Tuesday, December 29, 2009

A Thought On Parshas VaYechi

A Thought on Parshas VaYechi

"...va'ha'alisem es atzmosai mi'zeh..."
"...and you will carry my remains up away from here..." (50:25)

Yakov prepares to die and instructs his family to bring his body to the Holy Land for burial.

The Rambam (Hilchos Melachim 5:11) cites a rabbinic source that "anyone living in Israel has his sins forgiven; even someone who strolls there merits eternal life; one buried there will attain atonement as if he established a shrine there." The Rambam adds that even though there is no comparing one who is buried there to one who actually resided in the land, our great sages from around the globe strived for burial in Israel as we learn from Yakov and from the righteous Yosef.

There is a tradition that when the Rambam died in Egypt, both the Jews and the Egyptians cried for three days and commemorated the anniversary of his death. It took a week for word to reach Alexandria and an additional day before Jerusalem learned of his passing. The Jews of Jerusalem gathered for a massive eulogy and declared a public fast day. The Biblical passage of bleak tochacha in parshas Bechukosai was read and a special haftarah was read from the book of Shmuel lamenting the loss of the Sacred Ark.

The coffin bearing his body was brought towards eretz Yisroel but the entourage was attacked by marauders. Fearing for their lives, the funeral party left the coffin in the sand and fled. This incited the thugs who then attempted to lift the coffin and ravage it. They were, however, unable to open or move it despite the efforts of some thirty ruffians. They backed away in fear and realized that there was a great and pious person within. They actually went after the fleeing Jews and pledged that they would allow them safe passage and would even escort them to wherever they had intended to bury the Rambam.

Popular accounts have it that he was finally buried in Tevaria where one can visit his grave today. There is another version which relates that the Rambam was actually interred along with the Patriarchs in Chevron. His fervent vision was fulfilled for he merited burial in Israel.

* * * * *

The Rosh notes that at the Song of the Yam Suf (Az Yashir), we praise HaShem for His "stretching forth Your might and making the land swallow the Egyptians" (Shmos 15:12). He writes that he once heard an explanation on how some of those pursuing soldiers merited an actual burial in the sea bed as opposed to the fate of others who pursued us, as depicted in the Shira. The interpretation which the Rosh had heard stated that those particular Egyptian men had been the ones who had accompanied the burial entourage of Yakov (Bereishis 50:7).

The trip they had made to escort Yakov to Israel helped facilitate a sacred act, that of his burial in the Holy Land. HaShem does not withhold compensation from those who have earned it. Although those soldiers later engaged in other acts which were antagonistic to us, and they sought to slaughter and drown us in the sea, they nonetheless had a merit. For having assured that Yakov reach his final resting place, they too were given a resting place.

May we recognize the vast importance of kedushas Eretz Yisroel and uphold it always. May we merit the wonder of residing there in this lifetime!

Good Shabbos. D Fox

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

A Thought On Parshas VaYigash

A Thought on Parshas VaYigash

"...lo atem shilachtem osi haena ki ha'Elokim..."
"...it was not you who sent me here, it was the Lord..." (45:8)

Yosef reunites with his brothers, who have expressed remorse for having caused him years of isolation from his family. They are afraid that he will retaliate in some way. He assures and consoles them that his being exiled to Egypt was part of the Divine plan. "You were not the ones who sent me here - it was actually HaShem who did this!"

The Rambam (Moreh HaNevuchim II:48) understands this verse as a lesson in Torah theology. We are probably aware of the age-old paradox of our having choice and free will to choose in a universe where all things and events were programmed and determined since before the beginning of time. This is a difficult tenet of faith and reason, yet the Rambam sees it described in the words of Yosef.

"All events and all that happens or will happen - even when it is the result of a person's decision or choice - are acts of G-d." The Rambam does not develop this for us, in keeping with his premise that this reality is a cosmic polemic which the faithful heart and the logical mind will struggle over always. What is important for us here is that Yosef helped frame the premise by assuring his brothers that whereas they had a role in the events by way of their choices, the events were nonetheless preordained and meant to be.

* * * * *

The Rosh sheds a little more light on the matter. Chazal see a linkage between the ksones passim - the special cloak given Yosef - and his brothers subsequent enmity which led to their scheme which resulted in Yosef's exile, and ultimately to the exile of the entire family and nation.

The Rosh queries: long before the saga of Yosef and his brothers, HaShem had decreed to Avraham Avinu (15:13) that we would descend to exile in Egypt. The events which "befell" us were preordained! They were part of the script and fabric of history well before there was history! How can we now attribute anything to the deeds of the brothers? The exile had to happen!

The Rosh explains that the decree of "ki ger yiyeh zarecha" might have been manifest in a very different way. It is possible for people to wander and to be uprooted and for that to be a form of ger status (see how this word is used in such a context regarding Avraham (21:34), Yitzchak (26:3), Yakov (Tehillim 105:23) and elsewhere). Perhaps our fate could have been an "exile" of unfettered wandering, without the abject oppression and slavery.

