After Yaakov and his family crossed the
Yabok River, Yaakov returned  to retrieve pachim ketanim — small flasks.
There, the Sar of Esau confronted him; what followed was the definitive battle
for supremacy between the forces of good and evil. This battle continued to
rage throughout the night until finally, Yaakov emerged victorious at which
point he was informed of what his new name would become.

           The stage was set for this momentous
battle by Yaakov’s interest in recovering some small flasks. What could the
Torah be hinting to when it informs us that the pachim were small? What
relevance does their size have to the lessons in this episode?

             Although many people assume that
“bigger is better”, sometimes we find that very low-key events or small items
actually are the “key” to accessing new horizons of achievement and success.

             A key is a relatively small and
inexpensive item, but it serves to open important doors. Without one’s keys a
person could find oneself without entry into ones own home, car or office.

                Like keys that open physical
doors, the words of holy Torah open mental and spiritual portals, therefore let
us try to “key-in” on the meaning of the name uttered by the Sar of Esau when
he announced: “No longer will it be said that your name is Ya’akov, but YiSRAL,
for you have striven with the Divine and with man and have overcome.”
(Vayishlach 32:29). 

  
      The Creator entrusted the “key”
to insights and wisdom embodied in our holy Torah to Avraham Avinu. This
tradition (“key”) was handed down to his son Yitzchok, who later gave it to his
son Yaakov. Apparently at that time since the Bnei Yaakov were beginning their
transition from a single family into a nation of millions, it was deemed the
appropriate time for the Creator in His infinite wisdom to, so to speak, design
within the developing Bnei Israel a tamperproof supernal combination lock for
the Torah that only the Jewish people could access.

              What is this mystical combination code that
binds us with our unbroken tradition all the way back to the Avos? We know that
a person’s name reveals his or her spiritual essence, purpose and potential. Therefore
it behooves us to unlock one of the deeper meanings within the name given by the
Creator to the entire Jewish nation as well as this same name given for our
holy land. The Ari Z’l  reveals in a few
short words one of the mystical secrets of our national name by informing us
that the five (osios) letters of the name Y’SRAL are the acronym – roshei
teivos – of the names of our three Avos and four Imahos: The Yud of  Yitzchak and Yaakov is coded
within the Yud of Y’SRAL; the S of Sarah within the Shin;
the R of Rivka and Rachael within the Raish, the A of Avraham
within the Alef and the L of Leah within the Lamed. Imbedded
with our Nation’s name and the name of our land is the spiritual genetic
combination of all our Avos and Imahos! The name Y’sral, the “key” –
combination code – to our existence is an example of a single word in the Torah
that contains worlds of meaning and value. 

         May we, the Bnei Y’sral, soon merit the final
geula allowing all of us to once again live peacefully in our promised land –
Eretz Israel.

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

         When Hashem
speaks to Avraham saying, Lech Lecha we are privileged to hear the
opening notes of a symphony.  It is a
symphony  that unfolds in the ensuing parshiyos,
weaving together the physical movements and spiritual developments of our
forefathers.  It is for our eternal
benefit, for we, too, are in motion, journeying through our lives, and the
overture for this personal voyage begins right 
here.

         Avraham –
Yitzchak – Yaakov:  What do we notice
about their journeys?  Avraham is told to
leave his land and his people, and he does so never again returning to his
homeland.  When he seeks a wife for his
son, Yitzchak, among his family members he does not go himself but sends a
messenger, his servant, Eliezer.  
Yitzchak remains in the land
of Canaan and his wife is
brought to him.  However, Yaakov does go
back to his grandfather’s homeland to find a wife and in fact lives there for
many years.      

                  The
first thing we need to understand is the nature of the journey.  The journey Avraham Avinu took was not merely
measured in miles, although it did span large physical distances.  Primarily, it involved changes in attitude
and behavior.  Of course, in the case of
Avraham, who began this journey at age seventy-five, the changes in him that
preceded it and that separated him from his family, people and countrymen were
many.  Long before he was commanded to
travel, Avraham Avinu had achieved astounding spiritual heights and an
understanding of Hashem that distanced him from his idol worshipping
neighbors.   Nonetheless, Hashem sent him
away from those bad influences to a place where he would be able to have
positive influence on others.  Avraham
did not return, although he did, in fact, travel out of Canaan,
and Yitzchak, whose level of kedusha made him a worthy sacrifice, never
left Canaan. 
Thus, it was only Yaakov who returned to the place of Avraham’s
upbringing.

