Parshas Vayishlach

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.

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?

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.

Parshas Chai Sorah

Every Shemonah Esrai starts with praise for Hashem, we praise him for being the one that runs the world. We start off by saying 'Elokai Avraham’- the G-d of our forefather Avraham. This doesn't seem like an appropriate way to praise an omnipotent g-d- one that rules every being, that he's the G-d of one person or even three individuals- Avraham Yitzchak and Yakoov. Wouldn’t it be a bigger praise just to say our G-d and the G-d of the universe? Why do we individualize him as being the ruler of our forefathers?

When Avraham sends Eliezer to find a wife for Yitzchak, he makes him swear in the name of the "G-d of heaven and the G-d of the earth” that he shall not take a wife for Yitzchok form the daughters of Canaan. While a few pesukim later he says "Hashem the G-d of the heaven, who took me from my fathers land..." and fails to mention the fact that Hashem is the G-d of the earth. Rashi explains that Avraham said that when I left Charan it was only G-d of the heaven for nobody knew of him but now I can say G-d of the land also, for I spread his glory and people know of him.
This sounds astonishing, wasn't Hashem always the creature of heaven and earth? What changed after Avraham spread the word and knowledge of Hashem that only after that was he G-d of the land?
Reb Yitzchak Hutner in a letter in reference to, establishing a day to commemorate the Holocaust. He writes that wherever there is a Jew in this world, there is a witness of Hashem. Every Yid is a resting place for the Shchina. Hashem choose to manifest his glory in the very soul of each and every Jew. A Yid not just symbolizes that there is a G-d but rather is a actual “dira betachtonim”- a house for the presence of Hashem, down on this world. (He explains the cause of anti-semitism that the Goyim know and feel this, and in their illusion to eradicate Hashem from his world wish to destroy Klal Yisroel.)
Avraham Avinu was the first one to recognize Hashem and call him the master of the World. In doing so Hashem rested his glory in Avrahams soul, and thus for the first time having a place to dwell in this world. Never before had Hashem actually rested down in our world until Avraham came along and actually brought Hashem into his own world. That is what Avraham told Eliazer that before he recognized Hashem and brought him down to the earth he was only 'Elokai Hashmaim'- he didn’t have a house down on the land. This is what we mean when we say 'elokai Avrahom' the same kind of G-d that our forefather had, the G-d that has a presence down on this world in each one of us, thanks to Avrahom.

Parshas Ki Savoh

All over the world Yidden on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur shed thousands of tears when we say the tefilah of “Unisaneh tokef”. If we think about it it seems as if we don’t understand what is the important part of the davening. All that tefilah is just a mussar shmooze, just telling us what happens on these exalted days. It’s not at that moment that we are being judged and it’s not the highlight of the tefilos. If anything we should be crying when we crown Hashem by saying Malchios, zichronos and shofros or when we blow the shofar. What is it about this small tefilah before Kedusha that became the highlight of our Mussaf?
Ezra implemented the reading of Parshas Ki Savoh- the Parsha that contains 98 curses, before Rosh Hashanah because “Tichlah shanah v’kililosehuh” the year and it’s curses shall come to an end. What does that mean just because we read the Parsha how does that translate into a year of blessing?
The Rma”z (one of the big chachmai kabola) writes that if one reads the curses with yiras shamaim it’s as if he lived through them. The Beer Moshe (Ozlevah Rebbah) explains, that the point of bad things befalling Klal Yisroel is that we should come to fear Hashem. To come to the realization that everything we get or don’t get, the good and the bad all come from our father in heaven. We say on Yom Kipper “Ki atah tzadik al kol haboh aleinu” For you are righteous on all that befalls us. We can translate this to mean that we put our full faith in Hashem that anything that will happen to us is coming from Hashem and is just. Standing less then two weeks away from the day of judgment, we read about curses and what can happen to us if we don’t listen to Hashem. What we have to believe is that the only thing that keeps us removed from all those terrible things stated in the Parsha, is Hashem’s loving kindness. That on our own standing we don’t deserve anything that we have or the good we ask Hashem to send us in the new year. “Whatever Hashem sends our way is righteous”. Ezra told us a deep secret, if we read the curses before Rosh Hashanah and picture ourselves going through all of it and then believing that Hashem is the one that’s saving us from every curse and in his infinite kindness gives us all the good, then there is no need to live through it.
This special gift of being able to come to Yiras Hashem just through visualizing the potential calamities was put into our Rosh Hashana mussaf by Reb. Amnon. When we say the beautiful yet frightening words of Unesanah Tokef the point is to experience the words “who will live and who will die,…who with water and who with fire….” To realize that on the day of judgment we stand there in front of Hashem deserving nothing and that anything we get is overflowing with his kindness.

Based on a shmooze given by, Reb Elyah Brudny Shlit"a.

