בס״ד Torah Life Is a Double- first plot of land in the Holy the tzaddikim (perfectly Land to become the righteous), who take the Decker Cave Two people Weekly legal possession of the Jewish helicopter ride over the went exploring and reached a people. Machpelah means swamp of life. They do much November 8-14, 2020 swamp. The first was a man “doubled” in Hebrew, and good, enriching our 21-27 Cheshvan, 5781 of means; he radioed for a two reasons are given for this knowledge and inspiring us helicopter, and five minutes Torah reading: name. One reason is that four with their bird’s-eye view of Chayei Sarah: Genesis 23:1 - 25:18 later was on the other side, the prestigious couples are buried reality. Haftarah: Kings I 1:1-31 crease in the pants of his there: Adam and Eve, Then there are the sorry slobs safari suit intact. He even took Abraham and who get stuck, who get lost, PARSHAT CHAYEI SARAH some photographs while he Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, who get begrimed and was flying over (he was a man We have Jewish and Jacob and Leah. The beslimed in their journey with an avid interest in the Calendars. If you second reason given by the through the swamp. These are would like one, sciences), which made a commentaries is that it had the baalei teshuvah (masters please send us a modest but significant two chambers one above the of return), who emerge from contribution to the field of letter and we will other, “like a house with a loft their decades of wandering swamp study. The second send you one, or above it.” and misadventure with ask the person struggled across on Calendars Paradoxically, knowledge, skills and profits foot. He got stuck. He got Rabbi/Chaplain to the Torah section (Parshah) that far exceed those of their contact us. lost. He fended off poisonous that opens with the account of loftier brethren. snakes and other creatures too Do you have family Sarah’s death and burial is Life is a double-decker cave. vile to mention. Twenty years called Chayei Sarah, “The on the outside later he emerged, calloused, If you ended up on the upper Life of Sarah.” Indeed, the struggling? begrimed, with a pronounced story, consider yourself lucky. Kabbalistic Please contact or limp and the stink of the If you find yourself on the work Midrash Hane’elam int have them contact swamp in his skin. He went lower level, consider yourself erprets the very verse our office to learn on to write the two national luckier. By Rabbi Yanki describing Sarah’s passing— more about our bestsellers, Surviving in a Tauber And Sarah died in Kiryat family programs. Swamp Environment and The Arba, which is Hebron, in the Remaining Focused You and they are Unknown Treasures of the land of Canaan (Genesis Family Programs Family not alone, we are Swamp. He directed both of Isaac was forbidden to leave 23:2)—as an allusion to the here to help. the movie adaptations, and the Holy Land, because he soul’s journey through became the world’s foremost was consecrated physical life. (In this consultant for to G-d when Abraham offered We offer free Grape approach, Sarah (“Princess” environmentalist groups and him as a sacrifice on Mt. Juice and Matzoh ) alludes to the soul; Kiryat for you to be able to road-building companies. He Moriah. Abraham, however, Arba (“Town of Four”) are wasn’t willing to consider a Matzah established an international make the blessings the four elements comprising corporation which mined Canaanite girl for Isaac, so he every Shabbos. the physical swamps for high-grade sent his faithful Please have your body; Hebron (“attachment” diamonds, whose presence servant Eliezer to his own chaplain / Rabbi ) is the fusion of matter and was indicated by a certain hometown of Aram Naharaim contact us to enroll spirit that is (available to all type of slime on the surface— (modern-day northern Syria) life; Canaan(“commerce”) to find a suitable girl for Isaac. Grape Juice & & Juice Grape a technique he perfected prisons). refers to the soul’s based on his experiences. Eliezer successfully “investment” into physical discharged this mission and Hyman & Martha Rogal Center One of the most famous life for the sake of gleaning returned 5804 Beacon Street pieces of real estate on earth Pittsburgh, PA 15217 spiritual “profit” from the to Canaan with Rebecca. is the Cave of experience.) And the 412-421-0111 The Torah relates the entire Fax: 412-521-5948 Machpelah (also known as chassidic masters explain that account of Eliezer’s mission www.alephne.org the “Cave of the Patriarchs”) life is a double-decker cave— in great detail, repeating entire [email protected] in Hebron. As