Derech Eretz – Page 13 – Peninim on the Torah

ויזכר אלקים את רחל

Hashem remembered Rachel. (30:22)

Rachel Imeinu was mevater, relinquished, that which she deserved in order to preserve her sister’s esteem. If Yaakov Avinu would have discovered that Leah had been exchanged for Rachel, it would have posed an embarrassing situation for Leah. To spare her the shame, Rachel gave up what was hers. Horav Yeruchem Levovitz, zl, adds that Rachel’s actions to spare her sister from humiliation also breached the trust Yaakov had in her. The Patriarch knew that Lavan was a swindler who would find some way to break his word at the very last moment. Thus, he made a pact with Rachel,…

Home -> 5783 -> Chayei Sarah

ויקם אברהם מעל פני מתו וידבר אל בני חת

Sruly Schnair In Chayei Sarah, 5783

Avraham rose up from the presence of his dead and spoke to bnei Cheis. (23:3)

The Torah is circumspect concerning its text, spelling of each word and overall locution. No word is superfluous, no spelling is ignored. Chazal derive volumes of halachah from every nuance, every seeming redundancy. As the message of its Divine Author, nothing in the Torah is to be taken capriciously. As such, it is intriguing to note that the words, bnei Cheis (children of Cheis), are mentioned nine times in our parshah and once in Parashas Vayechi (49:32). It is not as if these were laudable people. They were idolaters who were greedy and selfish – among other things. Yet, the…

Home -> 5783 -> Vayeira

אל תביט אחריך

Sruly Schnair In Vayeira, 5783

Do not look behind you. (19:17)

Neither Lot nor anyone in his group of survivors was permitted to look back at the carnage that was taking place. Their merit in being spared was on condition that they not be in the midst of Sodom during its destruction. Thus, they could be saved before the upheaval began. Furthermore, they were not entitled to witness the destruction of Sodom while they remained unscathed. Lot’s wife did not listen. When she turned around to see what was happening to her fellows, Hashem punished her. A deeper meaning can be attributed to the words, “Do not look behind you,” one…

Home -> 5783 -> Lech Lecha

והאמין בד' ויחשביה לו לצדקה

Sruly Schnair In Lech Lecha, 5783

And he trusted in Hashem, and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. (15:6)

Avraham Avinu was rishon v’rosh l’maaminim, first and foremost of the believers in Hashem. Discovering on his own that this world did not just happen and that every moment of its existence – and the existence of every creation – is providentially guided by Hashem, he devoted his life to spreading this concept to a world to whom this idea was foreign. His descendants, the Jewish People, have maintained his teachings with emunah in Hashem, the pre-emanate foundation of our dogma. Throughout (what presented themselves as) the worst moments in our tumultuous history, we have continued and maintained our faith…

Home -> 5783 -> Lech Lecha

ותאמר שרי אל אברם חמסי עליך

Sruly Schnair In Lech Lecha, 5783

Sarai said to Avram, “The outrage against me is due to You!” (16:5)

A perfunctory reading of the pesukim, which details Sarah Imeinu’s relinquishing her maidservant, Hagar, to Avraham Avinu for the purpose of establishing posterity, followed by her dismissing Hagar from her home, when her insolence became too much to overlook, is misguiding. So much depth is contained in these parshiyos, with every action of the Avos and Imahos, Patriarchs and Matriarchs, steeped in the highest esoteric meanings and secrets, that one is impelled to study every word, every lesson, every nuance, in order to simply scratch the surface of the narrative. Let us focus on one lesson as seen through the…

Home -> 5783 -> Noach

ואתה קח לך מכל מאכל אשר יאכל ואספת אליך

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5783

And as for you, take yourself of every food that is eaten and gather it into yourself. (6:21)

If the animals walked into the Ark on their own without having to be herded in, why could their food not, likewise, arrive on its own? Why did Noach have to go out and gather food for all the animals – enough to last them a year? The Brisker Rav, zl, explains that Noach required a special command to gather food, for, otherwise, he may very well have thought that just as the animals came of their own volition, their food should have “arrived” in the same manner. Thus, Hashem informed Noach that the animals would come on their own;…

