001 - Vedibarta Bam - Bereishit PDF

Bam
A m & YOU Shall

Speak of Them
A compilation of selected Toral) insists,
tfaugfa-provoking ideas, families and
explanations of Toral) passages
Volume I — Bereis^it
‫ה ו ע ת ק והוכנס ל א י נ ט ר נ ט‬
www.hebrlwbooks.org
‫ע ״ י היים ת ש ם ״ ז‬
[‫מי‬
Rabbi Mos^e Bogowils^
New Expanded Edition
5766.2006
V E D I B A R T A B A M — A N D Y O U SHALL SPEAK OF THEM
V O L U M E I — BEREISHIT
Published and Copyrighted © by

Rabbi M o s h e B o g o m i l s k y
1382 President Street
B r o o k l y n , N e w Y o r k 11213
A l l rights reserved. N o part of this publication may be

reproduced i n any form or by any means, including
photo-copying, without permission i n writing from the
copyright holder or the publisher.
First Impression — Elul 5755-September 1995

Second Impression — Kislev 5756-December 1995
Third Impression — Tishrei 5758-October 1997
Fourth Impression — lyar 5761-May 2001
Fifth Impression — Sivan 5763-June 2003
Sixth Impression — Adar ll 5765-March 2005
Seventh Impression — Elul 5766-September 2006
ISBN 1-8808-8014-8
I S B N 1-8808-8022-9 (set)
iii
Table of Contents
Foreword vii
Introduction viii
W h y the name Vedibarta Bam? x
Acknowledgments xi
N o t e o n Transliteration and Format xiv
Bereishit 1
Noach 22
Lech Lecha 40
Vayeira 61
Chayei Sarah 86
Toldot 108
Vayeitzei 128
Vayishlach 143
Vayeishev 161
Mikeitz 175
Chanukah-Mikeitz 190
Chanukah 194
Vayigash 207
Vayechi 227
A p p e n d i x — Index to Drush material 248

In loving m e m o r y - ‫לזכר)שמון‬
Jesse Aronson - V 1 ‫י ש ע י מ ו צ ג י ג״ר טוגימ‬ ‫ד‬
On the occasion of his first yahrtzeit - 19 CHESHVAN 5758
‫״יודע ח׳ ימי תמימים ונחלתם לעולם תחיה״‬
"Hashem knows the days of those who are wholehearted
and their inheritance shall be forever."
‫יח‬:‫תחלים לז‬
One-half Century ago, our great grandfather REV. TOBIAS
ARONSON-ZAYDE Vt authored a Sefer entitled .‫לקוטי מרגליות‬-
COLLECTION OF PRECIOUS JEWELS, which was later
published by his son, our grandfather JESSE ARONSON Vt. In
the introduction to the Sefer ZAYDE recorded this special
blessing to his son and family for their loving and dedicated
devotion and meticulous observance of Kibud Av V'aim —
honoring one's parents.
T H E FATHER'S BENEDICTION ‫גרכתוזאגלגגו‬
I convey blessings from the depth of my
,‫אגרך ממעמקי רלכ לפי ריקר‬
heart to my dear son, ‫ר׳ ישעיהו צגי‬, a man
of spirit and generosity, who has sup¬ ‫ אשר תמך‬,‫יש רוח הדיג לג‬.‫א‬
ported me and donated magnani¬ ‫אותי והרים תרומה גדולר למכת‬
mously towards the publication of this ‫<ת הסער הל( ״לקוכזי מרגליות‬5‫הרל‬
holy text, ‫ *ןזזרן״‬p ‫ ע״י‬.‫ ילקוטי מרגליות‬and his ‫ע״י גן אהרן״ ה״ה ר׳ ישעירו צגי‬
wife ‫שרד צירל‬, for a long life. May G-d ‫ ה׳ ישלם‬.‫עם זוגתו שרה יגירל יחיו‬
bestow bountiful rewards upon them
‫ ואדל שדי יגרך‬,‫להם שכר כפול‬
and may He bless him and his wife,
granting them much nachas from their ‫ ורכ נחת‬,‫ אשתו‬t ‫אותו וארג גיתן‬
daughters ]$‫ פיי‬.‫ — שייגא‬and her husband ‫ עם געלר‬.‫ פייגא‬.‫מעותיהם שיינא‬
‫ — יצחק שי׳‬and ‫רחל לאח תן׳‬. May G-d watch ‫ ה׳‬/‫ ורחל לאה תי‬/‫יצחק שי‬
over them and protect them, Amen. .‫אכן סלה‬.‫ישמרם ויגן געדם‬
THEY SHALL A L L B E BLESSED ‫ יעמדו על זזגרסז‬sVp

Heartfelt gratitude and blessings from ‫ל עליון‬-.‫כ ת ת תודח וכרעה מא‬
G-d to my dear sons and daughters for
‫שר‬.‫ על א‬,‫לגני ומותי היקרים‬
the assistance they have granted me in
my elder years. May G-d grant them ‫ יר< ה׳ להם‬.‫עושים עמי לעתזקגתי‬
long life, many good days and years, ‫ כרכר‬,‫אריכת חיים ימים ושנים‬
blessings and success in all their ‫ ויגדלו‬,‫והצלחר גכל מעשי ידיהם‬
endeavors. May they raise their sons ‫כניהם וגגותיהם לתורה ולחופה‬
and daughters to study Torah, marriage .‫ולמעשים טוגים‬
and to good deeds.
50 years later,
We have come full circle as we dedicate this sefer
In loving memory of our Grandfather and Great Grandfather
Jesse Aronson - ‫ר׳ ישעיהו צגי ג״ר טוגיוז ?״ל‬
Grandpa Jesse was a man of many virtues, but he particularly
epitomized the attribute of chesed of our patriarch Avraham. His
countless and magnanimous acts of chesed earned him the admiration
and respect of his community and his family's love and reverence.
;‫ שגה עוגית ^גל המנגינה לעולם גש^רו‬,‫הימים חולפים‬
"The days pass and the years go by but the melody lingers on."
Not only did he meticulously follow the advice of King Shlomo,
"Kabeiddet Hashem Mehonecha"— " Honor G-d with your wealth"
(Proverbs 3:9), but he also heeded Rashi's comment "Read not
'meihonecha'— 'your wealth' — but also 'meigronecha'— 'your
throat' " — i.e. if a person has a pleasant voice he should use it to
honor Hashem. Being blessed with a powerful melodious voice, he
often graciously served as sheliach tzibur. His cantorial renditions
inspired the congregation, and with dignity he supplicated Hashem
on behalf of K'lal Yisrael.
G-d gave Grandpa Jesse a wonderful life companion, Grandma
Ceil — . Providentially, Grandpa's yahrtzeit is during the
week of Parshat Chayei Sarah, for now Grandpa and Grandma are
reunited in heaven. Just as " Chayei Sarah" — the life of Sarah —
continued on through her son Yitzchak and her righteous deeds,
Grandpa and Grandma's life, too, will continue on through their
family and countless acts of chesed.
Grandpa Jesse lived for his family, and through emulating him, we
will perpetuate his spirit. May the goodness and generosity that
emanated from his heart permeate his entire family and leave an
indelible mark on his progeny and continue to inspire us and others
for generations to come.
ZAYDE blessed his family with long life full of wondrous joy and
success for his and future generations. G-d having bestowed this
blessing on our family, we decided that the most important thing that
we could do is to ask G-d to renew these blessings by the dedication
of this Volume in loving memory of our Grandfather and Great
Grandfather JESSE ARONSON — Vt ‫ ישעיהו *לגי כ״ר סוגיה‬H. Very
much like the Torah, it's the unity of family that transcends time and
insures that the rich tradition that we hold so dear endures and
flourishes from generation to generation. We only pray that G-d
grants us the resources to meet the challenges and responsibilities
and continues to shine down on our family and on all of K'lal Yisrael.
Randi & Arthur Luxenberg

Elizabeth Jewel and Jacqueline Paige
vii
‫ב״ה‬
Foreword
Vedibarta Bam is not a b o o k of sermons. I t is a c o m p i l a t i o n

of selected T o r a h insights, t h o u g h t - p r o v o k i n g ideas, homilies
and explanations of T o r a h passages.
A s a congregation Rabbi I deliver derashot — sermons —
regularly. A s a Yeshivah p r i n c i p a l I make an effort to attend the
Bar Mitzvah celebrations of the talmidim a n d usually speak i n
honor of the occasion. M a n y of the thoughts and interpretations
i n c l u d e d i n this sefer w e r e expounded i n the derashot I delivered
i n m y shul and o n various occasions.
I a m confident that a speaker w i l l f i n d herein a vast source
of material w h i c h can easily be adapted and developed for a
g i v e n occasion. To facilitate this, an index is i n c l u d e d w h i c h
indicates w h i c h t h o u g h t is suitable for a g i v e n subject.
M u c h effort was made to give the sources for the divrei
Torah. I n the instances w h e r e they are missing, i t m a y be
because I was unable to f i n d t h e m or because the thoughts are
original.
viii
Introduction
For more t h a n three decades I have had the zechut to be in¬

v o l v e d w i t h T o r a h education and the Rabbinate. I started m y
career teaching a mesivta class at the Lubavitcher Yeshivah,
B r o o k l y n , N e w Y o r k a n d afterwards was i n v i t e d to serve i n an
administrative capacity as a p r i n c i p a l of the H e b r e w
department of the Lubavitcher Yeshivah.
Simultaneously, for more than t w o decades I have been i n
the Rabbinate as the Rav of the prestigious congregation
Yeshivah of C r o w n H e i g h t s , B r o o k l y n , N e w Y o r k .
I thank H a s h e m for establishing m y p o r t i o n w i t h those w h o
d w e l l i n the study of T o r a h a n d for g i v i n g me the zechut to be
i n v o l v e d i n the education of thousands of c h i l d r e n .
D u r i n g m y early years of teaching I realized the need for
the talmid to come to the Shabbat table prepared w i t h a devar
Torah o n the w e e k l y parshah. To meet this challenge I w o u l d
prepare a w e e k l y sheet w i t h T o r a h thoughts i n Y i d d i s h .
A f t e r w a r d s as p r i n c i p a l , I w o u l d give o u t a w e e k l y T o r a h sheet
i n E n g l i s h . I t was d i s t r i b u t e d i n a l l the classes, and m a n y of the
teachers w o u l d r e v i e w i t w i t h their students, so that they
w o u l d be able to convey i t fluently at the Shabbat table. The
question/answer format is meant to stimulate the reader's
interest a n d to give each piece a clear focus. M a n y of the
questions are famous ones w h i c h have received m a n y different
answers over the years.
Over the past decade, these w e e k l y parshah sheets have,
thank G-d, become p o p u l a r and have been v e r y w e l l received.
They were faxed to other cities o n a regular basis and g i v e n o u t
i n other schools.
M a n y colleagues a n d friends encouraged me to compile
t h e m i n a b o o k format and to p u b l i s h i t , b u t at first I was
somewhat reluctant because i t w o u l d require a complete
ix
r e w r i t i n g and e d i t i n g i n order to achieve a u n i f o r m style,

accessible for the mature reader. A l s o , the o r i g i n a l Torah sheets
d i d not have the sources, and searching for all the sources is
v e r y time-consuming.
Nevertheless, I y i e l d e d to the requests. After considerable
effort this book is n o w a reality, thank G-d. I t gives me great
pleasure to present to y o u , dear readers, the first v o l u m e ,
w h i c h covers Chumash Bereishit.
I n a d d i t i o n to the aforementioned, the most c o m p e l l i n g
reason to p u b l i s h is the f o l l o w i n g strictly personal matter:
For m a n y years m y children sat around our Shabbat table and
enjoyed reading the w e e k l y parshah sheets. Some of these
thoughts have registered w i t h t h e m and left an indelible mark.
N o w they are all, thank G-d, married and together w i t h their
spouses are conducting their o w n homes. Because of them and
their children, I a m publishing these w o r k s . I t is m y fervent w i s h
and prayer that they and their families enjoy them and t h r o u g h i t
reminisce about their Shabbat experience at our home.
Moreover, i n the sefer, I i n c l u d e d some divrei Torah I heard

f r o m m y grandfather, Rabbi T z v i HaKohen ‫ ז׳׳ל‬K a p l a n . H e was a
great Talmid Chacham a n d a v e r y righteous person. For t w e n t y
seven years he served as a Rosh Yeshivah i n Yeshivah Torah
Vodaath.
I n a d d i t i o n , I also i n c l u d e d some divrei Torah f r o m m y
father Rabbi Shmuel Pesach ‫ ז ״ ל‬Bogomilsky. H e was a m o n g the
p r o m i n e n t talmidim of Rabbi S h i m o n Shkop of G r o d n a and
Rabbi Baruch Ber ‫ ז ״ ל‬L e i b o v i t z of Kaminetz, and considered
one of the elite talmidim w h e n he studied later at the M i r
Yeshivah i n Poland. H e was ordained b y some of the Torah
luminaries of the p r e - W o r l d W a r era a n d h i g h l y praised for his
Torah genius. I n A m e r i c a , he served as the Rav of Congregation
A n s h e i Teffilah, Bronx, N e w Y o r k for a short p e r i o d of t i m e
and was acclaimed as a Gaon, Posek, and Darshan b y p r o m i n e n t
Rabbanim w h o k n e w h i m .
W h i l e d e l i v e r i n g a drashah i n his shul o n Shabbat Parshat
Shelach, he suffered a stroke a n d passed a w a y that Motza'ei
Shabbat at a v e r y y o u n g age. I f o u n d his Torah thoughts i n o l d
x
notebooks w h i c h were w r i t t e n about sixty years ago and fortu¬

nately safeguarded b y m y mother u n t i l her passing o n the
29th of Tevet 5751.
W h e n Y e h u d a h pleaded before Yosef to release B i n y a m i n ,
he said, "Venafsho keshurah benafsho," — " H i s soul is b o u n d u p
w i t h his soul" (Bereishit 44:30). The w o r d "keshurah" (‫— )קשורה‬
" b o u n d " — has the numerical value of 611, w h i c h is the same
numerical value as the w o r d " T o r a h " (‫)תורה‬. Yaakov taught
B i n y a m i n Torah and t h r o u g h the study of Torah, their souls
became connected.
Torah is the language that unifies Jews of past, present and
future generations. H o p e f u l l y , the divrei Torah i n this sefer w i l l
l i n k together our f a m i l y , past, present a n d future.
Why the name Vedibarta Bam?
The name Vedibarta Bam was chosen for the sefer because i t
originated f r o m the w e e k l y Torah sheets whose purpose was to
enhance the Shabbat table, t h r o u g h " T a l k i n g of t h e m " —
discussing the divrei Torah of the parshah sheets.
Searching t h r o u g h m a n y sefarim, I w o u l d select thoughts
w h i c h I believed w o u l d p r o v o k e the interest the reader.
Consequently, the people a r o u n d the table w o u l d engage i n
Torah conversation and "Speak of t h e m . "
Moreover, i t is customary to inscribe the name of the author
i n the title of his sefer (see i n t r o d u c t i o n to Sefer Rokeach).
Therefore, the name Vedibarta Bam was chosen because the
w o r d "Bam" is an a c r o n y m for m y f a m i l y name and also
m y personal name.
M y partner i n life (until 120 years) is m y wife Bracha. To¬
gether w i t h her w e , thank G-d, have raised a beautiful family and
pray that w e merit to see m u c h Yiddish and chassidish nachas.
W h e n w e became chatan and kallah a "Lechaim" was made
for the f a m i l y i n m y parents' home. A t the occasion, m y uncle,
xi
Reb S h i m o n HaKohen K a p l a n q u o t e d a Midrash Rabbah i n De-

varim (11:2) w h i c h says that Psalm 24 " W h o shall ascend u n t o
the M o u n t a i n of G-d?" refers to Moshe Rabbeinu. The M i d r a s h
concludes, "Yisa berachah mei'eit Hashem." — " H e shall receive a
blessing f r o m Hashem," "Zeh Moshe" — This refers to Moshe.
M y uncle noted that the w o r d 'Yisa' also means ' H e w i l l m a r r y ' .
Hence, homiletically the w o r d s of the Midrash can be
interpreted to mean that Moshe's m a r r y i n g Bracha is a u n i o n
w h i c h was made b y Hashem.
Indeed, e v e r y t h i n g that happens is an act of i n d i v i d u a l

d i v i n e providence (hashgachah pratit) a n d I a m grateful to
Hashem for g i v i n g me Bracha as a life companion. H e r faithful
support a n d patience t h r o u g h o u t m y career have definitely
facilitated the journey. Her presence has t r u l y b r o u g h t a
berachah — a blessing — into m y life. Consequently, the sefer
was named Vedibarta Bam because is an a c r o n y m for our
personal names, Bracha and Moshe.
I n accordance w i t h the w o r d s of Rabbi A k i v a to his
students, "That w h i c h is m i n e and that w h i c h is yours comes
f r o m her, (Ketuvot 63:a), befittingly, her name is a l l u d e d to first.
Acknowledgments
Pursuant to the advice of our sages to b e g i n w i t h h o n o r i n g

the host (Berachot 63b), I express m y sincerest gratitude to
Yeshiva and Mesivta T o r a h V o d a a t h w h e r e I studied f r o m m y
early y o u t h u n t i l the highest shiur of Beit Midrash, and to
Tomchei T m i m i m L u b a v i t c h w h e r e I continued m y T o r a h
studies a n d was ordained.
These t w o great citadels of T o r a h learning hosted me and
instilled i n me a love a n d yearning for T o r a h study and chas-
sidut. I w i l l always be indebted to t h e m for their benevolence.
W h e n Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua was asked, " I n v i r t u e of
w h a t d i d y o u merit longevity?" he replied, "never i n m y life have
xii
I made the Beit Midrash or synagogue a thoroughfare to get from

one place to another" (Megillah 27b-Rambam, Tefilah 11:8).
I n m y father's w r i t i n g , he beautifully explains this as an
allegory: I n life m a n goes t h r o u g h m a n y stages. A s the person
moves f r o m one stage to the next, the previous one becomes
history. Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua meant that he m e r i t e d
l o n g e v i t y because he d i d not consider the Beit Midrash w h e r e he
learned Torah as a stage i n his life w h i c h he passed t h r o u g h
and graduated to go o n to another stage i n life. The Torah that
he learned i n the Beit Midrash became the w a y of life w h i c h he
f o l l o w e d a n d ' l i v e d ' t h r o u g h o u t all his years.
It is m y prayer that t h r o u g h o u t m y lifetime I should " k n o w

H i m i n a l l m y w a y s " (see Proverbs 3:6). This w i l l be the ' t h a n k
y o u ' m y yeshivot w i l l u n d o u b t e d l y appreciate most.
The comments f r o m teachers at the Yeshivah were wel¬
comed and greatly appreciated; p a r t i c u l a r l y I thank Rabbi
A b r a h a m A . Piekarski w h o assisted me i n the v e r y early stages
by c o n t r i b u t i n g Torah thoughts.
The Lubavitcher Yeshivah is fortunate to have Rabbi D r .
A l t e r Ben Z i o n Metzger as a adjunct faculty member. O n a
w e e k l y basis he w o u l d r e v i e w and edit the Torah Sheets and
enhance t h e m w i t h his p r o f o u n d Torah insight and d i v i n e l y
blessed capability of w r i t i n g . H i s comments and enthusiastic
encouragement are immensely appreciated.
Rabbi Metzger acquainted me w i t h D r . B i n y o m i n K a p l a n ,
an instructor of English at Tulane U n i v e r s i t y , N e w Orleans,
Louisiana. H e i n t u r n r e v i e w e d and edited the manuscript f r o m
cover to cover. Thanks to his proficiency and constructive
criticism, the sefer is clear a n d aesthetically appealing. I a m v e r y
t h a n k f u l to h i m for his dedication and indulgence, a n d w i s h
h i m m u c h success i n a l l of his endeavors.
The success of the project is greatly due to the devoted
secretaries w h o served our Yeshivah over the years, particu¬
larly, M r s . D e v o r a h K r o l l , m y daughters M i r i a m (Fellig) and
Yehudis (Leiter), M r s . Debbie Cadaner, and Miss Shlomit Waks.
Their dedication to this project, invaluable suggestions, and
patience are sincerely appreciated. For their assistance i n
xiii
disseminating Torah, m a y they be blessed w i t h the fulfillment

of their heart's desires and m u c h Yiddish and chassidish nachas.
Yosef Y i t z c h o k Turner of Sichos I n English w o r k e d dili¬
gently o n the l a y o u t and t y p o g r a p h y of the sefer. I a m indebted
to h i m . Rabbi Y o n a h A v t z o n , Director of Sichos I n English is
credited for b r i n g i n g this w o r k to the public at large. Their
suggestions a n d skills were valuable assets for w h i c h I thank
t h e m most profusely.
Last b u t not least, I extend advance thanks to y o u , dear
readers, for y o u r insight a n d comments. They w i l l be received
w i t h h i g h regard and w i l l enhance the future volumes I an¬
ticipate p u b l i s h i n g , please G-d.
Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky

15 Elul, 5755
I w i s h to express m y sincere thanks to D r . A b r a h a m

Boyarsky, Professor, Concordia U n i v e r s i t y and Director T A V
(Torah and Vocation) Institute, M o n t r e a l , Canada for his critical
and meticulous reading of the Vedibarta Bam Torah series. H i s
m a n y valuable suggestions and helpful comments enhance the
current edition.
Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky

24 Sivan, 5761
xiv
Note on Transliteration and Format
Transliteration generally employs the Sephardi accent, w i t h

the f o l l o w i n g usages:
1. W o r d s w i t h a final hei are spelled w i t h a final " h . "
2. " E i " (the v o w e l - s o u n d i n "freight") is used for a tzere.
3. " A i " is used for the v o w e l - s o u n d i n the w o r d " t i d e . "
4. A n apostrophe is used between distinct consecutive
v o w e l s , as i n "Ba'al."
5. A n "e" is used for a vocalized sheva, i.e. "bemeizid," not
"b'meizid."
6. " F " is preferred to " p h . "
7. " O " is used for cholem.
8. D o u b l i n g of consonants is generally avoided.
Use of Italics:
Transliterated H e b r e w w o r d s are generally g i v e n i n italics
w i t h o u t capitalization, except for proper nouns, w h i c h are
capitalized and, i n the case of names, not italicized. Some
exceptions are made for v e r y familiar H e b r e w w o r d s , such as
"Torah."
English a n d H e b r e w :
Names of Biblical persons and names of the books of the
Pentateuch are g i v e n i n H e b r e w , b u t other books of Tanach are
g i v e n i n English; thus " M o s h e " is preferred to "Moses,"
"Bereishit" to "Genesis," and "Proverbs" to "Mishlei." Generally
English w o r d s are preferred to H e b r e w ones, b u t often the
content requires the use of the H e b r e w .
Exceptions:
Exceptions to these rules most often i n v o l v e forms already
familiar to the English reader, forms that w o u l d otherwise be
a w k w a r d , a n d ones l i k e l y to be mispronounced.
BEREISHIT 1
BEREISHIT ‫בראשית ־‬
‫״‬...‫״בראשית‬
"In the beginning..." (1:1)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y does the T o r a h start w i t h the letter beit,
the second letter of the H e b r e w alef-beit, rather t h a n w i t h the
first letter, alef?
A N S W E R : The T o r a h consists of t w o parts, the W r i t t e n

Torah and the O r a l Torah. The W r i t t e n T o r a h starts w i t h the
w o r d "bereishit," and the O r a l T o r a h starts w i t h the w o r d
"mei'ei'matai" ( ‫ ) מ א י מ ת י‬. Thus, the first letters of the W r i t t e n and
O r a l T o r a h spell the w o r d "bam" . This alludes to w h a t o u r
sages tell us (Yoma 19b) o n the w o r d s "vedibarta bam" — " a n d
y o u shall speak of t h e m . " A person s h o u l d use his speech and
conversation for the study of the W r i t t e n T o r a h a n d the O r a l
Torah a n d not for idle or f o r b i d d e n talk.
(‫)מגיד תעלומה‬
* * *
A c t u a l l y , the Midrash Tanchuma (Bereishit 5) asks this ques¬

t i o n and answers as follows: "Because alef is the first letter of
the w o r d "arur" — "cursed," whereas beit is the first letter of
the w o r d "baruch" — "blessed."
But this explanation is difficult to understand. Alef is also

the first letter of beautiful w o r d s , such as "emet"— " t r u t h , " or
"ahavah" — " l o v e , " w h i l e beit is also the first letter of bad w o r d s
such as "barad" — " h a i l " (seventh of the ten plagues of E g y p t ) ,
and "bli'ya'al" — wickedness. W h y then does the Midrash offer
an explanation that doesn't seem to f u l l y answer the question?
The Midrash m a y be a l l u d i n g to the f o l l o w i n g : The letters of

the H e b r e w alef-beit also serve as numbers. Each has a n u m b e r -
2 V E D I B A R T A B A M — A N D Y O U S H A L L SPEAK OF T H E M
value — alef equals one, beit, t w o , a n d so on. By extension, alef

can mean to care about o n l y one person, oneself, a n d to forget
about others. Beit, o n the other h a n d , means coexistence, caring
a n d getting along w i t h another.
The T o r a h starts w i t h a beit to teach us that caring about

others is baruch — the source of a l l blessing, a n d that alef —
selfish caring o n l y about oneself is arur, cursed.
The explanation of the Midrash thus shows h o w the v e r y

first letter of the T o r a h teaches us the importance of ahavat
Yisrael, l o v i n g one's fellow Jew!
A similar idea is expressed i n a story t o l d i n the Gemara

(Shabbat 31a). A non-Jew came to H i l l e l , the great sage a n d leader
of the Jews i n his time, and said to h i m , "Convert me to Judaism
o n the c o n d i t i o n that y o u w i l l teach me the entire Torah w h i l e i
stand o n one foot." To do this, H i l l e l chose a brief teaching that
summarized all of the Torah: " W h a t y o u dislike, d o not do to
others, this is the entire Torah. The rest is an elaboration [of w h a t
is hateful to others a n d should be avoided]."
H i l l e l w a n t e d to show this proselyte, at the v e r y b e g i n n i n g

of his j o u r n e y to Judaism, that the basis of the entire T o r a h is to
a v o i d selfishness a n d to care about others.
(‫)פניני התורה‬
‫״‬...‫״ ב ר א ש י ת ב ר א אלק״ם‬
"In the beginning of G-d's creating..." (1:1)
Q U E S T i O N : O n Simchat Torah, w h e n w e finish reading all
five books of the W r i t t e n T o r a h , w e i m m e d i a t e l y start reading
all over again f r o m Bereishit. This shows that the T o r a h has no
end, like a circle w h i c h has no b e g i n n i n g or end.
i n this spirit, i t is customary w h e n finishing a v o l u m e of the

Gemara to explain some connection between the start of the trac¬
tate and its end. The same is true of the W r i t t e n Torah; h o w are
the v e r y first w o r d of the Torah and the last w o r d s connected?
A N S W E R : One connection between the b e g i n n i n g a n d the

e n d of the T o r a h can be understood according to a famous
story related i n the Gemara (Megillah 9a). The E g y p t i a n k i n g ,
BEREISHIT 3
Ptolemy I I (3476-3515 or 246-285 BCE) c o m m a n d e d 72 T o r a h

sages to translate the W r i t t e n T o r a h into Greek.
H e placed t h e m i n separate rooms, w h e r e they w o u l d be

unable to communicate w i t h each other. By placing t h e m i n
solitary confinement, he hoped to demonstrate that their
separate translations w o u l d reflect m a n y differences of o p i n i o n ,
p r o v i n g that the Torah is n o t D i v i n e i n o r i g i n (G-d forbid).
Hashem i n s p i r e d t h e m all to produce the exact same

translation, k n o w n a m o n g non-Jews to this day as the
Septuagint, f r o m the Greek w o r d m e a n i n g "seventy." A l l 72
sages made certain identical changes f r o m the literal meaning
of the T o r a h i n several places to forestall possible
misunderstandings b y non-Jews seeking to c o n f i r m their o w n
mistaken beliefs.
One of these changes was at the b e g i n n i n g of the Torah, i n

the w o r d s , "Bereishit bara Elokim." The sages w e r e w o r r i e d that
non-Jews, seeking to p r o v e that our T o r a h substantiates their
belief i n the existence of more than one g o d , w o u l d t r y to b r i n g
proof that some other g o d called "Bereishit" created G-d!
Therefore, all the sages i n d i v i d u a l l y reversed the order of

these w o r d s to read, "Elokim bara Bereishit" — " G - d created i n
the b e g i n n i n g . " This shows that G-d is b u t one, and H e was the
First Being and the sole Creator of the w o r l d a n d all other
beings.
This change, however, was o n l y for the sake of non-Jews,

whose mistaken beliefs c o u l d b r i n g t h e m to a false
interpretation of the verse. B u t w h e n Hashem c o m m a n d e d
Moshe to w r i t e d o w n the w o r d s of T o r a h that H e taught h i m ,
H e k n e w that the Jewish people w o u l d not misinterpret these
w o r d s . H e , therefore, t o l d Moshe to w r i t e t h e m i n their true
order. ( M a n y p r o f o u n d meanings lie i n the order of the Torah's
w o r d s and letters.)
This, then, is the connection between the v e r y first w o r d s of

the T o r a h a n d its last phrase: "Le'einei kol Yisrael" — "before the
eyes of a l l Israel" (Devarim 34:12). H a s h e m t o l d Moshe that
"le'einei kol Yisroel" — "before the eyes of a l l Israel," [he s h o u l d
w r i t e ] "Bereishit bara Elokim," a n d there is no need to reverse the

order of the w o r d s , since the Jewish people believe i n o n l y one
G-d, a n d H e alone created e v e r y t h i n g .
(‫)שרית תירוש ויצהר סי קס״ג ב ש ם ספר מ ג ד ל דוד‬
‫״בראשית ב ר א אלק״ם״‬
"In the beginning of G-d's creating." (1:1)
Q U E S T I O N : O n this first pasuk of the T o r a h , the Midrash
(Yalkut Shimoni) says that i t w i l l be understood w i t h the saying
"Rosh devarcha emet" — " Y o u r v e r y first utterance is t r u t h "
(Psalms 119:160). W h a t is the connection between these t w o
passages?
A N S W E R : The final letters of the w o r d s ‫״בראשית ברא‬

spell the w o r d — " t r u t h . " The Gemara (Shabbat
55a) says, "Hashem's signet is ." H a s h e m exists simultane¬
ously i n the past, present a n d future. L i k e w i s e , the w o r d
is m a d e u p of the first, m i d d l e a n d last letters of the H e b r e w
alef-beit to indicate that t r u t h does not change, i t is consistent i n
the past, present a n d future.
The w o r d ‫ ״ א מ ת ״‬adds u p to 441, whose numerals (4+4+1)

a d d u p to 9, a n d i n mispar katan ("single n u m e r a l s " —
disregarding the " 0 " i n the n u m e r i c a l value of a H e b r e w letter
so that is 2 a n d is 3, etc.), i t also adds u p to 9. The
uniqueness of the n u m b e r 9 is that the d i g i t s of a l l its m u l t i p l e s
always a d d u p to 9 (e.g., 9x73 = 657, 6+5+7 = 18, 1+8 = 9).
L i k e w i s e , t r u t h always remains the same a n d can never be
altered. Similarly, H a s h e m is true f r o m b e g i n n i n g to end.
M o r e o v e r , t a k i n g the letters of the H e b r e w alef-beit, begin¬

ning w i t h , every three letters together a d d u p to 9 (e.g.
9 = 2+3+4 = ‫ ד‬+ ‫ ג‬+ ‫ב‬ , and
The w o r d — "falsehood" — i n single numerals

(3+1+2), adds u p to 6. Starting w i t h , the alef-beit can be
d i v i d e d i n t o sequences, each of three consecutive letters, each
of w h i c h adds u p to six, (e.g. = 1+2+3 = 6, a n d =
7+8+9 = 24, 2+4 = 6, etc.).
BEREISHIT 5
The Midrash is questioning w h y the Torah begins w i t h

and not w i t h . i t answers, since the b e g i n n i n g of Hashem's
w o r d s ( ‫ ) ״ ב ר א ש י ת ב ר א א ל ק י ם ״‬emphasize the concept of t r u t h ,
therefore, the Torah starts w i t h , as i t is the b e g i n n i n g of the
sequence of groups of letters a d d i n g u p to 9.
(‫ ד ת ודעת‬- ‫)פון אונזער א ל ט ע ן א ו צ ר‬
‫ והארץ ה י ת ה ת ה ו‬, ‫״ ב ר א ש י ת ב ר א אזיקים א ת ה ש מ י ם ו א ת ה א ר ץ‬

‫ ו י א מ ר א ז י ק י ם י ה י א ו ר ״‬. . . ‫ו ב ה ו ו ח ש ך עזי פ נ י ת ה ו ם‬
"In the beginning of G-d's creating the heavens and the earth. And
the earth was formless and empty, with darkness over the
depths...And G-d said: 'There shall be light.'" (1:1-3)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d "Torah" is derived from the w o r d
"hora'ah" — "teaching" (see Psalms 19:8, Radak. Zohar Vayikra
53b). W h a t lesson do these very first w o r d s of the Torah teach us?
A N S W E R : I n a letter to a Bar-Mitzvah boy, the Lubavitcher

Rebbe once w r o t e that these opening w o r d s of the Torah teach
the approach all Jews should take i n serving Hashem. Every
Jew should always remember the three lessons he or she can
learn f r o m these three verses:
1) I t was Hashem H i m s e l f w h o created heaven and earth,

and therefore H e alone is Master of the w o r l d a n d of
everything w i t h i n it.
2) A t first the w o r l d is d a r k and e m p t y of Hashem's l i g h t ,

b u t every Jew has his o w n share of the w o r l d , w h i c h he has to
i m p r o v e and i l l u m i n a t e .
3) The w a y to b r i g h t e n his share of the w o r l d is t h r o u g h

"and G-d said" — f u l f i l l i n g the w o r d of H a s h e m b y s t u d y i n g
Torah a n d keeping mitzvot. T h r o u g h this, the Jew accomplishes
his purpose i n the w o r l d a n d "There shall be l i g h t " — the
w o r l d becomes i l l u m i n a t e d w i t h the l i g h t of G-d's Torah.
( ‫)אגרות קודש ח״ז ל ה ב ״ מ ש ל א ח י ה ר ב ש מ ו א ל פ ס ח שי׳ ב א ג א מ י ל ס ק י‬
‫״ויה״ ע ר ב ויה״ ב ק ר י ו ם א ח ד ״‬
"It was evening and it was morning, one day." (1:5)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y does the T o r a h say "yom echad" — "one
d a y " — a n d n o t "yom rishon" — the "first d a y " (as for the next
five days, w h i c h i t calls "second," " t h i r d , " etc.)?
A N S W E R : The Midrash calls the Yeitzer Hara, the inner

voice and evil i n c l i n a t i o n that tells us to do w r o n g , " e v e n i n g "
because i t brings darkness to the w o r l d . " M o r n i n g , " o n the
other h a n d , refers to the Yeitzer Tov, o u r inner voice that tells us
to d o g o o d , for i t brings o n l y l i g h t to the w o r l d .
The innate selfish instincts every c h i l d has at b i r t h come

f r o m the Yeitzer Hara. The Yeitzer Tov begins to express itself
o n l y g r a d u a l l y i n the c h i l d , and is first f u l l y expressed w h e n a
b o y turns thirteen years o l d — Bar Mitzvah. (See Shulchan Aruch
Harav 4:2.)
This, then, is the meaning of the verse: I n man's life,

" e v e n i n g " — the Yeitzer Hara — comes first: Then " m o r n i n g , "
the Yeitzer Tov, comes. W h e n do they first meet, b o t h being
f u l l y expressed? O n yom echad: the day a Jew becomes echad, of
w h i c h the three H e b r e w letters (alef equals one, chet, eight and
daled, four) total thirteen!
(‫)שער ב ת רבים ב ש ם עץ ה ד ע ת ט ו ב מר׳ חיים זצ״ל וויטאל‬
‫״ויאמר אלק״ם נ ע ש ה אדם״‬

"And G-d said, 'let us make man.'" (1:26)
Q U E S T I O N : To w h o m was G-d saying "let us make man?"
A N S W E R : A s soon as an a n i m a l is b o r n , i t is complete and

f u l l y f o r m e d . The passage of t i m e o n l y adds to its size and
strength. H o w e v e r , m a n at the t i m e of b i r t h is f u l l y f o r m e d b u t
totally l a c k i n g i n development. H e does n o t speak, w a l k a n d is
lacking education. T h r o u g h o u t the years of his life he
c o n t i n u o u s l y matures t h r o u g h the education he receives a n d b y
self i m p r o v e m e n t .
W h e n G-d created m a n , H e addressed a l l generations

t h r o u g h o u t posterity a n d t o l d t h e m that the " d e v e l o p m e n t " of
BEREISHIT 7
m a n , w h o was created i n H i s image, w i l l be contingent o n their

cooperation a n d assistance.
(‫ ס פ ר עקרים‬- ‫)פניני ה ת ו ר ה‬
‫״ויברא אלק״ם א ת ה א ד ם בצלמו״‬

"And G-d created the man in His own image." (1:27)
Q U E S T I O N : The Midrash Rabbah (8:10) relates that w h e n
G-d created m a n — the
angels mistakenly considered saying the Song of "Kadosh" —
" H o l y " — to h i m . H a s h e m caused sleep to fall u p o n h i m and
all k n e w that he was a m o r t a l .
H o w c o u l d the angels e r r i n g l y w a n t to say 'Kadosh' to the

created m a n i n lieu of saying i t to Hashem, w h o created
everything?
A N S W E R : U n l i k e the angels, m o r t a l m a n has inherent

physical weaknesses. After a day of w o r k he becomes t i r e d and
o n l y after a g o o d night's sleep is he i n v i g o r a t e d and able to
continue. M a n ' s spiritual beauty lies i n the fact that, regardless
of the aggravation and t o i l of the d a y before, i m m e d i a t e l y u p o n
rising i n the m o r n i n g , he proclaims "Modeh Ani," and before
starting his d a i l y r o u t i n e , he goes to shul to pray.
Since angels d o not have to deal w i t h the trials and

tribulations of the m u n d a n e w o r l d , i n the eyes of H a s h e m m a n
is preeminent, a n d therefore angels can recite their d a i l y praise
to H a s h e m o n l y after m a n has said his praise (Chullin 91b).
W h e n the angels saw the n e w l y created m a n , their mistake

was n o t to say their song to h i m b u t that they s h o u l d say their
song lefanav — before he said his praise to Hashem. They
d e r i v e d this conclusion because they t h o u g h t h i m to be an
angel like t h e m , b u t less p r o m i n e n t , since they w e r e created o n
the second d a y (Midrash Rabbah 1:3), and he was created later.
Therefore, H a s h e m cast a sleep u p o n m a n so that they

w o u l d witness that he was m o r t a l b u t nevertheless, possessing
intrinsic spiritual beauty. H a s h e m said to the angels, 'Separate
yourself f r o m the m a n , ' — There is no w a y that y o u can com¬
pare to h i m . For i n reality he is an o r d i n a r y m o r t a l and
regardless of a l l the hardships a n d difficulties that he encoun¬

ters, he a l l o w s his neshamah to direct h i m to be dedicated a n d
devoted to M y w i l l . "
(‫)מצאתי ב כ ת ב י א ב י ה ר ב ש מ ו א ל פ ס ח דיל באגאמילסקי‬
‫״ויברך אזיקים א ת יום ה ש ב י ע י ״‬

"And G-d blessed the seventh day." (2:3)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t special blessing d i d Shabbat receive?
A N S W E R : Shabbat is a d a y w h e n i t is f o r b i d d e n to w o r k , yet
one spends more m o n e y for Shabbat t h a n for any other day of
the week. A person m a y t h i n k that celebrating Shabbat p r o p e r l y
w i l l make h i m poor. Hashem, however, gave a special blessing
to the Shabbat day: the m o r e one spends for the sake of Shabbat,
the m o r e one w i l l earn d u r i n g the week.
The Gemara (Beitzah 16a) says that the m o n e y a person w i l l

have for his expenses t h r o u g h o u t the entire year is decided o n
Rosh Hashanah. Exempted f r o m this are his expenses for Shabbat.
If a person spends m u c h for Shabbat, H a s h e m w i l l make
available to h i m special sources of income to recover his
expenditures
(‫)ברית שלום‬
‫״ ו כ ל ש י ח ה ש ד ה • ר ם י ה י ה ב א ר ץ ו כ ל ע ש ב ה ש ד ה • ר ם י צ מ ח כי ל א‬
‫ה מ ט י ר ה ׳ א ל ק י ם ע ל ה א ר ץ ו א ד ם אין ל ע ב ו ד א ת ה א ד מ ה ״‬
"No shrub of the field was yet on the earth, and no plant of the
field had yet grown, for G-d had not brought rain upon the earth,
and there was no man to work the ground." (2:5)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi (based o n the Gemara, Chullin 60b)
explains that a l t h o u g h the T o r a h h a d p r e v i o u s l y stated (1:11¬
12) that G-d created a l l p l a n t life o n the t h i r d day of Creation,
the plants g r e w o n l y u p to the surface of the g r o u n d . O n the
sixth day, after A d a m was created, he realized the importance
of r a i n to make the plants g r o w , a n d p r a y e d to H a s h e m for the
r a i n they needed. T h e n the trees a n d types of vegetation
sprouted.
BEREISHIT 9
By n o t a l l o w i n g the plants to appear u n t i l A d a m p r a y e d ,

H a s h e m showed h i m h o w m u c h H e cherishes the prayers of
the righteous.
H o w e v e r , according to this explanation, w h y d i d H a s h e m

create the plants o n a previous day? C o u l d H e not have created
the vegetation o n the sixth day, i m m e d i a t e l y before H e created
Adam?
A N S W E R : W e can understand this w i t h our sages' teaching

(Midrash Psalms 90:4) that "the T o r a h preceded the w o r l d b y
2000 years." I n accordance w i t h the T o r a h c o m m a n d (Vayikra
25:8-23) designating every fiftieth year to be yoveil (the jubilee
year, i n w h i c h farmers i n Israel are f o r b i d d e n to w o r k the land),
the 2000th year was the fortieth yoveil year.
O u r sages also tell us that the first day of creation was the
25th of Elul, w i t h m a n being created o n Rosh Hashanah, the first
of Tishrei (see Rosh Hashanah 8a). Thus, the first five days of
creation w e r e the last five days of the fortieth yovel year.
" H e tells H i s w o r d s to Yaakov, H i s laws a n d H i s j u d g m e n t s

to Israel" (Psalms 147:19). O u r sages e x p l a i n (Shemot Rabbah
30:9) that whatever H a s h e m commands us to d o i n the T o r a h
H e H i m s e l f " f u l f i l l s . " To show h o w H e , too, observes the
Mitzvah of yoveil, H a s h e m created the plants o n the t h i r d day,
b u t d i d n ' t a l l o w t h e m to penetrate the g r o u n d as i t was still the
yoveil year. O n the sixth day of creation, the first d a y of the n e w
year f o l l o w i n g the yoveil, w h e n farmers w o u l d once again be
a l l o w e d to w o r k their fields, H a s h e m answered A d a m ' s
prayers for rain, and made the plants emerge f r o m the earth.
(‫)הדרש והעיון ויקרא רס׳׳ו ב ש ם ס פ ר נ ח ל ת בנימין‬
‫״ומעץ ה ד ע ת • ו ב ורע ל א ת א כ ל ממנו״‬

"Of the Tree of Knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat
thereof." (2:17)
Q U E S T I O N : H a s h e m was v e r y generous a n d p e r m i t t e d
A d a m to benefit f r o m a l l of the trees. W h y was the Tree of
K n o w l e d g e excluded?
A N S W E R : This p r o h i b i t i o n teaches a fundamental lesson.

K n o w l e d g e s h o u l d not be a source of " f o o d " and financial en¬
richment, b u t a means to elevate oneself. For example, one
s h o u l d not study medicine as a means to earn m u c h m o n e y , b u t
rather to cure the ills of the w o r l d . I f people w o u l d p u t aside
self-interest, the w o r l d w o u l d greatly benefit f r o m their
knowledge.
‫ ו י ב א א ל ה א ד ם ל ר א ו ת‬. . ‫״ויצר ה ׳ א ל ק ״ ם מ ן ה א ד מ ה כ ל ח י ת ה ש ד ה‬
‫ ויקרא א ד ם ש מ ו ת ל כ ל ה ב ה מ ה ״‬. . . ‫מ ה ״קרא ל ו‬
"And G-d formed out of the earth each animal... and brought them
to the man to see what he would name each one, and Adam
assigned names to all cattle." (2:19-20)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d H a s h e m w a n t A d a m to give the
animals their names?
A N S W E R : W h e n one acquires a p r o p e r t y , one changes its

title to show its n e w o w n e r s h i p . W e f i n d this i n the Torah:
Pharaoh a p p o i n t e d Yosef as his viceroy, and changed his name
to Tzafnat Paneach (41:45) to show that he remained Yosef's
superior.
By a u t h o r i z i n g A d a m to give a l l creatures their names,

H a s h e m was s h o w i n g h i m that he h a d become a ruler over
t h e m a n d that he was supposed to assert his influence over
t h e m , rather t h a n a l l o w i n g t h e m to influence h i m .
(‫)לקוטי ש י ח ו ת חל״ה‬
‫״ו״בן ה ׳ א ל ק ״ ם א ת ה צ ל ע א ש ר ל ק ח מ ן ה א ד ם ל א ש ה ו ״ ב א ה א ל‬
‫האדם״‬
"And G-d built the rib which He had taken from the man into a
woman, and He brought her to the man." (2:22)
Q U E S T I O N : I n the berachot recited under the chuppah, and
d u r i n g the w e e k of sheva berachot, w e say
— "Grant abundant j o y to
these l o v i n g friends, as Y o u bestowed gladness u p o n Y o u r
created being i n the Garden of Eden of o l d . " W h a t happiness
d i d H a s h e m cause A d a m to experience?
BEREISHIT 11
A N S W E R : A c c o r d i n g to an o p i n i o n i n the Gemara (Berachot

61a), A d a m a n d Chavah w e r e created together as one, back to
back. H a s h e m afterwards separated t h e m , and they became
two individuals.
Strife a n d suffering occur w h e n people " t u r n their backs"

o n each other and refuse to communicate. People experience
happiness w h e n they "see" each other face to face.
The blessing to the chatan and kallah is that, t h r o u g h o u t the

years of their m a r r i e d life, they s h o u l d always communicate
"face to face" and never " t u r n their backs" o n each other.
* * *
M a n y of the conflicts that u n f o r t u n a t e l y arise after marriage

are d u e to disputes regarding pedigree (yichus). One partner
m a y tell the other, " M y f a m i l y is m o r e p r o m i n e n t t h a n yours,
and y o u are n o t m y equal." To preserve a marriage, the T o r a h
advises one to forsake "father a n d mother," forget about
pedigree, and focus o n l y o n the partner. The t w o together
should endeavor to create a f a m i l y tree a n d beautiful lineage,
starting w i t h this u n i o n .
U n d e r the chuppah, w e bless the y o u n g couple, "Grant

abundant j o y to these l o v i n g friends, as Y o u bestowed gladness
u p o n Y o u r created being i n the Garden of Eden of o l d . "
A d a m ' s u n i q u e happiness d e r i v e d f r o m the lack of a r g u m e n t
between h i m and Chavah over pedigree, since b o t h w e r e
entirely created b y Hashem.
(‫)פרדס יוסף‬
‫״ויאמר ה א ד ם ז א ת ה פ ע ם ע צ ם מ ע צ מ י ובשר מבשרי ל ז א ת יקרא‬

‫א ש ה כי מ א י ש ל ק ח ה ז א ת ״‬
"And the man said: 'This time it is bone of my bones, and flesh of
my flesh; this shall be called Woman, because she was taken from
man.'" (2:23)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d s "zot hapa'am" — "this t i m e " —
seem superfluous?
A N S W E R : A c c o r d i n g to the Gemara (Niddah 31a), there are

three partners i n the f o r m a t i o n of man: T h r o u g h H a s h e m , he
receives a soul, t h r o u g h the father the bones, nails, a n d b r a i n ,
and t h r o u g h the mother, s k i n and flesh. A d a m emphasized that
this t i m e , and only this t i m e , the bone a n d the flesh b o t h came
all f r o m the same source.
(‫)ילקוט הדרוש‬
‫״ ע ל כ ן י ע ז ב א י ש א ת א ב י ו ו א ת א מ ו ו ד ב ק ב א ש ת ו והיו ל ב ש ר א ח ד ״‬
"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall
cling to his wife." (2:24)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y does the T o r a h make leaving one's par¬
ents a prerequisite for marriage?
A N S W E R : A c c o r d i n g to the Torah, the success of a

marriage depends o n forsaking the relationship that exists
between c h i l d a n d parent. D u r i n g his formative years the son is
usually o n the receiving end, and he has not f u l l y developed
his capacity to give. One w h o marries is expected to become the
supplier materially and s p i r i t u a l l y for his w i f e and c h i l d r e n .
One cannot enter marriage, however, expecting to continue
being the recipient: The art of g i v i n g m u s t be developed.
Therefore, the T o r a h says, leave the parent-child relation¬

ship, and y o u r c h i l d i s h inclinations. Learn to be a giver, and
then the marriage w i l l succeed.
‫״ ו ת א מ ר ה א ש ה א ל ה נ ח ש מ פ ר י ע ץ הגן נ א כ ל ומפרי ה ע ץ א ש ר‬
‫ב ת ו ך הגן א מ ר א ל ק י ם ל א ת א כ ל ו מ מ נ ו ו ל א ת ג ע ו בו״‬
"And the woman said to the snake, 'From the fruit of the trees of
the garden we may eat. But from the fruit of the tree which is in
the middle of the garden, G-d said: You shall not eat of it, nor shall
you touch it.'" (3:2-3)
Q U E S T I O N : H a s h e m had o n l y t o l d t h e m n o t to eat of i t
(2:17). W h y d i d Chavah tell the snake that they had been t o l d
not to touch i t as well?
A N S W E R : She said this i n accordance w i t h an i m p o r t a n t

detail of Torah-law, w h i c h determines w h e n f o r b i d d e n food
BEREISHIT 13
m a y or m a y not be touched. O n Yom Kippur w e are a l l o w e d to

t o u c h food, a l t h o u g h w e m a y not eat it. Since no food at a l l m a y
be eaten, the Rabbis were not afraid that one w i l l forget that i t
is f o r b i d d e n a n d eat i t .
O n Pesach, however, one m a y n o t eat chameitz (food

containing leavening) nor even t o u c h i t . Since o n Pesach one
eats a l l food except chameitz, one c o u l d easily forget a n d eat
chameitz b y mistake. The sages, therefore, forbade even
t o u c h i n g chameitz (Magen Avraham 612:6).
Since they w e r e a l l o w e d to eat the fruits of a l l the trees of

the garden, Chavah t h o u g h t the situation was similar to Pesach,
w h e n a l l food besides chameitz is a l l o w e d . Just as chameitz is n o t
to be touched o n Pesach i n case one comes to eat i t , so too
w o u l d i t have been w r o n g , she reasoned, to t o u c h the
f o r b i d d e n tree so that they w o u l d n o t eat b y mistake.
(‫)כתנות א ו ר ועי׳ תורה תמימה‬
‫״ויאמר ה נ ח ש א ל ה א ש ה ל א מ ו ת ת מ ת ו ך‬
"The snake said to the woman: 'You will certainly not die.'" (3:4)
Q U E S T I O N : 1) I n the o r i g i n a l H e b r e w , the root w o r d mot
w h i c h means d y i n g is repeated; mot temutun. This seems to be
an extra w o r d . W h y is i t necessary? 2) The snake pushed
Chavah u n t i l she touched the tree, telling her: "Just as y o u
d o n ' t die b y t o u c h i n g the tree, y o u w o n ' t die b y eating its f r u i t "
(Rashi). This logic is difficult to comprehend because w h e n
H a s h e m t o l d A d a m n o t to eat the f r u i t of the tree, H e t o l d h i m :
" O n the day y o u eat of the fruit y o u w i l l die." Since the day was
not yet over, h o w c o u l d the snake convince Chavah that she
w o u l d n ' t die for t o u c h i n g i t or eating the fruit?
A N S W E R : H a s h e m c o m m a n d e d not to eat the fruit, b u t

Chavah a d d e d that they c o u l d n ' t t o u c h the tree either. The
snake slyly pushed her against the tree, a n d t o l d her: " N o w i t
makes no difference whether y o u eat or not, because a person
can o n l y die once a n d not twice! Thus, i f y o u have to die for
t o u c h i n g the tree, y o u can't die a second t i m e for eating the
fruit, too. A n d i f y o u w o n ' t die for t o u c h i n g the tree, y o u w o n ' t
die for eating the fruit either. So y o u m i g h t as w e l l enjoy the

fruit a n d n o t w o r r y about a n y t h i n g . "
(‫)ילקוט הדרוש ב ש ם בני לוי‬
‫ ו ת ק ח מ פ ר י ו ו ת א כ ל ״‬. . . ‫ ל מ א כ ל‬yyin ‫״ ו ת ר א ה א ש ה כ י • ו ב‬
"And the woman saw that the tree was good for eating...and she
took from its fruit and she ate." (3:6)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y does the pasuk start t a l k i n g about the tree
a n d conclude w i t h the fruit?
A N S W E R : The tree was u n i q u e i n being entirely edible a n d

tasty — i n c l u d i n g its t r u n k a n d branches (Midrash Rabbah,
Bereishit 15:7). H a s h e m forbade the fruit of the tree, b u t not the
w o o d . The snake, however, w h o was v e r y sly, fooled C h a v a h
i n t o first eating f r o m the w o o d W h e n she realized its
harmlessness a n d even its beneficial q u a l i t y , she t h e n decided
to also partake of the fruit
(‫)כתב סופר‬
‫״ויאכל״‬
"And he ate." (3:6)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y is i t necessary to reveal that A d a m vio¬
lated Hashem's command?
A N S W E R : There are people w h o c l a i m that 613 mitzvot are

too m a n y . I f the n u m b e r w e r e reduced, i t w o u l d be easier for
t h e m to be T o r a h observant. O n the day of creation A d a m h a d
o n l y one mitzvah, w h i c h he v i o l a t e d . This teaches us that,
regardless of h o w m a n y mitzvot a person has to observe, he
m u s t be aware of the yeitzer hara, w h o w i l l always endeavor to
f i n d a w a y to trap h i m into sinning. H a s h e m d i d n o t
o v e r b u r d e n us w i t h H i s mitzvot. H e gave us 613 k n o w i n g that
this is the n u m b e r a Jew is capable of h a n d l i n g .
(‫)לקוטי ש י ח ו ת חייג‬
* * *
T w o people, each c a r r y i n g a sack w e i g h i n g 100 p o u n d s ,

w e r e c l i m b i n g a m o u n t a i n . One was extremely h a p p y , the other
v e r y sad. A passerby asked each one i f he c o u l d a d d to his sack.
BEREISHIT 15
The h a p p y one said, " o f course," a n d the other one r e p l i e d , " o h

no!" I t t u r n e d o u t that the h a p p y one was c a r r y i n g valuable
gems, and the sad one was c a r r y i n g a sack f u l l of rocks.
Every Jew is obliged to " c l i m b the m o u n t a i n " t h r o u g h per¬

f o r m i n g T o r a h and mitzvot. W h e n a person considers T o r a h and
mitzvot a sack of gems, he "carries" i t h a p p i l y , and his yeitzer
hara cannot deter h i m . I f he v i e w s T o r a h and mitzvot as a
difficult b u r d e n , he moans a l l the w a y and his yeitzer hara can
easily influence h i m .
‫״ויקרא ה ׳ א ל ק י ם א ל ה א ד ם ויאמר לו א י כ ה ״‬
"G-d called out to the man and said to him, 'Where are you?'" (3:9)
Q U E S T I O N : D i d n ' t H a s h e m k n o w w h e r e A d a m was?
A N S W E R : D u e to a heavenly decree, the first Lubavitcher

Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Z a l m a n of L i a d i , k n o w n as the Alter
Rebbe, was i m p r i s o n e d i n Russia. Once a h i g h r a n k i n g officer
came to his cell to interrogate h i m . The officer was v e r y
impressed w i t h the Rebbe's saintly appearance and asked,
" M a y I ask y o u a question?" The Rebbe graciously assented.
" H o w do y o u e x p l a i n G-d asking A d a m 'Where are you'? Is i t
possible that G-d s h o u l d not k n o w w h e r e he is?"
Before the Rebbe answered the question directly, he asked,

" D o y o u believe the T o r a h is eternal?" The officer r e p l i e d
affirmatively. The Rebbe then continued, "The T o r a h is
teaching us that at a l l times H a s h e m calls every m a n and says
to h i m , 'Where are y o u (spiritually)? A specific a m o u n t of years
and days w e r e allotted to y o u ; w h a t have y o u accomplished
d u r i n g y o u r lifetime?' "
The Rebbe then t u r n e d to the officer and said, "For

example, y o u have already l i v e d such a n d such a n u m b e r of
years (exactly the age of the officer); d i d y o u ever d o someone a
favor?"
The officer was impressed. H e patted the Rebbe o n the back

and shouted "Bravo!" A f t e r w a r d s he was v e r y helpful i n
clearing the Alter Rebbe of the charges for w h i c h he was

arrested.
(‫ אדמו״ר הזקן‬,‫)ספר התולדות‬
‫״ ה מ ! ה ע ץ א ש ר צויתיך לבלתי א כ ל מ מ נ ו א כ ל ת ״‬
"Have you then eaten from the tree which I commanded you not to
eat from it?" (3:11)
Q U E S T I O N : I n the first H e b r e w w o r d of this verse,
"Hamin," the Gemara (Chullin 139b) finds an allusion to the
w i c k e d H a m a n , w h o sought to destroy the Jewish people u n t i l
M o r d e c h a i and Esther t h w a r t e d his plans and he was executed.
"Haman" has the same H e b r e w letters — " " — as i n
"Hamin."
W h a t , however, is the connection between H a m a n a n d the
story of A d a m ' s sin?
A N S W E R : H a m a n d i d n o t learn f r o m A d a m ' s mistake.

A d a m was the o n l y m a n i n the w o r l d , r u l i n g over all creatures;
he lacked n o t h i n g and c o u l d have l i v e d forever. Hashem's
c o m m a n d not to eat f r o m the f r u i t of the Tree of K n o w l e d g e
was to l i m i t his d o m a i n m a r g i n a l l y and to teach h i m to be
content w i t h w h a t he had. H e was n o t to risk e v e r y t h i n g he had
for w h a t was not meant for h i m . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , A d a m d i d not
learn this lesson and suffered the bitter consequences
H a m a n , too, had e v e r y t h i n g — vast w e a l t h , m a n y c h i l d r e n

i n p o w e r f u l places, and the highest p o s i t i o n i n the k i n g d o m ,
second o n l y to the k i n g (Esther 5:11).
Nevertheless, he c o u l d not bear the fact that M o r d e c h a i the

Jew remained the only one w h o refused to b o w d o w n to h i m .
N o t content w i t h possessing almost e v e r y t h i n g , H a m a n risked
all he h a d i n an attempt to g a i n w h a t he felt was missing — b y
p l a n n i n g the a n n i h i l a t i o n of the Jewish people.
H a d he not been so greedy, he c o u l d have l i v e d a life of

w e a l t h a n d r o y a l honor. But he d i d n o t learn f r o m A d a m ' s mis¬
take, and he, too, suffered the bitter consequences
BEREISHIT 17
‫״ ו י א מ ר ה א ד ם ה א ש ה א ש ר נ ת ת ה ע מ ד י ה ו א נ ת נ ה לי מ! ה ע ץ ו א כ ל ״‬
"The man said: 'The woman whom You gave to be with me, she
gave me of the tree, and I ate.'" (3:12)
Q U E S T I O N : Is this a v a l i d excuse for a g r o w n man?
Furthermore, A d a m was w a r n e d , " O n the day that y o u eat

of i t (the fruit of the Tree of K n o w l e d g e ) , y o u w i l l surely d i e "
(2:17). Yet w e f i n d that a l t h o u g h he was u l t i m a t e l y p u n i s h e d
w i t h death ("..until y o u r e t u r n to earth, for f r o m i t y o u have
been taken, for dust y o u are a n d to the dust shall y o u r e t u r n "
— 3:18), i t w o u l d not have been for another 930 years (5.5).
W h y d i d he receive other i m m e d i a t e punishments, (3:17-19, 23)
and d i d n o t die o n the d a y that he ate of the fruit?
A N S W E R : W e can answer b o t h questions according to the

rule i n Jewish l a w (Gemara, Gittin 2b) that the testimony of
"One witness is believed concerning T o r a h p r o h i b i t i o n s . " I n
other w o r d s , a l t h o u g h t w o witnesses are r e q u i r e d to incrimi¬
nate someone, or to force someone to give money, i n matters of
Torah p r o h i b i t i o n s the testimony of one witness is sufficient.
For example, a husband m a y n o r m a l l y rely u p o n his w i f e w h e n
she prepares a meal for h i m and tells h i m that is kosher.
A d a m w o u l d never have transgressed a c o m m a n d w h i c h

he h a d heard directly f r o m Hashem. H e assumed, however,
that since his w i f e was g i v e n to h i m b y H a s h e m Himself, he
c o u l d rely u p o n her w i t h o u t hesitation. H e therefore excused
himself b y saying that w h e n Chavah — w h o m Y o u personally
gave me for a w i f e — offered me the food, I had no d o u b t that I
was a l l o w e d to eat i t "
Since A d a m had n o t transgressed Hashem's c o m m a n d

i n t e n t i o n a l l y (bemeizid), the p u n i s h m e n t of death " o n the d a y
y o u eat of i t " no longer applied. H e was therefore g i v e n other
punishments for h a v i n g transgressed the prohibition
u n i n t e n t i o n a l l y (beshogeig).
(‫)שרית תירוש ויצהר סי ל׳׳א‬
‫״ א ל ה א ש ה א מ ר ה ר ב ה א ר ב ה ע צ ב ו נ ך והרנך ב ע צ ב תלד״ בנים״‬

"To the woman He said: i will greatly multiply your pain and your
pregnancy; in pain you will bring forth children.'" (3:16)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains: " Ttzvoneich' refers to the
trouble of rearing c h i l d r e n . 'Veheironeich' refers to the pains of
pregnancy."
Rearing c h i l d r e n comes after pregnancy. W h y d i d H a s h e m

reverse the order?
A N S W E R : K a y i n a n d H e v e l were b o r n before A d a m a n d
C h a v a h c o m m i t t e d the sin of eating the f o r b i d d e n f r u i t
(Sanhedrin 38b). After being chased o u t of Gan Eden, C h a v a h
gave b i r t h to a t h i r d son. Thus, i m m e d i a t e l y after c o m m i t t i n g
the sin, she began to experience the troubles connected w i t h
rearing c h i l d r e n , w h i l e at a later date she encountered the pains
of pregnancy.
(‫ פ ר ח לבנון‬- ‫)פון אונזער א ל ט ע ן א ו צ ר‬
‫״והוא י מ ש ל בך״‬
"And he will rule over you." (3:16)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y was this the p u n i s h m e n t for eating the
f o r b i d d e n fruit?
A N S W E R : H a s h e m conducts H i m s e l f w i t h a person midah

keneged midah — measure for measure. Prior to eating the
f o r b i d d e n fruits C h a v a h was i n c o m m a n d of A d a m . W h e n
H a s h e m asked A d a m w h y he ate the fruits, his r e p l y was
‫ נ ת נ ה ל י מ ן ה ע ץ ו א כ ל ״‬. The Ba'al Haturim explains that he meant to
say "She hit me w i t h a stick a n d ordered me to eat." Because she
u t i l i z e d her p o w e r i n the w r o n g w a y , her rulership was taken
a w a y f r o m her a n d she was placed under the r u l e r s h i p of her
husband — A d a m
(‫)רמב׳׳ו‬
‫״ויעש ה׳ א ל ק י ם ל א ד ם ולאשתו כ ת נ ו ת עור וילבשם״‬

"G-d made for Adam and his wife leather garments." (3:21)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y w e r e the garments m a d e of leather?
BEREISHIT 19
A N S W E R : Before a person puts o n a n e w garment he is

required to recite the berachah of Shehecheyanu. A c c o r d i n g to
some opinions, an exception to this rule are garments made of
leather. Since i t is necessary to k i l l an animal i n order to get the
skin, a berachah of Shehecheyanu, w h i c h denotes j o y , is not
recited (Orach Chaim 223:6; Sedei Chemed, Berachot 2:20).
A c c o r d i n g to halachah, i t is f o r b i d d e n to recite a berachah

w h e n one is unclothed. Therefore, Hashem had no alternative
b u t to make garments of leather, so that A d a m and Chavah
w o u l d not have the p r o b l e m of saying a berachah unclothed.
(‫)פרדס יוסף ב ש ם ס פ ר צ פ נ ת פענח‬
* * *
Since Chavah caused A d a m ' s need for c l o t h i n g , i t is

customary for a kallah to send her chatan a tallit before the
w e d d i n g (Ta'a'mei Haminhagim #947). T h r o u g h this garment,
w h i c h is used for a mitzvah, Chavah's sin is corrected.
‫״ויגרש א ת ה א ד ם וישכ! מ ק ד ם לגן עד! א ת ה כ ר ב י ם ו א ת ל ה • ה ח ר ב‬

‫המתהפכת״‬
"And He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the
Garden of Eden the cheruvlm and the flame of the ever-turning
sword." (3:24)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains that "cheruvim" are "angels of
destruction."
H o w e v e r , a m o n g the items housed i n the Mishkan was the

H o l y A r k , w h i c h contained the Torah and commandments.
Over i t was a cover made of p u r e g o l d . A b o v e the cover, the
Torah instructs, " Y o u shall make t w o cheruvim of gold... and the
cheruvim shall stretch f o r t h their w i n g s o n h i g h , sheltering the
cover w i t h their w i n g s , a n d their faces shall be facing each
other, t o w a r d the cover shall the faces of the cheruvim be."
(Shemot 25:18-20). Rashi, i n his commentary, writes of these
cheruvim, "They had the f o r m of the face of a c h i l d . "
I n one place, the cheruvim are i n the f o r m of harmless chil¬

d r e n , and i n another place they are i n the f o r m of fearsome de-
structive angels. H o w does one resolve the seeming contradic¬

tion?
A N S W E R : Rearing c h i l d r e n has always been considered a

supreme challenge, a n d parents have struggled a n d moaned
over the agony of this task. I n contemporary times, w e live i n
an atmosphere of turbulence a n d confusion, i n an era w h e n
statistics indicate g l o o m y prospects for c h i l d r e n c o n t i n u i n g i n
their parents' religious lifestyle. W e hear of a generation gap
a n d the estrangement a n d alienation of our y o u t h . M a n y
parents w o n d e r , " W h a t have I done w r o n g ? W h y was I
unsuccessful w i t h m y children?"
Cheruvim are c h i l d r e n . They can be w o n d e r f u l harmless

angels, or vicious a n d destructive. I t is i m p o r t a n t to always
bear i n m i n d that i t depends o n w h e r e w e p u t t h e m , a n d to
w h a t w e expose t h e m . I f w e choose to expose the c h i l d to the
"cherev hamithapechet," the contemporary " r e v o l v i n g s w o r d s " of
materialism, secularism, a n d m o d e r n i s m , w e m u s t then be
prepared to suffer the consequence that the cheruvim — the
faultless c h i l d r e n — m a y become destructive angels. H o w e v e r ,
if one resolves to attach his c h i l d to the H o l y A r k , teaching h i m
to look t o w a r d the ark a n d to l o o k to the T o r a h for guidance, he
m a y then anticipate the r e w a r d of the cheruvim — faultless
c h i l d r e n w h o w i l l be a source of "Yiddishe" nachas.
‫״ ו י א מ ר ק י ן א ל ה ב ל א ח י ו ויה״ ב ה י ו ת • ב ש ד ה ו י ק ם ק י ן א ל ה ב ל א ח י ו‬
‫ויהרגהו״‬
"Kayin spoke to Hevel his brother. Then, when they were in the
field, Kayin rose up against Hevel his brother and killed him." (4:8)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t d i d K a y i n say to Hevel?
A N S W E R : The Midrash Rabbah (22:8) says that H e v e l was

m u c h stronger t h a n K a y i n , a n d K a y i n w o u l d n o r m a l l y n o t have
been able to k i l l h i m . To g a i n his brother's confidence, K a y i n
pretended to be a " g o o d brother," leading h i m to t h i n k that he
w o u l d never d o h i m any h a r m .
This is the m e a n i n g of the verse: " K a y i n spoke to H e v e l , his

b r o t h e r " — he spoke to h i m i n a k i n d , brotherly w a y , so that
BEREISHIT 21
later w h e n they w i l l be o u t i n the field, he c o u l d take h i m b y

surprise a n d k i l l h i m before he had a chance to fight back.
A f t e r w a r d s , H a s h e m asked K a y i n , "Where is y o u r brother

Hevel?" (4:8) This was indeed a rhetorical question; H a s h e m
k n e w v e r y w e l l w h a t happened. H o w e v e r , H e was asking
K a y i n , " H o w were y o u able to k i l l y o u r o w n brother, w h e n
such a l o v i n g 'brotherliness' supposedly existed between y o u
and him?!"
(‫)קול אליהו‬
‫״ ו ת ה ר ו ת ל ד א ת ח נ ו ך ויהי ב נ ה ע י ר ו י ק ר א ש ם ה ע י ר כ ש ם ב נ ו ח נ ו ך ״‬
"She conceived and bore Chanoch; he became a city-builder, and
he named the city after his son Chanoch." (4:17)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d he give the name " C h a n o c h " to his
son and the city?
A N S W E R : W h e n K a y i n c o m m i t t e d the terrible act of k i l l i n g

his o w n brother, he realized his d e m o r a l i z a t i o n a n d debased
status. After m u c h c o n t e m p l a t i o n , he concluded that w i t h o u t
proper education f r o m early y o u t h , a person can easily go
astray a n d c o m m i t the most gross and i n h u m a n e crimes. To
rectify this, he made i t his mission to propagate the importance
of education.
W h e n his son was b o r n , he n a m e d h i m Chanoch, w h i c h

stems f r o m the w o r d "chinuch" — "education" — a n d also
called the entire city b y this name. K a y i n was stressing that
parents are obligated to educate their c h i l d r e n as soon as they
are b o r n . Moreover, one s h o u l d not suffice w i t h this, b u t also
see that the entire city receives a proper education.
( ‫)מצאתי ב כ ת ב י א ב י ה ר ב ש מ ו א ל פ ס ח דיל ב א ג א מ י ל ס ק י‬
NOACH ‫נ ח ־‬
‫״ א ל ה תולדות נ ח נ ח א י ש צדיק ת מ י ם ה י ה בדיתיו א ת האזיקים‬

‫ה ת ה ל ך נח״‬
"These are the offspring of Noach: Noach was a righteous man,
perfect in his generation; with G-d Noach walked." (6:9)
Q U E S T I O N : The T o r a h g i v e n to us b y H a s h e m is concise.
W h y , then, does i t describe Noach's v i r t u e s i n so m u c h detail?
A N S W E R : O u r sages d i v i d e the mitzvot into t w o categories:

1) o u r duties t o w a r d s G-d a n d 2) our responsibilities t o w a r d s
our fellow h u m a n beings.
Some people are strict i n observing their duties t o w a r d s

Hashem. They p r a y w i t h d e v o t i o n , s t u d y T o r a h d i l i g e n t l y , a n d
keep mitzvot like tzitzit, tefillin, Shabbat a n d Yom Tov etc.
meticulously. A l t h o u g h they observe the precepts for H a s h e m
w i t h great care, they m a y lack the sincerity a n d respect for the
rights a n d belongings of their fellows.
Others m a y be v e r y careful i n their relations w i t h their fel¬

l o w m e n a n d w o m e n , h e l p i n g those i n need a n d s h o w i n g
respect t o w a r d s others. H o w e v e r , they are lax i n their duties
t o w a r d s Hashem. They m a y not say their prayers the w a y they
s h o u l d , s t u d y as m u c h T o r a h as they can, or take proper care to
f u l f i l l the mitzvot.
I n this verse, the T o r a h tells us that N o a c h was a righteous

m a n i n every sense: "Perfect i n his generation" — i n his rela¬
tionships w i t h others. H e also " w a l k e d w i t h G - d " — serving
H i m properly
NOACH 23
‫״נח א י ש צדיק ת מ י ם היה בדיתיו א ת האלקים ה ת ה ל ך נח״‬

"Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generation; with G-d
Noach walked." (6:9)
Q U E S T I O N : A tzaddik is someone w h o " w a l k s w i t h G - d " —
w h o observes carefully whatever H a s h e m says. To say that
N o a c h was a tzaddik and that " w i t h G-d N o a c h w a l k e d " seems
redundant?
A N S W E R : There are m a n y different types of people. Some

observe T o r a h and mitzvot at home, b u t w h e n they are a m o n g
their friends they d o things w h i c h a Torah-observant Jew
should n o t be d o i n g . For example, at home they are v e r y
careful w i t h kashrut, b u t w h e n they eat o u t w i t h friends they
are n o t as careful. Others, act v e r y frum (pious) i n the c o m p a n y
of their friends, b u t w h e n they are alone at home w i t h no one
w a t c h i n g , there is m u c h to be desired. For example, i n shul they
daven w i t h m u c h kavanah, b u t at home, they race t h r o u g h the
d a v e n i n g i n a few minutes
The T o r a h is testifying that N o a c h was a tzaddik, a n d goes

o n to explain w h a t type of tzaddik he was: 1) " H e was perfect i n
his generation" — w h e n he was a m o n g the people of his
generation he acted i n a v e r y observant manner. 2) " W i t h G-d
N o a c h w a l k e d " — w h e n he was alone w i t h only H a s h e m seeing
his behavior, N o a c h w a l k e d i n the p a t h of H a s h e m
‫״ נ חאיש צדיק ת מ י ם היה בדיתיו״‬

"Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations." (6:9)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi comments: "There are some a m o n g rab-
boteinu — our rabbis — w h o explain this as praise for Noach:
Were he l i v i n g a m o n g tzaddikim he w o u l d have been a greater
tzaddik. Others, however, e x p l a i n i t to his discredit: N o a c h was
o n l y a tzaddik i n comparison to his generation: w e r e he i n the
times of A v r a h a m , he w o u l d be considered naught." W h y i n
the negative o p i n i o n does Rashi o m i t the w o r d "rabboteinu"?
A N S W E R : The w o r d "rabboteinu" literally means " o u r

teachers." There are m a n y w a y s to learn f r o m a teacher. One
can learn f r o m his behavior, f r o m his manner of speech, a n d

f r o m the k n o w l e d g e he instills.
I n Pirkei Avot (1:6) w e are taught to always j u d g e a person

favorably, g i v i n g h i m the benefit of the d o u b t . To j u d g e
Noach's status i n another generation is to speculate. Thus, the
rabbis w h o praised h i m are suited to be " o u r teachers": w e can
learn f r o m t h e m to always look favorably o n another person.
The o p i n i o n of the others ( w h o predicted that N o a c h w o u l d

not be so great) may be correct, b u t they w o u l d n o t be qualified
as " o u r teachers," w h o are to instruct us i n j u d g i n g another
person.
(‫)לקוטי ב ת ר לקוטי חייב‬
‫״כי ה ש ח י ת כ ל ב ש ר א ת דרכו ע ל ה א ר ץ ״‬
"All flesh has corrupted his way on the earth." (6:12)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d s "et darko" — "his w a y " — seem to
be extra?
A N S W E R : A story is t o l d about a city i n Europe w h e r e

there l i v e d a m a n n a m e d C h a i m . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , he d e r i v e d his
l i v e l i h o o d as the " c i t y thief." Chaim's son was b e c o m i n g Bar-
Mitzvah a n d he i n v i t e d the townspeople to the celebration. The
residents w e r e i n a d i l e m m a : I f they d i d n ' t attend, C h a i m
w o u l d get even w i t h t h e m b y r o b b i n g their homes, a n d i f they
attended, h o w w o u l d they be assured that the food is strictly
kosher? They confronted the Rabbi w i t h their p r o b l e m , a n d he
t o l d t h e m that he w o u l d get back to t h e m w i t h i n a few days.
The Rabbi i n v i t e d C h a i m to his s t u d y a n d entered i n t o a

conversation. " C h a i m , h o w d o y o u s u p p o r t y o u r f a m i l y ? "
C h a i m answered, "Everyone k n o w s that w h e n I need
something, I go o u t a n d steal i t . " " T e l l me, C h a i m , i f the door is
locked, d o y o u also steal?" " W h y not," C h a i m responded, " I
break open the lock a n d enter." " S h o u l d anyone stand i n y o u r
w a y , w h a t w o u l d y o u do?" " I w o u l d beat h i m u p a n d remove
h i m . " " A n d w h a t i f y o u f i n d food, w o u l d y o u steal it?" " O f
course, I w o u l d , " was his r e p l y . The Rabbi t h e m became v e r y
serious a n d asked, " C h a i m , i f y o u break into a home a n d f i n d a
piece of non-kosher meat, w o u l d y o u take i t ? " C h a i m l o o k e d
NOACH 25
i n t o the Rabbi's eyes and i n a l l sincerity exclaimed, "Rabbi! D o

y o u t h i n k I ' m n o t a Yid?!" I t appears that even C h a i m had
limitations as to h o w far he w o u l d go w i t h his w r o n g d o i n g s
I n the days of N o a c h things had deteriorated terribly. Even
all those w h o h a d a self-made d e f i n i t i o n of r i g h t a n d w r o n g
destroyed, darko — his own w a y — and erased a l l lines of
demarcation. They c o m m i t t e d i n d i s c r i m i n a t e l y every crime i n
the book.
‫״ ו י א מ ר א ל ק ״ ם ל נ ח ק ץ כ ל ב ש ר ב א ל פ נ י כ״ מ ל א ה ה א ר ץ ח מ ם‬
‫מפניהם״‬
"G-d said to Noach: 'The end of all flesh has come before me, for
the earth is filled with robbery through them.'" (6:13)
Q U E S T I O N : " D i v i n e sentence was finally passed upon
t h e m o n l y as a result of their robbery" (Rashi).
O u r sages tell us that Hashem's r e w a r d or p u n i s h m e n t is
midah keneged midah — i n accordance w i t h the nature of the
person's o r i g i n a l act. W h a t connection is there between
h u m a n i t y ' s crime of robbery a n d the flood w i t h w h i c h they
w e r e punished?
A N S W E R : The i n i t i a l 40 days of intense p u n i s h m e n t were a
result of their c o m m i t i n g robbery — the n u m e r i c a l value of the
three letters of "gezel" , the H e b r e w w o r d for "robbery,"
totals 40!
The flood began w i t h 40 days of continuous rain, f o l l o w e d
b y w i t h 150 days of unabated flood before the water began to
descend i n level — a total of 190 days. The n u m e r i c a l value of
the t w o letters of the H e b r e w w o r d "keitz" meaning " e n d "
is 190. The " e n d of a l l flesh" was decided b y Hashem to come
i n the f o r m of 190 days of intense p u n i s h m e n t
‫״ ע ש ה ל ך ת י ב ת עצי גפר״‬
"Make yourself an ark of gopher wood." (6:14)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi writes: "There are m a n y ways of relief
and salvation before H i m . W h y , then, d i d H e trouble h i m w i t h
the construction of the ark? I n order that the m e n of the
generation of the flood should see h i m occupied w i t h i t for 120

years, and c o u l d ask h i m , ' W h a t is the necessity of this to you?'
and he could say to them, 'The H o l y One Blessed Be H e is about
to b r i n g a flood u p o n the w o r l d ' — perhaps they w i l l repent."
W h y d i d N o a c h b u i l d the ark over a p e r i o d of 120 years?
A N S W E R : A c c o r d i n g to the Ragatchaver Gaon, Rabbi Yosef

Rosen, Rashi is of the o p i n i o n , that w h e n H a s h e m t o l d N o a c h
"make yourself an ark," i t was w i t h the i n t e n t i o n that N o a c h
personally s h o u l d make the entire ark w i t h o u t assistance.
Consequently, 120 years was n o t m u c h t i m e for one person to
complete the entire project.
This appears difficult, because i n the Gemara (Succah 52b),

Rashi says that N o a c h was assisted b y his son Shem?
A c c o r d i n g to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the t w o o p i n i o n s of

Rashi are contingent o n the f o l l o w i n g famous question: I f a
Noachide has an o b l i g a t i o n to d o something a n d appoints
another Noachide to d o the task o n his behalf, is i t considered
as t h o u g h he h a d fulfilled his obligation?
Rashi's c o m m e n t a r y o n the T o r a h follows the o p i n i o n that

he m u s t d o i t alone a n d cannot a p p o i n t an emissary (and there¬
fore i t t o o k h i m 120 years) w h i l e i n the Gemara he follows the
o p p o s i n g o p i n i o n . A c c o r d i n g to the o p i n i o n Rashi follows i n
the Gemara, there is no m e n t i o n of the construction t a k i n g 120
years, a n d thus, since Shem assisted, i t t o o k N o a c h a m u c h
shorter p e r i o d of t i m e .
* * *
The t w o opinions m a y also be contingent o n the actual pur¬

pose of the ark; was i t a means of s u r v i v a l or a source of
a d m o n i t i o n a n d d i r e c t i o n for the people?
If i t was meant to p r o v i d e a means of s u r v i v a l , N o a c h d i d

not have to make i t himself a n d i t c o u l d have been completed
m o r e q u i c k l y . H o w e v e r , i f its purpose was to a d m o n i s h the
people, H a s h e m m u s t have w a n t e d the ark to be constructed
entirely b y N o a c h himself, for i t was his responsibility as
spiritual leader of that generation to c o n t i n u o u s l y g u i d e a n d
NOACH 27
direct all of h u m a n i t y i n the proper w a y of serving Hashem.

