Author: shamyr

Parshat Vayechi (ויחי – and he lived) Genesis 47:28–50:26.
This week’s Parsha contains the verses that frame (Genesis 48:20 and 48:16) the blessing of the cohanim (Numbers 6:24 to 26), together which make up the traditional Friday evening blessing of parents to their children1

Genesis, 48:20
יְשִׂמְךָ אֱלֹקים כְּאֶפְרַיִם וְכִמְנַשֶּׁה
May Gd make you like Ephraim and Menasheh

Numbers 6:24 to 26
יְבָרֶכְךָ יי, וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ.
יָאֵר יי פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וִיחֻנֶּךָּ.
יִשָּׂא יי פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם.
May the Lord bless you and protect you.
May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be kind to you.
May the Lord look upon you and grant you peace.

Genesis, 48:16
הַמַּלְאָךְ הַגֹּאֵל אֹתִי מִכָּל-רָע, יְבָרֵךְ אֶת-הַנְּעָרִים, וְיִקָּרֵא בָהֶם שְׁמִי, וְשֵׁם אֲבֹתַי אַבְרָהָם וְיִצְחָק; וְיִדְגּוּ לָרֹב, בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ.
May the angel who delivered me from all evil, bless these young people. May he perpetuate my name and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. May it multiply infinitely in the middle of the land.

The Bnei Menaché live mainly in Moreh, an Indian town located on the border of Burma in the Indian state of Manipur (northeastern India). They consider their legendary ancestor Hmar Manmasi to be none other than Menaché, son of Joseph.
In 2005, Israel allowed them to make aliyah, after having made a formal conversion. About 3,000 members of the community immigrated to Israel. There are still 7,000 in India.

The Bnei Ephraim live in Kothareddy Palem, an Indian village located on the shore of Lake Bhavanasi in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh (coastal region in southeastern India).
The Bene Ephraim or Telugu Jews claim to be descendants of the tribe of Ephraim. They are not recognized to this day as Jewish by the rabbinate of Israel.

Genesis 50:24
ויי פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד אֶתְכֶם, וְהֶעֱלָה אֶתְכֶם מִן-הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹב
Know that the Lord will direct you and bring you back from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

1 For the girls, Ephraim and Ménaché were replaced by Rivka, Ra’hel and Lea
2 Kuki, Chin, The Israelite Origin of Mizo-Hmar; Myth or reality? By Lal Dena (link is external)

Parshat Vayigash (ויגש – and he drew near), Genesis 44:18–47:27.

Genesis 47:12
וַיְכַלְכֵּל יוֹסֵף אֶת-אָבִיוְאֶת-אֶחָיו, וְאֵת כָּל-בֵּית אָבִיו-לֶחֶם, לְפִי הַטָּף
Joseph feeds his father, his brothers and all his father’s house,
giving food according to the needs of each family.

The synagogue was built in 1875. At that time, Vesoul was the seat of the consistory of eastern France. It was decommissioned in 1945, then became the property of Restos du Cœur¹ years later. It was the subject of a registration as a historical monument in 1984.

The Jewish community of Vesoul, between the 13th and 14th centuries, was the largest in the county of Burgundy. In 1324, the Countess of Burgundy expelled the Jews from the city and confiscated their property. Around 1808, the community was reconstituted, then strengthened in 1870 by the arrival of Alsatian Jews. During the Second World War, the community disappeared².

In 1914, Raymond Samuel, known under the pseudonym of Raymond Aubrac³, son of Jewish merchants, was born not far from this synagogue.

¹ Charitable association created by Michel Colucci, dit Coluche (1944-1986) in 1985.
² Raymond Aubrac’s parents, Albert and Hélène Samuel and his brother Paul, as well as 104 other people are arrested as Jews, sent to Drancy, then murdered in Auschwitz.
³ Raymond Aubrac (1914-2012), married in 1939 to Lucie Bernard (1912-2007), both members of the Liberation resistance movement.

For the reading of Shabbat Rosh Chodesh of Chanukkah, we take out 3 Sefrei-Torah:
1^st sefer, reading of the current Shabbat parsha, in 2022, Miketz (מקץ – at the end of), Genesis 41.1 to 44.17
2^nd sefer, reading of the passage from Rosh Chodesh, Numbers 28.1 to 28.15
3^rd sefer, reading for Chanukkah, from the passage of the inauguration of the Mishkan, Numbers 6.22 to 8.4
The reading of the haftarah is done in Zechariah 2.14 to 4.7.

When two mitzvot present themselves to us, which one to choose?
It is a fundamental principle of halakha¹: whenever two mitzvos occur together, the one that is practiced most often has priority over the other.
Exceptionally this principle is not applied for Chanukkah, because the message of Chanukkah must reach the greatest number.

