Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayishlach

        With Parshas Vayishlach comes Yaakov’s return to Eretz Yisrael, but not before a number of events occur along the way. Yaakov’s preparations for his meeting Esav which ends in a tearful reunion, the death of his mother, Rivka, and our focus, the story of Dinah’s kidnapping by the Chivi prince, Shechem.

       While on the return journey home, Yaakov stops in the city of Shechem, buys a plot of land, and settles in for a short time. The prince of Shechem, also named Shechem, spots Dinah around town, kidnaps her and takes her back to the palace. Obsessed with her, he asks his father, King Chamor, to negotiate with Yaakov to allow him to marry her. The Shevatim were enraged by the incident, and decided to deal with this situation in a cunning way. They told Chamor and Shechem that if they wanted to have any sort of connection with Yaakov’s family then they and the entire city would have to be circumcised. Shechem and Chamor agree and convince the citizens of the city to be circumcised. On the third day following the circumcisions, which we know from Avraham in Parshas Vayeira is the most painful time, Shimon and Levi go and kill out all the men in the city, following which they go to the palace, kill Shechem and Chamor, and take Dinah back with them.

       The question that all the commentaries ask is how come Shimon and Levi killed out the entire city? How were they deserving of death together with the actual perpetrators of the crime, Shechem and Chamor?

       The Ohr HaChaim adds an additional question that how come they killed the people of the town first and only then did they move onto the palace and Shechem? (This is seen from the pesukim. See Bereishis 34:25-26.) He explains that the people of Shechem were actually not deserving of death at all. However, we have a concept called “רודף” which is that if someone is coming to kill you, it is permissible for you to do anything to prevent him from doing so, including killing him if necessary. When the people of Shechem saw that Shimon and Levi were planning on killing their leaders, they stepped in front to stop them. Seeing the angry mob ahead of them, ready to kill to protect their king, Shimon and Levi took appropriate halachic measures to protect themselves, and killed out the city before moving on to the palace.

       After Dinah’s return, all the brothers went out and looted the city, claiming all possessions as their own. On the surface, this does not seem to be an act befitting of the sons of Yaakov, but the Ohr HaChaim gives a great explanation for this as well. Halachically, in a case similar to Dinah’s, the perpetrator is obligated to pay an Embarrassment fee. There is no set price for this, it’s all dependent on the embarrassment of each individual party. Yaakov was world-renowned because of his tremendous wealth and piety, kidnapping his daughter was equivalent to kidnapping the child of one of our world leaders today. The level of embarrassment for the family must have been tremendous! What the brothers were doing was collecting this fee which was so high that it was covered only by the property of the entire city.

Shabbat Shalom!

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Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayeitzei

       Parshas Vayeitzei starts off with Yaakov leaving home in order to escape Esav. The first pasuk says, “וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע וַיֵּלֶךְ חָרָנָה” “And Yaakov departed from Beer-Sheba and went to Haran” (Bereishis 28:10). Rashi asks why does the pasuk have to say that Yaakov left Beer-Sheba as well as telling us that he went to Haran? Why can’t it just say where he was going, we already know where he left from? It must be that his actual departure is also important. He explains that when a tzaddik resides in a city, the city has an extra magnificence and grandeur. When he leaves, that special atmosphere leaves as well. Therefore, the pasuk makes special mention of his leaving to show the effect it had on Beer-Sheba.

       The Kli Yakar asks that Avraham and Yitzchak were also very righteous individuals who had also left many towns in their lifetimes, but nowhere in the Torah does it say anything about the effect their departures had on the cities they left. Shouldn’t their departures have had as big an impact as Yaakov’s? He answers that there are two ways of looking at this idea. One way to look at it is that in their times, Avraham and Yitzchak were the only tzaddikim around and therefore, their departure surely had a huge impact on those cities. The idea is so obvious that the pasuk does not feel the need to mention this. However, when Yaakov was leaving Beer-Sheba, he was leaving Yitzchak behind in the city, so perhaps the effect of his leaving was not as big a deal. Therefore, the pasuk has to come and tell me specifically that it did.

       The second way of looking at it is the opposite of the first. Really only Yaakov’s departure made an impact while Avraham and Yitzchak’s did nothing. As we said earlier, when Avraham and Yitzchak left a town, they did not leave any tzaddikim behind. The wicked people who remained probably did not mind them leaving, in fact, they were probably only too happy to see them go! So in that sense, their departures did not make a big impact on the city. However, when Yaakov left, the tzaddikim he left behind, his parents, were very sad to see him go as the city had now lost the merit and protection of another tzaddik. (Besides for the fact that he was their son and they were sad to see him leave.) The difference between having even just one more tzaddik in a city is immeasurable in terms of the extra merit and splendor which the city receives.

       For the sake of diversity, let’s include the explanation of the Ohr HaChaim. He says that Yaakov’s leaving from Beer-Sheba was even more important than his going to Haran! He explains that even though Yitzchak had told him to go to Haran, the real purpose of his leaving Beer-Sheba in the first place was to escape Esav’s wrath after he had stolen the brachos from him. Therefore, once he left, his mission had been accomplished and therefore, the pasuk mentions his departure since that was really the main part of his journey.    