H o p e f u l l y , d u r i n g the l o n g p e r i o d (120 years) he was occupied
w i t h the construction, he w o u l d manage to persuade the people
to i m p r o v e their ways.
(‫)לקוטי שיחות חט׳׳ו‬
‫״צהו תעשה לתבה״‬

"A light shall you make for the ark." (6:16)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi offers t w o explanations of the light:
1) a w i n d o w 2) a precious stone w h i c h shined a n d i l l u m i n a t e d .
W h a t is the basis for the different opinions?
A N S W E R : O n a previous pasuk (6:9) " N o a c h was a

righteous m a n ; he was perfect i n his generation," Rashi quotes
a disagreement a m o n g our sages (Sanhedrin 108a) about the
i m p l i c a t i o n of Torah's emphasis " i n his generation." Some say
i t is meant as a c o m p l i m e n t : H e was t r u l y righteous even i n
such a w i c k e d generation; h a d he l i v e d i n a m o r e righteous
generation, he w o u l d have been even m o r e righteous. Others,
however, say i t is meant as a qualifier: H e was o n l y righteous i n
comparison to his generation; had he l i v e d i n the generation of
a t r u l y righteous m a n like A v r a h a m , he w o u l d be considered as
insignificant.
Rashi's t w o explanations of the " l i g h t " reflect these t w o

opinions concerning Noach's righteousness. A c c o r d i n g to the
first o p i n i o n , that he was t r u l y righteous, he f u l l y deserved to
be saved, a n d there c o u l d be no objection to his w a t c h i n g the
destruction of his contemporaries i n the flood. This o p i n i o n ,
then, considers the " l i g h t " to be a w i n d o w t h r o u g h w h i c h
N o a c h c o u l d see w h a t was h a p p e n i n g outside the ark.
A c c o r d i n g to the second o p i n i o n , however, that N o a c h was

not t r u l y righteous, and was o n l y called righteous i n
comparison to his generation, he had no r i g h t to w a t c h their
destruction. (As w e see, w h e n L o t was saved f r o m the
destruction of Sodom, the angel t o l d h i m (19:17) " D o n ' t l o o k
b e h i n d y o u , " to w h i c h Rashi comments: " Y o u [Lot] w e r e
w i c k e d together w i t h them...you d o n ' t deserve to see t h e m
p u n i s h e d w h i l e y o u are saved.") Therefore, the " l i g h t " m u s t
have been some other source of l i g h t — a precious stone w h i c h

i l l u m i n a t e d the darkness inside the ark
(‫)עדות ביוסף‬
‫ ו ה י ה ל ך ו ל ה ם ל א כ ל ה ״‬...‫״ ו א ת ה ק ח ל ך מ כ ל מ א כ ל א ש ר ״אכל‬
"And you, take for yourself of all food that will be eaten...it shall be
for you and for them for food." (6:21)
Q U E S T I O N : N o a c h , together w i t h his f a m i l y a n d thou¬
sands of creatures, w o u l d be i n the ark for l o n g p e r i o d of t i m e ,
a n d w o u l d need a tremendous a m o u n t of food. H o w was i t
possible to store a l l of the food necessary for their survival?
A N S W E R : O n a similar phrase, "mikol ha'ochel asher

yei'acheil" — " o f a l l food that w i l l be eaten" (Vayikra 11:34), the
Gemara (Yoma 80a) explains that the largest piece of food
capable of being s w a l l o w e d b y the h u m a n throat is no larger
then a hen's egg.
Therefore, w e can say here, too, that w h e n H a s h e m t o l d

N o a h to prepare mikol ma'achal asher yei'acheil, H e meant the
f o l l o w i n g : " Y o u , prepare 'bite size' portions, no larger t h a n an
egg, of each t y p e of food that w i l l be eaten. M i r a c u l o u s l y ,
t h r o u g h this food, y o u a n d also they — y o u r f a m i l y a n d the
thousands of animals i n the ark — w i l l be sustained."
* * *
W h e n H a s h e m t o l d N o a c h , "Ve'atah kach lecha" — " a n d

y o u , take for yourself [of all food that w i l l be eaten]," H e meant
that he s h o u l d prepare food adequate o n l y for himself for the
d u r a t i o n of the flood. M i r a c u l o u s l y , this food w o u l d increase
a n d be sufficient for a l l the inhabitants of the ark: "For y o u a n d
for them," the members of y o u r f a m i l y a n d a l l the animals.
This was one of the m a n y miracles that occurred i n the ark.

A n o t h e r was the animal's contentment w i t h h u m a n food.
The f o l l o w i n g pasuk states that " N o a c h d i d all that G-d

c o m m a n d e d h i m to d o . " Superficially, one m a y w o n d e r , w h y is
i t necessary to state this. W o u l d N o a c h have dared to deviate?
The T o r a h is accentuating Noach's great faith i n Hashem. H e
NOACH 29
entered the ark w i t h o u t preparing any food for the animals, a n d

he relied o n a miracle that they w o u l d be satisfied w i t h his food
and survive the flood.
(‫ ט ל אורות‬- ‫)שער ב ת רבים‬
‫ ו ה י ה ל ך ו ל ה ם ל א כ ל ה ״‬...‫״ ו א ת ה ק ח ל ך מ כ ל מ א כ ל א ש ר ״אכל‬
"And you, take for yourself of all food that will be eaten ... it shall
be for you and for them for food." (6:21)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d s "asher yei'acheil" — "that w i l l be
eaten" — seem unnecessary?
A N S W E R : O r i g i n a l l y , m a n k i n d was a l l o w e d to eat o n l y
food that grew f r o m the g r o u n d (1:29). I t was o n l y after the
flood that N o a c h a n d his descendants were a l l o w e d to eat the
flesh of animals, too (9:3). A c c o r d i n g to the Ramban (1:29), this
was a r e w a r d to N o a c h for his saving the animals and caring
for t h e m i n the ark.
The extra w o r d s "that w i l l be eaten" h i n t at this r e w a r d .

They can be taken to refer not o n l y to the f o o d , for the d u r a t i o n
of the flood, b u t to the animals m e n t i o n e d i n the previous
pesukim: "Because y o u w i l l b r i n g these animals i n t o the ark and
take care of their needs d u r i n g the flood, y o u w i l l be r e w a r d e d
and acquire all the animals as ' f o o d that will be eaten.' Y o u and
y o u r generations w i l l be a l l o w e d to eat of their flesh after the
flood."
(‫)קדושת לוי‬
‫״ויאמר ה׳ ל נ ח ב א א ת ה וכל ב י ת ך א ל ה ת ב ה ״‬
"G-d said to Noach: 'Enter, you and all your family, into the ark.'"
(7:1)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d " T o r a h " derives f r o m the w o r d
"hora'ah" — "teaching." Every detail of Torah teaches us eternal
lessons w h i c h w e can use i n our d a i l y lives. W h a t practical
lesson can w e learn f r o m Hashem's c o m m a n d to N o a c h to enter
i n t o the ark?
A N S W E R : The H e b r e w w o r d "teivah" used for " a r k "

(meaning here a large, floating " b o x " ) also means " w o r d . "
H a s h e m is t e l l i n g us also to "enter" into the " w o r d s " of T o r a h

and prayer.
Sometimes w h e n w e s t u d y T o r a h w e forget its holiness and

the One w h o gave us the Torah; w e say o u r prayers w i t h o u t
sincerity or attention to their meaning.
Just as N o a c h was c o m m a n d e d to "enter" w i t h his entire

being i n t o the ark ("teivah"), so w e are t o l d to "enter" w i t h all
our heart and soul into the words ("teivot") of T o r a h and prayer,
reading the w o r d s carefully f r o m the Torah-book or prayer-
book, saying each w o r d w i t h feeling.
I n this w a y w e w i l l f u l f i l l , i n the s p i r i t u a l sense, a

(previous) c o m m a n d H a s h e m gave to Noach: " A l i g h t shall y o u
make for the teivah" (6:16) — y o u shall i l l u m i n a t e the w o r d s
("teivot") of T o r a h a n d prayer w i t h deeper feeling a n d holiness,
u n t i l they become " b r i g h t and s h i n i n g " w o r d s that i l l u m i n a t e
one's w h o l e being w i t h G-d's holiness.
‫ א ל ה ת ב ה מ פ נ י מ״ ה מ ב ו ל ״‬.. ‫״ ו י ב א נ ח‬
"And Noach came..•into the ark because of the waters of the
flood." (7:7)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi comments o n this: " E v e n N o a c h was one
of those w h o h a d little faith ( i n G-d); he believed, yet he d i d n o t
believe, that the f l o o d w o u l d come. So he d i d n o t enter the ark
u n t i l the waters forced h i m . " This seems to contradict the
o p i n i o n of some of our sages q u o t e d b y Rashi (6:9) that N o a c h
was a t r u l y righteous man?
A N S W E R : W e can reconcile Rashi's statement w i t h their

o p i n i o n b y g r o u p i n g the H e b r e w w o r d s differently ( w i t h o u t
changing their order) to suggest a different meaning:
— " N o a c h even believed i n those w h o
had little faith." H e was sure that they w o u l d repent i n t i m e to
avert Hashem's decree of destruction. A s a result of his deep
faith i n his contemporaries, — "he d i d
not believe that the flood w o u l d come."
It was o n l y the r i s i n g waters of the flood w h i c h showed

h i m that his faith i n his contemporaries h a d been mistaken, and
NOACH 31
he had no choice b u t to retreat i n t o the ark to save at least

himself and his family.
(‫)ר׳ יצחק מווארקי זצ״ל‬
‫״ומן ה ב ה מ ה א ש ר א י נ נ ה • ה ר ה ״‬
"And from the animals which were not clean [kosher]." (7:8)
Q U E S T I O N : The Gemara (Pesachim 3a) asks w h y the Torah
uses the longer expression — " w h i c h were not
clean" (three w o r d s and thirteen letters i n H e b r e w ) instead of
the single w o r d — "unclean" (only one w o r d — and
five letters). The Gemara answers that the T o r a h uses eight extra
letters to teach us the eternal lesson that w e s h o u l d always t r y
to express ourselves i n decent language, even i f i t means using
extra w o r d s .
The question remains, however, w h y elsewhere i n the

Torah, w h e n i t teaches us w h i c h animals m a y not be eaten,
does i t indeed use the w o r d "hatemei'ah" — "unclean"?
A N S W E R : This rule of even using extra w o r d s i n order to

express ourselves decently o n l y applies w h e n telling a story or
i n n o r m a l conversation. But w h e n teaching a T o r a h l a w — for
example w h i c h animals m a y or m a y not be eaten — one m u s t
be specific and use precise terms. U s i n g extra w o r d s , even for a
g o o d purpose such as a v o i d i n g coarse language, m a y cause a
student to lose the p o i n t and n o t grasp precisely the l a w the
Torah requires us to do or not do.
(‫)מעינה ש ל תורה‬
‫״‬...‫״ ה מ ה וכל ה ח י ה למינה וכל ה ב ה מ ה למינה‬

"They and all the animals [were in the ark]." (7:14)
Q U E S T I O N : A m o n g the miraculous events of the days of
Mashiach that the p r o p h e t lists is that, "The w o l f w i l l d w e l l
together w i t h the l a m b " (Isaiah 11:6). This was also experienced
i n the days of Noach. W h a t then is special about the days of
Mashiach?
A N S W E R : I n the t i m e of N o a c h the w h o l e w o r l d was i n

danger of destruction. I n such a situation i t is natural for
enemies to become friends a n d live together. A l l had the com¬

m o n goal of s u r v i v a l and there was no t i m e for f i g h t i n g . I n the
days of Mashiach there w i l l no longer be any w a r a n d there w i l l
be an abundance of goodness. U n f o r t u n a t e l y , i n prosperous
and t r a n q u i l times, people f i n d t i m e for strife and f i g h t i n g .
The prophet therefore foretells the miracle that w i l l occur i n
the days of Mashiach, w h e n everyone w i l l have an abundance of
good: even then there w i l l be absolute peace and the w o l f and
lamb w i l l abide together.
‫שנים שנים באו א ל נח‬

"Two, two, they came to Noach." (7:9)
QUESTION: There is a Midrash Pli'ah — w o n d r o u s Midrash —
on this pasuk that says, — "These
are the days i n the year w h e n w e recite a f u l l Hallel." W h a t is
the meaning of this seemingly strange Midrash?
A N S W E R : A t certain times i n the year w e say a f u l l Hallel,
and at other times parts of the Hallel are o m i t t e d . The occasions
for full Hallel, as noted i n m a n y siddurim, m a y be remembered
t h r o u g h the w o r d This stands for the first t w o days of
Pesach d ) , the t w o days of Shavuot d ) , the nine days of Succot
i n c l u d i n g Simchat Torah £‫)ט‬, and the eight days of Chanukah £n).
O u r pasuk is h i n t i n g to the above: "Shenayim" — t w o —
days of Pesach, "Shenayim" — t w o — days of Shavuot. "Ba'u"
has the n u m e r i c a l value of nine, w h i c h refers to the nine
days of Succot. "El Noach" £‫ ) א ל נח‬has the n u m e r i c a l value of 89,
w h i c h is exactly the same n u m e r i c a l value as the w o r d
"Chanukah" . O n these days w e say the complete Hallel
(‫)ר׳ שמשון מ א ס ט ר א פ א ל י זצ״ל‬
‫״מכל א ש ר בחרבה מתו״‬

"Of all that was on dry land died." (7:22)
Q U E S T I O N : Despite the fact that the flood waters w e r e
b o i l i n g (Sanhedrin 108b), the fish d i d n o t die (Zevachim 113b).
I n the m e r i t of w h a t d i d H a s h e m keep the fish m i r a c u l o u s l y

alive?
NOACH 33
A N S W E R : The fish w e r e the first l i v i n g creatures H a s h e m

created. They w e r e created o n the fifth d a y of creation, even
before the b i r d s , w h o w e r e created o n the same day — a n d
certainly before animals a n d m a n , w h o w e r e created o n the
sixth day. I n consideration of this q u a l i t y they w e r e n o t
destroyed.
* * *
This, i n c i d e n t a l l y , m a y also be a reason for o u r custom to

begin our Shabbat meals w i t h fish before w e eat meat, for fish
w e r e created before f o w l and animals.
Furthermore, the H e b r e w w o r d for fish is "dag" (‫)דג‬, w h i c h

has the n u m e r i c a l value of 7; i t is thus an appropriate food for
Shabbat — the 7th day of the week.
(‫)פון אונזער א ל ט ע ן אוצר ב ש ם ר׳ בונים מ פ ש י ס ח א זצ״ל‬
‫״וימחו מ ן ה א ר ץ וישאר א ך נ ח ו א ש ר א ת ו ב ח ב ה ״‬
"They were obliterated from the earth. Only Noach and those with
him in the ark survived." (7:23)
Q U E S T I O N : H o w d i d O g a n d Sichon s u r v i v e the flood?
A N S W E R O g was the son of Shemchazel, one of the fallen

angels (see Rashi, Bamidbar 13:33) w h o was exceptionally
p o w e r f u l and tall. A c c o r d i n g to one o p i n i o n , he s u r v i v e d the
flood b y r i d i n g o n top of the ark. A c c o r d i n g to another o p i n i o n ,
his great height a l l o w e d h i m to w a l k alongside the ark w i t h his
head o u t of the water. A l t h o u g h the waters of the flood w e r e
b o i l i n g hot, they w e r e m i r a c u l o u s l y cool a r o u n d the ark, and
N o a c h gave O g food t h r o u g h the w i n d o w .
(‫ י ל ק ו ט מ ע ם לועז‬,‫ זבחים קי״ג ע׳׳ב‬,‫י״ג‬:1‫)תרגום יונתן בן ע ו ז י א ל י״‬
Before entering the ark, the w i f e of C h a m , Noach's

youngest son, became pregnant w i t h Sichon t h r o u g h a relation¬
ship w i t h Schemchazel. C h a m b r o u g h t her i n t o the ark together
w i t h h i m , and there she gave b i r t h to Sichon. Consequently,
Sichon a n d O g w e r e brothers f r o m the same father.
(‫)ובינו ב ח י י פ ׳ חוקת‬
‫״וישאר א ך נח״‬
"Only Noach survived." (7:23)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y is he described here as " o n l y Noach"?
W h a t happened to the previous titles the T o r a h (6:9) gives h i m
— "righteous," "perfect," etc.?
A N S W E R : The Zohar (Bereishit 67b) says that N o a c h sinned

b y n o t p r a y i n g that his generation be saved. U n l i k e A v r a h a m
w h o p r a y e d for the Sodomites (18:23-32), and Moshe (Shemot
32:11-13, 31-32), w h o was ready to give u p his o w n life i f G-d
w o u l d n o t forgive H i s people, N o a c h was concerned o n l y that
his o w n f a m i l y be saved.
Since N o a c h d i d not u l t i m a t e l y act as a t r u l y righteous m a n

b y concerning himself w i t h others, i n the final analysis he was
considered " o n l y N o a c h " — just a simple person shorn of all
his titles a n d praises
(‫)אוצר חיים‬
‫״ ו ת ב א אליו היונה ל ע ת ע ר ב ו ה נ ה ע ל ה ז י ת • ר ף ב פ י ה ״‬
"And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, there
was a plucked olive leaf in her mouth." (8:11)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d the dove w a i t u n t i l nightfall to r e t u r n
to Noach?
A N S W E R : N o a c h observed the T o r a h r u l e n o t to start a

j o u r n e y at sea fewer t h a n three days before Shabbat. Therefore,
he entered the a r k o n Wednesday n o o n , the 17th of Mar Chesh-
van. (See Sefer Tzeror Hamor, a n d Tur Orach Chaim 248, Beit
Yosef.)
The r a i n lasted for 40 days (counting f r o m 18 Mar Cheshvan

because 17 Mar Cheshvan was n o t a f u l l day). This was f o l l o w e d
b y 150 days of unabated flood. Sixty days later, the m o u n t a i n
tops appeared above the receding flood-waters, and 40 days
later, N o a c h sent o u t a raven. Fourteen days later, he sent o u t
the dove a second t i m e
This was o n the 304th d a y of the flood (40+150+60+40+14=

304), w h i c h is equivalent to 43 weeks a n d 3 days. Since the first
NOACH 35
real d a y of the f l o o d was Thursday, d a y 304 m u s t have been a

Shabbat. The dove, n o t w a n t i n g to tear a leaf off a tree o n
Shabbat, w a i t e d u n t i l nightfall. W h e n Shabbat w a s over, she tore
off the leaf a n d b r o u g h t i t to N o a c h
‫״והנה ע ל הזית • ר ף בפיה״‬

"And behold, there was a plucked olive leaf in her mouth." (8:11)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d the dove b r i n g a leaf f r o m a n olive
tree specifically?
A N S W E R : Prior to the flood the inhabitants of the w o r l d

w e r e v e r y corrupt. I m m o r a l i t y w a s r a m p a n t a m o n g humans,
and even cattle a n d f o w l consorted w i t h other species. This
caused a l l to lose their u n i q u e identities.
A n olive produces o i l ; i t cannot m i x w i t h a n y other l i q u i d s

and floats to the t o p . The message to N o a c h was that after the
flood, the h u m a n race w a s required to i m p r o v e its ways. I t was
f o r b i d d e n to ever again m i x a n d m i n g l e as i t h a d done
previously
‫״והנה ע ל הזית ט ר ף בפיה״‬

"And behold, there was a plucked olive leaf in her mouth." (8:11)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d she b r i n g the leaf a n d n o t the olive?
A N S W E R : A c c o r d i n g to the Midrash Rabbah (23:6), the dove

flew to the M o u n t of Olives a n d b r o u g h t the leaf f r o m there.
F r o m fruit that g r o w s i n Eretz Yisrael, one is required to
separate ma'aseir (tithe). The dove, n o t w a n t i n g to create a n y
obstacles for Noach, b r o u g h t h i m the leaf a n d n o t the fruit.
(‫ דברי יהונתן‬- ‫)ילקוט הדרוש‬
‫ ויחל נ ח‬. . . ‫״ ו ת ב א אליו היונה ל ע ת ע ר ב ו ה נ ה ע ל ה ז י ת • ר ף ב פ י ה‬

‫א י ש ה א ד מ ה ויטע כרם״‬
"And the dove came back to him in the evening and, behold, there
was a plucked olive leaf in her mouth.... Noach, the man of the
earth, debased himself and planted a vineyard." (8:11, 9:20)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d the dove b r i n g a leaf of a n olive
branch a n d w h y d i d N o a c h plant a vineyard?
A N S W E R : The closing pasuk of Parshat Bereishit is " N o a c h

f o u n d favor i n the eyes of G-d." The first pasuk of Parshat Noach
begins w i t h the w o r d s , "These are the offspring of Noach."
A c c o r d i n g to the Midrash Rabbah (29:5), these t w o pesukim
together convey a message that N o a c h f o u n d favor i n the eyes
of G-d because of his righteous children. Consequently, i t was i n
their m e r i t that he s u r v i v e d the f l o o d . This concept is m i r r o r e d
b y the o l i v e tree a n d vine.
I n the Beit Hamikdash, w o o d was used to m a i n t a i n the fire

o n the altar. A c c o r d i n g to halachah (Rambam, Issurei Mizbei'ach
7:3), the w o o d of olive trees and vines c o u l d not be used for this
purpose because they produce valuable fruits, and c u t t i n g
d o w n these trees w o u l d be to the detriment of Eretz Yisrael.
By b r i n g i n g the leaf of an olive tree, whose fruits are m o r e

valuable t h a n the tree itself, the dove was i n d i c a t i n g that N o a c h
should not be arrogant or conceited about his s u r v i v a l , because
i t was i n his children's m e r i t and not his o w n . N o a c h
a c k n o w l e d g e d this b y p l a n t i n g a v i n e y a r d , i n w h i c h the fruits
w e r e m o r e valuable than the trees.
(‫)אוצר חיים ב ש ם ת כ ל ת מרדכי‬
‫ ו י ע ל ע ל ת ב מ ז ב ח ״‬. . . ‫״ויבן נ ח מ ז ב ח‬
"Noach built an altar and offered burnt-offerings on the altar."
(8:20)
Q U E S T I O N : A c c o r d i n g to halachah, i n four cases one is obli¬
gated to t h a n k H a s h e m w i t h a Korban Todah — a t h a n k s g i v i n g
offering ( i n our times w e "bentsch gomeil"). One of the four
cases involves a person w h o travels across an ocean i n a boat
(Orach Chaim 219). W h y d i d N o a c h b r i n g a Korban Olah — a
burnt-offering — and not a Korban Todah?
A N S W E R : W h e n N o a c h came out of the ark he was still for¬

b i d d e n to eat meat u n t i l H a s h e m granted h i m permission. A
p o r t i o n of the Korban Todah has to be eaten b y the person w h o
brings i t . Therefore, he had no other alternative b u t to b r i n g a
Korban Olah, w h i c h is b u r n t entirely o n the altar and not eaten
at a l l .
(‫)אוצר חיים ב ש ם וידבר דוד‬
NOACH 37
‫״ ש פ ך ד ם ה א ד ם ב א ד ם דמו ישפך״‬
"One who sheds the blood of man in the man, his blood shall be
shed." (9:6)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d , "ba'adam" — " i n the m a n " — seems
repetitious and unnecessary?
A N S W E R : The Gemara (Bava Metzia 58b) states that i f a

person p u b l i c l y embarrasses another, i t is as i f he spills his
b l o o d , because the one w h o is embarrassed blushes, a n d b l o o d
rushes to his face (as i f t r y i n g to leave his b o d y ) . Then his face
pales as the b l o o d drains to other parts of the b o d y , and i t takes
o n the ashen, p a l l i d appearance of a corpse. The difference
between actual m u r d e r a n d embarrassment is that i n m u r d e r ,
b l o o d actually leaves the b o d y , whereas i n embarrassment, the
b l o o d changes location w i t h i n the b o d y .
I n this pasuk, the T o r a h teaches us t w o things:

1) I f one "sheds the b l o o d of m a n " — b y actually k i l l i n g
h i m — "his b l o o d shall be shed."
2) Even i f one sheds the b l o o d , "ba'adam" — "in the m a n " —
b y embarrassing h i m and causing h i m to b l u s h a n d become
p a l l i d , "his b l o o d shall be shed," for he has c o m m i t t e d a m o r t a l
sin.
(‫)אלשיך‬
‫״ ו י ר א ח ם א ב י כ נ ע ן א ת ע ר ו ת א ב י ו ויגד ל ש נ י א ח י ו ב ח ו ץ ״‬
"Cham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and he
told it to his two brothers outside." (9:22)
Q U E S T I O N : The Midrash Rabbah (35:5) states: " D u e to this
incident of seeing a n d telling, a non-Jewish slave is freed w h e n
his master knocks o u t his t o o t h or eye." W h a t is the connection
between these t w o occurrences?
A N S W E R : N o a c h was v e r y upset w i t h his son's

irresponsible behavior. For l o o k i n g at things he s h o u l d n ' t have
and telling about a shameful occurrence to others, N o a c h
cursed h i m that he a n d his descendants w o u l d be slaves to their
brethren (9:25).
One w h o buys a non-Jewish slave acquires h i m forever.

H o w e v e r , i f the master knocks o u t his t o o t h or his eye, he
becomes free (Shemot 21:27). The reason for this is that the
slavery resulted f r o m using an eye i n an i m p r o p e r manner a n d
using teeth to talk i m p r o p e r l y . Thus, once the slave is missing
the t o o t h or the eye, i t is as t h o u g h he has received his
p u n i s h m e n t a n d no longer needs to be a slave.
(‫)ילקוט האורים‬
‫״וימצאו ב ק ע ה ב א ר ץ ש נ ע ר וישבו ש ם ״‬
"And they found a valley in the land of Shinar and they settled
there." (11:2)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d all the people of the w o r l d w a n t to
c r a m i n t o one small valley?
A N S W E R : After the f l o o d , H a s h e m p r o m i s e d that H e

w o u l d never again destroy the w o r l d i n such a manner.
H o w e v e r , according to the Gemara (Sotah 11a), this promise
o n l y meant that H e w o u l d n o t destroy the entire w o r l d through
a flood, b u t not that H e w o u l d refrain f r o m b r i n g i n g a flood o n
one n a t i o n or a g r o u p of people.
I n order to outsmart Hashem, the people decided the

f o l l o w i n g : I f they w e r e to spread o u t a n d live i n different parts
of the w o r l d , then one d a y H a s h e m c o u l d b r i n g a flood a n d
destroy a particular g r o u p . Therefore, they a l l decided to live
together i n one place so that H a s h e m w o u l d be forced to keep
H i s promise a n d not b r i n g a f l o o d w h i c h w o u l d destroy all of
t h e m at one t i m e
‫״ויאמרו ה ב ה נ ב נ ה לנו ע י ר ו מ ג ד ל וראשו ב ש מ י ם ״‬

"And they said 'Let us build for ourselves a city and tower with its
top in the heavens.'" (11:4)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains that they p l a n n e d to "wage w a r
against G - d . " But h o w d i d they t h i n k they c o u l d reach the
heavens?
NOACH 39
A N S W E R : Rabbi Yehonatan Eibeschutz (1690-1764),

r e n o w n e d T o r a h scholar, a n d Rabbi of Prague and H a m b u r g ,
answers that they w e r e aware of the laws of g r a v i t y . Their p l a n
was to b u i l d a t o w e r so h i g h that its top w o u l d be b e y o n d the
earth's gravitational p u l l . They c o u l d then ascend to the top of
the tower w h e r e they w o u l d become weightless, enabling t h e m
to f l y u p into the heavens w h e r e they i m a g i n e d they c o u l d
confront Hashem! ( E v i d e n t l y N e w t o n ' s L a w of G r a v i t y and the
space p r o g r a m have been i n the T o r a h for thousands of years.
This gives credence to the adage " e v e r y t h i n g is h i d d e n
somewhere i n the T o r a h " — see Ta'anit 9a.)
(‫ ת פ א ר ת יהונתן‬- ‫)פון אונזער א ל ט ע ן א ו צ ר‬
‫״ ש ם א ש ת א ב ד ם שרי ו ש ם א ש ת נתור מ ל כ ה ב ת הרן אבי מ ל כ ה‬

‫ואבי י ם כ ה ״‬
"The name of Avram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nachar's
wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and
the father of Yiscah." (11:29)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi comments that Yiscah was Sarah and
she was called Yiscah because she was a prophetess a n d saw
[the future] w i t h the D i v i n e i n s p i r a t i o n . W h a t c o m m o n a l i t y is
there between these t w o names?
A N S W E R : I n a d d i t i o n to the regular H e b r e w alef-beit, there

is a letter substitution system k n o w n as "at, bash." I n i t the
"alef" interchanges w i t h the "tav," the "beit" w i t h the "shin," the
"gimmel" w i t h the "reish," a n d so on. A c c o r d i n g l y , the letters of
the name "Sarah" interchange w i t h the letters beit, gimmel
and tzaddik, w h i c h have the n u m e r i c a l value of ninety-five,
w h i c h is also the n u m e r i c a l value of the name "Yiscah" .
(‫)בעל הטורים‬
LECH LECHA ‫ל ך ל ך ־‬
‫״ואגדלה שמך״‬
"I will enlarge your name." (12:2)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains that " I w i l l enlarge y o u r name"
is a reference to that w h i c h they say i n Shemoneh Esreih, "Elokei
Yaakov" — " G - d of Y a a k o v . " H o w does A v r a m ' s name become
enlarged i f w e say "Elokei Yaakov?"
A N S W E R : Yaakov also h a d the name "Yisrael," w h i c h was

g i v e n to h i m b y the angel a n d considered a greater name. W h y ,
then, d o n ' t w e say "Elokei Yisrael" instead of "Elokei Yaakov?"
The reason is that the w o r d s

have a total of 26 letters, w h i c h is the n u m e r i c a l value of
the Tetragramaton: 5 = D, 6 = 5,‫ =ו‬D, 10 = ‫י‬. By saying Elokei
Yisrael w e w o u l d be saying a phrase of 27 letters w h i c h w o u l d
not a d d u p to the name of Hashem. The o n l y w a y w e c o u l d say
"Yisrael" so that i t w o u l d still a d d u p to 26 letters w o u l d be to
say A v r a m instead of A v r a h a m .
Therefore, H a s h e m t o l d h i m , " I w i l l enlarge y o u r name b y

a d d i n g a letter to A v r a m m a k i n g i t A v r a h a m , a n d i n order that
the Jews s h o u l d be able to say y o u r enlarged name i n Shemoneh
Esreih, they w i l l say 'Elokei Yaakov' a n d not 'Elokei Yisrael.'"
(‫)ר׳ שמשון מ א ס ט ר א פ א ל י זצ״ל‬
‫״ ו א ע ש ך לגו״ ג ד ו ל ו א ב ר כ ך ו א ג ד ל ה ש מ ך ו ה י ה ב ר כ ה ״‬
"I will make you into a big nation: I will bless you, and make you
famous and you will be a blessing." (12:2)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains that this refers to w h a t w e say
in Shemoneh Esreih, "Elokei Avraham, Elokei Yitzchak, Elokei
LECH LECHA 41
Yaakov," "but," H a s h e m t o l d A v r a h a m , "the berachah w i l l be

concluded w i t h y o u r name o n l y — magen Avraham." W o u l d n ' t
A v r a h a m be happier i f Yitzchak a n d Yaakov were also
m e n t i o n e d i n the conclusion of the berachah?
A N S W E R : I n Pirkei Avot (1:2) w e learn that the w o r l d

stands o n three pillars: 1) The study of Torah, 2) avodah — the
service of G-d, a n d 3) gemilat chassadim — acts of kindness,
tzedakah. The patriarchs each epitomize one of these pillars.
A v r a h a m — chessed (21:33), Yitzchak — avodah (24:63), Yaakov
— Torah (25:27).
A c c o r d i n g to Rashi, the pasuk is projecting the history of

Klal Yisrael. There w i l l be a t i m e w h e n the major relationship
between the Jews and Hashem w i l l be t h r o u g h the study of
Torah (Elokei Yaakov). Other times i t w i l l be t h r o u g h tefillah —
prayer (Elokei Yitzchak), a n d there w i l l be a p e r i o d w h e n i t w i l l
be t h r o u g h chessed — tzedakah (Elokei A v r a h a m ) .
H o w e v e r , the " c o n c l u d i n g phase" of galut and the c o m i n g

of Mashiach w i l l not be dependent o n all three pillars, b u t i n the
zechut of chessed alone, w h i c h is personified b y A v r a h a m .
(‫)שמעתי מזקני ה ר ב צ ב י ה כ ה ן דיל קפלן‬
‫״ואברכה מברכיך ומקללך אאר״‬

"And I will bless those who bless you and those who curse you, I
will curse." (12:3)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y doesn't the Torah w r i t e b o t h i n the same
order, i.e., " I w i l l bless those w h o bless y o u and curse those
w h o curse you?"
A N S W E R : The Gemara (Kiddushin 40a) says that Hashem

gives credit to one w h o plans to p e r f o r m a mitzvah, even i f cir¬
cumstances prevent the realization of the p l a n . H o w e v e r , for a
transgression (aveirah), one is punished for plans only w h e n
they are carried out.
W h e n a person blesses or curses, he first t h i n k s about i t and

then expresses verbally w h a t he has i n m i n d . Therefore,
Hashem is saying to A v r a m , " I w i l l bless those w h o bless y o u
as soon as they plan to bless y o u , even i f they have not yet
blessed y o u . H o w e v e r , those w h o curse y o u w i l l be cursed o n l y

after they actually curse y o u , b u t not merely for t h i n k i n g about
the curse."
(‫)כלי יקר‬
‫״ואברכה מברכיך ומקללך אאר״‬

"I will bless those who bless you and those who curse you I will
curse." (12:3)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y is the expression "mekallelcha" used for
"those w h o curse y o u , " w h i l e the expression "a'or," f r o m a
different root, is used for the curse they w i l l receive i n return?
A N S W E R : A v r a m was the p r o t o t y p e of chessed. H i s entire

life was dedicated to acts of kindness for h u m a n i t y . I t is v e r y
difficult to c o m p r e h e n d w h y a n y b o d y w o u l d w a n t to curse
such a person. O b v i o u s l y one w h o curses A v r a m is i n the
" d a r k " a n d does not k n o w A v r a m ' s true character.
The w o r d "a'or" stems f r o m the w o r d "ohr," w h i c h means

" l i g h t . " H a s h e m t o l d A v r a m , " S h o u l d there be a person w h o
w i l l curse y o u , I w i l l open his eyes to see the l i g h t a n d under¬
stand w h o y o u are."
* * *
W i t h this explanation, w e can easily u n d e r s t a n d Hashem's

w o r d s , w h i c h otherwise seem contradictory. After t e l l i n g
A v r a m that those w h o curse h i m w i l l be cursed, H a s h e m
concludes, " a n d a l l the families o n earth w i l l bless themselves
w i t h y o u . " W h y w o u l d the one w h o curses A v r a m w a n t his
c h i l d to resemble him?
The one w h o curses A v r a m does so o n l y because he is i n

the dark. Once H a s h e m helps h i m to "see" the true l i g h t of
A v r a m , he joins a l l those w h o p r a y to have c h i l d r e n like h i m .
(‫)לקוטי ב ת ר לקוטי בשם ר׳ ל ו י י צ ח ק מבארדיטשוב זצ״ל‬
LECH LECHA 43
‫״ ו א ב ר כ ה מ ב ר כ י ך ו מ ק ל ל ך א א ר ונברכו ב ך כ ל מ ש פ ח ת ה א ד מ ה ״‬
"And I will bless those who bless you and those who curse you I will
curse; and all the families of the land will bless themselves with
you." (12:3)
Q U E S T I O N : Since H a s h e m t o l d A v r a m that all families w i l l
bless themselves to have c h i l d r e n like h i m , w h o w i l l be
"mekallelcha" — "The ones that w i l l curse you"?
A N S W E R : H a s h e m was telling A v r a m that his mission was

to go o u t i n t o the w o r l d a n d spread yiddishkeit. There w o u l d be
m a n y people w h o w o u l d j o i n h i m a n d bless h i m for teaching
t h e m about Hashem.
As usual, he w o u l d come across people w h o w o u l d oppose

him a n d even curse h i m . " D o n o t become frightened a n d aban¬
don y o u r mission," said Hashem, "because even those people
who o p e n l y curse a n d oppose y o u w i l l e n v y y o u i n their hearts
and p r a y that their c h i l d r e n s h o u l d be like y o u w h e n they g r o w
up."
(‫אמת‬ ‫)שפת‬
‫״וילך א ב ד ם כ א ש ר ד ב ר אליו ה ׳ וילך א ת ו ל ו • ו א ב ד • בן ח מ ש‬

‫ושבעים ש נ ה בצאתו מ ח ר ך‬
"And Avram went according to G-d's instructions, and Lot went
along; and Avram was 75 years old when he left Charan." (12:4)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y is A v r a m ' s age mentioned?
A N S W E R : A v r a m l i v e d a comfortable life i n Charan.

Picking himself u p at the age of 75 a n d m o v i n g to a n e w
c o u n t r y was indeed difficult.
A v r a m was v e r y m u c h attached to H a s h e m a n d d i d
a n y t h i n g that H a s h e m t o l d h i m , even i f i t appeared difficult or
he d i d not k n o w its reason or significance. O n the other h a n d ,
Lot accompanied A v r a m only because he calculated that he was
an o l d m a n w h o w o u l d soon die childless, leaving L o t as his
sole heir.
(‫)אשכול ענבים‬
‫״ויעבר א ב ד ם ב א ר ץ ע ד מ ק ו ם ש כ ם ע ד אלון מ ו ר ה ו ה כ נ ע נ י א ז‬
‫בארץ״‬
"Avram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, and the
Canaanite was then in the land." (12:6)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t is the connection between these t w o
things?
A N S W E R : W h e n A v r a m came to Eretz Yisrael, the Canaan-

ites w e r e engaged i n conquering the l a n d of Israel f r o m the
c h i l d r e n of Shem (Rashi). U s u a l l y , d u r i n g a w a r , armies are
extremely cautious, and all strangers are questioned to make
sure they are not spies for the other side. Should they seem
suspicious, they are p u n i s h e d and even t o r t u r e d .
The T o r a h is emphasizing that a l t h o u g h the Canaanites

w e r e presently i n the l a n d a n d i t was a t i m e of w a r , A v r a m was
m i r a c u l o u s l y protected b y H a s h e m a n d v e r y easily w e n t
t h r o u g h the entire c o u n t r y w i t h o u t any hindrance.
(‫)שער ב ת רבים‬
‫״ ל מ ה ל א ה ג ד ת לי כי א ש ת ך ה ו א ל מ ה א מ ר ת א ת ת י ה ו א ו א ק ח א ת ה‬
‫לי ל א ש ה״‬
"Why didn't you tell me that she is your wife? Why did you say 'she
is my sister,' so that I would take her as my wife?" (12:18-19)
Q U E S T I O N : I t w o u l d have been enough for Pharaoh to say
" W h y d i d n ' t y o u tell me she was y o u r w i f e ? " W h y d i d he have
to m e n t i o n that A v r a m h a d said she was his sister?
A N S W E R : Before a m a n marries, he s h o u l d investigate the

brothers of the bride-to-be, because the c h i l d r e n u s u a l l y
resemble the brothers of the m o t h e r (Bava Batra 110a). Pharaoh
was t e l l i n g A v r a m , " A s the k i n g of the l a n d , I a m a v e r y
p r o m i n e n t person. I d o n o t just m a r r y any l a d y that I meet.
H o w e v e r , k n o w i n g that y o u are a great person a n d that
c h i l d r e n o f y o u r sister w i l l resemble y o u , such a l a d y is p r o p e r
for me to m a r r y . "
H e , therefore, c o m p l a i n e d to A v r a m about t w o things:

LECH LECHA 45
1) " W h y d i d n ' t y o u tell me that she was y o u r w i f e so I

w o u l d n o t m a r r y her?"
2) " I f y o u w e r e afraid that I m i g h t w a n t to m a r r y her i f y o u

t o l d me that she was y o u r w i f e , and therefore y o u decided to
lie and say she was o n l y a relative, at least y o u s h o u l d have
refrained f r o m telling me that she was y o u r sister. Thus, I
w o u l d have n o t have w a n t e d to m a r r y her. Hence, y o u are f u l l y
at fault for w h a t happened."
(‫)אפריון‬
‫ ע ד ה מ ק ו ם א ש ר ה י ה ש ם א ה ל ה ב ת ח י ל ה ״‬. . . ‫ ע י ו‬0 ‫״וילך ל מ‬

"And he went on his journeys...to the place where his tent had
been in the beginning." (13:3)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi says, " O n his r e t u r n he p a i d his debts."
A v r a m was v e r y poor w h e n he started o u t o n his j o u r n e y ; w h y
w o u l d anyone trust a stranger and l e n d h i m money?
A N S W E R : The "debts" Rashi is referring to are n o t mone¬

tary. D u r i n g his travels, m a n y people asked h i m questions
w h i c h he d i d not answer a n d he " o w e d " t h e m answers.
W h e n A v r a m started o u t o n his t r i p , he was v e r y poor. O n

his itinerary he w o u l d make stops a n d speak to the people
about the greatness of Hashem. The people h a d never heard of
Hashem, and m a n y asked A v r a m the question: " I f y o u r G-d is
so great a n d g o o d , w h y doesn't he relieve y o u r p o v e r t y ? "
A v r a m was unable to give the people a satisfying answer.

H o w e v e r , o n his w a y back, after being blessed w i t h riches, he
visited the people w h o p r e v i o u s l y questioned h i m about
H a s h e m to " p a y " t h e m the answer he o w e d them.
He t o l d t h e m that his riches w e r e a r e w a r d f r o m Hashem. A

Jew m u s t have faith that i f he w i l l deserve i t , H a s h e m w i l l
r e w a r d h i m w i t h all the best.
(‫) ח ת ם סופר‬
‫״וילך ל מ ם ע י ו מ נ ג ב ו ע ד ב י ת א ל ע ד ה מ ק ו ם א ש ר ה י ה ש ם א ה ל ה‬
‫ א ל מקום המזבח א ש ר ע ש ה ש ם בראשונה״‬...‫בתחלה‬
"And he went on his journeys from the South to Beth-el, to the
place where his tent had been in the beginning.... to the place of
the altar which he had made there at first." (13:3-4)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y does the T o r a h discuss A v r a m ' s r e t u r n
j o u r n e y at such length?
A N S W E R : U p w a r d m o b i l i t y often leads people to change

communities. U n f o r t u n a t e l y , often the n e w n e i g h b o r h o o d is
less compatible w i t h T o r a h values than the o l d one. The n e w
area at times lacks proper yeshivot, shuls, mikva'ot, etc., and this
causes an obvious decrease i n religious observance.
A v r a m started his travels as a poor m a n a n d established his

residence i n the v i c i n i t y of Beth-El, an area w h i c h was
s p i r i t u a l l y i n accordance w i t h Hashem's desires for h u m a n i t y .
The T o r a h emphasizes that o n his r e t u r n , after being blessed
w i t h an abundance of material w e a l t h , he d i d n o t change his
style of l i v i n g . H e returned to the area of Beth-El, w h e r e he
o r i g i n a l l y l i v e d w h e n he possessed modest means. Despite his
affluence, he remained i n the " o l d " Jewish n e i g h b o r h o o d .
(‫)לקוטי ב ת ר לקוטי מ ה ד ו ״ ת ב ש ם מ ט ה אהרן‬
‫כי א נ ש י ם‬...‫״ ו י א מ ר א ב ד ם א ל ל ו • א ל נ א ת ה י מ ר י ב ה ביני ובינך‬

‫אחים אנחנו״‬
"Avram said to Lot, 'Please let there not be any strife between me
and you ... for we are brothers (relatives).'" (13:8)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d A v r a m emphasize his k i n s h i p w i t h
Lot?
A N S W E R : A story is t o l d that a piece of w o o d once asked a

piece of steel, " W h y is i t that w h e n y o u are h a m m e r e d y o u
make such l o u d noises, and w h e n they chop me the noise is n o t
so l o u d ? " The steel answered, " I a m h a m m e r e d w i t h a h a m m e r
made of steel, w h i c h is m y brother. I scream because i t hurts
w h e n y o u r o w n brother hits y o u . "
LECH LECHA 47
A v r a m t o l d L o t , "People s h o u l d always a v o i d conflicts,

especially w i t h relatives a n d g o o d friends."
(‫)עיטורי תורה‬
‫ כ״ א נ ש י • א ח י ם א נ ח נ ו ״‬... ‫״ א ל נ א ת ה י מ ר י ב ה ב י נ י ו ב י נ ך‬
"Let there not be any strife between me and you ... for we look
alike." (13:8) (See Rashi)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y is their s i m i l a r i t y i n appearance a reason
for not quarreling?
A N S W E R : A v r a m explained to L o t the f o l l o w i n g : " I f y o u

d i d n o t have a beard a n d peiyot a n d d i d n o t look like a tzaddik,
then everyone w o u l d easily interpret a n d understand the cause
of o u r quarreling: Either y o u are f i g h t i n g w i t h me because y o u
despise religious Jews, or else I a m at odds w i t h y o u because
y o u are m y relative and I a m u n h a p p y w i t h y o u r irreligious
behavior. H o w e v e r , since w e b o t h have beards a n d peiyot, and
appear as religious Jews, the secular w o r l d w i l l l a u g h i n g l y
exclaim: ' L o o k at the rabbis f i g h t i n g , ' and r i d i c u l e Torah-
observant Jews. Consequently, our actions w i l l cause a
desecration of H a s h e m (chillul Hashem)."
‫״ושמתי א ת זרעך כ ע פ ר הארץ״‬

"And I will make your children as the dust of the earth." (13:16)
Q U E S T I O N : H o w are the Jewish people like the dust of the
earth?
A N S W E R : Everyone w a l k s u p o n the dust of the earth, and

s i m i l a r l y , m a n y nations "step u p o n " the Jewish people. The
dust, however, outlasts the people w h o t r o d o n i t , a n d the
Jewish people, too, w i l l p r e v a i l over their oppressors.
(‫)אגרת תימן להרמב״ם‬
* * *
A l t e r n a t i v e l y , Hashem refers to the Jewish people as his

"eretz cheifetz" — "desirable l a n d " (Malachi 3:12).
The Ba'al Shem T o v explains the analogy i n the f o l l o w i n g

w a y : W h e n one digs i n the earth he can f i n d valuable treasures
such as silver, g o l d , d i a m o n d s , etc. Similarly, i n every Jew, even
the estranged, there are concealed riches. I t is necessary to
search w i t h i n t h e m a n d help to b r i n g their "treasures" to the
surface.
(‫)היום יום י״ז אייר‬
* * *
A Rabbi w h o intensely fought the missionaries i n his t o w n ,

was visited b y the bishop a n d asked, "Rabbi, w h y d o y o u
oppose us so strongly?" The Rabbi r e p l i e d , " W h e n y o u convert
someone to y o u r r e l i g i o n y o u sprinkle h i m w i t h y o u r ' r i t u a l
water.' Jews are compared to the dust of the earth. W h e n one
mixes water w i t h earth, m u d results. I cannot sit i d l y b y a n d see
someone t r y i n g to make m u d o u t of m y people."
(‫)פון אונזער א ל ט ע ן אוצר‬
‫ וישב א ת‬...‫״ויקחו א ת כ ל ר כ ש • ד ו ם ו ע מ ו ר ה ו א ת כ ל א כ ל ם וילכו‬

‫כל הרכש״‬
"And they took all the wealth of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their
food and they departed.... And he brought back all the wealth."
(14:11, 16)
Q U E S T I O N : I n the course of the w a r , the four kings t o o k
a w a y the w e a l t h and food f r o m Sodom. W h y d i d A v r a m o n l y
r e t u r n the w e a l t h a n d not the food?
A N S W E R : A v r a m w e n t to battle d u r i n g the n i g h t of the fif¬

teenth of Nissan, w h i c h is Pesach n i g h t . D u r i n g the first half of
that n i g h t H a s h e m m i r a c u l o u s l y helped A v r a m to defeat the
four kings. The second half of that n i g h t was reserved for the
slaying of the first b o r n i n E g y p t a n d the l i b e r a t i o n of the
Jewish people (Rashi, 14:15).
Whatever A v r a m managed to take f r o m the enemies be¬

came his personal p r o p e r t y . H e instructed his a r m y to be
careful to dispose of any food taken f r o m the enemies because
i t is f o r b i d d e n for a Jew to have chameitz i n his possession dur¬
i n g Pesach.
(‫)שפתי צדיק‬
LECH LECHA 49
‫״וישמע אבדם כי נשבה אחיו וירק א ת חניכיו וירדף עד ד ך‬

"Avram heard that his relative [Lot] was captured, and he armed
his servants and pursued them [the four kings] as far as Dan."
(14:14)
Q U E S T I O N : The four kings w e r e stronger t h a n the five;
w h y was this w a r so i m p o r t a n t to A v r a m that he w e n t to battle
p u t t i n g his life and the life of Eliezer i n danger?
A N S W E R : A m r a f e l was one of the four kings. H e was

called A m r a f e l because "amar pol" — "he said 'fall i n t o ' " — he
gave the order for A v r a m to be t h r o w n into the fiery furnace for
destroying the idols and p r o p a g a t i n g G-dliness. H e was also
k n o w n as N i m r o d because " H e incited m e n to rebel
against G - d " (Eiruvin 53a).
Lot's appearance was identical to A v r a m ' s (Rashi 13:8).

W h e n A v r a m heard that N i m r o d captured L o t , he w o r r i e d that
there m i g h t be a terrible desecration of H a s h e m (chillul
Hashem). A v r a m feared that N i m r o d w o u l d force L o t to declare
i n p u b l i c that H a s h e m was false and that the idols w e r e true.
The people w o u l d t h i n k that A v r a m was speaking and, G-d
f o r b i d , conclude that since A v r a m himself changed his
conviction about Hashem, they surely h a d no reason to have
faith anymore. Therefore, A v r a m , w a n t i n g to a v o i d a chillul
Hashem, endangered himself a n d w e n t to w a r to rescue L o t
from Nimrod.
(‫)שער בת רבים‬
‫״וית! לו מעשר מכל״‬

"He gave him a tithe from everything." (14:20)
Q U E S T I O N : A c c o r d i n g to the Midrash Hanelam quoted i n
Yalkut Reuveini, Hashem took the letter " ‫ " ה‬f r o m H i s Throne of
G l o r y and gave i t as ma'aseir to A v r a m , thus changing his name
to A v r a h a m . W h a t i n the pasuk alludes to this interpretation?
A N S W E R : The Patriarchs were all blessed w i t h a special

blessing of kol — e v e r y t h i n g . Regarding A v r a h a m i t is
stated, — " G - d blessed Avraham with
e v e r y t h i n g " (24:1). Before his death the T o r a h states,
— " H e gave over his ' e v e r y t h i n g ' to Y i t z c h a k "

(25:5). Yaakov, too, was a recipient of kol and, therefore, t o l d
Eisav — " I have e v e r y t h i n g . " (33:11)
The w o r d "kol" has the n u m e r i c a l value of 50. Since the

T o r a h states, " H e gave h i m ma'aseir, 'mikol' — ' f r o m every¬
t h i n g ' " — the Midrash derives that H a s h e m gave A v r a h a m ten
percent of kol (50), i n the f o r m of the letter " " , w h i c h has the
n u m e r i c a l value of five. W i t h this gift, H e changed his name to
A v r a h a m , m a k i n g i t possible for h i m to have a c h i l d .
(‫)זכרון ישראל בשם לב ארי‬
‫״אם מ ח ו • ועד שרוך נעל ואם א ק ח מכל אשר לך״‬

"If so much as a thread to a shoestrap; or if I shall take anything of
yours." (14:23)
Q U E S T I O N : The Gemara (Sotah 17a) says that because
A v r a m refused to take f r o m the K i n g of Sodom even a thread
or a shoestrap, his c h i l d r e n (the Jewish people) m e r i t e d to
receive t w o mitzvot f r o m Hashem: the mitzvah of p u t t i n g a
thread of techeilet i n the tzitzit a n d the mitzvah of p u t t i n g retzu'ot
(straps) i n the tefillin.
W h y are the tallit and tefillin w o r n specifically d u r i n g

shacharit prayers?
A N S W E R : A c c o r d i n g to the Gemara (Berachot 26b) A v r a h a m

originated the concept of davening to H a s h e m each m o r n i n g .
(shacharit). Therefore, d u r i n g his tefillah w e d o n the tallit and
w r a p the straps of the tefillin a r o u n d the a r m and head.
W h e n A v r a m spoke to the K i n g of Sodom, he first

m e n t i o n e d the thread and afterwards the shoestrap; thus, w e
first d o n the tallit, w h i c h has i n i t the thread of techeilet, and
afterwards the tefillin, w h i c h have the leather straps.
(‫)עטרת זקנים סי׳ כ׳׳ה‬
LECH LECHA 51
‫״ויאמר ה ב • נא השמימה וספר הכוכבים אם תוכל לספר א ת ם‬

‫ויאמר לו כה ״היה זרעך״‬
"And He said: 'Look now toward heavens, and count the stars, if
you are able to count them'; and He said to him: 'So shall your
offspring.'" (15:5)
Q U E S T I O N : I n w h a t w a y s are the Jewish people like stars?
A N S W E R : F r o m earth, the stars appear v e r y small.

