Rav Yitzchak Breitowitz: The Difference Between the Blessings and The Bechora

You [music] see your [music] tomorrow [singing] [music] [music and singing] [singing] Okay. Hi everybody. Uh thank you for coming and uh our dedications tonight. Uh praying for the lasting unity of the people of Israel which will lead to victory and for all of those whose health has been affected by terror. A rafu to Rifka Batsara Pearl and Kha Ben Rifka. And in addition, a special Misha Bay for the someone who was injured in today's terror attack. She and really all of our should be aliat Moshe and Moshe. And uh for Rael Leia Bas Mikel Baya Daba uh the late wife of Lee Cooper uh again a friend of mine from Silver Spring. May we keep her memory alive with our shias Torah and humor and uh Dr. Cooper put in uh a little bit of a write up that I'll read. Uh she made aliyah 13 years ago from Silver Spring, Maryland, my old kahila to Mala Dumim in Erit Israel. She was a volunteer elementary school English teacher, beloved piano teacher to children and adults and attended a number of weekly shiior. Uh Robin was nerret last roes kislave on our 40th uh their 40th wedding anniversary. Uh Cincer Petira each of uh Dr. Cooper's four children their four children has welcomed a new child into the world including two girls named for her one born during Robin Shiva and the other a few days ago. Uh we will carry with us the memory of her loving smile and devotion to her family and Yiddishkite as well as her gentle humor and creativity. He zra and again thank want to thank Dr. Cooper and he remarried also recently so he and his uh resonance should be blessed with many many brahas. Uh in addition to Ibonaz end of the year Khaneka fundraising campaign uh we had received a request from the Bal in Tel Aviv for 20 sets of fillin for a group of soldiers finishing their conversion which is to be take place on Kaneka. So this is a uh double triple quadruple mitzvah. You have uh you have you have and you also have people who are gaim who are entering Yiddish. How can we not help them out? And more information about how to [clears throat] contribute can be found on the website and in the YouTube description box below. Uh we should be and may many many many more uh gravitate towards the precious mitzvah of and really throughin to many other mitzvah. I often often tell people people often ask me uh who are not religious they want to do one mitzvah what should they do and you you you can come up with many different things I'm not suggesting this is the only one but I often recommend putting on fillin even if you're not dabbing because fillin has a very powerful spiritual impact on people because see even symbolically and mystically you're binding your physical strength your hand your emotions your heart your mind to a kadeshbu's unity and to a kadeshbu's greatness And by putting on fillin, even if you just put them on, say is one person and take them off. You didn't have in chakras, you didn't have anything. The fillain can reorient your your spiritual direction for that day. And based on the teaching mitzvah mitzvah that one mitzvah causes another mitzvah, it can actually lead to many many things. So Kabad's thing about the fillain campaign uh actually makes uh does make a lot of sense because Fillain can be a gateway to many many uh mitzvah. Okay. Uh again uh gracious uh is always always filled with uh infinite questions and infinite issues. Uh in some ways I I mentioned before [laughter] I'm a little I'm always a little um nervous. Uh I'm more comfortable when I move into schmos and even more comfortable when I move into vikra because I don't get too many questions on the difference between saras or basor and mik although those are interesting questions too but you know uh but in braces everybody not only has questions but everybody has something to say and everybody wants to share it with me. So uh my email goes up quite a lot uh during the weeks of of gracious people share very very nice thoughts uh but it just shows us that bracius is just so filled with so many different issues and paras like every para in safer bracious uh is filled with those types of questions. So got to be selective. Obviously in in 1 hour or so we cannot cover everything. Even in 100 hours we would not cover everything. But we'll just point out a few uh has uh the Torah begins of course that was 40 years old when he married Rifka. Uh the Torah nowhere says how old Rifka is. As I've said Kazal have two traditions. Uh the Msura that Rashi brings is Rifka was only three years old. uh Tossus and Yuamos brings other midrashim that she was 14 years old. But either way, we know how old Yitizuk was 40. So either way, there was a um very large gap in years between Yitizuk and Rifka. Uh the Nitsie, just to go go get ahead a little bit, the Nitsie makes the point that this is why uh Rifka's communication style is somewhat different than Sora's communication style. When Abraham and Sor have a disagreement how to deal with Ishmael. So Sor is very open and explicit. Hey, we got a problem. Mashen came with Rifka with Asov. And now Rifka has to resort to subtrafuge. And the nitiv basically says that Rifka was in awe of Yitzk for a lot of reasons. Yetsk was an otherworldly person. He was elevated. He was sanctified by the aasitzk. He was more heavenly than a man of the earth. Also, there was a tremendous age difference. Rifka was on some level like his daughter rather than uh [clears throat] his wife in that way. And as a result, this sounds like a very modern idea, but the communication styles had to be different. Rifka could not approach directly about a number of of issues the way that Sora was able to approach. But [snorts] the puzz says that Rifka was an Akura. Rifka was barren. She did not have children. Uh and the basically says that prayed for his wife and she prayed as well but answered the prayer of so Rashi brings a kazal. If both was praying and Rifka was praying why does the say Hashem answers the prayer