Emes – Page 72 – Peninim on the Torah

אל תירא מרדה מצרימה כי לגוי גדול אשימך שם

Do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make a great nation of you there. (46:3)

Yaakov Avinu needed reassurance. He was prepared for the worst, as he had already experienced so much hardship. It is no wonder, therefore, that when he was confronted with the beginning of what was to be galus Mitzrayim, the Egyptian exile, he was afraid. The Patriarch, however, did not fear for himself. His commitment and devotion to Hashem was unwavering. He feared for his children, his descendants who would be born into Egypt’s depraved culture. How were they going to be able to withstand the onslaught of evil and licentiousness, as they confronted an environment permeated with spiritual defilement? He…

Home -> Vayeishev -> 5773

ויקרע יעקב שמלתיו וישם שק במתניו ויתאבל על בנו ימים רבים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Vayeishev

Then Yaakov rent his garments and placed sackcloth on his loins; he mourned for his son many days. (37:34)

Rashi teaches that yamim rabim, many days, amounts to a period of twenty-two years. This time frame coincides with the twenty-two years that Yaakov Avinu was away from home, thereby preventing him from properly carrying out the mitzvah of kibud av v’eim, honoring one’s father and mother. While we certainly are not in a position to understand the underlying reason for Yaakov’s behavior, there is clearly a powerful lesson to be derived from here. This is despite the fact that Yaakov’s decision to leave home was originally suggested, encouraged and approved by his mother, Rivkah Imeinu. Yet, Yaakov is held…

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וישב יעקב בארץ מגורי אביו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Vayeishev

Yaakov settled in the land of his father’s sojournings. (37:1)

Rashi teaches that, after enduring the many trials of his life – Eisav, Lavan, the premature passing of Rachel Imeinu, and the violation of Dinah – Yaakov Avinu sought tranquility, leisheiv b’shalvah. Immediately, Kofatz alav rogzu shel Yosef, “The trial of Yosef tumbled suddenly upon him.” This world is one of continual striving. Although the Patriarch was near perfect, his work was not complete. The question that confronts us is simple: Does it have to be this way? Does life have to be a constant struggle? Would it have been so bad if Yaakov could spend his twilight years in…

Home -> Vayechi -> 5773

וירא ישראל את בני יוסף ויאמר מי אלה ויאמר יוסף אל אביו בני הם אשר נתן לי אלקים בזה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Vayechi

Yisrael saw the sons of Yosef, and he said, “Who are these?” Yosef said to his father, “They are my sons, who Hashem gave me with this” (48:8,9)

Most of Parashas Vayechi is occupied with Yaakov Avinu’s final moments on earth, his last will and testament to his children, and the various messages implied by his choice of words. The parsha opens with Yaakov’s becoming ill and calling for Yosef to come to his bedside. Yosef did not come alone. He brought with him his two sons, Menasheh and Efraim. When Yaakov saw them, he asked, “Who are these?” Yosef replied, “They are my sons, whom G-d gave me with this…” Rashi presents an in-depth explanation of their conversation. Yaakov was about to bless Yosef’s sons when, suddenly,…

Home -> Vayechi -> 5773

ועשית עמדי חסד ואמת

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Vayechi

And do kindness and truth with me. (47:29)

Rashi teaches that the kindness one performs for the deceased is chesed shel emes, kindness of truth. Under such conditions, one executes his duties for the express purpose of performing an act of chesed. There are no thanks, no accolades, no payment whatsoever. It is all l’shem Shomayim, for the sake of Heaven. When it comes to acting on behalf of one who is deceased, the reward is unusual. I think the reason is simple. When we act kindly to a fellow Jew, the individual, for the most part, is acutely aware that he is the recipient of a favor…

Home -> Vayakhel -> 5773

והמלאכה היתה דים לכל המלאכה לעשות אתה והותר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Vayakhel

And the work (of bringing materials for the building) was just enough, to make all the works (of the Mishkan), and there was left over. (36:7)

When we read this pasuk we are struck with an anomaly in its interpretation. The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh asks: Are these two expressions – dayom, “just enough;” and v’hoseir, “left over” – actually exclusive of one another? If there was “just enough,” then there could not have been anything “left over”; and if there is something “left over,” then clearly there was more than “just enough.” The Sfas Emes approaches this from a number of perspectives. We will select one which teaches a valuable lesson in avodas Hashem, service to the Almighty. In the Midrash Tanchuma, Chazal state that the…

Home -> 5773 -> Va'eschanan

ואהבת את ד' אלקיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאדך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Va'eschanan, 5773

You shall love Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your resources. (6:5)

