core shared values? Can we see our way through differences that may well be superficial and become less significant with time and good will? These elements affect everything we do: what sort of family we plan to raise and how, what we wish to contribute to society, what resources to bring to the inevitable strains and crises along the way, what activities we enjoy and can support our aims short term, medium term, and long term. And, like the Avot, it may require considerably extending our circle of exploration on the journey in order to find the suitably compatible partner… Menachem Persoff - menpmp@gmail.com In our Parsha, we learn how Yaakov is running from Eisav and encountering a new world that is no longer safe. He has left his "comfort zone" for terrain that is polluted spiritually; it is a world "full of crisis and contradictions," to cite Rabbi (Even-Yisrael) Steinsaltz. Yaakov, as his name implies, is not built for confrontation, for "when Eisav enters Yitzchak's tent, Yaakov exits through the other door." It appears that only when Yaakov grappled with a divine being and prevailed could he contend with the new reality. Now he could confront the challenges of a world compounded of Eisav's hatred for him ("anti-Semitism"), a world that had absolutely nothing in common with him. Insofar as Yaakov represents the quintessential Jew - you and me - the Parsha is prodding us to contemplate how we, today, confront the "modern world", oh so different from the spiritually safe home of our great-grandparents, a world that is at once "very intimidating and frightening," a world that the rabbi describes as, "full of division, alienation, and self-destruction." <> A Midrash treats of the angels associated with Ya'akov's ladder. It says that the angels were crowding around Ya'akov in astonishment and questioning, "You are the one whose image is engraved on high - and here you are sleeping?" Rav Steinsaltz explains: Ya'akov is the ladder that bridges the void between heaven and earth. Yaakov is "us" and like Ya'akov, each of us is standing at Sha'ar HaShamayim, at the Gate of Heaven, at the bottom of that ladder. But will we climb it? Will we make a difference? Or are we sleeping? Will we come out of our comfort zone and face the challenges of our generation? Like Ya'akov, we can overcome. We can face ourselves and face the divine; we can transform ourselves from the frightened and unsure "Ya'akov" to the noble and assertive "Yisra'el". We can at least make a clearing in the forest. It really is up to us. MP CHIZUK & IDUD Divrei Torah from the weekly sedra with a focus on living in Eretz Yisrael Chizuk for Olim & Idud for not-yet-Olim by Rabbi Yerachmiel Roness - Ramat Shiloh, Beit Shemesh VAYEITZEI 5777 (2016) RACHEL IMEINU Years ago, when I sat shiva for my Mother a"h in Montreal, her first cousin came to console. She had been born and bred in Winnipeg and told me that her two sons had "wonderful" wives: "But", she added, "You would not sanction such marriages since they 'married out'." At that point I asked her how it could be that two brothers, her father and my grandfather, both of whom came from the same town in Poland (Przemysl), had the same upbringing, the same cheder education, yet their grandchildren had a radically different status. Her children's children are not considered Jewish halachically whereas my mother and her siblings married Jews and stayed shomrei mitzvot. Her answer was instructive. "Though my father was chazan in shul on the High Holy Days, my mother, who had been born in Canada, was not observant." She let me know that my mother once visited them in Winnipeg and would speak to them in Yiddish asking them if they had recited MODEH ANI upon waking in the mornings. She also informed me that when my mother had been offered a shiduch with a West Coast Jewish lawyer (a Jewish lawyer in the 1930s!) she turned it down because he was not Shomer Shabbat! There were very few Shomer Shabbat people in those days in Canada! This then is the secret of Jewish survival. The woman is called AKERET HABAYIT - The Homemaker. The Midrash of B'reishit Rabba 71 says: "Call her not AKERET HABAYIT but IKAR HABAYIT - the bastion of the home. The woman maintains and steers the Jewish family through stormy seas while steering the family ship with an all-Jewish rudder. This was my mother. (whose Yahrzeit is this week). Maybe she was that way because her mother's maiden name was Langsam and that family traces