Dear Friend,
It's rare that turning on the radio brings a smile to one's face. But while driving a few nights ago, I was amused when one of the top stories was about the bitter cold hitting parts of the U.S. They were interviewing some poor guy in Michigan who was breathlessly retelling how his thermometer even hit 19 degrees Fahrenheit!
Glancing down at my own temperature gauge, I couldn’t help but smile upon seeing that it was well into the single digits and barely making the local news here in Minnesota.
This week we learn about how, after toiling for his treacherous father-in-law, Laban, for twenty years, Jacob decides it’s time to travel back home. After a confrontation between him and Laban, Jacob proclaims that if not for the fact that G‑d was with him throughout the twenty year ordeal, he could not have flourished through all the treachery and tricks Laban tried to play on him.
Like the weather, we all have our own unique obstacles, and what is easy for one, is hard for another. But knowing that G‑d is always with us, we know that even if it takes twenty years, ultimately we will succeed.
Yehuda Shurpin
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team
P.S. You may notice a change in this week’s magazine. For the past many years, we’ve featured the Parshah in a Nutshell every week—and it’s been very popular. This week, we’ve replaced it with the Parshah in Depth. What do you think? Which do you prefer? Please share your feedback in the comments. We’d love to hear your thoughts.
