Today's Learning Zevachim 12:1-2 Hamaayan O.C. 442:11-443:2 extends its best wishes to Chullin 115 Moreinu Harav Gedaliah Anemer shlita Yerushalmi-- and Rebbetzin Anemer Sanhedrin 37 on their being honored tomorrow for 40 years of service to the Greater Washington community. Rav Anemer was Hamaayan's first rabbinic mentor, and the members of his shul continue to be Hamaayan's major supporters. Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Miketz Vol. XI, No. 10 (493), 4 Tevet 5757, December 14, 1996 This week's parashah is the second of three parashot which describe Yosef's life in Egypt. In all, say Chazal, Yaakov lost Yosef for 22 years, paralleling the 22 years which Yaakov was absent from his parents' home (not including 14 years in yeshiva) and thus did not honor them. But why should Yaakov have been punished for those years? Didn't he leave home at his mother' command in order to save his own life? Rav Gedaliah Anemer shlita explained that although Yaakov did not sin by absenting himself for 22 years, the fact is that he also did not have the merit of the mitzvah of honoring his parents to protect him. This is why it was possible for Yosef to be taken from him. (Heard from Rabbi Anemer) ****************** The halachah states, "Ones Rachamanah patrei"/"The Torah excuses one who is unavoidably prevented from performing a mitzvah." This does not mean, however, that it is as if he did perform the mitzvah. There are two aspects to the mitzvot, Rav Elya Meir Bloch z"l (Rosh Yeshiva of Telshe) used to say: The aspect of the "King's command" and the aspect of the "Doctor's command." In other words, we observe the mitzvot for two reasons: Because G-d commanded the mitzvot as decrees and because G-d said that the mitzvot are good for the soul. Imagine that a patient is unavoidably prevented from filling a prescription. True, one cannot be angry at this patient, but will the patient get better? Of course not! So it is with mitzvot -- even when one may be forgiven for missing the chance to do a mitzvah, the fact will remain that the spiritual healing power of that mitzvah will be lacking. (Based on several sections of Peninei Da'at). ****************** Parashat Miketz In Halachah None of the 613 mitzvot appears in this parashah. (Sefer Hachinuch) ****************** "And Pharaoh said to Yosef, '. . . Now I heard it said of you that you comprehend a dream to interpret it.' Yosef answered Pharaoh, saying, 'That is beyond me; it is G-d Who will respond . . . '" (41:15-16) Pharaoh assumed that Yosef interpreted dreams using his intellect, but Yosef said that, no, the interpretation would come from Hashem. Hearing this Pharaoh decided to trick Yosef and conceal his dream. (This is why there are differences between the dream as told in verses 2-7 compared to 17-24.) Rav Mordechai Gifter shlita (Rosh Yeshiva of Telshe) asks: What was Pharaoh thinking--did he want his dream interpreted or not? Why would he conceal the dream from Yosef? Such is the nature of a non-believer, explains Rav Gifter. When Yosef said that the interpretation would come only from Hashem, Pharaoh saw a chance to embarrass believers in G-d. That was even more important to him than understanding his dream. (Pirkei Torah) ****************** "Yosef called the name of the first born Menashe for, 'G-d has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's household." (41:51) Why was Yosef celebrating forgetting his father's household? asks Rav Mordechai Katz z"l (Rosh Yeshiva of Telshe). Rav Katz explains as follows: Surely Yosef repeatedly reviewed the Torah that he had learned in his father's house, and if he forgot anything, it was only a little bit. Why then does the Torah say, "all my father's household"? Because Yosef valued every lesson and minhag from his father's home so much that forgetting one item was like forgetting everything. It was love of Torah that Yosef was commemorating in his son's name. (Be'er Mechokek) ****************** From the humor of our sages . . . "And he gave him Asenat daughter of Poti-phera, Priest of On, for a wife." (41:45) Rav Chaim Brisker used to poke fun at those who propounded outlandish explanations in their study of gemara in order to show their brilliance. He once got into a