Peninim on the Torah – Page 234 – Hebrew Academy of Cleveland

ויירא ויאמר מה נורא המקום הזה אין זה כי אם בית אלקים וזה שער השמים

And he became frightened and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the Abode of G-d, and this is the gate of the Heaven!” (28:17)

It was the 28th day of Sivan 1930; the crowd gathered to partake in the chanukas ha’bayis, dedication, of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin. While it was not the first yeshivah in Poland, it was the most innovative. This was truly an auspicious occasion. The Gerrer Rebbe, zl, the Imrei Emes, was given the honor of addressing the assemblage. He quoted the above pasuk, asking why a redundancy of the word zeh, this, occurs: zeh Bais Elokim v’zeh Shaar ha’Shomayim; “This is the Abode of G-d; this is the gate of the Heavens.” He cited the Baal Shem Tov, zl, who explained…

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ויפגע במקום וילן שם כי בא השמש

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeitzei, 5777

He encountered the place and spent the night there because the sun had set. (28:11)

Rashi explains that this “place” was none other than Har HaMoriah, the site where Avraham Avinu had bound Yitzchak Avinu on the Altar of the Akeidah. This was also the future site of the Bais Hamikdash. Chazal interpret this “encounter” to mean “he prayed.” Yaakov Avinu’s encounter was not with a geographical location, but rather, with Hashem. Why did the pasuk not simply state that he prayed? What is the significance of the word, encounter, and what is its relationship to prayer? Various terms express tefillah, prayer; pegia, encountering, is one. I think that pegia refers to a prayer in…

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ויצא יעקב מבאר שבע וילך חרנה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeitzei, 5777

And Yaakov went out from Be’er Sheva and went to Charan. (28:10)

In a well-known statement, Rashi teaches that the departure of a tzaddik from a community leaves a void. When the righteous person is in town, he comprises its glory, beauty and glow. When he leaves, its glory, beauty and glow leave with him. This is derived from the word, Vayeitzei (Yaakov), and “he (Yaakov) went out (from Be’er Sheva).” It is not necessary to write his point of departure. That is obvious, since he had been there until this point. All that is required for the reader to know is his destination – unless his departure creates a void. The…

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ולא שמע אליה לשכב אצלה להיות עמה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5777, Vayeishev

If he would not listen to her to lie beside her, to be with her. (39:10)

Yosef HaTzaddik suffered greatly from the attempt of Potifar’s wife to seduce him. Chazal (Yuma 35b) describe her machinations in order to take Yosef down: “Every day, she would attempt to seduce him with words. The clothes she wore for him in the morning, she would not wear for him in the evening. The clothes she wore for him in the evening, she would not wear for him in the morning. After varying her wardrobe in order to arouse him, she said, ‘Surrender yourself to me.’ He responded, ‘No!’ She threatened to have him put in jail. He responded, ‘Hashem…

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לאיש אשר אלה לו אנכי הרה ותאמר הכר נא למי החתמת והפתילים והמטה האלה.

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5777, Vayeishev

“By the man to whom these belong I am with child.” And she said, “Identify, if you please, whose are this signet, this wrap and this staff.” (38:25)

What is the definition of yiraas Shomayim, fear of Heaven? A G-d-fearing Jew is one who is acutely aware of Hashem’s Presence, who understands that he stands before G-d at all times and that all of his actions and designs are under Heavenly scrutiny. A G-d-fearing person never loses his perspective of Hashem. This may sound like a given, almost a simple understatement, but, if one thinks about it, most of us act as if we do not think Hashem is “looking.” If one were to ask the average person how to develop recognition, a profound realization of Hashem, the…

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כי ראתה כי גדל שלה והיא לא נתנה לו לאשה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5777, Vayeishev

For she saw that Sheilah had grown, and she had not been given to him as a wife. (38:14)

Tamar waited – and waited. Tamar was determined to have children from Yehudah. When she noticed that Sheilah had not been given to her, she decided to take undignified steps to realize her dream. If her children could not emanate from Yehudah’s sons, they would emanate from Yehudah himself. She was going to be the progenitress of the Davidic /Messianic dynasty. The Baal HaTurim adds to the above (Rashi’s) p’shat, explanation. When Tamar saw that she was not being given to Sheilah, she became anxious, filled with pain at the thought that she would not play a role in carrying…

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וישראל אהב את יוסף מכל בניו...ויראו אחיו כי אתו אהב אביהם מכל אחיו וישנאו אתו ...ויקנאו בו אחיו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5777, Vayeishev

Now Yisrael loved Yosef more than all of his sons…His brothers saw that it was he whom their father loved most of all his brothers so they hated him…So his brothers were jealous of him. (37:3,4,11)

