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PARSHA TOLDOT
(All rights reserved to Keren Yishai)
Parashat Toldot “Beholding the scent” Rav M. Elon Within
the section of the Torah that deals with the blessing that Yitzchak bestows
upon Ya’akov, a section that always demands further study, we will focus on one
of the verses that is often overlooked in the greater context of the exalted
events described in this parasha. This
is the verse that describes how Yitzchak smells Ya’akov’s
clothes, (or possibly something else,) and then announces: “Behold! The scent of
my son is as the scent of a field that God has blessed.” (Bereshit 27:27) What
is the nature of this scent? How does
one ‘behold scent?’ (The verse states “Re’eh rei’ach b’ni”
– literally, “Behold my son’s scent!”) We
will seek to clarify these concepts, yet first let us examine the events as they
unravel. As
we know, Yitzchak desires to bless his son, Esav,
prior to his death. Yitzchak
requests that Esav entrap prey, the purpose of such
an act being as Yitzchak explains: “In order that my soul shall
bless you before I die.” (ibid. v. 4) Rivkah hears Yitzchak’s orders to his son,
and she commands their second son, Ya’akov, to come before his father in his
brother’s stead, reasoning: “That he (Yitzchak) may bless you
before his death.” (ibid. v. 10) In
order to conceal his identity Rivkah places goat
skins on his arms and around his neck, [as the verse testifies: “And she put the
skins of the goat kids upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck,” (ibid.
v. 16.)] Then
Ya’akov stands before his father, Yitzchak, and declares: “I am Esav
your firstborn; I have done as you told me; please arise, sit, and eat of the game
that I trapped, that your soul may bless me.” (ibid. v. 19) Yitzchak
suspects that something is amiss, and therefore he requests: “And Yitzchak said to Ya’akov, ‘Come
near, I beg you, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esav or not.’” (ibid. v. 21) [Many
questions arise from this parasha of the Yitzchak’s blessings to his son. The entire cunning with which Ya’akov, the
“simple man, dweller of tents” deceives, so to speak, his father and brother;
and even Yitzchak’s desire to bestow the blessing on Esav,
are unclear. Cf. the shi’urim
on this parasha over the previous years.] Ya’akov
does as his father requests: “And Ya’akov approached Yitzchak, his father; and he felt him…” (ibid. v. 22) Yitzchak
then expresses his doubts in one succinct sentence: “And he said, ‘The voice is Ya'akov’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esav.’” (ibid.) The
verse clarifies the distortion of the identities: “And he did not recognize,
because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esav's
hands; thus he blessed him.” (ibid. v. 23) And
still Yitzchak expresses uncertainty as to the identity of the person before
him: “And he said, ‘Are you really my
son Esav?’ And he said, ‘I am.’ And he said, ‘Bring it near to me, and
I will eat the game that my son trapped, in order that my soul may bless you.’
And he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he
drank.” (ibid. v.
24,25) Now
we witness a rather peculiar request: “And his father Yitzhak said to him, ‘Please come near and kiss
me, my son…’” (ibid.
v. 26) Kisses
appear often in the Tanakh, however here is a unique
request that we must understand.
Yitzchak asks Ya’akov to kiss him.
What is the nature of this kiss?
Is it merely affection? Was
Yitzchak attempting to uncover or discover something through this kiss? We must establish what exactly this is about. In
any event, Ya’akov does as his father desires: “And he came near, and kissed him” (ibid. v. 27) Yet
then the verses describe the following: “And he smelled the scent of his garment, and he blessed him,
and he said, ‘Behold, the scent of my son is like the scent of a field which
God has blessed.’” (ibid.) The
verse contains a unique turn of language – “Behold, the scent of my son.” How does one ‘behold scent?’ Who does this statement refer to, and to whom is it directed?
The earlier commentators all sense these difficulties. Rashi raises a fundamental point as to the peshat – the literal meaning – of the vese,
when he states: “‘And he smelled’ – and is there
any odor worse than that of goat hides?” (Rashi, ibid.) Yitzchak
has Ya’akov in his close proximity, and he smells him. Ya’akov has goats’ skins
on his arms and his neck in order to conceal his identity, and therefore Rashi
asks – “Do not goats’ skins spell especially bad?” What, then, is Ya’akov’s
great animation with his son’s scent? Rashi
answers: “Rather it indicates that the
scent of the Garden of Eden was together with him.” (ibid.) This
is still very unclear. What is this
“scent of the Garden of Eden?” Rashi
answers when commentating on the remainder of the verse: “‘Like the scent of a field
which God has blessed’ – for it gave him a pleasant odor, and this is a field
of apple trees, according to our Sages’ exposition.” (ibid.) Prior
to establishing the nature of scent in general, and in
particular the scent of the Garden of Eden, we will note the following: The
most dominant of the five senses among our Forefathers is that of sight. Ya’akov sees the ladder with its feet firmly
on the ground that reaches the heavens.
Avraham raises his eyes and sees the Many
of the commentators were aware of this issue, attempting to explain these
verses. The Sforno
explains as follows: “‘Behold, the scent of my son’ –
Now my son has seen and understood that this is the scent; ‘is like the scent of a field’ –
aside from the reality that provides him with food from an animal, He has
supplemented it with the benefit of odor which offers pleasure and benefits the
living spirit and the soul, and this occurs due to His good ways, ‘which God has
blessed him.’ (Sforno, Bereshit 27:27) The
explanation of this is as follows: When Yitzchak calls to his son, Ya’akov,
“Behold,” he means to tell him to comprehend and to understand. Man is created by God, Who grants him His kindness,
supplementing that which nourishes him as food with an odor. Yitzchak’s aim in teaching Ya’akov (whom he
perceives to be Esav) this ‘lesson’ is that one must
recognize, and be grateful for, all the good that God does for man. Yonatan ben Uzi’el also addresses the lack of clarity in these verses,
commenting: “And he approached and kissed
him, and he smelled the scent of his clothes, and he blessed him, and he said:
‘Behold, the scent of my son is like the scent of the fragranced K’toret (incense) that is to be offered in the (Yonatan
ben Uzi’el, ibid.) Yitzchak
knows the scent of Har ha’Moriyah
only too well, for it was there that he was bound on
the altar by his father. He knows the
nature and fragrances of a sacrifice, and it is that familiar scent of the
sacrifice and the fragrance of the K’toret (in the
deeper sense of the concept) that he recognizes in his son. The
Midrash Rabah, too, sought to clarify the issues we
have raised, and in so doing adds an important aspect to our understanding of
these verses. The
Midrash Rabah states: “Another explanation: This
indicates that God showed him the (Bereshit Rabah 65:23) Yitzchak,
who’s eyes were losing their sight, had a prophetic vision of the “Behold, the scent (‘rei’ach’) of my son’ – Behold it is constructed, as the
verse states: ‘My appeasing scent (‘rei’ach nichochi’) you shall observe,’ (Bamidbar
28:2.)” (ibid.) “The
scent of my son,” therefore, hints at the fragrance that will arise from the “‘Like the scent of a field’ –
Behold it is destroyed, as the verse states: ‘ (ibid.) And
then Yitzchak sees the “‘Which God has blessed’ – built
and sophisticated for the future, as the verse states: ‘For there God has commanded the blessing,
life for evermore,’ (Tehillim 133:3) (ibid.) In
other words, Yitzchak desires that Ya’akov perceive the prophetic vision, just
as his father showed him the prophetic vision of Har ha’Moriya. This
prophetic vision relates to the heart of Am Yisrael – the Either
way, according to the various commentators, “Behold the scent of my son”
signifies a deep perception, far beyond the simple sense of sight that one
employs when exclaiming to his fellow: “Look! Over there!” This perception is the deep, internal sensing
of other dimensions, dimensions that cannot be sensed through normal sensory
perception. Thus
far we have discussed the words of the verse: “Behold the scent of my son.” The
first section of the verse also carries great import for our topic of
discussion. Regarding
the words “and he smelled the scent of his clothes” our Sages expounded: “Do not read it as ‘his clothes’
– ‘b’gadav,’ rather (read it) ‘his traitors’ – ‘bogdav.’” (Sanhedrin 37a) This
exposition was stated in direct relation to the following: “‘Your forehead is as a slice of
pomegranate,’ (Shir ha’Shirim
4:3) – even your empty spaces are filled with mitzvot as a pomegranate (is
filled with seeds.)” (ibid.) Both
these statements signify Am Yisrael’s special place
among the nations owing to its special nature, even if its deeds are lacking or
corrupt. The Gemara
then moves on to record an incident with Rabi Zeira,
who had a band of thugs as his neighbors. Rabi Zeira would
try and bring these thugs-criminals closer to the religion and its values,
while the other Sages did not approve of his attempts – something which
illustrates how wicked and immoral these gangsters were . [It
is apparent that caring for those distant from Judaism, and attempting to help
them correct their deviant ways, is a concern of all the other Sages too, yet
if in this case they were critical of Rabi Zeira in
his attempts to try and help the thugs rectify their ways, then these thugs
must have been extremely evil, amoral individuals.] In
any event, the Gemara testifies that the purpose of the pleasantness with which
Rabi Zeira would act towards these thugs was in order
to assist them to repent of their wicked ways.
