| Parents | |||
| Responsibility | Parents responsibility for their children begins while the child is in the womb. | ||
| Love, Comfort | A father has compassion – a mother has the quality of comforting. | ||
| God’s Helper | God trusts them with education of their children. | ||
| Mothers | A mother has an extra dose of compassion. | ||
| Heritage / Lineage | The lineage, as Cohen, comes from the father while the Jewish identity comes from the mother. | ||
| Torah | A father’s love for his son is evoked when the child asks him to learn Torah, as he knows the request comes from love (the fact that this law is brought in the laws of Honoring Parents, proves this.) | ||
| Sacrifice | Parents are willing for the sake of their children to sacrifice. | ||
| Father’s Essence | The child that comes from the father’s (body) is drawn from his soul. | ||
| Sacrifice | More than parent’s desire for themselves, they desire for their children – and this especially is in regards, to Judaism and Torah. | ||
| Father’s Day | Father’s day – namely buying dad a tie and then returning next year is obviously incorrect. | ||
| Mother | The mother’s influence has the greatest impact. | ||
| Giver/receiver | The nature of the relationship is the child receives, and the parents give. | ||
| From God | The creation of a child comes from God (the parents are only intermediaries.) | ||
| Role Models | The way to influence children is through being a good role-model – which when children see their parents dedicated to Torah and Mitzvos, they will likewise – though of-course influence is a step by step gradual process. | ||
| Influencing | Sometimes it is best to use a friend of the child, (asking him or her) to influence the child – for often parents still assume their children are small. |
| Father/Son | ||
| Meriting | A son adds merit to his father, and the reverse is also true. | |
| Role-Model | To the extent the father dedicates to a value system, is the extent that his wife and children will likewise. | |
| Nachas | A parent’s greatest nachas – children who get along. | |
| One Entity | Halachickly a parent and child cannot testify against one another, as they are too close, for they are one entity, and the lesson is, that God is one with us. | |
| Similar | Similar to one another, as both from a body and soul level, the son comes from the father. | |
| Abilities | A son’s abilities exceeds the father, for he has within Him, the father’s essence. | |
| Unique | Although they are connected, nonetheless, they are still separate individuals. | |
| Similarity | From the son one can perceive the father. | |
| Father/son | In essence the father is higher than the son – the concept that the son’s ability can exceed is what is novel. | |
| Essential bond | A father calling his little son, is a call from his essence. | |
| Identity | The identity of a father, is when he has a son. | |
| The Bond | The bond between a father and son surpasses all. | |
| Future image | Though a father can enjoy his son’s image, only after he is born… but God can before. | |
| Dependence | The son is not dependent on his father’s existence. | |
| Not jealous | One is jealous (if one has a jealous nature on others) besides the son. | |
| Interrelated | Only through modeling after the father can the son’s ability surpass. | |
| Playing | A father particularly enjoys and plays with his young son – likewise God to the Jewish people. | |
| Descending | One recognizes a father’s love by the fact that he lowers himself to descend to the level to communicate and interact (or play with his young son) and similar God to us. | |
| Caring | The very act of punishing demonstrates (for one wouldn’t do this for another) the personal care, attention and love of the parent (and of-course, this is also a lesson from God to us.) | |
| Teacher | A father must also be one’s “rabbi,” teacher of Torah. | |
| Student | A son is both a son and a student. | |
| Unity | Unity between parents and children is particularly important in our generation. | |
| Unity | When parents keep the laws of family purity and have with themselves unity, this causes that their children will be with them unified. | |
| Unique | A son is a new person. | |
| Generation Gap | Like one man with one heart – without a generation gap. | |
| Love | One father can handle ten sons, but the reverse is an exception. | |
| Connection | A son comes from the father’s brain, and therefore is always connected. | |
| Children’s Influence | The idea “the sons will return their fathers (to God)” is currently happening. | |
| Joy | Just as children who approach their parents, with requests… not through crying, but through joy, are more likely to get what they want… so too with us and God. | |
| Influencing | Sons can impact their father’s more than anyone – hence should encouraged them to Torah. | |
| To babies | A father has a special love to his baby son. | |
