Parashat Vayishlach
17 Kislev 5773 / 30 November – 1 December 2012
Torah: Genesis 32:4 - 36:43
Haftarah: Ovadiah 1:1-21
Torah: Genesis 32:4 - 36:43
Haftarah: Ovadiah 1:1-21
Dedications and calendar follow below.
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Name Change
'And (the angel) said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." And he said, "No longer will it be said that your name is Jacob, but Israel ; for you have striven with God and with man and have prevailed."' Genesis 32:28-29
When a person converts to Judaism, the final step is immersion in a mikvah. When the convert emerges, s/he is given a new name. It is a symbol of rebirth, by prevailing in a trial by water, if you will. The change of identity coincides with the change in status. But it occurs only after a lengthy period of study, practice and reflection, confronting the past and facing the future, a struggle with humans and the Divine.
How, then, was Jacob reborn? Other than the change of name, how had he become different? The answer, I think, lies not in the final struggle with the angel, the symbolic trial by combat, but rather in the vast change Jacob had undergone since he left his parents' house 22 years previously. He confronted himself, and no longer cared for his own safety, but for that of his wives and children. He faced down Laban and finally escaped from his clutches. He looked at God face to face, and asked for confirmation of the covenant with Abraham and Isaac. The wrestling match and the name change were the culmination of years of personal development, of discerning the ways of God and man.
Each of us is Jacob. Each of us also has the potential to convert, to change, to grow and improve, to become Israel , the one who wrestles with God, with other people and with the self. But we earn the change of name, the rebirth, only if we are prepared to engage in the necessary struggles to change ourselves and our world. It is not about resistance, but gaining knowledge and wisdom, acting in a purposeful way, and living a life of meaning.
Shabbat Shalom.
'And (the angel) said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." And he said, "No longer will it be said that your name is Jacob, but Israel ; for you have striven with God and with man and have prevailed."' Genesis 32:28-29
When a person converts to Judaism, the final step is immersion in a mikvah. When the convert emerges, s/he is given a new name. It is a symbol of rebirth, by prevailing in a trial by water, if you will. The change of identity coincides with the change in status. But it occurs only after a lengthy period of study, practice and reflection, confronting the past and facing the future, a struggle with humans and the Divine.
How, then, was Jacob reborn? Other than the change of name, how had he become different? The answer, I think, lies not in the final struggle with the angel, the symbolic trial by combat, but rather in the vast change Jacob had undergone since he left his parents' house 22 years previously. He confronted himself, and no longer cared for his own safety, but for that of his wives and children. He faced down Laban and finally escaped from his clutches. He looked at God face to face, and asked for confirmation of the covenant with Abraham and Isaac. The wrestling match and the name change were the culmination of years of personal development, of discerning the ways of God and man.
Each of us is Jacob. Each of us also has the potential to convert, to change, to grow and improve, to become Israel , the one who wrestles with God, with other people and with the self. But we earn the change of name, the rebirth, only if we are prepared to engage in the necessary struggles to change ourselves and our world. It is not about resistance, but gaining knowledge and wisdom, acting in a purposeful way, and living a life of meaning.
Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi Richard A. Flom - ZSRS '00
Blogging at: rav-rich.blogspot.com/
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"For the sake of Zion I will not be silent; for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still." Isaiah 62:1
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Candlelighting: 4:25 PM
Lunch and Learn is an ongoing program of Bet Midrash Shalom that meets most Tuesdays to discuss Jewish texts and other topics of Jewish interest. It is open to all regardless of affiliation. Next meeting is this Tuesday, December 4, 12:00 noon, at Congregation Beth Meier, 11725 Moorpark St. , Studio City , CA 91604 . PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANY FOOD THIS WEEK UNLESS IT IS IN ITS ORIGINAL SEALED CONTAINER AND BEARING A HEKHSHER AS DAIRY OR PAREVE. Beth Meier is providing bagels, cream cheese and coffee for this session. Thank you to Rabbi Aaron Benson and my fellow Beth Meier congregants for offering the space and the food.
Bet Midrash Shalom is also offering monthly text study, the first Tuesday evening of each month, at Congregation Beth Meier, at 8:00 pm. This Tuesday, December 4, we will be studying the Gemara at BT Shabbat 21b – 23b as it relates to Hanukkah. No prior text study experience is required. All Bet Midrash Shalom programs are open to all, regardless of affiliation.
Next Saturday, December 8, Rabbi Flom will be conducting Shabbat morning services at 9:30 at Congregation Mishkon Tephilo, 206 Main Street, Venice 90291. Torah study follows kiddush.
This d'var torah is offered in honor of my wonderful son, Robert Abraham Flom, whose 18th (!) birthday is Saturday. Mazal tov! We are very proud of you!
This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Bobbie Chasen, Selby Horowitz, Pamela Huddleston, Stephanie Kane, Sara Lanxner, Emily Levin, Yitzchak Simcha ben Bayla, Steve Pearlman, Herman Rassp, Helen Reiter, Len Reiter, Adin Ring, Gil Robbins, Rachel Robbins, Judith Sakurai, Helen Tomsky, Betty Varon and Seymour Waterman.
