Parashat Toldot - The Secret of Raising the Sparks from the Heel of Esau and Building Vessels for the Divine Light

"And his hand was holding onto the heel of Esau" (Bereishit 25:19)

The Secret of the Souls Swallowed in the Heel of Esau

How is it possible to know that Mother Rachel is crying at midnight (Chatzot) and to do other things at this time?!

The entire work of the tzaddikim is to extract sparks that are swallowed in the Sitra Achra, in the kelipot (husks) – in the wicked. And this is what is written about Yaakov Avinu, "And his hand was holding onto the heel of Esau," that already while in his mother's womb, he began to draw out the soul of Rabbi Akiva, which was swallowed in the heel of Esau.

And this is why Esau asked Yitzchak:

"How does one tithe straw?" (Rashi 26:27)

For what connection does Esau the wicked have to asking how one tithes straw? How does one tithe salt? Rather, the Baal Shem Tov says that here it is hinted that the soul of Rabbi Akiva was in the heel of Esau, and it caused Esau to ask all these questions. Because any good word that the wicked speak is only because the souls of tzaddikim are impregnated within them.

And as it is told (Nedarim 50a) about Rabbi Akiva and his wife, that they had no pillows or blankets and would sleep among the straw, and when Eliyahu HaNavi came to them disguised as a poor man, Rabbi Akiva gave him straw (he tithed straw for him). From here we see that the reason Esau asked how to tithe straw was because the soul of Rabbi Akiva was impregnated within him, and it caused him to ask these questions, because only Rabbi Akiva tithes straw...

The Power of Tikkun Chatzot

The entire matter of Yaakov was to extract the souls from the heel of Esau, where the souls of converts were swallowed, the greatest souls, and the highest time to elevate them is at midnight (Chatzot). As Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz says: "There are such great souls, the greatest in the world, that fell from a high roof to a deep pit, they fell the deepest into the deepest depths of the kelipot, and when the time to recite Tikkun Chatzot arrives, we elevate the highest souls that descended there, and with every single letter we elevate another soul and another soul." Like King David, who had the greatest soul, and he emerged specifically from Sodom, from Lot, from the most terrible things.

Tikkun Chatzot is the hardest thing to say because it is in the middle of the night. There are those who want to learn at this time, "If I'm already up, I'll learn Gemara." What?! To always say the same chapters? The same verses? The same chapters of Tehillim? A person thinks that today's prayer is like yesterday's and therefore he has no desire, he wants to say something new!

But in truth, waking up for Chatzot is what builds the new day, it is what renews the person! And the earlier a person starts his day, at the point of Chatzot, and continues onward into the morning in prayer, word by word, letter by letter, with songs and melodies, that is how he builds the stature of the new day, and saves the people of Israel from all harsh decrees.

And this is what Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz says: "Only if a person says Tikkun Chatzot word by word, letter by letter, does he elevate all the souls in the world. Through Tikkun Chatzot there is no soul that is not rectified, we extract all the highest, greatest souls that fell into the depths of the kelipot." All the souls that do teshuvah (repentance) belong to those who say Tikkun Chatzot, who cry at night – they are the ones who extract the souls from the depths of the lowest abyss.

Crying Over the Destruction of the Temple

If a person knew what the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple) is, he would cry and mourn every night at Chatzot. But almost no one misses it, almost no one needs the Beit HaMikdash. Everyone has cake at home, he has food, he has drinks at home, he doesn't need the Beit HaMikdash, Baruch Hashem everyone feels good until 120.

But there are those who miss the Beit HaMikdash. As it is told about R' Nachman Schuster, who was a simple Jew who spent a period of time in Uman and saw how they prayed with enthusiasm, how they said Tikkun Chatzot with weeping, and when he returned he began to say Tikkun Chatzot and cry tears over the Beit HaMikdash. Everyone laughed at him because they saw that he didn't know how to say the words, saying half-words. They approached him and said to him, "What are you doing saying Tikkun Chatzot – first learn the Aleph-Bet"...

