Today's Learning Menachot 2:1-2 O.C. 450:4-6 Sponsored by Chullin 129 Baruch & Rochelle Yerushalmi-- Wertenteil Sanhedrin 51 Hamaayan/The Torah Spring edited by Shlomo Katz Vayechi Vol. XI, No. 12 (495), 18 Tevet 5757, December 28, 1996 All of the parashot of the Torah begin new paragraphs in the Sefer Torah, except for this week's parashah which does not. Rashi writes: "Why is this parashah closed [i.e., there is no space between this parashah and the previous parashah]? Because when Yaakov died, the eyes and hearts of the Jewish people closed because of the pain of the subjugation." What does this mean? We know, in fact, that the Egyptians did not subjugate the Jews for many years after Yaakov died, specifically, until all of Yaakov's sons had died. Rav Zvi Elimelech Shapira of Dinov z"l (see page 4) explains as follows: Chazal say that Hashem asked Avraham, "How do you want your children to be subjugated: by the gentile nations or in gehinom?" Avraham chose subjugation by the nations. Yet, says Rav Zvi Elimelech, we know that gehinom still exists, and souls are sent there to atone for their sins. Why? Moreover, how does the concept of "subjugation" apply to gehinom? What happens there is punishment and purification, not subjugation. Often, the hardest part of man's suffering comes, not from experiencing pain, but from not knowing why he must feel that pain. A person does not resent a bitter medicine if his mind is clear enough to understand that it is for his own good. Hashem's question to Avraham was: "Your children must undergo both exile among the nations and gehinom -- one of them I will permit them to understand and the other not. Which one do you wish them not to understand so that they will view it as subjugation? Avraham chose that his descendants should not understand their subjugation among the nations. (Indeed, the Gemara teaches that those who suffer in gehinom do appreciate that it is just.) Yaakov knew that Avraham had asked G-d that the meaning of the exile be hidden from his descendants. And, since Yaakov knew this, he did not suffer. However, Yaakov did not reveal this to his descendants, and thus, they could be considered subjugated even if they were not yet enslaved. This explains why the subjugation is alluded to at the beginning of the parashah, when Yaakov was still alive. The previous parashah ends with the verse, "And the Jews resided in the land of Goshen, and they multiplied greatly." For these people, who did not know Yaakov's secret, the subjugation had already started, and thus there is no space after that verse. Only of Yaakov can it be said that he "lived" -- a good life -- in Egypt (as the first verse of our parashah) states. (Agra Dekallah) ************************************ Parashat Vayechi In Halachah None of the 613 mitzvot appears in this parashah. (Sefer Hachinuch) "And may my name be declared upon them, and the names of my forefathers Avraham and Yitzchak . . ." (48:16) Rabbenu Yehuda Hachassid writes: One should not call his son Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov or Moshe (Tzava'at Rabbenu Yehuda Hachassid, section 2 in the additions). Indeed, Rav Chaim Yosef David Azulai z"l ("Chida") observes that there are no Avrahams, Yitzchaks or Moshes among the scores of sages of the Mishnah and only a few Yitzchaks among the hundreds of sages of the Gemara. Why then do we use these names today? Rav Reuven Margaliot z"l suggests that in earlier generations, when there existed prophets and sages who were nearly prophets, it would have been presumptuous for parents to suggest that their child had anything in common with these great men. Today, however, no one would think that parents who named their child Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov or Moshe intended to draw such a parallel. (Mekor Chessed) "My father adjured me, saying, 'Behold, I am about to die; in my grave which I have hewn for myself in the land of Canaan -- there you are to bury me'." (50:5) Rema Y.D. 339:1 states that a grave should not be dug and left open, except to be used on the same day. Yet, Rashi writes that the literal interpretation of the above verse is that Yaakov dug his own grave in the Me'arat Hamachpelah in Chevron (presumably before