Weekly Parsha

Refuah Sheimah: "May it be Your will, our G-d, and the G-d of our fathers, that You send, quickly, a complete recovery from the heavens, healing for the soul, and healing for the body" to Nahum HaLevi ben Bracha and Norma J. Drapper

Continue praying for: Teddy Welz, Miriam (Mariana) "bat Zulay", Adina (Heidi) "bat Sarah" e Yosefa (Josie) "bat Sharon".

Vayetzei

Genesis 28:10 - 32:3

This week we have the trials and tribulations of Jacob (Ya'akov) living with and working for his father-in-law, Laban.  Jacob agreed to work as a shepherd 7 years for Rachel only to have Laban switch daughters on him at the marriage ceremony.  This is why we have the badekin ('covering' ceremony) where the groom sees the face of his bride to ensure he is marrying the right woman before he covers her with the veil.

As Jacob tries to build his equity, Laban changes their agreement time after time.  After 20 years, the Almighty tells Jacob the time has come to return to the land of Canaan.  Jacob and his household secretly leave only to be pursued by Laban who has claims to put forth.  The story ends with peace and blessings between Jacob and Laban.

Ya'akov fled the wrath of his brother, Esau, who wanted to kill him. On his journey to Padan Aram where his uncle and family lived, Ya'akov slept on the place where the Temple would be built by Solomon many years later. 

"And Ya'akov woke up from his sleep and he said, 'The Almighty is in this place and I did not know it' " (Gen. 28:16).

Rashi explains that Ya'akov said, "If I were to have realized the sanctity of this place, I would not have slept here."

Ya'akov was fleeing for his life from Esau.  He was penniless and prayed to the Almighty for just the basic necessities of food to eat and clothing to wear.  The Almighty came to him in a dream and gave him a guarantee that He would watch over him and all would be well.  When Ya'akov awoke, his initial reaction could easily have been one of extreme joy and gratitude for this promise.  However, what was Ya'akov's initial thought?  He censured himself for sleeping at a sacred site.

A person whose main focus is self-improvement and a striving for perfection will always check his behavior to see what needs correction.  Keep asking yourself, "Have I made any mistakes?"  When you do find a mistake, feel positive for the opportunity to correct the mistake for the future.

A word of caution.  While self-criticism is a prerequisite for character improvement, one must be careful to have a healthy balance.  Excessive self-condemnation will be extremely detrimental to one's well-being.  You need to master an attitude of joy for doing good and then self-criticism will add to that joy.  Every fault that is found and worked on will give you the pleasure of knowing that you are improving!

Any problem that can be solved with money isn't really a problem. You are rich according to what you are, not according to what you have.

An atheist cannot find G-d for the same reason a thief cannot find a policeman.

Shabbat Shalom!

R. Tank

Online Learning

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Rabbi Tank is a professor at the American Jewish College in New York, where he teaches classes on Talmud, Jewish History, and Contemporary Jewish Law. Rabbi Tank is dedicated to finding modern utility and meaning in ancient wisdom texts and is pleased to provide spiritual, cultural, social and educational programming to communities around the world. 

Rabbi Tank was educated at Yeshivas in New York and Miami. He studied Biblical Archeology at Bar Ilan University and Jewish Studies at Harvard University. Rabbi Tank has a Bachelor degree in Business Administration and he is also graduated in International Economic Development from the University of Oxford. 

Rabbi Tank is a Jewish Chaplain actively involved in peace negotiations and relief operations. Rabbi Tank is the director of international affairs at the World Jewish Confederation in the United States and He is member of the White House National Religious Leaders , an Executive Office of the President of the United States in Washington, D.C.

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