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1C SCNSCk kIN1ING CCS1S ICk A IU1UkL ISSUL, LLASL LMAIL US A1 LSCDC1.nACLAMQGMAIL.CCM
Ck CALL 917-373-8090. 1nANkS SC MUCn ICk CUk nLL!
1he sprlng of
1944 broughL Lhe
Lerror of Lhe nazls Lo Lhe Lown of Leordlna.
1he nazls rounded up all Lhe !ews, kllllng many ln
Lhe process, and deporung Lhe remalnder Lo Lhe
lnfamous deaLh camp of AuschwlLz.
?echezkel kleln, hls wlfe uevorah, and Lhelr Lwo young chlldren,
were among Lhose vlclously Lorn from Lhelr homes and Lhelr llves.
1he nazls were ruLhless ln Lhelr cruelLy, arrlval ln AuschwlLz broughL
lmmedlaLe deaLh Lo Lhe young moLher and her chlldren, and Lraglc
horror Lo ?echezkel, a young man of 28 years old. A Chassld and
1almudlc scholar who had saL and learned ln Lhe yeshlvas of SlglL,
hls hands LhaL were accusLomed Lo Lurnlng Lhe pages of classlc
1orah LexLs knew noLhlng of Lhe hard, manual labor he now
endured.
Chooslng among Lhe young, sLrong men Lo parLake ln gruellng,
backbreaklng work, Lhe nazls puL ?echezkel kleln on a work force
breaklng sLones ln a plL. Pe was forced Lo work long hours on end
wlLh barely any bread and waLer as susLenance. Pls hearL heavy
wlLh Lhe loss of hls wlfe and chlldren, ?echezkel, llke so many
oLhers, labored hard, mlndlessly followlng orders, exlsung on Lhe
baslc lnsuncL of survlval. And yeL, amldsL all Lhe horrors, he sLrove Lo
fulll Lhe mlLzvoL as besL he could, llvlng each day knowlng lL could
be hls lasL. Pe hld hls Lellln well and rose early each day Lo puL
Lhem on, praylng for C-d Lo leL hlm and hls fellow !ews somehow
survlve Lhe LorLure. Cne day, as ?echezkel sLood swaylng slowly, hls
arm bound ln Lhe sLraps of hls Lellln, one of Lhe nazl guards
sLormed lnLo Lhe barracks. Shouung aL Lhe slghL of Lhls !ew wrapped
ln hls Lellln, Lhe nazl began beaung ?echezkel wlLh Lhe buu of hls
rle. Cver and over, klcklng and bashlng hlm on Lhe head and body,
Lhe nazl dld noL sLop unul ?echezkel lay unconsclous on Lhe oor.
Mlraculously, he regalned consclousness someume Lhe nexL day,
reallzlng whaL a close call he had had, and knowlng LhaL he had Lo
nd a beuer way Lo hlde hls Lellln. Cne unforLunaLe day, hls fellow
bunkmaLe passed away, leavlng behlnd a palr of Lellln LhaL were
smaller, and easler Lo hlde Lhan Lhe bulky palr ?echezkel owned.
WlLhouL Lhlnklng Lwlce, he swapped hls large palr for Lhls smaller
one ln Lhe hopes LhaL lL would be easler Lo hlde, whlle conunulng Lo
seek a momenL each day Lo puL on Lhe Lellln and pray for an end Lo
Lhe suerlng.
!anuary 1943 broughL Lhe advance of 8usslan Lroops. 1hls,
however, dld noL provlde Lhe !ews wlLh Lhe rescue Lhey had hoped.
Cf Lhe survlvors Lhey found, Lhe 8usslans Look all Lhose who were
able bodled and clalmed LhaL Lhey had consplred wlLh Lhe enemy.
?echezkel kleln was among Lhose un[usLly accused of such
consplracy, and he was held capuve along wlLh 200 oLher !ews as
prlsoners of Lhe 8usslan army.
