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Home -> Vayigash -> 5778

ולא יכלו אחיו לענות אתו כי נבהלו מפניו

Roberto Szerer
In 5778, Vayigash

But his brothers could not answer him because they were left disconcerted before him. (45:3)

  The Midrash notes the difficulty individuals experience in accepting rebuke. Bilaam ha’rasha, the evil pagan-prophet, could not stand up to the criticism of his donkey. The Shivtei Kah, the sons of Yaakov Avinu, were overwhelmed with fear when Yosef merely uttered the two words: Ani Yosef, “I am Yosef.” Imagine, says Abba Kohen Bardela, when we come before the Heavenly Tribunal and each and every one of us will be rebuked lfi mah she’hu, according to what he is, (or what he could have been). How will we stand up to this Heavenly remonstrance? In the Talmud Berachos 4b,…

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Home -> Mikeitz -> 5778

ברך עלינו... את השנה הזאת

Roberto Szerer
In 5778, Mikeitz

Bareich aleinu… es ha’shanah ha’zos. Bless us…this year

B’zeias apecha tochal lechem, “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread” (Bereishis 3:19). Is this a curse – or a blessing? Horav Yitzchak Kirzner, zl, explains that people would now have to work to earn a living. The idyllic state of living in Paradise had come to a quick end. As a result of their sin, Adam and Chavah had plummeted from their original spiritual perch to a life filled with challenges. Had they remained on their exalted spiritual level, earning a livelihood would have had a negative connotation. Why waste so much precious time? Now, however,…

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Home -> Mikeitz -> 5778

כולנו בני איש אחד נחנו

Roberto Szerer
In 5778, Mikeitz

All of us, sons of one man are we. (42:11)

The Egyptian viceroy (Yosef) had a hard time believing that ten brothers, an entire family, were required to come down to Egypt to purchase food. If it was a question of assistance, one or two brothers could have gone with a few servants. Why did all of the brothers leave their individual families if the job could have been carried out by a few brothers? Ramban explains that, being brothers, their father, Yaakov Avinu, wanted them to remain together. It was not a matter of strength in numbers; it was just that Yaakov did not want the members of his…

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Home -> Mikeitz -> 5778

ויוסף הוא השליט על הארץ הוא המשביר לכל עם הארץ

Roberto Szerer
In 5778, Mikeitz

Now Yosef – he was the viceroy over the land, he was the provider to all the people. (42:6)

Simply translated, the pasuk informs us that Yosef was both ruler and provider to the people. Horav Moshe Cheifetz, zl (cited by Tzeil Ha’Eidah), derives from here that a community/group accepts the guidance/ rulership/governance of a person only after he has shown that he cares/provides for all of them. Thus, he interprets the pasuk as: Yosef was the (accepted) ruler because he was the provider to all the people. When the ruler provides, people listen; when the ruler thinks only of himself or those close to him, he will eventually deal with a mutiny, people rebelling against him. Obviously, one achieves…

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Home -> Mikeitz -> 5778

ויתן לו את אסנת בת פוטיפרע כהן אן לאשה

Roberto Szerer
In 5778, Mikeitz

And he gave him Osnas bas Potifar, chief of On, for a wife. (41:45)

Certain words in the English language are anathema to the Jewish religion. Coincidence, believing that things “happen” without being designated by G-d, is the antithesis of Jewish belief. We could devote books to support the notion of Hashgachah Pratis, Divine Providence, but why look anywhere but in our parsha? This is, of course, true throughout the Torah, but the story of Yosef and his brothers and the need to have him descend to Egypt so that they would eventually follow, is a classic example of Hashgachah. Yosef’s marriage to Osnas is a classic tale of Hashgachah Pratis as stated by…

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Home -> Mikeitz -> 5778

יאמר פרעה אל יוסף ראה נתתי אתך על כל ארץ מצרים

Roberto Szerer
In 5778, Mikeitz

Then Pharaoh said to Yosef. “See! I have placed you in charge of all the land of Egypt.” (41:41)

Hakoras hatov, recognizing a favor and paying gratitude, is a defining middah, character trait. One who is an ingrate is not a mentch, decent human being. Nonetheless, some individuals who, although not by nature ingrates, find themselves hard-pressed to recognize that (a) they owe something to someone, (b) that they have sufficient reason to show their appreciation. In other words, they seek every excuse to justify their lack of gratitude. They owe no one for anything. We all know people who seek excuses not to show their gratitude. We observe another form of character deficiency. A person helps; he is…

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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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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

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

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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