its roots to the tzadik Rav Elimelech Shapiro of Dinov, the Bnei Yissaschor. In truth, her Midot can be traced back to Rachel Imeinu. Rachel was a very beautiful young woman, and our Rabbis tell us that her external beauty was more than matched by her inner beauty. We might ask why Yaakov chose Rachel over Leah. We assume that Leah was beautiful as well - so why was Rachel chosen. Some suggest that while both sisters were righteous, the difference was that Rachel went out of her way to do good for others, Leah's goodness was kept inside her. This is in line with the suggestion of the Ibn Ezra who comments on the fifty Tzadikim within the city mentioned by Avraham regarding Sodom. Avraham in dialogue with Hashem could have said fifty Tzadikim - why stress "in the city"? Ibn Ezra states- within the city means in Public - B'FARHESI'A. To be a true Tzadik one must operate in the midst of society. It is not enough to be a tzadik when one is alone. That was the difference between Rachel and Leah. That is why Yaakov chose Rachel. Most of us remember the Haftara for the second day of Rosh HaShana where Rachel is mentioned, Yirmiyahu 31:15-17: "Thus says HaShem: A voice was heard in Rama, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children, refused to be comforted for her children, because they are not. Thus says HaShem: Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears: for your work shall be rewarded, says HaShem; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in your end, says HaShem that your children shall come again to their own border. Dvar Torah by Rabbi Chanoch Yeres to his community at Beit Knesset Beit Yisrael, Yemin Moshe Graciously shared with PhiloTorah VAYEITZEI The first revelation between Yaakov and G-d is when he is fleeing from his brother and birthplace, wandering at night in the desert, sleeping in the open, with a stone for a pillow- through the medium of a dream. A modern German Jewish commentator, Beno Jacob, in his work on the Book of B'reishit, divides dreams that take place in B'reishit into two categories. One, those that G-d actually speaks to man and secondly, dreams through who's medium, G-d speaks to man, usually in the form of parables, word-pictures which require elucidation. In Yaakov's dream - G-d addresses Yaakov. Before that, however, comes the picture, which calls for our interpretation. "And a ladder set upon earth... the angels of G-d ascending and descending on it. And G-d stood above it." According to the Midrash Tanchuma, Yaakov's dream depicts the rise and fall of nations and their cultures on the arena of world history. The question asked is what does this have to do with Yaakov's situation, his flight from Padena-Aram, from the anger of his brother, his mission to choose a wife or carry on the seed of Avraham and Yitzchak? We see how the Midrash regards the dream, NOT as referring merely to Yaakov as an individual, but Yaakov as the symbol of Israel - the embodiment of the wandering of the Jewish people as exiled from one country to another and witnesses the rise and fall of mighty kingdoms like Egypt, Assyria, Bavel, Persia and Greece. The author of the Midrash who lived during the period of the Roman Empire had not yet witnessed its decline and fall. Rome and their spiritual successors that took place in Europe afterwards known in medieval rabbinic terminology by the name of Edom. So, their downfall foretold. The Jewish people apprehensive, at the apparent never-ending reign of oppressor - fear that one will go up and not come down. Therefore, G-d soothes our fears that he too will descend. Yaakov's ladder taken to imply the ladder of HISTORY, the ascent of one nation on it and implies the descent of its predecessor. The ladder is not endless but G-d stands at its top, master of history, assuring that all at the end of days will recognize his sovereignty. When we look around at world events, in our time and age, we too are witnessing a certain type of ladder where certain nations succeed and certain nations are less successful. It is up to us to look at those around us and to value what we as a nation have internally as well as externally. We should look for the hidden Hand of G-d watching over us. ParshaPlates ParshaPlates is a concept and website - parshaplates.com - which makes a Parsha Connection between the weekly sedra and a recipe for your Shabbat Table that will hopefully trigger conversation about Parshat HaShavua, in addition