Parshas Toldos: The Voice of Yaakov and the Hands of Esav: Alshich, Mamdani, Kolyakov

Setting The Parsha Stage

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What connection does Zohan Mamdani the holy Al-Shoch and Rabbi Shimon Koliakov have in making an appearance in the same Parsha podcast?

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We shall soon find out, my friends. But we must start where all things begin, which is at the beginning.

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And that's with an overview of the Parsha that we are going to discuss this week. As Parsha has told us, Gizcha and Rivka, after years of childlessness and infertility, they have twins, Mazotov. Aesov and Yaakov. Hashem reveals that the younger Yaakov will surpass the elder Aesov. Aesov is a hunter. A ruddy fellow who sells his birthright to Yaakov, a great Torah scholar, for a bowl of red soup. Years later, Rivka helps Yaakov usurp the Brechos meant for Aesov from Father Yitzhak. And when the maneuver is discovered, Aesov becomes enraged, furious at his twin. And Yaakov, to escape the wrath of his brother, flees to Churon to find a wife. And to find a place to live where his life is not in danger. These two legendary twins, Yaakov and Aesov,

Twins In Conflict: Yaakov And Esav

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their story really begins with one cryptic word. Vayasrotsu. The rest of the Possak reads. This is the very beginning of this entire Parsha's narrative where Rivka feels funny sensations going on in her womb. Weird things are happening. Strange things are happening. Rashi sees the word and quotes a medrish. Al Karchuk against our will. These two central characters, since their very beginning, they're trying to get out of Rivka's womb, they couldn't be more different. Yaakov and Aesov literally only share one thing in common, and it's their last name. I don't even think they had a last name. Because in the shadow of their father's tent, these two brothers, one is fundamentally opposed. Cosmic fault lines have been split in the course of their destiny as Aesov emerged first, a creature of the wild, his skin ruddy, entirely covered in hair, raw, a primal force who lived by blade and bloodthirsty hunger, driven by the immediate visceral pleasure of the present moment. He was a warrior, stained by dust and blood, trying to claim dominion on top of the physical earth. But Yaakov, his brother, the younger twin, who I will add a short sidebar, younger twins always rule. Go team younger twin. I'm the younger twin of another boy. He is the older twin. I call him Aesov when I feel I need to put him in his place. But there's the younger twin whose name is Yaqov. Quieter.

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Well, I don't I don't know if he's quieter, but he's contemplative. He's a man who's straightforward. His strength lay not in his muscles, but in his persistent pursuit of truth. He is the voice of holiness. He is seeking the eternal promise, patiently weaving the threads of the future.

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As they start to act in their younger years, change can be seen from the start. One is growing up and becoming successful, studying hard, passing exams, the other hanging out on street corners late at night.

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The birthright.

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Aesov was entitled to a birthright which had many pros, double portion of inheritance, continuation of the briss of Avrum, but he willingly and carelessly and pathetically sold it for a simple meal.

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Because of his hatred of the divine.

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More interested in self-gratification and immediate gratification.

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The blessings Yaakov got with the help of his mother. And he became the primary patriarch when he received the blessings instead of Aesov. These twins couldn't be more different.

Birthright Sold And Blessings Shift

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One of them became a father of a great nation, an ancestor, to bad people, to the Edomites.

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Aesov, the father of Edom Al-Kain, Kara Shemo Edom, who is historically a cruel and antagonistic force toward the Israelites. Yaakov had his name changed because of his good decision making, even wrestled with the divine being of Asaf. And Yaqov eventually, after winning that battle, became the father of twelve tribes of Eretz Yisrael, of Bene Yisrael, and his children carry on the Abrahamic and Mosheic destiny. In essence, the story of Yaqob and Aesov is a narrative about choosing Ruknius or choosing Gashmius' spiritual potential over physical prowess, immediate gratification versus the patient and thought out and satisfying aromas and payment plans of Judaism. Their essences, these two different twins, it really can be boiled down to one pussock that says everything.

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As their father, compares and contrasts them. Seems like he's doing it really in passing.

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When Gitzluck asks his son Aesov to go and bring him some food so that he can bless him before he passes on. With the help of his mother, puts on the furry armed costume to help him masquerade from his father so that he can usurp the blessings. But Yitzhuk notices that Aesov is back really fast. Spoiler alert, it isn't Aesov. It's Yaakov stepping in. Yitzhuk's confused by the voice that he hears that sounds like Yaakov, but the hands which he felt, which were covered in goat skins to stimulate, simulate Aesov's hairiness, it felt like Aesov, and Yitzhuk utters the words that shake the world. And Yaakov approaches. A lot of words in the Torah for approaching, but Vayigash is a famous word for approaching that always connotes and denotes approaching with intention and approaching with something new and exciting, like Vayigash a love Yehuda, when Yehuda steps forward to talk in front of Yosef. But V'imu Sheu, the Pasa continues.

Voice Versus Hands: A Defining Line

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And Yitzhok felt him. The voice is the voice of Yaakov. Yet the hands are the hands of Aesov.

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He's uttering kind of what he's wondering about, about who is this character in front of him.

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Yitzhak is blind. Angels cried when he was on the table on the Mizbayach during the Akeida, which made him blind, or some of Aesov's poor habits and his hanging out with lowlives. It kind of led towards burning incense and smoking cigars and bad aromas in the house that actually ended up blinding his father, according to one opinion. But either way, Yitzhuk voices this discrepancy, this disparancy, this is the voice of Yaakov, but it's the hands of Aesov.

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Eventually, Yitzhuk says confirmed. He understands that this is Yaakov. He's fooled by Yaakov's move with Yaakov's wisdom. And eventually gives the Brachos to Yakov.

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The basel wants to know how come Yitzhuk trusted the sound of a voice. Why was that more of a giveaway than the hairy arms? Why did this trick work? Why didn't Yakov why didn't Yitzhuk think, oh, this is the hands? But maybe something's wrong with his voice today. Maybe he is has a sore throat. Or maybe he's talking differently because he's turned over a new leaf. Or maybe he just has a weird tenor or pitch today because of some I don't know, he woke up on the wrong side. But either way, that's not today's conversation. What is today's conversation is to pull this apart and understand that Yaakov, his voice was recognizable. And Aesov's arms, his hands, they were recognizable. What is the cole Yaakov? What is the voice of Jacob? Rashi says, it isn't just how he spoke, the tenor or the pitch of his voice, but Shemedamber Balashan Takanunim Kumna Aval Aesov kinturia daber yokum of it's the way that they talked was different. Yaakov says, Father, arise, I pray thee. Please get up. Let me help you. He talks nice. But Aesov says, get up, dad. He speaks in a harsh strain. That's what defines Yaakov with the Kol Yakov. But the Dasakanim says that's not what Kol Yaakov is necessarily defined as. The Dasakanim, the famous Torah commentary compiled by the writings of the great Bali Tosfos, the French and German Tosfus of the 12th and 13th century. Hayodaiim lay sub, the hands are to Aesov. Not that there are the hands of Aesov, but the Yodaiim, the Yodaiim are yede a sub, ha yadaim laes of Sha'in by Kayakh Elabi Yodaim. He can only hurt us with his hands. Aesov, the father of the Gentile nations, the father of our antagonists, the dark side of the moon, the evil side. They don't have

Prayer As Long‑Range Power

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a way of hurting us. Ellabiodaim. They can only use their hands to hurt Lahazik. Mikarov. And they can only hurt us up close in battle because they can only use their hands. Avol, Hakol, Liakov. What does it mean? The voice is to Jacob. Batfila. In prayer. It is efficacious even from long distances. Long-range missiles from the esophagus of a Jew is what prayer is. A kol kol Yakov is a reference to the voice of Yaakov, is the prayer.

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That's what Kol Yakov means.

