For Israel
----- Forwarded Message -----From: "Rabbi Yosef B. Friedman" <rabbifriedman@kehot.com>To: "mates57564@aol.com" <mates57564@aol.com>Sent: Thu, Oct 12, 2023 at 11:20 AMSubject: A Light In The Darkness
I S S U E 790
Parshat Bereishit \ October 12, 2023 \ 27 Tishrei, 5784
Dear Friend,
This Shabbos we will read the opening words of the Torah:
"In the beginning of G-d's creation of heaven and earth..."
The Torah commentator par excellence, Rashi, immediately sets the record straight, forever. He cites the midrash:
Said Rabbi Yitzchak: ...Why, does the Torah begin with "In the beginning of G‑d's creation of heaven and earth"?
Because He declared to His people the power of His works in order to give them the inheritance of the nations.
So that if the nations of the world say to Israel, "You are robbers, for having conquered the lands of the seven nations," they will say to them: "The entire world is G‑d's; He created it, and He grants it to whoever He desires. It was His will to give it to them, and it was His will to take it from them and give it to us."
During these days of unfathomable loss and anguish, yet astonishing in the bravery, resilience and unity of the Jewish people, we need to remind the world of our eternal ownership of the holy land.
From the moment G-d created the world, He intended that the Jewish people should inherit the land. The permanent acquisition of the land by the Jewish people, and its transformation into the holy land, is Divinely willed.
We should be proclaiming this truth to the world, unabashedly and persistently.
Please make use of our Chapters for Recitation downloads and add your prayers to the prayers of millions around the world. (For a booklet format)
May the Almighty grant our prayers, for a total and definitive victory.
* * *
A Chasidic insight on parshat Bereishit, selected from the Kehot Chumash edited by Rabbi Moshe Wisnefsky.
A Light In The Darkness
G-d said, "Let there be light," and there was light. (Gen. 1:3)
G-d seeks "partners" in His ongoing re-creation of the world. Thus,
whenever we take upon ourselves to begin some project intended
to promote holiness, goodness, and Divine consciousness in the
world, we should remember that we are G-d's emissaries in this
endeavor, acting on His behalf.
This being the case, our own "act of creation" must take its cue
from G-d's creation of the world. Just as the initial state of reality
seemed antithetical to Divine consciousness – void, chaotic, and
dark – so will there be challenges and obstacles to our own creative
projects. Nonetheless, just as light broke through and illuminated
the world on the first day of creation, paving the way for the rest of
the creative process to unfold, so too, when we resolve to see our
endeavors through to fruition, G-d will turn the tables, and light
and order will displace chaos and darkness.
Gut Shabbos,
Rabbi Yosef B. Friedman
Kehot Publication Society
Inspiring insights on the Torah Portion from the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Translated and adapted by Rabbi Moshe Wisnefsky, and produced by Chabad House Publications of California, Daily Wisdom summarizes each daily Torah reading and presents an original insight based on the Rebbe's teachings.
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