Vayishlach: Yaakov’s Fear of Esav—Emes, Emunah, and the Bitachon of Ein Od Milvado

Transcript

This Torah class is brought to you by TorahAnytime.com. We have the confrontation, Yaakov Avinu with Esav. Yaakov Avinu is scared, he's in distress, and he begins preparations on how to confront Esav. Chazal tell us, with doron, tefillah, milchamah. And it seems like the fear factor takes a big, big part of the story, how he's afraid and he's attacked and he's scared. It says clearly in the pasuk, Vayira, Vayetzer lo. He's scared. Ki yarei anochi oso. A lot of fear. Tell him I love what he says, and therefore I'm listening. I'm starting to listen to him. I love him so much, I listen. Rabbi Yecht, I'm starting to listen to you because I love what you say. No, chas v'shalom, it comes from love. It comes from respect. I love you and I machshiv you and I'm listening to you. No, chas v'shalom, please, Rabbi Yecht, your middos tovos, your tzidkus, your Torah. So Vayira, Ki yarei anochi oso, fear and fear and fear. Now, l'choira, does it fit? So someone at the statue of Yankev Avinu, bechir ha'avos, to have so much fear? Where's bitachon? Imagine if I, or you, or anyone has to go through a difficult situation. I'm not telling you it wasn't difficult. Eisav, Eisav was a, you know, it's a parsha. You would say, Chaim, David, Beryl, bitachon. Yankev Avinu, bitachon. What happened to bitachon? How can a person be so openly terrified to the point that he's almost out of control with fear? Ki yarei anochi oso, and he sends malachim, and he's trying, and, have bitachon, have bitachon. Where is bitachon? And to maximize the kasha, the Ribono Shel Olam promised him, U'shmarticha b'chol asher telech. So he's guaranteed directly from the mouth of HaKadosh Baruch Hu, so to speak, that he has nothing to be afraid of. So why is he afraid? How could he be afraid? Even if he wasn't guaranteed, where's the bitachon, and kol shekein when you're guaranteed? So Chazal already addressed this question in Brachos. In Maseches Brachos, the Gemara says that he was afraid shema garam hachet. Maybe sin, aveirah. And since he did aveirah, so there's no guarantees, then there's never bitachon. Who doesn't sin? What does that mean? The minute you sin, there's no guarantee, bitachon. You have to have bitachon even for your baal aveira. It's brought down in even mekoiros that the baal aveira who has bitachon while he's doing the aveira might be able to not get caught, so to speak, in his ma'aseh, in what he's doing. For example, if he's stealing and he has bitachon, the bitachon might help him to get away with it, so to speak, and not get caught by the hands of Bnei Adam. Avada by the Eibishter you'll get punished for it. So what's the pshat that a person says, Shema garam hachet, so what? Now, does shema garam hachet mean that he knows he has chet, or maybe he has chet? So let's say a person doesn't have chet, but it's shema, maybe. So you're even making it worse, the problem. It means a person should always fear. A mema'etes in zohar, it says, Ein aftachah latzaddikim. There's no guarantee for tzaddikim. In this world, you always have to be careful. You never know. A person never knows. There's no easy, secure road, so to speak, unless you say—

Maybe it means before yedaven. That's the pshat. Before a person davens, he can't say, You know what? I'm not going to daven. I have a guarantee I'd be toch. But with tefillah, with the proper hachanah that's needed — teshuvah, tefillah, tzedakah — then he has bitachon. Maybe that's the pshat. Amadah, there's an inyan of bitachon, but only after, only after you did the proper procedures that give you the reason why you should have a yeshuah: teshuvah, tefillah, tzedakah, and then you have bitachon. Maybe that's the pshat. Shema garam hachet means before you have bitachon, before you have tefillah, shema garam hachet. But after you have tefillah, a person could not have to worry about all this. Maybe, maybe that's the pshat. That's why Yaakov Avinu is saying, I'm very afraid, but I'll prepare myself. There's another whole mahalach that the Ksav Sofer discusses: what is shema garam hachet? Which chet? What chet is he referring to? So the Ramban uses the lashon shigayos miyavin. You never know. A person never knows what chet. Some Rishonim want to say maybe it's the chet that he made a peace treaty with Lavan. That also might be some of what was bothering Yaakov Avinu. But the Ksav Sofer wants to learn, based on a Medrash, machsik b'oznei kelev. The Medrash says that actually Esav wasn't looking at Yaakov. He was busy with his own lifestyle and the fun that he had in life. So it was Yaakov. Who made the whole problem in the first place? By focusing and directing attention to Esav. Well, who told you to think about Esav? Esav was going his way, you would have went and you would have passed by like nothing happened. And therefore, Yaakov Avinu made his own problem, and a charami. Comes out that a person could have bitachon, but the fact that he made the story in the first place, then he can't come say, Now I have bitachon. You should have had bitachon in advance. Have bitachon. But now that you didn't have bitachon and you showed a lack of emunah, so to speak, a lack of bitachon, you went searching for Esav to make peace with him. Oh, now you can't just turn around and say, Okay, now I have bitachon. You feel guilty that he stole. Machzik b'oznei kelev. It's called machzik b'oznei kelev, which means when you hold on to the ears of a dog, don't expect the dog not to bite you. Machzik—he's holding the ears of the dog. What's he gonna say? I have bitachon, I have emunah. It's gonna bite. And therefore, confronting Esav means you're gonna get bit. Don't come and say bitachon. Actually, some say along the same lines, and that's the pshat in the pasuk, Vayira Vayeitzer lo. The Malbim says this, others say it. Vayira—he was afraid because he was afraid. Vayeitzer lo. That moment of weakness and bitachon, that he was afraid, is the reason why vayeitzer, that he was afraid. I once told you over a story that they say over in Brisk. It's one of the classic Brisker stories that the Brisker Rav was going on a train during World War II with the children. A Russian soldier comes on the train, and the Brisker Rav, of course, like any other normal Jew, was afraid of the Russian Cossack. You know, at any given moment they could start up with the Yidden and beat him mercilessly for no reason. So he turns to his children and he tells them, Remember this segulah of Reb Chaim Volozhin, which is that if a person has full bitachon, nothing bad could happen to him. It's called the segulah of Reb Chaim Volozhin, because Reb Chaim Volozhin said over that if somebody wants to secure himself, ein oid milvado, pure faith, and that saves a person. So he tells this to the children, and the Russian soldier passes the Brisker Rav, doesn't even look at him. He passes Reb Berel, the older son, doesn't look at him, and then he stops and he looks at Reb Dovid, the second son, and he stares and stares at him. And what was supposedly just actually a few moments, a few seconds, seemed, of course, like a few moments, a few minutes, because that stare, that stare was ice cold and—

