Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Vayigash Volume XIV, No. 11 9 Tevet 5760 December 18, 1999 Sponsored by the Rutstein family, in memory of father and grandfather, Nachman ben Asher Halevi a"h (Nathan Rutstein) Today's Learning: Shabbat 5:2-3 Orach Chaim 208:10-12 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Yevamot 18 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Ketubot 52 Our sages teach us that the fear that Yosef's brothers felt when he revealed himself to them is a paradigm for the fear that every person will experience on the day of judgment. Just as Yosef's brothers were left speechless when their brother said, "I am Yosef," so every person will be left speechless when Hashem reveals His Glory on that day. R' Isaac Sher z"l (Slobodka Rosh Yeshiva; died 1951) puts the brothers' reaction in perspective. Yosef attempted to calm his brothers and assure them that everything turned out for the best. In addition, there were numerous excuses and other retorts that Yosef's brothers might have offered. R' Sher lists some of them: Why didn't you contact your father these 22 years? Did you think that you were merely fulfilling Hashem's will that Yaakov be separated from his son the same number of years that Yaakov distanced himself from his father Yitzchak? We, too, were merely fulfilling Hashem's will! And, our actions turned out for the best! Nevertheless, Yosef's two Hebrew words, "I am Yosef," left the brothers with such a clear understanding of their wrongdoing that no further discussion was possible. So, too, when Hashem reveals His Glory, all of our excuses will be cut off. An additional point: It is not only our sins that should cause us to fear the day of judgment. Our mitzvot too will be examined when we are judged. Yosef's brothers believed that they were performing a mitzvah when they sold him, yet they eventually recognized that they had erred in performing this "mitzvah." (Lekket Sichot Mussar) ******** "His brothers could not answer him [Yosef] because they became afraid of him." (45:3) Why were Yosef's brother unable to answer him? They believed that what they had done to him was correct! R' Elazar Shach shlita (Rosh Yeshiva of the Ponovezh Yeshiva) explains: When Yosef revealed himself to his brothers, they were shaken by the realization of the extent to which man can fool himself. They really believed when they sold Yosef that they were right to try and stop his dreaming. Suddenly, however, they realized that their personal animosity toward Yosef had clouded their judgments, and they were left speechless. Man's pain on the day of judgment will be twofold, continues R' Shach. First, man will be sorry that he stumbled. Also, man will be pained to discover that all of his schemes accomplished nothing. This is what happened to Yosef's brothers. Not only were they wrong to sell Yosef, their actions were counter- productive. It was precisely their sale of Yosef that eventually caused them to bow down to him as he had foretold. (Mei'rosh Amanah, p. 150) ******** "Lest you become impoverished ('aru, ip'), you, your household and all that is yours." (45:11) The phrase, "Lest you become impoverished ('aru, ip')," appears in one other place in Tanach - in Mishlei 20:13: "Do not love sleep lest you become impoverished." R' Yaakov ben Asher z"l (1275-1340) comments: Based on the verse in Mishlei, the Sages taught: "If one sleeps in the bet hamedrash/study hall, his knowledge will consist of little scraps." In other words, do not love sleep in the bet hamedrash lest you become impoverished of Torah knowledge. Similarly, Yosef sent a message to his father, saying: If you remain in Eretz Canaan, you will become impoverished of Torah knowledge because the hunger will prevent you from studying. (Ba'al Ha'Turim) R' Hillel Lichtenstein z"l (Hungary; 1815-1891) writes: Some people fear that if they observe the Torah's laws regarding honest business dealings and if they set aside time for Torah study, they will not succeed in business. They therefore think that it is a mitzvah to cheat and steal in order to support their families. They think that they certainly cannot set aside time for Torah study or to become close to a Torah scholar, because that would be neglecting the mitzvah of supporting their wives. In reality, the opposite is true: "One who amasses wealth unjustly, in the middle of his days it will leave him" (Yirmiyahu 17:11). This is the meaning of the verse in Mishlei: "Do not sleep when it comes to your mitzvah performance, because that will cause you to become impoverished." (Maskil El Dal III, p. 191) ******** "Asarah B'Tevet" What are we supposed to take away from a fast day? R' Meir Chadash z"l (Mashgiach of the Chevron Yeshiva in Yerushalayim; died 1989) answered this question as follows: If all one does on a fast day is fast, then he will be called to account for causing pain to G-d, so-to-speak. This is because of the verse (Yishayah 