One of the most haunting and alarming verses in the Torah comes at the beginning of this week’s portion of Sh’mot: “A new king arose in Egypt who did not know Joseph”(Ex 1:8). The Torah imagines that despite Joseph’s insight and intelligence which saved Egypt from ruin, Egypt forgot that story so completely, that the new Pharaoh didn’t know, understand or value Joseph’s contribution to Egyptian prominence. Not only that, but his lack of knowledge led to the oppressive treatment and subsequent enslavement of the Jewish peopleThe verse is disturbing because it exemplifies how a nation’s selective memory can lead down a destructive path for citizens and strangers alike. As much as the Hebrew slaves were oppressed, the Egyptian people were also impacted adversely by their leader’s decisions and the ten plagues brought by God that afflicted every Egyptian.The text explains that the Egyptians took their cue from Pharaoh. The Egyptians did not need much convincing to set up taskmasters and inflict hardship on the Hebrews. We know of course how the story ends, since we retell it every year at the Passover Seder – we were saved by the strong hand and the outstretched arm.Reflecting on the past year 2017, I have been anticipating this text. I have thought about it when I read about the uptick in hate crimes; I have felt it in the double standards regarding politics towards Israel; and it has reverberated in my mind witnessing the rise of right wing and populist politicians all over the world. It’s been hard to think of little else.It is no small comfort to me that in the subsequent verses we read in our Torah portion we meet Shifra and Puah, the midwives who defy Pharaoh’s edict to kill all the newborn Hebrew boys. Acting out of their faith in God and in their awareness of what is just, they strategically denied Pharaoh’s orders. The Talmud (Sotah 11b) points out that the Torah doesn’t just tell of their disobedience, but says, “they let them (the boys) live” (Exod. 1:17). The rabbis ask why the text needed to add that point, since presumably by their disobedience, the children were spared. They answer that the end of the verse teaches that not only did they not kill the boys, but they actively aided them to live, by giving them food and water (BT Sotah). The rabbis imagines that Shifra and Puah actually became God’s partners in creation, as they granted life to the Hebrew children (Shemot Rabba 1:19).As enigmatic as these rewards may be, they make perfect symbolic sense. The seeds of Tikkun Olam were planted with the midwives’ strategic defiance against injustice, as their actions were about preserving life, and anticipating a future where all people would be free to dwell in safety.As we anticipate the new Year, let the story of the midwives serve to remind each of us that we have the ability to speak and act against any and all injustice. Let us not allow “collective forgetting”. Each of us can be a midwife who helps to birth the future and bear the hardships on the road to justice and freedom, never giving up, always with the greater good in mind.Wishing you a wonderful Shabbat and a happy (secular) New YearRabbi Adrian M Schell (Source Rabbi Yael Ridberg)
Category: Drasha
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Let us not allow “collective forgetting”
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Parashat Devarim: And charge the people as follows
“Then the Eternal said to me: You have been skirting this hill country long enough; now turn north. And charge the people as follows: You will be passing through the territory of your kinsmen, the descendants of Esau, who live in Se-ir. Although they will be afraid of you, be very careful not to start a fight with them. For I will not give you of their land so much as a foot can tread on; I have given the hill country of Se-ir as a possession to Esau. What food you eat you shall obtain from them for money; even the water you drink you shall procure from them for money. Indeed, the Eternal your God has blessed you in all your undertakings.”(Deuteronomy 2:2–7) The news and pictures coming from Israel these days left many from us shocked. Again, violence and hate has risen and is challenging our dreams and hopes for Israel. Looking for an answer for my own questions, I found this short D’var Torah on our Torah Portion for this week written by my colleague Rabbi Fred Greene which I’d like to share with you: “Those of us who are committed to a secure, prosperous Israel ache each day that the conflict with the Palestinians persists. Despite the anger we might feel toward the Palestinians, Deuteronomy 2:2–7 reminds us that God did indeed promise land to other nations in the region beside Israel. The Bible reminds us that despite our feelings, we must live according to our ethical and religious precepts.While we stand in solidarity with Israel, we must resist the temptation to demonize the Palestinian people en masse because of the sins of their leaders and the terrorists who live among them. Reform