The BJC Shabbos Booklet
Transcript of The BJC Shabbos Booklet
The BJC Shabbos Booklet
16 Kislev, 5782 | November 20, 2021 Issue #86 –Vayishlach 5782
5:05 PM 6:02 PM
ה”ב
Pa
rs
ha
חלשוי
Va
Yis
hla
ch
-
11
. Th
e P
assin
g o
f Yitzch
ak
1
0. K
ev
er R
och
el
9. T
he
Mo
me
nt o
f Tru
th8
. Ya
ak
ov
’s Fa
mily
vs. E
isav
’s Arm
y
7. W
ha
t’s Yo
ur N
am
e?
6. W
ha
t a N
erv
e!
5. F
igh
t in th
e N
igh
t
4. G
IFT
S G
alo
re!
3. P
RA
YE
R: “H
elp
!”2
. Th
e G
rea
t Div
ide
1. F
rien
d o
r Fo
e?
A S
haza
k P
roje
ct - Sh
aza
k P
arsh
a
Ou
t of E
gyp
t Q
ueen
of P
ersia
M
iracle
Lig
hts
By Rabbi Yisroel Isaacs Legendary General
Electric CEO Jack Welch
(1935 – 2020) is famous for his
successful leadership style but
infamous for his unapologetic lack
of work-life balance. In his earlier
memoir/business book Jack Straight
from the Gut, he relates how his
work life strained and eventually
broke his closest family
relationships. In his
later book Winning:
The Ultimate Business How-To Book,
Welch tries with limited success to
hedge his earlier excesses in this
area and give practical advice on
how to strike the elusive balance.
Another area requiring an often
tenuous balancing act is the
interplay between maintaining
personal safety versus trusting in
Divine protection, and Yaakov’s
response to the threat of his reunion
with his estranged and menacing
brother Esav provides an important
and timeless model for his
descendants.
1 Bereishis 32:9.
Yaakov had become a
refugee of the land of Canaan and
his parents’ home after he received his father’s blessings that were originally intended for his twin
brother Esav. Esav became enraged
and plotted to murder him, so
Yaakov fled for his life. Thirty-four
years later, Yaakov returns with his
large family to his native land and
anticipates a hostile
welcome from Esav
whose decades-long
enmity has not diminished. His
scouts report that Esav is
approaching with an army of three
hundred strong. Considering Yaakov’s intensely religious
upbringing and his relationship with
God, we might expect him to put full trust in God’s benevolence and omnipotence. He could defiantly
march right up to Esav and his
mercenaries with full confidence
that no evil would befall him.
Maybe he would add the recitation
of two or three chapters of Tehilim.
Instead, as Rashi1 points out we find
The Role of Security in the Modern
Jewish Community: Protection from
Above While Securing from Below
“Diplomacy, self-
defense, and prayer”
Yaakov demonstrating full
awareness of the gravity of the
challenge by deploying three
different mitigation strategies.
Yaakov first tried the diplomatic
approach. After his verbal initial
attempt failed, he persisted. He
devised an elaborate array of gifts
sent with three groups of
representatives. Each group would
deliver its expensive collection of
livestock and a brief
verbal message in
which Yaakov refers to
his estranged brother
in the most deferential
and obsequious terms. Yaakov’s ongoing diplomatic efforts suggest
neutralizing the threat of
antisemitism before it escalates via
education, bridge building, and
public relations. In our terms, these
efforts might include social media,
political advocacy, and proactive,
positive promotion of Jewish causes.
Yaakov also prepared in case he
would be attacked. He first split the
camp into two completely
2 Bereishis 32:9
independent groups so if one were
attacked the other could escape2.
Later he personally led the
approach in front of his family so he
would be able to defend them
against an attack3. Yaakov’s trust in
G-d did not prevent him from taking
the threat he faced seriously. If we
want our shuls, our schools, and our
other Jewish spaces to be safe, we
must make that happen. The
security measures and
procedures that we
encounter at airports,
events, and public
buildings are often an
inconvenience, but their
ubiquity shows that we consider
them a necessary if unfortunate part
of life. Each community and
congregation must assess its threat
level and security needs but
whatever they may be, Yaakov’s example shows us that ignoring the
issue or reacting only by trusting in
God is irresponsible.
Aside from his diplomatic and
defensive measures, Yaakov
3 Rashi, Bereishis 33:3.
“Ignoring the issue or
reacting only by
trusting in God is
irresponsible”
deployed a third parallel tactic with
a spiritual dimension: Tefillah,
prayer. “And Yaakov said, ‘O G-d of
my father Abraham… deliver me
from the hand of my brother, from
the hand of Esav, for I am afraid of
him, lest he come and strike me,
[and strike] a mother with
children’” (Bereshit 32). The feeling
that the steps we take to protect
ourselves and our families are
sufficient to protect us without G-d’s help is not new: “If G-d will not build
the house, they that build it labor in
vain; If G-d will not guard the city,
the watchman waketh but in vain” (Psalms 127). The house needs a
contractor; the city, a guard. But we
must not have the hubris to think
we can do it without G-d’s help. Tefillah, and even increased shul
involvement and attendance, can
only help our cause.
In Sefer Nechemia we learn about
how devoted Jews living in another
time in history similarly addressed
the hostility they encountered.
