Kevin Bemel ·
How You Can Be Mightier Than the Stars
This is a guest post by Rabbi Mendel Schwartz, Executive Director of The Chai Center.
Did you ever wonder what the Jewish belief in astrology is? Look no further. “G-d said to him, ‘Your name is Jacob; your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.’ And He called his name Israel.” (Bereshis/Genesis 35:10)
The parsha for this Sabbath is Vayishlach. In it Jacob prepares to be attacked by Eisav, then he struggles with the angel and is given the name Israel. Next, he reunites with his brother, settles in Shechem where his daughter is abducted, and his sons Shimon and Levi take revenge on the abductors. Then Jacob journeys to Beth-el, Rachel dies, and the parsha ends with a recitation of the descendants of Eisav and the Edomite Kings.
Israel is actually two Hebrew words, Yisra El, that are joined together. They mean a noble minister or a minister of G-d. G-d told Jacob you are now destined for greatness. To receive this tremendous blessing as illustrated in the following verses, Jacob needed a new name. He needed a new vessel to receive these blessings.
We see a similar episode with Abraham who was told to change his name from Abram to Abraham and his wife Sarai to Sarah. (Bereshis/Genesis 17:5)
We then see something even more interesting when Abraham is nervous about being unable to have children, “And G-d took Abraham outside and said gaze towards the heavens and count the stars” (Bereshis/Genesis 15:5). The greatest commentator on the Bible – Rashi - translates this verse to mean that “Abraham should go out from his astrological calculations and abandon the signs of the Zodiac.”
So we see two distinct systems here. One: that Jews do believe in the power of the Zodiac and what it can tell you. And two: that you have the power to overcome what the Zodiac’s signs have in store for you. If you change certain characteristics about yourself, if you give yourself a new mission or a new identity, those Zodiacs have no further relationship with you. Sometimes it’s as easy as manipulating your name from Abram to Abraham or Jacob to Israel.
So when you feel that things in the workplace are not going according to your liking, or there are marital issues in your life, or even health hazards, it’s important to remember that although people say “I have bad luck”, the truth is, you have the power to change that luck by creating for yourself a new vessel for new astrological energy by perfecting yourself so that you are somebody new and fresh today. And the old you from yesterday is forgotten and extinct.
Please take just a minute to share what you think about astrology and how it affects your life . . . You can leave a comment on this question or ask another question below ↓
Every year beginning on Simchas Torah, the cycle of reading the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, ends and begins again. Each Sabbath a portion known as a sedra or parsha is read. It is named after the first significant word or two with which this weekly reading begins.
What verse in the Old Testament would you like to know more about? Ask a question and I will answer it in a future Parsha Nugget!
