B"H
Monday, Mar-Cheshvan 29, 5781 / November 16, 2020
This week’s Parsha, Toldot, begins with Yitzchak and Rivkah praying for children. They were now married for 20 years, yet were not blessed with children. G-d answered their prayers and Rivkah gave birth to twins. "The first came forth ruddy, covered with hair like a hairy mantle and they called his name Aisav (Esau). After that came forth his brother, and his hand was holding unto Esau's heel; and he was named Yaakov (Jacob)."
The word used to describe Yitzchak's prayer in this Parsha is, "Vaye'etar". The usual expression for prayer is "Tefilah". Why does the Torah use the word "Vaye'etar?"
The Talmud explains that, “Vaye'etar” comes from the word "Etar" - "shovel".
"Rabbi Yitzchak said, 'Why are the prayers of the righteous people likened to a shovel? Just like a shovel turns the grain in the granary from one side to the other, so too, the prayer of the righteous turn G-d’s decree from the measure of restraint to the measure of mercy."
The three daily prayers are associated with our three patriarchs. The Shacharit (morning) prayer is related to Abraham; Mincha (afternoon) prayer with Yitzchak (Isaac); The Ma’ariv(evening) service is linked to Yaakov (Jacob).
The Shacharit service is recited before one begins the working day. We recite Ma’ariv after finishing our working day. The Mincha service is recited in the afternoon, during work hours.
The three prayers also represent the three different periods during a person's life. "Shacharit" represents a person's early years when one attends Yeshiva or Hebrew school. "Ma’ariv" represents a person's retirement years. During this time, one has the time to attend synagogue and become active in the Jewish community.
The Torah tells us that it is not enough to be involved during the early and later years. One must especially be extra careful with the "Mincha service". The "Mincha years," when we are busy working and doing business, when we are so preoccupied with our material and financial success, it is then that we must be extra careful and most important to be involved and remember our Jewish responsibilities to G-d, our family and our community.
Q. Why were our forefathers called, Abraham; Yitzchak; Yaakov?
A. The nameAbraham means, “Father of a multitude of nations.” Yitzchak means “laughter,” for the birth of Yitzchak, when Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90, brought laughter and joy. Yaakov, comes from the word “heel.” He was called so, as recorded in this Parsha, because at birth he held on to his twin brother’s heel.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Tuesday, Kislev 1, 5781 / November 17, 2020
Today isRosh Chodesh Kislev. Kislev is the third month of the year, when counting from Rosh Hashana. It is the ninth month when counting from Nissan.
The Hebrew calendar was set that certain months have always one day Rosh Chodesh and some two days. The month of Kislev, however, varies. In some years, Kislev has one day Rosh Chodesh and in some years two days Rosh Chodesh. This year Kislev consists of one day Rosh Chodesh.
The eight day holiday of Chanukah is always on the 25th of Kislev, in the Hebrew calendar. In the secular calendar, Chanukah begins this year, Thursday night, December 10.
This week's Parsha, Toldot, begins with the birth of the twins, Eisav (Esau) and Yaakov (Jacob), who were born to their parents, Yitzchak and Rivkah, after being married for twenty years.
The Torah tells us that when the twins grew up, “Esau was a hunter, a man of the field; and Yaakov was a quiet man sitting in the tents." Our sages explain that “The Tents” here refers to the study halls of Shem and Ever. Shem was Noach’s son and Ever was Noach’s grandson.
Yitzchak, who was blind, wasn't aware of the true character of his older son and he loved Esau, but Rivkah loved Yaakov. When Yitzchak told Esau to bring him food so that he may bless him, Rivkah prepared the food and had Yaakov bring it to Yitzchak instead so that Yaakov would be blessed.
In the end Yitzchak blessed them both, however we find a striking difference between the blessing to Yaakov and the one to Esau.
The blessings which Yitzchak gave to Yaakov begin, "May G-d give you of the dew of the heavens and of the fat of the earth." But when Yitzchak later blessed Esau, he reversed the order, saying, "Of the fat places of the earth shall be your dwelling and of the dew from heaven above."
Q. Why, in the blessing, to Yaakov Yitzchak mentions heaven first, and to Esau earth first?
A. Our sages explain that the blessing to Yaakov and through him to his descendants - the Jewish people, was that to them heavenly andspiritual matters should come first. In other words, the performance of Mitzvot ("heaven") should be the goal and objective of a Jew. Earthly matters should be secondary, only a means to spiritual highs.
Yitzchak blessed Yaakov that heavenly matters (Torah and Mitzvot) be his goal, focus, and guideline, even when dealing with worldly matters.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY & HEALTHY CHODESH-MONTH
B"H
Thursday, Kislev 3, 5781 / November 19, 2020
The birth of a child brings great joy to the family, especially to a couple who didn’t have children for twenty years after their marriage. In this week’s Parsha, Toldot, we read about such a couple. The Torah tells us the story of Rivkah and Yitzchak, who didn’t have children until twenty years after their marriage. Yet, when Rivkah finally became pregnant, her pregnancy brought her great distress.
