Mikeitz

Our parsha opens with Pharaoh's dreams which trouble him and he is informed that Yosef can interpret them for him. He releases Yosef from prison to have him interpret his dreams. Yosef interprets the dreams as representing seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine; then he offers Pharaoh advice. ועתה ירא פרעה איש נבון וחכם וישיתהו על ארץ מצרים, and let Pharaoh seek out a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. Then he gives him an outline of how to prepare for the years of famine.

The commentators ask why is it that when Pharaoh asked for a dream interpretation, Yosef interprets but then also offers advice on how to deal with what's coming. Why would he offer unsolicited advice?

Rav Tzvi Hirsch Farber explains with a parable. Two princes, each obsessed with his own honor, were traveling on the same train. When they got to the station, an orchestra was playing. Each one was convinced that the orchestra was there for him. Unable to agree, they decided to ask a Jew who was nearby. The Jew, who didn't have a penny for the upcoming holiday, was shocked when the noblemen asked him to arbitrate their argument. He asked them for fifty rubles as an arbitration fee and then told them that the musicians came not for either one them but for him, so he would have money for the holiday.

Yosef thought to himself, why would Hashem give Pharaoh this advance notice of the famine? It must be so that I can come to power. Therefore, he offered the advice that Pharaoh accepted as the posuk tells us ויאמר פרעה אל יוסף, and Pharaoh said to Yosef , אחרי הודיע אלקים אותך , after Hashem made known to you all this , אין נבון וחכם כמוך, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.

The Maharal asks why, on Chanukah, do we commemorate the miracle of the oil? Where do we find any holiday that we celebrate because we were able to do a mitzvah? We normally celebrate because Hashem saved us from death. Even on Chanukah, when we say על הניסים , we don't mention the oil only that the small army of the Maccabees was able to miraculously defeat the great Greek army. Why, then, is Chanukah commemorated with the miracle of the oil?

He answers that, of course, we celebrate Chanukah because we defeated the Greeks. However, since people might think that the victory wasn't miraculous, Hashem made the miracle of the oil which was quite obviously a miracle. That's what we commemorate, for that shows us that just as the oil was a miracle so, too, the war was won by miracle. We have to be able to deduce one thing from the other. This is why the sefer מעגלי צדק explains the words בני בינה ימי שמונה,  “for those with understanding those who can understand one thing from another and recognize from the miracle of the oil the miracle of the war , ימי שמונה, we have a holiday for eight days”.

We see a recurring theme between the parsha and Chanukah, that we have to be able to see more than what's on the surface and use it to our benefit. We have to be נבון וחכם, wise and discerning. There's an incident that happened to the Rambam that emphasizes this point. A delegation of noblemen came to the sultan to inform him that his trusted Jewish doctor was planning to kill him! The sultan didn't know what to do. On the one hand, he didn't believe it for the Rambam was his close friend who had saved his life many times before. On the other hand, everyone was telling him this so he was getting worried for his own life.

After debating and getting advice on what to do, he decided to let the Rambam seal his own fate. He would make a lottery with two pieces of paper. On one he would write death, and on the other life; whichever the Rambam picks out will happen to him.

Now, the one in charge of the lottery was no friend of the Rambam, so he decided on a brilliant idea - he would just write death on both pieces of paper. He was so proud of himself for his ingenuity, that he made a party for all his friends and bragged so publicly about what he was going to do, that word reached the Rambam.

On the day of the lottery, there was an overflow crowd at the courthouse waiting to see what would happen to the Rambam.   They bring out the tray with two pieces of paper on it and told the Rambam to choose one. Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed one and swallowed it.  He announced to the crowd, “you all saw that the tray had two papers, one saying death and one life. Now that I swallowed one, let's look at the other; if it says life, then you know I swallowed the one that says death and I deserve to die. However, if the one on the tray says death, then you know I swallowed the one that says life and I deserve to live. The sultan, who understood what had happened, was so impressed with the Rambam's genius that he said, "how great is the G-d of these people, that he gives them wisdom and saves them from all harm!"

Vayeishev

After being falsely accused by Potifar's wife, Yosef is thrown into jail.  The posuk which details this event appears redundant for it says ויתנהו אל בית הסהר, and he was placed in prison, ויהי שם בבית הסהר, and he was there in prison. Rav Zilberstein asks if the posuk says that he was placed in prison then we know that he's in prison. Why does it have to repeat again that he was in prison?