1he prlsoners were forced Lo go Lo Lhe deep wlnLer wllderness
LhaL ls Slberla, where Lhey sLruggled Lo survlve. ?echezkel managed
L o hold on
Lo hls Lellln Lhrough all of Lhese
LumulLuous umes, and no mauer how
hungry, weak or frozen he was, he found
Lhe sLrengLh Lo blnd Lhe sacred sLraps upon hls
arm and around hls head. Pe had Lo hlde ln a deserLed
and abandoned bulldlng each day Lo fulll Lhls
commandmenL of Lhe C-d who had helped hlm survlve Lhls far.
Cne mornlng, nearlng Lhe end of 1946, as ?echezkel sLood
wrapped ln hls Lellln, eyes closed, praylng wlLh all hls hearL, he
suddenly heard Lhe heavy sLomplng of booLs echolng down Lhe
empLy corrldors of Lhe old deserLed bulldlng. 1here was nowhere Lo
hlde ln Lhls bulldlng bare of furnlLure, and knowlng Lhere was
noLhlng more he could do, he closed hls eyes and prayed fervenLly.
1ears sLreamed down hls face, Lhe words of Shema ?lsroel comlng
from hls llps as he prepared for whaL musL surely be Lhe end. 1he
fooLsLeps came lnLo Lhe room where he had concealed hlmself.
1lme sLood sull. 1he sllence was absoluLe. ?echezkel kepL hls eyes
squeezed shuL, walung for Lhe blow or shoL. WhaL he felL Lhough
was a so sLroke upon hls cheek. "Shhh.l wlll noL hurL you. ?ou wlll
be alrlghL." Pe heard Lhe words, spoken soly ln 8usslan, and
LhoughL he musL be dreamlng. Pe opened hls eyes and found
hlmself face-Lo-face wlLh a 8usslan omcer who was gazlng aL hlm
wlLh a smlle upon hls llps. 8eallzlng Lhls omcer musL be anoLher
!ew, ?echezkel began Lo weep openly. 1he omcer, Loo, wepL, saylng
he remembered hls grandfaLher sLandlng Lhus wlLh Lellln upon hls
head and hls arm.
"1ell me how l can help you, my broLher," Lhe omcer lmplored.
"Can you help us, free us?" begged ?echezkel. 1here are only 18
!ews sull allve of Lhe 200 aslde from myself LhaL were Laken from
AuschwlLz over a year ago. We only wlsh Lo reLurn home Lo llve
some sorL of llfe. Can you help us?" he asked hopefully. 1he omcer
promlsed Lo Lry hls besL, and mlraculously, Lwo weeks laLer,
?echezkel and Lhe oLher 18 !ews were freed from Lhe Slberlan
wasLeland. Wearlly, Lhey made Lhelr way home Lo begln Lo rebulld
Lhelr llves anew.
?echezkel reLurned Lo hls vllllage, Leordlna, where he marrled hls
second wlfe, Leah. 1ogeLher, Lhey made Lhelr way Lo lsrael where
?echezkel had Lhe merlL and Lhe pleasure of seelng hls chlldren
grown and marrled. unforLunaLely, he dld noL llve Lo see all 18 of
hls grandchlldren born, buL Lhey all grew up Lo be ne !ews, proud
Lo carry Lhe name and legacy of Lhelr slmple, yeL holy grandfaLher.
?echezkel dld all he could Lo save Lhe llves of Lhe 18 prlsoners ln
Slberla. ?echezkel merlLed havlng 18 grandchlldren-all ne !ews
wlLh large famllles of Lhelr own.
LlghLeen grandchlldren, 18 llves saved, you do Lhe maLh.
8S
It's 1|me 1o Wake Up & Sme|| 1he roverb|a| Coee
uo you know whaL l nd funny and very sad? l nd lL
amuslng when people say Lhlngs llke, "?ou know, Lhls monLh ls
Lhe fasL of so and so. Popefully Mashlach (Lhe Messlah) wlll
come before Lhen and lL wlll be a happy day, buL lf noL, Lhen Lhe
fasL sLarLs aL...."
WhaL's hllarlous ls when people fervenLly respond Lo Lhe
[oke and call ouL AMLn! uo you know why? 8ecause LhaL's oll so
many of us seem Lo do...
eople wanL Lhe Mashlach Lo come and even pray for lL
dally, aer all, we musL. noL only ls lL a mlLzvah ln Lhe 1orah, buL
Lhe comlng of Lhe Mashlach ls one of Lhe 8ambam's 13 core
prlnclpals of !udalsm. uo we really mean lL when we say LhaL we
wanL Lhe Mashlach Lo come, Lhough? uo we really?
