VaYechi Excerpts
ויחי
Shabbat Shalom
Yosef sees something that bothers him. His father, Yakov, seems to be showing favoritism again. He gets involved and lets his dad know who the firstborn is, to switch the right hand onto Menashes...In every family, there are better kids. Parents in this congregation usually favor the little ones. I can understand, in the case of the Gottelmans, their teenager is a basket case.
What makes Menashe different is that, he doesn't seem to make a bid deal. He doesn't cry for attention, like Ruthie Silverstone...It is Menashe who is the hero. Finally, a non-jealous brother.
Yakov sticks to this seeming favoritism, but Menashe is un-phased. It is this which makes for a tribe.
Two tribes from one. From Yosef, we have Ephraim and Menashe.
It is this brotherhood, found in these two sons of Yosef, which I say is the reason we bless our children to be like 'Ephraim and Menashe.' Does Yakkov see this? Is this why Yakkov says that the future generations will blessed this way?
Nobody says, 'May your children be blessed like the Feinstein twins. Those kids are fighting all the time. Those are not buzz cuts. The hair has all been pulled out...Their mom is the least religious women this congregation has ever seen with a shaytel (wig). Did the kids pull out her hair too? That would be a Yes...And it is this brotherly love which is first found outside of Israel...not in this congregation.
It is the older brothers who always caused the problems: Yishmael. Esav, the tribes, Mark Gottelman...
It is also the older brother, over here, who is at peace with his place...If we can just teach our children how to be second best, then we can stop all this fighting...Maybe the sisterhood and gabbi can learn a thing or two...If he can accept that he is not important, this shule....
***These are excerpts from the sermon. For the sermon in its entirety, come see David Kilimnick perform at the Off The Wall Comedy Basement, in downtown Jerusalem.
David also tours as a Maggid with very few stories, if you invite him.
Shabbat Shalom
Shabbat Shalom
Yosef sees something that bothers him. His father, Yakov, seems to be showing favoritism again. He gets involved and lets his dad know who the firstborn is, to switch the right hand onto Menashes...In every family, there are better kids. Parents in this congregation usually favor the little ones. I can understand, in the case of the Gottelmans, their teenager is a basket case.
What makes Menashe different is that, he doesn't seem to make a bid deal. He doesn't cry for attention, like Ruthie Silverstone...It is Menashe who is the hero. Finally, a non-jealous brother.
Yakov sticks to this seeming favoritism, but Menashe is un-phased. It is this which makes for a tribe.
Two tribes from one. From Yosef, we have Ephraim and Menashe.
It is this brotherhood, found in these two sons of Yosef, which I say is the reason we bless our children to be like 'Ephraim and Menashe.' Does Yakkov see this? Is this why Yakkov says that the future generations will blessed this way?
Nobody says, 'May your children be blessed like the Feinstein twins. Those kids are fighting all the time. Those are not buzz cuts. The hair has all been pulled out...Their mom is the least religious women this congregation has ever seen with a shaytel (wig). Did the kids pull out her hair too? That would be a Yes...And it is this brotherly love which is first found outside of Israel...not in this congregation.
It is the older brothers who always caused the problems: Yishmael. Esav, the tribes, Mark Gottelman...
It is also the older brother, over here, who is at peace with his place...If we can just teach our children how to be second best, then we can stop all this fighting...Maybe the sisterhood and gabbi can learn a thing or two...If he can accept that he is not important, this shule....
***These are excerpts from the sermon. For the sermon in its entirety, come see David Kilimnick perform at the Off The Wall Comedy Basement, in downtown Jerusalem.
David also tours as a Maggid with very few stories, if you invite him.
Shabbat Shalom
Comments
Post a Comment