B"H
Monday, Mar-Cheshvan 26, 5782 / November 1, 2021
In Parshat Toldot, which we will read this Shabbat, the Torah relates that Yitzchak and Rivkah were married many years but had no children.
They prayed andG-d answered their prayers. Rivkah conceived and gave birth to twins – Esau and Yaakov (Jacob). For fifteen years, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived all together. Their grandfather Abraham was 160, while Isaac was 60, when the twins were born.
Q. There are three daily prayers. The Morning prayer (Shacharit); Afternoon prayer (Mincha); and the Evening prayer (Ma’ariv). Why three prayers?
A. The three prayers are associated with our three patriarchs– Avraham (Abraham),Yitzchak (Isaac)and Yaakov (Jacob). In the Torah we find that each of the patriarchs prayed and the Torah associates their prayers to different times of the day. The Shacharit (morning) prayer is related to Avraham; Mincha (afternoon) prayer to Yitzchak; and the Ma’ariv(evening) service is linked to Yaakov (Jacob). The three prayers recall their merits to bring about a positive response to our prayers.
The three prayers also remind us to be connected to G-d all day long! The Shacharit service is recited before one begins the working day. The Mincha service is recited in the afternoon, during work hours. Ma’ariv is recited after finishing our workday.
In a deeper sense, the three prayers represent three different periods in a person's life. "Shacharit" represents a person's early years when one attends Yeshiva or Hebrew school. "Ma’ariv" represents a person's retirement years. During this time, one has more time to attend synagogue and become active in the Jewish community. The Mincha service represent a person’s working years.
Our sages say, “A person must be extra careful with the Mincha prayer.” With this our sages teach us that it is not enough to study Torah and attend synagogue during the early childhood years or later, during the retirement, years. One must be careful with the "Mincha years," when we are busy working and doing business, when we are occupied with our material and financial success. During these years we must be extra careful to fulfill our spiritual responsibilities to ourselves, our family and our community.
Q. Abraham’s original name, Abram, was changed to, “Avraham.” Also Yaakov had the name “Israel” added to him. Why, was Yitzchak’s name never changed or added to?
A. G-d changed the name “Abram” which means, “Father of onenation,” to Abraham whichmeans, “Father of a multitude of nations.” Yaakov, comes from the word “heel.” He was called so because at birth he held on to his twin brother’s heel. The angel later added the name “Israel” which means “master.” But, “Yitzchak” means “joy and laughter.” There was no reason to change his name. The Torah says, “Serve G-d with joy!” Laughter and happiness are everything! May we all be blessed with joy, laughter, and happiness. Amen.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY