fragrant clothes

The Zohar explains that Esav's "festive garments" (bigdei hamudot) were taken from Nimrod when he killed him. This coincidentally was the day Yaakov bought the birthright from him, presumably the day Avraham died.

It's interesting to note that Nimrod, Avraham's foil, was kept around until the death of Avraham, when he no longer served a purpose. Presumably it was only because of Avraham's prayers that Nimrod hung around. It's fitting in a way, that Esav, Avraham's grandson, killed Nimrod, Avraham's Arch-nemesis who threw him into the fire.

Anyways, back to the point at hand: Those very clothes that Esav took from Nimrod were the garments that God made for Adam when He exiled him from the Garden of Eden. Nimrod wore them and they transformed him into a mighty hunter. Still, he was no match for Esav who killed him and took the clothes from him.

Later, it's only when Rivkah gave Yaakov the clothes (how did Rivkah have them? Rashi tells us that Esav didn't trust his own wives with them, so he left them with his mother) and he donned them that they gave off a beautiful aroma. Yitzhak smells this and knows that his son, Yaakov, is worthy of the blessings.

Why did the clothes give off a beautiful scent? Because they had finally returned to their rightful owner. What?Yaakov Avinu is said to have the countenance (literally: beauty) of Adam. What does this mean, how could it possibly be? Adam was an other-worldly celestial being! After the sin, Adam was reduced to mere mortal terms and it was this form that Yaakov resembled.

It is for this reason that Yaakov shared the same spiritual nature with Adam that he was able ultimately to rectify the nature of Adam. His descendants all followed in his Godly ways and received the Torah, at which time the stink of the sin was removed from all his future generations.

That's not the end of the story, we know, since the sin of the golden calf followed shortly afterwards. Still, the stink of the sin of the golden calf is nothing compared to that of the sin in the Garden. When the children of Yaakov clothe themselves in the words of the Torah they too give off a pleasing scent before God and draw down abundant blessing in the world. Think about that the next time you don a Talit or a kipah [or cover your hair--married women] or wear nice clothes for Shabbat.

Be involved in mitzwoth. Fill the world with the aroma of the Garden of Eden.

face of the father

The Zohar on Parashath VaYeshev says something very interesting. In an explanation of how Yosef not only maintained himself throughout his slavery but even grew, [spiritually,] the Zohar brings a lesson from Eliyahu HaNavi (Zachur LaTov) and Elisha HaNavi, Eliyahu's primary student:

How could it be that Elisha requested a double portion of Eliyahu's spirit? The spirit is singular, so either he would receive Eliyahu's spirit or he wouldn't?

In the answer we learn that a student who internalizes his teacher's lessons and brings additional wisdom to bear on these lessons, cleaving to them and delving to their depths, can reach new strengths through these lessons that were previously unavailable to him.

This was the secret of Yosef's success. He constantly delved into his father's lessons, always kept his father's countenance foremost in his thoughts.

This is especially helpful to us who are each caught in our own spiritual slavery. We have to bind ourselves to the lessons of our Rabbis the teachings of our fathers, and even keep their faces fresh in our memory, and may it be HaShem's Will that, like Yosef HaTzaddik, we will be sped from the darkness of the pit to the spotlight of the King's attention.

revealing the crown of the King

Rav Hayyim ibn Atar, in his Ohr HaHayyim, asks a great question on the first words of Parashath VaYeira, "And to him appeared God." ('וירא אליו ה) Why is Avraham, the observer of the appearance, mentioned before God, who actually did the appearing? R' Hayyim points out as well that every other time it mentions God appearing to Avraham, it mentions God first. ("and God appeared to Avraham")

What's different now? This time HaShem appeared to Avraham it is after the Brit Milah. This, the Ohr HaHayyim explains, is the answer to our question, as expressed in Midrash Rabbah, the Avot, the forefathers were the Merkavah ("vehicle") for the Divine Pressence in this world. God revealed Himself upon Avraham Avinu.

Even more than that, all the while that Avraham bore the Brit Milah, HaShem never left Avraham Avinu and so this is the last time that God is recorded as 'revealing Himself' to Avraham before speaking. From now on, God simply speaks to Avraham without needing to be 'revealed' again. The revelation in the beginning of Parashath VaYeira is a lasting revelation.

[Finally, he quotes the Zohar which says: as long as the mark of God (Brit Milah) is upon a person, the Divine Presence rests upon him.]

discuss the parashah in google wave!

a Google Wave to discuss the weekly #parshah, to try out the medium while discussing #torah http://tinyurl.com/yjtt9mn

soul survivors

If our soul doesn't spend time learning God's Torah and keeping God's mitzwoth in this world, our body won't rise up in the end of days, in the time of the resurrection. (Ohr HaHayyim, Haazinu)

He learns it out from here: If the heavens [soul] listen to my speech, then the earth [the body after the soul's departure] will hear my voice [when it calls, as the Zohar teaches, in the end of days to awaken the body once more]

fathers and kings

The Bnei Yissachar explains why Teshuvah only works for Jews: We know that according to halachah, a King can't override his honor, whereas a father can. Jews have an exclusive father-son relationship with God, so He puts aside His honor and forgives their trespasses.

thoughtful humor

"A mentsch tracht und der Abishter lacht" is a yiddish expression meaning more or less "Man plans and God laughs."

It's generally taken as a sort of blanket acknowledgement that we don't know what's best for us, or as another expression of Murphy's law, but I recently found a new way to understand it.

Towards the very end of Likkutei Moharan (II:118) Rebbe Nachman explains that while in our day and age, it is very easy for someone to reveal new Torah simply by speaking it, without having to think about it, HaShem derives special pleasure from the Torah we have to think about. He used the yiddish word trachtin to emphasize the effort expended on thinking about the Torah.

From this teaching, a new understanding of the Yiddish expression occurred to me: when a man thinks about Torah, HaShem laughs from joy.