The Torah gives the following account: “Yitzchak prayed repeatedly to G-d opposite his wife (i.e. they both prayed) because she was barren. G-d accepted his prayer and his wife, Rivkah, conceived.”
The Torah continues, “The children struggled inside her. She said, if the pain of pregnancy is so difficult, why do I want to be like this?” She decided to go to Shem, son of Noah, to inquire why her pregnancy was so much more difficult compared to other women.
G-d told her through Shem, “Two esteemed individuals are in your womb. Two kingdoms will separate from you. One kingdom will be mightier than the other, when one rises the other will fall and the elder son will serve the younger son.” Upon hearing that she was carrying twins, she felt better.
Q. What were the struggles in her womb all about? Why, when Shem told her that she was carrying twins, although the struggles within her didn’t stop, she already felt better?
A. The sages explain that when Rivkah would pass the Study Halls of Shem (where Torah was studied even before it was given to everyone at Mount Sinai), she felt the child struggling to get there. But when she went by a house of Idol worship, she felt the same thing all over again. This caused her great distress and pain.
Her fear was that the child she was carrying is one with a dual personality. One who is confused and cannot distinguish right from wrong. When she goes by a Torah center he wants to go join there and when passing a place of idol worship he runs for that. However, when she heard that she was carrying twins and it was not the same child who wants to go to both places, rather one wants to serve G-d and it’s the other one wants to worship idols, she felt much better.
When the Jewish people were wavering between serving G-d and idols, Elijah the prophet admonished them, “How long will you waver. How long will you jump from one to the other?”
Elijah told them to make up their mind one way or another. He was going to prove to them that G-d was the true G-d. But serving the two is neither here nor there. Confusion is the worst thing. A mistake can be corrected when recognized, but confusion is very difficult to fix. Thus, when Rivkah realized that each of the children she was carrying had a clear vision of their future world, she felt better. It gave her hope that in time even the child who now gravitates toward idols will recognize his mistake and repent.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Friday, Kislev 4, 5781 / November 20, 2020
This week’s Parsha, Toldot, is famous for the special blessings which Yitzchak wanted to give to his son, Esau, who was the oldest of the twins. Only through his wife, Rivkah’s, intervention, did he give the blessings to their son Yaakov (Jacob) instead. Here is how the Torah describes the story.
Yitzchak had now advanced in age, and he became blind. As a result of Yitzchak’s blindness, Esau was able to fool his father into thinking that he was a very righteous person. When Yitzchak became old, he summoned his son, Esau, and told him that he wished to bless him before he dies, but first he should go to the field and hunt some game for him to eat.
Rivkah (Rebecca), who knew the true character of the two sons, heard this conversation and advised Yaakov to don Esau's clothing and trick his father into blessing him instead. She knew that Yaakov was the one worthy of the blessings and had her husband not been blind, he too, would have wanted to bless Yaakov.
Rivkah prepared a meal and gave it to Yaakov to bring to his father. She also took hairy goatskin and put it on Yaakov’s smooth arms and neck, so his skin would feel like Esau’s. Yaakov approached his father and presented himself as Esau, and Yitzchak ate from the meal Rivkah had prepared.
Yitzchak then blessed Yaakov with the following blessing, “May G-d continuously give you from the dew of the heaven and the fatness of the earth, an abundance of grain and wine. Nations will serve you; kingdoms will bow down to you. You will be a mater over your brothers, and your mother’s sons will bow down to you. Those who curse you will be cursed, and those who bless you will be blessed.”
As a result of this, his brother Esau, hated Yaakov and wanted to kill him. With blessings and encouragement of his parents, Yaakov fled to his uncle Lavan in Charan, where he later married his daughters, Leah and Rachel. He also married Bilha and Zilpa and as a result, the twelve tribes of Israel were born.
The above blessing to Yaakov is recited on Shabbat night, at the Havdalah service, as we conclude the Shabbat. This is to invoke G-d’s blessings to the Jewish people at the start of the new week.
Q. How old were Yitzchak and Yaakov at the time of the blessings?
A. Yitzchak was 123 and Yaakov was 63. After receiving the blessings, Yaakov fled and stayed 14 years with Ever (Noach’s great great grandson), where he studied Torah (although the Torah was not formally given yet).
Q. Rivkah should have told Yitzchak the truth, that Esau was the wicked one. Why did she have to use trickery? Why didn’t G-d Himself reveal the truth to Yitzchak?
A. The Lubavitcher Rebbe says, “From this story we learn that it is prohibited to slander and speak bad about another Jew, even on one who is a sinner as Esau. As a result, they couldn’t tell Yitzchak the truth. They had to resort to trickery for Yaakov to receive the blessings, knowing that Yitzchak wanted to bless the pious one.
SHABBAT SHALOM
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