The most important concepts in the universe

Hi,

"Seven entities were created before the universe: Torah, Repentance, Gan
Eden (Heaven), Gehennom (Hell), the Divine Throne, the Temple, and the
name of the Messiah."

[As I understand it, the lesson is that these seven entities/concepts
are so fundamental to Gd's Creation that they had to exist in order to
enable the creation of the Universe.]

(Talmud, Pesachim 54a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Esav kisses Yaakov

Hi,

"‘And he kissed him’ has dots atop it, for he did not kiss Yaakov with all of his heart.

"R’ Shimon bar Yochai said: It is known halachah that Esav hates Yaakov, but his mercies were reversed at that moment, and he kissed Yaakov with all of his heart."

(Sifri, Behaalotcha 69)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Torah's textual anomalies

Hi,

"Based on our elders, as they guided us in paths of righteousness and taught us, we contemplate and measure the holy statements and analyze in our holy Torah every instance of absent and excessive imprecision. These are the windows of the heavens, for through them we may look and gaze at the good, hidden, hinted-at light which is not meant to be recorded explicitly."

(R' Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, Menachem Tziyyon to Parshat Vayyetze)

Have a great day,
Mordechai