Judaism has always maintained that the Palestinians are entitled to coexist side by side with Israel and has also challenged the efficacy of settlements in the West Bank.Our focal passage illustrates God’s desire for integrity and peace among peoples. Israel was given a land to build and to make holy, but it is only to be considered so when God’s presence lies therein. Rabbi Jonathan Magonet argues, “It is God’s presence that ensures the holiness of the land, not any special nature of the land itself. Indeed, God cannot be present in the land, so to speak, when it is polluted by the actions of the nations that preceded Israel—or by those of Israel itself.” (“Covenant and Holiness: Help or Hindrance in Seeking a Reform Theology of the State of Israel” in Journal of Reform Zionism, vol. 1)This parashah reminds us that no matter what the original boundaries of Eretz Yisrael were (and there were variations), Israel needed—needs—to be righteous and just; and her neighbours, despite their conflicts with Israel, were—are—entitled to their own land.The beauty and challenge of Reform Zionism is to continue to build Eretz Yisrael–not necessarily its roads and highways as in yesteryear but its promise for peace and its democracy—in partnership with Israel’s citizens. It is our understanding of k’dushah that drives us to implement our conviction of hope for the City of Peace, Y’rushalayim.”May this Shabbat may bring peace to Israel and its neighboursShabbat ShalomRabbi Adrian M Schell(Painting: “The Children of Israel Crossing the Jordan” by Benjamin West, 1800)Torah Reading for Shabbat Chazon/Devarim Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22; Reading Deuteronomy1:1-25 ;Plaut p.1161; Hertz p.736Haftarah Isaiah 1:1-1:27; (Plaut 1180; Hertz p.750)Tisha b’Av begins this coming Monday evening and ends on Tuesday evening (31.7. to 1.8.2017)In our Torah portion:* Moses begins his final words of instruction to the Children of Israel, focusing first on recounting their physical journey.* Moses reviews the people’s reactions to the negative reports of the spies and the appointment of Joshua to succeed him.* Moses recounts that all of the Israelite warriors who left Egypt died, as God had intended, and the people continued their wanderings and defeated their enemies.* Moses reiterates that the Land of Israel was allocated to the Israelite tribes.
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My Chanicha Patrizia
Our Parashat Matot Masei, which brings the Children of Israel to the plains of Moab on the border of the Land of Israel, deals with the nexus between two of the founding stories of Judaism. The story of peoplehood frames the Jewish People as a family and a tribe bound together by a shared history and destiny in mutual responsibility. The story of nationhood views the People of Israel as a community that is associated with a specific land, Zion, from which it was exiled and to which it ever seeks to return.In the second half of our Torah portion, the tribes are informed of the borders of their future dwelling, while the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Menashe chose to remain beyond those borders; on the east of the Jordan river. Thus, we see that even before the Jews entered the land, life beyond Israel’s borders was already a reality accepted and validated by the Torah. However, such a “proto-diaspora,” was not freed from its own obligations to the rest of the Tribes of Israel.Indeed, in the first half, Moses challenges the two and half tribes: “Shall your brothers go to war while you dwell here?” (Numbers 32:6). However, the tribes assure Moses that they will join their sisters and brothers to conquer the Land of Kana’an, only returning when all of the people are settled.Thus, the roots of Diaspora Judaism are long and deep; so too are the expectations of the Jewish People from Jews beyond Israel’s borders to contribute to the unity and wellbeing of the people within the Land of Israel, while Israel itself is the beating heart for all, keeping all Jews connected—close by or far away. This obligation has taken many forms in different times and contexts over centuries. This is highlighted in this very moment while we discuss the egalitarian extension of the Western Wall Plaza and the conversion bill.On the one hand, multiple missions of solidarity especially from the Progressive Diaspora Communities, millions of Rand, Euros and Dollars of financial assistance and broad mobilisation on social media have all embodied our commitment to Israel. On the other hand the on-going diminishing and out-casting of the non-orthodox communities in Israel have left severe marks on our Jewish souls.Progressive Jews in South Africa, and all over the world have continually shown their unbroken solidarity with Israel. The security and well-being of our sisters and brothers in Israel are without a question part of our “DNA“, and no group or organisation in Israel or outside of Israel has the right to challenge or even cut this bond we have.