Clearly the story of Yosef and his brothers is one of the most difficult passages in the Torah to understand. One must view everything which occurs in the Torah and the Torah’s description of these events through a spiritual lens, understanding full well that the actions of our ancestors are beyond our understanding, and completely inexplicable from a simplistic, secular perspective. Do we even have an idea concerning the spiritual persona of Yosef HaTzaddik – or his brothers, the Shivtei Kah? In a passage of the Midrash (Midrash Eileh Ezkerah), Chazal say the following: “Rabbi Yishmael said, ‘When I returned…

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וירא את המקום מרחוק

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5777

And (he) perceived the place from afar. (22:4)

In Perek Aleph of Mesillas Yesharim, the Ramchal writes: “From this we learn that the primary purpose of man’s existence in this world is solely to do mitzvos, to serve Hashem, and to overcome tribulations.” I have always felt that when we add the verse, Zachreinu l’Chaim, during the Aseres Y’mei Teshuvah, the word l’maancha, for Your sake, is its most defining point. We pray for life. For what reason should we live? Hashem owes us nothing. It is almost insolent to ask for life unless one has a lofty purpose in living. L’maancha is that lofty purpose. We live…

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וה' אמר המכסה אני מאברהם אשר אני עושה ואברהם היו יהיה לגוי גדול ועצום

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5777

Shall I conceal from Avraham what I am about to do, and Avraham will surely become a great and mighty nation? (17:18)

Hashem’s apparent deliberation concerning whether or not to share His plans about the destruction of Sodom with Avraham Avinu begs elucidation. The very statement implies that He had a legitimate reason to conceal this information from Avraham. Nonetheless, Hashem decided to share the information with Avraham (regardless). The Patriarch was destined to be the progenitor of a great nation. Thus, he should be made aware of the impending destruction. Obviously, something is happening of which the reader is not aware. Rashi explains that this is a rhetorical question, which should be read in astonishment. Nonetheless, it still does not clarify…

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ויאמר ד' אל אברהם למה זה צחקה שרה... היפלא מד' דבר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeira, 5777

Then Hashem said to Avraham, “Why is it that Sarah laughed?”… Is there anything beyond Hashem?” (18:13,14)

Sarah Imeinu wondered how a woman of her age could possibly conceive and bear a child. Hashem’s response is one that should be on our lips all of the time. Indeed, it should be the Jew’s mantra: Ha’yipalei mei Hashem davar? “Is there anything beyond Hashem?” Nothing is beyond Hashem’s capabilities. The Midrash cites a meaningful mashal, parable. A man carrying two links of a metal chain that had snapped came to the blacksmith shop. “Can you possibly repair my chain?” The blacksmith looked at the man somewhat incredulously and asked, “If I can fashion a new chain from raw…

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ויירא ויאמר מה נורא המקום הזה אין זה כי אם בית אלקים וזה שער השמים

And he became frightened and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the Abode of G-d, and this is the gate of the Heaven!” (28:17)

ויפגע במקום וילן שם כי בא השמש

He encountered the place and spent the night there because the sun had set. (28:11)

ויצא יעקב מבאר שבע וילך חרנה

And Yaakov went out from Be’er Sheva and went to Charan. (28:10)

ולא שמע אליה לשכב אצלה להיות עמה

If he would not listen to her to lie beside her, to be with her. (39:10)

לאיש אשר אלה לו אנכי הרה ותאמר הכר נא למי החתמת והפתילים והמטה האלה.

“By the man to whom these belong I am with child.” And she said, “Identify, if you please, whose are this signet, this wrap and this staff.” (38:25)

כי ראתה כי גדל שלה והיא לא נתנה לו לאשה

For she saw that Sheilah had grown, and she had not been given to him as a wife. (38:14)

וישראל אהב את יוסף מכל בניו...ויראו אחיו כי אתו אהב אביהם מכל אחיו וישנאו אתו ...ויקנאו בו אחיו

Now Yisrael loved Yosef more than all of his sons…His brothers saw that it was he whom their father loved most of all his brothers so they hated him…So his brothers were jealous of him. (37:3,4,11)

וירא את המקום מרחוק

And (he) perceived the place from afar. (22:4)

וה' אמר המכסה אני מאברהם אשר אני עושה ואברהם היו יהיה לגוי גדול ועצום

Shall I conceal from Avraham what I am about to do, and Avraham will surely become a great and mighty nation? (17:18)

ויאמר ד' אל אברהם למה זה צחקה שרה... היפלא מד' דבר

Then Hashem said to Avraham, “Why is it that Sarah laughed?”… Is there anything beyond Hashem?” (18:13,14)

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