Rabbi Gordon - Vayishlach: 1st Portion
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וְעַל־חַרְבְּךָ֣ תִֽחְיֶ֔ה So we talk about the two interpretations of killing an assailant , the first "go and kill" the second "show you'll kill" and the Rebbe Prefers the Second. Now my quest is, isn't that the same as "by the sword shall he live " which is the way of Esuv not Yakkov? Reply
To Gary Good question! Please check out How Did the Torah Exist Before it Happened? for a response. Reply
But I'm confused chronologically how the Patriarchs could follow the 613 Mitzvah before the Torah was given at Mount Sinai. Anyone want to enlighten me? Reply
The Torah is the instruction book for life that means the flip side is that the world follows the reality of Torah. That means that if a person watches the world with enough objectivity as a person who could deduce the truth of the universe they could also figure out how to act in accordance to the truth of the universe in order to receive the best output. The Torah is a ‘cheat code’, Avraham played the “game” with no cheat and then observed the nature of the game and through that figured out how to play. Reply
re:re: Rashi's Comment Impressive response. Thank you sir, makes 'meod meod' (mucho mucho) sense. Thank you Rabbi Gordon. Reply
Question re; Rashi's comment
The question of how Yaakov married his wife's sister is discussed by The Lubavitcher Rebbe in Likute Sichos. In short:
1. The 613 commandments were observed "voluntarily" by the Patriarchs.
2. The Seven Noahide Laws were an obligation to them.
3. The last of the Seven Noahide Laws is the commandment to "set up Courts of Justice." i.e., to live under "rule of law" in a civilized society.
4. Yaakov made a pledge to marry Rachel when he struck the deal with Laban.
5. When Yaakov was tricked into marrying Leah instead, Laban's excuse was LO YEASEH CHEN BIMKOMEINU - in our neighborhood it's just not acceptable for the "younger" sister to marry before the "older" making it (in a sense) part of the system of the Courts of Justice in their culture.
6. But, Yaakov’s promise still held strong. He had to (by Noahide law) keep his commitment to marry her.
7. Therefore, Noahide Law, an obligation for Yaakov, superseded his voluntary observance of the 613 commandment
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Question about Rashhi's Comment
Rabbi Gordon stated that Ya'akov kept the 613 commandments during his stay with Laban, but he married his wife's sister. Please explain. Toda.
-Shimon
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Yaakov vs. Esav I deeply appreciate Rabbi Gordon's rendition of Rashi. However, his terming Esav a "terrorist" is a poor choice of words, to say the least: Esav had his own role to play in the Divine drama of the formation of the 12 Tribes. Furthermore, for many years I have considered Esav to be the victim of a learning disability-- Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity-- that is why Yitzchak and Rivka apprenticed him to a hunter. He may not have had the smarts to carry on the Brit with Hashem, but he was a necessary character in the drama. I know this flies in the face of centuries of anti-Esav midrash, but I am striving for p'shat here. It's time for us to consider rehabilitating our viewpoint of Esav. Reply
Have you read the Haftorah for previous parsha in Malakhi 1:1-2:7 the Tannak clearly states that Hashem hated Esau...He could have deficit attention or whatever but he despised his birthright and that is another entire issue. No righteous people could have descended from him. He was not interested in following Torah or anything. He couldn't care less Reply
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! One of the things I've struggled with over the way some commentaries portray Esau is how it overlooks the fact that Esau is the one who still cared for the blind Isaac for at least 20 years after Yaakov fled, especially considering that he had already lost his birthright and had no hope of reward for doing so. It would seem that along with the blessings of the birthright, there would be certain responsibilities. When Issac needed care, Yaakov was far away, and only returns before his passing.
I have seen family members care for elderly or infirm relatives receive almost nothing, and property given to children who were absent for years until the reading of the will.
There must be a better way to understand this, but it is beyond me.
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splitting the family
Has the Jewish nation followed Jacob's lead by dividing itself pretty much in half in defense of our enemies? About half of us are in Israel and the other half in America.
More power to you!
A great contribution to the nation of Israel!
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We love Rabbi Gordon's classes ! Thank you very much for posting these classes online! We love to watch and listen and we learn so much. Reply
Thank you for your amazingly informative website. I truly enjoy Rabbi Gordon's classes. Yehi Zichro Baruch.