Sefer Bereishit | myDvar.com

Shimon and Levi

Mar 072010

The Talmud tells us in three places “All is in the hands of Heaven, except the fear of Heaven” (Brachot 33b, Megilla 25a, Niddah 16b). One frequent interpretation of this is that while a person’s characteristics, aptitudes, skills, etc are predestined, one can choose to use this for good or for ill. An agile person who can climb walls could choose to be a catburglar or a fireman. So what does this have to do with our parsha?

In Parshat Vayishlach, Shimon and Levi decide to take revenge on Shechem for what he did to Dinah. The two of them killed all of the Shechemites and plundered the city. For this behavior, Jacob rebukes them there in Parshat Vayishlach and again in Parshat Vayihi. But we see later on that the tribe of Shimon is viewed very differently from the tribe of Levi, who is honored to serve in the Temple, and carry the Mishkan. Neither tribe is given land in Israel, but the Levites are given special cities to live in for rotations of serving in the Mishkan and then eventually the Temple. The Levites are also given tithes by all farmers in Israel. The Shimonites do not receive these special privileges, nor do they receive land like the other “regular” tribes. Why? And again, what does this have to do with our parsha?

The trait of being an angry or vengeful person is normally a bad one. In most circumstances, taking vengeance is frowned upon. However, when Moses descend from Mount Sinai and sees the Golden Calf being worshipped, he calls out “Whoever is for G-d, to me!” (Shemot 32:26). Who gathers to Moses? The Levites. It is the same characteristic that led their ancestor to kill Shechem and his city that led the Levites of Moses’ time to kill those worshipping the Calf. It is for this correct use of character that the Levites are rewarded to serve G-d in the Mishkan, and to receive tithes, and so on.

May we all find productive ways to use our G-d given characteristics in Avodat Hashem.

The Power of Names

VaYechei 1 Response »

Jan 012010

This week’s Dvar Torah is dedicated for a Refuah Sheleima for Sarah Freida bat Shoshana.

הַמַּלְאָךְ הַגֹּאֵל אֹתִי מִכָּל-רָע, יְבָרֵךְ אֶת-הַנְּעָרִים, וְיִקָּרֵא בָהֶם שְׁמִי, וְשֵׁם אֲבֹתַי אַבְרָהָם וְיִצְחָק; וְיִדְגּוּ לָרֹב, בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ.

The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.’

Everyone knows the famous Bracha (above) that Yaakov gives to Yosef’s sons, Ephraim and Menashe, but what does it really mean?

The Kli Yakar explains וְיִקָּרֵא בָהֶם שְׁמִי, וְשֵׁם אֲבֹתַי אַבְרָהָם וְיִצְחָק (let my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac) in an interesting way. He says the blessing means that Ephraim and Menashe should be blessed with all the characteristics epitomized by the names “Avraham”, “Yitzchak”, “Yaakov” and “Yisrael”.

Avraham means אַב-הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם- the father of a multitude of nations (17:5 בְּרֵאשִׁית). This Bracha means that they should be at the head of all other nations.

Yitzchak means laughter, blessing them that they should always be filled with happiness.

Yisrael comes from כִּי-שָׂרִיתָ עִם-אֱלֹהִים וְעִם-אֲנָשִׁים, וַתּוּכָל – for you have fought with angels and with men, and have prevailed. (32:29 בְּרֵאשִׁית) This Bracha means that they should always be able to overcome their internal obstacles.

Finally Yaakov comes from the saying עקב רב טוב הצפון לצדיקים – because of all the good reserved for Tzaddikim in the future. This Bracha tells them that even though sometimes life seems hard, they should draw strength from knowing that ultimately they will be rewarded for all the good that they do in their lives.

What is most interesting to me is that from this we see the true power of names. Names are not just a way to get a particular person’s attention but contain meaning about who that person is.

I heard from a podcast by Rabbi Berel Wein recently that this is why HaShem called Moshe “Moshe” when tasking him with saving the Jewish people. The Midrash tells us that Moshe was given another name at his birth and the name Moshe was only given by the daughter of Pharaoh. Why would HaShem choose to call Moshe by his Egyptian name?

