Hi Kids, I hope you are all well. I hope
I can share these thoughts with you in a coherent
fashion.
Story : It happenned sometime in the late 1890’s. In Lithuania at the
time it was not unusual for a budding talmid chacham, married even with
a few children, to ask and receive permission from his wife to leave
home for six months or even longer to go and learn Torah and work on
spiritual growth in depth, at the great "mussar" yeshiva in Kelm. One
day R’ Yerucham (later the great Mashgiach of Mir yeshiva) was learning
with his chavrusa, when suddenly alarm bells went off and panicked
voices were heard from the street. Fire had broken out in Kelm! Fires
spread very quickly with most of the homes made from wood and everyone
rushed out with whatever buckets they could find to help douse the
flames. Miraculously B"H the fire was extinguished before all was lost,
and the yeshiva which was on the outskirts of town was untouched. When
their help was no longer needed, the students returned to the bais
medrash to continue learning. R’ Yerucham’s chavrusa, a very serious
and introspective student of mussar paused their studies to admit to a
haunting thought he had had. "As the fire raged," he said, " the
thought passed through my mind that I wished the yeshiva would burn
down." He explained that he was feeling homesick - he hadn’t seen his
wife and kids for a few months already and missed them terribly.
However he couldn’t just go home because he had told his wife he would
be away for longer and he would look weak if he came home now; but if
the yeshiva would burn down, he would have the perfect excuse to leave
Kelm and return home. He was admitting that for the sake of his saving
face, it would have been worthwhile for the whole yeshiva (and who
knows what else) to go up in smoke.
Regular
occurance : A man runs to catch a bus and just as he gets to the bus
stop, the doors close and the bus takes off. To prevent himself from
getting angry and to console himself for missing the bus, he says to
himself " Boruch Hashem, gam zu litova, who knows if that bus will be
blown up by a terrorist and missing the bus actually saved my life." He
feels consoled - but at what price - he is saying that in order for him
to feel better about missing a bus, it would be worth it for the bus to
blow up and kill or maim scores of people.
Both of these stories are so normal, so human. It is so difficult to
remove ourselves from any given situation - to not think of ourselves
and how anything can be to our advantage. Compare these with the
following mashal told by the Magid of Mezritch to R’ Moshe Leib of
Sasov :
There were once two men who
became the closest of friends. There was nothing that they wouldn’t do
for each other. One day, one of them was accused of a crime (he
actually did not commit), was arrested, tried and sentenced to death by
hanging in the public square. The man asked for an audience with the
king and when it was granted, requested of the king that he be allowed
to go home for two weeks to take care of his affairs and say his
goodbyes to his family. The king chuckled and asked him if he had
anyone who would sit in jail in his place to guarantee that he return
at the end of the two weeks. Surprisingly the man replied that he has a
friend who would do this. The king asked if that friend would stand in
his place at the gallows and be killed if he would not return at the
appointed time. Again the man said that his friend would do it.
Amazingly enough, when they summoned the friend, he unhesitatingly
accepted and offered himself in his friend’s place - even in the
unlikely event of possible death.
The two week
period came to an end, the gallows were made ready but the convict was
nowhere in sight. The executioner, in a quandry, asked the king what to
do and the king replied that a deal was a deal - hang the replacement.
The noose was already around his neck when from a distance, a voice was
heard, "wait !! Don’t kill him - it’s me who should be hung!!" The
executioner stopped and looked from one man to another as the man on
the gallows begged him to pull the switch and kill him and the convict
continued yelling to stop the hanging until he got there so he could
change places with his friend. The executioner, not knowing what to do,
went to the king. The king came down to the gallows, looked at the two
men and asked them " are you really such good friends to fight over
being killed in place of each other?" They both nodded. The king then
said ," if that is true I am prepared to spare both your lives on one
condition - you include me in your friendship."
The people in the first two stories
could not be called selfish but their thoughts reveal that they were
not selfless either. We all admire people who are selfless and there
are many levels to selflessness. The mitzvos that Hashem gave us
regarding our behaviour and feelings to other people are opportunities
for us to practice and perfect ourselves to reach ever greater levels
of awareness of the needs of others and carry that over as well to our
relationship to Hashem in the mitzvos that we do which are between man
and Hashem. Of course I can’t stress enough that the primary
opportunity for this is within the family itself. Let us all be zocheh
to take advantage of all the opportunities afforded to us by the Torah,
the giving of which is related in this week’s parsha, to reach the
level of selflessness displayed in the third story.
Have a wonderful
Shabbos everyone. I love you all , ’d’
In this week’s Parsha, the Torah is finally given on Har Sinai, 2448 years after Creation. Good things can take a long time to get to. Chazal (Sotah 5A) teach that Har Sinai was a small mountain, and that the Torah was given there, rather than on a high peak (which would have otherwise been expected), because Hashem wanted to teach us the great importance of Anava, humility, in Torah study. An original thought or a finer understanding, for instance, does not simply fly into one’s head or even develop because you are a sharp person, but is, in reality, a gift from Hashem, and depends upon your effort, desire, and prayer. Similarly, one must at all times be ready, willing, and able to listen and learn from others--Rabbonim, Maggidei Shiur, friends, Chavrusas, and yes--even students and children--who are learning and spending more time and focus, on a particular Torah topic. In fact, Chazal (Ta’anis 7A) also teach that the reason Torah is compared to water is because just as water runs from high places down to lower places and valleys, so too does the Torah run to those who humble themselves--and go so low as to become a valley--in order to inculcate Torah into their very being.
A question, however, arises--and this question was posed to HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, Shlita. If the lesson from Har Sinai is that Anava is an absolute prerequisite for the true Torah Jew, why is it then that the Torah was not actually given in a valley--and a deep, deep valley at that? HaRav Kanievsky, Shlita, responded that there is indeed a great lesson here. That is, that we must first recognize the “mountain” that is given to us by Hashem--that we have great potential and capacities--but, in spite of all this, we must humble ourselves in any way that is necessary in order to receive the Torah and make the Torah a part of our being. As Chazal teach (Avos 2:6), “Lo HaBayshan Lomeid--the person who is ashamed, cannot learn.” A person must, then, recognize that he is actually a “small mountain”--neither an incapable valley nor a haughty peak.
The Vilna Goan (to Mishlei 4:13) writes that a person’s purpose in life is to break the inappropriate or negative Middos that he has, “and if he does not, why should he live?!” The person in the valley has nothing to work on and is working on nothing, and the person on the high peak has everything to work on--yet is not working on anything. The perfect place for one to grow is on that **low** **mountain**, Har Sinai.
This lesson is brought home dramatically by a story the Gemara relates (Ta’anis 25B). There was a great need for rain--a drought--and Rebbe Eliezer led the Tzibur in prayer, but was not answered. Rebbe Akiva followed, prayed briefly to Hashem and was answered forthwith. The Gemara explains that Rebbe Akiva was not greater than Rebbe Eliezer--it was just that Rebbe Akiva was Ma’avir Al Midosuv--he overcame his negative character traits, and Rebbe Eliezer apparently was not on par. In explaining this Gemara, the Mabit in the Beis Elokim writes that Rebbe Eliezer was so innately great that he had nothing that needed any serious correction--he had nothing to overcome! On the other hand, Rebbe Akiva had to overcome great stumbling blocks and obstacles in his Avodas Hashem in the course of his self-improvement. Rebbe Akiva was thus rewarded measure for measure--he worked to overcome his negative character traits, and Hashem worked to overcome a punishment of the people that was otherwise deserved.