                 The reason for these
variations  lies  perhaps in the fact that the spiritual-genetic
legacy of the Jewish ation was not vouched safe until the birth of Yaakov in
the third generation.  Initially, Avraham
Avinu perfected the trait of chessed, loving kindness. With that midda
alone he could not withstand the negative effects of a corrupt
surrounding.   His son, Yitzchak Avinu,
perfected the trait of gevura, restraint and discipline in the service
of Hashem, which served to build a protective shield against foreign
influence.  Yaakov Avinu represents the
harmonious blending of chessed and gevura in tiferes, a
glorious combination of the diverse energies which can face confrontation and
play an influential role.   As such he
embodies the three foundational traits of the Jewish people – Torah, avoda and
gemilus chassadim which  provided
the spiritual and emotional armor that protected him when he returned to the
idolatrous climate of his grandfather’s homeland.

                 Each
of us as we mature and develop have experienced, at some level, our own lech
lechas.   We have all faced
circumstances that have forced us to change our physical locations and jobs and
even our circles of friends to some extent. Hashem’s ultimate purpose in
sending these changes to us is to prod us toward spiritual growth.  These are opportunities that allow latent
energies to blossom so that all of our potential is realized.

               To better understand this process, we can
think about a familiar Chazal that teaches us that we, unlike the malachim,
are in a constant state of spiritual flux. 
We are holchim, “walkers,” and not omdim, set and
stationary “standers.”  Our job is to
keep moving.  Even when we feel achieved
in all or most of the areas of our lives, we cannot rest because if we are not
elevating ourselves spiritually, we will end up going in the opposite
direction.  If we do not continue to make
improvements in our thoughts, feelings and actions, moving up the spiritual
ladder so to speak, then we will, unfortunately, find ourselves slipping back down
that ladder. So, we have no real choice. 
We must journey and it is from the journey taken by our forefathers that
we take our road map.   

                As
we try to move toward a life of enhanced holiness by instituting changes in our
daily habits, we remain vulnerable to a process known to scientists as entropy
or attrition. This is a condition that causes all orderly systems to return to
their former level of disorganization unless prevented from doing so.  In the physical world we see that gardens
must be weeded, rust must quickly be removed from objects and things must be
returned to their proper places before chaos takes over.  This tendency toward entropy, toward a return
to our old ways, our old life styles, can create a serious impediment to
complete spiritual transformation.  Thus,
we may ask whether there is ever a safe time for us to revisit, interact with
and even confront the past?

                    We see that Yaakov Avinu,
who had perfected the three fundamental traits, was able to live for many years
in the home of Lavan, the master of deceit, without compromising his
righteousness.   Yaakov was able to find
and redeem the good and valuable from this unholy environment, bringing out
from this prison of spiritual darkness into the light of day – holiness – his
wives and children, the future foundation of the entire Jewish nation.  Perhaps this why the navi Yeshaya (29:22)
refers to Yaakov as being the one who redeemed Avraham.  Out of the darkness of Avraham’s old home, he
kindled sparks of life which combined into the flame of Israel. 

                However,
we must be very careful when we do a salvage operation, trying to rectify those
parts of our personality that remained unresolved.  We could well stir up the enemy within.  This is precisely what happened when Yaakov returned
with his wives and children.  He
encountered Esav, his twin brother, the personification of the yetzer hara.  Our yetzer haros are our twins – ever
prepared and lying in wait to destroy our achievements and discourage our
advancement.

               For insight into this challenge and to
learn a strategy for overcoming it, we look at the ways that Yaakov prepared
himself to interact with Esav.  First,
Yaakov sent gifts which emanate from the midda of gemilus chassadim –
his spiritual inheritance from Avraham Avinu.  This shows that our goal and aspiration is
not selfish, not to amass for ourselves but to be of benefit – a source of
blessing for whomever we contact.   In addition
Yaakov prepared himself with tefilla, prayer, his spiritual inheritance
from Yitzchak Avinu.  Chazal tell
us that only through our sincere prayers can we overcome our yetzer hara.  When we are tempted, we can imagine that the yetzer
hara is given forty-nine votes to the yetzer tov’s forty-eight.  It is only when we sincerely turn to Hashem
asking for help that He, so to speak, casts the remaining votes in our favor,
allowing us to triumph.  Thirdly, we must
also prepare ourselves to go to battle. Yaakov was prepared for war.   We can go to war against the yetzer hara
using Torah which arms us with the implements necessary to defuse the evil
influences of the world and infuse holiness into those which can be
sanctified.  May Hashem guide us in our
journeys, bringing to the ultimate goal of the final geula, soon in our
days.

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

               Upon
awakening from sleep, we resume our life’s journey. From the moment that the
holy Jewish soul is returned to the body, a fresh opportunity is presented to
actualize our lifelong process of growth. How do we achieve this lofty goal?   

The Rabbis (Chazal)
explain that sleep is the period of time when our soul (the neshama) ascends to
the supernal realms. The vacuum left behind causes a temporary influx of what
we call – tum’ah – spiritual impurity. Upon awakening this tum’ah recedes to our
hands with our sages giving us the knowledge of how to remove it by
re-sanctifying our hands.

