Ch. 27:1-33. Eisav was not all bad. In fact, his father Isaac saw that he had a unique potential to receive and transmit the Oral Torah. Through this story, Rabbi Aaron defines the ‘Oral Torah’ and its significance to the Jewish people, and gives us surprising information about how this potential ended up manifesting itself. Listen Now … [Read more...]
Toldot 5 – Yaakov Stealing Blessings
May 3, 2011 by
Ch. 28:3-4. Rabbi Aaron asks and answers several questions surrounding the famous event of Yaakov ‘stealing’ the blessing from his brother Eisav. He also gives us a new context in which to look at the ‘stealing’ from a deeper Kabbalistic perspective, and even shows us how the future Yom Kippur is hinted at here. Listen Now … [Read more...]
Toldot 4 – Yaakov and Esav: Sale of Birthright
May 3, 2011 by
Ch. 25:27-34. This class is a profile of the personalities of Yaakov and Eisav, and their relationships to their parents, Isaac and Rivka. Through a passage in the Zohar, Rabbi Aaron illuminates the true and balanced personality of Yaakov, which clarifies exactly why he was the right son to continue his father’s sacred mission. Listen Now … [Read more...]
Toldot 3 – Rivka’s Pregnancy
May 3, 2011 by
Ch. 25:19 - 25:28. Parents’ relationship to their children and vice versa are discussed within the context of Rivka’s pregnancy. Rivka, unknowingly pregnant with twins who will be heirs to the sacred mission of fixing the world, is afraid that the imperfect parts of herself have spawned only one very difficult child. Listen Now … [Read more...]
Toldot 2 – Isaac’s Wells: Tapping the Wellsprings of Life
May 3, 2011 by
Ch. 26. Rabbi Aaron does a comparison and contrast on Isaac’s experience with the Philistines versus his father Avraham’s experience with them. He also looks at Isaac re-digging his father’s wells from a more spiritual perspective, and at Isaac as a conduit of blessing in the world. Listen Now … [Read more...]
Toldot 1 – Isaac Sweetens Judgement
May 3, 2011 by
Ch. 25:19-22. This class focuses on elucidating Isaac accepting and sweetening G-d’s judgment, and unifying the two Divine names. Rabbi Aaron also explains the incident where Isaac, through a special moment of prayer, caused a phenomenon that all Jewish prayer will have a better chance of being answered. Listen Now … [Read more...]