As we noted in an earlier Bulletin, the Vilna Gaon (to Yonah 4:3) writes that the items one must work on in this world are those G-d-given tests which seem to constantly recur, and those aveiros for which one has a greater desire than others. Of course, the way to work on them is by taking some type of action to thwart or hinder the negative act or trait, or at least reduce or minimize it in some way.
HaRav Chaim Shmuelevitz, Z’tl, writes on that a crucial lesson from the Pasuk (in the Shira in last week’s Parsha, Shemos 15:14) “Shamu Amim Yirgazun--people heard and they were shaken”--is that we must take action, we must respond--and we dare not be a spectator to the events and occurrences of our very own lives. Sometimes, a person will take action for the moment, for the day, or even for a few days, but then falls back into the same rut, stepping comfortably backwards after some good but short-lived steps forward. Projects are started, but unlike the old days in school, when the projects had to be completed, tests had to be taken, and term-papers handed in, the now “voluntary” situations of self improvement and growth fall, sometimes irresponsibly, by the wayside. For the men, for instance, one can keep absolutely on schedule daily with Mishna Yomi, Daf Yomi, Halacha Yomi, etc,--or even just learn a blatt a day of Mesechta Megillah until Purim--with subsequent or other constant short-term, well defined goals. Yet, many will start but lack the consistency, or responsibility to themselves, to actually complete the Mesechta. Similarly, a woman may take it upon herself to say a specific chapter of Tehillim with Kavanna, or recite Shir Hashirim or Perek Shira, for 40 days in a row for a zechus for herself or someone else, but for reasons beyond her control (and they really are almost always good reasons) simply not complete the task. One can see the same issue at Shul in the morning--one day a person comes on time, another day just a minute or two late, another day five or ten minutes late--it is almost as if the Pesukei D’Zimra and Kriyas Shema that he davens daily are never the same because the speed of his davening, and what he skips, is almost never the same. It is the consistency that will overcome the bad habit. Let us take a lesson from the fact that Moshe Rabbeinu was at Har Sinai not for one day, two days, or even six days, but for forty consecutive days. We must recognize that we are mountains, and not valleys--each of us has great, untapped potential--and as low mountains, we can tap into that potential and change--surely and consistently.
This week is the week we can reach out to the lesson of Har Sinai. It is our turn to take the study of Torah, and/or to take a middah that we must work on, and put ourselves on our very own Har Sinai--and stay there for 40 days!
-------------------------- Hakhel MIS --------------------------
Hi Kids, With so many in the world and some of us in particular going through some difficult economic times, and knowing as we do that obama is NOT moshiach, it is appropriate to turn to the Torah to find a way to cope. This week's parsha tells of the Mann with which Hashem fed the Jewish people for 40 years. I must be brief but suffice it to say that the mann and the laws surrounding it are the greatest lesson of bitachon that we ever had. This lesson was drilled into our hearts and minds for all those years, and especially started before we received the Torah because it is so important. In a nutshell - we see from this phenomenon that Hashem can and does sustain us completely and absolutely - more than that ( and this is something to really think carefully about ) EVERYTHING that happens to us is planned and carried out by Hashem. This idea not only helps us cope with the daily trials of our sustenance, but actually opens up the entire Torah to us, especially those mitzvos between man and man ( where we are not only commanded to DO things for others but also to FEEL good towards others. Two illustrations: R' Elimelech of Lizhensk ZT"L was married to a rather 'difficult' woman. Once, when he was sitting in his house learning with his closest students, she barged into the room and proceeded to rant and rave at him for who knows what. The students were so embarassed for their rebbe and for themselves that they wanted to just escape. She went on and on as the rebbe just sat there and absorbed it all silently, and finally finished and stormed out of the room. The rebbe, as if nothing happenned, resumed teaching. The students, amazed, stopped him and asked him how he could reach such a level of calm and patience to absorb that kind of abuse. He explained that in fact he was grateful for what occurred. As far as her actions, that was her business, but from his perspective, this was all planned out by the heavenly court on Rosh Hashanah. He explained that on Rosh Hashanah it was decided that he would have to suffer public embarassment in the coming year ( whether as a punishment for some ongoing misdeed of his or as a test of his spirit ). In deciding though how to mete out this sentence, the court concluded mercifully that he would not have to endure this in shul or in the public square but rather at home amongst only his closest students and his wife was sent as the 'executioner' of the sentence. There was no reason to 'shoot the messenger' and he was thankful that this was all it was. A man came rushing to R' Chaim of Sanz ZT"L. He told the rebbe that he owned a fairly successful store in a nearby town, but recently another Jew opened a store across the street directly competing with his. Could the rebbe please do something - pray for the other store to fail or curse the other guy or… The rebbe, not in the business of cursing people, asked the man, "how did you get to Sanz"? The man replied that he came by way of his horse and wagon. The rebbe asked, "and what did you feed the horse on the way"? The man said that he had brought some hay along for the trip. "And what did the horse drink on the way"?, asked the rebbe. There are numerous rivers and lakes along the road and when the animal was thirsty, he pulled over to one of these and the horse drank, the man replied wondering why the rebbe was asking such strange questions. The rebbe said, "did you ever notice that when the horse bends down to drink, he first kicks at the water before he starts drinking"? "Not really," the man said, "but now that the rebbe mentions it, that's true, but why is it so"? The rebbe explained," when the horse bends down to the water, he sees a reflection of himself but he thinks that it is another horse. He thinks to himself - just my luck just when I get a chance to drink, another horse comes by and competes with me for the water. The horse gets angry as he sees this 'other' horse as a threat to him so he tries to kick the 'other' horse and when he does, the water becomes muddy and the reflection disappears. Then he is calmed, thinking that he has chased the horse away and feels comfortable enough to drink. But the horse is just a silly horse because 1) there is no other horse and 2) even if there was one, there is enough water to quench the thirsts of 1000 horses. If we as smart humans would only realize that all that is coming to us, comes from Hashem, and when it is decided on Rosh Hashanah what we are supposed to receive, no one else can take that away from us, we would realize that NO ONE is any kind of threat to us. The stronger this notion is etched into our beings, the more free we become to love everyone and just concentrate on what we have to do to live a good life - no one can take that away from us." Think about this and if you want, discuss it with me or someone more knowledgeable, for it is a great gift that can help you through many hard times whether they concern finances, human relations and especially relations between spouses and siblings. May we ALL and all Jews grow in this mitzvah of bitachon and reap the great benefits that come from it. Have a wonderful Shabbos kids. I love you all, 'd'
NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- More than 100 people were killed
and several dozen wounded when an overturned petrol tanker exploded in Kenya
early Sunday, authorities said.
The tanker overturned along a highway spilling gallons of gas which
hundreds of residents rushed to scoop up, said Titus Mung'ou of the Kenyan Red
Cross."People were lining up trying to get the fuel," he said. "They were
siphoning off petrol for over an hour. Some people had drilled holes in the
tanker and were charging a fee for the assembled crowd."
The vehicle exploded about an hour later, apparently after one of the
residents lit a cigarette or started a fire at the crash site, Mung'ou
said.
"There is the need to strengthen the capacity in handling fires," Mung'ou
said.
I think that has to be the understatement of the year. Its absolutely
amazing !!! In the excitement of getting something for free and even making
money, these people forgot the commodity that they were dealing with. If I
hadn't read it, I wouldn't have believed it.
I was learning with a friend this Mishna Bruerer this week and I
found advice from Chofetz Chaim on how a person is to eat : siman cuf nun zion,
sif katan dalet in the middle : "Its good that one makes his food lighter in the
day then in the night. And he should eat bread in the day. If he has a weak
heart, he should not fill his plate at one time and he should behave according
to what is written concerning the man. "In the evening meat you eat, and bread
in the morning will satisfy" Its brought in the Zohar Parsha Be Shalach, A man
should not cook his food from one day for the next day. And he should not save
food from one day for the next day (and the reason for this is that a man should
ask each day for his sustenance) If only we could be at that level.
