As Yaakov was in battle with the angel, the malach said, “Let me go for it's morning" Chazal tell us that he meant that 'it's time for me to sing shira to Hashem'.
The Koshnitzer Maggid asks - If he knew that he has to sing shira at a appointed time why did he pick a fight with Yaakov so close to that time? Wouldn’t it have been smarter for him to fight with Yaakov after he sang shira?
The answer lies in the understanding of who the angel was and what his tachlis- purpose on this world. Chazal teach us that the angel was the 'sar shel Esav' also known as the yetzer horah.
On the last day of creation it says, (bereishes 1;31) "Hashem saw all that he had made, and lo! It was very good." The medrish explains that 'It was good' refers to the yetzer tov, while the 'very good' refers to the yetzer horah. The meforshim explain that life would be nice and calm without an evil inclination, but without any tests we wouldn't be able to grow. Being challenged by the yetzer horah and overcoming it is what makes this world 'very good'. The whole purpose of creation in general and the evil inclination in particular is to help us grow by overcoming the obstacles we are faced with and when we do, the evil inclination has accomplished it's purpose of creation.
Shira is sang to Hakodosh borech hu when a mission has been accomplished. The precise second that the angel saw that he could not win over Yaakov, that in fact Yaakov had overcome the yetzer horah his mission was completed successfully and thus was able to sing shira to Hashem.
21 November, 2007
15 November, 2007
Parshas Vayietzai Ponderable Points
Why is it important for the Torah to tell us the give and take between Yakoov and the shepherds about the rock on top of the well and that Yakoov (The 'ish tam') was able to roll it off himself?
Why did Yakoov offer to work for seven years?
(In the Torah we find we find the concept of working for six- days, years and resting the seventh. Shabbos, Shmitta and eved evrey)
Is there a significance that all the Shvotim where named by their mothers? (With the exception of Levi)
How come Yakoov left Lavans house before his mother called for him, as she said she will?
Why did Yakoov offer to work for seven years?
(In the Torah we find we find the concept of working for six- days, years and resting the seventh. Shabbos, Shmitta and eved evrey)
Is there a significance that all the Shvotim where named by their mothers? (With the exception of Levi)
How come Yakoov left Lavans house before his mother called for him, as she said she will?
06 November, 2007
Parshas Toldas- Yitzchok
As we learn the Parshas of Yitzchok we realize that there isn't much to say about him as an individual. We see him at the Akaidah which the Torah credits his father, Avrohom with. We don't learn anything about him when his mother died. His marriage is arranged by Avrohom and his servant Eliezer. Even the brochos that he received- and passed down to Yakoov, were just the brochos of Avraham. Yet there are things that about Avraham that aren't known until the Torah tells it to us by Yitzchok. We don't know anything special about Sarahs tent or about the wells that Avraham dug and there names, until we learn that Yitzchok took the same steps as his father.
All three Avos had a certain middah that they perfected and found Hashem with. Avraham was the amud hachesed- always giving, and revealed Hashem to the world as the ultimate giver. All that Avraham gave, was just to get the people to come to the realization that everything is from Hashem. The Medrash relates that when a weary traveler would come to Avraham he would be served the best food and drink one could find. When it came time to pay Avraham would charge an rbitant amount of money. The only way to bargain with him was if you thanked Hashem and benched. If you realized that it wasn’t Avraham giving you the food, only Hashem then you didn’t owe him a dime. We see that all the chesed Avraham did was to spread the knowledge of the ultimate chesed provider, Hashem.
Yitzchok’s middah was gevurah- strength, being able to withstand anything that you are faced with. When showered by Hashem with chesed too much can be detrimental. Yitzchak was able to filter the chesed, to take and utilize what was necessary and deflect what wasn’t.
While the trait of chesed is to be the giver, gevurah is to be the taker. One has to be able to to receive the chesed from Hashem and when the time comes have the strength to say, enough of chesed. This can be explained with a parable. A fruit tree that grows has nutrients flowing from the roots into the fruits it bears. The nutrients are the chesed, the flowing of good- while the recipient is the fruit it self. Have you ever seen a fruit that stays on the tree to long? It bursts. Gevurah is needed to receive and at the same time say stop enough of the bracha, anymore will be harmful.
Elokai Avraham is the infinite giver. Elokai Yitchok is the one that helps us get the bracha and make it usable for each one of us the right amount we need and can handle. (Mi sheomar leolamo dai- Hashem told the creation to stop, enough bracha, without that gevurah the world would be a jumble of chesed with no form.)
Yitzchok with his gevurah doesn’t have anything on his own for everything originates from Avraham and chesed. Yitzchok is just the reflection of Hashems good. Taking the chesed that was revealed to the world through Avraham and showing that Hashem in his infinite wisdom knows exactly how much kindness is needed. Yet the bracha of Avraham is only potential for it didn’t have a form. The bracha of Sarahs tent and that of Avrahams wells weren’t realize until Yitzchok came along and gave it its life.
All three Avos had a certain middah that they perfected and found Hashem with. Avraham was the amud hachesed- always giving, and revealed Hashem to the world as the ultimate giver. All that Avraham gave, was just to get the people to come to the realization that everything is from Hashem. The Medrash relates that when a weary traveler would come to Avraham he would be served the best food and drink one could find. When it came time to pay Avraham would charge an rbitant amount of money. The only way to bargain with him was if you thanked Hashem and benched. If you realized that it wasn’t Avraham giving you the food, only Hashem then you didn’t owe him a dime. We see that all the chesed Avraham did was to spread the knowledge of the ultimate chesed provider, Hashem.
Yitzchok’s middah was gevurah- strength, being able to withstand anything that you are faced with. When showered by Hashem with chesed too much can be detrimental. Yitzchak was able to filter the chesed, to take and utilize what was necessary and deflect what wasn’t.
While the trait of chesed is to be the giver, gevurah is to be the taker. One has to be able to to receive the chesed from Hashem and when the time comes have the strength to say, enough of chesed. This can be explained with a parable. A fruit tree that grows has nutrients flowing from the roots into the fruits it bears. The nutrients are the chesed, the flowing of good- while the recipient is the fruit it self. Have you ever seen a fruit that stays on the tree to long? It bursts. Gevurah is needed to receive and at the same time say stop enough of the bracha, anymore will be harmful.
Elokai Avraham is the infinite giver. Elokai Yitchok is the one that helps us get the bracha and make it usable for each one of us the right amount we need and can handle. (Mi sheomar leolamo dai- Hashem told the creation to stop, enough bracha, without that gevurah the world would be a jumble of chesed with no form.)
Yitzchok with his gevurah doesn’t have anything on his own for everything originates from Avraham and chesed. Yitzchok is just the reflection of Hashems good. Taking the chesed that was revealed to the world through Avraham and showing that Hashem in his infinite wisdom knows exactly how much kindness is needed. Yet the bracha of Avraham is only potential for it didn’t have a form. The bracha of Sarahs tent and that of Avrahams wells weren’t realize until Yitzchok came along and gave it its life.
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