R' Nachman answered them: "You do not miss the Beit HaMikdash, you are Torah scholars, geniuses, tzaddikim, you don't need to say Kinot, Tikkun Chatzot, but I am a simple shoemaker, I miss the Beit HaMikdash." At that moment, R' Mordechai Sokolov and R' Shlomo Gavriel, who were tremendous geniuses, approached him and asked him, "Where did you get this heart?" He told them, "I got it in Uman." They said to him, "If so, we are also traveling there," and that is how they merited to draw close to Breslov - through a simple Jew who cried during Tikkun Chatzot.

The Tears of the Rabbi of Lublin

R' Shimshon of Ostropoli saw in a dream that his place in Gan Eden (Paradise) would be next to R' Heschel of Cracow, who was then the Rabbi in Lublin, and a great Rosh Yeshiva, and the Chief Dayan in Cracow, and he would be next to him in Gan Eden. But this did not appeal to R' Shimshon, he was very worried: I will be next to some Rabbi? What will become of me, maybe this is a Rabbi who is connected to this world, with a lot of money, rich, with a beautiful house – if so, this is a punishment, maybe prayers are needed to nullify this decree. And therefore he decided to travel to him and test him.

R' Shimshon disguised himself as a destitute poor man and knocked on the door and asked, "Is it possible to stay here for a few days?" What did R' Shimshon do there? What was he looking for there? What did he want to test? He wanted to test if the Rabbi of Lublin cries at midnight. One day he heard crying from a certain room, he got closer and heard terrible weeping, he opened the door and caught the Rabbi of Lublin with a river of tears sitting on the floor and crying over the Destruction. R' Shimshon said, "Baruch Hashem, I now know that I will rest in peace on my bed."

Participating in the Crying of Rachel Imeinu

A person must know "Rachel weeps for her children." If Mother Rachel is crying, then one must wake up at Chatzot and cry together with the Mother, one must participate in her crying. Mother cries for the 6 million who were killed in the Holocaust, Mother cries for all those killed every day, Mother cries for the souls that they should do teshuvah (repentance). How is it possible to know that Mother Rachel is crying at midnight and to do other things at this time?! Rachel is the holy Shechinah (Divine Presence)! Is it not fitting for you to participate with Rachel? Is it not fitting for you to participate in her crying?

A person needs to have a drop of a Jewish heart, a drop of feeling. To say Tikkun Chatzot, to feel the crying of Rachel, the sorrow of all the generations, of all those killed. And whenever a person hears that Jews are killed or he reads some shocking story from the Holocaust, then through this he can feel sorrow and shed a tear at midnight.

At midnight everyone cries, the whole world cries, the stars cry, the constellations cry, everyone cries with Rachel, with the Shechinah (Divine Presence). It is told about R' Zusha of Anipoli that in his old age he saw that he was already weak and could not wake up at midnight, and therefore he announced that he would no longer come to the synagogue, and yet at the hour of Chatzot they saw him again in the synagogue. They asked him, "Why did you come, you said you are weak?" He told them, "The Old Woman is crying, what can I do, the Old Woman is crying, her weeping does not let me sleep."

And when we give strength to the Shechinah (Divine Presence), crying with the holy Shechinah (Divine Presence), crying together with Rachel Imeinu, she will give us everything, she will guard us all day. Rachel rules over the whole world, over all the treasures, she only wants to see who cries with her, she only wants to see who participates in her sorrow. And when a person says Tikkun Chatzot, sits on the floor, takes a piece of paper, lights it, puts a drop of ashes on his head, then these ashes sweeten all the judgments from him.

Pnei Melech: Preparing Vessels for the Divine Light

What does it mean to prepare vessels? It is to know that I am nothing. To know I am nothing at all.

What are vessels? It is an empty vessel. What is a full vessel? I and I and I. So I have plenty of vessels but all my vessels are full of all kinds of smart-aleck ideas. Hashem wants me to love everyone, that I should try to love everyone.

And I didn't succeed, and I hurt someone, I ask for forgiveness, I will appease them, before going to sleep I will ask forgiveness from Hashem, the next day I will make a phone call, if I can then even before going to sleep I will make a phone call, "Sorry that I hurt you, I just remembered that I didn't treat you well," I will make some appeasement, I will send someone a flower, I will give some tzedakah (charity), I will do something.