Yet what Rabi Zeira was unable to accomplish
during his lifetime, he was able to accomplish with his death. After Rabi Zeira
passes away, those thugs – who until then had seemed to be impervious to all of
Rabi Zeira’s actions – undergo an intense spiritual
awakening. The
Gemara records them as stating: “Until now, the singed one with
short thighs (Rabi Zeira) would pray for us, now
(that he has died) who will pray for us?” (ibid.) The
Gemara then conludes: “They took it to heart, and they
repented.” (ibid.) “The
singed one with short thighs” is the nickname that set on Rabi Zeira. Rabi Zeira was the sage who took many fasts upon himself in
order to forget the Torah of the Diaspora after he moved to Eretz Ysra’el. Out of
concern that he may still have retained some of the Torah of the Diaspora, he
entered a furnace and was slightly singed, slightly burned, and therefore he
was called “the singed one.” He was
called “the singed one with short thighs” owing to his short physique. Rabi
Zeira taught us that one must seek the internal scent
of the traitors, even those whom the other Sages have despaired of, and even if
he does not succeed in his entire life to bring them to repent of their evil
ways, for the power of his spiritual activity continues even after his death. This
is the scent, then, the internal, concealed power, that lacks all external garb, yet possesses the greatest internal substance. We
find the concept of scent in relation to another, unique, personality – the
Messiah of Yisrael as prophesied by Yeshayahu in the
following words: “And a rod will come forth
from the stem of Yishai, and a branch shall grow from his roots; and the spirit
of God will rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit
of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of God.” (Yeshayahu 11:1,2) And his characteristic feature will be: “And his sense of smell will be in the fear God; and he
shall not judge by what his eyes see, nor decide by what his ears hear.” (ibid. v. 3) The question that begs asking is – how is it possible for a judge to
pass judgment without seeing or hearing?
Certainly any ruling is based upon these two activities? It thus appears that the Mashi’ach
will “smell” and then pass judgment. We
judge via the use of our sight and hearing.
We also are not expected to make use of any other means, yet well before
the days of the Mashi’ach arrive, when the Beit Din is unable to offer a guilty verdict, and it thus
rules that a defendant is acquitted by rule of man’s legal system, while he may
remain guilty by the laws of Heaven.
This means that we, in our earthly courts, do not have the power to
judge this person, yet it is certainly within another, more heavenly court’s
capabilities to judge this person. If
people would only understand the nature of the verdict in this manner – they
would certainly tremble at the thought of their case rising before the heavenly
court. In any event, the Mashi’ach possesses a unique
quality. He has the ability of judging
one by the internal reality, and not solely by that which can be seen in plain
sight. He, the Mashi’ach,
smells the fear of God in those who speak to him. And then: “But he will judge the poor with justice, and will decide with
equity for the humble of the earth; and he will strike the earth with the rod
of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. And justice will be the girdle of his loins,
and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.” (ibid. v. 4,5) When such a manifestation of internal understanding, of deep perception
exists, then any conflict and hatred in the world becomes voided to it: “The wolf also will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie
down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fattened ox
together; and a little child will lead them.
And the cow and the bear will feed; their young ones will lie down together;
and the lion will eat straw like cattle.
