Judges placed at the gates of their respective cities await the arrival of messengers of History--who do not enjoy formal authority--but who carry a Divine message.
Rashi unpacks the angelic identity of the visitors welcomed by Avraham Avinu and Sara Imeinu.
4 min 4 sec
Rashi explains why the Torah mentions "and the Canaanites were then in the land."
Delivered on 2 Kislev 5772 / November 28, 2011 at University of Illinois at Urbana -Champaign for students at OU-JLIC.
The bestowal of the neshama yeteira reflects the renewal from above that is bestowed on the Bnei Yaakov every shabbat when they join with their 'father' identity Yisrael.
Despite the differences in their paths to serving Hashem, all of Bnei Yisrael unifies in the context of His revealed presence--whether in the space of the Beit HaMikdash, or within the time frame of Shabbat.
The inherent duality (shniyut) within the human being of the yetzer hatov (good inclination) and the yetzer hara (evil inclination)--and a vision of the end of the days of duality ("miketz shnatayim yamim") by experiencing peace and coming to realize the illusory nature of evil. Can we catch a glimpse of this every seventh day on Shabbat?
In memory of my grandmother, Eva Filler, Chava Bracha bat Ben-Tzion Halevi z"l.The relationship between Shabbat and Tosefet Shabbat: properly anticipating the onset of shabbat is an even greater challenge than experiencing Shabbat itself. Even though this sense of anticipation is a "child" of Shabbat, it exists independently. As such, it must be developed in its own right, during the mundane days of the week.
Refining the physical self establishes a balance between the body and the soul, which is experienced each shabbat via the neshama yeteira (additional soul)--depending on the degree of striving throughout the previous six days of the week.
The be'er mayim chaim (well of living waters) lies just beneath a large stone. On Shabbat, the mouth of the well is revealed to the world, providing ease of access to its depth. Those who live on a high spiritual plane--following the lead of Yaakov/Yisrael--can behold the imprint of Shabbat upon the rest of the days of the week.