Rabbi Jim: Still Learning

There is a Jacob in Each Generation According to  Midrash  Breisheet  Rabbah  (56:7) there is a “Jacob” in each generation. Why would the  Midrash  say this?  Because Jacob is the most “real” of our forefathers in Genesis. He is the most accessible role model. Jacob is the Jew who struggles.     In this week’s  parasha  we see Jacob evolve from a fearful youth on the run into a complex individual. Neither the passive actor in Rebekah’s plot to deceive Isaac, nor the naïve groom in Laban’s schemes, Jacob finally comes into his own.     The turning point occurs when Jacob and his family flee the scheming Laban.  When Laban catches up with  them  he accuses them of stealing his  traphim  – the family idols. As he stands by silently, watching Laban search his wives’ belongings, Jacob’s anger grows until he can’t take it any more :  “ What is my crime, what is my sin?!” Jacob is through being the victim. He stands up to his father-in-law, details what ...

 What Do You Have to Do to Get a Parsha Named After You?      Other than "sponsoring" (read: donating) a  parsha  when a school or congregation commissions a new  Torah scroll, it's really too late to have a  parsha  named after you. But have you ever wondered how  certain parashiyot  were originally named?  There are six portions named after people: three after non-Jews ( Noach,  Yitro ,  and  Balak) and three named for Jews (Chaye Sarah, Korach and Pinchas.)    While in some cases the person named played a key role in  that  week’s portion, in other weeks the person is actually mentioned  after  some great event in their life. For instance, the  parsha  named for Sarah describes her death in the first verse.     Another idea might be that the people for whom portions are named were all great people, but Balak and Korach certainly weren’t “good guys” as described in their  parashiyot .     The truth is the   parashiyot  were given ...