| Shabbos | A father must see to it that he Davens Shacharis in Shul on Shabbos on time, otherwise his children will imitate. | |
| Similar Potential | A father and a son are similar. | |
| Role-model | A father has to be a role-model and when he comes home from Shul, mustn’t discard his Gepatah and Chassidus Sefer. | |
| Mesirus Nefesh (self-sacrifice) | Parents have Mesirus Nefesh (self-sacrifice) for their children. | |
| The Bond | The bond between a father and son emanates from above. | |
| Internal Bond | The bond between a father and son is internal. | |
| Model | The way parents behave, is the model for children. | |
| Only Child | An only child is especially loved. | |
| Deep | The image of the son’s face is in the father’s memory. | |
| Testing | It is a Jewish custom that the father (particularly on Shabbos) tests his son. | |
| Not jealous | Not only does a father not have jealousy of his son, but also of his grandson. | |
| Shidduchim | If a son refuses to accept a shidduch suggestion – he can be influenced through either a. his parents b. friends. | |
| Partners | Three partners make a child, a father, mother and God. | |
| Father Doctor | Though a father may be a doctor, one should use a natural (hence without emotional bias) doctor. | |
| Bonded | There is an essential core connection between parents and children. | |
| Give them joy | A father should bring joy to his children. |
| Returning what got lost | ||
| True Loss | The greatest loss, is a moment of time. | |
| Restoring | True “restoring (of loss”) is bring a Jew back to his Heavenly Father. | |
| Returning | Restoring our own soul back to God (which the fool discards.) | |
| Rebi Avahu | ||
| God | The Talmud states God in his holy room – this is Rebi Avahu. | |
| The Avos – Forefathers | ||
| Merkavah | Even when the Avos slept, they served God. | |
| Faith | Avrohom brought faith to the Jewish people. | |
| Mesiras Nefesh (self-sacrifice.) | Yitzchok brought Mesiras Nefesh (sacrifice of self.) | |
| Lessons | Avrohom and Yitzchok represented Chessed and Gevurah (love and justice) and one needs to incorporate both. | |
| Shalosh Rigalim | Avrohom Yitzchok and Yaakov represent the Shalosh Rigalim (Pesach, Shavous and Sukkois.) | |
| Role-Models | What they did in this world – was to enable us to do likewise. | |
| Preparation | Their Mitzvos was a preparation for Matan Torah. | |
| Yitzchok | Yitzchok was born specifically after Avrohom had a Bris. | |
| Avrohom / Yitzchok | Avraham was about drawing Godliness down and Yitzchok was about being spiritual. | |
| We are united | As they are our role-models, and we imitate their behavior, we and they are one. | |
| Love bequeathed | Because they had such a great love for Hahsem, every Jew has at least an innate (even if it’s hidden) love. | |
| Rectification of Eitz Hadas | Through being a Merkavah, they fixed up the sin of Eitz Hadas. | |
| Ways / Avodah | Avrohom was a genius beyond everyone (and his comprehension of God came through his intellect) Yitzchok represents going beyond the intellect. | |
| Rectifying Adam | They fixed up the three sins of Adam Harishoin, through their three modes of serving God. | |
| Merkavah Study | They studied Torah in a way of Merkavah. | |
| Their Mitzvos | As they did Mitzvos as individuals (Not communal…) therefore what they accomplished, did not have a physical transformation. | |
| Their Mitzvos | Before the giving of the Torah, Mitvos didn’t permeate the physical. | |
| Toildois | They are all mentioned – including their primary purpose – in Parshas Toildois. | |
| Encompassing | Though they each are known for a primary way of Serving God, they each had all three. | |
| Tie Together – Daily Torah | They lived (all three) in the world for 15 years together, and they studied every day 15 hours of Torah. | |
| Merkavah | They were a Merkavah through the 24 hours of the day. | |
| Significance of their fifteen years. | The fifteen years they lived together represents, the name of Hashem (Yud and Heiy.) | |
| Difference between them and Moshe | The primary difference between our forefathers and Moshe was that they represented Divine emotions, while he, Divine wisdom. | |
| Preparation to Torah | Their service was a preparation to receive the Torah. | |
| Role-Models | Their manner of worshiping God (in contrast to the manner of the Shevatim) applies, and should be emulated by all Jews. | |
| Role-Models | We learn from them, not to isolate oneself, but to care, teach, and help the world. | |
| Bequeathing | Their essential truth is found by even a newborn Jewish baby. | |
| Their Mitzvos | As their performance of Mitzvos was spiritual (even if they used a physical item) therefore it permeated not the physical. | |
| Why They Needed Physical Items for Their Mitzvos | The reason they needed physical items (despite that their Mitzvos were spiritual) is because they were preparing for the future Mitzvos (this is similar to how a prophet would need to do something physical to help manifest the prophecy.) | |