to providing a tasty treat in honor of Shabbat. Vayeitzei - Ladder Pretzel In this week's Parsha, Yaakov took stones and placed them at his head. He had a dream of a ladder which was connecting the heaven and earth, and angels ascending and descending the ladder. The food of the week is a pretzel dough in the shape of 12 stones that became one stone. The pretzel dough can also be made into the shape of a ladder. Shabbat Shalom & B'tayavon! Ingredients Dough: 1 packet instant yeast (2 and 1/4 tsp) 1.5 cups warm water 1 Tbsp granulated sugar 1.5 Tbsp oil 1 tsp salt 4 cups flour Optional: coarse sea salt for sprinkling pretzels For boiling: 2/3 cup baking soda 10 cups water Instructions In a mixing bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar. Add oil, salt, and gradually add flour to the mixing bowl. Mix until dough is formed. Cover dough in the bowl with plastic ramp. Let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour. After dough has risen, fill a large pot with 10 cups of water to a boil on medium heat. While water is coming to a boil, divide dough into at least 12 balls and ladder pretzel pieces. Ladder pieces include 2 long strips of dough for the sides of the ladder and 4-6 shorter strips of dough for the rungs across the ladder. Very slowly pour the baking soda into the boiling water (will foam/boil over if added too fast). Add the pretzel pieces in batches into the pot for around 30 seconds. Remove pretzel pieces from the pot and place the pieces onto a greased baking sheet. Place the shorter rungs across the two longer strips at regular intervals. Gently press the rungs and longer strips together so the ladder pieces all stick together. See photo for reference. Brush the top of the pretzels with an egg wash. Optional to sprinkle on coarse salt. Bake pretzel pieces at 220°C (425°F) for 15 minutes. The Weekly 'Hi All' by Rabbi Jeff Bienenfeld VAYEITZEI 5784 When Yaakov, after leaving his parents, arrives at the well in Charan, he encounters a group of shepherds, seemingly idling away the day instead of shepherding their flocks. He addresses them with these words: "'ACHAI, my brothers, where are you from?' And they said, 'We are from Charan.'" (29:4) R. Yaakov Kaminetsky asks (Emet L'Yaakov, pp. 91-92): Isn't it somewhat unusual for a stranger (Yaakov) to employ the words, "my brothers" when talking to strangers (the shepherds)? And another question: A few verses later (29:7), Yaakov proceeds to reprimand the shepherds, "Look, the day is still long; it is not yet time to bring in the livestock; water the flock and go on grazing." It certainly takes a bit of temerity for an outsider to criticize the behavior of the local residents. And yet, remarkably, the shepherds, instead of resenting Yaakov's meddling, respond quite calmly and civilly. How is this to be explained? Quoting Rambam (Hilchot. Dei'ot, 6:7), R. Kaminetsky's answer to both questions is quite instructive. He argues that for any rebuke to be halachically licit and effective, the rebukee must be convinced that the criticism is coming from a place of sincere concern for his welfare. What better way to convey such affection than to begin the conversation with the words, "my brothers". When such sentiments of genuine fellowship, of honest brotherhood - a true AHAVAT HAB'RIYOT - is felt, not only can the reproof be accepted, but even a friendly conversation can actually ensue. This ethos of brotherhood - of achdut - not only makes good practical sense, but it is fundamental for the survival of any society and nation. True, from a purely utilitarian perspective, coming together to face a common enemy or accomplish a mutual mission makes a great deal of sense. Meaningful achdut, however, is rooted in a much deeper principle and inspired by a higher goal. To this end, and to unpack this deeper principle, Rabbi Y.Y. Jacobson, adduces the remarkable insight of the Lubavitcher Rebbe as he explains the episode of Yaakov, who, when lying down to sleep, places multiple rocks around his head (28:11). The Talmud (Chulin 91b) relates the well-known Midrash (also quoted by Rashi) that the stones began arguing, each one saying, "Upon me shall this righteous person rest his head." So, G-d combined them all into one stone, and the quarreling ceased. Hence, when Yaakov awoke, we read, he "took the stone" in the singular, since all the stones merged into one. Two questions: One, what is the symbolism behind this "quarreling of