5781 Meaning of Dots ויפל על צוארו וישקהו ויבכו (לג,ד) The Rav said the following vort from his father. Rashi explains why there are נקודות on the word וישקהו. The first opinion is שלא נשקו בכל לבו. The second opinion of רשב"י is הלכה היא בידוע שעשו שונא ליעקב, אלא שנכמרו רחמיו באותה שעה ונשקו בכל לבו. The first explanation is according to the general rule that the נקודות are coming to minimize the meaning of the word that they are on....
5781 You are where your mind is The Pasuk in the end of the Parshah says ויעקב הלך לדרכו ויפגעו בו מלאכי אלוקים. Rashi, quoting the Tanchuma, writes מלאכים של ארץ ישראל באו לקראתו ללוותו לארץ. This would seem to indicate that the Malachim went outside of Eretz Yisrael because Yaakov had not yet entered into Eretz Yisrael and the Malachim were already coming to greet him to escort him into Eretz Yisrael....
5781 Greatness of the צדיק בן צדיק The Parshah begins ואלה תולדת יצחק בן אברהם אברהם הוליד את יצחק. As far as the meaning of the word תולדות, there are two opinions in the Rishonim. The Ramban, Ibn Ezra, and Sforno in the beginning of Parshas Noach explain that תולדות mean the “life story of”, and in that context is of Noach and doesn’t necessarily mean children. They support this because the Pasuk in Noach opens up with אלה תולדות נח and doesn’t speak about his children rather it continues נח איש צדיק תמים היה וכו' and only in the next Pasuk does it then list his children....
Videos Thursday Night Parsha Shiur 5781...
5781 Haftorah The Haftorah discusses the interaction of Elisha with the wife of Ovadiah and then with the אשה השונמית. The Avudraham and the Levush explain the reason why this Haftorah was chosen for Parshas Vayera is because the second story is about אשה השונמית who had no children and was promised by Elisha that she would have a child. This is מענין הפרשה of Yitzchaks birth which says כעת חיה ולשרה בן and Rashi there explains this is the same expression Elisha uses when promising the אשה השונמית a child....