This means that I didn't have a vessel, Hashem wanted to bring down light to me and I was blocked up. But afterwards I suddenly felt that this is not good, so I cleared out my heart, I emptied it, by essentially humbling myself and admitting that I am not okay, through this I emptied my vessel so that there would be room where I could receive the Divine light.

Ahavat Yisrael as the Foundation for the Love of Hashem

Hashem created the world with love. With tremendous love. Love is composed of two types of love. Hashem loves us and we love Him. Actually, He loves us first, because do we know how to love at all? We only love ourselves, but He loves us and when He loves us He connects us with something supernal and then we receive His light, and we begin to love Him.

What does it mean to love Him? To love Him means to give up our desires, to do His will. And then Hashem says: Do you really love Me? Then first of all I want you to love your friends. First thing.

"And you shall love your neighbor as yourself, this is a great principle in the Torah"

Before you love Me, who is up there in Heaven, you have a friend here, and a brother here, and a family member here, and a spouse here, and a neighbor here, and this one and that one, and they are all Godliness, they are all a portion of God from above, so first of all love My children. Let's see you in the simple tests, before you make Yichudim (unifications) and reach high spiritual levels, let's see you in simplicity, you know that every Jew is a portion of God from above, start loving him.

You didn't love him, you didn't succeed in loving him, ask, pray, "Please Hashem, help me that I should feel the other person, that I should love the other person, that I shouldn't only love myself." 'And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.' You want spiritual attainments, attainments, attainments. You need vessels. What are the vessels? The vessels are the heart. There is a mind, but you also need a heart.

"And you shall take it to your heart"

If it stays in the mind and doesn't pass to the heart then it is nothing, you need a heart. And this you cannot receive alone, only with your friends. (B'Ohr Pnei Melech Chaim)

Parperaot (Insights) on the Torah: Avraham Begot Yitzchak

"And these are the generations of Yitzchak the son of Avraham, Avraham begot Yitzchak"

Rashi explains: Because it is written, "Yitzchak the son of Avraham," it was necessary to say, "Avraham begot Yitzchak," because the scoffers of the generation were saying: Sarah conceived from Avimelech (the king of the Philistines). For she spent many years with Avraham and did not conceive from him! What did Hashem do? He formed the facial features (created his face) of Yitzchak to resemble Avraham, and everyone testified - "Avraham begot Yitzchak." And this is what is written here, that Yitzchak - was the son of Avraham, that there is testimony to the fact that Avraham begot Yitzchak.

However, Chazal (our Sages) raise a difficulty on Rashi: Why specifically here, when Yitzchak is already sixty years old, did the Torah take the trouble to refute the claim of the scoffers of the generation, that Sarah conceived from Avimelech? Why wasn't this said at the birth of Yitzchak?

The holy Alshich answers this, that specifically at that time, when Yitzchak the tzaddik married Rivka the tzaddeket, and from these two tzaddikim was born a wicked person with bad character traits like Esau, only then were the scoffers of the generation aroused to claim that Sarah conceived from Avimelech, for it is impossible that from a tzaddik like Avraham and a tzaddeket like Sarah a grandson like Esau the wicked would emerge. Therefore the claim arose that Sarah conceived from Avimelech, and from the seed of Avimelech, as it were, Esau emerged. Therefore, the verse comes specifically here, to show everyone that Yitzchak is indeed the son of Avraham.

Foundations in Educating Children

Success in educating children – this is the matter that stands at the forefront of every parent's concerns. The main work in education is the struggle to hold onto two extremes. On one hand – not to neglect the child, to care for him at all times and to be interested at every moment in where he is and what he is doing. And on the other hand – not to be harsh with the child.

And essentially one must constantly integrate the two, where the common denominator between them is to always show the son "that you are more important to me than the whole world," that the son should feel that he is in first place with his father, "I have no better friend than Abba." This is the son's strength to overcome all the obstacles of life. This knowledge that Abba is with me, and the recognition that Abba is always thinking of me, is what gives the child the strength to continue onward.

