Hamaayan / The Torah Spring: Parashat Vayeishev

Hamaayan / The Torah Spring
Edited by Shlomo Katz

Vayeishev
Volume 22, No. 9
21 Kislev 5768
December 1, 2007

Sponsored by
the Gottlieb family
on the yahrzeit of father and grandfather
Ron Lipman (Chuna Reuven ben Moshe Chaim a"h)

Today's Learning:
Shevuot 3:4-5
O.C. 47:11-13
Daf Yomi (Bavli): Ketubot 91
Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Shekalim 26


Yosef's treatment at the hand of his brothers, the focus of this week's
parashah, may be the most incomprehensible story in the Torah. Seemingly,
writes R' Simcha Zissel Broide z"l (rosh yeshivah of the Chevron Yeshiva in
Yerushalayim; died 2000), it is the cruelest act ever perpetrated on a
single
human being. Even the depraved and immoral Egyptians would have found the
sale
of Yosef to be unacceptable behavior; thus, we will read two weeks from now
that before Yosef revealed his identity to his brothers, he ordered all
Egyptians out of the room to save his brothers from embarrassment.

Yet, our Sages speak of the Brothers as holy individuals--"Shivtei Kah"
/
"The Tribes of G-d." The mere presence of their names on the Kohen Gadol's
breastplate is said to bring atonement to their descendants. How can this
be
understood?

Many explanations have been offered for the Brothers' behavior. In
particular, we are taught that they felt Yosef was trying to displace them
as
Yaakov's spiritual heir, much as Yitzchak had displaced Yishmael and Yaakov,
Esav. So sure were they that their actions were correct that, when they
needed
a minyan to declare a cherem / excommunication on whomever would reveal
their
secret, they included Hashem as the tenth "man." (Only nine brothers were
present, as Reuven had left for a time.)

It is striking, says R' Broide, that the Torah, which does not hesitate
to
criticize tzaddikim like Avraham Avinu and Moshe Rabbeinu for their
missteps,
never criticizes the Brothers. Indeed, there is no hint in the Torah that
the
Brothers themselves ever decided that they had made a mistake. They were
pained by their father's suffering and they regretted ignoring Yosef's pleas
for mercy (see 42:21), but they never retracted their belief that Yosef was
a
"rodef" / "pursuer."

What are we to learn from this? One of the many lessons to take away,
writes R' Broide, is that the Torah's perspective on events and that of a
person steeped the Torah (in this case, the Brothers) may differ from our
own
superficial understanding of the same event. Obviously, our duty is to try
to
understand that perspective. (Sahm Derech p.305)

********

"My sheaf arose and remained standing . . ." (Berei*** 37:7)

Commentaries say that many people tried to store produce during the
seven
years of famine that are described in next week's parashah; however, their
stores all spoiled. Only the grain that was stored by Yosef in Egypt
remained.

R' Baruch of Kosov z"l (18th century chassidic rebbe) writes that this
is
alluded to in our verse: "My sheaf arose and remained standing." This is
what
caused Yosef's brothers to eventually bow down to him, as the verse
continues,
"Your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf." (Yesod Ha'Torah)

********

"And Reuven heard, and he saved him [Yosef] from their hand; he
said, `Let us not strike him mortally . . . Throw him into the
pit
in the wilderness . . .'." (37:21-22)

The Gemara (Shabbat 24a) states that this pit was home to snakes and
scorpions. The halachah is that if a man falls into a pit full of snakes
and
scorpions, he is deemed dead and his widow may remarry. Yet, the Torah
refers
to Reuven's act as saving Yosef!

In contrast, Yehuda convinced his brothers to remove Yosef from the pit
and to sell him into slavery. Yet, the Gemara (Sanhedrin 6a) says that
whoever
praises Yehuda for this angers Hashem. Why?

R' Chaim of Volozhin z"l (1749-1821) explained: Reuven caused Yosef to
be
lowered into a pit full of snakes and scorpions, but the pit was in Eretz
Yisrael. Yehuda saved Yosef's physical life, but he caused Yosef to be
taken
out of Eretz Yisrael. It is far better, said R' Chaim, to remain in Eretz
Yisrael surrounded by snakes and scorpions than to live outside of Eretz
Yisrael. (Quoted in the journal Yeshurun Vol. VI, p. 200)

********

"They [the butler and the baker] said to him, `We dreamt a dream,
but there is no interpreter for it.' So Yosef said to them, `Do
not
interpretations belong to G-d? Relate it to me, if you please'."
(Berei*** 40:8)

Why did Yosef get involved? R' Hanoch Henach of Alesk z"l (chassidic
rebbe; died 1884) explains:

We read in Tehilim (105:2), "Speak His wonders." Accordingly, Yosef
wanted to bring honor to Hashem's Name by creating opportunities for the
Egyptians to become aware of His wonders. And his plan succeeded, for
Pharaoh
said (in next week's parashah -- 41:39), "Since G-d has informed you of all
this, there can be no one so discerning and wise as you." (Lev Sameach)

********

Chanukah

The following is an excerpt from the work Yesod Ve'shoresh
Ha'avodah
by R' Alexander Ziskind z"l (died 1794), a work devoted to
concentration and focus during prayer and other aspects of Divine
service. In Sha'ar Ha'meffaked, chapter 1, the author discusses
the
holiday of Chanukah.

