TORAH THIS WEEK...
VAYIGASH Genesis 44:18–47:27
Judah delivers an impassioned appeal to Joseph on behalf of Benjamin, offering to submit to slavery personally in his youngest brother's stead. He does so, he says, to spare both Benjamin, for whom he has pledged personal responsibility, and his father. Joseph is moved to tears by his brother's selfless and eloquent appeal. Dismissing all but his brothers from his presence, Joseph finally reveals his identity, immediately inquiring about his father's wellbeing. He attributes his sale into slavery at his brothers' hands to Providence. Embracing his brothers, he instructs them to return to Canaan and then to come back, with Jacob, to settle in Egypt.
News of Joseph's reunion with his brothers spreads to Pharaoh and his court. The brothers, supplied with wagons and provisions, return home and tell Jacob that his beloved son is still alive and has risen to high office in Egypt. On the return trip to Egypt God appears to Jacob in a vision, assuring him that going back down to Egypt is the proper course, while not mentioning the enslavement that is his nation's destiny. The seventy Israelites taking up residence in Egypt are listed, and Joseph is tearfully reunited with Jacob. He reports his family's arrival to Pharaoh, to whom he introduces them. Jacob has a private audience with Pharaoh and details for him the personal adversity he has long endured.
Joseph's brothers, against his express instructions, inform Pharaoh that they are shepherds. Joseph settles his families in Goshen, setting the stage for future events. Despite his generous treatment of his family, Joseph is ruthless in his economic administration of Egypt. After depleting the financial resources of Pharaoh's subjects through the sale of the grain and food under his control, next he takes their livestock in exchange for supplies, and finally he usurps their only remaining material resource, their land. The only land Joseph allows to remain in private ownership belongs to the priests.
Once he has secured a royal monopoly on both Egypt's land and its livestock for Pharaoh, Joseph imposes further economic duties on the populace: they owe Pharaoh one fifth of each harvest. Deprived of private land and livestock, and impoverished through the sale of grain over which Joseph had exercised such visionary but shrewd control, the Egyptians nevertheless are thankful for surviving the famine: You have saved our lives! We are grateful to our lord, and we shall be serfs to Pharaoh.
The parsha concludes by contrasting the impoverished Egyptian populace under a despotic regime with Israel's growing prosperity: They acquired holdings in [Goshen], and were fertile and increased greatly. This description anticipates the opening of the Book of Exodus, and the ethnic tensions that led to the Israelites' enslavement.
Judah delivers an impassioned appeal to Joseph on behalf of Benjamin, offering to submit to slavery personally in his youngest brother's stead. He does so, he says, to spare both Benjamin, for whom he has pledged personal responsibility, and his father. Joseph is moved to tears by his brother's selfless and eloquent appeal. Dismissing all but his brothers from his presence, Joseph finally reveals his identity, immediately inquiring about his father's wellbeing. He attributes his sale into slavery at his brothers' hands to Providence. Embracing his brothers, he instructs them to return to Canaan and then to come back, with Jacob, to settle in Egypt.
News of Joseph's reunion with his brothers spreads to Pharaoh and his court. The brothers, supplied with wagons and provisions, return home and tell Jacob that his beloved son is still alive and has risen to high office in Egypt. On the return trip to Egypt God appears to Jacob in a vision, assuring him that going back down to Egypt is the proper course, while not mentioning the enslavement that is his nation's destiny. The seventy Israelites taking up residence in Egypt are listed, and Joseph is tearfully reunited with Jacob. He reports his family's arrival to Pharaoh, to whom he introduces them. Jacob has a private audience with Pharaoh and details for him the personal adversity he has long endured.
Joseph's brothers, against his express instructions, inform Pharaoh that they are shepherds. Joseph settles his families in Goshen, setting the stage for future events. Despite his generous treatment of his family, Joseph is ruthless in his economic administration of Egypt. After depleting the financial resources of Pharaoh's subjects through the sale of the grain and food under his control, next he takes their livestock in exchange for supplies, and finally he usurps their only remaining material resource, their land. The only land Joseph allows to remain in private ownership belongs to the priests.