Rabbi Wein explains the answer simply. When Moshe resisted and said to HaShem that he couldn’t speak well and couldn’t possibly be the man best suited for saving the enslaved Jewish people, HaShem responded by saying “your name is Moshe, which means drawn out [of the water]. It is for this purpose that you were saved from the Nile.”

This, said Rabbi Wein, is the value of reading the names of all the people who perished in the Holocaust. We are reminding ourselves that just as those people and their names had power, so do we. Just like Moshe, we should remember that we have all been saved and placed here for a reason.

We all have our own unique name with our own unique purpose. But we should remember that we are not alone; we have been blessed with all the powers of our ancestors as well.

Shabbat Shalom

“The humble will inherit the Earth”

VaYechei No Responses »

Jan 012010

VaYechi 5770
Yaakov Avinu gave priority in his blessing of Yosef’s sons to the younger of the two, Efraim. The Ba’al HaTurim finds a hint in the Torah’s description of the event that Efraim was honoured above his brother because “he had humbled himself.” Humility is often not given its due admiration in our society; on the contrary, it is often seen as a liability and a handicap on the road to “success.” Woven discretely between the lines of the Torah is a timeless insight that will not wear out with repetition and that will enrich us should we heed it: “The humble will inherit the Earth and will delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (Tehillim 37:11).
Good Shabbos!

Care for the the victimizer?

VaYigash 2 Responses »

Dec 242009

Parshat VaYigash serves as the climax of the last few weeks of parshiot, wherein Yosef is finally reunited with his brothers and with Yaakov 22 years after being sold away to slavery.

There is a famous question asked about Yosef’s actions during these 22 years. Why didn’t Yosef try and contact his father to let Yaakov know that he was still alive? Even if Yosef didn’t have the ability as a slave or in jail during the first portion of his time in Egypt, he certainly had the ability to contact Yaakov when he was regent of Egypt? How could he have allowed his father to suffer more emotional pain than necessary?

The Ohr HaChaim comes to Yosef’s rescue. He quotes the Gemarrah in Brachot (33b) where it says “נוח לו לאדם שיפיל עצמו לתוך כבשן האש ואל ילבין פני חברו ברבים – it should be more agreeable to a person that he throw himself into a fiery furnace than embarrass others in public.” This is why Yosef first cleared the Egyptian court of all visitors before revealing himself to his brothers and why Yosef allowed the brothers the opportunity to break the news to Yaakov on their own terms.

In addition, Yosef needed the opportunity to show the brothers in practical terms that he harbored no hard feelings by giving them gifts during their two trips to Egypt. Rashi explains that when Yosef says “וְהִנֵּה עֵינֵיכֶם רֹאוֹת, וְעֵינֵי אָחִי בִנְיָמִין – And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Binyamin” that Yosef is telling the brothers that just as Binyamin had no part in the sale of Yosef and no negative feelings are harbored against him, so too Yosef feels no ill will towards his other brothers.

The brothers on the other hand needed the opportunity to properly repent from the sale of Yosef. The Rambam in Hilchot Teshuva says that teshuva gemurah (complete teshuva) is only achieved when someone has the opportunity to do the same sin previously committed, yet conquers the temptation. Yosef orchestrates the whole brothers-in-Egypt story to make sure that the brothers have the same chance to get rid of Binyamin as they had with Yosef.

Both of these aspects are important lessons in how true peace is made. The victim must show that he not only forgives the one who has harmed him, but cares about them as well. The victimizer, on the other hand, must accept responsibility for what he has done wrong and repent in full, thus proving that he truly regrets what he has done wrong.

After the brothers have had their opportunity to repent and Yosef successfully reveals himself to his brothers, the brothers are finally called “Bnei Yisrael” instead of “Bnei Yaakov” for the first time. Only now are they able to join together as the founders of the nation of Israel rather than merely a collection of Yaakov’s sons.

In life we all have situations where we have done wrong and been wronged. May we learn the lesson of Yosef and his brothers and realize that by showing care and compassion to those around us can overcome even the most egregious wrongdoings.