When a child knows that there is someone who loves me, who truly expects me to grow up well, who truly wants my success and loves me how I am and as I am, in such a situation a child is never capable of disappointing his father and doing the opposite, God forbid, of his guidance. Even if the struggle in "educating children" is difficult, and we do not immediately see what we have accomplished, nevertheless over time this is the path to guaranteed success, in the aspect of:

"Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers wash it away"

One must remember that one of the most important times that one can project this to the children is the "Shabbat table," for at this time during the Shabbat meal when sitting with the children in calmness, this is the time to give the children warmth and attention out of peace of mind and true joy. May we merit to raise children and grandchildren engaged in Torah and mitzvot, Amen.

Stories for the Parasha: The Struggle of the Twins in Their Mother's Womb

Rashi comments here, based on the Midrash:

When she (Rivka) would pass by the entrances of the Torah study halls of Shem and Ever, Yaakov would run and struggle (flutter, strive with all his might) to come out. When she passed by the entrances of idolatry, Esau would struggle to come out.

It is told about the Gaon Rabbi Aryeh Leibush zt"l, the Rabbi of Kishinev, that even when he was a child of about six years old, signs of righteousness and sharpness were already evident in him. Once he was asked by a Torah scholar, why when Rivka would pass by the entrances of idolatry, Esau did not come out of her. After all, there was no one to delay his exit, because he was positioned first in the womb?

The child replied that in truth Esau was struggling and yearning to come out, but he feared that when he would go out to the entrance of idolatry, would there not remain a free space for Yaakov to go out to the entrances of Torah, and there would be no one to hold him back. Because of this, Esau chose to remain in his mother's womb, in order not to allow Yaakov to go out and come to the Beit Midrash of Torah...

This question was also asked of Rabbi Leib the son of Rabbi Betzalel (the Maharal) in his youth, and he answered like this: Esau had no calculation or desire to come out without Yaakov. For what could Esau do in this big world, besides Yaakov? Who would he hit? Whose life would he embitter? Against whom could he spread slander and false accusations? Against whom would he decree evil and cruel decrees? He was indeed running around and struggling to come out, but without Yaakov he didn't truly want to come out...

The Earnestness of Rabbeinu Tam

"And Yaakov was an earnest (tam) man, dwelling in tents" (Bereishit 25:27)

Rabbi Yaakov ben Meir was one of the greatest of the Baalei HaTosafot in France, and the son of Rashi's daughter. Due to his great piety and his extraordinary earnestness, he became known by his title "Rabbeinu Tam," based on the verse: "And Yaakov was an earnest (tam) man, dwelling in tents." Famous in Israel is the dispute between Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam regarding the order of the Torah portions in the Tefillin.

According to the opinion of Rashi (and the Rambam), the portion of "Shema" (Devarim 6:4) precedes the portion of "V'haya im shamoa" (Devarim 11:13). However, according to the opinion of Rabbeinu Tam, the portion of "V'haya im shamoa" precedes the portion of "Shema" (this order was accepted in the communities of Babylon, whereas the order proposed by Rashi was customary in the Land of Israel. But it is worth noting that in the Tefillin found in the Dead Sea caves in the mid-fifties, from the time of Bar Kokhba, the order of the portions was according to Rabbeinu Tam). However, in this dispute between Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam, the Halacha was ruled according to Rashi.

Chassidim who are meticulous in mitzvot also don the Tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam (without a blessing), and read "Kriat Shema" a second time with these Tefillin, at the conclusion of the Shacharit prayer. It is told about the Gaon and tzaddik Rabbi Yisrael of Radin, the author of the "Chafetz Chaim," that for most of the years of his life he sufficed with donning one pair of Tefillin, according to the Halacha. However, in the last years of his life he began to also don the Tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam.

When his close associates once asked him for the meaning of this, he replied to them: "I have reached, Baruch Hashem, old age and hoary hairs, and soon I am destined to pass over to the World of Truth. And there I will certainly meet, also with Rabbeinu Tam, and it is possible that he will ask me thus: 'In my Tosafot you learned a lot, my logical deductions were upright in your eyes, and with my words of Shas you revived your soul. If so, why did my Tefillin not find favor in your eyes...?'"