Once he has secured a royal monopoly on both Egypt's land and its livestock for Pharaoh, Joseph imposes further economic duties on the populace: they owe Pharaoh one fifth of each harvest. Deprived of private land and livestock, and impoverished through the sale of grain over which Joseph had exercised such visionary but shrewd control, the Egyptians nevertheless are thankful for surviving the famine: You have saved our lives! We are grateful to our lord, and we shall be serfs to Pharaoh.
The parsha concludes by contrasting the impoverished Egyptian populace under a despotic regime with Israel's growing prosperity: They acquired holdings in [Goshen], and were fertile and increased greatly. This description anticipates the opening of the Book of Exodus, and the ethnic tensions that led to the Israelites' enslavement.
MIKEITZ Genesis 41:1-44:17
Parshat Miketz begins with Pharaoh's famous two-part dream about seven scrawny cows devouring seven robust cows, followed by seven thin ears of grain swallowing seven healthy, good ones. When his advisors and necromancers are unable to adequately solve the perplexing riddle, Pharaoh summons Joseph, who had been in prison for a total of twelve years, to interpret his dreams. Ascribing his power of interpretation solely to Hashem, Joseph tells Pharaoh that after first experiencing seven years of extraordinary and abundant crops, Egypt will be ravaged by seven years of a devastating famine. Joseph therefore advises Pharaoh to seek a wise man to oversee the collection and storage of the abundant food during the years of plenty. Impressed with the brilliant interpretation, Pharaoh appoints Joseph to be the viceroy of Egypt, making him the second most powerful man in the land. Joseph's wife Asnat gives birth to two sons, Menasha and Ephraim, and the years of plenty and famine unfold just as Joseph had predicted.
With the famine also devastating the land of Canaan, Joseph's brothers descend to Egypt to purchase food. When they do not recognize their royal brother, Joseph sets in motion a plan to determine if the brothers have fully repented for their sin of selling him almost twenty-two years before. Joseph treats them robustly and accuses them of being spies, holding Simeon as hostage while the rest of the brothers return with the food to Canaan. Joseph, still unrecognized, tells them that Simeon will be released only when they return to Egypt with their youngest brother. Initially reluctant, but faced with the heightening famine, Jacob finally agrees to allow the brothers to take Benjamin with them. Upon their arrival in Egypt, Joseph tests the brothers further by treating them all well, but showing blatant favoritism to Benjamin. When the brothers are finally sent back home with their sacks full of grain, Joseph conceals his goblet in Benjamin's bag and he is accused of stealing the precious object. The portion concludes with the looming threat that Benjamin will be made a slave to the Egyptian ruler.
Parshat Miketz begins with Pharaoh's famous two-part dream about seven scrawny cows devouring seven robust cows, followed by seven thin ears of grain swallowing seven healthy, good ones. When his advisors and necromancers are unable to adequately solve the perplexing riddle, Pharaoh summons Joseph, who had been in prison for a total of twelve years, to interpret his dreams. Ascribing his power of interpretation solely to Hashem, Joseph tells Pharaoh that after first experiencing seven years of extraordinary and abundant crops, Egypt will be ravaged by seven years of a devastating famine. Joseph therefore advises Pharaoh to seek a wise man to oversee the collection and storage of the abundant food during the years of plenty. Impressed with the brilliant interpretation, Pharaoh appoints Joseph to be the viceroy of Egypt, making him the second most powerful man in the land. Joseph's wife Asnat gives birth to two sons, Menasha and Ephraim, and the years of plenty and famine unfold just as Joseph had predicted.
With the famine also devastating the land of Canaan, Joseph's brothers descend to Egypt to purchase food. When they do not recognize their royal brother, Joseph sets in motion a plan to determine if the brothers have fully repented for their sin of selling him almost twenty-two years before. Joseph treats them robustly and accuses them of being spies, holding Simeon as hostage while the rest of the brothers return with the food to Canaan. Joseph, still unrecognized, tells them that Simeon will be released only when they return to Egypt with their youngest brother. Initially reluctant, but faced with the heightening famine, Jacob finally agrees to allow the brothers to take Benjamin with them. Upon their arrival in Egypt, Joseph tests the brothers further by treating them all well, but showing blatant favoritism to Benjamin. When the brothers are finally sent back home with their sacks full of grain, Joseph conceals his goblet in Benjamin's bag and he is accused of stealing the precious object. The portion concludes with the looming threat that Benjamin will be made a slave to the Egyptian ruler.