Aer hearlng Lhe 8abbl make Lhe above [oke, how many of
us sLop and wonder abouL whaL we octoolly need Lo do ln order
Lo hasLen Lhe comlng of Lhe Mashlach? Are we really so nalve as
Lo Lhlnk LhaL we can remaln wlLh Lhe sLaLus quo-plcklng and
chooslng whlch mlLzvoL we wanL Lo keep based on how
convenlenL Lhey are, and Lhen merlL welcomlng Lhe Mashlach
wlLh open arms when he does come?
My lnLenuon lsn'L Lo sound all "re and brlmsLone llke" and
scare people by Lelllng Lhem LhaL Lhey're slnners and LhaL Lhey
musL repenL. 1haL rarely works nowadays. WhaL l am Lrylng Lo
say, however, ls LhaL lf we really wanL Lhe Mashlach Lo come,
Lhen we need Lo ptove Lo Pashem LhaL we really wanL hlm!
1alk ls cheap, and unless lL's backed up by acuons, doesn'L
mean much. lf we really teolly wanLed Lhe Mashlach Lo come,
Lhen do you know whaL we would do? We'd prepare for hlm!
1here ls a sLory abouL a greaL sage-l belleve lL's Lhe ChafeLz
Chalm-who used Lo keep a sulLcase ln hls closeL lled wlLh a
brand new sulL, shlrL, ue, and shoes. When asked why, he
responded, "how else am l supposed Lo fulll Lhe words of Lhe
8ambam, .ooJ eveo tbooqb lt tokes ume fot blm to come, l wlll
wolt fot blm evety sloqle Joy. When Mashlach comes," sald Lhe
ChafeLz Chalm, l can'L greeL hlm wlLh an old sulL. Cnly Lhe
newesL and nesL ls accepLable!"
We can undersLand LhaL Lhe sulLcase lled wlLh new cloLhlng
ls [usL an example and represenLs a deeper concepL: lf we really
wanLed Lhe Mashlach Lo come, Lhen we'd Lruly do oll LhaL we
could Lo work on ourselves and prepare for Lhe redempuon. And
yes, parL of LhaL denlLely means looklng presenLable when Lhe
redeemer comes. 8uL as we can undersLand by now, lL's more
Lhan [usL abouL Lhe cloLhlng we wear.
lf we Lake a mlnuLe Lo sLop and acLually Lhlnk abouL Lhe
lmpllcauons of whaL llfe wlll be llke when Lhe Mashlach arrlves,
we dlscover someLhlng asLonlshlng. 1he Mashlach wlll be
someone who manages Lo brlng Lhe !ewlsh nauon-as well as
Lhe enure world-Lo Lhe reallzauon LhaL C-d ls Lhe Cne CreaLor
and MasLer of ALL.
Slmply puL, Lhe Mashlach wlll be our leader ln showlng Lhe
resL of Lhe world (and ourselves) LhaL Lhe purpose of creauon ls
Lo sLrengLhen our relauonshlp wlLh C-d as much as posslble.
WhaL loglcally follows, Lherefore, ls LhaL every slngle declslon we
make nowadays oeeJs to be vleweJ wltb tbot mloJset!
ls whaL l'm abouL Lo do or [usL dld golng Lo enhance my
relauonshlp wlLh C-d or deLracL from lL?"
lL's plaln and slmple. lf you're ever ln doubL as Lo Lhe whaL
Lo do, Lhlnk abouL your cholces ln Lhose Lerms: ls wbot lm oboot
to Jo ot jost JlJ qoloq to eobooce my telouoosblp wltb C-J ot
Jettoct ftom lt?
We musL remember LhaL growLh ls oevet someLhlng LhaL
happens lnsLanLly or auLomaucally. 1he only reason why we
mlghL Lhlnk LhaL ls because we llve ln an lnsLanL graucauon
socleLy, buL Lhe LruLh remalns LhaL Lhere are no shorLcuLs when lL
comes Lo Lrue developmenL.
So whaL happens Lo a person, Lhen, when Lhe Mashlach
comes buL Lhey are slmply noL developed enough Lo appreclaLe
and undersLand whaL llfe ls all abouL?
lL's a soberlng quesuon.
Agaln, Lhe polnL here lsn'L Lo be scared-lL's Lo be prepared!
lf you Lruly mean lL when you shouL ouL Amen Lo Lhe comlng of
Mashlach, Lhen resolve Lo Lake someLhlng upon yourself to
octoolly qtow lo yoot telouoosblp wltb C-J.
(As an aslde, how exacLly ls Lhe Mashlach even supposed Lo
come lf !ews aren'L Lrylng Lo grow? Pow else are we even
supposed Lo merlL hlm?)
lf you declde Lo say Modeh Anl ln Lhe mornlng and pay
auenuon Lo Lhe words-LhaL's greaL! lf you declde Lo noL look aL
your phone durlng prayers-LhaL's monumenLal! lf you declde Lo
waLch your language-LhaL's wonderful! lf you declde Lo work on
your anger or lmpauence-you should be pralsed! 1he polnL ls
LhaL you should plck some ospect of your llfe and work on lL. lf
you don'L-well Lhen your Amen ls noLhlng more Lhan empLy
words.
no one, lncludlng C-d, ls expecung you Lo become perfecL
Loday. 8uL you most Lake a rsL sLep. lL doesn'L have Lo be a blg
sLep, and ln facL, lL's beuer lf, aL rsL, you Lake such a small sLep
LhaL you have no problem keeplng lL no mauer whaL Lhe
obsLacles.
uC SCML1PlnC. lf you don'L, Lhen Lhere really was no polnL
ln even readlng Lhls arucle. 8eadlng abouL growLh means very
llule unless one acLually Lakes a concreLe rsL sLep. Seelng as Lhls
arucle ls nearlng lLs end, however, our mlnds may already be
wanderlng Lo our nexL acuvlLy. Cur bellles may be grumbllng ln
anuclpauon of Lhe dellclous ShabbaL food, and self-growLh ls
someLhlng Lo be pushed Lo Lhe back of Lhe mlnd for laLer
LhoughL."
uo yourself a favor, pause your nexL acuvlLy for 3 mlnuLes,
and Lhlnk abouL how you wanL Lo grow. WhaL ls acLually golng Lo
be your concreLe sLep ln lmprovlng your relauonshlp wlLh C-d?
Serlously-whaL's lL golng Lo be?
ShabbaL Shalom | Chanan 1zlonov
ULS1ICNS? LLASL CALL CnANAN A1 917-373-8090 Ck DANI A1 212-94S-87SS | LSCDC1.nACLAMQGMAIL.CCM
ULS1ICNS? LLASL CALL CnANAN A1 917-373-8090 Ck DANI A1 212-94S-87SS | LSCDC1.nACLAMQGMAIL.CCM
! Lesson From "e Past "at Wi# Change Your Futur$
ln our prevlous lssues, we broughL a few sLorles abouL Lhe greaL
propheL Lllsha Panavl. Cnce agaln, Lhe navl brlngs down a sLory
regardlng Lllsha and hls dlsclple Cehazl.
1here was once an emlnenL Aramean general by Lhe name of
naaman, whlch Lhe navl descrlbes as a greaL warrlor. 1he navl descrlbes
hls greaL vlcLorles and also sLaLes LhaL he was a leper. Cne day, whlle hls
soldlers were ouL raldlng Lhe lsraellLe LerrlLory, Lhey capLured a young
glrl and Look her as a slave for naaman's wlfe. Whlle servlng her new
masLers, Lhe glrl heard of naaman's dlsease, and suggesLed Lo her
masLer LhaL he seek help from Lhe renowned propheL ln Samarla, Lllsha.
naaman declded Lo heed her advlce and asked Lhe klng of Aram Lo
send a message Lo Lhe klng of lsrael LhaL he was arrlvlng Lo Lhelr counLry
Lo seek a cure for hls dlsease. upon reallzlng LhaL Lhe Arameans would
auack Lhe lsraellLes lf naaman could noL be cured, Lhe klng of lsrael renL
hls garmenLs, knowlng full well LhaL Lhere was no way Lo cure such an
allmenL. When Lllsha Panavl overheard LhaL Lhe klng was dlsLraughL, he
senL hlm hls messenger assurlng LhaL Lhere was noLhlng Lo fear, and Lold
Lhe klng Lo send Lhe mlghLy general Lo hlm, promlslng LhaL he would be
cured and LhaL all would be well.
