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ב"ה

Toldot 5765 - November 12, 2004

To Dig a Well

You need to pick a spot and stick with it. You can’t stop boring when you hit a rocky stretch, and you can’t take the work home with you.
Parshah
Toldot in a Nutshell
After 20 childless years, Rebecca bears twins: Esau and Jacob. Esau prefers hunting; Jacob prefers Torah study. Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of red lentil soup. Jacob deceives his father for his blessing, and flees to escape Esau’s wrath.
Who Are You?

In prison, you lose your identity. You can't be a thief when you aren't stealing; you can't be a drug dealer when you aren't dealing. You have no status in the underworld and no status in the real world
The Murky Truth About Truth

Is Torah really absolute, all-encompassing Truth? Do the rabbis never disagree? Could we have invented Teflon™ and Superglue™ just by reading Torah?
Living
The Donkey in the Pit

A donkey fell into a pit, and try as he might, his owner couldn't pull him out. Finally, the farmer decided that since the animal was old, and the pit needed to be covered up anyway, he'd just bury the old donkey right there...
In material matters one should always look at he whose situation is lower than one's own, and thank the good G-d for His kindness to him. In spiritual matters one should always look at he who is higher than oneself, and plead with G-d to grant him the intelligence to learn from the other, and the ability and strength to rise higher.
— Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch