"Vayivra Hasem es hataninim hagedolim"-"And Hashem created the great serpents"

This refers to Yakov and Eisav. Just as the snake was clever to trick chava "vehanachash haya arum", so was Yakov able to match Eisav's trickery.
-Zohar Toldos

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Yakov said to Eisav כה אמר עבדך יעקב. - the word כ״ה hints to the acceptance of  מלכות שמים in the 25 letters of the pasuk שמע ישראל, the concept of עבדך. We say "listen ישראל,"  like it says in this pasuk, "thus says Yakov.״ He then says עם לבן גרתי I lived with Lavan, גרתי גימט׳ תרי״ג, this refers to the second paragraph of Shma, והיה the acceptance of the מצוות.  This is like our sages said about Shma, why do we preface the first paragraph of Shma to the second? To first accept upon yourself the rule of heaven and afterwards the rule of the מצוות. Ohr Hatorah Vayishlach, Mamer Im Lavan Garti
Read more
There both is and isn't a mazel for Israel and how the name Moshe is not reflexive. The two opinions in Gemara about whether or not -יש מזל לישראל Israel is under the influence of "mazal" are actually both in agreement with each other מר אמר חדא ומר אמר חדא ולא פליגי. The mazal that Israel does not have is to be under the influence of the astrological signs and heavenly מזלות. Where Israel does have mazal is the higher concept of mazal, beyond nature. About this it states, "everything is dependent on mazal, even the sefer Torah in the heichal." Hence, Avraham was told to leave his land, since, as Rashi explains, "here you won't have children." If Avraham was beyond the mazal already, this would not have mattered.(Even with his name change where he was told - "leave behind your astrology", it was that the mazal of "Avraham" would have children even if the name "Avram" wouldn't.) Under the mazal,
Read more

Ahavat Aztmo

Ahavat Aztmo is usually hidden. It is only revealed at certain times, for example, when a person is in danger.  It is then that a person strives with the utmost and for self preservation. -Mittler Rebbe With this we can, perhaps, get insite into the mitzah of loving ones fellowman like yourself.  First, it is the hidden level that you are loving, not the revealed.  Second, expressing this love means striving to the point of self sacrifice to preserve the well being of another who is in trouble.
Read more