Parshat Vayetzei- "Reach Your Potential"

        In this weeks parsha, it speaks about Yaakov's dream and in the dream he sees a ladder set up on earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of G-d ascending and descending on it (28:12).  Why are angels going up and down the ladder? We learn that a ladder is the only object that when a person goes down the person will still look up. Hashem was trying to tell Yaakov that life won't be great anymore, no matter how life is you'll always look up. During our hard times in life we can always "lean" towards Hashem just like when a person is climbing the ladder and is stuck he leans on the ladder for protection. A person needs to have Simchat HaChayim- happiness of life, even though at times things may be rocky and hard we should never stop to think who is in control-Hashem! When things aren't going your way and you get upset then you haven't yet understood that Hashem is in control. It says in the Gemara, that if a person gets angry its as if he is serving Avoda Zara- idolatry. Why? The Gemara is teaching us that even if we didn't plan it to be this way and it looks terrible we should understand that it's coming from Hashem and He knows what He is doing, so we should accept it with happiness and not get angry. Anger comes from lack of Emunah- Faith. When a person is struggling or in pain one should turn to Hashem, look up to the heavens and pray. In order to overcome the anger one must find it within their heart that Hashem is in control and Hashem knows whats best for His children. So, when we are put in difficult challenges that we cannot understand remember Hashem loves you and wants the best for you so don't get angry at the situation rather try to understand why this is happening to you? Try to understand how you can better your service of G-d.
Another interesting reason why the angels were going up and down the ladder is when a person uses a ladder he uses his entire body whereas when a person uses the stairs he just uses his legs. When we are serving Hashem the proper way to serve Him is we need to be dedicated with a full heart and dedication. We need to work on serving Hashem with all the body parts that He gave us. Guarding our tongue, guarding our eyes and guarding our ears etc. We need to make sure that every mitzvah we do is for us to get closer to Hashem.


Actions arouse the heart, a person is influenced by his actions and his emotions and all his thoughts always follow the actions in which he is involved in. Meaning to say, that even actions which are carried out without intention nevertheless exert an influence over our hearts.

The best way to serve Hashem is with HAPPINESS -"Ivdu et Hashem B'Simcha".
We need to devote our entire body and neshama to the Holy One, Blessed His Name.

Parshat Toldot- "For Heavens Sake?!?"

            During the event where Yitzchak intended to give Eisav the blessing instead of Yaakov. "It was when Yotzchak became old and his eyes weakened, he called Eisav his older son and he said to him, 'My son..go out to the field and hunt for me game. And prepare for me delicacies like I love and bring them to me and I will eat so that my soul shall bless you before I die." Rivkah Emeynu was listening in on this conversation and she immediatlly rushed to tell her son Yaakov. She told him to dress up like Eisav and she prepared delicacies for him to bring to his father Yitzchak. Yaakov enters his fathers tent saying "Here I am, please bless me."
          This blessing was the ice breaker as to which son will be the father of the chosen nation. How could the righteous Yitzchak be so adamant about choosing Eisav over Yaakov? Why did Rivkah resort to such a blatant deception in order to secure the blessings for Yaakov? And how could Yaakov Avinu agree to lie to his father? Rivka Emeynu, Yitzchak Avinu and Yaakov Avinu were out of character. The only person who was doing what he was told to do was Eisav. Eisav at the end of the story didn't win but he did what he was told to do while Yitzchak, Rivka and Yaakov, on the other hand, whose behaviors seem at best questionable and deffinantely out of character, benefit at the end of the day. Why are these three successful in achieving their goals when their tactics seem problematic?
           The way we will understand the above circumstance is to understand an essential foundation in Judaism which is to succeed in life, we must grow beyond our nature. This is best accomplished when we are tested. Eisav wasn't being tested however, the other three were all put to a test fundamental to developing a high level of service-avodat Hashem, Yitzchak, Rivka and Yaakov were pushed beyond their nature. Hashem administers this kind of test to see if a persons actions are the result of his will or God's will. Sometimes, in life we are so used to acting in a positive way filled with emunah-faith in Hashem until we are put to a test to see if we really have faith or not. However, if we do what God wants from us even when it requires us to step out of our comfort zones, to do something out of character then it becomes 100% clear that we have real self control and that our service, of our avodat Hashem is true service.
        Each individual needs to sit down and think why s/he is doing this for the sake of Hashem or for the sake to please someone. One must be completely honest with himself in order for him to be able to spiritually grow higher. Take this oppurtunity to evaluate yourself, see how far you have reached spiritually. Examine your good deeds and bad deeds. Try to prefect yourself and really understand if what you are doing is for the sake of heaven or for the sake of convenience.
By: Esther Shamayev

