Vayishlach Summaries
Vayishlach 5770-2009"The Rape of Dinah: Impossible to Fathom!”"
Shortly after arriving in the city of Shechem, Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, goes out to see the girls of the land and is brutally abducted and raped by the leader of the city, whose name is Shechem. Can the rape of Dinah be explained in any way? link to fulll |
Vayishlach 5769-2008"What's in a Name"
First an angel informs Jacob that his name has been changed to Yisrael, then the Al-mighty Himself formally announces the name change. Why is Abraham’s name change permanent, while Jacob’s is not? Link to full |
Vayishlach 5768-2007"The Birth of Benjamin, The Death of Rachel"
Jacob and his family are finally at the point in their lives where they can celebrate their return to Canaan and look forward to dwelling in peace. Rachel gives birth to a second son on the road to Efrat. Before she dies in childbirth, the baby is born and she names the child “Ben Oni.” For the first time, Jacob takes part in the naming of one of his twelve sons, renaming the child Benjamin. What are the implications of the change in names? Link to full |
Vayishlach 5767-2006"The Lonely Patriarch" |
Vayishlach 5766-2005"When a Jew Comes to the City"
The arrival of a tribal family to an established culture, is always a challenging experience for the newcomers. When Jacob and his family arrive in Shechem, there are many adjustments that need to be made, both on the part of the new Jewish inhabitants and the native non-Jewish residents. Link to full |
Vayishlach 5765-2004"The Encounter"
The encounter between Jacob and Esau is often seen as a metaphor of the battle between Judaism and Rome (pagan or secular values). The battle may also be within the Jews themselves--to maintain the correct and valid interpretations of Torah and tradition. Link to full |
Vayishlach 5764-2003"Who Was Esau?"
It's hard to imagine why there is an entire chapter of the Torah dedicated to the genealogy of the descendants of Esau, Jacob's wicked brother. Yet, a remarkable lesson is to be learned from this seemingly out-of-place chapter. Through the hints that are found in the text, a people is better understood, their way of life elucidated, and as a result, the worthiness of the nation of Jacob, that is the people of Israel, is underscored. Link to full |
Vayishlach 5763-2002 As we delve into the study of Torah, we often find that seemingly insignificant verses in the Torah contain revolutionary insights about life. In 1972, Golda Meir made a widely acclaimed statement: We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children, but we can not forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. Who would ever imagine that our commentaries find a similar message in parashat Vayishlach? |
Vayishlach 5762-2001 It wasn’t only Jacob who wrestled with the angel of Esau and whose name was changed to Israel, because he “wrestled with man and with G-d and prevailed.” In fact, all of the Jewish people are “wrestlers.” A Jew is a person who is in constant tension with himself and with his environment, always looking to improve himself, to perfect society, striving to work out his/her relationship with G-d to make it more profound and more meaningful. |
Vayishlach 5761-2000 We read of the very painful and distressing story of the rape of Dinah, by the ruler of Shechem. Employing subterfuge in order to avenge the attack on their sister, Dinah’s brothers, Simeon and Levi, demand that the men of the city be circumcised if they want to marry any Jewish women. While recovering from their surgery, the men are attacked by the sons of Jacob and killed. Jacob condemns Simeon and Levi for their violence and never seems to forgive them until the day of his death. However, the tribe of Simeon seems to bear that condemnation forever, whereas the tribe of Levi becomes the spiritual leader of Israel. Why their different fates? |
Vayishlach 5760-1999 The rabbis have a hard time with the rape of Dinah and the massacre of the men of Shechem. They try valiantly to explain why Dinah was fated to suffer so horribly. They also debate whether the actions of Simeon and Levi can in any way be justified. |