| Avrohom / Yitzchok | Avrohom and Yitzchok respectively represent Chessed (kindness) and Gevurah (strict justice) the former representing bestowal from above, the latter striving from below. | |
| Source | They are called the “fathers” as they are the source of all Jewish souls. | |
| Their – and our – Service | Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov, are Chessed, Gevurah and Tifferes, which are Gemilus Chassadim (kindness) Avodah (prayer) and Torah (study.) | |
| Unique Avodas | The difference between Avrohom and Yitzchok (pushing away evil) and Yaakov, (transforming evil to good.) | |
| Within us | Within every Jew all three are present. | |
| Unique Avodois | Avrohom was about revelation, Yitzchok was about digging. | |
| Unique Avodois | They were shepherds – higher than the world, but from time to time, descend to assist and uplift. | |
| Their Torah | When they learned Torah it added to their identity, but after Matan Torah it transforms. | |
| Their Prayer | They pray for us. | |
| United | They join us in our Avodah. | |
| Empower | They empower us. | |
| Yaakov didn’t die | Yaakov didn’t die. | |
| Role Models | Their Avodah is our role model. | |
| Why they were chosen | The reason they had such Divine revelation, was not due to their superiority, rather as they were the progenitors of the Jewish people. | |
| Within Us | In each Jew are the forefathers. | |
| Yeshivah | It says Avrohom was elderly and he sat and learned in Yeshivah. This a lesson to each of us, to establish Yeshivois. | |
| Messanic State | They received a taste of the world to come (Moshiach) in that Hashem took away disturbances (so they could focus on their spiritual matters.) | |
| Beis Hamikdosh | Avrohom Yitzchok and Yaakov correspond to the 3 Beis Hamikdoshs. | |
| Specific Avodah | Avrohom was Chessed, Yitzchok was Gevurah – staying away from evil and doing good, and Yaakov was Tifferes, learning Torah. | |
| Yaakov Torah | Yaakov’s progeny were all religious, as He had the special protection of Torah. | |
| Their Merit | Their merit protects the entire Jewish people. | |
| Fathers | Every Jew inherits their spiritual characteristics. | |
| Their Service | Their main characteristics was the service of God in the three primary emotions, of Love, Fear and Torah. | |
| The power of Love Fear and Compassion | The three primary characteristics of Love and fear of God, together with compassion on others, gives the ability to overcome all challenges in Galus. | |
| Their Torah Study | They all studied and practiced Torah (though it was more on a spiritual level.) | |
| Avilus (Mourning) | ||
| Teffilin | We put on Teffilin. | |
| Lessons | We must observe and learn from the positive qualities of the person who has passed. | |
| When a Yom Tov breaks the Avilus, this is only the negative, but not positive aspects. | ||
| The Avel should do Teshuva and give extra charity. | ||
| One may learn Chassidus, as it increases Teshuvah. | ||
| We circle not the Bimah by Hashanois (and the source of this, Toras Menachem, Menachem Tzion vol 2 page 369.) | ||
| By lessening the mourning, we lessen the emotional pain on the deceased. | ||
| We minimize mourning on Yom Tov through saying L’ichaim. | ||
| It is good to have an Aliyah all the time (even at minchah – though there is no harm if not.) | ||
| There is the concept of now feeling fear for one’s own life, and thus doing Teshuva. | ||
| Gartel | ||
| Gartel. | Take the Gartel off before going into the bathroom. | |
| Alacrity | Wearing a Gartel assists with alacrity. | |
| Transforming | Wearing a Gartel transforms negative to positive. | |
| Separation higher/lower | The Gartel separates from the lower and higher part of man, in contrast to the Arabian wrapping of the head. | |
| Potential | The Rebbe said: If I had the opportunity (potential) I would institute a Gartel from the time of Bar-Mitzvah. | |
| Straight | In Yechidus the Rebbe explained why he doesn’t fold it (in half, as some do) because if you could make something straight, why go crooked. | |
| Precious Stones | ||
| When Moshiach comes they will be all over | Precious stones alludes to the secrets of Torah (Chassidus.) | |
| Gutnick | The fact they were found in a distant land (Australia) in order to increase in charity. |
| Avrohom | ||
| Merit | He merited to have Hashem appear to him as he made himself a Bris at the age of 99. | |
| Minyan | Even after his passing he was counted for a Minyan. | |
| Convictions | One of the things we learn from Avrohom is though the entire world didn’t have his belief… we have the capacity, through courage of convictions to change the world | |
| Mesirus Nefesh | He effected the world as he had Mesirus Nefesh. | |
| Inspirer | Avrohom descending into Egypt was a great and low descent, nevertheless it was purposeful, and he impacted the Egyptians, and the lesson is that we not only need not worry about the gentiles in exile, but we have the capacity to inspire them. | |
