The posuk says ויגדו לו לאמר עוד יוסף חי. And they told him saying Yosef is still alive.
The אור החיים asks, how is it possible that Yosef, who knew how much his father loved him, wouldn't have sent a message to his father telling him that he's alive, especially once he was in charge? People kept coming back & forth from canaan to buy food. Wouldn't he have sent a message?
The posuk says ויקרא הוציאו כל איש מעלי: and he called out, remove everyone from before me!
The midrash says that Yosef put himself in grave danger by sending everyone out, for once they were alone & he revealed himself, the brothers could have killed him. Why would he risk his life?
There's a story in שאל אביך ויגדך told about' ר יהושע לייב דיסקין, when he would say his regular shir to his students, his loyal שמש would always bring him a cup of tea in the middle of the shir so that he should have strength, for he was very weak. And since he suffered from low sugar, the שמש would put in a few heaping teaspoons of sugar. One day the students were told that the rebbitzin was agitated & upset, so they went to her to see what was wrong. She said that she found that in place of the sugar container next to the tea, there was a container of salt, & she was worried that the שמש might have put salt into the tea instead of sugar, & it could be life threatening if the Rav drank the tea with heaping teaspoons of salt at a time when he needed extra sugar. The students assured her that there was no way there was salt in the tea, for the Rav drank it like he always did, & there was no change in his expression. Therefore, she must be mistaken.
However, after careful examination, her fears were proven to be true & it was salt instead of sugar. The students went and asked the Rav, how could you do that? Why would you drink the tea with salt when it could have cost you your life!? He answered them that there's a gemara that says נוח לו לאדם שיפיל עצמו לכבשן האש ואל ילבין את פני חבירו ברבים: it's better for a person to throw himself into a fiery furnace than to embarrass his friend in public. So how could I embarrass the שמש who mistakenly put salt instead of sugar??
The אוצרות התורה brings down the פסיקתא that says Yaakov, until the end of his life didn't know how Yosef ended up in egypt. He had no idea that he was sold by his brothers, and not only that, but the whole 17 years that Yaakov lived in egypt, Yosef didn't go visit him. The reason was that he was afraid if he was left alone with his father, Yaakov might ask him how he ended up in egypt, & then he would end up speaking lashon hara & embarrassing his brothers. Therefore, he kept away, & that's why he didn't send a message to his father, for then it might have come out how he got there. And as Rashi says, he sent everyone out when he revealed himself so as not to embarrass his brothers. So even if he put his life in danger, or couldn't tell his father he was alive, or even once he was reunited with his father he couldn't be alone with him, it was all worth it just to avoid embarrassing his brothers. This teaches us how careful we have to be to think of others' feelings & not to embarrass our friends or family!
Friday, December 30, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
mikeitz / chanuka
| T |
he posuk says, ויתנכר אליהם וידבר אתם קשות: but he [Yosef] acted like a stranger toward them [his brothers], and spoke with them harshly. The בית יוסף asks; how is it that a tzadik like Yosef wouldn't have forgiven them right away? Why would he have brought his father down, & make him suffer longer than he had to? Why put them through this whole charade? Was he just taking revenge? And he answers that all his actions were לשם שמים, in order for them to be forgiven for selling him. Why was that necessary? Why couldn't he just forgive them without putting them through all the heartache?
The אוצרות התורה asks why the חשמונאים even had to go fight at all; being that it was all a miracle anyway. As Rashi says, there were 13 maccabes against 100's of thousands of Greek warriors. It was all a נס, so why did they even have to bother going out to fight?
There's a story told about the חתם סופר, that once in the dead of night he summoned the community leader to come to him without delay, & on the way pick up two members of the board. When they arrived, he said to them, it has become known to me that the duke has signed a decree that will spell out many calamities for the Jewish people. However, the decree is still on the dukes’s desk, & if he doesn't change his mind, he will send it out tomorrow. You need to go to his home now & get him to change his mind.
So they headed out to go to the castle. As they came closer, they saw it was on the other side of the river, & at that late hour there were no boats going across. Finally, they found a fisherman sleeping in his boat & woke him up. He then begrudgingly took them across the river in a rickety, fishy, foul smelling boat. And with every turn they got soaked with the foul waters. As they got closer to the castle, the guards started yelling, what are you doing here in the middle of the night? Leave now.
The אוצרות התורה asks why the חשמונאים even had to go fight at all; being that it was all a miracle anyway. As Rashi says, there were 13 maccabes against 100's of thousands of Greek warriors. It was all a נס, so why did they even have to bother going out to fight?
There's a story told about the חתם סופר, that once in the dead of night he summoned the community leader to come to him without delay, & on the way pick up two members of the board. When they arrived, he said to them, it has become known to me that the duke has signed a decree that will spell out many calamities for the Jewish people. However, the decree is still on the dukes’s desk, & if he doesn't change his mind, he will send it out tomorrow. You need to go to his home now & get him to change his mind.
So they headed out to go to the castle. As they came closer, they saw it was on the other side of the river, & at that late hour there were no boats going across. Finally, they found a fisherman sleeping in his boat & woke him up. He then begrudgingly took them across the river in a rickety, fishy, foul smelling boat. And with every turn they got soaked with the foul waters. As they got closer to the castle, the guards started yelling, what are you doing here in the middle of the night? Leave now.
The commotion woke up the duke, & he asked what's going on here? The guard said three Jews are here. Once he was already up, the duke said to bring them in. They came in from the boat all wet & smelling like fish. He sat them down & told his butler to bring them a hot drink. As the duke is asking them why they are here, he says drink your coffee why aren't you drinking?
The community leader, shaking with fright, says our rabbis' forbade us to drink milk that was not milked in front of a Jew. There’s nothing wrong with it, we just can't drink it. Asks the duke what kind of law is that? They answer that it’s to insure that its milk from a kosher animal & not from camel or donkey. The duke, incensed, says for this farfetched reason you won't drink my milk? Who even drinks camel milk anyway? Still they wouldn't drink it. The duke wouldn't drop the matter; he called in his butler to ask him where the milk came from. He sheepishly answered that the duke’s goat where they normally got milk was sick so they couldn't get milk from her, so they got from the neighbor. Where does the neighbor get milk from, asked the duke. The butler answered, he has a camel that he gets his milk from...His answer shocked both the Jewish leaders & the duke, who was then in awe of the wisdom of the sages. He then asked why they were there, & they told him that their rabbi sent them to him so that he would abolish the decree. He promptly tore up the decree as he was so in awe of the sages of the Jewish people.The leaders came back to the חתם סופר and told him what had transpired. However they told him that in actuality, they were saved through a miracle, for by natural means, coming to the duke in the middle of the night smelling like fish & not drinking what was offered to them wouldn't normally get the desired result. It was really the חתם סופר 's prayers & beseeching 'ה that saved them. Why bother having them risk their life on a dangerous undertaking for no reason when it was his prayers that abolished the decree? He answered that without their self sacrifice, his tefillos would be worthless. It was their risking their life that brought the tefillos up so that they were able to work.
So too by the חשמונאים, it was the fact that they risked their lives to go fight that 'ה went to battle for them. Once they showed their willingness to go fight for 'ה against all odds, 'ה fought for them. Maybe this is why Yosef couldn't just forgive the brothers, in order for them to be forgiven. They had to be prepared to risk their lives to get him back no matter how unrealistic it seemed, & show that they really regretted selling him. Only then would they be forgiven. We could learn from here that even when a task seems insurmountable, all we have to do is sacrifice a little to give it our best shot & then 'ה will take it from there, making sure we succeed!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
vayeishev
The posuk says ולא יכלו דברו לשלום: and they couldn't talk peacefully to him. However, says רב יהונתן איבשיץ, had they spoken to each other, perhaps they would have made peace. The nature of feud is that the more it lingers inside of you, the more intense it becomes, growing stronger by the day. However, if the feuding parties would talk & work it out, then they wouldn't be angry anymore, which is why the Torah commands us לא תשנא את אחיך בלבבך: don't hate your brother in your heart, but הוכח תוכיח את עמיתך: tell your friend what's bothering you & through that you will come to peace.
Alas by the brothers, it says ולא יכלו דברו לשלום: that they couldn't speak peacefully to him, so they never made peace. Why wouldn't the brothers have tried to make peace & talk it out?
The posuk says וימצאהו איש והנה תעה בשדה וישאלהו האיש לאמר מה תבקש. Rashi says, who was the איש? It was the angel Gavriel. In last week's parsha, it said ויאבק איש עמו, and over there Rashi said איש was the guardian of Eisav.
Asks רבי חיים מצנז, in both places the angel is referred to as איש, so how does Rashi know that over here it's talking about Gavriel, & over there about the guardian of Eisav?
There's a story told over in the ספר שאל אביך ויגדך, that one of the early rabbis was traveling & ended up in a town he had never been in before. He was looking for the shul when a jewish man hurried by. He started to ask him where the shul was, when the man interrupted him saying, I'm in a rush, I can't talk now; I'm running to shul. The rabbi, having no choice, followed after him to the shul. After they both arrived at the shul the rabbi approached him & asked him this question of how Rashi knows that once where it says איש it's Gavreil, & once it's the guardian of Eisav. The answer is that from the posuk itself it alludes to the difference between them. Over here, what happened? The איש finds a man wandering & lost, & he asks him, what are you looking for? Can I help you? That, says רב חיים, is the מלאך גבריאל, looking out for someone else, trying to help. However, when yaakov asked the other מלאך for a ברכה, what did he say? Send me away for the morning star rose. Chazal say that he had to go say shira - he couldn't bless him for he had to run to go daven. That's Eisav's מלאך, not having time for other people under the pretense of religion.
Maybe that's where the problem started with the brothers. Yosef thought they were sinning & they in turn thought he was sinning. The halacha is that if you know someone is a deliberate sinner, it's a mitzva to hate him so neither side would talk to the other. However, had they talked it out instead of just thinking the other one was a baal avaira, they would have seen that no side was sinning, & could have avoided this intense hatred which untimely led to our nation's servitude in egypt.
We could learn from this not to judge just by what you see, but to listen to what other people say, calmly, without rushing, & by doing so avoid the disastrous effects of מחלוקת!
Alas by the brothers, it says ולא יכלו דברו לשלום: that they couldn't speak peacefully to him, so they never made peace. Why wouldn't the brothers have tried to make peace & talk it out?
The posuk says וימצאהו איש והנה תעה בשדה וישאלהו האיש לאמר מה תבקש. Rashi says, who was the איש? It was the angel Gavriel. In last week's parsha, it said ויאבק איש עמו, and over there Rashi said איש was the guardian of Eisav.
Asks רבי חיים מצנז, in both places the angel is referred to as איש, so how does Rashi know that over here it's talking about Gavriel, & over there about the guardian of Eisav?
There's a story told over in the ספר שאל אביך ויגדך, that one of the early rabbis was traveling & ended up in a town he had never been in before. He was looking for the shul when a jewish man hurried by. He started to ask him where the shul was, when the man interrupted him saying, I'm in a rush, I can't talk now; I'm running to shul. The rabbi, having no choice, followed after him to the shul. After they both arrived at the shul the rabbi approached him & asked him this question of how Rashi knows that once where it says איש it's Gavreil, & once it's the guardian of Eisav. The answer is that from the posuk itself it alludes to the difference between them. Over here, what happened? The איש finds a man wandering & lost, & he asks him, what are you looking for? Can I help you? That, says רב חיים, is the מלאך גבריאל, looking out for someone else, trying to help. However, when yaakov asked the other מלאך for a ברכה, what did he say? Send me away for the morning star rose. Chazal say that he had to go say shira - he couldn't bless him for he had to run to go daven. That's Eisav's מלאך, not having time for other people under the pretense of religion.