discussion with a rabbi who suggested that the act of marriage might be viewed not as a single act of "kinyan"/ "acquisition" but as an ongoing series of "acquisitions." "In that case," said Rav Chaim, "let me be the first to wish you mazal tov, since according to that, you and your wife are getting married every second." (A Word of Wisdom, A Word of Wit) ****************** An Unusual Haftarah Most readers probably know at least the rudiments of the story of King Shlomo's judgment between the two mothers who fought over the live baby. It's found in Melachim I, chapter 3. Most likely, however, few readers can recall hearing this story read as a haftarah. This year, for the first time since 5737/1976, this selection will be read as the haftarah for Parashat Miketz. In every year since 5737, Parashat Miketz coincided with Shabbat Chanukah, and the parashah's haftarah gave way to the holiday's haftarah. The next time Parashat Miketz will have its own haftarah will be in 5761/2000, and after that, not until, 5780/2019. In 222 of the 247 years in the Jewish calendar cycle, Parashat Miketz will be read during Chanukah. The latest that Parashat Miketz can fall in the year is the day after Chanukah, as it does this year. (It never falls before Chanukah.) Miketz will fall after Chanukah in any year in which Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat and the months of Cheshvan and Kislev both have only 29 days. (Both of these months can have either 29 or 30 days.) It makes no difference whether the year is a leap year (as this year, 5757, is) or is not (such as 5737). In the Jewish calendar, every year is identified by a three letter symbol, and this year is identified as "zayin, chet, gimel." This means that: - Rosh Hashanah fell on Shabbat ("zayin" for seven -- the seventh day of the week), - Cheshvan and Kislev both have only 29 days ("chet" for "chaser"/ "lacking" -- both months are lacking a 30th day), and - Pesach will fall on Tuesday ("gimel" for three -- the third day of the week). If this were not a leap year, as 5737 was not, Pesach would fall on Sunday, and the symbol would be "zayin, chet, aleph" ("aleph" for one--the first day of the week). Only in these two types of years is Miketz not read on Chanukah. There are 14 different three letter symbols, representing 14 different permutations of the year's distinguishing features, i.e., on what day of the week Rosh Hashanah falls and Pesach falls and whether Kislev and Cheshvan are long months or short. These 14 permutations repeat in a 247 year cycle called a "Machzor Gadol"/"Great Cycle." The Machzor Gadol consists of 13 different groups of 19 years. The significance of the 19 year cycles is as follows: Our calendar combines elements of the lunar and solar calendars and uses leap years and months of variable length to make up for the approximately 11-1/4 day difference between the time it takes the moon to circle the earth 12 times (12 months) and the time it takes the earth to circle the sun (365 days). It takes 19 years to make up the entire difference. (The most obvious manifestation of this is the fact that, for most people, their Hebrew and secular birthdays will coincide on birthdays which are integer multiples of 19, i.e., 19, 38, 57, etc.) In each 19-year cycle there is at least one year in which Parashat Miketz does not fall on Chanukah and thus Miketz's own haftarah is read. Sometimes it is read three times within a cycle. There are two haftarot which are read even more rarely. (One is read 15 times in 247 years, and will be read this year. The other is read only 10 times in a Machzor Gadol, and will next be read in 5765/2005, then in 5768/2008, and after that, not until 5802/2052. Do you know what these haftarot are? Answers will appear bli neder in a future issue.) [The preceding discussion is based on the perpetual calendar set out in Tur Orach Chaim, chapter 428, as amended by the Mishnah Berurah. As the Mishnah Berurah notes, we look forward to the day when the calendar will once again -- as it was until about 365 C.E. - - be unpredictable, for the Sanhedrin will sit and sanctify Rosh Chodesh based on the sighting of the new moon.] ****************** Donations to Hamaayan are tax-deductible ******************