Parashat Toldot

I am very excited to say we have reached Parashat Toldot!  I really hope to finish before the end of the year and be able to have one more celebration.
Next week we will begin Perek 25:19-28.  Yaakov and Esav are born.  They are described very differently as babies and they become very different adults.

1. What is the connection between how they were as babies and how they were as adults?
2. Why did Rivka love Yaakov and Yitzchak love Esav?
3. Does that mean Rivka did not love Esav and Yitzchak did not love Yaakov?

Kol tuv,
Rabbi Rapoport

Rivka meets Yitzchak (24:60-67)

This week Rivka meets Yitzchak.

1. What was Yitzchak doing in the field in the late afternoon?

We will also be doing a lot of review that will most likely take us into next week.
Some of the ideas we have learned:

A. Eved Avraham chose Rivka because:

1. She was from Charan not Canaan.
2. She was from Avraham's family.
3. She cared about the camels.
4. She did chesed (extra kindness) by giving water to the camels.
5. She welcomed guests.
6. She was confident.

B. The Rabbis learn that Yitzchak prayed mincha.

C. From eved Avraham we can learn:

1. to keep our promises.
2. to pray to Hashem to help us.
3. to thank Hashem for helping us.
4. to do things quickly and on time. 

Lavan (24:21-33)

This week we are introduced to Lavan and Eved Avraham retells everything that happened since the beginning of the perek.

1. How can we tell that Lavan is not such a good guy?
2. Why does the Torah repeat Eved Avraham's story in complete detail (making this the longest perek in the Torah) instead of just saying, "and so he told him the story"?

Rivka (Perek 24:1-20)

This week we begin perek 24.  In this perek, which will probably take two weeks, we will learn about how the Eved  Avraham (the servant of Avraham, most say this was Eliezer) was sent to find a wife for Yitzchak.

1. Why was it so important that Yitzchak's wife not be from Canaan?
2. What was the sign that Eved Avraham used to find a wife for Yitzchak?
3. Why was that a good sign?

Maarat HaMachpela Continued

This week is parent teacher communication week.  I look forward to talking with each of you.  This week we will continue learning about Avraham's purchase of Maarat HaMachpela to bury Sarah.

Kol tuv,
Rabbi Rapoport

The Purchase of Maarat HaMachpela--23:3-20

This week we will be learning about Avraham's purchase of the field of Ephron and Maarat HaMachpela.

Some questions to think about:

1. Why was it so important for Avraham to pay for the field and the cave?  Why wouldn't he accept Ephron's offer to give it to him for free?
2. Why did Ephron say how much the cave was worth?

This reading will probably take two weeks.

Kol tuv,
Rabbi Rapoport

Perek 23

This week we begin the 23nd perek of B'reishit--the first perek of Parashat Chayei Sarah.  


Sarah lived 127 years.  For some reason the Torah records this information in a strange way it says:
א וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ חַיֵּ֣י שָׂרָ֔ה מֵאָ֥ה שָׁנָ֛ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְשֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֑ים שְׁנֵ֖י חַיֵּ֥י שָׂרָֽה׃
And the life of Sarah was 100 year and 20 years and 7 years--the years of the life of Sarah.
Why does it record her age in such a strange way?
Think about why and when you say things with as many words as possible.
We will be learning Rashi who has a beautiful explanation.  Ask your child what Rashi says.


Kol tuv (All the best),
Rabbi Yehuda