After hearing that Nechemia
4 Nechemia 4:3
spearheaded a project to rebuild the
walls of Jerusalem, multiple
neighboring nations conspired to
invade Yerushalayim, and their
bifurcated reaction is enlightening: “But we made our prayer unto our
God and set a watch guard against
them day and night4.” Like Yaakov,
the residents of Yerushalayim
responded with both physical and
spiritual strategies. They therefore
both defended themselves (built a
wall and deployed guards) and
davened5. They lifted their eyes to
Heaven while scanning the horizon
for the enemy. May our ancestors’ example of diplomacy, self-defense,
and prayer guide us as we structure
our responses to the contemporary “Esavs” that we encounter so we
may carry on and expand upon our
great Jewish legacy.
Wishing you a wonderful, healthy,
peaceful, and rejuvenating Shabbos.
5 They perhaps did not engage in diplomacy since the nations were already en route to attack.
Parsha
in the
Park
Join us as we sit in the shade to hear a Short
Parsha thought, followed by a discussion
This week’s speaker: Bracha Bleeman at 4:45
Bring your kids to play on the playground
Every Shabbos afternoon
at BJC, at 4:00
By Rabbi Sholom Twerski
Yaakov is traveling
towards his brother
Esav. As he’s traveling, he accidentally leaves behind some
vessels. Upon realizing it he returns,
alone and at night, to retrieve them.
The Torah relates that he meets a
man there and wrestles with him
until dawn. The
midrash tells us that
this “man” was actually an angel.
The angel manages to wound Yaakov
but is ultimately unable to defeat
him. As dawn breaks, the angel
pleads with Yaakov to release him.
אמר לא אשלחך כי חני כי עלה השחר וי אמר של ויתני׃ אם־ברכ
Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.”
The midrash asks, “So what if dawn is breaking? Why is
that a reason to
let him go?” The midrash answers
that the angels
sing G-d’s praises every day, but
each day it is a
different angel. Each one has the
opportunity to sing His praises but
once in all of eternity- and this
morning was this angel’s turn.
Please, begs the angel, release me for
this is the only chance I’ll ever have to sing to G-d.
Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser
expounds on this. Every
day has its own mission.
The angels which sing
yesterday don’t sing today and those of today don’t sing tomorrow.
We, too, have different tasks every
day. If we had a difficult day
yesterday- if there were setbacks, if
there were missed opportunities, if
we acted improperly, that belongs to
yesterday. Today is a new day with a
new mission. Yesterday’s failures are good only insofar as we can learn
from them to do better
with today. It is not
something we should harp
on or relive. Focus instead
on today’s mission and do what you can with the
strengths you have accrued
from yesterday’s struggles.
Dawn of New Beginnings
“We, too, have different
tasks every day.”
This week in the Jewish Twitterverse A new BJC Shabbos Booklet feature: select news, humor, and interesting
points raised on Twitter this week.
The Parsha PostTNS - TORAH NEWS SERVICE Price: 1 Shekel
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PARSHAS VAYISHLACH
Mrs. Rachel Isaacson, the second wife of
Rabbi Yaakov Isaacson passed away in
childbirth near Bethleham. Born Rachel
Lavanovitch, she was known for her good
deeds, beauty and charm. After marrying
her cousin, Yaakov, she waited anxiously
to bear children. After a long wait, she was
finally blessed with a beloved son, who
was named Yosef. During childbirth of
her second son, Binyamin, Mrs. Isaacson
tragically passed away. Her husband buried
her in the Kever Rachel Cemetery on
Bethlehem Road.
Family reunions are often complicated affairs. But the recent
meeting between Yaakov and Eisav, who had not seen each
other for many years, went surprisingly well.
“I was afraid that Uncle Eisav was going to really hurt someone,
really bad” commented Miss Dina Jacobson, who observed the
proceeding from inside a box. “There were also rumors that he
would demand to marry me. I thank G-d that, in the end, he
hugged and kissed Dad, took our gifts, and went back to his
home in the mountains… without me.”
It was a nail-biter at the Angels/
Yabok arena as the nightlong
fight went into extra rounds.
But as the morning sun was
about to rise, Yaakov Isaacson
decisively beat his opponent,
known as “Angel of Eisav.” Yet,
even as he stood victorious
and received his opponent’s
blessings, Yaakov had clearly
sustained injuries to his thigh.
“This was the fight of all
times,” declared TNS sports
commentator Howard
Kosselstein, “there were moments when I thought that that angel, who
came out of nowhere, was going to win, but clearly, Y. Isaacson had
Heaven on his side.”
ROADSIDE REUNION TURNS EMOTIONAL
Become an expert marksman.
We will train you to march, fight, and win.
פרשת וישלח
YAAKOV VS. ANGEL – THE LONGEST FIGHT
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For more info: Call 1-800-FIGHTER
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YOUNG MOTHER DIES, LEAVES TWO YOUNG SONS
This week's special kiddush is dedicated in honor and appreciation of the
members of our amazing BJC Security Team - past and present. This week's
Parasha discusses Yaakov's dangerous encounter with his estranged brother Esav
and how Yaakov both davened for assistance and took steps to protect himself
and his family (Rabbi Isaacs further elaborates this topic in this week's BJC
Shabbos Booklet). We can think of no better time to express our appreciation for
all the time and energy that our volunteers devote to enhance the safety and
security of our community so we can all have the peace of mind, with G-d's help,
to daven, learn, celebrate, and enjoy our time together as a community.