1he klng of lsrael dld exacLly whaL Lllsha had advlsed, and naaman,
LogeLher wlLh hls enure enLourage of soldlers and charloLs came Lo Lhe
enLrance Lo Lllsha's home. Lven before havlng Lhe chance Lo dlsmounL
from hls horse, Lllsha's dlsclple Cehazl came ouL Lo dellver hls masLers
lnsLrucuons, and Lold hlm Lo dlp lnLo Lhe !ordan 8lver seven umes,
guaranLeelng hlm a compleLe recovery from hls dlsease. AL rsL, Lhe
arroganL naaman was enraged aL Lhe propheL's guldance, feellng LhaL
Lhe lnsLrucuons were Loo medlocre for a greaL general such as hlmself,
and declded Lo reLurn Lo Aram. Aer belng convlnced by hls servanL,
however, LhaL lL was raLher foollsh noL Lo heed Lhe propheL's slmple
advlce, naaman dld exacLly as Lllsha had lnsLrucLed hlm, and
mlraculously was cured.
Aer naaman was cured, because of hls overwhelmlng [oy and
grauLude, he declded Lo reward Lllsha for Lhe greaL mlracle. Pe wenL
back Lo Lllsha's home and Lhanked hlm for hls help. 8esldes Lhanklng
hlm, naaman Lold Lllsha LhaL he'd declded Lo converL Lo !udalsm and
forgo hls worshlpplng of ldols, comlng Lo Lhe reallzauon LhaL Lhe C-d of
Lhe lsraellLes' was Lhe real deal. Pe Lhen Lold Lllsha LhaL he would granL
any wlsh wlLhln hls power as a Loken of appreclauon. Lllsha refused Lo
Lake any gls and Lold hlm lnsLead Lo dlrecL hls grauLude Lo Pashem.
naaman admlred Lhe rellglon Lo such a greaL exLenL LhaL he ordered hls
servanLs Lo Lake wlLh Lhem a large amounL of earLh from Lhe land of
lsrael so LhaL he could oer hls sacrlces Lo Pashem on a holy land
raLher Lhan from a forelgn land. Lllsha wlshed naaman well, and Lhe
general began hls [ourney home.
When Cehazl heard LhaL hls masLer refused Lo Lake any gl from
naaman, he declded Lo go aer hlm, and once he caughL up wlLh hlm,
Lold naaman LhaL Lllsha had changed hls mlnd and declded LhaL he
needed a LalenL of sllver and Lwo new palrs of cloLhlng-fully lnLendlng
Lo keep Lhe gls for hlmself. 1he general belleved Cehazl's lle and gave
hlm whaL he requesLed. When Cehazl reLurned Lo hls masLer and Lllsha
dlscovered whaL had happened, Lllsha rebuked hlm and cursed hls
enure household wlLh Lhe dlsease LhaL was orlglnally besLowed on
naaman. As soon as Cehazl le Lllsha's home, he was sLrlcken wlLh
leprosy, [usL as Lhe propheL had foreLold.
LeL me ask you, l undersLand LhaL whaL Cehazl dld was very low and
dellnquenL. Powever, why dld Lllsha curse Cehazl wlLh such a horrlble
dlsease? Why dldn'L [usL Lell hlm Lo reLurn Lhe money, repenL for hls
deeds, and glve hlm a less severe punlshmenL? WhaL was Lhe naLure
Cehazl's crlme LhaL because of lL, noL only was he cursed wlLh leprosy
buL hls enure household was sLrlcken as well?