Elul- The Answer

The real question is that why did Klal Yisroel need a reminder of the shofar not to sin again couldn’t they learn from their mistake? They just got burned for making an eigal now a mere forty days later they weren’t going to do the same thing all over.

The Maharal says that Klal Yisroel were only able to make the Eigal at the exact moment that Moshe was getting the Luchos from Hashem. The nisayoin of the eigal wasn’t just a desire to worship an idol it was a cosmic mistake. Klal Yisroel thought that this was the right way to worship Hashem. Klal Yisroel grew to a level where they needed something to hold onto, something spiritual to connect them to Hashem and that lead them to the Eigal. The connection they felt they were missing was in reality being given to them at that second, Hashem was giving the Luchas to Moshe right then. They felt a connection- which was real, but was still in heaven. They wanted to see and feel it right away and not wait until Hashem gave them what he knew was the connection they were yearning for.
The second time Moshe went up to heaven there was no risk of Klal Yisroel making a Eigal for the risk was only there when the luchas were there, when there was a yearning for a higher connection. But they had lost that level when they made the eigal and Moshe broke the luchas.
Along came Rosh Chodesh Elul. Moshe was going up once again this time with two tablets of stone for the luchas to be written on. For forty days Klal Yisroel was to prepare themselves and come closer to Hashem through teshuvah. Along with this closeness came along the Yetzar Harah to jump closer to Hashem than permissible. The defense for this was the shofar to wake them up and remind them not to make false connections to Hashem.
Just like the first Elul we relive that closeness every year. The Gemora says that Yom Kipper is special for it’s the day we are forgiven and it’s the day we got the luchas. The teshuvah aspect of Elul and Yom Kipper is only secondary to the closeness we should be striving for. The point of these forty days is just the same as they were in the desert, to inch forward one step at a time to Hashem and his Torah. The way to do it in Elul is through teshuvah, but we cannot lose sight of the goal.

Elul- The Question

The origin for blowing shofar in Elul, says the Tur- is related to the first Elul the Jews were in the desert. Moshe Rabbeinu went up to the Heavens for forty days and nights after Matan Torah, to bring down the Luchos to Klal Yisroel. On the seventeenth of Tamuz Klal Yisroel miscalculated and thinking that Moshe wasn’t coming down, made the golden calf. Moshe came down and saw that Klal Yisroel sinned, he dropped the Luchos and they shattered at the foot of Mt. Sinai. The next day Moshe went back up for a second set of forty days and nights to beg Hashem for forgiveness for Klal Yisroel. On the last day of Av Hashem told Moshe bring me two tablets and I shall rewrite the Luchos for Klal Yisroel. Moshe came down and related all that happened to Klal Yisroel and on Rosh Chodesh Elul he went back up for a third and final set of forty days and nights this time to bring down the second Luchos. That first day of Elul they blew the shofar to notify all when Moshe went up and that they shall not come to make the same mistake that they made the first time Moshe went up. Since that Elul we blow shofar every day in Elul to commemorate and try to relive those special days Klal Yisroel had in the Midbar.
The question is why did they only blow shofar the third time Moshe went up? Why weren’t they scared of making the same mistake on the eighteenth day of Tamuz, the second time Moshe went up?
What do you think?

Parshas Ki Sietzai

“When you vow a vow onto Hashem, do not defer to pay it, for Hashem will surely demand payment of it from you, and there would be sin upon you”. The Torah is talking about when one promises a Korban you should bring it as soon as possible. The same is true with Tzedakah in general that if one pledges to give charity, it’s as severe as he gave it already and the Torah says that Hashem will demand it from him. Why is it that the Torah put such an emphasis on paying up something you merely promised - that Hashem will be ‘doresh’-demand it? After all it’s only words, you didn’t do or not do anything. If I promise to buy you a gift and don’t give it to you, you might have a right to be upset, but you cannot demand it from me, you cannot take me to court just because I promised you a gift. So why does Hashem come and demand that we pay up the gifts we pledge to hekdish?
When we promise something to Hashem in the form of tzedakah, when he demands it, it’s in our benefit. Hashem can take care of the tzedakah himself he doesn’t need our contributions, rather it’s a zechus- opportunity that he gave us to take part in the building of his institutions. The reason we would promise something is that at that moment we are unable to give for whatever reason, but we’re inspired to give so we promise. Hashem at that moment looks at our will to give and gives us credit as if we gave. If we get credit for the promising then obviously he has a right to make a demand for the actual gift. The Dubbno Maggid gives a parable. I borrow something from you and give it to a judge as a gift. If you take me to court to get me to return the item to you, the judge will obviously do anything that will let him keep the object and try to tilt the judgment in my favor. So too Hashem, when we promise something since he sees it as he got it already and he’s enjoying our gift, he will do everything he can that will let him hold on to it and make sure you come through on your pledge.

