Sruly Schnair

“And Moshe grew up and he went out to his brethren and observed their burdens.” (2:11)

Pharaoh’s despotic plans were defeated as the one individual he sought to destroy grew up right before his eyes. It is interesting to note that the Torah does not document any event in Moshe Rabbeinu’s life from his birth until his attaining maturity, when he “went out to his brethren.” Why is nothing mentioned concerning Moshe’s formative years? Perhaps, this omission is attributed to Moshe’s mission in life. He was destined to become Klal Yisrael’s quintessential leader. Until the moment that he demonstrated his qualities of leadership there was no reason to mention his whereabouts, since it would have no…

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Sruly Schnair In 5756, Shemos

“And the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the first was Shifrah and the name of the second was Puah.” (1:15)

Chazal comment that Shifrah was actually Yocheved, the mother of Moshe Rabbeinu, while Puah was her daughter, Miriam. Chazal attribute Yocheved’s name to the fact that she “smoothed out” the limbs of an infant after its birth. The Midrash indicates that her name is derived from the fact that she washed off the blood which covered an infant at birth. The reasons which Chazal suggest for Yocheved’s name are perplexing! Should such a rudimentary task as attending to an infant at birth be the catalyst for assigning such an outstanding, virtuous woman as Yocheved another name? A name defines a…

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Sruly Schnair In 5756, Vayechi

And they (the Egyptians) wept for him (Yaakov) (50:3)

Rashi comments that the Egyptians wept for Yaakov because they recognized the material blessings that were manifest as a result of his presence in their country. Indeed, the seven year period of hunger which was destined for Egypt ended five years prematurely with Yaakov’s arrival in Egypt. The Nile River, which is Egypt’s prime source of irrigation, was also unusually blessed. Horav Moshe Rosenstein, z.l., comments upon the Egyptian reaction to the void left by a tzaddik in contrast to our recognition of the value of a tzaddik’s presence in our midst. Yosef was the viceroy of Egypt. It was…

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Sruly Schnair In 5756, Vayechi

Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the end of days. Assemble yourselves and hear, you sons of Yaakov and listen unto Yisrael your father (49:1,2)

The commentators raise a number of questions regarding the text of Yaakov’s command to his sons to prepare themselves for the final blessings which they were to receive from him: First, why must this message be conveyed in the presence of all the brothers assembled together? Second, what is the significance of the word, “hear/listen”? What else are they supposed to do, if not listen to Yaakov? Third, why does the pasuk begin by referring to the Patriarch as Yaakov and end by calling him Yisrael? Horav Eliyahu Schlesinger Shlita, cites Horav Baruch Epstein z.l., who, in his sefer Baruch…

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Sruly Schnair In 5756, Vayechi

Which I took from the hand of the Emori with my sword and with my bow. (48:22)

The Targum Onkelos interprets “my sword” as referring to prayer and “my bow” as alluding to supplication. This is consistent with the Chazal in Talmud Bava Basra 123A which discusses two levels of prayer. The first word, sword, represents the standard daily prayer that was ordained by the Anshei Knesses Ha’gedolah, Men of the Great Assembly. The second form of prayer refers to each and every man’s own personal supplication to Hashem. Why are these two forms of beseechment equated with the sword and the bow? The Netziv, z.l., explains that when one goes to battle, his goal is to…

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Sruly Schnair In 5756, Vayechi

And Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. (47:28)

Vayechi is considered to be a parsha setumah, a sealed parsha, because in the Sefer Torah there is no sign distinguishing it from the previous parsha, Vayigash. Chazal teach us that when Yaakov passed away, the hearts and eyes of Klal Yisrael became sealed from the affliction of the shibud, slavery. This statement is enigmatic. We are taught in the beginning of Sefer Shemos that as long as any member of the original émigrés that came with Yaakov was still alive, Klal Yisrael was not enslaved. Second, if the reason for the lack of “space” between parshios is attributed to…

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Sruly Schnair In 5756, Vayigash

“And he (Yaakov) sent Yehudah ahead of him to Yosef, to prepare ahead of him in Goshen.” (46:28)

In citing the Midrash which interprets the word, ruvk as “to teach,” Rashi uses a word which lends ambiguity to his statement. He says “to prepare for him a House of Study.” Why does Rashi add the word “for him?” He should have simply said to make a House of Study. Why is it necessary to emphasize that it was “for him”? When Horav Eliyahu Meir Bloch, z.l., came to these shores together with Horav Chaim Mordechai Katz, z.l., to rebuild Yeshivas Telz, he used this Rashi as the source for maintaining the yeshivah in the same character and form…

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Sruly Schnair In 5756, Vayigash

“And he (Yaakov) sent Yehudah ahead of him to Yosef, to prepare ahead of him in Goshen.” (46:28)

Rashi cites the Midrash which interprets the word,ruvk as “to teach.” This implies that Yehudah, the leader of the brothers, was sent ahead to prepare a place in which the family could study Torah. This first “yeshivah” in Egypt represents the essence of Klal Yisrael, setting the historical precedent for the primacy of learning. We are viewed as the Nation of the Book because the core of our lives is interwoven with Torah. Priority number one in every Jewish community has been the establishment of a Torah educational system. The Midrash concludes that wherever Yaakov went, he would study Torah,…

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Sruly Schnair In 5756, Vayigash

“And Yosef shall put his hand on your eyes.” (46:4)

The Ibn Ezra infers from this pasuk that it is customary for the living to close the eyes of the dead. Hashem was assuring Yaakov that Yosef would be there when he passed away. Yosef would arrange to take Yaakov out of Egypt to be buried in the Me’oras Ha’Machpeilah. The custom is that the eldest son closes the eyes of his father, as the parent takes leave from this world. The Yalkut Yehudah offers a poignant and meaningful foundation for this custom. Closing one’s eyes indicates peace of mind. When one sleeps, his eyes are closed. He is at…

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Sruly Schnair In 5756, Vayigash

“And he (Yosef) fell upon the shoulders of his brother Binyamin and wept, and Binyamin wept upon his (Yosef’s) shoulders.” (45:14)

Rashi comments that Yosef wept upon Binyamin’s shoulder because he foresaw the destruction of the two Batei Mikdash, which would be in Binyamin’s portion of Eretz Yisrael. It is interesting to note that Yosef also cried, falling upon his other brothers during his reconciliation with them, but there is no mention that he cried for the destruction of the Batei Mikdash. What was there about falling on Binyamin that inspired Yosef to mourn for the Batei Mikdash? The Eish Kodesh cites the Talmud Rosh Hashanah 20 which asserts that mitzvos were not given to us for the purpose of deriving…

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“And Moshe grew up and he went out to his brethren and observed their burdens.” (2:11)

“And the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the first was Shifrah and the name of the second was Puah.” (1:15)

And they (the Egyptians) wept for him (Yaakov) (50:3)

Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the end of days. Assemble yourselves and hear, you sons of Yaakov and listen unto Yisrael your father (49:1,2)

Which I took from the hand of the Emori with my sword and with my bow. (48:22)

And Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. (47:28)

“And he (Yaakov) sent Yehudah ahead of him to Yosef, to prepare ahead of him in Goshen.” (46:28)

“And he (Yaakov) sent Yehudah ahead of him to Yosef, to prepare ahead of him in Goshen.” (46:28)

“And Yosef shall put his hand on your eyes.” (46:4)

“And he (Yosef) fell upon the shoulders of his brother Binyamin and wept, and Binyamin wept upon his (Yosef’s) shoulders.” (45:14)

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