In Weekly Parsha
The Blessing of Torah
“May Hashem grant you the dew from heaven, abundance on earth, plenty of grain and wine” (27:28). This was the opening text of the blessing which Yaakov “stole” from Esav. What is so special about it?
Yosef Tropper 20/11/2009 10:39
The Midrash Rabbah (66:3) states that these words encapsulate the entire spectrum of Torah. It is both fascinating and relevant to ponder this.
“‘May Hashem grant you the dew from heaven’, this refers to Chumash, ‘abundance on earth’, this refers to Mishna, ‘plenty of grain’, this refers to Gemara, ‘(plenty of) wine’, this refers to Aggadah”.
Let us develop this.
‘May Hashem grant you the dew from heaven’, this refers to Chumash. The Chumash is a gift which Hashem gave us from heaven. Moshe brought it down to us at Sinai.
‘Abundance on earth’, this refers to Mishna. The Mishna is the development of the written Torah. We toil and produce understanding in the oral Torah. Hence, Mishna is exactly comparable to an earthly crop. It is only produced through effort and toil and is produced by using God-given materials and developing them in the way that Hashem wishes them to be brought out.
‘Plenty of grain’, this refers to Gemara. There is no more vital staple in life than grain. “Everyone needs grain, this is Gemara” (Bava Basra 145b). Just as the Mishna is worked for on earth by us, so too Gemara, which is like grain, is developed on earth. The distinction is that the grain is even more fine tuned and refined. Gemara is the development and masterful completion that explains and clarifies the Mishna.
‘Plenty of wine’, this refers to Aggadah”. The climax of Torah learning is the achievement of deep spiritual understanding. This is known as the esoteric, Kabbalistic part of Torah. The Aggadah of Shas and Midrash bring out these secrets. They can only be understood by a pious and dedicated Torah scholar. Just as wine reveals secrets, so too a proper understanding of the Aggadah of Chazal yields the most beautiful understanding of Torah knowledge.
May we all merit to achieve much depth in all four of these departments!
Yitzchok’s Appreciation
The Commentaries struggle with a huge question. Why did Yitzchok love Esav? How was he fooled and blinded from seeing how evil Esav truly was?
Many answers have been suggested.
I believe that one general thought emerges that deserves our attention. Yitzchok was the one who represented the trait of Gevurah, strength. This trait means to master the art of self-control. Accordingly, Yitzchok had a life of ultimate dedication to Hashem represented by the Akeida, where he willingly offered his life to Hashem. He stood for full service and dedication to Hashem despite earthly and physical resistance.
Hence, to Yitzchok, a person who had the tendency to do bad and a desire to sin was the strongest candidate towards self-perfection and work. More so, someone so predisposed to evil, who was able to never-the-less overcome it, was truly greater than a “natural” Tzaddik.
This is why Yitzchok appreciated Esav. He saw his evil tendencies and knew that if he could inspire him to overcome them, he would truly be great.
Yosef Tropper
closetotorah.com
“‘May Hashem grant you the dew from heaven’, this refers to Chumash, ‘abundance on earth’, this refers to Mishna, ‘plenty of grain’, this refers to Gemara, ‘(plenty of) wine’, this refers to Aggadah”.
Let us develop this.
‘May Hashem grant you the dew from heaven’, this refers to Chumash. The Chumash is a gift which Hashem gave us from heaven. Moshe brought it down to us at Sinai.
‘Abundance on earth’, this refers to Mishna. The Mishna is the development of the written Torah. We toil and produce understanding in the oral Torah. Hence, Mishna is exactly comparable to an earthly crop. It is only produced through effort and toil and is produced by using God-given materials and developing them in the way that Hashem wishes them to be brought out.
‘Plenty of grain’, this refers to Gemara. There is no more vital staple in life than grain. “Everyone needs grain, this is Gemara” (Bava Basra 145b). Just as the Mishna is worked for on earth by us, so too Gemara, which is like grain, is developed on earth. The distinction is that the grain is even more fine tuned and refined. Gemara is the development and masterful completion that explains and clarifies the Mishna.
‘Plenty of wine’, this refers to Aggadah”. The climax of Torah learning is the achievement of deep spiritual understanding. This is known as the esoteric, Kabbalistic part of Torah. The Aggadah of Shas and Midrash bring out these secrets. They can only be understood by a pious and dedicated Torah scholar. Just as wine reveals secrets, so too a proper understanding of the Aggadah of Chazal yields the most beautiful understanding of Torah knowledge.
May we all merit to achieve much depth in all four of these departments!
Yitzchok’s Appreciation
The Commentaries struggle with a huge question. Why did Yitzchok love Esav? How was he fooled and blinded from seeing how evil Esav truly was?
Many answers have been suggested.
I believe that one general thought emerges that deserves our attention. Yitzchok was the one who represented the trait of Gevurah, strength. This trait means to master the art of self-control. Accordingly, Yitzchok had a life of ultimate dedication to Hashem represented by the Akeida, where he willingly offered his life to Hashem. He stood for full service and dedication to Hashem despite earthly and physical resistance.
Hence, to Yitzchok, a person who had the tendency to do bad and a desire to sin was the strongest candidate towards self-perfection and work. More so, someone so predisposed to evil, who was able to never-the-less overcome it, was truly greater than a “natural” Tzaddik.
This is why Yitzchok appreciated Esav. He saw his evil tendencies and knew that if he could inspire him to overcome them, he would truly be great.
Yosef Tropper
closetotorah.com