Frightening stare. And then he changed his, I guess, thinking, and then he changed, and he moved all along, and then he passed by Rameir, his third son. So Reb Briskerov turned around to Reb Dovid and said, Tell me the truth. Did you think constantly ein od milvado, bitachon, or did you for a second have a fear? Did you for a second be masiach daas from this concept of ein od milvado, bitachon? Admit the truth. He said, Yes. For a hair of a second, so to speak, I didn't have full bitachon. That's why he stopped by you. Yeah, for a second of a moment, of a lapse of full ein od milvado bitachon, that's what happened. Here too, Vayira, Yaakov maybe for a moment, possibly even, had fear. Vayeitzer lo. So now he had tzar. Now he had anguish. And now he was insecure because he had that fear, that lapse in bitachon for that moment. There's a Netziv that says that actually it might not even been a chisaron in bitachon, the Vayira, the original fear. The Gemara tells us, man d'mevis, when someone is scared, v'lo yada mai d'mevis. He doesn't know why he's scared. So he might not see, but his mazal sees something. He sees upcoming. That's what the Gemara says. A person has an inner chush, a mazel, that a person feels upcoming danger. So maybe he doesn't see it, but his mazel sees it. So he says, therefore, vayira, his mazel saw something. Vayeitzer lo, and therefore he had anguish. What I think the Netziv is trying to say, that that's not a chisaron in bitachon even. That's seeing a problem. And therefore, vayeitzer lo, then he has the right to be afraid, because the fear was a sign that there was upcoming danger. A person doesn't have to sit in a war zone where there is danger and say there's no danger. That you can't come and tell a person, when he sees danger, not to see danger. And therefore, it's not a chisaron in bitachon. So here we have a mahalach that many mefarshim have taken, that actually there was a chisaron of bitachon, and the chisaron of bitachon was the reason for the lack of bitachon, the reason why Yaakov Avinu was afraid. And from the Netziv we have maybe that actually is a good reason to excuse and explain away why Yaakov Avinu was so afraid. And the answer is because he was afraid, and he didn't understand why he was afraid. He knew that he was a baal bitachon. He learned Chovos HaLevavos, and yet he's still afraid. It's a sign that there's really what to be afraid of, and that's why he was afraid. These are the two pshatim that it's brought down in the mefarshim. There's other pshatim that talk about how when the Ribono Shel Olam gives a havtachah to a navi, so when it's personally for the navi. It's not guaranteed that it will come. The Rambam brings down that when the Rabbeinu Shalom says something good will happen, it must happen. Otherwise, how do you ever know navi sheker? Maybe Hashem changed His mind. The navi said it'll happen; it didn't happen because Hashem changed His mind. And the answer is, if it's something good, it has to happen. If it's something bad, then maybe it won't happen because the people do teshuva. But that's only, says the Mizrachi and others, by the navi who gets his nevuah for Klal Yisrael. But if the navi is guaranteed something personal, says the Mizrachi, it's not a guarantee, even something good. It might change. Why, says the Mizrachi? Because the whole reason why we have to say that it'll have to happen, because people will say, Hey, how can it happen? It's a sign that there's a lie over here. But by the navi who was given nevuah for himself, it's a raya, it's a proof that—I'm sorry, it's not a proof if it doesn't happen, because nobody knows. Who will ever know that if—nobody knows. It was told to the navi, maybe. How do you know it's going to happen? How do you know it's not going to happen? So if it doesn't happen, it's also okay. Possibly that's pshat in the pasuk, V'atah amarta, heitev eitiv imach. It's a good question. How could you come and tell the Rabbeinu Shloilam—

You said, you said, hey, teveil. Could a person talk to the Ribono Shel Olam and say, You promised me, you told me, v'atah amarta, like a complaint, and you said to me, and you promised me? You know, a little child does that. Yeah, ta, you promised, but you promised. I thought you told me. So I spoke over with Rav Pam once, zecher livrachah, my rebbe. Could a person say v'atah amarta? Really, we have such a nusach ha-tefillah, You promised me. And we discussed, maybe, yeah, maybe tefillah is about a child and a father. We talk to the Ribono Shel Olam like our father, and if we talk like our father, so then we could come and say v'atah amarta, just like a child tells his father, Didn't you promise me? Ta, you said if I get a hundred on the test. But you said, but you said. Doesn't every child say, But you said? So it could be, you could say in tefillah, could be. Or maybe. You know what Yaakov Avinu was saying? The whole reason why when you tell a navi personal, it could return, because nobody knows. But v'atah amarta. You said it in the Torah, you said it. So everybody's going to know if it doesn't happen that you didn't keep your word. What's the whole reason, says the Mizrachi, why when it's to a navi, personal guarantees, it could retract even on good? Because who knows that the Eibishter promised him, and who knows that the Eibishter didn't give it to him? But if it was out in the open, of course the Eibishter has to—almost like a chilul Hashem, and the Beis Halevi touches on this point—v'atah amarta will be a chilul Hashem. What does that mean? You said. You said, etiv etiv. You said, which is also a question the mefarshim ask, where did he say it? Where did the Eibishter tell me? The Eibishter told him, Matzicha b'chol asher teilech, v'ashivoisicha. Where did he use the word heitiv, etiv? So the truth is, Rashi says, heitiv b'schus — it's a medrash, I don't know if Rashi brings down, but it's a medrash — heitiv b'schus Yitzchak, heitiv b'schus Avraham. So maybe he's referring to the birchas Yankiv, the birchas Yitzchak and Avraham, that Yitzchak gave him the brachos, and in the brachos means Avraham and Yitzchak — Yitzchak, Etelcha, give you birchas Avraham. So what is birchas Avraham? Heitiv, etiv. Maybe that's where it comes from. The Ramshik says that the makor of heitiv, etiv, ahi never said it. The Eibishter never told him heitiv, etiv. He says an interesting thing. He says that every day of the week is parallel to another one of the avos and the Ushpizin, meaning Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Aharon and Dovid. So Sunday is Avraham, Monday is Yitzchak, and Tuesday is Yaakov, says the Ramshik. And on Tuesday it says what? Ki tov. Twice. So heitiv, etiv. You said on my day it says heitiv, etiv. So that's what says the Ramshik. Classic, interesting. Al kol panim, that's the pshat, heitiv, etiv. There's another pshat that's brought down from sefer called Eretz Chemdah, beautiful pshat. Heitiv, etiv — what's heitiv, etiv? You know, the Rambam says that even when bad things happen, it's really for the good. That's why we bless Hashem, we bench Hashem even on bad. Says the Rambam, peirush Mishnayos, because even bad ultimately has good in it. So there's really two ways how the Ribono Shel Olam could say, I gave you good. I gave you good by giving you something bad. But then there's good which comes, what? From good also. Don't give me hatovah and say, listen, it's really all for the good. Hatov marta, heitev, eitiv, good that comes from good. Even bad is good. That good you didn't promise me. You promised me the good that comes from good. Point B, point B, that when Vinu gets the bracha, heitev, eitiv, that the Ribono Shel Olam will do good to him. So the question is, was he supposed to be afraid or he wasn't supposed to be afraid? And the answer is, the Ribono Shel Olam promised him, right, to a navi. So it was in the Torah already. And if it's in the Torah, v'atah marta, you said so, then you can't retract it. Because the whole reason maybe why something could be retracted, even though it's a nevuah, because it's said to the individual and nobody would know about it, says the Mizrachi. But here people know. V'atah marta, it's written in the Torah. That's what he means, you said. He's not complaining.

