Friday, November 23, 2018

No Dvar Torah this Week

Due to extenuating circumstances, there is no new Dvar Torah this week. Please click here for a previous year's Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayishlach. We will return next week, b'ezrat Hashem, with a brand new Dvar Torah.
Shabbat Shalom!

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email is at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.

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Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com to learn about my book,Reality Check. And Like it on Facebook.

Check out our other AIMeMTorah project, Nation's Wisdom!



AIMeM

Friday, November 16, 2018

Dvar Torah & Podcast for Parshas Vayeitzei


       Parshas Vayeitzei is an eventful story of how Yaakov met and married his wives, had eleven of his sons, and feuded with Lavan. All of these stories play big parts in the beginning foundations of the Jewish People. And sandwiching these events are the stories of how Yaakov left and returned to Eretz Yisrael.
       The first story is well-known; Yaakov falls asleep one night and dreams of a ladder to the heavens with angels going up and down. Hashem appears and promises him that he will be protected throughout his journey. This took place right before Yaakov left Eretz Yisrael and Chazal explain that the angels on the ladder represented the Eretz Yisrael guard leaving him and the Chutz La’aretz angels taking over.
       At the end of the parsha, a similar story occurs. Yaakov is heading towards the border of Eretz Yisrael when he is confronted by a group of visitors we have seen before. “וְיַֽעֲקֹ֖ב הָלַ֣ךְ לְדַרְכּ֑וֹ וַיִּפְגְּעוּ־ב֖וֹ מַלְאֲכֵ֥י אֱלֹקים“And Yaakov went on his way, and angels of God met him” (Bereishis 32:2). Rashi explains that the reverse is now happening; as Yaakov crosses back into Eretz Yisrael, the angels who came with him to Lavan’s house now left and the Eretz Yisrael angels returned.
       The Ramban takes issue with this explanation. At this point, Yaakov is not even close to crossing into Eretz Yisrael! We see in next week’s parsha, that Yaakov crosses the Yabok River (See 32:23), found to the southwest of Eretz Yisrael. Furthermore, when Yaakov reaches the city of Shechem (See 33:18), the Torah indicates that this was the first place in Eretz Yisrael that Yaakov reached upon entering. If this is true, how could the Eretz Yisrael angels have met him and taken over so early?
       The Ramban instead takes a different approach. This meeting with the angels was not the changing of the guard that we see earlier. This meeting was in preparation for Yaakov’s imminent showdown with Esav. As Yaakov left Lavan’s house and headed back home, he knew he would eventually have to confront Esav. Now with a large family and immense wealth, he made an even larger target. These angels came to let him know that even with the army Esav had gathered, Yaakov still outnumbered them. With the heavenly entourage alongside him, and a guarantee of safety from Hashem, Yaakov had nothing to fear.
Shabbat Shalom!


Click here for last year's Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayeitzei

Click here to listen this this week's Podcast (Also available on Apple Podcasts)

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email is at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.

Please Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @aimemtorah

Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com to learn about my book,Reality Check. And Like it on Facebook.

Check out our other AIMeMTorah project, Nation's Wisdom!




AIMeM

Friday, November 9, 2018

Dvar Torah & Podcast for Parshas Toldos


       Parshas Toldos is filled with the stories that begin the historical rivalry between Yaakov and Esav. Beginning with the famous story of how Yaakov bought the firstborn from Esav, and ending with Yitzchak intending to bless Esav with certain special blessings, until Rivka and Yaakov joined forces to swoop in and allow Yaakov to receive them instead. Exactly how Yaakov was allowed to receive them this way, why Yitzchak wanted Esav to receive the brachos in the first place, and if Yaakov could buy the firstborn at all are all good questions that we have discussed in previous years. This year, however, I’d like to focus on a pasuk later on in the parsha.

       When Esav realizes he has lost the brachos to Yaakov, he is furious. He didn’t dare do anything while his father was living, but he immediately began making plans to take revenge on Yaakov at the earliest opportunity. Rivka sensed this and convinced Yitzchak to send Yaakov away to her brother Lavan’s house. As Yitzchak sent Yaakov away, Lavan is given a full introduction in the pasuk; “אֲחִ֣י רִבְקָ֔ה אֵ֥ם יַֽעֲקֹ֖ב וְעֵשָֽׂו“The brother of Rivka the mother of Yaakov and Esav” (Bereishis 28:8). The reason for the Torah having to tell us the relationship between Rivka and her sons, an extremely obvious connection, is of much debate among the commentaries. It’s a question we have discussed before, and this year, I’d like to focus on a new answer.

       Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetzky goes back several pesukim to when Yitzchak is giving Yaakov some final blessings before he leaves his house. “וְאֵל שַׁדַּי יְבָרֵךְ אֹתְךָ וְיַפְרְךָ וְיַרְבֶּךָ וְהָיִיתָ לִקְהַל עַמִּים וְיִתֶּן לְךָ אֶת בִּרְכַּת אַבְרָהָם לְךָ וּלְזַרְעֲךָ אִתָּךְ לְרִשְׁתְּךָ אֶת אֶרֶץ מְגֻרֶיךָ“And may the Almighty God bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and you shall become an assembly of peoples. And may He give you the blessing of Avraham, to you and to your seed with you, that you may inherit the land of your sojournings…” (ibid: 3-4). In pesukim 1-2, Yitzchak warned Yaakov to only marry a woman from Lavan’s house, a woman who, as we learn in pesukim 3-4, would be worthy of receiving the brachos of Hashem to Avraham, to father the nation of Yisrael.

       When Yaakov bought the firstborn rights from Esav, this was reason in part why he was able to take the brachos from Esav later on. Explains Reb Yaakov, the Torah in pesukim 3-4 is giving us one final proof that Yaakov deserved those blessings as the rightful firstborn and heir to Avraham. How do we see this? From the connecting letter “vav” at the beginning of pasuk 4. In pesukim 1-2, Yitzchak warns Yaakov to only marry a worthy woman. He then continues in pasuk 3 that if Yaakov does so, Hashem will bless him as a great nation. But we don’t know necessarily that this is the blessing of Avraham. By including a ‘vav’ at the beginning of pasuk 4, which discusses the blessing of Avraham, we see that this blessing is also dependent on him marrying a worthy woman.

       The Torah shows us that not only did Yitzchak approve of Yaakov getting his special brachos over Esav (See 27:33 for more), he also affirmed Yaakov’s purchase of the firstborn rights from Esav, thereby giving him the brachah of Avraham as well. Therefore, he had to warn Yaakov to only marry someone appropriate for this mission. And finally, this brings us back to our original question. The Torah specifically tells us Rivka was the mother of Yaakov and Esav, not to remind us of their relationship, but just to put them in the proper order! Yaakov first and then Esav; the real firstborn, our forefather, in his rightful position.

Shabbat Shalom!

Click here to listen this this week's Podcast (Also available on Apple Podcasts)

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email is at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.

Please Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @aimemtorah

Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com to learn about my book,Reality Check. And Like it on Facebook.

Check out our other AIMeMTorah project, Nation's Wisdom!



AIMeM



Friday, November 2, 2018

No Dvar Torah this Week

Sorry, due to circumstances not under our control, there is no new Dvar Torah this week. Please click here for last year's Dvar Torah and Podcast for Parshas Chayei Sarah. We will return, b'ezrat Hashem, next week with a brand new Dvar Torah.

Shabbat Shalom!

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email is at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.

Please Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @aimemtorah

Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com to learn about my book,Reality Check. And Like it on Facebook.

Check out our other AIMeMTorah project, Nation's Wisdom!



AIMeM