Parshat Toldot

We start by going to school every day,
In every subject we try to get an A,
We shout "Hooray!" when we graduate,
Then we get a job and work until late.

We do all this to make a good living,
But for the purpose of life, we need to start digging,
Avraham and Yitzchok dug wells too,
What is the lesson for me and you?

Digging wells is a task that is not easy,
For days, sand and rocks is all that you see,
You wonder if your efforts are in vain,
Should you persevere and dig deeper, is there anything to gain?

At last you give a joyful shout,
Discovering the wellspring is what it is all about,
Our life's mission is to dig, search and explore to uncover,
The G-dly sparks within we need to discover.

In every thought, speech and action that we do,
We can dig to find a G-dly purpose in it too,
Revealing what is already there is the key,
The little sparks are waiting for you and me.

When we use our car to give someone a lift,
When we use our money to give a poor person a gift,
When we eat kosher food to have energy to pray,
We are discovering a wellspring today!

Souvenir: shovel

Parshat Chayei Sarah

To a rose amongst thorns, Rivkah does compare,
She was surrounded by people who were evil and didn't share,
Yet she blossomed and was so kind,
A wife for Yitzchok, Eliezer was sent to find.

How would Eliezer know which girl was the best,
After praying for success he planned a camel test,
When Eliezer asked Rivkah for a drink,
"Why doesn't he ask his own men", she could think.

She didn’t question if she was really needed,
The job of quenching ten thirsty camels she completed,
Like Avraham who looked to serve guests at every opportunity,
To reach out and help others, was Rivkah's priority.

Eliezer knew that his mission was done,
A wife for Yitzchok she was the one,
But there was one more thing Yitzchok wanted to learn,
Would the three miracles performed for his mother return?

He brought Rivkah "To The Tent of Sarah His Mother,"
A better match there was no other,
It seems like extra words are spent,
Why doesn't the verse simply state that he brought her to the tent?

Every word is as important as can be,
Teaching us about 3 Mitzvot that were given to women specifically,
The cloud of the Divine Presence returned to hover,
Over THE TENT, that belonged to his mother.

The blessing in Rivkah's bread was found,
Just like SARAH'S bread that was famous all around,
Like Sarah, all week Rivkah's candles stayed bright,
Like a child who waits for HIS MOTHER, Shabbat candles to light,

The cloud of rain represents the Mikvah waters,
Lighting Shabbat candles is special for women and daughters,
Challah dough we separate,
These Mitzvot are truly great!

Souvenir: roses

Parshat Vayeira

Avraham had lots of troubles,
But he passed ten tests with flying colors,
What was unique about the tenth test,
That would prove the greatness of all the rest?

For sacrifice, Judaism doesn't have a monopoly,
People have given up their lives throughout history,
But when sacrificing for a great cause, there is something to gain,
A hero the person will forever remain.

In the past, challenges Avraham faced,
But he knew that he made the world a better place,
This test was different because no one could claim,
That there was something in it for Avraham to gain.

Hashem made a promise to Avraham,
From Yitzchok, the Jewish people would come,
Yet, Hashem asked him to bring up his son,
Witnesses and news reporters, there would be none!

Avraham's life was dedicated to spreading G-dliness everywhere,
His life investment would end, if he sacrificed his son so dear,
There would be no point made and no change in history,
No heroic story published and no grand finale.

The tenth test was the ultimate sacrifice,
To give up his identity for Hashem, he didn't think twice,
To serve Hashem was Avraham's aim,
He wasn't looking for any fame.

To do Mitzvot, we have the power,
If no one sees it doesn't matter,
Hashem appreciates the sacrifices we make,
We do all the Mitzvot, only for Hashem's sake!

Souvenir: mask

Parshat Lech Lecha

Parshat Lech Lecha begins with a command,
"Go for yourself, from your land,"
For Avraham, why don't we find,
An introduction of any kind?

Why doesn't the Torah tell us Avraham's history?
His greatness was no mystery,
When Avraham was a young boy of three,
He discovered that only one G-d there could be.

