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2) - Rabbi's Message
Parshat HaShavuah - This week's Torah portion is Parshat VaYetzey.
It tells of the struggles and triumphs of our forefather Yaakov (Jacob).
He's been forced to flee from his brother and his family in Canaan, and
experiences an extraordinary vision of the Holy One on his first night
alone - "Jacob's Ladder". Yaakov then arrives in Haran (north-western
Mesopatamia) as a stranger in a strange land, and meets his mother's
family, his future brides, and his difficult, crafty Uncle Lavan. The
remarkable encounter of Yaakov and Rachel, who would become the
love of his life, may well be the first "meet-cute" in Jewish history.
A new family, the Children of Israel (the name Yaakov will eventually be
given) will come into being as a result of these encounters. As each
new child is born, we learn of how they are named. The name given by
Leah to baby Judah ("Yehudah") has great meaning for the Jewish
People ("Yehudeem"), and for Thanksgiving weekend, too.
Parshat VaYetzey may be found in any Bible, in Genesis 28:10 - 32:3,
or in the Hertz Chumash on pp. 106-117, or in Etz Hayim (our
Conservative Chumash, with modern translations and commentaries)
on pp. 166-187. You may also find it online at this link:
https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.28.10-32.3?lang=bi&aliyot=0
In the Haftarah, the prophet Hoshea (in Hoshea 12:13 - 14:10) connects
aspects of the life of Yaakov with the trials of the Children of Israel in the
prophet's own time. You may also find this passage in the Hertz
Chumash on pp. 118-121, or on pp. 189-193 in Etz Hayim, or on-line at:
https://www.sefaria.org/Hosea.12.13-14.10?lang=bi
I wish you and your loved ones a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving, and
I look forward to sharing Shabbat with you and our synagogue family.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Yechiel
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