And the sucking child will play on the hole of the cobra, and the weaned
child will put his hand in the viper's nest.” (ibid. v. 6-8) All these are expressions of the manifestation of the internal nature of
the world, resulting from the filling of the earth with the knowledge of God. “They will not hurt nor
destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall
be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (ibid. v. 9) Let us return to Yitzchak, and that scent of
clothes-traitors that he sensed. In Bereshit Rabah
two stories are recorded that boldly describe the scent of the Garden of Eden
that is concealed among traitors, that sometimes bursts forth in a most
powerful manner. First
let us offer an introduction to the incidents we are about study, which
occurred as the hand of Romans become stronger and more oppressive against the
Jews. In those days, there was also an
incidence of our own brethren who collaborated with the Roman oppressors. The
Midrash tells us of two individuals who had the constant stench of treachery exuding
from them – until a specific moment. The
first was Yosef Meshita, (recorded elsewhere as
‘Yosef ha’Mesit’ – ‘Yosef the inciter,’) and the
second is Yekum, a man of Tzerurot,
(literally ‘small pebbles,’ i.e. from a locale named “Tzerurot.”) The
Midrash states as follows: “Another explanation, ‘And he
smelled the scent of his garments, and he blessed him’ for example Yosef Meshita and Yekum, a man of Tzerurot.” (Bereshit Rabah, 65:22) The
Midrash then elaborates on each of these individuals independently: “Yosef Meshita:
when the enemies desired to enter the (ibid.) The
Romans desired to enter the The
Romans thus make their collaborator a very generous offer: “They said to him: ‘Go up, and
whatever you take out – is yours.’” (ibid.) Whatever
he would take out from the And
indeed: “He entered, and took out a gold Menora.” (ibid.) However,
the item that he had chosen to be his prize did not find favor in the eyes in
the Romans: “They said to him: ‘It is not
customary for a simpleton to use this, go in again, and whatever you bring out
– is yours.’” (ibid.) However
this time he refused, as the Midrash testifies: “But he did not accept this.” (ibid.) They
then make him an even more attractive offer: “Rabi Pinchas said: ‘They
offered him the proceeds of three years’ taxation, yet still he did not accept
it.’” (ibid.) The
Romans, who had meticulously planned how they would tax the land – already
promised him a fair share of all the proceeds that would fall into their hands. Yet
he answers them: “He said: ‘Is
it not enough that I have angered my God once, that now I must anger Him a
second time?’” (ibid.) That
Jew who was accompanying the Roman troopers, who at first coveted the gold Menora and the various ‘financial opportunities’ that it
afforded him – experiences an internal earthquake. Something deep inside of his identity is
resurrected, and he refuses to anger his God a second time. The
Roman tyrant – who knows how to employ the iron fist and the chains of evil
against those who dare refuse him – must now deal with this Jew. “What did they do to him? They placed him on a wood-mason’s donkey and
they would saw him.” (ibid.) In
other words, they began with the most terrific forms of torture. How did he react? “He screamed and said: ‘Oh! Woe!
Woe (to me) that I angered my Creator!’” (ibid.) That
is one story. The
second story tells of another traitor, Yekum man of Tzerurot is his name.
His father was Yose ben
Yo’ezer’s brother, who was the Nasi
(“Prince” – political leader) of the Sanhedrin.
