Up or Down – Parshat Toldot
Up or Down
Do you miss playing on the seesaw? We all have memories of playing on the various elements in the park. The swings, monkey bars, slides and seesaws are staples at the local playground. A seesaw, when being used properly, has two people on it that alternate between going up and going down. When one party “pushes off” the ground they will go up, while the other will fall towards the ground.
In this week’s Torah portion, Rebecca is notified that she would have twins. She was told that two nations will emerge from you, and one nation will struggle against the other nation. We know that Rebecca did have twins named Jacob and Esau and they and their descendants struggled and continue to struggle with each other.
Rashi, one of the great commentators on the Torah, explains the struggle between the two nations and says that only one nation can be “up” at a time. It is impossible for both to be leading. The definition of struggle, according to Rashi, is that both nations will constantly be trading places struggling to be the ruler.
While this has certainly been true throughout the course of Jewish history, it also has relevance to each and every person. There are “two nations” within every person struggling for control of our heart, mind and our action. There is a Jacob and Esau within each of us trying to dictate our next move.
Remember, you are either up or down and our job is to try and make sure that Jacob rules.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Mendy Hecht
About Our Shul
Located in a New Haven Landmark building listed on the National Register of Historic Places and honored by the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, Orchard Street Shul was reborn in 2010 as a traditional yet “post label” synagogue after many years of disuse. We continue to build a dynamic community made up of Jewish people of all ages, from all backgrounds and levels of affiliation.
We seek to appeal to the Jewish self in us all, so we can join in a community in which every member of our family finds comfort, meaning, and spiritual connection. We celebrate our Jewishness, and yours. We invite you to join and experience our spiritual haven where you will be welcomed as family, find depth, meaning, and a new appreciation for Jewish life.
Orchard Street Shul
Our beautiful Eastern European Ashkenazi style synagogue was built in 1924 with a unique blend of Federal style and Eastern European architecture seen in our façade. The Shul stands proudly as a symbol of a once vibrant Jewish neighborhood, adjacent to Yale University and both campuses of Yale-New Haven Hospital. Today, the Shul is an anchor of New Haven’s emerging medical and biotech corridor. Jews of all backgrounds make our Shul happen, bringing Jewish life back to an historic neighborhood, in the only synagogue remaining of the dozen that once served our area. Now the only Shul servicing the downtown New Haven community, the sounds of Jewish life are once again regularly heard in this restored gem. You are invited to join your prayers with ours.
Read more About Our Shul, Shul History and Shul Restorations, and check out our Photo Gallery.
Connect With Us
We hold services every Shabbos at 9:30 AM, a Carlebach Kabbalat Shabbat minyan on the First Friday of the secular month (see posted time depending on season).
We welcome your membership, and contributions, but most importantly we welcome you. There are no tickets to attend our services and, please, you should always feel welcome to be part of our family.