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Table of contents
1) Perashat Hashavoua - Rabbi Eli Mansour
2) Halakhat Hashavoua (Halakhot related to day to day life) By Hazzan David Azerad -
The Enduring Holiday of Ĥanuka - Peninei Halacha
3) Holy Jokes!
4) For KIDS
This Week's Parasha Insight with Rabbi Eli Mansour
Parashat VaYese: The Two Tests
The Midrash relates that when Yaakob left his parents’ home to flee from his brother, Esav, who wanted to kill him in revenge for his "stealing" Yishak’s blessings, Esav instructed his son, Elifaz, to run after Yaakob and murder him. Esav made Elifaz swear that he would fulfill this mission. Elifaz consulted with his mother, Timna, who advised him not to obey Esav’s command. She warned him that Yaakob was very strong, and Elifaz could be killed if he tried launching an assault on Yaakob. Elifaz was in a quandary, as he wanted to fulfill his father’s wish, to which he was bound by oath, but he also feared for his life. The solution was that Yaakob gave Elifaz all his money and everything he had with him. An impoverished person is considered as though he is "dead," and thus by taking Yaakob’s money, Elifaz was considered as having fulfilled his father’s command without actually killing Yaakob. And thus Yaakob arrived at Haran, where he would stay for twenty years, penniless, without any belongings at all. With Hashem’s help, however, he was able to amass a huge fortune working for his wily uncle, Laban, and he returned to Eretz Yisrael a very wealthy man.
We might wonder why things needed to happen this way. Why did Yaakob have to become penniless before earning wealth? Why did G-d arrange that Yaakob would arrive in Haran without a dime to his name, if he was destined to become wealthy?
The Ketab Sofer (Rav Avraham Shemuel Binyamin Sofer, 1815-1871) explains that there are two basic spiritual tests that people face in life: the test of poverty, and the test of wealth. An impoverished man is tempted to lose faith, to question G-d’s justice, to betray G-d out of anger and resentment over his plight, and to steal in order to sustain himself. At the same time, however, wealth also poses difficult tests. Wealthy people can easily become arrogant and conceited, and look down on other people. Also, while a poor person understands human fragility and how we are all dependent on G-d’s grace, the wealthy man is prone to feel self-sufficient and independently capable of caring for himself, without any sense of dependence on the Almighty’s kindness and compassion. Yaakob Abinu passed both these tests at both stages of his life. After losing all his money to Elifaz, he still did not lose his faith, and when he returned to Eretz Yisrael as a wealthy man, he remained fully devoted and loyal to G-d.
This is why Yaakov had to endure poverty before being blessed wealth. "Ma’aseh Abot Siman La’banim" – the actions of our patriarchs serve as a model and blueprint for us, their descendants. By successfully passing both tests – the test of poverty and the test of wealth – Yaakob paved the way for us to pass both these tests. He set for us the example and precedent that we need throughout our lives – both in good times, and in times of hardship. We look to Yaakob for inspiration during life’s darker moments, as he reminds us to retain our faith and rely on G-d’s kindness and assistance, as well as during periods of joy and success, as he reminds us to remain
Halachot this week are selected and Translated by Hazzan David Azerad
The Enduring Holiday of Ĥanuka - Peninei Halacha
The Talmud describes the story of Ĥanuka, which occurred during the Second Temple era, in a brief passage:
When the Greeks entered the Temple, they defiled all the oils therein. When the Hasmoneans prevailed and defeated them, they searched and found only one cruse of oil that was marked with the seal of the High Priest, but which contained sufficient for one day’s lighting only; yet a miracle was performed there and they lit [the Menora] for eight days with this [oil]. Another year these [days] were designated a holiday with [the recitation of] Hallel and Thanksgiving. (Shabbat 21b)
It is likewise forbidden to fast or deliver eulogies on these days (Megilat Ta’anit 9:2).
The Sages established many holidays during the Second Temple era, to thank God and rejoice over the salvations He performed for Israel. These holidays are all mentioned in Megilat Ta’anit. Many of these holidays commemorate the victories of the Hasmoneans: 13 Adar was “Nicanor Day,” when the Hasmoneans defeated a large Greek army and killed their commander, Nicanor; 14 Sivan was the day they conquered Caesarea; 22 Elul, when the Hasmoneans killed the apostates who refused to repent; 23 Marĥeshvan, when the Hasmoneans destroyed the brothel that the Greeks had built near the Holy Temple; and 25 Marĥeshvan when they conquered Samaria and began settling it.[1]
However, after the destruction of the Second Temple, the Sages abolished Megilat Ta’anit (sa 573:1) because all of the wonderful things that happened in those days were no longer relevant and thus no longer constituted a reason to rejoice. One may even fast and deliver eulogies on these days. Only Ĥanuka remains of all those days, as the Sages explain, because of the unique miracle of the oil it commemorates and the mitzvah of lighting Ĥanuka candles that the Sages enacted to publicize the miracle. And since we already observe the mitzva of lighting the Ĥanuka candles, we also preserve the other aspects of the holiday: we thank God by inserting Al Ha-nisim into our prayers; we praise God for saving His people by reciting Hallel; and we refrain from fasting and eulogizing throughout the holiday (see rh 18b; Rashi and Ritva ad loc.).
Bevirkat Shabbat Shalom Umevorach
David Azerad
3) HOLY JoKeS!!
Selection of funny snippets, loosely related to this weeks parashah or current events, to brighten your day
4) FOR KIDS
Click on the image to open the youtube video