I don't know how one would actually apply such a thing today, or if it is
even applicable (shy-ach), but I thought it interesting and even more so because
that's the Parsha this week. The sixth aliyah, this Shabbas. Go for it, grab
that Aliya. I say Parshas Ha Man every day. Its meant to be a sugula for
Parnassa. I wouldn't like to think about what my situation would be like if I
didn't say it !!!###???
Or rather sea bream and salmon. Fresh from DOMO, the Japanese Sushi
restaurant that my son-in-law Shmulik opened in Jerusalem. - But I had to grill
them , with no preparation, thanks- to the good Lord I was successful.
Shmuel also brought with him a sampling of the sushi that they make in his
restaurant .
and
(IsraelNN.com) ...that the Obama administration and leftist Israeli
politicians will try to internationalize holy sites in Jerusalem -- and he vowed
to fight the move. Netanyahu told the audience...The term "Holy Basin" refers to
the area of the Temple Mount, the Mount of Olives, Mount Zion and a variety of
Christian holy sites which the administration of former U.S. President Bill
Clinton recommended be administered under a "special regime."
and now for some better news, if you haven’t heard...:
:Tests confirmed that the 5,500 meters deep Tamar-1 reservoir, off the
Mediterranean coast of Haifa, contains at least 88 billion cu.m of gas, three
times the amount discovered off the coast of Ashkelon. Yitzhak Tshuva, of Delek
said the find could solve Israel’s energy problems for decades to come and
reduce its dependence on outside sources.
And now a word I learned with my son Shlomo Zalman, In each of the Makot
before the one of grasshopper, Hashem tells Moshe whats going on and what to
tell Pharoh. Here he doesn’t. How does Moshe know about the plague of
grasshoppers ?
The Kli Yakor asks and answers this question.
It was obvious to Moshe that the next plague had to eliminate the little bit
of food that was left in the field from the hail. The hail only affected the
trees and the fruits, the wheat and the kusemet were still around. Only the
grasshoppers could destroy that. The fact that Hashem said he has hardened the
heart of also the servants, only in the plague of Hail and grasshoppers,
showed Moshe clearly that grasshoppers had to be next...
This week I have more stories than I can tell but let’s try one or two.
R’ Yosef Leib Bloch ZT"L, before he became Rosh Hayeshiva in Telz, served as the rabbi in a city called Shodova. As you know, in those days ( mid 1800’s ), the ’haskalah’ movement was quite prevalent in Eastern Europe. These were Jews who discarded the great heritage of Torah Judaism in favor of the philosophical, anti-religious trends of then modern- day Europe. They often openly mocked the religious community and even at times made life quite difficult for authentic Jews. The leader of the Maskilim in Shodova was a man named Velvel. He had a kind side to him as well and when he heard of a poor ( Jewish ) student in St. Peterburg who was very depressed and needed some r & r. he invited the student to come to Shodova and stay with him and his family for a few months of recuperation. They gave him a room in the attic and he took walks and relaxed in the fresh summer air. Unfortunately though, his feelings of depression were too strong to supress and one day when he didn’t come out of his room, Velvel went up and was shocked by the gruesome discovery of the boy’s dead body in a pool of blood - the boy had committed suicide and had bled to death. Funeral arrangements were made and Velvel and some of the haskalah community buried the boy in the Jewish cemetary.
From that day onward, strange things started to happen in the Velvel home. In the middle of the night doors and closets would open and slam shut for no reason, pieces of wall and ceiling would fall off and strange, sometimes chilling noises and voices were heard throughout the night. The family was terrified and traumatized and Velvel was beside himself. He arranged a meeting with his haskalah comrades, and not being believers in any spirituality they decided to evacuate the family and they would spend a night in the house in search of what they were sure was a scientific explanation for the unusual phenomena. They came the next day and from early afternoon, looked in every nook and cranny of the house but by 11:30 pm they had found nothing. They sat down to rest and put their heads together but at the stroke of midnight, the house came alive once again - doors, closets, paint chips and the spine-tingling noises. The ’brave’ young scientists ran out too scared to even turn around to look. Anti-religious Velvel, in desperation, looked to Judaism and whatever he percieved as having anything to do with kedushah - spirituality and the occult, he tried. He went to R’ Bloch and got Mezuzahs and installed them. He had his children wear Tzitzis and made sure they all washed ’ neiglevasser ’ every day. After all that, nothing helped. He went to R’ Bloch and asked him how he could excorsize these ’demons’ from his house. R’ Bloch said to him that he was not someone who even dabbled in these types of things - he was just a man of halacha. However the halacha says that if someone dies and there was a loss of blood, the blood too must be buried as much as possible. This boy had died from bleeding to death and his blood had certainly got soaked into the floorboards of his room and who knows where else it had dripped. Velvel understood what needed to be done. R’ Bloch writes that the next day, a large funeral procession from Velvel’s house made its way through the streets of Shodova with bloodsoaked pieces of wood and carpet to the cemetary. They opened the grave of the poor boy and placed the remainders respectfully inside. From that day on, the house was quiet and back to normal. The epilogue is that after having witnessed all this, not one of the maskilim changed their attitudes or their lifestyles to orthodoxy - even Velvel.
A taxi driver told R’ Vallach the story of another taxi driver friend. A while back, this cabby sufferred a massive heart attack (lo aleinu) and was rushed to the hospital where he had a second attack. Laying on the gourney clinically dead he sensed himself going up to heaven and facing the ultimate court. Just as they were about to pronounce his death sentence, his grandfather appeared and began to plead for his grandson; "please don’t take him yet, he is too young and has much of life to live", he cried. The court clerk answered him that just the opposite - they were doing him a favor - this man did not keep Shabbos or kashruth or tahara and was doing all kinds of sins - the longer he would live , the worse would be his punishment after death so better to end it now and save him the grief. The desperate grandfather said, "I will guarantee that he will change his ways and do t’shuva - can he please have another chance? " The court agreed and suddenly the man got his life back and started to recover. After a few weeks , he was back driving his cab. R’ Vallach asked if the guy in fact did t’shuva. The reply - no not yet. R’ Vallach pointed out that who told the story in the first place - the heart attack victim himself - and yet knowing that he was only alive because of his grandfather’s promise, still remained the same.
There are many stories about people who become inspired but there are also many like these of people who witness and experience extraordinary things and still do not get inspired. R’ Leib Chasman said that if you go through these parshios without learning from par’oh about human nature and the stubbornness of man, you haven’t been yotze the mitzvah of reading these parshios. Par’oh and the egyptians lived through the most amazing miracles in history and were not affected. Hashem always ensures that we have free will and we will only be affected if we WANT to. All the logic and knowledge and experience will not change us if we don’t want to change. May Hashem grant us the strength to not be students of Par’oh but rather to open our hearts and minds to desire goodness and righteousness. May we all make good choices always.
Have a wonderful and inspiring Shabbos and may it propel us to ever greater heights. I love you all,
Today I experimented with three different marinates for grilling. I used
the herb Rosemary, some honey and lemon, olive oil and let the chicken absorb
the flavors. For the Steak eyen, (an excellent cut of meat for Israel) I tried
my soy sauce honey and crushed garlic, and vinegar honey and crushed garlic
marinate. I am experimenting for a Sunday gig I have grilling for 250 people at
a Bar Mitzvah.
