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Vayigash 5760 - December 17, 1999 |
Holy War
It's a sign of the times that the sight of a person praying is cause for alarm. The expectation being that he is about to launch a terrorist attack or, at best, commit suicide.
Religious people have long protested this prejudice-and rightly so. Interestingly enough, however, in Jewish tradition, prayer is an activity with distinctly violent connotations.
| FROM THE CHASSIDIC MASTERS |
The Awesome Plot
Our sages tell us that that the entire saga of Joseph and his brothers was an "awesome plot" to bring Jacob to Egypt; otherwise, he would have had to have been "brought down to Egypt in chains" to fulfill the Divine decree of galut (exile).
But why, ask the Chassidic masters, did Jacob have to be coerced in any way? What if G-d would have simply appeared to him one day, and said, "Jacob, take your family and go to Egypt. It's all part of My grand plan for the people of Israel"-would Jacob not have packed his bags and gone?
Getting There
"This year," advised Rabbi DovBer, "sit at home. Imagine the journey to Leipzig: picture every station along the way, every crossroads, every wayside inn. Then, imagine that you are at the fair, making your rounds at the booths. Call to mind the merchants with whom you deal, reinvent the usual haggling and bargaining that follows. Now, load your purchases upon your imaginary cart and make the return journey. The entire operation should not take more than a couple of hours-and then you can return to your beloved books!"
Something from Nothing
Despite the many diverse conceptualizations of G-d, underneath it all, He looks disconcertingly familiar. In fact, He looks, more or less, like us. It seems that even the recognition of a purposeful and intelligent Creator is not enough to overcome the seemingly inescapable gravitational attraction of the "Something From Something" doctrine.
Where the Roads Meet
My parents used to tell me not to wave my hands while speaking and not to talk in a singsong. When I asked why, they said that it made me look like a Jew.
Jewishness is a question that can be neither answered nor avoided.
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Vayigash
Genesis 44:18-47:27
Week of December 12-18, 1999
THE PARSHAH IN A NUTSHELL
FULL PARSHAH SUMMARY WITH COMMENTARY
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