Home -> 5783 -> Bereishis

ויקרא ד' אלקים אל האדם ויאמר לו איכה

Sruly Schnair In Bereishis, 5783

Hashem Elokim called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” (3:9)

Hashem certainly knew the location of Adam’s hiding place; rather, He wanted to determine if Adam knew where he (himself) was. One must know where he is with regard to fulfilling his potential. We often sell ourselves short, settling for mediocre success, because we (or others) have convinced (us) ourselves that this is all that we are capable of achieving. One day, we will stand before the Heavenly Tribunal and will be presented with a Heavenly image of who we could have been. Hashem asked Adam, Ayeca, “Where are you,” in comparison to where you should be? This is a…

Home -> Vayeilech -> 5783

ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת

Sruly Schnair In 5783, Vayeilech

So now, write this song for yourselves. (31:19)

The last mitzvah in the Torah is the command to write a Sefer Torah. This mitzvah is incumbent upon everyone. If one cannot personally write a Sefer Torah, he should commission its writing. The poskim teach that any sefer, especially one which is a collection of his own chiddushim, original thoughts, has greater significance. Furthermore, one who is unable to write should designate a room in his house to serve as a study which houses his seforim. Indeed, the most important room in his home should be where his seforim are kept. We are the People of the Book. We…

Home -> 5782 -> Ki Seitzei

איננו שמע בקול אביו ובקול אמו

Sruly Schnair In Ki Seitzei, 5782

Who does not hearken to the voice of his father and the voice of his mother. (21:18)

The parshah which deals with the ben sorer u’moreh, the wayward and rebellious child, is one of the most difficult parshiyos to address. As a rule, pikuach nefesh, saving a Jewish life, pushes aside Shabbos. Yet, the young ben sorer – who so far has not committed an act of defiance that carries capital punishment – is sentenced to death, due to what he might (possibly will) do one day when he is unable to satisfy his desires. He could take an innocent life. Apparently, the Torah, with its far-reaching perspective, views his execution as necessary, as it is better…

Home -> 5782 -> Chukas

זאת התורה אדם כי ימות באהל

Sruly Schnair In Chukas, 5782

This is the teaching regarding a man who would die in a tent. (19:14)

Chazal (Shabbos 83b) teach, “One should never refrain from (going to the) Bais ha’Medrash and from studying words of Torah – even during the moments prior to his taking leave of this world.” Torah reigns supreme and, without it, our lives are not the same. We should devote every minute that is available to Torah study – even at the time of death. Furthermore, Ein haTorah miskayemes ela b’mi she’meimis atzmo alehah; “The Torah is not maintained in a person unless he dies for it.” Adam ki yamus b’ohel, “If a man dies in a tent” has become the catch…

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ויזכר אלקים את רחל

Hashem remembered Rachel. (30:22)

ויקם אברהם מעל פני מתו וידבר אל בני חת

Avraham rose up from the presence of his dead and spoke to bnei Cheis. (23:3)

אל תביט אחריך

Do not look behind you. (19:17)

והאמין בד' ויחשביה לו לצדקה

And he trusted in Hashem, and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. (15:6)

ותאמר שרי אל אברם חמסי עליך

Sarai said to Avram, “The outrage against me is due to You!” (16:5)

ואתה קח לך מכל מאכל אשר יאכל ואספת אליך

And as for you, take yourself of every food that is eaten and gather it into yourself. (6:21)

ויקרא ד' אלקים אל האדם ויאמר לו איכה

Hashem Elokim called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” (3:9)

ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת

So now, write this song for yourselves. (31:19)

איננו שמע בקול אביו ובקול אמו

Who does not hearken to the voice of his father and the voice of his mother. (21:18)

זאת התורה אדם כי ימות באהל

This is the teaching regarding a man who would die in a tent. (19:14)

YEARS

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