Is Rashi Bothered by Bowing?

Chanukkah, Mikeitz 1 Response »

Dec 182009

One of the famous stories of Channukah is that of Channah, who instructed her seven sons to be killed rather than bow down to Antiochus. Jews, even now, have a very strong aversion to bowing, and are often perturbed when visiting countries in the Far East, or participating in martial arts, where bowing is used as a formal greeting.

When the ten brothers go down to Egypt and meet Pharaoh’s vizier (Yosef) to buy food, however, they all bow down to him. Where was the brothers’ Jewish pride? Was it even an aveirah for them to have bowed down? What’s more, Rashi’s explanation makes things worse. He explains here that it was a complete, full-body bow, with arms and legs spread out. (Ber. 42:6).

To see if Rashi had any consistent thoughts on Jews bowing down to other people, I checked his commentary on a number other instances where similar situations occur: Yaakov bowing down to Eisav, Avraham bowing down to the Children of Heth, and Moshe bowing down to Yisro.

Where Yaakov and his entire family bow down to Eisav upon their return to Canaan (Ber. 33:3, 33:6-7), Rashi says nothing.

When Avraham bows down to the Children of Heth (Ber. 23:7, 23:12), Rashi also says nothing, despite the fact that there is a Midrash Rabbah which comes to explain that he bowed to thank Hashem for the good news (that a burial ground for Sarah could be purchased), and was not, in fact, bowing to the Children of Heth. This is particularly striking, since Rashi clearly demonstrated his awareness of this very Midrash by quoting it to explain why Eliezer bowed down to Hashem after Lavan and Bethuel allowed Rivka to go with him (Ber. 24:52).

When Yisro comes to meet Moshe, the pasuk is not completely clear who bows to whom.

“וַיֵּצֵא מֹשֶׁה לִקְרַאת חֹתְנוֹ וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ וַיִּשַּׁק לוֹ וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ אִישׁ לְרֵעֵהוּ לְשָׁלוֹם וַיָּבֹאוּ הָאֹהֱלָה ”
(Ex. 18:7)

Even though Rashi could have easily opted to have Yisro bow down to Moshe, Rashi admits that he doesn’t know who bowed to whom, and then volunteers his suggestion that it was Moshe who bowed down to Yisro!

Despite my initial surprise, Rashi appears to express no concern about Jews in the Chumash bowing to others in greeting.

If bowing to people per se is not a problem, what was the reason behind Channah’s refusal to bow down to Antiochus? The difference was that Antiochus forced the Jews to bow down to him as part of a policy of establishing idolatry and eradicating the Jewish religion. He set himself up as a god to be worshipped instead of G-d.

In answering the question of why Mordechai refused to bow down to Haman, Rashi explains that Mordechai’s refusal was justified because Haman had set himself up as a god to be worshipped. Given the analogous situation with Antiochus, Rashi could very well have agreed with Channah’s decision in the terrible choice she faced.

“Hashem frees those in captivity”

Chanukkah, VaYeshev No Responses »

Dec 122009

VaYeishev – Shabbos Chanukah 5770

The Talmud (Yoma 35b) recounts the attempted seduction of Yosef by Potiphar’s wife, with the following conversation between them:

She threatened him, ‘I will have you thrown into prison!’ he replied, ‘Hashem frees those in captivity’ (Tehillim 146). She pushed further, ‘I will cut down your height!’ and he responded, ‘Hashem straightens the bent’ (ibid.). And once more she menaced, ‘I will put out your eyes!’ and he retorted, ‘Hashem gives sight to the blind’ (ibid.).

Yosef’s responses to Potiphar’s wife require clarification. Was he saying that she could do her worst to him because he would be miraculously saved by Hashem? What about the edict that “we do not rely on miracles?” I believe that the answer to this question can be found in another Gemara, in Brachos (28b). We are told that when Rebbi Yochanan ben Zakkai’s students came to visit him on his deathbed Rebbi Yochanan began to cry. His students asked him, “Rebbi why are you crying?” He answered them that he would be crying even if he was only going on trial before a king of flesh and blood whose punishments are not eternal – how much more so is he justified in crying in anticipation of his judgment before the King of Kings, Whose verdicts are not bound by this world!

