Like many parashot in B'reishit (Genesis), ParshatVayera is jam packed with stories and lessons. The parsha opens with a visit to Abraham from messenger, who bring predictions of the birth of Isaac. This greatly amuses Sarah, who, understandably, can hardly believe she is to become a mother at the ripe old age of 90.
God later appears to Abraham and foretells the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. A discussion ensues in which Abraham bargains for the citizens of these cities. The story continues with Lot having to flee Sodom, and his wife is turned into a pillar of salt after ignoring the warning to not look upon the annihilation of the city as they escape.
The parsha ends (after a brief sojourn in the land of Gerar) with the birth of Isaac, the banishment of Hagar and Ishmael, and the near-sacrifice of Isaac.
A few questions for your Shabbat dinner table:
During this parsha, Sarah gives birth to her son who is named "Isaac," which is derived from the Hebrew word for laughter. Why might this be the name chosen for Isaac? What is so funny about his birth?
Take this time to discuss names and the meaning behind them. How did everyone in your family get their name? Are they named for someone? What characteristics of that person might you want to emulate?
When God tells Abraham about the wickedness of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham tries to bargain for the citizens of those two cities. How do you think Abraham felt trying to argue with God? Have you ever had an occasion to argue for something you thought was very important?
At the end of the parsha, we see the story of AkedatYitzchak, the binding and near-sacrifice of Isaac, which we read during RoshHashanah. Some people read this as God testing Abraham's commitment and devotion, and it seems that Abraham has passed the test. Ask every family member to think of a very strong belief he or she holds or a value to which he or she is committed. Would any of you put the belief or value above the lives of those you love?
And as always, here is a fun quick look at ParshatVayera - this video takes a deeper look at the story of Hagar and Ishmael.
Last week's Torah portion, Noah, introduced Terach, the father of Abram, Abram, and his brothers, Nahor, and Haran. Terach and his family, including Abram's wife Sarai (whom we are told is barren) and Haran's son Lot, leave their home in Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan. However, they never complete the journey, settling in a place called Haran instead.
As this week's parasha begins, God says to Abram: "Lech lecha" meaning "Go forth" from your home and father's house "to a land that I will show you (Genesis 12:1)." God promises to bless Abram and make of him a great nation. So Abram sets out with Sarai, Lot, their material possessions, and "the souls that they had acquired in Haran (Genesis 12:5)." When they arrive in Canaan, God again appears to Abram to tell him that God will assign this land (Canaan) to Abram's descendants.
Abram first settles in Shechem, but then moves southward. A severe famine induces him to go to Egypt. Worried that the Egyptians will kill him and take his beautiful wife, Sarai, Abram instructs her to say she is his sister. The ploy apparently works, with Sarai being taken into Pharaoh's palace for the pleasure of the Pharaoh, and Abram acquiring many animals and slaves. God, however, afflicts the palace with a plague and Pharaoh discovers the lie and sends Abram and Sarai away.
Returning to the land of Canaan, conflict between Abram's and Lot's herdsmen develop, and Abram suggests that they go their separate ways. Lot chose to settle in the well-watered plain of the Jordan, near the city of Sodom, while Abram remained in Canaan. Again God appears to Abram, telling him to look in all directions at the land God will give to his descendants.
As the portion continues, an intertribal war breaks out during which Lot and his family are taken captive. When Abram learns of this, he gathers soldiers, pursues the captors, and frees Lot and his family.
Once again, God appears to Abram, promising him a great reward. Abram asks God how this can be, since he is going to die childless. But God promises him that his offspring will be as numerous as the stars of heaven. God directs Abram to offer sacrifices, which Abram does.
Sarai gives Abram her handmaid Hagar to bear a child. But when Hagar becomes pregnant, tensions develops between the two women. When Sarai complains to Abram, he tells her to do what she wants to do. She treats Hagar harshly, and Hagar runs away. An angel of God appears to her and tells her to return, promising her a son, Ishmael.
God again appears to Abram -- now 99 years of age -- repeating promises of the covenant. God changes his name to Abraham, which the Torah ascribes with the meaning "the father of a multitude of nations. God also changes Sarai's name to Sarah. God introduces a sign of the covenant: every male shall be circumcised at eight days old. God also promises that Abraham and Sarah will bear a son, Isaac, who will carry on the covenant. As the portion ends, Abraham, Ishmael, and all the males in Abraham's household are circumcised.
