Parasha Toldot

In this week’s parasha G-D promises Yitzchak, ” I will make your descendants [as numerous] as the stars of the heavens…” (Gen 26:4).

Sound familiar? The same promise was made to Abraham previously, and later G-d will promise Yak “Your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth….”( Gen 28:14), implying many,many descendants.

But their partners: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and later Channa (mother of the famous prophet Samuel) were all “akarot”-barren women.
Why?

Perhaps a return to the story of creation can shed some light on the matter..

“This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, on the day when G-d made earth and heaven. All the plants of the field were not yet on the earth, and all the herbal vegetation of the field had not yet sprouted, for G-d had not brought rain upon the earth, and there was [yet] no man to work the soil.” (Gen 2:6-7)

The talmud quotes Rav Asi as saying the grass was just below the surface, and only when man was created to pray for rain did the grass and vegetation emerge . This teaches that G-d desires prayer (Chulin 60b)

Our foreparents were all challenged in the reproductive arena, and our tradition teaches us that it was the relationship with G-d through prayer which brought about the fulfillment of G-d’s promise of a legacy. This is the divine plan, a partnership between heaven and earth.

If G-d wants our prayers, and our prayers are essential for the divine plan, why is prayer so difficult for us? I am constantly amazed at the large percentage of synagogue attendees who are unable to pray, or feel so alienated by the process. Yet, this is a basic necessity for having our spiritual needs met.

With a little preparation and some practice a meaningful prayer experience is within reach for everyone. It is not necessary to pray in Hebrew. It is better in most cases to pray in a language you know well until you can understand the meaning of the prayers. Choose quality over quantity… Learn the structure of the service…find a siddur (prayerbook) that feels “right” for you. Seem like a daunting task? It’s not – anyone can learn to have a meaningful prayer experience.

But-
This week we will make it much easier for you. We are starting an exploratory service, for men and women, which will provide a safe place to move through the basics of Jewish prayer at a comfortable pace, with total comprehension, and plenty of time for asking tough questions.
We will offer this service several times a month. Give it a try- even if you are a synagogue veteran- we can all benefit from a leisurely in depth look into the prayers, and forge our own one to one relationship with our creator.
May all our prayers be answered….

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Greg