Why am telling you this, because it just so happens to fit in
with the word I want to say. It goes like this : There is a limud in the
Gemorra, that says "where do you learn that issurim me'chapars? (that
suffering is an atonement )- from what it says "Brit Melech Olam, the covenant
between Hashem and Abraham. Because they say brit by salt (melech) , and it
also says brit by isssurim "in our Pasuk this week "And I have also
established my covenant with them , to give them the land ..., " "And I have
also heard the groanings(suffering) of the children of Israel whom Egypt causes
to serve; and I have remembered my covenant.(brit)"
Brit - covenants - Issurim - suffering people, Atonement.
Just like salt improves and softens and tenderizes meat, - so also
suffering improves our character and softens our soul.
The ferry overturned about 4 a.m. Sunday off the coast of Majena in west
Sulawesi after being pummeled by waves as high as 19 feet, said survivors.
Wednesday Fire fighters are attempting to control the fire while chemicals
explode at the Agan Chemicals factory in Ashdod’s industrial area. Out of
concern for chemical pollution, residents of the area are requested to remain in
their homes and to seal their windows and doorways.
And...
Five people were treated for shock as a result of a rocket attack on Ashdod
around 8:50 p.m. Wednesday.
So my son didn’t need much of an excuse to get out of Ashdod again for
Shabbas ( And hopefully stay with us until the war is over) And so the birthday
of his brother Eliazer who turns 16, was enough to convince them to come to
Metzad, so to speak ! They arrive ,in a couple of hours, b.H. -
Erev Shabbas : Parshas Shmot,
I heard a word this week that I would like to share with you. It goes
like this. Why were the sons of Yacov mentioned together with him in the
Passage."These are the names of the children of Yisroel who came into Mitzrayim
with Yacov..." Were these 12 sons equal to their father ? As if they were on
the same level !!! What wonderful common denominator did the sons have to be
equated Yacov Avenu. The third leg in the Marchava.
The answer comes from a Midrash Raba on the Parsha, who learns that the
fact that Hashem puts them together in the Pasuk is coming to teach us a
lesson. The lesson is, that ALL of Yacov’s sons were Tzadikkim. Avraham had
Ishmael, and Yitzchak had Esav. The Eitz Yosef learns that Yacov worked very
hard with his sons to get them straight, to place the image of their father,
himself in them. Yacov affected each one of his 12 sons individually and
collectively. This seems to indicate that the greatness of the sons of Yacov,
was their ability to emulate their father. They tried to mirror his good
traits, and they were successful to the degree that they became along with Yacov
the prototypes for the Jewish Nation that they were to give seed to. A proof for
this is the fact that their slavery only started after all 70 children and
grandchildren who came into Egypt with Yacov had died. So whats the lesson ???
- The secret of Jewish longevity ?The emphasis on the family. Be a great father
like Yacov Avenu, spend time with your children and teach them well, and be a
great son and mirror your father like the 12 sons of Yacov Avenu.
Goot Shab-bass
Rb Yossi
And as an after thought someone mentioned to me that - Perhaps that's the
real reason why so many children including my own son, are coming home this week
for Shabbas.
Once again all the credit for these words goes to my "e-rebbe", R’ Vallach shlita - from his oral and written shiurim.
The Chofetz Chaim used to tell a story about the famous Magid of Dubno. The Magid was walking in the street and saw at a small distance, a blind man, wearing, in the winter, only some torn rags, being led along by a young boy of maybe 7 or 8, looking sad and ragged too. Most people would pass them by quickly so as to not be affected by the scene too much; someone with a sympathetic heart would at least groan in pain as he walked by to at least show that he cared; someone with a more action-oriented heart would probably offer up a prayer of thanks to Hashem for all the good that he had been given. The Magid, even more than all that truly felt their pain. He approached the blind man," where are you from , my friend," he asked with a smile. The man was a rather bitter man and did not answer beyond a grunt. The little boy looked up at the Magid with his hardship-darkened eyes and told him that the man was his father, his mother had died and they had run out of firewood and their tiny hovel was freezing. The father started to get annoyed and wanted to continue going. The Magid just quickly asked, ’ have you eaten today?" The boy answered that in fact they were on their way to the homeless shelter to get a meal before returning home. The Magid, without hesitation offered, " come home with me instead - I’ll give you a delicious hot meal surely better than what you would get at the shelter." The boy’s eyes lit up as he convinced his father to go. The father agreed and the Magid, on a dime, changed his plans, walked back home with them at their slow pace, ushered them into his warm home, set the table, warmed up and served the hot delicious lunch and made every effort to make them comfortable. Even the father warmed up and complimented the food. Amazingly, the Magid then offered for them to come and live in his house permanently. He would give them their own room, three beautiful meals a day and the boy would be able to go to cheder - of course at his expense. The father hesitated but accepted on a trial basis. They stayed. The father was not always the most pleasant person but the Magid and his family endured it. The boy changed completely, shining in cheder and excelling in every possible way - learning, midos etc. The father died a while later and the boy stayed and grew up to be one of the greatest rabbis of his generation - R’ Shlomo Kluger ZT"L.
There is so much to learn from this story about how to do the mitzva of chesed and particularly Hachnosas Orchim and surely to involve the entire family over a long period of time. But R’ Vallach focuses here on another point. At the fateful moment of their meeting had the Magid reacted in any way less than the way he did, had he hurried by or just groaned "oy vei" and not acted spontaneously to his good instinct to care and do something, that boy might have continued to have his miserable life and the Jewish people may have never merited the great benefits of experiencing the great R’ Shlomo Kluger. Had Batia the daughter of Par’oh not stretched out her arm to rein in the little baby floating down the river, there may never have been a Moshe Rabbeinu, the savior of Yisrael, the greatest prophet who ever lived who brought down the Torah which enshrined her, Batia, as one of the heroines of history. Some opportunities only present themselves once and for a very short time and if we can train ourselves to be in tune with our instincts and recognize them when they talk to us at those opportune moments, most directly with our own kids, kayn yirbu, who knows what great things could come out of it.
In these dangerous times, this message is true on a communal level too. The Chafetz Chaim when he was already over 100 years old, had the idea as he was speaking one Shabbos, that Moshiach was ready to come - klal Yisrael had suffered and endured for so long that all that was impeding the revelation of Moshiach was the crying out of the entire Jewish people to Hashem that they could not take it anymore and they needed the yishua. He himself could not generate that kind of mass outpouring of real emotion and decided that if he would travel to Vilna and enlist the help of the great chief rabbi, R’ Chaim Ozer Grodzenski ZT"L, it could be done. For the first time in his life he impatiently waited for Shabbos to end so he could catch the first available wagon to Vilna. But his people, understandably perhaps, didn’t think it was wise for a man as old and frail as the Chofetz Chaim, to make such a journey. When Shabbos ended the Chofetz Chaim was ready to leave immediately but they told him that no wagon driver would make the trip at night. He didn’t sleep all night, davened at ’netz’ and was ready again but this time they told him that there were no wagons available that morning. Without their help he could not go and gave up the attempt but he told them that they, by hindering his mission, truly did lose the opportunity to bring Mashiach at that time. ( Imagine if Mashiach would have come then in around 1930 - we could possibly have avoided the devastation of the holocaust. ) Who knows if now, in such uncertain times, in times of increasing anti-semitism and truly supernatural world events, the window is once again open for us to cry out to Hashem and beg H-M to send us Mashiach. Please participate in some of the public gatherings for t’hillim and davening and be counted - be part of the opportunity.