stones"? And two: Even after the stones fused into a single large stone, the head of Yaakov still rested upon only one part of the stone. Why didn't the other parts of the stone still complain that Yaakov's head was not lying upon them? The Rebbe answers: The infighting between the stones was not caused by each one wanting the head of Yaakov; it was rather because each were separate stones. When the stones became one, the tussling then ceased. Why? Because when you feel one with another, you simply do not mind if the head of the righteous one rests upon your neighbor. His gain is your gain because you are essentially one entity. The midrash of the stones, then, reflects a profound spiritual truth about human relationships. Much conflict - in families, communities, synagogues, organizations, corporations, and movements - stem from everyone's fear that someone else will end up with the "head", and you'll be "thrown under the bus". In a word, we can view each other either as "assorted stones" or as a "single stone". Both are valid perspectives, fair interpretations of reality. The first, however, is superficial; the second demands profounder reflection and sensitivity. Ostensibly, we are indeed separate. You are you; I am I. We are strangers. I want the head; you want the head. So, we quarrel. But, on a deeper level, though, we are really one - the universe and all of humanity. Likewise, insofar as the Jewish people is concerned, Rav Soloveitchik would often comment that as Knesset Yisrael, we are not a conglomerate, but an individuality, a living whole, a "personalistic unity" that embraces the unique contributions of each Jew in a spirit of "existential complementarity". On this level, we are all truly part of one organic metaphysical reality. Indeed, different "stones" may need to have different positions, yet there is no room for abuse, manipulation, mistreatment or exploitation, because we are one. And we need to be one because HaShem is. ATA ECHAD, V'SHIMCHA ECHAD, U'MI K'AMCHA YISRAEL GOI ECHAD BA'ARETZ, "You are One, Your name is One; and who is like Your people Israel, one unique nation on earth!" Yaakov, the father of all Israel, who encompassed within himself the souls of all of his children, imparted this unity within the "stones" around him, allowing each of them - for that night - to see themselves as a harmonious and glorious singularity. We are also, in this "Swords of Iron" war, experiencing our night of sorts: The staggering and barbaric massacre of October 7th, the plight of the hostages, the wounded, the many soldiers who have given their lives to defend us all. Indeed, in our night of nights, we need the teachings of Forefather Yaakov to remind us of the secret of the "fusion of the stones" along with the necessary key to induce and trigger that fusion; and the key - the wisdom to say "my brothers" and mean it! In the wake of this defining and crucial battle, we have already seen and heard of numerous shining examples of this achdut and brotherhood throughout our country and throughout the world. May all these magnificent deeds merit that HaShem protect us and lead us to victory. Insights into Halacha - Rabbi Yehuda Spitz Ohr Somayach (yspitz@ohr.edu) The Rarest Year of Them All (part two) As detailed in Part one, our current year, 5785, is not only a rare one, but calendarically speaking, actually the hands-down rarest of them all. 5785 is classified as a HEI-SHIN-ALEF year in our calendars. This abbreviation is referring to Rosh HaShana falling out on Thursday (HEI), both months of Marcheshvan and Kislev being SHALEIM (SHIN), and Pesach falling out on Sunday (ALEF). Ed. note: The other 'code' for this year-type is PEI-HEI-SHIN. The PEI stands for P'shuta, the 12-month, one Adar year. The HEI and the SHIN are the same as above. Indicating the day of Pesach (as above) makes it unnecessary to indicate which year - P'SHUTA or M'UBERET it is; that can be determined by knowing the day Pesach begins. Similarly, by indicating P'SHUTA or M'UBERET, it can be determined what day Pesach begins, without expressly stating it. A HaSh"A year is the rarest of years, and out of the 14 possibilities in Tur's 247-year calendar cycle, this year type occurs on average only once in about 30.19 years (approximately 3.3% of the time). Indeed, at times there are 71 years (!) between HaSh"A years. The last time this year type occurred was 31 years ago in 5754 / 1994. The next time will be 20 years hence