My frlends, from here we learn a very deep lesson LhaL aecLs us
Lremendously Loday. ln our umes, we see LhaL LhaL Lhere are many
!ews, rellglous and non-rellglous, LhaL seek help from cerLaln 8abbls and
ask for Lhelr blesslngs and advlce. 1he 8abbls glve Lhelr guldance and
promlse Lhem LhaL all wlll be well, !"# Lhey make Lhelr blesslng
condluonal. ln order for Lhelr help, advlce, prayers, or guldance Lo work,
Lhe person musL pay Lhem a cerLaln amounL. lrom Lhls whole sLory we
learn Lhls ls a horrlble sln, buL you may ask whaL's Lhe blg deal? 1hls
8abbl ls looklng Lo make a llvlng and ls enuLled Lo do so, why ls lL such a
horrlble sln? LeL hlm have hls plece of bread!
1o answer Lhls quesuon, we have Lo go back Lo Lhe sLory. WhaL
exacLly happened aer naaman gave Cehazl whaL he requesLed?
naaman came Lo a concluslon LhaL, yes, Lhese people represenL C-d, buL
aL Lhe same ume Lhey are only human wlLh needs llke hlmself and
depend o people !"# "%& '!()*+ Lo make a llvlng. 8y mlsleadlng
naaman Lo belleve LhaL Lllsha wanLed a gl as Lhanks for whaL he'd
done for hlm, Cehazl caused someLhlng C-d-llke LhaL was meanL Lo
sancufy Lhe hollness of Pashem Lo be cheapened. naaman felL LhaL
Lllsha cured hlm only Lo make a proL o of hlm and Lhe whole concepL
of sancufylng Lhe name of Pashem became drasucally less ln hls eyes.
As menuoned earller, a real 1zadlk llke Lllsha Lold naaman Lo dlrecL hls
pralse Lo Pashem, Leachlng hlm slmulLaneously LhaL everyLhlng, good or
bad, emanaLes from Lhe wlll of Pashem, LhaL he (Lllsha) by-hlmself was
noLhlng wlLhouL Lhe greaLness of Pashem, "#$ %"& '()*) +#,- '+ &)*.)
"& " /01$)2 #+' " '*"#&"3'+*.
So now we can see LhaL when Cehazl commlued Lhls sln, he caused
a Lremendous chlllul Pashem. 1oday, we see many of Lhese cases where
Lhese, so called kabballsLs Lell you LhaL for $200.00 Lhey promlse Lo help
you-Lhrough kabbala and splrlLual forces-nd your soul-maLe or
success ln buslness. 1hey use Lhe beauLy and Lhe greaLness of !udalsm
Lo make money o of desperaLe people. now, Chas-veshalom, please
don'L mlsundersLand me. 1here are 1zadlklm ouL Lhere who wlll ask for
help, 40' 1'5& #+' 6+* '()7&),.)&. lL's Lo supporL yeshlva sLudenLs,
sLarvlng famllles, and homeless people who really need help. 1o such
people, lLs an exLraordlnary mlLzvah Lo glve, and C-d rewards people for
such selessness and generoslLy. C-d forbld, Lhls arucle lsn'L abouL how
lLs wrong Lo glve charlLy Lo 8abbls LhaL requesL Lzedaka, buL lf a person
comes Lo a sage Lo ask Lhem for help, and money ls lnvolved for Lhe
wrong reasons, Lhen lL's beuer noL Lo geL anyLhlng from Lhem aL all.
8efore Lllsha cursed Cehazl he asked hlm, ,-)*.* !.* /%0 1%+2"3
4.%+5 6*)!728, Lo whlch he replled, ,9%0. (*.:!"& #2# "%& 3% )*.* %.
&)*.*;,(Melachlm ll 3:23) Lllsha ls Lelllng Cehazl, where are you comlng
from," meanlng, do you, as a propheL of Pashem, know who you are
represenung and whaL your value ls ln peoples eyes? Cehazl
responds, ,/%0. (*.:!"& #2# "%& 3% )*.* %. &)*.*5, meanlng LhaL he ls
Lelllng Lllsha Panavl, ,&)2( 2( !<< =0(2"*(( +/ 4.2*"#;;, 1hls ls why Lllsha
cursed Cehazl wlLh such a dreaded dlsease. Cne LhaL uses rellglon as a
Lool Lo beneL hls own pockeL o desperaLe people who need help ls
commlmng a grave sln, and our sages suggesL LhaL such people need Lo
Lhoroughly revlew Lhelr commlLmenLs Lo C-d and Lhe rellglon.