H o w e v e r , the stars are actually immense. Hashem assured
a v r a m that a l t h o u g h o n earth the nations of the w o r l d consider
the Jewish people " v e r y s m a l l " (of m i n o r significance), i n
reality, u p i n heaven, they are of p r i m a r y importance.
(‫)דברי שאול‬
* * *
The stars t w i n k l e i n the h i g h heavens. By their l i g h t , even

one w h o w a l k s i n the darkness of n i g h t w i l l not blunder. Every
Jew, m a n or w o m a n , possesses enough m o r a l a n d spiritual
l i g h t to influence friends a n d acquaintances a n d to b r i n g t h e m
out of the "darkness" into the " l i g h t . "
(‫ ה׳ חשון‬,‫)היום יום‬
* * *
W h e n one stands o n the g r o u n d and looks u p to the sky,

the stars appear to be m i n u t e specks. I n reality the stars are
larger t h a n the earth. A s w e approach t h e m w e can begin to
appreciate their size a n d beauty.
The same is true of a Jew. Superficially, one m a y appear to

be insignificant. H o w e v e r , as one comes closer and gets to
k n o w more about h i m , one can perceive the great and beautiful
"Pintele Yid" (spark of Judaism) that is i n h i m .
(‫)בעש״ט‬
‫״ויאמר לאבדם ידע תדע כי גר יהיה זרעך בארץ לא להם״‬

"He said to Avram, 'Your children will be strangers in a land which
does not belong to them.'" (15:13)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d s "be'eretz lo lahem" — " I n a l a n d

w h i c h does not belong to t h e m " — seem extra? O b v i o u s l y , a
stranger is not i n his o w n l a n d .
A N S W E R : W h e n Yosef came before Pharaoh, he predicted

that there w o u l d be seven years of abundance a n d seven years
of famine. H e advised Pharaoh to save u p f o o d for the seven
years of famine. The people of E g y p t came to Yosef to b u y food,
and w h e n they r a n o u t of m o n e y , Yosef took their cattle i n l i e u
of money. W h e n they r a n o u t of cattle, he took their l a n d .
A f t e r w a r d s , Yosef relocated the people to different cities

f r o m one end of E g y p t to the other. H e d i d this so the
Egyptians w o u l d not be able to embarrass his brothers b y
calling t h e m strangers or refugees. N o w the Egyptians
themselves w e r e also strangers i n the places w h e r e they l i v e d
(Rashi 47:21).
H a s h e m t o l d A v r a m , " Y o u r c h i l d r e n w i l l be i n the exile of

E g y p t for 400 years and they w i l l be strangers i n the l a n d .
H o w e v e r , i t w i l l not be too bad, because i t w i l l be 'eretz lo lahem'
— a l a n d w h i c h does n o t belong to them — to the Egyptians.
Thus, they w i l l not feel less comfortable than their E g y p t i a n
neighbors."
(‫)מדרש שמואל אבות פ״ב מי״ז‬
"mm ‫״ועבדום וענו א ת ם ארבע מאות‬

"They shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred
years." (15:13)
Q U E S T I O N : Because A v r a m asked, " H o w (bamah) can I
k n o w that [ m y children] w i l l be w o r t h y to have it?" (15:8)
H a s h e m t o l d A v r a m there w o u l d be an E g y p t i a n exile for four
h u n d r e d years (see Nedarim 32a). W h y p a r t i c u l a r l y 400?
A N S W E R : I n H e b r e w , i n a d d i t i o n to the regular alef-beit

there is an alef-beit k n o w n as ‫ ש ״‬- ‫ ב‬, ‫ ת‬- ‫ ״ א‬i n w h i c h the ‫ ״ א ״‬inter¬
changes w i t h the , the w i t h the , etc. A c c o r d i n g l y , the
interchanges w i t h the a n d the interchanges w i t h the
‫״<־״‬. Thus, the letters of the w o r d "bamah" (‫)במה‬, w h i c h A v r a m
used to i n q u i r e about the worthiness of his c h i l d r e n to i n h e r i t
Eretz Yisrael, interchange w i t h the letters ‫ צ ״‬- ‫ י‬- ‫ ש‬. ‫ ״‬The total
n u m e r i c a l value of the letters is exactly 400.
(!‫)שפתי כה‬
LECH LECHA 53
‫״וגם א ת הגו״ אשר ״עבדו דן אנכי ואחר״ כן ״צאו ברכוש גדול״‬

"And also that nation, that they shall serve, I shall judge; and
afterwards they shall leave with great wealth." (15:14)
Q U E S T I O N : I n halachah there is a rule: ‫״ ק ם ל י ה ב ד ר ב ה מ י נ י ה ״‬
— W h e n one is due t w o punishments (e.g. death and a fine),
w e do n o t inflict b o t h , b u t mete o u t the severest penalty. W h y
were the Egyptians p u n i s h e d w i t h losing their lives as w e l l as
their money?
A N S W E R : This rule applies o n l y w h e n the t w o

punishments are for the same act, e.g. stabbing someone to
death o n Shabbat and d a m a g i n g his clothes i n the process. I n
such a case, the murderer is p u t to death b u t does n o t have to
pay for the c l o t h i n g he damaged.
H o w e v e r , the Egyptians received punishments for separate

acts. They deserved the ten plagues as p u n i s h m e n t for t o r t u r i n g
the Jews (avodat perech), and they deserved to d r o w n as punish¬
ment for d r o w n i n g the Jewish children. They lost their w e a l t h
due to their failure to compensate the enslaved Jewish people
for the w o r k they performed for them. Thus, i t is n o t
considered a case of d o u b l e j e o p a r d y w h e n punishments are
g i v e n for separate crimes.
* * *
A l t e r n a t i v e l y , the r u l e of does n o t
a p p l y w h e n heavenly j u d g m e n t is rendered (Rambam, Hilchot
Na'arah 1:14). Hashem reserves the r i g h t to p u n i s h i n d i v i d u a l s
as H e sees fit. Therefore, Hashem emphasized "Dan Anochi" —
" I personally w i l l j u d g e a n d p u n i s h t h e m . " Hence, they w i l l
justifiably b o t h pay and suffer for their i n i q u i t y .
(‫)שארית מנחם‬
‫״ואחר״ כן ״צאו ברכש גדול״‬

"And afterwards they will go out with great wealth." (15:14)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d n ' t A v r a m say to Hashem, " N o t h a n k
y o u , keep the w e a l t h and do n o t make m y c h i l d r e n suffer galut
(exile)?"
54 VEDIBARTA B A M — A N D Y O U S H A L L SPEAK OF T H E M
A N S W E R : I n a d d i t i o n to their simple meaning, the w o r d s

"v'acharei chein yeitzu birechush gadol" also refer to 1) Torah, 2)
r e d e m p t i o n and 3) the Messianic era.
1) The w o r d s "yeitzu birechush" (‫" — )יצאו ברכש‬go o u t w i t h
w e a l t h " — have the n u m e r i c a l value of 629, w h i c h is the same
numerical value as "zehu Torah" — "This is T o r a h " ( ‫ ) ז ה ו ת ו ר ה‬.
2) The ‫ ״ ו ״‬i n "v'acharei chein" — "and afterwards" — seems
extra. I t w o u l d be sufficient to say "acharei chein" —
"afterwards."
Our father Yaakov was v e r y concerned about the Jewish
people being i n galut. Therefore, he took the letter vav f r o m
Eliyahu's name as a pledge that he w i l l come a n d announce the
r e d e m p t i o n of his c h i l d r e n (Rashi, Vayikra, 26:42).
D u r i n g the Covenant that H a s h e m made w i t h A v r a m (Brit
Bein Habetarim), A v r a m was i n f o r m e d of all the different exiles
the Jewish people w o u l d encounter. A t that t i m e , H a s h e m
p r o m i s e d h i m that, i n a d d i t i o n to being redeemed f r o m Egypt,
"v'acharei chein" — "and afterwards" — there w i l l be an
u l t i m a t e r e d e m p t i o n heralded b y E l i y a h u thanks to the
Yaakov took f r o m his name as a pledge.
3) The n u m e r i c a l value of the w o r d s "birechush gadol"
a d d u p to 565, ( — c o u n t i n g the statement itself as
a total of one) w h i c h is also the same n u m e r i c a l value as
‫" — ב ז מ ן מ ל ך ה מ ש י ח ״‬This — great w e a l t h — w i l l be i n the era of
K i n g Mashiach."
A v r a m d i d not argue w i t h H a s h e m because Torah, redemp¬
t i o n , a n d Mashiach are w o r t h m u c h m o r e t h a n a l l the difficult
trials and tribulations of galut.
‫״ותאמר שרי אל אבדם חמםי עליך אנכי נתתי שפחתי בחיקך ותו־א‬
‫כי הרתה ואקל בעיניה י ש פ • ה׳ ביני וביניך״‬
"And Sarai said to Avram: 'My wrong be upon you; I gave my maid¬
servant into your bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived,
I was made light in her eyes; may G-d judge between me and you.'"
(16:5)
Q U E S T I O N : I f Hagar was insubordinate to Sarai, w h y was
A v r a m to blame?
LECH LECHA 55
A N S W E R : Regarding Hagar, the T o r a h says: " A n d she

(Sarai) h a d an E g y p t i a n m a i d a n d her name was H a g a r " (16:1).
A c c o r d i n g to halachah, w h e n a w o m a n marries, her belongings
are considered melog p r o p e r t y , w h i c h means that the p r i n c i p a l
remains her p r o p e r t y a n d that her husband is entitled to the
benefits. H e m a y use the products of the p r i n c i p a l as l o n g as his
w i f e is alive, b u t he has no permission to sell the p r i n c i p a l , nor
is he a l l o w e d to give i t away.
W h e n a master marries off his slave to a Jewish w o m a n , or

w h e n the master chooses his maidservant to become his w i f e
and marries her, she automatically becomes a free person.
Thus, after A v r a m had m a r r i e d Hagar, she considered herself a
free person a n d no longer subject to Sarai's a u t h o r i t y .
This upset Sarai v e r y m u c h and she said to her husband:

" M y w r o n g be u p o n y o u " [because] " I p e r m i t t e d y o u to m a r r y
my maid, b u t I never i n t e n d e d that she s h o u l d become m y
equal, nor d i d I authorize y o u to set her free t h r o u g h y o u r act
of marriage."
A v r a m agreed w i t h Sarai, and therefore said to her,

"Behold, your maid is i n y o u r hand. D o to her that w h i c h is
g o o d i n y o u r eyes."
Sarai dealt w i t h her harshly a n d Hagar fled. A n angel

f o u n d her and asked her: "Hagar, Sarai's maid, f r o m w h e r e are
y o u coming?" She responded: " F r o m m y mistress Sarai I a m
fleeing." The angel t o l d her, " R e t u r n to y o u r mistress and
s u b m i t yourself to her a u t h o r i t y . " One m a y w o n d e r , w h y d i d
the angel give her these instructions?
The answer is that, i n the course of their dialogue, Hagar

argued that t h r o u g h her marriage to A v r a m she h a d become a
free person and therefore: " I a m r u n n i n g a w a y f r o m Sarai w h o
wants to be m y mistress." The angel disagreed w i t h her, and
referred to Hagar as Sarai's maid. H e explained to her that
A v r a m d i d n o t have the a u t h o r i t y to set her free t h r o u g h his
marriage and she was still Sarai's m a i d . Hence, " R e t u r n to your
mistress and s u b m i t yourself to her a u t h o r i t y . "
(‫)אור החיים‬
‫״והוא ״היה פרא אדם ״דו בכל ויד כל בו״‬

"He will be a wild man; his hand will be against everyone and
everyone's hand will be against him." (16:12)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t was the angel a l l u d i n g to?
A N S W E R : The Gemara (Sotah 5a) says that A v r a h a m was

blessed w i t h "bakol" — " e v e r y t h i n g " — as i t is w r i t t e n , " G - d
blessed A v r a h a m w i t h bakol." Yaakov too was blessed w i t h
"kol" — e v e r y t h i n g — as he said, " G - d dealt graciously w i t h me
and I have kol — e v e r y t h i n g " (33:11).
The Arabs are Yishmael's descendants and p r i d e them¬

selves that they, too, are c h i l d r e n of A v r a m . Eventually, they
w i l l fall into the hands of the c h i l d r e n of Yaakov (Rashi 37:1).
The angel was h i n t i n g this to Hagar b y telling her that,

"yado bakol" — " Y o u r son w i l l t r y to h o l d o n to his 'yichus' —
pedigree — that he is related to A v r a h a m , w h o was blessed
w i t h bakol. H o w e v e r , the end w i l l be "veyad kol bo" — The h a n d
of the c h i l d r e n of Yaakov, w h o was blessed w i t h 'kol,' w i l l
o v e r p o w e r a n d conquer h i m . "
Targum Onkelos explains: ‫״ ה ו א י ה א צ ר י ך ל כ ל א ו י ד א רכל בני‬

‫ " — א נ ש א י ה ו ן צ ר י כ י ן ל ה ״‬H e w i l l be dependent o n the entire
w o r l d , a n d the entire w o r l d w i l l be dependent o n h i m . "
Possibly, Onkelos is h i n t i n g to the fact that Yishmael is the
ancestor of the A r a b w o r l d
The w o r l d is dependent o n t h e m because they control

major o i l sources. H o w e v e r , they have n o t h i n g besides o i l , and
are dependent o n the entire w o r l d for their existence.
‫״ותקרא שם ה׳ הדבר אליה א ת ה א ל ראי״‬

"And she called the Name of the G-d [Angel — see Igeret Hak-
odesh 25] Who spoke to her: 'You are the G-d of Vision.'" (16:13)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d "atah" — " y o u " — seems to be su¬
perfluous; w h a t was she emphasizing?
LECH LECHA 57
A N S W E R : M a n y years ago sheidim (demons) w e r e

c o m m o n . They w o u l d appear at n i g h t or d u r i n g the d a y i n
u n i n h a b i t e d areas, such as fields and deserts. Therefore, o u r
sages have w a r n e d that a person s h o u l d beware w h e n a
stranger approaches h i m i n such places.
W h e n Yehoshua reached the outskirts of Yericho, o n route

to wage w a r , a "person" engaged h i m i n a conversation. The
Gemara (Megillah 3a) asks, " W h y d i d Yehoshua converse w i t h
the i n d i v i d u a l and not fear the possibility of h i m being a
demon?" The Gemara explains that w h e n the person spoke to
Yehoshua, he uttered the name of H a s h e m — even a d e m o n
w o u l d n o t m e n t i o n i t i n v a i n . This was p r o o f to Yehoshua that
the i n d i v i d u a l was indeed an angel.
W h e n Hagar r a n a w a y and w a n d e r e d i n the desert, she was

approached b y a total of four angels. The first three d i d not
m e n t i o n that they w e r e speaking as representatives of Hashem,
so she had her doubts about their v a l i d i t y . c o n s e q u e n t l y , she
d i d not talk at l e n g t h w i t h t h e m or praise them. H o w e v e r , the
f o u r t h angel, besides telling her that she w o u l d give b i r t h to a
c h i l d , a d d e d the w o r d s — " G - d has heard
y o u r affliction" (16:11).
U p o n hearing h i m m e n t i o n Hashem, she realized that he

was indeed not a d e m o n b u t a true angel of Hashem. Therefore,
w h e n she n a m e d the angel, w h o spoke to her i n the name of
Hashem, she emphasized that "you" are indeed the G-d of
Vision.
(‫)פנינים יקרים‬
‫״שרי א ש ת ך לא ת ק ר א א ת ש מ ה שרי כי שרה שמה״‬

"Do not call your wife Sarai; her name is Sarah." (17:15)
Q U E S T I O N : I t s h o u l d have said her name will be Sarah
(future tense)?
A N S W E R : A c c o r d i n g to an o p i n i o n i n Midrash Rabbah
(47:1), i n order to obtain a for the name A v r a h a m , H a s h e m
took the ‫ ( ״ י ״‬w h i c h equals 10) f r o m the name Sarai a n d gave
half of i t , ( w h i c h equals 5), to A v r a h a m . Thus, Sarai became

Sarah i m m e d i a t e l y .
* * *
A l t e r n a t i v e l y , according to halachah, a w o m a n rises to the

standards of the m a n . Thus, w h e n a r i c h m a n marries a poor
w o m a n , she attains the rights of a r i c h w o m a n (Ketuvot 61a).
Hence, w h e n H a s h e m a d d e d the to A v r a h a m declaring,
— " I p r o c l a i m y o u a father of m a n y nations"
(17:5), simultaneously his w i f e was no longer merely his
princess, b u t the princess of the w o r l d — a n d r i g h t f u l l y was
called Sarah.
‫״שרה א ש ת ך יולדת לך בן וקראת שמו יצחק״‬

"Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you shall call him
Yitzchak." (17:19)
Q U E S T I O N : The name " Y i t z c h a k " is because of the laugh¬
ter (Rashi). W h y was the future tense (he w i l l laugh) used for
his name?
A N S W E R : A v r a h a m and Sarah h a d undertaken the difficult

task of changing the course of the w o r l d b y educating people
about T o r a h a n d G-dliness. They had encountered great diffi¬
culties to the extent that A v r a h a m was cast into the b u r n i n g
furnace b y N i m r o d .
As A v r a h a m and Sarah aged a n d remained childless, those

w h o p r e v i o u s l y feared t h e m began to l a u g h and rejoice. "Soon
A v r a h a m and Sarah w i l l die," they t h o u g h t to themselves, " a n d
w i t h o u t a c h i l d to continue their w o r k , they w i l l be gone and
forgotten a n d so w i l l the ideas and ideals they propagated."
A v r a h a m was concerned about this a n d p r a y e d to H a s h e m

for a c h i l d w h o w o u l d continue the w o r k he h a d started.
H a s h e m p r o m i s e d h i m , " Y o u r w i f e w i l l bear y o u a son. N a m e
h i m Yitzchak because he w i l l f o l l o w i n y o u r footsteps, and 'he
will laugh' at a l l those w h o t h i n k that the efforts of A v r a h a m
and Sarah w i l l go to waste and be forgotten."
LECH LECHA 59
‫״ו״מל בשר ערלתם בעצם היום הזה כאשר דבר אתו אלק״ם״‬
"And he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day as
G-d has spoken to him." (17:23)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y does the T o r a h emphasize that all the
circumcisions took place "on that very day" that he received the
command? (See Rashi.)
A N S W E R : I n Parshat Vayeira, w e learn about the angels

w h o v i s i t e d A v r a h a m o n the t h i r d day f o l l o w i n g his brit. That
d a y happened to be Pesach (Rashi 19:3). Thus, A v r a h a m ' s brit
took place three days before Pesach. A c c o r d i n g to the Da'at
Zekeinim MiBa'alei Hatosafot the brit t o o k place o n Yom Kippur.
A brit of a Jewish boy, w h i c h takes place o n the e i g h t h d a y
after he is b o r n , can be performed o n any d a y of the w e e k
i n c l u d i n g Shabbat. I f the brit takes place after the e i g h t h day, i t
cannot be done o n Shabbat or Yom Tov and, according to some
opinions, i t also cannot be done three days before Shabbat or
Yom Tov due to the difficulties that are usually experienced o n
the t h i r d d a y after the brit (Yorah Dei'ah 266:14).
Thus, the question m a y be asked, since the brit of A v r a h a m ,
Yishmael a n d a l l the males i n his household, were not o n the
eighth day after b i r t h , w h y were they performed o n Yom Tov
(Yom Kippur) or three days before the Yom Tov of Pesach?
To answer this, the T o r a h emphasizes that the brit of A v r a -
h a m , Yishmael and a l l the males i n his household, t o o k place
"on that very day" w h e n H a s h e m c o m m a n d e d them. Since i t
was the d a y o n w h i c h A v r a h a m received the c o m m a n d , i t was
equivalent to a brit that is performed at the proper t i m e (eighth
day) and m a y be done o n any d a y of the week.
(‫)ילקוט הדרוש בשם אילנא דתיי‬
‫״ואברהם ב! תשעים ותשע שנה בהמלו״‬

"Avraham was ninety nine years old when he was circumcised."
(17:24)
Q U E S T I O N : A v r a h a m observed the entire T o r a h (Yoma
28b). W h y d i d he w a i t to circumcise himself u n t i l he was so
old?
A N S W E R : The physical b o d y is the p r o p e r t y of H a s h e m

and not one's personal asset. Consequently, i t is f o r b i d d e n to
cause i n j u r y , or p a i n to oneself (Bava Kamma 90b). Therefore,
t h o u g h A v r a h a m definitely w a n t e d to p e r f o r m a brit milah
earlier, the halachah of not d a m a g i n g Hashem's p r o p e r t y
prevented h i m . Once H a s h e m gave h i m a direct c o m m a n d , i t
was no longer considered i n f l i c t i n g i n j u r y , b u t the performance
of a mitzvah. , -. .
m m nT n
* * *
A l t e r n a t i v e l y , according to the Gemara (Avodah Zarah 27a)

an uncircumcised is n o t qualified to p e r f o r m a circumcision.
Since neither A v r a h a m nor any of his household w e r e
circumcised, i t was impossible for h i m to p e r f o r m a
halachically v a l i d circumcision. U l t i m a t e l y , n o t o n l y was he
t o l d to do so, b u t H a s h e m actually assisted h i m , as i t is stated,
"Vecharot imo haberit" - " A n d H e cut w i t h h i m the covenant"
(see Rashi 17:23). I t does not say, "for h i m , " b u t " w i t h h i m . "
N o w that A v r a h a m was p r o p e r l y circumcised, he was qualified
to circumcise others, a n d he thus proceeded to circumcise a l l
the members of his household (see Orach Chaim).
* * *
A l t e r n a t i v e l y , the Gemara (Kiddushin 31a) says that, "One

w h o performs a precept h a v i n g been c o m m a n d e d to do so is
greater t h a n one w h o performs a precept w i t h o u t h a v i n g been
c o m m a n d e d to do so." The one w h o is obligated is m o r e
w o r r i e d a n d anxious lest he not f u l f i l l t h a n the one w h o is n o t
obligated and therefore his r e w a r d is greater (Tosafot).
Therefore, A v r a h a m p e r f o r m e d all mitzvot w i t h the

anticipation that w h e n H a s h e m c o m m a n d e d h i m he w o u l d d o
t h e m again and receive the greater r e w a r d . U n l i k e a l l other
mitzvot, the circumcision can be p e r f o r m e d o n l y once d u r i n g a
person's lifetime. I f he h a d circumcised himself v o l u n t a r i l y , he
w o u l d n o t be able to do i t again a n y m o r e as one w h o is
c o m m a n d e d and thus receive a greater r e w a r d . Hence, w i t h
this mitzvah he w a i t e d t i l l he w o u l d be c o m m a n d e d to d o so.
(‫)פון אומער אלטען אוצר בשם הגר״א‬
VAYEIRA 61
VAYEIRA ‫ו י ר א ־‬
‫׳״‬n ‫״׳וירא אליו‬

"And G-d revealed Himself to him." (18:1)
W h e n the Rebbe RaSHaB (Rabbi Sholom DovBer Schneer-
son, the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe) was a little b o y of about four
or five years of age, he entered the r o o m of his grandfather, the
Tzemach Tzedek (Rabbi Menachem M e n d e l Schneersohn, the
t h i r d Lubavitcher Rebbe), a n d w i t h tears i n his eyes, asked his
grandfather w h y H a s h e m revealed H i m s e l f to A v r a h a m b u t
not to us.
His grandfather answered h i m , " W h e n a Jew w h o is a
tzaddik decides at the age of 99 to circumcise himself, he
deserves that Hashem should reveal H i m s e l f to h i m . "
(‫)היום יום ט׳ חשון‬
F r o m this story w e can learn t w o v e r y i m p o r t a n t lessons:

1) Even a c h i l d w h o is o n l y four or five years of age, and
s i m i l a r l y any Jew, even i f his spiritual level is such that he has
not yet reached the level of chinuch (Torah instruction), should
be educated to yearn for D i v i n e revelation.
2) The Tzemach Tzedek's answer teaches us that every Jew
w h o resolves to become closer to Hashem a n d remove any
"barriers" that m a y be existing, can m e r i t that Hashem w i l l
reveal H i m s e l f to h i m as he d i d to our ancestor A v r a h a m .
(‫)לקוטי שיחות חט׳׳ו‬
‫״וירא אליו ה׳ באלנ״ ממו־א״‬

"G-d revealed Himself to him in the plains of Mamrei." (18:1)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi comments, " M a m r e i w h o advised A v r a -
h a m concerning the brit." I f H a s h e m instructed A v r a h a m to do
the brit, w h y w o u l d he seek advice f r o m Mamrei?
ANSWER: Indeed A v r a h a m d i d not ask M a m r e i whether he

should listen to Hashem. H e o n l y asked h i m i f he should circum¬
cise himself publicly or privately. A v r a h a m heeded his advice
and d i d i t publicly. The members of his household were greatly
impressed w i t h A v r a h a m ' s courage and emulated h i m (17:27).
(‫)דעת זקנים מבעלי התוספות‬
‫״והוא ״שב פ ת ח האהל״‬

"While he was sitting at the entrance to the tent." (18:1)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains,
‫" — ב ב י ת ו ״‬To see i f there is a passerby and take h i m into his
home." W h y does Rashi call a guest "over veshav" — "passerby"
— and not the p o p u l a r t e r m "orei'ach" — "guest"?
A N S W E R : Some people feel v e r y uncomfortable as guests

at others' tables. Even w h e n they are o n the w a y to the houses
of their hosts, they sometimes become shy a n d t u r n away.
A v r a h a m was v e r y great i n the mitzvah of h o s p i t a l i t y and
w a n t e d everyone to feel comfortable i n his home. Therefore, he
w o u l d sit at the entrance of the tent i n order to spot the person
w h o is "over veshav" — keeps passing "back and f o r t h " — and
is ashamed to come i n .
(‫ אמרי מהרא״ז‬- ‫)פון אונזער אלטען אוצר‬
* * *
The t e r m "over veshav" can also refer to someone w h o was
"over" — "transgressed" ( d i d an aveirah) a n d n o w "veshav" — is
r e t u r n i n g and d o i n g teshuvah. A v r a h a m ' s home was especially
open for all w h o became ba'alei teshuvah or w a n t e d to d o
teshuvah a n d to come closer to Hashem.
‫״וישא עיניו וירא והנה שלשה אנשי• נצבים עליו״‬

"He lifted his eyes and saw, and behold three men [angels] were
standing over him." (18:2)
Q U E S T I O N : A c c o r d i n g to Midrash Rabbah (48:9) the three
angels appeared as a desert merchant, a produce merchant, and
a captain of a ship. W h y d i d the angels appear i n these three
disguises?
VAYEIRA 63
A N S W E R : The w o r l d is d i v i d e d into three parts: water,

desert, and inhabited l a n d (see Pesachim 94a, Tosafot). Each part
of the w o r l d has an angel i n heaven a p p o i n t e d over it. Thus, the
three disguised angels represented the entire creation. The one
dressed as a desert merchant was for the deserts, the captain
was for the oceans, and the produce merchant represented the
inhabited section of the w o r l d .
O n the passage — "These
are the chronicles of the heavens a n d the earth w h e n they w e r e
created" (2:4) — the Zohar (Bereishit 86b) says, "Read n o t
'behibaram' ( ‫ ) ב ה ב ר א ם‬, b u t read 'beAvraham' ( ‫ ) ב א ב ר ה ם‬. This
alludes to the fact that the entire w o r l d was created for the sake
of A v r a h a m . Therefore, the three angels as representatives of
the entire w o r l d , came to v i s i t A v r a h a m i n whose m e r i t the
entire w o r l d was created.
‫״והנה שלשה אנשים נצבים עליו״‬

"And behold three men [angels] were standing over him." (18:2)
Q U E S T I O N : A v r a h a m was sick and H a s h e m came to v i s i t
h i m . One of the three m e n was the angel Raphael, w h o came to
heal A v r a h a m (Rashi). W h y d i d n ' t Hashem, w h o is the healer
of all flesh, dismiss Raphael and take over?
A N S W E R : Often, w h e n people v i s i t the sick, they have a
tendency to discuss the ailment a n d offer uncalled-for advice.
Hashem is teaching us an i m p o r t a n t lesson i n bikur cholim:
W h e n v i s i t i n g a sick person, do not become his doctor. Let the
attending physician use his expertise to heal the patient.
A l t h o u g h , Hashem is the true healer and every doctor is H i s
emissary, H e p e r m i t t e d the assigned doctor, Raphael, to
complete his mission a n d cure A v r a h a m .
‫״והנה שלשה אנשים נצבים עליו״‬

"And behold; three men were standing over him." (18:2)
Q U E S T I O N : W h e n t w o of t h e m afterwards w e n t to L o t , the
pasuk says, "The t w o angels came to Sodom i n the evening...Lot
saw t h e m a n d got u p to greet t h e m " (19:1).
I n reference to A v r a h a m w h y does the T o r a h call t h e m

"anashim" — " o r d i n a r y m e n " — w h i l e i n reference to L o t i t
refers to t h e m as "angels?"
A N S W E R : A v r a h a m was a tzaddik a n d v e r y great i n the

mitzvah of hachnasat orchim — hospitality. To h i m i t made
absolutely no difference w h o a guest was. Even i f the guest was
just an o r d i n a r y person, A v r a h a m w o u l d take h i m i n t o his
home, treat h i m w i t h the greatest respect, a n d give h i m the best
of e v e r y t h i n g .
L o t was different. W h e n a p r o m i n e n t person w o u l d come to

t o w n , L o t w o u l d take h i m i n t o his home because i t was an
honor for h i m to have i m p o r t a n t people v i s i t i n g . I f a simple
person w o u l d come to t o w n a n d he w o u l d stand n o t h i n g to
gain b y t a k i n g h i m i n , L o t w o u l d not bother w i t h h i m at a l l .
Therefore, w h e n L o t saw that the visitors w e r e angels and that
i t w o u l d a d d to his prestige to have such guests, o n l y then d i d
he i n v i t e t h e m to his house.
* * *
A story is t o l d that once a great tzaddik w h o d i d n o t w a n t to

reveal his i d e n t i t y came to a city dressed unimpressively. W h e n
he asked for the o p p o r t u n i t y to stay at the h o m e of the head of
the c o m m u n i t y , the person refused because he o n l y catered to
p r o m i n e n t guests a n d n o t o r d i n a r y folk.
Years later, w h e n the tzaddik revealed his i d e n t i t y , again he

came to the city a n d this t i m e he rode i n a chariot w h i c h was
led b y six horses. The entire t o w n w e n t o u t to meet the tzaddik
and the head of the c o m m u n i t y t o l d the tzaddik's secretary that
he w o u l d be d e l i g h t e d i f the tzaddik w o u l d be his guest. The
tzaddik instructed his secretary, "Please take the six horses and
b r i n g t h e m to the home of the head of the c o m m u n i t y , and I
w i l l eat at the home w h e r e I ate a few years ago w h e n I v i s i t e d
this city."
The head of the c o m m u n i t y was v e r y surprised and r a n to

the tzaddik to ask for an explanation. The tzaddik t o l d h i m , " I a m
the same person w h o was here a few years ago and asked to
stay at y o u r home. I have n o t changed since then. The o n l y
VAYEIRA 65
difference is that last t i m e I came alone a n d y o u were n o t

impressed w i t h me. Today w h e n I came w i t h six horses, y o u
were impressed. Therefore, I sent w h a t impresses y o u to be
y o u r guests for the weekend."
‫״'"יא י״יץ לקראתם״‬

"And he saw, and he ran towards them." (18:2)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains that A v r a h a m had to r u n
because w h e n the angels saw that he was sick, they began to go
away. N o t w a n t i n g to lose the o p p o r t u n i t y to fulfill the mitzvah
of hachnasat orchim, he r a n after t h e m . Since the people began to
go away, the pasuk should have read — " A n d he
ran after t h e m " — instead of, " A n d he r a n towards them"?
A N S W E R : W h e n one leaves the presence of a p r o m i n e n t
person, i t is not proper to t u r n one's back. Instead, even w h e n
leaving, one faces the person a n d w a l k s backwards.
W h e n the angels came to A v r a h a m , they noticed that
Hashem was also there. Realizing that A v r a h a m was v e r y sick,
they decided to go a w a y and not bother h i m . H o w e v e r , since i t
is i m p r o p e r to t u r n their backs to Hashem, they w a l k e d a w a y
backwards. A v r a h a m , n o t i c i n g this, r a n towards t h e m to b r i n g
t h e m i n t o his home.
(‫)ר׳ שמשון מאסטראפאלי זצ״ל‬
‫״ויאמר א ד נ י אם נא מצאתי חן בעיניך אל נא ת ע ב ר מ ע ל עבדך״‬

"And he said, my L-rd, if I have found favor in your eyes, pass not
away from your servant." (18:3)
Q U E S T I O N : A c c o r d i n g to the Gemara (Shabbat 127a), A v r a -
h a m was speaking to H a s h e m a n d asked H i m to w a i t u n t i l he
b r o u g h t the guests into his home, for the mitzvah of hachnasat
orchim — receiving guests and t a k i n g care of their needs — is
greater t h a n kaballat penei hashechinah — receiving Hashem.
H o w d i d A v r a h a m k n o w that hachnasat orchim was greater?
A N S W E R : W h e n A v r a h a m was i l l after the brit, Hashem

visited h i m . Cognizant of A v r a h a m ' s great yearning to fulfill
the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim, H e specifically made i t
extremely hot so that no one w o u l d be w a l k i n g i n the desert

and A v r a h a m w o u l d n o t have to occupy himself w i t h any
guests.
If b o t h mitzvot are equal, i t was n o t necessary for Hashem to

make i t v e r y hot. Even i f guests had come, A v r a h a m w o u l d n o t
have occupied himself w i t h t h e m , since he was already
i n v o l v e d i n the mitzvah of receiving Hashem. F r o m Hashem's
effort to keep guest a w a y d u r i n g H i s visit, A v r a h a m learned
that receiving guests is a greater mitzvah than receiving
Hashem.
(‫)זכרון ישראל‬
‫״ויקח בן בקר רך וסוב״‬

"And he took a calf, tender and good." (18:7)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi says that A v r a h a m actually took "three
bulls i n order to feed the guests three leshonot bechardel —
tongues i n m u s t a r d . "
W o u l d n ' t one tongue have sufficed for the three of them?
A N S W E R : Whenever A v r a h a m h a d guests he w o u l d n o t
o n l y sustain t h e m w i t h physical f o o d , b u t also encouraged
t h e m to live a meaningful a n d s p i r i t u a l l y enriched life.
Pirkei Avot (5:19) says that the disciples of A v r a h a m w e r e

exemplified w i t h three attributes that A v r a h a m inculcated i n
them: a g o o d eye, a h u m b l e spirit and a meek soul.
N o w , the w o r d "bechardel" (‫ " — )בחרדל‬i n m u s t a r d " — can

be arranged as t w o w o r d s to i m p l y three different meanings.
Thus, the w o r d s of Rashi "three leshonot bechardel" — can be
explained as an allegory. N a m e l y , A v r a h a m shared w i t h the
guests three "tongues" i.e., versions/explanations of messages
conveyed b y the w o r d "bechardel."
1) "Bechar dal" — "choose the i m p o v e r i s h e d . " That

is, have a g o o d eye towards the poor. Use y o u r i n t u i t i o n and
resources to "see" — i.e., alleviate — their p l i g h t .
2) "Chareid lev" (‫לב‬-‫" — )חרד‬a [G-d-] fearing heart." This

leads to a h u m b l e spirit.
VAYEIRA 67
3) "Chadal rav" (‫רב‬-‫ " — )חדל‬a v o i d [the p u r s u i t of] h a v i n g

m u c h . " Be modest a n d assuming. D o n ' t be greedy and over-
ambitious. Be satisfied w i t h y o u r blessings.
‫״ויאמר שוב אשוב אליך כ ע ת חיה והנה ב! לשרה אשתך״‬

"And he [the angel] said, 'I shall return according to this time of
life and your wife Sarah will have a son.'" (18:10)
Q U E S T I O N : W h e n a n d w h e r e d i d the angel return?
A N S W E R : A t the Akeidah, A v r a h a m stretched o u t his h a n d

and took the knife to slaughter his son Yitzchak. A t that
m o m e n t an angel called to h i m saying, "Stop, do n o t do
a n y t h i n g . " This was the same angel w h o 37 years earlier had
t o l d h i m that he w o u l d b r i n g a l i v i n g c h i l d into the w o r l d . N o w
he came to give Yitzchak an extension of life.
W i t h the w o r d s "ka'eit chayah" — lit. "at the t i m e of life" —

the angel h i n t e d to A v r a h a m that he w o u l d reappear at the
t i m e w h e n Yitzchak w o u l d be i n need of life.
(‫)פרדס הגדול לרש״י‬
‫״ושרה ש מ ע ת פ ת ח האהל והוא אחריו״‬

"Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him." (18:10)
Q U E S T I O N : W h o was b e h i n d what?
A N S W E R : I t is customary for a guest to bless his host

before leaving. U s u a l l y , the blessing is connected to something
he observes d u r i n g his stay. For example, i f the f a m i l y is, G-d
f o r b i d , childless, he blesses t h e m w i t h a c h i l d . I f there is
sickness, he wishes g o o d health, etc.
For m a n y years A v r a h a m and Sarah r a n a hospitality

center. People f r o m a l l w a l k s of life enjoyed their benevolence.
I n their younger years the most c o m m o n berachah g i v e n to t h e m
was to be blessed w i t h a c h i l d . A v r a h a m and Sarah w o u l d
always r e p l y "Amen."
A s they aged, people w o u l d no longer w i s h t h e m children.

It w o u l d have been considered a m o c k e r y for someone to w i s h
an elderly couple a c h i l d . Suddenly, at the age of 99, A v r a h a m
was blessed that he w o u l d have a c h i l d . N o r m a l l y , A v r a h a m

should have responded, " O b v i o u s l y y o u are not aware of m y
age — otherwise y o u w o u l d not have mentioned such a
r i d i c u l o u s t h o u g h t . " Instead, w h e n the m a n gave his blessing,
the T o r a h relates, "vehu acharav" — " A n d he was after h i m . "
Avraham f o l l o w e d h i m b y saying "Amein."
Sarah was i n the tent a n d was amazed at her husband a n d

began to l a u g h at his strange behavior. She w o n d e r e d h o w he
c o u l d expect her to bear a c h i l d at the age of 90.
(‫)ספר אוהל מועד סי׳ קל׳׳ו‬
‫למה זה צ ח ק ה שרה לאמו־ האף א מ נ ם‬...‫ואדוני זקן‬...‫״ותצחק שרה‬

‫אלד ואני זקנתי״‬
"Sarah laughed within herself saying, 'after I am old can I give
birth? My master is old'....G-d said to Avraham: 'Why did Sarah
laugh, saying: Can I give birth? I am old?"' (18:12-13)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d Sarah have doubts?
A N S W E R : Hashem appears i n different forms. A t Keriat

Yam Suf — the s p l i t t i n g of the sea — H e appeared as a p o w e r f u l
w a r r i o r . A t the g i v i n g of the T o r a h o n M t . Sinai, H e appeared
i n the f o r m of a merciful sage (Yalkut Shimoni 246).
A c c o r d i n g to the Arizal, the different forms of revelation

d e p e n d o n the mission to be accomplished. Keriat Yam Suf
defied the laws of nature: Water, w h i c h n o r m a l l y flows
continuously, stood as a pillar. To emphasize that Hashem
governs nature and is not controlled b y i t , H e appeared as a
p o w e r f u l w a r r i o r w h o conquers and controls. The g i v i n g of the
T o r a h was not an act contrary to nature and, therefore, he
appeared as a merciful sage.
The visitor came to A v r a h a m to i n f o r m h i m that Sarah

w o u l d give b i r t h to a c h i l d . Sarah was a great prophetess and
w o u l d v e r y often experience D i v i n e revelations. A t that t i m e
she had a v i s i o n i n w h i c h Hashem appeared as a saintly T o r a h
scholar. For her to give b i r t h n o w was against the laws of
nature. Consequently, she laughed because "Adoni zakein" —
" M y Master is o l d . " (Hashem is i n the f o r m of an o l d sage.) She
VAYEIRA 69
t h o u g h t , " I f H e had w a n t e d me to give b i r t h against the laws of

nature, I w o u l d have seen H i m as a w a r r i o r . "
Hashem said to A v r a h a m , " W h y d i d Sarah l a u g h and say,

'va'ani zakanti' — that she saw Me as an o l d man? There is noth¬
i n g impossible or b e y o n d M e . Be assured Sarah w i l l have a son
next year."
(‫)יערות דבש‬
‫"אדני ואנכי עפר ואפו־״‬7‫״ויען אברהם ויאמר הנה נא הואלתי לדבר א‬

"And Avraham answered and said: 'Behold now, I have taken upon
myself to speak to my L-rd; although I am but dust and ashes.'"
(18:27)
Q U E S T I O N : A r e not all m e n b u t dust a n d ashes a n d yet

speak to H a s h e m t h r o u g h prayer o n a regular basis?
A N S W E R : H a s h e m was considering the destruction of the

people of Sodom, due to their corruptness, a n d A v r a h a m
p r a y e d that they be spared. I n his prayer he argued, " I a m o n l y
one of Y o u r creatures, made of dust and ashes, yet m y mercy
has made me p r a y o n behalf of other h u m a n beings. H o w m u c h
more so s h o u l d Y o u , K i n g of the universe and Creator of a l l
people, have compassion a n d p e r m i t t h e m to survive!"
(‫)ר׳ בונים מפשיסכא זצ״ל‬
‫אולי ימצאון שם עשרה״‬...‫״ויאמר‬

"And he said...suppose ten [tzaddikim] are found there?" [Would
that prevent You from going through with Your plans of
destruction?] (18:32)
Q U E S T I O N : Sodom was n o t far a w a y f r o m w h e r e

A v r a h a m l i v e d . H o w is i t possible that he should not k n o w the
tzaddikim of Sodom?
A N S W E R : The inhabitants of Sodom were extremely

w i c k e d . Kindness a n d righteousness were against the l a w of the
land. People w h o w e l c o m e d strangers or gave charity to the
poor were i m m e d i a t e l y t o r t u r e d to death. A tzaddik d w e l l i n g i n
Sodom a n d r e m a i n i n g alive h a d to be extremely discreet.
Therefore, A v r a h a m was saying to Hashem, "Possibly there are
some h i d d e n tzaddikim u n k n o w n to me. Y o u , however, are

certainly aware of t h e m — please spare the city i n their m e r i t . "
(‫ שושנת אברהם‬- ‫)שער בת רבים‬
‫״ויאמרו האחד בא לגור וישפ• שפו•״‬

"And they said 'This one man came to sojourn, and he set himself
up as a judge!'" (19:9)
Q U E S T I O N : They a p p o i n t e d h i m themselves as their j u d g e
(Rashi 19:1). W h y then w e r e they complaining?
A N S W E R : There was a l a w i n S o d o m against h a v i n g any

guests. L o t was a p p o i n t e d as j u d g e to r u l e i n the event that
someone v i o l a t e d the laws of Sodom. Sitting i n the j u d i c i a l seat,
he began to also j u d g e the laws a n d decide i f they w e r e proper.
L o t r u l e d that the l a w of n o t accepting guests was

i m p r o p e r . The people's c o m p l a i n t was that he was not g i v e n
a u t h o r i t y to decide i f the existing laws of the city w e r e proper
or not. The double expression "vayishpot shafot" means "he
j u d g e d the j u d i c i a l decisions," w h i c h w e r e already decided and
enacted.
‫״ויהי כ מ צ ח ק בעיני חתניו״‬

"He seemed like one who jests in the eyes of his sons-in-law."
(19:14)
Q U E S T I O N : H i s sons-in-law had indeed heard of h o w
H a s h e m flooded the w o r l d and destroyed the Dor Haflagah —
The Generation of Dispersal — so w h y d i d n ' t they believe that
S o d o m w o u l d be destroyed?
A N S W E R : A c c o r d i n g to the Gemara (Bava Kamma 60a), once

permission is g i v e n to an angel to destroy, he does not differen¬
tiate between the righteous and the w i c k e d . H o w e v e r , this ap¬
plies o n l y w h e n an angel does the destroying, n o t w h e n
H a s h e m himself does i t : He, indeed, distinguishes between the
g o o d and the w i c k e d .
VAYEIRA 71
W h e n the angels came to L o t , they t o l d h i m to take his chil¬

d r e n out of the city i m m e d i a t e l y because, " W e are g o i n g to de¬
stroy this place (19:13). Since we cannot d i s t i n g u i s h between the
righteous and the w i c k e d , i f y o u w a n t y o u r f a m i l y to r e m a i n
alive y o u m u s t take t h e m o u t of the city." L o t came to his sons-
i n - l a w and said to t h e m , "Leave the city, ‫— ׳כי מ ש ח י ת ה ׳ א ת העיר׳‬
'Because Hashem is g o i n g to destroy the c i t y ' " (19:14).
U p o n hearing this, the sons-in-law laughed, because i f

Hashem was g o i n g to do i t Himself, they c o u l d r e m a i n i n
Sodom and not be destroyed i f H e w a n t e d t h e m to survive. I f
H e d i d not w a n t t h e m to r e m a i n alive, i t w o u l d have been
foolish to r u n , since i t is impossible to r u n a w a y f r o m Hashem.
(‫)ילקוט הדרוש בשם ברית שלום‬
‫״ ו ת ב • אשתו מאחריו ותהי נציב מלח״‬

"And his wife looked behind him and she became a pillar of salt."
(19:26)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi comments, "mei'acharav shel Lot" —
"[She t u r n e d a n d looked] b e h i n d L o t . " W h y not s i m p l y say that
she t u r n e d back a n d l o o k e d b e h i n d herself?
A N S W E R : I n Chumash Bamidbar w e learn of a dispute

w h i c h took place between K o r a c h a n d Moshe. Rashi asks,
"Since K o r a c h was intelligent, w h y d i d he c o m m i t such a
foolish act?" Rashi explains that " H i s eye deceived h i m . "
Korach saw that the prophet Shmuel w o u l d be his descendant.
Therefore, he was confident that he c o u l d do whatever he
w a n t e d , and i n the m e r i t of his great descendant, he w o u l d be
saved (16:7).
Here too, Rashi is explaining w h y Lot's w i f e acted so fool¬

ishly a n d i g n o r e d instructions not to l o o k behind. The reason is
that she " l o o k e d " and relied o n "acharav shel Lot" — the great
people of the future w h o w o u l d be descendants of Lot.
("Acharav" can mean "after h i m " as w e l l as " b e h i n d h i m . " )
She k n e w that one of Lot's daughters w o u l d be the ancestor

of Eglon the k i n g of M o a b and his daughter R u t h . Conse¬
quently, K i n g D a v i d a n d Mashiach w o u l d be his descendants.
Lot's w i f e f i g u r e d that because her husband w o u l d have such

great c h i l d r e n , she c o u l d d o whatever she w a n t e d a n d be saved
i n their merit.
‫״ותהי נציב מלח״‬

"She became a pillar of salt." (19:26)
Rashi explains that she was g i v e n such a strange punish¬
m e n t because she c o m m i t t e d a sin t h r o u g h salt. Therefore, her
p u n i s h m e n t was connected to salt.
L i k e her neighbors i n Sodom, she was totally against

hachnasat orchim — hospitality. W h e n L o t i n v i t e d the Angels, he
asked his w i f e to give t h e m some salt i n w h i c h to d i p their
bread (for "Hamotzi"). She a n g r i l y responded, " E v e n these bad
customs y o u w a n t to b r i n g i n t o this place?!"
Q U E S T I O N : Before reciting the Birkat Hamazon — Grace

after Meals — w e w a s h our fingers. This is k n o w n as mayim
acharonim. One of the reasons for this is melach Sedomit — Sodo¬
m i t e salt. The salt of Sodom is v e r y strong and p o t e n t i a l l y dan¬
gerous. I t can, G-d f o r b i d , b l i n d a person w h o has i t o n his
fingers and touches his eyes.
W h y , t h r o u g h o u t the entire w o r l d , even w h e n one lives

thousands of miles a w a y f r o m Sodom, does one w a s h his
fingers because of the Sodomite salt? (See Shulchan Aruch Harav
181:1:8.)
A N S W E R : Salt itself is n o t n o u r i s h i n g ; i t o n l y adds taste to

other foods. The people of Sodom w e r e evil and refused to give
food to n o u r i s h a guest. Moreover, they even refused to give
salt, w h i c h has no n o u r i s h m e n t value, to a stranger.
"Sodomite salt" is a metaphor for the w i c k e d p h i l o s o p h y of

the people of Sodom, w h o w e r e totally " b l i n d " to the needs of
others and refused to practice hospitality.
A h u n g r y person has s y m p a t h y for someone w h o is i n

need. W h e n sated a n d satisfied, he m a y become insensitive to
VAYEIRA 73
the suffering of the needy a n d , like the people of Sodom, he

m a y become b l i n d to the needs of others.
Our sages w a n t us to always have compassion for the

needy. Therefore, they instructed, that u p o n the c o m p l e t i o n of
our meal, w h e n w e are full and satisfied, w e must cleanse
ourselves, and make sure that the p h i l o s o p h y of Sodom
(Sodomite salt) does n o t stick to us and, G-d f o r b i d , b l i n d us.
We m u s t be hospitable at a l l times and "see" the p l i g h t of the
less fortunate.
(‫)ואני תפלתי‬
‫״ותשקין א ת אביהן יין בלילה הוא״‬

"They intoxicated their father with wine that night." (19:33)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d "hu" — "that [ n i g h t ] " — is
superfluous?
A N S W E R : A m a l e k is the arch-enemy of the Jewish people,

and H a s h e m refuses to forgive h i m . I n Shemot 17:16 i t is
written, — " G - d swore b y H i s
throne that he w i l l always wage w a r against A m a l e k . " The
word w h i c h means a chair (or throne) is w r i t t e n here
w i t h o u t an . U s u a l l y , the N a m e of Hashem is w r i t t e n w i t h
four letters — ‫ ה ״‬- ‫ ו‬- ‫ ה‬- ‫ ״ י‬. I n this pasuk Hashem is referred to b y
o n l y t w o of the four letters. Rashi explains that Hashem swore
that neither H i s N a m e nor H i s throne w i l l be complete t i l l
A m a l e k is w i p e d o u t entirely.
The first n i g h t w h e n L o t was intoxicated, his older

daughter became pregnant w i t h M o a b . M o a b was the
grandfather of Ruth. She is credited for b r i n g i n g to this w o r l d
K i n g D a v i d , f r o m w h o m w i l l eventually come Mashiach. One of
the first things Mashiach w i l l d o is to annihilate the people of
A m a l e k and their m e m o r y .
A t that time, the missing and w i l l r e t u r n to

Hashem's Throne and N a m e , g i v i n g t h e m their full glory. The
extra w o r d "her" i n the pasuk alludes to the missing three
letters that started their r e t u r n t h r o u g h the events of that n i g h t .
(‫)מלא העומר‬
‫״ויהי כאשר התעו אתי אזיקים מבית אבי״‬

"And it came to pass when G-d caused me to wander from my
father's house." (20:13)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi, i n his c o m m e n t a r y w r i t e s ,
— "Onkelos explains as he explains." W h a t special
q u a l i t y d i d Rashi see i n Onkelos's explanation?
A N S W E R : Onkelos w r i t e s as follows:
— " A n d w h i l e all the nations
w e r e b l i n d l y f o l l o w i n g the idols they made, H a s h e m b r o u g h t
me close to fear h i m . "
Thus, according to Onkelos, A v r a h a m is saying,

— " W h i l e the nations of the w o r l d w e r e w a n d e r i n g
b l i n d l y after their i d o l s " — — "The
A - m i g h t y took me o u t of the house of m y father [and b r o u g h t
me close to fear h i m ] . "
Onkelos was once an outstanding personality i n the R o m a n

empire and a member of the f a m i l y of ‫( א ד ר נ ו ס‬Caesar). H e
became convinced of the beauty of Judaism a n d converted
(Avodah Zara 11a). Rashi's comment, "Onkelos explains as he
explains," c o u l d mean that he believes that Onkelos used his
interpretation of the pasuk as a w a y to personally t h a n k
H a s h e m for o p e n i n g his eyes to Judaism and leading him to
forsake his family.
(‫)הרב מאיר דיל שאפירא מלובלין‬
‫״ותאמר שרה צ ח ק עשה זיי אזיקים כל השומע יצחק לי״‬

"Sarah said, 'G-d made laughter for me. Everyone who will hear will
be happy for me.'" (21:6)
Q U E S T I O N : H o w was Sarah so sure that w h o e v e r w o u l d
hear of the b i r t h of Yitzchak w o u l d be happy?
A N S W E R : The Midrash Rabbah (53:7) w r i t e s about the name

" Y i t z c h a k " that the "‫ ״י‬stands for the ten commandments,
w h i c h a l l the Jewish people w o u l d hear o n M o u n t Sinai. The
represents the fact that Sarah was 90 years o l d w h e n he was
b o r n . The , w h i c h equals eight, is for his brit. H e was the
first Jewish c h i l d to have a brit o n the e i g h t h day. The
VAYEIRA 75
represents the fact that A v r a h a m was 100 years o l d w h e n

Yitzchak was b o r n .
W h e n the baby was b o r n , A v r a h a m gave h i m the name

"Yitzchak." W h e n Sarah was asked b y her neighbors the
meaning of her son's name, she replied " —
W h a t the a n d the and the represent, Hashem already
d i d for me. H o w e v e r , due to — 'Everyone w h o w i l l
hear' — a l l the Jewish people w h o w i l l be at Sinai a n d hear the
ten commandments — therefore, — I have a c h i l d
named 'Yitzchak.' "
(‫)דרוש שמואל‬
‫״ותאמר מי מלל לאברהם היניקה בנים שרה״‬

"And she said: 'Who would have said to Avraham, that Sarah would
nurse children?'" (21:7)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains: " O n the d a y of the feast a l l the
princesses b r o u g h t their c h i l d r e n w i t h t h e m and Sarah nursed
them."
W h y d i d Sarah violate the halachah w h i c h forbids a Jewish

w o m a n to nurse non-Jewish c h i l d r e n , even w i t h payment
(Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Dei'ah, 154:2)?
A N S W E R : The reason for this halachah is that t h r o u g h

n u r s i n g the c h i l d r e n w e are h e l p i n g to raise c h i l d r e n for
idolatry. I n the case of Sarah, her capacity to nurse c h i l d r e n at
this age was a great miracle. A l l those w h o witnessed i t praised
the G-d that Sarah and A v r a h a m w o r s h i p p e d . Eventually, all
the c h i l d r e n w h o m Sarah nursed became attached to her and
converted to the Jewish r e l i g i o n w h e n they grew u p .
(‫ פרדס יוסף‬- ‫)ילקוט שמעוני משלי ונונקמ״ז‬
‫״ותאמר לאברהם גרש ה א מ ה הזאת ואת בנה״‬

"She said to Avraham, 'Chase away this maidservant together with
her son.'" (21:10)
Q U E S T I O N : Hagar d i d n o t h i n g w r o n g : W h y d i d Sarah
w a n t her chased a w a y too?
A N S W E R : Sarah was a v e r y great prophetess. I n fact, her

p o w e r of prophecy was even greater t h a n A v r a h a m ' s (Rashi
21:12). She k n e w that w h e n i t w o u l d come t i m e for Yishmael to
m a r r y , his mother w o u l d make all the decisions for h i m . A s the
T o r a h relates, " A n d his mother t o o k a w i f e for h i m f r o m the
l a n d of E g y p t " (21:21).
Sarah felt that Yishmael was d o i n g bad things because

Hagar was not t r a i n i n g h i m p r o p e r l y a n d n o t teaching h i m
r i g h t f r o m w r o n g . Therefore, w a n t i n g to force Hagar to take an
interest i n her c h i l d , she t o l d A v r a h a m to also chase a w a y the
mother. H o p e f u l l y , she w o u l d learn her lesson and raise her
son correctly.
‫ויאמר לה מ ה לך הגר״‬...‫״ויקרא מלאך אלקים מן השמים‬

"G-d's angel called Hagar from heaven and said to her 'What
troubles you, Hagar?"' (21:17)
Q U E S T I O N : W o u l d n ' t anyone seeing a c h i l d c r y i n g for
water i n a desert understand w h y the mother was crying?
A N S W E R : The reason for Hagar's c r y i n g was indeed obvi¬

ous to the angel, and he was not asking her why she was c r y i n g .
O n the contrary, he was telling her that she was not f u l f i l l i n g
her maternal o b l i g a t i o n to her c h i l d !
The w o r d s of the angel, "Mah lach Hagar" (literally, " W h a t

is w i t h y o u , H a g a r " ) can be translated to mean, "Hagar, w h a t
k i n d of mother are you? W h e n y o u r c h i l d is d y i n g of thirst, the
lack of water i n the desert does not excuse y o u f r o m t u r n i n g
over every stone a n d searching! Sitting i n the near distance and
c r y i n g w i l l not help the situation: A sincere parent does every¬
t h i n g for the sake of her c h i l d , i n c l u d i n g w h a t m a y seem to
strangers as the impossible!"
I m m e d i a t e l y afterwards w e read, " A n d H a s h e m opened

her eyes a n d she saw a w e l l of w a t e r " (21:19). A c c o r d i n g to
Soforno, this was not a miracle; the w e l l was there all the time.
She had taken i t for granted that there w o u l d n o t be any water
i n the dessert and had therefore made no effort to search.
(!‫)הרב דוב ארי׳ דיל בערזא‬
VAYEIRA 77
‫״ויאמר אברהם אנכי אשבע״‬

"And Avraham said, 'I will swear.'" (21:24)
Q U E S T I O N : Since the w o r d "ishavei'ah" means " I w i l l

swear," the w o r d "anochi" — " I " — is superfluous?
A N S W E R : A v r a h a m ' s mission i n life was to make the

w o r l d aware of the existence of Hashem. The first of the Ten
C o m m a n d m e n t s , the one i n w h i c h H a s h e m declares H i s
Supremacy, starts w i t h the w o r d "Anochi" — " I . "
D u r i n g his negotiations w i t h A v i m e l e c h , A v r a h a m said, " I

a m ready to swear and w i l l swear i n the name of Anochi — the
one and o n l y G-d."
* * *
A v i m e l e c h responded to A v r a h a m ' s rebuke,

‫ " — ש מ ע ת י ב ל ת י ה י ו ם ״‬I d i d not hear about i t u n t i l this day
either." Here, too, the w o r d "anochi" is extra? I n l i g h t of the
above, i t can be explained that A v i m e l e c h was saying that the
concept of "Anochi" i n t r i g u e d h i m . W i t h amazement he said to
A v r a h a m , " I m u s t confess that u n t i l this day I never heard of
the p h i l o s o p h y of 'Anochi.' T h a n k y o u for enhancing m y
knowledge."
(‫)דבש השדה בשם ר׳ שלמה קארלינער זצ״ל‬
‫״והוכח אברהם א ת אבימלך על אדות באר המים אשר גזלו עבדי‬

‫אבימלך ויאמר אבימלך לא ידעתי מי עשה א ת הדבר הזה וגם א ת ה‬
‫לא הגדת לי וגם אנכי לא שמעתי בלתי היום״‬
"Avraham reproved Avimelech about the well stolen by his
servants; Avimelech said, i do not know who did this thing;
furthermore, you have never told me, and moreover, I myself heard
nothing of it except for today.'" (21:25, 26)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d A v i m e l e c h give A v r a h a m three ex¬
cuses?
A N S W E R : A v i m e l e c h really gave A v r a h a m o n l y one

excuse; namely, that he k n e w n o t h i n g about the alleged
incident. I n a d d i t i o n , the Torah is relating the entire dialogue
w h i c h took place d u r i n g the visit.
W h e n A v i m e l e c h w e n t to v i s i t A v r a h a m , he t o o k w i t h h i m
General Fichol. During their conversation, Avraham
c o m p l a i n e d to A v i m e l e c h about the stolen w e l l . A v i m e l e c h
apologized a n d said, " I d o not k n o w w h o d i d this t h i n g . " Then
A v i m e l e c h t u r n e d to Fichol a n d said to h i m ,
‫ " — לי״‬W h y d i d n ' t y o u tell me that y o u r soldiers d i d such a
terrible t h i n g to A v r a h a m ? " Fichol r e p l i e d ,
— " I , too, d i d n o t hear about this t i l l w e came here
today." (Thus, Fichol was i n s i n u a t i n g that A v r a h a m had made
u p a story.)
(‫)אלשיך‬
* * *
To p r o v e that he was the r i g h t f u l o w n e r of the w e l l ,

A v r a h a m said to A v i m e l e c h , "Take these seven lambs f r o m m y
h a n d . I t w i l l be m y p r o o f that I d u g this w e l l . "
How w o u l d this p r o v e w h o was really the o w n e r of the

well?
A v r a h a m said to A v i m e l e c h , "The p r o o f w i l l come f r o m m y

animals' refusal to eat things w h i c h do n o t belong to their
master. W h e n the animals are i n m y possession, the w e l l water
w i l l rise and they w i l l d r i n k . A f t e r w a r d s , w h e n y o u w i l l take
t h e m a n d they w i l l become y o u r possession, the w e l l water w i l l
not rise, a n d they w i l l refuse to d r i n k . "
This is exactly w h a t happened, a n d everyone was

convinced that A v r a h a m was indeed the r i g h t f u l o w n e r of the
well.
(‫)ידי משה על מדרש רבה‬
‫״ויה״ אחר הדברים האלה והאלק״ם נ ס ה א ת אברהם״‬

"After these events, G-d tested Avraham." (22:1)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t is the connection between the Akeidah —
the b i n d i n g of Yitzchak — a n d the peace treaty w i t h A v i m e -
lech?
A N S W E R : H a s h e m was v e r y upset w i t h A v r a h a m for mak¬

ing a c o m m i t m e n t to A v i m e l e c h that his descendants w o u l d
VAYEIRA 79
not h a r m the philistines. The l a n d of the philistines is a part of

the t e r r i t o r y that Hashem p r o m i s e d to A v r a h a m . I n the days of
Yehoshua i t was i n c l u d e d together w i t h the l a n d o n w h i c h lots
w e r e cast and d i s t r i b u t e d a m o n g the tribes (Joshua 13). The
D i v i n e c o m m a n d was to r i d this t e r r i t o r y of a l l inhabitants and
p u t i t totally under control of the Jewish people.
The w o r d "nisah" — "tested" — also means " e m o t i o n a l l y

p r o v o k e d and p a i n e d " (see Shemot 17:7). Hashem said to A v r a -
h a m , " Y o u w e r e p r o u d of the son I gave y o u , and concerned
about his safety. Thus, y o u made a covenant w i t h the
philistines to assure his well-being. I c o m m a n d y o u to sacrifice
y o u r son and let us see w h a t y o u r treaty accomplished!" (This
gives an insight into the Lubavitcher Rebbe's o p p o s i t i o n to
g i v i n g a w a y any Jewish land.)
(‫)רשב״ם‬
‫״והאלק״ם נ ס ה א ת אברהם״‬
"And G-d tested Avraham." (22:1)
Q U E S T I O N : I n H e b r e w the usual t e r m for test is "Bechinah"
. W h y doesn't i t say, ?
A N S W E R : The w o r d "neis" i n H e b r e w means not o n l y a

test, b u t also a banner; as the Psalmist says, ‫״ נ ת ת ל י ר א י ך נ ס‬
— " Y o u gave those w h o fear y o u a banner to raise
themselves" (Psalms 60:6). A banner is something w h i c h is
raised h i g h to show its beauty. Similarly, w h e n Hashem tests
an i n d i v i d u a l , the purpose is to lift h i m into a higher sphere.
W h e n the i n d i v i d u a l passes the test, he is spiritually elevated
and exalted.
Hence, the verse can be rendered: " A n d G-d exalted A v r a -

h a m . " T h r o u g h the t r i a l , his h i d d e n potential powers of faith
w e r e extracted a n d b r o u g h t to fruition.
(‫)מדרש בראשית רבה נ״ה אי‬
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t constitutes the greatness of A v r a h a m ?
T h r o u g h o u t history Jews w e r e m a r t y r e d for the sake of
Hashem!
A N S W E R : After years of childlessness, Avraham's

unequivocal r e p l y to the challenging d i v i n e test was "Hineini,"
— "Here I a m , " I a m ready. A s father and son ascend the
m o u n t a i n , w e read,
— " A n d Yitzchak spoke to A v r a h a m his father and
said, ' M y father'; and he said, 'Here a m I , m y son.' "
W e can w e l l imagine h o w engrossed A v r a h a m was i n his

thoughts and meditations and h o w u n w i l l i n g he was to be
i n t e r r u p t e d . Nevertheless, w h e n his son called h i m , he
abandoned his lofty activities and responded i m m e d i a t e l y ,
"Hineni B'ni" — "Here I a m m y son." The devoted first Jewish
father and teacher realized that his c h i l d was his first p r i o r i t y .
M a n y m a y have d i e d "al kiddush Hashem" — sanctifying

Hashem's name — b u t u n f o r t u n a t e l y n o t m a n y have h a d time
for their c h i l d r e n . A v r a h a m passed his test w i t h f l y i n g colors.
O u r challenge is to always be attuned to hear the call of o u r

c h i l d r e n and respond i m m e d i a t e l y "Hineni!"
Q U E S T I O N : The Akeidah, the b i n d i n g of Yitzchak o n the
altar, w o u l d n o t have been possible w i t h o u t Yitzchak's
cooperation. W h y d o w e o n l y refer to i t as a test of A v r a h a m
w i t h o u t m e n t i o n i n g Yitzchak?
A N S W E R : A v r a h a m was asked to b r i n g u p his son as an

offering. O f course, Yitzchak's consent was needed, b u t
i m m e d i a t e l y Yitzchak's life w o u l d come to an end. A v r a h a m ,
w h o w o u l d personally p e r f o r m the act of slaughtering his son,
w o u l d have to live the rest of his life w i t h o u t l e t t i n g the fact
VAYEIRA 81
that he personally slaughtered his son affect his faith i n

Hashem.
This is the most difficult part of the test, w h i c h o n l y A v r a -

h a m w o u l d experience.
‫״וישלח אברהם א ת ידו ויקח א ת המאכלת ל ש ח • א ת בנו״‬

"And Avraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his
son." (22:10)
Q U E S T I O N : This is the assigned T o r a h reading for the
second d a y of Rosh Hashanah. One reason is that the shofar w e
b l o w o n Rosh Hashanah commemorates the h o r n of the r a m
w h i c h was b r o u g h t as an offering i n lieu of Yitzchak.
Consequently, w e ask H a s h e m to do g o o d for the Jewish people
i n the m e r i t of our Patriarch Yitzchak.
If this is so, w h y do w e n o t lift a b i g knife to p o r t r a y

Yitzchak's w i l l i n g n e s s to be an offering to Hashem?
A N S W E R : W i t h the knife, A v r a h a m w o u l d have, G-d

f o r b i d , b r o u g h t the life of Yitzchak to an end. Thanks to the
r a m , w h i c h suddenly appeared, Yitzchak's life was spared.
Thus, the shofar expresses life, and the knife the opposite.
W e b l o w the shofar o n Rosh Hashanah a n d do n o t display a

knife because w e emphasize l i v i n g as a Jew, a n d not, G-d
f o r b i d , dying as a Jew.
The w i c k e d p r o p h e t B i l a m expressed the w i s h "Tamot nafshi

mot yesharim" — " L e t me die the death of the righteous"
(Bamidbar 23:10). C o n t r a r y to Bilam's p h i l o s o p h y , T o r a h
requires that the 120 years allotted to the i n d i v i d u a l should be
lived i n accordance w i t h Jewish t r a d i t i o n .
‫״וישלח אברהם א ת ידו ויקח א ת המאכלת ל ש ח • א ת בנו״‬

"And Avraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his
son." (22:10)
Q U E S T I O N : The Midrash Rabbah (Bereishit 56:8) says, " H e
stretched f o r t h his h a n d to take the knife w h i l e the tears
streamed f r o m his eyes — yet, even so, his heart rejoiced to

obey the w i l l of his Creator."
A v r a h a m ' s c r y i n g seems to cast a d o u b t o n his sincerity a n d

eagerness to f u l f i l l Hashem's w i l l . W o u l d n ' t i t have been better
if he h a d not even shed one tear?
A N S W E R : M a n y w o n d e r h o w i t is possible for a father to

b r i n g his beloved, o n l y c h i l d as an offering to H a s h e m a n d
conclude that he h a d lost his paternal instincts a n d therefore
d i d n o t exhibit greatness.
To refute this argument, the Midrash tells us that w h e n

A v r a h a m stretched f o r t h his h a n d to take the knife, tears
streamed f r o m his eyes. H e was a genuine father w h o l o v e d his
c h i l d dearly a n d w h o was filled w i t h compassion for h i m .
Nevertheless, he d i d not p e r m i t his fatherly instincts a n d love
for his c h i l d to prevent h i m i n any w a y f r o m f u l f i l l i n g the
c o m m a n d of Hashem.
(‫)מצאתי בכתבי אבי הרב שמואל פסח דיל באגאמילסקי‬
‫ ויאמר אל ת ש ל ח ידך אל הנער ואל ת ע ש לו‬....‫״ויקרא אליו מלאך ה׳‬

‫מאומה״‬
"An angel of G-d called to him...And he said: 'Do not stretch out
your hand against the lad nor do anything to him.'" (22:11-12)
Q U E S T I O N : The order to b r i n g Yitzchak as a burnt-offering
came directly f r o m H a s h e m (22:2). W h y d i d the stop-order
come f r o m an angel rather t h a n f r o m Hashem?
A N S W E R : A Jew s h o u l d never h a r m another Jew w i t h o u t a

direct c o m m a n d f r o m Hashem. To help another Jew, however,
one needs no c o m m a n d . Therefore, to let Yitzchak live, the
i n s t r u c t i o n of an angel sufficed.
(‫)דבש השדה‬
VAYEIRA 83
‫״ויאמר אל ת ש ל ח ידך אל הנער ואל ת ע ש לו מאומה כי ע ת ה ידעתי‬

‫כי ירא אלקים א ת ה ולא ח ש כ ת א ת בנך א ת יחידך ממני״‬
"And he said: 'Do not stretch out your hand against the lad nor do
anything to him; for now I know that you are a G-d-fearing man, since
you have not withheld your son, your only son,fromMe.'" (22:12)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d "mimeni" — " f r o m m e " — seems su¬
perfluous. W o u l d i t n o t have been sufficient to say: " y o u have
not w i t h h e l d y o u r son, y o u r o n l y son"? I n fact, further o n
(22:16), the w o r d "mimeni" is n o t used.
A N S W E R : For every mitzvah a Jew fulfills, an angel is

created i n heaven (Pirkei Avot 4:11). W h e n one performs a
mitzvah, b u t does n o t do so p r o p e r l y , or w i t h o u t all the details,
the angel created is incomplete. Thanks to A v r a h a m ' s passing
the test of the Akeidah w i t h f l y i n g colors, a perfect angel was
b o r n . I t was this angel w h o appeared and instructed h i m " D o
not stretch o u t y o u r h a n d against the l a d nor do a n y t h i n g to
him."
A v r a h a m was reluctant to listen to the angel because he

was uncertain as to whether he h a d fulfilled Hashem's w i s h ,
since Yitzchak was still alive. The angel assured A v r a h a m : " I
k n o w that y o u are a G-d-fearing m a n and that y o u were
wholeheartedly prepared to offer y o u r son to Hashem. I k n o w
this 'mimeni' — ' f r o m m e ' — f r o m the fact that I was created a
completely strong a n d healthy angel.
‫״וישא אברהם א ת עיניו וירא והנה איל אחר נאחז בסבך בקרניו״‬
"And Avraham lifted up his eyes, and saw, behold a ram afterwards,
caught in the thicket by its horns." (22:13)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t does the w o r d "achar" — "afterwards"
— allude to? I t seems to be superfluous, because the pasuk
c o u l d merely have said "Behold a r a m caught i n the thicket."
(See Rashi.)
A N S W E R : O n the sixth day of creation animals were cre¬

a t e d A f t e r w a r d s m a n ( A d a m ) was created. O n Erev Shabbat,
bein hashemashot, ( i m m e d i a t e l y before nightfall), the r a m w h i c h

A v r a h a m used for the Akeidah was created (Pirkei Avot 5:6).
Thus, this r a m was created after all animals. The T o r a h is

h i n t i n g this b y saying, Va'yar vehinei ayil — " A v r a h a m saw a
r a m " — w h i c h was "achar" — "after" (created after a l l other
animals). H e realized that there was something u n i q u e about
the r a m a n d used i t therefore as an offering i n lieu of his son.
(‫)שלייה‬
* * *
A l t e r n a t i v e l y : A v r a h a m n a m e d the place of the Akeidah,

"Hashem Yireh" — " G - d w i l l see" ( i n future tense). A c c o r d i n g to
the Midrash Rabbah (56:10), A v r a h a m saw that a t i m e w o u l d
come w h e n the Jewish people w o u l d succumb to sin. Hence, he
p r a y e d that at that t i m e , H a s h e m s h o u l d see h o w he suppressed
the n a t u r a l a n d inherent mercy a father has for a c h i l d , i n order
to f u l f i l l the w i s h of Hashem. Similarly, w h e n the c h i l d r e n of
Yitzchak w o u l d be i n trouble, H e s h o u l d remember the Akeidah
i n their favor a n d be filled w i t h compassion for t h e m .
The T o r a h is relating that i n a d d i t i o n to A v r a h a m ' s seeing a

r a m i n the thicket w h i c h he sacrificed i n l i e u of his son, he also
saw that "achar" — "afterwards," the Jewish people w i l l
become "ne'achaz" — "entangled," w i t h a different a n i m a l —
that is "basevach" — " i n a thicket."
N o w i f w e analyze the w o r d "svach" — "thicket" —

w e f i n d that i n the H e b r e w alef-beit, the letter f o l l o w i n g ‫ ״ ס ״‬is
the letter f o l l o w i n g is a n d the letter f o l l o w i n g is
. Thus, i n the w o r d "sevach" — thicket — is h i d d e n the w o r d
"eigel" ‫עג‬0). A v r a h a m foresaw the entanglement of the Jewish
people w i t h the eigel a n d therefore p r a y e d that H a s h e m spare
them.
(‫)מיוסד על פתגמיו קדישין בשם מהר״ש מאסטראפאלי זצ״ל ועי׳ כלי יקר‬
‫״נאחז בסבך בקרניו״‬

"Caught in the thicket by its horns." (22:13)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y w e r e both horns caught i n the thicket?
VAYEIRA 85
A N S W E R : The " h o r n " was an i n d i c a t i o n to A v r a h a m of

Hashem's u n l i m i t e d love for the Jewish people. T h r o u g h o u t the
year Jews are caught u p i n sin's clutches and led astray b y their
troubles. Nevertheless, o n Rosh Hashanah they sound the shofar
( w h i c h is made of the ram's h o r n ) , a n d attain H i s forgiveness.
Thus, t h r o u g h the shofar they w i l l be redeemed f r o m the
clutches of their evil inclination.
I n a d d i t i o n , A v r a h a m was t o l d that there w o u l d be a p e r i o d

i n history w h e n the Jews w o u l d be entangled i n galut — exile.
U l t i m a t e l y , they w i l l be redeemed b y Mashiach, whose c o m i n g
w i l l be heralded b y the blast of the shofar w h i c h Hashem w i l l
sound (Zechariah 9:14).
Since there are t w o situations i n w h i c h the Jews are caught

(sin and galut), and t h r o u g h the horns of Rosh Hashanah and
Mashiach they w i l l be relieved of b o t h , the pasuk says,
"bekarnov" — "its horns" — i n the p l u r a l .
(‫ ועי׳ כלי יקר‬,‫ ובפי׳ עץ יוסף‬,‫ט‬,‫)מדרש רבה נ״ו‬
‫ואת מעכה״‬...‫״ופלגשו ושמה ראומה ותז״ד גם הוא‬

"And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore children...
and Maacah." (22:24)
Q U E S T I O N : The Torah reading for Rosh Hashanah is the
akeidah a n d concludes w i t h this pasuk. W h a t does i t have to do
w i t h Rosh Hashanah?
A N S W E R : O n Rosh Hashanah w e beseech A - m i g h t y G-d to

grant us a g o o d year and resolve to repent and i m p r o v e our
ways. The w o r d s are an a c r o n y m for
— the verbal confession after the experience
of Teshuvah reaches H i s throne of G l o r y .
(843 ‫)תולדות לוי יצחק חייג ע׳‬
A l t e r n a t i v e l y : Rosh Hashanah is the day of the coronation of

Hashem as K i n g . The w o r d is an a c r o n y m for
— K i n g over the w h o l e earth.
(115 ‫)ספר השיחות תש״נ ח״א ע׳‬
CHAYEI SARAH ‫וויי ש ר ה ־‬
‫״ שרה״‬n ‫״ויהיו חיי שרה מ א ה שנה ועשרים שנה ושבע שנים שני‬
"And Sarah lived one hundred years, twenty years and seven years,
the years of Sarah's life." (23:1)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains that the T o r a h repeats the
w o r d s "the years of Sarah's l i f e " to let us k n o w that
‫" — ל ט ו ב ה ״‬they w e r e a l l equal i n goodness." H o w c o u l d w e say
that a l l her years w e r e equally g o o d i f d u r i n g her life she was
barren for m a n y years a n d was h e l d i n c a p t i v i t y b y p h a r a o h
a n d Avimelech?
A N S W E R : I n the Gemara (Ta'anit 21a) there is a story of the

Tanna w h o was k n o w n as " N a c h u m Ish G a m z u . " Regardless of
w h a t happened to h i m , even apparently negative things, he
always said, "Gam zu letovah" — "this is also for the g o o d . "
Once, the Jews selected N a c h u m to deliver to the k i n g of

Rome a box f u l l of valuable stones a n d gems. W h i l e o n his jour¬
ney he slept at an i n n , w h e r e some thieves e m p t i e d the box a n d
filled i t w i t h sand. I n the m o r n i n g , w h e n he realized w h a t hap¬
pened, he said, "Gam zu letovah."
U p o n a r r i v i n g at the k i n g ' s palace, he presented the gift.

