Resources: • Adventist Mission Website: http://wjafc.globalmissioncenters.org/
This website is the new resource provided by the Office of Adventist Mission of the General Conference of the Seventh-day
• Website: www.jewishadventist.org
We pray every week for the leaders of the Jewish Ministry,
Shabbat Shalom Newsletter
753
Shabbat - Vayera
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4 November 2017 15 Cheshvan 5778
This issue
A must website. To subscribe to our newsletter. To download some resources (Hebrew Sabbath School, and other documents). To order the book “Comfort, Comfort my people…” and many other things. •
Professional Urban Development: The WJAFC provides:
Shalom Adventure Magazine online: www.ShalomAdventure.com
If you would like to read articles, watch videos, learn things about Judaism and Israel, this website is just for you.
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WJAFC: If you would like to share with people, this forum on facebook is a good place for that.
• Photos: https://get.google.com/albumarchive/1131446298409925652
- Professional Urban training for Jewish Ministry
91?source=pwa We have posted a lot of pictures on Internet during the last years. Don’t hesitate
- Teaching for theological students
• Russian Website: http://www.boruh.info/ This website is in Russian, many articles
- Help to plant new congregations. - Support for AdventistJewish dialogue with scholars and rabbis
to look at them.
and the parasha are posted on it every week.
A weekly Journal of information and training published by the World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center Under the umbrella of the General Conference —Office of Adventist Mission
Journal of Information and Training — Issue 753 — 4 November 2017 / 15 Cheshvan 5778
News 1 Parasha’s comments 2-4 Haftarah 4-5 Apostolic Writings 5 Stories & Traditions 6 Inspirational Corner 6, 7
Weekly Jewish-Adventist Journal of Information
We pray every week for the Jewish Friendship Ministry. I suggest our partners to pray from November 5 to 11 for Cristiano Silva pastor in Florianopolis, in Brazil. Let’s pray for Pastor Silva, for his family and his ministry and his congregation.
News
“Lead Conference” at the General Conference
The beginning of October is always the time of the Executive Committee of the General Conference called “Annual Council.” This Annual Council starts with the “Lead Conference” which is a way to train and inform world leaders from the Union and Divisions about the minis-try of the General Conference offices.
Carlos Muniz English Edition: Richard-Amram Elofer
Richard Amram Elofer
Russian Edition: Alexandra Obrevko French Edition: Sabine Baris Portuguese Edition: Carlos Muniz Dutch Edition: Hubert Paulleta
Hubert Paulleta 8
Emails: English: richard@elofer.com
Alexandra Obrevko On this year 2017, the Lead Conference a two-days-time was given to the Office of Adventist Mission. It was a time for each Global Mission (GM) Center to introduce its ministry, specificities and challenges. As
Russian: sashok_l@mail.ru French: sabinebaris@gmail.com Portuguese: cdmuniz@gmail.com Dutch: hpauletta@hotmail.com
Credit photos: Richard Elofer, Alexandra Obrevko, Jael Wells Cuellar Hubert Paulleta, Laurent Baris and Advent Digital Media
for more information: contact us at www.jewishadventist.org
Sabine Baris
the Director of the World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center, Richard Elofer, had the opportunity to introduce the Jewish ministry to the leaders of the world Divisions and Unions on October 5 and 6, all together 1 hour of presentation divided in two periods
Together, with the Office of Adventist Mission and the directors of each GM Centers, we had prepared a toolkit box, where a lot of material were distributed to the leaders. in addition of this, many resources were put in our website: https:// wjafc.globalmissioncenters.org/. If any reader would like to have access to these resources, you have to register, because most of them are on restricted access. Many contacts have been made, we hope that these contacts will open many doors for Jewish ministries.