He answers that there are times when a person is put into a situation that's similar to being put in jail. Everything goes wrong; the person is hit with one thing after another and there doesn't seem to be any way out. The person doesn't want to be there so he'll try anything to get out, to run away from the problems. He may try to fix them, which, of course, is the best way initially to try to get out of a bad situation. However, if a person sees that no matter what he does it seems that Hashem wants him to remain in this situation, it is incumbent upon the person to trust in Hashem's judgment and not to fight it, rather להיות שם, one has to be there. He needs to remain in the tough spot and know that this is Hashem's will; this is what's best for us however unfathomable it may seem to the human mind. We must also understand that the situation that Hashem puts us in is the only way that we can fulfill our role in life.

This is what the Torah is telling us about Yosef. Instead of being depressed and bemoaning all the hardships that had befallen him: being taken away from his beloved father, being sold into slavery, and now being confined to prison, he was בבית הסהר, he was there living life as best he could in the situation he was in, without looking back.

We see a similar concept by Yaakov. Rashi brings the midrash that tells us that Yaakov just wanted to live in peace whereas Hashem said, “isn't it enough for the tzadikim, all that they will get in the next world; they want peace in this world too?”  Reb Chaim Shmulevitz asks what was wrong with Yaakov's request? All he asked  for was peace so that he could sit and learn and get closer to Hashem. Why was Yaakov faulted for that? Reb Chaim answers that the purpose of a person on this world is not to sit on easy street and then to serve Hashem. Rather, it's to serve Hashem when it's hard and tough. That's when the real service is, as the תנא דבי אליהו says, “greater is one mitzvah done with pain than one hundred mitzvos done without pain.”

The sefer שומר אמונים  gives us a different perspective on how to look at hardship. He says there are three reasons why Hashem brings suffering on a person. First, is to cleanse him of his sins.  The second is to give him added reward later, and third, to benefit the world, for when a tzadik gets suffering put on him, it saves the world from calamities. If the tzadik accepts the suffering with love, then his reward is unimaginable.

There was a story at the time of the בעל שם טוב where he came to a town of a tzadik who had tremendous suffering. The people came to the בש"ט to ask him to daven that the man get better but he refused. When his students wouldn't stop bothering him, he explained. Surrounding this town was a forest within which are hoodlums that want to come into the city on a rampage and kill and steal all that they can. However, the suffering of this one man is saving the city from the outlaws.

We never know what our hardships are for and what they do on a global scene. We have to believe that whatever Hashem does is best and there is a master plan. All we have to do is follow Yosef's lead and live the situation we’re in to the best of our ability, and with that we will merit the ultimate reward!

Vayishlach

After twenty-two years in the house of Lavan , Yaakov is finally heading home. He sends a message to his brother, Eisav, that he's coming back and wants to make peace. However, the messengers come back with the news that Eisav was already heading toward him with a band of four hundred men. The posuk then tells us Yaakov's reaction, ויירא יעקב מאד ויצר לו, and Yaakov became very frightened, and it distressed him.

The commentators debate about what was Yaakov frightened and what distressed him.  Why, after he had a commitment from Hashem that He would be with him, would he have any reason to fear. The Malbim explains as follows, ויירא יעקב, Yaakov was afraid of Eisav, and because of that fear ויצר לו he was distressed, because he understood that the reason he was afraid was that he was lacking in the trait of bitachon and therefore wasn't worthy of a miracle. The Malbim stresses "one who has trust in Hashem has no reason to fear any person;  if one is afraid it shows that his trust isn't complete."

The sefer Panim Yafos takes this a step further and says that when the posuk says הצילני נא מיד אחי כי ירא אנכי , save me please from my brother for I am afraid, Yaakov was saying, why do I need to daven for help only because I'm afraid. Since I fear him, it shows I don't trust with a full heart. As Dovid Hamelech said, ה לי, לא אירא מה יעשה לי אדם, Hashem is with me , I don't fear, what can man do to me. With the merit that I fully trust in Hashem, no harm will come to me.

It's said in the name of the Baal Shem Tov that when a person has misfortune come upon him, the best thing to do is strengthen one’s trust in Hashem. He continues and says don't even daven that the misfortune go away; just strengthen your bitachon. The yetzer hara in times of hardship tries to get a person down and get him to question Hashem and weaken one’s trust.  One must daven not to take away the hardship, rather daven that one shouldn't lose his trust in Hashem and the one will see miracles with Hashem's help, for bitachon, trust, helps more than prayer.  When one davens, in heaven they start to check into the person to see if he's really worthy but one who trusts wholeheartedly is guaranteed Hashem's kindness, no matter what.

Once, while רב יוסף שלמה כהנמן was in New York to collect funds, he was on the train when suddenly he was being surrounded by a bunch of hoodlums that were boxing him in. He took a piece of paper from his pocket that had an address on it and asked one of the guys that were blocking him in, where to get off to get to this address. The guys, thinking they found a real fool, said, “oh that's the next stop; you'll get off with us and we'll show you where to go. The Rabbi says, “great; I'll get off with you.” The doors open; everyone gets up to leave; the Rabbi allows the guys go before him; he hesitates a second,  the doors close and he's safe inside. 

Sometimes need to use different methods to get the desired result, Rav Kahanamen's first reaction was probably to scream, try to run and get away, which is analogous to davening; yet what he did was pretend to put his trust in them and he got away. The Torah is telling us that the key to get out of a problem is bitachon, so let's strengthen our trust and realize that all Hashem does is good!

Vayeitzei

At his parents’ behest, Yaakov flees from his home in Canaan and goes to the ancestral family home, birthplace of Rivka and hometown of her father, Besuel, and brother, Lavan. On the way, he is shown a prophetic vision that fortifies his resolve to spiritually survive the exile he is about to begin.(Torah Treasury)

According to the Baalei Hamesora, this parsha contains no "paragraph" breaks in the text. Sfas Emes understands this to mean that although Yaakov left the land of Israel physically, he never severed emotional ties with it from the time he left until the time he came back. His mind and heart were riveted on the land.

Another reason, says the Baalei Tosafot, for the parsha to be "closed" stems from Yaakov running away from Eisav secretly. Reb Chaim Shmulevitz asks, normally the reason why we have breaks in the parsha is to be able to stop and think about what we just learned. What does Yaakov running away secretly have to do with understanding the parsha?

Later, when the brothers told their father that the king of Egypt wouldn't see them again to give them food unless they brought down Benyamin, Yaakov says למה הרעתם לי, why did you do bad for me? The midrash says that this is the only time Yaakov said something meaningless, for Hashem says "I am working to make his son a king and he says I'm doing bad to him"? From here we see that the ways of Hashem are hidden. Yaakov was looking at what was happening right now, at the singular item that was taking effect right now which seemed very bad; however, a person has to know that in the overall scheme of things he will see even that which seemed bad, in a different light.

As the Vilna Goan wrote to his family,” tomorrow you may cry over what you laughed about today and tomorrow you may laugh over what you cried about today.”

While Yaakov was dreaming, Hashem came to him and addressed all his fears. One thing, the midrash says, it seems that Hashem didn't answer him was his fear of not having food and clothing. רב איסי says that he did answer him, for at the end of the posuk it says כי לא אעזבך ,I will not forsake you , that referring to sustenance.

The Dubne Maggid explains, there was a child who had to go on a long journey. His mother packed him up all kinds of food and clothes and whatever else he might need along the way. His father prepared a nice sum of money for him to take along for all his expenses along the way. Then, as they were preparing everything, the father feels that the trip would be a dangerous one for the boy to travel alone so he decides to go along with him so that he can protect him from the dangers of the trip.

As they are on the way, the boy realizes that he doesn't have any money with him. He looks up at his father all worried that he has no money on him. The father looks at him and says, “my son, I am here with you; I'm taking the trip with you; anything you need is on me; why would you need money?

What chazal are telling us is that when Hashem says כי לא אעזבך, I will not abandon you, it means that He will take care of all our needs. We have nothing to worry about because He is always with us. This is why the parsha had to be closed to teach us that just like Yaakov, who thought everything was going wrong when in reality we see that it was all being orchestrated by Hashem, we, too, have to realize that what we’re going through is being orchestrated by Hashem.
This is a personal message to all of us throughout the generations. Just as at the start of the exile of our nation Hashem sent us this message that He will be there guiding us, we have to know that every person, regardless of where we are and what we are going through, Hashem is with us on the trip and there is nothing to worry about!