At the beginning of this week's Torah reading, we find Yaakov at the beginning of his great escape, soon to become a great adventure. He is worried about many things, among which is the wherewithal to survive. He asks God for "bread to eat and clothing to wear" (Genesis, 28:20).

 

This seems like an odd request, since people are not in the habit of eating their shirts or wearing their dough.

 

Rabbi David of Lvov, himself an exceedingly poor person, explains that this request refers to the ongoing desperation of the poor, who sometimes have to sell their clothing to buy bread and avoid starvation, or may be forced to forgo and sell their bread to have enough clothing. Yaakov therefore asked God that he not ever be that desperate.

 

Another possible understanding of Yaakov's request was that he was not asking for a stockpile of food or a closet full of clothing. All he wanted was the basic necessities - clothing that will be worn (not stored) and food that will be eaten (nothing left over).

 

The lesson here is quite instructive. We should be careful and meticulous in the wishes we express. It is nice to have much, but material adequacy should be our goal. In the end, that is all we need. The blessings in life come from what we do with what we have.

• Morah Ruthie is looking for more empty yogurt, cottage cheese or margarine containers for painting. You can drop any you have off at the office.
• Morah Ann-Lynn is looking for Little People garages, towns and fire stations.
• Snowsuits and socks!