of so Rashi brings the Sadik Benadik Sadik Benitsk's prayer is more powerful because Yitzk is a righteous person who is the son of a righteous person of Ramavinu Mashen Rifka is a righteous person who is the daughter of an oveor basel. So the prayer of a sadic ben sadic is more powerful than the prayer of sadic benrussia or in this case a sadk espas russa. So the vvelt asks the obvious question that we would actually maybe assume the opposite thing because to be at sadic ben sadic okay that's that's easy you're raised in a certain environment so you emulate your parents for rifka to turn away and become righteous on her own without the benefit of parents without the benefit of cviva is a much greater accomplishment uh just as the ramaskins raviohan's famous statement that the place where the balchuba stands is greater than the place of the perfectly righteous. So Rifka is at least a balas chuba in that sense. So why would her prayer be inferior to that of of why do we say the prayer of the saddic ben sadic is greater? So fascinatingly the altar of Kellum Revoly uh the old man of Kellum who is considered to be Rab Salanter's closest talmet [snorts] offers a very very beautiful insight. He says like this he says that Saddak Ben Sadic doesn't just mean you're righteous and your father is righteous. It means that your father is righteous in a certain mahalik, a certain derk, but you choose to develop yourself in a different way. We know that each of the aos had a different derk in a hashem. Arainu served hashem through loving kindness. Yitzk served hashem through gur inner strength and introspection. Yakov combined them in what is called teris beauty which is the mizug the shil the the the integration of these different forces. So the altar of kellum says to be a sadic in your own right even though your father is already a sadic is actually a harder accomplishment than to be a sadic coming from a Russia. If you're a sad coming from a Russia once you know once you're mocker the emis once you understand that you have to serve God then it's obvious you have to break away from your past and achieve your own identity but for a yeitzk to become a carbon copy of a would have been the most natural thing in the world who could fault him if he would simply follow the derk of Abra and yet did not follow the derk of Abraitzk became sadic in his own right that is even a more sublime accomplishment to be a sadic ben sadic is even a greater accomplishment than to be a sadic than Russia. This is what the altar of kellum says in which he points out that this highlights the importance of individuality in avodas hashem. Now this is a bit of a paradox because one cannot deny that to be a religious Jew entails a great deal of conformity. No question about it. Uh we have a common denominator. We have Torah, mitzvos. These are obligatory in everybody. A Yiddish guide is certainly not a religion that says uh march to the beat of your own drum. Uh you got to keep a you can't say, "Oh, I I think there's a more spiritual way than that." And yet within the conformity and framework of Torah, we have to also learn how to serve Hakadesh Baru as individuals. uh we are not cookie cutter cookies, you know, we uh we have this identity. Uh this is why tribes are so important. Again, this will come up much later in the Torah. Uh but why are tribes so important? You know, um isn't the only thing that's important is we're Jews. Like why is it important if I'm a ruin or a Shimon Yehuda? And yet today we're not so aware of this, but it was a very big deal. uh in Tanakh during the first basikdash because the concept of a shvet is that in addition to your identity as a Jew as a member of a shvet you had a unique differential role in how you serve our kadesh and this notion of individuality finding your own voice is quite a challenge it really is a challenge to find individuality within community to find community within autonomy These are challenges. These are not very simple in the educational system. It is extremely difficult to achieve. Uh whether it's a yeshiva katana, yeshiva gdadola, b yakov, maybe even worse in some way. Uh there is such an emphasis on doing things exactly the same when in fact the kadesh wants each of us to be discreet individuals. And that is kind of the lesson of the altar of Kellum is giving us in saddic ben sadik. Interestingly hers aduces the same lesson expressed in a different way uh with based on a few sukim later. Uh the Torah goes on and says that finally Rifka gets pregnant. Uh but Rifka is beset with conflicting reactions. Uh, as Kazal say, when she walks by a house of Aodora, there's violent kicking. And she walks by uh a house of Hashem, whatever that would mean in that context, there's violent kicking. [clears throat] She doesn't know, does she have a child that's going to be schizophrenic, a child that moves from good to evil? And she goes, and it's interesting, she doesn't go to she doesn't ask. It says she goes to seek out counsel from God. That's a very enigmatic expression. It doesn't tell you at all what she did. But Rashi explains she went to the proverbial yeshiva of shame and a shame is no longer alive. A is shame's great grandson really. It's and it's Yitsk's great great sadi as well. of of Ara and prophetically they tell her don't worry about it you don't well don't worry meaning you don't have one kid that is torn in two directions but you have two nations one will be attracted to holiness and kaduca and the other will be attracted to idolatry and tuma and hedenism and there will be an eternal struggle where one nation will be more powerful over the other nation at different times but ultimately this is ultimately Rav the older one yavote shall serve the younger one but that's an ultimate actually messianic nua and the like so Rifka is now told that she has twins and one twin will be attracted to bads and one twin will be attracted to good now this itself raises perplexing questions don't we believe in free will don't