Maybe that's where the problem started with the brothers. Yosef thought they were sinning & they in turn thought he was sinning. The halacha is that if you know someone is a deliberate sinner, it's a mitzva to hate him so neither side would talk to the other. However, had they talked it out instead of just thinking the other one was a baal avaira, they would have seen that no side was sinning, & could have avoided this intense hatred which untimely led to our nation's servitude in egypt.
We could learn from this not to judge just by what you see, but to listen to what other people say, calmly, without rushing, & by doing so avoid the disastrous effects of מחלוקת!
Friday, December 9, 2011
vayishlach
The posuk says וישלח יעקב מלאכים לפניו אל עשו אחיו, And Yaakov sent messengers to his brother Eisav.
It's written in the Midrash that רב הונא compares Yaakov's going to Eisav to Yaakov grabbing the ears of a passing dog; he's getting involved in a battle that's not his. Rav Shmuel bar Nachman compares it to the head of the bandits who's sleeping at the crossroads. A passerby wakes him and says, hurry & get up; there are criminals around here. The bandits start attacking him, & he realizes, not only is the bandit around, he's the one who woke him.
So too, says 'ה to Yaakov, Eisav was doing his own thing, why would you wake the sleeping bandit? רבי יחזקאל לוינשטיין זצ"ל asks, why do chazal compare Yaakov to someone who's fighting a battle that's not his? It very much was his battle. Even after the twenty two years that Yaakov was by Lavan, Eisav's fury was still full blown and he still wanted to destroy Yaakov. So why is it like he woke the sleeping bandit?
He explains that from here we see how strong our בטחון has to be, that even though Eisav still wanted to destroy Yaakov, as long as the situation didn't occur yet, you don't have to find a solution. Trust in 'ה that it will never come. That's why it's like he's fighting a battle that's not his, for he should have just let 'ה take care of it. How do we understand this? If the Torah is telling us to have that kind of faith, then Yaakov certainly had it. So why would he go to Eisav & not wait for 'ה to take care of it?
The posuk says ויירא יעקב מאד, that Yaakov was very afraid. Rashi asks, what was he afraid of? 'ה had told him that he would be with him to protect him, & he answers that he was afraid that maybe he sinned & was no longer worthy of 'ה's protection. רמב"ם asks, chazal say that it never happened that 'ה said He was going to do good to someone & then He did bad, so why was Yaakov afraid?
There's a story told about the רב מבריסק הגרי"ז זצ"ל during the war when there were missiles coming into ירושלים, & most of the people would go into the shelters to be protected. One such day he was learning in his upstairs study and against his family's wishes wouldn't go into the basement shelter. As the attacks intensified, his son & a neighbor fearing for his life, forced him to come down with them. While he was down there, a missile ripped through his wall & landed on his bed. What was his reaction? He called his son a מזיק, saying that had he not left the room it never would have gotten damaged! That's the kind of בטחון he had. Now unfortunately, most people don't have that kind of faith, so maybe Yaakov's intent was, being that מעשה אבות סימן לבנים, & the way he deals with Eisav will be the way we do, he had to do it in a way that would work for everyone. Of course he had complete faith, but that only works if there's no sin. That's why he said שמא ירגום החטא, going on future generations, that yes, for him there's no sin, so he could rely totally on divine protection. However, for the masses, we need to know how to deal with Eisav even if there is sin, so he taught us the way to go about it.
We can learn from here, says the אוצרות התורה, what to aspire to. If we want to live in peace, don't look for ways to try to change your destiny. Then 'ה will lead you through a life of goodness without your involvement. However, if you're always looking for new ways to try to improve your lot, 'ה will follow your lead, and it'll be up to you. It is incumbent upon us, that no matter what happens, to trust completely in 'ה, & then 'ה will protect us. We have to realize that all our trials are just a test to see if we'll put our full faith in 'ה!
It's written in the Midrash that רב הונא compares Yaakov's going to Eisav to Yaakov grabbing the ears of a passing dog; he's getting involved in a battle that's not his. Rav Shmuel bar Nachman compares it to the head of the bandits who's sleeping at the crossroads. A passerby wakes him and says, hurry & get up; there are criminals around here. The bandits start attacking him, & he realizes, not only is the bandit around, he's the one who woke him.
So too, says 'ה to Yaakov, Eisav was doing his own thing, why would you wake the sleeping bandit? רבי יחזקאל לוינשטיין זצ"ל asks, why do chazal compare Yaakov to someone who's fighting a battle that's not his? It very much was his battle. Even after the twenty two years that Yaakov was by Lavan, Eisav's fury was still full blown and he still wanted to destroy Yaakov. So why is it like he woke the sleeping bandit?
He explains that from here we see how strong our בטחון has to be, that even though Eisav still wanted to destroy Yaakov, as long as the situation didn't occur yet, you don't have to find a solution. Trust in 'ה that it will never come. That's why it's like he's fighting a battle that's not his, for he should have just let 'ה take care of it. How do we understand this? If the Torah is telling us to have that kind of faith, then Yaakov certainly had it. So why would he go to Eisav & not wait for 'ה to take care of it?
The posuk says ויירא יעקב מאד, that Yaakov was very afraid. Rashi asks, what was he afraid of? 'ה had told him that he would be with him to protect him, & he answers that he was afraid that maybe he sinned & was no longer worthy of 'ה's protection. רמב"ם asks, chazal say that it never happened that 'ה said He was going to do good to someone & then He did bad, so why was Yaakov afraid?
There's a story told about the רב מבריסק הגרי"ז זצ"ל during the war when there were missiles coming into ירושלים, & most of the people would go into the shelters to be protected. One such day he was learning in his upstairs study and against his family's wishes wouldn't go into the basement shelter. As the attacks intensified, his son & a neighbor fearing for his life, forced him to come down with them. While he was down there, a missile ripped through his wall & landed on his bed. What was his reaction? He called his son a מזיק, saying that had he not left the room it never would have gotten damaged! That's the kind of בטחון he had. Now unfortunately, most people don't have that kind of faith, so maybe Yaakov's intent was, being that מעשה אבות סימן לבנים, & the way he deals with Eisav will be the way we do, he had to do it in a way that would work for everyone. Of course he had complete faith, but that only works if there's no sin. That's why he said שמא ירגום החטא, going on future generations, that yes, for him there's no sin, so he could rely totally on divine protection. However, for the masses, we need to know how to deal with Eisav even if there is sin, so he taught us the way to go about it.
We can learn from here, says the אוצרות התורה, what to aspire to. If we want to live in peace, don't look for ways to try to change your destiny. Then 'ה will lead you through a life of goodness without your involvement. However, if you're always looking for new ways to try to improve your lot, 'ה will follow your lead, and it'll be up to you. It is incumbent upon us, that no matter what happens, to trust completely in 'ה, & then 'ה will protect us. We have to realize that all our trials are just a test to see if we'll put our full faith in 'ה!
Friday, December 2, 2011
vayeitzei
The posuk says ויבא גם אל רחל ויאהב גם את רחל מלאה and he married Rochel too and he loved also Rochel more than Leah.
The posuk is trying to say that Yaakov loved Rochel more than Leah. So where does the work גם fit in, which implies that he also loved Rochel? It should have just said that he loved Rochel more than Leah.
Answers the אמרי שפר that the extra word is telling us that besides the natural love he felt for Rochel because she was beautiful, he now had more reason to love her. When he saw that she gave the סימנים over to Leah just so that she shouldn't be embarrassed, showed him how sensitive she was to other people's feelings. So from Leah he came to love Rochel even more.
When Yaakov originally came to the well he asked the shepherds why they were all there so early. Rashi says he was saying to them, if you work for someone you're not doing your job. If it's your own animals, they still need to eat. They answered that they had to wait until all the shepherds come because they couldn't lift the rock. Imagine a stranger comes to town, and starts questioning how you conduct your business. Most people wouldn't even give him the time of day. However, they start answering him & explaining their actions. Why is that? For when he first came, he talked to them like one who cares. He called them אחי - my brothers, & talked nicely, so they immediately saw that he had only their best interests at heart & that he genuinely cared about them so they explained to him what was going on.
If you look later in the parsha, after Leah had four sons & Rochel didn't have any, she says to Yaakov, "Give me children - if not I am dead." What does Yaakov say instead of the caring sympathetic response one would expect? He gets angry & says, am I instead of GD Who withheld from you children?
How does this fit in to his character trait of caring and kindness and his love for her?
Ramban takes the question a step further, and says according to Rashi, Yaakov tells her you want me to act like my father & pray for you? My father didn't either have children, whereas I have.
Asks the Ramban don't tzadikkim daven for other people even if they themselves don't need it? Of course they do! So why wouldn't he daven for her?
Maybe we understand this based on how the אור החיים explains why yaakov got angry. He says that he got angry because rochel said מתה אנכי, that she would die, for when tzadikkim say something it has an effect. He was upset that she ever uttered those words, because of his great love for her, he didn't want her cursing herself therefore he got angry. To answer the Ramban's question perhaps the reason he said that he wouldn't daven for her was because he knew that the tefillos of the one who needs it are much greater than if one prays for someone else & being that he had children his tefilos wouldn't be as great as hers. Therefore, it was this same love & caring that made him act seemingly irrational, in order to get her to daven for herself which would bring out the desired result. Teaching us how careful we have to be not to let our love cloud our judgment, and always act in the real best interest of those that we care about, no matter how hurtful it may seem, to bring out the best results!
The posuk is trying to say that Yaakov loved Rochel more than Leah. So where does the work גם fit in, which implies that he also loved Rochel? It should have just said that he loved Rochel more than Leah.
Answers the אמרי שפר that the extra word is telling us that besides the natural love he felt for Rochel because she was beautiful, he now had more reason to love her. When he saw that she gave the סימנים over to Leah just so that she shouldn't be embarrassed, showed him how sensitive she was to other people's feelings. So from Leah he came to love Rochel even more.
When Yaakov originally came to the well he asked the shepherds why they were all there so early. Rashi says he was saying to them, if you work for someone you're not doing your job. If it's your own animals, they still need to eat. They answered that they had to wait until all the shepherds come because they couldn't lift the rock. Imagine a stranger comes to town, and starts questioning how you conduct your business. Most people wouldn't even give him the time of day. However, they start answering him & explaining their actions. Why is that? For when he first came, he talked to them like one who cares. He called them אחי - my brothers, & talked nicely, so they immediately saw that he had only their best interests at heart & that he genuinely cared about them so they explained to him what was going on.
If you look later in the parsha, after Leah had four sons & Rochel didn't have any, she says to Yaakov, "Give me children - if not I am dead." What does Yaakov say instead of the caring sympathetic response one would expect? He gets angry & says, am I instead of GD Who withheld from you children?
How does this fit in to his character trait of caring and kindness and his love for her?
Ramban takes the question a step further, and says according to Rashi, Yaakov tells her you want me to act like my father & pray for you? My father didn't either have children, whereas I have.
Asks the Ramban don't tzadikkim daven for other people even if they themselves don't need it? Of course they do! So why wouldn't he daven for her?
Maybe we understand this based on how the אור החיים explains why yaakov got angry. He says that he got angry because rochel said מתה אנכי, that she would die, for when tzadikkim say something it has an effect. He was upset that she ever uttered those words, because of his great love for her, he didn't want her cursing herself therefore he got angry. To answer the Ramban's question perhaps the reason he said that he wouldn't daven for her was because he knew that the tefillos of the one who needs it are much greater than if one prays for someone else & being that he had children his tefilos wouldn't be as great as hers. Therefore, it was this same love & caring that made him act seemingly irrational, in order to get her to daven for herself which would bring out the desired result. Teaching us how careful we have to be not to let our love cloud our judgment, and always act in the real best interest of those that we care about, no matter how hurtful it may seem, to bring out the best results!
Friday, November 25, 2011
toldos
After יצחק gave the berachos to Yaakov instead of Eisav, Eisav cried bitterly and said to יצחק, don't you have even one beracha that you could give me? Then יצחק blessed him saying, משמני הארץ יהיה מושבך, From the fatness of the earth shall be your dwelling.
Asks הגר"ח מוולוז'ין, how could יצחק bless Eisav with משמני הארץ when that's the beracha that he just gave Yaakov?
On the words משמני הארץ, Rashi comments that it's referring to איטליא של יון, Italy of greece.
Why over here does Rashi say that משמני הארץ is referring to a specific land, while by the beracha of Yaakov he doesn't say what it is referring to?
The gemara says (shabbos 56B) that when Shlomo Hamelech married the daughter of Pharaoh, the angel Gavriel came down and thrust a reed pole into the sea, and a sandbank formed around it. On that was built the great metropolis of Rome, the tormentor of כלל ישראל. Based on that, it turns out when יצחק gave the berachos, איטליא של יון didn't exist. Therefore, when they were given to Yaakov they didn't require explanation, for it just meant the best of the land. However, when it was given to Eisav it was for the future, so it meant איטליא של יון, as Rashi explained. So there were two different משמני הארץ. As a proof that for Eisav it was a beracha for the future, the posuk says יהיה מושבך, that it will be, sometime in the future.
Now we really need to understand this. Why does Shlomo Hamelech marrying the king's daughter cause the creation of the nemesis of כלל ישראל? And why is this alluded to now, when יצחק is giving the berachos?
The next posuk in יצחק's beracha says והיה כאשר תריד ופרקת עולו מעל צוארך, Yet it shall be when you are pained, you may remove his yoke from your neck. Rashi says what יצחק was telling him is that there is a way for you to get back the berachos. When the Jews transgress the Torah, then you can remove the yoke.
The sefer לב שלום explains that the reason Yaakov merited the berachos, was because he was involved in the study of Torah. Now if the study of Torah stops, the berachos revert back to Eisav. This is alluded to in the words הקל קול יעקב והידים ידי עשו. Why is the first קל spelled without a vav? It's telling us that when the voice of Yaakov is קל, weak, then the hands of Eisav are strong, teaching us that the only way we can overcome Eisav is with the power of Torah. Without it, all the berachos we have will go back to him.
Shlomo's marriage to the Pharaoh's daughter was the beginning of idolatry in כלל ישראל, which ultimately led to the destruction of the temple and the exile of the Jewish people at the hands of Eisav. That's why יצחק alluded to this now, forewarning us that if we go away from Torah we will lose our blessing & be in the hands of Eisav. The Torah is teaching us here that in order for us to triumph & to have the beracha that we so desperately need, we have to separate ourselves from Eisav. The only way to do that is by attaching ourselves to the Torah , committing to uphold it, & by doing so we will merit to all the berachos & the rebuilding of the temple speedily in our day!
Asks הגר"ח מוולוז'ין, how could יצחק bless Eisav with משמני הארץ when that's the beracha that he just gave Yaakov?
On the words משמני הארץ, Rashi comments that it's referring to איטליא של יון, Italy of greece.
Why over here does Rashi say that משמני הארץ is referring to a specific land, while by the beracha of Yaakov he doesn't say what it is referring to?
The gemara says (shabbos 56B) that when Shlomo Hamelech married the daughter of Pharaoh, the angel Gavriel came down and thrust a reed pole into the sea, and a sandbank formed around it. On that was built the great metropolis of Rome, the tormentor of כלל ישראל. Based on that, it turns out when יצחק gave the berachos, איטליא של יון didn't exist. Therefore, when they were given to Yaakov they didn't require explanation, for it just meant the best of the land. However, when it was given to Eisav it was for the future, so it meant איטליא של יון, as Rashi explained. So there were two different משמני הארץ. As a proof that for Eisav it was a beracha for the future, the posuk says יהיה מושבך, that it will be, sometime in the future.
Now we really need to understand this. Why does Shlomo Hamelech marrying the king's daughter cause the creation of the nemesis of כלל ישראל? And why is this alluded to now, when יצחק is giving the berachos?
The next posuk in יצחק's beracha says והיה כאשר תריד ופרקת עולו מעל צוארך, Yet it shall be when you are pained, you may remove his yoke from your neck. Rashi says what יצחק was telling him is that there is a way for you to get back the berachos. When the Jews transgress the Torah, then you can remove the yoke.
The sefer לב שלום explains that the reason Yaakov merited the berachos, was because he was involved in the study of Torah. Now if the study of Torah stops, the berachos revert back to Eisav. This is alluded to in the words הקל קול יעקב והידים ידי עשו. Why is the first קל spelled without a vav? It's telling us that when the voice of Yaakov is קל, weak, then the hands of Eisav are strong, teaching us that the only way we can overcome Eisav is with the power of Torah. Without it, all the berachos we have will go back to him.
Shlomo's marriage to the Pharaoh's daughter was the beginning of idolatry in כלל ישראל, which ultimately led to the destruction of the temple and the exile of the Jewish people at the hands of Eisav. That's why יצחק alluded to this now, forewarning us that if we go away from Torah we will lose our blessing & be in the hands of Eisav. The Torah is teaching us here that in order for us to triumph & to have the beracha that we so desperately need, we have to separate ourselves from Eisav. The only way to do that is by attaching ourselves to the Torah , committing to uphold it, & by doing so we will merit to all the berachos & the rebuilding of the temple speedily in our day!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Chayei Sarah
The posuk says ואלה ימי שני חיי אברהם אשר חי these are the years of אברהם's life that he lived. רבי צדוק asks, it seems that the words אשר חי - that he lived, are superfluous.
He answers that אברהם's main focus was doing positive commandments, for his essence was the love of 'ה. The yerushalmi says that the root of doing positive commandments is a love of 'ה,whereas negative commandments are out of fear of 'ה. Therefore, everything he did was with זריזות, for when you act out of love there's nothing to slow you down. He kept going up, never standing still. That's why it says אשר חי, because his whole life he was always going up in his own service of 'ה.
Similarly, the Midrash says that every צדיק has his own world. This means that each person has to strive to complete his own goals on his own level, according to one's own character traits. אברהם's was love, & he kept building on that so that his whole life was considered a spiritual climb until his world was completed.
The posuk says earlier, ויהיו חיי שרה מאה שנה ועשרים שנה ושבע שנים שני חיי שרה,Sarah's lifetime was one hundred years,and twenty years,and seven years; the years of Sarah's life . Again it repeats שני חיי שרה, & Rashi says it's telling us כולן שוין לטובה, They were all equal for good. First of all, where do you see that all her years were good? She had many troubles. Also, what are the repeated words coming to teach us? Explains רבי יהושע אהרן צבי, אב"ד מורגרטן, when chazal say רשעים בחייהם קרויים מתים that the wicked even in their lifetime are called deceased, they mean that the days of a person's life that count are the days that one does good deeds. However, if one just wastes his day, & does nothing to serve his creator, it's not considered as if he lived those days. This is what the posuk is telling us. שרה lived out each day doing good, bringing people closer to 'ה, & that's why it's considered שני חיי שרה - that she lived fully all her days.
However, how does that answer why Rashi says all her days were good ? Maybe like we said by אברהם, that each person's job is to fulfill his own mission, & if one completely does what one is supposed to do, then what we might perceive as a hardship, to them is just a challenge. When one overcomes their challenges, says the דרש דוד, there is no greater happiness than that.
We can learn from אברהם and שרה that each person has their individual purpose, and it doesn't matter what the next person is doing. No matter what the challenge, when we overcome it, we will merit true happiness and fulfillment in our lives!
He answers that אברהם's main focus was doing positive commandments, for his essence was the love of 'ה. The yerushalmi says that the root of doing positive commandments is a love of 'ה,whereas negative commandments are out of fear of 'ה. Therefore, everything he did was with זריזות, for when you act out of love there's nothing to slow you down. He kept going up, never standing still. That's why it says אשר חי, because his whole life he was always going up in his own service of 'ה.
Similarly, the Midrash says that every צדיק has his own world. This means that each person has to strive to complete his own goals on his own level, according to one's own character traits. אברהם's was love, & he kept building on that so that his whole life was considered a spiritual climb until his world was completed.
The posuk says earlier, ויהיו חיי שרה מאה שנה ועשרים שנה ושבע שנים שני חיי שרה,Sarah's lifetime was one hundred years,and twenty years,and seven years; the years of Sarah's life . Again it repeats שני חיי שרה, & Rashi says it's telling us כולן שוין לטובה, They were all equal for good. First of all, where do you see that all her years were good? She had many troubles. Also, what are the repeated words coming to teach us? Explains רבי יהושע אהרן צבי, אב"ד מורגרטן, when chazal say רשעים בחייהם קרויים מתים that the wicked even in their lifetime are called deceased, they mean that the days of a person's life that count are the days that one does good deeds. However, if one just wastes his day, & does nothing to serve his creator, it's not considered as if he lived those days. This is what the posuk is telling us. שרה lived out each day doing good, bringing people closer to 'ה, & that's why it's considered שני חיי שרה - that she lived fully all her days.
However, how does that answer why Rashi says all her days were good ? Maybe like we said by אברהם, that each person's job is to fulfill his own mission, & if one completely does what one is supposed to do, then what we might perceive as a hardship, to them is just a challenge. When one overcomes their challenges, says the דרש דוד, there is no greater happiness than that.
We can learn from אברהם and שרה that each person has their individual purpose, and it doesn't matter what the next person is doing. No matter what the challenge, when we overcome it, we will merit true happiness and fulfillment in our lives!
Friday, November 11, 2011
vayera
The posuk says וישב אברהם אל נעריו, And אברהם returned to his young men. The Midrash Rabba brings down the chazal that asks, where was יצחק? Why didn't he return with אברהם? Rav says in the name of Rav Chanan that אברהם sent him off to the yeshiva of שם to learn. The Midrash compares it to a woman who became rich from spinning thread on her spindle. She says, inasmuch as I became rich through this spindle, it shall never leave my possession. So too, אברהם said all that I have, and all the trials that I passed, I was only able to do because of the Torah and mitzvos. I don't want that to ever be missing from my descendants, so he sent him off to learn.
Wouldn't you think that after the trauma of bringing him up as a korban, and nearly losing him, he would just take him home, show his mother he's ok, spend time with him and teach him himself?
It says earlier in the parsha that Sara told אברהם to banish Yishmael from their house. וירע הדבר מאד בעיני אברהם, It was bad in the eyes of אברהם, and he didn't want to send him away. Then 'ה said to him, כל אשר תאמר אליך שרה שמע בקלה, listen to whatever שרה tells you. The דרש דוד raises a few questions on this story. First, if it's as Rashi says, and he was committing the three cardinal sins, and that's why she wanted him out, then why would אברהם want him around? Also, Rashi comments that when it says to listen to her, it meant to her רוח הקודש. Why did he need Sara's רוח הקודש to tell him to banish Yishmael if he was committing these sins? Also, when he was dying of thirst, the malachim said to 'ה why are You saving someone whose descendants in the future will kill your children with thirst? And 'ה said, I only judge by how one is now and now he's a tzaddik. If he had committed the cardinal sins, how could he be a tzaddik?
To explain this, we must say that he was a tzaddik and didn't commit the sins. So now, why did Sara say to banish him? דרש דוד answers that although he didn't commit the sins yet, the stirrings were in his heart and he was looking to commit them. It was only a matter of time, and that's what Sara saw with her רוח הקודש, and that's why אברהם didn't see, because Yishmael hadn’t done anything yet. The Torah is teaching us that in order for יצחק to be the one to follow in אברהם's footsteps, he needed to have a pure home and upbringing without any negative influences. Maybe that's why he sent him straight from the עקידה, for he knew how important it was for יצחק to go to learn, and didn't want him to be with Yishmael for even one second.
This week has unfortunately been a very heartbreaking and sad one. First, two boys on their way back to yeshiva were tragically taken from us. Then, the very next day we lost a great rosh yeshiva. People have been asking each other, what does 'ה want from us? What is He trying to tell us? For us there really are no answers. However, maybe we can take a lesson from אברהם, that after his greatest trial he said that more important than anything else is learning the Torah without distraction and negative influences. Let's all commit to strengthen our studying of the Torah, which in turn will change us for the better, showing 'ה that we're listening and we don't need any more messages!
