Today's Learning Bava Kamma 5:5-6 Sponsored by O.C. 297:2-4 The Rozen and Donowitz families Avodah Zarah 67 in memory of mother and grandmother Yerushalmi-- Rita Rozen A"H Nedarim 32 Hamaayan/The Torah Spring edited by Shlomo Katz Vayeshev Vol. X, No. 9 (446), 23 Kislev 5756, December 16, 1995 Siddur Avodat Yisrael writes that there is a chapter of Tehilim which corresponds to each parashah--this week Psalm 112. The opening verses state: "Fortunate is the man who fears Hashem, who greatly desires His commandments. Mighty in the land will his offspring be, a generation of the upright who shall be blessed." According to Midrash Shocher Tov, "Mighty in the land" refers to Yaakov, and "a generation of the upright who shall be blessed" refers to Yaakov's sons. It is important to remember this when we read this parashah, in which ten of Yaakov's sons appear to gang-up on Yosef because of their jealousy. Yaakov's offspring were righteous, and they acted for the sake of Heaven. (For one of the classic interpretations of their actions, see Parashat Derachim, quoted in Hamaayan Vol. VIII No. 9.) Verse 4 provides the type of hope that Chazal say Yosef felt when he languished in Egypt: "Even in the darkness a light shines for the upright; He is compassionate and merciful." So great was Yosef's faith under ordinary circumstances that when he momentarily lapsed and begged the Egyptian butler to remember him, he was punished by G-d for it. (see Bet Halevi, to be discussed at length next week.) Verse 9 states: "He gave a distribution to the destitute, his charity endures forever." The Zohar (I:208) states that this verse refers to Yosef. ************************************ The verses and commentaries on this page relate to the chapter of Tehilim associated with our parashah. "Fortunate is the man who fears Hashem, who greatly desires His commandments. Mighty in the land will his offspring be, a generation of the upright who shall be blessed." (112:1-2) We find in various verses in Tanach that tzaddikim are promised long life and wealth. However, says Rav Yekutiel Yehuda Halberstam (the "Klausenberger-Sanzer Rebbe") zatz'l, some tzaddikim don't want wealth. What then happens to Hashem's promise? The answer is that if a man "desires [only] His commandments," i.e., he wants no more of this world than is absolutely necessary in order to do mitzvot, then, "Mighty in the land will his offspring be, a generation of the upright who shall be blessed." The wealth due to this tzaddik will be saved for his descendants. (Shefa Chaim IV:238) ************************************ Pirkei Avot (ch.2) states: "Weigh the loss from a mitzvah against its reward." This is an admonition to the leaders of the community, says Rav Eliezer Zvi Safran (the "Komarna Rebbe") zatz'l, that they should be willing to sacrifice their personal spiritual gain in order to raise the level of others. Even if a person must interrupt his own learning or growth in order to engage in kiruv (bringing others closer), this loss is insignificant compared to the rewards. Rav Safran--known as the "Sar Bet Hazohar" ("Master of the Zohar"), a takeoff on the jailer's title in verse 39:22 of this week's parashah--adds: Regarding this the Zohar (II:128b) says that if one helps another overcome his yetzer hara, it is as if he has created a new person. Moreover, there is no greater honor to Hashem than this, the Zohar says. If one holds the hand of a rasha and tries to lead the rasha on a new path, he accomplishes three things: he helps to crush the yetzer hara, he brings honor to G-d, and he causes the world to endure. Such a person will merit to see children and grandchildren, and about him it says (in our verse), "Mighty in the land will his offspring be, a generation of the upright who shall be blessed." (Zekan Beto) ************************************ "Yaakov settled in the land where his father lived, in Eretz Canaan." (37:1) Rashi comments: Yaakov wanted to live in peace, but the troubles with Yosef pounced on him. What was so wrong if Yaakov wanted to live in peace? asks Rav Moshe Teitelbaum (the "Satmar Rebbe") shlita. Also, is it necessary to say that Eretz Canaan is "the land where his father lived"? The gemara (Bava Metzia 85b) relates that Eliyahu Hanavi appeared regularly in the study hall of Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi ("Rebbe"), but one rosh chodesh, he did not come. Later, Rebbe asked him why. He answered, "I had to awaken Avraham, wash his hands, pray with him, and lay him down, and then I had to do the same for Yitzchak and Yaakov [and before I finished, the sun set]." Rebbe asked him, "Why didn't you awaken all