Parashat Vayishlach, along with the dramatic reunion of Jacob with Esau, presents us with a spiritual blueprint for navigating change and confrontation. In our Parsha, Jacob outlines a practical roadmap for genuine, lasting transformation—both personal and societal—rooted in a focus on Torah, Mitzvot, and Tefilah.
1. Limud: Deepening Our Understanding
Before meeting with Esau, Jacob pauses, and begins with the crucial step of Limud (Study and Knowledge). Instead of acting on decades-old assumptions about his brother, he investigates Esau’s current disposition. From this we learn that profound change must be based upon intellectual clarity. Whether it is through the study of Torah or the intensive investigation of systemic injustice, effective tikkun (repair) demands that we first ask: What is the verifiable reality of the situation we face, and what is the knowledge required to meet it?
2. Ma'asim: Applying Our Learning
Once informed of the danger, Jacob translates his knowledge into calculated action, dividing his camp into two. The Ramban emphasizes that Jacob’s division was a military and psychological strategy: preparing for the inevitability of confrontation while simultaneously organizing in order to seek appeasement.
This is Mitzvot (Ma'asim, or Applied Action). Knowledge gathered through Limud must be actualized through physical deeds. Practical mitzvot are necessary in order for us to remake our immediate environment. Jacob’s actions were not passive fatalism; they were an active, strategic application of what he had learned, designed to maximize the chance of survival and healing. Like Jacob, we bring about change only when we commit ourselves to action in the real world.
3. Tefilah: Reminding Ourselves of the Vision
The third step in Jacob’s preparation is his iconic prayer (Genesis 32:10-13). This is the act of Tefilah (Prayer)—not a magical wish, but rather a reminder of God’s vision for ourselves and for our world.
Jacob’s prayer is striking for its blend of profound gratitude (“I am unworthy of all the kindness and all the faithfulness”) and genuine fear (“Please deliver me… for I fear him”). The Sages teach that this blend is the essence of prayer: it is both hoda’ah (gratitude for the past) and bakasha (request for the future).
Tefilah anchors us in the covenental should-be of the world, providing the spiritual foundations which helps us sustain our actions. It reminds us of the why—the divine vision—giving us strength to persevere when the path of action seems impossible.
Jacob emerges from his struggle redefined as Yisrael—one who strives with God and humanity. His process—Limud, Ma'asim, Tefilah—is a basic roadmap for transformation. As rabbis, our charge is to move both ourselves and our community, our people and our nation, beyond personal striving to collective repair: to study the brokenness of the world, to act strategically to repair it, and constantly to hold the vision of redemption in our hearts. This is the enduring mandate which Jacob models for us in our parsha this week.
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Rabbi Donald Goor, Rabbi Emeritus at Temple Judea, Tarzana, CA, grew up in San Diego, California, as the son of a rabbi. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with honors. In 1987, he was ordained as a Reform rabbi at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. In 1996 Rabbi Goor was appointed the first out, Gay rabbi to serve a mainstream, straight congregation. He co-founded the HOPE Network and the Valley Interfaith Council’s Homeless Project. Rabbi Goor also served as Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health at HUC-JIR Los Angeles. He is proud to have served as editor of L’chol Zman V’yet – The CCAR Life-cycle Guide. After serving Temple Judea for 26 years, Rabbi Goor now lives in Tel Aviv, having made Aliyah in June 2013. He serves as the Rabbinic Liaison at J2 Adventures, the Reform Movement’s travel department, planning trips to Israel and around the Jewish world for rabbis and synagogues. In Israel, Don serves on the boards of the Israel Religious Action Center of the Reform movement and Shutaf, a program for special needs kids. Rabbi Goor is married to Cantor Evan Kent, his life partner of over 35 years.
1. Limud: Deepening Our Understanding
Before meeting with Esau, Jacob pauses, and begins with the crucial step of Limud (Study and Knowledge). Instead of acting on decades-old assumptions about his brother, he investigates Esau’s current disposition. From this we learn that profound change must be based upon intellectual clarity. Whether it is through the study of Torah or the intensive investigation of systemic injustice, effective tikkun (repair) demands that we first ask: What is the verifiable reality of the situation we face, and what is the knowledge required to meet it?
2. Ma'asim: Applying Our Learning
Once informed of the danger, Jacob translates his knowledge into calculated action, dividing his camp into two. The Ramban emphasizes that Jacob’s division was a military and psychological strategy: preparing for the inevitability of confrontation while simultaneously organizing in order to seek appeasement.
This is Mitzvot (Ma'asim, or Applied Action). Knowledge gathered through Limud must be actualized through physical deeds. Practical mitzvot are necessary in order for us to remake our immediate environment. Jacob’s actions were not passive fatalism; they were an active, strategic application of what he had learned, designed to maximize the chance of survival and healing. Like Jacob, we bring about change only when we commit ourselves to action in the real world.
3. Tefilah: Reminding Ourselves of the Vision
The third step in Jacob’s preparation is his iconic prayer (Genesis 32:10-13). This is the act of Tefilah (Prayer)—not a magical wish, but rather a reminder of God’s vision for ourselves and for our world.
Jacob’s prayer is striking for its blend of profound gratitude (“I am unworthy of all the kindness and all the faithfulness”) and genuine fear (“Please deliver me… for I fear him”). The Sages teach that this blend is the essence of prayer: it is both hoda’ah (gratitude for the past) and bakasha (request for the future).
Tefilah anchors us in the covenental should-be of the world, providing the spiritual foundations which helps us sustain our actions. It reminds us of the why—the divine vision—giving us strength to persevere when the path of action seems impossible.
Jacob emerges from his struggle redefined as Yisrael—one who strives with God and humanity. His process—Limud, Ma'asim, Tefilah—is a basic roadmap for transformation. As rabbis, our charge is to move both ourselves and our community, our people and our nation, beyond personal striving to collective repair: to study the brokenness of the world, to act strategically to repair it, and constantly to hold the vision of redemption in our hearts. This is the enduring mandate which Jacob models for us in our parsha this week.
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Rabbi Donald Goor, Rabbi Emeritus at Temple Judea, Tarzana, CA, grew up in San Diego, California, as the son of a rabbi. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with honors. In 1987, he was ordained as a Reform rabbi at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. In 1996 Rabbi Goor was appointed the first out, Gay rabbi to serve a mainstream, straight congregation. He co-founded the HOPE Network and the Valley Interfaith Council’s Homeless Project. Rabbi Goor also served as Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health at HUC-JIR Los Angeles. He is proud to have served as editor of L’chol Zman V’yet – The CCAR Life-cycle Guide. After serving Temple Judea for 26 years, Rabbi Goor now lives in Tel Aviv, having made Aliyah in June 2013. He serves as the Rabbinic Liaison at J2 Adventures, the Reform Movement’s travel department, planning trips to Israel and around the Jewish world for rabbis and synagogues. In Israel, Don serves on the boards of the Israel Religious Action Center of the Reform movement and Shutaf, a program for special needs kids. Rabbi Goor is married to Cantor Evan Kent, his life partner of over 35 years.