You promised me. I would like to give another pshat, rabboisai. Why is it that Yaakov Avinu has to fear Esav, even though he was guaranteed by HaKadosh Baruch Hu, Ushmarticha b'chol asher teilech? And the answer is simple. You have to understand that the confrontation with Esav is not a physical thing; it's the yetzer hara. It's saro shel Esav. As a matter of fact, it's brought down that when he fights saro shel Esav the night before, it says that the dust went all the way up to Shamayim. The dust, vaye'avek, lashon avak, went all the way up to the Kisei HaKavod. Mefarshim explain because they were fighting over ruchniyusdike things. Hatzileini na miyad achi, miyad Esav. We all know there's achi and there's Esav. It's the yetzer hara. The idea of Esav is the yetzer hara of Esav, edom. Chazal tell us, how did the saro shel Esav look? Does anybody know how he looked? Nidmeh lo k'talmid chacham. According to one opinion in the Midrash, he looked like a talmid chacham. Yaakov Avinu looks, he sees mamash a talmid chacham. Wow, unbelievable. Why? So Reb Aharon Kotler, zichrono tzaddik livracha, has a whole mahalach, because throughout the doros, it was those that looked like a talmid chacham, but they were really Esav inside, that did us the most destruction. The maskilim. The maskilim, you had throughout the generations people that came with the guise. They came with the facade that they're talmidei chachamim and they're trying to teach and be marbitz Torah, and the truth is they were rotten in the core. They were Esav in the core. Okay, that's Reb Baran's mahalach in hashkafah. I would have said very simple. Moshcheihu l'beis hamedrash. Don't think that the yetzer hara doesn't come in the beis medrash. Understand that the eisav could be within. The Eisav could be in the beis medrash with you. Im pagachacha menuval zeh, like Eisav, saro shel Esav, paga. He attracts, he comes to Yaakov, he's paga, he attacks Yaakov Avinu. What do you do? You could sometimes moshcheihu l'beis medrash, im ben even, with Torah, and sometimes not, and sometimes not. So where is the yetzer hara then? He's in the beis medrash. It says, You moshcheihu l'beis medrash. Sometimes you win, sometimes not. So what happens? He's still there. Nidmeh lo k'talmid chacham. The yetzer hara comes in different guises, in different versions. He could come looking, looking like someone who's within you, almost in the picture of Yonah Chavrusa, maybe. Okay? Do you know that Torah, part of Torah, learning and keeping Torah, is to struggle with the yetzer hara. The Ribbono Shel Olam created yetzer hara, and the Ribbono Shel Olam created Torah tavlin. They say over, I heard this from my zeide zichrono livrachah, that Rav Hutner, zecher tzaddik livrachah, in Slabodka yeshiva, he didn't want to learn with a chavrusa, even though that was the policy. The policy was that everybody had to learn with a chavrusa. So the Alter from Slabodka comes over to him, Nu, chavrusa? She says, I am learning Chavrusa. So Alter says, Really? Where's your chavrusa? No, I'm learning with my yetzer hara. Why? He's definitely smarter than me, and he never misses a day. Never misses. He's always there. You know what, Rav Hutner was, and my zeidy told me that the Alter appreciated very much the wisdom behind that. Saw it was a tremendous yesod in hashkafah, and he smiled. He smiled. You know what the pshat in that story is? You got to fight with the yetzer hara. There's a chavrusa in every limud. When you learn, it comes with a chavrusa called the yetzer hara, and you got to deal with him. That's the pshat why I believe Yaakov Avinu, from all the other avos, had to deal with an Eisav. Why does Yaakov have to deal? Why doesn't Avram have an Eisav? Why doesn't Yitzchak have an Eisav? And the answer is because Yaakov is Torah. And Torah is, Berasi Torah... I'm sorry, Berasi yetzer hara, Berasi Torah tavlin. Now I understand why it can't be that Hashem says, U'shmartem, that you don't have to fear Eisav. You have to fear the yetzer hara.

