Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

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בלה תובשחמ
world that the Talmud (Megillah 9b) tells us that the Torah was only permitted to
be written in one language besides Hebrew, the beautiful language of Greek. But
what do we know about physicality? That when it’s not controlled, it gets out of
control, and it eats us up, and we have no power to say no. So Noach knew that
Yafet had the trait of beauty, and he said you and your family will dwell in Ohalei
Shem, the tents of Shem.
Shem established a yeshiva for learning about God. When you take raw physicality
and you place it in a tent of loving warmth, an atmosphere of kedusha and Torah,
then the beauty becomes tempered, the beauty becomes balanced with sensibility
and control. True beauty is balance.
Rashi (23:1) says that Sarah’s beauty was like that of a seven year old. Why is a seven
year old considered the model of beauty? Because a seven year old is transparent.
A seven year old says what’s on her mind. And if what’s on Sarah Imenu’s mind
is, “Everyone in the world deserves the upmost respect, and everything in this
world is a gift from Hashem,” then when people interact with Sarah, they will see
a woman who treats everyone with respect and relates everything to Hashem.
Rachel and Leah Imenu were beautiful like Yerushalayim. This means that they
had a balance of the spiritual and the physical. They could be the most gorgeous
people in the world, but they had mastered the midot of humility and modesty.
They were given so much money and so many servants and flocks, but they had
mastered the midot of tzedakah and hachnasat orchim.
The beauty of Rachel that Yakov Avinu fell in love with, was the refinement of her
characteristics, her midot, her inner beauty. Why did Yakov need a woman like
this? Because Yakov Avinu experienced the sulam, the ladder, which we all know
was set firm in the ground yet reached so high in Shamayim, in the heavens.
When everything we do in this world is connected to Hashem and kedushat
ha-Torah, the holiness of Torah, then we’re creating a relationship of us sending
angels to Hashem and Hashem sending angels back down to us, creating a loving
and giving relationship which is balanced.
May our neshamos be zocheh to reach the level of true beauty of Rachel and Leah,
Rivka, and Sarah Imenu. And may we strive to build and see a complete and
beautiful Yerushalayim ir ha-kodesh, bimheira biyameinu. Amen.