we believe in don't we say nobody is born to be bad and nobody is born to be good every person chooses as the Rambam writes in hiluva every person can be as righteous as Mosher that's what the Rambam says and as evil as Benat and yet here we have a nvua from the yeshiva of shame v a nvua that one will be attracted ed to bad, one will be attracted to good. But again, I I just want to emphasize just in terms of this is not a contradiction to free will. People are born with predispositions. We don't deny that. Judaism does not deny that. But we also believe that au gave us an X factor to be able to overcome our negative tendencies. So we have to assume that if As was born with certain negative tendencies, he was also given the power to surmount them. Uh basically those who are given burdens are also given the strengths and the capacity to bear those burdens. It's like the Gomorrah says if you're born under the masle of Mars, the constellation of Mars, you will have in your tea a desire to shed blood. Can't get rid of that. You will be a bloodshed but you can decide do I want to be a >> a moel or a murderer. The negatives can be turned into positives and we'll actually talk about that. So the puzz then says that the twins are born as comes out hairy. Asov comes out ruddy red complexion and then Yakov is Jacob comes in the word heel. Yakob was holding on to his heel and the puss says the young boys were growing up and Asa became a hunter and Yakov became a dweller in tense which is understood by Kazal as one who studied Torah. Whatever Torah meant actually you know this is a little misleading I can assure you Yakob did not have an open Gmorrah in front of him that that wasn't the situation. So whatever Torah meant, Yakov was involved in divine wisdom and understanding. Again, the exact meaning of Torah before matan Torah is always getting what did they learn in the yeshiva of Shane, right? So people say, "Oh, they they learned they learned the Rambam and they learned in the Rambam." I'm pretty sure that that wasn't the the curriculum, but we'll call it divine wisdom, understanding God. maybe kabala might actually be the closest to what they were actually doing meditative states prophecies and the like. So this is what Dur says and I think it dubtales very well with what the altar of kellum says and that is the critical problem here is that means they were raised the same. You know the way people have twins so they dress the twins the same. Actually in the karate world often even kids of different ages say they for whatever reason they they're dressed the same as part of etc. So but with twins especially with twins there's a tendency you know same everything's the same. So Yitzk and Rifka raised tried to raise Yakov and ASV the same way put them in the base medish make them learn 10 hours a day and refer says what is good for Yakov is not necessarily good for as also had spiritual strengths but those spiritual strengths were not in the koslay basant he could have been an organizer he could have uh created environments where Yakov would be able to learn etc He could organize malava malas, whatever. And the point was that if you try to make an asov be a yakov, not only will you not get a yakov, you will not get the as of that could have been. And that's a tragic figure. Asov does represent a potential source of greatness that did not come to fruition. Refer says because of Yiddu Hanor. Now some people get very upset um when this thought is expressed because essentially we're sitting in judgment on the parenting decisions of Ye and Rifka. What possible right do we have to ever make such a judgment? Okay. Now again first says it but let's assume that you know we don't have the right to judge which we don't but the insight is still an insight the insight is a valuable insight independent of this particular context. This is exactly what says when he sayso train a child according to their way. Everyone has a derek. Everyone has a personality. Everyone has a set of talents. And when you try to kind of pigeon hole, put the square peg in a round hole, then you're going to create distortion. You're going to create frustration. You're going to create misery and ultimately that can turn into rebellion and throwing the whole thing away. and refer says that was the tragedy of so again it dubtales with the altar of kellum's remark that the sadic has to be sadic in his own way not necessarily by imitating what other people are are doing. Uh an example would be you know it's brought down that there's a mitzvah of writing a safer Torah and it says that even though you got a safer Torah from your father you must write your own safer Torah. So today we most of us are not mim that mitzvah. The rush says we fulfill that mitzvah by buying that we learn from because people used to learn from the safer Torah. But putting aside the rush, the idea that even though you get a sacred Torah from your father, you have to write your own, at least homoytically is expressing the same thought that even if I have a mira from my parents, I got to create my own. I got to create my own. But it's based on your parents because when a cipher writes a safer, he copies from an existing safer or from a tikun which is copied from an existing safer. So you do base your life on the miso that you got from your parents if they were shom Torah but you do have to write it your own way. It's going to be has to be different. So individuality is a very very important point and to some degree yeah I don't want to talk spend the whole time talking about this but in some degree this is one of the reasons why in the yeshiva world um you will notice there is often a bit of a low level maybe subclinical depression meaning many many people are depressed many many people are sad and part of the sadness is when you feel you just have to conform to a single type of standard. And of course it gets even worse when the standard is so impossibly high because what how can a person ever feel accomplishment