Join Sivan's newsletter!

Get updates & news via Email

Five ideas about this week’s Parasha - Parashat Vayeitze

פרשת ויצא תשפה

* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr

1) Parashat Vayeitze is the seventh parasha in the Book of Bereisheet.  It opens with Yaakov leaving the land of Israel to escape from his brother, Esav, and ends with Yaakov escaping from his father-in-law, Lavan, and returning to Israel.

2) This parasha establishes the foundation of our nation, describing the birth of most of Yaakov’s children over the course of 22 years. Yaakov faces many challenges before bringing his family back to the land of Israel.

3) One of the most famous images in the parasha is that of Yaakov’s ladder. This ladder is set up on the ground and its top reaches to heaven. Before Yaakov goes out into the world, he is given a message to strive to connect heaven to earth and thus to imbue his life with meaning and purpose.

4) This parasha contains a famous verse which highlights the special connection between Yaakov and Rachel. “So Yaakov served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her”. Yaakov worked seven years to win Rachel’s hand in marriage, but to him it seemed like merely a few days because he loved her so much.

5) Each of Yaakov’s sons will be the progenitor of his own tribe. One of the sons born in our parasha is Yehuda. Our matriarch Leah calls him this name to express her gratitude at his birth: “This time, I will thank the Lord!” The word Yehudi (Jew) is derived from the name Yehuda (Judah). The Jewish people are known by this name because, at the heart of being a Jew, is a sense of gratitude for the constant good bestowed upon us by God. Gratitude is part of our DNA.

Weekly Shiur in Hebrew:

Share!

We use cookies to ensure the best experience for you. Please, accept the usage of cookies.