Toldot

You know how many mitzvot world there are.  Lots. 613, at last count. Do you know what is the very first mitzvah in the Torah? See below to find if you are correct.
This mitzvah is a very important one. It means the continuation of humanity. Each child is born in compliance with God’s will. But there is another element to be considered as well. You are also the dream of your grandparents. The fact that you were born is the fulfillment of their hopes and aspirations part of them and your other ancestors, resides within you. Shoot the next link in the chain of tradition that began at Sinai and breasts in your hands today.
To have a child then is both acting in accordance with gods wishes as well as the realization of the dreams of all of the blood relatives who are your forbearance. So much is invested in children. Having children, or not having them, is the theme of this week’s Torah reading, Toldot.
Rebecca has no children. She yearns to give birth. For 20 long years Rebecca alternately hopes and sheds great tears for herself as she is denied progeny. She desperately wants a child. Finally, she recalls that when Abraham wanted a baby, he turned to God for help. So she decides to ask his son, Isaac, to do the same both Isaac and Rebecca pray and God hears.
Jacob and Esau are the result. Jacob's name means “heel” will Esau's name denotes completion. You can see why they have been giving their respective names: Jacob holds onto the heel of his brother while Esau, is born more resembling adult then a baby. But there is more to it than this. In the Torah but we learn that person’s name influences the balance of their life. That is why we take such great care before name of the child. Here are 3 thoughtful questions:
How does the meaning of your name relate to your character?
Which do you think came first? The name Jacob? Or his behavior?
Of the twins, who changes more with time? Esau or Jacob?
Is it true that a name signifies character; here are a couple of personal questions:
Who are you named for? And, why are you named for them?
What does your name mean?
Be fruitful and multiply. This means that we are supposed to have children, offspring. Even if we are denied the possibility a bearing children, teaching them is counted is if we bore them.
Rabbi Jonathan Case

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bo

We are approaching the end of servitude for the Jewish nation.  The plagues that God inflicted on Egypt are at their climax.  Darkness and the death of the Firstborn were the final plagues that struck the Egyptians in this parasha. Imagine the terror everyone felt as one affliction after another the people were denied access to the life giving aspects of nature.  One by one the gods of Egypt were demythologized.  From the god the Nile to the sun god Ra each one was successfully degraded to show that there is only one God in the world who alone has the power to control destiny.  For thousands of years humankind has worshipped nature.  They have exported the idea that nature needs to be appeased and cultivated so that the gods of the sky, rain and crops would be good to them.  Imagine their disillusionment when they found that everything they were taught to believe was a lie. We live in a time when a plague confounds and con...
Read more

Vayaytzay

“And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of your son's mandrakes. And she said unto her, ‘Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and you would take away my son's mandrakes also?’ And Rachel said, ‘Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son's mandrakes.’ And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, ‘You must come in unto me; for surely I have hired you with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.”   Genesis 30:14-16   Longing and love are in conflict. Leah loved Jacob.  She thrived on his love and presence.  Remember that she was the “second prize.”  Leah was the unwanted wife, the last minute substitution for all Jacob’s labors.    Jacob desired the younger, Rachel.  The reader cannot help but feel sorry for...
Read more

Nasso

  The Lord tells Aaron to bless the people in His name (Chapter 6).     What follow is the most famous blessing in the entire Torah.     Do you recognize it?     When is it recited and by whom?   1.It appears in the daily morning service.  The blessing is recited at the public repetition of the Amidah. 2. The blessing is said where the Kohanim still duchan – that is when they are invited onto the bima, place a tallit over their head and then bless the congregation.  In Israel, Kohanim duchan every Shabbat.  In America duchanning is usually reserved for the High Holy Days. 3. That same blessing is pronounced by parents over the heads of their children on Shabbat and festivals.   Rashi declares that this blessing must be given with kavanah, and a full understanding of what it means.  He further instructs that the words must not be said too quickly but with great care and deliberation.   The first p...
Read more