This true story occurred in a small town, Radumkann, in Moldavia in about 1860 (educated guess). It was a small town owned by a duke whereby the people in town along with their taxes to the Moldavian government, paid tax to the duke who lived the ’grand’ life of the ’chattering class’ of European nobility - hosting parties etc. in his castle in Radumkann. The Jewish community was so small that they didn’t even have a rabbi. The leader of the community was a wealthy merchant named R’ Yitzchok Kuperman. He was a kind, generous and learned man and was worthy of his role. The Kupermans had one daughter who was being raised in the image of her fine parents. One day R’ Yitzchok gets a message that his distant relatives, died in a plague and they had a son who survived. The message inquired as to whether the Kupermans would adopt the boy and raise him. Of course they decided without hesitation to take the boy in and raise him as their own. Both their daughter and adopted son were growing up wonderfully but when the boy turned 14 and the girl was 12, they decided it would be best to send the boy off to yeshiva in Pressburg (the yeshiva of the great K’sav Sofer).
In the meantime, the duke died and his widow became bored living in the castle as the parties were generally instigated by her husband with his friends. She decided to move to the big city in the region, Dorhoy, to live amongst her upper-class friends. The castle was only used as a summer house. After a few years of this arrangement, the rent stopped being collected and the castle, even in the summer, was left deserted. Then one day a new duke rolled into town and took up residence in the castle; his name - Alesco Gochco - whom nobody had heard of. Going over the books of the estate he realized that the rent hadn’t been paid for a while and so he had it collected (the wise Jews of the town had not squandered the money, anticipating this ) and proceeded to have the castle renovated. He was finally ready to begin hosting parties and knowing that he would need all kinds of supplies for his lifestyle, called in the rich Jewish merchant and leader of the community, R’ Yitzchok, to discuss making his various purchases from R’ Yitzchok and the other Jews in town - good deal for everybody, he thought. However, the community found out reliably that Alesco Gochco was in fact an apostate Jew who had converted to Christianity. They decided that they were not going to have anything to do with him - not even accept business from him. R’ Yitzchok therefore, on behalf of the townsfolk, declined the offer of business and told Alesco the honest reason why. Alesco, a bit surprised, simply shrugged his shoulders and said, ’ fine, that’s your loss and I will do my shopping in Dorhoy’, thus severing all ties with the Jews of Radumkann. ( What was the story behind this apostate ? He was a tailor in Dorhoy and the former duchess was his customer. He was a totally secular Jew and every time she came into his shop, the duchess tried to convince him to convert to Christianity. He always refused saying that being Jewish did not put any restrictions on him as he was secular, and really didn’t believe in Judaism or Christianity so why convert ! One day she, in desperation, made him a deal - if he converts she would take care of all the legalities to bequeath to him her estate upon her death. This was an offer he didn’t refuse and so after she died and some time to sort out the legalities, ’duke’ Alesco showed up in Radumkann).
In the meantime, the Kuperman’s adopted son had reached the age of marriage and R’ Yitzchok sat down to talk about it with his wife. Looking over at her lovely daughter she said," why don’t we fix him up with our daughter, she is also ready to get married and we know him and she knows him to be a fine boy and we have received glowing reports from the yeshiva about him !" R’ Yitzchok agreed as he saw his daughter smiling in the other corner of the room, but said that he wanted to get a first-hand report on the boy from the Rosh Hayeshiva. He travelled the next day to Pressburg and brought forth the idea to the K’sav Sofer. The Rabbi told him what a wonderful boy he was and how after a few years of study, the boy would definitely be a shoo-in for a fine Rabbinic post. However the Rabbi told him that since the boy was after all an orphan, he the K’sav Sofer would represent him in the shidduch. He requested a dowry of 10,000 Lei. R’ Yitzchok wholeheartedly agreed and they set the wedding date for Lag Ba’omer.
From that day onward, R’ Yitzchok’s business took a terrible nosedive. Whatever could go wrong, did, and two weeks before Pesach, unbeknownst to anyone he was almost penniless. The one thing he guarded with his life not to lose, was the 10,000 Lei reserved for the dowry. Suddenly there was a buzz going through town - a little christian boy had gone missing and the rumors were spreading fast that the Jews had kidnapped him and killed him to use his blood for their matzos - a blood libel. R’ Yitzchok, aware of the potential danger of pogrom, immediately went to the local policeman (there was only one), a friend, and told him that this rumor must be stopped or catastrophe could result. The policeman said that he should give him a day or so to investigate. The next day he met with R’ Yitzchok and said, " I am not completely certain ( nudge nudge wink wink )but I think the story is that the local priest, trying to stir up a pogrom, convinced a family to send their son to relatives in Dorhoy, and then to start this rumor. It seems though that the family could be convinced with a little incentive to bring the boy back and thus diffuse the situation - the incentive - 10,000 Lei." R’Yitzchok went white knowing that he had no money except for the dowry which he could not afford to part with. He told the policeman that he would return soon and went home to discuss it with his wife. She heard the story and without hesitation told him that they had no choice but to part with the dowry - it was Pikuach Nefesh - a matter of life and death - Hashem would somehow look after them. R’ Yitzchok agreed and took the money, gave it to the policeman, and within 24 hours the little boy was back home and the anger of the masses dissipated and the danger passed.
Two days later, R’Yitzchok received a letter from the K’sav Sofer saying that the wedding date was approaching and he expects R’ Yitzchok to come to Pressburg right after Pesach to wrap up the arrangements ($). R’ Yitzchok, now with no money and no dowry could do nothing but ignore the letter. A day after a depressing Pesach, he received another letter which he also ignored. A week later a third letter came stating that if the Rosh Yeshiva didn’t hear from R’ Yitzchok within a week he would have to suggest to the groom to cancel the plans for the wedding. R’ Yitzchok was totally stuck and again consulted his wise wife. She said she had no ideas except that the only way they could possibly get that kind of money that quickly was to borrow it from the duke. R’ Yitzchok said "no way, I myself represented the community closing off from all ties with us - now I should beg him for a loan?" She said that was all she could think of. In a terrible quandry, he decided to go see his Rebbe, R’ Avrohom Matisyahu of Shtefinesht. The Rebbe asked him what his plan was and he told him that he didn’t have any way of getting such a sum of money so quickly but his wife had this crazy idea… The Rebbe advised him to take his wife’s advice because the gemara says that when it comes to practical down to earth things, we should listen to women over men, especially when it seems like a crazy idea because they are usually planted in our heads by Hashem for a good reason and are not quite as crazy as they first seem. As uncomfortable as it was going to be , R’ Yitzchok followed the advice. The next morning he knocked on the door of the castle and asked to speak with the duke. The duke, surprised by the visit of the leader of the community that scorned him, was nevertheless cordial when he asked what he could do for him. R’ Yitzchok said " I have come here to borrow 10,000 Lei and to offer my house as collateral - if I don’t repay the loan within a year, the duke can have my house ". The duke nodding his head said, "you must have come across a good investment and need some quick cash to take advantage of it". " To be honest," R’ Yitzchok said, "it is more personal - I need this for a dowry. I adopted a son years back when his parents died in a plague and we decided that he would be a perfect husband for our only daughter but the boy’s representative is demanding the dowry now before the wedding". The duke thought for a minute and told R’ Yitzchok to write up the contract while he went over to the safe and took out three packs of money and put it on the table. R’ Yitzchok saw the packages and protested, "I only asked for 10,000 and you gave me 30,000 - please only give me 10,000 as my house is not worth more than that!" The duke replied, "It’s okay - from your story it appears that if you need the dowry, you probably do not have any money to do any business - so take the 30, use 10,000 for the dowry and use 20,000 to rebuild your business and the collateral will remain the same - don’t worry G-D is great ." R’Yitzchok shocked to hear this apostate utter the name of Hashem, nevertheless thanked the duke graciously and left. He went the next day to Pressburg, settled the business of the dowry, the wedding was wonderful, the young couple was very happy and R’ Yitzchok’s business started to pick up.
