Attitude – Page 99 – Peninim on the Torah

וייקץ נח מיינו וידע את אשר עשה לו בנו הקטן. – ויאמר ארור כנען

When Noach awoke from his wine, he learned what his youngest son did to him. And he said, “Cursed be Canaan.” (9:24,25)

Three sons – two acted appropriately – one did not. Noach acted in a manner unbecoming an individual of his sublime stature. It was a temporary lapse, an error in judgment, after having observed the destruction of the entire world. He did not commit an outrageous sin, but he should have acted in a more exalted manner. Vayachel Noach, “Noach debased himself” (Ibid 9:20). We see that even great people can lose control of themselves and act foolishly. The reaction of Noach’s sons defines their characters. Crisis brings out a person’s true essence. Some children are wonderful, as long as…

Home -> 5776 -> Noach

ויקח שם ויפת את השמלה וישימו על שכם שניהם וילכו אחרנית ויכסו את ערות אביהם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Noach, 5776

And Shem and Yafes took a garment, laid it upon their shoulders, and they walked backwards, and covered their father’s nakedness. (9:23)

Rashi notes the singular term vayikach, implying that he – Shem – was the one who took the garment to fulfill the commandment of honoring his father. Because he exerted himself more than Yafes, his reward exceeded that of Yafes. Shem was blessed with the mitzvah of Tzitzis, and Yafes, who also participated in carrying out the mitzvah, was blessed with burial for his descendants. This refers to the war of Gog and Magog, during which the children of Yafes will be accorded burial in Eretz Yisrael. The commentators question the attribution of the mitzvah of Tzitzis to Shem’s noble…

Home -> 5776 -> Nitzavim

כי המצוה הזאת... לא נפלאת היא ממך ולא רחוקה היא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5776

For this mitzvah… it is not hidden from you and it is not distant. (30:11)

The Ramban writes that “this mitzvah” refers to the mitzvah of teshuvah, repentance. The sinner conjures up a wealth of lame excuses for not repenting. For the most part, the primary hurdle is believing that one can successfully navigate the teshuvah process and return to pre-sin status – both in the eyes of the community and in the eyes of the sinner. The offender has convinced himself that he has gone too far, offended too many, hurt so many close family and friends, so why bother? We are at the gates of Rosh Hashanah, and each and every one of…

Home -> 5776 -> Nitzavim

ואמרו כל הגוים... וישלכם אל ארץ אחרת כיום הזה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5776

And all the nations will say… and He cast them to another land, as this very day! (29:23,27)

Horav Chaim Shaul Kaufman, zl, Rosh Yeshivas Tiferes Yaakov (London) gleans from this statement the stark difference between the attitude of the gentile during a period of Heavenly concealment and the Jewish perspective on adversity. The gentile “believes” in G-d (according to his limited understanding of this term). When a moment of hester panim, Divine concealment, occurs in his life, he feels that G-d has forsaken him, cast him off (perhaps even deservedly) to the point that, whatever adversity and challenge he confronts, it will not provide a lesson for him from which he can learn and change. Whatever happens…

Home -> 5776 -> Nitzavim

והיה בשמעו את דברי האלה הזאת והתברך בלבבו לאמר שלום יהיה לי כי בשררת לבי אלך... לא יאבה ד' סלח לו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5776

And it will be that when he hears the words of this imprecation, he will bless himself in his heart, saying, “Peace will be with me, though I walk as my heart sees fit…” Hashem will not be willing to forgive him. (29:18, 19)

We hear it all of the time, “It is not me… True, bad things do happen, but – to others – not to me.” We have convinced ourselves that we are immune from punishment; disasters happen to others; tragedies are events that we read about – but they do not happen to us. It is almost as if we have sprayed ourselves with Teflon, preventing anything bad from happening directly to us. Ibn Ezra offers a rationale for this delusion: “Peace will be with me, though I walk as my heart sees fit.” I will live in the merit of…

Home -> 5776 -> Mishpatim

והגישו אדניו אל הדלת... ורצע אדניו את אזנו במרצע ועבדו לעולם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Mishpatim, 5776

Then his master shall bring him to the door… and his master shall bore through his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him forever. (21:6)

The Talmud Kiddushin 22b explains why the ear, as opposed to the other organs of the body, is bored. Hashem said, “The ear that heard My voice at Har Sinai, at the moment that I said, ‘For Me will Bnei Yisrael be slaves – and not slaves to slaves; yet, this person went ahead and acquired a (another) master for himself.’” This thief — who either was sold by the rabbinical court to repay his debt or sold himself out of poverty– was originally forced into servitude as a result of his predicament. He now seeks to extend his “working…

