Vayetze, וַיֵּצֵא

Yaakov suffers..  His is a hard lot, symbolized by the rock he puts his head on.  He is born into strife with his brother, and it follows him into his marriages and family life. He works tirelessly only to be cheated by his father in law, and, ever lurking in the background, is a brother […]

Maybe our feelings are angels, divine messengers sent to help us heal and grow.  This parsha begins with angels (the ones  in Yaakov’s ladder dream), and it ends with angels.  I’d like to focus on the less well known concluding angels.  After Yaakov leaves Haran with his family to return home, Lavan chases him in

The Torah portrays a world in which God does care about a single person, no matter how messed up. (Click image to read more)

Holding one of my children and stroking her hair, listening to her breathing, I feel a wave of gratitude wash over me. We are both awake and very still. I feel full, fuller than I thought possible. There is nothing more I could want in this world than this child. Thank you, God, for this

This week’s parsha is framed by angels. At its start, as Yaakov leaves home, running away from his angry brother, he lies down and dreams of angels going up and down a ladder. The story then unfolds about his adventures away from home, in Haran — his years of work for Lavan, his marriages and