Emes – Page 96 – Peninim on the Torah

וילך משה ויהושע ויתיצבו באהל מועד

Moshe and Yehoshua went and stood at the Ohel Moed. (31:14)

Chazal teach that Moshe Rabbeinu asked Hashem to transfer the reins of leadership to Yehoshua, his worthy disciple. Rather than insist that Yehoshua come to Moshe’s tent to study and hear the word of G-d, Moshe went to Yehoshua. Their roles were now reversed, as the student became the leader, and the Rebbe took the place of his student. The Pillar of Cloud descended over Yehoshua, separating him from Moshe. When the Cloud ascended, Moshe asked Yehoshua, “What did the Word (Hashem’s communication) say to you?” Yehoshua responded, “When Hashem appeared to you, did I know what you were told?”…

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ואני בבאי מפדן מתה עלי רחל בארץ כנען בדרך...ואקברה שם בדרך אפרת.

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5777, Vayechi

But as for me – when I came from Paddan, Rachel died on me in the Land of Canaan on the road…and I buried her there on the road to Efras. (48:7)

Yaakov Avinu seems to be apologizing to Yosef for not having done for Rachel Imeinu as he was expecting Yosef to do for him. “Although I trouble you to bury me in the land of Canaan, though I did not do so for your mother, for, see now, she died near Beis Lechem”; “And I did not even take her to Beis Lechem, to bring her into the Land, and I know that there are hard feelings in your heart against me. But you should know that by the Word of G-d I buried her there so that she should…

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ויקרבו ימי ישראל למות ויקרא לבנו ליוסף

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5777, Vayechi

The time approached for Yisrael to die, so he called for his son, Yosef. (47:29)

Religion believes that life has purpose; each person’s existence has a clear raison d’etre. One who has no religion does not ascribe to a system of principles and beliefs; he lives a random, carefree life of abandon, without purpose or meaning. One who lacks religion lacks purpose; hence, he has no identity. The secular culture surrounding us – which is the result of a society where decadence is no longer taboo, but in vogue – has little use for religion. From the average “Joe” to the most powerful politicians and world leaders, religion will, at its best, receive nothing more…

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ויאמר אליו הנה משמני הארץ יהיה מושבך ומטל השמים מעל ויתן לך האלקים מטל השמים ומשמני הארץ

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5777

And may G-d give you of the dew of the heavens and of the fatness of the earth. (27:28) – Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be your dwelling and of the dew of the heaven above. (27:39)

Two blessings: Yaakov Avinu received the first one from his father, Yitzchak Avinu. Eisav received the second blessing after he discovered that Yaakov had preceded him in blessing. At face value, both blessings are material in nature and quite similar. Both sons were promised blessings from the fat of the land and dew from the Heavens above. Chazal, however, detect what appears on the surface to be a stylistic difference in the syntax of the pasuk. Being that verse (28) begins the text of the blessing, which is a new topic, the conjunction vov – v’yitein, and (may G-d) give,…

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ויאמר יעקב אל אביו אנכי עשו בכורך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5777

Yaakov said to his father, “It is I, Eisav your firstborn.” (27: 19)

If one studies Chumash only on a cursory level, merely translating the pesukim, he will leave in a state of ambiguity when confronting the lives of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs. This is especially true upon studying the life of Yitzchak Avinu and his relationship with his twins – Yaakov and Eisav. On the one hand, we are taught that Yitzchak was the olah temimah, perfect sacrifice, the individual who most represented total selflessness to Hashem, the Patriarch who is singular in Fear of Heaven. On the other hand, we find this same holy Patriarch falling for Eisav’s ruse. Did he…

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ויהי כי זקן יצחק ותכהין עיניו מראות

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5777

And it was when Yitzchak became old, and his eyes dimmed from seeing. (27:1)

Rashi explains that Yitzchak Avinu’s premature vision loss was due to the smoke that Eisav’s wives raised when they burned incense for their idols. Alternatively, when he was bound upon the Altar of the Akeidah, as Avraham Avinu was about to slaughter him, the Heavens opened up and the Ministering Angels saw what was happening to him. They began to cry, their tears descending and falling on Yitzchak’s eyes, causing them to dim later in life. In his hesped, eulogy, for his son, who had died an untimely death, Horav Shmuel Birnbaum, zl, asked why was it necessary for the…

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ויצא הראשון אדמוני... ויקראו שמו עשו. ואחרי כן יצא אחיו וידו אחזת בעקב עשו ויקרא שמו יעקב

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5777

The first one emerged red… so they named him Eisav. After that, his brother emerged with his hand grasping onto the heel of Eisav so he called his name Yaakov. (25: 25, 26)