In his thesis on ahavas Hashem, love of the Almighty, Horav Eliezer Papo, zl, author of the Pele Yoetz, writes, “Love for Hashem – there is no quality/virtue better than it, for all service to Hashem, and (indeed) all Yahadus, Judaism, is derived from it.” Loving Hashem is one of the Taryag, 613, mitzvos. It is a constant mitzvah, one which is fulfilled only through thought and contemplation, resulting in a person’s awareness of Hashem’s beneficence and all that he owes Him. The Pele Yoetz writes that love of Hashem takes on two different forms or dimensions. The first, which…

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והוצאתי אתכם מתחת סבלת מצרים והצלתי אתכם מעבדתם וגאלתי אתכם בזרוע נטויה... ולקחתי אתכם לי לעם... וידעתם כי אני ד' אלקיכם המוציא אתכם מתחת סבלת מצרים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5773

And 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… and you shall know that I am Hashem Your G-d, Who takes you out from under the burdens of Egypt. (6:6,7)

The nature of a person is to entreat the Almighty when he is confronted with adversity. At the times in which a person requires a salvation of sorts, he immediately turns to Hashem with tears of supplication. He runs to the righteous Torah leaders – both to those who are alive, and to those who have passed on to their eternal reward. He tumults and weeps, recites countless perakim, chapters, of Tehillim, and beats his chest until, finally, Hashem responds, “Yes!” His tzarah, trouble, is over. Let us take an example and be more specific. A family member is stricken…

Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5773

האומר לאביו ולאמו לא ראיתיו ואת אחיו לא הכיר ואת בניו לא ידע כי שמרו אמרתך ובריתך ינצורו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, V'zos HaBrachah

The one who said of his father and mother, “I have not favored him”; his brothers he did not give recognition and his children he did not know; for they (the Leviim) have observed Your word and Your covenant they preserved. (33:9)

As Moshe Rabbeinu prepared to bless Shevet Levi, he characterized it according to the unusual qualities and virtues of the people. He related their unwavering devotion to the Almighty, their consummate ability to withstand and triumph over the most difficult challenges – all because of their intense fealty to Hashem. Nothing stood in their way – not even their most personal commitments. Their commitment to Hashem transcended everything. This quality was evinced during the sin of the Golden Calf when Moshe declared, Mi l’Hashem elai – “Whoever is for Hashem, join me!” (Shemos 32:26). Shevet Levi came forth in unison,…

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ואש המזבח תוקד בו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Tzav, 5773

And the fire of the Altar should be kept aflame on it. (6:2)

The commentators interpret this pasuk homiletically. “And the fire of the Altar shall be kept aflame on it.” One in whom the fire/passion to serve the Almighty burns within him should be careful to see to it that it remains bo, “within him” – not externally, to hurt others. In other words, one should go to great strides to see to it that his religious observance does not impinge on others. An observant Jew should be especially sensitive to the feelings of those around him. They quote the passage in the Talmud Succah 28a, which notes that Yonasan ben Uziel,…

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אל תירא מרדה מצרימה כי לגוי גדול אשימך שם

Do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make a great nation of you there. (46:3)

ויקרע יעקב שמלתיו וישם שק במתניו ויתאבל על בנו ימים רבים

Then Yaakov rent his garments and placed sackcloth on his loins; he mourned for his son many days. (37:34)

וישב יעקב בארץ מגורי אביו

Yaakov settled in the land of his father’s sojournings. (37:1)

וירא ישראל את בני יוסף ויאמר מי אלה ויאמר יוסף אל אביו בני הם אשר נתן לי אלקים בזה

Yisrael saw the sons of Yosef, and he said, “Who are these?” Yosef said to his father, “They are my sons, who Hashem gave me with this” (48:8,9)

ועשית עמדי חסד ואמת

And do kindness and truth with me. (47:29)

והמלאכה היתה דים לכל המלאכה לעשות אתה והותר

And the work (of bringing materials for the building) was just enough, to make all the works (of the Mishkan), and there was left over. (36:7)

ואהבת את ד' אלקיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאדך

You shall love Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your resources. (6:5)

והוצאתי אתכם מתחת סבלת מצרים והצלתי אתכם מעבדתם וגאלתי אתכם בזרוע נטויה... ולקחתי אתכם לי לעם... וידעתם כי אני ד' אלקיכם המוציא אתכם מתחת סבלת מצרים

And 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… and you shall know that I am Hashem Your G-d, Who takes you out from under the burdens of Egypt. (6:6,7)

האומר לאביו ולאמו לא ראיתיו ואת אחיו לא הכיר ואת בניו לא ידע כי שמרו אמרתך ובריתך ינצורו

The one who said of his father and mother, “I have not favored him”; his brothers he did not give recognition and his children he did not know; for they (the Leviim) have observed Your word and Your covenant they preserved. (33:9)

ואש המזבח תוקד בו

And the fire of the Altar should be kept aflame on it. (6:2)

YEARS

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