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Home -> 5776 -> Vayeitzei

ויגש יעקב ויגל את האבן מעל פי הבאר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Vayeitzei, 5776

He stepped near and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well. (29:10)

Rashi teaches that Yaakov Avinu was able to roll the stone off the well with the same ease as one removes a stopper from a bottle opening. Are Chazal that impressed with Yaakov’s physical strength that they feel it is a necessary lesson to impart to us? Are we that interested in our Patriarch’s physical prowess? Furthermore, in Tefillas Geshem, we say, Yichad lev v’gal even mi’pi be’er mayim… Baavuro al timna mayim, “He dedicated his heart and rolled a stone off the mouth of a well of water… For his sake, do not hold water back!” What merit does…

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Home -> 5776 -> Vayeitzei

ויפגע במקום וילן שם כי בא השמש

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Vayeitzei, 5776

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

Darkness can be overwhelming. The symbolism inherent in darkness can be debilitating, since it evokes hopelessness; when there is no hope, there is no life. Hope is the candle that lights up the darkness, regardless of the size of the candle. Sadly, consistent with the well-known proverb, too many of us are too busy cursing the darkness to seek out a candle to counteract the darkness. We are too intensely involved in complaining about the miserable hand that has been dealt to us to focus on the positive, in order to engender hope into our lives. Yaakov Avinu had two…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5776

וימאן... ואיך אעשה הרעה הגדלה הזאת וחטאתי לאלקים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Vayeishev

But he adamantly refused… how then can I have perpetrated this great evil and I have sinned against G-d. (39:8,9)

Above the word va’yima’en, “but he adamantly refused,” are two cantillation signs/notes, a shalsheles followed by a p’sik; the shalsheles is a rarely used sign. Together, they underscore the word va’yima’en, indicating that Yosef’s refusal was emphatic and unequivocal. It was a definitive “No!” which offered Potifar’s wife no question about her ability to entice Yosef into committing a sin with her. He asserted that there was no room whatsoever for negotiation. It was only after he emphatically said, “No!” that he explained his reasons to her. From this pasuk, Horav Shlomo Amar, Shlita, derives the Torah’s approach to dealing…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5776

והנה ארחת ישמעאלים באה מגלעד וגמליהם נשאים נכאת וצרי ולוט

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Vayeishev

Behold! – A caravan of Ishamelites was coming from Gilead, their camels bearing spice, balsam and lotus. (37:25)

Rashi’s commentary is well-known. After all, why did the Torah find it necessary to mention the cargo carried by the Ishmaelite caravan? He explains that the Torah is teaching us that Hashem intervened on behalf of Yosef. Ishmaelite caravans usually transported foul-smelling cargo, such as naphtha and tar, but, in order to spare the righteous Yosef the discomfort of smelling the offensive odor, Hashem arranged for this caravan to carry sweet-smelling fragrances. Many lessons can be gleaned from Rashi’s interpretation of the sudden change in Ishmaelite cargo. Indeed, Horav Eliyahu Baruch Finkel, zl, categorizes these lessons, based on individual insights…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5776

וישמע ראובן ויצלהו מידם ויאמר לא נכנו נפש

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5776, Vayeishev

Reuven heard, and he rescued him from their hand; he said, “We will not strike him mortally.” (37:21)

Two of his brothers attempted to save Yosef from his fate: Reuven and Yehudah. Yet, it is only Reuven who has been recognized as the one who made the attempt, and it is he alone who has received credit for his effort. Why? Chazal (Makkos 10a) explain, She’hu posach b’hatzalah techilah, “He was the first to initiate the rescue of Yosef.” Yehudah made the attempt by convincing them to sell Yosef. Should he not also have received credit for his good intentions? The Ponevezer Rav, Horav Yosef Kahaneman, zl, teaches us a profound lesson concerning the true meaning of “saving…

