We find in this weeks parsha, How when Yosef reveals himself, he uses the words “is my father still alive” if these men were all brothers shouldn’t he have said “is our father still alive?” Besides Yehuda had just told him that their father was alive. So what’s going on here? The answer is as follows, Yehuda just gave Yosef the speech of a lifetime about how he cannot keep Binyomen, because of their old father who will not be able to be comforted. So Yosef is saying “what about me? My father is also alive, no?” In the very next pasuk Yosef calls in his brothers to a huddle and he very lovingly says “don’t have any regrets, bec as you see Hashem sent me before to arrange all the food, so you were only acting bshlichus” wasn’t Yosef starting off sounding like he is going to give them a guilt trip, yet now he is saying look there is a borei olam watching over us and he sent me here. So it is sort of a mixed message. Suppose a person had a gzeira min shamayim that he was going to loose $100, either it can fall out of your pocket and it won’t hurt so much, or you get a bill saying you owe one of the utility companies another $100 it hurts but not so much, and then you have the case where someone smashed your car window, that hurts.
Yosef is saying, “don’t be regretful about the fact that I have been in Mitzrayim all this time as we see now, “עתה” that this was what g-d wanted from me and I am mikabel that bahava, but why did it have to be by being sold?
In this week’s Parsha, we see how Yosef was sent down to Mitzrayim by his brothers. The Medrash Tanchuma tells us to look at the way Hashem runs the world. R’ Yeshua Ben Karcha tells us to come and see that on the first day of creation, Hashem created the Malach Hamaves, as it says V’Choshech AL Pinei Sehom, this is referring to the Malach Hamaves who darkens the lives of the people in the world. Six days later, He created man, and then Hashem says, because you, Man, sinned you, Man, caused death on the world.
This is like a person who wants to give his wife a Get. He writes it out, comes home, and asks his wife to pour him a cup of what you would drink. She pours him a drink not to his taste and as she gives him the drink, he gives her the Get and says, “Get out of my house.” She says, “You knew you would not like the drink. You asked for it on purpose because you already wrote the Get.”
Adam says to Hashem, “You had the Torah for two thousand years next to You, the same Torah that says Adam Ki Yamus B’Ohel. You already knew there would be death in the world and You created the Malach Hamaves 6 days ago, and You tell me that I caused death on the world?
Similarly, we find by Yosef, that his brothers saw that their father loved Yosef more than them. Seeing as their father gave Yosef a Kesonas Pasim. The Kesones Pasim is what sent the Bnei Yisroel down to Mitzrayim. What is PASIM? Potifar, Socharim (Merchants), Yishmaelim (Arabs), Midyanim (the other merchants). When Yosef is down in Mitzrayim, where he eventually became someone of authority, he prepares for the hunger coming to the world.
Friends, sometimes we find ourselves in situations and we don’t know why things happen to us and why we end up in different places. We always have to remember that there is a Director to the Show, a loving Father in Heaven, who is orchestrating the world in the most loving ways.
Yaakov Avinu, our Heilige Tateh, gets in to a fight with the angel of Esav. When Yaakov wins, the Malach asks him, “What is your name?” Yaakov answers, “My name is Yaakov.” The Malach then tells Yaakov, “your name is no longer Yaakov, but rather call yourself, Yisroel.” Then Yaakov asks, “What is your name?” The malach answers with a very perplexing answer, “Why are you asking for my name?”
This conversation is a bit bizarre, but the strangest part is why can’t the Malach tell Yaakov his name? Unless, we are reading this wrong and the malach did tell Yaakov his name and his name is “Why do you ask so many questions?”. We know that every Malach has a mission and his name reflects his mission. The angel of Esav has many names. He is the Satan, the Angel of Death, he is the enticer of sin. His mission is to get us not to ask questions, because when we question ourselves, when we are about to do an aveira, and we ask ourselves, “Is it really worth it?”, we will realise very quickly how not worthy it is.
We saw in last week’s parsha, that Reuven did something, that in we find out in Parshas Vayechi, that he got punished tremendously for it. What did Reuvein do already? Why is he getting punished so bad that he loses the Kehuna and the Melucha? Reuvein took Yaakov Avinu’s bed from Rochel’s tent to Leah’s tent, after Leah “made a trade” for some flowers. Reuvein did not do any Aveiros so why is he getting punished so badly?