The decree was, however, directed into a more arduous ordeal as a function of human choice. The decisions which we make can guide the manner in which the future unfolds. The Rosh suggests that there is a more autonomous role which we take in effecting our lot in life. While the Al-mighty is all-knowing, it is still our own task to take responsibility for our actions. When we struggle with the events which befall us, it is also our responsibility to look back upon the choices which we have made which shed light on our experience of consequence.

There is no karma. There is grama. Good Shabbos. D Fox

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

A Thought on Parshas MiKetz

A Thought On Parshas MiKetz

"...va'yomer el'eihem Yosef ba'yom ha'shlishi..."
"...and Yosef told them on the third day..." (42:18)

After holding his brothers prisoner, Yosef, maintaining his disguise, released them on the third day. One must wonder what his thinking was, waiting for three days before freeing them. Moreover, one must ask why the Torah sees fit to mention this detail of "three days."

The Rambam (commentary on Megillas Esther 5:1) writes that we first find this transitional interval of three days at the akeida of Yitzchak (22:4), when HaShem ordered Avraham to travel with Yitzchak, and then reveals the destination to him on the third day. Subsequently, we find mention of three days as the turning point in other events which started off tense or frightening, and then are granted relief or reversal of circumstance. This occurs at Shechem (34:25), at Sinai (Shmos 19:16), within the whale (Yona 2:2) and in Shushan (Esther 5:1).

This principle of Divine mercy for the righteous being manifest after three days was a sod known to our great leaders and patriarchs. Yosef had known of this tradition as well. In his designing a strategy for addressing his brothers, he sought to follow the patterns which are apparent to us in our experiencing the Ways of HaShem ka'va'yachol. This tradition guided his plan in how to handle the situation with his contrite and confused brothers.

He held them in suspense and uncertainty but, in approximating the Ways of HaShem in His addressing the righteous among our people, Yosef needed to facilitate that same transition after three days. This may have paved the way for his brothers to realize that there were no coincidences in their plight, but rather that there was Divine involvement. Moreover, it was essential that Yosef in his own right remain within the structure and protocol which HaShem wishes us to emulate. When salvation is granted the righteous after three days, this is a clue that there is focused Divine hashgacha.

The Rosh offers a depth perspective on this construct. Throughout our history, we have seen signs that, despite the strife and stress which besets the world, HaShem looks after the righteous. The lives of Avraham, of Yitzchak, of Yakov and later the lives of Eliahu and the prophets and pious of our nation, have been graced with Divine protection, or Divine intervention.

In turn, our greatest leaders have emulated that protective stance in their guiding our people during times of hardship. The paragon for this selfless caring was Yosef. He looked out for those in need. Moreover, he planned carefully in assuring the welfare of his brothers, even during their times of conflict, as we see from our verse. Yosef protected his brothers, and he intervened on their behalf in ways which were deft and concealed yet were nonetheless in the manner of imitatio Dei.

That reality, says the Rosh, is captured by Dovid HaMelech in Tehillim 80:2 - "Roeh Yisroel, ha'azina! Noheg ka'tzon Yosef..." Oh Shepherd of Israel, guide the flock as did Yosef." Dovid HaMelech makes one of his occasional reverse comparisons, as if asking HaShem to imitate the goodly acts of a good person (compare "k'rachem av al banim" in Tehillim 103:13 and in our prayers, where we "ask" HaShem to have compassion on us in the way which a father has pity on his children!) Yosef is cited by Dovid HaMelech as the model for how Jews were lead with compassion, caring and mercy and he asks that HaShem do the same.

Yosef paved the way for future leaders to intuit the forms of care and compassion which HaShem wants for us. He was both an exemplar of how HaShem wants us to treat our fellow Jews, and of how we long for HaShem to treat us.

Good Shabbos. D Fox

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

A Thought On Parshas VaYeshev

A Thought On Parshas VaYeshev

"...henei shalachti ha'gedi ha'zeh..."
"...look, I have sent this goat..." (38:23)

The incident at the crossroads involving Yehuda and Tamar has been interpreted at many levels. Our sages have taught that the encounter between these two figures, both of whom served significant roles in the evolution of Klal Yisroel, was motivated by lofty and pure intentions.

Nonetheless, one sits back and wonders what the lesson is. With all of the clarification of who intended what in that liaison, we still can inquire what the Torah wishes us to derive from this saga. A case of mistaken identity resulted in a union which fostered our monarchy. We understand this at the level of historical significance but what else does it teach us?

The Rambam (Moreh HaNevuchim III:49) writes that Yehuda emulated the quality of integrity which he had learned from his father Yakov and his grandfather Yitzchak. In ancient times, the relationship between a man and woman, such as that depicted in the parsha, was a forerunner of the marriage instructed by the Torah. In halachic marriage, the money which belongs to the wife is to be safeguarded for her and in the event of divorce, it must be given back to her. "There is no difference between withholding a worker's wages or a wife's rights to her property", says the Rambam. "There is no difference between oppressing a worker until he foregoes his right to be paid, slandering an employee as a ruse for refusing to pay him, or abusing a wife or maligning her as a means of getting her to leave a marriage and relinquish what is rightfully hers."