You do have to fight with the yetzer hara. You're right, outwardly fears Lavan maybe. Hashem will protect you from Lavan. Hashem can't protect you from the yetzer hara. You got to fight that fight. Your job is to fight the yetzer hara, and I'll show you how it's meduyak in the pasuk. If you look at the beginning of Parshas Vayeitzei, as he goes, as he ascends to Lavan's home, he gets a dream, and that dream is, Hinei anochi imach, u'shmarticha b'chol asher telech, v'hashivoticha el ha'adamah hazos. I will protect you. And they all ask the question, so why is he afraid? And the answer is, rabosai, because that was only on the way to Lavan's home that he gets this havtachah. If you look at the end of Parshas Vayeitzei, before he leaves Lavan's home and he's now ready to come together with Esav, to tangle with Esav, all it says is, Ani Hashem, and Hinei anochi imach. It doesn't say u'shmarticha b'chol asher telech. In Parshas Vayeitzei, in the beginning, before he goes to Lavan's home, it says u'shmarticha b'chol asher telech. And so I believe that in Lavan's house he wasn't afraid of Lavan. As a matter of fact, he calls Lavan, Achiv anochi b'ramahus. I'll win this one. I'm going to put circles around Lavan. Yankev Avinu was not afraid of Lavan at all. True, he went 14 years, Hashem gave her to prepare himself for Lavan, but he wasn't that afraid. Hashem promises him, Ushmarticha. Don't worry. And don't forget, Lavan tried to kill him. Don't come and tell me that Lavan wasn't—Lavan bikesh la'akor es hakol. Later on, Lavan wanted to kill him. He's not afraid. He's not afraid. But after Lavan, now he's going to confront Esav for the last and final time, Esav and saro shel Esav. Here he does not get a guarantee, Ushmarticha bchol asher teilech. All he gets is, Ehyeh imach. Pshat, rabosai, Yevaldik. Yevaldik. I will be with you. Siyata dishmaya. Of course there's a—still going? Everything fine? Avadeh there's siyata dishmaya, yeah? The whole beginning didn't come out? Fine. Ah, okay. Yeah, Hinei anochi imach. I will be with you. Siyata dishmaya, but a shmarticha I can't promise you, because you're going to have to go to battle with Esav, because Esav represents yetzer hara. Yetzer hara is the battle of life. And so we answer the question: Where's the bitachon? Why is Yaakov afraid? And the answer is, you're supposed to be afraid. The Gemara says, Ashrei adam mefacheid tamid. The pasuk says, zogt the Gemara, hu bidivrei Torah. You're supposed to be afraid. I, bitachon? Yeah, but in divrei Torah, when it comes to yetzer hara, you're supposed to be afraid. Yetzer hara might get the better of you. That's pshat. The Gemara's pasuk says, Ashrei adam mefacheid tamid. What do you mean? It's good to be afraid. Yes, hu bidivrei Torah ksiv. And the pshat is, by divrei Torah taka, there's a yetzer hara. And since there's a yetzer hara, there's no inyan of—there's an inyan of pachad. It's good, but the beginning didn't come out. It says, camera is not open, but it's recording. Aha, okay. Stira is, you know, you think there's only a stira in modern technology; there's a bigger stira. Al kol panim, here, rabosai, that's the pshat, gevaldik, okay? So again, we're addressing a simple question: how are we to understand and how are we to accept the fear of Yaakov? He put an unbelievable amount of emphasis on his fear and how afraid he is, and it takes up such a big part of the parashah. Where's your bitachon, Yaakov Avinu? And Hashem promised you, ושמרתיך בכל אשר תלך. So we begin to give different terutzim, that shema garam hachet, and maybe there are times where you can't have bitachon, and maybe bitachon means after you daven and do teshuvah, or maybe, like we're saying, gevaldik, when it comes to yetzer hara.

There's no guarantees, and that's what the Zohar means: Ein havtachah l'tzadikim. No one's ever guaranteed that he won't sin. We know the Kohen Gadol, after eighty years, he sinned. There's no guarantee that the yetzer hara won't win a battle. So what's the pshat? Ah, Hashem, shmarticha? No, he said that for Lavan, maybe, in the beginning of Parshas Vayeitzei. But at the end of Parshas Vayeitzei, when he comes to confront Esav, all it says is, Hinei anochi imach. Pshat in the Shema? Yes. The Gemara says, Ilulei HaKadosh Baruch Hu ozro, if not for HaKadosh Baruch Hu that helps you in the fight, lo yuchal, the Gemara says. You wouldn't be able to succeed. But who has to do the fight? You have to do the fight. The saro shel Esav becomes your battle. This, rabosai, is the pshat in the beginning of the parsha, where Vayira, he's afraid. Vayeitzer lo. Fear, fear. There's so much fear, yes. And davka Yaakov Avinu, because Yaakov is sema la-toirah. Torah is the, so to speak, the anti-yetzer hara. It's the anti-yetzer; it's the war, it's the challenge. The two camps are always Torah mit yetzer hara, and that fight is forever. And that fight's to the bitter end, and constantly, and each one is challenging. And m'meila, Yankev can't be patur, so to speak, from that fight. He can't evade that fight just with a guarantee, Ribbono Shel Olam says, I'll protect you. It doesn't work that way. With this, rabosai, I'd like to go to one step further. To explain V'anochi heitev eitiv. I believe this is another part of the equation of Yankiv Avinu's understanding of the story of Esav, and that is: yes, we know that Yaakov Avinu has fear with Esav because Esav has kibud av va'em, Esav has yishuv Eretz Yisroel. Some of the Rishonim say, What did he do in Eretz Yisroel already? What is Esav? Esav's sitting and playing golf in Eretz Yisroel. He's rechok dinzagaving in Eretz Yisroel. He's not the koisel. And af al pi kein, state in Rishonim that he has this zechus of mitzvas yishuv Eretz Yisroel. But there's also something called katanti mikol hachasadim, and that is Yaakov Avinu understands: what does it mean to thank and appreciate the chesed of the Eibishter? And that is, you know, Yidden are called Yehudi. We're called Yehudim. The reason is brought down in all the sefarim: hoda'ah, yud. We thank Hashem. We praise the Eibishter. But the question is, all goyim, all nations of the world praise Hashem. Who doesn't say thank God? Might be one of the most used sayings in the world: thank God, thank God, praise God. Everybody says it. So why are we called Yehudim, that we stand out special more than anybody else? So I always thought maybe they say it, we mean it. Maybe that's the pshat. But I think it's really deeper. I think it's more about our characteristic of who we are, that we are, be'etzem, people who can be modeh laShem, while a goy can't do that. And I'll explain to you what I mean. You know, a goy believes that he has a right to freedom, success, happiness in America, right? The pursuit of happiness, and it's a God-given right. Bush used to say it all the time. It's God-given right to every individual, without the Yiddish in it. He would say that every human being has the right to be free and happy and prosperous. Mimeila, when you don't get that, you get very angry at God. So when you thank God for getting, when you thank the Eibishter for giving you the happiness, you're thanking Him for giving you what you deserve, what you think is coming to you. A Yid comes from a different point. He doesn't believe that he deserves anything. He believes it's all chesed of the Eibishter, that actually he's supposed to get nothing, and therefore any little thing he does get. So even if he gets very little.

