Parshat Toldot

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November 26, 2011 29 Cheshvan, 5772

Torah

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on Parshat Toldot

The other face of Esau commands the people: "You are about to pass Last year, in Covenant through the territory of and Conversation, I your brothers the pointed out the other descendants of Esau, who side of the Esau story. live in Seir. They will be There is a midrashic afraid of you, but be very tradition that paints careful. Do not provoke him in dark colours. them to war, for I will not But there is a counter- give you any of their land, tradition that sets him not even enough to put in a more positive light. your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of First, Esau was indeed Seir as his own" (Deut. 2: blessed by Isaac. In 4-5) Esau's children and fact, his blessing came their territorial integrity true long before were to be respected. Jacob's did. The Torah emphasises the point: Third, the sages admired "These are the kings of Esau's intense love and Edom [i.e. the devotion toward Isaac. descendants of Esau] Rabban Shimon ben who ruled before any Gamliel said: "No man king reigned over ever honored his father as Israel" (Gen. 36: 31). I honored mine, but I Esau's descendants found that Esau honored were settled in their his father more than I land while Jacob and honored mine." The Zohar his children were states that "No one in the enduring exile. world honored his father as Esau honored his." Second, Moses commands the The result is a Israelites: "Do not hate significantly more an Edomite, for he is nuanced portrait of Esau, your brother" (Deut. the son Isaac loved. 23: 8). G-d too One reader, however, asked me the following question: How could I say this in the light of the verse from Malachi: "I have loved you," says the Lord. "But you ask, 'How have you loved us?' "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" the LORD says. "Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated . . ." The question is fundamental. The answer is, firstly, that the verb s-n-', which usually means "to hate," has a different meaning in biblical Hebrew when contrasted with the verb "to love." Then it means not "hated" but "loved less intensely, less intimately." That, as Ramban and Radak point out, is what it means in the passage: "Jacob cohabited with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah . . . When the Lord saw that Leah was

Haftorah

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Shabbat Announcements Parshat Toldot 5772

hated [senuah] . . ." Leah was not hated; she was merely less loved. That too is its meaning in Deuteronomy: "If a man has two wives, one loved, the other hated [senuah] . . ." Here again, the meaning is not "hated" but "less loved." Second, there is the remarkable comment by the Vilna Gaon that the phrase, "Esau I have hated" refers only to "the peripheral part of Esau" not his essence. The verse in Malachi refers to particular historical circumstances. During the First Temple period there were conflicts and wars between the Israelites and Edomites. The prophet Amos attributes particular cruelty to Edom: "He pursued his brother with a sword, stifling all compassion, because his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked" (Amos 1:11). Malachi is therefore speaking about a specific historical era, not eternity. The issue has larger significance because, for the rabbis, Esau/Edom symbolised the Roman Empire, and then (after the conversion of Constantine), Christianity. Ishmael was the Arab world and later, Islam. On the basis of the Vilna Gaon's comments, Rav Kook wrote this about the relationship between Judaism and these two other faiths:

Rav Kook believed that just as in the Torah, Jacob and Esau, Isaac and Ishmael, were eventually reconciled, so will Judaism, Christianity and Islam be in future. They would not cease to be different, but they would learn to respect one another. The point touches upon a fundamental of Judaism. What does it mean when we call Jews "the chosen people"? Does it mean that in choosing Jacob, G-d rejected Esau? Or that in choosing Abraham, G-d rejected humanity? G-d forbid. In the Torah, G-d appears to several nonJews, among them Abraham's contemporary, Malkizedek, described in the Torah as "a priest of G-d most high." One of the great heroines of the Bible, the woman who saves Moses' life, was an Egyptian, Pharaoh's daughter. And so on. We believe as a matter of principle that "the righteous of the nations have a share in the world to come."

