Allusions to Meah Brachos and Amen in the Parashah
Yaakov Grasped onto Mitzvos that People Tend to Be Lax About
ששים בן ויצחק יעקב שמו ויקרא עשו בעקב אחזת וידו אחיו יצא כן אחרי” (כו כה) “אתם בלדת שנה
The significance of Yaakov holding onto Eisav’s heel is explained by the Kli Yakar: “It was a sign that in the future, Eisav would denigrate the firstborn status like something that a person grinds with his heel and is lax about it, and Yaakov would grasp onto that heel. Meaning: What Eisav ground with his heel – Yaakov would grasp onto. And that is all the easy mitzvos that people tend to grind with their heels and the satan is mekatreg about them, Yaakov will grasp onto them and fulfill them.”
In this context, we can mention the words of the Rema MiPano about the connection between Yaakov’s name, which was given to him because he held the eikev, the heel of Eisav, and answering amen, which is one of those mitzvos that a person grinds with his heel (see Rashi Brachos 6b ad loc. Devarim): יעקוב with the vav, is numerical equivalent to [ אמן ואמןa combination mentioned several time sin Tehillim], while יעקב without the vav is numerically equivalent to twice amen.
Kli Yakar; Asarah Ma’amaros Ma’amar Chikur Din 2 15
One Hundred Gates of Brachos
(יב כו) “‘ה ויברכהו שערים מאה ההוא בשנה ויצמא ההוא בארץ יצחק ויזרע”
Harav Menachem Rekanati wrote: In Shamayim there are one hundred gates of brachah, and from them, Yitzchak was blessed with one hundred types of brachos. These hundred gates of brachah are sustained by the power of saying meah brachos. Therefore, only by being strict about meah brachos each day are we zocheh to the endless good that pours out of them.
Harav Aharon of Zhitomir wrote that these one hundred gates could only be opened by being strict to answer ninety amens a day, as it says (Yeshaya 26:2): “Pischu she’arim veyavo goy tzaddik shomer emunim”; the tzaddik who guards and waits to answer 90 amens a day is the one who opens the hundred gates that correspond to the one hundred brachos, and thus “the Creator brings down to the lower world all the good brachos, children, health and sustenance, and a refuah for Am Yisrael.”
Peirush Harekanati al haTorah; Toldos Aharon
‘Mital HaShamayim Umishmanei Ha’aretz’ in the Merit of Amen
(כט-כח כז) “עמים יעבדוך...הארץ ומשמני השמים מטל האלקים לך ויתן” is לך האלוקים מטל השמים ומשמני הארץ The acronym of numerically equivalent to amen, and from here there is an allusion to the words of the Zohar (Vayeilech 285b) that in the merit of answering amen, the gates of brachah are opened On High and abundance comes down to a person, and his enemies fall below him, as it says shortly after “Ya’avducha amim.”
Kikar Zahav [Rabi Kalifa Hakohein of Djerba] Ma’areches 2