Wouldn't you think that after the trauma of bringing him up as a korban, and nearly losing him, he would just take him home, show his mother he's ok, spend time with him and teach him himself?
It says earlier in the parsha that Sara told אברהם to banish Yishmael from their house. וירע הדבר מאד בעיני אברהם, It was bad in the eyes of אברהם, and he didn't want to send him away. Then 'ה said to him, כל אשר תאמר אליך שרה שמע בקלה, listen to whatever שרה tells you. The דרש דוד raises a few questions on this story. First, if it's as Rashi says, and he was committing the three cardinal sins, and that's why she wanted him out, then why would אברהם want him around? Also, Rashi comments that when it says to listen to her, it meant to her רוח הקודש. Why did he need Sara's רוח הקודש to tell him to banish Yishmael if he was committing these sins? Also, when he was dying of thirst, the malachim said to 'ה why are You saving someone whose descendants in the future will kill your children with thirst? And 'ה said, I only judge by how one is now and now he's a tzaddik. If he had committed the cardinal sins, how could he be a tzaddik?
To explain this, we must say that he was a tzaddik and didn't commit the sins. So now, why did Sara say to banish him? דרש דוד answers that although he didn't commit the sins yet, the stirrings were in his heart and he was looking to commit them. It was only a matter of time, and that's what Sara saw with her רוח הקודש, and that's why אברהם didn't see, because Yishmael hadn’t done anything yet. The Torah is teaching us that in order for יצחק to be the one to follow in אברהם's footsteps, he needed to have a pure home and upbringing without any negative influences. Maybe that's why he sent him straight from the עקידה, for he knew how important it was for יצחק to go to learn, and didn't want him to be with Yishmael for even one second.
This week has unfortunately been a very heartbreaking and sad one. First, two boys on their way back to yeshiva were tragically taken from us. Then, the very next day we lost a great rosh yeshiva. People have been asking each other, what does 'ה want from us? What is He trying to tell us? For us there really are no answers. However, maybe we can take a lesson from אברהם, that after his greatest trial he said that more important than anything else is learning the Torah without distraction and negative influences. Let's all commit to strengthen our studying of the Torah, which in turn will change us for the better, showing 'ה that we're listening and we don't need any more messages!
Friday, November 4, 2011
lech lecha
It is interesting to note two conflicting stories in this weeks parsha, both involving אברהם אבינו. The first one is when אברהם is on the way down to Mitzrayim, he tells his wife אמרי נא אחתי את please say that your my sister למען ייטב לי בעבורך so that it will be good for me because of you .
Rashi says on that יתנו לי מתנות that פרעה will give אברהם presents.
Then we have the story of when אברהם אבינו went to rescue לוט, & fought & defeated the four kings, after which the king of Sodom wanted to give him all the spoils. אברהם said he wouldn't even touch a shoelace from him, for he didn't want the king of Sodom to say אני העשרתי את אברם that he made אברהם rich.
The אוצרות התורה asks, why the change of heart? Why did he want presents from פרעה, however from the king of Sodom he wouldn't touch a thing?
The ספר בכורי אברהם answers based on the רמב"ן, that everything the אבות did was a sign for what their children would go through. אברהם knew that his children would be slaves in Mitzraim, & wanted to make sure that they would go out ברכוש גדול, so he wanted to get presents from פרעה so that his children eventually would too.
But what about the king of Sodom? Why wouldn't אברהם take presents from him? Why did he care if the king said that he made אברהם rich? He knew where it really came from.
There was a simple Jew who worked for the czar,who was his sole source of income . From time to time the czar would ask him how he's doing, & he would always answer "Boruch Hashem", "everything is from 'ה". The czar would get upset thinking to himself, I'm the one who gives him his livelihood. I'm the one who takes care of him, so why does he constantly thank 'ה & not me? This went on for a while, & finally, one time, a few weeks before pesach, the czar fired him & said, let's see 'ה take care of you now. The man went home dejected, with no money for food. While everyone else was getting ready for pesach, this man & his family were starving for bread & water. Meanwhile, the czar would come by his house every few days to gloat,proving to him that it was he, & not 'ה, who supported him..
One day the czar was in his treasure house checking his gold coins to make sure there were no fakes. In order to test them, he would bite on them to see if they were real. He did this with coin after coin, reveling in his wealth. The czar had a pet monkey who liked to imitate his master. When the czar left the room, the monkey started putting the coins in his mouth too, not realizing that his master had spit them out. He kept swallowing them until he choked, & died.
When the czar saw the dead monkey, he thought, what a great way to antagonize the jew. He went with his henchmen in the middle of the night, & flung the dead carcass into the jew's house.
The jew awakened by the sound of breaking glass, ran to see what happened, saw the dead monkey & went to check it out. As he got closer, saw a glint coming from the monkeys mouth. He looked closer & saw a gold coin. He then took the carcass & cut it open. There he found enough gold to last a lifetime. He immediately thanked 'ה for saving him, went out & bought the best foods for pesach, & the most expensive clothing for his entire family. He invited all his friends and relatives for the seder, & had a seder that was truly fit for a king.
The czar said to himself, tonight I have to go see him, for by now he has surely learned his lesson. It's pesach & he has nothing. He goes to the house of the jew, & is flabbergasted by what he sees: the lavish foods, clothes, & many guests. He can't contain himself. He goes in & says, how did you get all this?? It's not possible! So the jew tells him, it's all from 'ה. He tells him the story of the monkey, & the czar saw that truly, it is all from 'ה.
Here too answers the אוצרות התורה, the actions of אברהם are to teach us, the future generations, the proper path. Yes, he knew where his wealth came from. He didn't really care if the king of Sodom would say he made אברהם rich, however, in order to teach the future generations that all that we have is from 'ה, & not to make any mistake about where your money comes from. He had to refuse to take anything from the king of Sodom so that no one could deny that it is 'ה who makes one rich & no one else!
Rashi says on that יתנו לי מתנות that פרעה will give אברהם presents.
Then we have the story of when אברהם אבינו went to rescue לוט, & fought & defeated the four kings, after which the king of Sodom wanted to give him all the spoils. אברהם said he wouldn't even touch a shoelace from him, for he didn't want the king of Sodom to say אני העשרתי את אברם that he made אברהם rich.
The אוצרות התורה asks, why the change of heart? Why did he want presents from פרעה, however from the king of Sodom he wouldn't touch a thing?
The ספר בכורי אברהם answers based on the רמב"ן, that everything the אבות did was a sign for what their children would go through. אברהם knew that his children would be slaves in Mitzraim, & wanted to make sure that they would go out ברכוש גדול, so he wanted to get presents from פרעה so that his children eventually would too.
But what about the king of Sodom? Why wouldn't אברהם take presents from him? Why did he care if the king said that he made אברהם rich? He knew where it really came from.
There was a simple Jew who worked for the czar,who was his sole source of income . From time to time the czar would ask him how he's doing, & he would always answer "Boruch Hashem", "everything is from 'ה". The czar would get upset thinking to himself, I'm the one who gives him his livelihood. I'm the one who takes care of him, so why does he constantly thank 'ה & not me? This went on for a while, & finally, one time, a few weeks before pesach, the czar fired him & said, let's see 'ה take care of you now. The man went home dejected, with no money for food. While everyone else was getting ready for pesach, this man & his family were starving for bread & water. Meanwhile, the czar would come by his house every few days to gloat,proving to him that it was he, & not 'ה, who supported him..
One day the czar was in his treasure house checking his gold coins to make sure there were no fakes. In order to test them, he would bite on them to see if they were real. He did this with coin after coin, reveling in his wealth. The czar had a pet monkey who liked to imitate his master. When the czar left the room, the monkey started putting the coins in his mouth too, not realizing that his master had spit them out. He kept swallowing them until he choked, & died.
When the czar saw the dead monkey, he thought, what a great way to antagonize the jew. He went with his henchmen in the middle of the night, & flung the dead carcass into the jew's house.
The jew awakened by the sound of breaking glass, ran to see what happened, saw the dead monkey & went to check it out. As he got closer, saw a glint coming from the monkeys mouth. He looked closer & saw a gold coin. He then took the carcass & cut it open. There he found enough gold to last a lifetime. He immediately thanked 'ה for saving him, went out & bought the best foods for pesach, & the most expensive clothing for his entire family. He invited all his friends and relatives for the seder, & had a seder that was truly fit for a king.
The czar said to himself, tonight I have to go see him, for by now he has surely learned his lesson. It's pesach & he has nothing. He goes to the house of the jew, & is flabbergasted by what he sees: the lavish foods, clothes, & many guests. He can't contain himself. He goes in & says, how did you get all this?? It's not possible! So the jew tells him, it's all from 'ה. He tells him the story of the monkey, & the czar saw that truly, it is all from 'ה.
Here too answers the אוצרות התורה, the actions of אברהם are to teach us, the future generations, the proper path. Yes, he knew where his wealth came from. He didn't really care if the king of Sodom would say he made אברהם rich, however, in order to teach the future generations that all that we have is from 'ה, & not to make any mistake about where your money comes from. He had to refuse to take anything from the king of Sodom so that no one could deny that it is 'ה who makes one rich & no one else!
Friday, October 28, 2011
noach
The posuk says, ויבא נח ובניו ואשתו ונשי בניו אתו אל התבה מפני מי המבול : Noach, and his sons,and his wife,and his sons' wives with him,went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.
Rashi explains why it says מפני מי המבול : because of the waters of the flood. It should have said that he went in because 'ה told him to. He says that even Noach was מקטני אמנה; he believed, and he didn't believe that the flood would come, so only when he was forced in by the waters, did he enter the תבה.
Asks the באר יוסף, how can we say Noach was lacking in his trust of 'ה after we said that Noach was completely righteous and was told straight from 'ה that he was going to bring the flood, & then he worked for 120 years building the תבה. Could it be that he lacked trust in 'ה?
There's another posuk that says ואתה קח לך מכל מאכל אשר יאכל ואספת אליך והיה לך ולהם לאכלה : take for yourself from every food that is eaten and gather it for yourself that it shall be for you and them as food.
There are a couple of questions on this posuk. First, why does it say take for yourself from every food...? It should have just said take from every food. Also, why does it start with "take for yourself" & then end with "it shall be for you and them as food"? Shouldn't it have said take for yourself and them?
The ש"ך & תפארת יהונתן answer, that if Noach had to bring along food to feed all the animals for an entire year, even one hundred arks wouldn't have sufficed to carry all the food. So 'ה made an enormous miracle and told him to prepare food just for himself, and with that little bit of food there was enough for him and everyone in the תבה for the full year.
That's why the posuk says take for yourself, for he only took food for himself, & then it says for yourself & them, for that food will be enough for you & them.
We see from here how much trust Noach had, that he went into the תבה with thousands of animals and almost no food, completely trusting 'ה. So again, how does Rashi say he was מקטני אמנה?
The באר יוסף says, in truth, Noach knew and believed that if the people wouldn't do teshuva the flood would come. There was no doubt in his mind. However, he thought that since 'ה had given an extra seven days as a last attempt for the people to do teshuva, 'ה, in his infinite mercy, would keep pushing it off until they actually did teshuva, & wouldn't have to bring the flood. Therefore, he waited as long as he could to go into the תבה.
Now if that's the case, why does Rashi call him מקטני אמנה? He had complete faith, he just thought 'ה would give more time.
Answers ר יצחק ווארקא, that the way to read the Rashi is not that Noach was מקטני אמנה, but rather that Noach believed in the קטני אמנה & thought that they would do teshuva. Therefore, he didn't believe that the flood would come. He waited until the last second, hoping the people would repent, showing us that it's never too late to do teshuva & even if we wait until the last second we can always come back!