recounted in “a house with a loft above it.” segments of the story several chapter 23 Some arrive at the journey of Genesis, Abraham purchas times. Generally speaking, the endowed with resources: a ed the cave and surrounding Torah is “stingy” with words; lofty soul, a refined character, field as a burial place for his many laws of the Torah are a genius mind. These are wife, Sarah, making it the derived from a seemingly IN JEWISH HISTORY superfluous word, or even an extra letter. Sunday, November 8, 2020 --- 21 Cheshvan, 5781 The Midrash therefore concludes that “beautiful are the Passing of R. David Ibn Zimra (1574) words of the servants of the Patriarchs more than the R. David ibn Zimra, known by the acronym Radvaz, was a great Torah of their children.” rabbi and scholar who led the Jewish communities of Egypt and Safed for sixty years. Radvaz was held in high esteem by his What is so special about the “words of the servants of the contemporaries, and is the author of 3000 responsa, covering a vast Patriarchs”? What is the lesson the Torah wants us to array of topics. Among his more famous students are R. Isaac derive from Eliezer’s mission? Luria (the Ari) and R. Betzalel Ashkenazi (author of Shitah One characteristic of Eliezer’s mission which is quite Mekubetzes). It is said that Elijah the Prophet revealed himself to blatant is his tremendous focus. When he arrived in Aram him. Naharaim, he didn’t first go around town to see the local attractions. In fact, he didn’t even check in to the local Monday, November 9, 2020 --- 22 Cheshvan, 5781 Hilton to rest from his journey. Instead, he went straight Lisbon Earthquake (1755) to work, immediately A great earthquake struck Lisbon, Portugal, destroying much of the city including the courthouse of the Inquisition. starting the search for Isaac’s future wife. Even after he found Rebecca and deemed her worthy for his master’s Tuesday, November 10, 2020 --- 23 Cheshvan, 5781 son, he still didn’t allow himself to relax. When he was Hasmonean Holiday (137 BCE) invited to Rebecca’s home, and the entire family sat down In Talmudic times, Cheshvan 23 was commemorated as the day on to eat, he proclaimed, “I will not eat until I have spoken which the stones of the altar which were defiled by the Greeks were my words . I am Abraham’s servant . .” removed from the Holy Temple. Because he was so focused on his duty, constantly aware that he was merely an envoy of Abraham, he realized that Wednesday, November 11, 2020 --- 24 Cheshvan, 5781 he had all of Abraham’s miraculous powers at his Passing of R. Avraham Azulai (1643) disposal. Therefore, instead of hiring a private R. Avraham was a famous kabbalist who resided investigator to find the best and most virtuous girl in in Hebron, Jerusalem, and Gaza. He authored Chesed L’Avraham, town, he went to the well and beseeched G-d for a sign and was the great-grandfather of R. Chaim Yosef David from heaven which would identify the right maiden. And Azulai (the Chida). he succeeded. When Rebecca’s family requested that she R. Avraham’s signature had the appearance of a ship, to be given several months to prepare herself for marriage— commemorate the time when the ship he was traveling on capsized along with all his possessions, and he was miraculously saved a seemingly reasonable demand—Eliezer responded: “Do (Shem Hagedolim). not delay me . Send me away, and I will go to my master.” And he got his way. He didn’t feel compelled to Thursday, November 12, 2020 --- 25 Cheshvan, 5781 comply with societal norms or standards; he knew that his Passing of R. Efraim Eliezer Yolles (1988) mission would succeed even if he were asking for the R. Efraim Eliezer was an influential rabbi in Philadelphia who impossible. enjoyed a close relationship with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, with We, too, are emissaries. We were sent to this world by the whom he corresponded regularly. He would often pay a visit to the Almighty to create a marriage, to bring together two Rebbe in conjunction with Sukkot, Passover, and/or Shavuot, opposites—Creator and creation. We can and will quoting the Talmudic passage, “One must greet his teacher during accomplish this task, because we go not with our own the holiday.” powers, but with the G-dly powers which G-d invested within us in order to accomplish this feat. We can Friday, November 13, 2020 --- 26 Cheshvan, 5781 transform ourselves, our families and acquaintances, and Passing of R. Refael of Hamburg (1803) indeed all of creation into spiritual entities, suitable to be R. Refael was the chief rabbi of the three sister cities of Altona, G-d’s bride.