15 CHESVAN 5774, 19 OCTOBER 2013: VAYEIRA

n a Nutshell

Vayeira in a Nutshell:

Gen 18:1 - 22:24

G‑d reveals Himself to Abraham three days after the first Jew’s circumcision at age ninety-nine; but Abraham rushes off to prepare a meal for three guests who appear in the desert heat. One of the three—who areangels disguised as men—announces that, in exactly one year, the barren Sarah will give birth to a son. Sarah laughs.  

Vayeira in a Nutshell, Chabad.org

Thought for the Week:

Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain. (Isaiah 51:1-2)

Abraham's Prayer | FFOZ | The Weekly eDrash



Vayeira: Abraham's Struggle With Loyalty

What was Abraham thinking as he walked up the mountain to slaughter his long-awaited son? How could Abraham be disloyal to his own paternal responsibilities and betray Isaac? In this video, we explore Abraham’s struggle during the Binding of Isaac through his brief but rich conversation with his son. In so doing, we expose an added element of the test in the command to slaughter his son and uncover a new perspective of Abraham’s greatness.

Vayeira: Abraham's Struggle With Loyalty

CHESHVAN 8, 5774: 12 OCT 2013: LECH LECHA

Get ready for this week's Torah Study, Lech Lecha.

Genesis 12:1-17:27   Isaiah 40:27-41:16  Luke 1:1-80

Torah Teaching - Very beautiful

B"H

Tuesday, Cheshvan 4, 5774 / October 8, 2013

Parshat Lech Lecha begins with G-d commanding Abraham to leave his father's place and travel to "the land that I will show you." Abraham didn't know yet what G-d had in store for him.

The Torah tells us, "And Avram took Sarai his wife (their names were not changed yet to "Abraham" and "Sarah"), and Lot, his brother's son, and all their possessions and the people they made in Charan and they departed to the land of Canaan."

Q. What does the Torah mean by, "the people they made in Charan"? Who were these people? How does one "make people"?

A. Our sages explain this to mean the people whom Abraham and Sarah brought closer to G-d; "under the wings of G-d's presence."

Abraham, who grew up in a household of idol worshippers came to the realization, completely on his own, that there is only one G-d - the G-d Who created heaven and earth and everything within them. Not being satisfied to know the truth himself, he and Sarah made it their mission to go out and spread the message of truth and bring people closer to the true G-d.

Our sages say that one who teaches someone Torah it is as if they "gave birth to them." It is as if they created and made them.

This was the difference between Noach, hero of last week's Parsha and Abraham. Noach was a righteous man, he and his family were saved from The Flood, but his generation didn't benefit from him. He didn't go out of his way to teach people and perhaps save them from The Flood.

But Abraham and Sarah, the patriarch and matriarch of the Jewish people, went out of their way and made it their goal to bring people closer to G-d - the Torah calls them, "the people they made." They joined Abraham and Sarah on their journey.

There is a lesson in this. It is not enough to be righteous ourselves, like Noach was. We have to follow in the footsteps of Abraham and Sarah. It is our duty to go out and help others who need guidance and bring them closer to G-d and their Jewish heritage.

It is with great sadness that the Jewish people lost a great sage and Torah giant, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, of blessed memory, who passed away in Israel, at the age of 93. Rabbi Yosef was the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel and leader of the Sephardic communities. He dedicated his life to teaching Torah and bringing them closer to G-d. His funeral in Jerusalem was attended by 400,000 people who came to pay him his well deserved last respects. May his memory be a blessing. Amen..

HAVE A GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

Tammi  Wohlers


Lech Lecha: Covenant With God

In this week's parsha, God and Abraham make a hugely important covenant, where God promises Abraham children and land, leading to the start of the Jewish nation. In this video, Rabbi Fohrman helps us understand what can we learn from a fascinating literary chiasm in the text surrounding this covenant.

Lech Lecha: Covenant With God

Life’s Detours
A Taste of Text—Lech Lecha
By Chana Weisberg

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Lech Lecha

By Rabbi Ben Tzion Shafier

Diamond With A Flaw

Courtesy of Aish.com

TISHREI 30 5774, 04 October 2013 : NOACH

In preparation for this Sabbath Torah study group, read the Torah portions named Noach. They include Gen 6:99-11:32, Isa 42:5-43:10 and Apostolic readings Lk 1:1-80.


Thought for the Week:

Human evil grieves God's heart. God is not peering down on the planet making observations like a dispassionate astronaut. Neither is He watching us like a man sitting on a sofa watching a football game. Rather, He is like a Father who observes the behavior of His children. He is like a king taking note of how events unfold in his kingdom. When a father sees his children involved in self-destructive behaviors, it grieves him. When a king sees his subjects living in open rebellion against him, it angers him. As God observed humanity in the days of Noah, He was saddened to see the rampant wickedness of His creations. He saw that every human heart harbored evil. "The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart" (Genesis 6:6).

FFOZ.org        Fixing a Broken World      

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Noach: Why Did God Destroy the World?

When Noach is named, his father Lamech claims that he will provide relief for humankind - and less than 10 verses later, God decides to destroy the world. By comparing textual parallels of the two events, Rabbi Fohrman helps us understand Lamech's mistake, and how to better relate to God today.

NOACH: Why Did God Destroy The World