Even if he gets very little, he's already thankful. The goy, and that's the difference between the goy and the Yid. If the goy would get just 1% of what he wants, he'd be furious, because he didn't get 98, 99% of what he expects. The Yid, by getting 1%, feels he already got more than he deserves. Exactly. Esav is yesh li kol, yesh li rav. He's never fully satisfied because he deserves everything. Yaakov is yesh li kol, no matter what it is, it's everything. Correct. I'll tell you really where I got this from. You know Leah says, Hapaam odeh es Hashem. When? When she had her fourth child. The Gemara says that there was nobody till Leah who thanked Hashem. Is that true? Does that make sense? Nobody thanked Hashem till Leah? Avraham didn't daven? Yitzchak didn't daven? The whole tefillah is hodaah. What does it mean? So we said different pshatim throughout the years. But you know what the pashut pshat is? Hapaam odeh es Hashem, shenatalti yoser michelki. It's a whole different understanding of thanking. I thank Hashem that I got more than I deserve. The idea of understanding that I deserve little and I get more, only a Yid has that. And Leah was the one that was mechadesh. Leah introduced a whole new understanding of hodaah. Hapaam odeh es Hashem, not for what I got. For the extra, meaning, shelatalti, I took more than I actually ever deserved. Latalti yoser michelki. Mefarshim talk how hoda and modeh, admitting, is in the same root, same root word, the pshat, because modeh means you have to admit that it's yoser michelki. It takes a certain honesty to admit that I actually deserve very little, and I got a lot. I actually got very little, right? I got more than I deserve. Takes admitting, yeah, takes admitting that I don't deserve. A goy can't admit that. A goy lives, I deserve a lot. It's my God-given right to have everything. So if I don't get most of what I expect, not very happy, and I can't thank Hashem. While the opposite, the opposite, a Yid, a Yid is humble. Humble. Humble means I don't deserve anything, and therefore what I've received, and that comes from being modeh. Modeh, to admit what is what I deserve, what I'm supposed to get, what my lot is. Modeh and hoda, it's the root, the root of each other. They come together. When a person is modeh, then comes hoda. Katonti mikol hachasadim. You know what Yaakov Avinu is saying, an unbelievable thing. The Rabbeishim said, heitiv, heitiv. I asked you a question: what is the double lashon, heitiv, heitiv, twice? So there's a vort from Reb Zalman Sorotzkin, my great uncle, who says over b'shem his father-in-law, Rav Gordon, tells a Rosh Yeshiva, who heard from a Brislov Salanter the following pshat. Imagine you hire a person to do a job, and you tell him a salary, fifty a year for doing the job. The guy was lazy. Every few days he didn't show up because he was sick or this or that, da-da-da. At the end, weak. The job was weak. Comes at the end of the year, he wants his salary. The owner looks and says, You didn't do much. It was weak. You didn't show up most of the time. It wasn't good. So he could go and say, I'm not going to give you the money, and fight. Or he could be a nice guy and say, You know what? He's got a wife and kids, this and that. Let me just pay him, and that's all. Now, you could hear him not wanting to pay, and then you could hear a nice guy who would pay. But then you have another type of situation where the same guy, instead of not—

Not showing up. He did worse. You know what he used to do? He used to ruin the business. He would come in every day, take a bat, break the computer, and break the windows, break the chairs. Then he comes at the end of the month, pay. So what does the balabos say? Pay? You pay me. What are you talking about? I should take you to court. You're crazy, right? So if he's a nice guy, you know what he's gonna say? You know what? I have his wife, children, forget it. He's not gonna pay him. Says like this. Let's say garam a chet, right? What's garam a chet? Garam a chet is that he did a aseh or a lo sa'aseh, depends. If he does an aseh, he was over an aseh, he just didn't do what he has to do. So Hashem's chesed is that He gives you anyway what He promised. He gives you the salary anyway. But if he did worse, he did a lo sa'aseh, which means you went and you did bad things, so Hashem should say, I should take from you, not give you. So that's a double chesed. Heitiv, heitiv means not only do I not charge you, punish you, so to speak, I even give you what I promised you. So that's a double heitiv. That's a hatovah double. Heitiv, heitiv, double. Okay? Beautiful, beautiful, classic. Reb Yisroel Salanter. Now, rabboisai, I want to add to this a meiridige chap, a meiridige shtikel. You ready? What happens... If you told the guy originally, you do your work. If you do good, if you do good, I'm going to give you a bonus. Yeah? Listen to a vat from Rabbi Yisrael Salanter. Listen to a vat. It's classic. Yeah, listen to the vat. So let's say the guy didn't do—I'm repeating it for you—let's say the guy didn't do the job, okay? He didn't do good. He missed here, he missed there. So either he could come and say, I don't want to pay you, or he could say, You know what? Let's not file pay. Okay. But let's say the guy ruined the job. So there, instead, it's more. What would I do? I would go and I would say, I should really not—I should really take from you. No, you know what? I'll let it go. But is he not going to come and give you, right? That's v'anochi etev etev. You did double. You did good upon good. Good plus. Not only, for example, I was over a aseh, so I just didn't do. So therefore I just didn't do. I shouldn't get my wages. But I also was a lo sa'aseh. I did bad. So there I should come and say, I should take from you. I should punish you. No. I give you the wages, so that's hetev etev. It's double good. Not only I don't take from you, but I give you the salary. That's v'anochi hetev etev. Double. It's a good upon a good. I would like to add to this the following. Let's say when I hired the guy, I told him, If you do good, you'll get a bonus. Now the guy comes after a year. Not only he broke my computers and my windows, and he lost me all my customers, he comes and says, Give me my bonus. So that's already, not only I give him the salary, I go further than that. You say, You gotta be crazy. You gotta be completely off. In Yiddish, we say, A maroshene? You're ganzen are crackers. What are you talking about? The Ribono Shel Olam does that also. Katonti mikol hachasadim. Katonti mikol hachasadim. Chesed. I'm humbled by all the chesed. You know what the chesed is? That not only did you not give me the salary, you gave me the bonus too. V'atah amarta... and that's, he's not complaining. He's not saying, You promised me. He's saying, Ribono Shel Olam, I'm seeing the chesed. You only told me eitiv eitiv, which is good upon good, which means even if I broke your business, so to speak, I did the lo sa'aseh, you still give me. That's all you told me you would do. And still, what happened? You did even further. Katonti mikol hachasadim, you did chesed with me also, gave me the bonus too. Not only did you say and keep what you said, that you gave me toiv and meitiv, you gave me the salary even though I broke you, I did...