Parshas Shoftim- Reb Sabra

In Vilna at the turn of the 20th century the enlightened Jews put up a
skit making fun of the Torah and those who kept it. The script was
taken out of this weeks parsha and was about how the Torah tells us to
choose our army for wars to be fought.
The curtains rose and you see a crowd of people standing around as if
prepared for a battle when the commander gets up to make an
announcement. Whoever built a new home and did not live in it yet
should return home for he might be killed in battle and someone else
will live in his home. At this announcement some of the people on
stage jump up and run off the stage joyously "yay we don't have to
fight". the commander continues "whoever planted a vineyard and didnt
harvest it return home, for he might fall in battle....." at this some
more people jump off stage. the announcements continue "whoever
betrothed a woman but has not yet lived with her(or is in the first
year of his marriage shall return home". and at this some more people
jump off shouting "matchmaker i need a shidduch". and the audience is
laughing at this ridiculous way of choosing an army.
But it gets even funnier; at this point there is about half of the
original "army" on stage when the commander gets up and says "whoever
is scared and fainthearted let him return home lest he lose his heart
in war and cause his brothers to fall" at this all the rest of the
"army" jumps off stage "I'm scared, I'm frightened", and on stage are
left three old men, the Chofetz Chaim, R' Chiam Ozer(the rabbi of
vilna) and R' Chaim of Brisk. With this the curtain falls and the
audience is in tears from laughter at the ridiculous way the ancient
jews did war.
Someone who saw this play came to report back to R Chaim of Brisk
about this play, and asked him whats the answer to them, from what it
looks like this is the way the Torah commanded us to do war, so are
they right or is there another way of explaining the subject? R' Chaim
answered him their 100% right this is what the Torah wants our army to
look like, and this is the way the Jewish army was when they were in
Eretz Yisrael and had their own army, three old Torah scholars vs. an
entire army of elephants(eg. the Macabees were 13 soldiers taking on
the entire Greek army, and we all know the outcome of that). However
said R' Chaim they missed one point, they missed showing the end, the
end result that they missed that these three old men with their canes
go on to win the war. That is something they didnt show and wouldn't
show for that would take away the humor of their fun poking.

We look at the world and see everything works with cause and effect,
the more effort put in the better the result, the bigger and stronger
usually win, no pain no gain etc. However looking at the world this
way sometimesw makes us forget that Hashem s running the world and is
in charge of bringing out the final product of our efforts. We do our
jobs, and we must do our jobs, but then how it all ends up working out
is ultimately up to Hashem.

The Gemara brings that a Roman once asked R' Akiva what does Hashem do
all day? R' Akiva replied He acts as matchmaker.
the basic understanding of this answer is that he matches up couples
for marriage. but a deeper way of understanding the Gemara is that
everything we do in life in order for it to succeed needs help input
and the skills of others. for example, lets say you have great
marketing idea for your company, you'll need the right person to tell
him your idea and hopefully he'll see it as a good idea too. then you
need to find the right graphic designer to bring out the idea just the
right way. you'll also need approval from the entire marketing team
and board of directors before your idea even gets a chance to make out
into the world, not to say who said that the public will like it. For
all the pieces to fall into place, for you to meet just the right
person and that he should know just the right place to get things done
you need a "Matchmaker" Who will allow all the circumstances to work
out, if He deems it to and if He doesnt approve of it as great as your
idea is you just won't bump into the right people or be in the right
places, for the "Matchmaker" wasn't working with you.

So let us remember that ultimately Hashem is running the world (and
He doesn't need our help running it). And if He deems fit even three
old bent over Torah scholars will beat an entire world with its most
sophisticated weapons.
So trust in Hashem live according to His dictactes and He will match
you up with the things that will lead you to suuccess

Parshas Re'ai

ראה אנכי נתן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה "See, I place before you this day; blessing and curse." The Mefoshrim all ask what does the posuk mean by 'see'? What is it that we should see? Wouldn't the verb 'hear' be more appropriate?
The Baal Haturim explains the pasuk to mean, See- the time when Hashem said 'anochi'- the beginning of the ten commandments. Hashem is telling us the secret in making the right decisions, to make sure we choose blessing over curse, is that we should visualize the moment of the giving of the Torah when we saw the glory of Hashem. When we stood at the foot of Har Sinai we were able to see the sounds. What was the need for that miracle of seeing what we were hearing? The Nesivous Shalom explains that 'seeing is believing' when someone sees something no one can disprove it and convince him that it never happened. Hashem made us see the glory of matan Torah so when a time comes and your not sure what to do visualize that moment of history when you saw what's right and what's wrong. That is what the Baal Haturim means 'Look', visualize for your self a time that you did see and it wasn't just hearing what someone told you. You actually saw Hashem's glory and by seeing it you cannot forget it and no one can steer you off the right path.