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Mejas Rabba 6520 elaborates on this concept. Ak kol kolyakov, ain Yakov, Sholot, Elibikolo, we only win with our voice. A kol kol Yakov Adaimede Aesov, Ain Aesub Shall Elibiodim the Vrach Akol Kol Yakov. Every time that the Jews are engaged in their voice. He's looking for a way to go and attack them, the Medger says. And he asks his people if you want to know if you're going to win, go and see if they're engaging in their voices. Go and see if the children are learning Torah and if they're dovening out loud. You can't fight them, you can't beat the Jewish people if they're properly using their coil because I call colour Yaakov and that trumps the Yede Aesov, and Yede Aesov is a failure if the Jews properly follow their voice and use and make the most of prayer. The timeless difference between Yaakov and Aesov.

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Physicalness versus Ruchinus, which here we see is that our way forward, if you're part of the Kol Yaakov team, is prayer. The voice of Jacob is the power of prayer, spiritual pursuits.

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The hands of Aesob represent power, military, my physical force, worldly actions in what we see here. Is a reiteration of one of the most fundamental aspects of Judaism that stands in the central, in the very center of the world. It's the eye of the hurricane if the winds swirling around it are all of Judaism, the very middle of it. It's Dovar Sha'imbi Rumah Shalam is prayer. Prayer, my friends, is the clarion call of the Jewish people, and the Kol Yaakov is the way that you're going to solve your problems. Prayer, a kol kolyakov is the voice of victory in the face of fear. It is prayer that's there. Whether it's long-range attacks or short-range missiles, Kol Kol Yakov is what Hashem gave and what Yitzhak defined to be the remedy, the cure for the Jewish struggle.

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For anything that comes your way. You call out to God. I'm not involved in politics, but people do talk politics. I have enough politics in my life in other places.

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Even somebody taking my

Contemporary Fears And Spiritual Response

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seat at Scholl is enough politics for me. But people are afraid of a man named Zoran Kwame Mamdani, an American politician who was the mayor-elect of New York City or member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America. He served as the member of the New York State Assembly for the 36th district since 2021, representing the Queen's neighborhood of Astoria. And people are afraid of him because as he's becoming more and more powerful, he's very pro-Palestinian, very anti-Jew, very anti-a lot of happy and just Jewish concepts. He wants to run a large city in America in a way that makes life very tough and very frightening for the Orthodox Torah Jew. Maybe we'll even say that he is Yodayimide Aesov. He's something that we fear and something that's close and something that could hurt us. But we have here an answer, a way to sidestep and totally find peace and not care about Zorhan Mamdani. And anything he wants to do, if you use your voice because you have Kol Kol Ya'akov, then we don't worry about the Ha Yodaim Yide Aesov, is what the Dasta Kingdom of the Bali Tysva said. You don't need to worry and stay late, awake at night, tossing and turning about what's going to be with the future of the Jewish people on the East Coast and in New York City, because a kol kol Yaakov, if you pray, you have nothing to be concerned about. Our answer is, was, and always will be Kol Yaakov calling out to Hashem in prayer.

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If you need help to remember this. In times of struggle, in times of uncertainty and doubt, just recall one of the likely names you've heard before. Recall the name Rabbi Shimon or Rabbi Ruben Kolyakov.

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The co-founders of TorahanyTime.com, a large online Torah library of videos and podcasts and Shiurim and Jewish history. Check it out. It's a great website to learn Torah. But those individuals who founded it, their name was Rabbi Kolyakov. Not sure if their brothers are twins. That'd be cool if they were twins. But Rabbi Kolyakov, remember that name because hear that last name. Now I can't get out of my head. Their name is Kolyakov. Their name is Ayodaim Yude Aesub. No, Hakol Kolyakov is their name. Kolyakov. Remember that. When you feel unsure or in pain or you need something, remember the only way is to Torah anytime your way is to Rabbi Kolyakov, it is to remember Hakol Kolyakov. What does that

Many Modes Of Prayer Explained

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mean? Pray. Go back. Pray again. That's the answer. Am I not praying well enough? Let me give more energy and more thought, more concentration to my prayer. Let me wash before prayer. Let me davin with 10 men. Let me dress properly for prayer and let me give my heart to Hashem in prayer.

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It's not just a free-for-all. The cole Yaakov has many facets.