I didn't do what I was supposed to do. But, katonti, I'm even humbled because mikol hachasadim. Even though all You promised me was hateiv eitiv. I'll tell you where I got this from. Every morning we say in davening, Hatov — actually we say it in every tefillah — Hatov, ki lo chalu rachamav. Hamerachem, ki lo samu chasadav. L'choira, it should go in order: Hatov, ki lo chalu tuvoi. Hamerachem, ki lo samu rachamav. He's good, that it doesn't end His goodness. He's merachem, it doesn't end His rachmanus. So why are we switching around? Hatov, ki lo chalu rachamav. Hamerachem, ki lo samu chasadav. I believe with this pshat that I just said, based on my uncle, Shabbos Shem Reb Sholom Salanter, that's the pshat. Hatov — you know what tov would be? He's good, meaning, you know what? More or less, he did a good job. You know what? No problem, I'll give you the full salary. That's hatov. Ki lo chalu rachamav — what happens if I don't deserve it? I don't deserve it. So you gotta have real rachmanus. Hatov — you know what type of tov the Eibishter is? Tov ki lo chalu rachamav, that He goes the extra step, means if I really don't deserve it, He still gives it to me. That's rachmanus. And you know what type of rachmanus? So just give Him the, you know what, here, take, take for your family. Hamerachem, ki lo samu chasadav, gives me the bonus also. You hear? Hatov. Let's understand it in the context of salary, all right? Hatov, I don't deserve the salary, ki lechol harachamav. He gives it to me because he has rachmanus. But he can give me, you know what, I'll cut off half the salary. I'll give you just to be yotzei, right? Rachmanus, I feel bad for you. No. Hamerachem. Not only does he give me the salary, he gives me the salary plus a bonus. Ki lei samu chasado. He goes more. And that's pshat, katonti mikol hachasadim. I am small from all the chasadim, and that's humble. And that's because I know the Ribono Shel Olam, I deserve nothing, and you give me. And I was thinking to myself once, where does that come from? You know, it says, v'ish Moshe anav me'od. You know what anav is? The translation, Rashi says anav is savlon, sovel. What does it mean to be sovel, anav? How is anav a savlan? And the answer might be as follows: anav means he's humble. He doesn't think he deserves, and therefore he's savlan. He accepts. Eizehu ashir? Hasameach b'chelko. Whatever you give me, I don't deserve it, so I accept it. A guy can't accept. You know why he can't accept? Because he feels he deserves. There's a gaiva. You owe me. What do you mean? What do you mean? It's me. What do you mean? But if you're an anav, so whatever it is, you're a savlan. It says that when Mashiach will come, Mashiach will come to the Beis Hamikdash and he'll... And he'll say, Anavim, anavim, higiu zman ge'ulaschem. The time of your geulah has come. And I never understood why anavim. Why does that have to do with humble? Why is Klal Yisrael called back from the galus as an anav? Why? And I think, rabosai, the pshat is gevaldik. In galus we survive. You know why we survive? Because we know that it's all ketanti mikol hachasadim. We didn't expect that HaKadosh Baruch Hu owes us anything. So any little chesed we get, we take it. Savlan. The reason why we were sovel the galus, the reason why we were able to withstand the galus, because we accept we're anav. Anav is savlan. Anavim, anavim, higiu zman ge'ulaschem. Only a Yid could suffer through a galus and turn to the Eibishter and thank Him. Yankev Avinu, he went through a hard parshiyus. You think it was easy in the house of Lavan? You think it was easy in the house of Lavan? He could have turned to the Ribono Shel Olam, You owed it to me. V'atah amarta, You owed it to me. That's not what he really means. Katonti, I'm humbled, mikol hachasadim, because anav is savlan. He knows he doesn't...

doesn't deserve, and he was given. So anything he's given is more than he deserved. Anavim anavim, that's what it means. Those that are humble, higiu zman geulaschem, that they were able to withstand the pressure of galus. How do you withstand the pressure of galus? Knowing, katanti mikol hachasadim, that it's not pshat you owe it to me. Fakert, whatever you give me. I'd like to also point out a third part of the parsha, that A, we said that it was incumbent on Yaakov to fight Esav, and therefore he was afraid because the yetzer hara is what to be afraid of. We also pointed out that there's an inyan called hoda'ah, katanti mikol hachasadim, and that is that Yaakov Avinu understands that he has to be afraid because nisma'atu zechuyosai, that no matter what he got, he still owes the Eibishter more than the Eibishter owes him, and that's tefillah. In tefillah, you can't come and have bitachon, and that's why I try to start with, in the beginning, to explain to you that maybe after tefillah you can have bitachon, but before tefillah, you can't have bitachon, because bitachon means that, hafkosai, I deserve. You don't deserve anything. You don't deserve nothing. What do you mean? So it's therefore, in tefillah, katanti mikol hachasadim, you can't have bitachon. Ki yari anochi oso, in tefillah you must say that, so it's not a stirah anymore. Because what was my question, that why are you afraid? And the answer is, when you daven, in the context of tefillah, you have to be afraid. Because you have to be humble and say that I don't deserve, and therefore you should give me. And now you can say, okay, I davened and I trusted in You, and now I can get because I have bitachon. The davening itself is an expression of bitachon. It's working through the bitachon that I don't deserve, yet I turn to You, and yet I now deserve because I turned to You. You understand what we're trying to bring out? That yes, there's an inyan of fighting the yetzer hara, and therefore you have to be insecure. Yet there's such a thing called tefillah, and in tefillah you have to be insecure. Otherwise, what are you davening for? And the answer is, you have to be insecure. Express your insecurity through tefillah, and now you can be secure that you've done that, that you will get. Now there's another part of the equation. You know, the Chazal tell us that Yaakov Avinu, Vayivaser Yaakov levado, says that he was left alone. Says the Chazal, like it says by the Ribono Shel Olam, Vaniskav Hashem levado, bayom hahu, that the Ribono Shel Olam also was alone on that day. Just like Yaakov is alone, the Ribono Shel Olam is alone, levado levado. What does it mean? Vayivaser, Yaakov is left alone, the Ribono Shel Olam is alone. What does it mean? I think, rabosai, it means as follows. You know, Yaakov Avinu, like I pointed out, goes through tremendous fear that we never find by any of the other Avos. We don't find fear by that. We don't find fear. Avraham was afraid, maybe when he went down to Mitzrayim a little, but fear, an expression of gripping fear, we don't find only by Yaakov. What's the pshat? You know what fear needs? You know how you combat fear? Ultimate bitachon. And my question I started was, where's Yaakov's bitachon? The opposite. Yaakov was working through the bitachon. Yaakov was creating the ultimate levels of bitachon that Klal Yisrael will eventually need throughout the galus. The mefarshim tell us that this story with Yaakov and Esav is not a one-time thing. It's an epic of Klal Yisrael through the doros. The Ramban says this is a textbook for the future with Edom and galus and tefillah. Yaakov Avinu was working through what Klal Yisrael is going to have to, maaseh avos siman l'banim, how to challenge and how to win the battle, so to speak, through the doros of fighting Edom. What he needed was, Vayivaser Yaakov levado, and I'll explain to you what I mean. The ultimate bitachon.

