Vayeshev D'var Torah

Vayeshev Summary:

Jacob loved his son Joseph more than all the others, so he made him a special “ornamented tunic.” Joseph also had two dreams that made him seem superior to his brothers. Due to this, his brothers were not happy with him. They were plotting to kill Joseph, but before they did, Reuben stepped in and suggested that they just leave him in a pit in the wilderness, so they did that. However, before they left, Judah saw a group of Ishmaelites and suggested that they should instead sell Joseph to them as a slave, and so they did. When Reuben came back to the pit and saw Joseph was missing, he got scared, so they dipped Joseph’s tunic in blood and brought it back to Jacob, which conveyed that Joseph may have been killed by a wild animal. This devastated Jacob, so he mourned Joseph. Meanwhile, Joseph had been sold in Egypt to Potiphar, a courier of Pharaoh.

After some time, Joseph had risen to be in charge of his masters’ household, because his master saw that God was with Joseph. Subsequently, his masters’ wife decided that she liked Joseph and asked him to sleep with her. Joseph refused, but she continued to try to convince him. After many attempts at trying to lure in Joseph, his masters’ wife framed Joseph and pretended that he was trying to seduce her and that he ran away before she could call for help. Joseph was sent to jail for his supposed crime.

Some time later, Pharaoh sent his chief cupbearer and chief baker to the jail where Joseph was. One night, they each had a dream, and Joseph was willing to help explain them, since God was with him. The cupbearer told Joseph his dream, and Joseph interpreted it to mean that Pharaoh would free him in three days. Joseph also asked the cupbearer to mention him to Pharaoh when he gets freed, to maybe help free Joseph. Then, the baker told Joseph his dream, and Joseph interpreted it to mean that he would be executed in three days. Sure enough the dreams came true, the baker was killed and the cupbearer was released. However, the cupbearer didn’t remember Joseph as he was asked. 

Commentary:

Most people know that in the story of Joseph, his brothers hated him because he was Jacob’s favorite. Although this was true, there was actually another reason that pushed them over the edge to sell him to the Ishmaelites. The key event was that Joseph had two dreams. In one of them, Joseph and his brothers were sheaves in a field, and Joseph’s sheaf stayed upright while his brothers’ bowed down to Joseph’s. In the other, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars (representing his parents and brothers) bowed down to him. The problem was, he told his brothers and Jacob about the dreams, and they didn’t like it. Joseph’s brothers hated him even more for it, and even Jacob was unhappy that Joseph dreamt of Jacob bowing down to him. This was a major, but less well-known event that led to Joseph’s adventure in Egypt.

Preventing Pollution and Food Waste on Thanksgiving and Black Friday (November SATO Snap)

It’s November, which means Thanksgiving, black friday shopping, cyber monday, traveling, and getting ready for upcoming winter months. We may not realize it, but Thanksgiving time contributes to the world's waste drastically. Every year during the holiday, $293 million in food waste is generated on that day alone. Millions of Americans go hungry on Thanksgiving, and the amount of food wasted could have fed tons of them. So how do we prevent this type of waste while giving to those in need? The most important thing to do is plan your Thanksgiving meals intricately and thoughtfully. Most families end up cooking too much on Thanksgiving, and the best way to prevent that is to prepare and plan. Think about the amount of people coming, how much everyone eats, if people are bringing food, and how much food you need to buy to satisfy everyone. If you buy non-perishable food like a can of cranberry sauce, only use one can at once, so that if you have any leftovers, it can still be donated to help people. If you have extra things like fruits and vegetables that have no use, compost the extra. Leftovers are also part of virtually everyone who hosts the holiday this year. Many people may plan on eating their leftover turkey, gravy, and stuffing, but in reality the majority of it will go to waste. This year, try giving out some leftovers to your guests, as well as being more creative with your cooking. You can make bread pudding out of extra rolls, turkey soup, or turkey pot pie. Keep in mind that what you do this Thanksgiving impacts the environment more than you think!

    Another huge waste contributor this time of year is Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the most polluting shopping days in the United States. In 2020, customers spent $9 billion online shopping, an increase of 21.6% from 2019. Online shopping creates masses of waste with all that packaging. In the U.S., around 71% of the population plan to go shopping on Black Friday. To prepare for this shopping rush, businesses create a surplus of their goods to satisfy consumers, creating tons of plastic waste. This excessive production is encouraged by mass spending, which rewards business for overproduction, which needs to stop if we plan on saving our planet. Many businesses that contain extra goods after the big sales throw the extra product away. Not only are these perfectly good things someone could use, but it’s just more landfill and ocean litter that the planet doesn’t need. The most purchased Black Friday item, electronics contribute to the fastest growing waste stream of e-waste, a form of waste that comes from electronics that contain toxic chemicals like lead and mercury. Another big polluter is toys, which are often purchased on Black Friday for the holiday season. Most toys are not only made of plastic, but contain plastic packaging as well, which is extremely wasteful and increases the pollution problem. Over 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into the ocean yearly, endangering animals and killing ecosystems. So how do we stop this? Rethinking your holiday shopping is ideal. Before impulse buying yourself something just because of a huge sale, think about if you really need it. Are you really going to wear this shirt? Will your family members get bored of this toy? And always thing about the impact you’re having on the environment by purchasing certain goods. If we all adopt this mentality, then not only can we save money, but we can save the planet as well!

