From Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem In Memoriam:27, 1850:
I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
This parashah, vayetze, deals with love lost from two points of views. The first perspective is Leah who gets half the love she desires in life. She has the love of many children but not the love of her husband. Her sister, Rachel, gets the other half, the love of the same husband, but not the love of many children. Their sorrow and half filled cups permeate the stories of our parashah, begging the question: Is it better to have the great love of your life and then to lose it, and then deal with sorrow, or simply to not experience it? Each of us will answer this question differently, which will say more about us than Leah or Rachel.
We do not get through life without great love and great loss. The way we navigate between these poles is part of our self discovery. The important element is gratitude; the capacity to say thank you for all of life, good or bad and face each with equanimity.
This week marks American Thanksgiving, and I am feeling nostalgic and a little hungry. It is a good time to say thank you for all we have. How fitting that Leah names her fourth son Yehudah, "thanks to G-d". I think that she got it. I hope that we do too.
Dr. Laurence Kutler
Head of School
I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
This parashah, vayetze, deals with love lost from two points of views. The first perspective is Leah who gets half the love she desires in life. She has the love of many children but not the love of her husband. Her sister, Rachel, gets the other half, the love of the same husband, but not the love of many children. Their sorrow and half filled cups permeate the stories of our parashah, begging the question: Is it better to have the great love of your life and then to lose it, and then deal with sorrow, or simply to not experience it? Each of us will answer this question differently, which will say more about us than Leah or Rachel.
We do not get through life without great love and great loss. The way we navigate between these poles is part of our self discovery. The important element is gratitude; the capacity to say thank you for all of life, good or bad and face each with equanimity.
This week marks American Thanksgiving, and I am feeling nostalgic and a little hungry. It is a good time to say thank you for all we have. How fitting that Leah names her fourth son Yehudah, "thanks to G-d". I think that she got it. I hope that we do too.
Dr. Laurence Kutler
Head of School
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Message de Dr Laurence Kutler
Du poème d'Alfred Lord Tennyson In Memoriam: 27, 1850:
I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
La paracha Vayetze traite de l'amour perdu de deux points de vue. La première perspective est Léa qui reçoit la moitié de l'amour qu'elle désire dans la vie. Elle reçoit l'amour de nombreux enfants, mais pas l'amour de son mari. Sa sœur, Rachel, obtient l'autre moitié, l'amour du même mari, mais pas l'amour de nombreux enfants. Leur tristesse et leurs tasses à moitié remplies imprègnent les histoires de notre paracha, et posent la question suivante: est-il préférable de connaître l'amour de votre vie et le perdre ensuite en éprouvant une grande douleur, ou tout simplement ne pas en faire l'expérience? Chacun de nous répondra à cette question différemment, ce qui en dira plus sur nous que Léa ou Rachel.
Nous ne pouvons traverser la vie sans grand amour et sans grande perte. La façon dont nous naviguons entre ces deux pôles fait partie de notre découverte de soi. L'élément important est la gratitude; la capacité de dire merci à la vie, quelle soit bonne ou mauvaise et y faire face avec sérénité.
Cette semaine marque l'Action de Grâce pour les américains, et je me sens nostalgique à ce niveau. C'est le moment propice de dire merci pour tout ce que nous avons. Quelle coïncidence que Léa ait appelé son quatrième fils Yehouda, "Grâce à D'ieu". Je pense qu'elle en a compris le sens et j'espère que nous l'avons compris aussi.
Dr Laurence Kutler
Directeur général
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