Parshat Toldos 5778
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in this week's parsha when Yitzchak gives the bracha to Yaakov he asks him to come close and kiss him. When Yaakov approaches, the Torah tells us that Yitzchak smelled his clothes and blessed him. He said (Chapter 27, Pasuk 27), Re'eh Ray'ach Bni K'Ray'ach Sadeh Asher Bercho Hashem, see, the smell of my son is like the smell of the field which Gd has blessed.
Rashi asks, how could Yitzchak have smelled the clothes of Yaakov and praised its smell? Yaakov had the skins of goats on him in order that Yitzchak would think he was his hairy son Eisav. And the skins of goats have a terrible odor! Rashi answers that the smell of Gan Eden had entered with Yaakov and that's what he smelled.
The Sfas Emes asks on Rashi, but the pasuk says Vayarach es Ray'ach Begadav, he smelled the smell of his clothes. According to Rashi, he smelled the smell of Gan Eden and that overpowered the bad smell of his clothes. But the pasuk says that Yitzchak responded to the smell of his clothes itself!
The Sfas Emes answers that the clothes the pasuk is referring to were not the actual physical clothes that Yaakov was wearing. Those surely had an unpleasant odor. Rather the pasuk is referring to the Malbush, the clothing, that a person acquires around his Neshamah in Gan Eden as a result of his good deeds, his proper speech, and his desire to learn Torah and perform mitzvos. The Tzadik, explains the Sfas Emes is able to achieve this Malbush in this world as well. Yitzchak smelled the beautiful aroma of Yaakov's spiritual Malbush.
All of us can experience this on Shabbos as well which is Me'Eiyn Olam Haba. This is taught to us by the Navi Yeshayahu who says (Chapter 58, Pasuk 13) V'Chibadeto M'Asos Derachecha Mimtzo Cheftzecha V'Daber Davar. Chazal darshen this pasuk in the Gemara in Shabbos 113A, V'Chibadeto, Shelo Yehay Malbushcha Shel Shabbos K'Malbushcha Shel Chol, the garments you wear on Shabbos should not be the same as the garments you wear during the week. And the Gemara brings the statement of Rabbi Yochanan who referred to this Shabbos clothes as "Machbudasi", they make me honorable. Does Rabbi Yochanan believe that his clothes on Shabbos make him honorable?
The p'shat is as we explained in the name of the Sfas Emes. Our Shabbos clothes are an expression of the spiritual garments that we merit in Gan Eden as a result of our deeds, speech, and thoughts. And since on Shabbos we achieve a taste of Gan Eden we wear special clothes which express this external covering over our spiritual selves. And this is why Rabbi Yochanan felt his Shabbos clothes make him honorable; his Shabbos clothes were a physical expression of his spiritual achievements.
The Gemara in Shabbos continues and teaches that we learn from the continuation of the pasuk, M'Asos Derachecha Mimtzo Cheftzecha V'Daber Davar, that one's actions and speech on Shabbos should be different than the rest of the week. And this is because it is through the unique speech and mitzvah acts which we have that we acquire the special garments of holiness around our spiritual selves in Gan Eden and on Shabbos, the day in which we get a taste of Olam Haba.
The Maharal adds that this is why Rashi comments on the words K'Ray'ach Sadeh Asher Bercho Hashem that Hashem gave him a good smell. Usually the word Berachah indicates physical bounty. The word Berachah contains the letters Beis, Reish, Chaf which equals 2, 200, and 20 respectively, the first multiple numbers for the single digits, tens digits, and hundreds digits. But here it's a different bracha; the bracha of smell and of holiness. And the Sfas Emes adds this is why we smell Besamim on Motzei Shabbos. We lose our spiritual garments of Shabbos and we need to be revived with the smell of Gan Eden; the smell that Yitzchak smelled on his son the Tzadik Yaakov Avinu.
Good Shabbos
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