When Jacob was chosen, Esau was not rejected. G-d does not reject. "Though my mother and father might abandon me, the Lord will take me in" (Ps. 27: 10). Chosenness means two things: intimacy and responsibility. G-d holds us close Noteworthy in this respect is the statement of and makes special demands on us. Beyond that, Rabbi Elijah Gaon on the verse, "But Esau I hated" G-d is the G-d of all mankind - the Author of all, - "this refers to the peripheral part of Esau, but the who cares for all, and is accessible to all. In an essential part of him, his head, was interred with age of resurgent religious conflict, these are the patriarchs." It is for this reason that the man of truths we must never forget. truth and integrity, Jacob, said [on his reunion with Esau], "I have seen you, and it is like seeing the face of G-d" (Gen. 33: 10). His word shall not go down as a vain utterance. The brotherly love of Esau and Jacob, Isaac and Ishmael, will assert itself above all the confusion that the evil brought on by our bodily nature has engendered. It will overcome them and transform them into eternal light and compassion. (Letters, 1, 112)

Great Neck Synagogue Shabbat Activities Program

Dale Polakoff, Rabbi Ian Lichter, Assistant Rabbi Dr. Ephraim Wolf ,zl, Rabbi Emeritus Daniel Schwechter, Rabbinic Intern Zeev Kron, Cantor Eleazer Schulman, zl, Cantor Emeritus Mark Twersky, Executive Director Avraham Bronstein, Program Director Joseph Hecht, President Harold Domnitch, Chairman of the Board

This year for Thanksgiving GreatNeckSynagogueMensClub you can really give thanks and andtheJewishPoliticalEducationFoundation be giving! Present Buy a Thanksgiving Dinner for a resident at Arrandale Senior Housing and make your parents FormerAmbassadortothe proud of you. $18.00 can sponsor a dinner in honor of/in USandforeignMinisterand memory of your parents MinisterofdefenseofIsrael Name:_______________________________ Phone #__________________________ ProfessorMosheArens Email:_______________________________ OnWednesday, Meals purchased in memory/ in honor of:______________ November23,2011 _______________________________________ at7:30pm Amount enclosed:______ AtGreatNeckSynagogue _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ We are also looking for a limited number of volunteers (ALL AGES) to help serve the dinner, clean up, play music, ProfessorArenswillbespeakingoncurrentIsraeli sing & talk to the residents
I would like to volunteer on Thursday, Nov 24th 11:30 -2 pm Food Server:_______________ FlagsovertheWarsawGhetto Other Talent:____________________ Volunteer Names & Kids Ages: TheUntoldStoryoftheWarsawGhetto

eventsandonhisnewbook

Uprising

HisGroundbreakingWorkBringstoLightNew DetailsoftheleadershipoftheWarsawGhettoUprising 60th Anniversary Dinner Saturday evening December 10, 2011 Honoring Rona & Myles Mittleman Anida & Edwin Rosman Boneh Habayit Vivian Kron

____________________________

Co-Sponsored by: GNS Hunger Initiative, Sisterhood & Womens Tefila For more info: call Nechama at 516-773-3572 or email lisslev@verizon.net Please return to: GNS, 26 Old Mill Road, Great Neck, NY 11023

Gold Page $10,000* Silver Page 7,500* Bronze page 5,000* Twice Chai 3,600* Parchment 2,500* Chai 1,800* Full Page 1,000* Half Page 550* Quarter Page 250 Listing 100 * Includes two reservations to dinner Price for Dinner $550 per couple Please make check payable to: Great Neck Synagogue 26 Old Mill Road Great Neck, NY 11023

2011 JOURNAL CONTRACT YES! Please place my message in the GREAT NECK SYNAGOGUES 60th DINNER JOURNAL. Enclosed is my check in the amount of $________________ for the space indicated. Name____________________________ Address__________________________ City_________ State___________Zip___ Solicited by_________________________

Ad Deadline November 22

ANNOUNCEMENTS
SISTERHOOD MEETING AND CAKE DECORATING DEMONSTRATION The Sisterhood invites everyone to a meeting on Wednesday evening November 30th at 7:00pm in the Braun Youth Center to discuss and plan upcoming events. Immediately following the meeting, we are excited to have Nadine Shatzkes present a cake decorating demonstration. It promises to be a a fun evening! Please RSVP to nshatzkes@gmail.com if you plan to attend. SISTERHOOD PRE-CHANUKAH BOUTIQUE The Sisterhood invites everyone to shop til you drop at our upcoming Pre-Chanukah Boutique at Great Neck Synagogue on Wednesday evening, December 7th from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. We are grateful to Lisa Kagan for organizing. SAVE THE DATE Back by popular demand, the Sisterhood will be having a Shalom Bayit Dinner and Lecture with Rabbi Dale Polakoff on Wednesday evening, February 1st. Details to follow Thank you very much to Susan Sheena for organizing this event.