in 5805 / 2044. The next several times after that are slated to be 27 years further, in 5832 / 2071 and then a 51 year gap in 5883 / 2122. The reasons and rules governing the whys and whens this transpires are too complicated for this discussion; suffice to say that when the Mishna Berura discusses these issues he writes EIN KAN MAKOM L'HA'ARICH, that this is not the place to expound in detail, which is certainly good enough for this author. Obviously, such a rare calendar year will contain many rare occurrences. This series article sets out to detail many of them. Perhaps as we get nearer to the actual events, we will discuss them in greater detail. Let's continue on our journey through our unique year. No Kabbalat Shabbat in Tishrei An interesting anomaly related to the many Tishrei Three-Day Yom Tovs discussed in Part one that may have slipped your attention, is that due to them occurring, a full Kabbalat Shabbat was not davened the entire month of Tishrei in Chutz La'aretz, and only the last Shabbat of the month in Eretz Yisrael. This is because anytime a Yom Tov falls out on Shabbat or even exits directly into Shabbat, the full Kabbalat Shabbat is not recited, but rather only the paragraphs of MIZMOR SHIR and HASHEM MALACH at the end of Kabbalat Shabbat. [Nusach Sefard adds in Mizmor L'David and the beginning and end of L’cha Dodi as well.] Hence, with the first Shabbat of the year commencing with the conclusion of Rosh HaShana, the second Shabbat being Yom Kippur, the third Shabbat being Shabbat Chol Hamoed Sukkot, and the last Shabbat directly following Simchat Torah (in Chutz La'aretz), a full Kabbalat Shabbat was simply not davened at all the whole month of Tishrei in Chutz La'aretz, and only on the last Shabbat of the month in Eretz Yisrael. One final note about this special Tishrei. Over Rosh HaShana we had a rare five-days of consecutive Kriyat HaTorah that each were leined due a different specific reason - and without the recital of Hallel: Thursday, the first day Rosh HaShana we have "VASHEM PAKAD ET SARA; Friday, the second day of Rosh HaShana is AKEIDAT YITZCHAK; Shabbat Shuva is HA'AZINU; Sunday, Tzom Gedalya (nidcheh) is VAYCHAL MOSHE; and lastly, Monday - until Sheini of Parashat V'ZOT HAB'RACHA. According to calendar expert Rav Dovid Heber in his recent The Intriguing World of Jewish Time (pg. 147), this occasion is the maximum number of consecutive days on which leining is possible without reciting Hallel. Interesting, no? Early Tal U'Matar Although in Eretz Yisrael we always start the recital of the request for rain V'TEIN TAL UMATAR LIVRACHA on the eve of the 7th of Marcheshvan, nonetheless in Chutz La'aretz this addition to our Shemoneh Esrei only starts 60 days after the start of halachic autumn - T'KUFAT TISHREI. According to the Gregorian calendar, from 1900 until the year 2100, this occurs on the night preceding December 5th (except in the December preceding a solar leap year, when it is the night preceding December 6th) when at Maariv we start saying V'TEIN TAL UMATAR LIVRACHA. Either way, the corresponding date in our Luach (which generally falls out in the middle or end of Kislev), this year occurs quite early, on 4 Kislev. According to calendar expert R' Yosef Yehuda Weber, the last time this occurred this early in our Luach was 20 years ago in 5766/2005. The next time it will be this early will be in another 19 years in 5804/2043. Although this 'calendar quirk' does not have halachic import, it is quite unusual. Our fascinating journey detailing the many remarkable facets of our rare year will IY"H be continued… Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch famously wrote that "the Jew's catechism is his calendar." It is this author's wish that by showcasing the uniqueness of our calendar year and its rare minhagim, this series will help raise appreciation of them and our fascinating calendarical customs. Ed. note: Taken separately, the unusual features of this year-type do occur in other types of years. But taken as a whole, this year 5785 (and the rare others like it) is quite unusual. This author wishes to thank R' Yosef Yehuda Weber, author of 'Understanding the Jewish Calendar,' for being a fount of calendarical knowledge and for his assistance with this series. For any questions, comments or for the full Mareh Mekomot / sources, please email the author: yspitz@ohr.edu Rabbi Yehuda Spitz serves as the Sho'el U'Meishiv and Rosh Chavura of the Ohr Lagolah