The k i n g became v e r y a n g r y a n d w a n t e d to k i l l the entire
Jewish people for m a k i n g f u n of h i m . Suddenly, the prohet
E l i y a h u appeared l o o k i n g like one of the k i n g ' s advisors a n d
said, "perhaps this is the same t y p e of sand w h i c h A v r a h a m
used d u r i n g his w a r against the k i n g s , sand that t u r n e d into
a m m u n i t i o n . " The k i n g was then at w a r w i t h a c o u n t r y he was
unable to conquer. I t was decided to test the sand against the
enemy. The k i n g ' s forces w e r e amazed w h e n indeed, thanks to
the sand, they w e r e victorious. U p o n hearing this, the k i n g h a d
CHAYEI SARAH 87
the gift box filled w i t h valuable stones and gems a n d sent

N a c h u m off w i t h great honors.
Rashi's statement that all the years of Sarah's life w e r e

"shavin letovah" — "equal i n goodness" — means that, even
w h e n confronted w i t h difficult and unpleasant situations, she
w o u l d also always say, "Gam zu letovah."
(‫)פון אונזער אלטען אוצר‬
‫ותמת שרה״‬...‫״ שרה‬n ‫״ויהיו‬

"And Sarah lived...And Sarah died." (23:1-2)
Q U E S T I O N : The parshah starts w i t h the passing a w a y of
Sarah a n d her b u r i a l . W h y then is the parshah called "Chayei
Sarah" — "the life of Sarah" — a n d not "mitat Sarah" — "the
death of Sarah"?
A N S W E R : The n o t i o n that the name of the parshah is the

first significant w o r d of the parshah is inaccurate. For instance,
the second parshah of the Torah is n a m e d "Noach" a n d the sixth
parshah is called Toldot. Parshat Noach starts w i t h the w o r d s
— "These are the offspring of Noach." Parshat
Toldot starts w i t h the w o r d s , —
"These are the offspring of Yitzchak son of A v r a h a m . " I f the
theory is correct, then the second parshah of Chumash Bereishit
should be titled "Toldot," a n d the sixth called "Yitzchak."
The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that the name of the

parshah is not arbitrary, b u t a o n e - w o r d description of the
essence a n d p r i m a r y concepts discussed i n the parshah. Thus, i n
the second parshah, t h o u g h " N o a c h " is the t h i r d w o r d , i t is the
name of the parshah because the entire parshah revolves pri¬
m a r i l y a r o u n d the life of N o a h . The sixth parshah is n a m e d
"Toldot" because the entire parshah discusses Yaakov and Eisav,
w h o w e r e the "Toldot" — " o f f s p r i n g " — of Yitzchak son of
Avraham.
"Chayei Sarah" — "the life of Sarah" — was focused o n one

goal and ideal, that Yitzchak should reach spiritual greatness.
O u r parshah discusses the life of Yitzchak, w h o was the
realization of Sarah's spiritual dream. A l t h o u g h i n this parshah
w e read of her demise a n d b u r i a l , t h r o u g h Yitzchak her ideals
w e r e fulfilled. A l t h o u g h physically Sarah was no longer here,

she c o n t i n u e d to live o n t h r o u g h her son Yitzchak. I n actuality
"Chayei Sarah" was the righteous life of Yitzchak.
(58 ‫)מיוסד על לקוטי שיחות חייה ע׳‬
‫״ויבא א ב ר ה ם ל ם פ ד ל ש ר ה ולבכתה׳‬
"And Avraham came to eulogize Sarah and weep for her." (23:2)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi comments: "The narratives of Sarah's
death a n d the B i n d i n g of Yitzchak f o l l o w one another, for
t h r o u g h the announcement of the B i n d i n g , that her son h a d
been prepared for slaughter a n d h a d almost been slaughtered,
her soul fled f r o m her a n d she d i e d . "
W h y w o u l d a righteous w o m a n like Sarah expire u p o n

hearing that her son was prepared for slaughter for the sake of
Hashem? O n the contrary, she s h o u l d have been p r o u d !
A N S W E R : W h e n Sarah heard of A v r a h a m ' s m i s s i o n to

M o u n t M o r i a h , she m a r v e l e d at his spiritual heroism. H a d she
been t o l d that Yitzchak was sacrificed, she w o u l d have been
filled w i t h j o y at the fact that her son was accepted b y Hashem.
She, h o w e v e r , was t o l d that he h a d almost been slaughtered.
U p o n hearing this, she was t e r r i b l y saddened, because she

presumed that at the last m o m e n t her son was f o u n d
unsuitable. Sarah feared that perhaps her influence was i n
some w a y inadequate a n d her education of Yitzchak imperfect.
This was so p r o f o u n d l y saddening that her soul departed.
‫״ויבא א ב ר ה ם ל ם פ ד ל ש ר ה ולבכתה״‬
"Avraham came to eulogize Sarah and weep for her." (23:2)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y is the w o r d — " a n d weep for
her" w r i t t e n w i t h a small ?
A N S W E R : A v r a h a m i n a d d i t i o n to h a v i n g a son, Yitzchak,
also h a d a daughter n a m e d " B a k o l " (Bava Batra 16b). W h e n
A v r a h a m w e n t w i t h Yitzchak to M o u n t M o r i a h , she remained
home w i t h her mother. W h e n Sarah d i e d u p o n hearing about
Yitzchak a n d the Akeidah, her daughter, Bakol, also d i e d .
CHAYEI SARAH 89
The w o r d alludes to the above. W i t h o u t the it

is (and for her daughter) and w i t h the i t is
w h i c h means to " c r y over her." A v r a h a m d i d both: H e w e p t for
her (Sarah) and also (for her daughter w h o d i e d at the
same time).
(‫)זכרון ישראל בשם לב אבי‬
A c c o r d i n g to Ba'al H a t u r i m , the small is to emphasize

that A v r a h a m d i d n o t cry v e r y m u c h . The o p i n i o n that the Akei-
dah t o o k place o n Yom Kippur (Rakanti and see Vayikra Rabbah
29:9) m a y explain his restraint.
F r o m A v r a h a m ' s house i t took three days to reach M o u n t

M o r i a h , as stated, " o n the t h i r d d a y he saw the place f r o m afar"
(22:4). Thus, w h e n A v r a h a m returned f r o m the Akeidah, he
traveled the 11th, 12th and 13th days of Tishrei, a n d Sarah's
funeral took place o n Erev Succot, the 14th day of Tishrei. Since
he was able to observe m o u r n i n g o n l y one day ( u n t i l Succot), he
was unable to cry for v e r y long.
(‫)עיטורי תורה בשם דבש וחלב‬
‫״וידבר אל בני ח ת לאמר גר ותושב אנכי עמכם תנו לי א ח ז ת ק ב ר‬

‫ארבע‬...‫וישקל אברהם לעפרון‬...!‫ שמעוני ופגעו לי בעפרו‬....‫עמכם‬
‫מאות ש ק ל כ ס ף עובר לסוחר״‬
"And he spoke to the children of Cheit, 'I am an immigrant and a
resident among you. Sell me a property for a burial place... Speak on
my behalf to Efron to sell me the Cave of Machpeilah....' He weighed
out for Efron 400 shekels of the best quality." (23:3-4,8,16)
Q U E S T I O N : I f A v r a h a m was interested i n b u y i n g a piece of
l a n d f r o m Efron, w h y d i d he talk to the c h i l d r e n of Cheit and
not w i t h Efron directly?
A N S W E R : There is a halachah k n o w n as "bar metzra"

(Choshen Mishpat 175). W h e n one w a n t s to sell a field, one's
neighbors have the r i g h t to purchase before anyone else.
A v r a h a m was afraid that i f he dealt d i r e c t l y w i t h Efron, the
neighbors m i g h t object to the sale and decide to purchase i t .
H e , therefore, took a n u m b e r of measures i n order to make sure
that the l a w of bar metzra should not a p p l y .
1) W h e n one sells a field back to its o r i g i n a l owners, the l a w

of bar metzra does not a p p l y . O r i g i n a l l y , Eretz Yisrael was the
p r o p e r t y of the c h i l d r e n of Shem, A v r a h a m ' s ancestor. After¬
w a r d s , Canaan, of w h o m the c h i l d r e n of Cheit w e r e
descendants, t o o k the l a n d (Rashi 12:5).
Therefore, A v r a h a m said " I a m 'geir vetoshav' — 'an i m m i ¬

grant a n d resident a m o n g y o u . ' " T h o u g h I a m n o w an
i m m i g r a n t i n the c o u n t r y , I a m really a full-fledged resident.
Since m y ancestors were the o r i g i n a l owners, I have p r i o r i t y
a n d n o b o d y can object to the sale."
2) Concerned that the c h i l d r e n of Cheit m i g h t still n o t

agree, he asked t h e m to speak to Efron o n his behalf. This
w o u l d remove any d o u b t that they all agreed to the sale.
3) Fearing that, at the last m i n u t e , they m i g h t decide to b u y

the l a n d after a l l , A v r a h a m made sure to use currency of a
better quality. A c c o r d i n g to halachah w h e n the buyer gives
better q u a l i t y m o n e y t h a n the neighbors, they no longer have
any rights to oppose the sale.
(‫)פנים יפות‬
‫בכסף מ ל א יתננה לי״‬...‫״וית! לי א ת מ ע ר ת המכפלה‬

"Let him sell me the Machpeilah Cave...for its full price." (23:9)
Q U E S T I O N : Efron was o r i g i n a l l y w i l l i n g to give the l a n d as
a gift. W h y d i d n ' t A v r a h a m agree to take i t as a gift or at a dis¬
counted price?
A N S W E R : A v r a h a m k n e w that i n the Cave of M a c h p e i l a h

A d a m a n d C h a v a h w e r e already b u r i e d a n d that another six
h o l y people w o u l d be b u r i e d there. A v r a h a m w a n t e d to make
sure that Efron s h o u l d have absolutely no zechut whatsoever or
be able to take p r i d e that he helped a tzaddik i n any w a y .
Therefore, he insisted o n p a y i n g the full price w i t h o u t any
discounts.
(85 ‫ ווזל״ה ע׳‬,62 ‫)לקוטי שיחות ח״י ע׳‬
CHAYEI SARAH 91
‫״בכסף מלא יתננה לי בתוככם לאחזת קבר״‬

"For the full price let him give it to me in the midst of you for a
burial place." (23:9)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t d i d he mean w i t h the w o r d "betoche-
chem" — " i n the m i d s t of you"?
A N S W E R : M a n y years ago there was a decree against the

Jewish c o m m u n i t y i n Russia. The previous Lubavitcher Rebbe,
Rabbi Yoseph Yitzchak Schneersohn, w e n t to M o s c o w to plead
w i t h the minister i n charge. The minister asked the Rebbe, " D i d
y o u b r i n g along m o n e y for a bribe?" To w h i c h the Rebbe
responded, " W h a t the Jews are w o r t h to you I can easily give
you. W h a t they are w o r t h to me is more than all the m o n e y i n
the entire w o r l d . "
A v r a h a m w a n t e d the Cave of M a c h p e i l a h v e r y m u c h
because A d a m and Chavah were b u r i e d there. To h i m , this
piece of l a n d was priceless.
H o w e v e r , to Efron i t was just another piece of l a n d , w i t h o u t

any significance. Therefore, he offered to pay Efron the " f u l l
price," w h a t i t was w o r t h to h i m to have the Cave of
M a c h p e i l a h — "betochechem" — " i n your m i d s t . "
r J
(‫)ישמח משה‬
‫״אדני ישמעני ארץ ארבע מאות שקל כ ס ף ביני ובינך מ ה הוא״‬

"My lord, listen to me; a piece of land worth four hundred shekels
of silver, what is that between me and you?" (23:15)
Q U E S T I O N : H o w d i d Efron calculate the a m o u n t of 400
shekels?
A N S W E R : The name " A v r a h a m " has five letters

and the m i d d l e letter is a . The name " E f r o n " also has
five letters a n d the m i d d l e is also a . The numerical value of
is 200.
Efron, therefore, said to A v r a h a m , "Since y o u insist o n pay¬

ing for the land, I arbitrarily decided that y o u should give me 400
shekels because: ‫' — ׳ביני ו ב י נ ך‬the [middle] between m y name
and your name' — — ' w h a t does i t add u p to? 400.' "
(‫)אונזער אלטען אוצר‬
‫״אדני שמעני ארץ ארבע מ א ת שקל כ ס ף ביני ובינך מ ה הוא״‬

"My lord, listen to me; a piece of land worth four hundred shekels
of silver, what is that between me and you?" (23:15)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains: "Between t w o l o v i n g friends as
w e are, w h a t is its value? N o t h i n g . "
Were A v r a h a m a n d Efron l o v i n g friends?
A N S W E R : Efron said to A v r a h a m : " Y o u love Eretz Yisrael

and p a r t i c u l a r l y y o u love this p l o t of l a n d because of the right¬
eous people b u r i e d there. Thus, y o u are prepared to pay a for¬
tune. W h i l e I d o not share y o u r values, I ' l o v e ' m o n e y and have
a lust for large amounts. So between t w o 'lovers' — y o u w h o
' l o v e ' the l a n d , a n d I w h o ' l o v e ' m o n e y — 400 shekels of silver
is a m i n i m a l a m o u n t . "
‫ארבע מאות שקל כסף עבר לסחר״‬...‫״וישקל אברהם לעפרן‬

"Avraham weighed to Efron... 400 shekels which are current
(money) with the merchant." (23:16)
Q U E S T I O N : The text c o u l d have read that the m o n e y was
good currency. W h y is i t necessary to emphasize that i t was cur¬
rency accepted b y "the merchant"?
A N S W E R : The w o r d s "oveir lasocheir" — "current (money)

w i t h the merchant" — c o u l d mean that the m o n e y was indeed
passed to Efron through a merchant. A v r a h a m made his
p a y m e n t t h r o u g h a merchant for the f o l l o w i n g reason: D u r i n g
the course of the negotiations, Efron affected great generosity.
Publicly, he offered A v r a h a m the l a n d for n o t h i n g . H o w e v e r , i n
his heart he was m o n e y - h u n g r y , and w a n t e d the f u l l price i n
the best money.
Efron d e v i o u s l y t h o u g h t to himself, " H o w w i l l m y people

v i e w me i f o r i g i n a l l y I spoke so generously to A v r a h a m and
n o w request money?" H e , therefore, devised the f o l l o w i n g
scheme: H e w e n t to a merchant and t o l d h i m , " I have to d o
some business w i t h A v r a h a m , a n d I w a n t h i m to p a y me 400
shekels. I d o n o t feel comfortable asking A v r a h a m d i r e c t l y for
p a y m e n t and especially to ask for the most negotiable currency.
CHAYEI SARAH 93
"Therefore, w h e n he offers to pay o n , I w i l l say: ' I do n o t

w i s h any money. H o w e v e r , i f y o u insist, y o u can give m o n e y to
a merchant to w h o m I a m i n debt.' Y o u i n t u r n should d e m a n d
f r o m h i m 400 shekels of best q u a l i t y and later give i t to me."
‫״ואברהם זקן בא בימים״‬

"And Avraham was old and advanced in age." (24:1)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y does the T o r a h a d d the w o r d s "ba
bayamim" — "advanced i n age" [literally "days"]?
A N S W E R : A Jew comes into this w o r l d w i t h a mission to

study T o r a h a n d to do g o o d deeds. Often, days a n d years go b y
i n w h i c h one accomplished v e r y little and wasted precious
time. The T o r a h attests that A v r a h a m was able to account for
w h a t he accomplished each a n d every d a y of his life. N o t o n l y
d i d he age i n years, b u t "ba bayamim" — he was able to recall
each d a y and say w h a t he achieved i n i t .
(‫)זהר‬
‫״ואברהם זקן בא בימים וה׳ ברך א ת אברהם בכל״‬

"And Avraham was old and advanced in age and G-d blessed
Avraham with everything." (24:1)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d "bakol" has the numerical value
of 52, w h i c h is also the same value as the w o r d "ben" (‫— )בן‬
"son" — a l l u d i n g to the fact that A v r a h a m had a son (Rashi).
W h a t is the connection between A v r a h a m ' s becoming o l d

and his h a v i n g e v e r y t h i n g — a son?
A N S W E R : There is an o l d adage, " A father or a mother can

manage their ten c h i l d r e n , b u t ten c h i l d r e n cannot take care of
one father or mother." Often as parents g r o w older, their chil¬
d r e n consider t h e m a b u r d e n a n d f i n d caring for t h e m difficult.
As a d u t i f u l son, Yitzchak, however, was p r o f o u n d l y

grateful for the love and concern p r o v i d e d b y A v r a h a m and
Sarah. The T o r a h tells us that A v r a h a m was blessed w i t h
" e v e r y t h i n g " to say that t h o u g h he remained alone a n d was
advanced i n age, his son Yitzchak stood at his side and was
totally dedicated to his welfare. H e took care of everything
A v r a h a m needed to make his o l d age pleasant a n d comfortable.
Such a c h i l d is indeed a blessing to a parent.
‫״וה׳ ברך א ת אברהם בכל״‬

"G-d blessed Avraham with everything." (24:1)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t was the "everything?"
A N S W E R : W h e n the letters of the w o r d ‫ ׳׳בכל׳׳‬are spelled

o u t the w a y they are pronounced, i.e. , the
total numerical value is 586. This is the same numerical value as
the w o r d "shofar" (‫)שו פר‬.
Yitzchak was o r i g i n a l l y destined to be b r o u g h t u p o n the

altar as a sacrifice. W h e n the angel intervened, he was spared,
and instead A v r a h a m sacrificed a r a m w h i c h s u d d e n l y ap¬
peared. F r o m the h o r n of this r a m , a shofar was m a d e w h i c h
was sounded w h e n H a s h e m gave the T o r a h to the Jewish peo¬
ple (Pirkei De'Rebbi Eliezer, 31). This shofar w i l l also be sounded
to announce the revelation of Mashiach (Isaiah 27:13). Thus
Yitzchak plays an i m p o r t a n t role i n the g i v i n g of T o r a h and
c o m i n g of Mashiach. To the Jewish people, T o r a h a n d Mashiach
are " e v e r y t h i n g , " and A v r a h a m was blessed w i t h a son w h o
w i l l be i n v o l v e d i n the d e l i v e r y of " e v e r y t h i n g " to Klal Yisrael.
(‫)חתם סופר‬
‫״וה׳ ברך א ת אברהם בכל״‬

"G-d blessed Avraham with everything" (24:1)
Q U E S T I O N : I n the Gemara (Bava Batra 16b) some Rabbis
explain the pasuk to m e a n that he h a d a daughter whose name
was " B a k o l . " W h y is i t i m p o r t a n t for us to k n o w the name of
A v r a h a m ' s daughter?
A N S W E R : I t is not the name of the daughter that they are

t e l l i n g us, b u t the type of daughter he had. H a s h e m blessed h i m
w i t h a daughter w h o excelled i n " e v e r y t h i n g . " H e r modesty,
intelligence, a n d beauty w e r e a l l unsurpassed.
CHAYEI SARAH 95
‫ואשביעך״‬...‫״ויאמר אברהם אל עבדו זקן ביתו המושל בכל אשר לו‬

"And Avraham said to Eliezer, the eldest servant of his house who
ruled over all that he had... 'Promise that you will not take a wife
for my son from the daughters of Canaan.'" (24:2)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y does the T o r a h emphasize at this p o i n t
that Eliezer was the eldest servant and r u l e d over all of A v r a -
ham's possessions?
A N S W E R : Once a m a n was t r a v e l i n g t h r o u g h a city and
spent a l l his money. H e w e n t to a kosher butcher and asked for
a loan, p r o m i s i n g that w h e n he returned home, he w o u l d send
h i m back a check as payment. The butcher v e r y apologetically
explained that since he never met h i m before and k n e w n o t h i n g
about h i m , he c o u l d not take the risk.
A few minutes later the butcher received a telephone call,
and the visitor noticed that the butcher was v e r y distressed. H e
asked the butcher, " W h a t is w r o n g ? perhaps I can help you?"
The butcher t o l d the visitor, " I was just i n f o r m e d that the
shochet is v e r y sick and w i l l not be able to w o r k for the next t w o
weeks. W i t h o u t the shochet, I w i l l not have any kosher meat to
sell and i t w i l l be a grave setback for m y business."
The visitor t o l d the butcher, " Y o u need n o t w o r r y , because I
happen to be a shochet b y profession." The butcher's face began
to shine and he exclaimed, "Baruch Hashem, y o u saved me. A r e
y o u ready to start i m m e d i a t e l y ? "
U p o n hearing this the stranger said, " Y o u really surprise
me. W h e n I asked for a loan w h i c h was a matter of a few
dollars, y o u refused me b y saying y o u d i d not k n o w i f I c o u l d
be trusted. N o w , w h e n i t comes to a shochet p r e p a r i n g kosher
meat, w h i c h has to d o w i t h the ' s o u l ' of the Jewish people, y o u
d o not ask any questions and y o u are ready to accept me?!"
A v r a h a m was teaching us a v e r y i m p o r t a n t lesson. I n
m o n e y matters he trusted m a n y different people a n d especially
Eliezer his faithful servant. H o w e v e r , w h e n i t came to matters
of Yiddishkeit such as choosing a w i f e for Yitzchak, he w o u l d
not rely o n anyone, unless he was absolutely sure. Therefore, he
made even his faithful servant promise that he w o u l d f o l l o w
his instructions carefully.
J
‫״והיה הנערה אשר אמר אליה הסי נא כדך ואשתה ואמרה ש ת ה‬

‫וגם גמליך אשקה״‬
"Let it be that the maiden to whom I shall say, 'Please tip over your
jug so I may drink.' and who replies 'Drink, and I will even water
your camels....'" (24:14)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d Eliezer test her i n this way?
A N S W E R : Eliezer w a n t e d to verify t w o basic things about

the g i r l . 1) Was she g o o d natured? 2) W o u l d she be resourceful
i n difficult situations?
Therefore, Eliezer asked her to t i l t the j u g so that he c o u l d

d r i n k f r o m the jug itself. I f she was good-natured, she w o u l d
have p i t y o n a t h i r s t y m a n a n d let h i m d r i n k . H o w e v e r , he was
curious to see w h a t she w o u l d d o w i t h the leftover water. I f she
w o u l d take i t home or d r i n k i t herself, she w o u l d appear to be
foolish because Eliezer was a stranger a n d m i g h t have been
sick, c o n t a m i n a t i n g the water. O n the other h a n d , i f she w o u l d
spill i t o u t o n the g r o u n d , this w o u l d be disrespectful to Eliezer.
W h e n Eliezer saw that after letting h i m d r i n k , R i v k a h t o o k

the remainder of the j u g a n d gave i t to the camels, he k n e w that
not o n l y was she good-natured b u t also v e r y b r i g h t a n d of
refined character.
(‫)בית הלוי‬
‫״וירץ העבד לקראתה״‬

"The servant [Eliezer] ran towards her [Rivkah]." (24:17)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains that the servant r a n to her
because he witnessed a miracle: The water i n the w e l l rose to
her. The Ramban explains that Rashi derives this f r o m the later
phrase "she d r e w water for a l l his camels" (24:20). O b v i o u s l y ,
i n the previous pasuk, she d i d not have to d r a w the water. W h y
d i d n ' t the water rise the second time?
A N S W E R : A t first, w h e n R i v k a h came to the w e l l , her

i n t e n t i o n was to d r a w water for herself. H a s h e m d i d n ' t w a n t a
tzaddeikit to inconvenience herself a n d , therefore, caused the
w e l l water to rise so that she c o u l d f i l l her j u g easily. H o w e v e r ,
the second t i m e , w h e n she w e n t to the w e l l , i t was for a mitzvah
CHAYEI SARAH 97
— to feed t h i r s t y animals — a n d Hashem d i d n o t w a n t to take

a w a y part of the mitzvah b y m a k i n g i t easier for her. Therefore,
the water d i d n o t rise a n d i t was necessary for her to " d r a w
water for the camels."
(‫)מעינה של תורה‬
"ffi ‫״היש בית אביך מקום לנו‬

"Is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?"
(24:23)
Q U E S T I O N : Eliezer was a r i c h m a n . W h y d i d n ' t he sleep i n
a hotel?
A N S W E R : A poor chassid once came to his Rebbe a n d asked

for a berachah to become rich. H e t o l d the Rebbe: " I k n o w a n d
understand the p l i g h t of the poor. I f y o u bless m e that I s h o u l d
become rich, be assured that all the poor of the city w i l l benefit
immensely." The Rebbe bestowed his blessing u p o n the chassid,
and he became w e a l t h y .
The wealthier he became, the stingier he became, a n d i t

soon became impossible for a poor m a n to come to his home to
receive charity. A g r o u p of poor people w e n t to his Rebbe a n d
complained about the chassid's behavior.
The Rebbe sent notice to the chassid that he planned to v i s i t

his city a n d w o u l d like to stay over at his home. The chassid was
elated a n d prepared lavish accommodations for the Rebbe.
U p o n his a r r i v a l , the Rebbe asked the chassid to give h i m a

tour of his v i l l a . W h i l e they happened to be standing i n front of
a large w i n d o w , the Rebbe asked the chassid: " W h a t d o y o u
see?" p r o u d l y , the chassid responded: " O u t there are m y gar¬
dens, m y recreation area, m y maids, a n d m y servants." They
continued w a l k i n g t h r o u g h the house, w h e n suddenly, the
Rebbe stopped i n front of a large m i r r o r a n d asked the chassid:
" W h a t d o y o u see?" The chassid responded: " I see myself." I n
puzzlement, the Rebbe asked: " W h y is i t that before, w h e n y o u
looked t h r o u g h the glass, y o u saw other people, a n d n o w ,
l o o k i n g t h r o u g h the other glass, y o u o n l y see yourself?"
"Rebbe, there is a v e r y b i g difference between the t w o

glasses. The w i n d o w is simple glass, w h i c h y o u can see
t h r o u g h , w h i l e the m i r r o r glass has a glazing of silver and
therefore reflects the image of the v i e w e r . " The Rebbe l o o k e d at
the chassid i n t e n t l y a n d asked: " A r e y o u t e l l i n g me that because
of a 'silver b a c k i n g ' y o u can o n l y see yourself? I f w e scrape off
a little b i t of the silver, perhaps y o u r feelings of generosity w i l l
come back!"
I n general, poor people are v e r y generous. Often, they dis¬

cuss h o w they w o u l d help the needy i f they had the m o n e y , b u t
w h e n they become r i c h , their behavior is frequently
disappointing.
Eliezer represented A v r a h a m w h o was the p r o t o t y p e of

chessed. I n his home, acts of kindness, hospitality, and generos¬
i t y were commonplace. Eliezer noticed i n R i v k a h traits of
generosity, b u t he was n o t sure i f i t was because she was f r o m a
v e r y poor f a m i l y or i f i t was her true nature. H e therefore
w a n t e d to have a glimpse of her h o m e a n d see that her f a m i l y
was w e l l - t o - d o . Thus, he w o u l d be confident that she w o u l d
continue her acts of kindness w h e n l i v i n g i n the w e a l t h y h o m e
of A v r a h a m and Yitzchak.
(‫)מיוסד על הדרש והעיון‬
...‫ ויה״ כראת א ת הנזם‬:‫״וירץ לבן אל האיש החוצה אל העין‬

‫ ויבא אל האיש״‬...‫וכשמעו א ת דברי רבקה‬
"And Lavan ran out to the man, to the fountain. And it came to
pass, when he saw the r i n g . . . and when he heard the words of
Rivkah . . . and he came to the man." (24:29-30)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d he r u n before he saw the gifts R i v k a h
received?
A N S W E R : After R i v k a h met Eliezer, she r a n h o m e and t o l d

her mother that a shadchan (marriage broker), representing
A v r a h a m ' s w e a l t h y f a m i l y , had come to t o w n . L a v a n k n e w that
A v r a h a m had a son a n d a daughter. The first t h i n g that entered
his m i n d was that the m a n was l o o k i n g for a g r o o m for
A v r a h a m ' s daughter and he, therefore, r a n i m m e d i a t e l y .
CHAYEI SARAH 99
I n the i n t e r i m he t h o u g h t that perhaps he was i n error and

that he was m a k i n g a fool out of himself. Consequently, he r a n
back home to ask R i v k a h i f she k n e w w h a t the man's purpose
was. Seeing the j e w e l r y she received, a n d hearing all that
Eliezer t o l d her, he realized that the shadchan was seeking a
b r i d e for A v r a h a m ' s son, and not a g r o o m for A v r a h a m ' s
daughter.
Thus, he no longer had any reason to r u n and therefore

"vayavo el ha'ish" — "and he came to the m a n " ( h o p i n g he
m i g h t give h i m some money, too) — whereas before, "vayaratz"
— "he ran."
(‫)משך חכמה‬
‫״ויאמר בוא ברוך ה׳‬

"And he said: 'Come, blessed by G-d.'" (24:31)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d L a v a n consider Eliezer "blessed b y
G-d"?
A N S W E R : L a v a n came as a v i l l a i n , casting H i s eyes o n

Eliezer's money. Eliezer was petrified w i t h fear and concerned
about his w e l l - b e i n g . I m m e d i a t e l y , he uttered Hashem's h o l y
name, and suddenly L a v a n saw h i m positioned on top of the
camels, a n d the camels on top of the water, a n d he was unable
to reach them.
This is obvious f r o m w h a t the Torah relates that w h e n

L a v a n came near Eliezer, he noticed that:
— "behold, he stood on the camels on the f o u n t a i n "
(24:30). G r a m m a t i c a l l y , i t should read, ‫״ ו ה נ ה ע מ ד א צ ל ה ג מ ל י ם א צ ל‬
‫" — ה ע י ן ״‬and, behold, he stood near the camels near the
fountain."
L a v a n k n e w t h a n water nullifies sorcery. A s the Gemara

(Sanhedrin 67b) relates about Z e i r i w h o purchased a camel i n
A l e x a n d r i a , Egypt. W h e n he w a n t e d to give i t water to d r i n k , i t
t u r n e d i n t o a p l a n k of w o o d of a bridge. After investigating, he
f o u n d out that this camel was o r i g i n a l l y made t h r o u g h magic
f r o m the b r i d g e plank, a n d water possesses the p o w e r to n u l l i f y
sorcery.
Hence, w h e n L a v a n saw Eliezer standing on the camels

w h i c h w e r e on the f o u n t a i n of water, he realizes that Eliezer
was not a mere magician w h o p e r f o r m e d acts of sorcery, b u t
was blessed b y G-d w i t h D i v i n e powers.
(‫)ילקוט מעם לועז‬
‫ויאמר עבד‬...‫״ויישם לפניו לאכל ויאמר לא אכל עד אם דברת״ דבר״‬

‫אברהם״‬
"And food was set before him, but he said i will not eat until I have
spoken my words'....And he said i am Avraham's servant.'" (24:33)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d Eliezer refuse to eat before d i v u l g i n g
the purpose of his trip?
A N S W E R : Eliezer t o o k people f r o m A v r a h a m ' s home w i t h

h i m to assist h i m a n d to attend to the camels.
W h e n L a v a n heard that Eliezer gave gifts, he i n v i t e d h i m to

his house a n d p r o v i d e d straw a n d oats for the camels a n d
water for Eliezer a n d his people to w a s h their feet (24:32).
A f t e r w a r d s , the T o r a h tells us "vayusam lefanav le'echol" —
" f o o d was placed before him." Eliezer was t h i n k i n g to himself,
"This L a v a n m u s t be a v e r y stingy fellow. Water, w h i c h is free,
he gave for me a n d a l l m y people. H o w e v e r , food, w h i c h costs
money, he gave only for me a n d not to any of m y people."
Therefore, he said, "lo ochal" — " I w i l l not eat alone w h i l e

m y people stay outside w i t h the camels. Let me first tell y o u the
purpose of m y visit a n d I a m sure that y o u w i l l then change
y o u r behavior."
Eliezer t o l d h i m that the purpose of his t r i p was to arrange

a marriage a n d that the "chatan" a n d his father w e r e extremely
w e a l t h y . W h e n L a v a n heard this he said to himself, " I f they
come home a n d tell A v r a h a m a n d Y i t z c h a k h o w I treated t h e m ,
they w i l l consider me stingy a n d call me a 'miser.' I m m e d i a t e l y ,
he started acting v e r y hospitably a n d gave a f u l l meal to Eliezer
a n d his entire company, as the T o r a h relates, " T h e y ate a n d
d r a n k , he and all the men w h o w e r e w i t h h i m " (24:54).
CHAYEI SARAH 101
,
‫״לא אכל עד אם דברת״ דבר ״‬
"I will not eat until I have spoken my words." (24:33)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d Eliezer refuse to eat before negotiat¬
i n g the shidduch (marriage)?
A N S W E R : W h e n R i v k a h returned home after receiving the

presents f r o m Eliezer, L a v a n hastened to greet Eliezer. I t was
obvious to Eliezer that L a v a n was greedily seeking to extract
m o n e y a n d gifts f r o m h i m .
Eliezer feared that i f he ate a meal and the shidduch

negotiations w o u l d be unsuccessful, L a v a n w o u l d make h i m
pay a fortune for the food he ate. Thus, his first concern was to
finalize the shidduch and acquire Rivkah. After that was
accomplished, he d i d not care h o w m u c h he w o u l d have to pay
Lavan, because he considered R i v k a h w o r t h a fortune.
‫ עבד אברהם אנכי״‬...‫״לא אכל עד אם דברת״ דבר״‬

"I will not eat until I have spoken my words...I am Avraham's
servant." (24:33-34)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y was i t so i m p o r t a n t to make this
statement before eating?
A N S W E R : Eliezer was A v r a h a m ' s dedicated servant.

Spending m u c h t i m e i n the home of A v r a h a m , he faithfully
observed the laws of kashrut. A w a r e that L a v a n was n o t
t r u s t w o r t h y , he refused to eat t i l l he made i t clear to h i m that,
as the servant of A v r a h a m , he observed the laws of kashrut.
O n l y after e x a m i n i n g the foods placed before h i m w o u l d he
decide w h a t was permissible.
‫ ו״ת! לו א ת כל אשר לו״‬...‫״ותלד שרה א ש ת אדני בן לאדני‬

"Sarah bore my master a son and he gave him all that he pos¬
sesses." (24:36)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d A v r a h a m give everything a w a y to
Yitzchak?
A N S W E R : A c c o r d i n g to halachah, one m a y a p p o i n t a shliach

(emissary) to b e t r o t h a w o m a n for h i m . H o w e v e r , a non-Jew is
precluded f r o m being an emissary. A n exception to the rule is
w h e n a master sends his o w n non-Jewish servant to b e t r o t h
someone for h i m . I n such a case, t h o u g h the non-Jewish servant
cannot be an emissary, he can qualify u n d e r the rule of
— "the h a n d of the servant is considered an extension
of the master's h a n d . "
Thus, i t w o u l d be proper for Eliezer to b e t r o t h a w o m a n for

A v r a h a m , his master, b u t not for Yitzchak, w h o was the son of
his master. Therefore, A v r a h a m gave over a l l his possessions
i n c l u d i n g Eliezer, to Yitzchak; a n d n o w his h a n d was an
extension of Yitzchak's and he c o u l d b e t r o t h a w o m a n for h i m .
(‫ פנים יפות‬- ‫)פני אריה‬
‫״ויוצא העבד כל״ כ ס ף וכל״ זהב ובגדים ו״תן לרבקה״‬

"The servant [Eliezer] brought out silver and gold jewelry and
clothing and gave it to Rivkah." (24:53)
Q U E S T I O N : A l l types of j e w e l r y c o u l d be w o r n b y anyone
regardless of age. H o w e v e r , c l o t h i n g m u s t f i t to size. H o w d i d
Eliezer k n o w i n advance w h a t c l o t h i n g w o u l d f i t Rivkah?
A N S W E R : I n the h o m e of A v r a h a m there was m u c h

emphasis o n the laws of tzeniut — modesty. The m e n and
w o m e n , boys and girls, dressed according to halachah. Eliezer's
mission was to f i n d a suitable w i f e for Y i t z c h a k The y o u n g
l a d y w o u l d u n d o u b t e d l y prepare a w a r d r o b e of n e w c l o t h i n g
to wear after her marriage. H e therefore carried w i t h h i m a
sample of the type of c l o t h i n g w o m e n w e r e expected to wear i n
the homes of A v r a h a m a n d Yitzchak.
(‫)מהרי״! מבלו זצ״ל‬
‫״ויאמר אחיה ואמה״‬

"Her brother and mother said..." (24:55)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d the brother a n d mother speak and
not the father, Betuel?
CHAYEI SARAH 103
A N S W E R : A c c o r d i n g to the l a w of the Torah, a father has a

r i g h t to m a r r y off his daughter w h i l e she is a ketana (under Bat
Mitzvah). She is then considered a m a r r i e d w o m a n a n d cannot
leave her husband unless he gives her a get (divorce). I f a g i r l is
an o r p h a n , the Rabbanim gave permission to her mother or
brothers to m a r r y her off. U p to the age of 12, i f for some reason
she does n o t like her husband, she can p e r f o r m mi'un (she
proclaims that she refuses to be his wife) and has the r i g h t to
leave h i m .
L a v a n and his mother sensed that, o u t of greed for m o n e y ,
Betuel m i g h t agree to m a r r y off his daughter R i v k a h to
Yitzchak. They feared that the marriage w o u l d n o t be a g o o d
one, a n d Yitzchak w o u l d refuse to give her a get. N o t w a n t i n g
R i v k a h to be stuck w i t h h i m forever, they k i l l e d Betuel.
N o w that R i v k a h was an o r p h a n , the mother and brother
m a r r i e d her off. They hoped that w h e n she became a little older
and smarter, she w o u l d realize that Yitzchak was not a suitable
husband for her. Consequently, she w o u l d refuse to r e m a i n
w i t h h i m , and thus be able to leave h i m w i t h o u t his consent.
(‫)חנוכת התורה‬
‫״ויקראו לרבקה ויאמרו אליה התלכי עם האיש הזה ותאמר אלך״‬

"And they called Rivkah, and said to her: 'Will you go with this
man?' And she said: 'I will go.'" (24:58)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi adds: " B y myself, even i f y o u d o n o t
consent."
W h y was the y o u n g R i v k a h (three years o l d ) so assertive

and independent?
A N S W E R : O r i g i n a l l y , Eliezer met w i t h Betuel, his w i f e and

Lavan. W h e n Betuel t r i e d to interfere w i t h the marriage, an
angel poisoned h i m d u r i n g the meal a n d he d i e d . N o w i t was
her brother a n d her mother w h o were t r y i n g to prevent the
marriage f r o m becoming reality.
R i v k a h t o l d t h e m , " O p e n y o u r eyes a n d see w h a t is

happening. This marriage was D i v i n e l y destined. I f y o u do n o t
consent to the marriage, u n d o u b t e d l y y o u , too, w i l l die as
father d i d . Thus, I w i l l be left a l l alone, and I w i l l go w i t h

Eliezer to j o i n Yitzchak and his family.
(‫)באר מים חיים‬
‫״ויברכו א ת רבקה ויאמרו לה אחתנו א ת היי לאלפי רבבה״‬

"They blessed Rivkah and said to her, 'Our sister be the mother of
thousands often thousands.'" (24:60)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d L a v a n give his sister such a nice
blessing?
A N S W E R : L a v a n really d i d n o t w a n t to w i s h his sister w e l l .

A l l he t o l d her was that, " I f y o u become 'le'alfei' — the mother
of thousands of ten thousands (the w i f e of a m i l l i o n a i r e ) — d o
not forget y o u r f a m i l y a n d relatives. Y o u s h o u l d always
remember, 'revavah' (‫ — )רבבה‬w h i c h is the a c r o n y m for ‫ ב ק ה ב ת‬1 ‫י‬
‫ ' — ב ת ו א ל ה א ר מ י ׳‬Y o u are the daughter of the crooked Betuel.' "
(‫)ארונו של יוסף‬
‫״ויברכו א ת רבקה ויאמרו לה אחתנו א ת היי לאלפי רבבה״‬

"They blessed Rivkah and said to her, 'Our sister, be the mother of
thousands often thousands.'" (24:60)
Q U E S T I O N : Before a chuppah, w h e n the chatan covers the
kallahhs face w i t h a v e i l ("badekenesh"), i t is customary to recite
this blessing.
W h a t d o w e mean that the kallah s h o u l d have a f a m i l y of

tens of thousands of children?
A N S W E R : W h e n H a s h e m blesses a person w i t h financial

success, i t is proper to give a p o r t i o n to tzedakah. W h e n one sup¬
ports a yeshivah, the c h i l d r e n w h o are learning T o r a h thanks to
his financial assistance are considered his c h i l d r e n . Years later,
the students of those yeshivah students are also considered his
children.
The berachah to the kallah is that i n her marriage she s h o u l d

be blessed w i t h w e a l t h and be i m b u e d w i t h the g o o d sense to
give tzedakah to T o r a h institutions. T h r o u g h h e l p i n g c h i l d r e n
CHAYEI SARAH 105
receive a T o r a h education, she i n t u r n becomes a mother of

thousands of c h i l d r e n .
* * *
A l t e r n a t i v e l y , the Gemara (Bava Batra 110a) says that w h e n

one marries a w o m a n he s h o u l d investigate her brothers,
because most sons resemble the brothers of the mother. Lavan's
berachah o n the surface appears to be v e r y nice. I n reality,
however, he meant that his sister was to be blessed w i t h m a n y
c h i l d r e n and since most of t h e m s h o u l d resemble h i m , the
Jewish people w o u l d be flooded w i t h people of his character.
Therefore, as the kallah is about to enter i n marriage, the rabbi
and p r o m i n e n t people w h o escort the chatan to the badekenish
declare to the kallah, y o u are "achoteinu" - "our sister" - a n d w e
w i s h y o u that y o u s h o u l d be blessed w i t h c h i l d r e n w h o w i l l
resemble us and thus be a source of Yiddishe nachas to y o u and
K'lal Yisrael.
(‫)שלחן העזר סי׳ זי‬
‫״ א ח ת נ ו א ת היי ל א ל פ י ר ב ב ה וירש ז ר ע ך א ת ש ע ר שנאיו״‬

"Our sister, be the mother of thousands of ten thousands and may
your offspring inherit the gate of their enemies." (24:60)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d n ' t he bless her not to have any
enemies at all?
A N S W E R : The lack of enemies is n o t always a g o o d sign. A

person w h o is, G-d f o r b i d , stricken w i t h p o v e r t y or afflicted
w i t h troubles u s u a l l y has no enemies because everyone has
mercy o n h i m . O n the other h a n d , i t is inevitable for a w e a l t h y
m a n to have enemies. O u t of jealousy people become his
enemies and criticize h i m for not g i v i n g e n o u g h or for exerting
too m u c h influence, etc.
L a v a n blessed his sister w i t h w e a l t h and success. K n o w i n g

that this w o u l d b r i n g her enemies, he w i s h e d her that she
overcome t h e m and that a l l their criticism of her be of no avail.
‫ויאמר ה ע ב ד ה ו א אדני״‬...‫״ ו ת א מ ר א ל ה ע ב ד מ י ה א י ש הלזה‬

"And she said to the servant, 'Who is this man'... and the servant
answered 'He is my master.'" (24:65)
Q U E S T I O N : Eliezer's master was A v r a h a m not Yitzchak?
A N S W E R : W h e n A v r a h a m sent Eliezer to f i n d a w i f e for

Yitzchak, he also w r o t e a d o c u m e n t i n w h i c h he conveyed all
his possessions as a gift to Yitzchak (Rashi 24:36). Eliezer, as the
shliach (emissary), f o r m a l i z e d the marriage (kiddushin) between
R i v k a h a n d Yitzchak. A s soon as the marriage was
consummated, the gift t o o k effect a n d whatever A v r a h a m h a d
was n o w o w n e d b y Yitzchak. Thus, Yitzchak became the
master of his father's servant Eliezer.
‫״מי האיש הלזה ה ה ל ך ב ש ד ה לקראתנו״‬

"Who is this man walking in the field toward us?" (24:65)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d "halazeh" (‫ " — )הלזה‬t h i s " — is extra.
W o u l d i t not be sufficient to say, " W h o is the m a n w a l k i n g i n
the field?"
A N S W E R : L i k e all the other matriarchs, R i v k a h was a

prophetess (Bereishit 29:34, Rashi). W h e n she noticed Yitzchak,
she became v e r y m u c h impressed because of certain things she
saw about h i m . She saw that he h a d something special to d o
w i t h t w o "hei"s , a n d that he h a d a u n i q u e connection also
w i t h the letters "‫ "ל‬a n d ‫ ״ ז ״‬. Consequently, she asked Eliezer
w h a t is the m e a n i n g of the that I see about this man?
Eliezer identified the m a n as Yitzchak, son of A v r a h a m a n d

Sarah. H e w e n t o n to explain: for m a n y years they w e r e
childless, a n d w h e n H a s h e m a d d e d a ‫ ״ת״‬a n d changed the
name " A v r a m " to " A v r a h a m " a n d another ‫ ״ת״‬to change the
name "Sarai" to "Sarah," they w e r e able to give b i r t h to h i m .
W h e n this m a n reached the age of 37, w h i c h is the n u m e r i c a l
value of , his father was ready to b r i n g h i m u p as an offering
to H a s h e m a n d he f u l l y agreed.
(‫)מגלה עמוקות‬
CHAYEI SARAH 107
‫״ויתן א ב ר ה ם א ת כ ל א ש ר לו ל י צ ח ק ולבני ה פ י ל ג ש ם א ש ר ל א ב ר ה ם‬
‫נתן אברהם מתנות״‬
"And Avraham gave everything that he had to Yitzchak, and to the
children of the concubines...he gave presents." (25:5-6)
Q U E S T I O N : I f he gave a w a y e v e r y t h i n g he h a d to Yitzchak,
w h e r e d i d he get the presents?
A N S W E R : A v r a h a m ' s w e a l t h consisted of t w o parts:

1) the m o n e y w h i c h he earned t h r o u g h his w o r k and
business,
2) the presents w h i c h w e r e g i v e n to h i m b y p h a r a o h w h e n
he returned Sarah to h i m (12:16).
A v r a h a m gave e v e r y t h i n g that he earned a n d o w n e d to

Yitzchak. Hagar was the daughter of Pharaoh a n d A v r a h a m ' s
concubine. N o t w a n t i n g to keep the presents that p h a r a o h gave
h i m , he gave t h e m to his concubine's c h i l d r e n w h o , i n reality,
w e r e the g r a n d c h i l d r e n of pharaoh.
(‫)עולת חודש‬
‫״ ו א ל ה ימי ש נ י חיי א ב ר ה ם א ש ר ח י מ א ת ש נ ה ו ש ב ע י ם ש נ ה ו ח מ ש‬
‫שנים״‬
"And these are the years of Avraham, which he lived, a hundred
years, seventy years, and five years." (25:7)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d s " w h i c h he l i v e d " seem redundant?
A N S W E R : A v r a h a m was really supposed to live 180 years,

as his son Yitzchak d i d . H o w e v e r , his grandson Eisav was not
behaving p r o p e r l y , and H a s h e m k n e w that A v r a h a m w o u l d
have m u c h aggravation f r o m seeing his grandson's behavior.
Therefore, H e shortened A v r a h a m ' s life b y five years (Rashi
25:30). Hence, the T o r a h w r i t e s the w o r d s " w h i c h he l i v e d , " to
emphasize that these w e r e the years he l i v e d a n d not his full
allocated lifespan.
TOLDOT • ‫ת ו ל ד ו ת‬
‫״ ו א ל ה ת ו ל ד ת ״ צ ח ק בן א ב ר ה ם א ב ר ה ם הוליד א ת ״ צ ח ק ״‬
"And these are the offspring of Yitzchak son of Avraham; Avraham
gave birth to Yitzchak." (25:19)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y does the T o r a h repeat that Yitzchak was
the son of A v r a h a m and that A v r a h a m was the father of
Yitzchak? M o r e o v e r , at the end of Parshat Chayei Sarah i t says
‫ " — ״ ו א ל ה ת ל ד ת י ש מ ע א ל בן א ב ר ה ם ״‬A n d these are the offspring of
Yishmael, A v r a h a m ' s son" (25:12) — not repeating that
A v r a h a m was the father of Yishmael. Moreover, regarding
Eisav, the Torah states ‫ " — ״ ו א ל ה ת ל ד ו ת ע ש ו ״‬A n d these are the
offspring of Eisav" (36:1), not m e n t i o n i n g that he is the son of
Yitzchak, or that Yitzchak was the father of Eisav.
A N S W E R : W h e n one met Yitzchak and c o m p l i m e n t e d h i m

for being a tzaddik and a great talmid chacham, Yitzchak w o u l d
modestly, respond: " I a m really insignificant. The o n l y great
t h i n g about me is that I a m the son of a great father, A v r a h a m . "
W h e n one praised A v r a h a m for his stature and greatness,

he w o u l d respond: " A l l this is insignificant. The o n l y i m p o r t a n t
t h i n g is that I have a son such as Yitzchak." Thus, Yitzchak
w o u l d p r i d e himself w i t h his father A v r a h a m , and A v r a h a m
was p r o u d that he h a d a son such as Yitzchak.
Yishmael, the ancestor of the A r a b w o r l d , was p r o u d that

A v r a h a m was his father. A v r a h a m however, was n o t h a p p y
that he h a d a son such as Yishmael. For Eisav i t meant n o t h i n g
that he was the son of Yitzchak. A n d , of course, Yitzchak took
no p r i d e i n his son Eisav.
(‫ מלאכת מחשבת‬- ‫)מיוסד על זכרו! ישראל‬
TOLDOT 109
‫״ ו י ע ת ר י צ ח ק ל ה ׳ ל נ כ ה א ש ת ו כי ע ק ר ה ה י א ו י ע ת ר לו ה ׳ ו ת ה ר‬
‫רבקה אשתו״‬
"And Yitzchak entreated G-d opposite his wife because she was
barren, and G-d accepted his prayers, and Rivkah his wife
conceived." (25:21)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y does the pasuk at first refer to "his w i f e "
w i t h o u t m e n t i o n i n g her name, o n l y to conclude " R i v k a h , his
wife?"
A N S W E R : Yitzchak's mother Sarah was barren for m a n y

years. I t was o n l y after her name was changed f r o m "Sarai" to
"Sarah" that she was able to give b i r t h . H a d her name
remained "Sarai," she w o u l d never have been able to conceive.
Yitzchak w o n d e r e d , " M a y b e m y w i f e R i v k a h has the same

p r o b l e m as m y mother Sara." Therefore, w h e n he p r a y e d to
Hashem, he pleaded "Please help m y w i f e to have a c h i l d , "
w i t h o u t m e n t i o n i n g her name.
I n response to his prayers, H a s h e m made a miracle greater

t h a n the one H e made for his mother. N o t o n l y d i d his barren
w i f e become pregnant, b u t she retained her o r i g i n a l name
Rivkah.
(‫ דברי שלום‬- ‫)פרדס יוסף‬
‫״ ו י ע ת ר לו ה ׳ ו ת ה ר ר ב ק ה א ש ת ו ״‬
"G-d accepted his [Yitzchak's] prayers, and Rivkah his wife
conceived." (25:21)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains that H a s h e m a l l o w e d H i m s e l f
to be entreated b y h i m and n o t b y her because the prayer of a
tzaddik the son of a tzaddik (Yitzchak) is superior to the prayer of
a tzaddik the son of a rasha (Rivkah). Does this not contradict the
Gemara (Berachot 34b) that a ba'al teshuvah is greater t h a n a
tzaddik?
A N S W E R : Yitzchak a n d R i v k a h b o t h p r a y e d to H a s h e m for
a c h i l d . Rivkah's prayer was, "please G-d, m y husband is such
a great tzaddik and the son of a tzaddik; he indeed deserves a
c h i l d . " Yitzchak prayed and said, "please G-d, m y w i f e g r e w
u p i n the home of such w i c k e d people as Betuel and L a v a n , yet
she is so righteous. She certainly deserves to be blessed w i t h a

child."
H a s h e m accepted Yitzchak's plea and argument and

blessed R i v k a h because she was a great ba'alat teshuvah.
‫״ויתרצצו הבנים ב ק ר ב ה ״‬
"And the children struggled together within her." (25:22)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi says that w h e n R i v k a h passed the ye-
shivah of Shem and Eiver, Yaakov w a n t e d to j u m p o u t of her
w o m b , a n d w h e n she passed a place of i d o l w o r s h i p , Eisav
w a n t e d to j u m p out. W h e n a c h i l d is i n his mother's w o m b an
angel teaches h i m the entire T o r a h (Niddah 30b). W h y d i d
Yaakov w a n t to leave the angel a n d go to the yeshivah of Shem
and Eiver?
A N S W E R : I n the "yeshivah" i n his mother's w o m b , his

"chaver" w o u l d be Eisav. Yaakov was greatly concerned about
h a v i n g g o o d friends. Therefore, he was w i l l i n g to give u p the
o p p o r t u n i t y of an angel teaching h i m T o r a h i n order to go to a
yeshivah w h e r e he w o u l d have g o o d "chavairim" (other little
Yaakovs) a n d n o t be i n the c o m p a n y of Eisav.
(‫)ר׳ בונים מפשיסוזא זצ״ל‬
‫ ויאמר ה ׳ ל ה שני‬. . . ‫ ו ת ל ך ל ד ר ש א ת ה‬. . . ‫״ויתרצצו הבנים ב ק ר ב ה‬

‫גיים ב ב ס נ ך ״‬
"And the children struggled together within her... And she went to
inquire of the G-d... And the G-d said to her: 'Two nations are in
your womb.'" (25:22-23)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains: W h e n R i v k a h passed a house
of Torah learning, Yaakov struggled to emerge. W h e n she
passed a place of i d o l w o r s h i p , Eisav struggled to come out.
This perplexed her, a n d she w e n t to i n q u i r e about it. A message
was conveyed to her t h r o u g h Shem that she was c a r r y i n g t w o
children.
W h y d i d this i n f o r m a t i o n calm her?

TOLDOT 111
A N S W E R : The p r o p h e t E l i y a h u held a debate w i t h the false

prophets of Ba'al d u r i n g w h i c h he challenged them: " H o w l o n g
w i l l y o u w a v e r between t w o opinions. I f H a s h e m is the G-d,
f o l l o w H i m ! A n d i f i t is the Ba'al, f o l l o w h i m " (1 K i n g s , 18:21).
One m a y w o n d e r , h o w E l i y a h u was able to utter such an
option?
E l i y a h u realized that before confronting a person, i t is

i m p o r t a n t to k n o w w h a t his convictions are. A s l o n g as a
person is ambivalent, i t is impossible to deal w i t h h i m and
guide h i m to the r i g h t path. After h a v i n g his v i e w s clarified,
then one can debate and endeavor to convince h i m .
A t the outset, R i v k a h t h o u g h t she was carrying one c h i l d

w h o was confused, unable to d i s t i n g u i s h between r i g h t and
w r o n g , and thus, G-d f o r b i d , capable of r u n n i n g i n a different
direction each day. I n f o r m e d that she w o u l d give b i r t h to t w o
children, she was relieved, because she c o u l d n o w hope to
convince the other c h i l d to emulate his righteous brother.
‫ויקראו שמו עשו״‬...‫״ויצא הראשון אדמוני‬

"And the first one came out red...and they called him Eisav."
(25:25)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d Eisav come o u t red?
A N S W E R : W h i l e Eisav a n d Yaakov were i n their mother's

w o m b , they had a v e r y interesting conversation. Yaakov said to
Eisav, "Listen, brother, before us there are t w o w o r l d s : Olam
Hazeh (this m u n d a n e w o r l d ) a n d Olam Haba (the W o r l d to
Come). I n Olam Hazeh there is m u c h eating, d r i n k i n g , and
physical delights. I n Olam Haba there are none of these things.
E v e r y t h i n g is spiritual a n d one enjoys G-dliness. Tell me
brother, w h i c h y o u prefer a n d I w i l l take the other."
Eisav, being of a m u n d a n e a n d gross nature, i m m e d i a t e l y

decided that Olam Hazeh was for h i m a n d that Yaakov c o u l d
keep Olam Haba.
W h e n a person runs or exerts himself strenuously, he turns

red. Consequently, w h e n the t i m e came for R i v k a h to give
b i r t h , Eisav w a n t e d his Olam Hazeh as q u i c k l y as possible, so he

h u r r i e d red-faced o u t of his mother's w o m b .
* * *
A c c o r d i n g to the Gemara (Chullin 47b), w h e n a c h i l d is b o r n

red, a brit cannot be p e r f o r m e d o n h i m u n t i l the b l o o d i n his
veins settle d o w n . Consequently, w h e n Eisav was b o r n , he was
too r e d to be circumcised. W h e n he became older a n d r e t u r n e d
to a n o r m a l c o m p l e x i o n , his father w a n t e d to circumcise h i m ,
b u t Eisav refused.
(‫ ועי׳ ילקוט שמעוני‬,‫ שפתי כהן‬- ‫)שער בת רבים‬
‫״ואחר״ כן ״צא אחיו וידו אוחזת ב ע ק ב עשו״‬

"Afterwards his brother came out and his hand was holding on to
the heal of Eisav." (25:25)
Q U E S T I O N : There is a story i n the Midrash Rabbah (63:9)
about a general w h o once asked a Rabbi, " W h o w i l l be the last
to h o l d o n to the k i n g d o m ? " The Rabbi took a piece of paper
and w r o t e o n i t the pasuk, ‫— ״ ו א ח ר י כ ן י צ א א ח י ו וידו א ח ז ת ב ע ק ב ״‬
" a n d afterwards came o u t his brother h o l d i n g o n to the heel."
W h y d i d he o m i t the w o r d "Eisav," w h i c h is the last w o r d

of the pasuk?
A N S W E R : There is a question i n halachah whether i t is per¬

missible to w r i t e a complete pasuk o n a piece of paper.
A c c o r d i n g to some opinions i t is n o t permissible. Therefore, i n
lieu of w r i t i n g the pasuk as i t is w r i t t e n i n the Torah, i t is
advisable to skip some w o r d s , or to w r i t e o n l y the first letter of
each w o r d (see Gittin 60a about Queen H i l l n e y ) .
The Rabbi w h o answered the general d i d the latter. Instead

of w r i t i n g the complete w o r d s of the pasuk, he w r o t e o n l y the
first letter of each w o r d a n d d i d not i n c l u d e the first letter of the
w o r d "Eisav."
H e thus w r o t e ‫ ב ״‬- ‫ א‬- ‫ ו‬- ‫ א‬- ‫ י‬- ‫ כ‬- ‫ ו‬. ‫ ״‬These letters have the
n u m e r i c a l value of 46. The first letters of the w o r d s
or also have the n u m e r i c a l value of 46.
TOLDOT 113
Being a descendant of Eisav, the general was curious to

k n o w i f his people w o u l d continue to dominate. The Rabbi,
answered i n the negative b y h i n t i n g that Mashiach Ben David, as
the c o n t i n u a t i o n of Malchut Beit David, w o u l d eventually rule of
the entire w o r l d .
H o w e v e r , being afraid of the general, he d i d not w a n t to

spell i t o u t too clearly. Therefore, he w r o t e this pasuk, w h i c h the
general c o u l d interpret to mean that Yaakov w o u l d be h o l d i n g
o n to the heel of Eisav a n d that Eisav w o u l d be i n c o m m a n d .
(‫ספר בנין אריאל‬-‫)פרדס יוסף‬
‫״ואחר״ כן ״צא אחיו וידו א ח ז ת ב ע ק ב עשו ויקרא שמו ״עקב״‬

"Afterwards his brother came out and his hand was holding on to
the heel of Eisav; and he named him 'Yaakov.'" (25:26)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y was he called a n d n o t just
— "heel"?
A N S W E R : W h e n Eisav was b o r n , he was covered w i t h hair

like an a d u l t (Rashi). A c t u a l l y , he should have been
called ‫( ״ ע ש ו י ״‬asui) w h i c h means " f u l l y made." So named, he
w o u l d have t w o letters f r o m the H o l y four-lettered N a m e of
Hashem. Should his brother have been called s i m p l y ‫ ״ ע ק ב ״‬he
w o u l d n o t have had any letters of Hashem's name. Therefore,
Yaakov h e l d o n to the heel (end part) of Eisav's name and
grabbed the for himself. Thus, he too, had a letter f r o m
Hashem's H o l y N a m e i n his name.
(‫)בית יעקב בשם מעיל צדקה‬
‫״ויהי עשו איש יודע ציד איש שדה״‬

"And Eisav was a skilled hunter, a man of the field." (25:27)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d s "yodei'a tza'yid" — "a skilled
hunter" — refer to the fact that w i t h his sly tongue he fooled
and captured Yitzchak's i m a g i n a t i o n . H e w o u l d approach
Yitzchak a n d ask h i m questions such as
‫" — ה מ ל ח ״‬Father, h o w does one give ma'aseir (tithe) f r o m salt?"
(Rashi)
O b v i o u s l y , Eisav k n e w that ma'aseir means setting aside 10

per cent. Thus, the same s h o u l d be done w i t h salt — ten
bushels f r o m one h u n d r e d . Eisav's question was apparently
pointless — so h o w d i d i t impress Yitzchak?
A N S W E R : Eisav k n e w v e r y w e l l that ma'aseir means setting

aside 10 per cent, and his question was not how does one give
ma'aseir f r o m salt. H e was asking, "Father, ‫ — ! ? ה י א ך‬W h a t is the
halachah?! — ‫ — מ ע ש ר י ן א ת ה מ ל ח‬Does one have to give ma'aseir
f r o m salt or not?" W h e n Yitzchak heard h o w carefully Eisav
observed the laws of ma'aseir, he t h o u g h t that his son was
indeed v e r y righteous.
(‫)אלוף בישראל‬
‫״ויגדלו הנערים״‬
"And the boys grew up." (25:27)
Q U E S T I O N : They n o w became 13 years of age, and Eisav
began to w o r s h i p idols. O n this d a y A v r a h a m d i e d at the age of
175 (Rashi).
W h e n Yaakov a n d Eisav w e r e b o r n , Yitzchak was 60 years

o l d (25:26). Since A v r a h a m was 100 years o l d w h e n Yitzchak
was b o r n , he was 160 years o l d w h e n Yaakov and Eisav w e r e
b o r n . A v r a h a m was supposed to l i v e 180 years, b u t d i e d five
years earlier so that he w o u l d not see his g r a n d c h i l d Eisav
w o r s h i p p i n g idols (Rashi 25:30). I f Eisav began w o r s h i p p i n g at
13, w h y d i d n ' t A v r a h a m die w h e n he was 173 years old?
A N S W E R : W h e n Yaakov came to Yitzchak to get the bera-

chot, Yitzchak smelled an aroma of Gan Eden emanating f r o m
h i m (Rashi 27:27).
H o w d i d Yitzchak k n o w h o w Gan Eden smelled? Commen¬

taries (‫ )ריב״א‬say that i m m e d i a t e l y f o l l o w i n g the Akeidah,
A v r a h a m w e n t back h o m e and Yitzchak w e n t u p to Gan Eden
for over t w o years.
The concepts of t i m e and space are relevant o n l y i n this

w o r l d b u t n o t i n Gan Eden. Therefore, w h i l e A v r a h a m l i v e d t w o
years of "real t i m e " i n this w o r l d , the t w o years d i d not count
i n the age of Yitzchak. Consequently, t h o u g h Yitzchak was 60
TOLDOT 115
years o l d w h e n Yaakov a n d Eisav were b o r n , A v r a h a m was

really 162 and he d i e d at the age of 175 w h e n his grandson
Eisav became 13 years o l d .
(‫ ועי׳ ברבינו בחיי‬,‫)לקוטי שיחות ח׳׳א‬
‫״ויאהב ״צחק א ת עשו כ״ ציד בפיו״‬

"Yitzchak loved Eisav because he provided him with food." (25:28)
Q U E S T I O N : Yitzchak was a w e a l t h y m a n . W h y was he de¬
pendent o n Eisav for food?
A N S W E R : The Gemara (Shabbat 89b) states that i n the future

Hashem w i l l c o m p l a i n to the Patriarchs that their c h i l d r e n (the
Jewish people) have sinned. A v r a h a m a n d Yaakov w i l l
respond, " L e t t h e m be annihilated for the sake of y o u r H o l y
name."
Yitzchak w i l l come to the defense of the Jewish people and

plead o n their behalf. H i s defense w i l l be the f o l l o w i n g :
" A - m i g h t y G-d, t h o u g h they have sinned, they deserve y o u r
love, because after a l l , you are their father and they are your
children."
Yitzchak w i l l prove his case b y stating the fact that he, too,
had a son w h o was far f r o m being a tzaddik, and yet he l o v e d
h i m merely because he was his son. Thus, Yitzchak l o v e d Eisav
because t h r o u g h h i m he h a d "food for argument" w i t h w h i c h
to defend the Jewish people and assure their s u r v i v a l .
(‫)ר׳ מאיר מפרימישלאן זצ״ל‬
‫״הלע״סנ״ נא מן האדם האדם הזה״‬

"Please pour into me some of this red stuff." (25:30)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d "na" means "please." Is i t n o t
strange that the ill-mannered Eisav s h o u l d speak so politely?
A l s o , since cooked lentils are n o t red, w h y does the pasuk
describe t h e m as red?
A N S W E R : The w o r d "na" can also mean " r a w . " Regarding

the Korban Pesach, the T o r a h says, ‫ " — ״ א ל ת א כ ל ו מ מ נ ו נ א ״‬Y o u
should not eat i t w h i l e i t is raw" (Shemot 12:9). Eisav was a ba'al
ta'avah — a g l u t t o n — he h a d bad table manners a n d a lust for

food. Before lentils are f u l l y cooked they are reddish. Eisav
came home and saw that Yaakov had just p u t u p lentils to cook.
I n his r o u g h manner he said to h i m , " T h r o w this red, raw stuff
d o w n m y throat."
‫״ויאמר יעקב מכרה כיום א ת בכרתך לי״‬

"And Yaakov said, 'Sell me this day your birthright.'" (25:31)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d "kayom" — "this d a y " — seems su¬
perfluous. "Sell me y o u r b i r t h r i g h t " w o u l d suffice.
A N S W E R : Yaakov negotiated the purchase of the b i r t h r i g h t

o n the d a y of A v r a h a m ' s passing. The w o r l d was cast into deep
m o u r n i n g a n d g l o o m . Statesmen a n d dignitaries w e p t o p e n l y
and cried out, " W o e to the w o r l d that has lost its leader, w o e to
the ship that has lost its captain!" (Bava Batra 91b) People f r o m
all w a l k s of life t h r o n g e d to pay final t r i b u t e to the greatest and
most beloved figure of their generation. The o n l y one absent at
the funeral was Eisav.
After the funeral Yaakov r e t u r n e d h o m e to prepare the

mourner's meal. Suddenly Eisav dashed i n " f r o m the f i e l d . " In¬
stead of w e e p i n g a n d bemoaning the great loss, he h a d gone
h u n t i n g . Yaakov was shocked and ashamed. H o w c o u l d a
grandson be so b r u t a l l y insensitive?!
A t that m o m e n t , Yaakov resolved to acquire the b i r t h r i g h t .

H e therefore said to Eisav, "Sell me y o u r b i r t h r i g h t , kayom —
because of w h a t happened o n this day. A s a firstborn y o u are
destined to d o the service i n the Beit Hamikdash. A m o r a l l y
callous hunter like yourself is u n w o r t h y of so lofty a s p i r i t u a l
identity."
‫״ויעקב נת! לעשו ל ח ם ונזיד עדשים״‬

"Yaakov gave Eisav bread and lentil soup." (25:34)
Q U E S T I O N : Eisav o n l y asked for the lentil soup. W h y d i d
Yaakov give h i m bread, too?
TOLDOT 117
A N S W E R : W h e n Eisav came f r o m the field he was t e r r i b l y

h u n g r y I t w o u l d not have been r i g h t of Yaakov to take
advantage of the situation and tell Eisav that i f he d i d n o t sell
h i m the bechora (birthright), he w o u l d let h i m die f r o m hunger.
Yaakov k n e w that Eisav w o u l d c l a i m that he was under duress
at the t i m e of the sale, a n d thus, i t was n u l l and v o i d .
W a n t i n g to make sure that Eisav w o u l d not have any regret

about the sale, he first gave h i m enough bread to stave off his
hunger. W h e n Eisav was no longer h u n g r y , Yaakov asked h i m
if he still w a n t e d the lentil soup i n exchange for the b i r t h r i g h t .
Eisav was then relaxed and w i t h his free w i l l sold his b i r t h r i g h t
for a p o t of lentil soup.
(‫ פרדס יוסף‬- ‫)ידי משה על מדרש רבה‬
‫ויעתק מ ש ם ויחפר באר א ח ר ת ולא רבו עליה ויקרא שמו רחבות‬

‫ויאמר כי ע ת ה הרחיב ה׳ לנו ופרינו בארץ‬
"And he dug a third well and they did not fight over it; he called it
'Rechovot,' saying, 'Now G-d made ample space for us, and we
shall be fruitful in the land.'" (26:22)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t is the significance of the three wells?
A N S W E R : The three w e l l s represent the three Batei Mikdash.

