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Leah’s Blog Parshat Vayerah

Parshat Vayera  2020

I purr in a moment of bliss on the lounge chair facing the ever-changing colors of fall splendor. The birds are chirping quietly and contentedly now in this ideal temperate weather, satisfied and debating whether to stay or fly south to Africa. For a moment there, it feels like “איש תחת גפנו ותאינתו”- “Each man sitting under his vine and fig tree”. This peace and tranquility, it’s too good to be true. A thin sound of silence, the mountain sleeps. There is no doubt though that something feels different in the air. A screaming fighter jet overhead pierces the cloudy blue and white creamy sky and has me slapped me out of my stupor. No, a new Jerusalem hasn’t fallen out of the sky and we are not at the end yet. Peace and quiet are not in our lot now. We need to pray.

You know what? We need to do more than pray. Going back to the root source, our forefather’s lives are detailed with sometimes quietude albeit rarely, but mostly tumultuous moments. The struggle for good to overcome evil has been here from day one. They had to cope in order for history to unfold. Interestingly, their lives juxtapose the end times and reveal hidden things about today’s events. Their stories touch upon nationalism, identity, patriotism, self- sacrifice and struggle. None of them actually got to sit under their fig tree for long, and we are not there either. Yet. Redemption has been promised, but boy do you have to earn it with action. Our Patriarchs used a mixture of diplomacy, money, and sometimes a fight when necessary. They never sat back and said. “It’s in G-d’s hands”. They never JUST prayed. The gutsiness they demonstrated defied the trickery, confusion, disorder, turmoil and lawlessness that prevailed. Ancient idol worshipping tribes ruled by creating chaos; the solvent- structure, purity, and mussar (ethics). They were sent to bring order to the world. That is what the brit is all about, a covenant based on self -control. Bravery, fearlessness and blind faith is what helped them to overcome the tests placed before them time after time as they built their own personal families and dealt with the outside world. They took initiative to engage in impacting society outside of their own personal growth. Their memoirs are a guide- book for us in how to act in achieving Hashem’s desire. Sometimes it’s face to face and sometimes we are commanded to not look back.

Now is the appointed time. All the signs are here. America and Israel are the two greatest democracies of the world. As a matter of fact, Israel is the reddest state u will find- over seventy percent of us stand with RED. We need to fix the world but we are severely challenged. The scale tips to treachery, deception defrauding and dishonesty as we will be reading about in these Torah chapters. Our great forefather’s trustiness dependability and decency is all done through active service and obedience. They tip the scale- mad about it! They are the enthusiasts. This is the momentum – from time immemorial. Now as we approach the appointed time there will be a clear El Niño, a fifty fifty equation of truth vrs. falsehood, good vs. evil; this is the pendulum, the blessing and the curse. It is time for us to wake up now and begin to move mountains. – Isaiah 54:10- ” The mountains may depart, and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither will My covenant of peace be removed.”

Shabbat shalom, Leah