What we dream is a reflection of who we are

Once again, Israel, which so longs for peace, is being forced to ready her children for war....

As missiles fall on the South and parts of the coastal region, and leaves are cancelled, there will be many families whose tefillot (prayers) will have special meaning and urgency this Shabbat.

There are no words to express the emotions that run through the minds of those whose children may be going into harm’s way as events unfold. For me, this is a new experience; it is one thing to don a uniform and say a goodbye hoping to come home soon; it is quite another to be at home, hoping they will all return safely....

I once heard a story from Rabbi Abraham Twersky: The Chassidic Rebbe of Hornostipol had a devoted attendant by the name of Reb Dan, who served the Rebbe faithfully for over fifty years. After the Rebbe’s death, the Rabbi in the village, Rav Yankel, announced that the coveted burial plot next to the Rebbe was due him inasmuch as he was the Rabbi of the town.

Reb Dan protested, saying that just as he had never left the Rebbe’s side in life, he deserved not to be separated from him in death.

The dispute was brought before the Rebbe’s son (Rav Avraham Twersky’s grandfather), who ruled that the decision should be made by G-d, and that whoever died first was to be buried next to the Rebbe.

From that time, whenever Rav Yankel would take ill, Reb Dan would panic, and would insist that the very best specialists be brought in to treat him. He would also go to all the synagogues urging everyone to pray for Rav Yankel’s speedy recovery. The thought that Rav Yankel would die first and thus win the coveted burial spot gave him no rest. And if Reb Dan took sick, Rav Yankel behaved in exactly the same way.

What people want, speaks volumes about who they really are.

This week’s portion, Vayetze’, has a lot to do with what we aspire to, and what we dream of.

Escaping from the wrath of his brother Esau, Yaakov flees the land of Israel and his home, to make a new life in the far off empire of Mesopotamia. He meets the love of his life, Rachel, ultimately marrying and settling in the home of his father-in-law Lavan.