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.