<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I came across the following interesting <u><i>midrash:</i></u></div><div><br></div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>"The first two words of this coming week's sidra, lamed chof, have the same numerical value, 50. <div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>And they can be read lach or l'cha, meaning "for you," in either masculine or feminine gender.<br><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>This suggests that G-d is explaining to Abraham an overall philosophy of the Torah system, </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>as well as the interplay between Man and God. It is a 50-50 proposition, a sharing of rights </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>and responsibilities, a give-and-take harmony that maintains perfect equilibrium. We have</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>our tasks to perform, and G-d has His; and we have our rights and entitlements, no less than G-d."<br> <br><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>After learning the <i>midrash</i> I realized the following: If you take the same two words you get 100. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The lesson, therefore, is that if the interplay between Man and G-d is a 50-50 proposition and </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>the sharing of rights and responsibilities, as well as a give-and-take harmony, then we've got </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>the perfect score--100%.</div><div><br></div><div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt"> I never put on a pair of shoes until I’ve worn them at least
five years.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> </span></b><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Samuel Goldwyn</span></b></p>
<!--EndFragment--></div><div><br></div><div><div style="overflow: hidden; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left; border: medium none; position: absolute; left: -99999px; " id="r1PostCPBlock"><span class="bqQuoteLink"><a title="view quote" href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/samuelgold137003.html">I never put on a pair of shoes until I've worn them at least five years.</a></span><br>
<span class="bodybold"><a title="view author" href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/samuel_goldwyn.html">Samuel Goldwyn</a></span>
<br>Read more at <a style="color: #003399;" href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/shoes_2.html#yjQpRP46TfVcc1fi.99">http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/shoes_2.html#yjQpRP46TfVcc1fi.99</a></div> <br><div apple-content-edited="true"><br></div><br></div></body></html>