Halacha Kollel at Yeshivas Ohr Somayach in Yerushalayim. He also currently writes a contemporary halacha column for the Ohr Somayach website titled "Insights Into Halacha". ohr.edu/this_week/insights_into_halacha/ Disclaimer: This is not a comprehensive guide, rather a brief summary to raise awareness of the issues. In any real case one should ask a competent Halachic authority. Rabbi Yehuda Spitz's English halacha sefer, "Food: A Halachic Analysis" (Mosaica/ Feldheim) containing over 500 pages featuring over 30 comprehensive chapters discussing the myriad halachic issues pertaining to food, is now available online and in bookstores everywhere." Editor's note: An additional unique point about 5785 is noteworthy because it might be the only time it ever happens. This year is written as HEI' TAV-SHIN-PEI-HEI. The SHIN matches SHALEIM, the PEI matches P'SHUTA, and the HEI matches the Thursday Rosh HaShana. I haven't found another year that has that match. VAYEITZEI Check the whole file for other Vayeitzei GMs. GM Here's one GM within Vayeitzei, that shows two sides of the same (RACHEL) coin. B'reishit 30:2 - And Yaakov became angry with Rachel, and he said, "Am I instead of God, Who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?" The gimatriya of this pasuk is 3076. Her being barren obviously troubled her greatly. Yaakov's answer was harsh and insensitive. Twenty-one p'sukim later, 30:23, shows us the other side of the proverbial coin - 30-23 - And she conceived and bore a son, and she said, "God has taken away my reproach." Rachel is barren - then she is barren no more. Two opposites with the same gimatriya. GM And here's a new GM-find. B'reishit 28:11, the second pasuk in Parshat Vayeitzei - And he (Yaakov) arrived at the place and lodged there because the sun had set, and he took some of the stones of the place and placed [them] at his head, and he lay down in that place. The gimatriya of this pasuk is 3745. This pasuk is way at the beginning of Yaakov's sojourn, leaving his parents' home, leaving Eretz Yisrael. Now let's look at B'reishit 45:4 in Parshat Vayigash - Then Yosef said to his brothers, "Please come closer to me", and they drew closer. And he said, "I am your brother Yosef, whom you sold into Egypt. How much has happened between these two p'sukim! Yaakov left Eretz Yisrael, alone (except for HaShem Who promised to be with him), he met Rachel, Lavan, Leah... Married them and their handmaidens... had 13 (named) children, came back to Eretz Yisrael, lost Rachel, lost Yosef... and in the second pasuk of this GM, Yosef and his brothers reunite and reconcile. Loads happened - framed by two p'sukim with the same Gimatriya. RED ALERT! VAYEITZEI by Rabbi Eddie Davis (RED) of the Young Israel of Hollywood - Ft. Lauderdale (Florida) DIVREI TORAH <> The beginning of the Parsha describes Yaakov's hasty departure from Canaan. He was primarily fleeing from his brother's anger and determination to kill him. One of his first statements after experiencing the dream of the ladder was that he should be blessed with the ability to return in peace to his father's house. This should stand out as the determining desire among his descendants that they should continuously pray for and experience a peaceful return to their ancestral homeland. We once heard a great story from Prof. Velvel Green a"h when he visited us years ago. He had a distinguished job for ten years to work on a think tank to plan all the details American astronauts would encounter on a long flight to the planet of Jupiter, for example. His field was biological functions on a rocket ship. The group of ten scientists would meet about twice a year to review together their work. One thorny issue was the fact that the crew on the flight would probably die and their descendants would be the ones returning to Earth. But how do they transmit their mission to their offspring? At one session the non-Jewish chairman got up and said that we need to steal a page from the Jewish playbook. Their Temple was destroyed some 2000 years ago and they were sent into exile, and now they are still praying for the return to Israel and the rebuilding of the Temple. The shocked Prof. Green was surprised but terribly impressed. <> This Parsha tells the story of the twenty years that Yaakov spent at Lavan's home, how he managed to marry four wives (allegedly all daughters of Lavan) and had twelve children with them, eleven sons and one daughter. The story is