Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Va'era Volume 23, No. 13 28 Tevet 5769 January 24, 2009 Sponsored by Martin and Michelle Swartz in memory of Martin's grandmother Elise Hofmann a"h Today's Learning: Midot 1:1-2 O.C. 268:3-5 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Bava Kamma 27 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Gittin 45 King Shlomo writes in Mishlei (16:11), "A scale and just balances are Hashem's; His deeds are like weights in a pouch." Rabbeinu Yonah z"l (Spain; 1180-1263) writes: King Shlomo warns us regarding honest weights and measures, for we find that the Torah (Devarim 25:13) calls dishonest weights and measures an "abomination." Because of the sin of dishonest weights and measures, the enemies of the Jewish people are strengthened. We learn this from the fact that immediately after the cited verse in Devarim, the Torah describes the attack by Amalek. Indeed, Rabbeinu Yonah writes, Hashem's hashgachah / attention is directed in particular to those who employ dishonest weights and measures. Alternatively, writes Rabbeinu Yonah, King Shlomo is warning those who have the ear of a king or ruler that they should always make arguments that are just and honest, for that is what Hashem desires. Another interpretation, Rabbeinu Yonah continues, is that a person should study Hashem's wonders and thus come to love Him and be in awe of Him. Specifically, one will attain these feelings if one studies the three "worlds" that Hashem created: The world of the angels, the world of the heavenly bodies, and the fleeting world that exists here on earth. If you study His creations, our verse teaches, you fill find that they were all created justly, i.e., perfectly. Or, continues Rabbeinu Yonah, our verse may be referring to Hashem's practice of punishing sinners measure-for-measure. The Ten Plagues, for example, seven of which are found in our parashah, were all perfectly matched to the manner in which the Egyptians oppressed Bnei Yisrael, as described in various midrashim. (Drashot U'perushei Rabbeinu Yonah al Ha'Torah) ******** When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, `Provide a wonder for yourselves,' . . ." (7:9) What is meant by "Provide a wonder for yourselves"? Wasn't the wonder provided for Pharaoh? R' Shalom Rokeach z"l (the first Belzer Rebbe) explains: For himself, Pharaoh did not care to see a sign from Hashem, as Mishlei (18:2) states, "The fool does not desire understanding." We read similarly in Yishayah (17:11-12) that Hashem invited the wicked king Achaz to challenge and test Him, and Achaz responded, "I will not ask [for a sign] and I will not test Hashem." Rather, Pharaoh's intention was to impugn the emunah / faith of Moshe and Aharon. "Surely you have doubts and would like to see a sign," he implied. R' Rokeach continues: [Obviously Moshe and Aharon had no doubt as to the truth of their mission.] However, the typical Jew does sometimes experience doubts in matters of faith. Why did Hashem create us this way? The answer is that such experiences are meant to be growth opportunities, for a person who has doubts will either research the answers to his questions in our holy literature or he will go to a tzaddik to find answers. Deep down, every Jew wants to know the truth. In contrast, the wicked (like Pharaoh) are terrified of the truth. This is why Pharaoh was not content to deny the truth of Moshe and Aharon's message; he had to goad them as if they did not believe. (Midbar Kodesh) ******** "Hashem said to Moshe, `Say to Aharon -- Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt . . .' " (7:19) Rashi z"l comments: Because the Nile protected Moshe [when he was an infant], Moshe did not strike the Nile to start the plagues of Blood and Frogs. This verse and this Rashi teach us the trait of hakarat ha'tov. Translated simply, this means "gratitude." However, writes R' Moshe Schwab z"l (mashgiach ruchani of the Gateshead Yeshiva; died 1979), there is more to hakarat ha'tov than gratitude. The midrash asks: If the prophets Eliyahu and Elisha each could revive the dead--they each revived a son of their respective landlords-- why did they not return their parents from the dead? The midrash answers: This teaches that one's obligation of hakarat ha'tov to one who has done him a favor is greater than his obligation to his parents! How can this be? asks R' Schwab. Who does more for a person than his parents? If one must be grateful to those who do him favors, how much more must he be grateful to his parents! We cannot say that one need not feel gratitude to his parents because their caring for him was a natural emotional reaction. The halachic code Chayei Adam says that one who says this is a heretic. [See there, ch. 67 for the reason.] Rather, the reason that one's obligation of hakarat ha'tov to a person who does him a kindness is greater than one's obligation of hakarat ha'tov to one's parents is because hakarat ha'tov [literally, "recognizing the good"] is more than gratitude. Hakarat ha'tov means recognizing the Tzelem Elokim / Divine Image in every person. Bestowing