Vayishlach 12/1/12

Good Morning!

This past Shabbat, we explored Vayishlach.  This portion in Genesis is filled with interesting encounters – Jacob wrestles with a human/angel/God, the name change, Jacob and Esau meet up again, Esau and Jacob part ways, the rape of Dinah, another interaction between Jacob and God, and the lineage of Esau.  Our Haftarah portion came from Hosea 11:7-12:12.

Of course, given our discussions, we only made it through the first part of the portion.  We spent some time discussing Jacobs encounter with the stranger in the night… whether it was a human, angel (a messenger of God), or God.  What it means to have a name change, what it means to “struggle with God”, and what the implications of having a permanent mark (in this case Jacob’s hip-socket) after an event.

We touched on the Jewish concept of angels – that they are a separate being, created by God, usually acting as a messenger of God.  They never were human and are separate from the Christian concept of angels.  We need to have a class (or two, or three) just on the topic of angels to fully give a complete review of the Jewish concept.

We also had an interesting discussion about the preparation for the meeting between Jacob and Esau.  The fear and anxiety on behalf of Jacob must have been intense.  The interaction itself seemed quite touching to us all, but then … as we explored rabbinic commentary on the dots above the Hebrew word “and he kissed him”, we found there was much more to discuss than the text itself… but also how rabbinic commentary has an impact on our understanding of the text.  What was the original intent and how are we to know what is actually meant when there are no “keys” to give us a clue why certain items are added or removed?

So we were left thinking about how we interpret text, how others interpret it, and how we are supposed to know the original intent.  Luckily, as part of a Reform congregation, we are permitted to interpret for ourselves.  However, we know there is much to learn and discuss along the way. 

May your “struggles” (as with Jacob) always leave you stronger.

Have a wonderful week and a fantastic celebration of Chanukah!

This coming Shabbat is Vayeishev – Gen. 37:1 – 40:23  with the Haftarah from Amos 2:6 – 3:8. 

Rabbi Shapiro