The sages of the Gemara spoke very emphatically of the care that one
should take when performing the mitzvah of Chanukah lights and of the reward
for doing so. They said (Shabbat 23b), "One who regularly lights [Chanukah]
candles will have sons who are Torah scholars." Rambam writes in the fourth
chapter of The Laws of Megillah and Chanukah: "The mitzvah of Chanukah
lights
is a very beloved mitzvah and a person must take great care with it in order
to
publicize the miracle and add to the praise of G-d and the acknowledgment to
Him for the miracles that He did for us." . . .

R' Alexander Ziskind continues: Truth be told, there is no doubt that a
person who has been given wisdom by Hashem to comprehend the deep secrets of
the Arizal's meditations should take upon himself to meditate on those
concepts. However, my intention in this work is to direct ordinary people
like
myself down the path that they should take so that they will not perform the
mitzvot of Hashem Elokenu, may His name be praised, by rote. Therefore, I
have
come to counsel that one should not perform this beloved mitzvah without
putting one's heart into it. Rather, it should be done with great joy and
with
simple intentions in mind, as appropriate for each of the blessings [that
are
recited]. . . When one says the words,"To light the Chanukah candle," one
should feel immense happiness in his heart over the great miracle that took
place at this time of year in the Bet Hamikdash involving the flask of oil
as
related in the Gemara.

When one recites the blessing, "That He did miracles for our fathers in
those days at this time [of the year]," he should give great thanks in his
thoughts and great praise to our Creator for all the miracles and the
salvations that He did for our forefathers at this time of year. One also
should try to imagine that the miracles and salvations were done for him
personally.

********

Shemittah

This week we continue discussing the sanctity of the fruits of
shevi'it / the seventh year. [As noted last week, applying the
laws
presented here also requires defining what is a "fruit of
shevi'it,"
a discussion we leave for a future issue.] The halachot below are
taken from chapter seven of Sefer Ha'shemittah by R' Yechiel
Michel
Tikochinski z"l.

When we say that the fruits of shevi'it have kedushah / sanctity, we do
not mean the same thing that we mean when we say that a Sefer Torah has
sanctity. Rather, the term, which does appear in the Torah with reference
to
fruits of shevi'it, means that money that is exchanged for these fruits
takes
on the legal status of the fruits themselves [and the laws below apply to
the
money as well].

The kedushah of the fruits is manifested in the following ways:

(1) They must be eaten. Some say that a mitzvah is fulfilled by eating
them. In either case, they may not be wasted.

(2) They may not be fed to a gentile. If they are fit for human
consumption, they may not be fed to animals.

(3) Those fruits which are fit for use by humans other than as food or
drink may be used in that alternative manner provided that they are
destroyed
in the process. For example, oil may be used for fuel.

(4) Business may not be done with them.

(5) They may not be exported from Eretz Yisrael.

(6) As noted above, money that is exchanged for them attains the same
legal status as the fruit itself.

(7) Any fruit that remains at a certain point in the year must be
destroyed. [Many of the above laws will be discussed in greater detail in
future issues.]

The foundation for all these laws, especially the last law above,
writes
R' Tikochinski, is to impress upon us that the world and everything in it
belongs to Hashem. When one makes no preparations for next year and even
destroys what he has at the end of shemittah, he demonstrates his total
trust
in Hashem.




**************

Shabbat Shalom

"Hamaayan is prepared by laymen and published weekly for the
edification and enjoyment of the reader who is lacking the time or
ability to study the weekly parashah on his own. Hamaayan's goal is
to acquaint the reader with a broad spectrum of traditional Torah
commentary -- classical, recent and "obscure" -- as well as with
aspects of Jewish history and thought.

The editors hope these brief 'snippets' will engender further study
and discussion of Torah topics ("lehagdil Torah u'leha'adirah"), and
your letters are appreciated. Unfortunately, they lack the time to
respond to lengthy questions."


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Shlomo Katz, the editor of Hamaayan, can be reached
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