Vayishlach D'var Torah

Vayishlach summary:

Esau was about to come to visit Jacob, so Jacob split up his possessions, he got presents ready for Esau, and he sent himself and his family across a river to protect them from Esau. That night, when Jacob was alone, a divine being came and wrestled him all night. In the morning, as the divine being left, he said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed.” 

When Esau came the next day, they were very happy to see each other and Jacob gave Esau a present.

Jacob and his children travelled to Shechem, another city. One day, Shechem, who was the chief of the land Shechem, abducted and raped Dinah, Jacob’s only daughter. Shechem’s father, Hamor, went to Jacob to speak with him. He requested that Dinah marry Shechem, and he said that if Shechem could marry Dinah he would let Jacob’s sons marry the women of his city. Jacob responded with a deal: their families could intermarry but only if every male in the city of Shechem got circumcised. 

All the men got circumcised, but since they were adults, it was probably very painful. So, while they were all in pain, Simeon and Levi (two of Jacob’s sons) killed every adult male in the city, including Shechem and Hamor. They retrieved Dinah and then the rest of Jacob’s sons went throughout the city, collecting all of their possessions. Jacob then got mad at Simeon and Levi for ruining his reputation and increasing the possibility of them being attacked, but they answered, “Should our sister be treated like a [prostitute]?”

As Jacob continued his travels, God blessed him and said, “You whose name is Jacob, You should be called Jacob no more, But Israel shall be your name.” This is when Jacob’s name is officially changed by God to Israel. Soon after, Rachel became pregnant again, and had another boy, but she died in childbirth. The boy was named Benjamin. Overall, Jacob had 12 sons- Leah’s sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; Rachel’s sons, Joseph and Benjamin; Rachel’s maid Bilhah had Dan and Naphtali, and Leah’s maid Zilpah had Gad and Asher. After the birth of Benjamin, Jacob returned to Isaac, who was 180 years old, and he died.

Commentary:

This week, yet another of our leaders in the Torah made a bad decision that benefited himself. When Shechem had taken Dinah by force, Jacob heard about it, but he didn’t do anything about it. While his sons came in angry from their work in the fields, Jacob was calmly talking with Hamor and Shechem about intermarrying, like nothing had ever happened! Jacob then agreed to let Shechem marry Dinah (and his kids would marry the women of Shechem) as long as every man was circumcised. After Dinah had been through an experience that was probably traumatic for her, Jacob wasn’t talking to her, or doing something to make her feel better, but he was giving her away, like a possession, to the man who had just assaulted her. After that deal was made, Jacob’s sons ended up being the ones who stood up for Dinah, for they killed Hamor, Shechem, and every other male citizen of the town. However, instead of being proud of them for standing up for Dinah, Jacob yelled at them, saying “You have brought trouble on me, making me odious among the inhabitants of the land” (Genesis 34:30) and scolding them for ruining his reputation. Even after Jacob’s sons had stood up for his daughter, all Jacob could think about was his reputation, which is once again an example of how the leaders of our ancestors were frequently extremely selfish, and they made decisions that only helped themselves.

Vayetzei D'var Torah

Vayetzei Summary:

As he was travelling, Jacob had a dream about a ladder, and God spoke to him, which made him realize that God was helping him and he was in a holy place. Later, he ran into his cousin Rachel, who took him to his uncle, Laban (Rebekah’s dad). Laban had two kids, Rachel, who was beautiful, and Leah, who was not (in Jacob’s opinion). Jacob then agreed to serve seven years for Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel, and the seven years went by fast. Once the time was up, Jacob asked Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time is fulfilled, that I may cohabit with her.” So Laban gathered all of his people for a feast, and then he gave Leah to Jacob to spend the night together. Apparently, Jacob somehow didn’t realize that he was given Leah until the morning, and so he asked Laban why that happened (when Jacob asked for a wife, he meant Rachel). Laban replied, “It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the older. Wait until the bridal week of this one is over and we will give you that one too, provided you serve me another seven years.” Therefore, after a week, Jacob was given Rachel as well, and Jacob served Laban another seven years. God saw that Leah was “unloved,” so he “opened her womb,” but Rachel was barren. Leah had four kids, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah.

