Parshas Vayetzei
Zechus Refuah Sheleima: Tzvi ben Devorah
Le'iluy Nishmas: Gittel bas Shraga Meir
Another great Parsha with many ideas for your Parsha Party. REMINDER - THIS IS A SPRINGBOARD OF IDEAS. YOU CAN CHOOSE ONE IDEA OR A FEW. AND HAVE THE KIDS GUESS THE CONNECTIONS.
Parsha Overview (Feel free to skip straight to the Party below - simply click the arrow next to this text and the overview will disappear.)
Yaakov leaves his home in Beer Sheva and travels to Charan. He stops at “The Place” (which was Har Hamoriya) and lays down to sleep there because the sun set. He took 12 stones and put them around his head as he laid down. He has a dream of a ladder rising from the ground all the way up to the sky with Malachim (angels) going up and down. Hashem appears to Yaakov and promises that the land that he is on will be given to his children. They will be many like the dust and will spread from West to East, North to South. Yaakov wakes up and realized the land is holy and Hashem is there. He sees that the 12 stones that he was laying on joined into one stone (medrash) and he takes the stone and makes a mizbeyach. He calls the place Bais-El. He makes a promise that if Hashem guards him on his journey, he will give Maaser to Hashem.
Yaakov journeys to the “Bnei Kedem” in Charan. He comes to a field and sees a well with a big rock on it and shepherds standing around. Only when all the shepherds arrive do they join together to lift the rock off of the well for their flock to drink. He asks the shepherds if they know Lavan and they point out that Rochel his daughter is arriving with his sheep. When Yaakov sees Rochel, he lifts up the big rock by himself and gives her sheep to drink. He tells her he is her cousin. When Lavan hears he comes running to Yaakov. He tells him you are my bone and my flesh and come stay with me. Yaakov stays with him and tends to his sheep.
Lavan had 2 daughters. Leah was the older one and Rochel the younger. Leah’s eyes were “Rakos” weak while Rochel was beautiful. The medrash teaches that Leah cried that she shouldn’t marry the Rasha Esav. Yaakov loved Rochel and tells Lavan he will work for him for seven years and in return Lavan will give him Rochel as a wife. He completes the seven years but on the wedding night, Lavan tricks him and sends Leah instead of Rochel. Yaakov had made special signs with Rochel in case Lavan would do this trick but Rochel did not want her sister Leah to be shamed so she told her the secret signs. Yaakov is not happy that he was tricked and Lavan tells him he will give him Rochel also to marry the next week, as long as he will stay and work another seven years.
Hashem saw that Leah was “the hated one” and he gave her children. She has six sons: Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda, Yissachar and Zevulun. She also has a daughter named Dina. Rochel meanwhile was an Akara and did not have any children. She gave her maidservant Bilha to Yaakov to have children for her. Bilha gives birth to Dan and Naftali. Leah then also gives her maidservant Zilpah to Yaakov to have children for her. Zilpah gives birth to Gad and Asher.
One day Reuven goes out to the field and collects Dudaim flowers for his mother. Rochel asks Leah for the flowers in exchange for Yaakov to return to Leah’s tent.
Hashem finally answers Rochel’s tefilos and she has a son named Yosef. Yaakov now wants to return home but Lavan convinces him to stay offering him sheep in return for his work. Yaakov will get whatever cattle are speckled and spotted and the rest will belong to Lavan. Lavan tries to trick him and removed all the speckled and spotted cattle and gave them to his sons. Yaakov takes sticks and peels white spots on them. He places them into the drinking pools. The sheep would see the spotted sticks and give birth to spotted offspring. Yaakov becomes very rich. Hashem tells Yaakov it’s time to leave Lavan so he gathers his family and wealth and leaves. Lavan was out when they left and Rochel steals his “Terafim” Avodah Zarah to try and stop him from serving it. Lavan finds out that Yaakov left and runs after him. Hashem appears to Lavan in a dream and tells him not to harm Yaakov. Lavan catches up to Yaakov asking why he ran away from him. He also asks him about his Terafim and Yaakov doesn’t know that Rochel took them and curses the person that stole them. Lavan does a search for the Terafim and turns up empty handed. Yaakov gets upset at Lavan after working him for twenty years and this is how he repays him. They make a treaty that they will not harm each other and Yaakov leaves on his way. Malachim come to escort him back to the Land. When Yaakov sees the Malachim he called the place Machanayim. (Adapted partially from In a Nutshell by Chabad.org and The Medrash says)
And now for the fun part
PARSHA PARTY
The sun sets and Yaakov stops to rest
Sun Cups – Dark Chocolate peanut butter cups
Sunkists
Yaakov lays down and puts rocks around his head
Rock Candy
Jelly Beans
Marshmallows – minis
ChocMallows
Cocoa Pebbles/Fruity Pebbles
Donut Holes
Rugelach (“Rock”elach)
Mini Cupcakes package (Set up like rocks around head. If they have sprinkles can also be used for the speckled sheep. If they are the smiley face cupcakes they can represent the Shevatim born this week)
(Big Marshmallow – for it forming into one big rock)
Yaakov Dreams of a ladder from the earth to the sky
Yum Earth Pops
Ladders can be made out of Pretzel sticks and peanut butter or fluff. Also can be made out of Twizzlers or sour sticks.
Lined Wafer rolls -kind of have rungs of ladders.
Striped chocolate sticks/truffles
Hashem tells Yaakov his children will be many like the dust of the earth
Fizz Candy / Fizz Bottles
Yaakov travels to Bnei Kedem
Kedem Grape Juice
Yaakov sees Rochel and wants to marry her
Heart candies / lollies/chocolates
Yaakov lifts the big rock off of the well to give the sheep to drink
Danish or Big round cake / Babka
Sippies
Aqua Chews
Wowzers - He lifted it off the well by himself
Roller Ball Candy
PowerAde
White Rock Seltzer
Leah has red / weak eyes from Crying
Cry Baby gum
Salt Water Taffy for tears
Sour belts
Lavan Tricks Yaakov and gives Leah
White candies or white chocolate
Trix Cereal
Tricky Ice Pops
Fruit Rollups – veil covering Leah
Candy lips – Rochel tells the signs to Leah
Lays Potato Chips
Laffy Taffy Mystery Swirl
Yaakov works Seven Years
7Up
2 Sisters and 2 Maidservants marry Yaakov and the Shevatim are born
Mazel Tov Candy
Baby bites
Pacifier candy
Reuven brings in Dudaim flowers
Windmill Flower shaped Candy
Flower mix candies
Linzer Tarts Cookies (Flower shape)
Yaakov works for Lavan watching his animals
Animal Cookies
Bonus Chocolate bar (Milchig) -he works bonus years for Rochel
Yaakov uses Sticks with spots to get sheep with spots and speckles
Salted Pretzel Rods
Chocolate pretzel rods
Chocolate pretzels with Sprinkles
Chocolate chip cookies
Sprinkle cookies
Striped Starlight mints (the pasuk also references striped)
Vienese Crunch
Dunkees (Sticks in water)
Chocolate chips
Sprinkles on anything
Bricks on sticks
Nuts
Button Candy
Birthday Cake Drizzilicious Rice Cakes
Yaakov gets wealthy from all the spotted sheep
Dollar Candy
Jewel Pop
Chocolate coins
Hashem tells Yaakov to go back to Eretz Yisrael
GOGOs
Zazoom
We would love to hear your additional ideas in the comments below!
Feel free to share pictures of dessert ideas as well.
And of course tell us your favorite noshes from this weeks Parsha party!
Have a wonderful Shabbos!
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