Shabbat Shalom GRJC

Weekly Emails to the Congregation

Parshat Vayetze 2007

Shabbat Shalom to the GRJC family,

This Shabbat, we light candles at 4:19 PM.  Shabbat Sheli and Tot Shabbat will being at 6:30 PM.  Friday night services will begin at 8 PM, and Saturday morning services will begin at 9 AM.

Rebecca Rocke will become a Bat Mitzvah this Shabbat.  We wish an early Mazel Tov to Rebecca and her family.

This Shabbat we read from parshat Vayetze in Sefer Bray’sheet (The Book of Genesis).  The parasha opens with Jacob’s dream in which a ladder stretches up to heaven, and angels ascend and descend the ladder.  In the dream, God promises Jacob that God will be with him on his journey.  Then, Jacob wakes up from the dream and makes the following statement, “Surely God is present in this place, and I did not know it!”

I have always been fascinated by the phrase, “God is here, and I did not know it.”  It raises a number of compelling questions:

- How do we perceive that God is present in our lives?
- Are there times and/or places that we feel God is not present?
- Do our dreams link us in a more direct way to God?  Do they allow us to think in a different way than when we are awake?

The phrase also raises questions about Jacob.  For example, why was Jacob not aware that he was in a holy place?  This question makes me think of the scene in James Fenimore Cooper’s “Last of the Mohicans” in which the small band escapes its pursuers by entering a burial ground.  They use this area as a safe zone since it has special, mystical significance.  The language of the Torah suggests that there was something special about the place where Jacob slept, something that made it holy and not simply a good campsite.  The Torah teaches us, “And Jacob came upon the place…”, meaning “a certain place” or a significant place.  This word, “the place” is suggestive since one of God’s names in Jewish tradition is “hamakom”, “the place.”  We could explain Jacob’s lack of knowledge about the place’s holiness due to his state of mind.  He was on the run from home and perhaps not feeling fully in control of his emotions.  Can you think of other reasons Jacob overlooked the power of the place where he rested that night?

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1.BOOK FAIR – Sunday, Nov. 18th – from 9-1 – Stop by the GRJC for the annual book fair.

2.ADULT EDUCATION – Sunday, Nov. 18th – 9:30-11 AM – This week’s topic is “Pearls in the Sea of Time:  The Lesser Known Holidays of the Jewish Calendar.”  Join us as we explore a number of special days in our calendar that add meaning and richness to the Jewish year.

3.INTERFAITH THANKSGIVING SERVICE - Wed., Nov. 21st, 8 PM at the Sikh Temple on Prospect St.  Head coverings required for men and women.

4.CHANUKAH CELEBRATION – Dec. 9th, 4-7 pm, Save the Date!  Join us for a community-wide celebration, free-of-charge, with candle-lighting, latkes, and more.


With wishes for a peaceful and restful Shabbat,

Rabbi Tow

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