We See the Head of the Murderers Sitting on the Ground, Crying Like a Baby

Here is the complete daily lesson as delivered by The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, on Sunday night, the eve of the 27th of MarCheshvan, Parshas Toldos, after the Ma’ariv prayer:

So we spoke in the previous lesson about Yiftach’s daughter. It is written about her, “yechidah” (unique/only one). Regarding [Yiftach’s daughter] it says, “She had not known a man” (Shoftim 11:39), and there, regarding [Rivkah] it says, “And no man had known her” (Bereishis 24:16).

Rivkah, in her lifetime, never went out into the street—people never saw her. And this was the first time she ever went out, to draw water.

And it was forbidden for any boy to be there, for any man to be there. When the girls went out to draw water, husbands were not allowed to be in the streets. This was half an hour before sunset—“toward evening” (ibid. 11). It says “toward evening”: the street was without boys; only the girls would go alone to draw water from the well.

Suddenly they find some strange man who has arrived from a distant land. Lavan runs toward him with a sword: What are you doing here!? Here it’s forbidden for boys to be walking around at such an hour! He ran straight to cut off his head.

And then he began to fly in the air, and Lavan was terrified. Even though Lavan also knew how to fly in the air, he became completely confused.

“By the camels, by the spring” (ibid. 30)—“by the camels, by the spring”: the camels were flying in the air—ten camels! Not one camel. Ten camels flying in the air, and he was above the camels.

Lavan went completely out of his mind and said: Forgive me, forgive me—I only came to say hello, I didn’t mean anything. Fine, come into the house—he immediately put poison for him.

And this is what Eliezer says to Avraham: How can you send me? They’ll poison me! What’s the problem for them to put poison…?

He [Avraham] says [to Eliezer]: You go, the angels go with you; whatever they serve you, you will eat. Nothing concerns you.

And as soon as he begins to eat, the plates switch. And they didn’t see this! One person eats poison and the other dies. They didn’t realize the plates had switched; they thought he ate the poison. This is already beyond all sorcery—so, take Rivkah and fly out of here! Leave here!

So regarding Yiftach’s daughter it says, “She had not known a man”—in her lifetime she never saw a man. And therefore she merited to reach a level—she was on the level of yechidah, like Yael, who is the Kohen Gadol. “Yael” has the same letters as “Eli.” Because every woman who is modest and holy merits to be the Kohen Gadol.

When the Third House will be built, then the women will come once again into the world and they will be Kohanim Gedolim.

Because only Rivkah knew who Esav really was… that Esav is Esav. Yitzchak was sure he was a good boy. It was only at age fifteen that he [sold] the bechorah (birthright).

And the bechorah cannot be bought—this is only another eight hundred years. The Rebbe Nachman says on the verse, “Please take your weapons” (Bereishis 27:3). Rebbe Nachman says in Likkutei Moharan (278) that “your weapons” means it is possible to see all the vessels of the Beis HaMikdash. On the knife of shechitah, he says, you will see all the vessels.

And therefore he let out “a great and exceedingly bitter cry” (Bereishis 27:34)—he screamed such a scream that all of Chevron began to run… They heard the cries and shouted: surely terrorists are attacking here; surely terrorists have broken into Yitzchak’s house.

And everyone runs—what do they see? They see the head of the murderers, a murderous thug, sitting on the ground crying like a baby. “And he lifted… his voice and wept” (ibid. 38)—he began to cry. He shed three tears; the third tear dried on his cheek.

But if the third tear would have fallen, then the Jewish people would have had no chance at all—there would be no Third Beis HaMikdash.

For now the House will be built. This Chanukah, with Hashem’s help, the Third House will be built, and we will merit the complete Geulah speedily in our days, amen!

To watch the replay — the lesson at 16:04:

https://youtu.be/2e6WIGhO0-8?t=964