right we look at Rheim Kvki we look at Yash [laughter] so so whatever I do you know is going to be like nothing right and and it's hard to feel always a sense of accomplishment and also the notion of shutting yourself off from the individuality of your personality is really a form of suicide a person feels suffocated And a person who is suffocated cannot really flourish in that way. So individuality is a very important thing. You have a voice. You have something inside that is crying out to be able to be expressed. Uh we often can't even identify what that is because there have been so many years in which we haven't expressed it. Uh but nevertheless this is what is brought out both from Sadi Ben Sadik and from Vigulu Hanari. Okay. Now, beser um I want to focus now on the two transactions of the para and see exactly how they're connected. Transaction number one is Yakov's purchase of the birthright theora number two is Yakov getting the braos from Yitz by impersonating Asov. So we have the bor and we have the braos. What exactly was at stake in the two transactions right? These are the two transactions that kind of anchor the para one at the beginning and one at the at the end. So the first thing to note again if you learn rashi this is this is very obvious is to note that these two transactions are separated by many many years. Yakov purchased the birthright of Asov when they were they're twins. They're the same age when they were 15 years old. 15 years old. How do we know this? Because Rashi brings the khazal that when Yakov is cooking the nazid the lentil soup uh the cholins uh probably vegetarian cholins it seems. Uh so this was because he was going to feed his fathers. the food that you give to a mourner adashim lentils because this was the day that Arainu died. Now Ramavinu died at 175. Okay. So now figure this out. That means Yitzk was 75 because Yitzk was born when Ara was 100. And since Yakov and Asov were born when Yitzk was 60. 60 the says that. So that means Yakob and Asov were 15 years old when Arainu died. You know it's an interesting point that Rashi says Asov did not publicly become a Russia. Says on the day that uh that Asov came back from the field he had killed people and uh took Nimrod's garments. Says Asov did not become a Russia until the day Aram died. Until then he was a hunter. He was a wild kid but he was not a a Russia. So there are different ways of looking at this. One way of looking at it is it was part of God's promise to Abra that you will go to your grave in a good old age. So even Yeshu did Shouba and Asov didn't become a Russia and Hagar came back. In other words, with Abrau everything kind of worked out at the end. And this was part of Hashem's bra to Abraham that he will not experience his children in a permanent state of arangement. But I think and maybe this is too modern of an idea. I think of it maybe in a different way. I think of it that maybe Abraham was the tikun for the problem. Meaning Ara was the zadei. Ara was the gentle grandfather who saw the good of Asov even though Asov was not towing the agenda when Rifka wanted Asov to stigrish and as our first says that strangles as that wasn't for as needed to play basketball as needed to run around. days of needed to hunt and had he been given a little more allowance within the framework of a perhaps his greatness could have come out but it could be that it was a maven that Asa felt he was understood which by the way is not an uncommon situation it's a I think it's a relatively common scenario that sometimes an adolescent does not feel understood by their parents but they could connect to Bobby and Zadi No. Okay. That means 80 are a little more little bit more removed. And it could very well be that that's what I mean that's the dynamic here that as long as Aram was alive as had a security in the world. And when Aam left there was nothing left for Asaf. He wasra. Okay. So transaction number one of Bakyra took place when Yakov and Asov are 15 years old. Transaction number two is many [clears throat] many years later and again uh the details are a bit complicated but Rashi at the end of Paris Toldos based on a Gmoran McGill says Yakov and Asov are 63 years old when Yakov takes the Brahos and when Yakov runs away to Padanaram to find a wife. Now that also means Yitizuk lived for many more years because you get the impression by the Brahos that Yitizuk is on his deathbed. Well, wait a second here. Yitz lived till 180. And if Yakova verse 63, Yitzk is only 123 years old at the time of that story. Uh he is going to live uh more than 50 years almost 60 years. Okay. So, uh, once you think about the chronology, things get very, very interesting. Yets thought he was going to die. In fact, Yitsuk is still going to be alive when Yoseph is sold, right? He didn't he didn't die then. But Yitz thought he was going to die then. Okay? Be it as it may, though, for our purposes, I just want you to keep in mind that the Bra story, the firstborn story is when they're 15. The Brahos story is 63. Now the so there's this right of firstborn. Asov was actually the firstborn [snorts] because Asov came out first even though Yakov tried to to pull him pull him back. What exactly were the prerogatives of the right and what did it mean? Now we know later in the Torah the Torah talks getting a double portion of inheritance but that that hak was was not really operative here either way uh because Jacob got as got his land it wasn't a pichim type of type of division so all the maforim including rashi understand that the notion of the bor was the right to perform divine service that there was a voda. There was no basiktesh but you know you'd bring corbanos you would lead felos you would be the one in the family that is dedicated to the service of God and before the Torah was given this was the prerogative of the firstborn of the family and the even after you know until the kohhanam were not chosen till till the meaning until then the was with and that's indeed I uh