Parshas Va'yeitzei

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R' Yisroel Menachem.....In perek Chaf ches posuk tes zayin it says "Vayikatz Yaakov mi'shnaso vayomer, achein yeish Hashem ba'makom hazeh v'anochi lo yadati." Rashi says that Yaakov was saying, "had I known I would not have slept here."  However the Sapurnu says that Yaakov was saying, "Had I known, I would have prepared myself for navuah, and now I was not able to prepare."  My grandfather, Harav Abba Zalka Gewirtz, shlita, explains a tremendous yesod from this Sapurnu.  Where was Yaakov avinu for the last fourteen years?!  What had he been doing?  Was he out partying, was he just clowning around?!  For the last fourteen years he had been learning yomam va'layla, day in day out, not even pausing to sleep.  As we know from Rashi, "Vayishkav Bamakom hahuh," until this point he had not slept!  Furthermore, what did he think he would have gained by preparing himself?  Did he think he
 would get more?  Hashem had just promised him Eretz Yisroel and that his children would be Oka'afar Ha'aretz."  He got so much, what more did he want?  This Sapurnu is teaching us that when it comes to growth in Yiddishkeit one should never be satiated.  The thirst for growth was so strong in Yaakov that, yes, he had been promised so much, and, yes, he had been learning fourteen years and was obviously in a very good position to accept a nevua.  He felt that had he known, he could have done so much more preparation, and been that much greater.  I noticed, in next weeks Parsha Yaakov told Esav "Yesh li kol."  I have it all while Eisav said "Yesh li rav."  I have alot.  Yaakov felt he had all he needed and therefore Eisav should accept his gift while Eisav had a lot but still desired more.  When it came to Gashmius, Yaakov did not have this drive to have more, while Eisav still felt that there was more to get.  This is
 a tremendous lesson for all of us.  We should be zoche to be staisfied with whatever amount of gashmius we are granted like Yaakov Avinu, and we should never quench our thirst for growth in ruchniyus..Good Shabbos

Parshas Toldos

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R'Yisroel Menachem......In perek chaf zayin
posuk lamud dalid it says "K'shmoa Eisav es divrei aviv,Vayitzak tzi'aka
gedolah umarah ad miod,va'yomer l'aviv barcheini gam anochi avi"The Medrash
Rabah says,that Yaakov caused Esav to cry out one great and bitter cry,and
therefore he was paid back that his children in Shushan Habira were caused
to cry out a bitter cry as it says "Vayizaak Zi'aka gedola,umarah ad miod"
The Rosh Yeshiva ztl asks,what did Yaakov do wrong by taking the
brachos?Yaakov bought the bechoros from Esav,and it was daad Torah for him
to take the brachos.Furthermore,what choice did he have,his mother Rivka
forced him?He answers this in the name of his father Hagoan Rav Dovid
Liebowitz ztl.Rav Dovid says that of course Yaakov wasn't punished for the
tzaar that he caused Esav,he was an ones and was mechuyav to take
them,however his
 shortcoming was that he didn't feel bad enough for what he did.He didn't
have the right amount of tzaar for having caused another person pain.True he
had to do it but he should have felt worse for causin Esav so much pain.We
see the same idea from the Medrash Rabah that says that the reason why
Shchem was mi'anes Dinah,was because Yaakov held himself back from doing

chesed with Esav. Many Baalei Mussar answer,of course Yaakov should not have married his daughter off
to Esav,but he shouldn't have realized that she could have affected Esav and
brought him back and felt bad that he would not allow her to marry him.There
are times that we are forced into situations that we may have to cause
people pain,or just times that we are unable to come through for people,we
should be zoche to at least realize what we are unable to do and at least
feel bad for not coming through.As strange as it may seem,that could really
be
 the difference between doing the right and the wrong thing....Good Shabbos

Parshas Vayeira

Liyluy Nishmas Elchonon Tzvi ben R'Yisroel Menachem.......In perek chaf alef posuk tes zayin when the posuk is discussing the tzaar that Hagar was in when she was in the wilderness and her son Yishmael was dying of thirst, it says "Vatisa es kolah vateivch" She raised her voice and cried.  In tehillim Dovid says to Hkbh "Shimah tefillosi Hashem, v'shavasi haazinu, el dimaasi al techerash, ki ger anochi imach, toshav ki'chol avosai" The Medrash Rabah says that Dovid was saying to Hashem.  "Hagars tefillos you don't ignore but me you will ignore?  And if you want to answer that she was a giyores so she was more chaviv to you, ger anochi imach toshav kichol avosai!  I'm a settler like all my fathers!  The Rosh Yeshivah Ztl asks, how can Dovid compare himself to Hagar?  Hagar was just thrown out of her husbands house, she's alone with her son in the midbar with no water and her son is dying of thirst.  Dovid on the otherhand,is sitting in his palace, in his own kingdom.  These are obvious differences, how is he comparing himself to her.  The Rosh Yeshivah answers that Dovid recognized that everything that was his did not actually belong to him.  They were straight from Hashem, and he felt that Hkbh did not want him to have them anymore and therefore felt like he was in the exact sacana as Hagar had been.  True it seemed he had so much more but he realized that things aren't always what they seem.  He was coming to Hashem with just as little as Hagar was.  The Granat Ztl says, that this explains what we say during yomim noraim, "Ki'dalim U'kirashim dafaknu dalasecha" No matter how wealthy a person is, he has no more than the poor person.  Although he may seem to have it all, he must realize that things are not as they seem, and that everything is a gift from Hashem.  Keeping this in mind we should be zoche to
 strengthen our kavana in tefilla and have Hkbh answer all of our bakashos.  Good Shabbos