שמות-the book of names

Parshat שמות opens the second book of the Torah, which is aptly named ספר שמות (all five books are named after its respective opening פרשה). The name assigned to the second book is seemingly irrelevant to its content. What does 'names' have to do with Hashem's revelation to Moses in the burning bush, the ten plagues, the redemption of Bnei Yisrael from Egypt, the parting of the Red sea, the ten commandments and the erection of the משכן? The first translation of the bible, the Greek LLX, named the book after the departure of Israel from Egypt (Exodus). In the language of חז"ל the book is named ספר הגאולה (the book of Redemption).

In addition to the seemingly mismatched name, the opening pesukim of ספר שמות seem to be redundant. Why go over the names of Yaakov's children when we just listed them a few chapters ago? The Mefarshim attempt to solve the repetitive nature of the first pesukim in various ways.

But there is a difference between the listing of the names in ספר בראשית and the listing in פרשת שמות. The members of Yaakov Avinu's family listed in ספר בראשית were a handful of individual family members. Now, בני ישראל have grown in size and number many thousands of people. They can no longer be listed as individual names. They have also grown as a people. The melting pot of Egypt had forged them into a nation of people with common names, language and dress.

Rav Shimshon Refael Hirsch explains that indeed the names of the people in ספר בראשית and in פרשת שמות are the same. But the emphasis here is on the words: את יעקב איש וביתו. Now, as they have multiplied into a large nation, there are many families in Bnei Yisrael. But they are all centered around the legacy of Yaakov, never forgetting their roots. From father to son to grandson and so on, the torch is passed. That is the guiding principle that has made our nation into what it is to this very day.

ויחי-Yaakov's Legacy

I would like to dedicate this entry in memory of my friend Yaakov Gantz who passed away on Sunday ו' בטבת תשס"ח at the age of 58. In the הספד given by his son, Ben Gantz mentioned that one of the traits of Yaakov Avinu was truthfulness (as written in Tehilim תתן אמת ליעקב). Yaakov Avinu's namesake, Yaakov Gantz ז'ל, shared this trait. He was guided by a fierce dedication to his inner truth as he saw it, and refused to compromise that truth in any way. This extended to an extreme love for Torah, Eretz Yisrael and Am Yisrael.

In another הספד, Rav David Horden mentioned that is ironic that in the Parsha named ויחי (from the root of word 'Life'), we read about Yaakov Avinu's death, the preparations for his funeral, and his burial in Ma'arat Hamachpela in Hevron. Of course many of the Mefarshim state that while Yaakov Avinu's life had ended, his legacy would go on to live forever. Indeed, Yaakov Avinu's parting words to his sons spoke of this legacy. While Rashi comments that Yaakov wanted to reveal how this world is to end (בקש לגלות את הקץ ונסתם ממנו), the Ramban states that Yaakov did reveal the world's ending in his Bracha to Yehuda--an ending that culminates with the arrival of the Meshiach (עד כי יבוא שילה ולו יקהת עמים).

Speaking between Mincha and Arvit on one of the days of the Shiva, Harav Adas mentioned that the fast of עשרה בטבת will always fall on the week in which we read Parshat ויחי. And that on this day our fortunes took a huge turn for the worst and the serious troubles for Am Yisrael began. It is such a sad day, that it is the only fast day besides Yom Kippur that overrides Shabbat. And that if עשרה בטבת would fall on Shabbat, we would have to fast. This is learned from the book of Yechezkel 24:1 in the prophet's mention of the fast (בעצם היום הזה - on this very day).

In another insight offered by Rav Adas on the Parsha: when Yaakov Avinu is getting ready to bless Yoseph's sons in Bereishit 48:8 he asks Yoseph "who are they" (וירא ישראל את בני יוסף ויאמר מי אלה). Rashi comments that Yaakov experienced a temporary lapse in his נבואה when he saw the evil descendants to emerge from Efraim and Menashe. בני stands for ירבעם בן נבט. Yoseph's response was no Dad, you have it all wrong: בני stands for יהושע בן נון.