to this day we redeem the firstborn because every firstborn is kadesh. So essentially the transaction to Yakov and Asov involves which one of us should be the one who has the spiritual mission of a vodess hashem seen in this way Jacob's behavior is not so difficult as you might say you know Yakov offers as food and says to Asov you know why don't you sell me the bakur and what does Asov Say as says behold I am going to my death. Why do I need the simple is somebody saying oh I'm so hungry I'm going to drop dead he's just expressing his hunger but the metric says there's a much deeper meaning as is saying what is the purpose of this spiritual stuff anyway after I die I just die there's no nisha there's no mahaba there's no eternity eat and be merry for tomorrow we shall die. So as is basically saying I don't need this there's nothing but this physical world right I don't need it and that's why the what does the then say as despised it it wasn't worth anything to him so I think we have to understand this is not a situation in which Yakob is tricking As to give up something that Asov wants. He, as far as concerned, Asov is not even being cheated. As is telling Yakov, "This is worthless to me. [clears throat] I don't want it." Now, a few questions here. What did was the Yitzk aware of this sale? So, it's not really a sale. It's more of a declaration. I don't want it. Is Yizuk aware of this? And why wouldn't Yizuk be aware of it? Presumably the Bakar had a bit of a public function. I mean, he he he did the so I assume that Yitzk and Rifka would see who's doing the So I would suggest and again this will this will tie into all of the explanations I'll be giving you in a few moments that Yitzk certainly knew this was not a secret. Yizuk knew that Yakov bought the BR and the spiritual mission of the AOS would be carried on through Yitizuk. I'm sorry, through through Yakov. This was known from the age of 15 years old. There's no particular reason why this transaction would be kept secret and indeed it couldn't have been kept secret because the Aida was not a private a private thing. So now let's fast forward to Yitzkot believing believing erroneously as it were that he's close to death and he wants to give brahos to his uh oldest son uh before he dies and the story is he wanted to give it to Asov and Rifka made Yakov impersonate Asov and [snorts] uh Yakov got the braos intended for Asov and then Asov shows up later and Asov gets upset and Yitzkat gives Asov another braha and the like. Now there are a lot of issues here. How could Yitz again these are the famous questions that perturb us year after year after year [laughter] and indeed it'll bother us next year too. It's one of those questions that you ponder all the time and that is you know people say people always ask you know you know how do you know the Torah is from God how do you know the Torah is written by God maybe the Torah was written by human beings so I give you know a non-intellectual answer I said hey if we were if we were to write the story there's a whole bunch of stuff we would not put in meaning to say uh the Jewish people don't always look so Great. In the Torah, a lot of stuff looks a little wrong. And if you're writing your own story, you tend to put in only the positive parts, not the negative parts. So, the fact that there are so many things that are a bit questionable in itself, I think, is an indicator. This comes from Hashem directly. Uh, and not it's not our own writing of our story. And people say that number one, how could Yakov engage in sheer in deception? Yeah, okay, he's following Rifka. But so what? That just means like Rifka says, "All right, I have to sin." But still, Rifk is a liar. Uh Yakov is a liar. How can they engage in such immoral behavior? It's not proper. But then you have another question and that is how come it could even work if gives brahos I mean this is not like a magic like a ray gun that you know if you're standing in front of the ray you know you get the ray bra depends on the intention of the person giving the braha if init's mind he intended [clears throat] to give those brahos to then the fact that the guy standing in front of him happens to be Yakov. That's not going to give Yakov the Brahos because Yitzk didn't bless Yakov. Yitzk blessed Asov and theoretically why couldn't he bless as if Asv wasn't there? Yeah, Asov wasn't there. Okay, but Yitzkar gave Abra to Asaf. So there are really two separate questions. Do you understand the two two one is the permissibility the morality of sheer and deception. The second question is the efficacy. Why should it be effective? Meaning even if you would justify the trickery why does the trickery work? And the third question which everybody asks is what's going on in Yitzk's mind? Why did Yitzk think that Asov was more worthy of a braha than Yakov? So I'm So let me take the third question [snorts] first. The third question might be a little easier to deal with. There there are a number of approaches. What was Yitsk's thinking? Why did Yitsk want to give the brah to Asf? Now remember I already said that I think I think it's probable that Yitzk already knew that Yakov bought the so he didn't think as was a bigger sadic. So one interpretation is that even though for sure didn't think as was more worthy than Yakov. In fact I have a number of proofs. One is the sale of the B that Yiz probably knew about but I'll give you two explicit proofs that are even better. Also you'll remember when Yakov impersonates Asov and Yakov uses the name of God. So Yizuk has the famous words the voice is the voice of Yakov and the hands are the hands of Asov the goat skins. So Rashi says what does it mean the voice is the voice of Yakov? Because shame shamayim is being used and Asov never uses shame shamayim which means knows Jacob uses shame shamayim and asov doesn't yitiz knows that and right before the story of the brahus it says as took canaanite women for his wives and the pusk says this was a source of