לוּלֵ֡י אֱלֹהֵ֣י אָבִי֩ אֱלֹהֵ֨י אַבְרָהָ֜ם וּפַ֤חַד יִצְחָק֙ הָ֣יָה לִ֔י כִּ֥י עַתָּ֖ה רֵיקָ֣ם שִׁלַּחְתָּ֑נִי אֶת־עָנְיִ֞י וְאֶת־יְגִ֧יעַ כַּפַּ֛י רָאָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים וַיּ֥וֹכַח אָֽמֶשׁ׃
Si el Dios de mi padre, el Dios de Abraham, y el temor de Isaac, no fuera conmigo, de cierto me enviarías ahora vacío: vió Dios mi aflicción y el trabajo de mis manos, y reprendióte anoche.
Kedushat Levi
Gensis 37,1. “Yaakov settled in the land where his father sojourned, in the Land of Canaan.”
In his volume called האמונה והבטחון, “Faith and Confidence”, Nachmanides postulates the following principle. Although G’d had made numerous promises to our patriarch Yaakov, Yaakov continued to fear that due to any sins he might commit or have committed, these promises might not be honoured. One of these “sins” might have been that he did not serve the Lord in the manner required. Such sins of omission are very easily committed as the duty to serve the Lord is applicable 24 hours a day seven days a week.
[Nachmaindes explains that everyone who has confidence, בוטח, has faith, מאמין, else what would he be confident of, whereas not everyone who has faith also possesses confidence. Ed.].
The human condition described by our sages as שמא יגרום החטא, “maybe one’s sin results in one’s confidence being misplaced, disappointed,” is what Nachmanides has in mind when he says that not every believer also possesses confidence.
Proper service of the Lord also presupposes that the person who serves Him does so with a feeling of joy, joy that he is able to perform this service. Such “joy” must not be dependent on his joyful experiences on earth; our whole personality including our bodies, must participate in this joy; [as opposed to the angels who serve the Lord without mental reservations at all times as they are disembodied beings, Ed.]
When we remember this, Yaakov’s frequent “fears,” something unusual when compared to Avraham and Yitzchok, is easily understandable, and does not reflect lack of אמונה, “faith.” Whenever the Jewish people experience “bad times,” every Jew must immediately ask himself how he had been remiss in his service of the Lord. Yaakov excelled in this constant critical review of his service of the Lord, and instead of such statements in the Torah as ויירא יעקב, “Yaakov was afraid,” reflecting a lack of faith, they reflect Yaakov’s constant concern if his service of the Lord had been adequate.
In his volume called האמונה והבטחון, “Faith and Confidence”, Nachmanides postulates the following principle. Although G’d had made numerous promises to our patriarch Yaakov, Yaakov continued to fear that due to any sins he might commit or have committed, these promises might not be honoured. One of these “sins” might have been that he did not serve the Lord in the manner required. Such sins of omission are very easily committed as the duty to serve the Lord is applicable 24 hours a day seven days a week.
[Nachmaindes explains that everyone who has confidence, בוטח, has faith, מאמין, else what would he be confident of, whereas not everyone who has faith also possesses confidence. Ed.].
The human condition described by our sages as שמא יגרום החטא, “maybe one’s sin results in one’s confidence being misplaced, disappointed,” is what Nachmanides has in mind when he says that not every believer also possesses confidence.
Proper service of the Lord also presupposes that the person who serves Him does so with a feeling of joy, joy that he is able to perform this service. Such “joy” must not be dependent on his joyful experiences on earth; our whole personality including our bodies, must participate in this joy; [as opposed to the angels who serve the Lord without mental reservations at all times as they are disembodied beings, Ed.]
When we remember this, Yaakov’s frequent “fears,” something unusual when compared to Avraham and Yitzchok, is easily understandable, and does not reflect lack of אמונה, “faith.” Whenever the Jewish people experience “bad times,” every Jew must immediately ask himself how he had been remiss in his service of the Lord. Yaakov excelled in this constant critical review of his service of the Lord, and instead of such statements in the Torah as ויירא יעקב, “Yaakov was afraid,” reflecting a lack of faith, they reflect Yaakov’s constant concern if his service of the Lord had been adequate.