Parasha for this Week
Parasha Overview: Vayera
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hree days after performing brit-mila “circumcision” on himself, Abraham is visited by G-d. When three angels appear in human form, Abraham rushes to show them hospitality by bringing them into his tent, despite this being the most painful time after the operation. Sarah laughs when she hears from them that she will bear a son next year. G-d reveals to Abraham that He will destroy Sodom, and Abraham pleads for Sodom to be spared. G-d agrees that if there are fifty righteous people in Sodom He will not destroy it. Abraham “bargains” G-d down to ten righteous people. However, not even ten can be found. Lot, his wife and two daughters are rescued just before sulfur and fire rains down on Sodom and her sister cities. Lot’s wife looks back and is turned into a pillar of salt. Lot’s daughters fear that as a result of the destruction there will be no husbands for them. They decide to get their father drunk and through him to perpetuate the human race. From the elder daughter, Moab is born, and from the younger, Ammon. Abraham moves to Gerar where Abimelech abducts Sarah. After G-d appears to Abimelech in a dream, he
“Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.” (Genesis 18:8)
Vayera
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Genesis 18:1 - 22:24 Son of Abraham
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any ask “who is son of Abraham?” According to the Talmud, “Whoever has the attributes of mercy, modesty and generosity is of the seed of our father Abraham.”
He Deserved To See G-d’s Presence
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he parasha starts saying “The L-rd appeared to him near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.” (Gen 18:1). G-d’s presence is everywhere, but not everyone deserves to see it. The choice is not us, only G-d decides who can see Him and who can receive a revelation from Him. The name of Abraham does not appear in the first verse of this parasha, it is called “him”. Jewish commentator says that this first verse of the chapter 18 is linked to the last portion of the chapter 17. In that portion, Abraham was circumcised with the members of his household. The prenominal suffix “him” refers back to Abraham of the preceding events. That means we are
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in the direct continuation of the preceding section. The text wants to say that Abraham was still in pain after his circumcision, he was siting at the entrance of his tent waiting for a relief of his pain. Abraham was faithful to the Almighty, whatever could be G-d’s request, he accepted it. He was 99 years old when he accepted to be circumcised, that is one of G-d’s visit, G-d wanted to comfort him. At the outset of this revelation, G-d does not inform Abraham of anything. Only later (v. 17) does He prepare to deliver to him a message and reveal to him the decision to destroy Sodom.
Visiting the Sick
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he purpose of visiting the sick is to attend to their needs, to pray for them and to encourage them. When visiting the sick, we must be positive so the sick person will feel encouraged and positive about their future. The mitzvah of visiting the sick is so important that, “even a great person should visit a less important person who is sick.” According to the Talmud a visit to one who is sick takes away
1/60th of their sickness. This helps the person to feel better and to be healed.
Our Influence
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he Torah states, “and he (Avraham) was sitting at the entrance of the tent…” (Gen 18:1) The Midrash reveals to us that Avraham wanted to stand up when G-d appeared to him. G-d said to him, “You sit, and I will stand…” When you want to see your bank manager to try and get a loan, your go to the bank, you stand and he sits; the one who stands is dependent on the one sits. When Avraham wanted to stand, G-d told him to sit. G-d was telling Avraham, I depend on you; everything depends on you, not the other way round. How can this be? How can G-d depend on any creation? If you look at this world, it seems that above us is only the sky; you would be hard pressed to see the existence of many worlds above this one. And yet they exist. Millions of worlds, and, of all of them, ours is the lowest. And yet, G-d
decided that the whole of creation would be governed by what we do in this lowest of the worlds, down here at the bottom of the pile. When we perform an act of kindness it reverberates all the way to the highest of the highest worlds, and that causes G-d to radiate an influx of blessing back down to this world. In other words, a kind word may stop an earthquake, or a train collision, or a war. (Ohr Somayah).
