DVAR TORAH
At the beginning of this week's parsha, when Yaakov learned that his brother Esav was approaching with an army of four hundred men, he divided his family and possessions into two camps, saying, "If Esav comes upon one camp and attacks it, the remaining camp will be spared" (32:9).
The Midrash [Bereishit Rabba 76:3] notes: "'If Esav comes upon one camp and attacks it' – this refers to our brethren in the south [of Eretz Yisrael]; 'the remaining camp will be spared' – this refers to our brethren in the Diaspora." But what does that mean?
According to the Ramban, the Midrash is teaching that Yaakov's tactic was symbolic of what will happen in future generations - that when one segment of the Jewish people suffers persecution, other segments will remain free, such that the entirety of the nation will never be destroyed.
The Ramban does not, however, explain the next part of the Midrash, where Rabbi Hoshaya said: "Even though they were spared as a remnant, they would fast on our behalf on Monday and Thursday."
Rabbi Yehuda Leib Ginsburg, in his Yalkut Yehuda, explained that while being dispersed among different lands ensures the survival of the other "camps" of Jews, it can also threaten our sense of unity.
Therefore, said Rabbi Hoshaya that "they would fast on our behalf on Monday and Thursday," meaning that our dispersion spares us from annihilation without shattering the bonds that connect Jews to one another. Because when the Jews of one region are persecuted, the Jews elsewhere will fast and pray for them. We have clearly seen this during the Gaza War, as different "camps" all came together, committed to each other and dedicated to the well-being and success of all other members of our remarkable nation.
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HALACHA OF THE WEEK: V'tain Tal u'Matar
This Tuesday night, December 5th, we begin to say v'tain tal u'matar in the shemona esrei. But why start, then?
According to the Talmud [Taanit 4b], while the rainy season in Israel begins around the time of Sukkot, we don't begin to recite the prayer for rain ("v'tain tal u'matar") until two weeks later (Cheshvan 7) to allow those who traveled to Jerusalem for the holiday to return home before the onset of the rain.
However, those of us who live in the Diaspora wait even based on the custom of Babylonia, a land of abundant water and, therefore, a place that did not need rain until the 60th day after the autumnal equinox [Taanit 10a]. In a landmark responsum of the Rabbeinu Asher, he ruled that all of the Diaspora, regardless of their individual needs for rain, should follow the custom of Babylonia [Teshuvot HaRosh 4:10].
The only problem is that the autumnal equinox is on September 23rd, and 60 days later, it is November 22nd. So why do our siddurim say we begin inserting "v'tain tal u'matar" on December 4th or 5th?
The answer is found in a little bit of history.
In 46 B.C.E., Julius Caesar established a 12-month calendar with 365.25 days per year. The "quarter days" were converted every four years into a single added day - a leap year.
However, the actual length of a solar year is only 365.24219 days - slightly less than the Julian Calendar. In the short run, this difference was negligible, but over time, it eventually caused the seasons to shift away from their proper time.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII instituted a new calendar that included two significant changes to correct this. The first was an adjustment of 10 days (in other words, when it was instituted on October 4th, the next day became October 15th). As a result, "v'tain tal u'matar" also shifted from November 22nd to December 1st.
The second change was that the rule for leap years was slightly altered, with every century year NOT divisible by 400 losing its leap-year status. Thus, 1600 was a leap year, but 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not. This changed the average length of a year to 365.2425 days, a difference that is much less noticeable over time (a margin of error of roughly three days in 10,000 years). As a result of this second change, the date for "v'tain tal u'matar" was shifted one day in each of those three years, bringing us to our current date of December 4th (Please note: after 2100, the date will become December 5th).
Finally, in the year BEFORE a Gregorian leap year, such as this year, "v'tain tal u'matar" is added from December 5th. The reason is that since the Jewish year begins several months earlier (approximately in September), it already factors in the extra day from Rosh HaShanah onwards.
MONDAY NIGHT SEDER - 8:00-9:00pm Mondays
SEMICHAT CHAVER PROGRAM - 
SHABBAT WOMEN'S SHIUR - 3:00pm
TALMUD CLASS – 
SEFER YESHAYAHU - will resume 12/31