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וישב יעקב בארץ מגורי אביו... אלה תולדות יעקב יוסף

Sruly Schnair
In 5780, Vayeishev

Yaakov settled in the land of his father’s sojourning… These are the chronicles of Yaakov: Yosef. (37:1,2)

Yaakov Avinu had more than one son.  Yet, when the Torah enumerates his offspring, it mentions only Yosef.  Furthermore, why does the Torah first inform us that Yaakov continues to live in Canaan, the land that his father chose as his place of habitation, and then inform us about his offspring? Clearly, his family had the obligation to take ownership over the place in which he lived. It is almost as if where he chose to live is connected with his offspring. Horav Sholom Schwadron, zl, explains that in the Torah’s vernacular, offspring is a reference to one who is…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5779

ואיך אעשה הרעה הגדולה הזאת וחטאתי לאלקים

Sruly Schnair
In 5779, Vayeishev

How then can I perpetrate this evil and have sinned against G-d! (39:9)

Potiphar’s wife did everything within her power and resources to beguile and seduce Yosef. True to his earned appellation of tzaddik, righteous man, he resisted her advances. According to Rashi, he employed ingratitude as an excuse, asserting that his master had entrusted him with the total run of the house. To sin with his wife would be the nadir of ingratitude – not to mention indecency – and a betrayal of trust. In the beginning of his Shaarei Teshuvah, Rabbeinu Yonah derives a different tactic from Yosef’s words – one that should, likewise, apply to each and every one of…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5779

ויהי בעת ההיא וירד יהודה מאת אחיו

Sruly Schnair
In 5779, Vayeishev

It was at that time that Yehudah went down from his brothers. (38:1)

The Midrash Tanchuma explains the juxtaposition of Yehudah’s marriage, upon the loss of his wife and two sons, and upon the incident of Yosef’s sale, with Yehudah being the one to inform Yaakov Avinu of Yosef’s death. Hashem said to Yehudah, “You have yet to father children; thus, you do not know what raising children and losing them means, the accompanying pain and sorrow. Yet, you were the one to inform your father that a wild animal had killed/torn his son apart. You must now experience the pain of losing a child. Therefore, you will marry and father two sons,…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5779

וישב ראובן אל הבור

Sruly Schnair
In 5779, Vayeishev

Reuven returned to the pit. (37:29)

Where was Reuven (that he had to “return”)? Rabbi Eliezer (Midrash) says, “Reuven was occupied with fasting; he was dressed in sackcloth as penitence for changing the placement of his father’s bed. Hashem (in accepting Reuven’s repentance) said to him, ‘From the beginning of time, there has not been anyone who had transgressed and repented. You are the first one. As reward, your descendant will stand and declare/exhort the people to return/repent.’” This is a reference to the Navi Hoshea, a descendant of Reuven, who proclaimed, Shuvu Yisrael ad Hashem Elokecha, “Return Yisrael to Hashem, your G-d.” This Midrash begs…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5779

וילכו אחיו לרעות את צאן אביהם בשכם... וימצאו איש והנה תעה בשדה

Sruly Schnair
In 5779, Vayeishev

Now, his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem. (37:12)….. A man discovered him, and behold! – He was blundering in the field. (37:15)

Clearly, the entire debacle concerning Yosef and his brothers is cloaked in profound esoteric secrecy. All we can do is to derive snippets of ethical lessons which we should incorporate into our lives. Perhaps the most powerful and illuminating statement made by Chazal is the following: “The tribes/brothers were occupied with the sale of Yosef; Yosef himself was absorbed b’sako u’b’taaniso, in his sackcloth and fasting; Reuven, as well, was immersed in a state of penitence; so, too, was Yaakov Avinu; Yehudah was engaged in the process of looking for a wife. Last – and most important – was Hashem,…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5778

יוסף ... היה רעה את אחיו בצאן

Roberto Szerer
In 5778, Vayeishev

Yosef … was a shepherd with his brothers by the flock. (37:2)

As parents, we have an awesome responsibility to infuse our children with proper middos, character traits, coupled with yiraas Shomayim, fear of Heaven, and an abiding commitment to Torah study and mitzvah performance. As parents, we are our children’s first and primary mentors. The rebbeim and moros that we choose for them are a reflection of our standards. Last, the joy in mitzvah observance that we present will have a lasting impression upon our children as they journey forward in the world. Horav Nissim Yagen, zl, relates the story of two American families who, on the outside, maintained similar lifestyles,…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5778

וישמע ראובן ויצילהו מידם

Roberto Szerer
In 5778, Vayeishev

Reuven heard, and he received him from their hand. (37:21)

Reuven had much to gain if Yosef were to be out of the picture. He was the firstborn. Yosef was a threat to his position, since he, too, was a firstborn. The shevatim rendered a halachic decision, finding Yosef guilty of being a redifah, a pursuer, who was bent on destroying them. Reuven attempted to dissuade them for one purpose: so that he could return later and release Yosef from the pit, thereby saving his life. Horav Zalman Sorotzkin, zl, observes the incredible level of atzilus, nobility, that was manifest by Reuven’s actions. As far as the shevatim were concerned,…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5778

והבור רק אין בו מים

Roberto Szerer
In 5778, Vayeishev

The pit was empty, no water was in it. (37:24)

How sad it is when someone considers himself worthy of the appellation talmid chacham, Torah scholar, but does not really warrant this title. Heaven help the person who has the audacity to point out this person’s deficiency. He will be abused for lacking kavod haTorah, the honor due to the Torah, and its representatives. I wrote the word, “sad,” because this person is in a situation which, of course, he brought upon himself, and which he can survive as long as he does not press the wrong buttons. Otherwise, one day, someone who is far from being a scholar will…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5778

אין שר בית הסהר ראה את כל מאומה בידו באשר ד' אתו

Roberto Szerer
In 5778, Vayeishev

The prison warden did not scrutinize anything that was in his charge inasmuch as Hashem was with him. (39:23)

Prison is not a happy place. It is usually reserved for the dregs of society. Many are there because they were unable to defend themselves against the prevailing circumstantial evidence. Others just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yosef was accused of a crime which he did not commit, but, in Egypt, as in most countries, this does not prevent the ruling class from disposing one into a system where he is lost – often forever. Yosef was admired and revered by the warden, as well as by the prisoners. They saw that something was…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5778

ברך עלינו ...את השנה הזא

Roberto Szerer
In 5778, Vayeishev

Bareich aleinu … es ha’shanah ha’zos.

After Adam and Chavah sinned in Gan Eden, Hashem brought certain curses to the world. One of these curses was B’zeias apecha tochal lechem, “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread.” Toil and labor in the pursuit of a livelihood comprise a curse. Unfortunately, some of us have elevated this “curse” to blessing status, almost as if one looks for every opportunity to work himself to the bone in order to earn a living. Hashem provides one’s “needs.” Some of us “want” more than we “need.” This is where the curse enters into the picture. We work…

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