ShabbaL Shalom- 8en[amln kha
%lisha - Making Legi&ma' Payment(
ln Lhls week's parasha, arshaL vayechl, Lhe 1orah records
Lhe nal momenLs of Lhe llfe of ?aakov Avlnu. Aer experlenclng
many hardshlps ln hls llfe, ?aakov Avlnu llved 17 years ln LgypL,
and ln LhaL ume, saw Lhe 70 people he came Lo LgypL wlLh
muluply lnLo as many as 600. 1he ume, however, had nally
come, and a messenger came Lo ?osef wlLh Lhe news LhaL hls
faLher, ?aakov, was lll. AL LhaL ume, ?osef wenL wlLh hls 2 sons,
Menashe and Lphralm, Lo see hls faLher ?aakov. When Lhey
arrlved, ?aakov Avlnu saL up on hls bed ouL of respecL Lo ?osef
and revealed how he had noL expecLed Lo ever see ?osef's face
agaln, and yeL Pashem had even showed hlm Lhe face of hls
chlldren! Cne sLaLemenL made by ?aakov Avlnu ln hls
conversauon wlLh ?osef seems a blL superuous and
roundabouL, Lhough. 1he pasuk sLaLes:
>?"# "%@5 /%0. &@% (%"( @)% @*.* =%." &% /%0 2" A3/B&
=*4%.* +/ 1%+2"3 &% /%05 &% A3/B&5 &)*/ !.* +2"*C AB).!2+ !"#
D*"!()* ()!<< =* +2"* <2E* F*0:*" !"# G)2+%";H IJ*.*()2& KLMNO
1he quesuon LhaL ls asked ls why was lL necessary for
?aakov Avlnu Lo menuon Lhe facL LhaL Lphralm and Menashe
were born ln LgypL before ?aakov's arrlval. SLranger sull ls
?aakov Avlnu's sLaLemenL LhaL any chlldren born aer Lhem
would be ?osef's and counLed among Lhe poruons of Lphralm
and Menashe. 1he verse could have slmple sLaLed >9%0. &@%
(%"( AB).!2+ !"# D*"!()* ()!<< =* +2"* <2E* F*0:*" !"#
G)2+%"5H LhaL belng sLralghL and Lo Lhe polnL.
1o undersLand Lhe answer, one polnL musL rsL be made:
1hroughouL Lhe 1orah, nevl'lm, keLuvlm and Mldrashlm, one
aspecL of ?osef, besldes for hls rlghLeousness, sLands ouL and
LhaL ls hls beauLy. ln Lhe eplsode wlLh Lhe wlfe of oufar, Lhe
1orah sLaLes, >P!"# 9%(*4 )!# )!"#(%+* 4*!&0.*( !"# !
=*!0Q40< 1%+B<*R2%";H Chazal even sLaLe LhaL when ?osef would
walk lnLo a room whlle women were peellng grapefrulL, Lhe
women would cuL Lhelr ngers and bleed buL noL nouce due Lo
Lhelr lnLoxlcauon wlLh ?osef's beauLy. lL ls reasonable Lo assume
Lhere was noL a woman ln LgypL LhaL was noL auracLed Lo ?osef.
undersLandlng Lhe beauLy LhaL ?osef PaLzadlk possessed and
Lhe facL LhaL he was ln LgypL, a land lled wlLh lmmorallLy and
promlsculLy, lL ls posslble Lo undersLand Lhe above sLaLemenL
made by ?aakov Avlnu as pralse for ?osef PaLzadlk.
When ?osef PaLzadlk was accused of forclng hlmself on Lhe
wlfe of oufar and consequenLly Lhrown lnLo [all, lL ls $%&&'!()-
please excuse my assumpuon-LhaL people ln LgypL assumed
LhaL he behaved Lhls way wlLh oLher women as well. Lven more
so, lL ls posslble LhaL people LhoughL LhaL he had oLher chlldren
wlLh oLher women, C-d forbld. naLurally, ln a socleLy lled wlLh
people wlLh no self conLrol, Lhls LhoughL was raLher common ln
regards Lo many people. When ?aakov Avlnu came down Lo
LgypL, lL ls posslble LhaL he caughL wlnd of Lhese rumors. Aer
reunlung wlLh ?osef, ?aakov Avlnu came Lo reallze LhaL ?osef
dld, ln facL, remaln fully rlghLeous, as he was ralsed. 1he ume
now came Lo pralse hlm for lL.
