The verses in this weeks Torah portion Bereishit 32:7:8 state: The angels returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to your brother, to Esau, and he is also coming toward you, and four hundred men are with him. Jacob became very frightened and was distressed, so he divided the people who were with him and the flocks and the cattle and the camels into two camps.

Rav Yerucham Levovitz, the great pre-WWII Mirrer mashgiach enlightens us to the fact that Jacob surely was not afraid in the same terms that we would be afraid, but rather he was afraid that maybe he sinned and this in turn would lead to his downfall.

Rashi makes this clear in the following verse: I have become small from all the kindnesses and from all the truth that You have rendered Your servant, for with my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. (Bereishit - Chapter 32:11) Rashi states: Therefore, I fear lest I have become sullied with sin from the time that You promised me, and it will cause me to be delivered into Esau's hand.

The expression "and four hundred men are with him" tells us that Jacob's fear of sin was equal to the natural fear that a person has of a thief or a dangerous animal. For Jacob, the fear of sin was a reality and the only thing to fear.

The Talmud in Brachos 5b brings a story: Once four hundred jars of wine belonging to R. Huna turned sour. The scholars went in to visit him and said to him: The master ought to examine his actions. He said to them: Am I suspect in your eyes? They replied: Is the Holy One, blessed be He, suspect of punishing without justice? He said to them: If somebody has heard of anything against me, let him speak out. They replied: We have heard that the master does not give his tenant his lawful share in the vine twigs. He replied: Does he leave me any? He steals them all! They said to him: That is exactly what the proverb says: If you steal from a thief you also have a taste of it! He said to them: I pledge myself to give it to him in the future. Some report that thereupon the vinegar became wine again; others that the vinegar went up so high that it was sold for the same price as wine.

The Lekach Tov asked: Why didn't the sages inquire into the natural reason for the wine turning sour? Is it true that every time someone's wine goes bad that the reason is because of sin?

The answer is that there are no natural causes! Everything that happens to use is because of our merits or because of our sins.

Our Rabbis taught: In a certain place there was once a lizard which used to injure people. They came and told R. Hanina b. Dosa. He said to them: Show me its hole. They showed him its hole, and he put his heel over the hole, and the lizard came out and bit him, and it died. He put it on his shoulder and brought it to the Beth ha-Midrash and said to them: See, my sons, it is not the lizard that kills, it is sin that kills! On that occasion, they said: Woe to the man whom a lizard meets, but woe to the lizard which R. Hanina b. Dosa meets! (Gemara Berachoth 33a)

R. Ammi said: There is no death without sin, and there is no suffering without iniquity. (Gemara Shabbath 55a)

This awesome and frightening idea can help bring us to new levels in our fear of G-d and our fear of sin.

Have a Good Shabbos!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rabbi Mitterhoff,

Shalom:

I feel that Iacov was a Tzaddik he was tested at Laban´s house for Fourteen Years and Iacov complied with all 613 Mitzvot. Iacov was a prosperous Tzaddik since he got rid of all evil might he had in his soul (Neshama). That fact turned Iacov suitable to cross to higher levels of spirituality. Iacov Knew that facing Esau, coming along with 400 men,would be a test between two camps ( free choice)that is sin to one side and rightness to the other. Esau who stayed in Cananite land and married a women from Canaan People did not have the Holy Nature and Identity as Iacov had which was settled at the battle between Iacov and an Angel, therefore ,crossing the Jordan settles the fact that Iacov was on the border of Two Worlds ( Physical and spiritual ) and in some way Iacov knew the importance of allowing building a connection ( Neshamot and Nefeshot) that would aim toward Tikkun Olam . " The Mahut of a Tzaddik is righteousness, the mahut of a wicked man is evil" fron Tanya lessons Chapter 1. So Mahut is a sense of the very importance fact explaining the nature of Iacov who now is renamed Israel.

Thank You very much . Mazel Tov to every Jew .
I do not know if this Chanuka Greetting would be Okey , Anyway, That the courage of the Macabees comes to every soul to encourage Tikkun Olam and the upcomming of the Mesias.

Lej Leshalom

Sources looked upon:
1. Chassidic Masters. Facing Reality based on The Teaching of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Chabad.Org.
2. WWW.Tora.org.ar Web Page.
3. Lessons in Tanya Chapter 1 from Chabad web page.

quote:

tested at Laban´s house for Fourteen Years

I think we count 14 years on the way to Lavan learning in the yeshivos of Shem and Eiver.

And if we count up the years with Lavan it was 7 years working for each of two marriages plus 6 years working for his flocks and herds is 7 + 7 + 6 = 20 years by Lavan.

There is a Rashi comment when Yoseif as reunited with Yaakov that the 14 years Yaakov spent away from Yitzchak learning in the yeshivos was not counted against Yaakov, but that Yoseif was taken away from Yaakov for something like the same number of years that Yaakov was away from Yitzchak while with Lavan.

Kislev 18,5766

Shalom:

This morning thinking about the possible meaning of this 6 years. I decided to look up the Hebrew word which stands for 6 and It opened up a marvelous stock of wisdom. Searching kabbalsitic meaning for the word vav I found a very large stock of wisdom vav explains the powerful downstream of the letter vav with a value of six (6).
I believe Iacov stood 6 years more in order to
posses the strenght that allow the key connection of the souls of Israel. In the Tree of Life-Kuntres Eitz Hachaim by Rabbi Sholom Dov Ber Schneerson it is stated the existence of "six subblime middos" or emotional qualities. These middos allows a situation that can connect a created being with a timeless period itself. The sixth day of creation man came into being and was yesod " which means both building a foundation and bonding". The letter vav (6) and Alef (1) sum up 7 the day Elohim rests from the work of creation ( sabbath) and connects the created being with the unity of the divine nature of our lord Adonai.

Tank You very Much.

Lej Leshalom

Sources :
1. Torah.
2. Appendix 2. Reshimos Nro.169 Personal Notes of The Lubavitcher Rebbe.Web Page: Chabad.org.
3.in The Tree of Life- Kuntres Eitz Hachaum by rabbi Sholom Dov Ber Schneerson. Web page : Chabad.org
4.The Inner Dimension Authentic Misticism Kabbalah and Chassidut based on The teaching of rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh. Web Page: http://www.inner.org/

shalom ochoa romero dominguez valles:

Since many Jews find it off-putting to see any of Hashem's Holy Names spelled out fully on their screens, may I suggest that you not post in this way in the future?

Shalom Rob.
I Apologize I will be more carefull next time
Thank you for making me aware of.
lej lesaholom