Rachel was jealous of Leah, so she told Jacob to, “give me children, or I shall die.” Rachel gave Jacob her maid Bilhah to have a child, and they had two children together, Dan and Naphtali. Then, Leah gave her maid Zilpah to Jacob, and they also had two children together, Gad and Asher.

Some time later, Reuben came across some mandrakes (plants) and brought them to Leah. Rachel asked Leah for some, but Leah complained, “Was it not enough for you to take away my husband, that you would also take my son’s mandrakes?” So Rachel allowed Leah to sleep with Jacob for a night in return for the mandrakes. Leah had two more kids after this, Issachar and Zebulun. She also had a daughter, Dinah. God remembered Rachel, and opened her womb. She had another kid, Joseph. After this, Jacob and Laban agreed to split up Laban’s sheep as payment for everything Jacob had done for him, and so Jacob became increasingly prosperous. Then, Jacob took all of his possessions, along with Rachel and Leah, and he ran away from Laban. Laban chased after him, and was warned by God to not do anything to Jacob on the way there. Previously, Rachel had stolen Laban’s idols from his house, and so he went searching for them in Jacob’s camp. Rachel hid them under her and made an excuse that she couldn’t stand up. After this, Laban and Jacob made an agreement that Laban wouldn’t try to harm Jacob and Jacob wouldn’t take any wives besides Rachel and Leah. Laban then left Jacob’s camp.

Commentary:

This portion is all about Jacob’s relationships with Rachel and Leah, and it contains a lot of inappropriate behavior from a modern-day perspective. One important part of this portion is when Reuben found some mandrakes in a field and gave them to Leah, his mother. Then, when Rachel asked for some mandrakes, Leah refused because Rachel “took” Jacob from her. So, Rachel offered Leah a night with Jacob in exchange for some mandrakes. That’s the first bad part of this, that Rachel is willing to give her husband to Leah for a night in exchange for a plant! Then, Jacob came home, and Leah told him, “You are to sleep with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” This is another bad part of this story, for Leah commanded him to sleep with her, and she didn’t think about his feelings. Jacob didn’t give permission to Rachel or Leah to carry out their deal, and he was being used. The result of this ended up being that Jacob gave Leah two more sons that night, so Leah basically exchanged some mandrakes for two sons. This is a lot like the portion Lech Lecha, where Abram made a decision that only helped him and hurt others since Rachel and Leah did the same by making a deal that helped them but used Jacob. Although we always praise our ancestors, they have done some really bad things, and this portion helps show another way that our ancestors from the Torah were not all great people!

Toldot D'var Torah

Toldot Summary:

Isaac and Rebekah eventually got married and had kids named Esau and Jacob. Isaac liked Esau more, he was into hunting and outdoorsy stuff, and Rebekah liked Jacob more, he was more mild and stayed in camp most of the time.

Jacob was cooking a stew, and Esau came in very hungry. Esau asked for stew, but Jacob made Esau give up his birthright to eat.

There was a famine, so Isaac went to Abimelech, who was the king of the Philistines. However, Isaac pretended that Rebekah was his sister (apparently, this is a very common theme in the Torah), so that the men wouldn’t kill him so that they could have Rebekah. After some time passed, Abimelech looked out his window and saw Isaac with Rebekah, and he realized that they were married. He sent for Isaac and asked him why he lied, and after Isaac explained, Abimelech made it so that anyone who did anything to Isaac or Rebekah would be put to death. During the rest of the time Isaac spent with the Philistines, he continued to become wealthier and wealthier, until Abimelech kicked him out, since Isaac had become too good for them.

When Isaac was old and mostly blind, he asked Esau to go out and hunt him something good to make something to his liking, so he could give Esau his “innermost blessing” before he died. Rebekah overheard this and told Jacob to get her some sheep from their own flock so she could make a good meal and give it to Jacob. They also covered Jacob in animal skins to make him hairy, like Esau, so Isaac would be fooled. Isaac ate and then blessed Jacob, and right after that, Esau came and made his own meal. When he brought it to Isaac, they realized that Jacob had taken the blessing, which was irreversible. This made Esau sad, and then mad. He decided that he wanted to kill Jacob. Rebekah then told Jacob to run away from Esau to protect himself, and he did.

Commentary:

At the beginning of the portion, God told Rebekah, “Two nations are in your womb, two separate peoples shall issue from your body; One people shall be mightier than the other, and the older shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23). I think that’s an interesting quote because it signifies that God had planned on Jacob receiving Isaac’s birthright blessing instead of Esau, since he clearly says the older brother (Esau) would “serve” the younger brother (Jacob). That also puts into question Rebekah’s motives for helping Jacob secure the blessing- was it because she liked him more, or was it because she was following God’s prophecy by helping Jacob get the blessing when he was younger? I think it’s probably a combination of both, for she did like Jacob, but her subconscious decision may have been because of God’s words, or it may have been fate compelling her to make that decision.