WORDS FROM SINAI
BY RABBI RADER
Words from Sinai:
Toldot
Ethical and moral dilemmas often involve a choice between a person’s self-interests and the interests of others; we are easily tempted to exploit situations for our own advantage. This, seemingly, was the case when Esau returned from the field in a state of exhaustion. He requests food from his brother Jacob who, instead of feeding his twin, strikes a rather one sided deal in which he receives the birthright in exchange for a portion of lentil stew.
Traditionally, we view this story as an example of Esau’s shortcomings, as the Torah tells us, ‘Esau spurned his birthright’, but surely we should expect more from Jacob than such blatant exploitation.
To fully understand this episode and its significance, we must be aware of its context. The Talmud (Bava Batra 16b) relates that this happened on the day that Abraham died; Jacob was preparing the lentils as the traditional mourner’s meal for his father. Esau’s actions on that day were very different, as the Talmud also states ‘as long as Abraham was alive, Esau did not rebel, on the day of his passing, Esau committed five sins’.
Rambam (Hilchot Melachim 10:7) teaches that G-d’s blessing to Abraham would pass to only one of his children, Isaac, and to only one of Isaac’s children. Esau’s conduct at that time made it painfully obvious to Jacob that his brother was unsuitable to be the conduit for Abraham’s spiritual legacy. Jacob seized the opportunity to save Abraham’s heritage by taking the birthright for himself.
The line between idealism and exploitation can sometimes be a thin one but, in this case, the Torah recognises Jacob’s good intentions as opposed to Esau’s spurning of his great heritage.
Shabbat Shalom
לזכות רחל אמונה בת מלכה, חיה מושקא בת דבורה, שניאור זלמן בן מרים רייזל, עטיל בת צירעל רייזל ובן ציון בן חיה מושקא לרפואה שלמה בקרוב.
Words from Sinai:
Chayei Sarah
In a seeming paradox the name of our Sidra is Chayei Sarah – the Life of Sarah – although it deals with the aftermath of her death. Interestingly, we often speak more about people and the lives they lead after they have left us than while they are still with us.
Indeed, at the beginning of our Sidra we are told that ‘Avraham came to weep for Sarah and to eulogise her’. Although the Torah does not share with us the content of this eulogy, we can imagine the very special relationship between Avraham and Sarah, not only as husband and wife in the conventional sense of those times, but also as partners in Avraham’s revolutionary venture to spread his monotheistic belief system and values of kindness and hospitality.
Which brings us to the next, and main, part of the Sidra - the quest to find a wife for Yitzchak. Avraham dispatches his trusted servant Eliezer to find the girl who will be the next matriarch of the Jewish people. Eliezer prays to G-d, requesting an omen which will indicate the right girl. He suggests that if he asks a girl for water and she replies that she will also give water to his camels this will confirm that she is a suitable girl.
We know the rest of the story and how he brings Rivka to marry Yitzchak. Was this ‘omen’ just a random choice or did it hold some significance?
Clearly Eliezer was aware of Avraham’s values and lifestyle and he knew that a fitting life partner for the son who would be entrusted with Avraham’s spiritual legacy would have to excel in the hospitality and kindness which characterised Avraham and Sarah’s existence. Therefore his suggested ‘omen’ was also a test of the girl’s virtues in this regard.
The choice of Yitzchak’s mate was fundamental to continuing those things that made the Life of Sarah so special, making that a fitting name for the Sidra.
Shabbat Shalom
Shabbat 15 November 2025 / 24 Cheshvan 5786
לזכות רחל אמונה בת מלכה, חיה מושקא בת דבורה, שניאור זלמן בן מרים רייזל, עטיל בת צירעל רייזל ובן ציון בן חיה מושקא לרפואה שלמה בקרוב.
Words from Sinai:
A Torah Insight for Vayera
Is it a sin to argue with G d? Is it sacrilegious to question the Divine? Well, Abraham did. Not for himself, but on behalf of the people of Sodom, a city G d had decided to destroy because of its people's wickedness. Abraham was the paragon of Chessed, the personification of kindness and compassion. He grappled with the Almighty, attempting to negotiate a stay of execution for those people.
"Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked?" he asks G d. "Will the judge of all the earth not do justice?" "If there are 50 righteous men, will you spare them? 45? 40... 30... 20... 10?" In the end, Abraham cannot find even a Minyan of righteous men in Sodom and he gives up. The next verse reads, "And Abraham went back to his place."
Having failed in his valiant attempt, he acknowledges defeat and retreats to his corner. Another interpretation of these words is that, despite his lack of success in saving the inhabitants of Sodom, Abraham remained undaunted. Figuratively, he returned to his place; meaning that he was undeterred by his lack of success on this occasion and returned to his place ie retained his mind set of arguing for justice on behalf of others.
We, as Abraham’s descendants, have inherited his great attribute of Chessed. May we strive to emulate him in our sense of kindness, compassion and justice.
Shabbat Shalom
Shabbat 8 November 2025 / 17 Cheshvan 5786
Words from Sinai:
A Torah Insight for Shabbat Bereishit
In 1798, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi was imprisoned on false charges that his teachings undermined the imperial authority of the Czar. For 52 days he was held in the notorious Peter-Paul Fortress in Petersburg.
Among the Rabbi's interrogators was a government minister who possessed a broad knowledge of the Bible. On one occasion, he asked the Rabbi to explain the verse (Genesis 3:9): "G-d called out to the man and said to him: 'Where are you?'" “Did G-d not know where Adam was?” asked the minister.
"Do you believe that the Torah is eternal?" asked the Rabbi. "Do you believe that its every word applies to every individual, under all conditions, at all times?"
"Yes," replied the minister.
"'Where are you?'" explained the Rabbi, "is G-d's perpetual call to every person. Where are you in the world? What have you accomplished? You have been allotted a certain number of days, hours, and minutes in which to fulfill your life mission. You have lived so many years and so many days. Where are you? What have you achieved?"
The story of Adam is the story of the prototype human being who ‘blows’ a great opportunity. By not following one simple instruction he forfeits a lifetime in paradise.
Rabbi Shneur Zalman was talking about the amount of time that passes by which could have been used in a positive, constructive manner, time that could have been used for making a stand for what we truly believe in. Such activity left the Rabbi open to the malicious slander which led to his arrest and incarceration. But he was steadfast in his beliefs and eventually vindicated.
Shabbat Shalom
Shabbat 18 October 2025 / 26 Tishrei 5786
Words from Sinai:
KOHELET - The Book of Ecclesiastes, read on Shabbat Succot
In the midst of Succot - the Season of Our Rejoicing - we read the book of Ecclesiastes to remind us of life's true purpose and those things we should really rejoice about.
At the beginning of the seventh chapter we encounter the following statement:
A good name is better than good oil; and the day of death than the day of birth.
In ancient times oil was used to preserve the body from disintegration. King Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, is teaching us that a good name - reputation - will preserve a person's memory and the sweetness of their presence far more than precious, aromatic oils.
The Sefer HaIkkarim points out that on the day of a person's birth their physical being has developed to the point where it can sustain life independently but the individual has vast, untapped potential. Depending on the way they live their life, the day of that individual's passing can be a time of great fulfillment when they have fulfilled that potential.
Ecclesiastes guides us towards life's real priorities; which express themselves in the Torah we will celebrate on Simchat Torah.
Shabbat Shalom
10 October 2025 / 18 Tishrei 5786
לזכות רחל אמונה בת מלכה, חיה מושקא בת דבורה, שניאור זלמן בן מרים רייזל, עטיל בת צירעל רייזל ובן ציון בן חיה מושקא לרפואה שלמה בקרוב.