The ultimate bitachon is to know that you're levadoi, and that levadoi is with HaKadosh Baruch Hu. And I'm going to explain it to you again. Understand that the fight with tzarei shaleisav. Understand that the fight of tzarei shaleisav is for the future. It's not a one-time thing. It's v'hu tzelel yerechei. Reb Shamshon Raphael Hirsch says, zichrono livracha, tzelel yerechei means we're going to limp to the end. This is a sign for Klal Yisrael at the end of days. Ad ki bo hashemesh, till the sun will come up and Moshiach will come. It's an epic event. It's not something which was a one-time happen. At that moment that we're going to beat tzelel yerechei, at that final clause, the end, ad bo hashemesh, will only come through vayivaser Yaakov levadoi. What does levadoi mean? Ein od milvadoi. Yaakov now does not have Shimon and Levi. You know, Shimon and Levi were strong. Don't think Yosef ben Yomin, the shevatim were able to... You see Chushim ben Dan, he chopped off Yosef's head. So one grandson who was deaf was able to chop off the guy's head. So what, Shimon took off a whole city. Shimon and Levi took off... Unbelievable, huh? I have a better question for you. You know, what's the pshat that Yaakov is alone? Was he allowed to be alone? The Gemara says a person not go alone at night. It's a Mishnah in Avos. The Mishnah says nobody is allowed. The Gemara Chulin says a talmid chacham al yeitzei yechidi balayla. Is it a Talmud Chacham? Either way, he was definitely in the category. He was either a person or a Talmud Chacham. Either way, Yaakov was not allowed to be alone at night. So why is Yaakov alone? Pachim ketanim, small jugs. That's a reason to put yourself in danger? You're not allowed to go at night alone. As a matter of fact, in Zohar it's brought down that has to do with the levana and kis snakes and eres and poisons. And as Vayivaser Yaakov, Yaakov was the only person, says the Zohar, that was out at night that night. Vayivaser Yaakov levadah. He was the only person out at night. From the whole world, everybody was inside, Yaakov was outside. Why? I have another question for you. You ready? So the mefarshim, you know, let's just answer this question. So the mefarshim say, in Rav Yitzchak, there's a sefer called Rav Yitzchak. He's a famous classic pshat that everybody uses from him. He went for pachim ketanim. Pachim ketanim, we know, has to do with oil, which is to put on a matzeivah, which is to give a shevach v'hodaah today, to praise HaKadosh Baruch Hu. Right? So he went l'dvar mitzvah. Went l'dvar mitzvah, he didn't have to be afraid. That's Rav Yitzchak. So why did he get in danger? Pachim ketanim, too. He didn't need so many. To put oil on a matzeivah, he needed just one. Who says you need a lot? Pachim ketanim, many. You know, it's brought down in Rebbekach and others that has to do with Chanukah. Pachim ketanim, that pach was the pach shemen that later on... So then what is it? Maybe who says for Chanukah you need—the whole idea of the pach shemen is, you have the Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai, you know, big, big, big jugs, you know. What was happening? Just a little humor at the end of the shiur. No, he made a mistake. He went for too much. That's what the Ravid haZahav says. Okay, good. It's pshat. I just, you know what I really think the real pshat is? I have a better question for you. This I hold is the real pshat. How many malachim were around Yaakov? He had hundreds of malachim around him. And they weren't just malachim in his head. They were real malachim, meaning he used to send them to Esav. He spoke to them. He sent them to Esav. They were like people, malachim like people. Malachim mamash. Where are all his malachim? What happened? Bishleima, Shemim vLevi and all that, they're all in the machaneh. Where were the malachim that went with him? The Zohar asks this question: where are all the malachim? And the answer is, right at this moment they disappeared. Why? In order he should be able to fight with Esav. Correct. So I'm answering you. Listen carefully. So what do we have the malachim left? Malachim left. So I want to explain to you, you know why the malachim left? The Ribono Shel Olam wanted Yaakov to be alone.

And how will he win? Because of the Eibishter. He needed to come to full bitachon, not to rely on Shevet Levi, not to rely on the malachim, not to rely on presence, and not to rely on tefillah. You know, we have by Mitzrayim, what are you davening? Batelzakei lai. It's not a time to daven. Dabru el Bnei Yisrael, let them just go. What's the pshat? Emunah. You see that there's a time and a place where even tefillah is out of place. What do you need? You need ein oid milvadoi. To the Ribono Shel Olam, I have full trust. I travel in the ocean, in the ocean I go. The Eibishter said, Vayivaser Yaakov levadoi. At the end, he prepared himself. He was frightened, and the Eibishter wanted him to be scared, because he had to work on bitachon. And why is it Yaakov that has to work on bitachon? Titen emes lYaakov. Bitachon comes from emes. The ultimate emes of knowing that the Ribono Shel Olam is ein oid milvadoi, vniskav Hashem levadoi. That emes that will come at the end of times is the levadoi that was needed here by Yaakov, and he wins. That's when he's done with Esav. Ki ra'isa panim el panim. I saw Hashem panim el panim. What does it mean, panim el panim? I saw clear. I saw the Ribono Shel Olam. I saw ein oid milvadoi, vatinatzel nafshi. He understands now, pinuel, that it's with the Ribono Shel Olam that you win. It's not matanos to Esav. He had to go through the stages. And there, what happens afterwards? He's done with Esav. It's finished. He's taka finished with Esav now. He comes tomorrow, everything's fine, he's secure now. He's not afraid anymore. The fight with Esav had to be, Vayevoser Yaakov levado. And what's levado? Vaniskav Hashem levado. That he's with the Ribono Shel Olam. He wasn't alone. He was alone, but he had to know he wasn't alone. Knowing he wasn't alone, because he's with the Eibishter, is what wins the war against Esav. It was the ultimate bitachon in the galus, ein od milvado. And therefore the malachim had to leave him, and Reuven had to leave, and Shimon had to leave, all the things he relied on. Vim yavo Esav al hamachaneh... one machaneh will fight him... that's not a cheshbon that's going to make you win Esav. He was relying on one machaneh fighting, meaning Shimon vLevi. No, malachim? No. The idea was that he had to fight saro shel Esav. When? When he's levado. When he's levado. When he's levado. And what's levado? Vniskav Hashem. And I think that's the pshat. Listen carefully. You know, when originally he's told, Ani Hashem, it doesn't say anochi Hashem, it says Ani Hashem. Then it says, Hinei anochi imach. You know, whenever it says anochi, the goyen always says anochi has to do with Anochi Hashem Elokecha. For example, like when Rivka said, Lamah zeh anochi? Anochi means, what do I need Anochi Hashem Elokecha? Because she thought there was two reshuyos. The baby was avodah zarah. And beis hamedrash. So the same child, there's two. There's such a thing as in his stomach, in the stomach when they were with the malach, he's already pushing avodah zarah, so where's Anochi Hashem Elokecha? Im kein, lama zeh Anochi? So whenever it says Anochi, now where did this come from? I went to search it down a little bit. What's the difference between Ani and Anochi? Why sometimes it says Ani Hashem Elokeichem, or it says Anochi Hashem Elokecha? Ani Hashem Elokeichem asher hotzeisichem me'eretz Mitzrayim. At the end of Kriyas Shema, what do we say, Anochi or Ani? No, at the end of Kriyas Shema? Ani. What are you talking about? Ani Hashem Elokeichem asher hotzeisichem me'eretz Mitzrayim. Yet in Aseres HaDibros it says Anochi. So I'm not sure. There's supposed to be a malbim that says Ani, I am who, and Anochi is what I'm going to do, Anochi that I do. Ani that I am. Ani Hashem, I am. Anochi, I am who that does. But it doesn't fit in by Kriyas Shema. What do you do by Kriyas Shema? Kriyas Shema, Ani Hashem asher hotzeisichem me'eretz Mitzrayim. It should say Anochi at the end of Kriyas Shema. Take out those siddur. It should say Anochi. Ani Hashem Elokeichem asher hotzeisichem me'eretz Mitzrayim. Ani Hashem Elokeichem, right? It should say Anochi.

