Challenge – Page 30 – Peninim on the Torah

“And Yosef saw that his father had placed his right hand on Efraim’s head … and Yosef said to his father, ‘Not so, my father, this one (Menashe) is the first-born. Place your right hand on his head.’ And his father refused.” (48:17-19)

Prior to blessing his grandsons, Yaakov placed his right hand upon Efraim and his left hand upon Menashe. In Yosef’s eyes, this seemed inappropriate, since Efraim was the younger son. Consequently, he attempted to move his father’s right hand and place it upon Menashe’s head. Yaakov immediately resisted, insisting upon keeping his right hand on Efraim’s head. The Midrash lends an amazing insight into the dialogue between Yaakov and Yosef at this time. Yaakov told Yosef, “You want to push aside the hand that fought off one third of the world!” This reference is to Eisav’s angel who fought with…

Home -> 5755 -> Toldos

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5755

“And Yitzchak loved Eisav because (of) the venison (which he put) in his mouth.” (25:28)

Essentially, the central theme of this parsha is the quest of Yaakov and Eisav for their father’s blessing. A superficial reading of the parsha suggests that Yitzchak and Rivkah each had personal reasons for favoring one twin over the other and that there was a communication problem in their home. After studying the various commentaries, one learns that this was clearly not the case. In response to the obvious question, why was Yitzchak so insistent on blessing Eisav, the Radak explains that Yitzchak was acutely aware of Eisav’s character traits. His evil behavior and rebellious, antagonistic attitude had not escaped…

Home -> 5755 -> Noach

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Noach, 5755

“In that very day entered Noach… with them into the ark.” (7:13)

Rashi explains the Torah’s emphasis on when Noach entered the ark. He explains that the people of that generation said, “If we see Noach entering the ark, we will break it and kill him.” Hashem responded to them, “I shall bring him into the ark before everyone’s eyes, in mid-day, so that we shall see whose words will prevail.” Their threatened action is puzzling and seems inconsistent with their words, since they did not believe in the arrival of the flood. In any case, if Noach was credible, they should have listened to him and repented. If, to the contrary,…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Noach, 5755

“And the earth was corrupted before Hashem and the land was filled with violence.” (6:11)

Rashi explains that chamas, violence, refers to robbery, which had become rampant. Indeed, as Chazal note, the decree of ultimate destruction for that generation was the result of their blatant robbery. What was “unique” about their type of robbery that distinguished it to such an extent and effected their annihilation? The Ozhrover Rebbe z.l. explains that they derived no material benefit from the fruits of their theft. Their thievery always remained within the parameters of legitimacy, since they stole less than the value of a prutah, a coin designated as the minimum standard for theft. They stole for the specific…

Home -> Vayechi -> 5774

אפרים ומנשה כראובן ושמעון יהיו לי... ומולדתך אשר הולדת אחריהם לך יהיו על שם אחיהם יקראו בנחלתם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, Vayechi

Efraim and Menashe shall be mine like Reuven and Shimon… but progeny born to you after them shall be yours; they will be included under the name of the brothers with regard to their inheritance. (48:5,6)

According to Rashi, Efraim and Menashe are considered among the total of the other sons, thus receiving an equal portion in Eretz Yisrael in the same manner as their counterparts among the actual sons of Yaakov Avinu. In the Talmud Bava Basra 121b, Chazal debate whether the new status of Shevet, Tribe, accorded to Efraim and Menashe had any bearing on the amount of land they received in Eretz Yisrael. Rashi and Ramban continue this debate. Rashi is of the opinion that, while Eretz Yisrael would be divided into twelve parts, these portions would not be equal in size. The…

Home -> 5774 -> Vaeira

ואלעזר בן אהרן הכהן לקח לו מבנות פוטיאל לו לאשה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5774

Elazar, son of Aharon HaKohen, took for himself from the daughters of Putiel as a wife. (6:25)

Rashi explains that the name Putiel alludes to two of the ancestor’s of Elazar’s wife. She was of the seed of Yisro, she’piteim agalos l’avodah zarah, “who fattened the calves for idol worship,” prior to his learning about and accepting the true G-d. Also, she was of the seed of Yosef who is called Putiel, she’piteim b’yitzro, “he overcame his evil-inclination.” In this sense, her father came from either Shevet, the tribe of Efraim or Menashe, and her mother was of the seed of Yisro. Thus, Elazar was either Yisro’s son-in-law or grand-son-in-law. In his commentary to Meseches Sotah 43a,…

Home -> 5774 -> Vaeira

ולא שמעו אל משה מקצר רוח ומעבודה קשה... הן בני ישראל לא שמעו אלי ואיך ישמעני פרעה. ואני ערל שפתים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5774

