The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
In Bereishis 28:14, the Torah states וְהָיָ֤ה זַרְעֲךָ֙ כַּֽעֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ וּפָֽרַצְתָּ֛ יָ֥מָּה וָקֵ֖דְמָה וְצָפֹ֣נָה וָנֶ֑גְבָּה וְנִבְרְכ֥וּ בְךָ֛ כָּל־מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הָֽאֲדָמָ֖ה וּבְזַרְעֶֽךָ. R' Frand asked - why is Ya'akov being told that his children will be like dust? Elsewhere there is a promise that they will be like the stars in the sky. And while stars are beautiful, dust is just that. Dust is trampled on and certainly not glamorous.
R' Frand quoted the Rambam in Igeres Teiman who cites this pasuk and explains that while the Jews will be oppressed, the Jews will survive and the oppressors will disappear. He explains that even though today the Jews may be trampled as people step on the dust and dirt, the Jews will win. Because in the end, the dust and dirt covers the person when he is buried.
R' Frand linked this to a Tosfos in Berachos, which links this to the tefillah Elokai Nitzor, which states that our souls should K'Afar L'Kol Tihiyeh. Tosfos explains that dirt lasts forever, so too we want out offspring to be forever like the pasuk in the parsha.
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