A Thought on Parshas MiKetz

A Thought On Parshas MiKetz

"...mi'ketz shana'sayim yamim..."
"...at the end of two years..." (41:1)

Our parsha, which always falls out on Chanukah, sets the time frame for Pharaoh's dreams which resulted in Yosef being released from prison and ascending to a position of power in the land of his exile.

This week, Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel takes us for a spin in a new direction. He is interested in the words "shana'sayim yamim" which mean literally "two years of days." The Torah might have written the expression without referencing "days." The Torah might have written "shtei shanim" which would mean two years. The mystery word seems to be shana'sayim. It connotes the same meaning as "two years" but is a slight variation from the typical term used in the Torah.

On this point, Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel observes that there must be a significance to the word. He zooms in on the letters. Shana'sayim is spelled shin, nun, tof, yud, mem. There is a remez here, a hint at something.

We all know the halacha of lighting the Chanukah menorah. The Talmud instructs us to place the menorah to the left of the doorway, with the mezuzah set on the right side. This way we "surround ourselves" with mitzvos. If we take the letters from our word in sequence, we see this law spelled out: smoel ner tadlik yemin mezuzah - light the candle on the left with the mezuzah on the right. The Torah's use of this word hints at the parsha coinciding with Chanukah.

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"...ha'tzara ha'zos..."
"...this trouble we are in..." (42:21)

When the sons of Yakov are confronted by the viceroy of Egypt (who is their long lost brother Yosef in disguise), they have a moment of chilling realization that the trouble that they are in is not a coincidence. They worry over their fate, seeing the handiwork of HaShem appearing to mete out retribution for their having abandoned their young brother years before. They call their plight ha'tzara ha'zos.

Our sages have handed down the tradition that the apparent treachery of brother against brother in our ancestral past has played out in great tragedy during key times in our history. Twice yearly we recount the martyrdom of the asara harugei malchus - the ten pious sages who were executed during the Roman conquest of Jerusalem.

Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel shares another remez with us. The two-word expression "ha'tzara ha'zos" catches the eye and ear, for it is made up of two words, tzara and zos yet both of the words begin with the prefix "hae" which means, of course, "the." Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel takes the two hae letters and notes their numerical value. Each equals five. There are two of them. That is a total of ten. It is a hint at the ten martyred sages whose lives seem to have symbolized the tragedy of great loss among Jewish brethren. The Torah alludes to the unfolding of later events in our history which paralleled and echoed the troubling saga of Yosef and his ten brothers.

Wishing you a joyous Chanukah. Blessing you with a peaceful Shabbos, brothers and sisters of the Jewish nation. D Fox

A Thought On Parshas VaYeshev

A Thought On Parshas VaYeshev

"...va'yar adonav ki HaShem ito..."
"...and his master saw that HaShem was with him..." (39:3)

Yosef was sold into slavery and purchased by a wealthy Egyptian. The Torah (verse 2) tells us how he succeeded in his work because HaShem "was with him." Moreover, our verse adds that his master or owner also "saw that HaShem was with him."

The commentaries, from Rashi onward, have argued about the meaning of our verse. What does it mean that his pagan master could "see" that HaShem was with Yosef? We ourselves cannot "see" HaShem and we believe in Him. How could a non-believer see Him? Furthermore, HaShem as manifest in the name "HaShem" was unknown to the world, as we see in the book of Shmos. HaShem Himself, ka'va'yachol, tells Moshe that He did not make His Presence known to our patriarchs in the name of HaShem. Pharaoh told Moshe that he did not know of "HaShem." If our verse had said "Elokim" or some other more generic reference to "the Lord", we might have less of a concern regarding our second question, although our first question would remain: what does it mean that the master saw that HaShem was with Yosef?

Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel goes beyond the interpretations of Rashi, Ramban and others by citing a midrash (some later authorities have suggested that Rashi and some other commentators may not have had access to this ancient source or edition.)

Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel writes that whenever Yosef was near his master, he spoke to HaShem. He would say, audibly, "Master of the Universe, You are my source of security". He would utter, "You are my only Guardian." He would pray aloud, "Give me favor, mercy and kindness in Your eyes and in the eyes of people and in my master's eyes."

His master would hear these words and ask, "Are you reciting incantations to cast some type of spell or magic over me?" (He probably assumed that "master", "source of security", "guardian" were references to himself.) Yosef would respond, "I am praying that I should find favor in your eyes." Yosef prayed that his Higher Source would influence the man's perception of him. And it worked!

Although the words uttered by Yosef were heard, and not seen, the vividness of HaShem's Presence as a reality in his life was visible to the Egyptian. The fact that Yosef conducted himself at each turn and each challenge with an overt connection to his sense of the Divine, and the fact that those encounters were not hidden but were shared, lead to the man seeing and believing that a Jew does more than submit to a terrifying and awesome deity. A Jew relates to a compassionate and personal One G-d. This was a foreign idea to the pagan Egyptian. He was able to infer from those prayerful monologues that Yosef had a G-d concept which was very different. He was moved by this, and influenced. This is why our verse says, "he saw that HaShem was with Yosef."