1he reason LhaL ?aakov Avlnu emphaslzed Lhe names,
locauon, and ume perlod of Lhelr blrLh was Lo emphaslze LhaL
Lphralm and Menashe were '() +#,- 3(1,$*)# born Lo ?osef
durlng hls relgn ln LgypL before ?aakov's arrlval. AL Lhls polnL,
?aakov Avlnu was maklng a clear sLaLemenL LhaL Lphralm and
Menashe were dear Lo hlm as hls own chlldren, noL only
because Lhey were hls grandchlldren, buL because Lhelr faLher
had remalned rlghLeous ln LgypL and ralsed hls 2 sons equally as
rlghLeous. Lphralm and Menashe were ralsed ln an envlronmenL
devold of hollness. 1hls ls Lhe reason why ?aakov Avlnu
speclcally sLaLed >=*4%.* +/ !..2:!<;H Any chlld born Lo ?osef
aer ?aakov's arrlval already had Lhe presence of ?aakov and hls
chlldren's lmmense hollness.
lL Lruly was agalnsL all odds LhaL ?osef PaLzadlk remalned
rlghLeous ln LgypL. Chazal sLaLe LhaL Lhe lmage of ?aakov Avlnu
lmprlnLed ln ?osef's mlnd saved hlm many umes from sln. We
musL learn how preclous Lhe lmpresslon LhaL we leave on our
chlldren ls. Lvery momenL spenL Leachlng our chlldren 1orah,
mlLzvoLh, and Lhe performance of good deeds makes a ma[or
lmpresslon on Lhelr young souls and molds Lhem lnLo C-d
fearlng !ews. lor 22 years, all LhaL ?osef had was Lhe lmage of
?aakov. May we pray and merlL LhaL our chlldren have Lhe same
lmage of us ln Lhelr ume of need and Lhe comlng of Mashlach
1zldkelnu 8lmhera 8eyamelnu. Amen! ShabbaL Shalom.

899:;< =>?@A> BC@BDAE@
Morrls had [usL been hlred as Lhe new CLC of a large hlgh Lech
corporauon. 1he CLC who was sLepplng down meL wlLh hlm
prlvaLely and presenLed hlm wlLh Lhree envelopes numbered 1, 2
and 3.
Cpen Lhese lf you run up agalnsL a problem you don'L Lhlnk you
can solve," Lhe deparung CLC sald.
1hlngs wenL along preuy smooLhly, buL slx monLhs laLer, sales
Look a downLurn and Morrls was really caLchlng a loL of heaL. AlmosL
aL hls wlL's end, he remembered Lhe envelopes. Pe wenL Lo hls
drawer and Look ouL Lhe rsL envelope. 1he message read, "8lame
your predecessor." Morrls called a press conference and Lacuully
lald Lhe blame aL Lhe feeL of Lhe prevlous CLC.
Saused wlLh hls commenLs, Lhe press -- and Wall SLreeL --
responded posluvely, sales began Lo plck up and Lhe problem was
soon behlnd hlm.
AbouL a year laLer, Lhe company was agaln experlenclng a sllghL
dlp ln sales, comblned wlLh serlous producL problems. Pavlng
learned from hls prevlous experlence, Lhe CLC qulckly opened Lhe
second envelope. 1he message read, "8eorganlze." 1hls he dld, and
Lhe company qulckly rebounded.
Aer several consecuuve proLable quarLers, Lhe company once
agaln fell on dlmculL umes. Morrls wenL Lo hls omce, closed Lhe door
and opened Lhe Lhlrd envelope. 1he message sald, "repare Lhree
envelopes." Alsh.com :-)
E(1& %))F5& #)%&,)G)* 1& $)$13"')$ 6+* '() *)60"( +6 >*1 H("1 4)# >$1#"