Adonai
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braham addressed himself to the three men who came to him “He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my L-rd [ADONAI], do not pass your servant by.” (Gen 18:3). The word Adonai has two meanings: 1) “My Masters”, it could be a general introduction in providing hospitality to the three men who stopped at his tent. But it is never used in this sense in the Bible. The word used for “master” is more “Adon” or “Adoni” or “Adonim.” 2) Adonai is the holy (Kadosh) form of Adon, which is used only as G-d’s name. It is the case in this chapter and this
interpretation is accepted by the Halacha (Jewish application of the law). G-d appeared to Abraham in order to reveal to him his purpose. But Abraham receiving these men—who were a revelation of G-d— wanted to fulfill the mitzva of hospitality, and in the same time prayed —in his heart or with a loud voice— that G-d would not remove His presence. That is why G-d stayed with Abraham. The Torah states: “When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the L-rd said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” (Gen 18:16–17) It is said “the men” but not how many “men.” However, at the same time the L-rd started to reveal his purpose to Abraham and the “men” went to Sodom. “The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the L-rd” (18:22). The beginning of the chapter 19 gives us a new revelation, it is said “The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and
bowed down with his face to the ground.” (1). Two “men” left Abraham, they were in fact angels who were sent by G-d. It is not the first time that G-d appeared to his servants in the form of “angel,” it is the angel of the L-rd it is the case in Exodus 3, the apparition of G-d at the burning bush is presented as “The angel of the L-rd” and it is clear that this apparition of this angel to Moses was an apparition of G-d who revealed to Moses that he was called to free G-d’s people and revealed his Holy name (YHWH). The specific apparition of parasha Vayera is that G-d appeared as “three men” it is a triune G-d who appeared to Abraham.
Abraham’s Love
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he Torah states: “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young
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releases Sarah and appeases Abraham. As promised, a son, Itzchak, is born to Sarah and Abraham. On the eighth day after the birth, Abraham circumcises him as commanded. Abraham makes a feast the day Itzchak is weaned. Sarah tells Abraham to banish Hagar and Hagar’s son Ishmael because she sees in him signs of degeneracy. Abraham is distressed at the prospect of banishing his son, but G-d tells him to listen to whatever Sarah tells him to do. After nearly dying of thirst in the desert, Ishmael is rescued by an angel and G-d promises that he will be the progenitor of a mighty nation. Abimelech enters into an alliance with Abraham when he sees that G-d is with him. In a tenth and final test, G-d instructs Abraham to take Itzchak, who is now 37, and to offer him as a sacrifice. Abraham does this, in spite of ostensibly aborting Jewish nationhood and contradicting his life-long preaching against human sacrifice. At the last moment, G-d sends an angel to stop Abraham. Because of Abraham’s unquestioning obedience, G-d promises him that even if the Jewish People sin, they will never be completely dominated by their foes. The parasha ends with the genealogy and birth of Rivka.
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2 Kings 4:1-4:37
his chapter of the second book of Kings tells us about the Ministry of Elisha and Gehazi his servant to an unnamed lady called the Shunammith, that means a native of Shunem, a place belonging to the tribe of Issachar. This place lies in a very rich section of Israel a short distance north of Jezreel at the foot of “Little Hermon.” The rabbis have read this Haftara in connection with the Parasha Vayera because of their evidence parallel. Parasha: The angel who visited Abraham said: “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.” (Genesis 18:10). It is a promise to Sarah that she will have a son. Haftara: Elisha plays the role of the angel in this text. He said to the Shunammith: “At this season, in due time, you shall embrace a son.” She replied, “No, my lord, O man of G-d; do not deceive your servant.” The woman conceived and bore a son at that season, in due time, as Elisha had declared to her.” (2Kings 4:16,17) The next point about this haftara is that this story is
credit: freebibleimages.org
Haftarah Overview
“And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.”” (Genesis 19:17–18) men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.” (Genesis 22:1–3). Rabbi Abba Wagensberg says that “Our tradition teaches that God tested Abraham 10 times (Avot 5:3). Although Abraham had many extraordinary character traits, it was his overwhelming love for G-d that enabled him to pass his tests. In Isaiah (41:8), G-d describes Abraham as “Avraham ohavi” — “Abraham, the one who loves Me.” Abraham’s tremendous love for G-d enabled him to carry out the Divine will time after time, even in exceptionally challenging situations. We see this idea in the Talmud’s statement that love breaks all norms (Sanhedrin 105b). When a person is truly in love, there is nothing he wouldn’t do for his beloved. Abraham demonstrates this quality in this week’s parasha when G-d commands him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. The Torah tells us that Abraham got up early in the morning to perform G-d’s command, even performing menial tasks such as saddling his own donkey and chopping wood for the sacrifice (Genesis 22:3) Abraham’s zeal and willingness to perform such
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tasks himself, instead of appointing one of his many servants to do so, was a manifestation of his incredible love for G-d.