bracketed by angels. Classic commentators write that when Yaakov was leaving Eretz Yisrael, the angels of Eretz Yisrael ascended to Heaven and new angels, angels of outside of Eretz Yisrael descend to escort and protect Yaakov while not in Israel. At the end of the Parsha, the angels now reverse their positions and angels of Eretz Yisrael resume their job of protecting Yaakov upon his return to Israel. [Note: Similarly in the song Shalom Aleichem at the beginning of Shabbat, we start by greeting angels, and then in the fourth stanza, we are wishing angels farewell. The alter Belzer Rebbe explained that we first greet the angels of Shabbat and then bid farewell to the angels of the week.] <> The vision of the ladder speaks to me, symbolizing the connection between Israel and the Diaspora. That connection is strong and has to be stronger. The ladder today is symbolized by El Al, with passengers boarding and deplaning in Israel and abroad. Cyrus the Great said it very clearly in the opening chapter of Ezra. He gave permission for the Jews to leave Babylon to return to Eretz Yisrael and to rebuild the Beit HaMikdash. The majority of the Jews stayed in Babylonia. He addressed those who remained in Bavel in 1:4, Those who stay here are required to financially assist and support those who are rebuilding Eretz Yisrael. [I often wonder why the American Jewish Federation won't put that verse in Neon Lights and use it as a slogan for all of American Jewry!] <> When Yaakov left Eretz Yisrael, he did so for two reasons. One was to flee from his brother Eisav who wanted to kill him. The second reason was to obey his father's request to find an appropriate bride from his mother's family. It is interesting to note that Rivka never told her husband about Eisav's desire to kill Yaakov. She discussed with Yitzchak only about the marriage prospects for Yaakov. Yaakov was leaving due to both concerns, but mostly because of Eisav's anger. Yitzchak knew that Eisav was angry but never realized to what degree the anger was burning inside him. [According to the Beit HaLevi, that is the reason the Torah uses a double verb to open this Parsha. Yaakov left Be'er Sheva (to flee from Eisav) and went to Charan (to find a bride)]. <> In the Torah, Hashem promises the Patriarchs that their offspring, the nation of Israel are compared to the stars, to the sand, and to the earth. HaRav Aharon Levin from Reisha in Poland wrote about this point. Stars are individual entities, very distant from each other. The sand are tiny particles that aren't connected with each other. Earth combines the particles into larger portions. Here in 28:14, Hashem tells Yaakov that his offspring with be like the earth. When united, they will be strong and then be able to stretch out and grow beyond its prescribed borders. The greatest strength of the Jewish people is when they are united. Very true today! (Rav Levin HY"D, 1880-1941 - a victim of the Nazis, wrote HaDrash V'Ha'Iyun, a favorite of Rav Soloveitchik's.) <> When Rachel could not get pregnant, she complained to her husband, but Yaakov became angry at her. I could never comprehend Yaakov's response. What would it hurt for him to listen to her sadness and offer to pray for her. I could conjecture that maybe due to his lack of compassion for the love of his life was the reason he experienced so many hardships over the years. He acknowledged the many difficulties in his life when he was introduced to Pharaoh when he came to Egypt to be with Yosef. He was the only one of our three Patriarchs who exhibited the character trait of anger. Later, in 31:36, he became angry with Lavan. But here, he blew up at Rachel, his favorite wife. The Torah does not shy away from telling us about certain flaws in the character of our sacred Biblical heroes, demonstrating that they also had flaws and made mistakes. <> At the end of the story of Lavan, Lavan and Yaakov create a peace treaty. Lavan called it Y'GAR SAHADUTA, an Aramaic name. Yaakov called it GAL'ED, the Hebrew term. These names also point out to us the language difference between the two men, representing the two different worlds they lived in. Yaakov came from a family that preferred the Hebrew language. The Midrash stipulates that maintaining the Hebrew language was one of the physical ways the Israelites could maintain their Jewish identity while living for centuries in Egypt. I see the language barrier existing in the modern Jewish world today, as so many