Yosef’s response is not about miracles – it’s about yiras shamayim, the fear of Heaven. He was not saying that if you incarcerate me, mutilate me or blind me you will not be successful because Hashem will save me. He is making a declaration of his belief in Hashem and His will. Hashem is the Master of the World, ‘He is the One Who frees those in captivity’. The threats of any human being are null and void before the will of Hashem! Yosef Ha’Tzaddik earned his title by putting his yiras shamayim, above any concerns of this world – “…how can I commit this great evil and sin before G-d?!” (Bereishis 39:9) We encounter countless opportunities to earn this title for ourselves in the decisions that we make everyday; let us rise to the challenge.

Good Shabbos and a Freilichin Chanukah!

Physical and Spiritual

VaYeshev No Responses »

Dec 102009

In Parshat VaYeshev we read of the descent of two of Yaakov’s sons. Yosef is sold by his brothers to slavetraders, who take him to Egypt. Yehuda, too, is sent away from his brothers, seemingly as a response for his role in the sale of Yosef.

These two stories run parallel to each other and one can learn much from analyzing them side by side. I would like to focus on just one on of these similarities

Throughout his story, Yosef is seen as a very passive player. Yosef doesn’t object when his father sends him to find his brothers, whom he knows despise him. We don’t even see any mention of Yosef resisting when the brothers throw him into a pit and subsequently sell him. The Torah’s language itself attests to this, saying “וְיוֹסֵף, הוּרַד מִצְרָיְמָה – And Yosef was caused to go down to Egypt. (39:1 בְּרֵאשִׁית

Once in Egypt as well, Yosef seems to take a passive role. As an example, in next week’s Parsha, Yosef explains Pharoah’s dreams telling him that there will be 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine. Yosef then says:

וְעַתָּה יֵרֶא פַרְעֹה, אִישׁ נָבוֹן וְחָכָם; וִישִׁיתֵהוּ, עַל-אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם.

Now therefore let Pharaoh find a man discreet and wise, and place him over the land of Egypt

Even though Yosef must have known that he was the most qualified man for the job, he resists suggesting so. Yosef doesn’t even choose his own wife as the Pasuk says וַיִּתֶּן-לוֹ אֶת-אָסְנַת בַּת-פּוֹטִי פֶרַע כֹּהֵן אֹן, לְאִשָּׁה – And [Pharoah] gave [Yosef] Osnat daughter of Poti Phera priest of On for a wife.

In fact, Chazal tell us that the one time Yosef did try and control his own destiny, by asking Pharoah’s butler to speak to Pharoah for him, HaShem punished him with two extra years in prison for not having proper faith.

Yehuda, on the other hand, is an active participant in his stories. He suggests selling Yosef and then chooses to leave his family (וַיֵּרֶד יְהוּדָה – 38:1 בְּרֵאשִׁית And Yehuda went down) and find himself a wife. He chooses Tamar to marry his son Er and insists that his son Onan marry Tamar after Er’s death. After Onan also dies Yehuda prevents Tamar from marrying his third son Shelah.

Even in Tamar’s deception of Yehuda, we see how Yehuda plays an active role as it says “וַיֵּט אֵלֶיהָ And he turned to her“. Yehuda is certainly active when he saves Tamar’s life by publicly admitting that he was the one who impregnated her. Finally, later in the story, as Yosef is trying to keep Binyamin in Egypt, Yehuda is the one who steps forward to insist that Binyamin come back with them (וַיִּגַּשׁ אֵלָיו יְהוּדָה Then Yehuda came near to him)

In Egypt, Yosef was responsible for the physical well-being of the country by storing up food during the time of plenty. Yehuda, on the other hand was responsible for the Jewish people’s spiritual well-being. We see this idea explained by Rashi on Bereishit 46:28. When going down to Egypt, Yaakov sends Yehuda ahead לְהוֹרֹת לְפָנָיו to direct him and Rashi tells us

להורות לפניו לתקן לו בית תלמוד שמשם תצא הוראה
להורות לפניו means to establish for him a house of study, from which teaching would emanate.

