Avraham referred to the makom hamikdosh as har Hashem- the mountain of Hashem. Yitzchok called that same spot sadeh- a field. In this week's parsha Yaakov calls it bais Elokim- the house of Hashem.
Maseh Avos siman l'bonim- everything that the Torah tells us that transpired to the Avos, is a sign to what their children will go through. Yaakov was the Av that taught us how to live life in golus. He was the one that lived through exile, in a hostile environment and flourished and grew despite the antogonism of Lavan and Esav. We are to learn about the life of Yaakov and learn the lessons of how to live through the long golus.
As Yaakov was leaving Eretz Yisroel- running away from a brother who wanted to kill him, running to live by an uncle who wanted to destroy him- he first stopped at the Makom Hamikdosh to daven. How would he be able to survive the hostilities he was about to face in the house of Lavan- so far from the kedusha of the house of Yitzchok? His hope was to build a house of kedusha for only a house can protect him from the outside influences. His last stop before going into exile was the makom hamikdosh- the source of kedusha in this world. He built himself a house of kedusha in that spot to take along with him on his journey through golus.
אַחַת שָׁאַלְתִּי מֵֽאֵת־יְהֹוָה אוֹתָהּ אֲבַקֵּשׁ שִׁבְתִּי בְּבֵֽית־יְהֹוָה כָּל־יְמֵי חַיַּי - Dovid hamelech asks Hashem for one thing- to dwell in the house of Hashem all the days of his life. Isn't that request a bit unrealistic? Dovid had to take care of his kingly duties, to take heed of and solve the problems of the country and of the Jewish people. He had to deal with other kingdoms, meet with his ministers, and make crucial decisions accourding to the will of Hashem. How could he pray to dwell in the house of Hashem ALL the days of his life? Reb. Sarah Schenirer (Carry Me In Your Heart by Pearl Benisch, Feldheim Publisherd- pg. 127) answers: The whole universe is a House of Hashem. Wherever we go, whatever place we occupy, we can make it a dwelling for Hashem. Whatever we do, every day and every minute of our lives, we dwell in Hashem's house if we do everything with His will in mind. Everything we do, say, and feel, in dealing with people or in practicing our professions with honesty and truth according to Hashem's commandments, we dwell in Hashem's House all our lives. Dovid's wish was that he be able to live his life and yet never leave the house of Hashem.
Yaakov was the first one to go into exile. On his way he was taught an important lesson. One can be doing the most mundane things and yet be dwelling in the house of Hashem. Hashem made sure that Yaakov went to sleep at the makom hamikdash, to teach him that if you build a house of Hashem, a house of kedusha- anywhere in the world, anything you do in it- even sleep, if it is done to bring you closer to Hashem, is the highest form of service of Hashem.
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?
26 November, 2009
23 November, 2009
Point to Ponder- Tefillah
All brachas in shemona esrah speak of ourselves- Klal Yisroel- in first person, רְפָאֵנוּ- heal us, שְׁמַע קולֵנוּ,- hear our prayers etc. We ask Hashem to help us- me, included in Klal Yisroel. There is one bracha that speaks of Klal Yisroel and yet speaks of Yisroel in third person.רְצֵה ה' אֱלהֵינוּ בְּעַמְּךָ יִשרָאֵל וּבִתְפִלָּתָם .....וְאִשֵּׁי יִשרָאֵל וּתְפִלָּת . Take pleasure in your people and their prayer...
What is different in this bracha that we change the way we relate to ourselves- from first person to third person?
What is different in this bracha that we change the way we relate to ourselves- from first person to third person?
20 November, 2009
Parshas Toldas
Yitzchok and Rivka prayed to be blessed with a child. Both of their tefilos were the same, yet the posuk tells us that Hashem listened to the tefilos of Yitzchok over Rivka. Rashi explains that the tefilos of a tzaddik who is the son of a tzaddik are much more powerful than that of a tzaddik who is the son of a rasha, hence Yitzchok's tefilos were preferred over Rivka's.
The obvious question is: If both were great tzadikim why does it make a difference what their parents were like? Or better yet, Rivka's tefilos should have been more dear to Hashem being that she had to work on herself as opposed to Yitzhock whose greatness came naturally?
I heard the following answer from R' Yakov Salomon (b'shem Rav Dessler Vol 2 pg 205) at the bris of his grandchild, Yeudah Garfinkel- (mazel tov!). For the son of a wicked person- someone who wasn't brought up with the teachings of Hashem- to find hashem on his own is very noteworthy. Though once he finds Hashem the path he takes in serving him comes naturally- for he has nothing to emulate. On the other hand the son of a tzadik knows from the day he was born that there is a creator of the world, yet he still faces great challenges. His challenge is to find his own path in avodas Hashem- not just to serve Hashem the way his father did- rather he has to serve Hashem because that is what he himself feels and knows is right.
We start shemona esrai with 'Elokai Avraham Elokai Yitzchok v'Elokai Yakov'. Why dont we just say 'Elokai Avraham Yitzchok v'Yakov? Why do we preface each of the Avos with Elokai? Avraham found Hashem through the middah of chessed. He realized that Hashem is the fountain of chessed in the world and therefore sought to emulate Him by living a life entirely made up of doing chessed. Yitzchok could've just served hashem the same way, the way he was brought up by his parents- chessed. Yet he went out and found Hashem on his own, through his own middah of gevurah. So too, Yakov found Hashem on his own through the middah of emes. We say 'Elokai' before each Av for each one found Hashem on his own, with his own strenthgh and own personality. It is this that gave us three Avos, each one with his own distinct avodah. All three together form a unit that was able to father Klal Yisroel.
With this in mind we can now understand why Hashem prefers the Tefilos of the Tzaddik the son of a Tzaddik (Yitzchok) over the Tefilos of a Tzaddik the son of a rasha (Rivka).
Thank you Menachem Schwartz from yerushlaim for his input.
The obvious question is: If both were great tzadikim why does it make a difference what their parents were like? Or better yet, Rivka's tefilos should have been more dear to Hashem being that she had to work on herself as opposed to Yitzhock whose greatness came naturally?
I heard the following answer from R' Yakov Salomon (b'shem Rav Dessler Vol 2 pg 205) at the bris of his grandchild, Yeudah Garfinkel- (mazel tov!). For the son of a wicked person- someone who wasn't brought up with the teachings of Hashem- to find hashem on his own is very noteworthy. Though once he finds Hashem the path he takes in serving him comes naturally- for he has nothing to emulate. On the other hand the son of a tzadik knows from the day he was born that there is a creator of the world, yet he still faces great challenges. His challenge is to find his own path in avodas Hashem- not just to serve Hashem the way his father did- rather he has to serve Hashem because that is what he himself feels and knows is right.
We start shemona esrai with 'Elokai Avraham Elokai Yitzchok v'Elokai Yakov'. Why dont we just say 'Elokai Avraham Yitzchok v'Yakov? Why do we preface each of the Avos with Elokai? Avraham found Hashem through the middah of chessed. He realized that Hashem is the fountain of chessed in the world and therefore sought to emulate Him by living a life entirely made up of doing chessed. Yitzchok could've just served hashem the same way, the way he was brought up by his parents- chessed. Yet he went out and found Hashem on his own, through his own middah of gevurah. So too, Yakov found Hashem on his own through the middah of emes. We say 'Elokai' before each Av for each one found Hashem on his own, with his own strenthgh and own personality. It is this that gave us three Avos, each one with his own distinct avodah. All three together form a unit that was able to father Klal Yisroel.
With this in mind we can now understand why Hashem prefers the Tefilos of the Tzaddik the son of a Tzaddik (Yitzchok) over the Tefilos of a Tzaddik the son of a rasha (Rivka).
Thank you Menachem Schwartz from yerushlaim for his input.
02 November, 2009
Parsha Chayai Sorah
When Eliezer went out to find a wife for Yitzchok, he planned a simple 'test' to see which girl would be right for Yitzchok. He would request a drink of water from a girl. If she would give him and then offer his camels to drink, she would surely be the right wife for Yitzchok.