Table talk
In what ways do you think it is important to break with the past, and in what ways must we maintain ties?
The last two words of verse 2 can be translated as it (your name) shall be a blessing, or as you shall be a blessing. What is the difference? Think of one of your ancestors. How was he or she a blessing to you? How has his or her name been a blessing to you?
Abram might have found it difficult to leave family and friends behind, as Ramban suggests, but he packed up and settled in Canaan. When is the draw of a new place strong enough to outweigh ties to a place you’ve lived? Would you ever consider moving to Israel, as Abram did?
Why do you think God insisted that Abram leave his homeland, and his family and travel to a new land? What are some of the qualities that Abram had that enabled him to make his journey? In what ways do you think this journey was both physical and spiritual?
Imagine how hard it was for Abram to obey God and leave everything behind and go to a new place! What kind of person do you think Abram was? Make a list of all the words that you can think of that describe someone like Abram. How many of those words describe you?
Many of our grandparents or great grandparents had to leave the place of their birth and travel a great distance in order to start a new life in America. Do some research into your family history and find out why your ancestors left their homeland.
Throughout the first stories of the Torah, people begin to learn about the responsibilities and boundaries of their relationship with God. In last week'sparsha,ParshatB'reishit, we see Adam and Eve punished for disobeying God's rules and learn the lessons involving familial responsibilities taken from the experiences of Cain and Abel.
In this week'sparsha,Parshat Noach, we skip forward ten generations. The world has gotten so bad that God decides to start anew. Luckily, there was a man named Noah, atzaddik, someone whom the Torah calls "righteous," which apparently goes a long way in a world filled with murder, meanness, and people generally not treating each other appropriately. It was such a good thing that God tasks Noah with building an ark and saving his family and a whole bunch of animals - seven pairs of "clean" (kosher) animals and one pair of "unclean" animals (B'reishit7:2). Once the flood watersrecede, it is up to Noah's family and passengers to repopulate the world.
Unfortunately, while Noah's righteousness saved his family from the devastation of the great flood, it did not seem to pass through the subsequent generations. By the time we get to the story of Babel, located towards the end of Parshat Noach, humans have grown proud and try to build a tower that will reach the sky. God disapproves, the tower comes crashing down, and humans are left with a number of different languages, unable to communicate effectively.
Some questions to ponder (perhaps at your Shabbat dinner table):
How does the Torah describe Noah? What types of character traits do you think Noah had? How was he different from the other people around him?
In several of the stories in the first part of B'reishit, people are punished for trying to be like God - give some examples of how it can be good to try to be like God. What are some things God can do that you are unable to do?
How many of each animal does God instruct Noah to bring on the ark? Why are there different numbers? Are there animals you think should have been left off? Why?
Noah's family was stuck on the ark together for a very long time - how do you think they felt at the end of their boat ride? Has your family ever taken a long trip together? What was that experience like?
The last story in this parsha has a lot to say about communication - what are some ways your family can communicate better?
Just for fun, here is a quick animated look at Parshat Noach.
One of the most beautiful things about Torah is that every year, we get to revisit each story, lesson, and law. After Simchat Torah, once we have gone through the arduous task of rolling and rolling the scrolls and parchment from the end of D'varim (Deuteronomy) all the way back to the beginning of Bereishit (Genesis), we start anew. After all of the experiences of the year that has ended, we begin to read the parashot, the weekly Torah portions, with eyes that have changed just a bit since the year before.
This Shabbat we start again with ParshatBereishit, the first parsha in the first book of Torah. Like many of the parashot in the first two books of Torah, Bereishit contains a number of pretty seminal Biblical stories. We have the story of Creation, the creation of human beings, who are given the task of protecting the Garden of Eden, the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the story of Cain and Abel (are we our siblings' keepers?), and the birth of Adam & Eve's third son, Seth. Torah lists the ten generations between Adam and Noah, and the parasha concludes with God's sorrow over human wickedness.
Some discussion questions:
Each time God creates something, Torah says that it was "good" - what do you think this means?
Why do you think God names things? What is the importance of a name?
In Jewish tradition, Shabbat and holidays begin at sundown - what clue in these first verses explains why this is?
What does it mean to be your "brother's keeper"? What are your responsibilities to other people in your family?