Chayei Sarah

              Eiyshet Chayil was the famous poem said in Sarah Emeynu’s eulogy by Avraham Avinu. The midrash goes through the entire chapter in Misheli (Proverbs), ascribing each verse to different attributes that Sarah Emeynu represented. “Darshah tzemer ufishtim..(she seeks out wool and linen)” was when Sarah Emeynu separated Yitzchak and Yishmael. Just like wool and linen are polar opposites, unable to be worn together, Sarah Emeynu knew that Yitzchak and Yishmael could not stay together. Sarah Emeynu separated good from bad by sending Yishmael away from her son Yitzchak. Yishmael acquired good and bad attributes. Yishmael, was also the son of Avraham who also had a brit mila at the age of thirteen so therefore there was good in Yishmael. However, there was plenty of evil within him as well. It is not easy to recognize this admixture in another person, and it was Sarah Emeynu who was able to do so. She had the wisdom and perception to see that the evil part of such a person will ultimately corrupt the good in him. When Sarah Emeynu took the intuitive to untangle good and evil she became the tikkun (correction) for Chava- Eve. Rivkah too, continued the tikkun by separating her sons Yaakov and Eisav. We learn from Sarah Emenynu that all women have this power of discernment.  The Torah teaches us, that women in general are more spiritually oriented and less affected by physical passions and drives. Throughout Jewish history, in Egypt, our Chachamim-Sages point out that it is the women who have been the guiding force in pushing towards the positive and steering away from the negative. That is their job: to separate, to detect the evil and the good. This is the nature of a woman, to the extent that the Sages say that a woman has deeper insights into a guest’s character- all the more so, Rabbi Feldman points out, into her husband’s character. That is why there should be openness between husband and wife in all aspects of life, both physical and spiritual; they should work together closely, because the wife has the ability to give her husband tremendous insight into himself. Avraham and Sarah together could rectify the sin of Adam and Chava. Chava introduced the good and evil into the world while Sarah separated between good and evil. Adam listened to Chava who gave him bad advice from eating from the tree, Avraham Avinu was told by Hashem "kol asher tomar eilecha Sarahh shema bekolah"- "everything Sarah will say to you- listen to her." Avraham, listened to Sarah and because of this he benefited of the development of his family. Rabbi Moshe Wolfson mentions that under the chuppah (marriage canopy) we mention Adam Harishon in the blessing "asher yatzar es ha'adam betzalmo" "who created man in His image" because every couple has the ability to rectify the sin of Adam and Chavah by following Avraham Avinu and Sarah Emeynus ways of partnership. We each possess the tools within us. By working together as one, each doing our own unique part, we can help to create a world where there is discernment between good and evil. (Shira Smiles, 2010)

Lech Lecha- Leave Your Negative Ways

In last week’s parsha it begins with G-ds commandment and promise to Abram. "Go for yourself from your land, from your relatives, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation; I will bless you, and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you." (12:1-12:3)
Abrams first test was to leave his father’s home in order for him to be able to build a true home where Hashems presence can dwell. Abram and his wife Sarai couldn't have children for many years. However, Hashem promised Abram that he will make of him a great nation, but how can he become a great nation if he doesn't have a child. Abram saw through astrology that he wouldn't have children. Hashem lifted Abram above the stars and showed him that the Jewish nation has no mazal (luck). The Jewish nation is above nature, they can change their fate. Hashem changed Abrams name to Abraham and Sari’s name to Sarah after their names were changed so too, were their mazals changed.
We learn from this parsha a very important lesson, we should never say that we won't be able to change our ways. The best way a person can change their destiny is to change their ways in the positive, to get closer to Hashem. When a person who wasn't religious becomes religious automatically they change their destiny. What once was is no longer the same when they get closer to Hashem.

Parshat Noach- What Can We Do?

"Noach was a tzadik in his generation". In the times of Noach there was a lot of immorality and cheating. The generation of his time was so corrupt that Hashem decided to destroy the world with a flood. Hashem commanded Noach to build in ark for 120 years. Why couldn't G-d make an ark for Noach and save him and his family? Hashem wanted Noach to build the ark himself so people will be curious and ask Noach and then Noach will tell them what Hashems plan is and maybe hopefully they will do teshuva. Noach didn't try to stop them from sinning only when they would ask what e is building an ark for. Nowadays, we have the same situation. We say to ourselves and to others as long as I keep Shabbat I'm fine. No! You are not. The Jewish nation is connected to one another. Every sin/mitzvah we do is connected to another Jew. Without knowing we can hurt someone or help them spiritually. In our generation it is our job to save as many precious souls as we can to return to Hashem, our father, our king. It says in the Gemara that when someone saves one person it's as if they saved the entire world. Don't be embarrassed about approaching someone that what they are doing is not allowed according to the Torah. Of course you need to say it with love and understanding. Each and every one of us has the potential to be a tzadik/tzadeket in our generation however, don't forget about the people of  our generation.

The Power of Speech

In Parshat Bereishit it starts with G-d creating the world. He created the world with ten utterances. With each holy command, our universe was formed. G-d gave man the gift of speech, which means out of all creatures of the world only humans are endowed with the ability to verbally communicate intelligently. Since, G-d created the world through speech we should be mindful that we too, have the power to create through the words that we speak. King Solomon tells us, "Death and life are in the tongue." We must be very careful with what comes out of our mouths. 

Let us try to work on our speech towards the people we interact with on a constant basis.

Shabbat Shalom

A New Beginning

       Rosh hashana and Yom Kippur just passed by within a blink of an eye. The year before we did things to help us get closer to G-d and did things that pushed us away from G-d. G-d gave us another year to live, another year to show ourselves that we really want a relationship with our father, our king. If Gd sees potential in us to become great then why do we lose faith in ourselves and just give up? In order for each and every one of us to utilize our fullest potential we need to ask ourselves two very important questions. What can I offer the Jewish nation/ world that no one else can? What makes me special that G-d gave me another chance to show myself and Him that there is a good reason I am still here? The last day of sukkot which is Hoshana Raba are fate is sealed so before it's sealed let us all think of two things we want to improve on this year to prove to ourselves and G-d that there was a good reason that He kept us for another year.

Workshop:

Write down five positive traits about yourself that have to do with Judaism:

Examples: keep Shabbat, kosher ..

Write down five negative traits about yourself that have to so with Judaism:

Examples: don't keep Shabbat, kosher

Last step, take two things out of the five negative traits that you want to improve on this month/year in order to connect yourself closer to Hashem.

By: Esther Shamayev