Right? So what's the difference? Now, so I found the psikta that says that actually that's what he was afraid of in the beginning in Parshas Vayeitzei. Ani Hashem Elokei Avraham avicha, says the Medrash, the psikta Rabasi. What? Why didn't you come to me with a noichi? Why to my father Avraham you said, Anochi Elokei avicha, you said anochi. How come to you, to me, it's ani? So that's why it says, Va'anochi lo yadati. Vayikatz Yaakov vayira, vayomer, Mah nora hamakom hazeh, v'anochi lo yadati. What's v'anochi lo yadati? How can you come with anochi? He was afraid he did something wrong, that anochi wasn't there. V'anochi lo yadati. What does Hashem tell him, says the psikta? Hinei, anochi imach. So I want to say now pshat gevaldig. You know the ultimate emunah, bitachon is to have anochi Hashem Elokecha with you. You know what the Ribono Shel Olam is telling him? Hinei, I give you a havtacha that anochi Hashem Elokecha will guarantee you everything. Anochi. If a person goes, and I'll tell you a beautiful story. Rav Gifter's zichrono livracha used to say over about the Telzer Rav, Telzer Rav. How was he killed? Rebloch. He was killed. Nazis killed him. They came into Telz, and they searched for the rav. So the rav was in the shul. He was learning. They came there, and the Nazis started to ridicule him. Rabiner, yisged? You're afraid? You know what's coming, right? You know what's gonna be. They were playing with him. They were reshaim. Where's your God? Huh? Where's your God? It's gonna protect you, think? You think you're not gonna...? Where's your God? Reb Loch, like tells, the whole shitah of tells is amitzus. It's strength. It's brazen, not to be scared. Huh? Brazen, yeah. What did he say? My God. My God. It's your God too. It's the whole world's God. And one day you'll know about it. The Nazi got so furious because he was never—he stood up. He was—Reb Loch was punching him back with the ultimate milchama. And you know what that is? I'm not afraid of you. I have full security. Bichlal not afraid. And you know why not afraid? Because I know the emes: Anochi Hashem Elokecha. Hashem is Hashem. The Nazi got so angry that he didn't even have a chance to turn his gun around to shoot. That's how angry he was. He just took the butt of the rifle and he broke his neck. He broke the neck of the Telser Rav. The idea was that he wasn't afraid. There was no fear. And why was there no fear? Because he knew, Anochi Hashem. There's nothing to be afraid of. And I want to explain to you: what is bitachon? The Chazon Ish says, you know what bitachon is? When a person has clear emunah, from that comes bitachon. When a person has clear emunah, that's what leads to bitachon. I'll give you over a beautiful part, a beautiful part to the understanding of this Chazon Ish. It says in the Kisvei Chazon Ish, Ki ein etzev b'olam l'mi shemakir oros ha'emes. A person can have any depression, nor any anxiety or fear, when someone knows the truth, the light of truth. And that's what the Chazon Ish means. When a person reaches the ultimate emes, the truth of emunah, from that comes bitachon. From that comes bitachon. Huh? Yeah, from that comes bitachon. Yeah. This is the pshat over here too. Emes, the ultimate emes in emunah creates the ultimate bitachon. Vayivaser Yaakov levado. And this was his avodah. You know why this was his avodah? Because Yaakov was emes.

Yaakov had to create the ultimate ein oid milvado bitachon because he was emes. Titein emes l'Yaakov. And what is in the emes l'Yaakov? Emunah, and therefore bitachon. And I'll tell you where we say it in davening. I'll tell you where we say it in davening. Emes atah Hu Hashem, Tzur Yaakov, Magen yisheinu. Emes atah Hu Hashem. The emes, you hear? Emes ve'emunah. The emes is Tzur Yaakov, the strength of Yaakov, Magen yisheinu. That's where the yeshuah comes from. So the titein emes l'Yaakov was mechayev, you hear, rabosai, that it should be bitachon, and that was the tzur, the strength of Yaakov, Magen yisheinu. And that's how he survived Esav, and that's what he instilled, ma'aseh avos siman l'banim. It was Yaakov's avodah, and that's why Yaakov had to suffer from fear where others, the other avos, didn't have to go through all this, because his midas ha'emes was mechayev the ultimate emes and emunah, to the point that it's so emes that I have bitachon. You hear, rabosai? Yaakov is the midah bitachon, and I want to tell you one step further. We know that Yaakov was mesaken Maariv. Maariv is galus. What do we say by Maariv, no? Emes ve'emunah. Yaakov's midah was emes, the emunah and emes. In the galus, in the dark, where it's not clear, you have to fight to see the truth. That's the emes v'emunah of Yaakov, and that's what brings about the bitachon that saves us in the galus of Edom, in the galus, the ma'ariv, the darkness of the night. And this is the pshat, Vayira Yaakov. So we all ask, where's Yaakov's bitachon? And you know what the answer is? Yaakov was bitachon. Yaakov was the inventor of bitachon. Yaakov brought us to levels of bitachon which was emes ve'emunah, which leads to the bitachon of Ein od milvado v'nizkar Hashem levado, that there's only one Ribono Shel Olam. And that's the ultimate bitachon, and it was needed to fight the ultimate ra of Esav and the ultimate danger of Esav. And at the final galus, this will be our protection. Tzoleh al yereichai. We're going to limp to the end, but we know we make it with Ein od milvado, efes zulaso. You've just experienced another Torah class brought to you by TorahAnytime.com.