When his uncle (Yose ben
Yo’ezer) was executed on a Shabbat, Yekum would ride on his horse, in supervision of the
execution process. And then, when they
stood opposite the site of the execution, Yekum, in a
state of complete frenzy turns to his uncle and says: “Look at the horse that
my master (the Romans) has set me upon, and look at the ‘horse’ that your
master (God) has set you on!” [The
Midrash recounts this as follows: “And Yekum, man of Tzerurot was the son of the sister of Rabi Yose ben Yo’ezer
of Tzreda, and he was riding a horse on Shabbat. He went before him to the execution platform,
and he said to him: ‘Look at my horse that my master has given me to ride, and
look at your horse that your master has given you to ride.’”] Then
Rabi Yose ben Yo’ezer responds: “He said to him: ‘If this is as
(He acts) to those who anger Him – how much more so to those who fulfill His
will.’” Yekum then retorts with a rhetorical
question: “He said to him: ‘Is there any man who performed His will
more than you?’” In
other words, regardless of whether what you believe is true or not, take a look at your sorry predicament… Then
his uncle responded with a crushing argument: “He said to him: ‘And if this (is as He acts) to those who perform His will –
how much more so to those who anger Him!’” (ibid.) This
argument precipitates a great internal earthquake: “This response entered him like the poison of a snake.” (ibid.) The
upheaval is so great, that Yekum requests atonement
for himself. “He went and affected the four
(categories of) death penalty meted out by Beit Din:
stoning, burning, decapitation, and strangulation. What did he do? He took a board (of timber,) dug it into the
ground, and tied a cord to it. He set
out branches, encircled them with a hedge of stones, and he made a fire in front
of the hedge, and he thrust the sword in the middle, (of the stones.) He lit the fire under the branches
(which were) beneath the stones, and hung himself on the board and was
asphyxiated, the fire reached him first (prior to his death,) the cord was
broken, and he fell into the fire, first meeting the sword, (as a
result) the hedge (then) fell on him, and he was burnt (to death.)” (ibid.) The
Midrash then concludes: “Rabi Yose
ben Yo’ezer of Tzreda dozed a bit, and he saw his bed floating in the
air. He said: ‘By one small moment this
one preceded me to heaven.’” (ibid.) That
traitor, who just moments before taunted and demeaned his saintly uncle – rises
resurrected, that deep inner point is awakened, forcing him to seek repentance
and atonement, until he merits entry into heaven, even preceding his uncle. This
is the nature of scent. The sense of
smell has the ability to discern that which the senses of sight, hearing, and
certainly sensation are incapable of sensing.
Scent is that presence that is concealed and hidden from the eye’s
view. When Ya’akov stands before Yitzchak
wearing the clothes of his brother Esav, when
Yitzchak sees before him a form that is concealed and hidden, a person that he
cannot distinguish using plain sight, he is unable to gather anything from his
voice, and even his request to kiss him, thereby allowing him the opportunity
to attempt to reveal the enigma through his sense of touch is
unsuccessful. When all else fails, and
this meeting that has focused so much on external attributes fails to yield the
truth – Yitzchak understands that he has before him one of great internal,
concealed worth. Then Yitzchak smells
the scent of the Garden of Eden that hangs on the clothes. It
is here that we see Yitzchak’s insistence that we all contemplate the depth and
the inner worth of everything. He who
only considers the external impressions of the two traitors, Yosef Meshita, and Yekum, man of Tzerurot, would never imagine that these base individuals,
the first, who looted the Beit Mikdash,
and the second, who came to assist in his uncle’s execution, would undergo
internal metamorphoses such that their innermost essences would become
manifest. To appreciate this, one must
have the capability of contemplation of the innermost depths of reality. The
same is true of the incident of Rabi Zeira that we
mentioned at the beginning of the shi’ur. There too, the internal point, the inner
strength, was hidden deep inside the trappings of treachery. However Rabi Zeira,
who all his life did not succeed to rectify that group of criminals – succeeded
after his death. He, who went to such
pains to forget the Torah of the Diaspora in order to fully unite with the core,
internal Torah of Eretz Yisrael, continued to perceive the internal, and thus
saw the good in the gang of thugs. These
thugs testified that he, the “singed one” who had become singed and burnt in
his attempt to adhere to the quintessential inner Torah of Eretz Yisrael, he,
who had just left this world, leaving them with no guardian – it was he who
moved them to repent and return to God. There
are moments in life when it seems that the severance and the fear between
individuals intensifies and deepens. Yet
it is specifically then that the call to contemplate the innermost depths rings
out with greater volume. Rabi
Zeira did not concede any of his beliefs, maintaining
the Divine Truth that led him as a beacon, yet he scrutinized those evil doers
and thus perceived that the concealed lying beneath the outer garments held tremendous
inner, heavenly strength. This
is also true of the inter-personal relationships between man and his fellow –
only when one knows that he does not see the complete picture – only then will
he attain the internal, prophetic perception. This
is Yitzchak’s statement “Behold the scent.”
This is Yitzchak’s insistence of each and every one of us to behold the
deeper perception which is expressed in scent.
