Is it Love?

by Devora Gila Berkowitz

Parshat Vayishlach

Comparing two parallel situations -- one from Chayei Sarah; the other from Vayishlach:

1. Rivka "took the veil and covered herself" (Bereshit 24: 65) whereas Dina "went out" (34:1)
2. "The servant told Yitzchak all the things he had done" (24:66) whereas Shechem "saw her" (33:2). (Italics mine)
3. "And Yitzchak brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother" (24:67) whereas Shechem "took her" (33:2)
4. Yitzchak then "married Rivka, she became his wife" and then "he loved her" (24: 67) whereas Shechem "lay with her and violated her" (33:2) only after which he "loved the maiden" (33:3) and said to his father, "Take me this girl for a wife" (33:4).

What strikes you the most about these two parallel stories?

Our Work is Child's Play

by Devora Gila Berkowitz

Parshat Chayei Sarah

There's no turning back.

In our parsha, Eliezer receives instructions on finding a wife for Yitzchak. Under no circumstances will Avraham permit his son to return to the land of their ancestors.

It's so crucial that he states this condition twice (Bereshit 24:6,8).

Avraham does not want Yitzchak to fall into spiritual decline. Just as he was led into the promised land, so should his son be.

Know that when you transcend your own limitations, you give your children the ability to do the same.

What false belief about yourself can you let go of today, in order to let your child move ahead spiritually into new ground?

No Fear

by Devora Gila Berkowitz

Parshat Vayeira

What is Avraham feeling the day he brings Yitzchak as an offering to G-d

 (Bereshit 22:2)?

Fear or courage? Hesitation or enthusiasm?

Here are some clues from the text: Avraham Avinu wakes up early in the morning, saddles his own donkey, splits the wood, stands up, and goes (22:3).

The secret to conquering fear is in the doing. Doing it now, doing it with enthusiasm, doing it as an expression of avodat Hashem.

Is there something you've been procrastinating? What practical steps can you take now to conquer your fear?

(Translation from the picture: Courage to say what I think, to do what my heart says, to ask for forgiveness, and to not be afraid. And don't forget that you don't need to have a lot of muscles! --Susana Tavares)


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A Light in the Dark

by Devora Gila Berkowitz

Parshat Vayeira

If you're looking for drama -- this parsha has it all:

Gang rape (19:5), child abuse (19:8), mass destruction (19:24-5), human calcification (19:26), incest (19:33-36), abduction (20:2), national constipation (20:18), family separation (21:10), abandonment (21:16), and child sacrifice (22:2).

So many difficult situations to accept. Why throw them all into one parshah?

To answer this question, consider the light that shines through the darkness: the announcement of Avraham and Sarah's child (18:10), the birth of Yitzchak (21:2) and the birth of Rivkah (22:23). Amazing. Such immense light. The seeds of our nation.

In this world, good and evil must co-exist. As a child, I learned that "without the bad stuff, we wouldn't appreciate the good." Hard to accept, but true.

Consider your own life. Amazing. Such immense light. And know that everything that's ever happened to you until this point is your personal Torah, written by G-d Himself. The good with the bad. Hard to accept, but true.


Comments are welcome. (E-mail subscribers can click on the title to comment online.)