7 December 2019 9 Kislev 5780 Shabbat ends London 4.46pm Jerusalem 5.15pm

Volume 32 No. 11 Artscroll p.144 | Haftarah p.1140 Hertz p.106 | Haftarah p.118 Soncino p.164 | Haftarah p.188

In loving memory of Cecil White, Yaakov Yehoshua ben Hirsch

“Yaakov sent and summoned and … 'It was with all my might that I served your father, yet your father mocked me and changed my wage a hundred times… If he would stipulate: ‘Speckled ones shall be your wages,’ then the entire flock bore speckled ones….” (Bereishit 30:4-8).

1 Sidrah Summary: Vayetze

1st Aliya (Kohen) – Bereishit 28:10-22 with Yaakov. Leah conceives and has a fifth son, On Yaakov’s journey to Charan, he falls asleep Yissachar. This is followed by a sixth, Zevulun. and dreams of a ladder resting on the ground She then has a daughter, . Rachel finally and reaching up to heaven, with angels has a child, Yosef. Yaakov demands that Lavan ascending and descending. God is at the top of let him return home after all his years of work. the ladder, telling Yaakov that he will inherit the Point to Consider : What is the connection Land and that he will have plentiful offspring. between the birth of Yosef and Yaakov’s demand Yaakov wakes up, having realised the holiness of to leave? (see Rashi to 30:25) the place, which is where the Temple would later be built (Rashi). He builds an altar and takes a 5th Aliya (Chamishi) – 30:28-31:16 vow committing to serve God fully (Ramban). Lavan asks Yaakov to stay on and to specify his payment. Yaakov replies that he will keep 2nd Aliya () – 29:1-17 the plain-looking animals currently in the flock, Yaakov travels eastwards. He sees a well in a and any offspring born to them with unusual- field, covered by a large stone. The local patterned skin. Yaakov becomes very shepherds tell Yaakov that the daughter of his prosperous. Lavan’s sons accuse Yaakov of uncle Lavan is approaching. Yaakov moves the theft. God tells Yaakov to return to Cana’an boulder blocking the well and waters Rachel’s immediately. Rachel and Leah agree to leave. flock. He kisses Rachel and weeps. 6th Aliya (Shishi) – 31:17-42 Question : How many flocks of sheep were Yaakov’s entire family leaves. Lavan finds this out beside the well when Yaakov arrived at the three days later and chases after Yaakov, field? (29:2) Answer on bottom of page 6 . catching up with him at Mount Gilad. God appears to Lavan in a dream, telling him not to 3rd Aliya (Shlishi) – 29:18-30:13 harm Yaakov. Lavan criticises Yaakov for fleeing Yaakov wants to marry Rachel, the younger and for stealing his idols. Yaakov denies the latter sister of Leah, and offers to work for Lavan for charge, unaware that Rachel was hiding them. seven years as payment. Although Lavan agrees, Yaakov also defends his record in Lavan’s house, when the time comes, he tricks Yaakov, where he worked tirelessly, despite Lavan’s swapping Rachel for Leah. Lavan defends his trickery. actions and agrees to let Yaakov marry Rachel a week later, if he works for another seven years. 7th Aliya (Shevi’i) – 31:43-32:3 Leah, unlike Rachel, is blessed with children: Lavan proposes a peace treaty, which Yaakov Reuven, Shimon, Levi and Yehuda. Rachel gives agrees to, symbolised by a stone monument built Yaakov her maidservant Bilhah to conceive ‘on by Yaakov’s sons. Lavan and Yaakov part ways. her behalf’. Bilhah gives birth to and Naftali. Leah then gives Yaakov her maidservant , Haftarah who gives birth to and . The haftarah, according to the general United Synagogue custom, is taken from the 4th Aliya (Revi’i) – 30:14-27 Book of Hoshea (ch. 12-14). The prophet Reuven finds some dudaim (jasmine – Rashi) in Hoshea rebukes the tribe of Ephraim for their the field and brings them to his mother Leah. rebelliousness, warning them of the dire Rachel asks for some of the jasmine. Leah agrees, consequences. However, they will ultimately but only in return for the right to sleep that night return to God, Who will welcome them back.

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2 Monk vs Warrior by Rev Shmully Aaronson, Sutton Synagogue

