SINGING AS WE GO INTO BATTLE

Dear Family,

I hope that everyone is well.

Mazal Tov to Talya Bassin on her upcoming birthday. Wishing you an exciting year Talya with much achievement. Looking forward to see which direction you will be heading BEH!

Mazal Tov to Gavriel on his birthday next week. Wishing you a happy, fulfilling year Gavriel in all areas, with expression in many talents BEH.

I saw an interesting Sicha on this week's Parshah Vayeitze - Likutei Sichos vol 20 - Below much summarized.

Yaakov was fleeing from his brother Esav who wanted to kill him, and travelling to his deceitful uncle Lavan, who was living in the bad environment of the place, Charan.

So Yaakov arrives at a place, the sun had set. and he lay down (V28:11)

Bereishis Rabbah 68:11 infers from this expression of lying down, that during the 20 years that Yaakov lived with Lavan he hardly slept. So what was he doing (besides his work)?

He was reciting (WITH SONG) the 15 chapters of Shir Hamaalos (Song of Ascents) in Tehillim!

The explanation goes deeper. - Chidah (Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai)

There were 15 years that the lives of all 3 Patriarchs overlapped, when they were living together.

Avraham - with his nature of kindness - chesed

Yitzchak - embodied by fear and withholding - gevurah

Yaakov - embodied by beauty and compassion - tiferet, a harmonizing of the above 2 characters.

Therefore the deeper meaning, explains the Chidah, is that Yaakov was not only reciting these 15 psalms, BUT THAT HE WAS EMPLOYING ALL THREE POWERS OF THE 3 PATRIARCHS SIMULTANEOUSLY IN HIS BATTLE WITH LAVAN AND HIS ENVIRONMENT. (which is no easy task)

And he did this with AN UPBEAT JOY (because Yaakov understood that the descent into difficulty and exile, with all of its pain, was only to allow him to reap greater spiritual light from the darkness)

The first chapter of the 15 Shir Hamaalot Psalms says, "I come in peace, but when I speak, they come to wage war "(Tehillim 120:7)

We do not seek out darkness and confrontation - 'We come in peace.'

But when Hashem places us in difficulty and exile, we do not cower.

We sing as we engage in the battle.

Because we know that we will emerge victorious, with a much greater light.

Gut Shabbos to all, and may much light emerge from our efforts in Israel's battle, and our own personal ones.