They are the w e l l s of " l i v i n g waters" w h i c h b r o u g h t , a n d w i l l
b r i n g , s p i r i t u a l life to the Jewish people.
I n the times of the first " w e l l , " the Babylonians led b y N e -

vuchadnetzar fought w i t h the Jews, u l t i m a t e l y destroying the
Beit Hamikdash. A f t e r w a r d s , the second Beit Hamikdash was
b u i l t . W a r was declared b y Titus (Ceasar) a n d his armies, and
eventually this Beit Hamikdash, too, was destroyed.
N o w Yitzchak, after fighting over the second w e l l , m o v e d

away. After some t i m e , he d u g a t h i r d w e l l . This t i m e there was
peace and t r a n q u i l l i t y .
Similarly, since the destruction of the second Beit

Hamikdash, w e were exiled f r o m our H o l y L a n d — Eretz Yisrael
— and a l o n g p e r i o d of t i m e has elapsed. W e are eagerly
a w a i t i n g the t h i r d Beit Hamikdash, and hopefully, w e w i l l soon
h a p p i l y p r o c l a i m , " N o w G-d has made ample space for us and

w e shall be f r u i t f u l i n the l a n d . "
‫״ונשלחך בשלום א ת ה ע ת ה ברוך ה׳״‬

"We have sent you away in peace; You are now the blessed of G-d."
(26:29)
Q U E S T I O N : H o w w e r e they convinced that Yitzchak was
blessed?
A N S W E R : A c c o r d i n g to the Gemara (Berachot 64a), w h e n

p a r t i n g w i t h a friend one s h o u l d say "lech leshalom" — "Go to
peace." H e s h o u l d n o t use the expression "lech beshalom" —
"Go i n peace" — because this c o u l d , G-d f o r b i d , b r i n g h i m evil.
A v i m e l e c h and his people were really n o t interested i n the

welfare of Yitzchak. N o t w a n t i n g to w i s h h i m w e l l , they said to
h i m "lech beshalom" h o p i n g that something unpleasant w o u l d
h a p p e n to h i m . To their amazement, n o t o n l y d i d he a v o i d mis¬
hap, b u t o n the contrary, he was blessed w i t h tremendous suc¬
cess.
W h e n Yitzchak asked t h e m , " W h y s u d d e n l y do y o u come

to me?" they r e p l i e d , " W e parted w i t h y o u w i t h the w i s h of
'beshalom' h o p i n g that y o u w o u l d encounter troubles. Seeing
y o u r success, w e are convinced that y o u are blessed b y G-d,
and therefore, our evil intentions d i d n o t affect y o u . "
(‫)שארית מנחם‬
‫ותלבש א ת יעקב בנה‬...‫״ותקח רבקה א ת בגדי עשו בנה הגדל‬

‫תקטר‬
"Rivkah took the garments of Eisav her older son and put them on
Yaakov, her younger son." (27:15)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y is i t necessary for the Torah to tell us that
Eisav was the older a n d Yaakov was the younger?
A N S W E R : The terms "gadol" a n d "katan" — " o l d e r " and

" y o u n g e r " — d o n o t o n l y refer to the age of Eisav a n d Yaakov,
b u t also to Eisav's m u c h larger physical size compared to
Yaakov.
TOLDOT 119
Yaakov was reluctant to go to his father to obtain the bera-

chot. H e pleaded w i t h his mother, "Please do not force me to go,
I a m afraid that I w i l l be cursed." H i s mother responded, " Y o u r
curse be u p o n me, m y son" (27:13).
A l t h o u g h R i v k a h made a v e r y brave statement, she still
was curious to f i n d o u t for herself i f she was d o i n g the r i g h t
t h i n g . She decided that the test b y w h i c h she c o u l d p r o v e i t
w o u l d be the clothing. Eisav was physically m u c h bigger than
Yaakov. She was amazed w h e n Eisav's c l o t h i n g fit Yaakov
exactly. This p r o v e d that she was d o i n g the proper t h i n g i n
sending Yaakov to get the berachot.
o o (‫)שפתי כהן‬
‫״ויבא אל אביו ויאמר אב״ ויאמר הנני מ״ א ת ה בני״‬

"And he came to his father and said, 'My father,' and he said, 'Here
I am; who are you, my son?'" (27:18)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d Yaakov o n l y say one w o r d , "avi" —
" m y father" — and n o t the complete statement w h i c h he later
made, "Sit and eat f r o m m y venison that y o u r soul m a y bless
m e " (27:19)?
A N S W E R : W h e n Yaakov came i n t o Yitzchak's r o o m , he
was t r e m b l i n g lest he be recognized. Therefore, he was afraid to
i n v i t e his father to eat. Thus, u p o n entering he said o n l y one
w o r d , "avi" — " m y father." W h e n Yitzchak asked, " W h o are
you?" Yaakov was convinced that Yitzchak d i d not recognize
his voice, and that i t was safe for h i m to continue speaking. H e
then i n v i t e d his father to eat the meal he prepared for h i m and
t o b l e s s h i m .
(‫)פון אומער אלטען אוצר‬
‫״וימשהו ויאמר ה ק ל קול יעקב והידים ידי עשו ולא הכירו כי היו ידיו‬
‫כידי עשו אחיו שערת ויברכהו״‬
"Yitzchak felt Yaakov and said, 'The voice is Yaakov's voice and the
hands are Eisav's hands.' He did not recognize him because his
hands were hairy like those of Eisav his brother, so he blessed
him." (27:22-23)
Q U E S T I O N : I f the voice and the hands seemed to be of t w o
different people, then there was a strong d o u b t as to the
person's identity. W h y then d i d Yitzchak give h i m the berachot?
A N S W E R : Yitzchak t o l d Eisav that he w o u l d like to give

h i m the berachot b u t requested that he s h o u l d first b r i n g h i m
food. Eisav was reluctant to go. H e pleaded w i t h his father to
give h i m the berachot i m m e d i a t e l y , and he w o u l d b r i n g h i m
food afterwards. H e t o l d his father that Yaakov was v e r y sly
and he feared that d u r i n g the t i m e he w o u l d be away, Yaakov
w o u l d sneak i n and steal the berachot.
Yitzchak said to Eisav, "Indeed y o u are w e l l aware that

Yaakov has a refined character a n d speaks v e r y p o l i t e l y . O n the
other h a n d , y o u speak r o u g h l y and w i t h o u t any respect. I f
Yaakov w i l l t r y to fool me, he w i l l imitate y o u r voice and speak
i n a v e r y r o u g h manner. Therefore, I advise y o u that w h e n y o u
b r i n g the food, speak v e r y gently. This w i l l be the sign that y o u
are really Eisav."
The T o r a h relates that R i v k a h overheard the conversation
between Yitzchak and Eisav and,
— " R i v k a h said to
Yaakov her son to say, 'Behold I heard y o u r father saying to
y o u r brother Eisav to say' " (27:6).
The w o r d "leimor" usually means to say something to
others. W h a t d i d R i v k a h mean w h e n she repeated the w o r d
twice?
A c c o r d i n g to the above-mentioned explanation, i t is
understood: R i v k a h was a d v i s i n g Yaakov h o w to get the
berachot. Thus, she t o l d h i m "leimor" — to speak i n his regular
tone of voice w h e n he came before his father, because " I heard
y o u r father speaking to Eisav y o u r brother leimor — to talk to
h i m i n your tone of voice."
Yaakov came before Yitzchak and spoke w i t h Hashem's

name o n his tongue. Yitzchak t h o u g h t to himself, "The first
sign is true, a n d Eisav is f o l l o w i n g instructions. Let me make
sure he really is Eisav." H e instructed h i m to come closer so that
he c o u l d feel i f his s k i n was hairy.
After inspecting h i m , Yitzchak said, " N o w that I have two

signs — the voice is that of Yaakov and the hands are those of
Eisav — indeed he is m y son Eisav and I shall bless h i m . "
TOLDOT 121
‫״בא אחיך במרמה ויקח ברכתך״‬

"Your brother came with wisdom and took away your blessing."
(27:35)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t was Yaakov's w i s d o m ?
A N S W E R : This episode took place o n Pesach, w h e n w e per¬

f o r m the Seder. R i v k a h prepared the goats for the festive meal
and the angel M i c h a e l sent along the w i n e for the four cups
(Da'at Zekeinim MiBa'alei Hatosafot 27:25). The meal concludes
w i t h the eating of the afikomen. A f t e r w a r d s , i t is f o r b i d d e n to eat
any food.
The w o r d "bemirmah" has the numerical value of

287, w h i c h is also the numerical value of the w o r d "afikomen"
. Yitzchak t o l d Eisav, " Y o u r brother is indeed v e r y
wise. p r i o r to y o u r a r r i v a l he already gave me the afikomen, and
thus, I a m f o r b i d d e n to eat any more food t o n i g h t . "
‫״ויאמר הכי קרא שמו יעקב ויעקבני זה פעמים״‬

"It is not in vain that they called him Yaakov, for he already
outsmarted me twice." (27:36)
Q U E S T I O N : 1) W h e n Yaakov was b o r n , he came o u t
h o l d i n g o n to the heel of Eisav. The T o r a h says that i t was for
this reason that he was named Yaakov. W h y d i d Eisav give a
n e w reason? 2) A s Eisav was p o u r i n g o u t his bitterness to his
father Yitzchak, s h o u l d he n o t have said, " I t is not i n v a i n that
"karata" — "You called h i m " — instead of "kara," w h i c h means
"he called"?
A N S W E R : W h e n Yaakov was b o r n , H a s h e m said to t h e m ,

" Y o u have g i v e n a name to y o u r swine [Eisav], I w i l l name m y
firstborn." Thus, Hashem gave h i m the name Yaakov (Midrash
Rabbah 63:8).
W h e n Eisav a r r i v e d and f o u n d that Yaakov h a d outsmarted

h i m , he said to his father, " I t always p u z z l e d me that Hashem
gave h i m the name Yaakov. I f the reason was s i m p l y that he
was h o l d i n g o n to m y heel, he s h o u l d have been called 'akev'
w h i c h means 'a heel,' a n d not 'Yaakov.' N o w I realize that i t is
not i n v a i n that H e (Hashem) called h i m Yaakov; o b v i o u s l y H e

k n e w that he would outsmart me. A n d he already d i d i t
successfully t w o times." (Yud begins m a n y future tense verbs.)
(‫)אלשיך‬
,
‫״את בכרת״ ל ק ח והנה ע ת ה ל ק ח ברכת ״‬
"He took my birthright, and now has taken away my blessings."
(27:36)
Q U E S T I O N : Eisav is n o w upset for losing the berachot. W h y

does he m e n t i o n the t a k i n g a w a y of the bechorah?
A N S W E R : W h e n R i v k a h felt u n u s u a l pains d u r i n g her

pregnancy, she w e n t to seek advice i n the Beit Midrash of Shem
a n d Eiver. She was t o l d that she was c a r r y i n g t w o c h i l d r e n a n d
‫" — ״ ו ר ב י ע ב ו ד צ ע י ר ״‬The elder shall serve the y o u n g e r " (25:23),
i.e., Yaakov w i l l r u l e over Eisav. Yitzchak i n his berachah said to
Yaakov, ‫" — ״ ה ו ה גביר ל א ח י ך ו י ש ת ח ו ו ל ך בני א מ ך ״‬Be a l o r d over
y o u r brothers, a n d y o u r mother's sons shall b o w d o w n to y o u "
(27:29).
Eisav, therefore argued, "Yaakov t o o k m y bechorah, —

b i r t h r i g h t — thus, he is n o w the rav — older — a n d I a m the
tza'ir — younger — so w h y then was he blessed that I s h o u l d
b o w to h i m ? "
(‫ עץ הדעת טוב על כתובות‬,‫)מלבי״ם‬
‫״ויען יצחק אביו ויאמר אליו הנה משמני הארץ יהיה מושבך ומסל‬
‫ ועל חרבך תחיה ואת אחיך תעבד והיה כאשר תריד‬:‫השמים מעל‬
‫ וישסם עשו א ת יעקב על הברכה אשר‬:‫ופרקת עלו מ ע ל צוארך‬
‫ברכו אביו״‬
"And Yitzchak his father answered and said to him: 'Behold, of the
fat places of the earth shall be your dwelling, and of the dew of the
heaven from above. And by your sword you will live, and your
brother you will serve; and it shall come to pass, when you will
break loose, that you will shake his yoke from off your neck.' And
Eisav hated Yaakov because of the blessing with which his father
blessed him." (27:39-41)
Q U E S T I O N : W h e n Eisav came to Yitzchak a n d discovered

that Yaakov preceded h i m , he cried bitterly: "Father, please
TOLDOT 123
bless me, too!" Yitzchak t o l d h i m : " I a m sorry, y o u r brother

took y o u r blessing."
1. H o w was i t possible that Yitzchak suddenly h a d a

blessing available for Eisav?
2. I f Eisav was also blessed, w h y d i d he hate Yaakov?
3. The w o r d s "Vaya'an Yitzchak" — " a n d Yitzchak an¬
swered" — and "hinei" — " b e h o l d " — are superfluous. I t
w o u l d have been sufficient to say
‫ " — מ ו ש ב ך ״‬A n d he said to h i m : ' O f the fat places of the earth
shall be y o u r d w e l l i n g . ' "
A N S W E R : W h e n Eisav a r r i v e d at his father's residence, he
cried b i t t e r l y and pleaded: "please bless me, too!" Yitzchak t o l d
h i m that he c o u l d not do a n y t h i n g for h i m because " y o u r
brother took y o u r blessing." Eisav persisted:
— " H a v e y o u not reserved a blessing for me?" (27:36)
"Vaya'an Yitzchak" — "Yitzchak answered": — "Behold, a
l o r d I have made h i m over y o u , a n d all his k i n I have g i v e n to
h i m as servants; w i t h corn and w i n e I have sustained h i m , w h a t
can I do for y o u , m y son?"
Eisav responded: — "Father, is this

o n l y one blessing? These are two blessings! (dominance and
wealth). W h y not d i v i d e this between the t w o of us and
— Bless me also w i t h one of them?"
"Vaya'an Yitzchak" — " A n d Yitzchak answered": ‫— ״ ה נ ה ״‬

"Imagine i f " — "Mishmanei Ha'aretz" — " I were to give y o u the
riches. D o y o u t h i n k that" — "v'et achicha ta'avod" — " y o u
w o u l d serve y o u r brother and p e r m i t h i m to dominate you?"
"Vehaya ka'asher tarid" — " A n d i t shall come to pass w h e n

y o u w i l l w a n t to break loose" — "ufarakta ulo mei'al tza'varecha"
— " y o u w i l l cast off his yoke f r o m u p o n y o u r neck. Thus, these
t w o blessings are inseparable, a n d there is n o t h i n g I can take
f r o m h i m and give y o u . "
Since the entire blessing w e n t to Yaakov, and Eisav received
n o t h i n g , he hated Yaakov because of the blessings his father
gave h i m .
(‫ קאליפאתיא‬,‫ מלאם אנדזשעלעס‬,‫)שמעתי מהרב אשר דיל זילבערשטיין‬
‫״הנה משמני הארץ יהיה מושבך״‬

"Behold, of the fat places of the land shall be your dwelling." (27:39)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains that this refers to " I t a l y of
Greece" (a city i n Southern I t a l y , especially Rome, w h i c h was
m o s t l y colonized b y the Greeks d u r i n g the first Temple era).
Since Yitzchak t o l d Eisav that he had g i v e n everything a w a y to
Yaakov, f r o m w h e r e d i d he take this land?
A N S W E R : The Gemara (Shabbat 56b) relates that w h e n K i n g
Solomon m a r r i e d the daughter of pharaoh, the angel Gavriel
p u t a stick i n t o the ocean. A r o u n d i t a sand bank gathered,
w h i c h became the c o u n t r y of southern Italy. O r i g i n a l l y , i t
belonged to the Greeks, b u t w h e n the Roman's conquered the
Greeks, i t became their t e r r i t o r y . W h e n Yitzchak blessed
Yaakov w i t h the fat of the l a n d , this parcel of l a n d was not
i n c l u d e d since i t was not i n existence at that time.
(‫ ועי׳ רשימת כ״ק אדמו״ר חי״ט‬- ‫)חנוכת התורה‬
‫״ויאמר עשו בלבו יקרבו ימי אבל אבי ואהרגה א ת יעקב אחי״‬
"Eisav said in his heart; 'May the days of mourning for my father
arrive then, I will kill my brother Yaakov.'" (27:41)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d Eisav w a n t to w a i t t i l l Yitzchak died?
ANSWER: Yaakov learned Torah day and night. Eisav k n e w
v e r y w e l l that the m e r i t of learning Torah w o u l d protect Yaakov
and he w o u l d not be able to h a r m h i m . (See Gemara Shabbat 30b.)
W h e n a close relative passes away, the m o u r n e r is an Onein
u n t i l the b u r i a l and is f o r b i d d e n to study Torah. Eisav's calcula¬
t i o n was that at the t i m e of Yitzchak's demise Yaakov w o u l d
not be learning Torah, and thus lack protection, so that i t w o u l d
be easy to k i l l h i m then
‫ עד שוב אף‬:‫״וישבת עמו ימים אחדים עד אשר תשוב ח מ ת אחיך‬

‫אחיך מ מ ך ושכח א ת אשר עשית לו״‬
"And stay with him a few days, until your brother's fury turn away;
until your brother's anger turn away from you, and he forget that
which you have done to him." (27:44-45)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d R i v k a h repeat the w o r d s " u n t i l y o u r
brother's anger t u r n a w a y f r o m you"?
TOLDOT 125
A N S W E R : Yaakov hated Eisav also. H e was terribly upset

w i t h h i m for distressing his parents w i t h his behavior.
R i v k a h advised Yaakov to flee to L a v a n a n d stay there u n t i l

Eisav's fury w o u l d cease. Yaakov asked his mother: " H o w w i l l
I k n o w that Eisav's anger has abated?" H i s mother t o l d h i m :
" W h e n the anger you carry w i l l depart f r o m y o u , then y o u can
be sure that y o u r brother Eisav has forgotten w h a t y o u d i d to
h i m , and no longer has a n i m o s i t y against y o u . "
K i n g Shlomo, i n his w i s d o m says:

‫ " — ה א ד ם ל א ד ם ״‬A s water reflects the image of a face, so the
heart of m a n corresponds to the heart of his fellow m a n "
(Proverbs 27:19).
‫״ויקרא יצחק אל יעקב ויברך אתו ויצוהו ויאמר לו לא ת ק ח אשה‬

‫מבנות כ נ ע ך‬
"Yitzchak summoned Yaakov and blessed him; he instructed him,
and said to him, 'Do not take a wife from the Canaanite women.'"
(28:1)
Q U E S T I O N : Earlier i n the parshah w e learnt i n detail about
Yitzchak's blessing Yaakov. W h y d i d he n o w bless h i m again?
A N S W E R : A l l parents w i s h that their son should m a r r y a

g i r l w h o comes f r o m a nice family. U n f o r t u n a t e l y , m a n y
endeavor to accomplish this b y means of i n t i m i d a t i o n , threats,
and vociferous disapproval. For instance, they w i l l say, " I f y o u
m a r r y this g i r l w e w i l l disinherit y o u , " or " w e w i l l not come to
the w e d d i n g " or " y o u are embarrassing our f a m i l y . " I n reality,
this w i l l accomplish v e r y little.
The proper w a y for parents to gain the children's love is b y

s h o w i n g t h e m that they care for t h e m a n d then, o u t of respect,
they w i l l i n t u r n not w a n t to do a n y t h i n g that m a y h u r t their
parents.
Therefore, the first t h i n g Yitzchak d i d was, "he blessed

h i m . " W i t h this he showed h i m h o w m u c h he cared about h i m
and that he was concerned for his success. Once a g o o d
relationship was established, he used the o p p o r t u n i t y to ask
h i m a favor, that he not m a r r y a g i r l f r o m the daughters of

Canaan.
F r o m Yitzchak w e can learn the best w a y to communicate

w i t h our children. H i s m e t h o d is described b y the popular adage;
" Y o u can catch more flies w i t h honey than w i t h vinegar."
(‫)חפץ חיים‬
‫״ ו א ל ש ד י יברך א ת ך ויפרך ויו־בך״‬

"And G-d A-mighty should bless you and make you fruitful and
multiply." (28:3)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d Yitzchak e m p l o y the H o l y N a m e - ‫״ ש‬
w h e n he blessed Yaakov to be f r u i t f u l and m u l t i p l y ?
A N S W E R : G-d i m p l a n t e d i n m a n the potential to procreate.

The first mitzvah of the T o r a h is "pru urevu" (‫" — )פרו ורבו‬to be
f r u i t f u l a n d m u l t i p l y . " The w o r d s " p r u urevu" have the
n u m e r i c a l value of 500.
W h e n the letters of the name are themselves spelled

out, "shin" is spelled "daled" is spelled " and
"yud" is spelled The unrevealed part of the letters, i.e.
the (60) ‫ ף ׳‬- ‫ ״ י‬of the "shin," the (430) ‫ת״‬-‫ ״ל‬of the "daled," and
the (10) ‫ ד ״‬- ‫ ״ ו‬of the " y u d " total 500. Thus, the H o l y N a m e of
has hidden i n i t the potential of pru urevu (500), w h i c h is
the p o w e r to b r i n g about G-d's great blessing of h a v i n g
children. For this reason, w h e n H a s h e m blessed Yaakov to
m u l t i p l y , H e prefaced i t b y saying, "Ani Keil Sha-dai — I a m
G-d A - m i g h t y — be f r u i t f u l and m u l t i p l y " [35:11].
* * *
I t is customary for a g i r l to l i g h t a candle i n honor of

Shabbat. W h e n she marries, she lights t w o . The reason for this
m a y be that a m a r r i e d couple has a total of 500 l i m b s (man has
248 a n d w o m a n 252 see Bechorot 45a) a n d the Mitzvah of pru
urevu (500) becomes applicable. The w o r d "neir" —
"candle" — has the n u m e r i c a l value of 250. Thus, the t w o
candles total 500.
TOLDOT 127
For this reason i t is customary that a chatan and kallah are

led to the chuppah w i t h a candle h e l d o n each side.
(‫ פ״א סי׳ ב‬,‫ הכנסת כלה‬,‫)מטה משה חלק שלישי‬
‫״וילך פדנה ארם אל לבן בן בתואל הארמי אח״ רבקה אם ״עקב‬

‫ועשו׳‬
"And he went to Paddan-Aram to Lavan, son of Betuel the Aramean,
the brother of Rivkah, the mother of Yaakov and Eisav." (28:5)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi comments: " I do not k n o w w h a t the
a d d i t i o n of the w o r d s 'the mother of Yaakov and Eisav' teaches
us."
W h y was i t necessary to a d d the w o r d s "the mother of

Yaakov a n d Eisav"?
A N S W E R : To protect Yaakov f r o m being k i l l e d b y Eisav,

his parents decided to send h i m to L a v a n i n P a d d a n - A r a m , and
Yitzchak advised h i m to "take a w i f e f r o m there."
Yitzchak a n d R i v k a h h a d t w o sons, Eisav and Yaakov.

L a v a n had t w o daughters, Leah a n d Rachel. The p o p u l a r
o p i n i o n was that Eisav w o u l d m a r r y Leah, a n d Yaakov w o u l d
m a r r y Rachel (Bava Batra 123a).
A w a r e of Lavan's unscrupulous character, they feared that

he w o u l d slyly tell Yaakov, " I w o u l d love to have y o u as m y
son-in-law, b u t i t is i m p r o p e r for the younger to get m a r r i e d
before the older. Therefore, I w i l l call Eisav to come here and
m a r r y Leah, and afterwards I w i l l give m y daughter Rachel to
y o u as a w i f e . " U n d o u b t e d l y , w h e n Eisav w o u l d meet Yaakov
i n Lavan's territory, he w o u l d k i l l h i m i m m e d i a t e l y .
Consequently, Yitzchak a n d R i v k a h advised Yaakov to tell

L a v a n that his sister R i v k a h , "the mother of Yaakov and Eisav"
had sent h i m , and that he, Yaakov, was her older son. Hence,
he c o u l d m a r r y before Eisav and there w o u l d be no need to
b r i n g Eisav to Paddan-Aram.
(‫ צנצנת המן‬- ‫)זכרון ישראל‬
VAYEITZEI ‫ו י צ א ־‬
‫״ויקח מאבני המקום וישם מו־אשתיו״‬

"He took from the stones of the place and he placed them around
(under) his head." (28:11)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi says that he w a n t e d to protect himself
f r o m w i l d animals. W h y d i d he protect o n l y his head a n d not
the rest of his body?
A N S W E R : A v e r y i m p o r t a n t lesson can be learned f r o m

Yaakov's actions. Yaakov spent all his years s t u d y i n g T o r a h i n
the h o m e of Yitzchak a n d i n the Beit Midrash of Shem and
Eiver. N o w he had to give u p some of his T o r a h study t i m e and
engage i n w o r l d l y matters.
Yaakov k n e w that i n the w o r l d at large there are m a n y

forces that are alien to T o r a h a n d mitzvot a n d hostile to the
religious Jew. These forces influence the m i n d of the Jew and
t r y to persuade h i m to leave the p a t h of Torah. Therefore,
Yaakov made a great effort to protect his "head," to prevent
negative influences f r o m interfering w i t h his yiddishkeit.
(‫)לקוטי שיחות ח׳׳א‬
‫״ויקח מאבני המקום וישם מראשתיו וישכב במקום ההוא״‬

"He took of the stones of the place, and he placed them around
(under) his head, and lay down in that place to sleep." (28:11)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d Yaakov rest his head o n a stone?
A N S W E R : The Gemara (Bava Kamma 30a) says: " H e w h o

w a n t s to be a chassid s h o u l d observe the laws of nezikin —
damages" (being careful n o t to h u r t anyone or damage
p r o p e r t y ) . Rava says that he s h o u l d f o l l o w the teachings of Avot
VAYEITZEI 129
(Book of Ethics), and others say that he should be observant i n

the laws of berachot (recognizing the supremacy of Hashem and
t h a n k i n g H i m for everything). The w o r d "even" (‫" — )אבן‬stone"
— is an a c r o n y m for "avot, berachot, nezikin" .
A s Yaakov was preparing to enter the "outside w o r l d , " his

first resolution was to be a chassid. The placing of the placing of
these three stones as the guidepost for his "head," was, as
t h o u g h to say, that his thoughts w o u l d always be directed to
exceling i n these three matters.
The three stones u n i t e d to emphasize that each approach is

equally i m p o r t a n t and that t h r o u g h these three things one can
make the w o r l d a "beit Elokim" — a "house of G-d."
(‫ פרדס יוסף שמות ע׳ רט״ז‬- ‫)ארץ החיים על תהלים נ׳‬
* * *
It m a y also be said that "berachot" — recognizing the su¬

premacy of H a s h e m and t h a n k i n g H i m for everything — is an
allusion to the relationship between m a n and Hashem ( ‫בין א ד ם‬
‫ ) ל מ ק ו ם‬. Being careful not to h u r t or injure a fellow m a n ,
"nezikin," represents i n t e r - h u m a n relationships ( ).
To be exemplary, one must conduct himself w i t h i n these t w o
realms, i n accordance w i t h the guidelines a n d teachings
conveyed b y "avot" — our ancestors.
‫״ויקרא שם המקום ההוא בית א ל ״‬

"And he named that place Beth-el [G-d's home]." (28:19)
Q U E S T I O N : The Gemara (Pesachim 88a) says that the reason
the prophet Isaiah refers to the Beit Hamikdash as "the House of
Jacob" (2:3), is to emphasize that i t is not like the description
f o u n d i n the context of A v r a h a m , concerning w h o m i t is
w r i t t e n " m o u n t a i n " (22:14), nor is i t like the description f o u n d
i n the context of Yitzchak, concerning w h o m i t is w r i t t e n
" f i e l d " (24:63), rather i t is like the description f o u n d i n the
context of Yaakov, w h o called i t "house."
Since i n contemporary times a shul is a Beit Hamikdash i n

m i n i a t u r e (Megillah 29a), w h a t is the significance of these three
titles for a shul?
A N S W E R : The m a j o r i t y of people are not m o u n t a i n

climbers. Even those w h o are, d o i t rarely. G o i n g o u t to the
fields (vacationing i n the country) is done more frequently and
b y a larger n u m b e r of people. L i v i n g i n a h o m e is something
all people d o and at a l l times. Yaakov emphasized that the shul
s h o u l d resemble a h o m e — a place v i s i t e d b y a l l people a n d at
all times.
* * *
The less one carries the easier i t is to c l i m b a m o u n t a i n .
W h e n g o i n g o u t to the fields (on vacations) people take along
baggage and d w e l l i n cottages. h o w e v e r , the l i v i n g conditions
d o not compare to the comforts of one's personal home. Yaakov
emphasized that the place of w o r s h i p be treated like a h o m e —
elegantly furnished a n d beautified to the highest degree.
‫״ונתן ל״ לחם לאכל ובגד ללבש״‬

"He will give me bread to eat and garments to put on." (28:20)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d s "le'echol" — "to eat" — and
"lilbosh" — "to w e a r " — seem extra?
A N s W E R : There are people w h o have food i n abundance

and a wardrobe full of clothing yet are unfortunately bed-ridden
and unable to enjoy their delicacies or garments. Yaakov prayed
for good health so that he c o u l d enjoy his food and wear his
clothing. To h i m "gezunt" was a p r i m a r y objective.
(‫)שפתי כהן‬
* * *
A l t e r n a t i v e l y , m a n w o r k s v e r y h a r d and goes to great

l e n g t h to earn his 'bread' (parnasah). For example, people w o r k
d u r i n g the n i g h t d e n y i n g themselves sleep; others p e r f o r m
hazardous jobs, a n d still others travel far distances a n d are
separated f r o m their families for l o n g periods of time.
i n reality one m a y w o n d e r , are they w o r k i n g "for bread to

eat" or is "their bread eating them?"
Yaakov p r a y e d to h a s h e m to give h i m a t r a n q u i l source of

parnasah t h r o u g h w h i c h he w o u l d have "bread to eat" a n d n o t
VAYEITZEI 131
an occupation where, G-d f o r b i d , the bread w o u l d consume

him.
‫״ונתן ל״ לחם לאכל״‬

"He will give me bread to eat." (28:20)
Q U E S T I O N : A c c o r d i n g to Rabbi Yehoshua (Midrash Rabbah
70:5), Yaakov was asking for the Lechem Hapanim — the 12
loaves w h i c h were placed w e e k l y o n the table i n the Mishkan
and Beit Hamikdash. W h y w o u l d Yaakov ask n o w for Lechem
Hapanim w h e n there was no Mishkan?
A N S W E R : The reference to Lechem Hapanim is allegorical:

The t w e l v e loaves were baked o n Friday a n d placed o n the
table Shabbat m o r n i n g . They remained there u n t i l the f o l l o w i n g
Shabbat m o r n i n g . N o r m a l l y , bread w h i c h is exposed for eight
days becomes stale, b u t these loaves m i r a c u l o u s l y remained
fresh. W h e n they were r e m o v e d , they were just as w a r m and
fresh as w h e n they were first p u t o n the table (Chagigah 26b).
Yaakov spent his life s t u d y i n g Torah i n the home of

Yitzchak and also i n the Beit Midrash of Shem a n d Eiver. N o w
he was p r e p a r i n g to go out into the w o r l d to encounter L a v a n
and his contemporaries. Unfortunately, people succumb to the
temptations and challenges of the w o r l d . Yaakov feared that
dealing w i t h the w o r l d m i g h t influence h i m to modernize and
change his approach to Torah and mitzvot.
Therefore, i n his prayer to h a s h e m , he asked for the lasting

p o w e r of Lechem Hapanim, h o p i n g that i n the future, his
d e v o t i o n to Torah and mitzvot w o u l d not change.
(‫)הרב דוב ארי׳ דיל בערזאן‬
‫״וכל אשר תתן לי עשר עשרנו לך״‬

"Of whatever you will give me, I will give a tenth to you." (28:22)
Q U E S T I O N : W o u l d n ' t everybody make such a deal w i t h
hashem?
A N S W E R : The famous Jewish p h i l a n t h r o p i s t Sir Moses

Montefiore l i v e d i n nineteenth-century England. Queen
V i c t o r i a once asked h i m , " W h a t is the extent of y o u r wealth?
H o w m u c h d o y o u o w n ? " Sir Moses t o l d her i t w o u l d take h i m
a few days to d o a proper accounting.
W h e n Sir Moses t o l d her his w e a l t h she became upset, say¬

i n g , " Y o u ' r e n o t t e l l i n g the t r u t h . Everyone k n o w s that y o u
have m u c h more." Sir Moses explained that he considered as
his w e a l t h whatever m o n e y he gave a w a y to tzedakah. A n y t h i n g
else that he possessed was o n l y t e m p o r a r y a n d c o u l d be
confiscated or lost.
Yaakov was a l l u d i n g to this t h o u g h t and said to Hashem,

— "Whatever y o u w i l l g i v e " — " i realize, that
— 'for m e ' — i w i l l o n l y have the ten percent w h i c h i w i l l give
a w a y to tzedakah."
(‫ קומץ המנחה‬- ‫)מעינה של תורה‬
‫״וכל אשר תתן לי עשר אעשרנו לך״‬

"Of whatever you give me, I will give a tenth to you" (28:22)
Q U E S T I O N : A c c o r d i n g to the Midrash Rabbah (70:6),
Yaakov gave his son L e v i to H a s h e m as ma'aseir. W h y was L e v i ,
the t h i r d b o r n son, g i v e n as ma'aseir, and n o t Z e v u l u n w h o was
b o r n tenth?
A N S W E R : Yaakov h a d t w e l v e c h i l d r e n b o r n i n the
f o l l o w i n g order: Reuven, S h i m o n , L e v i , Y e h u d a h , D a n , N a f t a l i ,
Gad, Asher, Yissachar, Z e v u l u n , Yosef, B i n y a m i n . W h e n he was
ready to give a son as ma'aseir, he b r o u g h t t h e m all into a r o o m
according to the order i n w h i c h they w e r e b o r n . A f t e r w a r d s , he
took t h e m o u t f o l l o w i n g the order of the last one i n , first one
out.
Thus, he counted off ten, starting w i t h B i n y a m i n ; L e v i ,

being the tenth, was declared ma'aseir.
(‫)פרדס יוסף בשם קובץ קול תורה חוברת י״א סי׳ כ׳׳ו‬
VAYEITZEI 133
‫״ויאמר הן עוד היום גדול לא ע ת ה א ם ף המקנה״‬

"Lo, it is still the middle of the day, it is not yet time for the cattle
to be gathered together." (29:7)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d "hein" (‫ " — )הן‬l o " — seems
superfluous. W o u l d i t n o t be sufficient to say, " i t is still the
m i d d l e of the day"?
A N S W E R : I n the alef-beit there are 22 letters, w h i c h are

d i v i d e d into three sections. to " " are the singular nu¬
merals. to are the tens, and to " " are the hundreds.
I n the singular section the first a n d last letters can be paired to
equal ten, i.e., 10 = ‫ א‬+ ‫ט‬ . The second a n d second to the last
letters, 10 = ‫ ב‬+ ‫ח‬ etc. The o n l y letter that remains alone w i t h ¬
out a pair is . I n the tens section, the first and last can be
paired together to equal 100, i.e., + = 100. The second and
second to the last, + = 100 etc., The o n l y letter w h i c h
remains alone w i t h o u t a pair is the .
The prophet says of the Jewish people, "seh pezurah Yisrael"

— "Israel is a scattered sheep" (Jeremiah 50:17). presently, w e
are i n galut — exile — eagerly a w a i t i n g the c o m i n g of Mashiach
w h o w i l l gather us together a n d end the galut. The pasuk is
h i n t i n g that as l o n g as w e are i n the category of — separate
entities,not u n i t e d together — the galut w i l l continue, G-d
f o r b i d , and Mashiach w i l l not come to gather Hashem's sheep.
(‫)ר׳ נפתלי מראפשיץ זצ״ל‬
‫״ויאמר הן עוד היום גדול לא א ת ה א ם ף המקנה״‬

"Lo, it is yet high day, it is not yet time for the cattle to be
gathered together." (29:7)
Q U E S T I O N : Yaakov was a stranger; w h y d i d he m e d d l e i n
the shepherd's activities?
A N S W E R : The d a y before, w h e n Yaakov was o n the w a y to

Charan, the T o r a h relates that he slept there " k i va hashemesh"
— "because the sun set." Rashi explains that i t set m u c h earlier
t h a n usual i n order for Yaakov to sleep.
N o t k n o w i n g the reason for the shortened day, the shep¬

herds assumed that o n the next day as w e l l there w o u l d be a
recurrence. Therefore, they gathered a r o u n d the w e l l w i t h their

cattle m u c h earlier. W h e n Yaakov saw this, he i n f o r m e d t h e m ,
" D o not d r a w any conclusions f r o m w h a t happened yesterday;
i t was a one-time event."
(‫)אבני שהם‬
‫״ויספר ללבן א ת כל הדברים האלה״‬

"And he told Lavan all these things." (29:13)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t d i d Yaakov tell Lavan?
A N S W E R : Eisav was v e r y angry at Yaakov. W h e n he heard

of Yaakov's leaving, he sent his son Elifaz to catch u p w i t h
Yaakov a n d k i l l h i m . W h e n Elifaz met Yaakov, he t o l d h i m his
father's orders. Yaakov t o l d Elifaz, " A poor person is
equivalent to a dead person (Nedarim 64b). Take a l l m y
valuables a n d i t w i l l be considered as t h o u g h y o u k i l l e d me."
W h e n L a v a n heard about Yaakov's a r r i v a l , he r a n and

kissed h i m , and was v e r y disappointed w h e n he f o u n d Yaakov
empty-handed. H e asked Yaakov w h y Eliezer had carried so
m a n y valuables w h i l e he, Yaakov, h a d nothing? Yaakov t o l d
him, — " a l l these t h i n g s " — w h i c h is an
a c r o n y m for
— " D o not w o n d e r w h y I d i d not b r i n g
a n y t h i n g . I left m y house w i t h great w e a l t h . The b a n d i t Elifaz
took i t all away."
J
‫״ויאמר לו לבן אך עצמי ובשרי אתה״‬

"And Lavan said to him; 'Surely you are my bones and flesh.'"
(29:14)
Q U E S T I O N : They w e r e t w o separate i n d i v i d u a l s . H o w
c o u l d i t be that Yaakov was Lavan's bone a n d flesh?
A N S W E R : There are three partners i n the f o r m i n g of m a n .

T h r o u g h the father he receives veins a n d bones; t h r o u g h the
mother, flesh and b l o o d ; and t h r o u g h H a s h e m , the neshamah
(Niddah 31a).
Yaakov was related to L a v a n t h r o u g h b o t h of his parents.

Yaakov's mother was Lavan's sister, and his grandfather, A v r a -
VAYEITZEI 135
h a m , was a brother to Lavan's grandfather Nachor. Thus, he

was a nephew t h r o u g h his mother and a second cousin t h r o u g h
his father, Yitzchak. Consequently, t h r o u g h the paternal
relationship, they were of "one bone," a n d f r o m the maternal
relationship, they were of "the same flesh."
‫״ויאמר לב! • ו ב תתי א ת ה לך מ ת ת י א ת ה לאיש אחר״‬

"And Lavan Said: 'It is better that I give her to you than that I
should give her to another man.'" (29:19)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y was L a v a n so eager for Yaakov to m a r r y
Rachel?
A N S W E R : L a v a n k n e w that Yaakov was a great tzaddik. H e

also k n e w that his daughter Rachel was a great tzaddeikit.
L a v a n was sure that i f Yaakov w o u l d m a r r y another

w o m a n , and Rachel w o u l d m a r r y another m a n , Yaakov w o u l d
make his w i f e a tzaddeikit a n d Rachel w o u l d make her husband
a tzaddik. I f this were to happen, L a v a n w o u l d have to contend
w i t h four tzaddikim. Therefore, he w o u l d rather that Yaakov
m a r r y Rachel so that there w o u l d o n l y be t w o tzaddikim.
(‫)ר׳ בונים מפשיסוזא זצ״ל‬
* * *
I n mispar katan ("single numerals" — see p. 4), the w o r d

‫ ״ ת ת י ״‬adds u p to 9, a n d the w o r d ‫ ״ מ ת ת י ״‬adds u p to 13. The
name of Lavan's daughter Leah (‫ )לאה‬adds u p to 9, a n d Rachel
adds u p to 13.
L a v a n was s h r e w d a n d had a sharp tongue, w h i l e Yaakov

was a naive yeshivah bachur. Desirous to get the most free labor
out of his nephew, L a v a n cleverly said to h i m : "Tov titi otah
lach" — " I n m y o p i n i o n , Titi (Leah) is better for y o u t h a n Mititi
(Rachel) because Otah le'ish acheir — She I w o u l d prefer to give
to another m a n . "
‫״ויאםף לב! א ת כל אנשי המקום ויעש מ ש ת ה ״‬

"And Lavan gathered all the people of the place and made a feast."
(29:22)
Q U E S T I O N : W h e n a person plans a w e d d i n g , he first pre¬
pares the meal and afterwards the guests arrive. W h y d i d
L a v a n first i n v i t e the people a n d afterwards prepare the meal?
A N S W E R : Yaakov w o r k e d for a p e r i o d of seven years

before L a v a n p e r m i t t e d h i m to m a r r y his daughter. L a v a n
enjoyed free labor a n d decided to s w i t c h Leah for Rachel, so
that Yaakov w o u l d w o r k another seven years for n o t h i n g .
W h e n the first seven-year p e r i o d was c o m i n g to an end, L a v a n
began p l a n n i n g a w e d d i n g . H e called together all the people of
the city a n d t o l d t h e m the f o l l o w i n g : " Y o u a l l remember v e r y
w e l l the d i f f i c u l t y our city h a d w i t h water before Yaakov came.
There was o n l y one w e l l , and a l l the shepherds had to gather
together to uncover i t . L u c k i l y , since Yaakov has a r r i v e d , o u r
city has been blessed, a n d w e n o w have a greater s u p p l y of
water.
"Yaakov is p l a n n i n g to m a r r y m y daughter and leave the

city, so w e m a y all have to suffer again. I f y o u agree to
cooperate w i t h me, I have a p l a n w h i c h w i l l keep h i m here for
another seven years. I w i l l fool h i m a n d give h i m Leah instead
of Rachel. I k n o w he w a n t s Rachel v e r y m u c h , so he w i l l stay
here for seven more years, a n d o u r t o w n w i l l be blessed
t h r o u g h h i m . " Everyone a p p r o v e d the plan.
L a v a n then t o l d t h e m that i n order for h i m to be sure that

n o b o d y w o u l d reveal the secret, everyone w o u l d have to go
h o m e and b r i n g their valuables as a guarantee. L a v a n took
these valuables to the storekeepers i n exchange for a l l the food
needed to make a l a v i s h w e d d i n g . Consequently, after first
gathering together a l l the people, he was able to make a
beautiful meal w i t h o u t spending a p e n n y of his o w n .
W h e n the w e d d i n g was over, the people came to c l a i m their

valuables. L a v a n sent t h e m to the storekeepers. The
storekeepers t o l d t h e m that they c o u l d get back their valuables
if they w o u l d pay for the food w h i c h was g i v e n to L a v a n i n
VAYEITZEI 137
exchange. A s they w a n t e d their possessions, reluctantly they

p a i d all of Lavan's bills.
It is, therefore, v e r y befitting that he became k n o w n as

"Lavan Ha'Arami" — " L a v a n the A r a m e a n " ( w i t h a p u n o n
"HaRamai" — "the S w i n d l e r " ) . N o t o n l y d i d he fool his son-in-
l a w , Yaakov, b u t he also cheated the entire city w h e r e he l i v e d .
‫״ויאםף לב! א ת כל אנשי המקום ויעש מ ש ת ה ״‬

"Lavan gathered all the people of the place and made a feast."
(29:22)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d L a v a n o n l y make a b i g reception for
Leah a n d n o t for Rachel?
A N S W E R : L a v a n was a crooked person and was g o i n g to

fool Yaakov into m a r r y i n g Leah. I n order to distract his
attention a n d the attention of a l l the people of the city, he
" w i n e d and d i n e d " t h e m so that they w o u l d a l l be busy w i t h
the beautiful p a r t y a n d n o t have any t i m e to discuss the chatan
and kallah. W h e n Yaakov m a r r i e d Rachel this was no longer
necessary, so L a v a n saved his m o n e y and d i d n o t make any
p a r t y at a l l .
(‫)מצמיח ישועה‬
‫״ויאמר לב! לא יעשה כן במקומינו ל ת ת הצעירה לפני הבכירה״‬

"Lavan said it is against the rules of our city to give in marriage the
younger daughter before the older." (29:26)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d L a v a n have to stress "our city?"
A N S W E R : W a n t i n g to poke f u n at Yaakov, L a v a n t o l d h i m ,
" I n our city the people are v e r y honest. W e do not do a n y t h i n g
unethical. I n your city, y o u were really the younger and y o u r
brother Eisav was y o u r senior. Y o u made a crooked deal, and
suddenly y o u became the older one and y o u r brother the
younger one. H o w e v e r , i n our city such things are f r o w n e d
u p o n . Rachel is the younger and w i l l r e m a i n the younger, and
she cannot m a r r y before her older sister."
‫״ויבא גם אל רחל ויאהב גם א ת רחל מלאה״‬

"And he also married Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than
Leah." (29:30)
Q U E S T I O N : W o u l d i t not have been sufficient to say
"vaye'ehav et Rachel" — " A n d he l o v e d Rachel"?
A N S W E R : O r i g i n a l l y , Yaakov w a n t e d to m a r r y Rachel, b u t
L a v a n fooled h i m and gave h i m Leah instead. Yaakov
suspected a t r i c k and therefore arranged secret signs between
them. W h e n Rachel saw that her father was g o i n g to substitute
her sister Leah for her, she became concerned lest her sister be
embarrassed. Therefore, she conveyed the secret signs to Leah.
W h e n Yaakov became aware of this, his love for Rachel

intensified because the w a y she conducted herself w i t h Leah
convinced h i m even more of her righteousness and g o o d
nature. The T o r a h confirms this b y saying: "Vaye'ehav gam et
Rachel" — " A n d he l o v e d (also) Rachel m o r e " — "MiLeah" —
"through (because of w h a t she d i d for) Leah."
(‫)אמרי שפר‬
‫״ותהר לאה ותלד בן ותקרא שמו ראובן כי אמרה כי ראה ה׳ בעניי״‬

"Leah conceived and bore a son. She called his name Reuven,
saying, 'G-d saw my affliction.'" (29:32)
Q U E S T I O N : A c c o r d i n g to the Gemara (Berachot 7b), the
w o r d Reuven is composed of t w o w o r d s — "re'u bein" — "see
m y son." Leah called h i m Reuven because she said, "See the
difference between m y son a n d the son of m y father-in-law.
Eisav, the son of m y father-in-law, sold his bechorah ( b i r t h r i g h t )
to Yaakov and afterwards hated h i m and c o m p l a i n e d that he
was fooled. T h o u g h m y son w i l l n o t sell the bechorah, Yosef w i l l
be considered the bechor (firstborn) of Yaakov and w i l l get an
extra share. Nevertheless, m y son w i l l n o t express any
resentment" (Rashi).
W h y does the Gemara give this reason, w h e n i n fact Leah

herself gave a different reason for the name?
A N S W E R : Yaakov was v e r y a n g r y w h e n he realized that

L a v a n had fooled h i m and h a d g i v e n h i m Leah instead of
VAYEITZEI 139
Rachel. After he finally m a r r i e d Rachel, he w a n t e d to divorce

Leah. H a s h e m stopped h i m b y m a k i n g Rachel barren w h i l e
Leah bore c h i l d r e n (29:30).
W h e n Leah gave b i r t h to her first c h i l d , she named h i m

Reuven because of the reason the Gemara mentions. H o w e v e r ,
she d i d not w a n t to reveal this reason to Yaakov because then
he w o u l d k n o w that Rachel w o u l d eventually have a c h i l d , and
divorce her. Therefore, w h e n she was asked w h y she called the
b o y Reuven, she answered, "Because G-d saw m y affliction."
It is interesting to note that i n the case of all the other chil¬

d r e n the reason for the name is g i v e n first a n d then the name is
mentioned. O n l y w i t h Reuven is i t w r i t t e n , "She gave b i r t h and
called h i m Reuven because she said... ," w h i c h indicates that
this was not the real reason for the name — i t was o n l y w h a t
she t o l d people.
(‫קול אליהו‬-‫)פני יהושע‬
‫״ותקרא א ת שמו יוסף לאמר יוסף ה׳ לי בן אחר״‬

"She called him Yosef saying, 'May G-d give me another son.'"
(30:24)
Q U E S T I O N : Since the w o r d "acheir" can also mean
"different" i t w o u l d have been better to say "od bein" — "an
a d d i t i o n a l son"?
A N S W E R : Yaakov was destined to have 12 sons. W h e n

Leah became pregnant for the seventh t i m e , she was concerned
that i f she should have another son, her sister Rachel w o u l d be
inferior to Bilhah a n d Z i l p a h , because she w o u l d have o n l y one
son w h i l e they each had t w o . Leah therefore p r a y e d for Rachel
and, t h r o u g h a miracle, the female i n Rachel's w o m b was
transferred to Leah and the male i n her w o m b was transferred
to Rachel. Thus, she gave b i r t h to D i n a h , and Rachel gave b i r t h
to Yosef (see Niddah 31b, Maharsha).
Hence, w h e n Yosef was b o r n , Rachel p r a y e d to Hashem

that H e give her "bein acheir" a different type of son, one w h o
w o u l d be conceived and carried i n her w o m b f r o m b e g i n n i n g
to end.
(‫)מצמיח ישועה‬
‫״אעבד בכל צאנך היום הסר מ ש ם כל שה נקד וסלוא״‬

"I will pass through all your flock today; remove from there every
speckled and spotted one." (30:32)
Q U E S T I O N : W h e n Yaakov t o l d L a v a n "remove a l l the
speckled flock," instead of saying: "E'evor bechol tzoncha" — " I
w i l l pass t h r o u g h a l l y o u r flock" — s h o u l d he not have said
"Ta'avor bechol tzoncha" — "You s h o u l d pass t h r o u g h a l l y o u r
flock?"
A N S W E R : The Midrash (Pesikta Rabbati, 14) tells a story of a

chassid w h o sold one of his animals to a non-Jew. W h e n Shabbat
came, the a n i m a l refused to w o r k u n t i l the Jew himself
w h i s p e r e d i n t o her ear: " Y o u no longer belong to me, and y o u
m a y w o r k for y o u r n e w o w n e r as he requests."
H a v i n g Yaakov as their shepherd for t w e n t y years, the

sheep became attached to h i m . A c c o r d i n g to the n e w
agreement, some w o u l d r e m a i n the p r o p e r t y of Lavan, and
some w o u l d belong to Yaakov. A l l the sheep preferred being i n
the h o l y possession of Yaakov to being i n the profane
possession of Lavan. Yaakov a n d L a v a n w e r e b o t h aware of
this fact and, therefore, Yaakov offered: " I w i l l pass t h r o u g h
y o u r flock, and I w i l l tell t h e m of the n e w arrangement that w e
made, and then you w i l l be able to remove for yourself a l l the
speckled ones."
(‫)שר שלום מבעלז זצ״ל‬
‫״וישלח יעקב ויקרא לרחל וללאה השדה אל צאנו״‬

"And Yaakov sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his
flock." (31:4)
Q U E S T I O N : Yaakov w a n t e d to speak to his w i v e s i n pri¬
vacy and t o l d t h e m to meet h i m i n the fields. W h y are the
w o r d s "el tzono" — "to his flock" — necessary?
A N S W E R : L a v a n and his m e n k n e w v e r y w e l l that Yaakov

was upset w i t h Lavan's corruptness i n dealing w i t h h i m . I f
Yaakov w o u l d have called his w i v e s to a secret meeting i n the
fields, Lavan's m e n w o u l d have become suspicious that he was
p l a n n i n g to flee, and they w o u l d have spied o n h i m . Therefore,
VAYEITZEI 141
he let the w o r d o u t that he was b u r d e n e d w i t h t a k i n g care of

the large flock of sheep and that he was calling u p o n his w i v e s
to help h i m .
‫״ו״גנב ״עקב א ת לב לבן הארמי על בל״ הגיד לו כ״ ברח הוא״‬

"And Yaakov stole the heart of Lavan the Aramean in that he told
him not that he fled." (31:20)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y was L a v a n upset? I t w o u l d have been
foolish of Yaakov to tell h i m that he was r u n n i n g away.
A N S W E R : One w h o moves a w a y a n d takes u p residence i n

a n e w c o m m u n i t y tries to establish roots a n d detach himself
f r o m his place of o r i g i n . H o w e v e r , one w h o is forced to flee his
city yearns to r e t u r n at the first o p p o r t u n i t y .
Before Yaakov left his parent's home, his father t o l d h i m ,

"Go to P a d d a n - A r a m a n d get m a r r i e d there" (28:2). H i s mother
t o l d h i m , " Y o u r brother is p l a n n i n g to k i l l y o u ; therefore, flee to
m y brother L a v a n to Charan"(27:42-43).
W h e n Yaakov met L a v a n he t o l d h i m o n l y that his father

had advised h i m to come there a n d that he w o u l d like to m a r r y
his daughter Rachel, b u t he d i d n o t reveal that his mother had
u r g e d h i m to flee f r o m Eisav.
W h e n Yaakov eventually fled, L a v a n was angry at h i m for

not i n f o r m i n g h i m o r i g i n a l l y , "ki borei'ach hu" — that he came
to his home as a fugitive. L a v a n said to Yaakov, " H a d I k n o w n
that y o u came to me because y o u were forced to r u n away, I
w o u l d have suspected that y o u intended r e t u r n i n g to y o u r
family. U n d e r such circumstances I w o u l d never have agreed
that y o u m a r r y m y daughters a n d later separate t h e m f r o m
their f a m i l y . "
‫ ויאמר לבן הגל הזה‬:‫״ויקרא לו לבן יגר שהדותא ויעקב קרא לו גלעד‬
‫עד ביני ובינך היום על כן קרא שמו גלעד״‬
"And Lavan called it 'Yegar-sahaduta,' but Yaakov called it
'Gal'eld.' And Lavan said, 'This heap of stones is a witness between
me and you this day.' Therefore he called it 'Gal'eld.'" (31:47-48)
Q U E S T I O N : O r i g i n a l l y , L a v a n called i t "Yegar-sahaduta";
w h y d i d he change his m i n d a n d call i t "Gal'eid"?
A N S W E R : W h i l e L a v a n was eager to reach a peace treaty

w i t h Yaakov, he w a n t e d i t to be done i n his language. Yaakov
refused and t o l d L a v a n , " I f y o u w a n t a treaty w i t h me, i t m u s t
be i n m y language and o n m y terms." Seeing Yaakov's persis¬
tence, L a v a n y i e l d e d and agreed that e v e r y t h i n g be done i n
accordance w i t h Yaakov's conditions.
An important lesson can be learned from this:

U n f o r t u n a t e l y , there are Jews w h o t h i n k that they m u s t
compromise i n order to f i n d favor i n the eyes of society. Torah
teaches us never to be ashamed of our customs and ideals.
Seeing o u r sincerity a n d d e v o t i o n to Torah, the w o r l d w i l l y i e l d
and respect the Jew for his beliefs.
(‫)מיוסד על מפורנו‬
VAYISHLACH 143
VAYISHLACH ‫וישלח ־‬
‫ישלח יעקב מלאכים׳‬

"And Yaakov sent messengers." (32:4)
QUESTION: Rashi comments: "Malachim mamash" — " A c t u a l
angels."
W h a t right d i d Yaakov have to use Hashem's angels as his
messengers?
ANSWER: I n the final pesukim of the previous parshah, w e
learn of Yaakov meeting a contingency of angels: " A n d he
(Yaakov) called the name of that place 'Machanaim' " (32:3).
F r o m the fact that the Torah speaks of the angels i n p l u r a l
("Machanaim" being interpreted as " t w o camps"), i t is deduced
that there were t w o sets of angels. One group consisted of
heavenly angels w h i c h Hashem created, and the other group
consisted of angels w h o were created t h r o u g h the mitzvot and
good deeds w h i c h Yaakov performed (see Avot 4:11).
Indeed, Yaakov had no right to use Hashem's angels, b u t he
d i d have permission to use for his benefit the angels w h o were
created t h r o u g h h i m . W h e n Yaakov had to prepare for an en¬
counter w i t h Eisav, he sent his angels. Rashi alludes to this b y
explaining that the angels he sent were ‫ מ מ ש ״‬/ ‫ ׳‬an acronym for
— h i s
‫״ממעשים שלו״‬ "torn ctefe/' ‫״‬ ( ‫ל‬ ,
‫ [ ל א ן ז צ‬1 ] ‫מ א י ו מ פ ו ע ן י‬ ‫)ר‬
‫״כה תאמרון לאדני לעשו כה אמר עבדך יעקב עם לבן גרתי״‬

"Thus shall you say to my lord, to Eisav: 'Thus said your servant
Yaakov: I have sojourned with Lavan.' " (32:5)
QUESTION: Yaakov sent a message to Eisav that even
t h o u g h he d w e l l e d w i t h the w i c k e d Lavan, he observed the 613
mitzvot (Rashi).
W h y d i d Yaakov t h i n k that his observance of Torah a n d mitz-

vot w o u l d make an impression o n Eisav?
ANSWER: Usually, w h e n t w o sides are t r y i n g to reach an
agreement i t is necessary for each one to yield a little. Yaakov's
message to Eisav was, " I a m eager to negotiate w i t h y o u and to
make peace. I f necessary, I w i l l make concessions and grant some
of y o u r wishes. H o w e v e r , I w a n t y o u to k n o w that I l i v e d w i t h
Lavan and frequently h a d to negotiate w i t h h i m . I was always
patient and let h i m have his w a y . One h u n d r e d times he changed
his agreement w i t h me regarding m y salary (31:41), and I always
gave i n and never argued. But there was one place where I d i d
not give u p one inch: m y observance of Torah a n d mitzvot.
" I a m therefore i n f o r m i n g y o u that I a m easy to deal w i t h ,
b u t i f y o u are expecting me to compromise o n Torah and mitzvot,
then there can be no discussion between us."
‫״כה תאמרון לאדני לעשו כה אמר עבדך יעקב עם לבן גרתי״‬

"Thus shall you say to my lord, to Eisav: 'Thus said your servant
Yaakov: I have sojourned with Lavan.' " (32:5)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi comments: "The letters of 'garti' (‫)גרתי‬
correspond numerically to 613, that is, ' w i t h Lavan the w i c k e d I
sojourned (‫)גרתי‬, b u t the 613 (‫ )תרי״ג‬Commandments I observed,
and I d i d not learn f r o m his evil deeds.' "
Rashi's w o r d s , " I d i d not learn f r o m his evil deeds," are
seemingly redundant. I f he observed 613 mitzvot, is i t not obvious
that Lavan h a d no influence over him?
ANSWER: Yaakov was not expressing satisfaction for not
learning f r o m Lavan's evil deeds. O n the contrary, he was ex¬
pressing his dissatisfaction and frustration.
Yaakov sent a message to Eisav: " I lived i n the home of Lavan
for t w e n t y years, d u r i n g w h i c h I observed h o w enthusiastically he
performed his sins. T h o u g h I fulfilled 613 mitzvot, I d i d not apply
his level of excitement to m y Torah and mitzvot." Yaakov h u m b l y
said: " I f o n l y I w o u l d have performed mitzvot w i t h the excitement
and vigor w i t h w h i c h he performed his sins!"
* * *
The Chiddushei HaRim (first Rebbe of Ger) once said con¬
cerning missionaries: " I f w e were to w o r k for the emet (spreading
VAYISHLACH 145
Torah and Yiddishkeit) w i t h an emet (sincerity), like they w o r k for

the sheker (falsehood) w i t h an emet, w e w o u l d experience im¬
mense success."
‫ ויה״ לי שור וחמור צאן ועבד ושפחה‬:‫״עם לבן גרת״ ואחר עד עתה‬
‫ואשלחה להגיד לאדני למצא חן בעיניך״‬
"I have sojourned with Lavan, and lingered until now. And I have
oxen, and donkeys and flocks, and men-servants and maidservants;
and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes."
(32:5-6)
QUESTION: W h y was i t necessary for Yaakov to tell Eisav
"va'eichar ad atah" — " A n d I lingered u n t i l now"?
ANSWER: M a n y years had lapsed since Yaakov and Eisav
had last met, and n o w Yaakov endeavored to f i n d favor i n his
eyes. Yaakov thought that Eisav c o u l d question the messengers:
" I f Yaakov is such a good friend of mine, w h y has he not both¬
ered to contact me all these years?"
H e therefore instructed t h e m to tell Eisav that the reason w h y
"va'eichar ad atah" — " ' I lingered u n t i l n o w ' — and d i d not come
to meet y o u earlier — was because I was a poor shepherd,
w o r k i n g w i t h the herds of our uncle Lavan. I was sure y o u
w o u l d be disappointed and h u r t to hear of the poverty I was
experiencing. However, n o w that ' I have oxen, and donkeys,' I
a m contacting y o u and i n f o r m i n g y o u of the good news, because
I a m sure y o u w i l l be pleased b y m y success, and that ' I m a y f i n d
f a v o r i n y o u r e y e s .
' "
‫״באנו אל אחיך אל עשו וגם הלך לקראתך וארבע מאות איש עמו״‬
"We came to your brother, to Eisav, and moreover, he is heading
toward you with an army of 400 men." (32:7)
QUESTION: W h y d i d Eisav take so m a n y people w i t h him?
ANSWER: Eisav always tried to seem v e r y scrupulous i n the
mitzvah of h o n o r i n g one's father. H e k n e w v e r y w e l l that
Yitzchak w o u l d be greatly disappointed w i t h h i m and v e r y
angry i f he w o u l d k i l l Yaakov.
Therefore, he took a large c r o w d of people so that he c o u l d
have an excuse for Yitzchak. H e w o u l d tell h i m that i t was not he
w h o k i l l e d Yaakov: " M y friends were very upset because of w h a t

Yaakov d i d to me; as soon as they saw h i m , they w e n t o u t of con¬
t r o l , and I was unable to stop t h e m f r o m k i l l i n g h i m . "
(‫)ר׳ יהונתן דיל אייבשיץ‬
‫״ויירא ״עקב מאד ויצר לו״‬

"Yaakov was greatly afraid and worried." (32:8)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains that he was afraid of getting
k i l l e d and w o r r i e d — "That he m i g h t k i l l
others." W h o are the "acheirim" — "others" — Yaakov was afraid
he w o u l d kill?
ANSWER: W h e n the Romans w a n t e d to destroy the Beit
Hamikdash, they sent armies headed b y Niron Kaisar, w h o was a
descendant of Eisav. D u r i n g the w a r he had a change of m i n d
and converted to Judaism. The famous Talmudic sage Rabbi
M e i r was one of his descendants (Gittin 56a).
Due to an incident between h i m and Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi
M e i r was not referred to b y name, b u t was k n o w n as "acheirim"
— "others" (Horiyot 13b). Yaakov was w o r r i e d that i f he k i l l e d
Eisav, then his descendant "acheirim" — Rabbi M e i r — w o u l d be
prevented f r o m coming to this w o r l d .
‫״ויאמר אם יבוא עשו אל ה מ ח נ ה ה א ח ת והכהו והיה המחנה הנשאר‬

‫לפליסה״‬
"And he said, 'If Eisav comes to the first camp and destroys it, then
the other camp which is left shall escape.'" (32:9)
Q U E S T I O N : H o w was Yaakov sure that the other camp
w o u l d survive?
ANSWER: Eisav planned to k i l l Yaakov for taking away the
berachot. R i v k a h was v e r y w o r r i e d and instructed Yaakov to r u n
away, saying, " W h y should I lose the t w o of y o u o n one day?"
(27:45) F r o m the w a y she expressed herself, Yaakov deduced that
he and Eisav w o u l d probably perish o n the v e r y same day. Thus,
he d i v i d e d his people into t w o camps and distanced t h e m a day
apart. H i s reasoning was that i f Eisav w o u l d destroy the first
camp w i t h Yaakov i n their midst, he w o u l d also perish o n that
day. Thus, the second camp w o u l d survive.
VAYISHLACH 147
‫״הצילני נא מיד אחי מיד עשו׳‬

"Rescue me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of
Eisav." (32:12)
QUESTION: Yaakov's only brother was Eisav; w h y d i d he
specify "The hand of m y brother, the hand of Eisav"?
ANSWER: Yaakov had t w o fears; physical and spiritual.
Firstly, i f Eisav and his a r m y attacked h i m , he m i g h t be overpow¬
ered and killed. Secondly, i f he became friendly w i t h h i m , Eisav
w o u l d be a bad influence o n Yaakov's family.
Therefore, he prayed, "Rescue me from the hand of m y
brother," that he should not h a r m t h e m spiritually, t h r o u g h
becoming a "brother" and good friend of the family. Also, he
prayed that the vicious " h a n d " of Eisav should not attack and,
G-d forbid, physically h a r m the family.
* * *
The Gemara (Berachot 30b) says that w h e n one is i n the midst

of prayer, even i f the k i n g greets h i m and inquires about his
wellbeing or even i f a snake is w o u n d r o u n d his heel, he should
not interrupt his prayers.
I n v i e w of the abovementioned, this halachah can be
explained metaphorically.
T h r o u g h o u t the long galut (exile), the Jewish people are
confronted w i t h basically t w o types of experiences: Sometimes
w e experience a seemingly benevolent government w h i c h
expresses interest i n our welfare and grants us equal rights. I n
other instances, governments encircle the Jewish people like a
snake. W e are oppressed, herded into ghettos, and suffer from
the m a n y restrictions placed u p o n us.
O u r wise sages are teaching us that, regardless h o w the
situation appears, w e should not disrupt our prayers. A t all
times w e must continue to pray to Hashem that H e liberate us
from galut immediately.
‫״כי ירא אנכי אתו פן יבוא והכני אם על בנים׳‬

"For I fear him lest he come and strike me down, mother and chil¬
dren." (32:12)
QUESTION: The w o r d "oto" — " h i m " — seems extra?
ANSWER: O r i g i n a l l y Yitzchak w a n t e d to give the berachot to

Eisav. I n order to obtain the berachot, Yaakov disguised himself as
Eisav. H e d i d this so w e l l that Yitzchak was convinced that
Yaakov was really " h i m " (Eisav) and gave the berachot. Thereaf¬
ter, Eisav bore a grudge against Yaakov and looked for an oppor¬
t u n i t y to k i l l h i m .
N o w the time had arrived for Yaakov to meet Eisav face to

face. H e prayed to Hashem saying, "please save me, I a m
afraid...he m a y take revenge for 'oto,' (him). Because I obtained
the berachot b y pretending to be ' h i m . ' "
(‫)ר׳ ברוך ממיזובוז זצ״ל‬
‫״פן יבוא והכני אם על בנים״‬

"Lest he come and strike me down, mother and children." (32:12)
Q U E S T I O N : H a v i n g four wives, Yaakov should have ex¬
pressed his concern i n the plural: "imahot" — "mothers?"
ANSWER: M a n y people predicted that since Lavan had t w o

daughters, Leah and Rachel, and his sister R i v k a h had t w o sons,
Eisav and Yaakov, the older son Eisav w o u l d m a r r y the older
daughter Leah, and the younger — Yaakov — w o u l d m a r r y
Rachel. For m a n y years Leah cried her eyes out that this should
not happen and Hashem accepted her plea (see Rashi 29:17).
Yaakov was afraid that Eisav m i g h t carry a special grudge

against Leah for not w a n t i n g to m a r r y h i m . Therefore, he wor¬
ried that Eisav m i g h t come and smite "the mother" — Leah.
(‫)באר מים חיים‬
‫מנחה לעשו אחיו״‬...‫״ויקח מן הבא בידו‬

"And he took from what came to his hand...a present for Eisav his
brother." (32:14)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d s "min haba beyado" — " f r o m w h a t
came to his h a n d " — seem extra?
ANSWER: The prophet E l i y a h u confronted the false

prophets w h o w o r s h i p p e d idols. To prove their falsehood, he
challenged t h e m to offer an ox as a sacrifice to their i d o l , and he
VAYISHLACH 149
w o u l d b r i n g an ox as a sacrifice to Hashem. The true G-d w o u l d

send d o w n a fire to the altar w h i c h w o u l d consume the sacrifice.
A n ox selected for the false prophets r a n away and refused to

be used for this purpose. Eliyahu ran after h i m , and w h e n he
caught u p w i t h h i m , the ox complained, " W h y should I be used
as a sacrifice for i d o l w o r s h i p w h i l e the other ox is for Hashem?"
Eliyahu comforted h i m b y telling h i m , " T h r o u g h the both of y o u ,
Hashem's name w i l l be sanctified." H e then took the ox i n his
hand and handed h i m over to the false prophets (see Rashi to 1
Kings, 18:26).
A similar occurrence took place n o w . W h e n Yaakov began

preparing the m a n y animals for the gift to Eisav, they all objected
and refused to go. Yaakov had to take t h e m w i t h his hand and
persuade t h e m to go.
He promised t h e m participation i n a kiddush Hashem, for

w h e n Mashiach comes, Eisav w i l l r e t u r n to h i m the entire gift (see
Bereishit Rabbah 78:12).
* * *
W h e n Eisav met Yaakov he refused the gift saying, "achi yehi

lecha asher lach" — " M y brother, let yours be yours" (33:9). W h y
was the w i c k e d Eisav suddenly so generous?
Eisav k n e w that this gift was something w h i c h w o u l d be his

o n l y temporarily and that i t w o u l d have to be returned w h e n
Mashiach comes. Therefore, he said to Yaakov, "Since, i n reality,
this is destined to be yours, keep i t and d o n ' t cause me the
hardship of h a v i n g to care for i t and pay i t back at a later date."
(‫ מסלתון ראב״ד ביירות‬- ‫)בית יעקב ר׳ יעקב הכהן דיל טראב‬
‫״ואת אחד עשר ילדיו״‬

"And his eleven children." (32:23)
QUESTION: Rashi asks, "Where was Dinah?" and gives the
answer that she was h i d d e n i n a box and, therefore, was not
counted. H o w does Rashi k n o w that the reference to eleven
children does not include the daughter Dinah? perhaps i t does
not include one of the sons?
ANSWER: One of the reasons w h y the Beit Hamikdash was

b u i l t i n Jerusalem o n the l a n d of B i n y a m i n is that he was not
b o r n w h e n Yaakov met Eisav and, thus, d i d not b o w d o w n to
Eisav (Yalkut Mei'am Loez, Devarim 33:12).
W h e n Yaakov met Eisav, he had eleven sons and one daugh¬

ter. I f w e should say that the eleven children included D i n a h and
one of the sons was h i d d e n i n the box, then that child w o u l d
deserve that the Beit Hamikdash be b u i l t o n his l a n d more than
Binyamin; because he was already b o r n and d i d not b o w d o w n
to Eisav, w h i l e B i n y a m i n was not even b o r n at the time.
Therefore, Rashi k n e w that the missing c h i l d had to be D i n a h ,
w h o d i d not get a share of Eretz Yisrael.
‫״ויותר יעקב לבדו״‬

"And Yaakov was left alone." (32:25)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi says that Yaakov forgot "pachim ketanim"
— "small jars" — and he returned to pick t h e m up. W h i c h small
jars d i d Yaakov forget?
ANSWER: I n Eretz Yisrael, i f a Jew should notice spots o n the

walls of his house ( ‫)נגעי ב ת י ם‬, he is to contact a Kohen, w h o comes
and examines the house to see i f the house is defiled. H e first
instructs the person to remove all items f r o m the house and o n l y
afterwards, w h e n the house is emptied of all its contents, does he
declare the house defiled. The reason is that the Torah does not
w a n t the contents of the house to become defiled and unfit for
use.
F r o m this halachah, the Zohar learns a v e r y interesting lesson:

If Hashem was concerned that even small jars should not become
defiled and unfit for use, h o w m u c h more so should a talmid
chacham have concern for himself and not endanger himself b y
w a l k i n g alone. H e should always have t w o people accompany¬
ing h i m .
W h e n Rashi taught his students the story of Yaakov remain¬

ing alone and being attacked b y the angel of Eisav, a question
was raised: W h y was Yaakov alone? Rashi t o l d his students that
obviously Yaakov m o m e n t a r i l y forgot the lesson of the Zohar
VAYISHLACH 151
w h i c h a talmid chacham has to derive f r o m Hashem's concern

even over small jars. Consequently, he w e n t o u t alone and was i n
great danger.
(‫)פרדס יוסף בשם תפארת צבי‬
‫ וירא כ״ לא ״כל לו‬:‫״ויותר ״עקב לבדו ויאבק איש עמו עד עלות השחר‬
‫ויגע בכף ירכו״‬
"And Yaakov was left alone; and a man wrestled with him, until the
break of the dawn. And when he saw that he prevailed not against
him, he touched the hollow of his thigh." (32:25-26)
QUESTION: W h y d i d the angel wrestle w i t h Yaakov and not
w i t h A v r a h a m or Yitzchak?
ANSWER: The w o r l d stands u p o n three pillars: Torah study,

service of Hashem (prayer), and acts of kindness. Each of the
three patriarchs was the prototype of one of these pillars.
A v r a h a m excelled i n chesed — kindness. Yitzchak was associated
w i t h prayer, as the pasuk states: "Vayeitzei Yitzchak lasuach
basadeh" — " A n d Yitzchak w e n t o u t to meditate i n the f i e l d "
(24:63). Yaakov was "ish tam yosheiv ohalim" — "a sincere m a n ,
d w e l l i n g i n tents" (25:27). H e spent his time i n the "tents" of
Torah.
The " m a n " w h o wrestled w i t h Yaakov was the angel of

Eisav. H e was the adversary of the Jewish people, and striving to
b r i n g about, G-d forbid, their destruction. O f the three patriarchs
he had little fear of A v r a h a m because the continuity of the Jewish
people (Yiddishkeit) cannot be contingent o n acts of kindness such
as b u i l d i n g hospitals for the sick and homes for the aged. N o r can
the posterity of the Jewish people (Yiddishkeit) be assured
t h r o u g h people reciting their prayers o n a daily basis. The secret
of our existence is the study of Torah and teaching i t to our
children as soon as they are of age to understand it. Thus, b y ob¬
structing the study of Torah, the representative of Eisav hoped to
jeopardize the continuity of the Jewish people.
This battle is a never ending one, and even w h e n unable to

topple Yaakov himself, Eisav tries to "wrestle" w i t h "kaf yereicho"
— "the h o l l o w of his t h i g h " — w h i c h represents the children and
future generations of Yaakov. [When the Torah enumerates the
family of Yaakov, i t calls t h e m "yotzei yereicho" — " [ w h o ] came

out of his thighs" (46:26).]
(!‫)ר׳ אלחנן וואסערמאן הי״‬
‫״ויזרח לו השמש׳‬
"And the sun rose up for him." (32:32)
Q U E S T I O N : Hashem made the sun rise earlier i n order to
heal Yaakov's injury (Rashi). W h y was this necessary?
ANSWER: Everyday, before the sun or the m o o n begin to

serve the w o r l d , they immerse i n the fiery river of D i n u r (Yalkut
Shimoni Isaiah 66). The Shelah explains that i t is because the non-
Jewish w o r l d worships the sun and the m o o n , and t h r o u g h this
i m m e r s i o n they are cleansed f r o m any effect of the i d o l w o r s h i p .
The sun is k n o w n to possess healing powers. H o w e v e r ,

Yaakov w o u l d have refused to benefit f r o m i t because i t is wor¬
shipped as an i d o l , and according to halachah, i t is forbidden to
derive any pleasure f r o m something used for i d o l w o r s h i p .
(Yoreh Dei'ah 142, 155).
Therefore, for the sake of Yaakov's healing, Hashem made

the sun rise earlier. W h i l e the non-Jewish w o r l d was still asleep
and had not yet w o r s h i p e d the sun that day, Yaakov benefited
f r o m the sun's healing powers.
(‫כרם חמד‬-‫)פרדס יוסף‬
‫״ויי־ץ עשו לקראתו ויחבקהו״‬

"Eisav ran to meet Yaakov and embraced him." (33:4)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi says that there is a halachah that Eisav
hates Yaakov. W h a t does Eisav's hatred of Yaakov have to do
w i t h halachah?
ANSWER: F r o m the fact that a non-Jew hates a Jew, a new

halachah was formulated. I f t w o Jews are eating a meal, one
eating meat and the other dairy, they are not to share one table
because they m a y exchange some of their food. H o w e v e r , a Jew
and a non-Jew are permitted to share a table, even i f one is eating
meat and the other is eating dairy. The reason is that the non-Jew
VAYISHLACH 153
hates the Jew and there w i l l not be any exchange of food between
them.
‫״וישא א ת עיניו וירא א ת הנשים ואת הילדים ויאמר מי אלה לך ויאמר‬

‫הילדים אשר חנן ה׳״‬
"Eisav lifted his eyes and saw the women and children. He said, 'Who
are these to you?' And Yaakov replied, 'The children which G-d has
graciously given to your servant.'" (33:5)
QUESTION: Eisav asked about the w o m e n and the children.

