Toldot 5771

The Zohar
	Dressed in Divine Light
	From the teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai; translation & commentary by Moshe Miller

"…He [Isaac] smelled the fragrance of his [Jacob's] garments and blessed him. He said, 'See, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field which G-d has blessed.'"(Gen. 27:27)

The Zohar reveals that the Garden of Eden entered with Jacob. Because of this, Isaac did not attribute the scent to his clothes but rather to Jacob himself, for he sensed that the fragrance of the Garden of Eden due to Jacob's merit; therefore he was worthy of the blessings. Because of his worthiness, the Garden of Eden (the Shechinah) entered with him, and so, when Esau became angry (that Jacob had earned the blessings), Isaac told him, "He will indeed be blessed" (Gen. 27:33).

The Holy Ari
	Fathers of Good and Evil
	From the Writings of the Ari as recorded by Rabbi Chaim Vital; translated and edited by Moshe Yakov Wisnefsky

According to the Zohar, the sin of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil comprised the three cardinal sins that a Jew is commanded to lay down his life rather than transgress: idolatry, murder, and infidelity. The Arizal teaches us that Abraham rectified the sin of idolatry when he was thrown into the fiery furnace in Ur. Isaac was attempting to have Esau rectify the murder-aspect of Adam's sin by having him bring a two-flavored dish acquired by killing. Rebecca sought to rectify Adam's sin of listening to his wife for improper purposes by having her son listen to her for proper purposes.

Mystical Classics
	Liberating Imprisoned Soul-Sparks
	Adapted from the teachings of Rabbi Chaim (ben Moshe) Ibn Atar

Abraham was still incomplete in this regard, as neither he nor his son Isaac had as yet produced female offspring, i.e. holy female souls, when Isaac sent Jacob to secure a wife. The holy female souls had not yet been separated from their place of spiritual imprisonment. Isaac therefore had to send Jacob to search for his lost mate.

Both Abraham and Isaac insisted that their sons not marry someone of Canaanite descent, as Canaan [Noah's grandson] had been cursed by Noah and denied holy female souls amongst his seed as a result. Hence, there was no chance of finding the girl who possessed a holy soul amongst them, as they were denied access to holiness.

Chasidic Masters
	Torah: Good for the Soul
	Adapted from the teachings of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov

"Seek peace and pursue it": Some can perfect themselves; if he cannot, he should "pursue it" - perhaps he will find a wise man who can help him fix himself.

At times, a person can perfect himself where he lives without needing to travel afar. At other times, though, parts of his life-force have fallen to other places where he must travel to redeem them.

Sometimes a person wishes to travel to one destination, yet ends up arriving somewhere else. This is no accident, for he must repair his life-force that has fallen there.

Contemporary Kabbalists
	Two Souls
	From the writings and talks of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch

There are two levels in the service of G-d: one where the light of holiness drives away the darkness and a higher level where one transforms the darkness itself into light.

The time and place of this spiritual struggle is during prayer. Then, both the Divine Soul and the Animal Soul strengthen themselves with their maximum power, each one trying to overcome the other.

The weapons of the Evil Inclination are the physical and material things and the forbidden things. The Good Inclination possesses two types of weapons: acceptance of the yoke of Torah and mitzvot, and fear of the Almighty.

Ascent Lights
	A Walk on the Wild Side
	By Shaul Yosef Leiter

The Torah states that Rebecca loved Jacob and Isaac loved Esau, because "'tzayid' was in his mouth" (see Gen. 25:28). One translation of "tzayid" is hunted meat and is obviously a reference to the main difference between Esau and Jacob. Esau was a "man of the fields", a hunter, whereas Jacob was a "man of the tents", who studied Torah. The Torah does not paint a positive picture of Esau, so how could Isaac have been so easily fooled when granting the blessing of the firstborn?

The Mei Hashiloach writes that Isaac really did love Esau more, as the verse infers, for Isaac saw more potential in Esau. Specifically, Isaac perceived Esau's wildness as an indication of his potential to do great things. Some people take risks in life and others play it safe. Those that take chances may fail but, when they do succeed, they accomplish much more that those who are cautious. This was the basis of Isaac's love for Esau over Jacob. Kabbala explains how Isaac would say that Esau had the potential to bring the redemption faster than Jacob. But in the end, Isaac realized he was mistaken.

Mystic Story
	Not Even the Baal Shem Tov
	By Yerachmiel Tilles

The Baal Shem Tov realized that if he was drawn to this particular passage, it was no coincidence.

Shabbat Shalom.