Emes – Page 39 – Peninim on the Torah

ויאמר קין אל הבל אחיו

Cain spoke with Hevel, his brother. (4:8)

Targum Yonasan gives us a clue concerning the conversation that took place between the world’s first two brothers. Kayin said, “There is no Judge, and there is no Justice; there is only one world; there is no reward for the righteous and no punishment for the wicked.” Hevel, of course, disputed each point. These words led to physical violence, during which Hevel was killed. We wonder at Kayin’s hypocrisy. Here is a man who had just offered a sacrifice to Hashem, and he was distraught that Hashem was more pleased with Hevel’s sacrifice than his. If Kayin felt there was…

Home -> 5765 -> Bereishis

בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5765

In the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and the earth. (1:1)

Sefer Bereishis is aptly given its name since it is the “first” of the Chumashim. The Talmud in Avodah Zarah 25a has another name for Sefer Bereishis: Sefer HaYashar or Sefer Yesharim, the Book of Righteousness. Yashar means more than righteousness. It means straightfor- wardness, integrity, mentchlichkeit, human decency. Sefer Bereishis chronicles the lives of the Avos, Patriarchs, men who exemplified righteousness to G-d and mentchlichkeit to all human beings. In the preface to his commentary on Sefer Bereishis, the Netziv, zl, expands on this idea. The Patriarchs distinguished themselves not only in their relationships with Hashem, which was on the…

Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5764

אף חבב עמים כל קדשיו בידך והם תכו לרגלך ישא מדברתיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5764, V'zos HaBrachah

He also showed love to peoples, all its holy ones are in Your hands; and Ithey were brought in at Your feet, He would bear Your utterances. (33:3)

In an alternative exposition of this pasuk, Rashi says that the love that Hashem demonstrated is a reference to a time in which Hashem manifests endearment to the nations of the world. He shows them a smiling countenance when He delivers Klal Yisrael into their hands. Nonetheless, “all its Holy ones are in Your hands.” Despite this g’zar din, difficult decree, against the Jewish People, its righteous ones and its good ones have cleaved to Hashem, never once doubting Him. Hashem, therefore, guards them. These deeply committed Jews accept Your decree with love and joy, declaring: Torah tzivah lanu Moshe morashah…

Home -> 5763 -> Bereishis

בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5763

TIn the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and earth. (1:1)

The Baal HaTurim notes that the last letters of the words Bereishis bara Elokim — taf, aleph, mem — spell out (when rearranged) the word emes, truth. This teaches us that the world was created via the attribute of emes. Interestingly, the Torah alludes to the word emes in an indirect manner, since the sequence of the letters is out of order. Horav Shmuel David Walkin, zl, infers a profound lesson from here. The Torah teaches us that one must strive for the truth, regardless of the situation. One is not obligated to be truthful only during times of smooth sailing…

Home -> 5761 -> Bereishis

בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5761

“In the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and the earth.” (1:1)

The foundation of any structure determines its strength and permanence. The Torah is a spiritual structure which is founded and sustained on the union of a number of positive attributes. There is no room for any negative trait in the Torah’s foundation. This idea, cited by Rabbi Paysach Krohn, is expressed by Rabbeinu Bachya in his Sefer Kad HaKemach. He notes that in the first pasuk, verse, in the Torah, every vowel sound is present except one. The komatz, patach, segol, tzeirei, cholem, sh’vah and chirik are all present. There is only one missing sound: the shuruk, the “ooh” sound….