VAYESHEV Genesis 37:1 - 40:23
Chanukah, which begins Tuesday night, December 16, is one of two holidays that commemorate an event which took place many years after the Giving of the Torah.
The holidays mentioned in the Torah are: Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret. Chanukah and Purim were established many years later.
The miracle of Purim happened after the destruction of the First Temple, when Jews were still exiled in Persia. The Miracle of Chanukah took place a few hundred years later, when Jews were back in Israel, during the time of the Second Temple.
The Talmud records four different opinions as to the lighting of the candles on Chanukah:
One opinion is that only one candle is lit for the entire family each night of Chanukah.
A second opinion is that each member of the family lights one candle each night. According to these opinions, the amount of candles do not change each day.
Then there are the opinions of the sages Shammai and Hillel. Shammai maintains that we light eight candles the first night of Chanukah, seven on the next night, and so on until we light only one candle on the last night of Chanukah.
Hillel says that we begin with one candle the first night and add a candle each night until we kindle eight lights on the last night of Chanukah.
We follow Hillel's injunctions by adding a candle each day . This way we adhere to the rule of, "one must add in matters of holiness and not decrease."
In addition to the Chanukah candles which we light each night, we also light an additional candle each night. The additional candle is called, the Shamash and is placed not in the same row as the other candles, in order to distinguish between the Shamash and the Chanukah candles.
The number of Chanukah candles (excluding the Shamash) lit during the eight days of Chanukah is 36 - twice Chai . ( Chai means " life " and is associated with the number 18).
Because the Chanukah lights represent the lights of the Holy Temple, we are prohibited to have any personal use from the Chanukah lights, just as one was prohibited to have any personal use from the lights in the Temple. In case we forget and make use from the lights of the candles, like reading etc., by adding the extra candle, it will be considered that we have benefited from the light of the extra candle and not from the Chanukah candles.
PARSHA - TOLDOT Genesis 25:19 - 28:9
In last week's Parsha, we read how Abraham's most trusted servant, Eliezer, was the matchmaker to materialize the marriage of Rebecca and Isaac. In the beginning of this week's Parsha, Toldot , the Torah tells us about Rebecca's difficult pregnancy. She felt a constant struggle within her womb. Rebecca was distressed and went to Noah's son, Shem, to inquire about the situation. Shem told her, "There are two nations within your womb. Two peoples shall be separated from you and the elder one will serve the younger one." Rebecca gave birth to twins. The first child who emerged was ruddy full with a mantle of hair and he was called, Esau. Then his brother came out holding unto Esau's heel. He was named Jacob.
Three of the matriarchs, Sarah, Rebecca and Rachel were barren. By the laws of nature, they couldn't have any children. But after much prayer they conceived and gave birth. Our sages explain that God wanted the matriarchs to pray to Him for children, for God loves the prayers of the righteous.
The birth of the Jewish nation was associated with miracles from the very beginning. Sarah gave birth to Isaac at the age of 90 defying the laws of nature. Jacob's birth was also a result of the prayers of his parents. All this was an indication that Jewish existence and survival, throughout the generations, is connected with miracles, prayer and the forces beyond nature.
"Tefilah" - "Prayer" is an essential part of our Jewish faith. Our sages find the importance of the mitzvah of prayer in the Shema Israel (Hear O' Israel), which we recite every morning and night each day of the year; "To love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul..." To serve Him with all your heart, refers to prayer which is a service of the heart. One of the 13 principles of the Jewish faith as composed by Maimonides is, "I believe with complete faith that the Creator, blessed is His name - to Him alone is it proper to pray and it is not proper to pray to any other." We believe with complete faith that God hears every one of our prayers.
The following are sayings of the Talmud concerning the power of prayer: Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said, "Even an iron fence cannot separate between Israel and their Father-in-Heaven."
Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said, "If a person sees that their prayer wasn't answered they should continue to pray as it is written, 'Hope and pray to God, strengthen yourself and He will give you courage." One should not get discouraged, but continue to pray as long as needed.
Rabbi Ze'era said, "A person who has a friend who beseeches him continuously with his needs and pleas, may come to dislike him and avoid him. But, with the Holy One blessed be He, it is not so. The more a person pleads with God for their needs, the more God loves them."
Chanukah, which begins Tuesday night, December 16, is one of two holidays that commemorate an event which took place many years after the Giving of the Torah.
The holidays mentioned in the Torah are: Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret. Chanukah and Purim were established many years later.
The miracle of Purim happened after the destruction of the First Temple, when Jews were still exiled in Persia. The Miracle of Chanukah took place a few hundred years later, when Jews were back in Israel, during the time of the Second Temple.
The Talmud records four different opinions as to the lighting of the candles on Chanukah:
One opinion is that only one candle is lit for the entire family each night of Chanukah.
A second opinion is that each member of the family lights one candle each night. According to these opinions, the amount of candles do not change each day.
Then there are the opinions of the sages Shammai and Hillel. Shammai maintains that we light eight candles the first night of Chanukah, seven on the next night, and so on until we light only one candle on the last night of Chanukah.
Hillel says that we begin with one candle the first night and add a candle each night until we kindle eight lights on the last night of Chanukah.
We follow Hillel's injunctions by adding a candle each day . This way we adhere to the rule of, "one must add in matters of holiness and not decrease."
In addition to the Chanukah candles which we light each night, we also light an additional candle each night. The additional candle is called, the Shamash and is placed not in the same row as the other candles, in order to distinguish between the Shamash and the Chanukah candles.
The number of Chanukah candles (excluding the Shamash) lit during the eight days of Chanukah is 36 - twice Chai . ( Chai means " life " and is associated with the number 18).
Because the Chanukah lights represent the lights of the Holy Temple, we are prohibited to have any personal use from the Chanukah lights, just as one was prohibited to have any personal use from the lights in the Temple. In case we forget and make use from the lights of the candles, like reading etc., by adding the extra candle, it will be considered that we have benefited from the light of the extra candle and not from the Chanukah candles.
PARSHA - TOLDOT Genesis 25:19 - 28:9
In last week's Parsha, we read how Abraham's most trusted servant, Eliezer, was the matchmaker to materialize the marriage of Rebecca and Isaac. In the beginning of this week's Parsha, Toldot , the Torah tells us about Rebecca's difficult pregnancy. She felt a constant struggle within her womb. Rebecca was distressed and went to Noah's son, Shem, to inquire about the situation. Shem told her, "There are two nations within your womb. Two peoples shall be separated from you and the elder one will serve the younger one." Rebecca gave birth to twins. The first child who emerged was ruddy full with a mantle of hair and he was called, Esau. Then his brother came out holding unto Esau's heel. He was named Jacob.
Three of the matriarchs, Sarah, Rebecca and Rachel were barren. By the laws of nature, they couldn't have any children. But after much prayer they conceived and gave birth. Our sages explain that God wanted the matriarchs to pray to Him for children, for God loves the prayers of the righteous.
The birth of the Jewish nation was associated with miracles from the very beginning. Sarah gave birth to Isaac at the age of 90 defying the laws of nature. Jacob's birth was also a result of the prayers of his parents. All this was an indication that Jewish existence and survival, throughout the generations, is connected with miracles, prayer and the forces beyond nature.
"Tefilah" - "Prayer" is an essential part of our Jewish faith. Our sages find the importance of the mitzvah of prayer in the Shema Israel (Hear O' Israel), which we recite every morning and night each day of the year; "To love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul..." To serve Him with all your heart, refers to prayer which is a service of the heart. One of the 13 principles of the Jewish faith as composed by Maimonides is, "I believe with complete faith that the Creator, blessed is His name - to Him alone is it proper to pray and it is not proper to pray to any other." We believe with complete faith that God hears every one of our prayers.
The following are sayings of the Talmud concerning the power of prayer: Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said, "Even an iron fence cannot separate between Israel and their Father-in-Heaven."
Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said, "If a person sees that their prayer wasn't answered they should continue to pray as it is written, 'Hope and pray to God, strengthen yourself and He will give you courage." One should not get discouraged, but continue to pray as long as needed.
Rabbi Ze'era said, "A person who has a friend who beseeches him continuously with his needs and pleas, may come to dislike him and avoid him. But, with the Holy One blessed be He, it is not so. The more a person pleads with God for their needs, the more God loves them."
PARSHA LECH LECHA Genesis 12:1-17:27
In last week's Parsha, Lech Lecha, the Torah tells us that Abraham was circumcised at the age of ninety nine, while his son, Ishmael, was circumcised at age thirteen. In this week's Parsha, Vayera , the Torah relates the miracle of Isaac's birth to Sarah (at age 90) and Abraham (at age 100). Isaac was the first one to be circumcised at eight days. "Brit Milah" - "circumcision" is a covenant between God and the Jewish people, as we read in the Parsha: "And God said to Abraham; You shall keep My covenant, you, and your children after you throughout their generations... This is My covenant, which you shall keep... You shall circumcise among you every male... And it shall be for a covenant between Me and between you..." The word "covenant" is mentioned thirteen times in connection with this mitzvah! Our sages say, "We see the greatness of the mitzvah of circumcision, for thirteen covenants are associated with this mitzvah."
Abraham was the first one who was given the mitzvah to perform the act of circumcision. However, according to our sages, Adam, Noah and Noah's son, Shem, were born circumcised. At the Brit we set up a chair called, "Kisei shel Eliyahu" - "Elijah's chair." This chair is reserved for the prophet Elijah. Before the Brit is performed, the baby is placed upon Elijah's chair. In Biblical times, Ahab King of Israel, under the influence of his wife Jezebel, banned circumcision throughout his land. Elijah the Prophet, saddened at this turn of events, retired to a cave and complained to God that his people had deserted God's covenant. God then ordered Elijah to be present at every circumcision so that he should witness the Jewish people's careful observance of this Mitzvah. In Elijah's honor we provide a special chair for him at every Brit.
At the end of the Brit everyone blesses the child, "Just as he entered into the Brit so may he enter into Torah, into marriage and into good deeds." Just as the act of the Brit is permanent and everlasting, so too, the child's Torah study, marriage and good deeds should be permanent and everlasting.
In last week's Parsha, Lech Lecha, the Torah tells us that Abraham was circumcised at the age of ninety nine, while his son, Ishmael, was circumcised at age thirteen. In this week's Parsha, Vayera , the Torah relates the miracle of Isaac's birth to Sarah (at age 90) and Abraham (at age 100). Isaac was the first one to be circumcised at eight days. "Brit Milah" - "circumcision" is a covenant between God and the Jewish people, as we read in the Parsha: "And God said to Abraham; You shall keep My covenant, you, and your children after you throughout their generations... This is My covenant, which you shall keep... You shall circumcise among you every male... And it shall be for a covenant between Me and between you..." The word "covenant" is mentioned thirteen times in connection with this mitzvah! Our sages say, "We see the greatness of the mitzvah of circumcision, for thirteen covenants are associated with this mitzvah."
Abraham was the first one who was given the mitzvah to perform the act of circumcision. However, according to our sages, Adam, Noah and Noah's son, Shem, were born circumcised. At the Brit we set up a chair called, "Kisei shel Eliyahu" - "Elijah's chair." This chair is reserved for the prophet Elijah. Before the Brit is performed, the baby is placed upon Elijah's chair. In Biblical times, Ahab King of Israel, under the influence of his wife Jezebel, banned circumcision throughout his land. Elijah the Prophet, saddened at this turn of events, retired to a cave and complained to God that his people had deserted God's covenant. God then ordered Elijah to be present at every circumcision so that he should witness the Jewish people's careful observance of this Mitzvah. In Elijah's honor we provide a special chair for him at every Brit.
At the end of the Brit everyone blesses the child, "Just as he entered into the Brit so may he enter into Torah, into marriage and into good deeds." Just as the act of the Brit is permanent and everlasting, so too, the child's Torah study, marriage and good deeds should be permanent and everlasting.