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Home -> 5776 -> Vayeira

וימל אברהם את יצחק בנו בן שמונת ימים כאשר צוה אתו אלקים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Vayeira, 5776

And Avraham circumcised his son, Yitzchak, when he was eight days old, as Hashem had commanded him. (21:4)

For the Jew, Bris Milah, circumcision, is much more than a rite of passage; it defines him.  This applies to a halachic bris, performed by a bona fide mohel.  It does not apply to the surgical procedure performed by one is who not of the Jewish faith – either by birth or by practice.  The Jewish child that has been ritually circumcised shares an inextricable bond with the Almighty that transcends any form of physical ligature.  In his commentary to Chumash, Horav Aryeh Leib Heyman, zl, very beautifully explains this relationship.  He notes that the Torah does not mention Avraham…

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Home -> 5776 -> Vayeira

ויאמר אברהם כי אמרתי רק אין יראת אלקים במקום הזה והרגוני על דבר אשתי

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Vayeira, 5776

And Avraham said, “Because I said, “There is but no fear of G-d in this place and they will slay me because of my wife.” (20:11)

We can derive a powerful lesson from Avraham Avinu’s statement.  Yiraas Shomayim, fear of Heaven, is the “be all” and “end all.”  One who fears Hashem has hope that he will navigate through life’s journey without encountering challenges that are insurmountable – not because they will not occur, but because he has the one tool that gives him the ability to surmount and triumph over whatever the “satans” of life throw at him.   Avraham felt that a lack of yiraas Shomayim on the part of the Plishtim could even lead to bloodshed. We see this on a regular basis.  When…

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Home -> 5776 -> Vayeira

וישלחו האנשים את ידם ויביאו את לוט אליהם הביתה ואת הדלת סגרו ואת האנשים אשר פתח הבית הכו בסנורים... וילאו למצא הפתח

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Vayeira, 5776

The men stretched out their hand and brought Lot into the house with them, and closed the door. And the men who were at the entrance of the house, they were struck with blindness…and they tried vainly to find the entrance. (19:10, 11)

The angels pulled Lot into the house making sure to close the door behind them.  Immediately afterward, the angels struck the men at the door, blinding them.  They no longer could locate the doorway to Lot’s house.  One can only find what he can see.  We wonder why the door had to be closed once the men had been blinded.  They could no longer find the entrance.  Lot was essentially protected.  He could sit right in front of them, and they would not be aware of it. Horav Shalom Schwadron, zl, explains that the door was not closed in order…

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Home -> 5776 -> Vayeira

אולי יש חמשים צדיקים בתוך העיר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Vayeira, 5776

What if there should be fifty righteous persons in the midst of the city? (18:24)

The pasuk seems to be emphasizing tzadikim b’soch ha’ir, “righteous persons in the midst of the city”.  Simply, this means that these virtuous men do not play out their righteousness only in the private sphere, but also in the midst of the city.  It might not be convenient for some to express their religious beliefs in public – such as when it means adhering to the standard uniform of an observant Jew, i.e. tzitzis, yamulka– yet, they do so out of religious conviction.  Hashem was setting the standard: a righteous person at home and in the street.  (We have also…

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Home -> 5776 -> Vayeira

וד' אמר המכסה אני מאברהם אשר אני עשה. ואברהם היו יהיה לגוי גדול ועצום

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Vayeira, 5776

And Hashem said, “Shall I conceal from Avraham what I do, now that Avraham is surely to become a great and mighty nation?” (18:17, 18)

Hashem informed Avraham Avinu, that He was about to destroy the city of Sodom. Its community of sinners had gone too far, elevating sin to the level of cultural acceptance.  It had become a way of life.  The Torah teaches that Hashem’s intention in notifying Avraham of His plans was to inform Avraham about his future as Patriarch of a large nation.  Is this the reason that Hashem informed Avraham of His plans?  True, Hashem wanted Avraham to pray for the people of Sodom, to teach the Patriarch the significance of prayer and its ability to rescind a decree –…

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