63:9): "In all their troubles, He is troubled." When we are in pain, He is in pain. If one afflicts himself on a fast day and accomplishes nothing else, then he has caused himself - and G-d - pain for nothing. The mishnah and gemara (Ta'anit 15a and 16a, respectively) offer the following description of the order of prayer on certain fast days: What was the order of the fast days? They would take the aron kodesh out to the street and place ashes on it and on the heads of the Nasi/prince and the Av Bet Din/Chief Justice, and every person would place ashes on his own head. The elder among them would speak words that capture the heart: "My brothers! It is not written regarding the people of Ninveh, 'And G-d saw their sackcloth and ashes and their fast,' but rather (Yonah 4:10): 'And G-d saw their deeds that they repented from their evil ways . . .' In the Prophets it is written (Yoel 2:13): 'Rend your hearts and not your garments'." Why did they go out into the street? R' Chiya bar Abba said, "As if to say, 'We called out in private and we were not answered, let us demean ourselves in public'." Why is the aron kodesh taken out into the street? R' Yehoshua ben Levi said, "As if to say, 'We have a modest vessel [the aron] that has become debased by our deeds'." Why do we wear sackcloth? R' Chiya bar Abba said, "As if to say, 'We are like animals'." Why do we place ashes on the aron kodesh? R' Yehuda ben Pazi said, "As if to say, 'I [G-d] am with you in your troubles'." Would one not tremble when he would see such a sight? asks R' Chadash. The gemara quotes R' Zera who said, "When I would see the rabbis placing ashes on the aron kodesh, my whole body trembled!" And yet, the sights alone are not sufficient; it also was necessary to have an elder offer words of inspiration: "Tear your hearts!" We too are obligated to open our eyes and appreciate the seriousness of our situation. G-d has issued decrees against us, but, in His mercy, he has given us the means to tear up His decrees. If we tear our hearts, His decrees will be torn up. We don't use the elaborate system described by the gemara (above) in order to combat the yetzer hara's desire that we forget the meaning of the fast. Yet, we cannot forget, for if we do, the fast is meaningless, says R' Chadash. Most of our fast days are connected with the destruction of the Temple - the 10th of Tevet is the day that Nevuchadnezzar began the siege of Yerushalayim that culminated in the First Temple's destruction - and their purpose is to awaken us to reflect on the sins that caused that destruction. Why is the anniversary of the beginning of the siege a day worth remembering? Because the beginning of any trouble should be a wake-up call to teshuvah/repentance. The fact that it is not taken advantage of is a tragedy all by itself. (Meir Netivot: Ma'amar Yifrach Ka'levanon Piryo) ******** Letters from Our Sages This week's letter was written by R' Moshe Rosenstein z"l (1880-1941), mashgiach of the Lomza Yeshiva in Poland. It is addressed to three former students who were studying in Eretz Yisrael, and is printed in Ahavat Meisharim, p. 251. With G-d's help, Lomza, Wednesday, 28 Marcheshvan 5688 [November 23, 1927] First, I beg forgiveness for putting off answering until now and thanking you for your dear letters and also for the gifts that I received, especially for the excellent and beautiful tzitzit threads, which made me very happy. I wish by beloved friend, R' Yosef Yismach, may his light shine, a blessing of mazal tov on receiving the crown of "Rabbi." May he merit to use this crown to enhance Torah and Fear of G-d among the Jewish people. I bless all of his friends that they also should merit to receive this crown and become good teachers and counselors to the people of our nation. . . In my opinion, my beloved friends, the best advice for you is not to focus on [entering] the Chevron Yeshiva. Rather, see the good that is right before you, forego a little bit of the imagined honor [of studying in a famous yeshiva], seek that which will enable you to learn in peace and to stop dealing with the various landlords [who feed the yeshiva students]. . . Demand from the administration that it establish a modest kitchen that will be able to exist within the budget and will feed and satiate your souls without worry and without haggling with the landlords. . . Also, in my opinion, if you value living in Eretz Yisrael and you want the yeshiva to succeed, you must take pains not to cause excessive expense for the administration, and not to forget the teaching of our Sages that three good things were given to the Jewish people, but only with suffering: Torah, Eretz Yisrael, and Olam Haba/The World-to-Come. . . It is impossible, both naturally and from the perspective of G-d's will, for the study of Torah in Eretz Yisrael to be free of suffering. If one loves the Torah and loves Eretz Yisrael, then it will be easy for him to make sacrifices . . .