Toldot is the story of Abraham’s generations, and Isaac’s blessing to Jacob instead of Esau; the haftorah is from Malachi. I am drawn to the actions of Sandra Samuel, the Indian nanny who saved Moshe, the 2 year old Jewish son of Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg from the Chabad House in Mumbai, and brought him to the David Sassoon Synagogue.

And so my thoughts are:

(1) It is mentioned in the parshat that Rivka is from Padan Aram, the fields of Aram. But Padan can mean twin: a place where Laban can be menacing, yet Rivka can be a role model. My lesson to myself is that in the midst of trauma and fear, a person, such as the nanny, can be angelic and focus on saving the life of the boy. When all the world is losing it’s head, you can be selfless in the attempts to save others.

(2) Jacob craftily answers “I am…..” when queried by his father as to whether he is Esau. In the midst of tragedy and an attack, one must remember who s/he is, and act accordingly, in relation to their true essence

(3) Malachi rails against those who sacrifice blemished animals to god and don’t give it their all. They wouldn’t cut corners with a governor, but with god, they have no problem with cheating a little. The prophet tells us that the original priest had “true teaching was in his mouth, and injustice was not found on his lips.” We have to remember to give it our all.