Just 7 weeks prior to the start of today’s Parsha, the Jewish people were still slaves in Egypt.  But now, As G-d is about to give B’nai Yisroel the Torah and make them his “chosen people,” Moshe’s father-in-law shows up at their encampment.  This is Yitro, the priest of Midian.  He brings with him his daughter/Moshe’s wife Zipporah and their two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, to join up with Moshe and the Jewish people.  The translation of his name, Yitro, is “another chapter” which I presume is since his experience and counsel of Moshe added another chapter to the Torah.  As a factual matter, Yitro had several other names including Reuel, Hobab, Yeter and others, but that is a chapter to be added to another Dvar.

Yitro observed Moshe sitting as judge onto the people from “morning to night” hearing their cases and rendering justice with his decisions.  As a caring father-in-law has been know to do, he counsels Moshe that his lifestyle is not sustainable, and that Moshe should create a hierarchy of justice employing 70 righteous elders from the community to hear the majority of cases so as to refer only the most difficult and serious cases to Moshe.  Like a dutiful son-in-law, Moshe defers to Yitro’s counsel and abruptly sends him on his way.

It is now 9 weeks from leaving Egypt.  At the base of Mount Sinai, G-d instructs Moshe to assemble the people to receive the Torah which of course began with the Ten Commandments.  Then, amidst thunder and lightning with Mount Sinai shaking and covered with thick smoke, G-d descends as fire upon the mountain.  Moshe is called to ascend into the smoke from which G-d speaks directly to all those assembled, and as it is said, all those from future generations, in what we affirm as the Revelation.

Let us pause for a moment to consider something.  As a community of former slaves from Egypt who are now to become a “Nation of Priests,” it seems logical that a court system would need to be established.  It was too much for one man, Moshe, to hear all legal matters from morning to night.  The cha;ter that Yitro added, was the establishment of a legal system that would allow Moshe to delegate authority.  This would “free up” Moshe’s time to address the most serious legal and religious matters of the people.

Since the people were about to receive G-d’s law, enforcement of the law requires a system for ensuring justice without bias.  The Hebrews were not the first of the Near Eastern cultures with a legal system, but they were the first legal system based upon G-d’s law given at Mount Sinai, rather than simply a human derived convention.

Moses gained further authority as B’nai Yisroel’s supreme human arbiter because of the people declining to directly hear anything from G-d beyond the 2^nd Commandment due to their fear of dying from direct Revelation.  The people pleaded with G-d to allow Moshe to receive the remainder of the Law and then to bring the Law back down to Earth, so as to hear it more easily from another human being they trusted. 

Try for a moment to place yourself in the shoes of our forbearers.  As slaves, they had no self-determination.  They had layers of task masters between themselves and the Pharoah.  The had experienced the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and now, the Revelation of G-d’s Law at the base of a shaking mountain on fire that was covered in thick smoke.  Sounds like a bit much to contend with and keep your head together even for us overly experienced and sophisticated Moderns, let alone for a downtrodden community of recently free Hebrew slaves.  Is it any wonder why they pleaded with G-d for Moshe to take over for them on hearing and transmitting the Law from the 2^nd commandment onward?  So where does all this Revelation leave us today?

I suggest that this Parsha is a reminder for all of us living in the Modern world to step back and take a big dose of humility.  We should get off from our high horses and come down to Earth.  We think we are so much smarter than all who have gone before us, but I assure you that our forebearers were plenty smart, even beyond their own time in History.  We must respect our elders, even our fathers-in-law, such as Jacob’s respect for Laban.  Well, we can revisit that another time.  Please remember that our lives and our ability to live as free people depend on us revering G-d and G-d’s Laws.  May we all be fortunate enough so as to “add a chapter” of our own to the Living Torah!  Shabbat Shalom!     

This week’s Parsha includes the final three plagues that G-D created for the benefit of the Israelites and imposed upon Pharaoh to let the Israelite Slaves go. As we know Pharaoh was opposed to any meaningful changes in the kingdom.

In fact we read year after year in the Torah and during Pesach about the terrible person this Pharaoh was and how he imposed harsh work upon the Israelite slaves without a purpose for good. It’s easy to see how his hubris got in the way of making the right decision to let go of the slaves after the first plague. Perhaps Pharaoh was simply a flawed human being.

Pharaoh’s ‘ego’ affliction can also be found within historically costly examples such as those inflicted upon George III’ loss of the British Colonies as well as the United States consistent and persistent mistakes in Vietnam.