Many times, in my years together with my great rebbe HaGaon HaRav Simcha Wasserman ztvk'l I would notice that when he was around people who were unfamiliar with Torah that he would appear to utter words quietly before doing things. I sometimes saw him say a bracha before drinking some hot coffee, then noticed that before virtually every sip he would seem to say some other words of prayer. Eventually, the person he was talking with would ask him what he was saying. He would look at them with surprise and say, "Oh! You must not have learned of the ways in which we speak to HaShem!" He would then use this as a teaching moment. People could see that HaShem was with him, and he would teach others how to take Him into their own lives. And it worked!

HaShem imachem! May HaShem be with us. Good Shabbos. D Fox

A Thought on Parshas VaYishlach

A Thought on Parshas VaYishlach

"...va'yar ki lo yachol lo..."
"...and the angel saw that he was unable to overpower Yakov..." (32:26)

The Torah describes the struggle between the angel and Yakov. They struggled throughout the night until daybreak. It then dawned on the angel that he could not defeat this mortal adversary.

All of this saga of an angel wrestling with solitary Yakov! An all night fight, a stalemate, an injury inflicted followed by the angel pleading to be released, and Yakov insisting on a parting blessing from him! What does it mean that a heavenly angel could not defeat a human being? What runs beneath this passage? What is it about and what does it foretell?

Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel suggests that we need some midrashic background to build a context here. What happened before the face off? Yakov had to shuttle his children across a river. He had to prepare for a confrontation with Esav. He had a lot on his mind. How did he handle it?

Yakov raised his eyes to the heavens and cried. He begged for Divine mercy. HaShem heard his prayers and promised him that in Yakov's merit, his descendants, the Jewish people, would be rescued from their plight and suffering. When we follow the path of prayer and the way of tears in turning to HaShem, we can depend on the promise (Tehillim 20:2) of "yan'cha HaShem b'yom tzara yisagev'cha Shem Elokae Yakov" - HaShem the G-d of Yakov will answer you in times of strife.

Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel teaches that what the angel saw was the tenacity of the Jewish people. It was Yakov's refusal to let go, to give in, to give up or to forsake his trust in the Divine, his persistence in clinging tightly to the promise of salvation, which the angel could not overcome or defeat. He saw that this faithful fortitude would carry Yakov through his skirmish, and would carry the Jewish people through exiles and persecutions.

My great rebbe HaGaon Rav Simcha Wasserman ztvk'l used to soothe the broken in spirit with a verse in the navi Yirmiahu (30:7) v'es tzara hi l'Yakov u'mimena yivashea'ah - it will be a time of trouble for Yakov yet he shall be saved from it. The angel recognized that when the Jew keeps consciousness of HaShem in the process, our opponents cannot break our faith.

The angel saw this in Yakov's persistence. Can it still be seen among us? Can others recognize it? Are our moments of courage linked to that higher awareness? Do we wrestle with faith, or do we wrestle because we have faith? Good Shabbos. D Fox

A Thought on Parshas VaYetzae

A Thought on Parshas VaYetzae

"...va'yifga ba'makom..."
"...and Yakov encountered a place..." (28:11)

Something mystical happened as Yakov approached the border of the Promised Land, as he took flight towards the country of his mother's family. He chanced upon a spot which proved to be a place of encounter with the Divine word.

Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel cites some midrashic observations, familiar to many of us. We note the verse's use of the word makom in introducing the "encounter." The midrash tells us that one might ponder the theological quandary of how there can be a nexus for the Infinite One with the abstract yet mortal concepts of time and place. How can a "place", a makom, be a point of encounter with the Divine?

He explains that the word makom should be understood as Makom. The Omnipresent is everywhere, yet even the concept "everywhere" is a limiting concept. HaShem cannot be everywhere since HaShem cannot be anywhere. Rather, here, there, everywhere and any-where are encompassed within the Divine Presence. This is why HaShem says (Shmos 33:21) hinae makom Iti - I have a place with Me. This is why Dovid HaMelech proclaims (Tehillim 90:1) HaShem ma'on Atah - HaShem, You are the "Place" within which the entire universe is suspended.

Now, when Yakov arrives at the "place", Chazal teach us that he prayed there, and in fact, he established our practice of Aravis - the nightly prayer. Rabbeinu Chaim Paliel notes that the Torah says, as explained by Chazal, that Yakov rested at this spot because the sun was setting. This is when he prayed there at that moment in time, at the close of daylight.

If that is so, he asks, our custom should be to recite our tefillas Aravis near the time of the setting sun. If the prayer was instituted at that time, this should be its fixed point for all of us. How is it that our custom has evolved, generally and preferably, to wait until it is dark before beginning the evening prayer?

Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel reminds us that for a dvar mitzvah - for the sake of fulfilling a mitzvah - one is permitted to begin the evening prayer before nightfall. Yakov our patriarch recognized that this spot was a nexus: the moment in time and the place in space were converging with a higher reality. There was a sense of the sacred in that place at that time. Yakov had a numinous encounter with the Divine Presence at that moment, there and then..

There is a mitzvah to pray when one is in a sacred place. When one senses the Divine Presence near, there is a mitzvah to capture that moment through reaching forth in prayer. Yakov's inaugurating the tefilla of Aravis was instructional for us, as it set in place the practice of a nightly prayer, just as his father Yitzchak established an afternoon prayer, and his grandfather Avraham introduced the morning prayer. The circumstance of this first Aravis, however, was both time and place contingent. Whereas the ideal time for evening prayer is at night, when place is a factor, such as when one is in a sacred place, or when there is an available quorum of men present, or when the Holy Shabbos is nigh, we follow the time/place factor instructed by Yakov and begin the tefilla with the setting of the sun.

Here and now, there and then, time and space: Good Shabbos. D Fox

A Thought on Parshas Toldos

A Thought on Parshas Toldos

"...va'yar Esav...va'yar Esav..."
"...and Esau saw... and Esau saw..." (27:6; 28:5)

The Torah highlights how Esav saw the events unfolding as his brother Yaakov received the blessings of their father. The Torah then relates how he saw events unfolding as father Yitzchak set preferences as to whom his sons should marry. As Yaakov fled to his mother's family for refuge, Esav headed to his half-uncle Yishmael to seek another wife. His father had already disapproved of his first choice of wives, a Canaanite woman. It seems strange that if Esav saw so many things so clearly (as our verses imply) that he would still opt now to take a Yishmaeli woman, hardly approved by his father. The Torah has already told us how Yishmael harassed Yitzchak and how he was ordered to leave the camp of Avraham. What was Esav thinking, and seeing, that would propel him to the land of his father's foe?

Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel offers an original and profound analysis. It may also give us a perspective on events unfolding in our world in our own times, when we recall the Torah tenet that the lives of our patriarchs foreshadow the events of later Jewish history. Our tradition includes a contemporary identification of the nations who stem from Yishmael and Esav.

Initially, Esav had no difficulty disregarding Yitzchak's order to Yaakov that he not take a wife from Canaan. He resented Yaakov for getting the birthright and its blessings and privileges, but was not concerned about the fact that Yaakov now had some restrictions to observe as well. Esav wanted the bounty and the wealth which was promised to his brother but could forego the limitations which went along with that "firstborn" status. So, he assumed that Yaakov also was after the birthright for its gifts alone but would not really take the restrictions seriously.

However, when Esav saw that Yaakov ran away from Canaan and headed east to the land of their mother, Rivka, he got uneasy. He worried that Yitzchak had revealed to Yaakov a deeper reason why he must avoid intermarrying with that nation. It must be that there was more to the birthright than was obvious. This re-ignited his jealous rage for his brother.

Why did he then head for the women of Yishmael? Surely that was contrary to the wishes of Yitzchak and would be a further dismissal of the birthright? Why would he feed into the hands of Yaakov by despising father's orders and further empowering his brother as the good and compliant son? What did Esav see? What was his scheme and vision?

Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel suggests that Esav's plan was to marry a daughter of Yishmael, which would make Yishmael his father-in-law. He would then advise Yishmael that they had both been wronged. He had been wronged by Yaakov who "stole" his birthright, and Yishmael had been wronged by Yitzchak who had "stolen" the birthright to which the older son Yishmael was entitled! Esav's plan was to foment jealousy and rage in Yishmael so that he would go and murder his half-brother Yitzchak (Esav's own father!) and reclaim his right to be the blessed firstborn of Avraham.

Meanwhile, Esav hoped that his own brother Yaakov would avenge the murder of father Yitzchak (a relative has that obligation, as we know from the law of go'el ha'dam) and would execute Yishmael, his half uncle. By this time, however, Yishmael would have become Esav's own father-in-law. His new wife, the daughter, would now have rights of go'el ha'dam to avenge her father's murder. Gallantly, because of the law of ba'al ka'ishto - a man can fill the role of his wife - Esav would avenge the murder of his father-in-law and be able to kill his own brother Yaakov according to the "law"! He would be fulfilling a mitzva! A fatwa--in-law! Moreover, he would then inherit the birthright of Yaakov. He would then inherit the birthright of Yishmael too. A double play.

This is what Esav saw. This is what he mused about when he muttered (27:41) "let the days of mourning for my father come soon."

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The working of the verses is brilliant. We are left to ponder the deeper and symbolic meanings of this view of the conflicts which wage in our times. "Al tira avdi Yaakov" (Yeshayahu 44:2) - Fear not, My servant Yaakov!. Good Shabbos. D Fox