Jews are challenged in their Hebrew skills. I was once in Rechovot for a Shabbat and at Seuda Shlishit, I was sitting with a Jew from Russia, one from Argentina, and one from France. The only common language for the four of us was: Hebrew. <> In Parshat Balak (Bamidbar 25:5), when the Torah says that Balak sent messengers to Bilaam, Targum Yonatan translates the verse as "He sent messengers to LAVAN…" The Targum Yonatan identifies Bilaam as Lavan. That Lavan's soul was reincarnated as Bilaam. Now with this line of thinking. Bilaam eventually rode his donkey to the encampment of Israel in the desert. As he rode, the donkey saw the angel with a sword and brushed Lavan's leg against the stone wall. According to Targum Yonatan, the stone wall was the stone structure here in our Parsha. Bilaam (Lavan) was violating this peace treaty and was crossing the stone marker with the intention of doing harm to Beit Yaakov, Bnei Yisrael. A clear violation of the agreement. Interesting to say the least. Questions by RED for Parshat Vayeitzei From the text 1. In the vision of the ladder, who was on the ladder? (28:12) 2. What was the deal Yaakov made with Lavan? (29:18) 3. At the end of the Parsha, how did Yaakov "steal Lavan's heart"? (31:2) 4. What did Hashem tell Lavan just before Lavan was to meet Yaakov after Yaakov left? (31:24) 5. What are the two parts of the treaty between Yaakov and Lavan? (31:44-51) From the Rashi 6. Where was the place that Yaakov rested and had the vision of the ladder? (28:11) 7. Why did Yaakov cry when he met Rachel? (29:11) (2 answers) 8. What blessings does Lavan admit to receiving by Yaakov's presence in the family? (30:27) 9. Why did Rachel steal her father's Terafim? (31:19) 10. What kind of angels greeted Yaakov when he returned to Eretz Yisrael? (32:2) From the Rabbis 11. Why did Reuven look for Duda'im for his mother? (S'forno) 12. Did the Duda'im work? How did Rachel suddenly become pregnant? (Radak) 13. On what day of the year was Yosef born? (Rosh HaShana 11a) Midrash 14. Yaakov took a vow after his vision of the ladder. To whom did he tell about this vow? Haftara - Hoshei'a 15. Israel is sent into Exile. Is everything lost? Relationships a) Adam - Enosh b) Na'ama - Sheim c) Ada - Eisav d) Reuven - Peretz e) Yehuda - Eisav ANSWERS 1. Angels ascending and descending on it. 2. That Yaakov would work for seven years and then be able to marry Rachel. 3. By not telling Lavan that he was leaving. 4. Don't harm Yaakov physically or verbally. 5. a) That Yaakov would not mistreat Lavan's daughters. b) Neither can cross this landmark to do harm to the other party. 6. On Mt. Moriah 7. a) He saw in Divine Spirit that Rachel would not be buried beside him. And b) Because he was empty handed, with no gifts to present to her. 8. Lavan became wealthy with possessions and with sons. 9. To distance her father from idolatry. 10. Angels to escort Yaakov back to Eretz Yisrael. 11. Reuven knew that his mother wanted to have more children. 12. She became pregnant due to her strong prayers. 13. On Rosh HaShana 14. To future generations: when in trouble, vow to do good deeds. 15. No, Hashem is waiting to forgive us. Relationships a) Grandfather & grandson b) Mother & son c) Wife & husband d) Uncle & nephew e) Nephew & Uncle PhiloTorah This 'n That FRI, 5 Kislev 5785, December 6th Longtime no update to this file. The recent features added to PhiloTorah are the ParshaPlates column, which consists of a recipe for a Parsha-related food to satisfy your palates and to stimulate a review of the weekly sedra at your Shabbat Table. And, we have revived an old feature from Torah Tidbits - a sample of sayings from A Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein z"l. Way back when, We were able to discuss his book with him. Alas, he passed away in 2014. A Candle by Day contains over 3000 musar-oriented sayings. Aside from this and other books he authored, he also translated a treasure trove of important s'farim, making them available to the English-speaking community. They include Shmirat HaLashon of the Chofetz Chayim, Orchos Tzadikim, The Gates of Repentance: Sha'arei Teshuva, Mesillat Yesharim, The Essential Torah Temima, The Rashi Chumash, Sefer HaMitzvot of the Rambam - and others. Just to remind you - PhiloTorah gets uploaded piece by piece, usually from Motza'ei Shabbat through to Thursday (hopefully) or Friday (like this week), so keep checking throughout the week for the latest updates.