Patrizia (in the picture right) is one of my former chanichot at Netzer. She visited Israel for the first time when we had an exchange programme with Noar Telem (Netzer Israel) in 2014. Last year she made Aliyah after her Netzer-Shnat year, and today she serves as a lone soldier in the IDF. I could not be prouder of her, because she lives the values and ideals we teach in Netzer and the Progressive movement. And it is for her and all other Progressive Jews that we stand and fight for a more pluralistic Jewish Israel. Patrizia, as any other Jew, deserves a Jewish home and place that reflects their, our, values and traditions, too. Moses, in our Torah reading, challenges the diaspora to stand on the side of Israel. Today, we challenge Israel to stand on our side.Shabbat ShalomRabbi Adrian M Schell(Source: Josh Gottesman/Gidi Grinstein) -
Torah Sparks: Shabbat haChodesh—Time is relevant
The spiritual cycle of the Jewish year depends on an interaction among the flow of holidays, the marking of Rosh Chodesh (the new month) and the weekly Shabbat (Sabbath) observance. The holidays and fast days sometimes permeate the surrounding Shabbatot (plural of Shabbat) with holiday themes. These special Shabbatot may create the mood for an upcoming festival, reflect or enhance festival themes, or ease the transition from a festival back into the weekly flow of Shabbatot.This Shabbat we celebrate Shabbat HaHodesh. Shabbat HaHodesh occurs either on the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh Nisan (this year on Tuesday) or on Rosh Chodesh itself. The traditional maftir reading is Exodus 12:1-20, which details eating the Passover sacrifice, with “your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand”; eating bitter herbs and unleavened bread; and putting blood on the doorposts; and it lists the Passover laws.” The haftarah for our Shabbat, Ezekiel 45:16-46:18, describes the sacrifices that the Israelites are to bring on the first of Nisan, on Passover, and on other festivals in the future Temple.The first day of Nisan is also important as the occasion for God’s commandment, sanctifying the new moon, which begins the additional Torah reading, “This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you.” This commandment moved the determination of months from God’s agenda into the hands of the Jewish people–giving them control over time and the theological/liturgical cycle. (Source: http://www.myjewishlearning.com/)It is deeply significant that the first national mitzvah that God gave us, while still in Egypt on the very threshold of redemption, was to take control of our time. A slave has scant need for a calendar: he sleeps and wakes, eats and works, lives his entire existence, according to his master’s timetable. Only a free person can determine his own schedule, and only a free nation can determine its own calendar.“Anything that can be done at anytime by anybody will be done at no time by nobody.”All major ideas of Judaism, even though they are intangible, are made accessible by being embedded in time. Therefore, it is of great importance that we mark our time, that we continue to be aware of our “Jewish time”, and not to get lost in the secular calendar. As Jews we give great space to the world around us, and we are even willing to embrace different traditions into our own. This is good, and important. But we need to be careful not to become slaves again, slaves again of someone or somewhat who determines time for us. On our way to Pesach, it is not only of importance to clean out our cupboards, but also our calendars. Let’s make space for some more Judaism, for Shabbat, festivals and time with our (extended) Jewish family.Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Adrian M Schell -
Parashat Naso: It’s not my fault!
