Weekly Parsha

This Week Torah Study is still open for sponsorship. 

Thank you for participating in this event by sponsoring a portion of the Torah to eveyone. May HaShem HaKadosh Baruch Hu Bless you in every way.

Let's pray for the "Refuah Shleima" (speedy recovery) of " our community". May G-d deliver us from this crisis speedily and grant a complete recovery to those who are ill, Amen!

Prayer List

"Seth (Stephen) ben Sarah"
"Shaina Elisa bas Esther"
"Adira (Heidi) bas Sarah"

The Almighty commands Avram (later renamed Avraham) to leave Haran and go to the "place that I will show you" (which turned out to be the land of Canaan -- later renamed the Land of Israel). The Almighty then gives Avram an eternal message to the Jewish people and to the nations of the world, "I will bless those who bless you and he who curses you I will curse." Finding a famine, Avram travels to Egypt (once renamed to be part of the United Arab Republic) asking Sarai (later renamed Sarah), to say she is his sister so they won't kill him to marry her (the Egyptians were particular not to commit adultery ... so they would kill the husband instead).

Pharaoh evicts Avram from Egypt after attempting to take Sarai for a wife. They settle in Hebron (also known as Kiryat Arba) and his nephew Lot settles in Sodom. Avram rescues Lot -- who was taken captive -- in the Battle of the Four Kings against the Five Kings.

Entering into a covenant with the Almighty (all covenants with the Almighty are eternal, never to be abrogated or replaced by new covenants), Avram is told that his descendants will be enslaved for 400 years and that his descendants (via Isaac, "... through Isaac will offspring be considered yours." Gen. 21:8) will be given the land "from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates."

Sarai, childless, gives her handmaid Hagar to Avram for a wife so that he will have children. Ishmael (the alter zedeh -- the grandfather -- of our Arab cousins) is born. The covenant of brit mila, religious circumcision, is made (read 17:3-8), G-d changes their names to Avraham and Sarah and tells them that Sarah will give birth to Yitzhak (Isaac). Avraham circumcises all the males of his household.

* * *

"There was quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and herdsmen of Lot's livestock -- and the Canaanite and Perizzite were then dwelling in the land. So Abram said to Lot, 'Please let there be no strife between me and you ... we are brothers" (Gen. 13:7-8).

Beginning with the Five Books of Moses to the most recent writings of mussar (ethical teachings) we are repeatedly adjured to avoid internecine strife and divisiveness. We are promised unlimited blessings and success if only we are united. There is no worse curse than can befall us, than pitting one person against another.

In the above verse, the Torah tells us that the quarrel between Abram's and Lot's herdsmen occurred at a time when "the Canaanite and the Perizzite were then dwelling in the land." Abram's plea to Lot was, "Please let there be no strife between me and you." Abram was saying, "Here are two different nations, the Canaanite and Perizzite, living side by side in peace. Why do we, who are blood relatives, have to quibble and live in dissension?"

Abraham's plea continues to reverberate in our ears throughout our history. We are children of one ancestor, why must we be at odds? We can give various reasons for our disagreements. I firmly believe that these are nothing but rationalizations.... Inasmuch as senseless divisiveness would be intolerable to rational people, we ingeniously formulate rationalizations to justify why we cannot live in harmony. Rationalizations are logical-sounding reasons that serve as excuses, but they are not the true reason.

We can easily find more reasons why we should be together than why we should be apart. But we can find them only if we so desire!

"And I (God) will bless those who bless you, and him that curses you I will curse; and in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:3).

When the Torah states that G-d will bless "those who bless you" it refers not only to someone who blesses Avraham, but also to someone who blesses a descendant of Avraham.

This verse in a letter he wrote to show that blessing one's friend is a very worthwhile action. When you bless another person, you merely offer a few words, in return for which the Almighty gives you his bountiful blessings.

Remember -- when you greet someone with a cheery "Good morning" or "Good night," you are blessing him and you will be blessed. Don't merely mumble the words. Be sincere and keep in mind that in essence you are saying, "I pray that you should have a good day."

Unity -- begins with you!

Lech Lecha: Go for unity. Go for you!

A friend is someone who knows everything about you
-- and likes you anyway!

An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory...

Shabbat Shalom!

Covid won't stop our learning 

We are excited to announce the American Jewish College FREE Learning Program. Please contact Rabbi Tank WhatsApp number +1 (917) 834-4770 to let him know that you want to join the English, French, Spanish or Portuguese group.

Partners

The wise man seizes the opportunity to do mitzvot" (King Solomon). The lazy person says -- someday I'll do it.