Back to our D’var. Following the plague of locusts, Pharaoh, failed to listen to his advisors when they shared with him that the plagues had ruined and continued to deteriorate the ‘livable’ conditions in the Egyptian empire (can you imagine what a battlefield the Pharaoh’s palace and kingdom must have looked like following the fireballs of hail alone?)

In Exodus 10:7 Pharaoh’s advisors ‘plead’ with him to “…Let the people go, so that they may worship the Lord their G-d.” And they say further, “Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?”  The ‘plague warnings’ were ignored by Pharaoh and he would not capitulate over the freedom for the Israelite slaves.

While Pharaoh may have thought his advisors were weak and simply fearful, Pharaoh himself did not ‘see’ nor believe the world (his world) had changed and that his challenges were completely different than when and where he had started from. The truth was that enslavement of Israelites and subsequent plagues had made life in Egypt intolerable and it was a time to move forward.

What can we take away from parsha Bo? While no one wants to give Pharaoh a pass for the indecency and inhumanity of his rule, it is clear that leadership is not easy. Acknowledging that circumstances have changed and how to respond as well as knowing how to listen to advice and when to admit to yourself and others that you’ve got it wrong are a few of the challenges that come with leadership.

Juxtapose this with ‘Joseph’s Pharaoh’, Zaphnath-Paaneah, from Genesis, who heard Joseph’s prescient message of doom. Remember our D’var from a month or so ago? It was based on the dreams of the gaunt cows that emerged from the water. That Pharaoh decided to listen to a formerly imprisoned advisor whom ultimately he made his number two wingman. Together they decided to gather and store grain for the kingdom to avoid famine.

G-d knew that Pharaoh was obstinate which is why he told Aaron and Moses to “Bo el-Paro: come to Pharaoh”. The purpose was to be very clear with Pharaoh that it was not up to Moses and Aaron to impose the plagues. G-d created the plagues to ‘shake Pharaoh’ and demonstrate a  ‘bigger more powerful presence’ over all of Egypt.

This parsha should remind us of beliefs and values of being present, finding gratitude and how considering others can make change easier for moving forward in our lives.

Good Shabbos!

Parsha Vaera brings to mind the idea of FUD. It’s the acronym for fear, uncertainty and doubt. This idea was probably more pervasive than ‘hope’ for getting the Israelite slaves out of Egypt. 

Fear of a autocratic and stubborn pharaoh who imposed his autocratic rule daily created uncertainty and doubt about a meaningful life for Israelite slaves. The Israelite slaves lived with fear everyday uncertain of punishments to be imposed upon them by Pharaohs minions. Of course doubt for all Israelite slaves was never in short supply.

Pharaoh did not consider uncertainty because he did not believe that there was anything to fear over his rule of law and order. In fact he probably believed he was mightier than a supposed G-d who wanted him to free all Israelite slaves. He perhaps saw his entire life as dictator over Egypt as HIS freedom. Janis Joplin said it best, “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose…”.  Though as we know from that prolific part-time psychologist Mike Tyson, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”

Vaera also presents us with information about Moses’ older brother Aaron – who might be referred to as ‘the wingman’.

Through his relationship with and belief in THE one G-d, Moses actually became a fearless leader and prophet.  His uncertainty and doubt were evident however when it came to his stutter. Why would anyone including Pharaoh or the Israelite slaves, listen to a leader that could not express himself clearly?

There are at least 5 moments where Moses expresses his uncertainty and doubt to G-d about his in-ablity to lead the Israelites to freedom and essentially is asking G-d for a pass:

‘I’m not good enough’ – “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” -Exodus 3:11

‘I don’t have all the answers’ – “Then Moses said to G-d, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The G-d of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” -Exodus 3:13 

‘People won’t believe me’ –“Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘G-d has not appeared to you.’ ” -Exodus 4:1  

‘I’m a terrible public speaker’ – “Then Moses said to G-d, “….I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” -Exodus 4:10 

‘Anyone but me’ (I’m not qualified) – “…please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.” -Exodus 4:13   

The final statement in Deuteronomy is ‘there would never be another prophet like Moses’. It sums up a widely held belief that indeed he was unlike other prophets that came before or after his legacy.

Also consider:

-Moses spoke with G-d more than any other person in Jewish history.
-Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and into freedom.
-Moses receives the 10 commandments (published & is later world- wide distributed as the “5 books of Moses”) on Mount Sinai. So why in today’s parsha Vaera does Aaron carry out G-d’s first three plagues upon Pharaoh and Egypt: blood, frogs and lice?