One day, things were going great again, Mrs. Kuperman reminded her husband that it would be the right thing to do to go to the Rebbe and thank him for his sage advice. He went the next day and said to the Rebbe " I want to thank the Rebbe for his advice to go see the apostate". The Rebbe shushed him, "you shouldn’t be calling the duke derogatory names like that". R’ Yitzchok didn’t understand - " but Rebbe he IS an apostate, no?" The Rebbe replied "no, he has done teshuvah". "What do you mean?" asked R’ Yitzchok. The Rebbe explained, " You came to him and told him your tale of woe and how you adopted a boy and raised him and how you did not have money for the great wedding planned. You touched his heart and he did a wonderful mitzvah of not only lending you what you asked for but being sensitive to your other needs and lending that to you too. After you left his office, he began to think about his life a nd paced all day and continued to pace through his castle that whole sleepless night. The next morning he showed up at my door and said to me he wanted to repent his sins and return to Hashem. He asked me how to do teshuvah. I told him that he had to go into exile, wandering for the rest of his life and he would be forgiven and he accepted my words. But before he left town never to be seen again, he left a little wedding gift," and the Rebbe took out an envelope and gave it to R’ Yitzchok. It was the contract written up for the loan of the 30,000 Lei - considered now paid in full.
Astonished by these turns of events he ecstatically returned home. A week later a lawyer knocked on R’ Yitzchok’s door. He was the lawyer in charge of the Gochco estate here to inform R’ Yitzchok that the duke had left the castle and all the grounds to the Jewish community of Radumkann. The community decided to convert the castle into a senior citizen center and hospital, dedicated to Alesco Gochco and R’ Yitzchok donated 30,000 Lei to the renovations and equipment and supplies needed for the enterprise. (and everyone lived happily ever after )
The Rebbe had explained to R’ Yitzchok that what turned the duke around to doing teshuvah was the moment his heart softened and he did that great mitzvah. Sometimes when a person is in a situation of almost absolute spiritual darkness, as was the duke, lighting the flame of one mitzvah could ignite that person’s soul to break free of the hold that the yetzer harah has on him and run to the light of Torah and Hashem.
All of us too, go through periods of darkness and despair. Do a mitzvah, even a small one - you never know what good effect it could have on you and your loved ones.
A story in the not so long ago past - an old man well into his 80’s - a man who had lived a good, righteous life, rich with experience and stories to tell, was the pride of his family and community. One day his devoted son brought some of the grandchildren over to visit the zaide and to hear some stories from his facinating and instructive life. The zaide did not speak hebrew, only arabic, so he agreed to tell a story but the son would have to translate. The zaide began, " Come and listen to a story - it happenned when I was a young man. I convinced my friends to go with me to visit the famous cemetary of Zihara Lisali. Buried there are great tzadikim such as R’ Chaim ben Atar, the grandfather of the ’Ohr Hachaim’, and many other great ones from the great Sefardi heritage over the last 500 years. It was a very long and arduous journey having to cross many desert areas too. As we were walking through the desert we suddenly noticed a band of robbers coming straight at us!! OK son, he said, now you can translate". The son translated and finally got to the part with the robbers and the kids were on the edges of their seats, and the son said to the zaide that it was ok to go on. The zaide hesitated for a moment and then said, " So you want to hear a story, well it happenned in my youth that I convinced my friends to go visit the famous cemetary at Zihara Lisali …". He stopped at the same spot when the robbers came and told his son to translate.
The son was embarrassed for his father and didn’t quite understand what was up with his father so he kind of stalled for time by stretching the story out and embellishing it - how the robbers appeared out of huge cloud of dust brandishing swords and vicious looks. The kids were even more anticipatory than before and the son hoping for the best signalled for his father to continue. The zaide once again however repeated the same thing and again stopped at the same place. This time the son had no choice, the kids could tell already that their great and famous grandfather, had gone senile. The realization of this reality shook the son to his very core and he went to his rabbi for some counselling and to see if there was anything he could do to help in a cure. The rabbi listened to the story of the son and turned white and started to shake and only after a few minutes did he calm down. The son was afraid that the rabbi was so taken because the disease is so serious and he got scared and asked the rabbi about his extreme reaction. The rabbi understood what the son was thinking and reassured him that the disease is not unusual and he should consult medical experts to see what could be done. " So why were you so shaken by what I told you?", the son asked the rabbi. " I was taken aback when I realized during your story that I too suffer from a type of senility" , the rabbi explained. " All of us were sent here for a purpose - to write with our actions and thoughts, the stories of our lives. Every minute of life is an opportunity to write a new chapter of our growth, of our coming that much closer to completing the book we were destined and created to write. But are we writing new chapters or are we simply repeating the same things over and over again - not growing just holding on to what we have and stagnating. That epiphany, the rabbi said , made me shudder to my very core.
Yosef had 2 sons - Menashe and Efraim. In this week’s parsha they are counted in the 70 Jewish souls comprising the Jewish nation in toto entering Egypt. ( These two boys were trailblazers in middos and development as none of the other sons of the 12 originals are noted for anything outstanding - my own observation ). The name Menashe derives from the hebrew "n’shia" or to forget - as if to say that his path would be to work on himself and forget the past transgressions and keep hanging on to what you have but not daring to take steps at growth. Efraim derives from " pru urvu" or more and more achievement. How do we know which path is better the stagnant but safer one or the more daring but also more rewarding path which canbring us to the point where we can complete the destined masterpiece? Yaakov answers this question in next week’s parsha by placing his right hand, the priority hand on the head of Efraim even though he was younger - life was given to us to go for the gusto.
How many of us in the entire Jewish world, and in the ’frum’ world and amongst all of us try to coast through life once we reach a comfort point in our consciences and don’t even think about , much less do anything about making small but significant moves in our lives that would make it more condusive to grow. Of course I am not talking about physical of financial growth ( that, I have discovered recently from personal experience is totally in the hands of Hashem ) but about character and knowledge growth and in general coming closer to a relationship with Hashem.
Let’s all, and most of all myself, not be afraid to deepen commitments to goodness and Torah and devotion to Hashem and move forward in our lives. May Hashem grant us all the unbridled joy of one day being in Gan Aden reading each other’s completed masterpieces in the presence of the Shechina (kiviyachol) smiling as H-E hears the tales.
In this weeks Parsha Yacov ( Yisroel ) gives his blessing to Yosef that his
children Yid-Gu into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
Rashi explains Ve-Yid-Gu = equals Dagim, fish, and just like fish multiply
and increase, and that no evil eye has power over them... `( Also his children
shall grow into a multitude and no evil eye will have power over them.) There
are many questions and explanations on what really happened and why it happened
this way. What a strange language to use. Yisroel (and not Yacov is used in
the last Pasuk for a special reason) blessed Yosef that he should become a fish
Yid - Gu - FISH - the noun, suddenly became a verb. Become a fish. What a
wonderful blessing. Why did he deserve this ? The Gemorra in Bruchos daf nun
hey, amud beis, and I quote. " And you should grow like a fish abundantly in the
midst of the earth, What that fish in the sea, the water covers them and no evil
eye can have poser over them,also the seed of Yosef, no evil eye will have power
over them. There are many questions and the answers are complex. This is such a
High quality blessing, " By thee shall Israel bless, saying G-d make thee as
Ephraim and as Manasseh" And until today, tonight we will bless our children in
this way.
A Gut Shab-bass
Rb Yossi
PS : if anyone is looking for a job, I noticed this.
Bird Chaser Tasks: Chase away birds at a fish farm. Required:
Immediate availabiity, drive a manual gear. Hours: 3 Month positin,
flexible hours, during daylight hours only
Winter has finally set in here in Israel. With cold weather, rain and wind in
the north and central parts of the country.