מקץ-Yosef's Dream Come True

In Parshat וישב Yaakov sent Yosef on a mission: make peace with your brothers. The brothers' hatred of Yosef was so intense that they wanted to kill him. And even though Yaakov recognized in his heart that Yosef's dreams were true and that Yosef would eventually rule his brothers (see Rashi's commentary on ואביו שמר את הדבר), he still wanted to dissolve the hatred in his household. Yosef was intent on fulfilling his mission. When he met the mystery man in שכם, his statement את אחי אנכי מבקש indicated his longing for brotherly love. His brothers, on the other hand, distanced themselves from his love (see Rashi's commentary on the mystery man's response: נסעו מזה).

But despite the plans made by Yaakov and Yosef, and despite those made by his brothers, the entire saga which unfolds in this and last week's Parshot were divined by Hashem in intricate detail. Rashi uses the seemingly erroneous Pasuk וישלחהו מעמק חברון in last week's Parsha to prove that the story actually started with Hashem's promise to Avraham in ברית בין הבתרים. The Ramban contends that the seemingly random meeting with the incognito mystery man Gabriel proves that all of man's plans are futile once Hashem has decided how things will end up.

But Yosef did not give up on his mission, even years later when he was the number 2 man in the Egyptian kingdom. That is why, according to many of the Mefarshim, he subjected his brothers to all of the travails described in this week's Parsha. By planting the cup in Benjamin's backpack and threatening his incarceration, Yosef was testing his brothers to see if they repented from their sin of selling Yosef. And by bringing his entire family to Egypt, including his own father, Yosef wanted to make sure that his dreams came true.

וישב-The bottomless pit

Parshat וישב provides us each year with a connection to Chanukah, which is timely indeed since we always read the Parsha at Chanukah time. The connection may be obscure and indirect, but it nevertheless exists.

The halachot regarding Chanukah are concentrated in the Gemara in Perek במה מדליקים in Masechet Shabbat. The chapter discussing the halachot of Shabbat candles is the logical place in the Gemara for hilchot Chanukah, since the festival of lights revolves around candles itself. One of the Amoraim quoted in the Gemara on page 22B, Rav Nathan bar Manyumi in the name of Rav Tanchum, states that a Menorah placed at a great height exceeding 20 Amot is not Kosher, since the human eye can not see that far and therefore the principle of פרסומי ניסא (advertising the Chanukah miracle, which is the main reason for lighting the Chanukah candles) does not exist.

The Gemara then brings a second statement by the same Amora which is unrelated to Chanukah. It is this statement that connects Parshat וישב with Chanukah. The statement by Rav Nathan bar Manyumi in the name of Rav Tanchum which is quoted by Rashi and is well known to any junior Yeshiva student: "Why is it written והבור ריק אין בו מים? From the meaning of the statement that the pit was empty, do I not know that it had no water? But what do I learn? Water was not in the pit, but snakes and scorpions were!"

At first glance, the connection between Chanukah and the Parsha is purely circumstantial. The Gemara is known to bunch together statements by an Amora even if they are seemingly unrelated. But perhaps if we look closer there is another, more significant connection.

Yosef's brothers, after hearing Reuven plead with them not to kill him, decided to throw him in a pit while they decide what to do with him. One must assume that they would not have thrown him into a pit filled with snakes had they known that to be a fact. Certainly, throwing a person into a pit with snakes would result in death or at least in serious injury. Indeed, some of the Mefarshim state that the fact that Yosef remained unharmed in the pit was a miracle. One can assume that the pit was so deep, that they could not see the snakes and scorpions at the bottom. Looking at it in this context, the connection between Rav Nathan bar Manyumi's two statements is apparent. Just as a Menorah placed at a height of 20 Amot or more can not be seen by the human eye, the bottom of a deep pit can not be seen either since it is too low.

וישלח-Yaakov Dances with the Devil

At the start of the Parsha, Yaakov is preparing himself and his family for the reunion with Esav, 20 years after he escaped his parent's home and Esav's wrath. Yaakov is afraid of the ramifications of this reunion, and is terrified once he learns that Esav is coming to greet him with an Army of 400 men.

