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Shabbat Morning Class - Parasha Vayeitzei

Rabbi Mansour 09
???? ????

The ???? says that when Yaakov realized that he had passed the place of the ???? without stopping to pray, he set in his mind to head back. The ???? says "?????"- he encountered, which is a term that implies suddenness. The ???? explains that he had ?????? ????, and the place of the Mikdash had come to him immediately - even though it was a week away by foot!
There are other instances of ?????? ???? in the Torah, and there are even stories in recent years of ?????? that had ?????? ???? when going to do ????. There is a story with the Halban when he was a young boy growing up in Tel Aviv. The Halban’s father was known for his Hachnasat Orchim. One time Rabbi Abraham Cohen was staying at their home and wanted to pray in a minyan in Shechunat Hatikvah - a 45 minute walk- to collect for his Yeshiva. The Halban’s father asked him to walk their guest to the shul. The Halban testifies that Rabbi Cohen held his hand and they made it to the shul in three minutes!!
There are two types of ?????? ????, one where the person gets to the place quickly, and the other is when the place comes to the person. The first instance of ?????? ???? in the Torah is by Eliezer the servant of Avraham Avinu. When Avraham sent Eliezer to find a wife for Yitzhak, the ???? says ???? ???? ?? ????- I arrived today at the well. ??'? explains ???? ????? ?? ????- from here we see that he had ?????? ???? (since he left Avraham Avinu the same day). ??'? then says that ??? ????? ?? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ????- "Hashem loves even the "plain talk" of the servants of the ????, more than the Torah of their children"! This ???? hints to how ?????? ???? is done. There is a holy name of Hashem which is: ?-?-?-? which when contemplated can cause ?????? ????. This comes from first ???? in the Torah:?????? ??? ????? ?? ????? ??? ????. The ?? is hinted in this ???? by Eliezer, the first letters of ???? ???? ?? ???? are the same letters as this ??.
How did Eliezer know this? In Avraham’s instructions to Eliezer he made him swear by Hashem that is: ???? ????? ????? ???? (first letters spell this holy name) by doing so, he gave Eliezer this secret. It is also hinted in the proof that Eliezer gave to the family of Rivkah that he had left Avraham that same day. Avraham gave a contract to Eliezer dated that day in which he gave over everything he had to Yitzhak. The ???? describes this contract as: ??? ??? ???? ????. The numerical value of ??? is 17, which is the same Gematriah as ?-?-?-? (17). We see hidden in his proof was the method of how he did it! This answers why ??'? says ???? ????? ?? ????- from here, meaning - from this name. It also answers why ??'? chooses this ???? to tell us that Hashem loves the talk of ???? ????. Why did he wait for this ????, which is many ?????? into the story? Why didn’t Rashi tell us this right in the beginning of the story? Now we understand, that ??'? is telling us that even in the "simple" talk of Eliezer was hinted the secret ???? of Hashem, this ???? was the example.
This explains why the Gemarah says: "????? ??? ??? ??? ???" "a person should always leave to go on the road during the daytime". The ???? goes on to explain that ??? means the day, but why not just say "leave during the ??? (day)"? Now we understand that the ???? is hinting to us the secret of traveling safely and ?????? ???? since ??? is 17 and the Gematriah of ?-?-?-? .
Why does this holy name cause ?????? ????? To answer this, we have to analyze the other things that this ?? is used for. The Holy name is also used for ???, and ?????. When a person focuses on this name with the proper contemplation it helps his ???. Now we can understand the ???? in the ???? that says that when Yaakov realized he passed the spot: ?? ???? ?????- when he set in his mind ((??? to return, the place jumped to him. This hints to this name that is used for both ??? and ?????? ????.
With this we can also explain a connection between the end of the Torah and the beginning. The Torah ends with the words: ??? ??? ??? ????? ?? ?????- "that which Moshe did in front of the eyes of Israel". What did he do in front of their eyes? He broke the ?????. What did that cause? ????- forgetting of the Torah. The Torah begins with the ???? : ?? ????? ??? ???? giving the remedy to ????, which is the name of Hashem that helps your ??? and ?????.
The ???? says "??? ???? ????" "know Hashem in all your ways" this also hints to the connection between ??? and ??? (?????? ????).
In what way are ??? and ?????? ???? connected that they should have the same name of Hashem that affects them?? The ???? says:????? ???? ??' ????? ??? ???? ???, the Kotzker Rebbe says that from this ???? we see that the ???? is already holy, we don’t need to make it holy, but the ??? is given to man to make holy. We have to elevate the physical pleasures of this world and turn them into ?????. Unlike the ????, that say that a person cannot enjoy the pleasures of this world and be connected to spirituality at the same time. (As we see their leaders separate from women, and do not talk or indulge in any kind of pleasure.) We believe the opposite, the first Mitzvah in the Torah is ??? ????- to have children. We enjoy this world and we have in mind that whatever we do, we are doing it in order to serve Hashem better. This is the greatest way of elevating mundane into ?????.
We see this idea illustrated by the ??? ?????. On the alter there were specific areas that certain sacrifices could be brought. The ???? - which was all for Hashem (totally burnt on the ???? without anyone partaking from its meat) - was only brought in the ????- the north. The ????? (of which only part of it was burnt and part was eaten by the ?????) - was brought in the ????-the south side. When a non Jew would bring a ???? to the ??? ?????, he would bring it only in the north (the area of the Olah) this was because of the mentality of the ????. They have to be like an Olah- that all is for ????- because in their view it would be impossible for a ??? to eat (which is a physical act) and the owner of the ???? get a ?????! Therefore they only bring the ?????? in the ???? (north). Shelomo Hamelech says in Shir hashirim:???? ???? ????? ????- "leave the north and go to the south". Meaning; don’t think like the ????- whose ?????? are brought in the north- that you can’t serve Hashem while benefiting from this world. Rather, go south- like the ????? (that its owner gets a ???? thru the ???’s act of eating)- and serve Hashem with benefiting from this world. This is our job in this world, to sanctify all the things we do and make it holy to Hashem. Our eating, drinking, sleeping, money,etc. should all should be enjoyed only for the purpose of serving Hashem better.
The word ??? also alludes to the word; connect, as it says in the Pasuk:???? ??? ?? ???? and ??? "knew" his wife and had a child. He connected and came together with his wife to have a child. We also see that when a person doesn’t understand something, he can’t connect with the answer. Later on, when he does understand it, his brain connects it to the answer. ??? alludes to connection. When a ???? sanctifies everything he does to Hashem, he is connecting ??? to the ???? (he is making the physical ??? holy like the ????). When his ??? is strong, his connection of ???? ???? is strong (since ??? means to connect).
When his connection of ???? ???? is strong then the nature of the world is in his hands. Like it says, that there are two types of ???- (nature), one is called ??? ??????- the regular well known nature that we see things happen every day sunrise, sunset, etc.(Which are also all miracles). The second kind of ??? is called ??? ???. This refers to when a ???? wants something to happen that is against the course of nature, the nature "listens" to the ???? and does whatever he says like water splitting or earth moving. Nature "knows" that this is why the world was created- it is for this connection that the sadik has mastered, so whatever the sadik says the nature does. Therefore ?????? ???? happens to the Sadik whose ??? (connection of ???? ????) is strong; this is when the earth does what he wants and moves to him! We now understand why the same name of Hashem of ?-?-?-? is used for ??? and ?????? ???? - it is because they go hand and hand!
This is hinted in the dream of Yaakov when it says that the ladder was "??? ???? ????? ???? ??????", it was planted on the ground but the top was in the ????. Yaakov connected the ???? and ??? and that is how he had ?????? ????.
This concept of serving Hashem through the pleasures of this world was enhanced through the teachings of the ??? ?? ???, who taught us to serve Hashem through ???? and singing etc. The way of the ?????? is to eat and make ?????? , all to elevate them to serve Hashem (this is also our way, the way of the Sephardim we are happy and make beautiful ?????? all for the service of Hashem). We see by the ?????? today that give their guests to eat and drink. This is hinted in the name of the ??? ?? ???. The word ???=17 which is the Gematriah of ?-?-?-?, showing that he enhanced this ???, this connection of ???? ???? (hence so many wondrous nature defying stories about the ???'?). Another reason why he is called the ??? ?? ??? is that he was a ???? of ??? ????, who it says about him ???? ???? ?? ??? ???.
The order is of course to first work on the ???????, and make it strong, then to focus on elevating the ??????, first the ???? (?????) then the ??? (????). Like the ???? says ?? ????? ??? ???? and only later in the ???? it says ???? ??? ?' ????? ??? ????? (mentioning the ??? before the ????). In the instructions of Avraham Avinu, he told Eliezer to swear by Hashem ???? ????? ????? ????, showing him what comes first. When Eliezer was repeating the story to the family of Rivkah he said: ???? ???? ?? ????- which is the ?-?-?-?, configuration of the holy name. This configuration represents; ??? ???? ?? ?????; he already reached the point where he was able to focus on making the ??? holy like the ????. He did many things like giving Rivkah jewelry and by doing other physical things with great spiritual intentions. Regarding Yaakov we also see the ???? says first ??? then ???? (??? ???? ????? ???? ??????). He was making the ??? like the ????.
There is a pasuk regarding the laws of inheritance that says; When a man has two sons from two wives "haahat ahuvah ve ahat senuah" (one beloved and one hated) he may not choose the younger beloved son over the older son to give him the "pi shenayim"(double inheritance) . The pasuk hints to this concept that a person needs to focus on his "senuah" (hated) - which refers to the physicality that he originally shunned- to uplift it to holiness. When a person does this, Hashem rewards him with "pi shenayim" (double) - the ability to have effect on two worlds, this one and the next.

