Parasha & Current Events
Albert Einstein coined the famous expression “Time flies when you’re having fun”. Indeed, for most of us, there are occasions, such as holidays or family vacations, during which time seems to fly by and the fun ends too quickly. Conversely, there are events or occasions in life that we eagerly anticipate and that, as we get closer and closer, we feel that we simply cannot wait any longer. In light of these truths, there is a verse in the Torah portion, Parashat Vayetze, that we read this week that is both bizarre and shocking.
Most of us have both short-term and long-term goals in life. Sometimes, however, there is tension between our short-term and long-term goals. Jacob decided to exploit his brother’s desperation in order to gain what he thought that an accident of birth had denied him, the firstborn’s inheritance rights. In other words, Jacob tried to entice Esau with short-term pleasure in exchange for long-term benefits.
The Mitzvot in the Torah are typically divided into two categories: Mitzvot bein Adam la-Makom (between human beings and God) and Mitzvot bein Adam le-Chaveiro (between one person and another). Nevertheless, there is a tendency today to categorize Jews as “Orthodox” if they observe certain Mitzvot bein Adam la-Makom, such as Shabbat and Kashrut (the dietary laws), or “ultra-Orthodox” if they spend their days studying Torah, even if they are far less scrupulous in their performance of Mitzvot bein Adam le-Chaveiro.
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