According to Rav SR Hirsch, the root of the word ויצר is not צור or צרר, which are the Hebrew words commonly used to described sadness (as in Tsarot or Tsuris). ויצר, per Hirsch is from the root of the word "shape" (צורה) or "narrow" (צר). Yaakov felt his entire world closing in and that he was entirely at the mercy of Esav. That Esav had the power to "shape" Yaakov and his family into whatever form he wished, much like a craftsman shapes the material into whatever design he chooses. Yaakov's action of splitting his camp into two parts for preservation purposes set a precedent which the Jews followed throughout history. The Jewish people, per Hirsch, were able to survive the ravages of history since we were always dispersed. So when Jews were being killed in the West, the Jews in the East prospered.

As Yaakov is moving his camp into place for the reunion with Esav, he is left alone while he checks to see if any small items remain. Yaakov Avinu made his money the hard way and according to the Mefarshim was not going to leave anything behind, even the smallest item. The angel who wrestles with Yaakov, according to Rashi and some of the other Mefarshim, was none other than Satan (aka the angel of death, aka the Yetzer Hara).

According to the Kli Yakar, the Yetzer Hara felt that the opportunity was ripe to try and seduce Yaakov into doubting his beliefs in Hashem. Why was the opportunity ripe? Yaakov's love of money. Torah and money, per the Kli Yakar are diametrically opposed values and since Yaakov went out of his way to collect sundry items from the old camp, the Satan felt that now was the time to act. But Yaakov's belief in Hashem was too strong and the Satan gave up. But not one to give up easily, the Satan touched the socket of Yaakov's thigh (כף הירך) which is a hidden part of the body. This signifies that the Satan wanted to block Yaakov's access to the hidden parts of the Torah which can only be revealed to a privileged few.

ויצא-No More Mister Nice Guy

Lavan Ha'arami was greedy, a liar and a crook. He had no God, no code of ethics, no morals of any kind. His only God was money.

He hit the ground running, literally, when the Torah introduced him in Parshat חיי שרה. His mock hospitality towards Avraham Avinu's slave was only a device to get his hands on the treasures carried by the ten camels. In this week's parsha, we once again see the running man rushing to greet his guest in search of treasures. He even gives Yaakov a French kiss to see if maybe he has some jewels hidden in his mouth. This behavior is in sharp contrast to Avraham Avinu, who was also described as running to welcome strangers into his house upon whom he lavished a banquet at his own expense.

Lavan continues his crooked ways throughout the parsha, and cons Yaakov into working for 14 years to marry his daughters.

It is therefore surprising that Yaakov should say in chap. 31, 2 that Lavan's face had changed. No more mister nice guy. How much worse can it get? I would think that after 20 years of being systematically cheated and lied to in Lavan's house, a change could only be for the better.

Seforno comments that the change in face came about because Lavan and his family felt that Yaakov's windfall, his new wealth, was not his and that it belonged to Lavan. The Kli Yakar comments that Lavan did not change his face on account of Yaakov's new wealth-after all, Lavan remained a rich man in his own right. Lavan, per the Kli Yakar, was angry that he had been out-conned by Yaakov. Lavan had perfected his line of scams to the point that he felt that he could con anybody, but that nobody could con him. Lavan's sons were angry because they felt that Yaakov learned all of Lavan's tricks of the trade, and used that knowledge for his own personal gain.

תולדות-Rivka and Yaakov's Sting Operation

How old were the twins, Esav and Yaakov, when the transaction over the בכורה took place? If we rely on Rashi's commentary that Yaakov made the lentil soup (נזיד עדשים) in honor of Avraham's funeral, then the twins were 15 years old. The math is simple: Avraham was 175 when he died. The Midrash believes that 5 years were cut out of Avraham's life span in order to spare him the agony of seeing how badly Esav turned out, since Hashem promised Avraham that he would die בשיבה טובה. Since Yitzchak got married when he was 40, and had to wait 20 years before Rivka gave birth, he was 60 when the twins were born. And since Avraham was 100 years old when Yitzchak was born, 175-(100+60)=15. Now imagine a 15 year old boy who is already proficient in the art of killing and hunting. So much to the point as to lend to the boy such a cynical outlook on life, that he would tell his brother that his days are numbered due to his occupation (Even Ezra 25, 32) and why do I need the בכורה. This shows us the extent of Esav's criminal mind.

