REFLECTIONS ON PARSHAT – VAYISHLACH 5786 – SEEING WHAT’S COMING

בס "ד

Intégrer la Torah dans sa vie par la réflexion et la conversation peut être une expérience incroyablement amusante et engageante. C'est un voyage de découverte, où la sagesse ancienne et les enseignements intemporels prennent vie dans nos expériences quotidiennes. Grâce à la réflexion, nous avons la possibilité de plonger dans la riche tapisserie de la Torah, d'en extraire des idées et des leçons profondes qui résonnent dans notre vie moderne. La joie réside dans les moments "aha", ces occasions où un verset ou une histoire de la Torah se connecte soudainement à nos défis personnels, nos aspirations et nos valeurs. Et lorsque nous nous engageons dans des conversations sur la Torah avec d'autres personnes, cela devient une exploration interactive, où des perspectives et des interprétations diverses améliorent notre compréhension. Ces dialogues suscitent souvent l'enthousiasme et la curiosité intellectuelle, rendant le processus d'apprentissage à la fois agréable et satisfaisant. La Torah devient une partie vivante et dynamique de notre vie, offrant non seulement des conseils mais aussi une source de fascination, de connexion et de croissance sans fin.

REMARQUE : Ne vous sentez pas obligé de parcourir toutes les sources ou de répondre à toutes les questions - à moins que vous ne le souhaitiez. Même une seule source ou une seule question vous donnera beaucoup de matière pour la discussion et la méditation. Profitez-en !

Some thoughts from the parsha

“And he placed the maidservants and their children first, Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph last.”
(Genesis 33:2)

At first glance, the verse simply lists the order in which Jacob arranged his family when approaching Esau. But the classical commentaries notice something deeper. When the verse says that Leah and her children came “after,” one commentary adds the phrase:

“The last is the most beloved.”

This seems puzzling:

• Leah is not actually last, Rachel and Joseph are.
• Jacob’s deep love for Rachel is well known.
• Why, then, is this note placed here?

The answer, surprisingly, opens a window into how we prioritize what matters, and what it means to see beyond the moment.

Layers of Meaning, and a Universal Message

1. “Last” can mean secondary, not final

In biblical Hebrew, the word “last” can also mean “next in order,” not necessarily the very end. Leah is “after” the maidservants, but Rachel is truly “last.” Both positions can represent belovedness, each in its own way.

2. Symbolic order: effort → purpose → ultimate vision

Some Jewish thinkers explain the three groups as symbolic:

• The maidservants represent basic, beginning-level spiritual efforts.
• Leah represents deeper, sincere growth.
• Rachel represents the ideal, clarity, purpose, and the long-term spiritual destination.

That is why Rachel is placed last:
The ultimate goal is often at the end of the path.
And the end is precious precisely because it requires foresight.

3. The wisdom to see ahead

This brings us to a principle from Pirkei Avot:

“Who is wise? One who sees what is coming.”
(Avot 2:9)

A wise person does not make decisions based on the first thing that appears in front of them. They see the ripple effects, the “births” of today’s actions.

Jacob arranges his family not only based on emotion but based on long-term consequences and responsibility. He sees the moment and beyond it. This contrasts sharply with Esau earlier in Genesis, who traded his birthright for a bowl of soup, an impulsive exchange of something eternal for something immediate.

The Torah is inviting each of us into that contrast:

Are you living like Jacob, who sees what is coming,
or like Esau, who acts on the impulse of the moment?

A Noahide Takeaway

Every human being must choose what goes “first” and what goes “last” in their lives.

• Impulsiveness puts short-term desires first and long-term meaning last.
• Wisdom flips the order: meaning, responsibility, purpose, and integrity become “last”, in the sense of lasting.

Rachel and Joseph, symbolically placed at the end, remind us that the most precious things are often:

• Not the loudest
• Not the easiest
• Not the most urgent
• But the most enduring

Put the lasting things last in order, but first in importance.

When you order your life like Jacob ordered his camp, you become someone who truly “sees what is coming.”

Réfléchissez maintenant aux questions suivantes :

1. Where in your life do you tend to act like Esau—choosing the immediate over the meaningful?
2. What would it look like to “see what is coming” before making a major decision this week?
3. Which values or relationships belong at the end—meaning, in the place of highest importance—in your inner “camp”?
4. Can you recall a moment when impulsiveness cost you something precious?
5. What “Rachel and Joseph”—what long-term goals—do you want to protect and prioritize moving forward?

Shabbat Shalom !

Par le rabbin Tani Burton

Plus de shiurim du rabbin Tani Burton

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