In God’s image
“All human beings are precious, for they contain the image of God. Man is therefore obligated to honor his fellowman and shower him with lovingkindness for by so doing he is honoring God. He must be careful not to embarrass or abuse another person, for by so doing he is slighting God.” The Alter of […]
Fear and worry
“And Jacob was very frightened (when hearing that his brother Esav was coming toward him with an army of 400 men) and he was distressed…” (Genesis 32:8) The Chozeh from Lublin explained that he was afraid of Esav but was distressed by this fear, since God had previously promised him that “I will guard you […]
Upstaged
Jacob dreams of a ladder reaching up to the heavens with angels going up and down and receives dramatic assurances from G-d. Upon awakening, he proclaims, “Surely, Hashem is present in this place and I did not know!”(Genesis 28:16) The Hebrew here seems redundant: V’anochi (and I) lo ya’dati (I did not know). And I […]
The name game
Jacob hurriedly escaped from Lavan’s home with his family, but the Torah describes how his father-in-law caught up with him. Lavan proclaims that the daughters are his and their children are his. He then proposes that the two of them should seal a covenant. There are two kinds of covenant: one to bring two parties […]
Passionate for what?
“…and (Jacob) said to Lavan, “What is my transgression, and what is my sin that you have so hotly pursued me?” (Genesis 31:36) (Setting the scene: Jacob had endured too many years of his overbearing father-in-law Lavan, so he packed up his family and everything he had and left. His wife Rachel grabbed her father’s […]
How do you see yourself?
“…and behold a ladder set up on the ground, and the top of it reached to heaven…” (Genesis 28:12) If a person regards his or her self as humble, “set on the ground,” then ‘their head will reach to heaven.’ They will merit to have Hashem beside them (verse 13), as it says, “I dwell […]
Unhealthy obsessing
“For my sin I admit, I worry about my transgression.” (Psalm 38:19) The Book of Psalms, indeed, the Bible often uses parallelism – the same idea is expressed in two ways. This is how this verse is usually understood. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov took it in another direction: David was a master of repentance. He […]
Hacking the Haftorah: VAYEITZEI
This series explores the connection between the weekly Torah portion read in synagogues (Parashat HaShavuah) and the Haftorah reading that follows from the writings of the prophets. The Five Books of Moses are read publicly in synagogues on Shabbat morning and completed over the course of a year. There is an ancient custom to follow […]
Measuring time
“And Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, but they seemed to him like a few days because of his love for her.” (Genesis 29:20) Actually, when we wait impatiently for something, a day can feel like a year. How could having to work for seven years for Rachel have seemed like just a few days […]
Who do we pray for?
“He (Jacob) encountered the place and spent the night there… (Genesis 28:11). Rashi comments that the word for “encounter” (va’yifga) means prayer. (This seems to be the meaning of the word in Jeremiah 7:16.) However, a few verses later, we are told explicitly that Jacob prayed that God should be with him, guard him on […]