Toldot 5776

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Toldot (Genesis 25:19-28:9 )

GOOD MORNING!  When I was in Poland on an Aish HaTorah program I met Rabbi Michael Shudrich, the Chief Rabbi of Poland. He told me the following story: Two young anti-Semitic skinheads got married after high school. Two years later the wife's grandmother dies. On her deathbed the grandmother tells her, "I am Jewish, your mother is Jewish, you are Jewish." The young lady tells her husband that she heard of a Friday night meal that Jews celebrate and that she would like to honor her grandmother's memory each week with a Shabbat dinner. The husband had no objection, after all, one has to eat anyway.

However, the husband's parents were vehemently against it. "You can't do this! This Jewish stuff is not good. It's dangerous. You don't know what can happen if you do it!" The more they protested, the more the husband stood up for his wife and supported her Friday night efforts.

Over time his parents saw how much their son and daughter-in-law were enjoying Shabbat and how serious they were about Judaism. The young man approached his father that he was considering converting to Judaism. With perhaps a bit of chagrin the father tells his son, "You do not need to convert; you, too, are Jewish."

This is the power of Shabbat! It touches the soul. It gently fans the spark in the soul that yearns for a connection to the Almighty. For one who has not experienced Shabbat it is difficult if not impossible to imagine the beauty, the tranquillity, the transcendence of Shabbat. Recently I finished reading To Vanquish the Dragon, an inspiring holocaust memoir by Pearl Benisch relating how she and other Beth Jacob graduates battled the Nazi scourge armed with faith and lovingkindness. While in the Prokocim Work Camp she reminisced about Shabbat:

"How I used to love Shabbat at home, with its tranquil joy. There, too, I had counted the days until at long last it was Friday. From the early morning on we would be busily at work, preparing meals and scrubbing the house for the holy day. Then, dressed in our holiday finest and trembling with excitement, we would wait for the moment when in her full glory the Shabbat Queen would enter our home and our hearts.

"Mother would greet the Queen by kindling the Shabbat candles, moving her long, regal hands over and around the little flames and then resting them over her lovely, troubled face. How I had yearned to hear the blessing she whispered in those precious moments when, oblivious to the world, she conversed with God.

"Whispered though it was, I knew the contents of that prayer: you were praying, Mother, for the light to enter our hearts and fill them with love and understanding, for us to be better Jews, kinder people. I knew you were pleading with God to ease the burden of His people, to bring salvation to this tormented nation. And I knew you were praying for the same light to spread over the world and enter every human heart, illuminating the darkness of our existence.

"When she would lift her hands, the features I saw were no long the troubled weekday ones; they radiated strength and peace. In one moment, as if by the touch of a magic wand, the house was transformed into a sanctuary filled with light, love and tranquillity. The Shabbat table beckoned, with its spirited zemirot (Shabbat songs), Torah discussions, and peaceful aura."

Ahad Ha-Am, a Jewish writer, once said, "More than the Jewish people has preserved the Shabbat, the Shabbat has preserved the Jewish people." To enhance your Jewish family life and to strengthen the connection of your children with our heritage ... try Shabbat! If you would like to experience Shabbat, ask a friend who keeps Shabbat for an invitation. If you keep Shabbat, invite someone who might enjoy it.

There is a practical guide to experiencing a traditional Shabbat: Friday Night and Beyond: The Shabbat Experience Step-by-Step by Lori Palatnik (available at your local Jewish bookstore, at judaicaenterprises.com or by calling toll-free to 877-758-3242). It is well worth the price. Michael Medved, the noted talk show host relates to it as "a warm and wonderful book that describes some of the most life-enhancing aspects of Jewish tradition in inviting, accessible terms. Reading Friday Night and Beyond is like joining an especially joyous and informative family table as an honored Shabbat guest."

 

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Torah Portion of the week

Toldot, Genesis 25:19 - 28:9

Rivka (Rebecca) gives birth to Esav (Esau) and Ya'akov (Jacob). Esav sells the birthright to Ya'akov for a bowl of lentil soup. Yitzchak (Isaac) sojourns in Gerar with Avimelech (Abimelech), king of the Philistines. Esav marries two Hittite women bringing great pain to his parents (because they weren't of the fold).

Ya'akov impersonates Esav on the counsel of his mother in order to receive the blessing for the oldest son from his blind father, Yitzchak. Esav, angry because of his brother's deception which caused him to lose the firstborn blessings, plans to kill Ya'akov, so Ya'akov flees to his uncle Lavan (Laban) in Padan Aram -- on the advice of his parents. They also advise him to marry Lavan's daughter.

Esav understands that his Canaanite wives are displeasing to his parents, so he marries a third wife, Machlath, the daughter of Ishmael.

* * *

Dvar Torah
based on Growth Through Torah by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

The Torah states:

"And Isaac loved Esau because he was a was a trapper with his mouth..." (Gen. 25:28).

This means that Esau successfully deceived his father regarding his level of righteousness.

Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler cited the Arizal (a famous kabbalist) that it is a mistake to think that Esau was a complete hypocrite and just tried to deceive his father. If Isaac made an error, there must have been good reason for such an error. The problem with Esau was that he kept all his spirituality "in his mouth," without swallowing it. He spoke spiritual words, but did not become a spiritual person.

Therefore, said Rav Dessler, anyone who speaks ethical and spiritual words without allowing them to penetrate his heart and soul is a colleague of the evil Esau.

The essence of an elevated person is to be totally integrated: the Torah ideals that one talks about must be part of his very being. There are many different levels along a continuum. Some people are unaware of how far they are from actually feeling what they say. Such a person can say he loves everyone deeply, but a perceptive person can tell that although he believes that he feels that way, in actuality he is very far from it. It is not sufficient to just repeat words like a parrot or a tape recorder. Whenever you learn a new idea, keep reviewing it until little by little it penetrates your soul and your words truly become part of you.

 


For interesting websites:
 
Aish.com

 
GoIsrael.org
HonestReporting.com
IsraelActivism.com
ObsessionTheMovie.com
ShabbatShalom.org
TheWall.org

 

 

Candle Lighting Times

November 13
(or go to http://www.aish.com/sh/c/)

Jerusalem 4:06
Guatemala 5:12 - Hong Kong 5:22 - Honolulu 5:31
J'Burg 6:15 - London 3:56 - Los Angeles 4:33
Melbourne 7:49 - Mexico City 5:39 - Miami 5:15
New York 4:22 - Singapore 6:33 - Toronto 4:36

Quote of the Week

For fast-acting relief, try slowing down
--  Lily Tomlin

 

 

In memory of my father, a"h

Yaakov Franko ben Roza

dedicated by his spouse
Sara Franko,
children, grandchildren

 

     
With Special Thanks to

Marco Claudio
Corradi
 
 

 

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