Similar to Moses, Aaron did not think he was worthy and was uncertain of imposing G-d’s harsh penalties upon Pharaoh. He did not have the same relationship with G-d that Moses did however he did respect and believe in the ‘one G-d’.

Can any of us imagine persuading a guy (Pharaoh) who was referred to as ‘Lord of the Two Lands’ (ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt) because he alone owned all of the land, made laws, collected taxes, and defended Egypt against foreigners to let our people go?

A daunting task for sure! 

In your lifetime have YOU ever doubted yourself in spite of your knowledge, skills or support network? Have you ever had fear of the unknown enough to honestly express your uncertainties?

It was an uncertain time for everyone – including of course the Israelite slaves.

The ability to persuade Israelite slaves of the belief in one G-d was perhaps more important to G-d than persuading Pharaoh of G-d’s power as we read further in Exodus. So how did the majority of the slaves overcome their doubts?

It was a collaborative team effort with G-d, Moses and Aaron that began with Aaron engaging the Pharaoh and being told ‘no- I will not let your people go’. The rest as they say is, well, history.

Inspiration can come from many places to help us overcome our fear, uncertainty and doubts. Sometimes we may need to reach out to those who have information, experience and beliefs that can ‘get the ball rolling’. 

Finally, one might say that the ‘right persistence’ ultimately set us free…
Good Shabbos!

There will not be a dvar Torah today, there will be a dvarette or a dvarala, if you prefer.

Shemot, names. There are many names you will recognize that you will be hearing in a few minutes in today’s Torah Reading.

In exile in Egypt, the Jewish people increased in number from being a family to become a nation. Pharoah, fearing they pose a threat to Egypt, enslaves the Israelites and orders that their male children be killed. Fortunately the Jewish women figured out ways to hide their newborn sons. We all know the story of Moses being found by Pharoah’s daughter in a basket in the water.  Moses is adopted by Pharoah’s daughter and later is chosen to confront Pharoah and lead the people to freedom.

“But the more they were oppressed, the more they increased, the more they spread.” The worse things get, the stronger we become as Jews. Back in biblical times and even today, Jews not only survive, but thrive in adversity.

This reminds me of the Ukrainian people, today, although not all Jews, they have a Jewish leader, Zelensky, perhaps a modern day Moses. Some Ukrainians fled since the war began, but many are staying to defend their homeland despite atrosities and adversity. Bravo to them.

Shemot is the portion where we read about Moses and the burning bush – it burns but is not consumed. Sadly and happily it reminds me of the news reports from the Ukraine. There is senseless destruction yet the people of the Ukraine are like the burning bush where their resilience is unphased. They remarkably stay strong to do their best, unified, to save their nation and safeguard their citizens.

There are other historic occasions this weekend. This is the 50^th anniversary of the death of the  rabbi scholar, and perhaps modern day prophet Abraham Joshua Heschel, his yartzheit, and also the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Heschel presented Martin Luther King the Judaism and World Peace award in 1965. They also were together in the historic march in Selma on March 21, 1965, also along with Rabbi Ofseyer. Heschel later referred to the march as praying with their feet. Also, tomorrow will be the first anniversary of the gunman at the synagogue in nearby Colleyville, such a remarkable story of surviving in the face of terror. Racism and anti-semitism are still splitting people apart by hatred and bigotry. Like the story of the Jewish People in Shemot, we, as Jews, can and do face adversity and thrive.

Please join me to sing a song I learned in my 1970’s Vietnam War protest days, We shall overcome. (We linked arms and swayed singing We Shall Overcome.)

Shabbat Shalom. Peace Out.

(The service ended singing Adom Olam to the tune of We Shall Overcome.)

The book of Genesis ends in parshah Vayechi with three significant scenes. First, Jacob blesses his grandsons, Efraim and Menashe. Second, Jacob blesses his 12 sons. Third, after the death of Jacob, the brothers asked Joseph to forgive them for selling him into slavery, which he does. Evidently, the brothers harbor the suspicion that Joseph was merely biding his time until their father died. It seems to have been the principle in those days that sons did not take revenge within the family while the father is alive.

Joseph chooses to tell a different version of past events, minimizing his brothers’ malice while instead focusing on the beneficial final outcome. Joseph speaks directly to their fears and puts them at rest. He says:” You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” He promises them that he will look after their needs. It is clear Joseph wants to move on from the issue and has managed to reinterpret and rationalize prior events.