We see here how even though we have to work hard for our physical sustenance, like Yosef, we must always realize that we are really just passive players who receive only what HaShem decides to grant us. Our spiritual growth, however, as Yehuda demonstrates, demands continual action and effort in order to be successful.

Collective Punishment

VaYishlach No Responses »

Dec 042009

Parshat VaYishlach contains the tragic story of how Yaakov’s daughter Dina is kidnapped and raped by Shechem. After committing his heinous act, Shechem asks his father, Chamor, to ask Yaakov for Dina’s hand in marriage. Yaakov’s sons hear what happened and respond to Shechem’s request by saying that they cannot allow their families to intermarry unless Shechem and Chamor and all their citizens are circumcised. Shechem and Chamor convince their people that if they all get circumcised they will do very well financially as they will be able to take over (through marriage) all that Yaakov owns. After the circumcision, as retribution for what happened to Dina, Shimon and Levi kill Shechem, Chamor his father, and all the male inhabitants of the city. The rest of Yaakov’s sons then come and take the women, cattle, and possessions of the city as booty.

Many commentators ask the obvious question, “What did the inhabitants of the city do to deserve to be killed?”

Sforno suggests that they deserved to die since they didn’t circumcise themselves for the right reason. Instead of having righteous motives of self-perfection, they just wanted to get hold of Yaakov’s money.

The Rambam, however, suggests that they were at fault for not creating a court system to prosecute Shechem for his kidnapping of Dina.

The Abarbanel combines these two ideas very nicely. He agrees with the Rambam, that the entire population was at fault for not doing anything to prevent or punish Shechem for what he did to Dina. He notes though, that in general it is not the Jewish way to plunder cities. We see this from the Megillah where it says “ובבזה לא שלהו את ידם” (and they didn’t take any spoils). Why then did the brothers take the spoils here? The Abarbanel answers like the Sforno, that since they had done their circumcision solely to acquire the property of Yaakov, they ended up losing all their property to Yaakov.

The Or haChaim cites another reason (among many) why everyone was killed. He says that initially Shimon and Levi had no desire to kill everyone and only wanted to exact revenge on Shechem and Chamor. But, since they all stood up to defend Shechem and Chamor (their king), Shimon and Levi had no choice but to fight everyone in order to exact true justice.

What is amazing to me about this story though, is that ALL of the inhabitants were killed? Was there not one person who did the circumcision for the right reason? Did no one even try to speak out about the wrong-doing of Shechem? How could it be that every single male in the city felt the need to take arms to defend Shechem from Shimon and Levi after what they had done to Dina?

We see here how powerful communal pressure can be. There is a famous idea in Chazal “אוי לרשע ואוי לשכנו” (Woe to the evildoer and woe to his neighbor). In general, this idea is taken to mean that sometimes people can be punished solely for associating themselves with an evil person, even without doing anything specifically bad themselves, due to the unavoidable negative influences of peer pressure. From this story though, I think you see a different explanation. Each individual person has the ability to choose between right and wrong and can always make a stand for that which is true and good. Doing so can make a person stand out and be saved, even from a collective punishment. That is why I think Chazal went out of their way to come up with explanations for why the entire population had to be killed.

This ability to buck the tide is one of the characteristics that made Yaakov Avinu the impressive person that he was. As Yaakov said to Esav at the beginning of the Parsha “עִם לָבָן גַּרְתִּי” (I have lived with Lavan) to which Rashi famously cites “עם לבן הרשע גרתי ותרי”ג מצות שמרתי ולא למדתי ממעשיו הרעים” (I lived with the wicked Laban, but I kept the 613 commandments, and I did not learn from his evil deeds.)

May we all find the courage to stand up for what is right and good.

Have a spiritual Shabbat!

“…the remaining camp shall survive”

VaYishlach No Responses »

Dec 032009

VaYishlach 5770

“Jacob became very frightened, and it distressed him. So he divided the people with him, and the flocks, cattle, and camels, into two camps. For he said, ‘If Eisav comes to the one camp and strikes it down, then the remaining camp shall survive’” (Bereishis 32:8-9).