| Mesirus Nefesh | Avrohom has Mesirus Nefesh to teach about God. | |
| Arabs | He believed and knew he could beat the Yetzer Hara of an Egyptian, and he effected the Arabs – getting them to recognize God. | |
| Growth | Through his travels, he grew. | |
| Mission | Though he was so great, he never looked at his greatness, only his mission. | |
| Empowering | In a deeper level, having Eleizer swear was actually empowering him (to fulfil the mission.) | |
| Mila | The Mitzvah of Milah, combines the physical and the spiritual. | |
| Israel | Through paying 400 Shekel of silver, for the cave of Machpeila, every Jew has a part in Israel. | |
| Mitzvahs | From the fact that he wanted to hitch his donkey, for the Akeida, shows us, how for a Mitzvah we must be eager. | |
| Effort | The reason he paid for the Cave of Machpaila, though he could have gotten it for free is because every Mitzvah, must come with effort. | |
| Reality | He declared that the entire reality comes from the first prime cause. | |
| Progeny | The Mitteleh Rebbe said, that the sign of Avrohom’s love for God is that it continues in all his future descendants. | |
| Love! | Even his fear of God was done through love. | |
| Complete | One of the things about Avrohom was that every day was complete – meaning filled with Torah and Mitzvos. | |
| His Service | Avrohom represents serving God though love. | |
| Taught Torah | He and Sara taught Torah. | |
| Teaching | He drew Godliness even to Arabs. | |
| Teaching | His service was to bring G_d even to the lowest. | |
| Ushpizin | The first day of Sukkois is his Ushpizin. | |
| Main Mission | One of his main missions was the marriage of Eliezer and Rivka which represents the Avodah of Iskafiya (subjugating our instincts) and Ishapcha (transforming them.) | |
| Dedication | The fact that it says, his heart was one hundred percent with God, means his service surpassed even King David’s. | |
| The Lesson | Just as he not only gave physical but spiritual charity, so too, now in the times right before Moshiach we must. | |
| Matan Torah | The difference between him and Moshe – Avrohom was the preparation for Matan Torah, and Moshe was Matan Torah. | |
| His Self-Sacrifice | He didn’t seek the pleasure of self-sacrifice, only did it when it was part of the service. | |
| His Dedication | It says his heart (with two Beisis, representing both the Nefesh Eloikis and Bihamis) both served God. | |
| All God | He taught not that God is the God of the world, but the world is God. | |
| Legacy | His Divine qualities are passed to his children. | |
| Wealth | Though he was very wealthy, he never took any pleasure. | |
| Sara | Sara (as women are) was more connected to the physical, which is also why her prophecy was greater. | |
| Mesirus Nefesh | Avrohom’s Mesires Nefesh was greater than Rabbi Akivah, as he did not seek it – only was seeking to fulfil God’s will. | |
| Eitz Hadas | The first to fix the sin of the Eitz Hadas. | |
| Kindness | His kindness was infinite – it extended even to Arabs. | |
| Loved helping | He was pained when he couldn’t do favors. | |
| Growth | Each time Hashem spoke to him, it was as exciting as a new instruction which he fulfilled. | |
| Justifying (To God) | We can learn from Avrohom’s (way, that he tried to speak favorably about the people of Sedom) to always speak favorably about Jews. | |
| Passion | He converted his Yetzer Hara to become a Yetzer Toiv. | |
| Mesrus Nefesh Role Model | He opened the gateway, to us having Mesirus Nefesh. | |
| Fearless | When he was an emissary of Hashem, he did not consider any fears. | |
| Hachnasas Oirchim | His manner of Hachnasas Oirchim – serving guests was that his tent was open on all four sides and he also taught them Torah. | |
| Light | From Avrohom the world began to have light! | |
| Eagerness | What was so marvelous about his sacrifice for the Akeieda, was his eagerness. | |
| Complete Subservience | The main challenge of the Akeida was the fact that as by nature he was compassionate… | |
| Caring | Avrohom began the era of caring for others. | |
| Generosity | Avrohom was generous with his time, money, and effort! | |
| Emulate | We must all learn and try to emulate Avrohom’s behavior. | |
| Educator | Avrohom was chosen – as he would teach. | |
| Milah | The reason he performed not the Mitzvah of Milah previously (though he did all others) for he wished to have the reward for obeying. | |
| Inside… | His inside taught him Torah. | |
| Akeida | The Akeida was so difficult as it was not about sacrificing himself, but another. | |
| Obedience | Even his heel obeyed G-d. | |
| Nation/s | Avrohom is the father of nations, namely Jews and Arabs which is consistent with the idea that he taught everybody – Sara who was focused on teaching those who were worthy, fathered specifically the Jewish people. – currently Yishmoel was banished and through Yitzchok the legacy of Avrohom endures. | |
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