Posts by Yaakov Klein
Elevated Prayer
“And Yehuda approached him and said, “Please my lord, let your servant appeal to my lord and let your wrath not be kindled against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh.” While on the surface prayer appears to be an opportunity to communicate our needs and desires to the Master of the world in the…
Read MoreBehind All Masks
The holy Ishbitzer sees the episode of Yosef’s revelation to his brothers as embodying a very deep idea. Reading the episode of Yosef and his brothers in the Torah, we are granted an overarching perspective the Shevatim couldn’t have possibly conceived of. Our knowledge of the joyous resolution to this difficult time with Yosef’s revelation…
Read MorePreparing for Moshiach
Commenting on Pharaoh’s words, “Is there anyone found like this, a man filled with Godly spirit”, the Midrash praises the Avos and Yosef in a manner that, according to the Sefas Emes, implies a fundamental distinction. While the Avos are praised with terms that relate to their bond with the transcendent realms of spirituality, Yosef…
Read MoreThe Dance of Humility
In Likutei Moharan, (Torah 10), Rebbe Nachman of Breslov zy”a speaks about the terrible malady of arrogance and the manner in which one may break free. Emblematic of Rebbe Nachman’s exalted teachings, this lesson spans an astoundingly kaleidoscopic range of Torah sources and concepts which extend far beyond the scope of this short column, but…
Read MoreElevation into Oneness
“And Yosef said to Pharaoh, ‘The dream of Pharaoh is a single dream…’” Our Sages teach that a fundamental duality exists at the foundation of the Jewish identity: the inclinations toward alignment with, and separation from, the will of Hashem; yetzer hara and yetzer tov. The common experience is that these forces are polar opposites.…
Read MoreFaithful to the Core
In this week’s parsha, Tamar disguises herself and seduces her father in law, Yehuda. Upon hearing that Tamar is pregnant, Yehuda orders her executed for harlotry. When she produces proof, he publicly admits that he is the father: וַיְהִי כְּמִשְׁלֹשׁ חֳדָשִׁים וַיֻּגַּד לִיהוּדָה לֵאמֹר זָנְתָה תָּמָר כַּלָּתֶךָ וְגַם הִנֵּה הָרָה לִזְנוּנִים וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוּדָה הוֹצִיאוּהָ וְתִשָּׂרֵף׃…
Read MoreVessels of Light
In his sefer Hachsharas HaAvreichim, the Piacezner Rebbe Hy”d teaches that one of the primary revelations of the Baal Shem Tov and his students was the idea that while the reality in which we live contains both lifeless physical vessels and the spiritual light which grants life and vitality, this is only one level of…
Read MoreTo Change the Course of History
“And a man found him, and he was wandering aimlessly in the field. And the man asked him, “What is it you seek?” In the beginning of this week’s parsha, Yosef encounters a man in the field who points him in the way of Dosan, where his brothers are pasturing. The three pesukim which describe…
Read MoreThe Greatest Responsibility
“And Yaakov was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.” Commenting on this verse, the Midrash brings a pasuk in Yeshayahu (2:11), describing the sovereignty of Hashem in the times of Moshiach, “V’nisgav Hashem l’vado”, “And Hashem will be exalted, alone.” On a simple level, the connection between these verses seems to…
Read MoreWrestling with Eisav’s Angel in Our Times
In the beginning of this week’s parsha, Yaakov Avinu wrestles with his brother’s ministering angel until daybreak before meeting with Eisav himself. Reb Shlomo Carlebach reveals the inner dimension of this struggle. Eisav’s overarching challenge to Yaakov is that while his avodas Hashem may look good on the surface, it is ultimately standing on a…
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