Climb up and slide down! Vayeitzei

When I was younger, I would play a game called chutes and ladders. On one occasion, I took my piece and casually avoided all the chutes so that I could “win” the game. The people playing the game with me would explain that, although I “won” easily if I play that way, the game becomes pointless if you avoid the chutes and therefore a waste of time for everyone.

This week's parsha is jam-packed with adventure. It seems like every step Yaakov took, he ended up right back in the same place. If only Yaakov could have just skipped the process where he failed and skip to the successful results, it would seem that he would be just as successful . The same idea is true with the game of chutes and ladders if I were to skip the game process and win.

A lesson we could take from this is that sometimes life can get rough and it doesn't go your way. However, if we skip out of the experience then nothing gets learned. I hope that living through the experience will make this golus end faster with the coming of Moshiach!

Good Shabbos

All the best!

Avroham Y Ross