Final Post

This is my final post of the year, so I thought that it wouldn't really be right to only write about one thing. Instead, I'll write about a couple of things that are on my mind right now, as a person exiting this class.
First of all, I would like to acknowledge how lovely Sade Cooper's saludatorian speech was. She accurately (and beautifully) described the dilemma that we all had this year when we were faced with dealing with the fact that our forefathers aren't as perfect as we to idealize them when we were young. I have to say, we have uncovered many things this year that I was totally unaware of the first time around learning it. I feel like I see Bereshit in a totally different light now- and all of the characters in it. I believe that I have come to both understand and appreciate Avraham and Yaakov on whole other levels that I never would have thought of before. I think it's important to recognize that none of them are perfect and sometimes they do bad things, and then there are times that they do really amazing things. Like Sade said, the Torah isn't just black and white-there are also shades of grey.

Another thing I thought was worth noting is the different reactions that the Imahot had to not being able to have children. First of all, Leah was successfully able to have children- why is this? Does it mean that she wasn't truly one of our Imahot, or was it so because she was the least-loved and Hashem wanted her to be more appreciated? Anyways, back to the topic. When Sarah couldn't have children, after a while, she started taking active steps. She offered Hagar, her maidservant, to Avraham so that they would have kids that way. Sarah was always actively participating and being active and communicating with Avraham about what was going to happen. Rivkah's approach could not have been more different. She had no communication with Yitzchak whatsoever. He davened for her to have a child and it doesn't say anything about what she did. While she was pregnant she davened to Hashem, but we don't know if she actually davened to have kids and it definitely does not seem as if she communicated with Yaakov about this matter. Rachel is the last of the imahot to be an akarah. Rachel, like Sarah, was active and constantly davened for children.
What is with this pattern of the imahot not being able to have children? Is it a test? Why do they need to be tested? So sad for them.

The year is over. I would like to conclude by saying what my favorite thing to learn was. i think that perhaps (but it's pretty close) my favorite topic this year has been the first about 11 perakim of Bereshit. There's a lot of triply stuff in there, but I loved developing the theme and discussing Hashem's original plan for the world and man's role in the world. I love the concept of tzelem elokim and the hierarchy and I love how it is incorporated so early on in the Torah.

HAPPY SUMMER!