This Lelamed Dvar is also available in your local App Store (iTunes and
Android). I hope you enjoy and share this Dvar...
In this week’s Parsha, Vayetzei, we can learn an incredible lesson. The
Torah relates how when Leah had her fourth son, Rachel became envious. The
obvious question is why wasn't Rachel jealous when Leah has her first three
sons. As Living Each Week explains, Leah named her first three sons based
on her emotions; that 1) now her husband will love her, and 2) now she
won't be disliked, and 3) now my husband will have to help me. But it is
the fourth one that got to Rachel. When Leah named her son “Because now I
can be grateful to G-d”, that’s when Rachel became envious. Rachel realized
that she couldn't achieve the same level of gratitude to G-d that Leah
could. What an incredible virtue: To want to have a reason to thank G-d,
just for the sake of thanking Him.
We have three chances a day to thank G-d through prayer, but do we? And
if/when we do daven (pray), is it with enough meaning/concentration? Are we
as grateful as we should be even when we DO have a reason? We can all
emulate Rachel’s desire to show gratitude by studying prayers, learning
about ourselves from them, and improving ourselves through them.
Shlomo Ressler
Quotation of the week:
"You didn't come this far to only come this far."
This Lelamed Dvar is also available in your local App Store (iTunes and
Android). I hope you enjoy and share this Dvar...
_______________________________________________
In this week’s Parsha, Vayetzei, we can learn an incredible lesson. The
Torah relates how when Leah had her fourth son, Rachel became envious. The
obvious question is why wasn't Rachel jealous when Leah has her first three
sons. As Living Each Week explains, Leah named her first three sons based
on her emotions; that 1) now her husband will love her, and 2) now she
won't be disliked, and 3) now my husband will have to help me. But it is
the fourth one that got to Rachel. When Leah named her son “Because now I
can be grateful to G-d”, that’s when Rachel became envious. Rachel realized
that she couldn't achieve the same level of gratitude to G-d that Leah
could. What an incredible virtue: To want to have a reason to thank G-d,
just for the sake of thanking Him.
We have three chances a day to thank G-d through prayer, but do we? And
if/when we do daven (pray), is it with enough meaning/concentration? Are we
as grateful as we should be even when we DO have a reason? We can all
emulate Rachel’s desire to show gratitude by studying prayers, learning
about ourselves from them, and improving ourselves through them.
Shlomo Ressler
_______________________________________________
Quotation of the week:
"You didn't come this far to only come this far."