Toldos 2006

November 24 Candle Lighting 4:19 PM Shabbos Ends 5:27 PM Welcome to The Kollel Connection. We hope you’re enjoying our weekly D’var Torah and updates. We thank the Sullivan family for dedicating this week’s Kollel Connection in honor of the birthday of Yosef Ezra Sullivan. Happy birthday, and thank you!! This week’s Parsha, Parshas Toldos, begins with the story of Rebecca and Isaac. Rebecca and Isaac were married for twenty years, but were not blessed with children. After twenty years, the Torah tells us, the two of them prayed to merit children. “And Isaac entreated to Hashem opposite his wife, for she was barren.” (25:21). The commentaries point out that the wording was a little puzzling. Wouldn’t the order be more correct if it would first say “And Rebecca was barren”, and then “And Isaac entreated to Hashem opposite his wife”? Why is it only mentioned that she was barren after we are told that Isaac prayed? We are taught a very great lesson in the value of prayer here. If it would say that Rebecca was barren, and then that Isaac prayed, it would seem to say that the prayer was just a medium to solve a problem of Rebecca being barren. In truth, this is a terrible misunderstanding of the purpose of prayer. Prayer is not just a medium to solve a problem that we have. Prayer is a most precious opportunity to draw a special closeness to G-d. The problem that causes us to pray, is only there to arouse us to pray. The sages make this point very clearly when they make the following statement: “Why were our Matriarchs (Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel) barren for so many years? Because the Almighty desires the prayers of the righteous.” When Isaac and Rebecca prayed, that wasn’t simply a solution to the problem that they were trying to solve. It was a response to a calling from Hashem that He wanted them to be aroused to pray. They prayed because she was barren – because they had an - arousing to pray from Hashem. The next time we go through a situation that seems rough, and we’re tempted to cry out – “why me”! – first stop! Just think for a moment; maybe this is all a wake up call; Maybe this is just a message from our Father that it’s time to reconnect; It’s time to cry out to Him; It’s time to come back home. Wishing you and your family a great Shabbos!!! Rabbi Moshe Travitsky New!!!!!!!!!! Check out our website at Bensalemoutreach.org!!!! We appreciate and welcome your feedback in this new venture of ours. Up Coming Classes & Events Tuesday November 28 - Wine tasting at the Outreach Center 2446 Bristol Road, 7:30 P.M. Saturday night 8:00pm come enjoy a great meal and watch the film Obsession with commentary from Rabbi Becher from Gateways. Tuesday evening December 19 – Join our annual Chanukah party For more information about any of our classes and programs, please call 215-752-5032. “Around the Jewish Year” Women’s Class Monday nights 8:00 PM at the home of Shuli Mintz 2527 Sharon Court, Bensalem 215-750-3365 November is Kosher Month!! Part III: Tuesday, November 28 7:30 PM Kosher wine tasting extravaganza with wine connoisseur Marc of “Wine on the Nine”. Part IV: Tuesday, December 5 7:30 PM “You are what you eat.” The how’s and whys of keeping kosher and “The Kosher Kitchen”. $10 per session or $35.00 for 4 sessions. Come to all 4 sessions and receive a free copy of Kosher for the Curious but Clueless. ($23.95 value) Schmooze and News! Shop Rite Scrips (food cards) are now available in the office! Help the Bensalem Outreach Center at no cost to you! For example: Need $100 of groceries buy a card from us take it to ShopRite (works like a gift card) and the Outreach Center gets 5% of the money from that card. Pick them up from the Travitsky home- 2725 Woodsview Drive - (215) 891-0443, or the office 2446 Bristol – on top of the shul (215) 752-5032. To sponsor an issue of the Kollel Connection, please email BJOC613@earthlink.net Sponsorships are only $36 a week.