bitterness to yaken and rifka. So we have at least three riots that Yitzk understood that Asavv was not the more righteous of the child children. Raya number one is the transaction of the Byra which I think it's safe to assume Yiz was aware of. Proof number two is the marriage of the Canaanite women. And proof number three is the fact that he identified Jacob as using Sheam Hashem and not Asa. So the notion that the Rabinel advances that Yitzk was naive Yitzk was blinded in fact that's the meaning he was blinded by the tears of the aada uh but it's understood symbolically that he had reached such a spiritual level he was unaware of duplicity and hypocrisy you can't take it to mean he thought Asf was more righteous the most we could say is that he didn't know how bad it was that that might be some that might be so that Asov was Makayam kibim. Asov did ask religious shilus uh how do you take miser off salt and and straw etc. So the naivee idea is possible but but it can't be that he thought Asov was greater than Jacob but he didn't know Asa was as bad. So if that's the case why would he prefer Asov over Jacob? So one explanation is that you know a represents the attribute of kindness and represents the attribute of strict. So here's the thing a braha is seen as a crutch. God should give you special assistance in serving him. So the idea is didn't want to give Yakov a crutch. Yakov was strong enough to walk on his own, so to speak. Asov was more vulnerable, was spiritually weaker. So Yitzkak wanted to give the braha to Asov, not because he thought Asov was more righteous, but precisely because Asov was less attached to Kadusha. Asov needed the sua, the assistance that a braha provided. Rifka understood that Asov wouldn't use his resources for kaduca. So he was not the appropriate receptacle. But at least we understand why Yeitzk thought Asov was better suited for the braha. Not because he was more worthy, but because he was less worthy and needed the needed the crutch. Is represents den. And those who don't need crutches shouldn't have crutches. they should go to the difficulty of learning to walk to walk on their own. That is that is one idea. Uh but there's another idea from the Malb and Rh that's actually very very fascinating and that is actually gives Yakov two brahos in the para brah number one is when he thinks he's asaf in other words he gave to Jacob the braha that he intended to give to Asaf braha Number two is when Yakov runs away to Padan to find a wife and Yiz knows that this is Jacob and Yizuk knows that Yakov's life is in danger. He gives him a second braha. So Rah and the Malbin point out the bra that Yitzk gave Yakov when he thought he was Asov is very different than the braha he gives Jacob when he knows that he's Jacob. The braha that he gave Yakov when he thought he was Asov that's the verse God should give you from the D of heaven the fat of the earth is essentially a braha of gashmas. It is a braha for olah prosperity, wealth, power. The braha that he gives to Yakov when he knows he's Yakov is a braha in rrooknas in spirituality. May you perpetuate the covenant of Abraham and pass it on. [clears throat] So here's what the malim says and hersu understood all the time that the bearer of the spiritual mission of his family will be Yakov. He knew this Yakov bought the bakra after all he knew Yakov was righteousness. So what's called the burkas aam what's called the heritage of a was always going to go to Yakov. It was always going to go to Yakov. There was never a question that would go to Asov. But Yitra also loves Asaf. Yit wants to salvage the goodness that Asov might have. And maybe Yitra wants to rectify the mistake that was made when they were children of trying to force Asov into this mold. So Yitzk envisions a certain plan which is akin to the plan that we find later in the tribes of a isar zulan partnership. Remember what say about is and zulan zulan or is a shvet that was totally devoted to full-time Torah learning. Zulan was engaged in commerce and business. So agreed to utilize their resources [snorts] to support the Torah learning of Is Torah and Zulen were the Torah, the supporters of Torah. And that way Zulan and Isar both benefited spiritually in accomplishing their mission. says Rahers and the Malin. The same thing that later takes place with the Zulin was exactly what wanted to accomplish with Yakov and Asov. He understood that Asov is not going to sit in the base med [clears throat] as to start businesses. As has to run companies as has to engage in investing, speculation and all of the other activities. But he thought so I'll give him the braha. Which means the brah of is a bra of materialism. It's really a braha of Israel. I'll give as of Israel. I'll give him the physical land. I'll give him the running of society and he will dedicate his resources to create the environment where Yakov can carry forth the heritage of Abraham. So Yitzk thought in his love for Asf and there's a certain tragic dimension of this love that maybe just maybe I can salvage some goodness to take Asab's kos take Asov's abilities give him the gashmas the materialism so that Yakov could sit and learn and this is good for Yakov and good for Asov it's good for Asa because it gives as an outlet for his energy and his restlessness is right. You can be a hunter of animals. You can be a hunter of uh Wall Street investment, whatever it would be. It's an outlet for his talents [snorts] and it gives him a spiritual way of elevating himself and it frees Yakov. It frees Yakov of all of the messiness of building a society. kind of an issue that we face today with and says the spiritual mission was always intended for Yakov, but Yitzk wanted to give as the braha over the infrastructure and the material to create what would later become the partnership. But this way as would be part of Ami Israel. That ben Israel literally the children of Israel children of Yakov would include Asa as part of Ami Israel. And how that would develop we