5-Bullet Friday: Parshas Vayeitzei

    ~ Torah Parallels ~
    5-Bullet Friday

    This week is Parshas Vayeitzei! Check out this week's d'var torah here.

    Have feedback or suggestions for future 5-Bullets? Fill out the survey here

    Here is this week's 5-Bullet Friday, a quick summary of thoughts I’ve been pondering during the week:

  • Question I'm pondering (on parsha): (30:15) Rashi writes that because Rachel gave up her time with Yaakov in exchange for a few flowers, she did not merit to be buried with him. Wasn’t the reason she wasn’t buried with Yaakov because of Yaakov’s curse later in the parsha on the one who stole the avodah zarrah from Lavan?



  • Another question I'm pondering (on parsha): (30:24) As the passuk continues, Rachel named her son Yosef with a tefillah that Hashem add to her another son. How could we understand this? Rachel finally gave birth to a son and instead of stopping and being thankful she davens that Hashem grant her another one?



  • Concept I am considering: An element of friendship: In-person Interaction. The Kitzur shulchan aruch (59) relates halachos regarding making bracha of mechayei meisim after seeing a friend you haven’t seen in over a year; or a shehechiyanu for seeing a really good friend that you haven’t seen in a month. However, the Kitzur qualifies (59:21) that if see a friend even for first time that you know and love albeit from correspondence (like a pen pal) you don’t make a shehechiyanu when see him since it is not the same level of love and friendship as an in-person relationship - “ein haahava gdola kol kach”. An interesting idea to keep in mind given the number of social media / online friends one could have as well as the general default to text rather than talk in person. 



  • Hashkafic idea I'm reflecting on: The tension of pulling vs releasing (and then pulling). I heard a great analogy this week from Daniel Kahneman: “Imagine a plank of wood held in place by a spring on either side of it, How do you move it? Well, you can increase the force on one side of the plank. Or you can reduce the force on the other side. In one case the overall tension is reduced, and in the other it is increased.” As people we generally strive to move forward but it is just as vital (if not more) to first be ready and willing to release what holds us back. This concept is mentioned in Tehillim “sur mei’rah v’aseh tov” - first remove the bad and then do good



  • Middah on my mind: Emes. This middah is tremendously difficult to perfect but is extremely powerful. The Orchos Tzaddikim talks about the power that one who is pure emes has ranging from thoughts and words being fulfilled to being able to know the future like malachim. This middah touches so many aspects of bein adom l’chaveiro, bein adom l’makom, and bein adom l’atzmo - each area having a whole range of applications with varying levels of difficulty. It is worthwhile to choose one aspect in one of these areas during the complex, and sometimes seemingly paradoxical, parshiyos of Yaakov avinu - who represents emes.  


What's on your mind?

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

P.S:

  • Quote I am thinking about: “"We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction." - Bill Gates



Have comments or thoughts on this week's bullets? Have other random thoughts on your mind? Send an email to torahparallels@gmail.com. Thank you!




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Parshas Va'eira: Frogger - Croak or Croak

  * Parshas Va'eira: Frogger - Croak or Croak * Rashi writes that the reason the first of the makkos (plagues) brought upon Mitzrayim was dam (blood) was because the Egyptians worshipped the Nile and Hashem strikes a nation first by destroying its acclaimed deity. Clearly we see from Rashi that besides for the well-known fact that every single makkah brought on Mitzrayim was calculated middah-kneged-middah (measure for measure), there was also significance to the order. If so, we could ask the following question. If the first makkah of blood was primarily a strike against the deity of Egypt, there must be a special significance to the makkah of tzfardayim (frogs) as well. Why specifically was the plague of frogs chosen to spearhead the makkos brought upon the Mitzrim directly? When the Torah relates what Hashem told Moshe to warn Pharaoh regarding the invasiveness of the plague of frogs, the passuk relates that the frogs were going to come into the houses, bedrooms, beds, the serva...
Read more

Parshas Bo: On Whose Right

  * Parshas Bo: On Whose Right * The Ramban points out that so many of the mitzvos we do serve in some way as a (zeicher) remembrance of Hashem taking us out of Mitzrayim. Indeed, the makkos (plagues) in Mitzrayim continuing with yetzias Mitzrayim (exodus from Egypt) and kriyas Yam Suf (splitting of the Red Sea), and ultimately culminating with mattan Torah (receiving the Torah), serve as a timeless certificate for us that Hashem is the borei (creator) and manhig (controller) of the world and that we are His chosen people to lead a life of keeping Torah and mitzvos. One of the many mitzvos we do daily which remind of us yetzias Mitzrayim is the donning of the tefillin, a mitzva actually mentioned at the end of this week’s parsha. The Torah tells us that the tefillin should be a sign upon our arm and between our eyes to recall that Hahsm removed us from Mitzrayim with a strong hand. The Shulchan Aruch rules that the tefillin shel yad (tefillin of the arm) is put on the left arm. Th...
Read more

Parshas Beshalach 5774: Between a Rock and Hard Place

Parshas Beshalach 5774: Between a Rock and Hard Place   Towards the end of Parshas Beshalach, the Torah relates that Amalek came to battle B’nei Yisroel. Like the other events in the Parsha, this episode too was a direct test to challenge B’nei Yisroel’s emunah as they left Mitzrayim. The Torah (17:11) describes that while B’nei Yisroel were battling Amalek, Moshe stood on top of a hill and when his hands were raised, B’nei Yisroel would prevail, and when he lowered his hands, Amalek would start to prevail. As Rashi clarifies, based on the Mishnah (Gemara Rosh Hashanah 29a), it was not really Moshe’s hands impacting who would be victorious, rather it was B’nei Yisroel’s trust in Hashem (looking upwards). Most of know what happened next. Moshe hands got heavy and Aharon and Chur came to support his hands. However, there is a peculiar thing that happened in between Moshe’s hands feeling tired and them coming to support him. The passuk says “...and Moshe’s hands grew heavy, so ...
Read more