In the centuries before the giving of the Torah, whereas a consensual encounter between a man and an unknown woman was permitted, the man could not "send her away" in an uncaring or demeaning manner. Rather, the "payment" delivered her was tantamount to the dowry returned at a halachic divorce. This was why Yehuda was insistent on locating the mysterious woman from the crossroads and assuring that she be sent away with the payment. Moreover, the verse enunciates "ha'gedi ha'zeh" - this specific goat. Not only did Yehuda seek to honor his pledge but the specificity implies that the goat was a costly one.

To the person of halacha, it matters not why we are paying someone or how we came to owe money. A debt must be paid and it must be paid in a dignified and honorable manner. This is the halachic lesson of our verse, says the Rambam, along with its ethical overtone.

* * * * *
The Rosh offers a creative insight from this passage. He notes that Chazal declared, "(fortunate is one who) is suspected of a misdeed which he did not commit" (Shabbos 118b). How did our sages derive this? The Torah says that Yehuda "suspected" that Tamar had been unfaithful. It also says that Eli the Kohen "suspected" that Channa was drunk (Shmuel I, 1:13). The same word va'yachshaveha surfaces in reference to Avraham (Bereishis 15:6) but takes on the meaning "and it was considered just."

We see from our parsha that Tamar was cleared of suspicion and became the progenitor of royalty and prophets. Channa was cleared of suspicion and became the mother of a leader and prophet. In both places, the word va'yachshaveha signifies "suspicion" and in the third place it means "to be considered just." From these three sources we derive that being held under misplaced suspicion will merit a just and positive outcome.

The Rambam sees man's imperative to be just in Yehuda's deeds. The Rosh sees Divine justice in the blessing bestowed upon Tamar. Good Shabbos. D Fox

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

A Thought On Parshas VaYishlach

A Thought on Parshas VaYishlach

"...v'eleh ha'melachim asher malchu b'eretz Edom..."
"...and these kings ruled Esav's land..." (34:31)

The Torah depicts the names and habitats of a string of kings who ruled the descendants of Esav. We know that the Torah is not a history book and it seems important to understand what significance this information has for the Jewish people. Those rulers are unknown to us, as are most of their place-names. It is ancient history and hardly seems relevant.

The Rambam (Moreh HaNevuchim III: 50) gives some important context. Note that there are place-names associated with each of those kings. This reveals to us that they were in fact not from the nation of Esav at all. Rather, these were a series of invaders and conquerors who fought with and subdued our estranged brother Esav. For whatever period of time a ruler, say "Samla of Masreika" (verse 36) or "Hadar of Pau" (v. 39) had dominion over Esav - even though Esav later regained its sovereignty and independence - the mark of the conqueror remained, leaving its impact on the culture and standards of benei Esav.

Hence, the descendants of Esav absorbed the influences of many foreign forces. The Rambam writes, "anyone who rules over a nation brings a foreign legacy that will impact his subjects whether in subtle or vivid ways." This is the message of naming each of those kings and their places of origin. Why is this important to us?

The lesson of this message, writes the Rambam, is for us to better appreciate a mitzva: The Torah commands us (Devarim 17:15) not to choose a king who is a stranger who is not from our midst. Jewish people can be ruled only by Torah leaders. A person for whom our ways are alien and our legacy is not his own cannot lead us, for he and his practices will taint our nation. We cannot be a Torah nation unless we rule ourselves from within, and are led by those who exemplify darchei no'am v'nesivos shalom. Esav was once a tribe unto its own yet it became a hoard of subcultures whom for centuries has had a chameleon-like role on world events, and in their inconsistent dealings with the Jewish people. That chaos and hypocrisy is what we too would risk were we led by alien influence.

* * * * *
"...mincha l'Esav achiv..."
"...a gift for his brother Esav..." (32:14)

The Rosh reveals another feature of our parallels with brother Esav. The medrash (Tehillim
72:10) notes Dovid HaMelech's words, "malchei Tarshish v'eyim mincha yashivu" - the kings of Tarshsish and the isles will return gifts. This vision of times to come is not of kings bearing gifts but of kings returning gifts!

Whereas foreign rulers gave foreign influences to Esav, which pervaded its practices and endured as hybrid ways, the things imparted to Esav by Yakov were good things. They were wholesome gifts and worthy gestures. Esav may have taken in some of those gifts but apparently, he did not entirely take on and personalize their positive features.

In times to come, our "gifts" will be relinquished by Esav and returned to us. The goodness and values will be associated with their original owner, the descendants of Yakov. Adds the Rosh, "all the more so will they return to us everything which they plundered and stole from us."

There are some influences which one may pick up and acquire, and despite their worth and benefit, he or she may senselessly reject them. In contrast, there are some influences which one picks up and even after seeing their decadence and negativity, one may be unable to shake it and expel it.

The Shabbos melacha of borer may be an important metaphor for us to consider. How should we pick and chose good things from bad things? How can we determine which are the good choices and which are not? Take your pick. Good Shabbos. D Fox