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Yakov also undergoes every possible trial & test, even more than Avraham endures: He has traumatic issues with his brother, his wives (now, that alone is an issue!), his conniving father-in-law, his bickering children. His life is threatened more than once; he deals with famine, (civil) war & poverty as well as the seeming loss of his most beloved child. Yet he manages to meet all these challenges & emerge as the true "father of our nation," as we will eternally be known collectively as "Bnei Yisrael."
Yakov is a scholar ("Ish Ohalim"), a dreamer (the Ladder); a romantic (he kisses Rachel at first sight) & a fighter (the wrestling match with the angel). He is a kind of EveryMan, the epitome of the "Renaissance Man," long before the actual Renaissance came into being.
Where does Yakov get the strength to handle everything which Life throws at him? What is his inspiration? Rav Pam suggests that his fortitude derives from Rivka, his mother. Remember that it is Rivka, in our Sedra, who knows intuitively that Yakov, & not Esav, is qualified to accept the future mantle of leadership in the family, & she is prepared to do all it takes – including risking her relationship with husband Yitzchak – in order to promote Yakov’s candidacy. Rivka is brave, & clever, & totally devoted to Yakov. She saves his life by wisely sending him away to live with her brother, preventing him from being harmed by Esav.
Rivka’s name can be read as "Ravaka," the single," or lonely one. Separated from Yakov, alienated from Esav & perhaps from Yitzchak, she’ll die a lonely death – only the grave-digger will be present at her funeral, say Chazal.
Yakov must surely carry all this within him, believing at each crucial juncture in his life that he must validate his mother’s faith in him; he must honor her by being the great leader she was so convinced he could be. This is an awesome responsibility, but that is exactly what inspires a person to live up to his or her potential.
The Torah hints at the unbreakable Yakov-Rivka bond when it says: "Vaye’ehav Yitzchak et Esav; V’Rivka Ohevet et Yakov." Yitzchak LOVED Esav; but Rivka LOVES Yakov. A mother’s love is not bound by time; we carry it with us for as long as we live, it is an indelible part of our soul.
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Rabbis in Midrash
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P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
