Shabbat Vayishlach
Torah Reading: Genesis 32:4 - 36:43 / Haftarah
Reading: Obadiah 1:1-21
“Judaism’s Three-Fold Path”
Dear Friends,
Judaism insists that people can change and improve. Throughout our lives, we can mature, learn,
experience, and ultimately become the kind of person each of us wishes to
be. Yet, in order to change for the
better, Judaism requires a commitment to the long term. Nowhere is this better
expressed than in this week’s Torah portion. We find our ancestor, Jacob,
returning to make amends with his brother Esau after 21 years. His thoughts
must certainly have focused on his own character flaws, that of pursuing his
own selfishness to the detriment of Esau.
As he approached the fateful meeting, he must have
pondered what it would take to change himself and transform his arrogance. Left
alone, Jacob suddenly finds himself wrestling with someone in the dark of
night. Is it a person or an angel? Is it
the embodiment of his fears, doubts and failings? While we never learn who the
person was, we do learn what it takes to remake one's own character - the
ability to hold on. Jacob struggles throughout the entire night.
In the morning, Jacob agrees to release his
opponent only when told that he will receive a new name and identity -
“Yisrael.” Jacob is no longer the cunning and deceitful child. Rather, Jacob is
able to transform himself into a better, more caring person. Though limping
from his struggle, Jacob finds the inner strength to apologize to his brother
and change the way he relates to other people.
Our struggles in life with others and with
ourselves leave scars on us, too. But they also produce wisdom, growth and
change. Judaism offers a path to
self-understanding through study, mitzvot and prayer. Through study - both Jewish and general
learning - we deepen our understanding of the world and of human beings.
Through mitzvot (commandments) we learn how to become partners with God to help
others, behave kindly, and repair the world. And through tefillot (prayer and
contemplation) we cultivate our ideal values for how we want to live our lives.
All it takes is effort, time, insight and commitment.
This is Judaism’s three-fold path for improving
ourselves and our world. It provides a
vision of how we can become our best selves.
Shabbat Shalom.
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