The Ramban explains based on a Midrash, that this episode is a herald of similar events that will occur to the Jewish people throughout the generations; a concept known as ma’aseih avos siman l’banim. He says that descendants of Eisav in single locations will place upon us harsh decrees – sometimes on our property and sometimes on our lives – but the evil decrees will never directly affect the entirety of the Jewish people. One king will act brutally in his own land, nevertheless in another land a king will act with mercy and save the remnant.

We pray to the King of Kings that all of the Jewish people in all of their dwelling places be blessed with peace.

Good Shabbos!

What’s so special about Jewish children?

VaYishlach No Responses »

Dec 022009

The Pasuk says “ה. וַיִּשָּׂא אֶת עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא אֶת הַנָּשִׁים וְאֶת הַיְלָדִים וַיֹּאמֶר מִי אֵלֶּה לָּךְ וַיֹּאמַר הַיְלָדִים אֲשֶׁר חָנַן אֱ־לֹהִים אֶת עַבְדֶּךָ - And he (Esau) lifted his eyes and saw the women and the children, and he said, “Who are these to you?” And he (Yakov) said, “The children with whom God has favored your servant.” (33:5)

Esau wasn’t a fool, he knew Yakov had his family and entourage with him. This is obvious, as he brought a small army with him to kill them all. So why then, does this conversation take the form of a chance meeting, as if it weren’t apparent who they were and what their connection to Yakov – the head of the family, was?

Clearly, there is something else afoot. The Chafetz Chaim says that Esau saw something different in these children, and he was correct for identifying this difference. They were the first Jewish children – we are Bnei Yisrael, and Yakov’s children were the first of the lot! He saw a difference in them from other children he’d encountered, and we need only look at Yishmael and Esau themselves to see how children behaved in that society, so naturally Yakov’s children would act differently.

The Chafetz Chaim explains that the answer to what made them different is in Yakov’s answer. He answered “אֲשֶׁר חָנַן אֱ־לֹהִים אֶת עַבְדֶּךָ – with whom God has favored your servant”. Why did it not say the normal word for giving – נתן, instead it says חָנַן. The Chafetz Chaim teaches us that there is something else to be learned here that what made these children different was the merit of חָנַן- the Roshei Teivos of the 3 Mitzvos only women can perform – חלה ,נר , נידה – the laws regarding the seperation of Challah, lighting Shabbos candles, and family purity. Yakov said within his reply to his brother what made his children special, that his wives observed these laws.

There are other interpretations of the נר part of observance, which just translates as light. The Sforno explains it to mean the light of Torah – it is a mother’s obligation to ensure her children know Torah – “v’al titosh Toras imecha”. How do we see this? There is a Gemara in Niddah which says that every baby in it’s mother’s womb has 2 things – an angel that teaches the baby the whole Torah, which it forgets at birth when the angel taps it’s lip, and a light above it’s head. We don’t see babies born with lights above their heads, so what does this mean? This means that the mother provided the circumstances through which the light of Torah shone on the child before it’s birth, and this is meant to continue throughout the child’s life.

There is a short story told about R’ Yaakov Galinski and the Chazon Ish circa 1953, that explains us what the light or Torah does. They were walking together in the street at night, and were walking under streetlights. The Chazon Ish said “Wow!” every time he walked under a light, and his student, R’ Yaakov asked what was going on. The Chazon Ish obliged; we are not meant to be arrogant people, but how does one work on this character trait if it is innate? The further away from the streetlight/light of Torah we are, the bigger your shadow appears. The closer we get to the streetlight/the light of Torah, the smaller we realize we actually are.

Geshmack !

By N of http://geshmacktorah.blogspot.com/

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Shimon and Levi

The Power of Names

“The humble will inherit the Earth”

Care for the the victimizer?

Is Rashi Bothered by Bowing?

“Hashem frees those in captivity”

Physical and Spiritual

Collective Punishment

“…the remaining camp shall survive”

What’s so special about Jewish children?

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