Rashi explains why it says מפני מי המבול : because of the waters of the flood. It should have said that he went in because 'ה told him to. He says that even Noach was מקטני אמנה; he believed, and he didn't believe that the flood would come, so only when he was forced in by the waters, did he enter the תבה.
Asks the באר יוסף, how can we say Noach was lacking in his trust of 'ה after we said that Noach was completely righteous and was told straight from 'ה that he was going to bring the flood, & then he worked for 120 years building the תבה. Could it be that he lacked trust in 'ה?
There's another posuk that says ואתה קח לך מכל מאכל אשר יאכל ואספת אליך והיה לך ולהם לאכלה : take for yourself from every food that is eaten and gather it for yourself that it shall be for you and them as food.
There are a couple of questions on this posuk. First, why does it say take for yourself from every food...? It should have just said take from every food. Also, why does it start with "take for yourself" & then end with "it shall be for you and them as food"? Shouldn't it have said take for yourself and them?
The ש"ך & תפארת יהונתן answer, that if Noach had to bring along food to feed all the animals for an entire year, even one hundred arks wouldn't have sufficed to carry all the food. So 'ה made an enormous miracle and told him to prepare food just for himself, and with that little bit of food there was enough for him and everyone in the תבה for the full year.
That's why the posuk says take for yourself, for he only took food for himself, & then it says for yourself & them, for that food will be enough for you & them.
We see from here how much trust Noach had, that he went into the תבה with thousands of animals and almost no food, completely trusting 'ה. So again, how does Rashi say he was מקטני אמנה?
The באר יוסף says, in truth, Noach knew and believed that if the people wouldn't do teshuva the flood would come. There was no doubt in his mind. However, he thought that since 'ה had given an extra seven days as a last attempt for the people to do teshuva, 'ה, in his infinite mercy, would keep pushing it off until they actually did teshuva, & wouldn't have to bring the flood. Therefore, he waited as long as he could to go into the תבה.
Now if that's the case, why does Rashi call him מקטני אמנה? He had complete faith, he just thought 'ה would give more time.
Answers ר יצחק ווארקא, that the way to read the Rashi is not that Noach was מקטני אמנה, but rather that Noach believed in the קטני אמנה & thought that they would do teshuva. Therefore, he didn't believe that the flood would come. He waited until the last second, hoping the people would repent, showing us that it's never too late to do teshuva & even if we wait until the last second we can always come back!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
bereishis
The posuk says:ומעץ הדעת טוב ורע לא תאכל ממנו כי ביום אכלך ממנו מות תמות from the tree of knowledge good & bad don't eat from it for on the day you eat from it you will die. And immediately following, the next posuk says: לא טוב היות האדם לבדו אעשה לא עזר כנגדו it's not good for man to be alone, I will make him a helper alongside him.
We need to understand this. Why right after 'ה commanded him not to eat from the tree of knowledge, did he say he needs a helper? Before he had a restriction he didn't need a helper. The מוהרי"ץ answers that we see by Shabbos we don't allow one person to read alone by candlelight, but if there are two people there then it's allowed for each one will remind the other that it's Shabbos. Here too, as long as there was no command not to do something, he didn't need a helper to help him to stay away from sinning. Once there was a commandment not to eat, he needed a helper to keep him from sinning.
How ironic that the one person that was put there specifically to stop him from sinning, is the one who caused him to sin. How can we understand that? Wouldn't he have been better off without her?
The posuk says: ויהיו שניהם ערומים האדם ואשתו ולא יתבששו they were both naked, the man & his wife, and they weren't embarrassed.
Rashi says they didn't know between good & bad. They had no evil inclination until after they ate from the tree of knowledge. That's when the evil inclination entered them. All the commentators ask on Rashi, if before he ate from the tree of knowledge he didn't have the evil inclination, then why would he eat from the tree of knowledge? What would cause him to rebel against 'ה?
Also, chazal tell us that the whole job of a person in this world is to overcome the evil inclination, so how could it be that אדם didn't have one initially?
Answers ר' חיים וולאזין, that even before the sin, אדם had the choice & will to do good & bad, but the difference was that the evil wasn't inside of him; it was an external force personified by the snake that had to outwardly convince him to sin. It was only after the sin that the forces of evil are part of our very being, & our job is to combat them.
We know the punishment of the snake was that dirt will be his food & the punishment of man was that he will have to work hard for his food. On the surface it seems that the snake got the better deal. His food is abundant and always around, while man has a hard time getting his food. They answer that the reason 'ה gives him his food with no effort, is because he's distancing himself from him; he wants nothing to do with him. However, man, whose quest for bread is a daily struggle, is because 'ה wants man to come to him asking for his help, bringing himself closer to 'ה, constantly trying to rectify the original sin.
Maybe this is why he needed חוה there, for in order for a person to gain that closeness to 'ה, he has to have the constant trial. He has to be able to fight off his evil inclination, be it internal or external. He needs to have the desire to do bad, so that he can choose to do good. So yes, this first time around חוה caused him to do bad, but in order for her to rectify her sin, she will always be there to push him to do good. Had אדם been alone, maybe he wouldn't have sinned this time, but who knows what would have happened next time. Without a wife there to help you turn back, we might never get that closeness to 'ה that's the essence of our very existence. We learn from here to not to be afraid to ask for help & when someone pushes us to do the right thing, embrace it!
We need to understand this. Why right after 'ה commanded him not to eat from the tree of knowledge, did he say he needs a helper? Before he had a restriction he didn't need a helper. The מוהרי"ץ answers that we see by Shabbos we don't allow one person to read alone by candlelight, but if there are two people there then it's allowed for each one will remind the other that it's Shabbos. Here too, as long as there was no command not to do something, he didn't need a helper to help him to stay away from sinning. Once there was a commandment not to eat, he needed a helper to keep him from sinning.
How ironic that the one person that was put there specifically to stop him from sinning, is the one who caused him to sin. How can we understand that? Wouldn't he have been better off without her?
The posuk says: ויהיו שניהם ערומים האדם ואשתו ולא יתבששו they were both naked, the man & his wife, and they weren't embarrassed.
Rashi says they didn't know between good & bad. They had no evil inclination until after they ate from the tree of knowledge. That's when the evil inclination entered them. All the commentators ask on Rashi, if before he ate from the tree of knowledge he didn't have the evil inclination, then why would he eat from the tree of knowledge? What would cause him to rebel against 'ה?
Also, chazal tell us that the whole job of a person in this world is to overcome the evil inclination, so how could it be that אדם didn't have one initially?
Answers ר' חיים וולאזין, that even before the sin, אדם had the choice & will to do good & bad, but the difference was that the evil wasn't inside of him; it was an external force personified by the snake that had to outwardly convince him to sin. It was only after the sin that the forces of evil are part of our very being, & our job is to combat them.
We know the punishment of the snake was that dirt will be his food & the punishment of man was that he will have to work hard for his food. On the surface it seems that the snake got the better deal. His food is abundant and always around, while man has a hard time getting his food. They answer that the reason 'ה gives him his food with no effort, is because he's distancing himself from him; he wants nothing to do with him. However, man, whose quest for bread is a daily struggle, is because 'ה wants man to come to him asking for his help, bringing himself closer to 'ה, constantly trying to rectify the original sin.
Maybe this is why he needed חוה there, for in order for a person to gain that closeness to 'ה, he has to have the constant trial. He has to be able to fight off his evil inclination, be it internal or external. He needs to have the desire to do bad, so that he can choose to do good. So yes, this first time around חוה caused him to do bad, but in order for her to rectify her sin, she will always be there to push him to do good. Had אדם been alone, maybe he wouldn't have sinned this time, but who knows what would have happened next time. Without a wife there to help you turn back, we might never get that closeness to 'ה that's the essence of our very existence. We learn from here to not to be afraid to ask for help & when someone pushes us to do the right thing, embrace it!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
vezoz haberacha / hoshana raba
The posuk says ויעל משה מערבות מואב אל הר נבו; Moshe went up from the plains of Moav to mount Nevo & 'ה showed him the entire land of ארץ ישראל, & said to him, this is the land I promised אברהם, יצחק & יעקב that I would give over to their children. Look at it, but you're not going to enter.
Rashi says that 'ה showed it to him so that he would tell אברהם, יצחק & יעקב that He fulfilled his promise to give the land to their children.
How does Moshe see the promise fulfilled? If he believes 'ה that he's going to bring them in, why does he need to see the land? And if he doesn't, then how does showing it to him help?
We see a similar thing when 'ה gave Moshe the לוחות. He said to him, go down from the mountain; your people are sinning. Moshe takes the לוחות, goes down, sees them sinning, then breaks the לוחות. Didn't he believe 'ה? Why bother taking them down to begin with if he's just going to break them?
The last Posuk in the Torah says אשר עשה משה לעניני כל ישראל; what Moshe did before the eyes of the whole Klal Yisroel
Rashi says what it's referring to is that he made sure to break the לוחות before their eyes. However, isn't that obvious? We just said he saw them sinning & then broke them, so of course it was before their eyes!
The שפתי חכמים says that it should have just said לבני ישראל. Why does it have to say לעניני כל ישראל?
Maybe the reason it says לעיני is to teach us that Moshe had to do it in front of them. He had to go down to them to see firsthand what they were doing wrong.
Similarly, over here, of course Moshe didn't doubt 'ה. However, how could Moshe tell the Avos that 'ה fulfilled his promise without at least seeing the actual land firsthand, the same way he wouldn't admonish the people before he actually saw them doing wrong with his own eyes.
The פוניבז' משגיח used to say that the same way the עשרת ימי תשובה are days to reflect & turn, and better our ways, and יום כיפור is the seal, so too are the ten days from יום כיפור until הושענא רבה and הושענא רבה is the ultimate seal.
Now if הושענא רבה is the ultimate seal why don't we fast and daven like on יום כיפור ?
Maybe it's like we're saying here that the days from ראש השנה until יום כיפור were the days for us to reflect & repent, but now in the next ten days 'ה comes down, says the פוניבז' משגיח to see if we are really doing what we said we would on יום כיפור, without the fasting and davening. Just seeing how we act in our daily lives. Then once 'ה sees firsthand that since יום כיפור we're busy doing the mitzvos and bettering ourselves, He will put the final seal on a great year for all of us!
Rashi says that 'ה showed it to him so that he would tell אברהם, יצחק & יעקב that He fulfilled his promise to give the land to their children.
How does Moshe see the promise fulfilled? If he believes 'ה that he's going to bring them in, why does he need to see the land? And if he doesn't, then how does showing it to him help?
We see a similar thing when 'ה gave Moshe the לוחות. He said to him, go down from the mountain; your people are sinning. Moshe takes the לוחות, goes down, sees them sinning, then breaks the לוחות. Didn't he believe 'ה? Why bother taking them down to begin with if he's just going to break them?
The last Posuk in the Torah says אשר עשה משה לעניני כל ישראל; what Moshe did before the eyes of the whole Klal Yisroel
Rashi says what it's referring to is that he made sure to break the לוחות before their eyes. However, isn't that obvious? We just said he saw them sinning & then broke them, so of course it was before their eyes!
The שפתי חכמים says that it should have just said לבני ישראל. Why does it have to say לעניני כל ישראל?
Maybe the reason it says לעיני is to teach us that Moshe had to do it in front of them. He had to go down to them to see firsthand what they were doing wrong.
Similarly, over here, of course Moshe didn't doubt 'ה. However, how could Moshe tell the Avos that 'ה fulfilled his promise without at least seeing the actual land firsthand, the same way he wouldn't admonish the people before he actually saw them doing wrong with his own eyes.
The פוניבז' משגיח used to say that the same way the עשרת ימי תשובה are days to reflect & turn, and better our ways, and יום כיפור is the seal, so too are the ten days from יום כיפור until הושענא רבה and הושענא רבה is the ultimate seal.