W h y d i d Yaakov reply o n l y about the children?
ANSWER: The angels Yaakov sent to Eisav described Yaakov

as being extremely pious; even i n the house of Lavan he ob¬
served the 613 mitzvot.
W h e n Eisav met Yaakov and saw his wives, he said to

Yaakov, " I heard that y o u were v e r y observant i n the house of
Lavan. I f that is true, I w o n d e r — ‫ — ?׳מי א ל ה לך׳‬W h y , after y o u
married Leah, d i d y o u m a r r y her sister Rachel?" (The w o r d
can be rearranged to spell . )
Yaakov replied, " W e have a halachah that

‫ ' — שנולד ד מ י ׳‬A convert to Judaism is considered like a n e w b o r n
c h i l d ' (Yevamot 22b). Before m a r r y i n g , I had to convert Leah and
Rachel. Consequently, m y t w o wives are 'hayeladim' — the new¬
b o r n children w h i c h Hashem was k i n d enough to grant me —
and thus, I d i d not violate any l a w . "
(‫)מנחת סופר‬
‫וכי יש לי‬...‫קח נא א ת ברכתי‬...‫ויאמר יעקב‬...‫״ויאמר עשו יש לי רב‬

‫כל״‬
"And Eisav said, 'I have a lot,' and Yaakov said, 'Please accept my
gift... because I have everything.'" (33:9-11)
QUESTION: W h y d i d Eisav say, " I have a l o t " w h i l e Yaakov

said, " I have everything"?
ANSWER: Yaakov was a righteous person and Eisav was

w i c k e d . The w i c k e d are never fully satisfied. Therefore, Eisav
said, " I have a lot." H e was insinuating that t h o u g h he d i d have

m u c h w e a l t h , he was not content because he d i d not have i t all.
The nature of a tzaddik is to be h a p p y w i t h whatever he has

and not to desire more. Therefore, Yaakov said, "Whatever I
have is w h a t Hashem gave me, and to me i t is everything — I do
not need any more."
‫והצאן והבקר עלות על״ ודפקום יום אחד ומתו כל הצאן‬

"The nursing flocks and cattle are upon me; and they will drive them
hard for one day, then all the flocks will die." (33:13)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d n ' t Yaakov accept Eisav's offer to ac¬
company h i m and travel together at a slower pace?
ANSWER: The Patriarchs observed the Torah, and thus

Yaakov was a Shomer Shabbat to the fullest degree. Eisav, being a
non-Jew, was forbidden to observe Shabbat and could be p u t to
death should he do so (Sanhedrin 58b).
Yaakov t o l d Eisav, " W h e n Shabbat comes I w i l l have to rest

for a day together w i t h m y entire camp, and y o u must continue
on since y o u are forbidden to observe Shabbat. Sunday, I w i l l
have to go v e r y q u i c k l y and cover t w o days of travel i n one, i n
order to catch u p w i t h y o u . I a m therefore afraid that, since m y
flocks are weak, i f I w i l l overdrive t h e m 'yom echad' — ' o n the
first day of the week' (Sunday) — they w i l l all die o n me, and I
w i l l be left w i t h n o t h i n g . "
‫״ויבא יעקב שלם עיר שכם״‬

"And Yaakov came complete (see Rashi) to the city of Shechem."
(33:18)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t does " c o m i n g complete" mean?
ANSWER: The w o r d "shalom" (‫ )שלם‬is an acronym for

"sheim" — name — "lashon" — language — and
"malbush" — garment. The Torah is attesting to the fact
that t h o u g h Yaakov was associated w i t h L a v a n for t w e n t y years,
it d i d not have any affect u p o n h i m . H e d i d not modernize and
VAYISHLACH 155
adopt a n e w name. H e d i d not stop speaking his native tongue,

Lashon HaKodesh-Hebrew, nor d i d he change his style of clothing
according to the popular trend of Lavan's society i n the streets of
Charan.
(‫)בני יששכר‬
‫״ותצא דינה ב ת לאה אשר ילדה ליעקב לראות בבנות האיץ״‬

"And there went out Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to
Yaakov, to look upon the daughters of the land." (34:1)
QUESTION: W h y is D i n a h referred to as "bat Leah" —
"daughter of Leah"?
ANSWER: H a v i n g become pregnant for the seventh time,

Leah was w o r r i e d that this could cause embarrassment to her
sister Rachel. She k n e w that Yaakov was destined to father
twelve tribes. Since she already had six sons, and the t w o maids,
Bilhah and Z i l p a h , each had t w o sons, i f she were to have a
seventh son, Rachel w o u l d seem less w o r t h y than the maids.
Therefore, she prayed that her sister be spared embarrassment.
A t the time of her prayers, Rachel, too, was pregnant and

was carrying a girl. I n response to her prayers, Hashem
miraculously transferred the g i r l i n Rachel's w o m b to Leah, and
the boy carried b y Leah to Rachel (Niddah 31a, Maharsha). Thus,
Rachel gave b i r t h to Yosef, and Leah to Dinah. Consequently, the
Torah emphasizes that D i n a h was the daughter of Leah, because
w i t h o u t her prayers, Leah w o u l d never have given b i r t h to her.
‫ ״‬m n ‫״ויקחו שני בני יעקב שמעון ולוי אחי דינה איש‬
"Shimon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took each man his sword."
(34:25)
QUESTION: Does not the w o r d "ish" — "[each] m a n " —
seem superfluous?
ANSWER: A t the time w h e n this episode took place, Shimon

and Levi were thirteen years o l d . The reference to t h e m as "ish" is
to teach us that at the age of thirteen one becomes a full fledged
member of Klal Yisrael and obligated to observe all the mitzvot of
the Torah (Avot 5:22, Bartenura).
The Rosh i n his Responsa (Klal 16a) writes that the age of
thirteen for Bar-Mitzvah is not based o n a Biblical source, b u t is
like all measurements, a Halachah LeMoshe MiSinai — an instruc¬
t i o n g i v e n to moshe w h e n he was o n m t . sinai
* * *
The difference between the t w o views o n Bar Mitzvah is rele¬
vant to noachides. A t w h a t age are they obligated to p e r f o r m
their mitzvot? i f i t is derived f r o m the case of s h i m o n and l e v i ,
the number 13 w o u l d a p p l y to a Noachide. H o w e v e r , i f i t is
considered an instruction w h i c h was g i v e n to moshe, this w o u l d
not a p p l y to a Noachide. Because, things w h i c h are learned
t h r o u g h Halachah LeMoshe MiSinai are o n l y for israelites and not
for Noachides. Therefore, as soon as a Noachide shows signs of
understanding and responsibility, he is obligated to perform his
mitzvot (Talmudic Encyclopedia, v o l . 3, p g . 361).
* * *
The fact that a source for the age of Bar-Mitzvah is derived

f r o m s h i m o n and l e v i imparts another v e r y i m p o r t a n t lesson: A s
soon as one becomes thirteen years of age, one is expected to
have mesirat nefesh (i.e., the highest degree of dedication) to
defend and protect the integrity and sanctity of Klal Yisrael as
w e a s e a c h a n d e v e r y J e w .
U ‫״‬ , . ‫״‬ ( ‫א‬ ‫ח כ‬ ‫ [ י מ ן ת‬1 ‫ת‬ ‫ן ע י‬ ‫ה ן ס פ ן ת‬ ‫ה ׳‬ ‫ח‬ ‫ [ י ח ן ת‬1 ] ‫) ל ק ן ט י‬
‫ ויהרגו כ ל ז כ ר ״‬N O ! ‫״ויבאו ע ל ה ע י ר‬

"They came upon the city confidently and killed every male." (34:25)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y were Shimon and L e v i confident that they
w o u l d succeed?
ANSWER: Shechem w a n t e d v e r y m u c h to m a r r y D i n a h . The

sons of y a a k o v agreed to the marriage o n the condition that all
the m e n of the city undergo a brit and be circumcised like Jews.
Shimon and L e v i k n e w v e r y w e l l that i f they w o u l d attack

non-Jews, the residents of all cities around t h e m w o u l d make an
uproar and come to their rescue. o n c e they were circumcised, the
entire w o r l d w o u l d consider t h e m as members of the Jewish
p o p u l a t i o n and look aside w h e n Jews were being killed. This sad
t r u t h was Shimon and Levi's source of confidence.,.,,,,‫״‬ ., , ‫ ״‬- , ‫<ייריוזי‬ ‫יו‬ ‫י‬
VAYISHLACH 157
‫״ויהי ח ת ת אלקים על הערים אשר סביבותיה• ולא רדפו אחר״ בני‬

‫יעקב״‬
"And the fear of Hashem was on the cities, and they did not chase
after the children of Yaakov." (35:5)
QUESTION: W h y is the t e r m "chitat" used and not "yirat,"
the more c o m m o n l y used t e r m for fear?
ANSWER: The w o r d ‫" — ״ ח ת ת ״‬fear" — is also an acronym

for Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya. The previous Lubavitcher
Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, urged that every day
of the week, every Jew should study the p o r t i o n of Chumash for
the day of the week (Sunday t i l l , monday till ), a portion
of Tehillim according to the day of the m o n t h (the Tehillim is di¬
v i d e d for the 30 days of the Hebrew m o n t h ) , and a p o r t i o n of
Tanya as i t is d i v i d e d for each day of the year. This is a great segu-
lah for everyone materially and spiritually.
I n 1843 the Tzemach Tzedek (Rabbi Menachem M e n d e l

Schneerson, the t h i r d Lubavitcher Rebbe) sent his son Rabbi
Shmuel to petersburg to discuss some c o m m u n a l concerns w i t h
Russian ministers. prior to his departure he t o l d h i m that his
mother, Devorah Leah, appeared to h i m and t o l d h i m that she
had the zechut to visit the h o l y palace of the Ba'al Shem Tov i n
heaven. She sought his blessing to alleviate the difficulties
confronting her son f r o m the adversaries of Chassidic teachings.
The Ba'al Shem Tov t o l d her that t h r o u g h learning the h o l y
seforim Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya, all difficulties and "barriers"
w o u l d be nullified.
This pasuk alludes to this: ‫ — ״ ו י ה י ח ת ת ״‬w h e n one learns

Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya, then — "velo radefu acharei b'nei
Yaakov" — they w i l l not chase after the children of Yaakov — to
do t h e m any h a r m materially or spiritually.
(‫)קיצורים והערות לספר לקוטי אמרים‬
‫״ויהי ב ה ק ש ת ה בלדתה ותאמר לה המילדת אל תראי כי גם זה לך ב!״‬

"When her labor was at its worst, the midwife said to her, 'Don't be
afraid. This one will also be a son for you.'" (35:17)
QUESTION: W h a t was Rachel's fear and h o w d i d the mid¬
wife comfort her?
ANSWER: After Chavah persuaded A d a m to eat the forbid¬

den fruits of the Tree of k n o w l e d g e , she was punished w i t h the
curse of p a i n d u r i n g childbirth. Since then, all w o m e n experience
p a i n w h i l e g i v i n g b i r t h . A c c o r d i n g to the Gemara (Niddah 31a),
the pains at the b i r t h of a g i r l are more severe than those of a boy.
Rachel k n e w that Yaakov w o u l d be the father of the twelve

tribes. W h e n she gave b i r t h to her first son, she named h i m Yosef,
saying, " M a y Hashem give me another son" (30:24). Thus, she
expressed the hope to be a mother of t w o tribes. A s she was
g i v i n g b i r t h , her exceptionally strong pains frightened her. She
was unaware that this was because she was going to die d u r i n g
childbirth. She feared she was g i v i n g b i r t h to a daughter and was
being denied the merit of g i v i n g b i r t h to the twelfth of the tribes.
The m i d w i f e comforted her b y telling her not to fear: " Y o u r

interpretation of the pains is incorrect. Y o u are indeed g i v i n g
b i r t h to a son, and the excruciating pains y o u are experiencing
are unrelated to the gender of the c h i l d . "
(‫)תורה תמימה‬
‫״ויהי בצאת נפשה כי מ ת ה ותקרא שמו בן אוני ואביו קרא לו בנימי!״‬

"As she was expiring, she called him 'the son of my agony,' and his
father called him 'Binyamin.'" (35:18)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y , w h e n Rachel was i n such a condition, d i d
Yaakov argue w i t h her over the name to be given to the n e w b o r n
child?
ANSWER: Rachel felt that her life i n this w o r l d was ending,

and she w o r r i e d about w h a t w o u l d happen to her child i f he
grew u p w i t h o u t the care of a mother.
A s Yaakov was sitting at her bedside, she expressed her feel¬

ings: " I a m v e r y concerned about m y child. I pray that w h e n I a m
gone f r o m this w o r l d and be i n m y heavenly abode, his behavior
should not cause me p a i n and agony."
W a n t i n g to comfort his d y i n g wife, Yaakov t o l d her not to

w o r r y . H e promised her that he w o u l d take special care of h i m
and assured her that he w o u l d be a "ben yamin" — "a r i g h t son,"
VAYISHLACH 159
one w h o w o u l d conduct himself as is right for his family, and he

w o u l d be source of "nachas" to his mother i n Gan Eden.
‫״ואת ב ש מ ת ב ת ׳שמעאןי״‬
"And [he married] Basmat the daughter of Yishmael" (36:3)
QUESTION: Rashi writes that "above (28:9) she is called
"Machalat." There is a rule that w h e n one converts, ascends to a
position of greatness, or marries, his sins are forgiven. She is thus
called Machalat, because w h e n Eisav married her, his sins were
forgiven."
W h y is this message conveyed i n regard to Eisav's marriage

and not at any of all the other marriages i n the Torah t i l l now?
ANSWER: Eisav had t w o wives and had children w i t h them.

Thus, he already fulfilled the mitzvah of procreation. N o w he
married Machalat as a t h i r d wife to have additional children. The
message conveyed here is that marriage forgives sins even w h e n
one marries a w i f e i n a d d i t i o n to his existing wife. The first such
case is that of Eisav.
T h o u g h Yaakov too took additional wives w h i l e he already

had wives and children, nevertheless, the lesson derived from
Eisav cannot be derived from h i m , since Yaakov had no sins to
begin w i t h (see 25:7, Rashi).
The w e d d i n g day is the chatan and kallah's personal Yom

Kippur. Yom Kippur day possess a power of forgiveness for the
Jewish people as stated " f o r o n this day he shall provide
atonement for you to cleanse, you; f r o m all your sins before
Hashem shall you be cleansed" (Vayikra 16:30). The same holds
true w i t h the w e d d i n g day of every Jewish chatan and kallah.
T h o u g h Eisav was a Yisrael mumar — apostate Jew (see Kiddushin
18a), nevertheless he was a Jew and not a gentile.
(!‫ משכיל לדו‬,164 ‫)לקוטי שיחות חייל ע׳‬

‫״ותמנע היתה פילגש לאליפז ב! עשו ותלד לאליפז א ת עמלק״‬

"And Timnah was Elifaz's concubine, and she bore him Amalek."
(36:12)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y was she called "Timnah"?
ANSWER: The Gemara says that Rabbi M e i r carefully studied

and analyzed the names of people (Yoma 83b). G i v i n g a name to
a person is a f o r m of prophecy (see Likkutei Sichot, v o l . 7, pg. 308).
I n retrospect, one often sees h o w the name fits the character of
the person. Sometimes the name even indicates an event w h i c h
m a y happen i n the future.
The purpose of having children is to assure the c o n t i n u i t y of

the family. T i m n a h gave b i r t h to Amalek. H e was the ancestor of
A m a l e k w h o attacked the Jewish people (Shemot 17:8). Hashem
promised that, " I w i l l utterly blot out the remembrance of
A m a l e k f r o m under the heaven" (ibid. 17:14). The root of the
word "Timnah" is , w h i c h means "to prevent" (See
30:2). This name suited her very w e l l because her w i c k e d
grandchild prevented her f r o m enjoying posterity.
‫״ואלה בני רעואל בן עשו אלוף נחת״‬

"These are the children of Reuel, the son of Eisav, chief Nachas."
(36:17)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y , w h e n w e w i s h a person "nachas" f r o m his
children and grandchildren, do w e emphasize Yiddishe or chassi-
dishe nachas?
ANSWER: Eisav had a grandchild named "Nachas." There¬

fore, w h e n w i s h i n g someone "nachas," w e emphasize that w e are
not referring, G-d forbid, to the type of "nachas" Eisav had. W e
are referring to real "nachas," the k i n d w h i c h is derived f r o m
children and grandchildren w h o g r o w u p i n a Yiddish and chassi-
dish w a y .
(‫)שמעתי מהרב רפאל דיל שטיין‬
VAYEISHEV 161
VAYEISHEV ‫ו י ש ב ־‬
‫״וישב ״עקב בארץ מגור״ אביו בארץ כנען״‬

"And Yaakov dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings in the
land of Canaan." (37:1)
Q U E S T I O N : "Yaakov desired to d w e l l i n peace, b u t there
sprang u p o n h i m the troubles of Yosef" (Rashi). W h y d i d
Yaakov now t h i n k that he m e r i t e d to d w e l l i n peace?
A N S W E R : W h e n Hashem made the covenant w i t h A v r a -

h a m , H e t o l d h i m , " Y o u r c h i l d r e n w i l l be strangers i n a l a n d
that is not theirs, a n d they w i l l be i n servitude for 400 years"
(15:13). I f the exile of E g y p t is calculated f r o m the b i r t h of
Yitzchak, the total is 400 years. H o w e v e r , i f w e calculate f r o m
the t i m e of the covenant, the exile was to be 430 years (see
Shemot 12:40).
Yaakov t h o u g h t that Hashem's w o r d s to A v r a h a m , " y o u r

c h i l d r e n , " referred to Yitzchak and Yishmael. I n a d d i t i o n , he
and Eisav, too, w o u l d share the exile. Consequently, he a n d his
father Yitzchak w o u l d each suffer a p p r o x i m a t e l y 108 years (a
total of 215 years) and Yishmael and Eisav, too, w o u l d suffer
for 215 years, w i t h a s u m total of 430 years.
Yaakov m a r r i e d Rachel at the age of 84 and, w h e n he was

91, Yosef was b o r n . Since Yosef was 17 years o l d at this t i m e ,
Yaakov was n o w 108 years o l d . Therefore, Yaakov t h o u g h t that
he h a d completely p a i d his share of the debt of exile and now
desired to d w e l l i n peace.
(‫ זרע ברך‬- ‫ מסלתון ראב״ד ביירות‬- ‫)בית יעקב ר׳ יעקב הכהן דיל טראב‬
‫״ויחלם עוד חלום אחר ויספר אתו לאחיו״‬

"And he dreamt another dream [about the sun, moon and stars
bowing to him] and he told it to his brothers." (37:9)
Q U E S T I O N : Yosef's brothers hated h i m after he t o l d t h e m
the first dream. W h y d i d he continue to antagonize t h e m b y
relating his other dream?
A N S W E R : The Gemara (Berachot 55b) states that w e dream

at n i g h t w h a t w e t h i n k about d u r i n g the day.
I n relating the first d r e a m , Yosef t o l d his brothers about the

material success and w e a l t h he anticipated. T h o u g h they a l l
w o r k e d together i n the field, he w o u l d become richer, a n d they
w o u l d b o w to h i m . W h e n the brothers heard this, they hated
h i m because they f i g u r e d that the d r e a m depicted w h a t he
t h o u g h t about d u r i n g the day.
Yosef was eager to p r o v e to his brothers that the first d r e a m

was an act of Heaven a n d n o t related to his d a y t i m e t h i n k i n g .
Therefore, he t o l d t h e m of the second d r e a m , w h i c h was about
an i m p o s s i b i l i t y ( h o w c o u l d his mother w h o d i e d b o w to him?).
H e hoped they w o u l d believe that just as he d i d not t h i n k about
this d u r i n g the day, he also d i d n o t t h i n k about the contents of
the first d r e a m d u r i n g the day.
The brothers realized that his dreams w e r e v a l i d a n d that

they w e r e a signal f r o m Heaven. Therefore, u p o n hearing the
second d r e a m , they became jealous of h i m .
‫״ויספר אל אביו ואל אחיו ויגער בו אביו ויאמר לו מ ה החלום הזה‬

‫אשר חלמת״‬
"He related the dream to his father and brothers; His father
scolded him saying, 'What is this dream that you dreamt!?'"
(37:10)
Q U E S T I O N : I t w o u l d have been sufficient to say, " W h a t is
this dream!?" W h a t is the reason for the apparently superfluous
w o r d s "asher chalamta" — "that y o u dreamt"?
A N S W E R : A story is t o l d of a m a n w h o came to shul one

m o r n i n g and t o l d his friend that he had d r e a m t that he was
VAYEISHEV 163
becoming the Rebbe of a g r o u p of chassidim. H i s friend said to

h i m , " Y o u fool! I f the chassidim w o u l d have dreamt that y o u
were becoming their Rebbe, the d r e a m w o u l d have some
meaning. B u t i f i t was y o u w h o dreamt a n d not they, of w h a t
significance is it?"
Yaakov k n e w v e r y w e l l that Yosef's dreams had p r o f o u n d

meaning, a n d he was also keenly aware of his brothers'
jealousy a n d hatred t o w a r d s h i m . I n an attempt to reduce their
animosity, he said to Yosef, " O f w h a t m e a n i n g c o u l d this
d r e a m be, asher chalamta — i f you were the one w h o dreamt?
H a d y o u r brothers or I dreamt that y o u w o u l d r u l e over us,
then w e w o u l d be w o r r i e d a n d concerned. H o w e v e r , i f you
dreamt of r u l i n g over us a n d we d i d not d r e a m this, then
o b v i o u s l y y o u r d r e a m was an expression of y o u r o w n foolish
thoughts and of no significance!"
(‫)תפוחי חיים‬
‫״וימצאהו איש והנה ת ע ה בשדה וישאלהו האיש לאמו־ מ ה תבקש״‬

"And a man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field.
And the man asked him, saying: What do you seek?" (37:15)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi comments: "This is Gavriel."
I n the previous parshah, w h e n Yaakov remained alone, "a

m a n " — "ish" — w r e s t l e d w i t h h i m . Rashi comments that this
was Samael, the angel of Eisav (32:25). W h a t influenced Rashi
here to interpret the w o r d "ish" i n such a different w a y i n
regard to Yosef?
A N S W E R : By carefully analyzing the t w o incidents, one

can easily d r a w a conclusion as to w h o the "ish" was. I n b o t h
episodes, a righteous person, either Yaakov or Yosef, remained
lonely a n d desolate. W h e n one is i n such a situation, and a
person comes to offer a i d , u n d o u b t e d l y he is a g o o d angel —
the angel Gavriel. H o w e v e r , w h e n he attacks a n d exploits a
person i n such circumstances, he is definitely not a g o o d angel,
b u t rather a representative of Eisav.
(‫)מיוסד על עיטורי תורה‬
‫״וישמע ראובן ויצלהו מידם״‬

"Reuven heard and he saved him from their hands." (37:21)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t d i d Reuven hear that m a d e h i m decide
to save Yosef f r o m the hands of his brothers?
A N S W E R : The preceding pasuk relates that the brothers

said, " L e t us k i l l h i m a n d t h r o w h i m i n t o one of the pits, a n d
w e w i l l say an evil beast ate h i m u p , a n d —
W e w i l l see w h a t w i l l become of his dreams." Rashi says, that
Rabbi Yitzchak interpreted these w o r d s n o t as a saying of the
brothers, b u t that Ruach Hakodesh — the H o l y Spirit — is saying
this. H a s h e m was saying " Y o u are p l a n n i n g to k i l l h i m ; we shall
see w h a t w i l l be w i t h his dreams. W i l l y o u r p l a n be realized
a n d he w i l l be dead, or w i l l M y w o r d s be fulfilled a n d his
dreams w i l l come true?"
The brothers d i d not hear this H o l y Spirit, b u t Reuven d i d .

Thus, he i m m e d i a t e l y decided that he was obligated to save
Yosef a n d b r i n g h i m back to Yaakov.
o (‫)פנינים יקרים‬
‫מה בצע כי נהרג א ת אחינו״‬...‫״ויאמר יהודה‬

"Yehudah said... 'what will we gain if we slay our brother?'" (37:26)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t was Y e h u d a h a l l u d i n g to w i t h the w o r d
— "gain"?
A N S W E R : The w o r d ‫( ״ ב צ ע ״‬betza) is an a c r o n y m for ‫ב ק ר‬

(morning), (afternoon), a n d (evening). These are
the three times a d a y w h e n a Jew is r e q u i r e d to p r a y to
Hashem.
Y e h u d a h t o l d his brothers, " I f w e k i l l o u r brother, Yosef,

our hands w i l l be covered w i t h b l o o d a n d no longer w i l l w e be
able to p r a y to H a s h e m . "
* * *
The letters of the w o r d are also the second letters of

the names of o u r patriarchs . Y e h u d a h t o l d his
brothers, " I f w e c o m m i t the crime of k i l l i n g o u r brother, w e w i l l
be detaching ourselves f r o m the w a y s of o u r ancestors
VAYEISHEV 165
A v r a h a m , Yitzchak and Yaakov and lose the merits they afford

their descendants."
‫״ויאמר יהודה אל אחיו מ ה בצע כי נהרג א ת אחינו״‬

"And Yehudah said to his brothers: 'What [money — Targum
Onkelos] will we gain if we slay our brother?'" (37:26)
Q U E S T I O N : The Gemara (Sanhedrin 6b) d r a w s a parallel
between the w o r d ‫( ״ ב צ ע ״‬betza) i n this pasuk, and the w o r d
‫( ״ ב צ ע ״‬botzei'a) i n the pasuk: "Ubotzei'a beireich ni'eitz Hashem" —
"The brazen robber says a blessing; he has mocked G - d "
(Psalms 10:3) a n d thus concludes that he w h o blesses Y e h u d a h
is c o m m i t t i n g blasphemy. W h y should Y e h u d a h n o t be praised
for sparing the life of Yosef?
A N S W E R : O f course, were i t n o t for Yehudah's interven¬

t i o n , the brothers c o u l d have, G-d f o r b i d , k i l l e d Yosef. f o r this
noble act, he deserves credit. H o w e v e r , our Sages do n o t
approve the rationale he used to convince his brothers. Saying
" W h a t m o n e y w i l l w e gain i f w e slay our brother?" is
tantamount to the p o p u l a r adage " C r i m e does n o t pay." The
Torah does not accept this p h i l o s o p h y , and considers i t
erroneous. Crimes should never be c o m m i t t e d , even i f there are
financial benefits.
Thus, the T o r a h is pleased w i t h Yehudah's actions, b u t dis¬

pleased w i t h those w h o praise his reasoning.
‫״לכו ונמכרנו לישמעאלים וידנו אל תהי בו״‬

"Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let not our hand
be upon him." (37:27)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d s "veyadeinu al tehi bo" — " b u t let n o t
our h a n d be u p o n h i m " — seem superfluous?
A N S W E R : The seventh of the Ten C o m m a n d m e n t s is " Y o u

shall n o t steal," w h i c h refers to k i d n a p p i n g . A c c o r d i n g to
halachah, one w h o kidnaps is n o t p u t to death unless he makes
the person he k i d n a p p e d w o r k for h i m , and then sells h i m
(Rambam, Geneivah 9:2).
I n order to prevent the p u n i s h m e n t of death, the brothers

p l o t t e d to sell h i m to the Ishmaelites, a n d said "let n o t o u r h a n d
be u p o n h i m — w e s h o u l d n o t make h i m to d o a n y w o r k for us
a n d thus a v o i d being liable for the death penalty."
(‫)ישמח משה‬
‫״לכו ונמכרנו לישמעאלים וידנו א ל תהי בו כי אחינו בשרנו הוא״‬

"Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let not our hand
be upon him; for our brother, he is our flesh." (37:27)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t is meant b y the w o r d s , "he is o u r flesh"?
A N S W E R : A c c o r d i n g to Gemara (Niddah 31a), there are

three partners i n the f o r m a t i o n of m a n : T h r o u g h Hashem, he
receives a soul; t h r o u g h the father, the bones, nails, a n d b r a i n ;
a n d t h r o u g h the mother, the skin a n d flesh.
W h e n Leah was pregnant for the seventh t i m e , after h a v i n g

already g i v e n b i r t h to six sons, she "passed j u d g m e n t o n
herself: ' I f this one w i l l be a male, then m y sister Rachel w i l l n o t
even be like one of the maidservants' [ w h o h a d each g i v e n b i r t h
to t w o sons]" (Rashi 30:21). M i r a c u l o u s l y , the male she carried
was transferred to Rachel, a n d she gave b i r t h to the female
Rachel was c a r r y i n g (Niddah 31b, Maharsha).
Since Yosef w a s o r i g i n a l l y carried b y Leah, a c o m m o n de¬

n o m i n a t o r shared b y the majority of the brothers was that they
w e r e his brothers f r o m the same mother. Thus, they a l l received
their flesh f r o m the same source.
(‫)משך חכמה‬
‫וימכרו‬....‫ויעברו אנשים מדינים סוחרים‬....‫״לכו ונמכרנו לישמעאלים‬

....‫והמדנים מכרו אותו א ל מצרים לפוסיפר‬....‫א ת יוסף לישמעאלים‬
‫ויקנהו פוסיפר״״מיד הישמעאלים״‬
"Let us sell him to the Ishmaelites....A group of Midianite
businessmen passed; they pulled Yosef out of the pit and sold him
to the Ishmaelites....and the Midianites sold him to Egypt to
Potifar....Potifar bought him from the Ishmaelites." (37:27-28, 36,
39:1)
Q U E S T I O N : To w h o m was Yosef actually sold, a n d w h o

sold h i m to potifar?
VAYEISHEV 167
A N S W E R : The first strangers w h o approached the p i t were

the Ishmaelites. They usually dealt i n kerosene and grease and
had no k n o w l e d g e i n slave dealings. A f t e r w a r d s a g r o u p of
M i d i a n i t e business brokers passed by. ( W h e n one wants to b u y
or sell something, he contacts a business broker w h o negotiates
the purchase or the sale and shares i n the profit.) The
M i d i a n i t e s appraised Yosef a n d , u p o n their advice, the
Ishmaelites b o u g h t h i m for t w e n t y silver pieces The title for
Yosef was made o u t to the Ishmaelites, w h o were the real
buyers.
The M i d i a n i t e s made an agreement w i t h the Ishmaelites

that they w o u l d undertake to sell h i m and share i n the profits.
U p o n a r r i v a l i n E g y p t the M i d i a n i t e s arranged a sale to Potifar.
I n order to legalize the sale, i t was necessary to make a title
change. Thus, the Ishmaelites, w h o h e l d the o r i g i n a l title,
transferred i t to potifar.
(‫)אור החיים‬
‫״וימכרו א ת יוסף לישמעאלים בעשרים כסף״‬

"They sold Yosef to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver."
(37:28)
Q U E S T I O N : W i t h the m o n e y they b o u g h t themselves shoes
(Targum Yonatan Ben Uziel). W h y shoes?
A N S W E R : The Gemara (Berachot 35b) states that i t is forbid¬

d e n to derive any pleasure f r o m this w o r l d w i t h o u t reciting a
berachah. Therefore, w h e n one buys a n e w garment, one recites
a shehecheyanu.
After receiving the money, the brothers were i n a d i l e m m a

because they w o u l d have to make a berachah before enjoying
any n e w t h i n g they w o u l d b u y . H o w e v e r , m a k i n g a berachah
over an i t e m attained t h r o u g h w r o n g d o i n g is tantamount to
blaspheming Hashem (‫ ו ב ו צ ע ברך נ א ץ ה׳‬Psalms 10:3).
Nevertheless, there is a halachah i n the Shulchan Aruch

(Orach Chaim 223:6) that o n n e w shoes one need n o t make a
berachah of shehecheyanu. Therefore, to c i r c u m v e n t the p r o b l e m
of a berachah, they h a d no other alternative b u t to b u y shoes

w i t h the money.
(‫)ילקוט האורים בשם אסיפת הכהן‬
‫ ויקחו א ת כ ת נ ת‬..‫״וישב אל אחיו ויאמר הילד איננו ואני אנה אני בא‬
‫יוסף וישחסו שעיר עזים ויסבלו א ת ה כ ת נ ת בדם״‬
"And he returned to his brothers and said, 'The child is not here
and where shall I go?' And they took Yosef s shirt and slaughtered
a goatling and dipped the shirt in the blood." (37:30-31)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d they w a i t for Reuven's r e t u r n before
d i p p i n g Yosef's shirt i n b l o o d , instead of d o i n g i t i m m e d i a t e l y
w h e n they t o o k off his shirt?
A N S W E R : Every day one of the brothers w o u l d be home to

assist Yaakov w i t h his needs. O n the day Yosef met his brothers
i n the field, i t was Reuven's t u r n to be w i t h Yaakov (Rashi,
28:37). A s soon as the brothers saw Yosef, they conspired to
slay h i m . Being the oldest, Reuven realized his responsibility to
save h i m . Thus, he instructed his brothers to t h r o w h i m into the
p i t a n d not to place a h a n d u p o n h i m .
W h e n Reuven came home, his father p r o b a b l y asked h i m i f

he h a d met Yosef a n d h o w he was. Reuven t o l d h i m that they
h a d met a n d that a l l was w e l l w i t h h i m .
O r i g i n a l l y , the brothers d i d not w a n t to lie to their father b y

t e l l i n g h i m that Yosef h a d been k i l l e d b y a beast. Should
Yaakov have asked t h e m about Yosef, they w o u l d have merely
said, " W e are not our brother's keeper; w e d i d n o t see h i m a n d
w e have no k n o w l e d g e of his whereabouts; possibly he was
d e v o u r e d b y a beast."
H o w e v e r , w h e n Reuven r e t u r n e d a n d saw Yosef missing

f r o m the p i t , he exclaimed, " I f the l a d is n o t here, h o w w i l l I be
able to face m y father? I have already t o l d h i m that I have seen
h i m a n d that a l l was w e l l w i t h h i m . f a t h e r w i l l definitely
suspect that w e k i l l e d h i m a n d h o l d me responsible!"
To help Reuven o u t of his d i l e m m a , the brothers then fabri¬

cated an alibi that after they h a d seen Yosef, he h a d vanished,
VAYEISHEV 169
and that apparently he h a d been k i l l e d b y a w i l d beast. They

said further, "The shirt w e f o u n d substantiates this."
(‫ שתי ידות‬- ‫)בית יעקב‬
‫״הכר נא ה כ ת נ ת בנך היא אם לא ויכירה ויאמר כ ת נ ת בני חיה רעה‬

‫אכלתהו • ר ף • ר ף יוסף״‬
'"Recognize please if this is your son's shirt.' He recognized it and
said, 'It is the shirt of my son; a savage beast devoured him! Yosef
has surely been torn to bits!'" (37:32-33)
Q U E S T I O N : H o w d i d Yaakov k n o w an a n i m a l k i l l e d Yosef
and n o t a person?
A N S W E R : Pharaoh w a n t e d to destroy the Jewish people, so

he ordered the m i d w i v e s to k i l l all the n e w b o r n male children.
W h e n he r e p r i m a n d e d t h e m for not f o l l o w i n g his orders, they
replied that the Jewish w o m e n are u n i q u e , The
Gemara (Sotah 11b) explains their answer to mean that the
Jewish people are likened to "chayot" — animals — Yosef to an
ox, Y e h u d a h to a l i o n , Yissachar to donkey, etc., a n d , i n general,
the Jewish people as a w h o l e are referred to as a lioness. Just as
an a n i m a l does not need help i n g i v i n g b i r t h , so the Jewish
mothers.
W h e n the brothers asked Yaakov, "Is this your son's shirt?"

i t p u z z l e d h i m v e r y m u c h that they d i d not refer to h i m b y his
name, "Yosef." This b r o u g h t h i m to the conclusion that the
brothers really hated Yosef, to the extent that they w o u l d n o t
even m e n t i o n his name.
N o t w a n t i n g to accuse t h e m openly, he said "a w i l d

a n i m a l , " a l l u d i n g that his children, w h o are l i k e n e d to different
animals, must have k i l l e d h i m . H e supported his theory b y the
fact that — "they tore u p Yosef's [name]" — and
d i d n o t m e n t i o n Yosef's name w h e n t a l k i n g about h i m .
(‫ מעינה של תורה‬- ‫)כלי יקר‬
‫״וימאן׳‬
"He flatly refused [the request of Potifar's wife]." (39:8)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y is the cantillation (trop) o n the w o r d
‫ ״ ו י מ א ן ״‬a shalshelet?
A N S W E R : W h e n Yosef came home, Potifar's w i f e t r i e d to

persuade h i m to violate the Torah. Before his eyes was the
image of his father w a r n i n g to h i m , " I f y o u c o m m i t a sin y o u r
name w i l l not be m e n t i o n e d o n the choshen — breastplate —
w o r n b y the Kohen Gadol (Sotah 36b)." So he flatly rejected her
advances.
The cantillation of shalshelet indicates that the w o r d s h o u l d

be sounded w i t h a three-tiered tremolo tone. A c c o r d i n g l y , the
word is an a c r o n y m for the three reasons Yosef t u r n e d
d o w n potifar's wife:
‫" — ״ מ ן ־ א י ו ס ף מ ר א ה א ב י ו נ ג ד ו ״‬Yosef saw his father's image i n

front of h i m . "
— "Yaakov said, ' Y o u r name

w i l l be o m i t t e d f r o m the breastplate.' "
‫" — ״ ו י ר א י ו ס ף מ ט מ א א ת נ פ ש ו ״‬Yosef was afraid he m i g h t

d e f i l e h i s s o u l . "
(‫)שמעתי מהרב אלי׳ נחום דיל שקלאר‬
‫ ויהי כדברה אל‬:‫״ואיך א ע ש ה הרעה הגדלה הזאת וחסאתי לאלקים‬

‫יוסף יום יום ולא ש מ ע אליה לשכב אצלה להיות עמה״‬
‫' ״‬How then can I perpetrate this great evil and sin against G-d?'
And it came to pass, as she spoke to Yosef day by day, he would
not listen to her to lie beside her, to be with her." (39:9-10)
Q U E S T I O N : O n the w o r d s "lishkav etzlah" — "to lie w i t h
her" — Rashi comments "even w i t h o u t intercourse." O n the
w o r d s "liheyot imah" — "to be w i t h her" — Rashi comments:
" I n the w o r l d to come."
1) W h a t w o u l d she accomplish i f he w o u l d just lie beside

her?
2) H o w d i d Potifar's w i f e expect to be w i t h Yosef i n Olam

Haba i f they w o u l d c o m m i t a sin?
VAYEISHEV 171
3) Yosef t o l d her: " H o w can I do this great evil?" H e should

have said: " I cannot do any e v i l ! "
4) "Vechatati Leilokim" — "and I sinned against G - d " — is i n

past tense. Should he not have said "Ve'echeta Leilokim" — " I
will sin against G - d " — i n the future tense?
A N S W E R : Potifar's w i f e k n e w v e r y w e l l that Yosef was a

great tzaddik, and h a d never i n his life v i o l a t e d Torah l a w . Con¬
sequently, a m o n g a l l the mitzvot he performed, he was lacking
the fulfillment of the mitzvah of teshuvah. Therefore, she
encouraged Yosef to do one aveira (transgression) t h r o u g h her
and i m m e d i a t e l y afterwards do teshuvah. Hence, he w o u l d be
f u l l y deserving Olam Haba, a n d she, too, w o u l d have Olam Haba
as r e w a r d for her assistance. Yosef's r e p l y was t w o f o l d :
1) " W h y do such a great e v i l as adultery for the purpose of

f u l f i l l i n g afterwards the mitzvah of teshuvah?"
2) " I n reality, I already sinned at a m u c h earlier stage i n m y

life. The reason I a m n o w i n E g y p t is because I spoke lashon
harah — slander — about m y brothers (Rashi 37:2). Thus, to
c o m m i t an a d d i t i o n a l sin w o u l d be purposeless."
(‫)ש ו״ ת תירוש ויצהר סי׳ מ׳׳א‬
‫״ו״עזב בגדו ב י ד ה ו״נ• ויצא ה ח ו צ ה ״‬

"He left his garment with her and fled and went outside." (39:12)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d "vayeitzei" (‫ )ויצא‬seems extra. Should
i t not have just said, — "and he fled outside"?
A N S W E R : A S Yosef entered the house of Potifar, he had a

v i s i o n of his father standing before h i m . This prevented h i m
f r o m d o i n g a n y t h i n g contrary to the Torah, and he q u i c k l y ran
out of the house. The pasuk alludes to this w i t h the w o r d ,
w h i c h is the a c r o n y m of — "Yosef saw the
countenance of his father."
(‫ על הערך דיוקן‬,‫)הפלאה שבערכין‬
* * *
A N S W E R : W h e n Yosef was about to y i e l d to his master's

w i f e a n d c o m m i t a sin, suddenly "nir'eh lo demut deyukno shel
aviv" — "the image of his father's visage appeared to h i m " —
and he i m m e d i a t e l y fled a n d w e n t outside (Bereishit 39:11,

Rashi). Seeing the image of his father convinced h i m to r u n
a w a y and not, G-d f o r b i d , violate T o r a h l a w .
The w o r d "desha" is an a c r o n y m for "deyukno shel

aviv" — "the image of his father." D a v i d p r a y e d
that he s h o u l d m e r i t at a l l times to see the image of his "Father"
i n Heaven, and thus he w o u l d always be "al mei menuchot" —
"besides still waters" — i.e. live a t r a n q u i l life free of
t e m p t a t i o n and sin.
(‫ מסלונים על חנוכה‬- ‫ דברי שמואל‬,‫ מאלכסנדר‬- ‫)תפארת שמואל‬
* * *
A n o t h e r interpretation of the w o r d s "nir'eh lo demut deyukno

shel aviv" — is that "es iz im gefelen gevaren" — "he took a
l i k i n g " — and came to the realization that a Jew's appearance
s h o u l d resemble that of Yaakov. C o n t r a r y to his attempts to
modernize himself (see Rashi 37:1) he n o w realized that the
better w a y for a Jew is to emulate the lifestyle of Yaakov, w h i c h
w i l l protect f r o m assimilating i n a society w h i c h is alien to the
T o r a h w a y of life.
,‫)מצאתי בכתבי אבי הרב שמואל פסח דיל באגאמילסקי‬
(‫ כתובות ק״ה ע׳׳ב‬,‫ע״ד ״רואה אני דברי אדמון״‬
‫״חסאו מ ש ק ה מלך מצרים והאפה לאדניהם למלך מצרים״‬

"The butler of the king of Egypt and the baker sinned against their
lord the king of Egypt." (40:1)
Q U E S T I O N : I t seems strange that the baker a n d the butler
s h o u l d b o t h sin against p h a r a o h at the same time. M o r e o v e r , a
fly i n a cup of w i n e w h i c h is placed o n the king's h a n d is m u c h
more disgusting t h a n a pebble i n a slice of bread i n the basket.
W h y , then, was the baker p u n i s h e d more harshly t h a n the
butler?
A N S W E R : The butler a n d the baker b o t h w o r k e d for Phar¬

aoh and hated each other. Once, they got i n t o a fight and each
one t h o u g h t of a vicious p l a n to get the other one into serious
trouble w i t h the k i n g . W h e n the butler was n o t w a t c h i n g , the
baker p u t a f l y i n t o pharaoh's cup of w i n e . W h e n the baker was
off g u a r d , the butler p u t a pebble into d o u g h f r o m w h i c h bread
was to be baked for pharaoh.
VAYEISHEV 173
To drag the k i n g into their personal quarrel and use h i m as a

means to gain vengeance against each other was a very serious
offense. Moreover, since the baker's act w o u l d actually have had
a worse effect o n pharaoh, he was the one p u t to death.
(‫ ליל שימורים‬- ‫)שער בת רבים‬
‫״גם פ ה לא עשיתי מאומה כי שמו אתי בבור״‬

"Here, also, I have done nothing for them to have put me in the
pit." (40:15)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d s ‫" — ״ כ י ש מ ו א ת י ב ב ו ר ״‬for t h e m to
have p u t me i n the p i t " — seem superfluous. W o u l d i t not be
sufficient for h i m to say, " I have done nothing"?
A N S W E R : I t is quite c o m m o n for an inmate to constantly

c l a i m that he is innocent. H o w e v e r , his w o r d s are u n c o n v i n c i n g
because most prisoners are actually g u i l t y .
Yosef w a n t e d to impress the butler that he was u n i q u e

a m o n g the others i n the d u n g e o n a n d that he t r u l y h a d commit¬
ted no crime. H e related his ordeal w i t h his brothers a n d their
desire to k i l l h i m . They t h r e w h i m i n t o a p i t filled w i t h
snakes and scorpions. N o r m a l l y anyone w o u l d have been
b i t t e n to death, b u t the all-merciful G-d i n heaven intervened
and m i r a c u l o u s l y saved h i m . (See Rashi 37:24) Eventually, he
was taken f r o m the p i t and b r o u g h t to Egypt.
Thus, he t o l d the butler, "The episode of the pit, w h i c h oc¬

curred some time ago, should prove n o w that I a m a totally inno¬
cent person and not one to violate any laws of Torah or society."
(‫)ר׳ אהרן האלבערשטאם זצ״ל מצאנז‬
‫ואת שר האפים ת ל ה כאשר‬...‫״וישב א ת שר המשקים על משקהו‬

‫פ ת ר להם יוסף״‬
"The butler was returned to his position, and the baker was hung in
accordance with Yosef s interpretation." (40:22- 23)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t clue i n their dreams led Yosef to this in¬
terpretation?
A N S W E R : Yosef carefully studied their w o r d s . The butler

said, "The cup of Pharaoh was i n m y hand; I took the grapes; I
squeezed t h e m ; I placed the cup o n Pharaoh's p a l m " (40:11).

Yosef saw that the butler dreamt about d o i n g things. Since one
can o n l y do things i f he is alive, Yosef saw i n his d r e a m a sign of
life.
The baker t o l d Yosef, " O n m y head w e r e baskets f u l l of

baked goods a n d a b i r d was eating f r o m the baskets." The
d r e a m was lacking h u m a n activity. H e d i d not say w h o baked
the goods, w h o p u t the baskets o n his head, nor d i d he d o
a n y t h i n g to chase the b i r d away. M o r e o v e r , a b i r d is u s u a l l y
afraid of a person a n d w i l l n o t come near food w h i c h a person
holds.
Yosef said to the baker, " Y o u w e r e c a r r y i n g a basket of

baked goods a n d a b i r d was eating f r o m t h e m . O b v i o u s l y , the
b i r d d i d n o t consider y o u to be alive. Consequently, y o u r
d r e a m indicates that Pharaoh w i l l soon p u t y o u to death."
‫״ולא זכר שר המשקים א ת יוסף וישכחהו״‬

"The butler did not remember Yosef, and he forgot him." (40:23)
Q U E S T I O N : I f he d i d not remember h i m , o b v i o u s l y he
forgot h i m ! W h y the t w o expressions of forgetting: "velo zachar"
a n d "vayishkacheihu"?
A N S W E R : Yosef o r i g i n a l l y asked the butler to m e n t i o n h i m

to Pharaoh. The ungrateful butler, whose life was saved
t h r o u g h Yosef's interpretation, d i d n o t r e t u r n the favor to
Yosef.
I n a d d i t i o n , the T o r a h tells us that Yosef i m m e d i a t e l y regret¬

ted asking the butler to d o h i m a favor. He forgot about the
butler entirely a n d p u t a l l his faith i n Hashem. Thus, each one
forgot about the other.
(‫)בינה לעתים דרוש י״ח‬
MIKEITZ 175
MIKEITZ ‫־‬ ypn
‫״והנה שבע שבלים עלות בקנה אחד בריאות וסבות והנה שבע‬
‫שבלים דקות ושדופת קדים צמחות אחריהן״‬
"Behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk healthy and
good, and behold, seven thin ears sprung up after them." (41:5- 6)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y were only the seven g o o d ears of corn o n
one stalk?
A N S W E R : Yosef interpreted the d r e a m to mean that there

w o u l d be seven years of abundance and seven years of famine.
W h e n Yaakov came to Egypt, the seven g o o d years were over
and they were finishing the second year of famine.
W h e n he stood before Pharaoh, he blessed h i m , and at that

t i m e the N i l e river rose a n d irrigated the fields and the famine
stopped. The five years of famine were o n l y delayed, however,
u n t i l after Yaakov passed a w a y (Tosefta, Sotah 10:3). Seventeen
years later, w h e n Yaakov d i e d , there were five a d d i t i o n a l years
of famine.
"The seven g o o d ears of corn u p o n one stalk" allude to the

seven years of abundance, w h i c h were consecutive. The seven
years of famine were not consecutive. Therefore, the t h i n ears of
corn were not u p o n one stalk.
‫״ועתה ירא פרעה איש נבון וחכם וישתהו על ארץ מצרים״‬

"Now Pharaoh must seek out a man with wisdom and insight and
place him in charge over Egypt." (41:33)
Q U E S T I O N : Pharaoh o n l y asked Yosef to interpret his
dreams. W h y d i d Yosef offer h i m advice as well?
A N S W E R : Yosef's advice had a connection w i t h his

interpretation of the dream. A c c o r d i n g to the Gemara (Rosh
Hashanah 16a), the w o r l d is j u d g e d i n four periods d u r i n g a
year. O n Rosh Hashanah people are j u d g e d regarding w h a t
s h o u l d h a p p e n to t h e m d u r i n g the c o m i n g year. O n Pesach, the
harvest is j u d g e d as to whether there s h o u l d be abundance or
famine.
Pharaoh's d r e a m took place o n Rosh Hashanah. Yosef inter¬

preted i t to mean g o o d years a n d years of famine.
Consequently, the harvest i n E g y p t w o u l d be p l e n t i f u l i n the
c o m i n g seven years, and afterwards there w o u l d be a famine
due to the land's poor produce.
Pharaoh asked Yosef, " I f y o u r interpretation is correct, w h y

d i d I d r e a m about this o n Rosh Hashanah, and not o n Pesach
w h e n the harvest is judged?" Yosef's r e p l y to Pharaoh was
("and n o w " ) — " I f y o u are w o n d e r i n g w h y y o u r d r e a m
took place now, o n Rosh Hashanah, a n d not Pesach, the reason is
that — t h r o u g h y o u r d r e a m a person w i l l
be elevated to a v e r y h i g h p o s i t i o n — a n d this was decreed
today, o n Rosh Hashanah, w h e n people's destinies are decided."
(‫)ישועות יעקב‬
‫ אלוקים בו״‬nn ‫״ויאמר פרעה אל עבדיו הנמצא כזה איש אשר‬

"Pharaoh said to his servants 'Can there be found another such
person who has G-d's spirit in him?'" (41:38)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t convinced Pharaoh that Yosef's interpre¬
tation was correct?
A N S W E R : W h e n Pharaoh related his dream, he attempted

to t r i c k Yosef to see i f his interpretations w e r e authentic or
merely guess w o r k .
The pasuk relates that he d r e a m t that —

"he was standing on the r i v e r " (41:1). H o w e v e r , w h e n he
related his d r e a m to Yosef he said
— " I n m y d r e a m I a m standing upon the bank of the r i v e r "
(41:17). Yosef interpreted each a n d every detail of the d r e a m
b u t d i d not explain the significance of w h e r e Pharaoh was
standing. H e t o l d Pharaoh, " H a s h e m revealed no interpretation
MIKEITZ 177
for y o u r standing upon the bank of the river. Perhaps, this d i d

not appear i n y o u r dream."
* * *
I n Psalms, Assaf states, ‫״ ע ד ו ת ב י ה ו ס ף ש מ ו ב צ א ת ו ע ל א ר ץ מ צ ר י ם‬

‫ " — ש פ ת ל א י ד ע ת י א ש מ ע ״‬A s a testimony for Yosef he imposed i t ,
w h e n he w e n t out over the l a n d of Egypt, I heard a language
u n k n o w n to m e " (81:6).
I n v i e w of above-mentioned, the passage can be explained

to mean that Yosef p r o v e d his authenticity to Pharaoh w h e n he
t o l d h i m , " Y o u are telling me about 'sefat' — the river bank.
H o w e v e r 'lo yadati' — I do not have any k n o w l e d g e — w i t h
w h i c h to interpret this detail w h i c h 'eshma' — I a m hearing
from you."
(‫)חסדי אבות‬
‫״ויתן לו א ת א ס נ ת ב ת פוס׳ פרע כהן אן לאשה״‬

"He gave him Asenat daughter of Potiphera the priest of On as a
wife." (41:45)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y w o u l d a tzaddik like Yosef m a r r y the
daughter of a priest?
A N S W E R : W h e n D i n a h the daughter of Yaakov m a r r i e d

Shechem, she gave b i r t h to Asenat. Fearing that his sons w o u l d
k i l l her, Yaakov sent her away. Before sending her off, he made
her a necklace o n w h i c h he w r o t e that she was his
granddaughter a n d that whoever m a r r i e d her w o u l d become
part of his family. She later ended u p i n E g y p t and was raised
i n the home of Potiphera a n d was considered as his daughter.
W h e n Yosef was appointed the viceroy of Egypt, he

traveled t h r o u g h o u t the country. A l l the girls heard of his
handsome appearance a n d came o u t to catch a glimpse of h i m .
They t h r e w presents at h i m , h o p i n g that he w o u l d m a r r y them.
Asenat t h r e w her necklace. W h e n Yosef read its contents, he
decided to m a r r y her
,‫ יהושע רמז ט‬,‫ עי׳ ילקוט שמעוני‬- ‫ ויש סוברים שהיא היתה גיורת‬,‫)רבינו בחיי‬
(‫ שמואל ב׳ פ׳ כ׳׳א‬,‫ומדרש שמואל‬
‫״ויקרא יוסף א ת שם הבכור מ נ ש ה כי נשני אלקים א ת כל עמלי ואת‬

‫כל בית אבי״‬
"And Yosef called the name of the first-born Menasheh, 'for G-d
has made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.'" (41:51)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y was Yosef grateful for forgetting his
father's house?
A N S W E R : A visitor once entered a presumably kosher res¬

taurant. Unimpressed w i t h the religiosity of the personnel, he
began to i n q u i r e about the kashrut standards. The p r o p r i e t o r
confidently p o i n t e d to a picture o n the w a l l of a Jew w i t h a l o n g
beard a n d peiyot. H e said to the visitor: " Y o u see that m a n u p
there? H e was m y father!" The visitor replied: " I f y o u w e r e
h a n g i n g o n the w a l l , a n d y o u r father was b e h i n d the counter, I
w o u l d not ask any questions. But since y o u r father is h a n g i n g
o n the w a l l , a n d y o u are b e h i n d the counter, I have g o o d reason
to question the kashrut."
There are m a n y whose o n l y attachment to Yiddishkeit is

t h r o u g h nostalgia. They remember their mother's lighting
candles, they recall the l o n g beards a n d peiyot of their fathers,
a n d they reminisce about their parents' Shabbat table. They
p r o u d l y tell their c h i l d r e n about i t , b u t unfortunately, they d o
not emulate or practice this w a y of life themselves.
Living among the Egyptians, Yosef was i n danger of

b e c o m i n g totally assimilated i n the society of the upper class.
Fortunately, he remained tenacious i n his T o r a h observance.
Thus, i t was unnecessary for h i m to tell his c h i l d r e n about his
parents' observance. H e conducted his home life i n exactly the
same w a y as his father h a d done a n d was able to "forget" his
father's house a n d show his f a m i l y his o w n home as a l i v i n g
example.
(!‫)שמעתי מזקני הרב צבי הכהן דיל קפל‬
MIKEITZ 179
‫ותחלינה שבע שני הרעב לבוא כאשר‬...‫״ותכלינה שבע שני השבע‬

‫אמר יוסף״‬
"The seven years of abundance ended...and the seven years of
famine began to come as Yosef had said." (41:53-54)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y does i t state "as Yosef said" regarding
the seven years of famine, b u t not i n relation to the seven years
of abundance?
A N S W E R : The non-Jewish w o r l d hates the Jew and envies

his success. Thanks to Yosef, the people i n E g y p t experienced
great affluence, b u t they d i d not w a n t to give credit to a Jew.
W h e n the troubles started, suddenly everyone began accusing
the Jews of causing the Egyptians' suffering. Alas, this is a
recurrent pattern i n Jewish history .
‫״ויצעק העם אל פרעה ללחם ויאמר פרעה לכל מצרים לכו אל יוסף‬
‫אשר יאמר לכם תעשו״‬
"The people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said, 'Go to
Yosef; do as he says.'" (41:55)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains that the people were upset
because Yosef was d e m a n d i n g that they circumcise themselves.
W h y w o u l d Yosef w a n t the Egyptians to be circumcised?
A N S W E R : W h e n H a s h e m o r i g i n a l l y gave the mitzvah of

circumcision to A v r a h a m , H e t o l d h i m that i t includes "a
person b o r n i n y o u r household or purchased w i t h m o n e y "
(17:13).
W h e n Pharaoh appointed Yosef as the viceroy, he declared

that he was i n control of the entire c o u n t r y and that a l l the
needs of the people w o u l d be p r o v i d e d t h r o u g h h i m (see Rashi
41:40). Pharaoh p u t everyone under his rulership, to the extent
that, " W i t h o u t y o u no one shall lift his h a n d or his foot i n the
l a n d of E g y p t " (41:44). Thus, they became "kinyan kaspo" — "his
acquisitions" — a n d therefore he was obligated to see to i t that
they be circumcised.
(‫)לקוטי שיחות חלק יי‬
A l t e r n a t i v e l y , circumcision is the d e f i n i n g sign of a J e w

Yosef was afraid that as the Jewish people became comfortable
i n E g y p t , they w o u l d w a n t to assimilate a n d a v o i d circumcision
i n order not to be recognized as Jews. H e therefore decided to
make circumcision the practice of the l a n d and thus, Jews,
w o u l d also feel comfortable p e r f o r m i n g this mitzvah.
(‫)יערות דבש‬
‫״וירא יעקב כי יש שבר במצרים״‬

"And Yaakov saw that there was food in Egypt." (42:1)
Q U E S T I O N : The Sages interpret the w o r d shever as i f i t was
spelled w i t h a ‫ — ״ ש ״‬sever — w h i c h means hope (Rashi). W h a t
special hope d i d Yaakov see i n Egypt?
A N S W E R : I n accordance w i t h Yosef's interpretation of

Pharaoh's dreams, E g y p t stored a w a y food for the years of fam¬
ine, and f r o m m a n y lands people w e r e c o m i n g to E g y p t to pur¬
chase food.
This amazed Yaakov, a n d he t h o u g h t to himself, " I t is v e r y

strange that non-Jews s h o u l d be so k i n d and share their food
w i t h others i n a t i m e of famine. O n the other h a n d , Jews are
k n o w n to be a merciful and generous people. Perhaps there is
i n E g y p t some spark of holiness — a Jew. Perhaps m y lost son
Yosef is i n E g y p t and is i n v o l v e d w i t h the entire operation."
(‫ קרני אור‬- ‫)עיטורי תורה‬
‫״ויכר יוסף א ת אחיו והם לא הכרהו״‬

"Yosef recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him."
(42:8)
Q U E S T I O N : Yaakov a n d Yosef l o o k e d exactly alike (Rashi
37:3). W h y d i d n ' t they recognize h i m as their lost brother since
he resembled their father?
A N S W E R : I t is true that Yaakov and Yosef looked alike, b u t

there was a b i g age difference. Yosef was n o w o n l y 39 years
old. Yaakov m a r r i e d at the age of 84 a n d was n o w 130 years
old.
MIKEITZ 181
The brothers h a d never seen their father as a y o u n g m a n .

Therefore, t h o u g h Yosef's countenance n o w was exactly the
same as Yaakov's w h e n he was 39 years o l d , he d i d n o t
resemble their father, n o w 90 years older.
‫״ויכו־ ״וסף א ת אחיו והם לא הכו־הו״‬

"Yosef recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him."
(42:8)
Q U E S T I O N : H o w is i t possible that none of the brothers rec¬
ognized him?
A N S W E R : Yosef's brothers were shepherds b y profession.

They were o u t i n the fields w i t h their cattle and had v e r y little
to do w i t h the w o r l d at large. This was the most suitable
profession for one w h o w a n t e d to r e m a i n religious a n d a v o i d
endangering his T o r a h observance.
W h e n the brothers came to Egypt, they met Yosef, w h o

looked like one of them; beard, peiyot, a n d religious garb. They
were sure that i t w o u l d be impossible for a t r u l y religious
person like themselves to l i v e i n E g y p t and rise to glory.
Positive that Yosef remained strong i n his faith, they

assumed that this m a n was not religious, b u t rather someone
w h o merely chose to dress r e l i g i o u s l y — therefore, not their
brother Yosef.
‫״ויקח מ א ת ם א ת שמעו! ויאםו־ אתו לעיניהם״‬

"He took Shimon from them and arrested him before their eyes."
(42:24)
Q U E S T I O N : H e was arrested o n l y "before their eyes" b u t ,
as soon as they left, Yosef took h i m o u t of p r i s o n a n d gave h i m
food a n d d r i n k (Rashi). Since Yosef treated S h i m o n so w e l l ,
w h y d i d he arrest him?
A N S W E R : Yosef w a n t e d v e r y m u c h that the brothers

should b r i n g B i n y a m i n to Egypt. H o w e v e r , he was afraid that if
all the brothers w o u l d go back to Yaakov, they w o u l d take a

person off the street, b r i n g h i m to Egypt, a n d present h i m as
B i n y a m i n . Yosef h a r d l y k n e w B i n y a m i n , a n d thus, he w o u l d
not k n o w i f i t was really h i m or not.
Therefore, after insisting that the brothers come back w i t h

B i n y a m i n , he took S h i m o n and arrested h i m before their eyes.
His p l a n was that w h e n the brothers r e t u r n e d , he w o u l d ask
S h i m o n to i d e n t i f y the person they presented to h i m as their
brother B i n y a m i n . Since S h i m o n was separated f r o m t h e m , he
d i d not k n o w of their plan. Thus, i f the person was n o t
B i n y a m i n , he w o u l d tell Yosef that he doesn't k n o w h i m .
Hence, Yosef w o u l d k n o w that the brothers deceived h i m .
Since i n reality, S h i m o n d i d not d o a n y t h i n g w r o n g , there

was no reason to keep h i m u n d e r arrest. Consequently, as soon
as the brothers left, Yosef t o o k h i m o u t of p r i s o n and treated
h i m royally.
(‫)פנים יפות‬
‫יוסף איננו ושמעון איננו‬...‫״ויאמר אלהם יעקב אביהם אותי שכלתם‬

‫ואת בנימי! ת ק ח ו עלי היו כלנה״‬
"Their father Yaakov said to them, 'You are making me lose my
children; Yosef is gone, Shimon is gone, and now you want to take
away Binyamin; upon me are all these things.'" (42:36)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d s ‫ " — ״ ע ל י ה י ו כ ל נ ה ״‬u p o n me are a l l
these t h i n g s " — seem superfluous. W h a t was Yaakov a l l u d i n g
to?
A N S W E R : W h e n Yitzchak w a n t e d to give the berachot to

Eisav, R i v k a h insisted that Yaakov disguise himself and o b t a i n
the berachot. Yaakov refused, saying, " I a m afraid that i f m y
father realizes I a m f o o l i n g h i m , he m a y become angry and
curse me." H i s mother r e p l i e d , " Y o u have n o t h i n g to fear
because ‫ — ע ל י ק ל ל ת ך בני‬y o u r curse be o n me, m y son" (27:13).
Rivkah's approach is difficult to comprehend. Instead of

t a k i n g the curse u p o n herself, w h i c h is a v e r y serious matter,
she s h o u l d have assured Yaakov " Y o u r father w i l l not curse
you!"
MIKEITZ 183
Indeed, R i v k a h d i d not consider a curse f r o m Yitzchak v e r y

l i g h t l y , and she meant something else entirely. She was telling
Yaakov that she saw t h r o u g h Ruach Hakodesh — D i v i n e
i n s p i r a t i o n — that d u r i n g his lifetime he w o u l d suffer only f r o m
three curses. These three curses are h i n t e d at i n the w o r d .
The stands for Eisav, the is for L a v a n , a n d the is for
Yosef. She was saying, "Since I foresee no other serious
tribulations or curses destined for y o u , y o u can go ahead w i t h
confidence and obtain the berachot f r o m y o u r father."
After Yosef's disappearance, Yaakov cherished B i n y a m i n

because he was the o n l y c h i l d r e m a i n i n g f r o m Rachel.
Suddenly, he saw B i n y a m i n ' s life i n danger a n d feared losing
h i m , too. Therefore, he said to his c h i l d r e n , " Y o u w a n t to b r i n g
u p o n me a n e w curse. I cannot understand w h a t is happening
because, — m y mother t o l d me that the o n l y
problems I w o u l d suffer w o u l d be the ones i n v o l v i n g Eisav,
L a v a n a n d Yosef, w h i c h have already a l l come u p o n me?!"
(Shimon's incarceration i n E g y p t is not counted as a f o u r t h
curse, since i t was o n l y temporary, and thus his mother's
prophecy was accurate.)
‫״ונפתחה א ת אמתחתינו והנה כ ס ף איש בפי א מ ת ח ת ו כספנו‬

‫במשקלו ונשב אתו בידנו וכסף אחר הורדנו בידנו לשבר אכל לא‬
‫ידענו מי שם כספנו באמתחתינו״‬
"Behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our
money in full weight; We have brought it again in our hands. And
other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: We
do not know who placed our money in our sacks." (43:21- 22)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y was i t necessary for the brothers to say
that they b r o u g h t other m o n e y to b u y food? Moreover, should
not the statement, " W e do n o t k n o w w h o p u t o u r m o n e y i n our
sacks" come first?
A N S W E R : I n ancient times, every c o u n t r y w o u l d p u t its

o w n insignia o n its currency a n d the value was based o n the
w e i g h t of the g o l d and silver. People came f r o m m a n y lands to
E g y p t to purchase food. The Egyptians w o u l d w e i g h the cur¬

rency a n d sell accordingly.
The brothers related that w h e n they opened their sacks,
they f o u n d money, "Bemishkalo" — w h i c h weighed exactly the
same as the m o n e y they h a d g i v e n for their purchase. H o w e v e r ,
the emblems engraved o n the coins w e r e not the same because,
"We b r o u g h t other coins w i t h different emblems w h e n w e came
to b u y food. Therefore, w e are p u z z l e d a n d d o not k n o w w h o
p u t silver of the same weight as o u r m o n e y i n our sacks."
r
o y (‫)ילקוט הדרוש‬
‫כספכם בא אל״״‬...‫״ויאמר שלום לכם אל תיראו‬

"[The man in charge of Yosef's household] told them, 'Do not
fear...I received your money.'" (43:23)
Q U E S T I O N : The m a n i n charge was Menasheh. W h y d i d he

lie?
A N S W E R : H a s h e m t o l d A v r a h a m that the Jewish people
w o u l d be slaves for 400 years i n E g y p t a n d , afterwards, they
w o u l d go o u t w i t h great w e a l t h . A c c o r d i n g to the Zohar, the
reason for the famine was to increase the w e a l t h of E g y p t , for
the Jews w e r e destined to eventually receive this w e a l t h . (See
Yalkut Reuveini)
Bearing this i n m i n d , Menasheh t o l d his uncles, "Whatever
m o n e y I t o o k i n u n t i l n o w b y selling g r a i n to the entire w o r l d is
i n reality your money. Since all the m o n e y I receive f r o m sales
w i l l u l t i m a t e l y be yours i n the future, w h y s h o u l d I bother n o w
to take your m o n e y a n d later need to r e t u r n i t to y o u ? "
(‫ המגיד מדובנא‬- ‫)אוהל יעקב‬
‫״וישא מ ש א ת מ א ת פניו אלהם ותרב מ ש א ת בנימ! מ מ ש א ת כלם‬

‫ח מ ש ידות וישתו וישכרו עמו״‬
"And portions were taken from before him to them; but Binyamin's
portion was greater than the portions of all of them, five times as
much. And they drank and were merry with him." (43:34)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi comments: "Since the d a y that they h a d

sold h i m , they d i d not d r i n k w i n e , nor d i d he (Yosef) d r i n k
w i n e ; b u t o n that d a y they d i d d r i n k . "
MIKEITZ 185
Yosef recognized his brothers. Therefore, he h a d g o o d

reason to d r i n k and be m e r r y . H o w e v e r , since the brothers d i d
not k n o w w h o he was, w h y d i d they i n d u l g e i n d r i n k i n g ?
A N S W E R : The major p r o b l e m between the brothers a n d

Yosef stemmed f r o m their jealousy. D u e to their jealousy of his
aspirations to rise above t h e m , they w e n t as far as selling h i m
as a slave. W h e n the brothers w e r e i n v i t e d to a meal i n Yosef's
house, Yosef p u t t h e m to a test to see i f they had overcome
their negative trait. H e gave B i n y a m i n five times as m a n y
presents as he gave t h e m , a n d w a i t e d to see h o w they w o u l d
react.
The brothers had already learned their lesson and showed

no signs of jealousy whatsoever. W h e n a person strives to
i m p r o v e his w a y s a n d overcomes his failings, he is v e r y happy.
P r o u d of their v i c t o r y over jealousy, they p e r m i t t e d themselves
to i n d u l g e i n w i n e to celebrate their i m p r o v e d character.
(‫)ישמח ישראל‬
‫״וישתו וישכרו עמו״‬

"And they drank and were merry with him." (43:34)
Q U E S T I O N : Even kosher w i n e , w h e n handled b y a n o n -
Jew, is considered "stam yeinam" and m a y n o t be consumed b y
a Jew. H o w d i d the brothers a l l o w themselves to d r i n k w i n e
w i t h Yosef, whose true i d e n t i t y had not yet been revealed to
them?
A N S W E R : The Maharsha (Shabbat 139b) says, "they d i d i t

out of fear of the government." W h a t , was their fear?
W h e n the brothers appeared i n E g y p t before Yosef, he ac¬

cused t h e m of being spies. They categorically denied this,
c l a i m i n g that their v i s i t to E g y p t was strictly personal.
It is w e l l k n o w n that "nichnas yayin, yatza sod" — W h e n

w i n e enters the person and he becomes intoxicated, his tongue
becomes loose, a n d he reveals secrets (Eiruvin 65a). Therefore,
w h e n the brothers were served w i n e , they decided to d r i n k i t i n
order to prove to Yosef that they were not spies. H a d they
refused to d r i n k , he w o u l d have claimed that their reluctance
was o u t of fear of becoming intoxicated and revealing self-

i n c r i m a n t i n g i n f o r m a t i o n , and thus, his accusation that they are
spies w o u l d have been substantiated.
(‫)המדרש והמעשה‬
‫״הם יצאו א ת העיר לא הרחיקו ויוסף אמר לאשר על ביתו קום רדף‬
‫אחרי האנשים״‬
"They had left the city, had not gone far out of the city, and Yosef
said to his house steward, 'Get up, chase after the men.'" (44:4)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y does the T o r a h emphasize "lo hirchiku" —

" [ T h e y ] had not gone far"?
A N S W E R : One w h o travels to another city is r e q u i r e d to re¬

cite Tefillat Haderech. This prayer has the p o w e r to shield a per¬
son f r o m unpleasant occurrences. The prayer s h o u l d be recited
w i t h a berachah w h e n one is o u t of the city, a n d the total length
of the t r i p w i l l be at least a p p r o x i m a t e l y 2 1/2 miles (Orach
Chaim 110). Yosef, therefore, t o l d his house steward, "Chase
after t h e m i m m e d i a t e l y , before they recite Tefillat Haderech,
because after they say the Tefillat Haderech w e w i l l not be able to
cause t h e m any inconvenience."
(‫ ועי׳ דעת זקנים מבעלי התום׳‬,‫)ר׳ אברהם מרדכי מגור זצ״ל‬
‫״הן כסף אשר מצאנו בפי אמתחתינו השיבנו אליך מארץ כנען ואיך‬
‫נגנב מבית אדניך כסף או זהב״‬
"Behold, the money which we found in our sacks we brought back
to you from the land of Canaan; how then could we have stolen
from your master's house silver or gold?" (44:8)
Q U E S T I O N : Yosef's goblet was of u n l i m i t e d value. There

was n o t h i n g like i t i n the entire w o r l d . H o w does the fact that
they returned the purchase m o n e y for the food p r o v e that they
w o u l d n o t steal something of such tremendous value?
A N S W E R : W h e n the steward of Yosef's house caught u p

w i t h the brothers, he t o l d t h e m that the goblet was one w h i c h
Yosef used for d i v i n a t i o n . " I f Jews w e r e p e r m i t t e d to practice
d i v i n a t i o n , " he explained, " I w o u l d understand w h y y o u w e r e
t e m p t e d to take the goblet. H o w e v e r , since y o u are f o r b i d d e n
MIKEITZ 187
to practice d i v i n a t i o n , then y o u are just p l a i n thieves and

deserve to be p u n i s h e d severely."
The brothers responded, " O n the contrary! I f w e were

p e r m i t t e d to practice d i v i n a t i o n , i t w o u l d be a great i n i q u i t y for
us to steal such a valuable t h i n g f r o m y o u r master and i t w o u l d
make sense for y o u to suspect us. H o w e v e r , i t is f o r b i d d e n for
us to practice d i v i n a t i o n , so to suspect that w e stole i t just for its
silver value is foolish, because w e already returned m u c h more
t h a n that i n food money."
J
‫וריוה לנותיודו‬
‫״אשר ימצא אתו מעבדיך ומת״‬

"Anyone among your servants with whom it is found shall die."
(44:9)
Q U E S T I O N : 1) A c c o r d i n g to T o r a h l a w , the p u n i s h m e n t for
a thief is not death. W h y d i d the brothers select death as pun¬
ishment?
2) W h y d i d they r e l i n q u i s h their self-esteem a n d refer to

themselves as "servants"?
A N S W E R : The brothers t o l d the prosecutor: " I t is far f r o m

us to c o m m i t such a crime. Behold, w e returned the m o n e y w e
f o u n d ; h o w then should w e steal silver and g o l d f r o m y o u r
house? Since the purchase m o n e y was again f o u n d i n o u r sacks,
w e are o b v i o u s l y being framed. There is someone a m o n g your
servants w h o has a vendetta against us, or w h o is anti-semitic.
A righteous c o u n t r y like Egypt, w h i c h helps the w o r l d endure
the famine, should n o t tolerate such people.
"Therefore, 'he w i t h w h o m i t is f o u n d ' — 'mei'avadecha' —

' f r o m your servants' — w h o is o u t to get innocent people into
trouble, he should be p u t to death.
" I f an investigation w i l l show that w e are indeed the

thieves, then w e w i l l be slaves i n accordance w i t h the laws of
our Torah." The prosecutor accepted this offer a n d agreed that
if one of the brothers stole i t , he s h o u l d r e m a i n as a slave.
(‫)ש ו״ ת תירוש ויצהר סי׳ קנ״ט‬
‫״ויאמר גם ע ת ה כדבריכם כן הוא אשר ״מצא אתו ״היה לי עבד‬

‫ואתם תהיו נקים״‬
"And he said: 'Also now let it be according to your words; he with
whom it is found, he shall be my slave; and you shall be
blameless.'" (44:10)
Q U E S T I O N : Yosef's steward (Menasheh) seems to be
contradicting himself. By saying "chedivreichem ken hu," i t seems
that he accepts their offer that the thief be k i l l e d a n d they all be
slaves, and yet he concludes: "he w i t h w h o m i t is f o u n d , he
shall be m y slave and y o u shall be blameless"?
A N S W E R : A s h r e w d thief w i l l always t r y to create an im¬
pression of honesty to a v o i d being suspected of w r o n g d o i n g . I f
one w a n t s to steal something v e r y valuable, he w i l l first steal
something of less value and r e t u r n i t . A f t e r w a r d s , w h e n he
steals the extremely valuable i t e m , no suspicion is cast o n h i m .
The brothers pleaded: " I t is far f r o m y o u r servants to d o such
a t h i n g . Behold, w e returned the money w e f o u n d i n our sacks.
H o w is i t that w e w o u l d steal g o l d and silver f r o m y o u r house?"
Menasheh said to them: "Chedivreichem ken hu," — "Be
aware that your own words are a source of p r o o f that y o u d i d
indeed c o m m i t the robbery! M o s t l i k e l y , e v e r y t h i n g was pre¬
meditated. The reason y o u returned the purchase m o n e y was
to establish c r e d i b i l i t y , so that y o u w o u l d not be accused w h e n
y o u c o m m i t e d the major theft of stealing the goblet w h i c h is of
u n l i m i t e d value.
" H o w e v e r , I d o not agree w i t h y o u i n regard to y o u r ex¬
tremely harsh verdict. O n l y the one that is the thief w i l l r e m a i n
m y servant, a n d all the others w i l l be free to leave."
J ‫י‬ (‫)הדרש והעיון‬
‫״ויחפש בגדול ה ח ל ובקסן כלה וימצא הגביע ב א מ ת ח ת ב נ י מ ך‬

"He searched; he began with the oldest and ended with the young¬
est, and the goblet was found in Binyamin's saddlebag." (44:12)
Q U E S T I O N : A c c o r d i n g to the Midrash, "the oldest" w h o m
he searched first was Shimon. W a s n ' t Reuvein the oldest?
ANSWER: W h e n Yosef's agent t o l d the brothers that they

were being accused of stealing a priceless goblet, they responded,
MIKEITZ 189
"Behold, the money that w e f o u n d i n the m o u t h of our

saddlebags w e b r o u g h t back to y o u f r o m the l a n d of Canaan;
h o w then could w e have stolen f r o m y o u r master's house silver
or gold?" (44:8) The agent responded, "Your argument is a good
one; however, i t cannot exempt Shimon or Binyamin. For w h e n
y o u came to Egypt the first time, B i n y a m i n d i d not come w i t h
y o u ; and w h e n y o u left Egypt the first time, Shimon d i d not
accompany y o u . M y master incarcerated h i m to assure that y o u
w o u l d r e t u r n to Egypt w i t h B i n y a m i n (42:19). Therefore, he
searched the oldest — Shimon — and the youngest — B i n y a m i n
— and the goblet was f o u n d i n Binyamin's saddlebag."
A l t h o u g h he k n e w that the goblet was i n B i n y a m i n ' s sack,

he began w i t h the oldest so that they s h o u l d n o t sense that he
k n e w w h e r e i t was (Rashi).
(‫ ועי׳ בתרגום יונתן בן עוזיאל‬,‫)עיטורי תורה בשם ר׳ יהודה ליב דיל דיסקין‬
‫ ותיבות א ל פ י ם נ ״ ה ״‬...!‫״קמ״ו פ ס ו ק י ם יחזקיהו םימ‬

"There are 146 verses in this parshah, numerically corresponding
to ‫ ח ז ק י ה ו‬. . . and the parshah contains 2025 words."
1
Q U E S T I O N : A t the end of every parshah there is a Masoretic

note regarding the n u m b e r of verses. This is the o n l y parshah
w h e r e there is also a note regarding the n u m b e r of w o r d s —
why?
A N S W E R : The T o r a h relates that w h e n Yosef was

a p p o i n t e d viceroy they drove h i m t h r o u g h o u t the l a n d of
E g y p t i n a royal chariot. A l l the people came o u t to greet h i m
and p r o c l a i m e d before h i m "avreich" (41:43). The w o r d
consists of t w o w o r d s : — elder i n w i s d o m and —
y o u n g i n years. W h e n the T o r a h is read i n p u b l i c , s h o u l d i t be
read together as one w o r d or two?
This Masoretic note provides an answer to this question:

There are 2025 w o r d s i n the Parshat Mikeitz. I f "avreich" is read
as t w o w o r d s , the total is 2026. Hence, i t s h o u l d be read
together as one w o r d .
° (‫)עיטורי תורה‬
CHANUKAH-MIKEITZ - ‫ח נ ו כ ה ־ מ ק ץ‬
‫ויהי מ ק ץ ש נ ת י ם י מ י ם ״‬
"And it came to pass at the end of two full years." (41:1)
Q U E S T I O N : Parshat Mikeitz is always read d u r i n g Chanu-
kah. W h a t connection does the parshah have to Chanukah?
A N S W E R : The f o l l o w i n g are some of the hints to Chanukah

i n this parshah:
1) A c c o r d i n g to halachah, the Menorah is placed o n the left

side of the doorpost, opposite the mezuzah, w h i c h is o n the
right. i n the pasuk , the w o r d is an
a c r o n y m for ( o n the left k i n d l e the
candles, o n the r i g h t place the mezuzah).
(‫)שלטי הגבורים‬
* * *
2) A c c o r d i n g to some opinions (Orach Chaim 670:2), i t is

proper to have a festive meal o n Chanukah. A h i n t for this m a y
be f o u n d i n Yosef's telling the overseer of his household ‫״ ו ט ב ח‬
‫" — ט ב ח ו ה כ ן ״‬Slay an animal a n d prepare i t , for these m e n shall
dine w i t h me at n o o n " (43:16). The w o r d s ‫ ״ ו ט ב ח ט ב ח ״‬have the
numerical value of 44. D u r i n g the eight days of Chanukah w e
k i n d l e a total of 44 candles, i n c l u d i n g the shamashim.
(‫)בשמים ראש‬
* * *
3) A n o t h e r h i n t to forty-four [candles] is i n Yaakov's

c o m m a n d to his sons, "Shuvu shibru lanu me'at ochel" — "Go
back, b u y us some f o o d " (43:2).
The w o r d "lanu" (‫ )לנו‬has the numerical value of eighty-six.

