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Home -> Vayechi -> 5783

ויאמר קחם נא אלי ואברכם

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Vayechi

Bring them to me, if you please, and I will bless them. (48:9)

Yosef brought his two sons to his father, Yaakov Avinu, for a blessing, as the Patriarch had instructed him. Is this not why Yosef brought them? He did not want a long-distance blessing. What was Yaakov intimating when he said, “Bring them to me”? Yaakov was alluding that not only was his blessing of great significance, but it was also important for his grandsons to see him up close, to sear into their minds his visage and bearing. When Yerushalayim was under siege by the Roman army, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai met with Vespasian, the Roman commander and chief. He…

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Home -> Vayechi -> 5783

וימאן אביו ויאמר ידעתי בני ידעתי

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Vayechi

But his father refused, saying, “I Know, my son, I know.” (48:19)

Yosef made a move to show his father that Menashe was his older son; thus, he warranted the blessing on the right/stronger side. One would have expected Yaakov Avinu to simply inform him that Ephraim will ultimately be the greater of the two. Why does he preface his response with Yadaati, b’ni, yadaati? Horav Yisrael Aharon Kupshitz, Shlita (Torah Ohr, quoted by Horav Eliezer Turk, Shlita), comments that the Torah is teaching us an important principle with regard to our seeking advice from a gadol, Torah giant. We must never forget that the reason he is where he is, and…

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Home -> Vayechi -> 5783

ויברכם... בך יברך ישראל לאמר ישמך אלקים כאפרים וכמנשה

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Vayechi

So he blessed them… saying, “By you shall Yisrael bless saying, ‘May G-d make you like Ephraim and like Menashe.’” (48:20)

Yaakov Avinu blessed his grandsons with what has become the standard of blessing. Horav Yechezkel, zl, m’Kuzmir, notes that the word becha, by you, is singular, as if the speaker is addressing one person, which is not the case. Both Menashe and Ephraim were present during this blessing; thus, bach refers to both of them. The Kuzmirer explains that bach alludes to complete unity in which two individuals – in this instance, Menashe and Ephraim – who are unified in complete harmony as one person. Only when perfect amity prevails can brachah, blessing, radiate to Klal Yisrael. When Yosef presented…

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Home -> Vayechi -> 5783

וירא מנוחה כי טוב... ויט שכמו לסבול

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Vayechi

He saw tranquility that it was good… Yet he bent his shoulder to bear. (49:15)

We have before us a paradox concerning Yissachar, the symbol of the ben Torah, who devoted his life to Torah study and spiritual pursuits. If he sees that tranquility is good, why does he bend his shoulder to bear? Why should he toil if he has an easier way? Horav Moshe Shternbuch, Shlita, explains that the Torah is lauding Yissachar’s devotion in that he remains committed, despite the easy way out – tranquility. Torah is so valuable to him that he would rather toil in Torah than relax. All the worldly pleasures which avail themselves to him do not stand…

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Home -> Vayigash -> 5783

ויגש אליו יהודה ויאמר בי אדנ-י

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Vayigash

Then Yehuda approached him and said, “If you please, my lord.” (44:18)

The Jewish people are called Yehudim, from Yehudah’s name. What is so special about his name that earned this distinction? The goal of a Jew is to realize that everything which occurs in his life emanates from Hashem. Even when he finds himself in the worst predicament of his life, he acknowledges his life force: Hashem. He sees Hashem’s light amid the darkness that engulfs him. The Sefas Emes explains Yehudah’s statement to Yosef, Bee Adonee, literally, “Within me is my Master.” Yehudah’s name contains within it the same letters as Hashem’s Name. When Yehudah expunged whatever personal bias might…

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Home -> Mikeitz -> 5783

ויגש אליו יהודה

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Mikeitz

Then Yehudah approached him. (44:18)

Yehudah made an impassioned plea to Yosef, whom he still thought was the Egyptian viceroy. He was polite, but firm. He was even willing to exchange himself for Binyamin. One thing was not negotiable: Binyamin. He must be freed. Chazal (Midrash Rabbah 93:6), comment that, in his address to Yosef, Yehudah was prepared for three courses of action: war, appeasement and prayer. Concerning war, we see that the undercurrent of Yehudah’s plea was his willingness to use force, if necessary, to effect Binyamin’s release. From his choice of words and respectful demeanor, it is clear that Yehudah was prepared to…

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Home -> Vayigash -> 5783

ויפל אל צוארי בנימין אחיו ויבך ובנימין בכה על צואריו

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Vayigash

Then he fell upon his brother Binyamin’s neck and wept; and Binyamin wept upon his neck. (45:14)

Chazal teach that Yosef and Binyamin wept over the Sanctuaries that would be built in their respective portions of Eretz Yisrael and later destroyed. The two Batei Mikdash were in Binyamin’s territory, and the Mishkan Shiloh in Yosef’s (Efraim’s) territory. After years of separation, the love the two brothers had for one another was superseded by their sadness over the future destructions. While the Avos, Patriarchs, and their children were all human beings, the Torah and everything spiritual were uppermost in their minds. Their connection to one another was via the Torah. Horav Yaakov Neiman, zl, relates the well-known incident…

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Home -> Vayigash -> 5783

קחו לכם... עגלות לטפכם ולנשיכם... וירא את העגלות אשר שלח יוסף... ותחי רוח יעקב אביהם

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Vayigash

Take for yourselves… wagons for your small children and for your wives… and he (Yaakov) saw the wagons that Yosef had sent… the spirit of their father Yaakov revived. (45:19,27)

Chazal wonder what it was about the agalos, wagons, that assuaged Yaakov Avinu’s fear concerning Yosef’s moral status. [His son had been separated from him and his pristine spiritual environment for over two decades. During this time Yosef had been ensconced in a country whose moral compass was bankrupt, its culture redefining the nadir of moral profligacy. He worried, but when he saw the agalos, he calmed down.] The simple answer is that agalos, wagons, allude to Eglah Arufah (agalah, eglah, same letters), the axed heifer, which was the last topic Yaakov had studied with Yosef prior to his disappearance….

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Home -> Mikeitz -> 5783

ועתה ירא פרעה איש נבון וחכם וישיתהו על ארץ מצרים

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Mikeitz

Now let Pharaoh seek out a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. (41:33)

Pharaoh had asked Yosef to interpret his dreams. Nowhere do we find him asking for advice. Yet, after Yosef paints a picture of prosperity followed by hunger, doom and gloom, he adds that Pharaoh should immediately appoint a wise and discerning man to administrate the country. Horav Yitzchak Volozhiner, zl, explains that Pharaoh’s dream occurred on Rosh Hashanah, as Chazal (Rosh Hashanah 10) teach that Yosef was taken out of prison on Rosh Hashanah. Yosef wondered why Pharaoh had his dreams on this auspicious day. Indeed, Chazal (Rosh Hashanah 16a) teach that four times during the year Hashem judges the…

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Home -> Mikeitz -> 5783

ועתה ירא פרעה איש נבון וחכם וישיתהו על ארץ מצרים

Sruly Schnair
In 5783, Mikeitz

Now let Pharaoh seek out a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. (41:33)

Chochmah, wisdom, is clearly a prerequisite for growth and leadership. It is also vital to functioning as a ben Torah, one who is committed to achieving a close relationship with Hashem. Horav Elazar M. Shach, zl, was wont to say that Hashem will not take a person to task if he is not a tzaddik, righteous man, but He expects him to be a chacham, wise man. This means that Hashem waits for a person to use his own G-d-given brain to determine that it is in his best interest to choose to live the Torah way of life. His…

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