by Monica Solomon
Being in business these are words I hear almost daily. Certainly if they are not said, they are implied. It seems that it is really difficult for people to own up to their mistakes, and to take responsibility for the consequences. And when one tells the other what the result of their mistake is, ‘sorry’ still does not come easily. And sometimes ‘sorry’ can be a painful word to say, depending on the severity of the result.It’s the same in any relationship, whether business or personal. No-one likes to admit they’re wrong because they feel that this somehow diminishes them, but if one doesn’t admit ones mistake life cannot go on with any normality.There’s a children’s story entitled “The Hardest Word; a Yom Kippur story” which brings this point home in a beautiful way. The story describes God commanding a giant bird to search the world for the “hardest word” a person can say. In a first attempt, the bird proposes “Goodnight” — since no child likes going to bed. God just smiles. Next, the bird suggests, “Spaghetti.” Cute but wrong. Only later, after many unsuccessful guesses, the bird reflects on his own life, looks into his own heart, and realizes that the hardest word must be “Sorry” (Jacqueline Jules, Kar-Ben, 2001).The story rings true as much for us as it does for children “Sorry” is indeed one of the hardest words we can say. But when we do say ‘sorry’ and we do accept that we are in the wrong, we create a just society. We remove blame from the other and both parties can be assured that even though a mistake has been made efforts have been made to repair the damage.This weeks Parasha, Naso, reads in part “The Eternal said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the Eternal is guilty and must confess the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged.“Rashi commented that this injunction is similar to the one in Leviticus ch. 5. He say that the words “and must confess the sin” stresses that repentance cannot be effective without a proper confession of wrongdoing.Interestingly, requiring confession from the guilty seems to have been one of Rashi’s particular concerns. Elsewhere, in his Talmud commentary, Rashi writes that a person cannot achieve true repentance without admitting guilt: “One does not offer compensation or a sin sacrifice without making confession” (Rashi on Babylonian Talmud, Bava Kama 108b, s.v. m’shalem keren).So our Parashah teaches us that, just like there is belief that Israel and Palestine can only live peacefully with a two state solution, justice can only be achieved by a two step solution: when the guilty party makes confession and then follows this with restitution.Admitting guilt is a sacred act. It’s difficult but in order to repair the world it is necessary. Maimonides wrote a lot about the concept of confession going so far as to say that confession should be a public act.At the end of The Hardest Word, the giant bird reflects on recent events and remembers when he “accidentally” fell from the sky and destroyed a vegetable garden beside a synagogue. He determines that he will return to the scene of the crime bearing a basket of fruits and vegetables from his own garden because, “It was time to say the hardest word.”It’s time for all of us, to learn how to say the hardest word too.Torah Reading Shabbat NasoNumbers 4:21—7:89 Reading Num 6:1-27Plaut p.928; Hertz p.592Haftarah Judges 13:2-25 Plaut p.947; Hertz p.602In our Torah portion:*A census of the Gershonites, Merarites, and Koathites between the ages of thirty and fifty is conducted and their duties in the Tabernacle are detailed.* God speaks to Moses concerning what to do with ritually unclean people, repentant individuals, and those who are suspected of adultery.* The obligations of a nazirite vow are explained. They include abstaining from alcohol and not cutting one’s hair.* God tells Moses how to teach Aaron and his sons the Priestly Blessing.* Moses consecrates the Sanctuary, and the tribal chieftains bring offerings. Moses then speaks with God inside the Tent of Meeting.