We read this week of how We are not instructed to go around the world Yaakov leaves his childhood preaching the values of Judaism and Ethical home in Be’er Sheva and Monotheism. Rather, by living lives according to arrives in Charan. The these values, others will be similarly inspired. Midrash tells us that, up to this point in his life, he had In Judaism, spiritual growth has never been exclusively been studying about solely achieving personal and ethical Torah. All that time he was a greatness. It is not a self-serving religion. We are “ ” (see Bereshit ch.25 v.27) – Yoshev Ohalim indeed charged with a mission of literally a dweller of tents, of study – whilst (character development), butT itkhuan t secluding himself from the outside world. Only Hmaumstm leidaodt to – bettering this world. now, as he prepares to set up his family and That is a rTeiskpuonn Osilbamilit y which cannot be father the Jewish nation does God send him out discharged while living alone in the mountains to face the “real world”. It is a place where he or in a tent. must learn to deal with all sorts of people. It is a world that tests him with challenges the likes of which he had never faced before. Had Yaakov only concentrated on developing his own closeness to God and not gone out and raised a large family, the nation of Israel would Some might think that in order to live a spiritual never have come into being. Who would have life, close to God, one must insulate oneself from been that “light unto the nations”? outside influences. Indeed, it is easier to be a monk in the mountains; it is much harder when we are continuously tested and distracted Vayetzei teaches us to be warriors in the world from spiritual matters. But even though we are not monks in the mountains. spiritual beings, God has given us a human experience in this world. It is through these experiences that we live, make mistakes, learn and ultimately grow and develop.

Indeed, as we read in next week’s portion, Yaakov tells his brother Esav (ibid 32:5) “ ”, I lived with Lavan. Rashi cIomm mLaevnatsn, Gwaitrhti a play on the word , “ ”, I kept the g6a1rt3i cVo’mTamryaangd mmeintztvso. tT hshea vmaalurtei s that Yaakov had learnt earlier in his life kept him strong in the face of challenges and tests from the world around him.

As a Jewish nation, we have a responsibility to be an – a light unto the nations – as statOedh ri nL athgeo yBim ook of Isaiah (49:6): “It is too little that you just be My servant ... I will also make you a light unto the nations”. Isaiah indicates that being this light is an extension of being a true servant of God.

In memory of Mordechai Avraham ben Nechemia 3 Jewish Contemporary Ethics Part 48: Artificial Intelligence 5 – Artificial General Intelligence 2 by Rabbi Dr Moshe Freedman, New West End Synagogue

The previous article gap between the spiritual and physical worlds discussed the difficulty (Pirkei Avot 5:1 and Megillah 21b) and brings our of considering human-like abstract thoughts into reality. This is perhaps why Artificial Intelligence (AI), the golem, the animated humanoid created by the known as Artificial General Talmudic sage Rava, could not speak, for it had Intelligence (AGI) as alive no soul (Sanhedrin 65b and see the previous or conscious in a human article). The message at Babel was that while sense. Yet it is important to mankind has dominion over the physical stuff of try to understand the deeper motives for creation, only God can create life itself. humankind striving to create evermore life-like replicas of themselves. Similarly, the Midrash explains that a name describes the essence of the creature or person it From the dawn of humanity, philosophers have is given to. For example, the name Adam argued and grappled with what makes us human. describes the fact that mankind was created from Ever since the Enlightenment, the central role of , the ground (Bereishit Rabbah 17:4). At God as creator has been challenged by those aBdaabmela, h the desire to create a ‘name’ for who employ scientific advances as proof for themselves could be understood as the idolatrous God’s redundancy, as they perceive it. Not only attempt to replace God with man as Supreme are we viewed as merely another form of animal, Creator of life (see Seforno on Bereishit 11:4). modern neuroscience questions our very sense of being – our consciousness, sense of free will Rabbi Meir Leibush (d. 1879) associated the verb and notion of self. The ability of humanity to arb (bara) with the concept of creation – replicate itself artificially, without requiring the from nothing, something only God ceoxu nldih ildo o. biological seeds of life, will serve to both This verb is used for the creation of the world, the corroborate this aggressive secular agenda and beginning of life and creation of humanity see man replace God as supreme creator. (Bereishit 1:1, 1:21 and 1:27), implying a Divine act. In contrast the verb rxy (yatzar) means to God created us in image (Bereishit 1:26). The form and craft from the physical materials which attempts to make Hmis ankind in our image, rather already exist (Malbim on Genesis 1:24). than God’s image imply a desire to overreach our place in this world, the precedent for which does God’s message to humanity was that while not end well. Shortly after the flood in Noah's mankind is permitted to use the world’s raw time, the ancients who were united with one materials to advance new technology, mankind language ( . 11:1) attempted to build a tower in ibid could never create life itself. The difference Babel to reach the heavens in order to “make for between the inanimate and the animate must ourselves a name, lest we be scattered upon the necessarily remain a mystery. face of the entire earth” ( . 4). God thwarted their actions by confusing tihbeid ir language ( . 7). The Hebrew word used for 'confusiinbgid ' is ' ', which is why in English we refer to unneinvtaelallihgible speech as a similar sounding word, ‘babbling’.

