The untimely passing of Ofra Haza should remind us of the great potential that we all have and to be careful to use our days and our years wisely to accomplish great things.

To appreciate the impact of the tragic passing at a very young age of Matriarch Rachel upon her husband Jacob, read this thought from Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald’s Torah message on this week’s Torah portion, Vayishlach. Out of respect for the Sabbath, please consider printing it out Friday afternoon if you plan to read it on Shabbat.