This is why as holy as ??? ????? is – when we abstain and do not involve ourselves in physical pleasures- It is ?????? ??? only "like" ?????. ????? is on an even higher level, because we eat, drink and enjoy and we do it all ??? ????. The Arizal says that as holy as the prayers of Shabbat are, a person can reach an even higher level through his eating on Shabbat! (Friday night for yishak, Shabbat day for Abraham, and seudah shelishit for yaakob).

We must always keep in mind that whatever it is we may be involved with – if we have the proper intentions - we can sanctify the act for spiritual purposes and utilize it to come closer to Hashem!


Sefer/Parasha:
Aseret Yime Teshuba- Refusing to Shake God’s Hand
Rosh Hashana- Charging Our Batteries
Parashat Nisavim- Focusing on Today
Parashat Ki Teseh- The Challenge of Gratitude
Parashat Reeh- The Process of Desensitization
Parashat Ekeb- Fear of God
Parashat Vaethanan- Making a Small Hole in the Fence
Parashat Debarim- The Lost Art of Rebuke
Parashat Matot- Choosing Right From Right
Parashat Pinhas- Respecting Those Who Do the Dirty Work
Parashat Hukat- Turning Off the Cell Phone
Parashat Korah- Korah – Too Smart for His Own Good?
Parashat Shelah- Seeing the Positive
Parashat Beha’alotecha- Humility Defined
Parashat Naso- Making Sacrifices for Shalom Bayit
1002 Parashot found