HE WHO IS SMALL IS GREAT, AND HE WHO IS GREAT IS SMALL
Dear Family,
I hope that you are all well.
Mazal Tov to Renée on her birthday this week. Wishing you a happy year Renée with good health and nachas from all your family.
Mazal Tov to Talya in Sydney on her birthday next week. Wishing you much success with your studies Talya, and much happiness.
Mazal Tov to Gavriel on his birthday next week. You should continue to be a first-class student Gavriel, in combination with a happy year.
What caught my interest this week was a lesson in the HaYom Yom of Tuesday, and this also links to the characters of Yaakov and Esav, who we are learning about in this week's Sedra Vayetze, and in next week's Sedra Vayishlach.
HaYom Yom
‘When a person contemplates the great kindness of the Creator - in that the tiniest of insignificant beings, man, can bring satisfaction to the the greatest of the great, Hashem, whose greatness cannot be fathomed – this should lead him to be always high-spirited, and carry out his (or her) Divine service with an eager heart and spirit.’
Sedra
When Yaakov and Esav have their historic meeting in next week's Sedra, Yaakov says ‘..yesh li kol’ - I have everything.
Esav says ‘…yesh li rav’ - I have much.
In the Maamer Basi Legani of the Frierdike Rebbe, he explains the difference as follows.
Yaakov personifies holiness, and his use of the term kol, i.e. everything, implies a unity between the material and spiritual.
Esav personifies the forces of evil, and his use of the term rav - much, implies a multiplicity of the material.
Explaining this concept further, the Zohar cites a teaching of the Master of the Heavenly Academy: ‘HE WHO IS SMALL IS GREAT, AND HE WHO IS GREAT IS SMALL.’
That which is holy is small, in the sense that it possesses the capacity for self diminishment.
By contrast, he who describes himself as being great, i.e. having multiplicity, is small. Of him it may be said ‘le rosh ein kol’ – ‘The poor man (in this context, the evil man) lacks all (kol).’
Wishing everyone a Gut Shabbos.