When Joseph speaks to his brothers, this is a crucial moment in the history of faith. It marks the birth of forgiveness, the first recorded moment at which one person forgives another for the wrong they have suffered, although the word forgiveness is not used. But Joseph makes it clear that he forgives all thoughts of revenge.

Note what had to happen for forgiveness to be born. Joseph engages in an elaborate plan, hiding his identity, to make sure his brothers were capable of remorse and atonement. He finds they know they have done wrong. They acknowledged their guilt and asked for forgiveness. There is also change in Joseph. He has reframed his life, so that the entire story of his relationship with his brothers has now become secondary to the drama of Divine Providence which is still unfolding.

Joseph demonstrates that he has learned the power of peace and forgiveness. He is gaining the ability to look back on past events in the light of new insights and experiences, seeing past his own hurt to grasp the bigger picture. He doesn’t deny his own pain, but it no longer controls him. Therefore, he is now able to fully connect with his family whom he still deeply loves, despite the immense pain they caused.

James Q Wilson, a Harvard political scientist, said the family is” an arena in which conflicts occur and must be managed.” People within the family “love and quarrel, share and sulk, please and disappoint.” Families, he says,” are the world in which we shape and manage our emotions.”

The Torah is giving us a message here: family is always the priority. Family is more important than everything else- the land, the nation, politics, economics, the pursuit of power and the accumulation of wealth.

In an essay, Rabbi Moshe Becker notes that we have all been offended at one time or another by the words or actions of a family member. Parents, children, spouses and siblings do end up hurting each other, willfully or unintentionally. It is never too early to begin to forgive. By taking ourselves less seriously, it becomes easier to forgive another. When it comes to the family, the ability to forgive is crucial. Family is permanent and having the strength to forgive is rewarding for all.

The need to forgive and, if possible, forget it is vitally important. Calmly confront wrongdoers and explain what they have done as a step towards reconciliation, not increased hostility. Parents easily forgive their children for their slips given intentionally or by accident. How parents treat their extended family members also gives important messages. Parental modeling of forgiveness is an important learning tool for children. Forgiveness is an ability that is within our power, especially in family situations.

Whether it’s a simple spat with your spouse or a long-held resentment toward a family member or friend, unresolved conflict can go deeper than you may realize. It may be affecting your physical health.

In an article by a physician named Karen Swartz, she says:” there is an enormous physical burden to being hurt and disappointed. Forgiveness helps calm stress levels, leading to improved health.”

Forgiveness is not just about saying the words. Swartz says” It is an active process in which you make a conscious decision to let go of negative feelings whether the person deserves it or not”. As you release the anger, resentment and hostility, you begin to feel empathy, compassion and sometimes even affection for the person who wronged you. Swartz continues:” Forgiveness is a choice. You are choosing to offer compassion and empathy to a person who has wronged you.”

Forgiveness is an essential thing to do for your own well-being and for your future health and sanity. Here are some reasons why being able to forgive frees you so you can move on with your life. First, when you forgive someone, you forgive yourself. When you forgive yourself, you allow resentment and hurt to be replaced by healing. Second, forgiving gets you out of the victim mode. It breaks the bonds that tie you negatively to another person. You can forgive while not forgetting. You may forgive someone and never choose to see that person again. Third, forgiveness frees you. It allows you to take your power back. You are no longer chained to an entity that saps your energy and takes the life out of you. Next, as mentioned, practicing forgiveness can have powerful health benefits. Observational studies, and even some randomized trials, suggest that forgiveness is associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety, and hostility, reduced substance abuse, higher self-esteem, and greater life satisfaction. But forgiving people is not always easy. Finally, as with Joseph, forgiving helps you move forward on your spiritual path. Forgiveness encourages compassion. Forgiveness is an act of kindness and goodness. It is a path to peace.

To quote John Q Wilson again:” we learn to cope with the people of this world because we learn to cope with the members of our family.”

According to Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, that, surprisingly, is what Genesis is all about. Not about the creation of the world, which occupies only one chapter, but about how to handle family conflict. The book of Genesis is, in essence, a big, messy story about family. As soon as Abraham’s descendants can create strong families, they can move from Genesis to Exodus and their birth as a nation.

In summary, this week’s Torah portion is a very clear message on the importance of family forgiveness. Joseph forgives all his brothers for their malicious act, realizing that he and his brothers share a common identity and future that should not be jeopardized by grudges, even if they seem justified. Jacob also forgives all his sons for their cruel deception. This is a powerful Torah story with a very relevant message for life today. In Judaism, when we do wrong, as we all do, there is a way forward: to confess, express remorse, atone, make amends and change.