The w o r d "shibru" (‫ )שברו‬also means to break. Thus Yaakov was
telling t h e m "shibru lanu" — "break the w o r d 'lanu' [ i n half],
CHANUKAH-MIKEITZ 191
and a d d to the half (forty-three) 'me'at ochel' — the numerical

value of the letter 'alef (‫ )א‬w h i c h is 'me'at' — least i n numerical
value a m o n g the letters of the w o r d 'ochel' (‫ — ״)אכל‬the total is
forty-four.
(‫)פרדס יוסף בשם אוהל מועד ח״א‬
* * *
4) I n the Al Hanissim prayer, the w o r d "yad" — " h a n d " — is
m e n t i o n e d five times: ‫״ מ ס ר ת ג ב ו ר י ם ב י ד ח ל ש י ם ו ר ב י ם ב י ד מ ע ט י ם‬
—
" Y o u delivered the m i g h t y i n t o the h a n d of the weak, the m a n y
into the h a n d of the few, the i m p u r e into the h a n d of the pure,
the w i c k e d into the h a n d of the righteous, a n d w a n t o n sinners
into the h a n d of those w h o occupy themselves w i t h Y o u r
Torah." A h i n t for this m a y be f o u n d i n the pasuk, ‫״ ו ת ר ב מ ש א ת‬
‫ " — ב נ י מ י ן מ מ ש א ת כ ל ם ח מ ש ידות״‬B i n y a m i n ' s p o r t i o n was five
hands (times) as m u c h as theirs" (43:34).
(‫)ר׳ נפתלי מראפשיץ זצ״ל‬
* * *
i t is possible that the festive meal to w h i c h Yosef i n v i t e d his

brothers was also i n honor of Chanukah. A t the meal, w h e n
Yosef a l l u d e d to the five hands, he intended a message for his
brothers.
There is a difficulty i n the w o r d i n g of this prayer.

G r a m m a t i c a l l y i t should be p l u r a l a n d read "bidei" — " i n the
hands" — and n o t the singular "beyad" — " i n the h a n d . "
Indeed, more t h a n one h a n d fought i n defense of the Jewish

people. h o w e v e r , the secret of their success was the u n i t y of the
tzaddikim a n d the students of Torah. W h e n members of a
m i n o r i t y are u n i t e d , they can easily conquer any p o w e r that
wants to destroy them.
Yosef was suggesting to his brothers that disaster occurs

w h e n u n i t y is lacking. h o w e v e r , w h e n w e are u n i t e d , w e are
the most p o w e r f u l force i n the w o r l d .
* * *
5) T h r o u g h o u t the Torah, the n u m b e r of pesukim i n the

parshah is w r i t t e n at the end of every parshah.
A t the e n d of Parshat Mikeitz, besides the n u m b e r of

pesukim, w e are also t o l d that the parshah contains 2,025 w o r d s .
W h y is i t necessary to k n o w the a m o u n t of words?
Parshat Mikeitz is usually read d u r i n g the w e e k of Chanukah.

The 2,025 w o r d s i n the parshah can serve as a h i n t for the Yom
Tov of Chanukah. D u r i n g Chanukah w e l i g h t candles for eight
nights. The mitzvah can be fulfilled w i t h o n l y one candle each
n i g h t for the entire household.
I n H e b r e w a w o r d for candle is "neir" £‫ )נר‬w h i c h has the nu¬

merical value of 250. e i g h t times 250 equals 2,000. The event of
l i g h t i n g candles starts o n the 25th d a y i n the m o n t h of Kislev.
Thus, 2,025 alludes to the 25th of Kislev a n d eight candles.
(‫)תורה תמימה‬
* * *
6) The eight d a y festival of Chanukah often takes place be¬

t w e e n the weeks i n w h i c h w e read the parshiot Vayeishev a n d
Mikeitz.
A connection between these t w o parshiot a n d Chanukah m a y

be as f o l l o w s :
The Al Hanissim prayer states that the miracle of Chanukah

was that the m a n y w e r e delivered into the h a n d of few a n d the
strong i n t o the h a n d of the weak. This t h o u g h t is emphasized i n
the parshiot of Vayeishev a n d Mikeitz. i n Parshat Vayeishev w e
read about Yosef's dreams, a n d i n the Parshat Mikeitz w e read
about Pharaoh's dreams. I n Pharaoh's dreams the w e a k
conquered the strong. Yosef d r e a m t that the majority can be
subordinate to the m i n o r i t y . Thus, the c o m m o n d e n o m i n a t o r of
b o t h dreams is that q u a n t i t y or strength is not necessarily the
decisive factor.
(‫)ברכת חיים‬
* * *
7) The eight days of Chanukah u s u a l l y extend i n t o the w e e k

of Vayigash, a n d w e learn about the brothers c o n f r o n t i n g Yosef,
‫ ו נ א מ ר א ל א ד נ י י ש לנו א ב‬: ‫״ א ד נ י ש א ל א ת עבדיו ל א מ ר ה י ש ל כ ם א ב א ו א ח‬
‫ " — ז ק ן ״‬M y l o r d asked his servants, saying: H a v e y o u a father,
CHANUKAH-MIKEITZ 193
or a brother? A n d w e said to m y l o r d : W e have an o l d father"

(44:19-20).
This dialogue gives a h i n t about Chanukah:
I n the Gemara (Shabbat 21b), Beit Hillel is of the o p i n i o n that

o n the first n i g h t of Chanukah one candle is l i t , a n d each follow¬
ing n i g h t an a d d i t i o n a l candle. Beit Shammai is of the o p i n i o n
that o n the first n i g h t eight candles are l i t , decreasing b y one
each succeeding night.
The brothers t o l d Yosef, " Y o u asked us, ‫' — ׳ ה י ש ל כ ם ׳‬are

y o u of the o p i n i o n that' — ‫ ' — ׳ א ב ׳‬w e go f r o m one (‫ )א‬to t w o (‫)ב‬
and so o n , o r ' — ‫ ' — ׳ א ח ׳‬o n the first n i g h t (‫ )א‬w e l i g h t eight (‫)ח‬
candles.' W e replied — 'our custom is' — — 'to
increase f r o m one to t w o because' — — 'this is the o p i n i o n
of the father of the school w h o was k n o w n as' — —
' H i l l e l the elder.' "
(‫)נרות שמונה‬
* * *
8) The brothers expressed the fear that their being b r o u g h t

to Yosef's home was "lehitgoleil aleinu" — "so that a charge can
be fabricated against us" (43:18). The w o r d "lehitgoleil" (‫)להתגולל‬
literally means to roll [ u p o n us an accusation]. They used this
expression to indicate that there w o u l d come a t i m e w h e n i t
w o u l d be customary to roll the dreidel d u r i n g the week of
Parshat Mikeitz.
CHANUKAH ‫חנוכה־‬
‫״‬...‫״ מ א י ח נ ו כ ה ? ב כ ״ ה בכסלו‬
"What is Chanukah? On the 25th of KIslev..." (Shabbat 21b)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d the miracle of Chanukah take place o n

the 25th of Kislev?
A n s W e R : i n the wilderness, the construction of the

Mishkan was completed o n the 25th of Kislev. Hashem t o l d
Moshe to w a i t w i t h the dedication t i l l the auspicious day of
Rosh Chodesh Nissan. The 25th of Kislev was somewhat offended.
To appease her, the rededication of the second Beit Hamikdash,
i n the days of the Hasmoneans, took place o n the 25th of Kislev.
(279 ‫ ועי׳ לקוטי שיחות ח״י ע׳‬,‫ מלכים סוף רמז קפד‬,‫)ילקוט שמעוני‬
* * *
i t is interesting to note that the w o r d s
(Bamidbar 7:84) — "this is the dedication of the altar" — w h i c h
refer to the Mishkan (and are part of the Torah reading for
Chanukah), have the numerical value of 954, w h i c h is the exact
numerical value of — "this (dedication)
w i l l be i n the days of the Hasmoneans."
(‫)רוקח‬
‫״ כ ש נ כ נ ס ו יונים ל ה י כ ל ס מ א ו כ ל ה ש מ נ י ם ״‬
"When the Greeks entered the sanctuary they defiled all the oils."
(Shabbat 21b)
Q U E S T I O N : I f the purpose of the Greeks was to extinguish
the l i g h t of the Menorah and prevent its r e k i n d l i n g , w h y d i d
they defile the oil? They c o u l d have accomplished this more
effectively b y using i t u p or destroying i t .
CHANUKAH 195
A N S W E R : The true objective of the Greeks was not to

prevent the r e k i n d l i n g of the Menorah, b u t rather that i t should
be r e k i n d l e d w i t h defiled o i l . Hence, they purposely left a
s u p p l y of defiled o i l i n the Sanctuary to be r e a d i l y available for
this purpose.
The Greeks were w i l l i n g to recognize the Torah as a beauti¬

ful literary creation, w i t h exceptional w i s d o m and p r o f o u n d
p h i l o s o p h y , p r o v i d e d o n l y that i t was considered as a human
creation, like their o w n m y t h o l o g y . A s such, the Torah c o u l d be
changed a n d m o d i f i e d f r o m t i m e to t i m e , so as to harmonize
w i t h the character of the r u l i n g class and the novel ideas and
morals of the p e r i o d . Thus, i t was not the suppression of the
Torah that they a i m e d at, b u t "lehashkicham Toratecha" — "to
make t h e m forget your T o r a h " — and not treat i t as G-d-given.
Similarly, they were not averse to the m o r a l and ethical

values contained therein, b u t their concern was "leha'aviram
meichukei retzonecha" — "to violate the decrees of your W i l l " —
not to observe the D i v i n e chukim, the so-called "supra-rational"
precepts, w h i c h more t h a n any other, d i s t i n g u i s h the Jewish
w a y of life.
Their objective was, thus, not to prevent the r e k i n d l i n g of

the Menorah, b u t that its l i g h t s h o u l d come f r o m o i l that h a d a
Greek "taint."
(‫) ל ק ו ט י ש י ח ו ת חייג‬
‫״וכשגברה מלכות ב י ת חשמונאי ונצחום בדקו ולא מצאו א ל א פ ך‬

‫א ח ד ש ל ש מ ! ש ה י ה מ ו נ ח ב ח ו ת מ ו ש ל כ ה ן גדול״‬
"When the Hasmoneans overpowered and defeated the Greeks,
they searched and found only one cruse of oil, that was lying with
the seal of the Kohen Gadol." (Shabbat 21b)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t assurance d i d they have that the cruse

was not touched b y any of the Greek soldiers?
A N S W E R : Tosafot (ibid.) raises this question, a n d answers

that i t was b u r i e d i n the g r o u n d , and thus the Greeks d i d not
see i t or k n o w of its existence. A difficulty w i t h this explanation
is that there is no allusion to this fact i n the Gemara. M o r e o v e r ,

if so, w h y was i t necessary to have a seal o n it?
Careful analysis of the t e r m i n o l o g y used i n the Gemara,

p r o m p t s one to ask:
1) The Kohen Gadol was not i n charge of m a k i n g o i l . W h y

w o u l d his seal be o n the cruse?
2) G r a m m a t i c a l l y , instead of saying
‫" — כ ה ן ג ד ו ל ״‬that was lying w i t h the Kohen Gadol's seal" — i t
s h o u l d have said, ‫" — ״ ש ה י ה ח ת ו ם ״‬that was sealed?"
F r o m this w e m a y deduce that w h e n the Hasmoneans

entered the Beit Hamikdash, their eyes beheld a fascinating phe¬
nomenon. They saw one cruse of o i l , and
— i t was l y i n g together w i t h the precious g o l d e n signet
r i n g of the Kohen Gadol. They surmised that u n d o u b t e d l y no
Greek had come into this area, because he definitely w o u l d
have stolen the r i n g . Therefore, they confidently assumed that
the cruse was not defiled b y the Greeks a n d f i t for the Menorah
kindling.
(‫)צמח דוד מדינוב זצ״ל‬
‫ נ ע ש ה בו נ • והדליקו מ מ נ ו‬, ‫״ולא ה י ה בו א ל א ל ה ד ל י ק יום א ח ד‬

‫ש מ ו נ ה ימים ״‬
"The oil in the cruse was sufficient for only one day, but mi¬
raculously they kindled from it for eight days." (Shabbat 21b)
Q U E S T I O N : Since the cruse of o i l f o u n d was sufficient for
the first day, the miracle was for o n l y seven days, so w h y is
Chanukah celebrated eight days?
A N S W E R : The Beit Yosef (Tur, Orach Chaim 670) provides

three answers for this p r o b l e m :
1) The Hasmoneans k n e w that i t w o u l d take t h e m eight

days to get a n e w s u p p l y of o i l . They d i d n o t w a n t to k i n d l e the
Menorah for merely one n i g h t and neglect the succeeding seven
nights. Hence, they decided to d i v i d e the cruse of o i l into eight
equal parts. M i r a c u l o u s l y , the small a m o u n t of o i l used the first
n i g h t lasted for the entire night.
CHANUKAH 197
2) After f i l l i n g the Menorah o n the first night, they saw that

the cruse remained f u l l of o i l . This miracle recurred for the next
seven nights.
3) I n the evening they p o u r e d the entire cruse of o i l into the

Menorah and k i n d l e d i t . I n the m o r n i n g , they were amazed to
f i n d that after b u r n i n g the entire n i g h t the cups were still filled
w i t h o i l . Thus, o n the first n i g h t a miracle had already occurred.
* * *
Some difficulties w i t h the above:
1) The Menorah cups must be filled w i t h enough o i l to last

the n i g h t (Menachot 89a).
2) O n l y p u r e olive o i l is suitable, and not o i l d e r i v e d

t h r o u g h a miracle!
I n response, Rabbi C h a i m Soloveichik of Brisk advances the

t h o u g h t that o n the first n i g h t the entire cruse of o i l was p o u r e d
into the Menorah. The miracle was i n the quality of the o i l . O i l
w h i c h n o r m a l l y c o u l d b u r n for one n i g h t suddenly acquired
the p o w e r to last for eight nights. Thus, each n i g h t the Menorah
remained f u l l , w i t h the o r i g i n a l olive o i l losing o n l y 1/8th of its
"flame" potentiality.
(‫)עי׳ רשימות כ״ק אדמו״ר חוברת גי‬
* * *
4) There is an argument i n the Gemara (Shabbat 21b) as to

h o w m a n y candles should be l i t each n i g h t of Chanukah.
A c c o r d i n g to Beit Hillel, w e start the first n i g h t w i t h one candle
and each n i g h t w e a d d a candle. A c c o r d i n g to Beit Shammai, w e
start the first n i g h t w i t h eight, and decrease b y one every n i g h t
after.
A c c o r d i n g to the Avudraham, one of the meanings of the

name "Chanukah" is ‫ ׳ נ ר ו ת ו ה ל כ ה כ ב י ת ה ל ל ״‬n ‫" — ״‬Candles should
be l i t for eight days, and the halachah is according to Beit Hillel"
(that each n i g h t w e increase one candle).
W h e n one looks at the Chanukah Menorah any d a y of Chanu-

kah, one can i m m e d i a t e l y tell f r o m the number of candles being
l i t , that the halachah is according to Beit Hillel.
For example, o n the t h i r d d a y o f Chanukah one sees three

candles l i t , a n d one k n o w s that this is according to Beit Hillel,
because according to Beit Shammai, there s h o u l d have been six
candles l i t . O n the sixth d a y o f Chanukah, i f one sees six candles
l i t , one can derive f r o m this that the halachah is according to Beit
Hillel, because according to Beit Shammai there s h o u l d have
been o n l y three candles l i t .
If Chanukah candles were o n l y l i t for a p e r i o d o f seven days,

then o n the f o u r t h n i g h t o f Chanukah, according to Beit Hillel
and also according to Beit Shammai, a total o f o n l y four candles
w o u l d be l i t . Thus, i f one looked at the Chanukah Menorah that
evening, one w o u l d n o t be able to see i f the halachah w a s ac¬
c o r d i n g to Beit Hillel or Beit Shammai. h o w e v e r , w h e n Chanukah
is celebrated for eight days, then o n the f o u r t h d a y , according
to Beit Hillel one lights four candles a n d according to Beit
Shammai one lights five candles.
since the w o r d "Chanukah" indicates that the halachah is ac¬

c o r d i n g to Beit Hillel, Chanukah has to be eight days a n d n o t
seven days.
5) I n Shemoneh Esreih a n d Birkat Hamazon w e recite, d u r i n g

Chanukah, the prayer o f Al Hanissim. I n i t , there are a total of
eight things m e n t i o n e d w h i c h H a s h e m d i d i n o u r behalf to
make Chanukah a reality. "You... 1) w a g e d their battles, 2)
defended their rights, 3) avenged the w r o n g done to t h e m , 4)
delivered the m i g h t y into the h a n d o f the weak, 5) the m a n y
i n t o the h a n d o f the f e w , 6) the i m p u r e into the h a n d o f the
pure, 7) the w i c k e d i n t o the h a n d o f the righteous, 8) a n d
w a n t o n sinners i n t o the h a n d o f those w h o occupy themselves
w i t h Your Torah."
Therefore, Chanukah is celebrated eight days, t h o u g h the

miracle o f the o i l w a s o n l y for seven days.
(‫)ספר נר למאה בשם זכר אברהם‬
CHANUKAH 199
Yin ‫ ב י ת‬...‫ והמהדרין מ ן המהדרין‬...‫״ מ צ ו ת נ ר ח נ ו כ ה נ ר א י ש וביתו‬

‫אומרים מוסיף והולך׳‬
"According to halachah it is sufficient to light one candle each
night throughout Chanukah for the entire household. Those who
are mehadrln mln hamehadrln — extremely careful in performing
mitzvot — follow Belt Hillel and add one candle each night."
(Shabbat 21b)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y , i n regard to l i g h t i n g the Menorah, do a l l

homes conduct themselves i n the manner of mehaderin min
hamehaderin — supremely scrupulous — w h i l e i n m a n y other
mitzvot they f o l l o w lesser halachic requirements?
A N s W E R : I n describing the miracle of Chanukah, the Ge-

mara relates that the Jews f o u n d o n l y one cruse of o i l a n d that i t
had the seal of the Kohen Gadol. I n the Beit Hamikdash there were
Kohanim assigned to the special task of m a k i n g o i l . I t was not
the responsibility of the Kohen Gadol to make o i l . W h y then d i d
this particular cruse bear the Kohen Gadol's seal?
The Kohen Gadol was required to b r i n g a d a i l y sacrifice con¬

sisting of flour and o i l , k n o w n as "chavitei Kohen Gadol" (Vayikra
6:15). N o r m a l l y , the o i l used for this offering w o u l d be of l o w e r
q u a l i t y t h a n that used for the k i n d l i n g of the Menorah. How¬
ever, the Kohen Gadol i n that t i m e was a h i g h l y distinguished
spiritual personality, a n d a mehader bemitzvot — scrupulous i n
mitzvot — w h o used pure olive o i l for his d a i l y sacrifice.
W h e n the Hasmoneans entered the Beit Hamikdash, they d i d

not f i n d any o i l to k i n d l e the Menorah. L u c k i l y they f o u n d one
cruse w h i c h was designated for the Kohen Gadol's d a i l y
sacrifice, and, to their utter amazement, i t was p u r e olive o i l .
Were i t not for the fact that this Kohen Gadol was a mehader
bemitzvot, no o i l w o u l d have been available. To emphasize the
uniqueness of the Kohen Gadol at that t i m e , w e emulate his
actions i n the f o r m of mehaderin min hamehaderin.
* * *
O n the basis of the above, w e f i n d another rationale for the

observance of Chanukah for eight days, t h o u g h there actually
was enough o i l o n l y for the first n i g h t .
The Menorah required one half lug for each of the seven can¬
dles, a d d i n g u p to a total of 3 1/2 lugim (Menachot 88a). The Ko-
hen Gadol's d a i l y sacrifice required o n l y a total of three lugim of
o i l per d a y (Menachot 87b). Thus, the cruse f o u n d was not suffi¬
cient for even one n i g h t , t h o u g h m i r a c u l o u s l y i t b u r n t t h r o u g h
the entire night.
(‫)חידושי הרי״ם‬
‫יף והולך״‬0‫מו‬...‫ פ ו ח ת והולך ב י ת ה ל ל אומו־ים‬. . . ‫״ ב י ת ש מ א י א ו מ ר י ם‬

"According to Belt Shammal, the first night we light eight candles,
and we decrease by one each night. According to Belt Hillel, the
first night we light one candle, and we increase each night by one."
(Shabbat 21b)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t is the basis of their dispute?
A N s W E R : They are d i s p u t i n g w h i c h has greater signifi¬

cance, the potential or the actual . Beit Shammai holds
that the potential is more significant. The miracle of Chanukah
took place over a p e r i o d of eight days. I m m e d i a t e l y , o n the first
d a y the o i l had the potential to last for eight days. Each
succeeding n i g h t this potential was reduced; i.e. o n the first
n i g h t the o i l m i r a c u l o u s l y was able to last for eight, and the
second d a y i t was able to last for seven days, etc. Therefore, to
emphasize this aspect of the miracle, w e decrease b y one each
night.
A c c o r d i n g to Beit Hillel, p r i o r i t y is g i v e n to the actual mira¬

cle. After the first n i g h t , the Jewish people witnessed a miracle
of the o i l lasting one n i g h t , the second n i g h t , t w o nights, etc.;
therefore w e increase one candle because i n actuality, the visible
miracle increased f r o m n i g h t to n i g h t .
(73 ‫)לקוטי שיחות חייו ע׳‬
‫״ ב י ת ה ל ל א ו מ ר י ם יום ראשו! מ ד ל י ק א ח ת מ כ א ! ואילך מ ו ס י ף‬

. . . ‫ ו ח ד א מ ר‬...‫ ח ד א מ ר • ע מ א ד ב י ת ה ל ל כ נ ג ד י מ י ם היוצאין‬...‫והולך‬
‫ד מ ע ל י ן ב ק ד ש ואי! מורידי!״‬
"Belt Hillel says, 'The first night light one and add one more each
succeeding night...' One reason is that it corresponds to the days
CHANUKAH 201
that passed... (another reason is that) in matters of holiness, one

should always increase and not decrease." (Shabbat 21b)
Q u E s T I O N : W h a t is the halachic difference between the t w o
approaches to e x p l a i n the o p i n i o n of Beit Hillel?
A N s W E R : One difference m a y be as follows: W h e n some¬

one possesses v e r y l i m i t e d resources, and o n the second n i g h t
of Chanukah lights o n l y one candle, i f o n the t h i r d n i g h t he has
sufficient resources, h o w m a n y s h o u l d he kindle?
A c c o r d i n g to those w h o assert that Beit Hillel's o p i n i o n is

based o n the days that passed, he w o u l d have to l i g h t three
candles. A c c o r d i n g to the explanation that i t is necessary to
increase i n holiness and n o t decrease, i t w o u l d be sufficient to
l i g h t o n l y t w o candles, since the n i g h t before he l i t o n l y one.
A n o t h e r difference w o u l d be i n the event that o n the t h i r d

n i g h t of Chanukah one h a d resources sufficient o n l y for t w o can¬
dles, h o w m a n y s h o u l d he light? I f the reason for Beit Hillel's
o p i n i o n is that i t corresponds to the days that passed, the one
w h o does n o t have three candles for the t h i r d n i g h t , w i l l l i g h t
o n l y a single candle i n order to fulfill the basic obligation of
l i g h t i n g a candle each n i g h t of Chanukah. A c c o r d i n g to the other
explanation, one w o u l d l i g h t t w o candles. A l t h o u g h one cannot
accomplish the increase i n matters of holiness, at least one w i l l
not violate the c o m m a n d of "ve'ein moridin" — not to decrease
i n matters of holiness.
p‫״‬n ‫)לקוטי שיחות‬
‫״הנרות הללו ק ד ש הם״‬

"These candles are holy." (Sititiur, Hanelrot Halalu)
Q u E s T I O N : W h a t lesson can w e learn f r o m the Chanukah

candles?
A N S W E R : 1) Candles represent T o r a h a n d mitzvot, ‫״ נ ר מצוות‬

— " A mitzvah is a candle a n d Torah is l i g h t (proverbs
6:23). The additions of a candle to the Chanukah menorah each
d a y teaches that i n T o r a h and mitzvot, one s h o u l d never be
content w i t h w h a t was done yesterday. Each day one m u s t
strive to d o more and i m p r o v e i n the observance of mitzvot and

the study of Torah.
2) The Chanukah lights commemorate the Menorah of the

Beit Hamikdash. Yet there are major differences between them.
I n the Beit Hamikdash the Menorah was l i t i n the afternoon and
o n the inside, whereas the Chanukah candles are l i t b y the
entrance facing the street and after dark.
This teaches that a Jew m u s t n o t o n l y l i g h t u p his house, as

w i t h the Shabbat candles, b u t he has the a d d i t i o n a l responsi¬
b i l i t y to i l l u m i n a t e the "outside" — his social a n d business
environment.
W h e n times are " h a r d " s p i r i t u a l l y , w h e n i t is " d a r k "

outside and the Jews are i n exile, i t is not sufficient to l i g h t a
candle alone and m a i n t a i n i t ; i t is necessary to increase the
lights steadily. Constant g r o w i n g efforts to spread the l i g h t of
T o r a h and mitzvot w i l l dispel the darkness of exile and
i l l u m i n a t e the w o r l d .
‫ והדליקו‬, ‫ וסהרו א ת מ ק ד ש ך‬,‫ ופנו א ת היכלך‬, ‫״באו בניך לדביר ב י ת ך‬

‫נרות בחצרות קדשך״‬
"Your children entered the shrine of Your House, cleansed Your
Temple, purified Your Sanctuary, kindled lights in Your holy
courtyards." (Siddur, Al Hanissim)
Q U E S T I O N : The k i n d l i n g of the Menorah took place i n the

Beit Hamikdash itself. W h y d i d the Hasmoneans k i n d l e i t i n the
courtyard?
A N s W E R : W h e n the Hasmoneans entered the Beit Hamik-

dash, they f o u n d i t defiled and i n ruins. Thus, they w e r e unable
to k i n d l e the Menorah w h i l e i t stood i n its regular place. I n the
i n t e r i m , w h i l e they were cleaning the mess and renovating, the
Menorah was k i n d l e d i n the c o u r t y a r d . This is permissible
according to halachah (see Rambam, Hilchot Biat Hamikdash 9:7).
T h r o u g h k i n d l i n g the Menorah i n the c o u r t y a r d , everyone

was able to witness the eight-day miracle, w h i c h w o u l d n o t
CHANUKAH 203
have been the case had i t been l i t inside. Then, o n l y the Kohanim
w o u l d have seen i t .
W i t h this explanation, w e can answer the popular question:

W h y Chanukah is celebrated for eight-days rather than seven,
t h o u g h sufficient o i l was f o u n d for the first n i g h t .
The o i l f o u n d w o u l d have lasted t h r o u g h the n i g h t o n l y i f

the Menorah w o u l d have been k i n d l e d inside. H o w e v e r ,
Chanukah takes place d u r i n g the w i n t e r , and due to weather
conditions, the o i l w o u l d n o r m a l l y not have been sufficient to
last t h r o u g h the n i g h t w h e n the Menorah was k i n d l e d outside i n
the c o u r t y a r d .
The Lubavitcher Rebbe questions: A c c o r d i n g to this,
g r a m m a t i c a l l y i t should be i n singular: "bechatzer kadeshecha"
— " i n y o u r h o l y c o u r t y a r d " — i n lieu of the p l u r a l , "bechatzrot
kadeshecha" — " i n y o u r h o l y courtyards." Thus, he asserts that
the Menorah was indeed k i n d l e d in the Beit Hamikdash.
H o w e v e r , as an a d d i t i o n a l expression of j o y and happiness, all
the courtyards i n the outskirts of the Beit Hamikdash were also
i l l u m i n a t e d w i t h an abundance of light.
‫ וכ׳ האבודרהם ״בחצרות קדשיך‬,238 ‫)לקוטי שיחות חכ״ה ע׳‬
(‫ע״ש ]ישעי׳ ס״ב טי[ בחצרות קדשי״ ושם מדובר ע״ד העיר ירושלים‬
‫״ כ ת ב ו ל כ ם ע ל ק ר ן ה ש ו ר שאין ל כ ם ח ל ק ב א ל ו ק י ישראל״‬
"Write on the horn of an ox that you have no share in the G-d of
Israel." (Jerusalem Talmud, Chaglga 2:2)
Q U E S T I O N : The Midrash Rabbah (Bereishit 2:4) comments
that the passage "there was darkness o n the face of the abyss"
(1:2) refers to the Greek monarchs, w h o darkened the eyes of
the Jewish people w i t h their harsh a n d cruel decrees. They pro¬
claimed that the Jews should w r i t e o n the h o r n of an ox that
they h a d no share i n the G-d of Israel. W h y d i d the Greeks
specify, "the h o r n of the ox?"
A N s W E R : The Gemara (Bava Kamma 2b) explains that an ox

can do damage i n one of three ways: w i t h its teeth, feet, or
horns.
The Gemara further explains that w h e n an ox gores w i t h its

horns, i t does so w i t h the intent to cause damage
and derives no personal pleasure f r o m the act .
The Midrash allegorically is describing the psychology and

nature of the Hellenistic regime. They m a d e vicious decrees
against the Jewish people to deter t h e m f r o m s t u d y i n g T o r a h
and observing mitzvot. L i k e the ox w h o gores w i t h its h o r n and
achieves no personal pleasure, they too, h a d n o t h i n g to gain.
Their sadistic intent was solely to inflict suffering u p o n
defenseless Jews.
"mop ‫״ כ ף א ח ת ע ש ר ה ז ה ב מ ל א ה‬
"One gold ladle of ten (shekels) filled with incense..." (Bamldbar
7:14 — Torah Reading on Chanukah)
D u r i n g the entire Yom Tov of Chanukah, w e read each morn¬

i n g about the offerings the Nesi'im b r o u g h t to the dedication of
the Mishkan. A m o n g the donated items was
‫" — מ ל א ה ק ט ר ת ״‬One g o l d e n spoon f u l l of incense." These
w o r d s are acronyms w h i c h allude to the basic laws of
Chanukah.
‫ — כ ף = כ׳ פ ח ו ת‬The Menorah s h o u l d be l o w e r than 20 cubits

above the g r o u n d .
— k i n d l e , starting w i t h one a n d increase to

eight.
— I t m a y be l i t u n t i l people stop
w a l k i n g the streets.
— L i g h t i n g t i m e starts at t w i l i g h t .
‫ — מ ל א ה = מ צ ו ת ה ל ה נ י ח ה א צ ל ה פ ת ח‬I t s h o u l d be placed near

the entrance door.
— W i t h i n a h a n d b r e a d t h of the
w i d t h of the door, k i n d l e .
(‫)פנינים יקרים‬
CHANUKAH 205
‫ה׳ חנוכה‬
Fifth Day of Chanukah
Q U E S T I O N : W h y do m a n y synagogues h o l d festivities o n
the fifth d a y of Chanukah?
A N S W E R : The fifth d a y of Chanukah can never occur o n a

Shabbat. W h e n Chanukah occurs o n days that are even o n l y
potentially Shabbat days, the l i g h t of Chanukah combines w i t h the
l i g h t of Shabbat for a p o w e r f u l i l l u m i n a t i o n . so the fifth n i g h t ,
w h i c h can never be Shabbat, represents great darkness relative to
the other nights. Thus, the fifth l i g h t of Chanukah has the u n i q u e
task and p o w e r to i l l u m i n a t e and instill s p i r i t u a l i t y even i n
such a t i m e of darkness.
Similarly, i t is the d u t y of every Jew, wherever he m a y f i n d

himself, be i t i n Warsaw, England, the U n i t e d States or Canada,
to i l l u m i n a t e the darkness.
(‫ ווארשא תרפ״ט‬- ‫)כ׳׳ק אדמו״ר‬
* * *
I n Chabad circles this day is of special significance because

the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Z a l m a n of L i a d i , the founder of
Chabad Chassidut, was released f r o m his second i m p r i s o n m e n t
o n the fifth day of Chanukah, i n the year 5561 — ‫ ת ק ס ״ א‬.
H e was i m p r i s o n e d because the government scholars

t h o u g h t that some of the topics accentuated a n d expanded i n
his Chassidic p h i l o s o p h y m i g h t cause i n s u b o r d i n a t i o n to the
government and refusal to engage i n practical matters, w h i c h
are necessary for the existence of the state. u p o n articulately
clarifying his teaching and d i s p e l l i n g their fears, he gained his
release.
(‫ וכהיום יום כ״ז כסלו כ׳ שיצא לחירות נר ג׳ דוזנוכה‬,84 ‫מועדים וסה״ש תורת שלום ע׳‬-‫)סיפורי חסידים‬
!‫•ביבו‬
Dreidel
Q U E S T I O N : W h y o n Chanukah do w e p l a y w i t h a dreidel
and o n Purim w e use a gragger?
A N S W E R : The miracle of Chanukah was above the laws of

nature. The Jewish people w e r e the m i n o r i t y and the Greeks
w e r e the majority; w e w e r e the w e a k and they w e r e the strong.
Nevertheless, thanks to heavenly i n t e r v e n t i o n , the miracle took
place a n d the Jews w e r e the victors.
O n Purim, the miracle was clothed entirely w i t h i n the laws

of nature. The Jewish people gathered i n prayer and fasting.
Esther pleaded their case before the k i n g . O u t of love for his
Queen, he k i l l e d H a m a n — her arch enemy.
Since the miracle of Chanukah came d o w n from

above , w e s p i n the dreidel w i t h the handle o n
top. The miracle of Purim was t h r o u g h an a w a k e n i n g f r o m
below — consequently w e t u r n the gragger
w i t h the handle b e l o w .
(‫)קרבן העני‬
* * *
O n the dreidel there are four H e b r e w letters . This is

an abbreviation for ‫ " — ״ נ ס ג ד ו ל ה י ה ש ם ״‬A great miracle t o o k
place there." The letters ‫ש‬,‫ה‬,‫ג‬,‫ נ‬have the n u m e r i c a l value of 358,
w h i c h is also the n u m e r i c a l value of the w o r d Mashiach £‫)משיח‬.
W h e n Mashiach w i l l come, "the nations of the w o r l d w i l l

p r o c l a i m the name of G-d to w o r s h i p H i m w i t h a u n i t e d
resolve" (Zephania 3:9). The nations w i l l thus p r o c l a i m , ‫ ה‬- ‫ ו‬- ‫ ה‬- ‫״ י‬
‫ ה מ ל ך ״‬- ‫ ו‬- ‫ ה‬- ‫ י‬, ‫ מ ל ך‬- ‫ ה‬- ‫ ו‬- ‫ ה‬- ‫ י‬, ‫ " — מ ל ך‬G - d is K i n g , G-d is K i n g , G-d
w i l l be K i n g [forever and ever]," w h i c h also has the n u m e r i c a l
value of 358.
W e eagerly a w a i t his a r r i v a l : This is the great miracle w h i c h

w e all w a n t to see now!!
(‫)בני יששכר‬
VAYIGASH 207
VAYIGASH ‫ו י ג ש ־‬
‫ כ״ כ מ ו ך‬. . . ‫״ו״גש אל״ו ״ ה ו ד ה ו י א מ ר ב״ א ד נ י ״דבר נ א ע ב ד ך ד ב ר‬

‫כפ רעה׳‬
"And Yehudah came near him, and said: 'Oh my lord, please let
your servant speak a word... for you are as Pharaoh.'" (44:18)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t d i d Y e h u d a h tell Yosef?
ANSWER: A c c o r d i n g to the Midrash Rabbah (93:6), Yehudah

argued o n behalf of Binyamin: " I n our laws i t is w r i t t e n that a
thief must make full restitution. ' I f he does not have the means,
he must be sold [as a slave to make restitution] for his theft
(Shemot 22:2).' However, B i n y a m i n comes from a w e a l t h y family
and can pay.'" One m a y wonder, of w h a t significance Yehudah
thought the Torah laws w o u l d have for this Egyptian leader?
Y e h u d a h explained to Yosef, " O u r Torah is D i v i n e K n o w l ¬

edge. I t appears strange that i t w o u l d prescribe slavery for one
w h o stole. W h o w o u l d w a n t to b r i n g a thief into his home? Ob¬
v i o u s l y , the Torah feels that w h e n a person steals, i t is
necessary to k n o w w h a t caused h i m to stoop so l o w . I f he is
merely a kleptomaniac, of course, he cannot be let loose i n
society. But i f he steals out of need, society m u s t help h i m 'get
u p o n his feet' and rehabilitate h i m . Therefore, i n the home of
his master, w h e r e he w i l l be treated p r o p e r l y , he w i l l make
amends a n d become an asset to h u m a n i t y .
"Since B i n y a m i n comes f r o m a v e r y w e a l t h y f a m i l y , there is

no rationale to explain the alleged robbery, o n l y the fact that he
is m e n t a l l y i l l a n d a kleptomaniac. Therefore, i t makes no sense
that y o u should e m p l o y such a person."
* * *
A l t e r n a t i v e l y , Y e h u d a h asked to speak to Yosef i n secrecy

because he t h o u g h t that Yosef d i d n o t k n o w Lashon HaKodesh —
H e b r e w — otherwise, there w o u l d be no need for an
interpreter. Hence, he said to Yosef: " Y o u are the same as
Pharaoh; since the t w o of y o u d o not k n o w Lashon HaKodesh,
consequently, neither y o u nor Pharaoh have a r i g h t to the
throne because according to the laws of E g y p t , a k i n g can o n l y
be a person w h o k n o w s all the languages. O b v i o u s l y , y o u d o
not respect the laws of y o u r o w n l a n d .
" W h e n a visitor to a city c o m m i t s a crime, he s h o u l d be

j u d g e d either b y the laws of that city or b y the laws of the city
f r o m w h i c h he comes. Since y o u d o not respect y o u r o w n laws,
then f o l l o w ours. A c c o r d i n g to o u r laws, one can be sold as a
slave for robbery o n l y i f the m o n e y p r o d u c e d b y the sale is
equal to the a m o u n t stolen (Kiddushin 18a).
" I f y o u r allegation is correct, and this cup is priceless, the

income f r o m the sale w i l l not cover the robbery, and therefore
he cannot be sold. If, o n the other h a n d , i t is of v e r y l i m i t e d
value, then according to our laws, one w h o is capable of p a y i n g
for the items stolen cannot be sold."
(‫)פרדס דוד‬
‫״ו״גש אל״ו ״ ה ו ד ה ״‬
"And Yehudah came up to him." (44:18)
Q U E S T I O N : A c c o r d i n g to the Midrash Rabbah (93:6),
Y e h u d a h was ready to go to w a r w i t h Yosef, and he felt m o r e
responsible t h a n the other brothers because "he guaranteed the
safe r e t u r n of B i n y a m i n . " Y e h u d a h and his brothers were v e r y
strong, b u t greatly o u t n u m b e r e d . W h y d i d Y e h u d a h w a n t to
wage war?
A N S W E R : Y e h u d a h t o l d Yosef, " W e are Jews, a n d

B i n y a m i n is a y o u n g m e m b e r o f o u r people. W h e n even one
Jew is i n d a n g e r s p i r i t u a l l y , i t is i n c u m b e n t o n all Jews to d o
e v e r y t h i n g i n t h e i r p o w e r to save h i m a n d r e t u r n h i m safely
to his father — H a s h e m — a n d the T o r a h . R e m a i n i n g i n
E g y p t w o u l d spell a s s i m i l a t i o n for B i n y a m i n . Therefore, w e
VAYIGASH 209
w i l l d o a n y t h i n g , a n d even endanger ourselves to save o u r

brother."
‫״ו״גש א ל י ו ״ ה ו ד ה ו י א מ ר ״‬
"And Yehudah came up to him and said...." (44:18)
Q U E S T I O N : Y e h u d a h himself o r i g i n a l l y offered that a l l the
brothers and B i n y a m i n w o u l d be slaves for the theft of the
goblet. Yosef refused this, because i t was not fair. W h y was
Y e h u d a h n o w complaining?
A N S W E R : Y e h u d a h believed that every event is an act of

i n d i v i d u a l D i v i n e Providence (Hashgachah Pratit). After the
missing goblet was f o u n d i n B i n y a m i n ' s sack, Y e h u d a h said,
"G-d has f o u n d the sin of y o u r servants" (44:16). By this he
meant, " N o n e of us are thieves. H o w e v e r , Hashem is p u n i s h i n g
us for w h a t w e d i d to Yosef. W e are ready to accept H i s
p u n i s h m e n t and all of us ( i n c l u d i n g B i n y a m i n w h o allegedly
took the goblet) w i l l become slaves."
W h e n Yosef said he w o u l d take only B i n y a m i n as a slave,

Y e h u d a h understood that this was n o t a p u n i s h m e n t for selling
Yosef, b u t rather a false accusation and libel against B i n y a m i n .
Consequently, he demanded that B i n y a m i n be released
immediately.
(‫)אלשיך‬
‫״אדני ש א ל א ת עבדיו ל א מ ר ה י ש ל כ ם א ב א ו א ח ״‬
"My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father or
brother?'" (44:19)
Q U E S T I O N : B i n y a m i n was accused of stealing a magical
silver goblet. H o w d i d Y e h u d a h hope to defend h i m w i t h this
statement?
A N S W E R : Y e h u d a h said to Yosef, "Even i f y o u r allegations

about B i n y a m i n are correct — w h i c h they are not — I d o n ' t un¬
derstand w h y y o u are m a k i n g such an issue over an o r d i n a r y
goblet." Yosef responded, "This is a priceless magical goblet;
t h r o u g h i t I can see the past a n d future. Therefore, B i n y a m i n

c o m m i t t e d a major crime a n d deserves slavery."
Y e h u d a h said to Yosef, "This is not true! The goblet is an

o r d i n a r y one w i t h no special value." H e p r o v e d this b y remind¬
i n g Yosef, " Y o u asked us i f w e have a father or a brother. I f y o u
have a magical goblet, w h y d i d y o u have to ask us questions?
C o u l d y o u n o t have k n o w n a l l about us b y l o o k i n g into y o u r
magical goblet?!"
‫״ונפשו ק ש ו ר ה בנפשו״‬
"His soul is bound up with his soul." (44:30)
Q U E S T I O N : H o w d i d their souls become connected?
A N S W E R : The w o r d "keshurah" (‫ " — )קשורה‬b o u n d " — has

the n u m e r i c a l value of 611, w h i c h is the same n u m e r i c a l value
as the w o r d " T o r a h " . Yaakov taught B i n y o m i n T o r a h and
t h r o u g h their T o r a h study, their souls became connected.
T o r a h is the language that unifies Jews of past, present and

future generations.
‫״ ו ה י ה כ ר א ו ת ו כי אין ה נ ע ר ו מ ת ״‬
"It will happen that when he sees the youth is missing he will die."
(44:31)
Q U E S T I O N : A t that t i m e , B i n y a m i n already had ten chil¬
dren. W h y w a s n ' t Y e h u d a h w o r r i e d that the c h i l d r e n w o u l d
die i f they d i d n o t see their father r e t u r n i n g home?
A N S W E R : Y e h u d a h was w e l l aware that according to

h u m a n nature, a parent w o r r i e s more about his c h i l d r e n t h a n
c h i l d r e n do about their parents. For example, often, a c h i l d w i l l
be late i n c o m i n g h o m e a n d not t h i n k of calling his parents w h o
are " p u l l i n g their hair o u t " w i t h w o r r y . O n the other h a n d , a
parent w i l l always do e v e r y t h i n g for his c h i l d , even i f he is n o t
h a p p y w i t h the w a y the c h i l d is behaving and g r o w i n g u p .
VAYIGASH 211
Therefore, Y e h u d a h was afraid that Yaakov m i g h t n o t be

able to live w i t h o u t B i n y a m i n , a l t h o u g h B i n y a m i n ' s c h i l d r e n
w o u l d adjust to the situation.
(‫)ר׳ מנחם מענדל מקוצק זצ״ל‬
‫״‬m ‫״ויאמר ״וסף אל אחיו אני ״וסף העוד אבי‬

"Yosef said to his brothers, i am Yosef; is my father still alive?'"
(45:3)
Q U E S T I O N : The first t i m e the brothers came to Egypt,
Yosef asked t h e m about their father. A t their second a r r i v a l he
again asked about their father. W h y d i d he ask the question a
t h i r d time?
A N S W E R : W h e n Yosef revealed himself to his brothers, he

k n e w that they w o u l d be reluctant to believe h i m . H e therefore
gave t h e m certain signs to prove w h o he was.
This t i m e Yosef was not asking his brothers, b u t saying i n ef¬

fect, " F r o m m y question y o u can realize that I a m really y o u r
missing brother. Whenever w e meet I o n l y ask about m y father
and not about m y mother, because I k n o w that she d i e d m a n y
years ago. I f I were a stranger a n d pretending, I w o u l d ask
about b o t h m y father and m y mother."
(‫)אמרי יהודה‬
‫״ ולא ״כלו לענות אתו כ״‬n ‫״ויאמר ״וסף אל אחיו אנ״ ״וסף העוד אב״‬
‫נבהלו מפניו״‬
"Yosef said, 'I am Yosef; is my father still alive?' The brothers
became frightened of him and were unable to answer." (45:3)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y were the brothers unable to answer
Yosef's simple question?
A N S W E R : W h e n Y e h u d a h defended B i n y a m i n before
Yosef, he asked that he be released o u t of mercy. Y e h u d a h
explained to Yosef that the brothers had an elderly father and
they were afraid that w h e n he saw his son d i d not r e t u r n , he
m i g h t die of grief.
U p o n hearing this, Yosef said to Y e h u d a h and his brothers,

"ani Yosef" — " I a m Yosef," — " I a m y o u r brother Yosef w h o m
y o u sold 22 years ago" — "ha'od avi chai" — "Is m y father still
alive? — T h i n k h o w m u c h p a i n and grief y o u caused h i m b y
keeping m y sale a secret a n d n o t t e l l i n g h i m m y whereabouts.
Y o u plead to me to have mercy; w h y d i d n ' t you have mercy o n
y o u r father?"
The brothers w e r e unable to answer, because they c o u l d n o t

justify the grief they had caused their father.
‫״ ו ל א יכלו א ח י ו ל ע נ ו ת א ת ו כ י נ ב ה ל ו מ פ נ י ו ״‬
"The brothers were unable to answer him because they were
frightened of his face." (45:3)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y does i t say "nivhalu mipanav" — "his face
frightened them"? I t s h o u l d have s i m p l y said "nivhalu mimeno"
— "they w e r e frightened of h i m " ?
A N S W E R : Yosef's countenance was identical to Yaakov's.

W h e n the brothers met Yosef, the T o r a h says, "Yosef
recognized his brothers, b u t they d i d not recognize h i m " (42:8).
W h y d i d n ' t they recognize h i m since his resemblance to
Yaakov was exact?
Yosef d i d not w a n t his brothers to recognize h i m .

Therefore, w h e n he spoke to t h e m , he covered his face w i t h a
v e i l (as is customary i n m a n y Arabic countries), a n d the
brothers w e r e unable to observe his face. U p o n revealing
himself, he uncovered his face and said to t h e m , " I a m Yosef."
K n o w i n g that Yosef l o o k e d identical to Yaakov, they became
frightened w h e n they saw that the face of the m a n speaking to
t h e m resembled exactly that of their father, Yaakov.
j !‫)זכרו‬
‫״אני יוסף א ח י כ ם א ש ר מ כ ר ת ם א ת י מ צ ר י מ ה ״‬
"I am Yosef your brother whom you sold to Egypt." (45:4)
Q U E S T I O N : The brothers w e r e already saddened a n d bro¬
kenhearted. W h y d i d Yosef a d d to their p a i n and m e n t i o n the
sale?
VAYIGASH 213
A N S W E R : Yosef d i d this w i t h o u t malice. O n the contrary,

he m e n t i o n e d i t i n order to comfort a n d relax them. Yosef
understood that his brothers w o u l d have anxiety regarding
h i m . I n their m i n d s , there w o u l d be the fear that his T o r a h
i d e n t i t y was weakened b y the temptations of Egypt. H e
therefore said, "Be assured that I a m totally loyal to T o r a h and
mitzvot; I a m the v e r y same Yosef that I was before, a n d m y
adherence to T o r a h d i d not change since y o u sold me to
Egypt."
(‫)ר׳ מנחם מענדל מקוצק זצ״ל‬
‫״ מ ה ר ו ועלו א ל אב״ ו א מ ר ת ם אליו כ ה א מ ר ב נ ך ״וסף ש מ נ י א ל ק ״ ם‬

‫לאדון ל כ ל מ צ ר י ם ״‬
"Hurry — go up to my father and say to him, 'So said your son
Yosef: G-d has made me master of all Egypt.'" (45:9)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d s "bincha Yosef" — " y o u r son Yosef"
— seem superfluous. W h y d i d he not s i m p l y instruct t h e m ,
" T e l l father I said..."?
A N S W E R : W h e n the brothers returned home after the sale

of Yosef, they showed a garment to their father and said,
"please identify i t : Is i t y o u r son's shirt?" Yaakov sensed i n
their w o r d s a frightening hatred and animosity. The mere fact
that they d i d not m e n t i o n Yosef b y name and referred to h i m as
"bincha" — " y o u r son" — conveyed to h i m their attitude to
Yosef. Yaakov i n p a i n a n d anguish cried out, "This is indeed
m y son's shirt, a n d tarof toraf Yosef!" — " [ A n e v i l beast
d e v o u r e d h i m and] Yosef has been t o r n to bits!" (37:32-33).
The w o r d "Yosef" seems superfluous. " H e was t o r n to b i t s "

w o u l d be sufficient. Yaakov was telling his c h i l d r e n , " F r o m
y o u r w o r d s I see that y o u have ' t o r n u p ' the name 'Yosef.' Y o u
hate h i m to the extent that y o u are unable to even m e n t i o n his
name."
Yosef, therefore, instructed his brothers, w h e n they

r e t u r n e d to Yaakov, that they s h o u l d specifically say the w o r d s
"bincha Yosef" — " y o u r son, Yosef." Thus, Yaakov w o u l d see
that the hatred they bore against Yosef had been erased.
U p o n hearing their message, Yaakov exclaimed w i t h j o y :

"Rav; od Yosef b'ni chai" — " I a m extremely grateful a n d j u b i l a n t
because I perceive that the ' n a m e ' of m y son Yosef still exists
and that m y c h i l d r e n say i t w i t h respect a n d l o v e " (45:28).
(‫ מסלתון ראב״ר ביירות‬- ‫)בית יעקב ר׳ יעקב הכהן דיל טראב‬
‫״ מ ה ר ו ועלו א ל אב״ ו א מ ר ת ם אליו כ ה א מ ר ב נ ך ״וסף ש מ נ י א ל ק ״ ם‬

‫לאדון ל כ ל מ צ ר י ם ״‬
"Hurry — go up to my father and say to him, 'So said your son
Yosef: G-d has made me master of all Egypt.'" (45:9)
Q U E S T I O N : Yosef was i n v e r y a h i g h p o s i t i o n a n d free to
d o whatever he w a n t e d . W h y d i d n ' t he contact his father and
tell h i m his whereabouts earlier?
A N S W E R : Yosef's brothers c o m m i t t e d a heinous crime

against h i m . D u e to jealousy they caused their half-brother to be
sold as a slave to Egyptians. Yosef, however, d i d not bear any
hatred against his brothers. O n the contrary, he felt v e r y b a d for
t h e m and feared that they m i g h t be p u n i s h e d b y H a s h e m i f
they d i d not d o teshuvah. Therefore, he t o o k u p o n himself to
help his brothers repent
The highest level of teshuvah occurs w h e n the transgressor

is faced w i t h an identical situation and is able to resist
(Rambam, Teshuvah 2:1). Yosef, therefore, w a i t e d t i l l the entire
scenario w o u l d be repeated.
W h e n the brothers came to E g y p t , he insisted that they

b r i n g d o w n their half-brother B i n y a m i n . A t the meal he showed
f a v o r i t i s m to B i n y a m i n b y g i v i n g h i m a bigger gift, h o p i n g to
arouse jealousy i n their hearts. A f t e r w a r d s , he p l o t t e d that
B i n y a m i n be accused of stealing the magical goblet. B i n y a m i n
was f o u n d g u i l t y and sentenced to r e m a i n i n E g y p t as a slave.
The brothers d i d n o t agree that B i n y a m i n s h o u l d be pun¬

ished for the alleged crime a n d f o u g h t vehemently for his
release.
W h e n Yosef saw his brothers' refined character, he was

convinced that they d i d teshuvah whole-heartedly. Conse-
VAYIGASH 215
quently, he revealed himself to t h e m and asked t h e m to i n f o r m

Yaakov of his whereabouts.
‫״ ו ה נ ה ע י נ י כ ם ר א ו ת ועיני א ח י ב נ י מ י ן כ״ פ ״ ה מ ד ב ר א ל י כ ם ״‬
"Behold! Your eyes see, as do the eyes of my brother Binyamin,
that it is my mouth that is speaking to you." (45:12)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains that Yosef t o l d his brothers,
" Y o u can believe that I a m y o u r brother because I a m n o w
speaking to y o u i n Lashon Hakodesh — H e b r e w . "
Great m e n and kings speak m a n y languages fluently,

i n c l u d i n g Lashon Hakodesh. H o w d i d Yosef's k n o w l e d g e of
Lashon Hakodesh p r o v e his relationship to his brothers?
Furthermore, Yosef h e l d l o n g conversations w i t h his brothers
w h e n they came to E g y p t and a person can usually be
identified t h r o u g h his voice. W h y d i d n ' t the brothers recognize
Yosef a l l this time?
A N S W E R : Y o u can o n l y recognize someone t h r o u g h his

voice i n the language y o u are accustomed to hearing h i m
speak. W h e n the person speaks another language, his accent is
different and i t is difficult to identify h i m .
Before revealing himself, Yosef never spoke Lashon Hako-

desh to his brothers. They spoke Lashon Hakodesh and he
answered t h e m i n Egyptian. N o w , for the first t i m e , he spoke to
t h e m i n Lashon Hakodesh. H e therefore said to t h e m , " I f y o u lis¬
ten carefully to m y voice, y o u w i l l recognize that I a m Yosef,
because I sound the same as I d i d m a n y years ago w h e n I regu¬
l a r l y spoke to y o u Lashon Hakodesh."
(‫)פון אונזער אלטען אוצר בשם ר׳ חיים מצאנז זצ״ל‬
‫״ ו ה ג ד ת ם ל א ב י א ת כ ל כבודי ב מ צ ר י ם ״‬
"And you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt." (45:13)
Q U E S T I O N : H o w c o u l d a tzaddik like Yosef speak i n a man¬
ner of personal pride?
A N S W E R : W h e n Yosef was b r o u g h t d o w n to E g y p t , he was

sold to potifar as a slave. One d a y , potifar's w i f e approached
h i m to sin w i t h her. Suddenly, the countenance of his father ap¬
peared before h i m , a n d Yosef flatly refused her. She retaliated
b y slandering h i m to her husband, a n d Yosef was incarcerated.
I n p r i s o n he m e t the butler a n d the baker, a n d interpreted their
dreams. Afterwards, pharaoh dreamed, and at the
r e c o m m e n d a t i o n of the butler, Yosef w a s b r o u g h t i n to
interpret the dream. p h a r a o h was greatly impressed b y h i m
a n d a p p o i n t e d h i m viceroy.
H a d Yosef y i e l d e d to potifar's w i f e , the entire sequence of

events w o u l d n o t have taken place a n d he w o u l d n o t have risen
to g l o r y . Consequently, he t o l d his brothers to relate, that
"le'avi" — "thanks to my father, w h o appeared to m e i n E g y p t "
— "et kol kevodi" — " I m e r i t e d a l l m y g l o r y . " Thus he praised
his father, n o t himself.
(‫)ר׳ ישעי׳ מושקאט דיל‬
‫״ ו י נ ש ק לכל א ח י ו ו״בך ע ל ה ם ״‬
"He kissed all his brothers and cried upon them." (45:15)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d "aleihem" — " u p o n t h e m " — ap¬
pears superfluous?
A N S W E R : I n the Musaf prayer of Yom Kippur, there is a sec¬

t i o n dedicated to the Asarah Harugei Malchut — ten T o r a h giants
w h o w e r e k i l l e d d u e to a heavenly decree. The R o m a n k i n g
called t h e m a n d i n q u i r e d , " W h a t is the l a w r e g a r d i n g one w h o
k i d n a p s a person a n d sells h i m as a slave?" They answered,
" A c c o r d i n g to Biblical l a w , the perpetrator s h o u l d be p u t to
death." " I f so," the k i n g said sternly, "this p u n i s h m e n t s h o u l d
have been meted o u t to the brothers w h o k i d n a p p e d Yosef a n d
sold h i m i n t o c a p t i v i t y ! " The Rabbis w e r e unable to offer a n
explanation, a n d the k i n g declared, " T e n eminent sages w i l l be
p u t to death i n place of those w h o participated i n the
k i d n a p p i n g a n d selling of Yosef."
W h e n Yosef revealed himself to his brothers, he kissed

t h e m a l l a n d was m o v e d to tears. M o r e o v e r , he also cried
because of "aleihem" , w h i c h is a n a c r o n y m for
VAYIGASH 217
‫" — ל ה י ו ת ה ר ו ג י מ ל כ ו ת ״‬There w i l l be ten m a r t y r s . " H e saw

t h r o u g h Ruach Hakodesh — D i v i n e i n s p i r a t i o n — that i n the
future ten great sages w o u l d be slain b y the R o m a n
government, because he was sold.
(‫)קרבן העני‬
‫״ ו ה ק ל נ ש מ ע ב י ת פ ר ע ה ל א מ ר ב א ו א ח י יוסף וייסב בעיני פ ר ע ה‬

‫ובעיני עבדיו״‬
"The news was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, 'Yosef's brothers
have come!' And it was pleasing in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the
eyes of his servants." (45:16)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y w e r e Pharaoh a n d his servants so h a p p y
that Yosef's brothers had arrived?
A N S W E R : After Pharaoh dreamed his strange dreams, the

butler t o l d h i m that i n jail he h a d met a y o u n g Jewish b o y w h o
was also a slave. Rashi explains: The butler cautioned p h a r a o h
that t h o u g h he m i g h t f i n d the b o y to be a genius, i n the laws of
E g y p t i t is w r i t t e n that one w h o is a slave cannot become a k i n g
and is n o t p e r m i t t e d to wear royal garb.
p h a r a o h was so impressed w i t h Yosef that he decided to

violate the laws of Egypt. Despite the protest of the people, he
p e r m i t t e d Yosef to dress r o y a l l y a n d a p p o i n t e d h i m viceroy
W h e n p h a r a o h a n d his servants heard that Yosef's brothers

a r r i v e d , they w e r e v e r y h a p p y , because i t then became k n o w n
that Yosef was a member of a r o y a l family. H i s great¬
grandfather, A v r a h a m , was c r o w n e d as leader b y the nations of
the w o r l d (Rashi, 14:17), and his grandfather, Yitzchak, was
also v e r y famous a n d had dealings w i t h A v i m e l e c h the k i n g of
the philistines.
Thus, they w e r e no longer ashamed for dressing Yosef roy¬

ally and a p p o i n t i n g h i m a ruler over Egypt.
* * *
A l t e r n a t i v e l y , p h a r a o h k n e w that Yosef was a stranger i n

the l a n d of Egypt. U s u a l l y , w h e n someone is alone w i t h o u t his
f a m i l y , he is n o t i n the best of spirits a n d does not function to
the best of his ability. p h a r a o h f i g u r e d that once Yosef had

f o u n d his f a m i l y he w o u l d cheer u p a n d do even more for
E g y p t than previously. Therefore, to make Yosef feel
comfortable, he let h i m i n v i t e his brothers to m o v e to Egypt,
realizing that i n the l o n g r u n the l a n d of E g y p t w o u l d benefit
f r o m Yosef's resulting i m p r o v e d disposition.
‫״ולבנימן נ ת ! ש ל ש מ א ו ת כ ס ף ״‬
"To Binyamin he gave 300 pieces of silver." (45:22)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d he give 300 pieces of silver o n l y to
B i n y a m i n a n d n o t to any of the other brothers?
A N S W E R : A c c o r d i n g to an o p i n i o n i n the Gemara (Gittin

43a), w h e n one sells a Jew as a slave to a non-Jew, he is fined to
redeem h i m for u p to 100 times his value. I n the T o r a h w e f i n d
a slave to be v a l u e d at 30 silver pieces (Shemot 21:32). Since
Yosef was sold as a slave to an E g y p t i a n f a m i l y , i t w o u l d cost as
m u c h as 3000 silver pieces to redeem h i m .
Since 10 brothers p l a y e d a part i n his becoming a slave,

each one w o u l d have to p a y 300 silver pieces. Consequently,
w h e n each of the brothers was d e p r i v e d of 300 silver pieces, i t
was as t h o u g h they p a i d their fine. B i n y a m i n took no part
whatsoever i n the selling, so Yosef gave h i m 300 silver pieces.
(‫)חיד״א בשם רוקח‬
‫ ו ע ש ר א ת נ ת ״‬. . . ‫״ולאביו ש ל ח כ ז א ת ע ש ר ה ת מ ר י ם‬
"To his father he sent as follows: ten male donkeys...and ten
female donkeys." (45:23)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d "kezot" ( ‫" — ) כ ז א ת‬as f o l l o w s " —
seems extra?
A N S W E R : W h e n Pharaoh heard of Yosef's f a m i l y and his

patriarchal father Yaakov, he was greatly impressed. H e
i m m e d i a t e l y ordered Yosef to arrange for their i m m e d i a t e
transport f r o m Canaan to E g y p t and as a gift, he t o l d h i m to
l o a d their animals w i t h grain.
VAYIGASH 219
Seeing pharaoh's i n s p i r a t i o n , Yosef, too, decided to send a

gift to his father "kezot" — i n a similar quantity. Since Pharaoh
loaded the brothers' ten donkeys w i t h g r a i n , he, too, sent his
o w n gift of ten laden male and ten laden female donkeys, all
laden w i t h g r a i n and food.
Pharaoh o n l y loaded ten donkeys a l t h o u g h Yosef had

eleven brothers, because w h e n S h i m o n was arrested, the
brothers took his d o n k e y w i t h food back to Yaakov. Thus, o n
the second t r i p d o w n to E g y p t together w i t h B i n y a m i n , there
w e r e o n l y ten brothers r i d i n g ten donkeys.
(‫)לקוטי שיחות חלק יי‬
‫״עשרה חמרים נשאים מ ס ו ב מצרים״‬

"Ten donkeys laden with the best of Egypt." (45:23)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains that he sent h i m "yayin yashan"
— " o l d w i n e . " W h y o l d wine?
A N S W E R : The w o r d s "yayin yashan" a d d u p to the

numerical value of 430. Yosef was h i n t i n g that the E g y p t i a n
exile, c o u n t i n g f r o m the Brit Bein Habetarim (at w h i c h t i m e
A v r a h a m was first t o l d of i t ) , w o u l d last for a total of 430 years
(Shemot 12:40).
(‫ גבורות די‬,‫)מוזר״ל‬
‫״ויגדו ל ו ל א מ ר ע ו ד י ו ס ף ח י וכי ה ו א מ ש ל ב כ ל א ר ץ מ צ ר י ם ״‬
"And they told him, saying: 'Yosef is yet alive, and that he is ruler
over all the land of Egypt.'" (45:26)
Q U E S T I O N : U n d o u b t e d l y , the b l o w w h i c h d i s r u p t e d
Yaakov's t r a n q u i l life and left h i m lachrymose was the notifica¬
t i o n of the tragedy that befell his most cherished son, Yosef.
Thus, w e can w e l l imagine the exaltation a n d pleasure he n o w
experienced u p o n hearing the w o r d s "od Yosef chai" — "Yosef is
yet alive." W h y d i d they a d d that "he is ruler over a l l the l a n d
of Egypt"? Surely, for a father w h o yearned so deeply for his
lost son, no p o s i t i o n , regardless of its greatness, c o u l d be of any
bearing i n comparison to Yosef's life.
A N S W E R : The sons of Yaakov understood v e r y w e l l the

feeling of their father. They realized, that to merely say "Yosef
is yet a l i v e " w o u l d n o t convey m u c h . M a n y a Yosef w h o is t o r n
a w a y f r o m Jewish surroundings can be said to live —
technically speaking — b u t not w i t h i n the Jewish interpretation
of that w o r d . M a n y descendants of Yaakov live i n an E g y p t —
Mitzraim ( w h i c h can be p r o n o u n c e d "meitzarim" — the
l i m i t a t i o n s a n d boundaries of the m u n d a n e d o m i n a t i n g
society), b u t the price of that l i v i n g is often death, s p i r i t u a l l y
speaking.
The sons of Yaakov therefore hastened to a d d that "he is

ruler over all the l a n d of E g y p t " — " E g y p t is not ruler over
Yosef — Yosef is ruler over the l a n d of Egypt. H e d i d n o t
p e r m i t the e n v i r o n m e n t to influence h i m . "
(‫)הרב דוד שי׳ הולונדער‬
‫ ״עקב‬nn ‫ותחי‬...‫״וידברו אליו א ת כל דבר״ ״וסף אשר דבר אלהם‬