The rockets aren’t falling near me, but the stones are. Those
"neighbours" of ours are out throwing stones again in our area. Mostly I travel
with the bullet - proof Egged bus, but we have lots of families here with private
cars and renting cars with glass windows. My son lives in Ashdod where the
bombs are falling. For Shabbas he is with his wife’s family in Emanuel, also not
one of the safest places going in and out.
Yes, the southern part of the country is having its own storm as we all
know.
And here in the mountains on Metzad, its below zero at night. That
means leaving the tap water running slightly so the pipes don’t freeze and bust
. And I left my warm winter gloves in a taxi today, and my black hat on the
Egged bus a couple of weeks ago, and it hasn’t turned up yet... so the mussar
haskale is I gotta get my head out of the clouds...
And now for a word of Torah :
What happened in the seconds between the time that Yosef
ordered all the Egyptians out of the room, and the time that he revealed himself
to his brothers ? That split second, what could have happened ? What a chance
Yosef was taking ? Yehuda especially, was ready and waiting for the moment to
kill him. The brothers had already divided the land into 12 sections and each
was conquering a piece. They thought, when Yosef sent all his people away,
"What a fool, now we will kill him and grab Benyamin and escape back to Eretz
Yisroel."
So how could Yosef be so foolish as to send out all
who could save him and leave himself so vulnerable ?
"And Yosef
recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him." (Breishis
42:8)
In this week’s
parsha the master plan of the Almighty to bring the Jewish People down to Egypt
begins to unfold. Yaakov sends his sons down to Egypt to buy food because of a
famine in the Land of Canaan. They approach the Viceroy of Egypt to appeal for
food without realizing that he is none other than their brother Yosef. Why
didn’t they recognize him? Did thirteen years make such a difference in his
appearance that they couldn’t discern that it was their own brother? Indeed,
Yosef recognized them after the years of separation.
The Baal Haturim as
well as other commentators explain that since the brothers sold Yosef to be a
lowly slave they couldn’t imagine that he could reach such a height as becoming
the second in command of the entire Egyptian nation. Think a little about what
this tells us about our nature !!
Rosh Chodesh : When
Rosh Chodesh falls on Shabbas, there is a minhag to prepare an extra dish,
something different as a sign that it is a different Shabbas, and now when its
...
Hanuka : When
Hanuka falls on shabbas, there is also a minhag to prepare an extra dish.
So now we have for this special Shabbas, two
extra dishes. Two items that you might not have on a normal Shabbas
And that’s the
order. tadir ve aino tadir, tadir Kodem. What we do most often, and something
that is not so often, we do the one we do more often - first.
In other words, the
day is short and the time is moving. First prepare your normal Shabbas food,
then the extra for Rosh Chodesh, and finally the extra dish for
Hanuka.
If you want my
Poulet a La Basque recipe, let me know and I will try and write it for you in
the few remaining seconds I have before Shabbas.
In one of the most enigmatic passages of the Torah we find the account of Yehudah and his daughter-in-law, Tamar. The Midrash explains that since she was covered with a veil, Yehudah did not recognize her. As he passed her on the crossroads he wished to avoid her and continue on his journey, but HaShem sent the angel who is charge of desire to appear to Yehudah, and he said to him, "Where are you going, Yehudah? If you pass by her, from where will kings arise, from where will redeemers arise?" Therefore, "he turned to her" - in spite of himself and against his will.
Subsequently, Tamar gave birth to twin boys and one of them, Peretz, was the progenitor of King David. Our Sages explained that if the events that engendered King David and the messianic dynasty had not happened in this mysterious fashion, then they would have never materialized! The fundamental principle that underlies the manifestation of the messianic kingship is absolute secretiveness.
HaShem, only Him and no other, brings about the events that beget the messiah. No human being, not even the progenitors of the messianic family, can have any knowledge or awareness of the ramifications of what is taking place. Rather the entire process is masterminded by HaShem and must be totally concealed from the hearts of man.
The spirituality, wisdom, and holiness of the messianic family supersede human nature. Thus, the phenomenon of the messiah does emerge through the normative process. It must be shrouded in secrecy in order not to awaken the counter forces, who would attempt to destroy good. Hence, HaShem, alone, prepares and activates the plan that ultimately will bless the world with knowledge of G-d, light, and peace.
In addition, no man can be consciously aware of his role in the emergence of the messiah, so that when the sun of messianic age rises like a brilliant light, every soul will know that HaShem, alone, brought forth this glorious deliverance.
May our prayers ascend unto Heaven - awakening mercy - so that HaShem brings about the glorious redemption. [Based on Da’as Torah of Rav Yerucham of Mir]
TODAY: Say a private prayer asking HaShem to bring the Messiah.
Towards the end of
the parsha Yosef is falsely accused and placed in an Egyptian prison. One
morning Yosef finds two of the Royal servants very distressed. They had strange
dreams and Yosef offers to interpret them. He gives brilliant interpretations to
their dreams, and exactly as Yosef predicted the Royal Wine Pourer is freed from
prison and returned to his position of honor. Before being freed Yosef beseeches
him to appeal to Pharaoh for Yosef's pardon from prison. In the end he forgets
all about Yosef.
"And the Royal
Wine Pourer did not remember Yosef and forgot about him." (Breishis
40:23)
The Baal Haturim
comments that the Royal wine pourer was a kafuee tova, an ingrate. He
didn't appreciate the kindness that Yosef did for him.
Rashi comments on
the seeming redundancy of this verse. Not remembering and forgetting would seem
to be the same. Rashi explains that he didn't remember Yosef on the day he was
freed. In other words he didn't mention Yosef to Pharoah on the first day. After
that he forgot all about Yosef. On the day the Royal Wine Pourer was freed he
obviously remembered about Yosef but chose to push off mentioning him to
Pharaoh. In the ensuing days he totally forgot about Yosef.
Had the Royal Wine
Pourer had a sense of appreciation he would have made a point of immediately
trying to help Yosef. Instead, because of callous lack of appreciation, he
allowed himself to forget about Yosef over time. After two years, when it served
his own self interest to help interpret Pharaoh's dream, he remembered about
Yosef.
A person with a
sense of appreciation will go out of his way to show appreciation. He won't
allow forgetfulness to stand in the way of showing gratitude. When something is
important to us we make a point to remember.
I thank Rabbi
Beryl Glaser, my neighbor and friend for this interesting word.
Have
a great Shabbas and I'll send out my Hanuka word shortly
In
verse 33/4 it says, " And Esau ran to meet him, and he embraced him, and fell on
his neck, and kissed him, and they wept." In the Torah, over the words "and
kissed him", VA-YISH-A-KAY-HU, each letter has a dot over it. A rare
occurrence in the Torah. By these dots the Torah is telling that some special
event is taking place. Rashi asks this question and brings a Braisa from the
Sifre to explain a difference of opinion as to what transpired when Esau kissed
Yacov. The Tanna Kamma is of the opinion that Esau hates (sone) Yacov, and that
it is an absolute law. He did not kiss him with a full heart. It was only a
physical external act, and Esau can never love Yacov. And every occasion that
you might think that Esau loves Yacov it is a fake , a trick, and only a
external act but not the real thing. This is what the dots are coming to tell
us.
On the other hand, in the Braisa of the Sifre, there is Rav Shimon Ben
Yochai. He says that even though the rule is Esau hates Yacov, at that moment
his heart was moved and he did kiss him with a full heart. In other words,
according to this opinion, Esau hates Yacov because of circumstances and if you
change the circumstances, as in this case where Yacov brought gifts and touched
his heart in other ways, it is possible for Esau to change. Esau hates Yacov
ordinarily, but if you really talk from the heart to the heart, there is the
capacity to change the hatred for a temporary moment.
