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

בס"ד

Torah in je leven integreren door reflectie en conversatie kan een ongelooflijk leuke en boeiende ervaring zijn. Het is een ontdekkingsreis waarbij oude wijsheid en tijdloze leringen tot leven komen in onze dagelijkse ervaringen. Door reflectie hebben we de mogelijkheid om diep in het rijke tapijt van Tora te duiken en er diepgaande inzichten en lessen uit te halen die resoneren met ons moderne leven. De vreugde ligt in de 'aha'-momenten, die momenten waarop een Torah-vers of -verhaal plotseling verbonden is met onze persoonlijke uitdagingen, aspiraties en waarden. En wanneer we met anderen over Torah praten, wordt het een interactief onderzoek, waarbij verschillende perspectieven en interpretaties ons begrip vergroten. Deze dialogen wekken vaak opwinding en intellectuele nieuwsgierigheid op, waardoor het leerproces zowel plezierig als bevredigend wordt. Tora wordt een levendig en dynamisch deel van ons leven, dat niet alleen leiding biedt, maar ook een bron van eindeloze fascinatie, verbinding en groei.

OPMERKING: Voel je niet verplicht om elke bron door te nemen of alle vragen te beantwoorden - tenzij je dat wilt. Zelfs één bron of één vraag geeft je genoeg stof voor discussie en meditatie. Geniet ervan!

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.”

Denk nu na over de volgende vragen:

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!

Door rabbijn Tani Burton

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