kindness on another person is a G-dly act. The more distant the relationship between the giver and the receiver, the more G-dly is the act [for what is more distant than the distance between Hashem and His creations? Furthermore, the kindness that G-d bestows on us is the ultimate altruistic kindness, and the one who imitates it is the most G-d-like]. (Ma'archei Lev) ******** "Pharaoh sent and summoned Moshe and Aharon and said to them, `This time I have sinned; Hashem is the Righteous One, and I and my people are the wicked ones'." (9:27) R' Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler z"l (1891-1954; rosh kollel in Gateshead, England and mashgiach ruchani of the Ponovezh Yeshiva) observes: Surely Pharaoh was too intelligent to think that he was fooling Moshe and Aharon. Presumably, at the moment he uttered this confession, he meant it. Why then was he seemingly unable to free his Jewish slaves? R' Dessler explains: There are two kinds of repentance. Complete repentance involves uprooting the yetzer hara. A lesser form of repentance involves suppressing the yetzer hara. The latter act, says R' Dessler, is like compressing a spring. The harder one pushes the spring downward, the smaller it will get (up to a point). However, the more compact the spring becomes, the greater the recoil will be when it is released. Similarly, the more one pushes the yetzer hara, the more he can subdue it, but only in the short term. Like a spring, the yetzer hara will bounce back, and the greater the force that was used to subdue it, the greater will be the force with which it returns. Pharaoh's repentance was only of the latter type. He suppressed his yetzer hara, but he did not uproot it. Therefore, the yetzer hara kept bouncing back. (Sefer Ha'zikaron L'baal Michtav M'Eliyahu II p.70) Many commentaries ask how it was fair that Hashem hardened Pharaoh's heart. If Pharaoh was not free to release the Jewish People, why did he deserve one plague after another? One of the classical answers that is offered is that having his free will taken away was itself part of Pharaoh's punishment. Rambam z"l and Ramban z"l both explain that Hashem continued to strike at the Egyptians after Pharaoh lost his free will specifically in order to teach that a person's sins can be so great that he will not be given an opportunity to repent. Nevertheless, asks R' Betzalel Ashkenazi z"l (16th century Egypt; author of the Talmud commentary Shittah Mekubetzet), why were so many plagues necessary? Couldn't Hashem demonstrate that Pharaoh had lost the right to repent by striking Egypt fewer than 10 times? The answer, says R' Ashkenzai, is that this was not the only purpose of the Plagues. Perhaps it was not even their primary purpose. We should not forget that the midrash illustrates how each of the Plagues was a punishment midda-k'negged-middah / measure-for-measure for the ways in which the Egyptians had oppressed Bnei Yisrael. (Derashot R' Betzalel) ******** This Week in History, Halachah, and Minhag 28 Tevet: On this date, during the second half of the Second Temple period, the legitimate Sanhedrin was restored by the sage Shimon ben Shetach. For a time, the Sanhedrin had been controlled by the Sadducees, who were allied with King Yannai. However, Shimon ben Shetach successfully demonstrated that the Saducees were ignorant of the Torah's laws, and he was able to replace the Sadducees on the Sanhedrin (Megilat Ta'anit). Although King Yannai hated and persecuted true Torah scholars, Shimon ben Shetach received special protection because he was the brother of Queen Shlomzion (Eishel Avraham to Megilat Ta'anit). 29 Tevet 5650 (1890): Passing of R' Nathan Adler, author of the Torah commentary Netinah La'ger and the first Chief Rabbi of the British Empire. (Luach Davar B'ito p.499) Rosh Chodesh Shevat: R' Chaim Halberstam z"l, the Sanzer Rav, observed that from this day until Shavuot, a special day occurs every two weeks or more frequently, i.e., Rosh Chodesh Shevat, Tu B'Shevat, Rosh Chodesh Adar, Purim, Rosh Chodesh Nissan, Pesach, Rosh Chodesh Iyar, Pesach Sheini, Lag' Ba'omer, Rosh Chodesh Sivan, Shavuot. (Heard from the Stropkover Rebbe of Yerushalayim) Some have a custom not to eat "avazim" (possibly, geese) during the months of Tevet and Shevat (Tzavaat R' Yehuda Hachassid). Some attribute this to kabbalistic reasons, while others explain that because these birds are so easy to catch in the winter months, it would be cruel to do so. Also, it would lead to gluttonous behavior. (Luach Davar B'ito p.503) On this date, 36 days before his passing, Moshe Rabbeinu began teaching the book of Devarim. (Devarim 1:3) According to some, today is the yahrzeit of King Shaul and his sons. They were killed in battle in the year 2883 (877 B.C.E.). (Luach Davar B'ito p.504) 2 Shevat: This date is the yahrzeit of King Yannai. It is a day of rejoicing because he was a rasha. (Megilat Ta'anit) 4 Shevat 5567 (1807): Passing of R' Moshe Leib of Sassov z"l. Before he died, he stated that he would refuse to enter Gan Eden so long as a single soul remained in Gehinnom. (Luach Davar B'ito p.514)