Thought for the Week

In our Torah portion for this week, Jacob begins the difficult process of returning to his homeland. When he originally left, he was a single young man with very few belongings. Now he is a true patriarch, with four wives, twelve children (Benjamin comes later!), servants, and many many animals. As you can well imagine, the journey is not straightforward: especially when the camp encounters the river Jabbok. Jacob needs to make many trips back and forth across the river to settle his family and fortune on the path to home. Yet in the evening, when he has finally finished accompanying everyone and everything, he crosses the river once more – this time, alone. It is only when he’s on his own that he encounters the angel with whom he wrestles until dawn and receives a blessing and a new name thus fully realising his potential.

As this year comes to a close, I’ve been thinking a lot about our university students, who, like Jacob, often have to make the journey back and forth between their family home and their campus home. They too are on the path of realising their full potential, and it’s an extraordinarily exciting (and sometimes stressful) time in their lives. Unlike Jacob, who in his most stressful moment found himself alone, your rabbinic team here at West London wants our university students to know that we are always just a phone call or text away. Why not take advantage of this holiday period by making contact with us to arrange a coffee and a chat with one of your rabbis while you’re home in London? If you’re a parent with a uni student at home for the winter break, we’d be more than happy to pop round to yours for a catch up and maybe even a slice of cake. We’re here to help you navigate any spiritual river crossings that come your way – because when you’re a member of WLS, you’re not alone.