Parshat Vayetizei: Parshah Resources

Follow Your Heart

Anyone who deals with matchmaking will eventually have to tackle this question: Is it a better idea to make a match between a girl and a boy who are similar in character or do matches between sharply contrasting characters— who complement one another and are drawn to one another like opposite poles of a magnet—have a greater chance of being successful?

The Secret of the Fusion of the Stones

Before retiring for the night, Jacob placed twelve stones under his head as a pillow. Miraculously, these stones all fused into one. King David also had a similar experience of stone fusion when the five stones he inserted into his slingshot to kill Goliath all fused into one. Why did the stones of Jacob and of King David fuse together and what secret do they hold for us?

Parashat Vayeitzei: Jacob’s two wives – Leah and Rachel

In Parashat Vayeitzei we read the account of Jacob’s marriages and the birth of eleven of his twelve sons, the twelve tribes of Israel. In fact, Benjamin, Jacob’s twelfth son’s birth is also alluded to in the parashah in Rachel’s words with which she gives meaning to Joseph’s name, “God will add [Yosef] me another son.”

The Torah's Seventh Parshah

Parshat Vayeitzei is the seventh parshah in the Torah and all sevenths are endeared. In ourparshah we read about the birth of 11 of the 12 sons of Jacob, the tribes of God, from Re’uven, Leah’s firstborn child to Joseph, Rachel’s firstborn.

Worlds, Souls, and Divinity in the Parshah

These three instances of the word “in the place” in our Torah portion can be seen to correspond to one of the most important models taught by the Ba’al Shem Tov: Worlds, Souls, and Divinity.

The Place

In this article, we will take a look at a number of mathematical findings related to the three instances of “in the place” במקום that appear at the beginning of our parshah.

Hamakom (the space)

God is the space of the world, but the world is not the space of God. To be more exact, from our verse, the Rabbi Yosi ben Chalafta says that one might still think that the world does give space to God. What does this mean? Let us look at the classical philosophical interpretation of this question and the inner Kabbalistic and Chassidic interpretation.

A Place of Prayer

When Jacob arrived at Mt. Moriah, the place where Isaac was bound to be offered as a sacrifice, he prayed and in doing so established and instituted the evening prayer, called aravit, for all generations to come.  Let us see what the Midrash teaches us regarding the three daily prayers…

Transcripts:

Waking the Heart and Building the House of Israel (6 Kislev 5773)

Revealing One’s Inner Strength and Committing to Do Something for God (9 Kislev 5773)