Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
This week’s Torah portion begins with the simple wish of Yaakov that, after departing on life’s journey, may he return home intact, both physically and spiritually, no matter what he may encounter along the way. “And Yaakov departed from Beer-Sheva,” the parasha begins and, a little later on, Yaakov’s request is: “If G-d will be with me, and he will protect me on the road that I take... then may I return to my father’s house.”
And then the heart of the parasha is about family: Yaakov meeting Rachel, the birth of the sons, the tribes from which the entire nation will grow, education of the children in a foreign environment, and the anguished cry of Rachel Imeinu to Yaakov: “Give me children or else I am dead.”
Tzippi Rimmel was buried yesterday in Israel together with her daughter Noam Rachel, just three weeks old, after they were killed in a car accident. Her husband Efraim and her son Itay are still hospitalized. Many people heard this tragic news, stopped for a moment, and thought about these two fundamental things: to return home safely and to truly appreciate our families.
• May the souls of Tziporah and Noam Rachel have an aliyah, ascending on high, and may Efraim Tzvi Moshe ben Shulamit Tzviyah and the son Itay Yaakov ben Tizporah make a speedy and complete recovery.