If we zoom out for a moment on Genesis there are any number of injustices that highlight the first book of Torah.  For example: Cain kills Abel and walks; Lots daughters rape their father; Abraham lies about his wife twice, attempts to sacrifice his son, and becomes a patriarch; Jacob deceives his own family members and becomes the father of a nation; and Tamar acts like a prostitute, sleeps with her father-in-law Judah, and becomes the progenitor of David! Oh my – kind of draws one in and makes you want to ‘tune in’ for upcoming episodes.

Heading back down to earth and zooming back in on today’s parsha we find that Joseph frames his forgiveness (not revenge) of his brothers as G-d’s plan. It’s a plan of evolution to save Jacob’s family as well as future generations of Israelites. Joseph, in spite of his brothers jealousy, (remember, they thought Joseph was THE favored son of Jacob), the plan was actually put into motion by G-d to save Joseph,  his brothers, the entire extended family of Jacob and future generations of Israelites.

What hidden meaning can we discover beneath all of this drama? Perhaps it’s that many of the patriarchs, matriarchs and prophets were imperfect and flawed humans. Sometimes they found justice through the injustices of the day. Such is the case with Joseph.

In Vayigash, it is noted that Joseph is second in command of Egypt under Pharaoh and he believes that one of his many purposes where G-d directs him is saving lives.  Of course there’s nothing unjust about that.  The dream sequence alone that caused his ascendance foretold the prophecy of what was to come.

As we know Joseph, with the support of Pharaoh, also reconciles with his brothers and ultimately reconnects with his dad Jacob. In fact, at the direction of Joseph, Jacob gets all 70 family members together, and moves to Egypt.  The family reunites, settles in Goshen, the Children of Israel flourish, until, slavery envelopes the Israelites and it’s time to leave again. But hold on…what may have transpired under Joseph during his time with the Pharaoh possibly whose name was Sesostris II?

We find out, to Josephs credit, he advises Pharaoh to take one-fifth of the harvest during the seven years of abundance and let that food be a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine that was to follow.

Historically, it is also mentioned in Genesis that during the seven years of abundance the harvest was so plentiful that what Joseph collected was too much to be measured. Joseph used the reserve to feed the people during the seven years of famine.

Unfortunately, at the end of the famine Joseph’s economic policy led to  acquiring the people and their land for Pharaoh. Some accounts indicate the Egyptians became slaves to Pharaoh while other historical interpretations indicate the Egyptians become Serphs so they would not be a burden upon the Pharaoh’s coffers or tills, and subsequently, Pharaoh would continue to collect one-fifth of their produce going forward.

Why wouldn’t this appear to be a perfect solution?  The Egyptians were thankful for Pharaoh saving their lives and they were willing to voluntarily give up (or sell) their land and become indentured servants to Pharaoh in appreciation/gratitude for their salvation. This is a somewhat ominous foretelling of course for what was to come for the Egyptians and Israelites under a new Pharaoh who did not know of Joseph.

Turning to the community in Goshen, we can assume that Jacob and his family were fruitful and multiplying, while enjoying land ownership and the crops/livestock that they raised. That is until the new Pharaoh (Ramses II) took over and we have a good idea on what follows.

While there is much to ‘unpack’ here both economically, politically and spiritually, for Joseph, we can only assume this was not a perfect solution, though certainly a sustainable solution guided by G-d and endorsed by Pharaoh on behalf of Egyptian society. 

Let’s remember that Joseph started out as a herdsman of sheep or cattle. He was not seeking perfection of his ‘art’ like an air traffic controller, cardio vascular surgeon or a mach one race car driver. Heck he was counting sheep (or cattle). And as viceroy of Egypt he was focused on saving Egyptian society while building a just and verdant Israelite future under the direction of G-d while leveraging Pharaoh’s capital.  Wholeness – not perfection.

Seth Godin states that, “Truly perfect is becoming friendly with your imperfections on the way to doing something remarkable”. Perhaps like saving lives and achieving ‘wholeness’.

Good Shabbos!

A recent subject of National Public Radio’s show called RadioLab, was “transformations.” Examples were given of how, sometimes surprisingly, people are not necessarily locked in to a specific pattern of behavior. Behavior can and sometimes does change. This is an appropriate theme for my D’var Torah, as it relates to Jacob, because today’s parashah is a story about his transformation.

Now personally, I’ve never been a big fan of Jacob. His failings have been laid bare the past few weeks – how so much of his life was about his deception of others. His brother, his father, his father-in-law. Even, as we heard last week, his conditional acceptance of Gd. Now, it seems that this week, he is about to get his comeuppance. He is about to meet his brother again, and he fears that his brother will finally get to exact a measure of revenge on him.

The night before the meeting, we read of Jacob’s internal struggle. He wrestles with an unidentified being. The struggle hits home, I’m sure, for all of us. As Jews, we struggle constantly. We struggle with Gd in an attempt to reconcile what we see and what we experience despite a Divine presence in the world. So much misery exists! Unlike in some other faiths, we don’t have an easy answer for this. Of course, we struggle with ourselves. Are we who we really want to be? Are we doing what we should be doing? We struggle with family members over sometimes inconsequential matters. We struggle with other people in attempting to construct a society in which Gd’s teachings are enacted.

And Jacob embodies this more than other Biblical figures. He finds danger. He escapes. He deceives others and he is taken advantage of. He struggles with Gd and he is transformed. And yet even after all this, his daughter is violated. His sons quarrel. His people suffer from famine and he is uprooted, ultimately to be returned to the place of his birth only after his death. “My years have been hard,” he would tell Pharaoh. His entire life is a struggle – with himself, with others, with Gd.

What’s so instructive and, yes, inspiring, about the Torah is that its characters are people we can identify with. They make mistakes, they struggle, and figuratively or literally, they limp as a result, as Jacob limped after his nocturnal struggle. But sometimes they learn in ways that we can, in the best of our Jewish tradition, find instructive and inspirational. Maybe we can all find some of Jacob in ourselves. Hardships and tragedy are not blessings, but it is up to us to transform – to become a blessing to others in response.

We all continue to limp from the genuine struggles we have faced. In fact, we sometimes bear those scars, and limp, for a lifetime. Some are scars that were the result of our own misdeeds; others were cast upon us through no fault of our own. But all were from some crisis in our lives. Real crises cause real scars.

But what happens in today’s parashah? Jacob wouldn’t let go until he received a blessing. And so – the crises that we live through should, hopefully, result in an awakening within us of the need to turn crisis into opportunity. To turn tragedy, even, into actions that will ultimately bring change for others that will benefit them. It’s not easy. Sometimes, it takes years for this to happen. For many, it never does.

Jacob’s nighttime struggle comes to an end. But we read that even after he is given a new name – Israel – by none other than Gd, the Torah continues to refer to him as Jacob. Although Jacob has been transformed by his experiences, he is still . . . Jacob. And this is the case with us. We can change, as we inevitably do, during the course of our lives, but the traits we carried with us along the way continue to be part of us. We are shaped by our experiences permanently.

Our past is very much our present. Our prior struggles and experiences bubble to the surface with sometimes distressing ease as we encounter challenging situations. But we need not accept whatever shortcomings we have as permanent. Like Jacob, we can change, we can evolve, we can be transformed.

Jacob’s struggle was clearly a struggle from within. And as we all should have learned by now, we can’t reconcile our existential struggles and ultimately find comfort until we win our internal struggles.

In what would become a hallmark of his descendants, Jacob doesn’t give up. “I will not let go,” Jacob tells his adversary on that fateful night, “Until you bless me.” A dark, restless and troublesome night gave rise to a dawn of reconciliation with Esau and perhaps even with himself.

Jacob wasn’t about to give up the struggle with the stranger until he extracted something positive from it.

The Biblical figures of Genesis were not without their blemishes. They became angry. They fought. They showed selfishness. They feared and wept. In sum, they were people with whom we could identify.  Especially Jacob. Jacob taught us that we can be transformed. We can survive crisis and conflict.

Judaism is the faith of restlessness and honesty. Of seeing the blemishes in ourselves and in society, and striving to transform each. We are, after all, the descendants of Jacob, the children of Israel.

Vayeitzei, “and he went out.”  In this Parsha, Jacob went out from Be’er Sheva to Charan.  But did he only go out geographically or on another level?  Did Jacob in his search for a wife, also go in search of a life?  Why was it necessary?  For his personal and spiritual evolution did he need to go away from home to a land far away with different customs and get totally out of his comfort zone?