Now if הושענא רבה is the ultimate seal why don't we fast and daven like on יום כיפור ?
Maybe it's like we're saying here that the days from ראש השנה until יום כיפור were the days for us to reflect & repent, but now in the next ten days 'ה comes down, says the פוניבז' משגיח to see if we are really doing what we said we would on יום כיפור, without the fasting and davening. Just seeing how we act in our daily lives. Then once 'ה sees firsthand that since יום כיפור we're busy doing the mitzvos and bettering ourselves, He will put the final seal on a great year for all of us!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
succos
The Posuk says כי בסוכות הושבתי את בני ישראל בהוציאי אותם מארץ מצרים; the reason we sit in the succah is because 'ה housed us in succahs on the way out of mitzrayim. Rashi says that the succahs we're referring to are the ענני הכבוד
We all know the famous question.
If we're commemorating going out of mitzrayim, why don't we have succos in nissan, when we left mitzrayim? The חידושי הרי"ם gives an interesting answer. He says that the mitzva is למען ידעו; that we should know what happened. The mitzvah of succah requires knowledge. Throughout most of the year people have many sins, and we know that a person doesn't sin unless a רוח שטות comes over him. So throughout the year we're considered lacking the knowledge to perform the mitzvah of succah properly, but after rosh hashana & yom kippur, when we're free from sin, we have the דעת to perform the mitzva of succah in the ultimate fashion.
Asks רבי אליהו גוטמאכר, normally, by mitzvos we say that they don't need kavana. However, by succah we see that this mitzvah requires special kavana. Why over here do we need to know the reason for the mitzva?
The אלשיך says over the following mashal.
The רמב"ם, as we know, was a great doctor who divided his time between the palace of the king as his private physician, & his home, where he studied the Torah. When he would go from his house to the palace, all the sick people would line up along the way and he would instruct them on a remedy to cure their sicknesses.
One day as he was going, there was a man standing with all the sick people, who was obviously healthy. The רמב"ם asked him, why are you standing here with the sick people ? The man told him, I'm a teacher of small children, and recently another rebbi moved into town & took my livelihood away; I was hoping you could help me. The רמב"ם said, I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm a doctor; I help sick people. The man told him, you help people to eat & sleep. I can't eat or sleep - I need your help. I can't eat for I have no money, & I can't sleep because I worry about my family. The רמב"ם said, if that's so, then you too should be cured of what ails you, and told him to take one melon, and make sure to take care of it so that it will last a long time. Time went on & nothing happened. The man was discouraged but still cared for the melon.
Winter comes, & the king gets sick. The רמב"ם is summoned and concludes that the only cure is a ripe melon that was ready to be pulled from the ground in the summer. They searched the land to no avail. The schoolteacher hears about this & brings the melon that he's been caring for, to the king. When the king is completely healed he makes a big party & gets up and asks the man to name his reward. The man is so excited! Finally, he can get what he's been wanting. He says, please king, let there be no one else allowed to teach children in this town except me. The king says, that I can't give you for it's my day of happiness. On my day of celebration I won't do anything that would be harmful to anyone.
The man leaves dejected. The next day when the רמב"ם leaves his house to go to the king, the dejected schoolteacher is on the line again with the sick people. The רמב"ם asks him, why are you here again? The man tells him what happened at the king's party. The רמב"ם says, you fool! Why wouldn't you ask him for 100,000 gold coins which he would have gladly given you & you wouldn't have to teach again?
The אלשיך says, we learn from here that if a person has a request to ask of someone, you have to pick the right time. If it's a time of joy & happiness, then ask for something good. If you need to ask for something that even though it might be good for you, is bad for others, wait until it's a time of anger, then ask for what you need. Based on this, says רבי אליהו גוטמאכר , the days of succos, when we're commemorating the עני הכבוד that 'ה made to protect us from all harm, is the time that's most opportune for us to ask 'ה to protect & lookout for us for the whole year. That's why we need to know the reason for the succah, so that we know what we could be asking for. Just like 'הprotected us then, he will protect us throughout the generations. All we have to do is ask at the most opportune time, when we're free from sin. Now is when 'ה is בשמחה, so we merit the ultimate protection!
We all know the famous question.
If we're commemorating going out of mitzrayim, why don't we have succos in nissan, when we left mitzrayim? The חידושי הרי"ם gives an interesting answer. He says that the mitzva is למען ידעו; that we should know what happened. The mitzvah of succah requires knowledge. Throughout most of the year people have many sins, and we know that a person doesn't sin unless a רוח שטות comes over him. So throughout the year we're considered lacking the knowledge to perform the mitzvah of succah properly, but after rosh hashana & yom kippur, when we're free from sin, we have the דעת to perform the mitzva of succah in the ultimate fashion.
Asks רבי אליהו גוטמאכר, normally, by mitzvos we say that they don't need kavana. However, by succah we see that this mitzvah requires special kavana. Why over here do we need to know the reason for the mitzva?
The אלשיך says over the following mashal.
The רמב"ם, as we know, was a great doctor who divided his time between the palace of the king as his private physician, & his home, where he studied the Torah. When he would go from his house to the palace, all the sick people would line up along the way and he would instruct them on a remedy to cure their sicknesses.
One day as he was going, there was a man standing with all the sick people, who was obviously healthy. The רמב"ם asked him, why are you standing here with the sick people ? The man told him, I'm a teacher of small children, and recently another rebbi moved into town & took my livelihood away; I was hoping you could help me. The רמב"ם said, I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm a doctor; I help sick people. The man told him, you help people to eat & sleep. I can't eat or sleep - I need your help. I can't eat for I have no money, & I can't sleep because I worry about my family. The רמב"ם said, if that's so, then you too should be cured of what ails you, and told him to take one melon, and make sure to take care of it so that it will last a long time. Time went on & nothing happened. The man was discouraged but still cared for the melon.
Winter comes, & the king gets sick. The רמב"ם is summoned and concludes that the only cure is a ripe melon that was ready to be pulled from the ground in the summer. They searched the land to no avail. The schoolteacher hears about this & brings the melon that he's been caring for, to the king. When the king is completely healed he makes a big party & gets up and asks the man to name his reward. The man is so excited! Finally, he can get what he's been wanting. He says, please king, let there be no one else allowed to teach children in this town except me. The king says, that I can't give you for it's my day of happiness. On my day of celebration I won't do anything that would be harmful to anyone.
The man leaves dejected. The next day when the רמב"ם leaves his house to go to the king, the dejected schoolteacher is on the line again with the sick people. The רמב"ם asks him, why are you here again? The man tells him what happened at the king's party. The רמב"ם says, you fool! Why wouldn't you ask him for 100,000 gold coins which he would have gladly given you & you wouldn't have to teach again?
The אלשיך says, we learn from here that if a person has a request to ask of someone, you have to pick the right time. If it's a time of joy & happiness, then ask for something good. If you need to ask for something that even though it might be good for you, is bad for others, wait until it's a time of anger, then ask for what you need. Based on this, says רבי אליהו גוטמאכר , the days of succos, when we're commemorating the עני הכבוד that 'ה made to protect us from all harm, is the time that's most opportune for us to ask 'ה to protect & lookout for us for the whole year. That's why we need to know the reason for the succah, so that we know what we could be asking for. Just like 'הprotected us then, he will protect us throughout the generations. All we have to do is ask at the most opportune time, when we're free from sin. Now is when 'ה is בשמחה, so we merit the ultimate protection!
Friday, October 7, 2011
yom kippur
The posuk says לכפר על בני ישראל מכל חטאתם אחת בשנה this is for you as an eternal decree to forgive the jewish people for all their sins once a year.
Why did the Torah write once a year only by יום כיפור? All the other holidays also come only once a year.
The gemara asks, why was the death of מרים recorded next to the parsha of parah aduma? To teach us that just like parah aduma is mechaper, so too is the death of a tzadik mechaper. Why was the death of אהרן next to the בגדי כהונה? Just like the בגדי כהונה are mechaper so too is the death of a tzadik
We see that we can have a day like יום כיפור- a day that's mechaper more than once a year.
The mishnah berurah says, that at least in the days between rosh hashana and yom kippur, one should do like the zohar says and before he goes to sleep take an accounting of his deeds & do teshuva.
There's a story told about the chafetz chaim one יום כיפור night. After everyone went home from shul, he stayed. One of his students wanted to observe him, so he hid under a bench to see what his rebbi would do when he was all alone. The chafetz chaim saw that he was alone so he began to make an accounting of everything he did the whole year, month by month, week by week, day by day, then hour by hour. After he finished his accounting he had one hour out of the whole year that he didn't know what he did with.
He started crying bitterly, rebuking himself, saying yisroel meir, yisroel meir, what's going to be with you? What did you waste an hour of your life on? Chazal say that you can acquire your world to come in one hour, & in that hour 'ה gave you life, health, sustenance, healthy children etc, how could you waste it!? That was the chofetz chaim, crying over one hour; what can we say........
On our question of why it says once a year,הגאון רבי יעקב חריף מוילנא explains with a mashal of a man who was very sick, who had to travel to the big city to an expert doctor. They rushed to get him there with no stops along the way, however, if he had an attack along the way they would have to take him to the local doctor to control it until they could get to the big city so that he wouldn't die along the way . Similarly, when the jewish people are going through the year, and the sins aren't too bad, when יום כיפור comes they do a wholehearted teshuva; then we can make it from one יום כיפור to the next. However, if the sins are very grave, then we can't make it straight to the next יום כיפור & we get sent a day with the death of a tzaddik or similar tragedy. That's like יום כיפור in the middle of the year to propel us to do teshuva. This is what the torah is saying, that now, on יום כיפור, we should do real teshuva so that it will be just once a year & we won't need any more days like יום כיפור. If we could learn a little from the chafetz chaim how to examine our deeds & account for our time, & not waste it on frivolous matters, maybe then we will make it from one יום כיפור to the next with no stops in between, and possibly the time we don't waste will be the hour that will grant us eternity!
Wishing everyone a גמר חתימה טובה
Why did the Torah write once a year only by יום כיפור? All the other holidays also come only once a year.
The gemara asks, why was the death of מרים recorded next to the parsha of parah aduma? To teach us that just like parah aduma is mechaper, so too is the death of a tzadik mechaper. Why was the death of אהרן next to the בגדי כהונה? Just like the בגדי כהונה are mechaper so too is the death of a tzadik
We see that we can have a day like יום כיפור- a day that's mechaper more than once a year.
The mishnah berurah says, that at least in the days between rosh hashana and yom kippur, one should do like the zohar says and before he goes to sleep take an accounting of his deeds & do teshuva.
There's a story told about the chafetz chaim one יום כיפור night. After everyone went home from shul, he stayed. One of his students wanted to observe him, so he hid under a bench to see what his rebbi would do when he was all alone. The chafetz chaim saw that he was alone so he began to make an accounting of everything he did the whole year, month by month, week by week, day by day, then hour by hour. After he finished his accounting he had one hour out of the whole year that he didn't know what he did with.
He started crying bitterly, rebuking himself, saying yisroel meir, yisroel meir, what's going to be with you? What did you waste an hour of your life on? Chazal say that you can acquire your world to come in one hour, & in that hour 'ה gave you life, health, sustenance, healthy children etc, how could you waste it!? That was the chofetz chaim, crying over one hour; what can we say........
On our question of why it says once a year,הגאון רבי יעקב חריף מוילנא explains with a mashal of a man who was very sick, who had to travel to the big city to an expert doctor. They rushed to get him there with no stops along the way, however, if he had an attack along the way they would have to take him to the local doctor to control it until they could get to the big city so that he wouldn't die along the way . Similarly, when the jewish people are going through the year, and the sins aren't too bad, when יום כיפור comes they do a wholehearted teshuva; then we can make it from one יום כיפור to the next. However, if the sins are very grave, then we can't make it straight to the next יום כיפור & we get sent a day with the death of a tzaddik or similar tragedy. That's like יום כיפור in the middle of the year to propel us to do teshuva. This is what the torah is saying, that now, on יום כיפור, we should do real teshuva so that it will be just once a year & we won't need any more days like יום כיפור. If we could learn a little from the chafetz chaim how to examine our deeds & account for our time, & not waste it on frivolous matters, maybe then we will make it from one יום כיפור to the next with no stops in between, and possibly the time we don't waste will be the hour that will grant us eternity!