R’ Chatzkel Levenstein ZT”L explains that although Reuvein did not do any real Aveirah, he acted impulsively, without thinking through what he was doing, and for that he got punished. R’ Chatzkel goes on to explain that we, as Jews, don’t do things like horses do, and follow the nooses that are being pulled in front of us. We must make sure that our actions brings us closer to Kudsha Brich Hu Ushichintei, and not, Chas Veshalom, take us away.
Friends, the Malach did answer Yaakov’s request for his name. His goal is to get us not to ask questions and to follow our our compulsiveness blindly. He tries to convince us that we don’t need to know why we always do things. However, we need to learn just the opposite, that when faced with a dilemma,to choose between doing Ratzon Hashem, or, Chas Veshalom, the opposite, we need to ask ourselves a question. Is it worth it?
I apologize for being a bit lengthy this week, I’m just trying to bring out an entire thought. It would not do justice to send it just partially.
The Gemara, in Bava Basra 123a, tells us that Yaakov Avinu asked Rochel if she would marry him. She answered that she would but her Father is a trickster and will not let her get married before her older sister. Yaakov said, “No Problem,” and gave her the Simanim and said if the one your father gives me knows the simanim I’ll know that it is the right one.
Eventually, it comes the wedding day and Lavan indeed brings Leah. However, to avoid embarrassment for her sister, Rochel goes and gives Leah the signs she made up with Yaakov. One may ask, where is the loyalty? How could Rochel have betrayed Yaakov like that? The answer is, that she knew that Yaakov would agree to this.
We find a proof to this from the Kli Yakar on the words “Vayehav Gam Es Rochel MiLeah / And Yaakov also loved Rochel from Leah.” Or is it because of Leah, because she was ready to give up her life, her husband to her sister. This brought out a new Chashivus in Rochel that Yaakov did not see before and he loved her even more for it.
Another proof to this thought, is the fact that we do not find anywhere that Yaakov asked Rochel why she gave the Simanim. We do find that Yaakov asked Leah how did you do this to me? How did you cooperate with your father’s trickery? We dont find that he asked Rochel anywhere why she gave the Simanim. It must be that he agreed with Rochel that giving the Simanim was the right thing to do.
The question is, we know that in order for a person to do such a move they had to have seen it before, so where did Rochel see this? When Yaakov came to Yitzchok for the Brachos why didn’t he just say that he was Yaakov but Esav sold him the B’chorah, so now he was entitled to the brachos? The answer is that he did not want to embarrass Esav.
We also find Rashi on the words “Vayizkor Elokim Es Rochel / Hashem remembered Rochel.” Says Rashi that Rochel was not supposed to have children, but Hashem took into account this enormous act of chesed, that of sparing her sister embarrassment, and in that merit she was blessed with children.
R’ Uri Shraga Hellman ZT”L, was one of the “Alter Mirrer” who had gotten married in Mir. His parents were not there, so he wanted Rav Chaim Shmulevitz ZT”L to walk him down to the Chuppa, but the girls side wanted another Rav. So, Rav Chaim told him not to make a big deal and go with the other Rav. R’ Uri Shraga was paid back 2 decades later when his son Rav Yitzchok Shlit”A married the daughter of Rav Nochum Pertzovitz ZT”L. Rav Nochum was very sick and could not walk down to the Chuppa, so Rav Chaim walked Rav Yitzchok down the aisle with R’ Uri Shraga.
The Torah in this week’s Parsha speaks at length about Yitzchak digging pits and Avimelech filling them up again. Why is it so important to keep repeating this again and again? The Chofetz Chaim tells us, That Hashem is coming to teach us through Yitzchok Avinu, that when in our lives we are faced with situations that may be difficult, to never give up. Your pit is filled up dig it again!
We can also learn this great concept from Avraham Avinu. The Torah says hard his challenges were when he left to go to Eretz Yisroel. Avraham Avinu kept going until he reached Eretz Yisroel, It was not an easy journey but he continued and kept on continuing.
The shach writes in the introduction to his commentary on the Yora Deiah section of the Shulchan Aruch, that if a person was not with him when he was writing the explanation on the Shulchan Aruch he would never understand the hardships that he went through when writing it. The Shach writes there in the same letter, an invaluable life lesson, that one of the main purposes of living, is to never to give up.
