Thursday, November 24, 2011

The Voice of Yaakov



"The voice is the voice of Yaako, but the hands are the hands of Eisav"  [Toldos 27:22]

"There are certain Jews", the Dubno Maggid once said, "who are the very personification of the words: "The voice is Yaakov's voice" as the way they pray and study conforms perfectly with all the pertinent halachos.

"Unfortunately," continued the Maggid, "their hands are Eisav's hands. For when it comes to the mitzvos of tzedakah or gemilus chasadim, these same Jews keep their hands tightly shut.

"It is vital for such individuals to know that one aspect of avodas Hashem without the other will not last."

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

Yaakov's Tikkun

According to kabbalistic teachings, Yaakov corrected the spiritual damage caused by Adam's sin.

Therefore, just like Adam had been misled by the ingenious plot of the serpent, the correction of Adam's sin had to come through ingenious trickery - "Your brother came ingeniously and took your blessing" [Toldos 27:35]

Based on Likutei Sichos Lubavitcher Rebbe

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Guarding Your Speech


The Baal Shem Tov taught:
Your soul is mixed with good and evil, in order that it should be free.
Therefore, when you speak holy words, they draw down new life from holiness, and when you speak evil words, they draw down new life from the root of evil and the Other Side. The latter causes you to do evil.
So everything in your life, whether for evil or for good, depends upon your speech.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Upon Me

"His mother said to him: My Son, let your curse be upon me" [Toldos 27:13]

Why, asked the Vilna Gaon, would Rivkah invite a curse upon herself? Why did she not simply say "He will not curse you, my son?"

Rivkah, answered the Gaon, was hinting to Yaakov that he would face three main forms of hardship in his life. These hardships are alluded to in the acronym of the word עָלַי [upon me] - Esav, Lavan and Yosef.


Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

Born Yesterday

HT: Yaak

A 30-year-old guy goes to Rav Chaim Kanievsky to receive a beracha [blessing] for a Shidduch [marriage partner]. Rav Chaim Shlit"a tells him, "Your Bashert [soul mate, intended partner] wasn't born yet. It should be with Beracha Vehatzlaha [blessing and success]"

The news hit the man hard and he left the house crying, asking himself why he has to wait so long for a Shidduch.

Two months later, he comes back to Rav Chaim Shlit"a and announces he's engaged to a Giyoret [female convert to Judaism] who had just converted a month earlier.

[Note: when a person converts to Judaism it is as if they are re-born.  They receive a new name , and even a new birthday - the day of the conversion]

Source: KikarHaShabat

Things to do today

Monday, November 21, 2011

Life is a Rollercoaster


The lower the descent, the higher the potential ascent.  Known in chassidus as: "Yerida l'tzorich Aliyah" - it is a descent purely for the purpose of ascent.

When your life takes a turn for the worse, know that this is the preparation for a future elevation.  It's the ricochet effect.  The harder you throw a ball down, the higher it will bounce back up.

People are tested all the time: know that is all it is:  a test.  Sometimes it may last for many years, sometimes just a few days.  The lower you have fallen, the higher you can potentially rise.  If you know this, then nothing should ever bother you again.

Deceptive Appearances


In Parshas Toldos we read about Eisav's deceptive acts towards his father, climaxing here at the end of the parsha, where he marries one of Yishmael's daughters in order to appear righteous in Yitzchak's eyes.

Rashi however comments that, in fact, "he added wickedness upon his wickedness, in that he did not divorce the first ones" [Toldos 28:9] i.e. just like he had married his first wives in an attempt to appear righteous, so too here "he added wickedness upon wickedness" marrying once again, this time to a member of Avraham's family in order to maintain his deceptive veil of righteousness.

In the following parsha, Vayeitzei, we read of another trickster, Lavan, who acted deceptively towards Yaakov. However, it could be argued that Eisav's deception towards his father represented a greater degree of moral corruption than the acts of Lavan, because Eisav actively promoted himself as a righteous person. Lavan, on the other hand, may have acted deceptively, but he did not scheme to find ways of proving his righteousness to others. He merely concealed his selfish and corrupt motives so Yaakov would not come to uncover his plans.

So, the Torah's description of Eisav here, at the end of parshas Toldos, comes to warn us of the moral corruption which was exemplified by Eisav. Here we are warned to steer clear of this lowly activity: promoting oneself as righteous while the truth is something very different indeed.

Based on Likutei Sichos Lubavitcher Rebbe