three at once?" Eliyahu answered, "If the three of them would pray at once, they would bring mashiach before his time." Similarly, says Rav Teitelbaum, Yaakov wanted to live in peace, i.e., the ultimate peace of the days of mashiach. Had Yaakov been able to pray together with his father Yitzchak (who was still alive, the verse reminds us) and his son Yosef, they would have brought the Redemption. However, it was not yet time, and the troubles with Yosef pounced on Yaakov to prevent their joint prayers. (Berach Moshe) ************************************ Why did Chazal say, "the troubles with Yosef pounced on him" instead of "the troubles with Yosef started"? Also, the midrash says, "Why did the brothers hate Yosef? So that the Red Sea would split for the Jews." What does this mean? Rav Moshe Aryeh Freind shlita (head of the Eidah Charedis in Yerushalayim) explains that every person has the strength to face the challenges which the yetzer hara (evil inclination) throws at him. If the yetzer hara wins, it is not because the person couldn't prevail but because he didn't try. Sometimes, however, Hashem lets the yetzer hara completely overpower a person. At these times, the yetzer hara thinks that it has won a great victory, but in fact this is part of its undoing. For example, the incident in this parashah of Yehuda and Tamar looks like a great coup for the yetzer hara but it actually was part of Hashem's plan for bringing about the birth of King David, the days of mashiach, and the eradication of the yetzer hara. Similarly, tzaddikim such as Yaakov's sons would not have hated their brother and tried to kill him were it not part of the Divine plan. Here, too, Hashem effectively took away their free will in order to bring the Jews to Egypt where they would absorb the "sparks" ("nitzotzot") of spirituality which existed there and remove those "sparks" from the country at the miraculous splitting of the sea. This is the meaning of Chazal's statement, "the troubles with Yosef pounced on him." Specifically, the yetzer hara was allowed to pounce on Yaakov and his family, with a strength far in excess of what these tzaddikim were used to. (Ateret Yehoshua) ************************************ Rav Chizkiyah di Silva zatz'l born 5419 (1659) - died 28 Kislev 5458 (1697) Rav Chizkiyah di Silva, known as the Pri Chadash after his important halachic work, was born in Livorno, Italy. At age 20 he settled in Yerushalayim and continued his studies under Rav Moshe Galanti. Rav Chizkiyah later succeeded Rav Galanti as rosh yeshiva. Rav Chizkiyah's Pri Chadash is printed in the standard edition of the Shulchan Aruch, the code of Jewish law. His style was to state his opinion forcefully, even disagreeing with the authorities of previous generations; as a result, there was opposition to his work. Rav Chaim Yosef David Azulai ("Chida") writes that the Jews of Egypt accepted on themselves never to study Rav Chizkiyah's works, but they effectively undid their decree when they appointed Rav Shlomo Algazi, a student of Rav Chizkiyah, as chief rabbi (Shem Hagedolim, ma'arechet gedolim, ot chet). Another student of Rav Chizkiyah was Rav Yishayah Azulai, Chida's grandfather. Selections from Rav Chizkiyah's Talmud commentary, Mayim Chaim, are printed in the standard edition of the gemara. Rav Chizkiyah also composed a work on kabbalah, which he ordered buried. (Part of the manuscript of Pri Chadash accidentally was buried with it.) In his final years, Rav Chizkiyah traveled in France as a fundraiser for the Yerushalayim community. Chida writes that awesome miracles happened for Rav Chizkiyah during his travels, but does not elaborate (Shem Hagedolim, ma'arechet sefarim, "Pri Chadash"). In Pri Chadash (ch. 670), Rav Chizkiyah cites Chazal's statement that the name "Chanuka" signifies "Chanu-ka"-"They rested on the 25th." If so, i.e., that the battles ended on that day (as Rambam explains ), then the Jews did not reenter the Temple and light the menorah until the evening of the 26th! Why then do we light the menorah on the preceding night ? This question may be answered with the help of the Bet Yosef''s famous Chanukah question: If there was enough oil to burn for one day and it burnt instead for eight days, then the actual miracle lasted seven days. Why then do we celebrate for eight days? The answer to both questions, says Rav Chizkiyah, is that the first day celebrates the military victory, not the miracle of the oil. [We only light the menorah on the first night for the sake of consistency.] ************************************ Donations to Hamaayan are tax-deductible. 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