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Prayer is our topic today, and there are many different words and types of prayer. The spiritual world is real. You know that. The same way there are highways that go in different directions, and the Kabbalah represents the code that runs the spiritual world. We don't care very much about the code at this point in our lives. We care more about the hardware and what we're actually feeling on the keyboard, not as much about the coding inside the computer. But it's not a big wash. It's not a big buffet. The Koliakov Dvarim Rabba says you can pray with tefila, you can pray with shaava, you can take a different highway and use a tzaka, you can sometimes pray with a ni'aka, a rina, a pagia, a beetzor, a kriya, a nipple, a bilul, a tahanunim. Different types of kolyakov. Hashem created for us to use at different times. One should be aware of these different times to use different koles. They're your weapons. They're your armor. They're your shields. All explaining the different forms and modes of prayer. Different kolyakovs to employ at different times based on the scenario. And I'd like to get down and dirty and get even more clear and granulal here. There are different times also that govern different styles of prayer of Kolyakov. Shakris is different than Mincha. In the spiritual world, there's an entire office building of Mariv that's different from the office building of Mincha. Shahris is all about Tfila, not about asking, but recognizing about self-understanding and discerning and essential meaning of self-judgment. And reverse talks about it's it's the process of infusing your mind in heart and waking in the morning and understanding that you can advance Hashem's will. So you start with the Psukida Zimra and remind yourself of Hashem's glory, and you ask for some things and you go. There's a whole plan and there's an organized way about how to go about chakras. Mahrav is totally different. The Kol Koliakov at nighttime is much more of a Midas Haddin, is much more of a gratitude of the day, is much more of a knowledge of the spiritual danger of the uncertainty of the

Shacharis, Mincha, Maariv Compared

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initial stages of night and the body losing its soul going back up to heaven. We dive in the function to uplift and refine the body to be more attuned to the spirit so that we can enjoy the quiet time of night. It's an entirely different office building in Ruknias than Chakras. But Mincha is where I want to say a kiddish that I heard last week to try to give you something to take away in your prayer specifically. We're going to talk about the Kolyakov of Mincha. Mincha is a very hard time to focus, I have discovered. When you are in the middle of cold calling people about why they should list their house with you, and then the Mincha, the Ashray, begins in the conference room. You need to throw your hat and jacket on and run over, but the head is still galloping at a million miles an hour, thinking about anything but Baruch Atohashem, elokenuvelo keavo seinu. We don't have a Psuke de Zimra at Mincha as a run-up to help us focus. We don't have Bircha's Kriyashima before the Hasmona Esray during Mincha to help us come to ourselves and focus properly. We don't seem ready to jump into this intimate and immediate conversation with Hashem. At times you can diven in at home. Sometimes you're stuck divening at a wedding, at a baseball game, during the seventh inning stretch, at your home office, wherever you are, in the office.

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But remember this.

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When Yitzgok installed Mincha last week when he went out to pray, the word is Vayitza, Yitzhak Lasuach Basodah. Yitzgok went out, Lasuach Basodah, Rashi, my apologies, the Gamor and Brachos, Chavov, Yitzchok tikain tfilas mincha, Shinema Vayetzah Yitzchok, La Suach Basoda, Lifnos Era, V ein Sikha, Ella Tfilah, when he went out to be Sihach, Sika in the field. That means that he went out to dive in mincha and install mincha forever in the Jewish person's daily schedule. But it's interesting that the word here from Mincha is Sikha. The Mincha prayer is supposed to be not a tefilah or a pisor, bizor,

The Secret Of Mincha: Sicha

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or amida, or pigi'ah, but a sicha. And the Al-Shach commenting on this word Sihah in 102.1, I heard this from Rabbi Lezevnik, the chief rabbi of Presidential Estates community, he pointed out that the Alshekh on the Pasak, Tefila Laoniki, Yato, Filifne Hashem, Yishpay Xihi. This is a prayer of the Pop, or somebody should. What does he do? Somebody who's brokenhearted, he should wrap himself. Yaatovneashem in front of God, Yishpaiksihi, pour out his word, says the ma the Alshek, the holy 16th century superstar sage. The author of the Taurus Moshe. What does that mean? Means to pour sikhi your words. It connotes a pouring out of your struggles. What's bothering you? Tell someone about it. Daiga Balev ish yastichenu. Shlomo amelech in Proverbs and Mishlay says, if you have struggles in life, tell someone, voice them.

