What Does Not Go Up

From: "Daily Lightpoints" <peninim@likras.org>
Date: December 3, 2015 at 5:06:18 AM EST
To: "abcvin@gmail.com" <abcvin@gmail.com>
Subject: What Does Not Go Up
Reply-To: <peninim@likras.org>

Vayeishev THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 21 KISLEV, 5776 ב"ה וַיֻּגַּד לְתָמָר לֵאמֹר הִנֵּה חָמִיךְ עֹלֶה תִמְנָתָה לָגֹז צֹאנוֹ (בראשית לח, יג) And it was told to Tamar, saying, "Behold, your father in law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep." (Bereishis 38:13) What Does Not Go Up Rashi tells us that the city of Timnah was situated on a mountain slope. Therefore, whereas regarding Yehudah the verse states that he went up to Timnah (Bereishis 38:13), regarding Shimshon the verse states that he went down to Timnah (Shoftim 14:1). In Rashi's words, "You go up to Timnah when coming from one direction, but you go down to it when coming from the other." In the Book of Tehilim (24:3), the worship of G-d is described using an analogy of ascending a mountain. Accordingly, Rashi's words regarding Timnah, are not only a description of the Timnah area topography, but also a fundamental truth regarding the nature of Divine worship. We read in the Torah of people who ascended or descended to Timnah, but never of someone who was stationed in Timnah, or was simply "going" to Timnah. As Rashi explains, this is because Timnah is on a mountain slope, and on a slope, you are either climbing or descending. If you do not move upward, you will inevitably slide in the other direction. The same is true with regard to our devotion to G-d and His service, which is comparable, as above, to a mountain climb. We must constantly work toward even greater heights in our spiritual climb, if only to maintain the degree of devotion to G-d that we have already attained. For on a mountain, if you are not going up in one direction, you are likely going down in the other. —Likkutei Sichos, vol. 10, pp. 127-128 Sponsor a Lightpoints email A project of Or Hachassidus ביוזמת ולזכות הרה״ח הרה״ת ר' ישעי' זושא ווילהעלם שליט״א להצלחה רבה לו ולכל משפחתו בגו״ר

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