As we know, Jacob was a bit of a momma’s boy.  He may have been the original Jewish prince.  When any of us leaves the comfort of our familiar surroundings and our daily patterns we open ourselves up to the greater world and a host of new experiences resulting in a myriad of new opportunities.  Although there is comfort in staying with a known commodity, we can only learn what life has in store if we are willing to take a chance and get out of our comfort zones.  How many of you are Dallas natives?  How much richer is your life for having taken the chance to see what is out there?  And, when you did, how did it affect you personally, emotionally, career wise, finance wise, friend wise and most importantly in the spiritual dimension.  For me, taking the “road less traveled” has made all the difference.  And so, it would be for Jacob.

On the road to Charan, Jacob lays down to sleep in what he later realizes is a Holy place.  During sleep, he dreams of a ladder extending from Earth to Heaven with Angels ascending and descending.  G-d speaks to Jacob in his dream with the statement that he shall have progeny in numbers that rival the dust of the Earth and that he and his progeny will be a blessing to all the families of the Earth.  Wow!  Who could help themselves when they awaken from such a dream to feel G-d’s awe and the inspiration to fulfill such a legacy.  Of course, Jacob would not shirk his duty and went on to be the father of 12 sons and 1 daughter.  Pretty good start, right?

He awakened from that dream saying G-d was in this place, and I knew it not.  Jacob proceeds to consecrate that place, but then does something odd for a man of faith who has such a dream.  He says if G-d will do this and if G-d will do that and if I return in peace to my father’s house and land and if G-d will be my G-d, and if this stone which I have erected as a monument to you shall be the house of G-d, then I will give all that You give to me as a tithe back to You.  This type of bargaining must also be the original episode, or close to it, of Jewish chutzpah.  What nerve that young ancestor of ours had to bargain with G-d after having such a miraculous revelation in a dream.  I can go on with the “blow by blows” of this parsha, but what should be evident is that Jacob had a lot of emotional and spiritual growth to experience before he could become Israel after struggling with the Angel, but that is a story for a later parsha.

There is so much more in this parsha to explore, but let us stop there for a moment and go into further depth.  This parsha is the story of Jacob’s growth, on his way to becoming a patriarch and the father of a Holy nation.  Please remember, that Jacob was a calculating person in his youth who acquired his older brother’s birthright through manipulation and deception.  Should turnabout be fair play?  Should Jacob experience being manipulated and deceived to grow emotionally and spiritually?  You bet, and far be it from his father-in-law to be, Laban, to deny him this growth opportunity.

Jacob worked for Laban for 7 years to earn the right to marry the beautiful younger daughter, Rachel, but Laban would substitute the older daughter who was “dull of eye”, Leah, whose identity was hidden beneath the wedding veil.  Jacob was forced to wait one additional week before he could marry Rachel, and then he had to work 7 more years as his payment for the Rachel.  Of course, he would accumulate more sheep and goats in the process, but then he would have to work 6 more years so that Laban would let him leave with his family and his flocks.  But wait, there is more!  Laban, who kept pushing back the goalposts, so to speak, once again tried to reset the rules for Jacob.  Jacob would have none of it and quickly packed up and left with his flocks and possessions and his family.  Laban would chase after him, but the night before he would have caught up with Jacob, the Lord came to Laban in a dream warning him not to harm Jacob.  They then made a pact to do no harm to one another and Jacob proceeded toward the Holy Land.

Although the Holy Land is a place and Jacob consecrated as Holy the ground at which he dreamed of the ladder to Heaven, I would posit that it is what we do, and where we do it that creates Holiness.  Jacob had learned much, but his learning was far from over as we will see in subsequent Parshot. 

Shabbat Shalom!

What a strange title for this week’s Parsha. Chaye Sarah means “Life of Sarah”. Doesn’t the Parsha deal, among other things with the death of Sarah? And isn’t the most time spent finding a wife for Isaac?Perhaps the Parsha should be titled “Mas Sarah”, Death of Sarah, or “Isaac Gets a Wife”?

Sarah dies at the age of 127. There is much conjecture about what caused her death. Did she die out of grief from her belief that her beloved son Isaac had been sacrificed to G-d by her husband?  For purposes of this D’var, however, the cause of her death is irrelevant. What the Parsha most notably teaches us is how to deal with death. Abraham goes through great difficulty and expense to find Sarah a proper burial place where her corpse cannot be seen. We continue to follow this practice of burying our dead. What follows the burial, however, puzzles me.

