Tagged ‘Vayishlah’
Parashat Vayishlah, 5778
Not as Bad as We Expected A D’var Torah for Vayishlah by Rabbi Heidi Hoover In this week’s Torah portion, Vayishlah, Jacob and his family return to his homeland, and Jacob anticipates his reunion with his brother Esau. It’s … Continue reading »
Parashat Vayishlah
Jacob’s Behavior Towards Esau: Appeasement or Realpolitik? by Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky This week’s parashah continues the description of Jacob’s attempts at rapprochement with his estranged brother Esau. In his book on Genesis, Rabbi Yehudah Gilad draws our attention to a word that … Continue reading »
Parashat Vayishlah
‘Til I Send For You Hazzan Marcia Lane A couple of weeks ago we read in Parashat Toledot that Rebecca sent Jacob away to the country of Haran, to hang out there with her side of the family until his … Continue reading »
Parashat Vayishlah
The Meaning of Aloneness by Rabbi Jill Hammer “Jacob went out from Beersheva, and went toward Haran.” (Gen. 28:10) “With my staff alone I crossed this Jordan.” (Gen. 32:11) “Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him till … Continue reading »
Parashat Vayishlah
By Rabba Kaya Stern-Kaufman This week’s parashah, Va-Yishlah focuses on the homeward journey of Jacob and his family. This entire sidrah seems to swing widely between the poles of blessing and calamity. While the overt context of the parashah focuses … Continue reading »
Parashat Vayishlah
By Miriam Herscher “I am Jacob. I am going home, and I am anxious and scared. “I have been away for twenty years. I have not spoken to nor seen my brother or parents in all that time. We … Continue reading »
Parashat Vayishlah
By Rabbi Bob Freedman At the end of this week’s parashah, Vayishlah, we learn that Jacob came back to his home, the land where his fathers had lived (Genesis 31:3). Specifically, he returned to Beit-El, the place where he first … Continue reading »
Parashat Vayishlah
Wrestling By Jill Minkoff The day after Thanksgiving, my daughter and I were deciding what to do with leftovers. While in her kitchen, I shared with her my assignment to write a D’var Torah about Parashat Vayishlah. “Wow!” she said, … Continue reading »
Parashat Vayishlah
The courage to say “I’m sorry.” By Irwin Huberman There are two short phrases which are among the most powerful in our tradition. They are “I’m sorry,” and “I forgive you,” and they both come into play in this week’s … Continue reading »
Parashat Vayishlach
By Halina Rubinstein 25 Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. 26 When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he wrenched Jacob’s hip at its socket, so that the … Continue reading »