But they did not listen to Moshe, because of shortness of breath and hard work… “Behold Bnei Yisrael have not listened to me, so how will Pharaoh listen to me? And I have sealed lips!” (6:9,12)

Rashi observes that Moshe Rabbeinu’s response to Hashem is considered one of the ten kal v’chomer arguments to be found in the Torah. Kal v’chomer translated literally means, “light and weighty.” This refers to the extrapolation from a minor premise to a major one. Thus, Moshe argues, “Behold the Jews (who would want any opportunity to leave) did not listen to me, so how can You expect Pharaoh to listen?” The commentators question this kal v’chomer, since the Torah had already given a reason for the refusal of the people to listen. They had already given up. The persecution had…

Home -> 5774 -> Toldos

ויאמר בא אחיך במרמה ויקח ברכתך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5774

But he (Yitzchak) said, “Your brother came with cleverness and took your blessing.” (27:35)

That Yaakov Avinu received the blessings from Yitzchak Avinu under what seems to have been a surreptitious method has been a major point of contention presented to challenge those who adhere to the Patriarch’s way of life. Veritably, the question is glaring: Why did Hashem cause the blessings that apparently belonged to Eisav to go instead to Yaakov? One who studies the gist of the blessings notes that they are physical in nature, promising material bounty. Is this really what Yaakov wanted? The Patriarch was devoted to his spiritual development: Why would he want a blessing that guaranteed him abundant…

Home -> Shemos -> 5774

ויגדל משה ויצא אל אחיו וירא בסבלתם וירא איש מצרי מכה איש עברי מאחיו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, Shemos

And Moshe grew up and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, of his brethren. (2:11)

Rashi’s famous comment tells it all: Nassan einav v’libo liheyos meitzar aleihem, “He applied his eyes and heart (to see their suffering and) grieve with them.” The Melitzer Rebbe, Shlita, observes that Hashem has given us a mitzvah to protect our eyes from gazing at anything that will cause us spiritual harm. V’lo sassuru acharei levavchem v’acharei eineichem, “And (do) not explore after your heart and after your eyes” (Bamidbar 15:39). To explore with our eyes can be quite dangerous to our spiritual health. This is why we are admonished concerning shemiras ha’einayim, guarding/ protecting our eyes from those areas…

Home -> 5774 -> Nitzavim

ראה נתתי לפניך היום את החיים ואת הטוב ואת המות ואת הרע

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5774

See – I have placed before you today the life and the good, and the death and the evil. (30:15)

The Torah informs us that the choice between a life devoted to Torah principles versus one that is not is tantamount to the choice between life and death. Two lessons are to be derived from this pasuk. First, Torah is the path to life; a life without Torah is the path to death. It is as simple as that. Torah is equated with good and life. No Torah is compared to evil and death. Second, the choices are equal. Torah is pure life; no Torah is pure death. They are commensurate. No grey areas exist. It is all black and…

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“And Yosef saw that his father had placed his right hand on Efraim’s head … and Yosef said to his father, ‘Not so, my father, this one (Menashe) is the first-born. Place your right hand on his head.’ And his father refused.” (48:17-19)

“And Yitzchak loved Eisav because (of) the venison (which he put) in his mouth.” (25:28)

“In that very day entered Noach… with them into the ark.” (7:13)

“And the earth was corrupted before Hashem and the land was filled with violence.” (6:11)

אפרים ומנשה כראובן ושמעון יהיו לי... ומולדתך אשר הולדת אחריהם לך יהיו על שם אחיהם יקראו בנחלתם

Efraim and Menashe shall be mine like Reuven and Shimon… but progeny born to you after them shall be yours; they will be included under the name of the brothers with regard to their inheritance. (48:5,6)

ואלעזר בן אהרן הכהן לקח לו מבנות פוטיאל לו לאשה

Elazar, son of Aharon HaKohen, took for himself from the daughters of Putiel as a wife. (6:25)

ולא שמעו אל משה מקצר רוח ומעבודה קשה... הן בני ישראל לא שמעו אלי ואיך ישמעני פרעה. ואני ערל שפתים

But they did not listen to Moshe, because of shortness of breath and hard work… “Behold Bnei Yisrael have not listened to me, so how will Pharaoh listen to me? And I have sealed lips!” (6:9,12)

ויאמר בא אחיך במרמה ויקח ברכתך

But he (Yitzchak) said, “Your brother came with cleverness and took your blessing.” (27:35)

ויגדל משה ויצא אל אחיו וירא בסבלתם וירא איש מצרי מכה איש עברי מאחיו

And Moshe grew up and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, of his brethren. (2:11)

ראה נתתי לפניך היום את החיים ואת הטוב ואת המות ואת הרע

See – I have placed before you today the life and the good, and the death and the evil. (30:15)

YEARS

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