Shabbat Shalom!

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Dvar Torah for Parshas Toldos

       I'm heading up to the Golan for Shabbos shortly so this week's Dvar Torah is a little shorter than usual. Enjoy and have a great Shabbos!

       This week’s parshah tells the story of Yitzchak, the middle link in the chain of the Avos. In the third aliyah, the Torah tells the story of Yitzchak digging three wells and the subsequent disputes with the shepherds of Grar over them. The Torah goes into great depth on this, even including the names of the wells with reasons for each one. These pesukim have almost no bearing on the rest of the parshah or the Torah for that matter, so why does the Torah spend so much time discussing it?

       The Ramban explains that this is a case of “מעשה אבות סימן לבנים”, that whatever happens to our ancestors is a sign of what will happen to us. Yitzchak called the first well, “עֵשֶׂק”, meaning “contention”, since Grar was disputing the ownership of the well. This corresponds to the first Beis Hamikdash, when the Goyim constantly contended with us and waged war against us until the Beis Hamikdash was finally destroyed. The second well was called “שִׂטְנָה”, meaning to harm or injure, and corresponds to the second Beis Hamikdash. This name is an even stronger language than “עֵשֶׂק” since the second Beis Hamikdash was challenged from its inception, as opposed to the first which was only challenged closer to its destruction.

       The third well, which the shepherds of Grar did not dispute, was called, “רְחֹבוֹת”, which comes from the word “ירחיב”, meaning to widen. This corresponds to the third Beis Hamikdash, at which time Hashem will “widen” our borders so the Goyim cannot come close to us to wage war.

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Dvar Torah for Parshas Chayei Sarah

       Parshas Chayei Sarah tells the story of Yitzchak meeting his soulmate, Rivka. Avraham sends his servant, Eliezer, to Charan, where his family lived, to find a girl for Yitzchak to marry. The pesukim tell the story of the incredible Hashgacha Pratis, Divine Providence, that accompanied Eliezer on his journey. With every step he took, Hashem was there putting the next piece in place for Eliezer to find Rivka, and bring her back to Yitzchak.

       When Eliezer arrives, the pasuk says that Yitzchak was there to greet them. “וַיֵּצֵא יִצְחָק לָשׂוּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶה לִפְנוֹת עָרֶב וַיִּשָּׂא עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה גְמַלִּים בָּאִים” “Yitzchak went out to converse in the field towards evening and he raised his eyes and saw, and behold! camels were coming.” (Bereishis 24:63). The gemarah in Brachos (26b) explains that Yitzchak established the tefillah of Mincha, said in the afternoon, and had gone out into the fields to pray when the caravan arrived. Chazal further explain in Brachos (6b) that you should be more careful to have proper concentration during Mincha since it is a time when prayers are answered.

       The Kli Yakar explains how we see this from our parsha. He begins with a question: We know that Avraham and Yaakov established the tefillos of Shachris and Maariv to be said in the morning and evening, respectively. So how come it is Mincha which is given this extra warning by Chazal to have proper concentration? He answers that unlike by Shachris and Maariv, we see that Yitzchak was answered immediately by Mincha. We can assume that since Eliezer had left to go find him a wife, Yitzchak was most likely davening for his successful mission. While he was davening, he probably had his eyes closed or focused downwards, in order to improve his concentration. When the pasuk says “וַיִּשָּׂא עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא” “He raised his eyes and saw”, he had just lifted his eyes from his tefillos and lo and behold, here is Eliezer, together with his bride! From here we see that prayers said by Mincha are answered directly.

       What is special about this time of day that Hashem answers these tefillos more than any other time? Chazal teach us that the Satan only tries to accuse us at night. Maariv, which is said at night, and Shachris which is said just after night, still have some lingering effects of his late-night accusations. Mincha, however, is in the middle of the day, far away from the both the previous and coming nighttimes. Therefore, it is the best time to submit a plea to Hashem.

       This is an important message for us to take as we go on our day to day schedules. Mincha comes at a very inopportune time for many people, right in the middle of the day when everyone is busy working and running around. It is very easy for us to hurry to Shul, grab a Minyan, and continue on with what we were doing. We learn from here that Mincha is our best opportunity of the day to make our tefillos heard! How can we waste such an opportunity simply because we are “busy”? What can be more important than this! We must realize that what we think is our most inconvenient tefillah, is really our biggest opportunity. And maybe that’s exactly the way Hashem wants it. By taking out time from our schedules at the hardest time of the day to concentrate on him, we can show no greater love than that.

Shabbat Shalom!   

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Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayeira

       Parshas Vayeira opens with the angels coming to visit Avraham following his Bris Milah (circumcision). They were sent by Hashem, amongst other things, to tell Avraham that his wife, Sarah, would have a child within the year. You can imagine what an exciting reaction this must have caused from these two tremendous people who would finally have a child whom would carry on their legacy. What actually happened is a source of great discussion in the commentaries.