traveling to Egypt). How can these be resolved? Communities in Eretz Yisrael are more particular to bury their dead on the very day of death than are communities in the diaspora. This is why Yaakov dug his grave in advance, since he wanted his burial to proceed quickly and smoothly. (Mekor Chessed, citing Minchat Elazar III No. 13) "So now, please forgive the spiteful deed of the servants of your father's G-d." (50:17) "But Yosef said to them, 'Fear not, for am I instead of G-d? Although you intended me harm, G-d intended it for good . . '." (50:19) Tradition records that the Romans were able to murder ten of our greatest sages (including Rabbi Akiva) because of what Yosef's ten brothers did to him. Why? Didn't they apologize? They did, but Yosef never forgave them. Instead he said, as we commonly do, "Don't worry, it was nothing." Thus, it is very important for a person to say the words, "I forgive you." (Rav Moshe Feinstein z"l, quoted in Along the Maggid's Journey; see also Shenei Luchot Haberit on this verse) ************************************ "Also the sons of Machir the son of Menashe were born on the lap of Yosef." (50:23) Rabbenu Yehuda Hachassid writes: One should not honor his friend to be the sandak for two of his sons. (Tzava'at R' Yehuda Hachassid, section 35) Some say that this restriction applies only to friends, but not to relatives. Indeed, Targum Yehonatan translates our verse, "Also the sons of Machir the son of Menashe, when they were born, were circumcised by Yosef." (Mekor Chessed) [Targum Yehonatan apparently means that Yosef served as both mohel and sandak, since the verse literally says, "on the lap of Yosef."] ************************************ From the humor of our sages . . . "And he blessed them on that day . . ." (48:2) Rav Asher of Stolin explained: He blessed them that they should do things "on that day," rather than procrastinating. ************************************ Rav Zvi Elimelech Shapira z"l (The "Bnei Yissaschar") born 5537 (1777) - died 18 Tevet 5602 (1841) Anyone's list of the most popular and widely-quoted chassidic works of all time would include the Bnei Yissaschar -- usually pronounced with the extra "s," unlike the name "Yissachar" -- a collection of Jewish thought, gematriot, and kabbalistic insights connected with the Jewish calendar. And, the Bnei Yissaschar is only one work by this prolific author. Rav Zvi Elimelech was a nephew of the famed rebbe Reb Elimelech, who prophesied greatness for his sister's son. Rav Zvi Elimelech's own rebbe in chassidut was Rav Yaakov Yitzchak, the Chozeh/Seer of Lublin. (It was the Chozeh who told Rav Zvi Elimelech that the latter probably descended from the tribe of Yissachar, hence the name of the work Bnei Yissaschar. This conclusion was based on the student's own report that he reached higher levels of sanctity on the holiday of Chanukah than on any other. For the connection between Chanukah and Yissachar, see Bnei Yissaschar, Ma'amarei Chodshei Kislev/ Tevet, No. 5.) Before he was a chassidic rebbe, Rav Zvi Elimelech occupied a number of rabbinical posts. His first position was as dayan/rabbinical judge in Dinov, the same town where he would end his career decades later. In the interim, he served as rabbi of Muncacz and other towns. Rav Zvi Elimelech favored the widespread study of kabbalah and strongly opposed the study of Greek philosophy (including in Jewish works such as Maimonides' Moreh Nevochim/Guide to the Perplexed). His own works include: Agra Dekallah on the Torah (see front page), Derech Pikudecha on the mitzvot, Agra Depirka on miscellaneous matters, and commentaries on several books of Tanach and tractates of the Talmud. Rav Zvi Elimelech also fathered two chassidic dynasties. His son David founded the Dinov/Bluzhev line which included Rav Yisrael Spira (1889-1989), whose spiritual heroism is immortalized in the book Chassidic Tales from the Holocaust. Rav Zvi Elimelech's son Elazar founded the Muncacz dynasty whose leaders (including the Minchat Elazar quoted on page 2) were prominent rebbes and poskim (halachic authorities). ************************************ back issues at: http://acoast.com/~sehc/hamaayan/ send mail to: ajb@acm.org Donations to Hamaayan are tax-deductible