The Power to Change

Art: 'Triple Self Portrait' by Norman Rockwell

And the children struggled within her, and she said, "If [it be] so, why am I [like] this?" And she went to inquire of the Lord. [Toldot - Genesis 25:22]

Why did the children "struggle inside her"?

How could Yitzchak, our righteous patriarch, have a son whose very nature even in the womb was inclined towards idol worship?

G-d can either make a person's disposition naturally good or naturally bad.  But, even if a person has a natural inclination to evil, that does not mean that he is evil per se, for he is given free choice.

Rather, the reason why he was given such an inclination was to rise to the challenge and overcome it.  Thus, Eisav was given a natural tendency to evil so that he could excel in the Divine service of "quashing" the evil inclination.

Even though he failed in his task, we can nevertheless learn from Eisav that if a person has strong desires to do something bad, it means that he has been given the special Divine mission of overcoming his inclinations.

Source: Gutnick Chumash: Based on Likutei Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

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Abraham's Gift of the Name of Impurity

by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh

“And to the children of the concubines of Abraham, Abraham gave gifts and he sent them from upon Isaac his son while he was still alive, to the east, to the land of Kedem.” [Chayei Sarah 25:6]. Rashi explains that the gifts that Abraham gave the children of the concubines were “the name of impurity”.

This is the root and source of all the eastern religions, “the land of Kedem”. If we travel to India, for example, we encounter abundant idolatrous impurity – a far cry from Abraham, who shattered the idols. Nevertheless, a holy spark that comes from Abraham is captive within the impurity. It is no coincidence that the highest caste in India is called the Brahmin, a clear allusion to Abraham.

What is this name of impurity? On one hand, a name of impurity sounds very bad. But on the other hand, a gift is supposed to be something good, something that is given with a loving eye and abundance. This is certainly the case if the giver of the gift is none other than Abraham, the great personification of love!

The explanation is that the “name of Impurity” is one of God’s Holy Names. There is a possibility, however – and in some cases permissible – for the nations that have not yet merited the light of the pure faith of Israel to use it while in impurity.

Apparently, the name of impurity from Abraham that reached the East is OM. This is the central mantra in eastern religions (Hinduism, Buddhism and more). The holy source of OM is from the “Name of seventy-two letters” (which is also mentioned in the Talmud). Actually, this Name is 72 permutations of three letters, and this name (spelled with three letters in Hebrew, אום,) is one of them.

OM is like the seal of Abraham himself. Both Abraham’s name and the word OM begin with the letter alef and end with the letter mem. This seal also appears in the expression that explains the meaning of the name Abraham. In Hebrew, this expression is אב המון גוייםthe father of a multitude of nations. The first, middle and last letters of this expression spell OM.

The meaning of OM is further revealed by its gematria, its numerical value. OM (אום) = 47, the same numerical value as bitul, self-nullification. Abraham taught that the entire reality of the world is null to the Creator and that man must also nullify himself to the will of God. Eastern religions mention this nullification, but in a different way that also manifests in a garment of impurity. Nevertheless, a holy spark hides inside the impurity – a point of nullification to the concept of God. Ultimately this spark will emerge from its impure garment and return to its source, as will take place soon, with God’s help.

If so, the rectification for this name of impurity is to recognize and internalize the Holy Name at its source, to reach a true level of self-nullification to God. It is not necessary to travel to India to look for gifts there. You can go straight to the source. Ultimately, everybody will get there.

Source: Inner

Body and Soul

Art: C. Schloe

The Zohar teaches that Sarah represents the body, whereas Avraham represents the soul.  Even after death, the soul still remains related to the body, thus "Avraham - the soul - came to eulogize Sarah - the body - and to weep for her"  [Chayei Sarah 23:2]

Chassidic teachings emphasize the importance of the body as a tool in the service of G-d.  Since the ultimate purpose of creation is to sanctify the physical world, the body has a distinct advantage over the soul, in that it is the means by which G-d's Will is enacted.  Therefore, G-d told Avraham [the soul] "Whatever Sarah - the body - tells you, listen to her voice" [21:12], indicating that there is an inherent superiority to the body, over the soul.

Although the soul is incomparably more refined than the body, nevertheless, in the times of Moshiach we are promised that the superiority of the body will be revealed such that "the soul will be animated by the body".

Based on Likutei Sichos Lubavitcher Rebbe

The Mysterious Sinai Rocks

There is a legend or possibly Midrash that states the rocks of Mount Sinai were imprinted with an image of a bush to commemorate Moses' encounter with the burning bush.

I once heard an explanation in the name of a Midrash: "When G-d sent Moses to Egypt to report to the Jews about the redemption and then to come back to Mount Sinai, Moses asked G-d: 'how will I be sure which mountain to return to?' (since at first, G-d spoke to Moses only from Mount Sinai). G-d made a miracle and all the rocks from Mount Sinai became engraved with the 'burning bush'".

Now, we cannot be 100 percent sure where Mount Sinai is, but there is such a mountain in the Sinai peninsula where all its rocks have fern-like patterns on its sides. Local Bedouins maintain no such autograph appears in any other mountain in the Sinai peninsula.

I have personally seen stones from there and they indeed have this pattern. Some want to "debunk" this Midrash by saying such a phenomena exists elsewhere, i.e. although it is rare, there exists similar patterns on the surface of rocks elsewhere in the world, such as in India and California. The phenomena is called "crystal dendrites". 

However, just because it exists elsewhere does not mean the Midrash is not correct. Perhaps G-d chose a natural phenomena to occur at that particular place. As is known, G-d runs the world in such a way that miracles are minimized.

Read more at Daf Yomi Review

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