The Akeida
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his week’s Parasha, Vayera, ends with the “Akeida”—the most difficult of all the trials that Abraham faced. G-d commands Abraham, “take your beloved son Yitzchak and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a sacrifice upon one of the mountains which I will tell you.” (Genesis 22:2) Instead of protesting or delaying the trip in some way, the Torah tells us, “And Abraham rose early in the morning,” (22:3) to perform G-d’s commandment. With supreme selfsacrifice, both he and Yitzchak went to obey G-d’s commandment. Only at the last moment, when Abraham already took the knife and was ready to act, did an angel appear and say, “Do not lay your hands upon the lad and do not do anything to him; for now I know that you are a G-d fearing man...” (22:12). After all the tests Abraham already went through and had proven his faith and loyalty to G-d, why did G-d put Abraham and Yitzchak
through such a major test? Our sages explain that Abraham’s son Yishmael, who was circumcised at the age of 13, would tease Yitzchak saying, “I proved my loyalty to G-d, I made a conscious decision to be circumcised, but you had no choice in the matter, you were only eight days old.” The test of the “Akeida,” whereby, at the age of 37, Yitzchak agreed to be sacrificed, proved not only Abraham’s but also Yitzchak’s total dedication to G-d.
Abraham Type of the Messiah
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he Messiah is the great hope of Israel, he is the savior, the one who will bring peace on earth and will introduce the eternal kingdom of God. As seen in this parasha, Abraham is the first of a long line of saviors, his intercession saved Lot. Moses saved Israel from the slavery of Egypt, many Jewish heros were servants of the Almighty and saved G-d’s people from difficult situation. But the most awaited of all savior, the one who was typified by all these saviors is the Mashiach. The Mashiach is the intercessor by excellence. Abraham was the first who symbolized the final Mashiach.
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Apostolic Writings — Matthew 1:1-17
n the parasha Vayera we have the continuation of the story of Abraham. This Abraham who is the ancestor of the Jewish people, and thus ancestor of Jacob, Judah, king David and after a few generations he is presented as the ancestor of the Messiah. It is the shaliach (apostle) Matthew who wrote the first Besorah (gospel) or book of the Brith Hachadasha (Apostolic Writings). He starts his book giving the genealogy of Yeshua HaMashiach. In this genealogy the name of Abraham is mentioned three times. Verse 1: “The book of the generation of Yeshua HaMashiach, the son of David, the son of Abraham” three stages of Jewish history (Abraham, David, Mashiach). Yeshua HaMashiach is a Jewish Mashiach, he is a descendant of Jewish people’s father, Abraham. He will be a descendant of David, that means he can claim the throne of David and to be the King of Israel. However, it is interesting to notice that the first verse starts with Yeshua and finishes with Abraham, that is strange! A genealogy in the Bible starts always with the oldest character and finishes with the most recent—it will be the order of the next verses—a genealogy always gives the climax at the end of its list, in the verse 1, the climax is not Yeshua but Abraham. Abraham is an important character of the verse 1. Why? Because Matthew has written his book for the Jewish people, and it was important to demonstrate to Jews that Yeshua’s genealogy goes back to Abraham
Avinu, the father of the Jewish people. There is no doubt that Yeshua is Jewish, he was born as a Jew and died as a Jew as prophesied in Isaiah 53. Then from the verse 2 we have the beginning of the genealogy and now it started with Abraham. Matthew wrote it, first not as a history, but as a midrash. When we read a midrash we don’t ask the historicity of the event, we try to understand the lesson the author gives us. The great lesson of this text is that Yeshua is the Jewish Mashiach, the king of Israel. The third mention of Abraham is in the verse 17, where Matthew made a very interesting statement: “So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Mashiach are fourteen generations.” It is clear that Matthew is not doing a work of a historian, because if we compare this genealogy with the genealogy of the Tanach, the genealogy given in the Besorat of Luke we discover that these 14 generations are not historical. Matthew is a Jew who wrote for Jews. One of the Jewish hermeneutic principles is called Guematria. It is an interpretation of the Bible through numbers; reading Hebrew letters by their numerical values. Thus 14 is the numerical value of King David, David in Hebrew is written that way DVD (daleth, vav, daleth) daleth = 4 + vav = 6 + daleth = 4, all together equal 14, then 14, number of David, is the
numerical symbol of kingship in Israel. When Matthew affirms that there are 14 generations between the three great heroes who were Abraham, David, Yeshua, Matthew says that Yeshua is “king” (14) of the patriarchal period, Yeshua is king (14) of the royal period, and Yeshua is king (14) of the priesthood period. Three times 14 (David) that means three times kings. Strong affirmation saying that Mashiach is the king of Israel. It is clear that the Jewish people of the time of Yeshua were waiting for a king-Messiah, it was one of the reasons why they did not accept him. We see that in the Besorat Yochanan (gospel of John): “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!’ Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” (John 6:14–15). They were correct, The Messiah as a descendant of David, is a pretender to the throne of David. However, it was not yet his time to be the king, the Jewish people are very aware of these different kinds of Messiah when they speak about the Mashiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David. The Mashiach ben Yosef has to die, the Mashiach ben David has to reign. Yeshua came first as the Mashiach ben Yosef and very soon he will come back as the Mashiach ben David and will reign on the throne of David.
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special for its length and complexity. Usually the miracle in the Hebrew Bible are short and rare, but this text is an exception. Elisha wants to rewards the Shunammith for her kindness to him and not only did he promise to her that she will have a son, but later when this son died, he raised him. Parasha: In the parasha we have also a complex text with many miracles, it seems to us that Abraham’s life was a succession of miracles. In Genesis 18 to 22 we see: first miracle: he is practicing on himself circumcision and survived to it. Second miracle: Three angels appeared to Abraham. Third miracle: they announced to Sarah that she will have a boy and that happened the next year. Fourth miracle: G-d announced to Abraham the destruction of Sodom, that happened but Lot and his daughter are miraculously saved. Fifth miracle: G-d appeared to Abimelech in order to save
Sarah from dishonor. Sixth miracle: An Angel saves Hagar and Ishmael from death in the desert. Seventh miracle: G-d saves Itzchak from being sacrifice by his father by stopping the hand of the killer and providing a ram to be sacrificed instead of the son.
Stories and Traditions
Terach’s Business
Inspirational Corner v With his own hands
Abraham brought water that they might wash the dust of travel from their feet. He himself selected their food; while they were at rest under the cooling shade, Sarah his wife made ready for their entertainment, and Abraham stood respectfully beside them while they partook of his hospitality. This kindness he showed them simply as wayfarers, passing strangers, who might never come his way again. But, the entertainment over, his guests stood revealed. He had ministered not only to heavenly angels, but to their glorious Commander, his Creator, Redeemer, and King. And to Abraham the counsels of heaven were opened, and he was called “the friend of God.” (6T 341)
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erah, the father of Abraham and Haran, was a dealer in images as well as a worshiper of them. Once when he was away he gave Abraham his stock of graven images to sell in his absence. In the course of the day an elderly man came to make a purchase. Abraham asked him his age, and the man gave it as between fifty and sixty years. Abraham taunted him with want of sound sense in calling the work of another man’s hand, produced perhaps in a few hours, his god; the man laid the words of Abraham to heart and gave up idolworship. Again, a woman came with a handful of fine flour to offer to Terah’s idols, which were now in charge of Abraham. He took a stick and broke all the images except the largest one, in the hand of which he placed the stick which had worked this wholesale destruction. When his father returned and saw the havoc committed on his “gods” and property he demanded an explanation from his son whom he had left in charge. Abraham mockingly explained that when an offering of fine flour was brought to these divinities they quarreled with one another as to who should be the recipient, when at last the biggest of them, being angry at the altercation, took up a stick to chastise the offenders, and in so doing broke them all up. Terah, so far from being satisfied with this explanation, understood it as a piece of mockery, and when he learned also of the customers whom Abraham had lost him during his management he became very incensed, and drove Abraham out of his house and handed him over to Nimrod. Nimrod suggested to Abraham that, since he had refused to worship his father’s idols because of their want of power, he should worship fire, which is very powerful.
