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

בס "ד

Integrare la Torah nella propria vita attraverso la riflessione e la conversazione può essere un'esperienza incredibilmente divertente e coinvolgente. È un viaggio di scoperta, dove l'antica saggezza e gli insegnamenti senza tempo prendono vita nelle nostre esperienze quotidiane. Attraverso la riflessione, abbiamo l'opportunità di immergerci in profondità nel ricco arazzo della Torah, estraendo profonde intuizioni e lezioni che risuonano con le nostre vite moderne. La gioia sta nei momenti "aha", quei casi in cui un versetto o una storia della Torah si collegano improvvisamente alle nostre sfide personali, alle nostre aspirazioni e ai nostri valori. E quando ci impegniamo in conversazioni sulla Torah con altri, diventa un'esplorazione interattiva, in cui prospettive e interpretazioni diverse migliorano la nostra comprensione. Questi dialoghi spesso accendono l'entusiasmo e la curiosità intellettuale, rendendo il processo di apprendimento piacevole e appagante. La Torah diventa una parte vibrante e dinamica della nostra vita, offrendo non solo una guida ma anche una fonte di fascino, connessione e crescita infinita.

NOTA: Non sentitevi obbligati a consultare tutte le fonti o a rispondere a tutte le domande, a meno che non vogliate farlo. Anche una sola fonte o una sola domanda vi fornirà molto materiale per la discussione e la meditazione. Buon divertimento!

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.”

Ora, riflettete sulle seguenti domande:

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!

Di Rabbi Tani Burton

Altri shiurim di Rabbi Tani Burton

 © Copyright, tutti i diritti riservati. Se questo articolo vi è piaciuto, vi invitiamo a diffonderlo ulteriormente.

I nostri blog possono contenere testi/citazioni/riferimenti/link che includono materiale protetto da copyright di Mechon-Mamre.org, Aish.com, Sefaria.org, Chabad.orge/o AskNoah.orgche utilizziamo in conformità alle loro politiche.