Kedushat Levi
Genesis 27,30 “it was that as soon as Yitzchok had concluded blessing Yaakov, etc.;” we need to understand why Yitzchok had not wanted to bestow a blessing on Yaakov, originally. Nachmanides writes: (not found in Torah commentary) that Yitzchok preferred Yaakov to remain unaware of the blessings bestowed upon him. [Perhaps he felt that way seeing that his own father, Avraham, also had not bestowed a blessing upon him, and left it for G’d to do so after he had died. Compare. Genesis 28,4 where Yitzchok makes it plain to Yaakov that he had not received this blessing from his own father. Ed.] This seems difficult to understand. Perhaps we may understand it better in conjunction with what the Talmud B’rachot 45 states that the person translating the public Torah reading must not raise his voice to be louder than the voice of the person reading the Torah from the original scroll. The reader represents G’d, Who has given us the Torah, whereas the translator only represents the reader. The Talmud cites Exodus 19,19 as the source for this ruling. Anyone reading that verse will be astounded, as it sounds as if G‘d, responding to Moses spoke louder than Moses, when repeating what Moses had told Him. (Compare Tossaphot on that folio) However, the point is, as we learned in B’rachot 12, that any benediction that does not contain a reference to G’d as King, is not considered a benediction in the full meaning of the word. Similarly, any benediction which follows immediately after another benediction also does not rank as a (separate) benediction in the full sense of the word so that it does not need to include another reference to G’d as “King”.
It appears that Avraham had a “claim” on the word א-ל as a name of G’d, as G’d uses this name when bestowing acts of loving kindness on His creatures. Yitzchok, on the other hand, had a similar claim on the word אלוקים for G’d, as this name represents Justice or judgment. This is why his son Yaakov in Genesis 31,42 speaks of פחד יצחק “He Who Yitzchok was in awe of and Who assisted me,” when describing Yitzchoks’ G’d.” Yaakov, had a “claim” on the tetragram, i.e. י-ה-ו-ה, the name of G’d representing primarily the attribute of Mercy. In order for the attribute of Justice to be “sweetened” somewhat, it needs to be applied in conjunction with the other two attributes we mentioned.
The Ari z’al said that the word אתה when used in the beginning of each benediction is an allusion to the attribute א-ל, so that when one commences the benediction with the words ברוך אתה י-ה-ו-ה, the word ברוך signifying continuation, or conduit, meaning that G’d continuously dispensing loving kindness by means of both His names אתה א-ל י-ה-ו-ה. Through His continuing to do so, G’d automatically “sweetens,” i.e. softens the impact of the attribute of Justice, the one referred to as אלוקינו in every benediction we pronounce. It follows that when one benediction follows on the heels of another benediction, there having been no prayer or psalm interrupting the two, that there is no need to acknowledge G’d once more as being King, as the full impact of the attribute of Justice has already been softened so that we do not need to appeal to G’d as a benevolent ruler, i.e. King, to soften the attribute of Justice once more.
It appears that Avraham had a “claim” on the word א-ל as a name of G’d, as G’d uses this name when bestowing acts of loving kindness on His creatures. Yitzchok, on the other hand, had a similar claim on the word אלוקים for G’d, as this name represents Justice or judgment. This is why his son Yaakov in Genesis 31,42 speaks of פחד יצחק “He Who Yitzchok was in awe of and Who assisted me,” when describing Yitzchoks’ G’d.” Yaakov, had a “claim” on the tetragram, i.e. י-ה-ו-ה, the name of G’d representing primarily the attribute of Mercy. In order for the attribute of Justice to be “sweetened” somewhat, it needs to be applied in conjunction with the other two attributes we mentioned.
The Ari z’al said that the word אתה when used in the beginning of each benediction is an allusion to the attribute א-ל, so that when one commences the benediction with the words ברוך אתה י-ה-ו-ה, the word ברוך signifying continuation, or conduit, meaning that G’d continuously dispensing loving kindness by means of both His names אתה א-ל י-ה-ו-ה. Through His continuing to do so, G’d automatically “sweetens,” i.e. softens the impact of the attribute of Justice, the one referred to as אלוקינו in every benediction we pronounce. It follows that when one benediction follows on the heels of another benediction, there having been no prayer or psalm interrupting the two, that there is no need to acknowledge G’d once more as being King, as the full impact of the attribute of Justice has already been softened so that we do not need to appeal to G’d as a benevolent ruler, i.e. King, to soften the attribute of Justice once more.
Kedushat Levi
Genesis 31,42. “but G’d saw my plight and the toil of my hands, etc.;” Yaakov told Lavan that G’d had supervised the fate of His creatures, including his own, and His existence was proven by His appearance to Lavan in his dream warning him, just as His ownership and supervision of the universe is proven daily by His preventing water and fire, nature’s most deadly enemies, to annihilate each other. The continued existence of the “lower” universe, embodying so many elements that oppose each other, is explained only by the Creator’s exercising His control over them. Yaakov’s use of the word אמש, generally translated as “last evening,” is not accidental, as the letters in that word are the first letters of the word אש, מים, שמים, “fire, water, heaven,” i.e. if the first two would not be restrained by celestial forces, G’d, this universe would implode immediately....