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Abraham pointed out that water has power over fire. “Well,” said Nimrod, “let us declare water god.” “But,” replied Abraham, “the clouds absorb the water; and even they are dispersed by the wind.” “Then let us declare the wind our god.” “Bear in mind,” continued Abraham, “that man is stronger than wind, and can resist it and stand against it.” Nimrod, becoming weary of arguing with Abraham, decided to cast him before his god—fire—and challenged Abraham’s deliverance by the God of Abraham, but God saved him out of the fiery furnace. Haran, too, was challenged to declare his god, but halted between two opinions, and delayed his answer until he saw the result of Abraham’s fate. When he saw the latter saved he declared himself on the side of Abraham’s God, thinking that he too, having now become an adherent of that God, would be saved by the same miracle. But since his faith was not real, but depended on a miracle, he perished in the fire, into which, like Abraham, he was cast by Nimrod. (see Gen 11:28).
A Husband For My Daughter
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prospective father-inlaw once came to Yeshiva Mesivta Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin in search of the best available student to marry his daughter. He approached the Rosh Yeshiva and asked him for the best bachur in the Yeshiva. Rav Hutner looked inside the Beit HaMidrash and pointed to the first one he saw. “There goes the best bachur in Yeshiva!” he exclaimed. The man became excited. “Please tell me his name.” Rav Hutner told the man who the boy was and the man’s face crunched with puzzlement. “I heard the names of a few of the
top boys in Chaim Berlin, but I never heard of this boy,” said the man. Rav Hutner did not flinch. “He is the best boy in the Yeshiva.” “But what about Finkelstein?” Protested the man, “I heard he is one of the top students.” “True,” replied Rav Hutner. “Finkelstein is the best boy in the Yeshiva.” The man looked puzzled. He took out a piece of paper and read a few other names. Axelrod? Rav Hutner smiled. “Axelrod?” he repeated. “The best boy in the Yeshiva!” “Gruner?” asked the man. Rav Hutner became excited. “Why, Gruner is the best boy in the Yeshiva!” Finally the man lost his cool. “Rebbe!” He shouted. “How could every boy be the best boy in the Yeshiva? You can only have one best boy!” Rav Hutner smiled. “In my Yeshiva everyone is the best. Gruner is the Best in controlling his emotions. Axelrod is the best in understanding Rashi. Finkelstein is the best in cheering up a downtrodden young man. Everyone here has something that he is the best in!” Rav Moshe Feinstein, of blessed memory, explains that the only way that two people can be equal is if they both fulfill their potential. In that way they are the best that they can be. Though Aharon may not have had the same prophetic capability as Moshe did, he still fulfilled his every essence with every bit of his abilities. And in that aspect, he was considered equal to Moshe. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. The Torah tells us that in certain aspects someone may be better than us. But if we are the best at what we can be, then we may be separate, but we are equal.
Kids Parasha Vayera
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Inspirational Corner v The privilege
Genesis 18:1 - 22:24 “And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earthand said, ‘O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.’ So they said, ‘Do as you have said’.” (Genesis 18:1–5 ) http://www.bnai-tikkun.org.nz 7
granted Abraham and Lot is not denied to us. By showing hospitality to God’s children we, too, may receive His angels into our dwellings. Even in our day, angels in human form enter the homes of men and are entertained by them. And believers who live in the light of God’s countenance are always accompanied by unseen angels, and these holy beings leave behind them a blessing in our homes. (6T 342)