Within Our Family Mazal Tov to Coby & Nadine Noy on the birth of a baby boy. Mazal Tov also to grandparents Ester & Eliezer Noy.

YOUTH ANNOUNCEMENT We having 2nd annual GNS Youth Shabbat for December 2nd and 3rd. The GNSY staff, and the children will be conducting the services in both the Main Minyan and Beit Midrash Minyan as well. We are asking all GNS parents to encourage their HS aged children to participate in this wonderful Shabbat. Youth members who wish to participate should speak to Rabbi Jensen. If you are interested in having your child take part in this exciting Shabbat, please contact Rabbi Jensen or Yehuda Polakoff. RAFFLE PRIZES We are looking forward to the GNS 60th annual dinner on Saturday evening, December 10th and we invite everyone to donate raffle prizes of goods or services. Some ideas to consider donating include: jewelry, spa packages, air miles, hotel accommodations, electronics, gift certificates, tutoring services, and theatre tickets. We welcome other ideas! Thank you very much in advance for your generosity. Please contact David and Diane Rein at drein@verizon.net or Zachary Mittleman for further information or to make a donation. Thank you. FOOD & DIET Paul Marcus is forming a Jewish Vegetarian Resource Group and all non-meat/poultry/fish eating people should contact Paul at Tibs9@aol.com. BOOK PUBLISHED Paul Marcus & his daughter Gabriela Marcus co-authored a book, Theater as Life. Practical Wisdom Drawn From Great Acting Teachers, Actors and Actresses (Marquette University Press).

LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO CAN PLAY THE PIANO The GNS Hunger Initiative is looking for someone who can play the piano for about a half an hour from 11:45-12:15, on Thursday morning of Thanksgiving at the Arrandale House for seniors as part of our Thanksgiving program. The piano music would be to welcome the seniors to their luncheon. Please either call Nechama at 516=773-3572 or email at lisslev@verizon.net.

MIKVAH The Keylim Mikvah at Great Neck Synagogue is closed for draining and cleaning and will be closed for several weeks. If you have lost anything in the Mikvah, please call the synagogue office, 516 487 6100. RABBI REISMAN Saturday nights at 7:30 pm in the Weinstein Center.

THANKSGIVING WITH SENIORS See page 3 for more info.

FREE EXERCISE CLASS The members of GNS sisterhood are invited to attend a free exercise class at Something Physical 770 Middle Neck Road. 516-205-0043 for more details.

CHESED COLLECTION Will continue for one more day on Sunday, November 27. Coats should be brought to Dr. Paul and Drora Brodys home, 7 Hickory Drive just west of Bayview Avenue between 1:00 and 2:00 pm. HELP WANTED-GNS PR ASSOCIATES Help us promote Great Neck Synagogue events and programs by making sure our flyers and advertisements are all around town! Open also to High School students - compensation/ chesed hours available. For more information, contact Rabbi Bronstein: abronstein@gns.org.

Y A H R Z E I T

Saturday, 29 Cheshvan Gilbert Aronowitz for Betty Luchansky Belle Brotleit for Henry Brotleit Evelyn Henis for Fannie Noah Judy Hoffman for Benjamin Karbowitz Stephen R. Karbowitz for Ben Karbowitz Jeffrey Kaufman for David Lawson Kaufman Gerald Nathel for Fannie Nathel Marvin Rotman for Edith Solomon Rotman Sunday, 1 Kislev Jeffrey Bilfeld for Murray Bilfeld Joseph Hecht for Pinchas Hecht Elizabeth Ort for Lawrence Suss Monday, 2 Kislev Irving Forman for Joseph Forman Elizabeth Katzwer for Leopold Schwartz Cindy Ludwig for Florence Gelber Tuesday, 3 Kislev Anthony Berkowitz for Berney Berkowitz Evelyn Henis for A. Richard Henis Cindy Ludwig for Frank Gelber Friday, 6 Kislev Asher Davoudpour for Aharon Dovid Davoudpour Elliot Diamond for Molly Diamond Shalm Evelyn Henis for Albert Noah