really don't know. Now what was Rifka's greatness? Rifka understood that maybe it's too little too late. Maybe had Yitzk adopted that agenda when the kids were young and Asov could have been steered in accordance with his potentialities, perhaps that could have worked out. But by now, Asov is just a lost cause. And Asov is not going to use his Gashriot to enhance the Yakov's mission in the world. As will use it to destroy the Yakos of the world. And therefore it's essential that Yakov get not only the not only the spiritual blessings but that Yakov also get the physical blessings as as well. So in a sense Rifka did have a superior understanding here because after all Rifka grew up in a home of dishonesty a home of duplicity. her brother was loving being engaged in cheating but he's called baseli rai the Syrian is read in the zor as rami uh the same letters and the like. So she understood that even the little good that Jacob that Yitizuk saw in Asa was not real. Uh and therefore you could not allow that to happen. Okay. So this explains why Yitizuk wanted to give the brahos to Asa and this explains why Rifka needed the subtrafuge. But we still do have one question. But how does it how how can it be effective? meaning did not intend to bless [snorts] Yakov with this braha intended to bless as with this. So even if we understand why Rifka did what she did, how does it work? So again there are a few different answers here. I mean one answer is that maybe is not not so important. Meaning if allowed to be fooled, Hashem is saying that Jacob is the one. In other words, it's not a question of what thought allowed the circumstances to be such that Jacob is getting the bra. It's Hashem that blessed Yakov, not necessarily subjective. But Rafers suggests a very daring thing. Rafersh actually suggests that at some point in the middle of this interaction Yitzk already understood he was blessing Yakov. Yakov is a very bad liar and it makes sense why YaKob is a very bad liar. Yakov is identified with the mid of truth of all things. So YaKob really doesn't know how to lie. So YaKob puts on the goat skins and Yakov obeys his mother. But number one, he still uses the name of Hashem, etc. I mean, doesn't Jacob know that if he's impersonating As he's not supposed to talk that way? So, Rafers actually suggests that Yakov was not just a bad liar. Jakob was deliberately trying to give his identity away so that Yitzk should realize in the middle that he's actually talking to Yakov and he would realize why was this subtrifuge necessary and he was able to recalibrate all of his reasoning and Raersh makes the point that Yakov needs to communicate to Asaf I'm sorry Yak needs to communicate to Yitzk that Yitzk should not be afraid to give him hazits thought that perhaps Yakov would be torn apart by the sheer in the world and Yakov needs to get away from it. He needs to show his father I know how to play this game too and therefore I will not be victimized by the sheer in the world because I'm also able to do it when necessary. In other words, it was a way of showing I'm not as weak, I'm not as vulnerable as you think. I don't need the asubs of the world to protect me. Right? So this is an interesting mahalik of of of it kind of explains Yitzk's behavior. It explains Rifka's behavior and it also explains the efficacy of the braha because at some point Yitz himself realized that this is Yakov. The appearances are are very very deceiving. But Yakov is communicating that I will I am not destroyed by the sheer of the world. Therefore, I am capable of having the gashos of Eric Israel as well as the as the as the RNA. Uh but again, you do see that this was Yitzk's last ditch effort to salvage something of significance uh for ASF. Now the the last point I want to bring out is that in many many ways uh actually did not really take effect until Msiah comes. Uh because yes the Jewish people were given aric Israel but look at how many years of gullus that we had. And who destroyed the second basikt which has not yet been rebuilt Rome. Who is Rome? Rome is Edom. Edom is Asov. So is it really true that we got all of these brahos in many many ways as has been quite victorious over us for most of our history. And even the going all the way back to Shaman Aber that told Rifka Rav the older one shall serve the younger one. that's not going to be makuyam until the days of Msiah. And the metric makes a very striking observation. The medish says that even though this deception was justified, this deception was mut, this deception was proper, but that which you gained by sheer will come back to haunt you, will come back to hurt you. The med says because Yakov cheated Asaf of these brahos. Uh that is why it says later um you know when as came in it says that um Asov emitted a long a loud and bitter cry. That's the same words that Mori emitted when Hmon decreed destruction on the Jewish people. Mori comes from Yakov. Hmon is Amal comes from Asav. And it says you caused as that pain. Your descendants will experience the same pain. And the medra says all of the deception that Lavan perpetrated against Yakov came because of the deception that Yakov perpetrated against Asov. and even the loss of Yoseph in which Yakov was deceived for 22 years. So what is being said here is a very interesting idea that even when your actions are justified when they cause pain to another person that pain will come back to haunt you. Shabbid said that is a spiritual law of nature just as there are physical laws of nature. So for example um if you put your hands in a fire they will be burnt whether you're just frivolous or whether you're saving a baby. The fact that you're saving a baby that's a wonderful thing to do that's not going to protect your hands from being burnt unless Hashem does a supernatural miracle like a kino. That's not the normal things. The way it works. So said causing pain to another person is like playing with fire. There's going to be a cost. And Yakov himself suffered tremendously