Shabbat
Shalom!
As
many of you know, I have a keen interest in art. You can see an example of my work on the
back of my Bat Mitzvah booklet. Being an
artist has helped me to look at the world around me with wide open eyes. For example,
when I created something called the “Tree of Life” in art class, it took me
several sessions of painting while looking at trees in order to get it right.
Doing art forces you to be more observant and look beyond the surface.
In
my portion of Toldot, Isaac is depicted as being blind. Commentators explain that the blindness was
not purely physical. Some say he was
affected by the traumas of his childhood, when he was nearly sacrificed by his
father Abraham. Others claim that he was
blind to his own children’s flaws, especially those of his older son Esau.
It’s
understandable that Isaac acted this way.
For
example, one modern commentator said, a grandmother she knew would swear that
if her grandkids were ax murderers, they would be the BEST ax murderers out
there because they could do no wrong. The commentator then poses the
question: “Do we do our children a favor when we raise them with what looks
like unconditional love, but is blind denial, pretending to be love, Jacob and
Esau’s clothes?”
I think
the answer is no. We need to see clearly
the flaws in ourselves and others, even those we love. If Isaac had done that, perhaps Esau wouldn’t
have strayed so far from his family. The brothers didn’t see each other
for 20 years and the family was torn apart. And Jacob wasn’t so perfect
either. If his parents had been less
tolerant of Jacob’s scheming, maybe Jacob wouldn’t have had to run away from
home and get into all kinds of trouble.
People
my age tend to close their eyes to things – we don’t listen to the advice we’re
getting. Like when a teacher suggests that a paper be revised or that we come
to them after class but we don’t take advantage of it. Also when we don’t
listen to our parents like when they suggest not to stay up to late on a school
night and then we can’t get up in the morning.
As
we grow up, we tend to rely more and more on first impressions and don’t see
the whole person. In the Torah, Jacob
and Esau are stereotyped by their parents: Jacob is seen as the scholar and
Esau the athlete. I think there’s a
little of Jacob and a little of Esau in everyone. Certainly, in me. It’s too easy to stereotype people. Everyone does it, saying things like, “He’s
such a nerd” or “She’s so fake,” when in fact, everyone is much more complicated
than we might think.
Also,
it’s important not to be blind to the suffering of those around you. My mitzvah project has helped me to understand
that people in our community are going hungry, even though we may not see them
every day. I’ve volunteered at the food
pantry at Person to Person and now I am working with young children at the Boys
and Girls Club of Stamford helping them with their homework. There’s a prayer in the morning blessings where
we thank God for opening the eyes of the blind.
When I volunteered at these two places, it helped me to understand what
this prayer really means.
Also,
as part of my mitzvah project, and in remembering the great trip to Israel I
took with my family through the temple three years ago, I’ll be donating a
portion of my Bat Mitzvah money to The Israeli Guide Dog Center for the Blind.
The Center’s mission is to improve the quality of life of people who are vision
impaired by providing them with safe mobility, independence and self-confidence
through the faithful assistance of guide dogs.
I only wish Isaac had been able to take advantage of this program. It might have made a big difference in the
lives of his sons.
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