Zechariah 4.2
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי, מָה אַתָּה רֹאֶה; ויאמר (וָאֹמַר) רָאִיתִי וְהִנֵּה מְנוֹרַת זָהָב כֻּלָּο
וְשִׁבְעָה נֵרֹתֶיהָ עָלֶיהָ–שִׁבְעָה וְשִׁבְעָה מוּצָקוֹת, לַנֵּרוֹת אֲשֶׁר עַל-רֹאשָׁהּ
And he said to me: “What do you see?” I answered: “I see a candlestick all in gold its vessel on its top, its seven lamps lined up and seven conduits for the lamps which crown the top.

The center is built in the shape of a seven-branched synagogue candelabrum (menorah). It consists of seven marble towers, the highest of which is 20 stories (77 m.) tall. The construction has total floor area of about 50,000 sq.m. There are a synagogue, museums, office premises, shopping spaces, publishing house, art galleries, kosher restaurants and cafes, conference halls, banquet halls, a luxury hotel, youth hostel, classrooms, tourist information center, visa center of Israel. General project design was made by architect Alexander Sorin.

¹ Berachot 51b, tadir velo tadir = תדיר ולא תדיר = often and not often.

Parshat Vayechev (וישב – And he settled down), Genesis 37:1-40:23
Yossef won the favor of Potifar, his master, but also aroused the lust of women. Yossef refuses the advances of Potifar’s wife who, out of spite, accuses him of rape. Yossef is thrown in prison.

Genesis 39:20
וַיְהִי-שָׁם, בְּבֵית הַסֹּהַר
and he remained there, in the prison.

The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia was built in 1829. The Gothic Revival style penitentiary is built in the shape of a star¹. The imposing medieval-style wall that surrounds it is intended to intimidate the new occupant.
In 1924, a synagogue was built there. It will be used without interruption until the closing of the penitentiary in 1971. The penitentiary is abandoned and the premises are deteriorating.
In 1994, after its restoration, the penitentiary was opened to the public as a National Historic Landmark. The synagogue has been restored as it was in 1959, with its dark wooden pews surrounding the room, a beautiful archway, a reader’s table, a plaster Star of David and an eternal flame. The workshops adjoining the synagogue have been converted into a memorial on Jewish life at the penitentiary, The William Portner Memorial Exhibit on Jewish Life at Eastern State Penitentiary.

¹ In 1929, Al Capone was imprisoned there for illegal possession of a weapon. This first stay in a prison is in fact a shelter. He had his cell located in the center of the star fitted out in a luxurious way (carpeting, tapestries, paintings and antique furniture). He was released after ten months in prison.

Parshat Vayishlach (וישלח – And he sent), Genesis 32:4–36:43.
In this parsha, it is written that Ya’akov buys a piece of land in Shechem (Genesis 33,19), at the very place where G‑d promised Avram (Avraham) that the land of Canaan would be given to his descendants (Genesis 12.6-7). Shechem is also the burial place of Yosef HaTsadiq (Yehochu’a 24.32), as well as one of the 6 cities of refuge (Yehochu’a 21.21, see also Chronicles I 6.52). In 930 ^BCE, when the Kingdom of Israel separated into two states (the Kingdom of Samaria¹ and the Kingdom of Judah), Shechem became the capital of the Kingdom of Samaria (Chronicles II 11,1 et seq.).

The centuries-old attempts to erase the Jewish history² of this city have been so successful that many people today have never heard the name Shechem (שְׁכֶם). They only know that of Nablus, a name derived from Flavia Neopolis (Greek: Flavia Νέο πόλης – Flavia New City). In 72, the Roman emperor Vespasien, gave this name³ to Chkhem, to destroy the Jewish identity⁴ of the city.

¹ Also called Northern Kingdom or Kingdom of Israel.
² Located in zone A, the city is forbidden to Jews.
³ Dedication for his wife Flavia Domitilla who died in 69.
⁴ Just like the Roman emperor Hadrian, gave the name of Palaestina to the region to punish the Jews for their revolt of 132-135. Or as UNESCO is trying to do by denying the Jewish identity of certain places in the land of Israel.

Genesis 33.19
וַיִּקֶן אֶת-חֶלְקַת הַשָּׂדֶה, אֲשֶׁר נָטָה-שָׁם אָהֳלוֹ, מִיַּד בְּנֵי -חֲמוֹר, אֲבִי שְׁכֶם–בְּמֵאָה, קְשִׂיטָה.
He acquired the portion of land where he pitched his tent,
from the hand of the children of Hamor, father of Chkhem percent kesita.

Genesis 12, verses 6 and 7
ויעבֹר אברם בארץ עד מקום שכם עד אלון מורה והכנעני אז בארץ
וירא יי אל-אברם ויאמר לזרעך אתן את-הארץ הזאת ויבן שם מזבח ליי הנראה אל
Avram advanced into the country as far as the territory of Chkhem, as far as Elon Morhé;
the Canaanite then inhabited that country.
The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I make this land for your descendants.
He built there an altar to G‑d who had appeared to him.

Yehochu’a 24:32
וְאֶת-עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף אֲשֶׁר-הֶעֱלוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְריִם
קָבְרוּ בִשְׁכֶם בְּחֶלְקַת הַשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר קָנָה יַעֲקֹב מֵאֵת בְּנֵי-חֲמוֹר אֲבִי-שְׁכֶם
בְּמֵאָה קְשִׂיטָה; וַיִּהְיוּ לִבְנֵי-יוֹסֵף, לְנַחֲלָה
As for the bones of Yossef, which the children of Israel had carried away from Egypt, they were buried at Chchem, in the piece of land which Ya’akov had acquired, for a hundred kecita, from the sons of Hamor, father of Chchem, and which became the property of Yossef’s children.

Yehochu’a 21:21
כא וַיִּתְּנוּ לָהֶם אֶת-עִיר מִקְלַט הָרֹצֵחַ, אֶת-שְׁכֶם וְאֶת-מִגְרָשֶׁהָ–בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם; וְאֶת-גֶּזֶר, וְאֶת-מִגְרָשֶׁהָ.
They were given the city of refuge for the murderer, Chkhem with its suburbs,
in Mount Ephraim; Ghezer, with its suburbs;

Parshat Vayetze (וַיֵּצֵא – And he went out), Genesis 28:10–32:3.

The synagogue of Bar-le-Duc, built in 1871, in a Moorish style, mixes the symbols of Judaism with elements of Renaissance architecture. Above the door, it is written in Hebrew the verse of Vayetze:

Genesis 28:17
אין זה כי אם־בית אלדים
וזה שער השמים
This does not is other than the house of Gd
and it is the gate of heaven

The presence of a Jewish community in Bar-le-Duc is attested from the Middle Ages. But in the 12th century, a time of intolerance and ghettoization, the Jews left the city. It is not until 1727 that Jewish families are again mentioned.
In 1868, land on the banks of the river Ornain was acquired with the aim of building a synagogue there. The project is financed by subscriptions and by grants from the city and the state. In 1872, the synagogue was built under the direction of architect Charles Demoget¹.
In 1939, the community had more than 25 families, but the war and the deportation meant that, at the end of the war, the community had become too small for the synagogue to still be used as a place of worship.
On February 28, 2013, the entire synagogue, the garden and the enclosing wall were listed as historical monuments.

¹ Louis Charles Demonget, engineer and architect born in Bar-le-Duc in 1827 and died in 1903.

Parashash Toldot (תולדות – lineage) Genesis 25:19–28:9.

After a long period of sterility, Rivka gives birth to twins, Essav and Ya’acov. Esav sells his birthright to Ya’acov for lentil stew. Yts’hak blesses Ya’acov thinking it is Esav. Yaacov fled to Laban, his mother’s brother, to prevent Esau from killing him. Yts’hak blesses Ya’acov once again.

Genesis 28:1
וַיִּקְרָא יִצְחָק אֶל-יַעֲקֹב, וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתו
Yts’hak called Ya’acov and blessed him.

The Synagogue of the Kehilat Ya’akov^₁ (Congregation of Jacob) is the first Mizrahi Synagogue^₂ from Great Britain, built in 1921 by the architectural firm Lewis Solomon & Its, it is now one of four active synagogues in East London.

^₁ Congregation founded by Morris Davis Koenigsberg and Abraham Schwalbe in 1903. Originally it consisted largely of immigrants from Poland and Lithuania.
^₂ Mizrahi acronym for Merkaz Ruhani (מזרחי = מרכז רוחני = spiritual center) is a Zionist organization religious founded in 1902 in Vilnius. She champions the idea of ​​a Jewish state largely based on Orthodox Judaism.

Parshas Chayei Sarah (חַיֵּי שָׂרָה – life of Sarah), Genesis 23:1-25:18.
Abraham buys a burial place for his wife Sarah. He commissions his servant Elierez to find a wife for his son, Ytz’hak.

Genesis, chapter 23, verse 19
וְאַחֲרֵי-כֵן קָבַר אַבְרָהָם אֶת-שָׂרָה אִשְׁתּוֹ, אֶל-מְעָרַת שְׂדֵה הַמַּכְפֵּלָה עַל-פְּנֵי מַמְרֵא–הִוא חֶבְרוֹן: בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן
Then Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the vault of the field of Makhpelah, opposite Mamre, which is ‘Hevron: In the land of Cana’an.

During the Second Temple period¹, the Jews built a small building above the tombs of Abraham, Sarah, Ytz’hak, Rivka, Ya’akov, Leah and according to tradition those of Adam and Chava. In the I^st century^BCE, Herod the Great built the Tomb of the Patriarchs in its present form.
Twenty five centuries after its acquisition, Makhpéla, this Jewish heritage was transformed into a church by the Byzantines (V^th century), then into a mosque (VII^th century). During the Crusades (1100-1187), the building was converted into a church, before becoming a mosque again.
From 1267, the Muslim occupants forbade the Jews to approach the sanctuary. In 1929, under the British mandate, the bloody riots in Hévron forced the Jews to leave the city. In 1950, the Jordanians annexed Judea and Samaria and prohibited Jews from visiting their holy places. In ‘Hévron, they destroy the Jewish quarter, the cemeteries and the Abraham Avinou synagogue.
In 1967, Israel regained control of the region. In 1979, nineteen women and forty children moved into the former Beit Hadassah² hospital.
In 2017, UNESCO inscribed³ the Tomb of the Patriarchs on the World Heritage List as a Palestinian site, erasing the Jewish character of the place.
To counter this decision, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces the construction of the Museum of Jewish Heritage in ‘Hévron which will be financed from Israel’s UN endowment.

¹ From the VI^th century ^BCE to the I^st century ^CE.
² Rabbi Haim Rahamim Yosef Franco (1833-1901) built Beit Hadassah, a infirmary and an aid center for the needy in 1893. The building has been enlarged several times (see the site of ‘Hevron).
³ 12 states voted in favor, 6 abstained and 3 voted against.

Parashat Vayera (וירא – And He Appeared), Genesis 18:1–22:24.
Besides, the episodes from the welcoming of Abraham, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the installation of Abraham with Abimelekh, the dismissal of Hagar and Ishmael and the binding of Yitzchak, this parsha announces many births, in particular those of Yitzchak and Rivka.

Genesis 22:23
וּבְתוּאֵל, יָלַד אֶת-רִבְקָה.
Which Bathuel begat Rivka.

In 1941, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn zt”l¹ established Beth Rivkah² Elementary School in Brooklyn. Fourteen years later Later, his son-in-law Le Rabbi de Lubavitch zt”l³ opens the High Scholl division. In 1988, the new Chomesh Campus was built on an area of ​​11,600 m2 and includes 4 floors. It accommodates more than 2,000 female students with nearly 100 classrooms, as well as science labs, computer centers, libraries, a sports gymnasium and a rooftop playground.
Other branches were opened: in 1947 in Yerres (France), in 1950 in Casablanca (Morocco), in 1956 in Montreal (Canada), Quebec (Canada) and Melbourne (Australia) and in 1987 in Kfar Chabad ( Israel).

¹ says the Rayatz (1880-1950), sixth Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic dynasty.
² בית רבקה, Rebecca’s House, school for girls.
³ Rav Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902- 1994) seventh and last Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic dynasty.

Parashat Lekh Lekha (לך לך – Go for your), Genesis 12:1 to 17:27.

Genesis 12:1
… לֶךְ-לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְךָ …
… Get away from your country, from your birthplace…

The word לְךָ (lekha) emphasizes the passage from one state to another, for the fulfillment of a destiny^₁ .

In 1876, the Adas Israel congregation in Washington built a small brick synagogue. On June 9, President Grant^₂ and Senator Ferry attend his inauguration. In 1908, following the influx of immigrants, the congregation moved to a new building on Sixth Street.

In 1910, the synagogue was sold. Over the years, the building passed from one state to another. From 1910 to 1940, it hosted various churches. Then, over the following years, it was divided into different spaces (grocery store, hairdresser, dentist’s office, real estate agency, bicycle shop, delicatessen, café, etc.). Eventually it becomes the Lillian & Albert Small.

In 1969, the Jewish Historical Society with the help of local and federal governments moved the 273-ton building which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places^₃. In 2016, the building is moved again, as well as in January 2019, in order to become the heart of the capital’s new Jewish Museum, The Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum.

_¹ Genesis 22.2; 27.43  ; Exodus 18.27  ; Joshua 22.4; Song of Songs 2.10.
_² 18^th President of the United States (1869-1877).< br>_³ The National Register of Historic Places (1966) is the official list of monuments placed under the trusteeship of the federal government of the United States, in order to preserve, conserve, restore and manage them.