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That's Mishlay, Yudbei's Chaf He. Here you're supposed to voice your problems to God during Mincha.

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Our Masur is that in the middle of the day when your heart is racing and there's a lot of things going on in Mincha's hard to focus on. Take all that you are struggling with and tell God it. Tell God, I'm having trouble focusing right now. I'm trying to pray, but Hashem, why is this guy not calling me back? Why is the copy machine keep jamming?

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Why won't my Talmudim listen to me?

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Why does my leg keep cramping? Why is there no coffee left in the coffee dispenser? Why doesn't anybody refill the cups when they're done with it? Why do people leave empty tissue boxes around? Tell Hashem what's bothering you. You're supposed to stop in the middle of your day and say, ta-ta-ta, this is what's going on in my life. You don't need a run-up to be able to do that. Mincha, you jump right in, you dive in, and tell God everyone is looking for somebody to listen to them. And someone who listens to you helps you to conceptualize and make concrete what's bothering you, and it makes it feel much smaller. Pour out your heart to the one who listens, the one, the only one who always listens.

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He listens wholeheartedly,

How To Pour Your Heart Out

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entirely, focusedly.

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Tell God, pour your heart out to him about what's going on in your day. Yassi Chenu. Do Siha. That's how you do Mincha. I asked Absimcha Bunim Cohen, the great Rav of Lakewood, the Halachic expert, par excellence. I asked him, when does a person pour his heart out during Mincha? He said, You could talk to Hashem always. You should talk to him while you're walking in the streets. I said, Rebbe, Rebbe, I want to know about Mincha for the upcoming podcast. When people should actually stop and say, Hashem, this is happening and this is happening, and this and the other thing. He said, after Yehila Ratson Refi, but before Elakinitsar at the end of your Shmonasra. You try to focus on all the blessings, and everything that's happening in the day can be part of your thoughts while you're praying for it during Shemakulenu. You can put in, hear my voice that please fix the copy machine. You can't utter it during Shemona Asra. You can think it to Hashem. Hashem knows your thoughts also. You can think to Hashem during Rifa Ainu that please heal my stubbed toe. But at the end of Davening after the healer's own, before Elakinitzar, you stop there and you say, Dad, this is what's happening. I'm sorry I'm so scatterbrained. I'm trying. But can you please make the deal go through? You don't even need to dab for the sake of getting answered, but we're talking about healing and tolerating. And that is done by speaking out problems, and you should speak them out to God.

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You should use your sicha in this one unique way of the many aspects of the Kol Yaakov that we have. We are to unify our hearts in prayer. That's our power.

Practical Mincha Guidance And Focus

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Since the very beginning of the Vajitzrotzitsu Abonabikirba, when there became two nations, two totally diametrically opposed paths, one of physicality and one of Ruchnias. Yitzhuk defined them when they walked in to receive the blessings, as one wins with his voice and one wins with his hands. One lives and breathes prayer. One's cure is prayer. And the other he can only win with physicality. If there's anything that you fear, if there's any ace of in your life, it's prayer, it's the Kolyakov that will solve it.

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Pour out your heart during Mincha. Let us work on our prayer.

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And of course, we haven't even touched on the aspect of prayer of Mesachta Brachos, D'Avovamadbeys, where Eliyahu was answered only because of his Tfilas Mincha and the unique way that Mincha helps you to receive from Hashem what you want. But that's not our point today. Our point today is that when you come clean to God, you tell him about what's going on in your life. God always listens. Always. He may be the only one that actually fully listens.

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So give mincha a try. Give mincha a try with energy.

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And know that no matter what comes up, what politician, what weapons, what pain, which disease, which destruction comes up in your life, no matter

Final Call: Choose Prayer Over Power

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which your dayim yod it is, we always have the same answer and the same cure. And it's our prayer, it's our voice, it's a kol kol Yaakov.