 | Never Run From, Run Towards
Many Jews left South Africa over the years, for various reasons. One community leader said: "All those who were unhappy in South Africa are unhappy in their new countries. The people who were happy in South Africa are happy in their new country." If you run away from somewhere, you take your unhappiness with you. We should never run away from, we should run towards something else.
Initially Ya'akov was running away – but if the salient sentiment is running away, then you often spend your life running away from your problems. But then we are told that Ya'akov left Be'er Sheva and went to Charan. Rashi famously comments on the seeming superfluous words that Ya'akov left Be'er Sheva – why do we need to know where he left from? He says that because after he left, the place was never the same again. And then we are told that he went to Charan – because when we leave a place, it is not about where we are leaving, but to where we are going. | | | This week our headquarters in Yerushalayim were bustling with four missions from around the world. We welcomed:
 The Yeshiva University Operation Torah Shield III mission A delegation of leading German and Austrian rabbis The fourth Mizrachi-RCA-RIETS mission, led by President Rabbi Zvi Engel The Mizrachi South Africa mission  If you are interested in bringing a solidarity mission to Israel, contact Ilan Frydman at ilan@mizrachi.org | | 😮 This week our missions experienced: shiva calls, families of hostages, bikur cholim, army base, visiting sites of atrocities, meet soldiers, and more.
🌍 Missions from Germany, South Africa and the United States have ended, and more are set for next week from Holland, Canada, France and the US!
📸 Kineret Rifkind Photograph | | | New WhatsApp group for families of Israeli soldiers!
If you or anyone you know has a family member currently serving in the IDF join our new group | | | Gael Grunewald, Mizrachi's representative as head of the Education Department of the World Zionist Organization, on a speaking tour in France, telling the story of the war and galvanizing support for Israel. | | | The Spirit of Our Nation
Add inspiration to your day by receiving uplifting messages from leaders around the world! | | 📣 The Youth materials for Parshat Vayeitzei are now online!
📰 HaMizrachi Parsha Weekly Youth Edition, a Parsha sheet designed for youth
🗞️ Chavruta, a study sheet great for kids or parent-student sessions
🌐 Now Available in Spanish and Portuguese!
👉 To download, print, and register: mizrachi.org/youth | | Thousands of Israeli families cannot return to their homes in the coming months, and you can help them! Do you own an apartment that is currently vacant? 🏠 The World Zionist Organization undertakes responsibility for your apartment for 3️⃣ months, pays the water, electricity and gas bills, insures the apartment and commits to returning it clean and in good condition at the end of the period. If you open your heart and your home 💙 we will furnish it if necessary and make all the necessary arrangements to house families of evacuees from the south and the north. By doing so we will provide them with a home for 3️⃣ months, and we will give them the opportunity to sleep peacefully at night, 🙏 and everything is under the responsibility of the World Zionist Organization. To date, we have housed more than 250 families in homes donated to us by Israelis and Jews worldwide, but hundreds more families are still waiting. For more information and to leave details about apartments that you would like to donate to the "My Home - Your Home" project, please visit https://tinyurl.com/emyhomeisyourhome Or send an email to arielc@wzo.org.il Please share 💪 🇮🇱 Together we will win this war! | | 🤩 OVER 2,500 LETTERS AND VIDEOS!
🇮🇱 More than 2,000 letters and videos have already been delivered to soldiers and school children from dozens of cities around the world!
🤳 There has been a special request for more videos for school children
Please send to:
📹 Videos - videosforisrael@mizrachi.org
✉️ Letters - lettersforisrael@mizrachi.org
📷 Pictures - picturesforisrael@mizrachi.org | |  Unite with Israel
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mizrachi.org/unitewithisrael | | Looking for speakers from Israel? World Mizrachi can connect you with leading speakers on a variety of topics related to the current situation:
 Divrei chizuk
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Views from the Gaza periphery
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 For more information, email jacqui@mizrachi.org | | HaMizrachi Parsha Weekly
The Parshat Vayeitzei edition of HaMizrachi Parsha Weekly is now available!
You can find it in 2 formats:
1️⃣ Economic Printing (7 double sided pages)
2️⃣ Full Printing (14 double sided pages) | |  | Tzurba Hilchot Shabbat Program has begun!
Weekly shiur by Rabbi Shalom Rosner is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, as well as OU Torah and YU Torah websites.
Tzurba M'Rabanan is a groundbreaking learning program that makes the learning of Halacha clear, relevant and interesting.
To date, the Lax Family Tzurba M'Rabanan English Series consists of 17 volumes, covering around one hundred topics in Halacha.
For more information and to purchase volumes of Tzurba M'Rabanan, go to tzurbaolami.com | | 📖 "The Jewish State" Available to Purchase
Following the book launch at Mizrachi's World Orthodox Israel Congress, "The Jewish State" by Rabbi Doron Perez is available to buy online for delivery to Israel, Australia, Canada, UK, and USA, as well as for collection at the Mizrachi offices in Israel and South Africa.
For some of the approbations, see the flyer above.
To purchase, click here: mizrachi.org/the-jewish-state-order-form | | VAYEITZEI
Long Lasting Luz
By Rabbanit Shira Smiles One of the most mysterious places on earth is the city of Luz. Chazal note that the malach hamavet had no entry rights to this city and its inhabitants lived forever. What do we know of this city? And what was the significance of renaming the city Bet El? In truth, notes Rav Scheinerman in Ohel Moshe, it is a mistake to think that a person can live forever and escape the Angel of Death. Chazal tell us that when a resident of Luz got tired of life he would leave the city and thus die. In renaming the city, Ya'akov Avinu teaches us that the only way to achieve eternal life is through Torah; creating a 'Bet El' connects one to spiritual immortality.
Rav Weiss in Mishbetzot Zahav examines the link between 'Luz' and 'Bet El'. The midrash explains that one who entered the city of Luz was vibrant and fresh in their mitzvot like a luz tree. This symbolizes the need to connect with Torah through passion and excitement, as if it was given anew every day. The other quality of the luz (hazelnut) is that it has no opening to crack it. This is symbolic of the city's dwellers who were careful to guard their mouths. As such, negative forces had difficulty entering and causing harm. A person whose mouth is a channel for Torah and mitzvot, who is careful not to bring harm to others with their speech, is a true 'house of Hashem.'
Rav Eisenberger in Miselot Hanevi'im explains that everything in this world exists in three dimensions: time, place, and body. If there is a place which has this long-lasting quality, it must exist in the other dimensions as well. Indeed, within each of our bodies is a bone at the back of our necks with the same name – 'luz.' The Kaf HaChayim explains that when Adam sinned and ate from the eitz haDa'at, all of man's bones were affected with the exception of the luz bone. Since this bone was not tainted by the effects of the sin it is eternal. We are taught that the seudat melave malka nourishes this bone and it is from this bone that one will be resurrected in the future. Motzaei Shabbat is a time when we sing about Eliyahu HaNavi who himself never died. It is also a time of longing for Mashiach and the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash whose remnant, the Kotel, has housed the shechinah for all time.
The Slonimer Rebbe in Netivot Shalom finds hints of these ideas at the beginning of our parasha. Ya'akov Avinu leaves Be'er Sheva, the source of seven which is a reference to Shabbat. He journeys toward Charan, an allusion to the anger of the world, the regular work week. On his way he sees a sulam, a ladder, in his dream with angels ascending and descending upon it. Sulam can be an acronym for 'seudah levayah malka,' the meal that transitions the Shabbat angels to heaven and the weekday angels coming to escort us into our new week. The seudat melave malka is the meal that allows us to take the kedushah of Shabbat and use it to infuse the coming week. It is at this auspicious time that Ya'akov Avinu symbolically erected a stone and named this place 'Bet El.' In doing so, he transmitted the message that one day the third Beit HaMikdash will stand in this place, the place that the nations will say, "Let us go up to… the house of the G-d of Ya'akov" (Yeshayahu 2:3). Truly this Beit HaMikdash will last forever and Luz will be transformed into the ultimate 'House of Hashem.' Mrs. Shira Smiles, a lecturer, author and curriculum developer, is a member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau (www.mizrachi.org/speakers). | | | Besorot Tovot and Shabbat Shalom! | | | | |
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