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Parashat Pinchas: Leading to better communication and understanding
Parashat Balak (last week’s reading) has quite a disturbing end. The short chapter reads like a report that predicts the end of “Project Exodus”. The situation in the camp is chaotic, all boundaries are fallen and no one cares anymore about God and the values taught by Moses. What happened? After the episode with Balaam, we return to what is happening inside camp of the Israelites. There they have sexual relations with Moabite women and offer sacrifices to a Moabite god. As a result, the Eternal punishes the whole camp with a plague. We are close to the end of the 40 years in the desert. More or less no one of the former generation of slaves is still alive; the people are tired of the wandering in the desert. Moses isn’t anymore the dynamic leader he used to be, and the rituals and laws seem to have lost their authority as Moses did. People start turning away from God, and abandoning the laws of the Torah. The desecration of God and God’s name continues. At its peak Zimri, a prince from Israel and Cospi, a daughter of a Moabite chieftain enters a tent – most likely the Mishkan, the holy tent in the middle of the camp – to seal a new covenant between the Israelites and the Moabites, between the Israelites and the God of the Moabites, by having intercourse. Is that the end, end and over? End of the story. God is for sure not amused, not at all, and strikes his people with a plague. Please note that Moses is this time not interfering. To me, the Israelites actually stood at the edge of a deep slope, if not something unexpected happened. Pinchas, a man who hasn’t played a role so far, is taking his lance and kills Zimri and Cospi, he literally and metaphorically stops the union of the two tribes. This ends the plague, and is the end of last week’s Torah portion. What always strikes me are the consequences God is drawing from Pinchas action. Our Torah portion this week starts with the following:“Pinchas … has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, … Therefore …, I give to him my covenant of Shalom, peace, and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood…” (Num 25.11-13)
It seems that someone who kills others in an act of zealously is rewarded by God with a covenant of peace?! A dangerous assumption, especially in regards to the many fundamentalist terror attacks of our time. If we look closer, we see a different facet of God’s „reward” for Pinchas. His reward is not a leadership role, or becoming a war hero. He, and his children, are bound closely to God, serving God as priests, regulated by the rules of the cult. Instead of becoming the spearhead of fighting against others, he becomes the priest for peace, shalom. Instead of zealously watching over God’s claims, he is the one who is now responsibly to find bridges between God and the people, serving them and god by creating communication. The Torah portion teaches us that in rare situations a dramatic action may bring a change – but only if the next step is the creation of a covenant of shalom, leading to better communication and understanding, creating a new ground of trust.Rabbi Adrian M Schell (Source Fields Torah Commentary and R D Burkeman)
Torah Reading for Shabbat PinchasNumbers 25:10-30:1Reading: Num 26:62-27:23(Plaut p.1078/Hertz p.691)Haftarah 1 Kings 18:46-19:21 (P.1095; H.699)In this week’s Torah portion, God gives Pinchas a covenant of peace. God explains the apportionment of the Land of Israel. The daughters of Zelophehad petition to inherit their father’s portion. Moses appoints Joshua as his successor. Podcast of Rabbi Schell’s weekly Sermons Tuesdays on Radio Today (10h30) or: http://goo.gl/LsHQrY. -
Parashat Beshalach: do not pray – just act
Torah Sparks: Tu BiShvat – celebrating the birthday of all trees“Then the Eternal One said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. And you lift up your rod and hold out your arm over the sea and split it, so that the Israelites may march into the sea on dry ground.’” (Exodus 14:15-16).God seems to be saying do not pray – just act. With all of the power that God demonstrates in this Torah portion (by splitting the sea), why does God need Moses? The answer seems to be that God requires human initiative. Judaism, as I understand it, is a religion of activism, not quietism. God does not right the wrongs of society but requires that we do it.This coming Monday we “celebrate” Tu-BiShvat, the 15th day of the Month of Shvat. According to our tradition, Tu BiShvat is the birthday of all trees. But why?Scholars believe that originally Tu BiSh’vat was an agricultural festival, marking the emergence of spring. Each year, the Israelites were expected to bring one-tenth of their fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem, where they were offered to God and also helped sustain the priestly class and the poor. Since fruit from one year could not be used to tithe for another, the Rabbis had to determine when a crop year would begin and end. They chose the month of Shvat as the cut-off date, for this is when, in Israel, the sap begins to run and the trees start to awaken from their winter slumber, before beginning to bear fruit.Although the celebration of Tu BiShvat seems to be more practical and down-to-earth, the theme most commonly ascribed to the holiday today is the environment. It is considered a festival of nature, full of wonder, joy, and thankfulness for God’s creation in anticipation of the renewal of the natural world. The holiday has become a tree-planting festival in Israel, in which Israelis and Jews around the world plant trees and/or support an initiative to protect the environment.Doing that, we recall the sacred obligation to care for God’s world, and the responsibility to share the fruits of God’s earth with all, what connects it to the idea of our Torah portion: Being God’s sh’lichim (representatives) that connect earth and heaven, and transform the world.Shabbat Shalom and Tu BiShvat Sameach – Rabbi Adrian M Schell (Source: reformjudaism.org)
Torah Reading for Shabbat Shirah – Parashat BeshalachExodus 13:17 – 17:16 (Reading Ex 14:15-15:11; Plaut p.436; Hertz p.268); Haftarah: Judges 5:1 – 5:31 (Plaut p.464; Hertz p.283)The Torah Study with Rabbi Schell continues on Shabbat, 23 January at 08h45“The Prayers of our Siddur”– class with Rabbi Schell continues on Thursday 4 FebruaryPodcast of Rabbi Schell’s weekly Sermons Tuesdays on Radio Today (10h30) or: http://goo.gl/LsHQrY.