There are two middos that seemingly are the same, but are vastly different- the midda of chesed and that of rachamim. Both look the same, for both involve giving to someone anything that he lacks. Yet the difference is elementary. A baal rachamim dosn't just give out of the goodness in his heart. If a pauper comes his way he feels bad and hurt for the fellow and helps him accordingly. As much mercy as he has on the poor man, that's how much he will help him- he is there to fill the needs of others. A baal chesed on the other hand is much greater. He is someone that feels a need to give, a need to help others. This need stems from his own feeling that he must give and goes out to find people that he can do favors for. That was the middah of Avraham- chessed. On a scorching hot day he sat outside looking and running after guests- for he felt a need to give and couldn't rest unless he was helping someone else. Eliezer was looking for someone who was ready to join the house of Avraham and the most important quality she had to posses was that of chessed. He devised a plan to see if the girl was a baalas rachamim or was she on the higher level of a baalas chessed. He would ask her for a drink - if she was a baalas rachamim she would gladly offer him- a wary travler- some water to drink. But he was looking for much more. He wanted to see if she would go the extra mile and do extra for him. Would she out do her duty and find a way to give more- was she a baalas chessed? If she offered the camels a drink also, she did more then she was asked- then she was the right one to join the house of chessed.
In the zemiros of Friday night we say, דורשי יי זרע אברהם אוהבו. המאחרים לצאת מן השבת וממהרים לבא
Why do we refer to Klal Yisroel as the children of Avraham when we say that they anxiously wait for Shabbos to begin?
All mitzvahs have an exact time and place when and how they can and should be done. We have no right to add or subtract fom any mitzvah. We don't have permission to do a mitzvah more then we are told to do just because we want to do more - it is baal tosef. The only mitzvah we could add to is Shabbos. We can accept Shabbos a little early and extend it a few hours into the night after nightfall- the mitzva of Tosfes Shabbos. That is the way we show Hashem that we serve him not because we are told, but rather because it's what we really want to do- our middah of chessed in doing mitzvahs. The middah of Avraham is what gave us the zechus of Tosfes Shabbos.
Lzchus refuah shleima for Shaindel bas Golda
There are two middos that seemingly are the same, but are vastly different- the midda of chesed and that of rachamim. Both look the same, for both involve giving to someone anything that he lacks. Yet the difference is elementary. A baal rachamim dosn't just give out of the goodness in his heart. If a pauper comes his way he feels bad and hurt for the fellow and helps him accordingly. As much mercy as he has on the poor man, that's how much he will help him- he is there to fill the needs of others. A baal chesed on the other hand is much greater. He is someone that feels a need to give, a need to help others. This need stems from his own feeling that he must give and goes out to find people that he can do favors for. That was the middah of Avraham- chessed. On a scorching hot day he sat outside looking and running after guests- for he felt a need to give and couldn't rest unless he was helping someone else. Eliezer was looking for someone who was ready to join the house of Avraham and the most important quality she had to posses was that of chessed. He devised a plan to see if the girl was a baalas rachamim or was she on the higher level of a baalas chessed. He would ask her for a drink - if she was a baalas rachamim she would gladly offer him- a wary travler- some water to drink. But he was looking for much more. He wanted to see if she would go the extra mile and do extra for him. Would she out do her duty and find a way to give more- was she a baalas chessed? If she offered the camels a drink also, she did more then she was asked- then she was the right one to join the house of chessed.
In the zemiros of Friday night we say, דורשי יי זרע אברהם אוהבו. המאחרים לצאת מן השבת וממהרים לבא
Why do we refer to Klal Yisroel as the children of Avraham when we say that they anxiously wait for Shabbos to begin?
All mitzvahs have an exact time and place when and how they can and should be done. We have no right to add or subtract fom any mitzvah. We don't have permission to do a mitzvah more then we are told to do just because we want to do more - it is baal tosef. The only mitzvah we could add to is Shabbos. We can accept Shabbos a little early and extend it a few hours into the night after nightfall- the mitzva of Tosfes Shabbos. That is the way we show Hashem that we serve him not because we are told, but rather because it's what we really want to do- our middah of chessed in doing mitzvahs. The middah of Avraham is what gave us the zechus of Tosfes Shabbos.
Lzchus refuah shleima for Shaindel bas Golda
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