    But even before we do that, t he
first thing we do in the morning is say “modeh ani”, proclaiming our
humble gratitude to our Creator for showing His confidence in us by restoring
our soul to our body, giving us another day of life in which to fulfill Torah
and mitzvoth. We surely appreciate that the renewal of our life each day is a
gift — a fresh opportunity to actualize our lifelong process of spiritual
growth.  How do we achieve this lofty
goal in a practical way? We will look a bit more deeply into the
spiritual connection between our voices (in which we start the day with “mode
ani…” and our hands(that we wash in a uniaque fashion).

The Malbim
explains that the hands represent the earthly power and might that lie within
the domain of Yaakov Avinu’s brother Eisav; but the voice, which emanates from the
realm of the soul lies within the domain of Yaakov.

 When Yaakov approached Yitzchok for his
brachos, Yitzchok touched him and felt the “hands of Eisav” but heard the “voice
of Yaakov”, and thus made the immortal declaration:  “…hakol 
kol Yaakov —- ve hayadayim yedai  Eisav.” (Toldos 27:  22)

            Looking
more deeply into these words, we come to learn that, according to the Malbim, Hashem
desired that Yaakov be given both spiritual and material gifts and blessings, however,
material blessings would come to Yaakov not by means of natural cause and
effect, but only through hashgacha, through his voice – Torah and supplication
(tefillah). If however, G-d forbid, Torah learning and tefillah were to be diminished
then the flow of material blessings would also decrease. 

         Interestingly, the nusach of netillas
yadayim, the first blessing of the day, provides a profound insight:  “Blessed ( or: The Source of all) are You,
Hashem, our G-d King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments,
and has commanded us on the washing –“netillas yadayim” – of the hands. Notably,
the Sages did not choose for this blessing the word “rechitza” meaning “washing”
but “netilla” meaning “taking”, as 
in the bracha of  the lulov  where we say “al netillas lulav,” on the
taking of the lulov, Perhaps a deeper reason for the selection of this – nusach
 is 
that just as the mitzvah of lulov is accomplished through the  act of “taking hold” of  the lulov, so also do we achieve spiritual success
with the use of our hands – our ma’aseh yadayim –  by  “taking
hold of “ , i.e., controlling and directing  our actions toward the fulfillment of the will
of  Hashem.  May we soon merit to raise our voices and
hands together in a unison greeting the Moshiach and the final redemption soon
in our days.              

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

                Did you ever ask yourself what
is the deeper significance on a personal level of this weeks cryptic Torah
portion in Parshas Lech Lecha (14: 1 – 24) that relates the story of the four
powerful Kings whose armies after conquering the armies of the five kings took
Lot, the nephew of Avraham, as one of the captives?

                The four aggressive kings can be seen to
allude to the four powerful elements within our personalities, when they have
become our own worst enemies. How so? Just as the world around us consists of
the four major elements of earth, fire, water and air, so also on a microcosmic
level we have these counterpart natural forces within us.

            The earthly
attribute within us can either become the “fertile soil” to cultivate
productivity or if allowed to remain unattended due to idle laziness the
earthly nature within will remain arid and infertile thereby “burying the seeds”
of one’s potential.

            So also do
we find with the attribute of fire within us which can either serve as the light,
heat and energy of our enthusiasm and fervor or turn into a raging
conflagration of “fiery passions”.  

            So too the
attribute of water within us can either be used to quench our spiritual
“thirst” or if not properly channeled become a “tsunami – flooding” ones
lifestyle with corporal desires that then can all too easily “drown” ones true
potential.

            Lastly just
as fresh air has the power to rejuvenate and revitalize our soul/ body
connection, so also if the “whirlwinds” of the times are not properly harnessed
then these “tornado” like impulses can cause destructive havoc.

           Therefore perhaps we can see learn a profound
lesson in this Torah portion, that it is that the sacred responsibility of our
holy soul  – which corresponds to Avraham
Avinu – needs to take the initiative to besides working on conquering – ie.
transforming the four unhealthy (Kings) qualities of sluggishness, obsessions,
melancholy and arrogance (corresponding to the elements of earthliness, fire,
water and air) into the positive attributes of alacrity, holiness, joy and
humility; we also should pray that our five senses follow sensibility of  the Torah, so as not to become tainted and
corrupted, as did the five kings and their people who lived in the area of
Sidom.

           As to why
Avraham Avinu was specifically motivated to save his nephew is because Lot was
meant to be one of the genetic links to the Mashiach, whose soul is so holy
that he will orchestrate the salvation of the whole world. May it be soon in
our days.

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia