ב ס ״ ד Torah Our in Life population. After 12 years of let him live with the It seems like the ultimate subjugation, the five kings consequences? Why did Weekly codependent relationship. In rebel. War breaks out, and Lot Abraham not make a clean this week’s Torah portion we is taken prisoner. When break from Lot? Why did he Abraham hears the news, he keep swooping in to save Lot 3-9 November, 2019 are introduced to a shadowy 5-11 Cheshvan, 5780 character named immediately swings into action from himself? Was it classic Torah: Genesis 12:1-17:27.8 Lot, Abraham’s nephew. and personally goes into battle codependency, or was there Haftorah: Isaiah 40:27-41:16 Through his relationship with to rescue Lot. At this point, another dynamic at play? PARSHAT LECH- Abraham, Lot grows wealthy does Lot gratefully, meekly Perhaps Abraham saw potential LECHA and powerful, but that’s what return to Abraham’s court? He in Lot and kept trying to bring it does not. He continues living to the fore. Chassidic teachings We have Jewish starts the rift between them. Abraham is always careful to with the corrupt Sodomites and explain that Lot represents the

Calendars. If you muzzle his cattle when passing even becomes a leader among part of the mind that is uncouth, would like one, them. Eventually, matters come unrefined. (Torah Ohr, Lech please send us a through the fields of others. Lot’s shepherds let his animals to a head, and the evil of Sodom Lecha 22b.) It’s the part that letter and we will reaches the heavens. G-d behaves unpredictably, send you one, or graze wherever they please. Their argument is that G-d has comes to a verdict: The city of sometimes shamefully; the part

Calendars ask the promised to give the land Sodom must be destroyed. G-d that gets us into scrapes time Rabbi/Chaplain to of Canaan to Abraham, and shares the news with his trusted and again; the part that can drag

contact us. Abraham has no children, so it servant Abraham, who us to the most desolate, proceeds to pray on behalf of degraded places—our personal Do you have family will all go to Lot. Therefore, they feel they are justified in the people of Sodom. He is Sodom. We try to distance on the outside letting Lot’s animals loose in unable to find a quorum of ourselves, but can never quite struggling? anyone’s field. To Abraham, righteous people in whose escape from our Lot. And Please contact or this is utterly unacceptable. merit the city should be saved. perhaps, on some level, we have them contact Although G-d has promised the But Lot, at least, is spared the don’t want to. And this is our office to learn land to his descendants, he has calamity. When the angels something that Abraham more about our not yet taken possession, and appear to rescue Lot, though, he bequeathed to us, his family programs. thus has no rights to his is none too eager to join them. descendants: We will never You and they are neighbors’ fields. In any case, The angels drag him away, and give up on our Lot, whether it’s

Family Programs not alone, we are Lot is not the ultimate heir. To he escapes with his life only a wayward child, an annoying here to help. make matters worse, Lot moments before the city is neighbor—or ourselves. We resembles Abraham physically, destroyed. The final straw is don’t give up because even the

(Rashi on Genesis 13:8; when Lot’s daughters awaken most unrefined and We offer free Grape to the destruction around them embarrassing person has Juice and Matzoh Bereishit Rabbah 41:6). so his behavior reflects negatively on and assume that they are the potential waiting to be for you to be able to Abraham as well. Finally, only ones left. They get their discovered. Lot’s two make the blessings Abraham issues an ultimatum: father drunk and become daughters produced two sons, every Shabbos. “Please, let us go our separate pregnant from him. News soon who grew into two mighty Please have your ways. If you go to the left, I will spreads of Lot’s incestuous nations, and . chaplain / Rabbi go to the right. If you go to the relationship with his daughters, From Moab descended Ruth, contact us to enroll right, I will go to the left.” and Abraham is forced to move the famous convert who (available to all (Genesis 13:9.) For Lot, this away in shame. (Genesis 20:1; became the great-grandmother Grape Juice & Matzah prisons). should have been an see Rashi’s commentary.) The of King . From Ammon

opportunity for self- common thread in this saga is descended Naamah, wife of Hyman & Martha Rogal Center reflection—to improve his that Abraham is repeatedly King , and mother of 5804 Beacon Street ways and not lose his disappointed and humiliated by his firstborn son and Pittsburgh, PA 15217 the behavior of his nephew, yet heir, . Thus, the 412-421-0111 relationship with his revered Uncle Abraham. Instead, Lot he bails him out time and again lineage of the dynasty of David, Fax: 412-521-5948 Abraham was a leader—a and by extension Moshiach, www.alephne.org agrees to part and sets up house comes through Lot. Abraham [email protected] among the most depraved highly motivational person— people then in existence—the and it must have pained him foresaw that Lot would be a

residents of Sodom. Not long greatly not to be able to exert forebear of King David and afterward, four strong kings more influence on his nephew. Moshiach. On the verse pick a battle with five weak But Lot was his own person in Psalms, “I have found my kings, including the king of who made his own decisions. servant David,” (Psalms Sodom, and subdue the Why did Abraham not simply 89:21.) the Midrash comments, IN JEWISH HISTORY November 4, 2019- 6 Cheshvan, 5780 “Where did He find him? In Maimonides Visits Jerusalem ((1165)) Sodom!” (Bereishit Rabbah 41:4.) The legacy of Lot is After leaving Morocco and before settling in that no circumstance in life is so low or so depraved that Egypt, Maimonides visited Jerusalem and prayed at the site of the Holy no good can come from it. Abraham’s rescue of Lot Temple. Three days later, on 9 MarCheshvan, he visited Hebron and empowers us to rescue ourselves and each other from the prayed at the Cave of Machpelah. Maimonides resolved to keep these pits of Sodom—as many times as it takes—until we’ve two days—6 and 9 MarCheshvan—as a personal holiday (Charedim ch. refined our Lot to the utmost, and the world is finally ready 65 [5744 ed.). for Moshiach. By Chaya Shochet November 5, 2019- 7 Cheshvan, 5780 Go Ahead, Ask for a Miracle! Dear reader, Are you ever Last Jew comes home (2nd Temple Era) During the Second Temple Era (circa 230 BCE), Cheshvan 7 was the filled with such despair that you feel like your life is date on which the Jew most distant from the Holy Temple -- who resided hopeless? In such moments, prayer is the opportunity on the banks of the Euphrates River, a 15-day journey's distance from that G-d offers us to communicate with Him, to turn to our Jerusalem -- arrived at his homestead upon returning from the Sukkot Creator for comfort and salvation. And yet, during such pilgrimage. All Jews would wait for this before beginning to pray for challenging times, as you pray, do you ever hear yourself rain. Cheshvan 7 thus marked the return to everyday activities following thinking: “Now, hold on, this is too much to be asking. the spirituality of the festival-rich month of Tishrei. There’s just no way that G-d is going to move heaven and November 5, 2019- 7 Cheshvan, 5780 earth to grant me this request. Maybe I should ask for Passing of R. Meir Shapiro (1933) something a little bit more realistic, a tad more practical.” Passing of Rabbi Meir Shapiro of Lublin, founder of the daily "page a In the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, G-d day" regimen of Talmudic study known as Daf Yomi. promises Abraham to make him “into a great nation.” November 8, 2019- 10 Cheshvan, 5780 Years later, after undergoing trials and tribulations, G-d Birth of Gad reassures Abraham and tells him, “Fear not, Abram; I am Gad, the son of Jacob and Zilpah, seventh of the Twelve Tribes, was your shield; your reward is exceedingly great.” Abraham born on the 10th of MarCheshvan. He lived to be 125 years old. (Yalkut responds, “Behold, You have given me no seed.” Of what Shimoni, Shemot, remez 162) purpose is all that You are blessing me with if I cannot have November 8, 2019- 10 Cheshvan, 5780 a child of my own to continue after me? At this point, “G-d Passing of R. Jonah of Gerona (1263) took him outside and said, ‘Gaze now toward the heavens R. Jonah was a thirteenth-century scholar who lived in Spain. Although and count the stars, if you are able to count them!’ And G-d originally opposed to Maimonides’ philosophical works (most notably, said to him, ‘So shall be your offspring!’” (Genesis 15:5) his Guide for the Perplexed), he later changed his views, and even vowed Rashi questions the need for bringing Abraham outdoors. to travel to Maimonides’ gravesite to posthumously beg for forgiveness. Simply understood, G-d was taking Abraham out of his (He indeed began the long journey, but passed away before completing tent to see the stars outdoors, since his children would be it.)R. Jonah authored Shaarei Teshuvah (an ethical work on repentance), as numerous as them. But on a deeper level, G-d was a commentary on R. Isaac Al-Fasi’s halachic compendium, and a implying to Abraham that he needs to step outside the commentary on Ethics of the Fathers, among other works. natural order and rely on G-d’s miracles. Abraham said: Others date his passing as 1 or 28 MarCheshvan. “Master of the universe, I have studied my astrological November 9, 2019- 11 Cheshvan, 5780 pattern, and it is clear that I will not sire a son.” G-d Passing of Methuselah (2105 BCE) responded, “Go outside the sphere of the stars, because no Methuselah, the longest-lived human being of all time, died at the age of stars control the destiny of Israel!” Rav Yehudah said in 969 years on the 11th of Cheshvan of the year 1656 from creation (2105 the name of Rav: “How do we know that no star controls BCE) -- exactly seven days before the beginning of the Great Flood. the destiny of Israel? From the verse “He took him Methuselah was Adam's great-great-great-great-great-grandson and outside.” (Talmud, Shabbos 156a) Abraham realized that Noah's grandfather. according to the rules of nature, he was not destined to have November 9, 2019- 11 Cheshvan, 5780 a child. He realized that naturally Sarah would not have a Rachel (1553 BCE) child. But G-d was telling him: a Jew must go outside—he The matriarch Rachel died in childbirth on the 11th of Cheshvan of the year must leave the natural order, because his prayer has the 2208 from creation (1553 BCE) while giving birth to her second son, power to reach his infinite G-d, who extends beyond the Benjamin. Rachel was born in Aram (Mesopotamia) approximately 1585 sphere of this world. Prayer can create the miraculous by BCE. Her father was Laban, the brother of Jacob's mother, Rebecca. Jacob elevating us beyond the natural order. Indeed, thirteen came to Laban's home in 1576 BCE, fleeing the wrath of his brother Esau. years later, when that miraculous son is born to Abraham He fell in love with Rachel and worked for seven years tending Laban's and Sarah, he is called Yitzchak (Isaac), which means sheep in return for her hand in marriage. But Laban deceived his nephew, “laughter.” From this son of laughter descends the great and on the morning after the wedding Jacob discovered that he had married nation of laughter with whom G-d establishes His special Rachel's elder sister, Leah. Laban agreed to give him Rachel as a wife as bond. Because the very essence of the Jew and his well in return for another seven years' labor. Rachel was childless for many existence is forever a laughing, miraculous wonder— years, while her elder sister and rival gave birth to six sons and a daughter explainable only through our prayers and our deep bond in succession. Finally, in 1562 BCE, she gave birth to Joseph. Nine years with our Creator.By Chana Weisberg later, while Jacob and his family were on the road to Jacob's ancestral home in Hebron (after a 22-year absence), she gave birth to a second son, but died in childbirth. Jacob buried her by the roadside, in Bethlehem; there, "Rachel weeps over her children, for they are gone [in exile]" (Jeremiah 31:14). Her tomb has served as a place of prayer for Jews for more than 35 centuries.