It’s still mid-winter in most of the world, but our Torah readings this week and last remind us that Passover is not far off.  This week’s reading includes the verses underlying the section in the Haggadah that opens, The Torah speaks of four sons—one wise, one wicked, one simple, and one who does not know how to ask.

During the Passover Seder we drink four cups of wine. This is a very old tradition dating back to the Mishnah, and our Sages over the centuries have given various reasons why there are four cups. But there is also a fifth cup, which we don’t drink.

Before Moshe could save the Jewish people, six women saved his skin. In the opening pages of Exodus, when Moshe finally gets to tell his own story, he takes special care to honor the women to whom he owes his very existence.

This week, as we are reading Parashat Vayechi (“And he lived”), the United States is honoring the memory of President Jimmy Carter, who passed away on January 5. In Israel the country mourns hostage Youssef al-Zidayne, whose body was discovered in a Gaza tunnel on January 8, along with evidence that his son Hamza was also dead.

One of the most difficult things to figure out when reading this portion is why Joseph behaved as he did. Some commentators think he was living by the “seat of his pants” and dealt with his brothers in a chaotic, emotional, perhaps even spiteful manner. I admit that as I’ve read through this portion every year, I have thought that Joseph was indeed shooting from the hip, acting impulsively without any thought or plan.  

Last week we explored the idea of ourselves as the eighth candle of the Hanukkah menorah and Yeshua as the ninth; the one who lights us with his passion and power. He calls us to a life of dedication to Torah. This week we will continue with two more ways we can be Hanukkahs of Light.

A midrash says there was not just one Hanukkah but actually seven. I propose to you that there are in fact nine Hanukkahs, not seven. We are the eighth Hanukkah of light. All of us are called to dedicate ourselves to Hashem. The ninth Hanukkah of light is the Hanukkah of Messiah Yeshua.

In Parashat Vayishlach, we continue to follow the stories of the mothers and the fathers of Israel. Unfortunately, the women in this story are often abused by powerful men. The men sometimes seem to get away with their behavior in the short term, but the consequences of their actions are seen for generations.

Strolling through this week’s parasha, we see several episodes in Jacob’s life. First he is fleeing his home in fear of big brother Esau’s retaliation after Jacob and his mother Rebecca had secured the patriarchal blessing by trickery. Nevertheless, Hashem promises Jacob that everything will eventually be well for him.

This week’s parasha contains an important part of the story of Abraham and his family. But it is also a lesson in proper priorities and perspectives, especially when it comes to responding appropriately to Adonai. And yet, it’s a story that is usually misunderstood and as a result is inaccurately told. It’s the account of Jacob and Esau.