During this episode, the Torah highlights the unity of language and the goal of creating a ‘name’. Speech is the creative force which bridges the

In memory of Tzemach ben Yisrael 4 Sefer Yehoshua (the Book of Joshua) – Chapter 3 – Crossing the Jordan by Hannah , US Living & Learning Project Executive

from before Bnei Yisrael, until they had Chapter overview passed over and …" Yehoshua issued clear their hearts melted instructions for crossing (see 5:1) the River Jordan. The The second reason was to build up Yehoshua’s (the Ark of the CovenAaronnt) stature in the eyes of the nation: led the way, carried by Cohanim two thousand "This day will I begin to make you great in the cubits (approximately 1km) ahead of the people. eyes of all Israel, that they should know that just as I was with Moshe, so I will be with Yehoshua told the people to prepare for the next you." (see 3:7) day, when God would perform miracles. He commanded the Cohanim to walk backwards and The third reason is that this would strengthen the forwards with the Aron so that all of the people faith of Bnei Yisrael: would see it, presumably to reassure them. He " then told the people of a miracle that God would With this you sha, lal nkdn othwa t tHhaet wthille w liitvhionug t perform, with strong parallels to the splitting of fGaoil dd riisv ea mouotn fgro ymo ubefore you the Canaanite, the Sea of Reeds when they left Egypt. the Hittite…" (see 3:10) When the Cohanim carrying the Aron entered the Finally, the people were instructed to tell their Jordan, the river stopped flowing downstream. children, just like the mitzvah of recounting the The Aron and people crossed on dry land. This Exodus at the Seder: took place on 10 Nisan, (see Yehoshua 4:19), before the people’s first Pesach in the Land. “When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying: ‘What are these Why did the waters of the Jordan need to stones?’, you shall explain to your children: part? Israel came over the Jordan here on dry land – The Jordan, especially close to Jericho, is not for God dried up the waters of Jordan in front very wide, deep or particularly fast-flowing and of you, until you passed over, as the Lord your crossing points already existed (see 2:7). This is God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up in in enormous contrast to the Sea of Reeds. Why front of us, until we passed over. (He did this) would crossing the River Jordan require a similar so that all the nations of the world would form of miracle? know God’s great power (and) so you would fear God for ever" (see 4:21-25). The answers of Rabbi Menachem Leibtag (www.tanach.org) Stopping the waters of Rabbi Leibtag, a prominent Tanach teacher in the Jordan River was Israel, suggests four reasons why this miracle indeed a miracle that was needed, each supported by a verse in our served many purposes – chapter as well as in chapters four and five. even though it was not needed for Bnei Yisrael The first reason was to instil fear into the hearts of to get across the river! the nations of Canaan, otherwise they would have surely attacked Bnei Yisrael: "When all the kings of the Amorites… and all the kings of the Canaanites…, heard how Source: Google Earth God had dried up the waters of the Jordan

In memory of Bayla Bat Gershon 5 – Dr Judith Grunfeld l’’z Shefford

Our teachers had heard about this wave of Dr Judith Grunfeld was the headmistress of the disappointment and had decided that they would Jewish Secondary School in Stamford Hill in 1939. visit the houses, one by one, and speak to the In this fourth extract from her book, Dr Grunfeld villagers and explain the situation to them; explain describes the evacuees first day in Bedfordshire, to them that these were Jewish children and that a Friday, prior to Shabbat with non-Jewish foster they were brought up to obey the “Law of Israel”, families. that they had been taught to observe the dietary On the corner of Shefford High Street, in the open laws according to the Bible, that some of them air, I had my first meeting with the members of had just come over from Nazi persecution, could my staff. It was the first time I could check who not speak English and consequently were unable of the staff had arrived with us in Shefford. to explain why they had to refuse the truly We realised that those who were missing from delicious meal which had been so thoughtfully, the scene would be in Stotfold, Clifton or nay so lovingly, prepared for them, but that they Meppershall. Teachers and helpers told me of were, nevertheless, truly and sincerely grateful for the great difficulties that our children had all the kindness shown to them. encountered when they arrived in the foster- homes. The streets of the village were shared out among the teachers on that first Friday afternoon, Everywhere a welcoming meal with some Ampthill Road, New Street, etc. To each street especially nice things had been prepared for one or two teachers were allotted the task them. Foster parents and their own families had of going from house to house to try to explain been eagerly watching the new additions to their the situation and to clear away the household and had joyfully anticipated how they misunderstandings. They went on their rounds. would relish the first meal, a ham omelette, that They found courtesy and a calm acceptance of token of welcome that had been so lovingly their words. But how many families they prepared for them. And everywhere it had been succeeded in enlightening about the underlying the same story. The children, shy and tired, had motives of these children’s behaviour on that day not touched the meal, had shaken their heads we do not know. and hardly sipped a few drops of tea. They had showed signs of embarrassment. Some had been able to say a few words of “thank you” that Reproduced with permission. obviously came from their hearts, but they had all succeeded in creating in those village homes an atmosphere of disappointment and frustration. What on earth was the matter with these children? Were they just awkward, ungrateful and troublesome?

At the baker’s, over the garden fence, at the fishmonger’s and at the post office, neighbours exchanged tales about the unappreciative evacuees. This tale was confirmed everywhere. Disappointment, annoyance and anger was gradually gathering momentum all round. But this was only the beginning – there was more yet to come. It was getting darker and shadows fell.

They gathered round the innocent heads of our

e e r h t : r e w s n sleeping children and formed dark clouds there. A

In memory of Moshe ben Avraham Zarach 6