VAYEITZEI PARSHA IDEAS

Parsha Points:

• On His way to his Uncle Lavan's house, Yaakov has his famous dream.                                     
• Yaakov takes 12 stones and puts them under his head before he goes to sleep. (The 12 stones turned into one).

• Yaakov dreams that there is a ladder that stretches from the earth until heaven.

• On the ladder the malachim are ascending and descending.                                                               
• Hashem appears to Yaakov and  promises that he will protect him.                                                                    
• Yaakov goes to Charan and meets Rachel at the well.                                                       
• Yaakov knew that he was destined to marry Rachel.                                                              
• Rachel ran back to tell her father Lavan that Avraham's grandson had arrived.                 

• Yaakov contracts with Lavan to marry his daughter Rachel.  He agreed to work seven years, and then get her hand in marriage.

• Lavan switches daughter's and secretly puts Leah instead of Rachel.

• Yaakov has to work another seven years before marrying Rachel.

• Yaakov loved Rachel more than Leah. 

• Leah gave birth to Reuven, Shimon Levi and Yehuda.

• Bilha (Rachel's maidservant) gives birth to Dan and Naftali.

•  Zilpa (Leah's maidservant) gives birth to Gad and Asher

• Leah gives birth to 3 more children, Yissaschar, Zevulun and Dina.

•  After many years of being barren, Hashem grants a child to Rachel.  She names him Yosef.

•  After 20 years, Hashem tells Yaakov that it is time to go back home.

• Yaakov went to ask Lavan permission. 

•  Rachel steals her father's idols without telling anyone.

•  Yaakov flees from Lavan.

•  Lavan catches up to him and asks him why he is running away and why did he steal      his idols.

•  Yaakov, not aware that anyone took the idols announced that whoever stole the idols will die.

•  Yaakov and Lavan separate.  Lavan goes back to Canaan and Yaakov goes to Eretz Yisrael.

 Parsha Puzzle:

Devorah, Adina, Nechama and Miri,

Were busy with the design.

Aliza, Malka, Yehudit, Lior, and Chedva,

Worked hard to reach the deadline.

Esti, Sara, Daniella, and Raizy,

Worked together as a team.

Talya, Nitzan, Shoshana, and Avigayil,

Wanted to fulfill their big dream.

Morah Tzippy gave them a project,

And somehow they had to try.

To design an item or object,

That somehow could reach the sky.

Rachel, Ruchie, Racheli and Rochel,

Put their heads together in thought.

Can they think of something unique?

From all of the things they were taught.

The big day finally came,

It was such an exciting day.

All of the girls together,

Had to prepare their display.

There were planes, rockets and gadgets,

Birds, kites and fancy cars.

One of the groups prepared,

All kinds of shooting stars.

Rachel, Ruchie, Racheli and Rochel,

Were forgotten amongst all the rest,

All they had with them was a ladder,

They thought that their answer was best.

Can you look in your Chumash,

And find out 2 things from this rhyme,

What does this have to do with the parsha?

Can you guess the answer this time? (answer on the bottom...)

Playing with the Parsha: 

Here is something fun to play.  Before Shabbat, prepare random words from the Parsha. (i.e. dudaim, naftulay, be'er,vayashk etc... Place Chumashim on the table and have a race at the table who could find the word and the pasuk first.  This gets everyone into the parsha (literally :-).  Have fun!!

ShABBAt  IMABBA:

Here is a great way for my father and I to learn a little bit of Parsha each week. ( I like the play on words of Abba in the word Shabbat and Imabba meaning "with Abba" and Ima Abba written together!  Thanks Abba and Ima :-)!

• In this week's Parsha it says about Yaakov,  "Vayeitze" and "vayelech."  Why does it say he went out and he went?  The two seem redundant. We learn from here that Yaakov was torn.  His father told him to go out to find a bride and his mother told him to run away from his brother Eisav.  The 2 words show that he listened to both of his parents and had kibbud horim.

• We know the famous story that Yaakov put his head down on 12 rocks (the 12 shvatim) and they were all fighting and it turned into one stone.  Why did the one stone not quarrel?  Yaakov should put his head on my corner, or no he should put it on mine...  This shows us, that when everyone unites together, and there is unity, Achdut, then there are no quarrels.

• The gematria of Sulam is mamon= money.  If you use money wisely,for tzedaka, mitzvot, then you will reach "hashamayma" towards heaven.  If you do not use it wisely, then  you will be on the ground, like an ostrich with his head in the sand.

• "Hinei Sulam mutzav artzah" behold the ladder is on the ground.  The word Hinei in Hebrew is spelled the same forwards and backwards.  When you use a ladder you can turn it either way and use it.  Notice how you need to lean a ladder against something to hold it up.  The same is true of human beings.  You need other people to lean on.  One gives to the other and one should always care and help the other person out.  If you place a ladder straight without it leaning on anything it will not be useful, so too, you should bend sometimes and be flexible.

 Parsha Cake:

In this week’s Parsha, Yaakov has his famous dream where he sees angels climbing and descending a ladder to Heaven.  We are familiar with the Medrash (quoted by Rashi) that relates how Yaakov gathered the stones and placed them around his head. The stones began quarreling with one another. "I want the tzaddik to place his head on me!" "No, I want him to rest his head on me!" Hashem performed a miracle and the 12 stones combined into one.

You can make 12 chocolate balls to resemble the 12 stones.  You can add one big one with the leftover dough.  You will have a ball making these- and then eating them up!

You will need:

Chocolate Ball Recipe

Round cake (to lean the ladder)

Toy ladder or ladder made from cookie dough

Man cookie or figure

Chocolate Ball recipe:

Ingredients:

·         1 pound (500 grams) chocolate biscuit cookies

·         1 cup (2 sticks) margarine

·         100 grams bittersweet chocolate

·         1 cup sugar

·         6 tablespoons cocoa powder

·         1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

·         1/3-1/2 cup soy milk

Preparation:

1. In a food processor, grind biscuit cookies into finely crushed crumbs.
2. Melt chocolate and margarine in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes.
3. Using an electric mixer, combine biscuit crumbs with melted chocolate and margarine, sugar, cocoa powder and coffee granules.
4. Add the soy milk  slowly.

5. Shape the mixture into balls (1-2 tablespoons of mixture per ball).
6. Roll each ball into sprinkles or coconut.
7. Chill in the refrigerator.

How to assemble:

Lean the ladder on the cake.  Place the 12 balls on the side of the cake and lay “Yaakov” on top of them.  Enjoy your heavenly treat!

Have a wonderful and relaxing Shabbat!  Ruchie :-)

Answer to Parsha puzzle:   (Yaakov 's dream: There was a ladder set on the ground and its top reached the heavens. Vayeitzei 28:12 and the second part is found in Vayeitzei 30:22 when Hashem “remembered” Rachel and she had a child.)