Galus – Peninim on the Torah

ויזבח זבחים לאלקי אביו יצחק

And he slaughtered sacrifices to the G-d of his father Yitzchak. (46:1)

Why Yitzchak and not Avraham? Surely, Yaakov Avinu remembered his zayde, grandfather, the Patriarch of the family. Rashi comments that Yaakov underscored the idea that a son owes more to his father than to his grandfather. The other commentators focus on the middah, attribute, of Yitzchak, which Yaakov felt would benefit his descendants most as they were about to commence the bitter Egyptian exile – which would lead to the next exiles, until the Final Redemption at the End of Days. Horav Shlomo Freifeld, zl, explains Yaakov’s actions as a lesson to his descendants about how to live a Torah…

Home -> Shemos -> 5779

ויקם מלך חדש אשר לא ידע את יוסף

Sruly Schnair In 5779, Shemos

And there arose a new king who did not know Yosef. (1:8)

Galus, exile, is interpreted to mean displacement. A person in exile is a displaced person. A person in exile is no longer himself; as he is an expatriate from his home, his self-image is distorted. A Jew in galus is a galus Jew who is devoid of the treasures and qualities that had been a part of his life prior to his forced emigration from Yerushalayim – or, at least, he should feel that way. The fact that we no longer feel (or ever really felt) that we are missing our “home” is, in and of itself, another and –…

Home -> 5773 -> Toldos

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

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Toldos, 5773

The first one emerged red entirely like a hairy mantle; so they named him Eisav. After that his brother emerged with his hand grasping onto the heel of Eisav; so he called him Yaakov. (25:25, 26)

Rashi teaches that Eisav was named by everyone present at his birth. In contrast, the “he” referred to in the phrase, “so he called him Yaakov,” was actually Hashem, Who gave Yaakov Avinu his name. The name is a play on the word eikav, heel, a reference to Eisav’s heel which Yaakov grasped at birth. The fact that Hashem named Eisav as a result of this incident, suggests that Yaakov’s holding onto Eisav’s heel has considerable cosmic significance. A number of questions present themselves. First, did Yaakov grasp Eisav’s heel by design or by chance? Furthermore, is it not most…

Home -> Vayigash -> 5776

ויזבח זבחים לאלקי אביו יצחק

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5776, Vayigash

He slaughtered sacrifices to the G-d of his father, Yitzchak. (46:1)

Yaakov Avinu was moving to Egypt. Although he knew quite well that his ultimate home would be Eretz Yisrael and that Egypt was a galus, exile, which he would have to endure – the move to Egypt was not an easy one. Galus has a transformative effect on a person. Some feel the need to adapt, to eschew past practices and beliefs. Otherwise, how can they survive in an environment that is foreign to them? Yaakov taught his children to remain focused on the future, on their return to the Holy Land, on their eventual redemption. With hope, one can…

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ויזבח זבחים לאלקי אביו יצחק

And he slaughtered sacrifices to the G-d of his father Yitzchak. (46:1)

ויקם מלך חדש אשר לא ידע את יוסף

And there arose a new king who did not know Yosef. (1:8)

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

The first one emerged red entirely like a hairy mantle; so they named him Eisav. After that his brother emerged with his hand grasping onto the heel of Eisav; so he called him Yaakov. (25:25, 26)

ויזבח זבחים לאלקי אביו יצחק

He slaughtered sacrifices to the G-d of his father, Yitzchak. (46:1)

YEARS

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