HaMaayan/The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Parashat Vayigash Volume V, Number 11 (196) 5 Tevet 5751 / December 22, 1990 Parasha Overview In this Parasha we see the culmination of the events which Hashem brought about for the purpose of leading Yaakov and his sons into the Egyptian exile. Nevertheless, notes R' Yitzchak Abarbanel, Chazal (in the Pesach Haggadah) speak as if Yaakov's family went to Egypt voluntarily. The reason for this is that as a punishment for various sins, each step in the fulfillment of that decree came about through the exercise of someone's free will. Abarbanel notes also, that in one sense, Hashem's sending our ancestors to Egypt was a favor to them, for this allowed them to become the vehicles for Hashem's later revelation through the ten plagues. (Zevach Pesach) "And Yosef... went to meet his father... and [Yosef] cried on his [father's] shoulder, and he cried some more." (B'reishit 46:29). Rashi quotes Chazal who note that although Yosef cried on Yaakov's shoulder, Yaakov did not cry. Chazal explain that at the time of his reunion with Yosef, Yaakov was busy reciting Kri'at Shma. Numerous commentaries ask: Why did Yaakov, who had not seen his son for 22 years, choose this moment to say Shma? If we will say that this was the appropriate hour for saying Shma, why did Yosef not say it now also? The Ba'al Shem Tov and others explain that Yaakov did not recite Kri'at Shma at this moment in fulfillment of the Mitzvah of Shma, but for a different reason. A Tzaddik's whole desire is to devote his life to Hashem, and therefore, whenever he experiences an overpowering love of someone or something he attempts to translate it into love of Hashem. So it was at this moment, when Yaakov saw Yosef for the first time in 22 years and realized how great was his love for his son, he began to recite Shma which speaks of loving Hashem "with all [one's] heart, with all [one's] soul, and with all [one's] wealth." [For more answers to this question see last year's HaMaayan on this Parasha.] Based on this thought, R' Yoel Teitlebaum (the "Satmar Rav") gives a novel explanation for the well-known story which is found in the Pesach Hagadah: It happened that R' Eliezer, R' Yehoshua, R' Elazar ben Azaryah, R' Akiva, and R' Tarfon were reclining in Bnei Brak, and they spoke of the Exodus during the entire night, until their students came and told them, "Our teachers, the time has come to recite the morning Kri'at Shma." It seems hard to believe, says R' Yoel, that these holy Rabbis should need to be reminded to say Shma. Rather, something deeper occurred here. After an entire night of remembering and discussing the wondrous miracles that Hashem performed for Bnei Yisrael at the time of the Exodus, these sages reached new heights in their love of G-d, almost to the point that their souls might leave their bodies in their desire to cleave to G-d. This enthusiastic love of Hashem rubbed-off on the assembled students as well, who then declared: "Did our teachers not instruct us that such is the level of Ahavat Hashem (love of G-d) that one should experience when reciting Kri'at Shma?! Let us do so now." (Hagadah shel Pesach Maharitab, p.81) ************************************ "And Yisrael... came to Be'er Sheva, and he offered sacrifices to the G-d of his father Yitzchak." (B'reishit 46:1) Why is Hashem referred to as the "G-d of Yitzchak" and not also as the "G-d of Avraham"? The reason is that Yaakov was here embarking on a venture that Yitzchak was explicitly prohibited from making, i.e. going to Egypt (see B'reishit 26:2). Thus, Yaakov requested guidance from Hashem, the One who had previously enjoined travel to Egypt. What we see here is that Yaakov was afraid to take a step that his father and teacher had not taken before him. This is the meaning of the maxim, "A person must always ask himself, 'When will my deeds equal those of my fathers'?" A person should seek to go where his ancestors and teachers went, and to avoid those places that they avoided. (R' Yitzchak Blazer: Kochvei Ohr) ************************************ "And [Yosef] sent his brothers away, saying, 'Do not argue along the road'." (B'reishit 54:24) Rashi explains that Yosef was telling his brothers not to become embroiled in Torah discussions lest they lose their way and delay returning to their father. The question arises: Why did Yaakov never give his sons such instructions? R' Heschel of Cracow (popularly known as "The Rebbe, Reb Heschel") explains as follows: Chazal teach that learning Torah is greater than honoring one's parents. How do we know this? Because, although Yaakov was separated from Yosef for 22 years in punishment for the 22 years that Yaakov was in Charan and did not honor his own parents, Yaakov was not punished for the 14 years that he studied in the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever and was similarly unable to honor his parents. However, says R' Heschel, this lesson could be known only after Yosef was reunited with his family and we can see that his absence lasted 22 years, the same number of years that Yaakov spent with Lavan or on the road. Until that moment of reunion, Yaakov's sons [who know that Yosef was alive] might have assumed that another 14 years must pass before the period of Yaakov's punishment would end, paralleling the additional 14 years that Yaakov spent learning Torah. If that were true, it would mean that honoring one's parents in fact takes precedence over Torah study, and in that case, it would have been obvious to Yaakov's sons that they should hurry on their journey and not become engrossed in Torah learning and risk getting lost on the road, for then, they too would miss honoring their father. (Chanukat HaTorah) ************************************ Last week, we began to summarize the six major periods into which Torah study is traditionally divided, and we mentioned the "Tannaim," "Amoraim," " Savoraim," and "Geonim." (5) The period of the Rishonim has been called the "Era of Torah Decentralization" (R' Z. Fendel: Masters of the Mesorah). Political and other factors led to the decline of the Yeshivot of Bavel, while, in the same period, new academies were flourishing throughout western Europe and North Africa. Among the best known of the earliest Rishonim were Rabbenu Gershom "Me'or HaGolah" (France, 960-1040), R" Yitzchak Alfasi, ("Rif"; Morocco, 1013- 1103), and R" Shlomo Yitzchaki ("Rashi; France, 1040-1105). The end of the period of the Rishonim coincides with the Torah's "return" to the west, not to Bavel, but to Poland, Turkey, and Eretz Yisrael. Among the causes of this migration were the expulsion of the Jews from Spain (1492) and the invention in central Europe of the printing press (with the result that knowledge-sharing become much easier). According to Dorot HaRishonim, the primary characteristic of the Rishonim is their authorship of the first Talmud commentaries (e.g. Rashi and Tosfot). Unlike in Bavel where the Talmud was studied by heart, along with oral commentaries passed down from teacher to student, the Jews dispersed throughout Europe were forced to study >from written texts and to compose their own commentaries based on their incisive analyses of those texts. (See also R' Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin: Kidmat HaEmek I,8.) [A very similar process had led to the Mishnah and Gemara - the "Oral Law" - being written down in the first place, many centuries earlier.] The period of the Rishonim also saw the compilation of the great Halachic codes such as Rambam's Mishneh Torah, R' Yaakov ben Asher's Araba'ah Turim (the "Tur"), and R' Yosef Karo's Shulchan Aruch. [Some consider R' Yosef Karo (1488-1575) to be the first of the "Acharonim" (see below).] (6) The Acharonim (literally, "the last") are the sages who flourish(ed) from the 15th century until the arrival of Mashiach (speedily in our days.) These include the commentators on the Shulchan Aruch such as R' David HaLevi ("Taz"; 1586-1667), R' Shabtai HaKohen ("Shach" 1622-1663) and R' Avraham Gombiner (Magen Avraham; 1634-1682), and thousands of other sages such as R' Eliyahu (the "Vilna Gaon") and R' Akiva Eiger. A significant number of the Acharonim's written works are not independent books but commentaries on the works of the Rishonim. Prominent examples of these are Chiddushei Halachot (a.k.a. "Maharsha") and Pnei Yehoshua, both of which are largely devoted to the Talmud commentaries of Rashi and Tosfot. ................................................................. Posted by Alan Broder, ajb@grebyn.com (uunet!grebyn!ajb) Shlomo Katz can not receive EMAIL, however I will pass on any comment forwarded to me, or alternately, send your comments care of yehuda@gwuvm.bitnet