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Vayishlach

  • Vayishlach 2019

    As Yaakov makes his way back to Cannan, several events transpire in rapid succession.

    The events (Bereshis 35:16-29) includes; the birth of Binyamin, Rachel dying and being buried in Betlechem, Reuven committing a significant misdeed by interfering in the affairs of his father and Yaakov arriving home to the land of Cannan and being reunited with his aged father Yitzchak. Additionally, the Torah interjects a census of the twelve sons of Yaakov in the middle of these verses without an obvious reason.

  • Vayishlach 2018

    This is an action packed sedra. Don’t take it from me, read it yourself! I am writing about one sentence that has captured my attention, Bereshit 33:18. The beginning: Vy’yavo Yaakov shalem ir Shechem a’sher b’eretz kenaan…… (The end) vy’yichan et-penai ha’ir. [We’ll leave this last part for later] Rashi translates this as ‘And Jacob came safely [to] the city of Shechem which was in the land of Canaan’. Safely is seen to mean intact. Physically intact following his fight with the angel.

  • Vayishlach 2017

    This week’s sedra could almost be set in modern times. We have Ya’akov trying to flee from his brother; a fight; a rape and murder, a death and a relocation. It all sounds so familiar.

  • Vayishlach 2016

    What’s in a name?  What is the significance of a change in name?  How do you define yourself?  In the Sedra Bereishit, the Torah tells us that after God created all the animals, He brought them to Adam so that he could name them one by one.  The commentators explain that the name chosen by Adam for each animal was not composed of arbitrary sounds, but indicated the essence and nature of the animal.  So, a lion is called aryeh because that name expresses precisely the very essence of the lion.  So too it was with the names of biblical figures whose names signified m

  • Vayishlach 2014

    The sciatic nerve, the longest in the body runs from the lower back through to the upper leg, and controls posture. The stereotypic Jews Shylock, Melmonte and Scrooge are all depicted as being unable to walk upright. The angel, who wrestled with Jacob, was Esau's guardian angel, and in injuring Jacob’s sciatic nerve did so in order that he would appear to be physically flawed, a way of suggesting Jacob’s character was flawed.

  • Vayishlach 5774

    In this Sidra the Torah relates the events that took place in Jacob’s life on his way from MACHANAYIM to SHECHEM.  Machanayim, which is a last word in the Sidra Vayetze, means ‘two camps’. Jacob gave this name because he saw two camps of angels accompanying him as he was arriving back in the land of Israel. At the beginning of this Sidra the Torah tells us that Jacob sent some of those angels to Esau his brother, to determine Esau’s intentions.  He was preparing meticulously for his meeting with Esau. Jacob’s predicament was a severe ordeal for him. He was extremely distressed and afraid.

  • Vayishlach 2001

    Tony Korn D’var Torah, Parshat Vayishlach,
    1st December 2001

    I have always struggled with the question: Who is the real Ya’akov – “Ya’akov avinu”?  Is he the "whole-hearted man, a dweller of tents" or is he a scheming deceiver who cheats his brother, deceives his father and takes advantage of his uncle? 

  • Vayishlach 2012

    Take a look at the three places in this week’s sedra where Dinah’s name is mentioned (Ch 34 v 3, twice and  Ch 34 v 13,).  In these verses she is called na’ara, the female equivalent of the word na’ar which means ‘a lad’.  But the feminine ending letter, the Hey, is missing. 

  • Vayishlach 5773

    The Sidra of Vayishlach begins with the story of Jacob's return to the land of Canaan after 20 years of absence. He was extremely concerned about meeting Esau, and was determined to do all in his power to secure peaceful coexistence with him. Therefore, he sent messengers to speak to him as humbly as they possibly could. The messengers returned with the report that they came to Esau and saw that he was marching towards him with 400 men. It seems that the messengers did not speak to Esau at all and did not have any idea why he was being accompanied by 400 men.

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