After the burial of Sarah, we meet Rebecca, wife of Isaac. We read the lovely story about Rebecca at the well and about the loyal servant of Abraham, Eliezer. Then suddenly we are told that Abraham remarries.  What? Who is this new wife of Abraham named Keturah?  We are told nothing about her. Where did she come from? Why would she be worthy of marrying Abraham? We are informed, however, that she bore him four more sons. Some speculate that Keturah is none other than Haggar. But whatever her true identity, her story with Abraham is brief as we are next told that Abraham dies at the age of 147 and is buried next to Sarah by sons Isaac and Ishmael. What about his latest four sons?  Didn’t they take part in the burial? The Parsha ends with the death of Ishmael at age 137 and some information is given about his descendants. The story of Isaac will follow in coming chapters.

Suffice it say that Chaye Sarah leaves more questions than answers. What clearly can be said is that Sarah continues to have a great influence over us during both life and death. If Abraham is the Founding Father of our religion, then Sarah is clearly our Founding Mother. Sarah, which means princess, remains the Princess of our people. She lived with dignity and died with dignity.

Well, things hadn’t been going so well. Adam and Eve screwed up their cushy surroundings in the Garden, Cain displayed his anger management problems in the most violent of ways. The Tower of Babel demonstrated the hubris that humans could have. Build a tower to the heavens? Why not? Gd created order, but humans created chaos. They understood neither freedom nor responsibility.

Then along came Abraham. What made him special? He left his land, as commanded by Gd, but what next? We read in Lech Lecha that when Abraham saw a quarrel between his herdsmen and his nephew Lot, he immediately saw the cause of the problem as too many cattle in too little land. His solution, the split with Lot, showed no animosity toward his nephew. “You go left, I’ll go right. Or if you go right, I’ll go left.” It was a very practical solution in which he cast no blame for the dispute.

Then, we read of a local war in which Lot is taken captive. Abraham gathers some troops, rescues Lot, and takes none of the spoils of this war, returning Lot to his home in Sodom. Rather than a simple nomad, Abraham is now shown to be an active man, taking control of the situation. Unlike Cain, he assumes responsibility. He is his brother’s keeper. He cast no judgement for where Lot chose to live.

Now comes Vayera – this week’s parashah. For the first time, we find a human challenging Gd, when Gd threatens to sweep away all of sodom because of the sinful behavior of its inhabitants. “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are 50 righteous people dwelling there? Will you have them all killed? Will not the judge of the world do justice?” How about if there are 40 righteous? 10? Whoa!! Was Abraham right to do this?

Well, if we look at the text before this conversation, Gd asks, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” The implication is that Gd wants Abraham to challenge Gd. Otherwise, why would Gd have said these words?

Contrast this with the story of Noah. In that instance, Gd also tells Noah what Gd is about to do – destroy all people, because of the violence between them. Noah does not protest. He accepted the verdict. “I’ll just build an arc, as you suggested.” Abraham challenged it. He understood the nature of collective responsibility. The people of Sodom were not Abraham’s brothers and sisters, so he went even further than he did in rescuing his nephew Lot. He understood the nature of human solidarity, attempting to save all of them.

So the big question: why did Gd want Abraham to challenge Gd? Abraham was to become the role model – indeed, the first in a line – of a new faith. One that would not defend the human status quo but would challenge it. Abraham’s show of courage in challenging Gd was, of course, to occur before his descendants would be able to challenge human rulers, as Moses, for instance, did. We Jews are the latest in a long line of those who challenge. We do not accept the world as it is. We do not accept suffering as our inevitable burden. We are not fatalists. We challenge the status quo. We see the world as it ought to be and try to set things on a course that will achieve just that.

There was not yet a nation for Abraham to lead, but he would be the role model for leadership as Judaism understands it. He took responsibility. He acted. He didn’t wait for others to act. Today, Judaism is Gd’s call to responsibility.

In the Universal Declaration of human Rights, drafted in the aftermath of WWII, and written by a commission headed by Eleanor Roosevelt, a total of 30 rights are named. The declaration was passed by the then-fledgling United Nations in 1948 and has since been translated into over 500 languages. We know most of them, almost intuitively by now – freedom from torture and degrading treatment, freedom of thought and conscience, and so on.

But there is one that is different, and may indeed have come from Abraham. That one is, “Responsibility to the Community.” We have the responsibility to insure, to the best of our ability, that basic rights and freedoms are enjoyed by people everywhere. This statement means that we are, indeed, our brothers’ and our sisters’ keeper. Abraham himself couldn’t have said it any better. Now, it’s up to all of us to act in such a way that would make him proud.