Not to simply look at the external, the clothing, for these are in fact deceptions, which conceal that which lurks
beneath. By
searching for the inner content we resurrect that innermost point that shares
the same power as the scent of the Garden of Eden. Even if there are impediments and delays, and
even if it does not materialize during one’s own life – the process is set in
motion, and the latent influence will become manifest in the future. We
will conclude our shi’ur with the words of our Sages
regarding one of the prophecies of Yirmeyahu, which
also deals with scent: “God showed me a vision, after Nebuchadrezar, king of Babylon, had exiled Yechonyahu, the son of Yehoyakim
king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and metal workers,
from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon: ‘And behold, two baskets (‘duda’ei’) of figs placed before the temple of God. One basket had very good figs, like the figs
that are first ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs, so bad that they
could not be eaten. Then God said to me,
‘What do you see, Yirmeyahu?’
And I said, ‘Figs; the good figs, are extremely good; and the bad, are
extremely bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.” (Yirmeyahu
24:1-3) God
shows Yirmeyahu a vision of two baskets of figs. The first container is filled with beautiful,
finest quality figs, and the second is filled with bad figs. What
is the significance of these figs? Our
Sages expound as follows: “And Rav Chisda
said: ‘Meri bar Mar expounded: ‘What
is the verse: ‘And behold, two baskets of figs placed before the The good figs are the complete Tzadikim (“Righteous;”) the bad
figs are the complete Resha’im (Evil.)’” (Eruvin 21a) Thus,
these are the Tzadikim and the Resha’im. The
Gemara then asks: “And perhaps you will say – they
have lost their opportunity and have no more chance? The verse (therefore) states: ‘The duda’im (‘mandrakes,’ or ‘baskets’ of figs above) give
forth fragrance,’ (Shir ha’Shirim
(ibid.) Hence,
both of these baskets are to give forth fragrance and scent. Even within in the greatest Resha’im, the wickedest individuals, resides a scent, and
this scent is ultimately destined to burst forth. Rav
Me’ir of Rottenburg (“Maharam mi-Rotenburg”) offers an
astounding insight regarding these two scents. There
are only two occasions when the Torah states “va-yarach”
– “and he smelled.” The first time it
appears is after the flood where the Torah states: “And God smelled (“va-yarach A-donai”) the pleasing
odor.” (Bereshit
8:21) This
is the pleasing odor of the ‘good figs,’ the scent of the sacrifice No’ach offers in thanksgiving after surviving the flood. The
second time the term “va-yarach” appears is in our parashah, “and he smelled the scent of his clothes” – the
scent of ‘bogdav’ – ‘his traitors’ – this is the
scent of the ‘bad figs’ which Gemara says are “destined to give forth
fragrance.” [These
are the words of Maharam: “‘And he smelled the scent
of his garment, and he blessed him’ – (This is) the second (appearance of the
term) ‘va-yarach,’ and the
other (appearance of the term) is ‘And God smelled the pleasing odor,’ as it
states in the second chapter of Eruvin: “Meri
bar Mar expounded: ‘What is the verse: ‘And behold, two baskets of figs placed
before the The good figs are the complete Tzadikim the bad figs are the complete Resha’im. And perhaps you will say – they have lost
their opportunity and have no more chance?
The verse (therefore) states: ‘The duda’im give
forth fragrance,’ (Shir ha’Shirim
Also
‘And he smelled the scent of his garment’ is expounded (as follows:)
Do not read it ‘b’gadav’ (‘his clothes’) rather ‘bogdav’ (‘his traitors,’) to signify that the concept of
‘And he smelled the scent of his garment’ and ‘And God smelled the pleasing
odor’ was revealed to him.”] This,
then, is the significance of ‘seeing’ or ‘beholding scent,’ contained within
Yitzchak’s words. This is the call to
see through to the core of matters, and not merely their exteriors. How important is this call – especially when
Ya’akov receives the blessings of the heavens and the earth, the blessing of
the material which will be permeated with the blessing of the scent. It is this complex fusion – which will become
the destiny of Yisrael – the meeting of heaven and earth,
that allows one to attain tremendous heights, but also holds the danger
of great failure in its achievement.
However, only seeing the internal core, seeing the scent, a scent which
can even be found in the greatest traitors and collaborators – when we look
into the cores – can bring heaven to meet with earth. It is this sight into the innermost reaches
of one’s soul which can hasten the coming of he who can smell the fear of God,
and the dawning of an age when “the earth shall be full of the knowledge
of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Translated by Sholem Hurwitz Copyright Keren Yishai/Rav M. Elon
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