Eliezer is sent on a mission to find a wife for Yitzchok. Avraham did not want a local girl for Yitzchok, he wanted someone whose family he knew. Eliezer gets to Charan but has no idea who he is looking for. He cries some real tears and says, “Hashem help me, and guide me today and do kindness for my master, Avraham. I am standing by the well, and the daughters of the locals come here to draw water. Hashem, the girl that is for Yitzchok is the one who will answer my request for water, giving not just me but my camels, as well.” The Torah tells us that right after Eliezer finished saying these words, Rivka appeared at the well, and we know the rest of the story.
The following is a story that R” Noach Weinberg said over that I think can bring this message home.
“Here is a true story about a young man who got his prayers answered: Many people who visit Jerusalem are tourists who come to get a sense of Jewish culture and history. One day, a young tourist named Jeff was brought in to meet me at Aish HaTorah.
“What are you doing?” I asked him. “I’m working for my MBA at Harvard University. And I’m an atheist.” “Fantastic! A real atheist! Whoever was able to convince an atheist like you to speak to a rabbi like me deserves a medal.” “Nah,” Jeff says, “he doesn’t deserve anything. I’ll tell you how I came…”
Jeff had been in Norway, visiting his Norwegian fiancé. And he decided it was now or never: either he is going to come to Israel or he’ll never make it. So he headed for Jerusalem and the Western Wall. He figured he would stop by the Wall to see some old stones. Yet upon his arrival he was amazed. He felt something heavy. He was moved.
Jeff stood before the Wall and made up an atheist’s prayer. He looked at the stones and said: “God, I don’t believe in You. As far as I know, You don’t exist. But I do feel something. So if I’m making a mistake, I want You to know, God, I have no quarrel against You. It’s just that I don’t know that You exist. But God, just in case You’re really there and I’m making a mistake, get me an introduction.”
Jeff finished his prayer, and one of the Aish HaTorah students who happened to be at the Wall saw Jeff and thought, “Perhaps he’d be interested in learning some Torah.” He tapped Jeff on the shoulder, startling him so much that he jumped three feet in the air. Jeff whirled around and shouted, “What in the blankety-blank-dash-bang do you want?!” “I’m sorry. I just want to know if you’d like to learn about God.”
That question hit Jeff like a two-by-four right between the eyes. He had just finished asking God for an introduction, and immediately someone was offering to introduce him to God. Jeff learned at Aish HaTorah for the next six weeks. He was a very serious student and went back to the States with a commitment to continue learning. A year later, Jeff came back to Israel and told me the end of his story.
During that previous summer, he had been meandering through the cobblestone alleyways of the Old City when he saw a pretty, sweet, religious girl walk by. He said to himself, “Look at the charm of this Jewish woman. May the Almighty help me meet someone like this.” One Shabbos morning during the next year, Jeff entered a synagogue in Boston for prayer services. Standing there was the same young woman he had seen in the Old City. He made his way over to her and said: “Excuse me, but I believe I saw you last summer in Jerusalem.” She answered, “You’re right. I saw you, too.” They are now married and living in New Jersey.
Remember Jeff’s prayer. If you know any atheists, you can teach it to them. Because when you are sincere with God, your prayers are answered.”
Friends, sometimes we feel down and lost, and we have no idea what direction life is going to take us. The lesson from this Parsha is important to know in this situation. We already know that He created us (Breishis). We know that He does not want to hurt us and saves us from destruction (Noach). He tells us to go to a place that He will show us (Lech Lecha). When we are feeling down and we want to have an impact, He sends angels in the form of the people around us (Vayeira). Now, we also know that when we cry out, He answers our Tefillah rather quickly (Chayei Sarah). Let us remember this and the two stories mentioned above, as well as what David Hamelech teaches us in Tehillim, “Hashem is near to all those who call unto Him in truth.” Let us try the next time we daven, whether it is of the obligatory prayers, or a personal prayer in your own words, to cry, try to cry some real tears.
In this week’s Parsha, we find that when the Malach/Angel told Avraham Avinu that Hashem sent him to destroy Sedom, Avraham started Davening to Hashem, pleading with Him to save the city. “If there would be 100 Tzadikim would You not destroy the city?” “50?” “20?” “10?” “1?”
A talmid once called R’ Shlomo Freifeld ZT”L to tell him about his new teaching position. R’ Freifeld asked him, “Are you ready to do whatever it takes to make your talmidim successful? If not, go become a Shochet. Because, if you are not ready for this you will end up shechting the boys. It is better to shecht chickens than bochurim.”
Avraham Avinu was the Mekarev Hador. He was the Rebbe, and he was teaching us that we need to stick up for our Talmidim, and daven that they not get destroyed by the negative influences around them. We hope that one day they will recognize how much their loving Father loves them, and they will return to Him, with a full heart.
