Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Parashat Vayetze AFTER RACHEL HAD BORNE YOSEF, YAAKOV SAID TO LABAN, "GIVE ME LEAVE TO RETURN TO MY PLACE, TO MY LAND. GIVE ME MY WIVES AND MY CHILDREN, FOR WHOM I HAVE SERVED YOU, THAT I MAY GO; FOR WELL YOU KNOW WHAT SERVICES I HAVE RENDERED YOU. AND HE CONTINUED, "NAME THE WAGES DUE FROM AND I WILL PAY YOU…" HE SAID: "WHAT SHALL I PAY YOU?" AND YAAKOV SAID: "PAY ME NOTHING!… LET ME PASS THROUGH YOUR WHOLE FLOCK TODAY, REMOVING FROM THERE EVERY...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Parashat Vayetse     “So Yaakov served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.” (Bereishit 29:20)   “Because of his love for her” – “For love disregards the line.” (Depending upon the context, “love disregards the line” may mean: “Love disregards accepted conduct”; “Love distorts logic and reason”; “Love distorts perception”.) (Sforno ibid., ibid.)   “But a few days”: On The Relativity Of Time And Difficulty. “And they seemed to him but a few days...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Parshat Vayetze So Yaakov worked seven years for Rachel, yet they were in his eyes as but a few days, because of his love for her. (Bereishit 28:20) "As but a few days": Subjective Time " . . .they were in his eyes as but a few days . . ." – Because he thought that she was worthy of a much higher price. ". . . because of his love for her." – Because love distorts judgement. (Sforno, Breishit 28:20) " . . .they were in...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat Vayetze (link to original page) Parshat Vayetze Remove me from the Way of Falsehood by Zvi Mazeh This week's Torah portion opens with Jacob setting off from Beer Sheva to Haran, embarking on a journey as an independent person. Although the Torah portion does not go into detail, we very well know the circumstances in which Jacob has left his home. Jacob must escape from Esau who wants to take his life. At the end of the Torah portion, a second escape occurs. This time Jacob escapes back to the Land...