Wishing everyone a גמר חתימה טובה
Saturday, October 1, 2011
haazinu / rosh hashana
The posuk says, קל אמונה ואין עול צדיק וישר הוא; a trustworthy G-d with no injustice He is righteous & upright. The אוצרות התורה asks, what is the praise that we're giving 'ה that He's אין עול? We wouldn't even praise a person that he doesn't harm other people unjustly, so what's the great praise that 'ה doesn't harm unprovoked? 'ר ישראל סלנט explains, in normal circumstances, if a person commits a crime, and goes before a judge based on his crime, he's sentenced . If he's sentenced to a long jail time, it not only affects him, but his family as well. Even if his aging parents whom he supports, would come to court to ask for leniency, or his wife, children, or close friends would beg the judge, it would be to no avail; the court wouldn't waiver. One gets punished based on his crime. However, the judgment of 'ה is not like that. His judgment is אין עול; without any injustice, He takes into account all the mitigating circumstances, and won't punish unless everyone who would be effected deserves it. ר אליהו לופיאן says, based on this, that a person should surround oneself with friends & loved ones in order to be saved on the יום הדין, for the more people you affect the better your chances for a good judgment. In the סימנים on ר"ה night we say שירבו זכויותינו - that our merits should be increased. The ספר תורת חיים asks, what kind of request is that? Either we have merits or we don't. If we want them increased we have to go out & do mitzvos, & then we'll have more. We can't ask 'ה to give them to us - how can he give us merits?
Based on the explanation of אין עול, maybe we could say that what we're asking 'ה when we say שירבו זכויותינו is that He give us the ability to positively affect many people, whether it be spiritually or materially. As the סבא מקלם says, don't live just for yourself! The more people we affect the better our chance of getting a good judgment. There's a story told about the רב מפונביז. When he was sick in the hospital, he called over some of his influential talmidim to ask if there was anything he could do for the klal, such as to open a new yeshiva or the like. The talmidim asked him, why is the rav asking us this now? Wait until you're better and then do it. The rav answered, now that I'm in a state of פיקוח נפש, I need to do something for the klal, and then I'm sure I'll be healed. So too with us, coming into ראש השנה, we need to make sure we're doing things for the klal, getting involved, helping people, affecting as many people as possible to ensure that we merit a year of health, wealth & happiness!
Wishing everyone a כתיבה וחתימה טובה!!
Based on the explanation of אין עול, maybe we could say that what we're asking 'ה when we say שירבו זכויותינו is that He give us the ability to positively affect many people, whether it be spiritually or materially. As the סבא מקלם says, don't live just for yourself! The more people we affect the better our chance of getting a good judgment. There's a story told about the רב מפונביז. When he was sick in the hospital, he called over some of his influential talmidim to ask if there was anything he could do for the klal, such as to open a new yeshiva or the like. The talmidim asked him, why is the rav asking us this now? Wait until you're better and then do it. The rav answered, now that I'm in a state of פיקוח נפש, I need to do something for the klal, and then I'm sure I'll be healed. So too with us, coming into ראש השנה, we need to make sure we're doing things for the klal, getting involved, helping people, affecting as many people as possible to ensure that we merit a year of health, wealth & happiness!
Wishing everyone a כתיבה וחתימה טובה!!
Friday, September 23, 2011
netzavim-vayelach
| T |
Rashi says the men come to learn, the women come to listen & the children come to give s’char for those that bring them. The Rambam says that even the greatest torah scholars who know everything had to come & listen to the king read the Torah.
The דרש דוד asks, if the reason that we do הקהל is that the people should listen & learn the torah, wouldn't it have made more sense for people to be grouped by level, instead of having everyone come together, from the smallest child to the greatest rabbi?
The ספר החינוך says, the mitzvah of הקהל is not just limud hatorah, but being that the whole essence of Klal Yisroel is Torah & that's what differentiates us from the rest of the world, we gather everyone together so that it should be a momentous occasion that everyone's talking about. When people ask, what's going on? Why is everyone here? The answer is to hear Torah & that will have people talking about it & praising it, infusing a desire in the people to pursue it.ר' אריה לווין asks, it says in the gemara in berochos לעולם ירגיז אדם יצה"ט על יצה"ר; a person should always agitate the yetzer hatov at the yetzer hara, then you won't sin. He asks, how do you translate the word רגזו, and how do we have the yetzer hatov agitating the yetzer hara?
He uses the following mashal to explain.
There were two merchants with neighboring stores. One was full of customers at all hours of the day, making the owner very wealthy, and one which nobody came into, obviously making the owner very poor. One day a buyer came into the poor man's store & was looking around. It seemed, finally, the poor man was going to get a big sale. Alas, along comes the wealthy shopkeeper from down the block, trying to get the customer to go to his store. The poor man starts yelling & getting angry, saying, you have to try to take my one customer? Can't you let me have something? When the people heard what happened, they all agreed with the poor man. His argument was so strong that they all supported him and the wealthy shopkeeper left. That's the meaning of להרגיז; that you make a strong enough argument that your opponent just leaves on his own. This is the way we have to deal with the yetzer hara. All day he's feeding us reasons why we can't learn, so when night comes, & the work excuses are over, he tries to get us with other reasons that we can't learn. He's just like the rich man trying to take the one customer from the poor man. However, being that we just said that our whole essence is Torah, we have to be like the poor merchant. We have to get angry & say to him with an irrefutable argument, you got me all day long, now I have a little time at night to learn; do you have to take that away too?! Can't you let me have something?! Our desire has to be so strong that we get angry at any form of the yetzer hara that tries to stop us from learning in the little time we have, strengthening our commitment to learn & follow the torah, enabling our nation to survive!
Friday, September 16, 2011
ki savo
The posuk says ובאת אל הכהן אשר יהיה בימים ההם you shall come to the kohen that's in your days.
Rashi says that you only have the kohen that's in your generation however he is.
Ramban asks, we said by the shoftim that you have to go to the rabbis of your generation even though they might not be as great as previous ones, nonetheless, you must listen to them. That makes sense, but to tell me I have to give bikurim to the kohen of my generation seems superfluous. Who else would I give them to if not the kohen of our days?
The דרש דוד explains that the reason why the mitzvah to wipe out Amalek & the mitzvah to bring bikurim are right next to each other, is because the essence of Amalek's sin was אשר קרך בדרך that he happened upon you on the way. Rashi explains קרך-happened, that it comes from a lashon of מקרה - chance. Amalek's motto was that everything happens by chance & nobody is in control.
Bikurim show us the opposite effect . We are commanded to bring the first fruits to the kohen every year, & they have to be brought with great joy & thanks to 'ה for giving us the fruits. Why all the pomp & ceremony for a run of the mill everyday occurrence? You plant seeds, they grow, you have fruit; it's natural.
This is why it's next to Amalek. To dispel the notion that everything happens by chance; that even for a natural everyday occurrence like planting, we come & give gratitude to 'ה, showing that we believe even the smallest things are controlled by Him. There is no such thing as coincidence.
We know the job of the kohen was to teach the people & admonish them for their sins, helping them to grow in the service of 'ה. Maybe what Rashi meant when he said to give them to the kohen of your days, is that even nowadays when we don't have the kohen to teach & guide us, we have to look at everything that happens as a message from 'ה . In the last couple of weeks we have had a hurricane, an earthquake, & the 10th anniversary of 9/11. 'ה is trying to tell us something. I'm sure we can all think of something we could improve on, however, looking at the bikurim themselves, we can learn something. When people brought the bikurim, the wealthy people would bring their fruits on gold platters, & the kohanim would take the fruit & return the platter. The poor people would bring it in wicker baskets & the kohanim would keep the baskets too. Is this an example of the rich get richer & the poor get poorer? Explains ר אהרן בקשט, that the rich brought lots of big nice fruit, when the kohen would take the fruit off the gold platter it still looked like an impressive offering. But the fruits from the poor people weren't so nice, & there wasn't a lot, so taking only the fruit would look like a measly offering. In order for them not to be embarrassed in front of all the other people, the kohen took the fruit in the basket so it would look like they were getting something impressive from them too. Let's take this to heart & see the little things we can do not to hurt or embarrass other people, promoting achdus between one another so we won't need any more messages!
Rashi says that you only have the kohen that's in your generation however he is.
Ramban asks, we said by the shoftim that you have to go to the rabbis of your generation even though they might not be as great as previous ones, nonetheless, you must listen to them. That makes sense, but to tell me I have to give bikurim to the kohen of my generation seems superfluous. Who else would I give them to if not the kohen of our days?
The דרש דוד explains that the reason why the mitzvah to wipe out Amalek & the mitzvah to bring bikurim are right next to each other, is because the essence of Amalek's sin was אשר קרך בדרך that he happened upon you on the way. Rashi explains קרך-happened, that it comes from a lashon of מקרה - chance. Amalek's motto was that everything happens by chance & nobody is in control.
Bikurim show us the opposite effect . We are commanded to bring the first fruits to the kohen every year, & they have to be brought with great joy & thanks to 'ה for giving us the fruits. Why all the pomp & ceremony for a run of the mill everyday occurrence? You plant seeds, they grow, you have fruit; it's natural.
This is why it's next to Amalek. To dispel the notion that everything happens by chance; that even for a natural everyday occurrence like planting, we come & give gratitude to 'ה, showing that we believe even the smallest things are controlled by Him. There is no such thing as coincidence.
We know the job of the kohen was to teach the people & admonish them for their sins, helping them to grow in the service of 'ה. Maybe what Rashi meant when he said to give them to the kohen of your days, is that even nowadays when we don't have the kohen to teach & guide us, we have to look at everything that happens as a message from 'ה . In the last couple of weeks we have had a hurricane, an earthquake, & the 10th anniversary of 9/11. 'ה is trying to tell us something. I'm sure we can all think of something we could improve on, however, looking at the bikurim themselves, we can learn something. When people brought the bikurim, the wealthy people would bring their fruits on gold platters, & the kohanim would take the fruit & return the platter. The poor people would bring it in wicker baskets & the kohanim would keep the baskets too. Is this an example of the rich get richer & the poor get poorer? Explains ר אהרן בקשט, that the rich brought lots of big nice fruit, when the kohen would take the fruit off the gold platter it still looked like an impressive offering. But the fruits from the poor people weren't so nice, & there wasn't a lot, so taking only the fruit would look like a measly offering. In order for them not to be embarrassed in front of all the other people, the kohen took the fruit in the basket so it would look like they were getting something impressive from them too. Let's take this to heart & see the little things we can do not to hurt or embarrass other people, promoting achdus between one another so we won't need any more messages!
Friday, September 9, 2011
ki seitzei
The posuk says לא יבא עמוני ומואבי בקהל ה
There are two reasons given why Ammon & Moav can never enter into the jewish nation. First, because they did not greet the Jews with bread and water when they went out of Mitzraim, and second, because they hired Billam to curse the nation in order to destroy us.
The דובנא מגיד asks, how are we blaming these murderers, a nation that wanted to try to totally annihilate us for not giving us food, when that's only a courtesy? Isn't it enough to fault them for trying to kill us? How does them not giving us food even count?
Another anomaly we find, says the מליץ יושר, is if because a nation tried to destroy us they can't join us, then why could Mitzri'im become part of the jewish people? After all, they tried to destroy us too.