Is there an end to the misery that has been inflicted upon us by the descendants of Eisav? While it appears that in the present era our primary national adversity comes from the minions of Yishmael, we may never forget the terror and persecution that have been orchestrated against us throughout history by Eisav’s children, particularly those who maintain the strong tendencies of Amalek. Horav Yaakov Moshe Charlap, zl, observes that, even when Eisav (or his descendants) exhibit themselves as being “first” and stronger, Yaakov still grasps his heel. This implies that Eisav’s rule has limits. Yaakov will hold on…

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לקח פר אחד בן בקר ואילים שנים תמימים טחם מצות

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Tetzaveh, 5777

Take one young bull and two rams, unblemished, with unleavened breads. (29:1)

There are good people, and there are people who perform good deeds. A good person is consistent in his acts of goodness. He does not take a vacation from performing good deeds. It is part of his DNA. His counterpart might have a “good” day during which he acts appropriately. For him “good” just happens upon occasion. It is not a way of life. Having said this, we will segue into the commentary of the Baalei Tosfos to the above pasuk. “The par, ox, was sacrificed in the merit of Avraham Avinu, regarding about whom it is written, v’el habakar…

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ויקחו לי תרומה מאת כל איש אשר ידבנו לבו תקחו את תרומתי

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Terumah, 5777

And have them take for Me a terumah offering. From every man whose heart impels him to generosity, you shall take My terumah offering. (25:2)

Rashi writes that the words, v’yikchu li, “and take for Me,” indicate that the contributors for the Mishkan must be dedicated lishmah, exclusively for Hashem’s Name. From the fact that the Torah follows up the v’yikchu li with asher yidvenu libo, whose heart impels him to generosity, we may suggest that the determining factor in li, “for me,” is that it is motivated by the heart. The heart is the seat of one’s emotions and, thus, expresses his truthful feelings. Nidvas ha’lev, a contribution from the bottom of one’s heart, is an honest contribution. The concept of lishmah was a…

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ותפתח ותראהו את הילד והנה נער בכה ותחמל עליו ותאמר מילדי העברים זה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5777, Shemos

“She opened it and saw the boy, and behold! A youth was crying. She took pity on him and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrew boys.’” (2:6)

Sequentially, it would have made sense to write that the infant was a Hebrew child first and only afterwards (despite the child’s ancestry) that she took pity on him. One would think that the child’s Jewish identity was the most significant aspect of the pasuk – not her act of compassion. Horav Nissan Alpert, zl, feels that the reversed sequence teaches us an important lesson, one which (I feel) we should all apply to our personal lives. Upon seeing someone in pain, an organization in serious need, we are confronted with two immediate reactions: empathy, compassion to reach out and…

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וילך משה ויהושע ויתיצבו באהל מועד

Moshe and Yehoshua went and stood at the Ohel Moed. (31:14)

ואני בבאי מפדן מתה עלי רחל בארץ כנען בדרך...ואקברה שם בדרך אפרת.

But as for me – when I came from Paddan, Rachel died on me in the Land of Canaan on the road…and I buried her there on the road to Efras. (48:7)

ויקרבו ימי ישראל למות ויקרא לבנו ליוסף

The time approached for Yisrael to die, so he called for his son, Yosef. (47:29)

ויאמר אליו הנה משמני הארץ יהיה מושבך ומטל השמים מעל ויתן לך האלקים מטל השמים ומשמני הארץ

And may G-d give you of the dew of the heavens and of the fatness of the earth. (27:28) – Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be your dwelling and of the dew of the heaven above. (27:39)

ויאמר יעקב אל אביו אנכי עשו בכורך

Yaakov said to his father, “It is I, Eisav your firstborn.” (27: 19)

ויהי כי זקן יצחק ותכהין עיניו מראות

And it was when Yitzchak became old, and his eyes dimmed from seeing. (27:1)

ויצא הראשון אדמוני... ויקראו שמו עשו. ואחרי כן יצא אחיו וידו אחזת בעקב עשו ויקרא שמו יעקב

The first one emerged red… so they named him Eisav. After that, his brother emerged with his hand grasping onto the heel of Eisav so he called his name Yaakov. (25: 25, 26)

לקח פר אחד בן בקר ואילים שנים תמימים טחם מצות

Take one young bull and two rams, unblemished, with unleavened breads. (29:1)

ויקחו לי תרומה מאת כל איש אשר ידבנו לבו תקחו את תרומתי

And have them take for Me a terumah offering. From every man whose heart impels him to generosity, you shall take My terumah offering. (25:2)

ותפתח ותראהו את הילד והנה נער בכה ותחמל עליו ותאמר מילדי העברים זה

“She opened it and saw the boy, and behold! A youth was crying. She took pity on him and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrew boys.’” (2:6)

YEARS

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