Check out this quick cartoon of Parashat Bereishit:
I will leave you this week with something a little fun - Torah in Haiku. This comes from The Torah in Haiku and was written by Ed Nickow of Temple Chai in Long Grove, IL.
Cain's question to G-d: "Am I my brother's keeper?" The right answer? "Yes"
Moses explains to the people that he is old and is no longer able to be an active leader. He appoints Joshua to be the next leader of Israel.
Moses completes the writings of the Teaching. He gives it to the Levites, who carried the Ark, and to all the elders of Israel. He charges them to read this Teaching every seventh year at the Feast of Booths.
God tells Moses and Joshua that the people will rebel shortly after Moses' death. God instructs Moses to write down a poem that will serve as a witness, warning the people.
The portion closes as Moses prepares to recite the poem to the whole congregation of Israel.
Some questions for your dinner table:
At the end of Vayelech, Moses gives the Teaching (the Torah) to the Levites and to all the elders of Israel. Every seven years, they were instructed to read the Teaching at the Feast of Booths (Sukkot), as a way of passing the Teaching down through the generations. It wasn't only given to one person, but to many. What is your role in this continuity? How will you pass down the lessons you learn from the Torah?
The future of Judaism isn't based on just one person - in this portion, we see Moses starting the chain of tradition as he gives the Torah to Joshua, who gives it to the Elders, who give it to the Prophets, and so on and so forth. Who is responsible for the future of Judaism? What part do you plan in this chain of tradition?
Moses continues his farewell to the people. He tells them that this day they stand before God concluding their covenant. Moses informs the people that the covenant is not only made with them, but also with those not present. All Israel past, present, and future is bound to the covenant for all time.
Moses foretells of a future rebellion against God's covenant and describes the evils that will then befall the Israelites. After a time, the people will repent and God will restore them back to the Land in blessing.
The portion closes with Moses telling the people that they have a choice between life and prosperity or death and adversity. In choosing to obey God's commandments, the people choose life and will be able to enjoy the land that God promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Some questions for your dinner table:
In Nitzavim, we are told that the laws of the Torah that we are to know and observe is not beyond anyone's reach, that everyone is capable of knowing and understanding it. How do you learn about Jewish tradition? Do your classes in Religious School provide you with all the skills and knowledge you need to live as a Jew? How else will you continue to learn?
According to the text, Moses spoke to the people, telling them he had reached the age of 120. Even today, when we are wishing health and good fortune to people we know, we will often say "May you live to 120 years." Why might we use Moses's age and not the length of the lives of other important people from our tradition?
Synopsis Moses continues his review of the Law begun in the previous portion, Ki Teitzei. He tells the people that when they enter the Land and settle it, they are to bring the first fruits as sacrifices. The ceremony for bringing this sacrifice is detailed. As part of this ritual, the priest recites a brief history of the Israelites - Abraham's/Jacob's wanderings, the experience of slavery in Egypt, the Exodus, and ultimately the occupation and possession of the Promised Land.
Moses concludes his review of the Law with instructions about tithing. An individual's tithe is one-tenth of the harvest. This tenth part is divided and distributed among the Levites, the strangers, the orphaned, and the widowed.
Moses gives his final instructions to the people. Upon crossing the Jordan, the people are to set up 12 stones on Mount Ebal. The stones are to be covered with plaster and inscribed with the laws which Israel is to obey.
Ki Tavo concludes with a dramatic description of the recitation of the blessings and curses. The tribes are divided into two groups with Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin on Mt. Gerizim reciting "Amen" after blessings are pronounced, which the Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulum, Dan, and Naphtali tribes on Mt. Ebal respond "Amen" after each curse.
Some questions for your dinner table:
1. Throughout the Biblical period, there was no real structure for prayer. People mostly used their own words and style. Ki Tavo, which means "when you enter [the Promised Land]," there is, for the first time, a specific structure and context given for a worship experience. Which do you prefer? Are you more comfortable with unstructured personal prayer, or do you prefer the structure of prayer found in a service led by a Rabbi or Hazzan?
2. Towards the end of Ki Tavo, there is a dramatic recitation of the blessings and curses. Scholars see these as an ancient series of rules the people were to follow, with the blessings and curses being the way that they were enforced. Are you ever in a situation where you have to make sure others are following the rules? What is it like to be the one in this role?
3) Do you think God still sends blessings and curses? How?