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Parashat Vaera: What in God’s Name is God’s Name?
This is one of the more profound theological questions. To be able to name something or someone is to have a specific relationship to it or them, even a form of control. One can call out not just “Hey, You!” but “Hey, David!” or whatever, and expect some form of response. By using a name one potentially opens a dialogue. It is, therefore, no coincidence that most prayers begin with “Baruch Atah – Something.” “Blessed are You…”and then a Name.The problem is: The Name. What is the name, what can we use to address God, what does it mean?In Exodus 3:14, God has refused to answer Moses directly, saying simply, “Ehyeh asher Ehyeh”, “I am Who I Am”—or even “I Will Be whom I Will Be”. So no name for God, or?We have the Four-Letter Name, the ‘Tetragrammaton’ which is used at many places in the Torah for God’s name. Traditionally, one reads instead of the consonants ‘YHVH’ “Adonai” – but this is only a tradition because we have to say something. The fact is that No-One actually knows. Which makes it theology, not physics.At the outset of this parasha (Ex. 6:3) God simply tells Moses, “I am the same God who appeared under a different name to your ancestors”. That’s a bit of a relief, because we can learn from here that God has not only one name and that there are more ways to encounter God. And it opens up a range of other possibilities when God appears but is described as something or someone else; it leaves the gender issue open; it allowed the rabbis to determine whether different names indicated different qualities—such as justice or mercy. It allows modern theologians to discuss whether ‘God’ and ‘Allah’ are the same, it allows archaeologists to place bits of inscription with ‘Shaddai’, and it allows translators to find alternative words like ‘Lord’ or ‘The Eternal’ or ‘The Creator’, and so on. But being honest, No-One knows, God’s name remains a secret for us.In the end, I suppose that what is important is that we pray, that we say ‘Baruch Atah’, Blessed are you – that we open a dialogue regularly—and that God knows who God is, and will listen, and may respond.– Rabbi Adrian M Schell (Source: Rabbi W Rothschild on Vaera)Torah Reading for Shabbat VaeraExodus 6:2-9:35 (Reading Ex 7:1-29; Plaut p.384; Hertz p.235); M’varchim Chodesh Sh’vat.Haftarah: Ezekiel 28:25-29:21 (Plaut p.401; Hertz p.244)The Torah Study with Rabbi Schell continues this Shabbat, 09 January at 08h45“The Prayers of our Siddur”– class with Rabbi Schell resumes on the 21 Janurary at 18h00 to 19h30 (Foyer).Podcast of Rabbi Schell’s weekly Sermons Tuesdays on Radio Today (10h30) or: http://goo.gl/LsHQrY. -
Parashat Vayeshev : Was it God’s plan?
