We would like to welcome our newest members to the kehilla: Mr. and Mrs. Yeshayahu Schwartz Mr. and Mrs. Moshe Kahn We are so glad that we have decided to join our shul!
Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Ori Strum on the birth of a baby girl! May they see much nachas!
Avos U'Bonim will be held Motzei Shabbos at 7 PM with pizza and prizes. Please join the fun!
Sunday Morning Learning We will be having a learning program this week on Sunday, December 6th, beginning with shacharis at 8:45, followed by breakfast and learning b'chavrusa, and a shiur from the Rov at 10:35. Please do not park on Bancroft Road or in the yeshiva parking lot. Looking forward to seeing everyone there!
Have a wonderful Shabbos! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dvar Torah
Angels or Men? At the beginning of this week’s parsha, the Torah tells us that after leaving the house of Lavan and his return to Eretz Yisroel with his family, Yaakov Avinu sends “malachim”, messengers, ahead of him to meet Eisav. He hopes to appease him and dissipate the anger he still held towards him. Rashi comments that these “malachim” were actual angels. However, there is a machlokes in the Midrash (Bereishis Rabah) whether they were angels or human messengers, and commentaries bring proofs to both sides of the argument. I found this to be a really interesting point, to understand what exactly is the significance of this debate, and what we can learn from it. Rabbeinu Bachaye offers a fascinating and beautiful approach that I think is worth thinking about. He writes that the meaning of the word “malachim” actually includes both angels and human messengers. Yaakov wanted to send representatives from his household to seek peace from Eisav. He sent angels with them, the same ones who accompanied him when he re-entered Eretz Yisroel (Bereishis 32:2). That makes sense because their singular ‘shlichus’ was already to protect Yaakov, and now he is commanding them to go ahead and prevent Eisav from harming him or his family. There is a precedent for this earlier in the Torah, when Avraham sends Elieizer to find a wife for Yitchak, he sends a malach as well (24:7). Another approach he suggests is that the messengers were human messengers and angels joined, similar to the guests who came to greet Avraham after his bris. There is certainly deeper significance to this idea but I would like to suggest one takeaway. Whatever situation or adversity we face in life, it is important to see it in completely, and consider both the necessary physical and spiritual hishtadlus. There is a ‘danger’ in living a compartmentalized way - focusing on the physical at the expense of the spiritual or even the other way around. Yaakov Avinu took all aspects of the situation into account to adequately prepare physically and spiritually for his encounter with Eisav, and Hashem protected him. May we merit to follow his ways and see siyata d’shmaya and divine protection in our lives. Good Shabbos, Ben Temin
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