VAYERA

PARSHA POINTS:

•  Avraham is sitting at the opening of his tent, when he notices three "men" approaching.                        
•  The three angels inform Avraham and Sarah that Sarah will bear a child in her old age.
•  Sarah responds to this news by laughing. 
•  Two of the messengers make their way towards Sodom, while Hashem tells Avraham the plan to destroy the sinful city. Avraham tries to convince Hashem that there are righteous people in the city.     
•  When not even ten righteous people are found in Sodom, Hashem proceeds with the city's destruction. 
• Avraham's nephew Lot,  escapes the destruction with his two daughters.
• Avraham then moves southward, and settles near Gerar. Avimelech,the  king of the Philistines, tries to take Sarah, but through Hashem's intervention, she is released unharmed.
• Yitzchak is born to Avraham and Sarah. Avraham, who is now a hundred years old, circumcises his new son with great celebration. 
• Sarah noticed that Yishmael, Avraham's son with Hagar, was a  negative influence on her child. She told Avraham to kick out Yishmael, and his mother Hagar. 
• Hashem tells Avraham: "Whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her voice!"
• Hagar and Ishmael wandered in the desert and soon ran out of water. Suddenly, a malach (angel) opened Hagar's eyes and showed her a well of water.
• This is the final test for Avraham.  Hashem appears to Avraham and commands him to go and offer his son Yitzchak as a sacrifice. They travel to Mount Moriah, where Avraham binds up Yitzchak and is about to slaughter him. Hashem stopped him and  provides a ram instead.
• Avraham then returns to his home at Beer Sheba.

PLAYING WITH THE PARSHA:
 This week's Parsha teaches us about the mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim and Bikur cholim.  A nice activity to do with your kids is visiting a sick person.  If you live near a hospital or nursing home, you could buy little treats and give them out there.  You could also bake a cake for someone you know who is sick and bring it over.  You can pick up the phone or send an email to someone you know who is not feeling well and let them know you are thinking of them.  These suggestions can really brighten someone's day :-).

If you are having Shabbat guests, this is a perfect week to talk about Hachnasat Orchim and making them feel good.  You might even want to serve the Parsha cake just like Sarah prepared cakes for the malachim.

PARSHA PUZZLE: 

Avraham broke his leg; he could not go to school,

And for the same reason, he could not attend shul.

The car he  was sitting in had skidded in the rain,

He got hurt, not that badly but was in lots of pain.

Baruch Hashem, he was buckled up in the car,

Or G-d forbid he would have been thrown pretty far,

When he was sent to the hospital and was seen by a nurse,

She said, “Bee thankful  to G-d, it could have been worse.”

The other people in the car were luckily not hurt,

Though one of the others gott some blood on his shirt.

Avraham was shaking and scared and at first unable to speak,

And the doctor told him that now he must rest for a week.

He thought staying at home might actually be fun,

But he was stuck in his bed; he could not walk, play or run.

He missed all his friends, what was there to do all day?

He wished he could feel better and go learn, run and play.

His friends allsurprised him; they each wrote a letter,

And when he read all their wishes he felt so much better.

In shul one late morning, the men could not begin,

They were nine all together, not enough for a minyan.

Since Avraham was 13 he could be counted with the men,

Because to have a minyan, you must have at least 10.

Two men were determinded to have their minyan

And knocked at the door of our hero, Avraham

They carried him all the way to the car

And brought him to shul, which wasn’t that far

We know Bikur Cholim we learn from Vayera,

What else in this rhyme talks about this Parsha?

PARSHA CAKE:
What You Need:

Apple Cake Delight (recipe below)

People figures or cookie figures

Paper Towel roll

Green construction paper

Round red stickers

Apple Cake Delight:

3 apples, peeled and slice thinly

Sprinkle cinnamon/ sugar to cover the apples

1 cup oil

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla

¼ cup orange or apple juice

Grease a bundt pan. Slice the apples and place them in a bowl.  Mix the cinnamon and sugar mixture, and sprinkle over the apples.

In another bowl, beat the oil and eggs.  Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir in vanilla and orange juice.

Pour half of the batter into the bundt shaped pan.  Place the apples over the batter.  Pour remaining batter on to the apples.  Bake for 1 hour or more.  The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool.

Make a tree by cutting strips ¾ of the way down the green paper.  Roll it into the papertowel roll and fan out.  Place stickers on the paper.

Place the tree inside the bundt cake and lean the people figures against the tree.

Place a figure on the side to represent Avraham.  You can take a round paper plate and cut a triangle and form it into a tent.  Cut 4 doors around.

Answer to Parsha Puzzle: Hashem wanted to destroy Sedom and Avraham pleads with him not to destroy the city if ?are were at least 50 righteous people there. He goes down in numbers until he reaches 10. Avraham did not ask for less than ten men, because less than that is not a community; the minimum number for a minyan (quorum) of men. 

Wishing you a wonderful and restful Shabbat!  All the best!                                                  Ruchie