Torah Sparks
Genesis 28:10–32:3
To my dear brother, Laban,
Peace and blessings!
I imagine that you may be a bit startled to receive this letter from your sister, whom you have not seen in so many years. Time has passed and I am no longer the impetuous young woman who defied your wishes and decided to leave home to marry my husband, Isaac, son of our kinsman, Abraham. But, although the years have gone by, I can still remember the look on your face as I left. You were always good at hiding your true feelings, but I nevertheless wanted to think that I discerned a flicker of concern and even love for me as I embarked on my adventure. Although we have not been in regular communication, please know that I have held that imagined picture in my mind’s eye for all this time.
Now, after all these years, I am writing to you with a request. My son, Jacob, is on his way to you. For various reasons that I prefer not to go into, he needs to get away for a while. Perhaps he is a little like his mother and needs to leave home in order to grow. But if he is leaving home, he is not abandoning his family, just as I did not abandon my family although I left our home. I have always remembered you. I have sent Jacob to you, his family, and I beg of you to treat him like family. He is a tender person, not used to hard work. He has generally busied himself in the tents of the camp and has not gone out into the fields to shepherd the flocks or to gather food. So please be considerate of who he is and do not place undue burdens upon him.
May the Almighty God of Abraham and Isaac bless you and your family. May you prosper!
I know that I can trust you to honor my wishes. After all, what is family for?
Your sister,
Rebecca
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi David Greenstein
A Prayer for the Thanksgiving Feast
by Rabbi Naomi Levy
For the laughter of the children,
For my own life breath,
For the abundance of food on this table,
For the ones who prepared this sumptuous feast,
For the roof over our heads,
The clothes on our backs,
For our health,
And our wealth of blessings,
For this opportunity to celebrate with family and friends,
For the freedom to pray these words
Without fear,
In any language,
In any faith,
In this great country,
Whose landscape is as vast and beautiful as her inhabitants.
Thank You, God, for giving us all these.
©2002 by Rabbi Naomi Levy in Talking to God.
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Wonderful, beautiful thoughts for this holiday and Shabbat.