“Go for yourself, from your land, from where you grew up, from your parent’s home to the place that I will show you.”
“Go for yourself”, says Rashi, means “for your benefit and for your good” GO!!! RUN!!!!!
Every single human being is sent to this world with a tremendous amount of potential to reach such greatness, greater than the mind can possibly understand.
The Ramchal tells us, “The foundation of all that is righteous and the place in which we should place our energy, in serving Hashem, is to really sit and contemplate, what is my purpose in this world?” However, many of us hit stumbling blocks when trying to figure out what our potential is, for unfortunately, there are times when the people who are preventing us from reaching the greatest heights are the people who are closest to us. Hashem is telling us through Avraham Avinu, that when in such a situation, you must leave those bad surroundings. “To go where?” you ask. To the place that Hashem will guide you too, but you need to take the initiative and leave those surroundings and Hashem will take care of the rest.
May we all be surrounded by only the greatest people who will help us maximize and reach our true and full potential
a) Why did it have to take 120 years to build the Teiva?
b) Why did he have to go into a Teiva at all? If Hashem wanted to save him, why did He not tell him go onto mountain X, there the Mabul won’t affect??
c) Mountains were moved during the Mabul, just because there was tar on the inside and the out, the water did not come in!?!
d) Have you ever been to a zoo? How much space do they give the Elephants? The Lions? Tigers? Giraffes? Cows? ETC. Each one has to be in its own habitat, with its own space which is not too small. When we learn about the Teiva, it sounds big, but in reality, it was the size of one city block, nowhere near the amount of space to give each animal its own space for so long.
What am I getting at? This is not some story about how a man and his family were saved so that they could repopulate the world after the Destruction. This was a way for Hashem to show a Miracle of Epic Magnitude in the disguise of what may look like nature. But, if you choose, you can see the miracle, very clearly, that was behind it. Therefore, we are able to make that choice and say, “Wow, there really is a G-d who loves and saves the person who, maybe in another generation, would not have been Zoche to it, but, in his time, he is fighting the challenges that he is faced with and is a Tzadik in his time, Hashem will surely save him from any global catastrophe.” If we choose to believe it IY”H. “
The parsha teaches us that even in the most hidden ways, Hashem makes miracles that are hidden, so that we will have the choice to see them as miracles. If we would always see them as miracles, we would lose our free choice.
Friends, let us all try every day to find one miracle that Hashem did for us that day and we will see that so much of our lives are miracles that we don’t understand. It will bring us closer to our Creator. It will help us see His love for us even more, and enable us with the desire to do His will and show our love back to Him with a passion like never before.
Hashem tells us in this week’s Parsha the following words “V’Anochi Hasteir Asteir Panai Bayom Hahu” G-d is telling us so to speak, I am going into hiding on that day” This sounds very scary, that the one who loves us most, our creator has gone into hiding. However, it does not say that we won’t be able to find him. As a matter of fact on Thursday we read the words “Dirshu Hashem Bhimatzoi Krahu B’oso Karov” Look for G-d when he can be found, call out to him when he is close. Elul the month we just finished yet we are still in the bechina of Ani Ledodi Vedodi Li, now is the time where even though we can’t see him, he is right here waiting for us.
Charley looks at his kids that are going crazy making a mess of the house, he tells them, “kids, I’m going to hide in my room, i’m not coming out until everything is cleaned up, i’m very upset” He goes into his room and listens as his children start cleaning, and they are almost done, when he calls the pizza shop and orders Pizza for them to get the delivery. He gets such enjoyment from the bewilderment when they get the pizza, and how they are enjoying and sitting nicely together eating the pizza. Finally one of the kids comes knocking on the door and says “dad, we love you, some crazy man brought pizza here, we don’t know where it came from, everyone is sitting nicely, can you come join us we want to apologize.
Friends, this is how i feel we have to go into Yom Kippur, not so much of an elementary “I’m scared, he is going to hurt me” but even more so Let’s just bring G-d back into our lives, and i don’t need to scared of the rejection because i know he wants a relationship with me more than anything, Perhaps from there to feel bad about the time that you weren’t so connected. Yom Kippur is that anniversary date night, where we go and really try to reconnect and reaffirm our commitments to each other (us and G-d). Hopefully one day sooner rather than later, we completely reconnect with the coming of Mashiach speedily in our days Amen.