Home -> Mikeitz -> 5776

ויצא לבם ויחרדו איש אל אחיו לאמר מה זאת עשה אלקים לנו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5776, Mikeitz

Their hearts sank, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that G-d has done to us?” (42:28)

Any intelligent, observant Jew knows that life is neither lived randomly, nor lived in a vacuum. Life is filled with meaning and purpose, much like a roadway with signs warning the driver to slow down for a construction site, a children’s crossing, traffic jam, bad weather. The intelligent driver takes heed and makes the necessary changes in accordance with the messages that he sees. The driver who ignores the messages and is too preoccupied to take notice – or cannot read the language – will either luckily avoid an accident or fail to negotiate a problem area properly and hurt…

Home -> Mikeitz -> 5776

וירא יוסף את אחיו ויכירם ויתנכר להם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5776, Mikeitz

Yosef saw his brothers and he recognized them, but he acted like a stranger towards them. (42:7)

Yosef apparently wanted to conceal his identity from his brothers. He wanted them to think that he was the Egyptian viceroy, a pagan, not a Jew, and certainly not their long-lost brother, Yosef. Why? A practical, insightful explanation for Yosef’s behavior is rendered by Horav Moshe Yaakov Ribicov, zl, the holy man known as the Der Shuster, HaSandlor, the Shoemaker. Let me first digress from the subject and introduce the reading audience to this holy man. The Sandlor lived in Tel Aviv, and the Chazon Ish considered him to be rosh ha’lamed vov tzaddikim, the head/leader of the thirty-six righteous…

Home -> 5762 -> Shoftim

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shoftim, 5762

“Judges and officers shall you appoint.” (16:18)

Jewish leadership has to be strong – yet flexible. Compassion for, and sensitivity to all Jews are prerequisites for leadership. Strength of character and fear of no man are just as essential. The following narratives demonstrate these two inimical qualities which were the hallmarks of two Torah leaders. Horav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, z.l., was a talmid chacham without peer. Yet, he had no problem performing the most menial task if it would help another Jew – regardless of his age or station in life. Rav Yosef Chaim was once late in returning home from Shacharis. This was an anomaly, since he was…

Home -> 5762 -> Re'eh

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Re'eh, 5762

“You shall tithe the entire crop of your planting.” (14:22)

Chazal teach us aseir bishvil sheh’tisasheir, “tithe so that you will increase your wealth.” There is a distinct corollary between the mitzvah of tzedakah, charity, and wealth. One who gives will be worthy of receiving. One who does not give has no merit for which to receive. When we think about it, what really is wealth? Better yet, how do we estimate one’s worth? Usually, the idea of evaluating one’s worth is a reference to his financial assets. Actually, that approach identifies a very limited perspective of one’s true worth. We measure one’s worth in spiritual terms. It is not what…

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וייקץ נח מיינו וידע את אשר עשה לו בנו הקטן. – ויאמר ארור כנען

When Noach awoke from his wine, he learned what his youngest son did to him. And he said, “Cursed be Canaan.” (9:24,25)

ויקח שם ויפת את השמלה וישימו על שכם שניהם וילכו אחרנית ויכסו את ערות אביהם

And Shem and Yafes took a garment, laid it upon their shoulders, and they walked backwards, and covered their father’s nakedness. (9:23)

כי המצוה הזאת... לא נפלאת היא ממך ולא רחוקה היא

For this mitzvah… it is not hidden from you and it is not distant. (30:11)

ואמרו כל הגוים... וישלכם אל ארץ אחרת כיום הזה

And all the nations will say… and He cast them to another land, as this very day! (29:23,27)

והיה בשמעו את דברי האלה הזאת והתברך בלבבו לאמר שלום יהיה לי כי בשררת לבי אלך... לא יאבה ד' סלח לו

And it will be that when he hears the words of this imprecation, he will bless himself in his heart, saying, “Peace will be with me, though I walk as my heart sees fit…” Hashem will not be willing to forgive him. (29:18, 19)

והגישו אדניו אל הדלת... ורצע אדניו את אזנו במרצע ועבדו לעולם

Then his master shall bring him to the door… and his master shall bore through his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him forever. (21:6)

ויצא לבם ויחרדו איש אל אחיו לאמר מה זאת עשה אלקים לנו

Their hearts sank, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that G-d has done to us?” (42:28)

וירא יוסף את אחיו ויכירם ויתנכר להם

Yosef saw his brothers and he recognized them, but he acted like a stranger towards them. (42:7)

“Judges and officers shall you appoint.” (16:18)

“You shall tithe the entire crop of your planting.” (14:22)

YEARS

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