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This week and next the Parsha of Vayesheiv is full of the most interesting sex, violence, intrigue and murder stories : including the 3rd Shalshelet that I have been referring to.
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VAYEISHEV

This parsha like the previous one Vayishlach is is full of most interesting stories, which will be touched on briefly here in the hope that the reader will read the full story in the Bible.

Joseph

The first story is about Joseph and his dreams which antagonise his brothers Vayeishev 37:18 and results in him being sold into slavery in Egypt. His father is led to believe that he is being killed by an animal Vayeishev37:31. He becomes Potiphar’s chief and loyal assistant, but Potiphar’s wife has different ideas about him, culminating in her attempt to seduce him Vayeishev 39:7. Although he is successful in resisting her, the sages include a shalshelet Vayeishev 39:8, over the word “vayomayn”, about his resistance (which we spoke about recently). Spurned, she accuses him of rape and he lands up in jail where he interprets other prisoners’ dreams which brings him to the attention of the Pharaoh who is having trouble with his dreams about the fat seven devouring the thin seven. Mikeitz 41:1( next wek’s Parsha). Pharaoh approves of his interpretation and appoints him Viceroy whereby he saves the whole Middle East from famine.

In the middle of the story of Joseph we read about the strange union between Yehuda and Tamara.Vayeishev 38:1

Yehuda had two sons who both died after they married Tamara. The second son’s name was Onan, who displeased God because he spilled his seed rather than give Tamar the chance to have a child, giving rise to the word Onanism. Tamara very skilfully manages to seduce the father of the two deceased boys, Yehuda, and even more skilfully, on the point of death, proves that Yehuda is the father of the child she is pregnant with. An amazing story especially considering that this child is destined to be the ancestor of the Messiah

Vreiliche Chanuka

JACOB

We might like to remind ourselves of some of the very Interesting stories about Jacob, which take place in the last 7 Parshiot of the 12 weeks of Genesis. Parsha Toldos deals with the birth of Jacob and Esau. Esau who was born first came out with Jacob holding his foot by the heel. Jacob, Ya-acov, comes from the word Ekev meaning heel. In English to be called a heel is a derogatory title. Perhaps because Jacob had tricked Esau over the birthright.

Why don’t we eat the hind quarters of an animal.?

Vayishlach 32:23
He (Jacob) Crossed the River (Similar to crossing the river Styx. Or crossing the Red Sea or crossing an Interval)
He had just escaped from Laban with his wives and children that he heard that Esau was waiting for him with 400 armed men and he was petrified. He couldn’t sleep that night and crossed the river to collect some minor possessions. He had to face his fear of meeting Esau. He spent the whole night fighting his fear of Esau by fighting with Esau’s angel. The angel damaged Jacob’s Sciatic nerve so that he limped. Because of this we don’t eat the hind quarters.

In the battle with the angel, there was also the battle of names. The result was that the angel changed Jacob’s name to Israel. You will notice that whenever the Torah at talks about Jacobs connection with the Jewish people his name is Israel, but when it is about himself is name is Jacob.

Jacob’s dream of the ladder

The angels going up and down is a clear reference to a circle and man’s relationship with the divine. Makom is a nice symmetrical word meaning place and usually implies a place of the divine. The divine comes down to meet man and Man goes up to meet the Divine. A pattern we have seen many times before. Jacob has a powerful meeting with this place, He bangs into it, or explodes into it, Pogah is ther word used Vayetzei 28:11 He hit this place.

The deceit of the marriage

Everybody knows that Jacob was tricked into marrying Leah and then had to work another 7 years to marry Rebecca. Went Jacob confronted Laban about his deceit, Laban silenced him with his cutting answer Vayetzei 29:26 saying “we don’t marry the younger before the older” implying that Jacob the younger tricked his father into giving him the blessings.

Dinah

Vayislach 34 :1
Dinah decided to take a look at the land. She came across Schem who was the son of the prince of the land are not the only did he fall in love with her but he also forced her to lie with him. When Dina’s brothers heard of the outrage they were very angry and tricked the whole of the tribe’s men to circumcise themselves. On the third day he when they were most uncomfortable after the circumcision, Dina’s brothers, Shimon and Levy went in and massacred all the inhabitants of the village. …….

Meditation

We spend a lot of time considering trivialities which drain our energy. Just think of the way we can relive an unpleasant incident of the past which will raise both our temperatures and our heartbeats and leave us drained.

Meditation is the process, or method, or discipline by which we learn two things. Firstly we learn the extent to which our minds are occupied with trivialities and secondly we learn a different way of using the mind which gives us more energy and more clarity of thought.
The
Besides the medical benefits of meditation which are very well documented, we also discover something about our unique potential in the process.

Although we you can learn about meditation from books, and indeed my website describes the process www.kabbalahmeditation.org/meditation it is easier to practice of meditation with a guide and with other people.