NOVEMBER 26 • 2020 | 31

SPIRIT

Go in Peace
W

hen I started my 
rabbinic school 
year in Israel in 
2010, my first trip to Jerusalem 
was spellbinding.
My adopted Israeli family 
had kindly offered to 
pick me up at the air-
port and then hosted 
me for a few days at 
their home in Rehovot. 
They then (again, very 
kindly) drove me and 
my two giant suitcases 
into my new home city. 
As we approached 
Jerusalem, there was 
a final highway ascent 
before we passed huge 
stone letters forming 
a sign on our right: 
Bruchim Haba’
im, or “welcome” 
in English. I loved seeing this 
Hebrew monument — and 
only loved it far more when, 
on my first exit from the 
city, I saw there was a corre-
sponding goodbye sign which 
read Tzeitchem L
’
shalom, “go 
in peace.
” While “bruchim 
haba’
im” is, of course, in 
Hebrew (and was, therefore, 
exciting), it is also a rather 
basic everyday phrase — 
while “tzeitchem l’
shalom” 
is from a higher linguistic 
register, as well as making 
an obvious reference to our 
Shalom Aleichem prayer that 
many Jews around the world 
recite every Shabbat evening. 
Reading that sign, I felt like I 
knew a special insider secret 
and delighted in the living 
Jewish text by the side of the 
road every time I passed it by. 
This sign immediately 
sprang into my mind as I 
opened this week’
s parshah, 
whose first word and title is 
Vayetze — a different con-

jugation of that same verb 
from the sign, to go out or to 
exit. This word has taken on 
a different tone in the age of 
COVID. I was struck by how 
the portion is bookended by 
Jacob’
s freedom to go 
out, to change locations 
— all maneuvers increas-
ingly complicated if not 
downright dangerous 
to perform today. Never 
before has that opening 
verse (Genesis 28:10: 
“Jacob left Be’
er Sheva 
and set out for Haran”) 
held my attention for 
longer than an instant. 
But this year it reads 
differently. There is 
definitely a sad note as 
it reminds us of what we can’
t 
do, of what’
s been lost in this 
moment. But perhaps this text 
is also an awesome reminder 
of the spirit of love and indeed 
pikuach nefesh (saving a life) 
with which we can redefine 
our staying in. 
This Thanksgiving week is 
a difficult one to be restricted 
in our movement. I am dis-
appointed not to be joining 
my family for our annual 
Thanksgiving get-together in 
Wilmington, N.C. But it is an 
act of devotion to community 
to forego the fun rather than 
risk getting someone ill. 
I hope that soon we will be 
going out just like Jacob again 
— without having to give it 
a second thought. But in the 
meantime, when you must go, 
tzeitchem l’
shalom — may you 
go in peace, with your masks 
and your hand sanitizer, and 
return safe and healthy. 

Rabbi Megan Brudney is a rabbi at 

Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township.

TORAH PORTION

Rabbi Megan 

Brudney

Parshat 

Vayetze: 

Genesis 

28:10-32:3; 

Hosea 12:13-

14:10.

o

Steven E. Stein, M.D.

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o

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