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Home -> Mikeitz -> 5762

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5762, Mikeitz

“You shall be in charge of my palace, and by your command shall all my people be sustained.” (41:40)

Let us attempt to view the Pharaohs of the Torah – the Pharaoh that reigned during Yosef’s tenure and the Pharoah who was the monarch who enslaved the Jews – regardless of whether or not they were one and the same. Yosef’s “Pharaoh” seems to be magnanimous and trusting. He takes a slave out of prison and transforms him overnight into the viceroy of Egypt. This does seem a bit incredible. On the other hand, Moshe Rabbeinu’s “Pharaoh” was unmoved by the multitude of miracles that Hashem wrought against his People. He refused to listen to Hashem, while his counterpart –…

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Home -> Mikeitz -> 5762

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5762, Mikeitz

“And there, with us, was a Hebrew youth, a slave of the Chamberlain of the Butchers.” (41:12)

A wealthy man once took ill, and no one was able to provide a cure for his malady. The finest physicians that money could buy could not alleviate the illness. A man came along who told the wealthy man, “I know a doctor, a general practitioner who will be able to cure you.” “How is that possible?” questioned the wealthy man. “I have had the most prominent specialists in the world at my side, and none of them has been able to provide a cure. Do you expect me to believe that some unknown doctor  can accomplish what has eluded the…

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Home -> Mikeitz -> 5762

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5762, Mikeitz

“Behold! he was standing over the River… ‘In my dream, behold! I was standing upon the bank of the River.’” (41:1, 17)

In Pharaoh’s dream, he sees himself standing over the river. When he relates the dream to Yosef, he tells him that he was standing on the bank  of  the river. What  is  the  significance  of  this discrepancy? The commentators suggest reasons for the change. Horav Yaakov Neiman, z.l., takes a somewhat different approach. He gives the following analogy. In America, during the cold winter rivers and lakes freeze, due to the subzero temperatures. When these rivers freeze, they become rock solid. One can  even drive over these frozen “highways.” Someone who comes from a warm climate and sees this “highway,” will…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5762

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5762, Vayeishev

As she (Tamar) was taken out she sent [word] to her father-in-law… “Recognize, if you please, whose are this signet, this wrap and this staff.”

Chazal say that Tamar did not want to humiliate Yehudah by saying, “I am pregnant by you.” Rather, she sent him the three items which he had left with her, saying to herself, “If he will admit on his own – let him admit. If not, let them burn me. I will not be the one to embarrass him.” Chazal derive from here that it is preferable for a person to throw himself into a fiery furnace in order to prevent shaming his friend in public. This is a powerful statement – one that is not understood outside its context in…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5762

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5762, Vayeishev

“And so it was, when Yosef came to his brothers they stripped Yosef of his tunic, the fine woolen tunic that was on him.” (37:23)

Was it really necessary to remove Yosef’s unique tunic? Was  their hatred toward him that implacable? Horav Sholom Shwadron, z.l., explains that, indeed, it had nothing to do with animosity. On the contrary, everything which they did was to ensure a “fair trial” for Yosef. The eye can be deceiving. Since the genesis of their animus toward Yosef was the multicolored tunic that was a special gift from their father, it was only right that it not “stare” at them while they judged Yosef. Seeing it might arouse their anger and cause them to adjudicate an incorrect verdict. This exposition is…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5762

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5762, Vayeishev

“His brothers saw that it was he whom their father loved most of all his brothers, and so they hated him; and they could not speak to him peaceably.” (37:4)

How often do we clash with someone and matters get out of hand to the point that it blossoms into a full-blown dispute? Suddenly, friends are not speaking to one another, and enmity creeps in. The first step towards any form of resolution is a meeting: sit down at the table, face each other and talk it out. Air out your differences and, before long, it becomes apparent that it really is not an important conflict. As long as people are willing to meet and talk it out, to attempt to solve their problems, to seek  a reconciliation – there is…

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Home -> 5762 -> Vayishlach

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Vayishlach, 5762

“And Timnah was a concubine of Elifaz, son of Eisav, and she bore Amalek to Elifaz.” (36:12)

We have before us Amalek’s roots. The archenemy of the Jewish people, the one who stands for evil – Amalek – is Eisav’s grandson. Amalek, a nation whose cruelty knew no bound and whose viciousness was unparalleled, was the son of Elifaz and his concubine, Timnah. Who was Timnah? Chazal tell us that Timnah descended from royalty. She was the sister of Lotan, one of the chiefs of Seir. Yet, she was so anxious to marry a descendant of Avraham that she said to Elifaz, “If I am unworthy to become your wife, let me at least be your concubine!” Chazal go…

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Home -> 5762 -> Vayishlach

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Vayishlach, 5762

“Eisav took his wives… all the members of his household…and all his possessions… and went to a land because of his brother Yaakov.” (36:6)

Rashi cites the Midrash attributing Eisav’s departure “because of his brother Yaakov.” Eisav said, “There is an obligation to fulfill the debt   of   Ki   ger   yiheyeh   zarecha,   “Your   offspring   shall   be sojourners,” i.e. the decree of exile, which was placed upon the offspring of Yitzchak. I will leave from here because I want to have no portion, neither of the gift that has been given to Yitzchak nor of the payment of the contract.” Eisav understood that the blessings that were Yitzchak’s were accompanied by a “debt” of servitude, a debt of exile. The Torah was given only to those who…

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Home -> 5762 -> Vayishlach

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Vayishlach, 5762

“And he took his two wives, his two handmaids, and his eleven sons.” (32:23)

There seems to be a child missing. Yaakov had eleven sons and one daughter. What happened to Dinah, Yaakov’s daughter? Rashi tells us that Yaakov hid her in a box, so that Eisav would not see her and want to take her for a wife. Yaakov was punished for this when Dinah went out and was violated by Shechem. He should have been sensitive to his brother’s needs. Who knows? Perhaps Dinah might have influenced Eisav to initiate a positive change in his life. This is enigmatic. How can we expect Yaakov to marry his daughter to such an evil person…

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Home -> 5762 -> Vayishlach

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Vayishlach, 5762

When my brother Eisav meets you and asks you, saying, “Whose are you, where are you going, and whose are these that are before you?” (32:18)

Upon coming to this pasuk, the Chidushei HaRim, z.l., would turn  to his chassidim and say, “Note how these three questions have a strong similarity to the three queries which Chazal teach us are the fundamental questions a Jew must ask of himself. Know these things, and you will not come into the grip of sin: know from where you came; where you are going; and before Whom you will give justification and reckoning (Pirkei Avos 3:1). Chazal give us the three keys to our spiritual survival. Are they different than the questions Eisav asked?” “We derive an important lesson from…

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