because he got the brahos through sheer. Was it the right thing for him to do? Yes, it was. Even so, there's going to be that great great difficult consequence. So, so what that means practically is that you know sometimes we have to denounce people we have to criticize people we have to take stands and if we have to do it we have to do it even if there is a cost but just remember it's not cost free it's not costree something comes back to hit you so before you do it be sure it has to be done because don't think oh the shame shame gives me an immunity ticket it gives me a pass it actually does not give me a pass uh one final thing I I want to mention just just a beautiful very very beautiful medish when Yakov is standing before uh his father with the goat skins. His father still may think it's Asaf. So he says, "Behold, your smell, your aroma is like the field." He smelled the aroma of his clothing and he said this is like the field that Hashem has blessed. Now again the simple literal if you just looked at it superficially is admiring the hunting aspect of Asa. But again uh we don't understand it that way. Uh according to Kazal he smelled in the holiness of Jacob the of Habah which is described cababalistically as the field of apples but again it's a symbolic reference to but the garra not the yeah it's in the garra as well as the medish says that the word beadav he smelled the garments the garments Without nikudos, you could read it bogded. He saw the rebellious generations that will come. He saw that whoever is standing in front of him, whether it's Asov or whether it's Yakov, he perceived there would be rishim coming here. But he smelled their fragrance and he determined that even the rishim of the person in front of me have a spark of righteousness and holiness [clears throat and cough] that will eventually come out. Now again may have thought this is true about Asov. It's not. But it was true about Jacob that even the rebellious evil Jews was able to sense the godly spark theem and the medish gives two examples. One is Mashisa. Yisf Mashisa was a man who lived during the time of the destruction of the second temple by the Romans. And uh he was a Russia. He was a mashed. rejected Torah Lamry and uh he assisted the Romans in destroying the Bas Mikdash and as a reward they told him Ysef Masha you can go into the temple and take whatever you want as a trophy and you can keep it so it's brought down he went in and he took the manora out I don't know how he did it on his own is pretty heavy and the Romans said well not that one that's too much they said go back in again and take out something else. So at this point, for whatever reason, he said, "I'm not going back in again. I committed the sin once of going into the BA mikdash. I will not do it again." And he was ordered to do so. And he refused and he was tortured to death and he died alashm. And this he's called a bog. He's called a treacherous person. But Yakov Yitzkak smelled so to speak saw even in the rishim this potential for goodness that was there again he thought he was looking at Asov in point of fact it was Yakov but that's the idea what's called the pintid the spark of the Jew that's inside every single Yid and just to add to this uh later has a beautiful vort um this is not in per se. If you notice refers to Yakov who he thinks is asaf with the word beni eight times the word beni my son appears eight times in that discussion. Now there is a kazal there is a kazal that mentioned when ab shalom who was the son who wanted to killed of it and abalam was killed remember he's riding a donkey and his long hair gets caught in a tree and then yav is able to kill him David was grieving David said shalomi beni shalom if only I could die instead of you'll David said beni eight times seven times to lift up shalom out of the seven compartments of geanum. Ganim has seven layers take him from the seventh to the sixth to the fifth and seven times gets him out of ganim and the eighth time brings him to haba. This is a gar. So this says maybe that's why uses the word beni eight times. He sees the rishim that come out and he wants to get them out of ganam and to all the maba. He thinks he's doing this to children. In fact, he's doing it to cl Israel that no matter how far a Jew is, he has access to Mabah because of the eight times that used the word beni beni beni just like David used those words for shalom. Now you know um in Nak Kidra in in in the valley between the uh the old city walls on the east and uh Harum mount of olives. So there is a monument and uh people say that's the called the yad of shalom that is the monument that shalom built which is recorded in the book of shel. Now in truth most uh most archaeologists and historians say nothing to do with ab shalom. uh this was con this was constructed by the crusaders and again there's no there's no particular messiah that that is yadav shalom but still many people traditionally look at that as a shalom's not grave but a shalom's monument that he himself built in honor so it mentions that um used to like to davin by y of schol and that's a very odd choice you know you can d by the kaiso of uh you can dab him by kadikim was not very far from it wanted to kill his own father killed David. So why did want to d by yad of shalom? So he said the following. He says you see that the tragic tragic story of shalom shows us the unconditional love that a father has for a child and even a child that tried to kill him said beni beni he tried to bring him to and he said I would rather die than you. So he says, "I go to Yad Shalom and I say to Hashem, look at the love that a father has for an unworthy child." So maybe we're not so worthy. Maybe we're not so great. But if David could have that love for Abshalam, why could you not have that love for us? And therefore it was Yab Shalom that he considered to be a very good muck of of Tila. Um okay you all have a wonderful week and you take care. [music] You must [music] sh [music] [singing]