PARSHA NOAH Genesis 28:10-32:3
This week's Parsha, Noah, tells the story of Noah and the ark he built, which saved him, his family and a minimum of two of each species of every living being.
Noah lived in a generation of very wicked and corrupt people. In fact, from Adam, the first man, until Noah, there were ten generations of which only a handful of people were righteous, while the rest were all evil people. Yet, the Torah testifies about Noah, "Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generation; with God did Noah walk." This is why he and his family were saved from The Great Flood.
What is the meaning of the words, "Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations"? Some sages interpret this to mean as a greater compliment to Noah; "Even in his generation, he was righteous. Had he lived in Moshe and Abraham's time, he would have been much more righteous." Yet, other sages say that the Torah tells us this to minimize the stature of Noah. "Only by comparison to his generation, who were all wicked, he was considered a righteous man. But had he lived in the time of Abraham or Moshe he wouldn't have been considered special." When the Torah speaks so highly of Noah, why would our sages make such a statement and play down Noah's stature?
The following example will explain this: There were people sitting in a very cold room, freezing. At one point, one of the men got up and fetched himself a warm coat. He solved his problem and now he was warm. Another person in the room, decided to go out and get some wood, start a fire in the fire place and warm up the room, which he did. Of the above two people, whose act is more praiseworthy? Obviously the second one. The first person only cared for himself. He became warm, but everyone else was left in the cold. But the second person cared for everyone in the room.
This is the difference between Noah and Abraham or Moshe. Noah didn't make any effort to pray for the people, so they would be saved. He didn't make an effort to get the people to repent. He was happy that he and his family were saved from The Great Flood. However, Abraham, when he realized that the people in Sodom and Gomorrah were in grave danger, he prayed for them. When Moshe saw that the Jewish people were in great danger after the sin of the Golden Calf, he went all out to pray for them and they were saved. The sages who minimize Noah's greatness, do so to teach us an important lesson. That the proper conduct of a righteous person is not to be like Noah, but like Abraham and Moshe. To think about the benefit of others and not only about oneself.
This week's Parsha, Noah, tells the story of Noah and the ark he built, which saved him, his family and a minimum of two of each species of every living being.
Noah lived in a generation of very wicked and corrupt people. In fact, from Adam, the first man, until Noah, there were ten generations of which only a handful of people were righteous, while the rest were all evil people. Yet, the Torah testifies about Noah, "Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generation; with God did Noah walk." This is why he and his family were saved from The Great Flood.
What is the meaning of the words, "Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations"? Some sages interpret this to mean as a greater compliment to Noah; "Even in his generation, he was righteous. Had he lived in Moshe and Abraham's time, he would have been much more righteous." Yet, other sages say that the Torah tells us this to minimize the stature of Noah. "Only by comparison to his generation, who were all wicked, he was considered a righteous man. But had he lived in the time of Abraham or Moshe he wouldn't have been considered special." When the Torah speaks so highly of Noah, why would our sages make such a statement and play down Noah's stature?
The following example will explain this: There were people sitting in a very cold room, freezing. At one point, one of the men got up and fetched himself a warm coat. He solved his problem and now he was warm. Another person in the room, decided to go out and get some wood, start a fire in the fire place and warm up the room, which he did. Of the above two people, whose act is more praiseworthy? Obviously the second one. The first person only cared for himself. He became warm, but everyone else was left in the cold. But the second person cared for everyone in the room.
This is the difference between Noah and Abraham or Moshe. Noah didn't make any effort to pray for the people, so they would be saved. He didn't make an effort to get the people to repent. He was happy that he and his family were saved from The Great Flood. However, Abraham, when he realized that the people in Sodom and Gomorrah were in grave danger, he prayed for them. When Moshe saw that the Jewish people were in great danger after the sin of the Golden Calf, he went all out to pray for them and they were saved. The sages who minimize Noah's greatness, do so to teach us an important lesson. That the proper conduct of a righteous person is not to be like Noah, but like Abraham and Moshe. To think about the benefit of others and not only about oneself.