       In Perek 18 Pasuk 10, the angels tell Avraham that he will have a son. The pasuk mentions that Sarah could hear the conversation, however, she was out of sight. Pasuk 12 says, “וַתִּצְחַק שָׂרָה בְּקִרְבָּהּ לֵאמֹר אַחֲרֵי בְלֹתִי הָיְתָהלִּי עֶדְנָה וַאדֹנִי זָקֵן” “And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, ‘After I have withered shall I again have clear skin? And my husband is old!” (Bereishis 18:12). Hashem immediately comes to Avraham and says, “לָמָּה זֶּה צָחֲקָה שָׂרָה לֵאמֹר הַאַף אֻמְנָם אֵלֵד וַאֲנִי זָקַנְתִּי…” “(And God said…‘Why is it that Sarah laughed, saying: ‘Is it even true that I shall give birth, though I have aged?” (18:13). Rashi explains that Hashem changed her statement from saying that Avraham was old to commenting on her own age, to protect the peace between them. But how could Sarah laugh at this statement? She herself was a prophetess, higher than even Avraham, how could she not believe that Hashem could give her a child, simply because of her husband’s age? And to laugh at it!

       Furthermore, while Avraham was making preparations to serve the angels, whom he did not realize were actually angels and therefore assumed they could partake of his feast, he asked Sarah to prepare bread. But when he actually serves the food, the bread is not served. Rashi explains that Sarah became a Niddah while kneading the dough, rendering it tamei (spiritually impure) and unfit to eat. According to this, it is even harder to understand why Sarah laughed, after all, only a child-bearing woman can become a niddah. So once Hashem has already made a miracle to turn a 90-year old woman’s biological clock backwards, why can’t he give her a child? Plus, having children does not have to do with the age of the man, so why did she laugh because Avraham was old?

       The Kli Yakar answers that Sarah was certainly not laughing at the notion that Hashem could give her a child, she definitely believed that He could. Rather she was laughing at a different promise that Hashem had made to Avraham earlier. In Parshas Lech Lecha, where Hashem first tells Avraham that Sarah will have a son, Hashem precedes this piece of news by telling Avraham, “שְׂכָרְךָ הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד” “Your reward is exceedingly great” (15:1). What is the great reward about having a child? Nothing other than raising him, marrying him off, and getting pleasure from grandchildren! However, a man of Avraham’s advanced age, while he could still father a child, would likely not live to see these milestones. For herself however, once Hashem has rejuvenated her body, she is once again young and will live to get pleasure from these moments. This is why she comments on Avraham’s age and not her own. But she certainly did not deny for one second the abilities of Hashem.

       Some questions still remain, however. In pasuk 15, after Avraham confronts Sarah for laughing, the pasuk says, “וַתְּכַחֵשׁ שָׂרָה לֵאמֹר לֹא צָחַקְתִּי כִּי יָרֵאָה וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא כִּי צָחָקְתְּ” “Sarah denied, saying, ‘I did not laugh,’ for she was frightened; and he said, ‘No, but you laughed.” (18:15) Asks the Ramban, how could Sarah deny what was being told to her by Avraham? He is a Navi; obviously Hashem told him that she laughed. So how could she expect to lie and get away with it? Secondly, how could she not believe that a statement said by angels on a mission from God could come true?

       The answer lies in the wording of the pasuk. As we said earlier, Sarah could not see, she could only hear, the conversation between Avraham and the angels, so it’s very possible that she didn’t even realize that they were anything but regular humans giving an old couple a blessing to have children. However, that still did not give her the right to laugh at their blessing. She should have instead accepted their brachah with the thought that everything is possible when dealing with God. So when Avraham comes to confront her, she doesn’t think that he had spoken to Hashem about the fact that she laughed since she hadn’t done anything against Him, and the reason he accuses her of laughing is just because she didn’t seem excited about the news, not anything more.  The only reason she denied what happened was out of fear of Avraham’s reaction, especially since he probably was very excited by the news. However, when Avraham reiterates to her, “וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא כִּי צָחָקְתְּ” “and he said, ‘No, but you laughed.”, she realizes that he knows exactly what happened and does not try anymore to deny it.

       This story taken at face value can be very confusing. The mother of the entire Jewish People, one of the greatest people who ever lived, someone who was on a higher level of prophecy than even Avraham, denied God’s ability? God forbid! This same mistake can occur many times throughout the Torah; every time there is a story about one of our illustrious ancestors it seems as if they are doing something against Hashem and the Torah. The reason the Torah does this is to show that we are not afraid of our mistakes. The Torah is teaching us that we are not perfect, none of us, and we all have our struggles. This is one of the proofs of the Torah, the acknowledgment that even the greatest people who ever lived, the builders of our nation, made mistakes, even if we sometimes overestimate what those sins actually were.

Shabbat Shalom!

Click here for last year's Dvar Torah on Parshas Vayeira

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