Home -> 5757 -> Vaeira

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

I shall take you out from under the burdens of Egypt; I shall rescue you from their service; I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm…I shall take you to Me for a People. (6:6,7)

The Torah employs arba leshonos shel geulah, four expressions of redemption, which allude to the distinct stages of the Jews’ liberation from the Egyptian exile. Horav Gedalyah Shorr, z”l, posits that the four expressions relate as equally to the individual as they do to the entire nation. Every person experienced his own personal redemption from the Egyptian culture. Every individual must liberate himself from the shackles of his own enslavement to the yetzer hora, evil inclination. He cites the Sfas Emes, who says that these expressions coincide with the four elements which comprise man: fire, water, wind and dust. The…

Home -> 5757 -> Vayishlach

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayishlach, 5757

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

The commentators suggest a number of reasons that Eisav suddenly decided to separate from Yaakov. Some of them posit that pure greed motivated this decision. He felt the land could not support him in the style to which he had become accustomed. Horav S.R. Hirsch, zl, contends that Eisav’s decision was a pragmatic one; he could not tolerate Yaakov’s presence. Despite their newfound relationship, the moral gulf that existed between them was loathsome for Eisav. He simply could not cope with his brother’s lifestyle. These various explanations notwithstanding, we still must address the reason that Eisav left. Why could he…

Home -> Vayigash -> 5757

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5757, Vayigash

“And Yosef said to his brothers, ‘I am Yosef.’ … and his brothers could not answer him.” (45:3)

In the Midrash, Chazal quote Abba Bardela who said, “Woe is to us from the day of judgment. Woe is to us from the day of reproach. Bilaam, the wisest of the gentiles, could not stand before the rebuke of his donkey. Yosef was the youngest of the tribes. Yet, his brothers could not stand before him. How much more so, when Hashem will come and reproach everyone according to what he is, will we not be able to tolerate this rebuke.” This Chazal has been the subject of considerable discussion. It has served as the basis for defining the…

Home -> Vayechi -> 5757

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5757, Vayechi

“Yehudah – you, your brothers shall acknowledge: your hand will be at your enemies nape.” (49:8)

Chazal teach us that the tribes will acclaim Yehudah and designate him as their king in this world, as well as in Olam Habah. Shevet Yehudah produced the Jewish kings who will conquer those kings that have challenged our people. His “hand will be at his enemy’s nape.” He hardened his “neck” and acted resolutely, with dignity, as he shamed himself publicly by confessing to his encounter with Tamar. He will, consequently, merit control over the nape of the necks of his enemies as he conquers them. If we were to analyze Yehudah’s reaction to the ma’ase Tamar, the episode…

Home -> 5757 -> Vayeitzei

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeitzei, 5757

“And she conceived again and bore a son and she said ‘This time I thank Hahsem,’ therefore she called his name Yehudah.” (29:35)

The Talmud Brachos 7b comments that from the beginning of Creation there had never been a person who thanked Hashem until Leah. Leah was the originator of the “official” sense of gratitude one should express for the good Hahsem accords us. This does not seem consistent with the text in Parashas Chayei Sarah (4:52), where we note that upon securing Rivkah as a mate for Yitzchak, Eliezer bowed down in recognition to Hashem for providing Rivkah for Yitzchak. Why do Chazal attribute the distinction to Leah of being the first to offer gratitude? Horav Meir Bergman, Shlita, distinguishes between bowing…

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ויאמר קין אל הבל אחיו

Cain spoke with Hevel, his brother. (4:8)

בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

In the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and the earth. (1:1)

אף חבב עמים כל קדשיו בידך והם תכו לרגלך ישא מדברתיך

He also showed love to peoples, all its holy ones are in Your hands; and Ithey were brought in at Your feet, He would bear Your utterances. (33:3)

בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

TIn the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and earth. (1:1)

בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

“In the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and the earth.” (1:1)

I shall take you out from under the burdens of Egypt; I shall rescue you from their service; I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm…I shall take you to Me for a People. (6:6,7)

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

“And Yosef said to his brothers, ‘I am Yosef.’ … and his brothers could not answer him.” (45:3)

“Yehudah – you, your brothers shall acknowledge: your hand will be at your enemies nape.” (49:8)

“And she conceived again and bore a son and she said ‘This time I thank Hahsem,’ therefore she called his name Yehudah.” (29:35)

YEARS

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