Avraham smashed all the idols in his father's shop,
To spread his philosophy, he wouldn't stop,
He was thrown into a fiery furnace by the king,
But miraculously, it was as if in a garden he was strolling.

In the Midrash and Talmud, about Avraham we are told,
But why is scripture silent until Avraham was 75 years old?
There is a lesson here for me and you,
Since Avraham was the first Jew.

If the Torah would tell us that Avraham was so great,
We would think that to be a Jew, his actions we must first emulate,
In truth we are Jewish, not because of the great things we chose to do,
But because Hashem choose to invest himself into Avraham and every Jew.

Take a spiritual magnifying glass to explore,
The essence of a Jew is like nothing you've seen before,
A Jew has a Neshama, a G-dly Soul, which by definition,
Is an actual part of Hashem with a mission.

To be a Jew, is not something you can choose,
It is a membership card we are born with, that we can't lose,
The infinite Hashem is part of our spiritual DNA,
To have a relationship with the infinite there is only one way.

We need to listen to Hashem's command,
And follow His instructions even if we don't understand,
It is not about logic, spirituality or what makes me feel good,
It is about fulfilling every detail in the best way that I could.

Avraham's true greatness wasn't his philosophy,
It was listening to Hashem, when it didn't make sense logically,
To leave his land, birth place and father's house, was hard to do,
But Avraham taught us what it really means to be a Jew!

Souvenir: suitcase

Parshat Noach

To build an ark was a job for a construction crew,
For 120 years this is what Hashem wanted Noach to do,
When the people would see the ark they would ask,
What are you building, it is a hard task.

Why does it say "Build for you,"
Noach wasn't building a personal canoe,
The ark was for his family and lots of animals too,
"Build YOUR character," is what Hashem was instructing him to do.

Hashem didn't just want Noach to survive,
He wanted Noach to have a strong passion and drive,
He wanted Noach to influence the people all around,
To leave their evil ways and not have to be drowned.

Noach was righteous in his days,
He followed in Hashem's ways,
He did everything he was told,
But to save the world, he wasn't so bold.

To a raging flood our world does compare,
The stormy waters are everywhere,
Struggles and challenges fill our days,
Only the ark rides above the crashing waves.

Hashem gives us an invitation, when the world seems so dark,
"Come to the Teivah," which is the Hebrew word for ark,
In Hebrew "Teivah," has a second meaning,
It means words of prayer and Torah that are said with feeling.

To save ourselves from the flood there is a way,
By immersing ourself in the words of prayer and Torah every day,
These holy words give us passion, strength and might,
To transform the darkness into light!

Hashem is counting on me and you,
We have a mission to do,
When we pray and study Torah for even an hour,
To save the world we have the power!

Souvenir: wooden Torah and prayer book

Parshat Bereishit

In the Garden of Eden, Hashem did create,
Adam and Chava who were truly great,
How could it be, we need to understand,
That Adam and Chava didn't obey Hashem's only command?

"Do not eat from the tree of knowledge," Adam was told,
To eat from the tree how could they be so bold?
They could eat with permission, once Shabbos would begin,
For just a few hours, why couldn't they listen?

Adam and Chava were very clever,
Their decision would impact their children forever,
Their first choice was from the tree to abstain,
Righteous Tzadikim, pure and holy, they would remain.

Their second choice was to get their hands spiritually dirty,
And discover the G-dliness hidden in the earthly,
The good from the bad they would separate and elevate,
They would fix the world and make it great.

Chava understood Hashem's true desire,
They had to descend to a reach a level much higher,
Coming down to earth is not a tragedy,
It is an opportunity to make the physical world G-dly.

A loss of G-dliness is the definition of a sin,
But the highest level of G-dliness, is not in heaven,
They left the Garden of Eden with a great mission,
To make a home for Hashem, they would begin.

From Hashem this sin would temporarily draw them apart,
But they would return to Hashem with all their heart,
Although from the Garden of Eden they were banned,
A Bal Teshuva's place is greater than where a Tzaddik does stand.

Souvenir: snakes and ladders game