When I heard this
little Torah from Rav David Goldstien, my chaver in the Diapora Yeshiva, I found
it odd and difficult to understand this second side of Rav Shimon Ben
Yochai.
Then I heard this story. There was a very learned Rabbi in the Camps. One day
while wearing Tefillin he was spotted by a Nazi guard. He ordered him " STOP,
TURN AROUND" In the split second that it took him to turn around, the Rabbi
made a decision to love the man he would confront with all his full heart. He
turned to look at his executioner,still with his tefillon in full view, and the
Nazi had mercy at that second and let him go. Complete unheard of , the Rabbi
should have been shot on the spot. What changed the situation ? It was the
love that was real from the heart of the Rabbi that had the power to move even
that Nazi. If you think about it, there are countless stories of similar
situations. What this shows me is that there really are two opinions on what
those dots mean on top of the word Kissed. If this second opion is true,
and if G-d forbid we encounter the Esau’s of our day, let us merit to change the
"law" if just for the moment.
Do you know what the gematria of ladder is in Hebrew ? The word is
Sulam and it has the gematria of 136. There is another common word that has
the same Gematria. This word is Mamon in Hebrew. In English it means money.
In this weeks Parsha it says : 28/ 12 -
"...and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reaching to
heaven, ..." In other words, says the Ben Ish Chi on this verse. Money, which
is a ladder, don’t think its solid on the ground, (and you can trust in it), for
its top is in the heavens. Hashem is the Menahel, the commander in chief as to
what happens in this world. And money is like a ladder, upon which one goes up
and down.
The Torah reveals the essence of Yaacov and Eisev through the following verse (Bereishis 25:27): "And Eisev became a man who knew hunting, a man of the field; whereas Yaacov was a pure man who dwelt in tents." It is interesting to note that this description, that contrasts the two brothers, mentions nothing of their specific actions. What’s more, it mentions nothing of Yaacov’s spirituality, i.e., his wisdom, his devotion, his good deeds.
Our sages explain the phrase Yaacov was a pure man who dwelt in tents to mean that Yaacov was a seeker of HaShem. He thirsted to come close to HaShem. His great desire to know HaShem was the genesis of all Yaacov’s purity, knowledge, kindness, and holiness. Once the desire to seek HaShem was awakened in Yaacov’s heart, it was certain that this passion would carry Yaacov to success.
Conversely, Eisev was a man who knew hunting, a man of the field, that is, a degenerate. Eisev was not involved in any worthwhile or constructive activities. He was fixated on self-indulgence, having no aspirations other then romping in the field like one of the animals. His future personality and conduct was determined by his immature ambitions.
The goals that we set for ourselves carry us to either failure or success. Eisev chose a shallow path in life. That preference caused him to lose his entire spiritual fortune.
Conversely, Yaacov wisely set his course in life to seek elevation and redemption. He knew that the pleasures of the soul are the ultimate pleasures. Therefore, he awakened his intellect to seek the eternal Creator - His Goodness and His light. The passion that burnt in Yaacov’s heart propelled him to draw close to HaShem.
May we be inspired to seek holiness by knowing our Creator, as king Solomon said, "Life is found in the light of the King’s countenance."
Implement: Ask yourself, "What did Yaacov consider as the purpose and joy of his life."
"And Lavan and Besuel answered ‘From Hashem has the matter come’" (Bereishis 24:50). Astounding. This simple and straightforward statement, perhaps something we (hopefully) recite constantly to ourselves, or perhaps to our close relatives or friends, is openly affirmed by none other than Lavan and Besuel! Yes, by Lavan and Besuel, those money-grubber of great note, the renowned world-class idol worshippers. Yes, it was they whose first reaction to Eliezer’s request for Rivka to become Yitzchak’s wife was "This is from Hashem." We must ask ourselves--How could this be? What had changed within them in the few brief moments of their encounter with Eliezer? If we look at Eliezer’s words to them we may glean a better insight. In his brief discourse, no less than five times does Eliezer specifically refer to Hashem as his hope and trust, as the source of all of life and life’s events, as the Master of all. He is not intimidated by his company, feels no need to "make nice", does not "talk their language". Rather, he sincerely expresses his belief, openly declares his faith, and unabashedly avers that our lives and everything about them are in G-d’s hands. His genuine sincerity not only strengthened his faith, but made an incredible impact on even the crème de la crème of the wicked.
There is a great lesson to be learned here. We must be upstanding and resolute in declaring that we are, absolutely and unwaveringly, openly and expressly, dedicated to our beliefs. In order to develop this pure, dedicated, wholesome resoluteness within us, it may be a good idea to at least once weekly recite the 13 Ani Ma’amins of the Rambam slowly and with feeling. It may be even further beneficial to express some of these principles from time to time to those around you without fear or shame. It is truly surprising how often these values can come up in, or be added to, the course of a regular or everyday conversation.
If Eliezer could have this effect on Lavan and Besuel--Oh, what we can accomplish!
Special Note Three:
1. In last week’s Parsha, we learn that Yitzchock Avinu was consoled after the passing of his mother, Sara (Bereishis 24:16). In fact, the Rambam brings the mitzvah of performing Chesed, which is based upon "V’Ahavta Lereacha Komocha," in Hilchos Aveil, the Laws of Mourning (14:1). When one properly comforts a mourner, he is doing a Chesed to both the living, and the departed (ibid., 14:7). As great as providing comfort may be, finding the right words to say may be even more difficult. The Rema (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 376:2) importantly tells us what one should not say. "Do not say, however, ‘What can one do, one cannot change what happened,’ for that is not consolation but blasphemy." The Aruch HaShulchan (ibid., at paragraph 5 ) explains that making such a statement implies that you must resign yourself to what happened against your will, rather than comforting the mourner with words of faith, with words that Hashem loves us all and that only He, in His infinite wisdom knows what is best. HaRav Shamshon Refoel Hirsch, Z’TL, echoes this thought and adds that it "is the murmuring of the helpless against his helplessness, not the recognition of the blessed wisdom of G-d" (Horeb page 433, cited in Love Your Neighbor, page 93).
HaRav Feivel Cohen, Shlita, in the recently published Badei HaShulchan on Hilchos Aveilus (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 376:2, seif 27) extends this thought and writes that it is prohibited to make any kind of statement such as "What can one do?" to anyone who is in any kind of difficult situation, in any Tzara, whatsoever. Obviously, one can daven, learn Torah, do mitzvos and especially Chesed, as a zechus for oneself or others--but one should never chas v’shalom, question Hashem’s Supreme Judgment.
2. The Sefer Talelei Oros writes that the author of a new commentary on the Siddur brought it to the Gra, the Vilna Gaon, for his approbation. The Gra opened to the beginning of the manuscript and read that the reason we recite "Adon Olam" in Shachris is because this Tefillah was written by Avraham Avinu, who was the first to call Hashem ‘Adon’, master of the world (i.e., not just its creator). Accordingly, the author wrote, it was appropriate to begin the Shachris prayer, which was instituted by Avrohom Avinu, with Adon Olam, which Avraham Avinu himself composed. The Gra is reported to have said that it would be worthwhile to publish the entire manuscript just to publicize this thought. The Brisker Rav, Z’TL, was asked why the Gra reacted with such excitement to the author’s commentary. The Rav responded that when one finds truth in any measure, whether large or small, he should be excited and react accordingly. This is an important lesson to us--the truth always matters, the truth always counts--in all situations, large or small--and at all times, at home, at work, and on the way.
Important Numbers
