Published: December 12, 2013
Originally recorded: November 1, 2010

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Lesson Highlights

• Jacob and Esau wrestle in Rivkah’s womb representing the good and evil inclination
• The Evil Inclination is not always bad and the good not always good: they are co-mingled
• The necessity of the Opponent for growth
• We cannot reveal Light with our Good Inclination alone 
• Desire to Receive draws down the Light and Desire to Share manifests the Light 
• Isaac’s prayer for Rivkah allowed her to conceive
• Every time we say “I want” the ego is involved 
• If our soul were totally in control we would no longer have the motivation to draw down the Light 
• The connection between the first born (bekhor) and blessing (bracha) 
• Esau, representing the Desire to Receive, is our first inclination 
• Jacob, representing the Desire to Share, steals the blessing from Esau: our work to overcome the Desire to Receive 
• Bargaining with the Evil Inclination
• Listening to both voices
• Connecting to the consciousness of Jacob through the reading of Toldot
• Miracles occur when we are test by our Evil Inclination
• Gaining mastery of our Opponent 

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Lesson Description

In the portion of Toldot, the Zohar delivers a rarefied view of the true meaning of the struggle between Esau and Jacob. Eitan shares the Rav 's insights into the relationship of this ancient story to the struggle inherent in each of us between our evil and good inclinations and the value each has for the other. Discovering the real blessing in bargaining with our evil inclination rather than restricting it gives us a powerful tool to manifest lasting fulfillment.

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About This Course

Written 2,000 years ago by Rav Shimon Bar Yochai, the Zohar explains all of the secrets of the Bible, the Universe and every aspect of life. The Zohar class is a weekly journey to understand the energy and challenges that will confront us during the week and how we can elevate our consciousness to prevent chaos from occurring in our lives.

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