Jacob learns how to defraud people from Lavan. He uses this knowledge to defend himself against Lavan. When he feels that he is in danger of becoming like Lavan he decides it is time to leave.

Lavan was a deceiver but not a liar. He would use words in a way that would confuse the person who was negotiating with him. Like when he switched Leah for Rachel. He agreed to let Jacob marry his daughter, he just didn't say which one.

Jacob's ladder has a lot of symbolism. One of the most significant is that it shows the rise and fall of nations. And it foretells that the Jewish nation will always exist.

Lavan pretends to be a friend of Jacob, but he is not. He does everything in his power to cheat Jacob & become wealthy in the process. As he is doing so, he claims it is for Jacob's good.

The highlight of the month of Kislev is the festival of Hanukah. It is a celebration of the victory of the Hasmoneans against the Hellenists. They did not take action because they wanted to but because they had to. The is our way. When we see a clear & present danger, we act.

Isaac was blind to Esau's faults. He didn't see that Esau could not be the leader of the next generation. Rebecca was the realist in this matter. She knew that Jacob had the skills to be the leader.

The Torah is against anarchy, as shown by the flood, and totalitarianism as shown by the story of the Tower of Babel. The Torah wants us to live in society govern by laws that guarantee our freedom.

The snake enticed Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He did so by using language that sounded good but was really deceitful. This is the game plan of all evil people. They use deceitful language to convince the gullible.

The World Was Created For Us

We celebrate the holiday of Sukkot and tomorrow we will be celebrating the holiday of Simhat Torah. We celebrate even more with the return of the hostages to their homes.