Yet Yitzchak was fooled by Esav, who pulled a con job on his father. With his trick questions, Yitzchak thought Esav to be a righteous person. Rivka was not fooled, perhaps because she grew up in a house of liars, and had a brother who was perhaps the most treacherous swindler of them all, Lavan. And since Rivka was told in her pregnancy that one of the boys is a tsadik while the second is an evil person, she had no problem determining which was which.

Yitzchak remained fooled until his dying day, as he called Esav to bestow the blessings upon him believing that he is deserved of the blessings. Rivka reacts to this with a huge con job of her own. Dress up Yaakov in Esav's clothes and outswindle the swindler. Yaakov at first is reluctant to take part in such a devious operation. But staid persuasion and coaxing on Rivka's part gave Yaakov the courage he needed to lie to his father and take the brachot which were legitimately his away from Esav's grasp. It is interesting to note Rashi's commentary at the beginning of the parsha on the words איש תם. One who is not clever enough to cheat is deemed innocent (מי שאינו חריף לרמות קרוי תם). Yaakov was indeed too innocent a person to practice in the art of deception, but when the future of Bnei Yisrael was at stake, and when his brother Esav tried to steal what was not rightfully his, Yaakov outsmarted him with some trickery of his own.

חיי שרה-The First Jewish Cemetery in Palestine

Parshat חיי שרה opens with a lengthy description of Avraham's quest to find a burial place for his beloved wife and childhood sweetheart Sarah. Many of the Mefarshim wonder why the Torah spends no less than 13 pesukim (Bereishit 23, 3-16) describing Avraham's negotiation with the Hittites. The Torah, known for its brevity, seems to have spent an inordinate amount of words to describe a simple land purchase.

According to the Gemara in Baba Batra 16a it is implied that this story, rather than the story of the עקדה, represents the ultimate test (out of the 10) that Avraham had to pass to show his devotion to Hashem. In its minute description of the details, the Torah in opening the parsha shows the humiliation that Avraham had to go through in order to secure his wife's burial spot. Certainly any normal person would question his own beliefs in Hashem. After all Avraham was promised the sky and moon, not to mention the earth, in the previous parshiot. And if Hashem promised him all of Eretz Yisrael, why should he not be entitled to a piece of burial property? The fact that Avraham maintained his stoic composure and belief in Hashem throughout the process shows that he was a true believer and never once did he doubt these beliefs. This caused the Satan, according to the Gemara, to remark in the book of Job (1, 6-7) that in the entire land, no one more worthy than Avraham was found.

A closer look at the story that unfolds reveals several other important details that may have been overlooked had the Torah skimped on details in the parsha. The respect that Avraham showed the natives, the eloquence of his speeches, the genuflections throughout the negotiating process are worthy of noting for the generations. This posturing by Avraham created a climate of mutual respect which smoothed over the tensions that were bubbling beneath the surface. What a sharp contrast to the relationship that exists today in the very same spot between the progeny of both Avraham and the Hittites. Certainly there is a lesson here that we can all profit from.

But perhaps the most important part of the negotiation and the true intentions of Avraham are revealed by a closer study of the pesukim. Avraham does not want to just bury Sarah in the local cemetery. He wants to establish a Jewish cemetery in the heart of Hebron so that Jews in the future generations will have a burial place as well (תנו לי אחוזת קבר). The native Hittites want to avoid this. Despite their feigned politeness, the Hittites want Avraham to get lost. They know that a Jewish cemetery means that Avraham and his clan are here to stay. So they instead offer Avraham a choice grave in the cemetery reserved for the Hebron royalty. When Avraham rejects this offer and puts in an bid for Efron's field and cave, Efron offers Avraham free use of his land for the cemetery. Avraham, knowing that Efron's intention were certainly not philanthropic nor kind, rejects that offer and asks Efron to name his price. In a last attempt to dissuade Avraham, Efron names a price which is so ridiculous, so exorbitant, that anybody with any sense would walk away from the deal. But Avraham at this point shows his determination to establish the Jewish cemetery and quickly shakes the proffered hand while counting out the money, cementing the deal which established the first Jewish cemetery in Palestine. And it remains the most contested one up to this very day.