Angel for Shabbat

Angel for Shabbat, Parashat Vaera

by Rabbi Marc D. Angel

"And Moses spoke before God saying: behold, the children of Israel did not listen to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me..."

Moses brought the children of Israel a tremendous message: God was ready to end their slavery in Egypt; God would bring them to the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. After generations of harsh servitude, the Israelites would now become free.

When confronted with a blatant falsehood uttered by the President, his spokesperson said that the President was not lying but was presenting “alternative facts.” Apparently, “alternative facts” are not lies; they are to be considered as legitimate ways of describing things the way we wish to see them, regardless of whether or not they are true.

Jacob had worked a lifetime to raise a family and now was at the point of his impending death. He gathered his family around him to offer his final words. He looked back at successes and failures, at good times and bad, at spiritual achievements and moral deficiencies.

In the midst of imparting his final speech, he paused and poignantly called out: “I wait for Your salvation O Lord” (Bereishith 49:18).

“And he [Jacob] lighted upon the place and tarried there all night because the sun was set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to heaven, and behold the angels of the Lord ascending and descending on it.” (Bereishith 28: 11-12)

“And Abraham was old, well stricken in age, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.” (Bereishith 24:1)

This is a remarkable statement: God had blessed Abraham “bakol,” in all things. Yet, in his old age, it would seem that Abraham had hit a nadir in his life, that almost everything had gone wrong for him.

Thoughts for Parashat Nitsavim

by Rabbi Marc D. Angel

The first section of this Shabbat's Torah reading expresses God's concern lest the Israelites revert to idolatry. As in so many other sections of the Torah, we are warned not to worship false gods. This is a grievous sin with terrible consequences.

ANGEL FOR SHABBAT KI TAVO--by Rabbi Marc D. Angel

Has this ever happened to you? People say they love you and respect you…but then act in a manner which is unloving and disrespectful. Have you ever noticed when people say they believe in this cause or that cause…but then proceed to ignore it and refrain from supporting it. They express the best of intentions about this or that…but then act in a way that negates these professed intentions.

The first word of this week's Parasha is "vehaya"--and it will be. The great 18th century Moroccan Jewish sage, Rabbi Hayyim Benattar, notes in his commentary Or ha-Hayyim that this word implies happiness. He would interpret the first verse of the Parasha to mean: if you will be careful in keeping these ordinances [of the Torah] and you will observe and fulfill them--then you will be happy! God will fulfill His covenant and compassion as He promised to your ancestors.

This week's Torah reading includes the Shema--the classic statement of Jewish faith: Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. We are commanded to recite this passage each morning and each evening as a confirmation of our "accepting the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven".