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Why did Yitzchak Avinu want to bentch Eisov with Yaakov’s brachas? In order to get it even if Yaakov behaves like Eisov as the haftorah says that even if Eisov is a brother to Yaakov, I (Hashem) love Yaakov and hate Eisov as explained by the Chasam Sofer.
Rashi on Achos Nevoyus shows how fourteen years is missing from Yaakov Avinu’s life which he spent at Shem and Eiver. The Baal Haturim shows how the ending letters of Vayetzei Yaakov add up to fourteen and together with the beginning letters Shem and Eiver.
The Rabbenu Bachaya in Parashas Vaychi explains that Yaakov is physical being and Yisrael is the spiritual. When adding Satan (359) to Yaakov (182) we get Yisrael (541). When Yaakov defeated the malach of Eisav, he became Yisrael by encompassing the strength of the Satan.
The Chasam Sofer explains that we have this struggle with the yetzer hara and we strive to resolve the conflict between body and soul. The goal is to make peace בקש שלום. The Satan (yetzer hara) wants to do good by eliminating conflict סור מרע, ועשה טוב and have the soul go after the desires of the body. This is not peace. We want to reverse it, ורדפהו. We will create a small conflict by having the neshama, soul do something small that the body does not like and then go after peace by having the body get used to it. So the peace will come when the body does what the soul desires through incremental improvements.
We find the same idea by the meraglim, Hashem promises them EY and they look for faults rather than realize that Hashem will not promise to give them something bad.
Very nice.
Maybe this is the meaning of the statement והיו עינך רואות את מוריך, keep your rabbeim constantly in front of you, to have someone to learn from.
I once heard the interpretation of אל תקרא הליכות אלא הלכות from the way one behaves we should learn halachas.
On the geulah for Shemos there is a saying, it is always the darkest before dawn. The geulah comes stepwise as sunrise.
The Pelei Yoetz explains that when we say ‘לישועתך קויתי ה we should keep in mind that the shechina is also in galus and pray for it, for Your (Hashem) salvation.
We should emulate our Avos, as the Baal Haturim in Voeschanan explains that ואהבת has the same letters as האבות (Rashi Vairo, el haavos). Similarly, like Avraham Avinu, בכל לבבך who dedicated his whole heart, בכל נפשך like Yitzchak Avinu who sacrificed himself and בכל מאדך like Yaakov Avinu who dedicated his money to Hashem (giving maaser) by showing their love towards Him.The Pelei Yoetz really says it on Shemonei Esrei, לישועתך קוינו כל היום that we hope for Your (Hashem) salvation.
Bo:
With the wearing of tefilin we dedicate our senses to Hashem to serve Him. The Rabbenu Hameiri explains that the Rosh has four compartments against the four senses (smell, taste, sight and sound) in the head whereas the arm and hands has one of feeling.
Beshalach:
The holy Ohr Hachaim explains that tefila alone at the yam suf was not sufficient as the Jews were accused of idol worship similar to the Mitzrim. They had to show a mesirash nefesh by getting in the yam before it turned dry to have the midas rachamim overpower the midas hadin. The Kedushas Levi actually sees this being beneficial to the Jews by encouraging the Mitzrim to have a sense of victory and run after them in the sea to get sunk into the water.People learning Torah are like an astronaut. The higher they get, the more they can see what to discover. The more we delve into the Torah, the more we see how much more we can learn and appreciate and enjoy what we have learned.
We are strangers in a strange land, temporary dwellers traveling through. Look at Sefer Pelei Yoetz on גר.
A servant with temporary desires, a Jewish servant.
The holy Zohar says ישראל ואורייתא וקב’ה חד הוא. There is a unification between us, the Torah and Hashem. Through the Torah, kavayachel we become one with Hashem. Both, Hashem and the Bnei Yisrael are considered one. The holy Shlah says that שמע ישראל means to unite as an one like וישמע שאול את העם, Shaul united the nation. We ask to become one similar to Hashem.
Yeshayohu 57 says כי עוונותיכם היו מבדילים ביניכם לבין אלקיכם asks the Binah Leitim that it should have said לביניכם? He answers that originally we separate ourselves from each other which causes a separation between us and Hashem. This can be pictorially represented where we all are around a circle and Hashem is in the middle. As through the Torah to love each other, the points on the circle unite, the circle becomes smaller and eventually becomes one with the center, Hashem. We ask to become one with Hashem.
The Mayana Shel Torah in name of the Parashes Derachim explains, for gaiva, haughtiness. Since anger comes from gaiva, haughtiness we can apply this to it. When Hashem created the man, it said נעשה אדם, in plural, teaching us to consult with the lesser. However, whoever is haughty will interpret this literally saying that Hashem created man with another entity ch’v and thereby worships a’z.
The goyim don’t understand the concept of sanctifying the mundane, gashmiyus, as a priest cannot marry, so only an olah is accepted from them. A shelamim creates peace between us and our Father in Heaven.
The Kli Yakar explains that by the chazir the prohibition is
justified by the Torah with the animal’s good qualities, cut hoofs. There good qualities create their issur by being fake as eisov showing its cut hoofs, how good it is.If you have any other reason not to lend the car, is one thing but don’t resist from nekama, revenge.
The Tzetel Katan says that our purpose in life is to fight our bad nature.
Before learning we need derech eretz, proper behavior. The Omer also elevates us from an animal which eats barley, remembering by sacrificing a barley offering to a human being who eats wheat, the two breads sacrificed on Shevuos, Kabolas haTorah.
Maybe this is the meaning according to the Rav Ben Ish Chai ztz’l of the pasuk לא יחצו ימיהם. The gemora says in Meseches Shabbos that Yitzchak Avinu was learning zechus on the Jews that half of the time they should not be responsible for sinning as they are sleeping, so we can divide their days. However one who takes ribus (interest from a Jew) sins also at night because the money makes money even when sleeping and therefore we cannot divide his days. ואני אבטח בך but I trust in you, so I will not take interest and my days can be divided.
The Binah Leitim explains איזהו עשיר השמח בחלקו, to be truly happy, we must share our wealth by making others also happy. All qualities in the mishna is a poel yotzei, something done to others. איזהו חכם הלומד מכל אדם. It says מתלמידי יותר מכולם, when one teaches, he learns. איזהו מכובד המכבד את הבריות it does not say המכבדים אותו, who is honored as he has no control over being honored.
כי ה’ נתן לנו כח לעשות חיל Hashem gives us the abilities, mind and understanding to mechadesh something in the Torah. The Chasam Sofer explains that a person is not allowed to say something new. All chidushim are hidden in the Torah and we are given the abilities to find them. The Rav Haflaah in Parashas Bo says that a kashye, a question comes from a Devine intervention, a siyata dishmaya which is usually required to get the hidden Torah revealed. He gives a parable to a simple person who is given a diamond. What am I going to do with it? As he likes gold, goes to a goldsmith to cover it in gold. The goldsmith being no expert, leaves some holes. The simple person only sees the gold. However the smart person sees the diamond under the gold. The kashye gets us to see the diamond underneath the gold.
Torah shebaal peh, the oral law was also given at Har Sinai which was heard should be as clear the written law which is seen. The Rabbenu Bachaya gives a parable where a king wanted to be sure that his servants don’t take advantage of the rewards when commanding his son, so his said certain explanations orally. The Chasam Sofer gives another parable where a father has a goldmine which he wanted to give to his smallest child. He teaches him the act of goldmining and divides it equally but since the others did not know what to do with it, it automatically fell for the youngest child. The written law is the goldmine and the oral law the act of goldmining. This is like the Midrash Tanchuma where the Jews where given the written law and had to be forced on the oral law. The goyim never accepted the written law, so there was no reason to force them. Can also be that the Jews originally accepted the Torah with full will and then reneged by being scared from the great fire as explained by Tosfas but the goyim only questioned what the Torah contains and accepted nothing.
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