The רמב"ן says, one of the reasons why we do שלוח הקן is because we want to train ourselves not to be cold hearted. He quotes the רמב"ם that says that the reason we don't slaughter a mother animal & its kid on the same day, and the mitzva to send away the mother bird are both because an animal has the same built in feeling for a child that a human does. So if we would slaughter the kid in front of the mother, or take the eggs when the mother is there, it would cause great anguish. The Torah is showing us how compassionate we have to be even for an animal; how much more so for our fellow man.
With this we could understand how the מגיד answers his question. He says, in reality, the two reasons are one. The main reason is that Ammon & Moav didn't bring us bread and water, however if they would try to justify it by saying they were a poor country & couldn't afford it, we mention the second reason; that they hired Billam and expose their lie for where then did the money come from to hire Billam?
What the Torah is showing us here is how much kindness & feeling someone else's pain has to be part of our DNA. So much so that even though a nation like Mitzraim enslaved & tortured us, the fact that they provided us with a home when we needed it allows them to become part of our nation. They might have done those things to us says the מליץ יושר, for they felt we might overpower them one day, so it wasn't purely malicious. However, Ammon & Moav, who didn't even have the decency to give us a little food when a whole nation was on the run, had no feeling for another's pain, & therefore can never be a part of us. Let's take this lesson and truly feel one another's pain & actively try to alleviate it any way we can, & then midah K'neged midah 'ה will alleviate our pain and bring the geula speedily in our day!
There are two reasons given why Ammon & Moav can never enter into the jewish nation. First, because they did not greet the Jews with bread and water when they went out of Mitzraim, and second, because they hired Billam to curse the nation in order to destroy us.
The דובנא מגיד asks, how are we blaming these murderers, a nation that wanted to try to totally annihilate us for not giving us food, when that's only a courtesy? Isn't it enough to fault them for trying to kill us? How does them not giving us food even count?
Another anomaly we find, says the מליץ יושר, is if because a nation tried to destroy us they can't join us, then why could Mitzri'im become part of the jewish people? After all, they tried to destroy us too.
The רמב"ן says, one of the reasons why we do שלוח הקן is because we want to train ourselves not to be cold hearted. He quotes the רמב"ם that says that the reason we don't slaughter a mother animal & its kid on the same day, and the mitzva to send away the mother bird are both because an animal has the same built in feeling for a child that a human does. So if we would slaughter the kid in front of the mother, or take the eggs when the mother is there, it would cause great anguish. The Torah is showing us how compassionate we have to be even for an animal; how much more so for our fellow man.
With this we could understand how the מגיד answers his question. He says, in reality, the two reasons are one. The main reason is that Ammon & Moav didn't bring us bread and water, however if they would try to justify it by saying they were a poor country & couldn't afford it, we mention the second reason; that they hired Billam and expose their lie for where then did the money come from to hire Billam?
What the Torah is showing us here is how much kindness & feeling someone else's pain has to be part of our DNA. So much so that even though a nation like Mitzraim enslaved & tortured us, the fact that they provided us with a home when we needed it allows them to become part of our nation. They might have done those things to us says the מליץ יושר, for they felt we might overpower them one day, so it wasn't purely malicious. However, Ammon & Moav, who didn't even have the decency to give us a little food when a whole nation was on the run, had no feeling for another's pain, & therefore can never be a part of us. Let's take this lesson and truly feel one another's pain & actively try to alleviate it any way we can, & then midah K'neged midah 'ה will alleviate our pain and bring the geula speedily in our day!
Friday, September 2, 2011
shoftim
The posuk says לא תסור מן הדבר אשר יגידו לך ימין ושמאל; you shall not turn from the word that they will tell you, right or left.
Rashi says even if the חכמים tell you that right is left and left is right you still have to listen. שפתי חכמים explains that to mean that even if it appears to you that what they're telling you is the opposite of what you think, you still must listen.
The חתם סופר asks, why does it use the analogy of left and right as opposed to a different comparison, like light & dark?
He says that just like by Yaakov, when he put his left hand on Menashe instead of Efraim, when Yosef asked him about it he had a good reason for doing it. We see that even when our Rabbis tell us something that in our minds look like it's switching right to left, there's good reason. This is exemplified by the following story. When ר' יצחק זאב סולוביצ'יק first became Rav of Brisk, a delegation came from the army to his shul on Rosh Hashana to ask the rabbi to come with them in order to say וידוי with a jewish prisoner who was condemned to die. It was the law of the land that they couldn't kill a prisoner before they read him his last rites. However, when they got there the Rav was saying שמונה עשרה, so they said they would come back later. When the Rav finished his tefila the people told him what had transpired, and he decided that he wouldn't go. When they heard that the Rav wouldn't go, they began to protest & even spoke up and said that he's endangering all of them, but to no avail. When the delegation from the army came back it was in middle of musaf. The rabbi was davening & sensed that they were there, so he stayed in that stance for a long time so they wouldn't bother him. The people had no patience, so one of the older members said he was the Rav and went with them. He read the prisoner his last rites, who was then was taken out & killed. After davening, officers came to the Rav's house in a panic. The Rav's family was frantic thinking that they came to lock him up for not going, until it became clear that these officers were from another town coming to see if the Rav had gone to the prisoner. They wanted to catch up to him, for it came to light that the man was really innocent & didn't deserve to be killed. Quickly, it became clear what had happened, and the man who thought he was so smart & listened to the people, going against the Rav, caused the death of an innocent man. הרב איסר זלמן מלצר gives us a different perspective on why the Torah used right & left as opposed to light & dark. Light & dark are hard to mix up, but left and right are easy to mix up. If you stand opposite someone, each one says the right is on the other side. Therefore, chazal used the terminology of left & right because you can't see what the rabbi sees because you're standing in a different place than him. If you would be on his level & understand what he does, then your right would also be like his. So let's take this lesson & strengthen our אמונת חכמים, knowing that when we listen we will come to no harm!
Rashi says even if the חכמים tell you that right is left and left is right you still have to listen. שפתי חכמים explains that to mean that even if it appears to you that what they're telling you is the opposite of what you think, you still must listen.
The חתם סופר asks, why does it use the analogy of left and right as opposed to a different comparison, like light & dark?
He says that just like by Yaakov, when he put his left hand on Menashe instead of Efraim, when Yosef asked him about it he had a good reason for doing it. We see that even when our Rabbis tell us something that in our minds look like it's switching right to left, there's good reason. This is exemplified by the following story. When ר' יצחק זאב סולוביצ'יק first became Rav of Brisk, a delegation came from the army to his shul on Rosh Hashana to ask the rabbi to come with them in order to say וידוי with a jewish prisoner who was condemned to die. It was the law of the land that they couldn't kill a prisoner before they read him his last rites. However, when they got there the Rav was saying שמונה עשרה, so they said they would come back later. When the Rav finished his tefila the people told him what had transpired, and he decided that he wouldn't go. When they heard that the Rav wouldn't go, they began to protest & even spoke up and said that he's endangering all of them, but to no avail. When the delegation from the army came back it was in middle of musaf. The rabbi was davening & sensed that they were there, so he stayed in that stance for a long time so they wouldn't bother him. The people had no patience, so one of the older members said he was the Rav and went with them. He read the prisoner his last rites, who was then was taken out & killed. After davening, officers came to the Rav's house in a panic. The Rav's family was frantic thinking that they came to lock him up for not going, until it became clear that these officers were from another town coming to see if the Rav had gone to the prisoner. They wanted to catch up to him, for it came to light that the man was really innocent & didn't deserve to be killed. Quickly, it became clear what had happened, and the man who thought he was so smart & listened to the people, going against the Rav, caused the death of an innocent man. הרב איסר זלמן מלצר gives us a different perspective on why the Torah used right & left as opposed to light & dark. Light & dark are hard to mix up, but left and right are easy to mix up. If you stand opposite someone, each one says the right is on the other side. Therefore, chazal used the terminology of left & right because you can't see what the rabbi sees because you're standing in a different place than him. If you would be on his level & understand what he does, then your right would also be like his. So let's take this lesson & strengthen our אמונת חכמים, knowing that when we listen we will come to no harm!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Re'eh
The posuk says that you will get beracha when you listen to the mitzvos of 'ה & cursed if you don't. Later on in the Torah it says ובחרת בחיים - and choose life. The ספרי asks, why does it have to tell us that? Isn't that obvious? He then brings a mashal of a person who was sitting at a fork in the road, & before him were two paths; one started off clear & ended in thorns, & one started off thorny & ended clear. Informing the passersby that even though you see that this path seems clear, in a few steps it will be rocky & thorny, but this other path, while rocky at first, will be clear in a few steps. So too, Moshe was saying to Klal Yisroel that even though you see reshaim that have it good for two or three days, that's only in olam hazeh; their end will be suffering. You also might see tzadikim that suffer for two or three days in olam haze, but ultimately their end is that they'll be happy.ר' צדוק asks, is it only for two or three days that we see tzadikim suffering or reshaim prospering? We know 'ה pays reshaim for their mitzvos here & pays the tzadikim for their minuscule aviros here so that in olam haba each one will get the full reward or punishment they deserve. So what does the analogy of two or three steps mean? The Posuk says,ראה אנכי נתן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה See I put before you blessing & curse. הברכה אשר תשמעו the blessing that you will listen to the mitzvos of Hashem. והקללה אם לא תשמעו and the curse if you don't listen. וסרתם מן הדרך and go off the path of 'ה. The כלי יקר says the Posuk needs explaining, for normally when the Torah says that you should listen, it always follows with an active command of doing. For example, in Shema it says והיה אם שמע, & right after it says to serve with all your heart. Also, in last week's Parsha it said והיה עקב תשמעון & right after that it says you should observe and perform them. Listening is really only accepting in your heart to do the mitzva, but that's not enough. You have to do an action. Like it says in the next posuk, והקללה אם לא תשמעו & right after it qualifies it by saying if you go off the path. What's the point of hearing a command if you're not going to observe it? In Lech L'cha, when 'ה tells אברהם to leave his home, He says to him, I will bless those who bless you & those that curse you will be cursed. If you notice, it says that to those who give a brocha, 'ה says, He's going to bless even before they blessed אברהם, but to curse it's only after they would curse him. The reason is, ה' gives credit for good things even if it's just a thought. So one who wants to bless will be blessed even before he does it. However, when it comes to cursing & doing bad, 'ה doesn't punish until a person actually does the bad deed. That's why only after they curse will they be cursed. With this we can understand our Posuk, says the כלי יקר. When it says the curses, it has to say when you don't listen & go off the path you'll get cursed, for 'ה won't punish unless one actually does the bad. But by the Bracha all one has to do is listen & accept to do good. That alone is enough for the Bracha to take effect & the Bracha itself will help you to fulfill your good intentions.
Maybe with this we can answer ר' צדוק's question, that what Moshe meant over here wasn't to answer the age old question why do bad things happen to good people, but to help us to choose the right path, telling us even though when you start to do the mitvos it might be hard, don't give up, for after a few days with the help of 'ה's beracha you'll start to enjoy doing them & then it will be smooth sailing. By sinning the converse is true. Although once one starts sinning it seems easy & fun to start, after a few days you start feeling depressed & bogged down by guilt. So maybe what the ספרי meant was, even though it looks like fun not to listen, that won't last. Let's take the opportunity to get the beracha & have 'ה's help to get through the rough beginnings in order to get to the end where we'll enjoy learning the torah & doing the mitzvos!
Maybe with this we can answer ר' צדוק's question, that what Moshe meant over here wasn't to answer the age old question why do bad things happen to good people, but to help us to choose the right path, telling us even though when you start to do the mitvos it might be hard, don't give up, for after a few days with the help of 'ה's beracha you'll start to enjoy doing them & then it will be smooth sailing. By sinning the converse is true. Although once one starts sinning it seems easy & fun to start, after a few days you start feeling depressed & bogged down by guilt. So maybe what the ספרי meant was, even though it looks like fun not to listen, that won't last. Let's take the opportunity to get the beracha & have 'ה's help to get through the rough beginnings in order to get to the end where we'll enjoy learning the torah & doing the mitzvos!
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