Ellen Frankel (Author of “The Five Books of Miriam”) askes the following, thought-provoking question: “Why doesn’t Joseph tell his dreams to the women of the family? Why does he tell his two dreams – of his brothers’ sheaves bowing down to his sheaf and of the sun, moon and 11 stars bowing to him – only to the men, as it is written: ‘And when he told it to his father and brothers’ (Gen 37:10).”Ellen Frankel interprets this as “a foolish act of Joseph”, because women would have “recognised in these fantasies nothing more but the intemperate arrogance of youth,” while “his brothers, interpreted his dreams as an expression of his ambition to lord it over them.” She concludes that the Joseph story, and by that the story of the Jewish people would have been different, if he would have told the women too.Using the same narrative, Rabbis have been discussing to which degree God is guiding our fate and the fate of the Jewish people. For most of them the Joseph narrative is “the” example of how God is governing history. No matter what the conclusion of the family members would have been, at the end of Genesis, Joseph and his family would have lived in Egypt, because it was God’s plan. Without this prelude to the Exodus, so the rabbis, couldn’t have been the liberation of the Israelites by God, the normative event of our people.I am not sure I can agree with either one of those interpretations, as the whole narrative is for me neither an example of prevision (thought by the rabbis), nor about gender related perspectives. I view it as a parable about acts and consequences, trust and mistrust, failures and growth. All members of the nuclear Jewish family are deeply human beings, trying to find their place in history, full of emotions, and the ability to make big mistakes. For me, Joseph’s life is like a re-run of Genesis. He is facing great highs, but also downs. His dreams resemble the story of Babylon, and his acknowledgment of God reflects the closeness of Abraham to God. Once again, the Torah provides us with a role model to find our own way in life.Shabbat Shalom – Rabbi Adrian M SchellTorah Reading for Shabbat VayeshevGenesis 37:1-40:23 (Reading 37:1-28; Plaut p.246; Hertz p.141) – M’varchim Chodesh Tevet (Sa/Su)Haftarah: Amos 2:6-3:8 (Plaut p.263; Hertz p.152)The Torah Study with Rabbi Schell continues on Shabbat, 12 December at 08h45 (Rondavel).“The Prayers of our Siddur”– class with Rabbi Schell every Thursday from 18h00 to 19h30 (Foyer).Podcast of Rabbi Schell’s weekly Sermons Tuesdays on Radio Today (10h30) or: http://goo.gl/LsHQrY. -
Parashat Vayishlach: Taking Jacob-Israel as a paradigm
In parshat Vayishlach Jacob’s name is changed to Israel, not once but twice. The first time, in 32:29, Jacob is named by a “man” after spending all night wrestling with him.
In 35:10 Jacob receives the name Israel directly from God. According to Rashi, the name change signifies a change in Jacob’s character. He moves from “Ya’akov,” (יעקב) whose root means ankle and recalls his cunning (עָקְבָה) in tricking his brother, to Yisrael (ישראל), which contains the word (שר) “sar,” meaning leader. Yet despite being renamed twice, Israel continues to be called Jacob. In fact, after both incidences, he is immediately called Jacob again. So what was the point of the name change?It seems to me that Jacob’s journey is a journey of returning. Even when he flees his brother Esau, he is running away to his mother’s homeland. Years later, when Jacob leaves Laban’s home after having acquired wives, children and wealth, he returns back home to Canaan. Jacob’s journey is circular. His return is an illustration of both continuity and change in his life story. His names also reflect this-his new identity of Israel is not a negation of who he once was.Like our forefather, we are known as Jacob as well as Israel. We can take Jacob/Israel as a paradigm. Unlike Abraham, whose change is a complete break with his past, we can allow ourselves to change throughout our journeys but realize that this need not be a negation of who we were in our past. It is in this dual state as both Jacob and Israel that we can truly receive Balaam’s blessing (Numbers 24:5) “How good are your tents oh Jacob, your dwellings oh Israel!”Shabbat Shalom – Rabbi Adrian M Schell (Source: Rabbinical Student Nathan Roller, Illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible(Wikipedia))Torah Reading for Shabbat VayishlachGenesis 32:4-36:43 (Reading 32:4-31; Plaut p.219; Hertz p.122)Haftarah: Hosea 11:7-12:12 (Plaut p.241; Hertz p.135)The Torah Study with Rabbi Schell continues this Shabbat, 12 December at 08h45 (Rondavel).“The Prayers of our Siddur”– class with Rabbi Schell every Thursday from 18h00 to 19h30 (Foyer).Podcast of Rabbi Schell’s weekly Sermons Tuesdays on Radio Today (10h30) or: http://goo.gl/LsHQrY.
