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Why does Yaakov say "lo pilalti"—"I never thought"—when Rashi (רש"י) elsewhere says he waited for the dreams to be fulfilled? The shiur develops the concept of pelilah: a form of thought so real and committed that the mind actually lives in that reality and changes the person, even before action. This is the deeper meaning of tefillah, tefillin, and the power of machshavah.
Rabbi Zweig opens with an apparent contradiction in Rashi (רש"י). When Yosef is reunited with Yaakov, Yaakov says "ro'os panecha lo pilalti"—"I never thought I would see your face." Yet Rashi earlier says Yaakov "shomar es hadavar," waiting for the dream to be fulfilled, and couldn't be comforted because one cannot accept consolation over someone still alive. If Yaakov was waiting for the dreams and believed Yosef was alive, how could he say he never thought he would see him? The key lies in understanding the word "pelilah." The shiur explains that pelilah is not ordinary machshavah (thought about future plans), but rather a thought so vivid and real that the mind lives in that reality now. Like a mother anticipating a child's visit who feels joy from the thought itself, pelilah means the thinking experience is its own fulfillment. The mind doesn't just plan—it experiences and is transformed by the thought.
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Bereishis 48:11 (Parshas Vayechi)
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