‫אביהם״‬
"And they told him all the words of Yosef which he had said to
them...and the spirit of Yaakov their father revived." (45:27)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t more d i d they tell Yaakov that he then
believed them?
A N S W E R : Yaakov was accustomed to mentioning

Hashem's name w h e n he spoke (Rashi, 27:21). H e w o u l d say,
"Baruch H a s h e m " or "im yirtze Hashem," a n d give H i m credit
for e v e r y t h i n g . Yaakov also taught Yosef to speak the same
way.
W h e n Yosef spoke to his brothers, he said: " H u r r y , go to

m y father and say to h i m
‫' — מ צ ר י ם ׳‬So says y o u r son Yosef: Hashem m a d e me a ruler over
Egypt.' " H o w e v e r , w h e n the brothers r e t u r n e d they t o l d
Yaakov that Yosef instructed t h e m to convey a message that
‫" — ״ ע ו ד י ו ס ף ח י ו כ י ה ו א מ ש ל ב כ ל א ר ץ מ צ ר י ם ״‬Yosef is alive and he
rules over the entire E g y p t . " Yaakov listened carefully and
c o u l d not believe that Yosef was alive because this was not
Yosef's w a y of speaking.
VAYIGASH 221
Afterwards, w h e n — they said to h i m —

‫" — כ ל ד ב ר י י ו ס ף א ש ר ד ב ר א ל ה ם ״‬all the w o r d s of Yosef [exactly
the w a y ] he spoke to t h e m , " that Hashem made h i m ruler, then
Yaakov recognized Yosef's style of speaking a n d believed that
Yosef was alive.
‫״ וכי הוא מ ש ל בכל ארץ מצרים ו״פג לבו‬n ‫״ו״גדו לו לאמר עוד ״וסף‬
‫וירא א ת‬...‫ וידברו אליו א ת כל דבר״ ״וסף‬,‫כי לא האמין להם‬
‫רב עוד ״יוסף בני חי״‬...‫ויאמר‬...‫ותחי רוח יעקב‬...‫העגלות‬
"They told him, saying, 'Yosef is yet alive and he is the ruler over
all the land of Egypt.' Yaakov's heart became faint because he did
not believe them. Then they told him all the words of Yosef and he
saw the wagons; the spirit of Yaakov revived and he said, 'It is
enough. My son Yosef is yet alive.'" (45:26-28)
Q U E S T I O N : 1) The w o r d "leimor" (‫ )לאמר‬means to say —
tell — to someone else. W h a t d i d they w a n t Yaakov to say?
2) The w o r d "od" — " y e t " — seems superfluous.
Should not the text just said, — "they t o l d h i m
Yosef is alive"?
3) W h e n Yaakov spoke of Yosef, he called h i m " m y son."
W h y d i d n ' t the brothers say, "Yosef y o u r son" or "Yosef our
brother"?
A N S W E R : W h e n the brothers returned f r o m E g y p t after

f i n d i n g Yosef alive, they were afraid to tell Yaakov. They feared
that i f they said o u t r i g h t that Yosef was alive, Yaakov m i g h t ,
G-d f o r b i d , become i l l f r o m the shock. To prepare Yaakov, they
t o l d h i m a story: " I n Egypt, w e saw something v e r y strange.
W e always t h o u g h t that our brother was the o n l y Yosef i n the
w o r l d . H o w e v e r , i n E g y p t w e met the viceroy w h o is i n control
of the entire country, a n d i t was amazing to learn that his name
was also 'Yosef.' W e are extremely puzzled; can y o u tell us
something w h i c h w o u l d explain this phenomenon?"
The dialogue recorded i n the T o r a h goes as follows:

"vayagidu lo" — "they t o l d h i m the entire story" — "leimor" —
"and asked him to tell them h o w to explain the fact that" — "od
Yosef chai" — "there is another person alive w i t h the name
'Yosef,' " and "hu mosheil bechol Eretz Mitzraim" — "he rules
over the entire l a n d of E g y p t . "
Yaakov listened carefully, and his heart became faint

because he was unable to believe that there was an E g y p t i a n
w i t h the H e b r e w name of "Yosef." W h i l e the brothers
c o n t i n u e d t a l k i n g about the "Yosef " they met, Yaakov noticed
the wagons that Yosef sent. H e i m m e d i a t e l y p r o c l a i m e d to his
c h i l d r e n "Rav" — " E n o u g h — y o u s h o u l d k n o w that 'od Yosef
— 'the other Yosef' — w h o m y o u are t e l l i n g me of, is no one
else t h a n 'b'ni' — ' m y son.' I n o w realize that 'chai' — 'he is
alive' — a n d I w i l l make every effort to see h i m before I die."
(‫)אמרי יהודה‬
‫ יעקב אביהם״‬nn ‫ותםי‬...‫ף‬0‫ יו‬rhw ‫״וירא א ת העגלות אשר‬

"He saw the wagons Yosef sent... and the spirit of Yaakov revived."
(45:27)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t was i t about the wagons that impressed
Yaakov so much?
A N S W E R : A c c o r d i n g to Da'at Zekeinim Miba'alei Hatosafot,

before Yaakov parted w i t h Yosef he was teaching h i m about the
offerings the nesi'im — heads of Tribes — w o u l d b r i n g for the
chanukat hamishkan — dedication of the Tabernacle.
A t the end of Parshat Naso there is a detailed description of

the offerings of the 12 nesi'im. Each one b r o u g h t an identical
gift. The o n l y exception i n v o l v e d the wagons. T h o u g h each nasi
was w e a l t h y i n his o w n r i g h t , each shared the expense of a
w a g o n w i t h a partner.
W h e n Yaakov taught this subject to Yosef, he explained to

h i m that this is h o w the nesi'im demonstrated u n i t y (see Sforno).
W h e n Yaakov saw the wagons, he understood that Yosef

was sending h i m the message, " T h o u g h m y brothers seemingly
w r o n g e d me, I a m u n i t e d w i t h t h e m and carry no grudge
against t h e m . " This r e v i v e d Yaakov's s p i r i t and m a d e h i m
p r o u d of his son.
(‫)מיוסד על עיטורי תורה‬
VAYIGASH 223
‫״ אלכה ואראנו בסו־ם אמות״‬n ‫״עוד ״וסף בני‬

"My son Yosef is alive; I will go to see him before I die." (45:28)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y the apparently superfluous w o r d s " o d "
— " s t i l l " — and "beterem amut" — "before I die"? I t w o u l d be
sufficient to say, " m y son Yosef is alive; I w i l l go to see h i m . "
A N S W E R : Yosef l i v e d together w i t h his father t i l l the age of

17, w h e n his jealous brothers sold h i m to Egypt. Then, for 13
years, he experienced m a n y ordeals and at the age of 30 he be¬
came the viceroy. F r o m the age of 30 u n t i l his death at the age
of 110, he was blessed w i t h comfort, honor, a n d glory.
The w o r d " o d " (‫ )עוד‬has the n u m e r i c a l value of 80. Yaakov

was h i n t i n g that, t h o u g h Yosef suffered m u c h , he c o u l d look
f o r w a r d to l i v i n g 80 more years of accomplishments and
tranquility.
Similarly, "beterem" ( ‫ ) ב ט ר ם‬i n mispar katan (single numerals

— 2,9,2,4) is 17. Yaakov declared p r o p h e t i c a l l y that he w o u l d
again be w i t h Yosef for a p e r i o d of 17 years before he left this
world.
(‫ מסלתון ראב״ר ביירות‬- ‫)בית יעקב ר׳ יעקב הכהן דיל טראב‬
‫״אנכי ארד עמך מצרימה ואנכי אעלך גם עלה״‬

"[Hashem said,] 'I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will surely
bring you up again.'" (46:4)
Q U E S T I O N : I t w o u l d be sufficient to say, "Anochi a'elcha"
— " I w i l l b r i n g y o u u p . " D o not the w o r d s "gam aloh" appear to
be superfluous?
A N S W E R : O n the remez level of T o r a h interpretation there

is a system k n o w n as "at-bash." The letter ‫ ״‬n ‫ ״‬is exchanged for
an ‫ ״ א ״‬, the ‫ ״ ש ״‬for a ‫ ״ ב ״‬etc. Thus, the letters of the w o r d "gam"
are interchanged w i t h the letters and , and the letters
of "aloh" w i t h the letters .
Hashem t o l d Yaakov, " D o not fear to go d o w n to Egypt; I

w i l l descend w i t h y o u a n d b r i n g y o u u p after y o u r c h i l d r e n
w i l l be there , a total of 210 years. F r o m the 210 years
they w i l l o n l y be enslaved for 116 years (See Shemot 6:16,
Rashi). I n the 117th year, equaling there w i l l be —

the c o m i n g u p f r o m Egypt.
* * *
H a s h e m also assured Yaakov that H e w o u l d alleviate their

bondage, because "Imo anochi betzarah" — " I a m w i t h h i m i n
distress" (Psalms 91:15). The w o r d "imo" (‫ )עמו‬is equal to 116.
D u r i n g the 116 years that they w o u l d endure the anguish of
E g y p t i a n bondage, H a s h e m H i m s e l f w o u l d be there w i t h t h e m ,
and this w o u l d be a source of spiritual courage a n d strength.
(‫)נחל קדומים‬
‫״ ו י א מ ר ו א ל פ ר ע ה ל ג ו ר ב א ר ץ ב א נ ו כ י אין מ ר ע ה ל צ א ן א ש ר ל ע ב ד י ך‬
‫כי כ ב ד ה ר ע ב ב א ר ץ כנען״‬
"And they said to Pharaoh: 'We have come to sojourn in the land;
for there is no grazing for your servants' flocks, for the famine is
severe in the land of Canaan.'" (47:4)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d they n o t tell h i m that they came to

E g y p t because they h a d no food for themselves to eat?
A N S W E R : The brothers w a n t e d to convey to p h a r a o h h o w

intense the famine w a s i n Canaan. They t o l d h i m : "Grass is
u s u a l l y reserved for the flock. people consume fruits a n d
vegetables. The situation is so critical i n Canaan that people are
eating grass a n d there is no g r a z i n g left for the flock."
(‫)ובינו בחיי‬
‫ימי ש נ י מגורי‬...‫ויאמר פ ר ע ה א ל י ע ק ב כ מ ה ימי ש נ י חייך ויאמר‬

‫ולא ה ש י ג ו א ת י מ י ש נ י חיי‬...‫ש ל ש י ם ו מ א ת ש נ ה מ ע • ו ר ע י ם היו‬
‫א ב ת י בימי מגוריהם‬
"Pharaoh said to Yaakov, 'How many are the days of the years of
your life?' Yaakov answered Pharaoh, 'The days of the years of my
sojourns have been a hundred and thirty years. Few and bad have
been the days of the years of my life, and they have not reached
the life spans of my forefathers in the days of their sojourns.'"
(47:8-9)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y was Pharaoh so i m p o l i t e as to ask

Yaakov his age?
VAYIGASH 225
A N S W E R : I n E g y p t there was v e r y little r a i n , a n d they

relied heavily o n the N i l e river w h i c h w o u l d o v e r f l o w and
irrigate the fields. D u r i n g the years of famine, the N i l e river d i d
not o v e r f l o w and, thus, the fields d i d not produce. W h e n
Yaakov a r r i v e d , the N i l e began to o v e r f l o w and the famine
ended. Pharaoh was, therefore, t h r i l l e d w i t h Yaakov's a r r i v a l .
A t the same t i m e he was also was concerned, because Yaakov
looked v e r y o l d , and he feared that the blessing w o u l d not last
l o n g . Thus, out of anxiety, he asked Yaakov his age.
Yaakov understood Pharaoh's thoughts and therefore t o l d

h i m , " D o not w o r r y : t h o u g h I look v e r y o l d , i n reality I a m quite
y o u n g a n d have m a n y more years ahead of me before reaching
the life span of m y parents."
‫״ויאמר יוסף א ל ה ע ם הן ק נ י ת י א ת כ ם היום ו א ת א ד מ ת כ ם ל פ ר ע ה ״‬

"Yosef said to the people, 'I have bought you today and your land
for Pharaoh.'" (47:23)
Q U E S T I O N : Shouldn't the w o r d i n g i n the pasuk be, " I
b o u g h t y o u and y o u r l a n d today for Pharaoh?"
A N S W E R : W h e n Yosef was appointed as the viceroy of

Egypt. Pharaoh t o l d h i m , " Y o u shall be over m y house and b y
y o u r c o m m a n d shall a l l m y people be sustained; o n l y [by] the
throne shall I o u t r a n k y o u " (41:40). W h e n the famine started i n
Egypt, the people used their savings to b u y food. Yosef b r o u g h t
the m o n e y i n t o Pharaoh's palace (47:14).
W h e n the people r a n o u t of money, they offered Yosef their

livestock for food. A s the famine worsened, again they
approached Yosef a n d begged h i m to give t h e m food for their
bodies and l a n d . Thus, they a n d their l a n d w o u l d become
Pharaoh's possessions.
The Torah tells us, "Yosef b o u g h t a l l the l a n d of E g y p t for

Pharaoh because the Egyptians sold their l a n d and the l a n d
n o w became Pharaoh's" (47:20).
Since Yosef was i n f u l l c o m m a n d a n d had the p o w e r to do

whatever he w a n t e d , he also b o u g h t the people — b u t not for
Pharaoh. Yosef decided that he w o u l d b u y the people for

himself, so that they w o u l d become his p r o p e r t y . Therefore,
Yosef said to the Egyptians, " B e h o l d I have b o u g h t y o u t o d a y
(for myself) a n d y o u r l a n d (I b o u g h t ) for Pharaoh."
* * *
W h e n the Egyptians felt intense hunger, they came to Phar¬

aoh d e m a n d i n g bread. Pharaoh advised t h e m to go to Yosef
a n d d o whatever he c o m m a n d e d . Rashi explains that the
people c o m p l a i n e d to Pharaoh that Yosef insisted that they be
circumcised. Pharaoh t o l d t h e m to listen to h i m (41:55). W h y
w o u l d Yosef make such a strange request of the famine-stricken
people?
A c c o r d i n g to halachah, w h e n a Jew buys a non-Jew as a

slave, he is r e q u i r e d to have h i m circumcised. Pharaoh,
therefore t o l d t h e m , "Since Yosef h a d permission to d o
whatever he w a n t e d , a n d b o u g h t o n l y y o u r l a n d for me b u t
kept you (the people) for himself as slaves, he was r i g h t i n
requesting that y o u be circumcised."
‫״וישב י ש ר א ל ב א ר ץ מ צ ר י ם ב א ר ץ גשן ויאחזו ב ה ״‬

"The Jews settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and
they acquired property there." (47:27)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y was Goshen so desirable to the Jewish
people?
A N S W E R : W h e n A v r a h a m came to E y g y p t , Pharoah t o o k
Sarah n o t just as a concubine, b u t also for a w i f e (12:19).
Therefore, he gave her a ketubah — marriage contract — stating
that i n the event she w o u l d s u r v i v e h i m , all his possessions a n d
e v e r y t h i n g he o w n e d w o u l d be hers for the remainder of her
life. I n a d d i t i o n , he u n c o n d i t i o n a l l y gave her the l a n d of
Goshen to be hers forever. Since the l a n d belonged to o u r
m a t r i a r c h Sarah, i t was of sentimental value to the Jewish
people a n d they all chose to live there a n d acquire i t .
(‫ פכ״ז‬,‫)פרקי דרבי אליעזר‬
VAYECHI 227
VAYECHI ‫ויחי ־‬
‫״ויחי • ע ק ב ״‬
"And Yaakov lived." (47:28)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y does the parshah w h i c h discusses the
death of Yaakov start w i t h the w o r d s — "And
Yaakov lived"?
A N S W E R : The w o r d "vayechi" (‫ " — )ויחי‬A n d he l i v e d " —

has the numerical value of 34. Yaakov was i n this w o r l d a total
of 147 years. O f these, "he l i v e d " and enjoyed most 34 years:
the 17 years f r o m the b i r t h of Yosef t i l l the time he was sold to
Egypt, a n d another 17 years w h e n he was i n E g y p t reunited
w i t h his cherished son Yosef.
(‫)בעה״ט‬
‫״ויחי י ע ק ב ב א ר ץ מ צ ר י ם ש ב ע ע ש ר ה ש נ ה ״‬
"Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years." (47:28)
Q U E S T I O N : W e already k n o w that Yaakov was 130 years
o l d w h e n he a r r i v e d i n Egypt. W e also k n o w that he d i e d there
at the age of 147. W h y is i t necessary to state that he l i v e d i n
E g y p t for 17 years?
A N S W E R : W h e n the Tzemach Tzedek (Rabbi Menachem

M e n d e l Schneerson, the 3 r d Lubavitcher Rebbe) was a y o u n g
boy, his teacher taught h i m this pasuk and explained i t to mean
that the best years i n Yaakov's life were the 17 years he l i v e d i n
Egypt. (The w o r d "tov" £‫ )טוב‬means g o o d a n d has the numerical
value of 17.)
W h e n he came home he asked his grandfather, the Alter

Rebbe (Rabbi Schneur Z a l m a n of L i a d i ) , " H o w can w e say that
Yaakov's best years w e r e the years he l i v e d i n the sinful l a n d of

Egypt?" The Alter Rebbe explained: Before Yaakov a r r i v e d i n
Egypt, he sent Y e h u d a h to b u i l d a Yeshivah so that the c h i l d r e n
of Yaakov w o u l d have a place to devote themselves to T o r a h
study.
W h e n a Jew learns Torah, he comes closer to Hashem.

Therefore, since the f a m i l y of Yaakov learned Torah, even i n
the sinful l a n d of E g y p t , "Vayechi Yaakov" — Jacob's life was
v i b r a n t l y 'alive,' f u l l and r e w a r d i n g .
(‫)היום יום ח״י טבת‬
‫ ש י ם נ א י ד ך ת ח ת ירכי״‬. . . ‫״ ו י ק ר א ל ב נ ו ל י ו ס ף ו י א מ ר ל ו‬
"And he called to his son Yosef and said to him: 'Please place your
hand under my thigh.'" (47:29)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d Yaakov w a n t Yosef to place his h a n d
under his thigh?
A N S W E R : D u r i n g Yaakov's sojourn i n E g y p t , Yosef gener¬

ously supported h i m and the entire family. A s he lay o n his
death bed, he began to w o r r y about the future relationship
between Yosef and his brothers.
Yaakov t h o u g h t that t h o u g h Yosef was a great tzaddik, his

m o r t a l feelings m i g h t p r e v a i l . Possibly, after his demise, Yosef
m i g h t not treat his brothers so nicely because of w h a t had
occurred to h i m .
O u t of concern for his children's welfare, Yaakov said to

Yosef, please p u t "yadecha" — " y o u r h a n d " (your generous
support) — "tachat yereichi" — "under m y t h i g h — m y f a m i l y
w h o w i l l s u r v i v e me a n d live together w i t h y o u i n E g y p t . "
[ W h e n the T o r a h enumerates the f a m i l y of Yaakov that
descended to E g y p t , they are referred to as "yotzei yereicho" —
"the people w h o emanated f r o m his t h i g h " (46:26)].
* * *
U p o n r e t u r n i n g f r o m Yaakov's funeral, the brothers feared

that Yosef w o u l d have resentful memories of his past suffering,
w h i c h w o u l d lead to hostile thoughts. Therefore, they sent a
VAYECHI 229
messenger to Yosef saying, " Y o u r father c o m m a n d e d before he

d i e d , 'Please forgive the evil y o u r brothers d i d to y o u ' " (50:15¬
17). M a n y ask, " W h e n d i d Yaakov make this request?" (See
Rashi.)
A c c o r d i n g to the above, the brothers m i g h t have d e r i v e d i t

f r o m the request Yaakov made of Yosef regarding the welfare
of his brothers.
(‫)לקוטי בתר לקוטי בשם לוח ארז‬
‫״ויאמר אנכי א ע ש ה כדברך״‬

"I will do as you have said." (47:30)
Q U E S T I O N : Since he said "e'eseh chidvarecha" — "I w i l l do
as y o u say" — "anochi" — "I" — is superfluous?
A N S W E R : Yaakov s u m m o n e d his son Yosef and asked h i m

to promise that his b o d i l y remains w o u l d not be left i n Egypt.
This request made a deep impression o n Yosef a n d he
i m m e d i a t e l y t o l d his father "anochi" — " I t o o " — "e'eseh
chidvarecha" — " w i l l do for myself the same as y o u w i s h me to
do for y o u . "
Indeed, at the end of our parshah w e read that Yosef t o o k an

oath of the c h i l d r e n of Israel saying, " G - d w i l l surely redeem
y o u , and y o u shall carry u p my bones f r o m here" (50:25).
‫״הנה אביך חלה״‬

"Behold, your father is sick." (48:1)
Q U E S T I O N : 1) The w o r d "hineih" — " b e h o l d " — seems
extra. The text should s i m p l y read — " y o u r father is
sick." 2) W h y is the w o r d w r i t t e n w i t h o u t a " "?
A N S W E R : A c c o r d i n g to the Gemara (Bava Metzia 87a), u p to

this t i m e no one was ever sick before d y i n g . W h e n the t i m e
w o u l d come to leave this w o r l d , a person w o u l d sneeze and die
w i t h o u t any p r i o r illness. Yaakov p r a y e d to H a s h e m that this
order be changed because i t is proper that a person first become
i l l so that he w i l l k n o w he is about to die a n d he w i l l be able to
give his c h i l d r e n and f a m i l y a message before leaving the

world.
Therefore, the messenger t o l d Yosef "Hinei" — " B e h o l d , i t is

a surprising t h i n g " — ‫ " — ״ א ב י ך ח ל ה ״‬y o u r father is sick."
The word — "sick" — is w r i t t e n w i t h o u t a

because i t is the a c r o n y m for (beyond the laws of
nature). The messenger t o l d Yosef, " W h a t is happening to y o u r
father is not i n accordance to the usual laws of nature."
* * *
W h e n someone sneezes, i t is customary to say to h i m , "Tzu

Gezunt," i n d i c a t i n g that the sneeze s h o u l d be for healthy
purposes a n d not, G-d f o r b i d , the reverse.
W h y do some people have a custom to p u l l their ear w h e n

they sneeze?
Death came to the w o r l d because A d a m failed to listen to

H a s h e m and sinned. Prior to Yaakov's sickness, w h e n the t i m e
w o u l d come for a person to leave the w o r l d , he w o u l d sneeze
and his soul w o u l d depart.
Therefore, w h e n a person sneezes, he p u l l s his ear as a

reminder that he m u s t " l i s t e n " to H a s h e m so that he w i l l n o t be
p u n i s h e d , G-d f o r b i d , w i t h the opposite of life.
(‫)אוצר כל מנהגי ישרון סי׳ ל׳׳ט‬
‫״ויתחזק ישראל וישב ע ל ה מ ס ה ״‬

"And Yisrael strengthened himself and sat up in bed." (48:2)
Q U E S T I O N : H o w d i d Yaakov get this extra strength?
A N S W E R : W h e n a ben gilo (one b o r n under the same plane¬

tary influence) visits a sick person he takes a w a y a 60th of the
illness (Nedarim 39b).
W h e n Yaakov became i l l , the pasuk says ‫״ ו י א מ ר ל י ו ס ף ה נ ה‬

‫" — א ב י ך ח ל ה ״‬Yosef was t o l d , 'Behold y o u r father is sick.' " The
word w h i c h seems extra, has the n u m e r i c a l value of 60,
w h i c h indicates that Yaakov was seriously i l l a n d had all the 60
VAYECHI 231
parts of illness. Yosef resembled Yaakov i n m a n y w a y s (Rashi,

37:2). Therefore, w h e n he came to v i s i t , Yaakov suddenly felt
stronger because Yosef took a w a y one 60th of the illness.
The Torah alludes to this b y saying that Yaakov

strengthened himself and was able to sit u p i n bed. The w o r d
"hamittah" — "the b e d " — has the numerical value of 59.
(‫)אלשיך‬
‫ ו י א מ ר י ו ס ף א ל אביו בני‬: ‫״וירא י ש ר א ל א ת ב נ י י ו ס ף ו י א מ ר מ י א ל ה‬

‫ה ם א ש ר נ ת ן לי א ל ק י ם ב ז ה ״‬
"And Yisrael saw Yosef's sons, and said: 'Who are these?' And
Yosef said to his father: 'They are my sons, whom G-d has given me
here.'" (48:8-9)
Q U E S T I O N : H o w is i t possible that Yaakov d i d not recog¬
nize his o w n grandchildren?
A N S W E R : The Torah states that Yaakov saw "b'nei Yosef"

— "the sons of Yosef." I t w o u l d appear more precise to state:
" A n d Yaakov saw E p h r a i m and Menasheh." Rashi explains
that Yaakov was concerned about their descendants Y e r a v a m
Ben Nevat, and Y e i h u Ben N i m s h i . The w o r d "b'nei" (‫ )בני‬is an
a c r o n y m of these names ( ).
Yosef placated his father b y telling h i m : " W h y o n l y l o o k at

the w i c k e d ones? W h y not focus o n Ephraim's righteous
descendant, the successor to Moshe Rabbeinu, w h o w i l l b r i n g
the Jewish people to Eretz Yisrael. H i s name is Yehoshua B i n
N u n (‫ ) י ה ו ש ע ב ן נון‬, for w h o m "b'nei" is also an a c r o n y m . "
‫״ויאמר ישראל א ל יוסף ר א ה פניך ל א פ ל ל ת י והנה ה ר א ה א ת י‬

‫אלקים ג ם א ת זרעך״‬
"And Yisrael said to Yosef: 'I had not thought to see your face; and,
lo, G-d has let me see also your seed.'" (48:11)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d "oti" seems superfluous; grammati¬
cally, instead of saying "her'ah oti Elokim," Yaakov c o u l d have
said "herani Elokim." W h a t was he a l l u d i n g to?
A N S W E R : Yaakov t o l d Yosef: " U p o n learning that y o u

w e r e i n E g y p t and had achieved great fame, m a n y thoughts
w e n t t h r o u g h m y m i n d about y o u r l o y a l t y to Judaism and
spiritual situation. I began to d o u b t i f y o u r appearance w o u l d
be the same as w h e n w e last saw each other, a n d I feared that
y o u r c h i l d r e n had p r o b a b l y assimilated, resembling the y o u n g
E g y p t i a n boys w i t h w h o m they associate.
N o t o n l y do I see your face the w a y I w o u l d w i s h i t to be,

b u t l o o k i n g at y o u r c h i l d r e n , I see i n t h e m a replica of myself.
Thus, 'her'ah oti Elokim' — G-d caused me to appear — 'et
zarecha' — through y o u r c h i l d r e n — due to their s i m i l a r i t y to my
appearance. They, too, l o o k like y o u n g chassidishe bachurim,
filled w i t h Yiddish taste a n d s p i r i t . "
(‫)עיטורי תורה בשם חרש אבן‬
‫״ו״דגו ל ר ב ב ק ר ב ה א ר ץ ״‬
"Let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." (48:16)
Q U E S T I O N : Yaakov blessed t h e m to m u l t i p l y as the fish of
the ocean (Rashi). W h a t was his m o t i v e i n c o m p a r i n g t h e m to
fish?
Once the R o m a n g o v e r n m e n t issued a decree f o r b i d d i n g

T o r a h study. Papus ben Y e h u d a h saw Rabbi A k i v a c o n d u c t i n g
T o r a h classes and asked h i m , " D o y o u n o t fear p u n i s h m e n t b y
l a w ? " Rabbi A k i v a answered w i t h a parable: A fox was
strolling along the r i v e r b a n k a n d noticed fish s w i m m i n g s w i f t l y
f r o m place to place. H e asked, " W h y are y o u r u n n i n g ? " They
r e p l i e d , " W e are afraid of the net that people set u p to catch
us." The fox s l y l y said, "Perhaps i t w o u l d be wise to ascend to
the shore and live together w i t h me as m y parents l i v e d w i t h
y o u r parents." The fish responded, " Y o u speak foolishly; i f w e
are afraid i n o u r native habitat, o u r fear w i l l be even greater o n
l a n d , w h e r e death w i l l be certain." Similarly, T o r a h is o u r
source of life a n d m a y save us. W i t h o u t i t w e w i l l definitely
perish (Berachot 61b).
Yaakov was i n s t r u c t i n g his c h i l d r e n to always remember

that just as a fish cannot live w i t h o u t water, so a Jew cannot
VAYECHI 233
exist w i t h o u t Torah; a n d he blessed t h e m to " s w i m like a fish"

i n the "Yam Hatalmud" — the ocean of T o r a h study.
(‫ ר׳ שאול בראך ז״ל אב״! קאשוי‬- ‫)בהיות הבקר‬
* * *
The life of a fish depends i n a large measure o n its v i t a l i t y

and ability to s w i m upstream. I f i t permits itself to be swept
along b y the current i t w i l l be i n danger. I t is o n l y because the
c r e a t o r has e n d o w e d the fish w i t h the precious instinct of self-
preservation, w h e r e b y i t is able to s w i m upstream against the
forces of the b i l l o w i n g waves, that i t can s u r v i v e and thrive.
Yaakov blessed his c h i l d r e n to be capable and w i l l i n g to

s w i m upstream and resist the t e m p t a t i o n of r u n n i n g w i t h the
h e r d and s w i m m i n g w i t h the tide.
(‫)הרב דוב ארי׳ ז״ל בערזאן‬
‫ ה מ ל א ך ה ג ו א ל א ת י מ כ ל ר ע יברך א ת‬. . . ‫״ויברך א ת יוסף ו י א מ ר‬

‫הנערים״‬
"He blessed Yosef saying... 'The angel who redeemed me from all
evil should bless the lads [Menasheh and Ephraim].'" (48:15-16)
Q U E S T I O N : The pasuk begins w i t h Yaakov's berachah to
Yosef and ends saying that he blessed Menasheh and E p h r a i m .
W h a t was the berachah for Yosef?
A N S W E R : Yaakov's berachah to Yosef was that his c h i l d r e n ,

E p h r a i m a n d Menasheh s h o u l d be tzaddikim. W h e n c h i l d r e n
conduct themselves i n a proper w a y , the parents''"nachas" is the
greatest berachah they can w i s h for.
(‫)זהר‬
‫ ו י מ א ן א ב י ו ו י א מ ר‬. . . . ‫״ ו י ת מ ך יד א ב י ו ל ה ס י ר א ת ה מ ע ל ר א ש א פ ר י ם‬
‫ידעתי״‬
"He held up his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head his
father refused and said I know." (48:17, 19)
Q U E S T I O N : W h e n Yosef b r o u g h t E p h r a i m and Menasheh
to Yaakov to receive his blessings, he positioned t h e m so that
Yaakov's r i g h t h a n d s h o u l d rest o n Menasheh and his left h a n d
o n E p h r a i m . Yaakov, however, g u i d e d his hands so that the left

w o u l d rest o n Menasheh a n d the r i g h t o n E p h r a i m . Yosef made
an attempt to change his father's hands a r o u n d , w h i c h he
resisted.
The Midrash Rabbah (97:4) says that w h e n Yosef h e l d his

father's r i g h t h a n d to remove i t f r o m the head of E p h r a i m ,
Yaakov said to h i m , " I w a n t y o u to k n o w that I a m v e r y strong
a n d I conquered an angel. Therefore, d o not attempt to m o v e
m y hands." W h y d i d Yaakov insist that his r i g h t h a n d be o n
E p h r a i m , a n d w h y d i d he have to p r o v e his strength f r o m the
fact that he conquered an angel?
A N S W E R : I n E g y p t , E p h r a i m was occupied p r i m a r i l y w i t h
the s t u d y of Torah. Yosef was notified of Yaakov's illness b y
E p h r a i m , w h o frequently visited the home of Yaakov to s t u d y
(Rashi 48:1).
T h o u g h Menasheh indeed studied Torah, he also assisted

Yosef a n d headed his household (Targum Yonatan ben Uziel
43:16). H e also acted as the interpreter between Yosef a n d his
brothers (Rashi 43:23). Thus, Menasheh can be credited for per¬
f o r m i n g the mitzvah of kibud av ( h o n o r i n g one's father) i n an
exemplary w a y
Yosef therefore t h o u g h t that Menasheh s h o u l d receive the

" r i g h t - h a n d e d " berachah due to his exemplary f u l f i l l m e n t of
kibud av.
Yaakov sensed this a n d t o l d Yosef "The question i n y o u r

m i n d is similar to an issue w h i c h t o o k place m a n y years ago
a n d w h i c h was l o n g resolved. W h i l e I was the p r o t o t y p e of one
w h o d w e l l e d i n the tent of T o r a h , m y brother Eisav excelled i n
the mitzvah of kibud av. A s y o u w e l l k n o w , m y father Yitzchak
gave the berachot to me. The angel w h o f o u g h t w i t h me was the
angel of Eisav. H e endeavored to defeat me for t a k i n g a w a y the
berachot, b u t I was v i c t o r i o u s , a n d he eventually conceded that
the berachot belonged to me. This proves that T o r a h surpasses
all. Y o u r son E p h r a i m is totally i m m e r s e d i n T o r a h study.
Therefore, he deserves the " r i g h t - h a n d e d " berachah.
VAYECHI 235
‫אשר ל ק ח ת י מיד האמרי בחרבי ובקשתי״‬...‫״‬

"...which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my
bow." (48:22)
Q U E S T I O N : The Targum Onkelos writes ‫— ״ ב צ ל ו ת י ו ב ב ע ו ת י ״‬
" w i t h m y prayer and supplication." H o w does this f i t the
w o r d s "becharbi u'vekashti" — " w i t h m y s w o r d a n d m y b o w " ?
A N S W E R : I n the Torah, the letters are not w r i t t e n w i t h

vowels. Thus, the w o r d s can be read as . Yaakov
was telling Yosef, he was g i v i n g h i m the city of Shechem,
w h i c h Hashem gave h i m because, " H e chose m e " a n d " m y
prayerful supplication."
(‫)שמעתי מזקני הרב צבי הכהן דיל קפלן‬
‫״ ה א ם פ ו ואגידה ל כ ם א ת א ש ר יקרא א ת כ ם ב א ח ר י ת הימים״‬

"Assemble yourselves, and I will tell you what will befall you in the
end of days." (49:1)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi writes that Yaakov w a n t e d to reveal to
t h e m the keitz (‫)קץ‬, w h e n the Galut — exile — w o u l d end, b u t
the Shechinah — D i v i n e Presence — left h i m . I n lieu of saying
the Shechinah w i t h d r e w , he should not Rashi have said that the
k n o w l e d g e of the 'keitz' — the end of the exile — was
w i t h d r a w n f r o m him?
A N S W E R : Hashem is k n o w n b y m a n y names, and each

name represents a f o r m of revelation. Sins have an effect o n
specific names of Hashem, and thus particular forms of
revelation to the Jewish people.
W h e n Moshe was t o l d to go to the Jewish people and tell

t h e m that Hashem was p r e p a r i n g to take t h e m o u t of Egypt,
Moshe asked, "Should they ask me w h a t is y o u r name, w h a t
should I tell them?" H a s h e m replied, " Y o u s h o u l d tell t h e m
that ‫ ' — ׳ א ה י ׳ ה ׳‬I w i l l be' — sent me to y o u " (Shemot 3:14). One
of H i s names is w h i c h has the numerical value of 2 1 .
W h e n the brothers sinned b y selling Yosef, their actions

affected Hashem's revelation to us t h r o u g h this name. N i n e
brothers participated i n selling Yosef, a n d the Shechinah j o i n e d
w i t h t h e m i n the v o w not to reveal this to Yaakov (Rashi 37:33).
Because a total of ten had a part i n the sale w h i c h affected the

name ( w h i c h has the n u m e r i c a l value of 21), the Jews
remained i n E g y p t 210 years.
Yaakov was o n l y aware that nine of his c h i l d r e n took part

i n the sale of Yosef, b u t he d i d not k n o w of the Shechinah's part
i n the act. Therefore, Rashi says His
purpose of gathering his c h i l d r e n together was to tell t h e m that
at the conclusion of 189 years (9 x 21 = 189), o n the 190 — ‫ץ‬ ‫ק‬ t h
year — the E g y p t i a n exile w o u l d come to an end. H o w e v e r ,
Yaakov miscalculated, because — he d i d
not k n o w that the Shechinah h a d a part i n the sale, and therefore
they w o u l d have to be i n E g y p t a total of 210 years.

Q U E S T I O N : Yaakov gathered together his c h i l d r e n and
w a n t e d to reveal the t i m e of the c o m i n g of Mashiach. Suddenly,
the Shechinah left h i m . H e began to w o r r y , " M a y b e there is
some fault i n m y c h i l d r e n . " They i m m e d i a t e l y responded,
"Shema Yisrael, y o u believe i n o n l y one G-d a n d so do w e . "
H a p p i l y Yaakov exclaimed —
"Blessed be the N a m e of H i s glorious k i n g d o m for ever and
ever" (Pesachim 56a). W h a t d i d Yaakov m e a n w i t h his response,
"Baruch Sheim..."?
A N S W E R : W h e n a Jew finds himself i n a troublesome

situation he often cries out, "Shema Yisrael." Yaakov was n o t
surprised to hear his sons pronounce, "Shema Yisrael," w h e n
they stood a r o u n d his death bed.
H o w e v e r , Yaakov used the o p p o r t u n i t y to convey an

i m p o r t a n t legacy: " D o n o t o n l y express y o u r absolute faith i n
H a s h e m i n times of anxiety and distress, b u t at a l l times and
forever and ever, I p r a y y o u w i l l remember to bless H i s glorious
kingdom."
(‫)שמעתי מהרב יעקב מאיר דיל כהן‬
VAYECHI 237

Q U E S T I O N : Yaakov w a n t e d to reveal to his c h i l d r e n the
t i m e of Mashiach's c o m i n g . H o w e v e r , the Shechinah departed
f r o m h i m , and he began to speak about another matter (Rashi).
If i t was proper to reveal the c o m i n g of the Mashiach, w h y d i d
the Shechinah leave him? I f i t was p r o h i b i t e d , w h y d i d Yaakov
w a n t to do this?
A N S W E R : The Gemara (Shabbat 30b) states that the Shechi-

nah reveals itself to a person o n l y w h e n one is i n a joyous and
h a p p y spirit, a n d not w h e n one is sad and g r i e v i n g .
If Yaakov was ready to reveal the time of the c o m i n g of

Mashiach, o b v i o u s l y i t was permissible. H o w e v e r , as he was
about to reveal i t , he saw chevlei Mashiach — the extreme pains
and suffering that the Jewish people w i l l endure i n the future,
p r i o r to the revelation of Mashiach. This caused Yaakov m u c h
grief and thus the Shechinah w i t h d r e w f r o m h i m .
(‫)ר׳ נפתלי מרופשיץ זצ״ל‬
* * *
Q U E S T I O N : The Gemara Sanhedrin (97a) says that Mashiach
w i l l come "behesach hada'at" — w h e n Jewish people are dis¬
tracted f r o m t h i n k i n g about r e d e m p t i o n . H a d Yaakov revealed
the t i m e of Mashiach's revelation, w o u l d not the Jewish people
eagerly a w a i t h i m and not cease t h i n k i n g about him?
A N S W E R : O b v i o u s l y , "hesach hada'at" does not mean, not

being m i n d f u l of Mashiach. I f i t d i d , h o w c o u l d w e justify Jews
saying d a i l y — "Every day I anticipate
his c o m i n g , " w h i c h is based o n M a i m o n i d e s ' Thirteen
principles of Faith?
Therefore, w e m u s t conclude that 'hesach hada'at' means a

state of m i n d w h e n our l i m i t e d comprehension and
understanding w i l l not be able to f i n d a rationale or worthiness
of the generation for Mashiach to reveal himself. Nevertheless,
the m e r i t of our strong emunah a n d faith i n the revelation of
Mashiach w i l l cause his speedy c o m i n g .
r 3 &
(‫)כ״קאדמו״ר‬
‫ ה ק ב צ ן‬.‫״ ה א ם פ ו ואגידה ל כ ם א ת א ש ר יקרא א ת כ ם ב א ח ר י ת הימים‬

‫ושמעו בני יעקב״‬
"Assemble yourselves and I will tell you what will befall you in the
end of days. Assemble and hear, sons of Yaakov." (49:1-2)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d ‫ ״ י ק ר א ״‬w i t h an ‫ ״ א ״‬means " c a l l i n g . "
The text should read ‫ ״ י ק ר ה ״‬w i t h a ‫ ״ ה ״‬, w h i c h means
"happen?"
A N S W E R : Yaakov called his c h i l d r e n and t o l d t h e m he

w o u l d tell t h e m w h a t should be the " c a l l " to the
Jewish people i n the end of days, so they can m e r i t the c o m i n g
of Mashiach. The r a l l y i n g cry should be — "gather
together i n u n i t y " — and — "listen and learn the
teachings of T o r a h . " T h r o u g h this w e w i l l m e r i t the revelation
of Mashiach.
‫״נפתלי אילה ש ל ח ה הנת! אמרי שפר״‬

"Naftali is a deer let loose, He who delivers goodly words." (49:21)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t are Naftali's " g o o d l y w o r d s " ?
A N S W E R : The prophet M a l a c h i says i n the name of

Hashem: "Behold I a m sending y o u E l i y a h u the p r o p h e t to an¬
nounce the c o m i n g of The Great D a y — the revelation of
Mashiach." I n his prophecy, the name E l i y a h u is spelled w i t h o u t
a "vav," because our ancestor Yaakov took the "vav" f r o m
E l i y a h u as a pledge that he w i l l herald the c o m i n g of Mashiach
(Vayikra 26:42, Rashi).
I n our pasuk, the w o r d ‫ ״ א י ל ה ״‬can be rearranged to spell the

w o r d ‫ ״ א ל י ה ו ׳ ׳ ( ״ א ל י ה ״‬w i t h o u t the "vav"). The w o r d "Naftali"
(‫ )נפתלי‬can be rearranged to spell the w o r d "tefillin" (‫)תפלין‬. Thus
Yaakov, w a n t i n g to reveal to his c h i l d r e n the t i m e of Mashiach's
c o m i n g , t o l d t h e m that, t h r o u g h the f u l f i l l m e n t of the mitzvah of
tefillin, w e w i l l m e r i t Eliyahu's c o m i n g , and he w i l l convey the
" g o o d l y w o r d s " w e all anticipate — the c o m i n g of Mashiach.
* * *
Incidentally, this pasuk m a y also serve as a source for a Bar-

Mitzvah b o y g i v i n g a drashah o n the d a y of his Bar Mitzvah.
VAYECHI 239
N a m e l y , the w o r d "shafer" — " g o o d l y w o r d s " — has the

numerical value of 580, w h i c h is the same as the w o r d "tefillin"
. This indicates that w h e n one becomes responsible to
fulfill the T o r a h obligation of tefillin, he s h o u l d deliver " g o o d l y
words."
(‫)ויאמר אברהם‬
‫״בן פ ר ת י ו ס ף ״‬
"Yosef is a fruitful son." (49:22)
Q U E S T I O N : W h y d i d Yaakov use the t e r m for Yosef?
A N S W E R : The w o r d "porat" can be read as "parot" —

" c o w s " — and can be rearranged to spell "poteir" —
"interpreter." Consequently, Yaakov described Yosef w i t h the
t e r m "porat" a l l u d i n g to pharaoh's d r e a m about cows and
Yosef's interpretation, w h i c h earned h i m fame a n d glory.
‫״ויברך א ו ת ם א י ש א ש ר כ ב ר כ ת ו ב ר ך א ת ם ״‬
"And he blessed them; every one according to his blessing he
blessed them." (49:28)
Q U E S T I O N : Superficially, do n o t the w o r d s of Yaakov to
Reuven, S h i m o n a n d L e v i seem like rebukes rather than
blessings?
A N S W E R : M a n is m o r t a l a n d thus subject to failure. H e

m u s t w o r k to overcome personal imperfection. Often, a person
does not realize or refuses to acknowledge his shortcomings
and, therefore, there is no s t r i v i n g for change. The greatest
blessing is awareness of personal weaknesses.
Yaakov made his c h i l d r e n aware of their flaws and encour¬

aged correction, so his a d m o n i s h m e n t was indeed a great
blessing.
(‫)רלב״ג‬
‫״ויאמר פ ר ע ה ע ל ה וקבר א ת אביך כ א ש ר השביעך״‬

"And Pharaoh said, 'Go up and bury your father, as he made you
swear.'" (50:6)
Q U E S T I O N : Rashi explains that Pharaoh t o l d Yosef, "Were
i t not for the promise, I w o u l d not have p e r m i t t e d y o u to go."
H o w e v e r , p h a r a o h d i d n o t tell Yosef to violate his promise
because he was afraid that Yosef m i g h t tell h i m that he w o u l d
also break the promise he m a d e to h i m (not to reveal that he
k n e w the language of Lashon Hakodesh — H e b r e w — a n d
p h a r a o h d i d not).
p h a r a o h k n e w Yosef was a G-d fearing m a n : W h y then d i d

he fear that i f he forced Yosef to break one promise, Yosef
w o u l d also break another?
A N S W E R : There was a l a w i n E g y p t that a k i n g h a d to

k n o w all languages. W h e n p h a r a o h met Yosef, he became
frightened, because Yosef, i n a d d i t i o n to k n o w i n g a l l the
languages, also k n e w Lashon Hakodesh, w h i c h p h a r a o h d i d n o t
k n o w . p h a r a o h m a d e Yosef promise that he w o u l d n o t reveal to
anyone that he k n e w Lashon Hakodesh a n d i n r e t u r n , he w o u l d
a p p o i n t h i m to the p o s i t i o n of viceroy, t h o u g h he was once a
slave.
p h a r a o h was hesitant to tell Yosef to break his promise, be¬

cause he feared that Yosef m i g h t say to h i m , " I f I have to break
a promise, I w o u l d rather break m y promise to y o u , a n d thus, I
w i l l become k i n g . A s k i n g I w i l l no longer need y o u r
permission to be able to f u l f i l l m y promise to m y father."
‫״וישב י ו ס ף מ צ ר י מ ה ה ו א ואחיו ו כ ל ה ע ו ל י ם א ת ו ל ק ב ר א ת אביו‬

‫א ח ר י ק ב ר ו א ת אביו״‬
"Yosef returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who had gone
up with him to bury his father, after he buried his father." (50:14)
Q U E S T I O N : The w o r d s "acharei kavro et aviv" — "after he
b u r i e d his father" — are superfluous? O b v i o u s l y , i f they all
w e n t to Eretz Yisrael for the b u r i a l , they r e t u r n e d after the
burial.
VAYECHI 241
A N S W E R : The Jerusalem T a l m u d (Ta'anit 4:2) says that the

patriarchs are interred i n accordance w i t h the w a y they were
accustomed to recline [at a meal].
To explain, i n the o l d e n days i t was customary to recline o n

couches w h i l e eating a meal. The Gemara (Berachot 46b) says
that " w h e n there are o n l y t w o couches to be occupied the
p r o m i n e n t person reclines o n his couch first, a n d the second to
h i m i n prominence reclines o n the couch b e l o w h i m . (So that
w h e n they converse w i t h each other, the p r o m i n e n t one does
not have to get u p f r o m his reclining position (Rashi). W h e n
there are three couches to be occupied, the most p r o m i n e n t one
reclines first. The second to h i m i n prominence reclines o n the
couch above h i m , a n d the t h i r d to h i m i n prominence reclines
o n the couch b e l o w h i m . " Hence, i n the c a v e of Machpelah,
A v r a h a m is b u r i e d i n the m i d d l e of the r o w . Yitzchak is above
h i m and Yaakov b e l o w h i m .
N o w , w h e n Yitzchak expired, Yaakov was there to b u r y

h i m (35:29). Yaakov k n e w that he too w o u l d u l t i m a t e l y be
b u r i e d there. H o w e v e r , since presently o n l y A v r a h a m was
b u r i e d there, he l a i d his father Yitzchak below ( w i t h his head to
feet of) A v r a h a m . This was actually the place where he
(Yaakov) w o u l d u l t i m a t e l y be b u r i e d .
T w e n t y seven years later, w h e n Yaakov expired, a n d there

were three w h o w o u l d be occupying the spaces, i t was
necessary to f o l l o w the rule of etiquette w h e n three couches are
occupied. consequently, i t was first necessary to disinter
Yitzchak f r o m his position b e l o w A v r a h a m and d i g a n e w
grave for h i m above A v r a h a m a n d b u r y h i m i n i t . Then Yaakov
was l a i d to rest i n the e m p t y grave below A v r a h a m .
Thus, the pasuk says that Yosef and the entire entourage
returned f r o m the b u r i a l of his father (Yaakov) [ w h i c h took
place] achar kavro et aviv — after [first] b u r y i n g his father [i.e.
Yaakov's father — Yitzchak].
(‫ ראגאטשאוו‬,‫ ר׳ יוסף דיל ראזין‬- ‫)צפנת פענח‬
* * *
This also explains Yosef's telling pharaoh that his father

adjured h i m , saying, "Behold, I a m about to die; [ b u r y me] i n
my grave "asher karati li" — " w h i c h I have d u g for myself" [ i n

the l a n d of c a n a a n ] .
W h e n Yitzchak d i e d , Yaakov actually d u g his future grave

[below A v r a h a m ' s ] a n d t e m p o r a r i l y interred his father,
Yitzchak, there.
‫״אביך צ ו ה לפני מותו ל א מ ר כ ה ת א מ ר ו ליוסף א נ א ש א נ א פ ש ע‬

‫אחיך וחסאתם״‬
"Your father commanded before he died saying: 'Thus shall you say
to Yosef: 0 please forgive the transgression of your brothers and
their sin.'" (50:16-17)
Q U E S T I O N : W h e n d i d Yaakov tell t h e m to ask for forgive¬
ness?
A N S W E R : The sale of Yosef i n t o slavery was a terrible

t h i n g . Fortunately, the brothers' e v i l act u l t i m a t e l y benefited
h i m . T h r o u g h a remarkable sequence of events, Yosef emerged
as v i c e r o y of Egypt.
Indeed, the brothers felt regret. Nevertheless, since Yosef

benefited f r o m their i n i q u i t y , they t h o u g h t an a p o l o g y
unnecessary.
After careful analysis of their fathers w a y s , they realized

that even i n such an instance, an a p o l o g y is d u e and proper.
W h e n Yaakov became i l l , he called Yosef and apologized

for b u r y i n g his mother o n the r o a d to Bethlehem a n d not i n the
Cave of M a c h p e i l a h (see 48:7, Rashi).
I n reality, however, the Jewish people benefited f r o m this,

for w h e n they w e r e exiled b y N e v u z a r a d a n , they passed
Rachel's grave. She pleaded before H a s h e m to help t h e m , and
received a promise: " A n d c h i l d r e n shall r e t u r n to their
boundaries" (Jeremiah 51:16).
Yaakov's behavior served as a message to his c h i l d r e n and

future generations to ask forgiveness, even i f the i n i t i a l
suffering later results i n goodness and blessing.
VAYECHI 243
‫״ א ל ת י ר א ו כ״ ה ת ח ת א ל ק י ם א נ י ״‬
"Do not be afraid, am I like G-d?!" (50:19)
Q U E S T I O N : Yosef s h o u l d have said, " D o n o t be afraid, I
w i l l d o y o u no h a r m ! " W h y d i d he say that he was not like
G-d?
A N S W E R : The brothers o r i g i n a l l y w r o n g e d Yosef, b u t

H a s h e m converted i t to good. Yosef said to his brothers, " I f I
should w a n t to repay y o u , I w o u l d also have to d o a bad t h i n g
w h i c h w o u l d later t u r n into good. The o n l y one w h o can d o
this is Hashem. I a m not like G-d and, therefore, y o u have no
reason to fear me."
‫״וישב יוסף במצרים״‬

"And Yosef dwelt in Egypt." (50:22)
Q U E S T I O N : I n the Gemara (Pesachim 119a) Rabbi Chama
says that Yosef h i d three treasures i n Egypt. One was revealed
to K o r a c h , the second to A n t o n i n a s , and the t h i r d is h i d d e n for
tzaddikim t i l l Mashiach comes.
W h y haven't archeologist searched for the t h i r d treasure?
A N S W E R : Is i t possible that the w o r d s of Rabbi Chama are
an allegory. H e m a y not be referring to m o n e t a r y treasures, b u t
rather three invaluable lessons to be learnt f r o m the life of
Yosef:
1) N o one can interfere w i t h a person's destiny.

Yosef d r e a m t of leadership and H a s h e m w a n t e d h i m to be
a ruler i n Egypt. Despite his brothers' efforts to destroy h i m b y
t h r o w i n g h i m i n t o the p i t a n d selling h i m as a slave and his
subsequent arrest i n Egypt, he u l t i m a t e l y became the ruler of
the l a n d .
K o r a c h declared w a r against Moshe a n d A h a r o n , h o p i n g
that Elitzafan the nasi of their tribe w o u l d be demoted, so that
he c o u l d take over. Moshe, A h a r o n and Elitzafan w e r e a l l
destined to leadership and Korach's actions o n l y b r o u g h t about
his o w n d o w n f a l l .
2) I t is a m y t h that the o n l y w a y to succeed i n the secular

w o r l d is b y c o m p r o m i s i n g o n T o r a h a n d Yiddishkeit.
Yosef p r o v e d this approach to be erroneous. H e rose to the

highest p o s i t i o n i n the g o v e r n m e n t of Egypt, yet remained a
tzaddik f r o m b e g i n n i n g to end.
The closest confidant of A n t o n i n a s k i n g of Rome was Rebbe

(Rabbi Y e h u d a h HaNasi). Regardless of his p r o x i m i t y to the
k i n g , he remained a tzaddik and attained the title of Rabbeinu
Hakadosh — O u r H o l y Teacher.
3) T h o u g h , u n f o r t u n a t e l y , brothers quarrel at times, their

a n i m o s i t y and hatred is not everlasting. Eventually, they make
u p and love each other.
This was evident w i t h Yosef and his brothers. W h i l e i n the

b e g i n n i n g "vayisne'u oto" (37:4) — "they hated h i m " — at the
end he forgave t h e m and they l i v e d i n h a r m o n y . This w i l l also
be experienced i n the Messianic Era.
T h r o u g h o u t history there has been m u c h strife and

fragmentation i n the Jewish c o m m u n i t y . Prior to Mashiach's
c o m i n g , however, all Jews w i l l d o teshuvah (see Rambam,
Teshuvah 5:7) and be tzaddikim. The R a m b a m i n the c o n c l u d i n g
halachah of the Mishneh Torah w r i t e s that " i n that t i m e " ( w h e n
Mashiach w i l l come) there w i l l be no more jealousy and rivalry,
and the entire w o r l d w i l l be i n v o l v e d i n c o m p r e h e n d i n g
G-dliness.
‫״ ג ם ב נ י מ כ י ר ב! מ נ ש ה ילדו ע ל ב ר כ י י ו ס ף ״‬
"Also the children of Mochir, the son of Menasheh, were born upon
Yosef's knees." (50:23)
Q U E S T I O N : Yosef was the sandek at the brit of his great
g r a n d c h i l d r e n (Targum Yonatan Ben Uziel). W h y d i d Yosef n o t
f o l l o w the custom n o t to have the same person to be a sandek at
the brit of t w o brothers (Yoreh Dei'ah 265:11, Rama)?
A N S W E R : The reason for this custom is that being a sandek

is equivalent to offering the incense (ketoret) i n the Beit Hamik-
dash. The incense each d a y was offered b y a Kohen w h o had n o t
VAYECHI 245
p r e v i o u s l y done i t (Yoma 26a). Exempted f r o m this rule was the

Kohen Gadol, w h o was at l i b e r t y to offer the incense o n
whatever d a y he w i s h e d (Rambam, Klei Hamikdosh 5:12).
Based o n this analogy, w h i l e i t is customary to l i m i t the

honor of sandek to one person per f a m i l y , i t w o u l d not a p p l y to
a v e r y p r o m i n e n t person ("adam chashuv") such as the spiritual
leader of a c o m m u n i t y .
Since Yosef was a viceroy, a n d r u l e d over E g y p t (32:6), i t

was perfectly acceptable for h i m to be the sandek at the brit of
his great-grandchildren b o r n to M a c h i r the son of Menasheh.
(‫ ועי׳ חת״ס א ו״ ח סי׳ קנ״וז וספר אוצר הברית ע׳ ק״ל הערה וי‬,‫)לקוטי שיחות ח׳׳כ‬
‫״ויאמר ״וסף א ל אחיו א נ כ י מ ת ו א ל ק י ם פ ק ד ״ פ ק ד א ת כ ם ״‬

"Yosef said to his brothers, 'I will die; G-d will remember you and
take you up from this land.'" (50:24)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t is the reason for the d o u b l e d expression
of the w o r d "remember" — "pakod yifkod"?
A N S W E R : E g y p t h a d b o t h a physical a n d s p i r i t u a l effect o n
the Jewish people. They were enslaved physically and forced to
do strenuous labor. I n a d d i t i o n , they sank s p i r i t u a l l y to the
lowest level. Yosef t o l d his brothers, " U l t i m a t e l y H a s h e m w i l l
liberate y o u f r o m Egypt; y o u w i l l be freed physically and
elevated s p i r i t u a l l y . " Thus, w i t h this d o u b l e d expression, Yosef
a l l u d e d to b o t h the physical and spiritual redemption.
W h e n the true redeemer, Moshe, a r r i v e d he indeed made
reference to the t w o - f o l d r e d e m p t i o n b y conveying Hashem's
message starting w i t h the w o r d s "pakod pakadeti" (Shemot 3:15,
Midrash Rabbah 3:8). U l t i m a t e l y , Moshe freed the Jewish people
f r o m the physical bondage of Egypt and also gave t h e m the
Torah, w h i c h elevated t h e m to the highest spiritual level.
(‫)הדרש והעיון‬
‫״ ו י מ ת י ו ס ף ב! מ א ה ו ע ש ר ש נ י ם ״‬
"Yosef died at the age of 110 years." (50:26)
Q U E S T I O N : Yosef d i e d 10 years earlier than he was
supposed to because he heard the brothers referring to Yaakov
as "avdecha" — " y o u r servant" — and he d i d not protest (Pirkei

d'Rebbe Eliezer 39). I f one carefully checks h o w m a n y times the
brothers used the expression "avdecha" i n their conversations
w i t h Yosef, one w i l l f i n d o n l y five times?
A N S W E R : W h e n Yosef spoke to his brothers he pretended
not to understand Lashon Hakodesh — H e b r e w . The brothers d i d
not speak E g y p t i a n and, therefore, i t was necessary for
Menasheh to act as an interpreter. Thus whenever the brothers
referred to Yaakov i n Lashon Hakodesh as " y o u r servant," he
then heard Menasheh repeat i t to h i m i n Egyptian.
c o n s e q u e n t l y , Yosef actually heard his father being referred to
as " y o u r servant" 10 times.
(‫ ועי׳ בביאור הרד״ל על פרקי דר׳ אליעזר‬,‫ג‬:‫)ידי משה מדרש רבה ק‬
‫״ ו י מ ת י ו ס ף ב! מ א ה ו ע ש ר ש נ י ם ״‬
"And Yosef died at the age of 110 years." (50:26)
Q U E S T I O N : A few pesukim earlier i t is w r i t t e n , "vayechi
Yosef mei'ah va'eser shanim" — "Yosef l i v e d 110 years." W h y
does the T o r a h repeat that Yosef d i e d at the age of 110?
A N S W E R : W h e n Yosef was 30 years o l d , he was a p p o i n t e d

viceroy over the l a n d of Egypt. p h a r a o h changed the name of
"Yosef" to "Tzafnat Panei'ach." H o w e v e r , n o w h e r e d o w e f i n d
that Yosef used this name. M o r e o v e r , i n the same pasuk i t is
w r i t t e n , "vayeitzei Yosef al eretz Mitzraim" — " A n d Yosef w e n t
o u t over the l a n d of E g y p t " (41:45).
Yosef k n e w v e r y w e l l that one of the things that w o u l d help

h i m m a i n t a i n his i d e n t i t y a n d keep h i m close to Yiddishkeit was
his o r i g i n a l Jewish name. Therefore, despite pharaoh's g i v i n g
h i m an E g y p t i a n name, he made every effort to be called
"Yosef." The T o r a h emphasizes that u p to the v e r y last d a y of
his life, he l i v e d a n d d i e d w i t h his Jewish name — "Yosef."
* * *
To show that T o r a h has no end, i t is customary to connect

the last pasuk w i t h the first pasuk. The first w o r d of the first
pasuk i n this Chumash is " ‫ ׳ ׳ ב ר א ש י ת‬w h i c h can be read as an
abbreviation for — "give your child a
VAYECHI 247
Jewish name." A l l Jews should k n o w a n d use their beautiful

Jewish names.
‫״ויקרבו ימי דוד ל מ ו ת ״‬

"And the days of David drew near that he should die." (Haftorah,
Vayechi)
Q U E S T I O N : W h a t is the connection between the passing of

D a v i d and Parshat Vayechi?
A N S W E R : O r i g i n a l l y , K i n g D a v i d was destined to die at

the t i m e of his b i r t h . The 70 years he l i v e d were a gift f r o m
Yaakov a n d Yosef.
Yaakov l i v e d 147 years, w h i l e his father Yitzchak l i v e d 180

years, a n d Yosef l i v e d o n l y 110 years.
Thus, Yaakov l i v e d 33 years less t h a n his father, a n d Yosef

l i v e d 37 years less than his father. These 70 years were g i v e n as
a gift to K i n g D a v i d so that he m i g h t live a n d be K i n g of Israel.
Therefore, i t is most appropriate to read about the passing

of D a v i d i n the w e e k w e learn of the passing of Yaakov and
Yosef.
* * *
A c c o r d i n g to another o p i n i o n , A d a m gave 70 years to K i n g

D a v i d reducing his o w n life f r o m 1000 years to 930 years.
Thus, Chumash Bereishit, w h i c h starts w i t h the life of A d a m ,

is concluded w i t h the Haftorah of the passing of K i n g D a v i d ,
because i n reality this was the c u l m i n a t i o n of A d a m ' s lifespan.
(‫ קס״וז ע׳׳א‬,‫)עי׳ זהר בראשית‬
Appendix
M a n y of the divrei T o r a h i n this sefer are suited to be

developed into speeches o n the f o l l o w i n g holidays, special
occasions, a n d subjects:
Index to Derush Material
Ahavat Yisrael 2, 23, 46, 47, Mashiach 32, 54, 72, 84, 93,
5 1 , 68, 90, 114, 132, 163, 111, 132, 149, 206, 237-8,
202, 208, 242 243
A p p e a l 96, 129, 228 Modesty—Tzniut 101
Bar Mitzvah 5, 6, 2 1 , 22, 23, "Nachas" 158, 160, 233
58, 107, 113, 127, 130, 141, prayer—Tefillah 30, 147, 164,
143, 151, 155, 163, 172, 186
178, 219, 232, 233, 234,
Purim 16, 205
238-9
Rosh Hashanah 15, 77-84, 176
Beit Hamikdash 116
Shabbat 8, 33, 125, 154
Bikur Cholim 63, 230
Simchat Torah 2
B i r t h of G i r l 93
Teshuvah 170, 185, 214
Brit 6, 59-60, 156, 179, 226,
244 Torah and mitzvot 1, 14, 22,
46, 6 1 , 94, 130, 141, 143,
Chanukah 190-206
144, 1 5 4 , 1 9 5 , 210, 228
Chinuch 19, 2 1 , 6 1 , 75, 79,
109, 124, 127, 151, 172, Tzedakah 4 1 , 96
178, 208, 232 Unity—Achdut 132, 191, 222,
238
Eretz Yisrael 78, 89, 91
Wedding 10-12, 103-104,
Eulogy 85-87, 92
125, 130, 134, 159, 233
Graduation x, 10, 2 1 , 234
Yizkor 159
Hospitality 62, 64-66, 71
Yom Kippur 216, 236
Kashrut 94, 100
‫לזכות‬
‫כ׳׳ק אדוננו פותוורמו‬
‫אור זגולם‬
‫נזר מש־ראל ותפארתו‬
‫־צדקת ד׳ עשה‬
‫‪1‬פשפס ‪ 1‬זגם שת־זל‬
‫‪1‬‬ ‫‪1‬‬
‫‪1‬רפם הש כ פעון‬
‫‪1‬‬
‫‪ IKAH‬האלק פתא ורכנא‬

‫‪1‬‬
‫פצזזם פעצדל‬
‫כן הרב זזגאון התסיד הפקוכל רפ א עתק נ״ע‬
‫‪1‬‬
‫זגלה השפיפה פדצש״ק שלישי לתודש תפוז‬

‫שנת ח׳ תהא שנת נפלאות דגולות‬
‫לעירה‬
‫לעילוי נשסת זקני הרה״ג החו״כ איש יר״א ס׳ ר׳ ‪2‬כי ‪ ]mrt‬ע״ה קפל‪1‬‬
‫עסק כחינוך ז״ך •עונה כישיכת תורה ודעת‬
‫ולפני זה כישיכת סיר שכסיר והעסיד תלסידים הרכה‬
‫נפטר ‪1‬׳ סנחם אכ תשכ׳׳ט‬
‫לעילוי נשסת זקנתי הרכנית החשוכה והעדינה יזזודית ע״ה קפלן‬

‫נפטרה יום א׳ דחג הפסח תשכ״ה‬
‫זכתה לדור ישרים יכורך‬
‫לעילוי נשסת אכי הרה״ג חו״כ סוע״ה וכוי‬

‫ר׳ ששאל פסזז כ״ר פשזז ע״זז כא*;אפילסקי‬
‫סחשוכי תלסידי הגאונים ר׳ שסעון דצ״ל שקאפ כגראדנא‬
‫‪1‬ר׳ כחך כעד זזי״ל לייכאוויץ כקאסיניץ ולכסוף כישיכת סיר שכסיר‬
‫כיהן כרכנות כארה״כ‬
‫נפטר סתש״ק פ׳ •שלח כ״ד סיון תרצ״ט‬
‫לעילוי נשסת אסי הרכנית החשוכה והעדינה‬

‫זזסיא הרסה כ ת הרה״ג ר׳ ?נכי זזכזזן ע״ה‬
‫ע ש ת ה ^ ד ק ה וחסד כססירה ונתינה לטוכת הכלל והפרט‬
‫נפטרה כשם טוכ יום השלישי‪ ,‬פרשת כ א ערכ ר״ח ש כ ט תשנ״א‬
‫לעילוי נשסת אכי חורגי הרה״ג והרה״ח התסים וסי‬

‫ר׳ אליזזו פשזז כ״ר אזזרן אליעזר ע״ה ליס‬
‫נתסנה ע״י כ״ק אדסו״ר סהריי״יצ נ״ע לסשגיח וסשפיע כישיכת תו״ת כווארשא‬
‫והסשיך כעכודה זו כישיכת תו״ת לאדז‪ ,‬ווילנא‪ ,‬וכחקלין נוא יארק סנהל הת״ת‬
‫כשאנגהאי ‪ -‬נפטר ט״ז ט כ ת תשס״ח‬
‫לעילוי נשסת חסי הרה״ח אי״א נו״נ וכוי ר׳ פנזזס כ״ר ‪ pm‬ע״ה סודאק‬
‫נפטר כשם טוכ וכשיכה טוכה עשרה כטכת תשנ״ז‬
‫לעילוי נשסת חסותי ה א ש ה החשוכה‬

‫‪f‬‬
‫סרת ‪ rr‬׳ כתי׳ כ ת ר׳ יוסף אליעזר ע״ה סודאק‬
‫זכתה לכנים וכני כנים עוסקים כתורה‬
‫נפטרה כש״ק כ״ג סיון תשט״ז‬
‫לעילוי נשסת דודי הרה״ג חו״כ וסי ר׳ כחך כן הרה״ג ר׳ י?גזזק הכה] ע״ה כה]‬
‫סחשוכי תלסידי ישיכת ק א מ ק וסיר סח״ס קול תודה ע ל סוגיות הש׳׳ס‬
‫נפטר ש״ק פ׳ יתח ח״י ש כ ט תשכ״א‬
‫לעילוי נשסת דודתי הרכנית םרי‪ 0‬םיניא כ ת הרה״ג •צכי הכה] ע״ה קפלן‬
‫נפטרה י״כ תסוז תשכ״ה‬
‫ת‪ .‬ג ?ג‪ .‬כ‪ .‬זז‪.‬‬

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Bam

A m & YOU Shall

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A l l rights reserved. N o part of this publication may be

First Impression — Elul 5755-September 1995

W h y the name Vedibarta Bam? x

N o t e o n Transliteration and Format xiv

A p p e n d i x — Index to Drush material 248

THEY SHALL A L L B E BLESSED ‫ יעמדו על זזגרסז‬sVp

Randi & Arthur Luxenberg

Vedibarta Bam is not a b o o k of sermons. I t is a c o m p i l a t i o n

For more t h a n three decades I have had the zechut to be in¬

r e w r i t i n g and e d i t i n g i n order to achieve a u n i f o r m style,

Moreover, i n the sefer, I i n c l u d e d some divrei Torah I heard

notebooks w h i c h were w r i t t e n about sixty years ago and fortu¬

Why the name Vedibarta Bam?

Reb S h i m o n HaKohen K a p l a n q u o t e d a Midrash Rabbah i n De-

Indeed, e v e r y t h i n g that happens is an act of i n d i v i d u a l

Pursuant to the advice of our sages to b e g i n w i t h h o n o r i n g

I made the Beit Midrash or synagogue a thoroughfare to get from

It is m y prayer that t h r o u g h o u t m y lifetime I should " k n o w

disseminating Torah, m a y they be blessed w i t h the fulfillment

Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky

I w i s h to express m y sincere thanks to D r . A b r a h a m

Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky

Note on Transliteration and Format

Transliteration generally employs the Sephardi accent, w i t h

A N S W E R : The T o r a h consists of t w o parts, the W r i t t e n

A c t u a l l y , the Midrash Tanchuma (Bereishit 5) asks this ques¬

But this explanation is difficult to understand. Alef is also

The Midrash m a y be a l l u d i n g to the f o l l o w i n g : The letters of

value — alef equals one, beit, t w o , a n d so on. By extension, alef

The T o r a h starts w i t h a beit to teach us that caring about

The explanation of the Midrash thus shows h o w the v e r y

A similar idea is expressed i n a story t o l d i n the Gemara

H i l l e l w a n t e d to show this proselyte, at the v e r y b e g i n n i n g

i n this spirit, i t is customary w h e n finishing a v o l u m e of the

A N S W E R : One connection between the b e g i n n i n g a n d the

Ptolemy I I (3476-3515 or 246-285 BCE) c o m m a n d e d 72 T o r a h

H e placed t h e m i n separate rooms, w h e r e they w o u l d be

Hashem i n s p i r e d t h e m all to produce the exact same

One of these changes was at the b e g i n n i n g of the Torah, i n

Therefore, all the sages i n d i v i d u a l l y reversed the order of

This change, however, was o n l y for the sake of non-Jews,

This, then, is the connection between the v e r y first w o r d s of

w r i t e ] "Bereishit bara Elokim," a n d there is no need to reverse the

A N S W E R : The final letters of the w o r d s ‫״בראשית ברא‬

The w o r d ‫ ״ א מ ת ״‬adds u p to 441, whose numerals (4+4+1)

M o r e o v e r , t a k i n g the letters of the H e b r e w alef-beit, begin¬

The w o r d — "falsehood" — i n single numerals

The Midrash is questioning w h y the Torah begins w i t h

‫ והארץ ה י ת ה ת ה ו‬, ‫״ ב ר א ש י ת ב ר א אזיקים א ת ה ש מ י ם ו א ת ה א ר ץ‬

A N S W E R : I n a letter to a Bar-Mitzvah boy, the Lubavitcher

1) I t was Hashem H i m s e l f w h o created heaven and earth,

2) A t first the w o r l d is d a r k and e m p t y of Hashem's l i g h t ,

3) The w a y to b r i g h t e n his share of the w o r l d is t h r o u g h

A N S W E R : The Midrash calls the Yeitzer Hara, the inner

The innate selfish instincts every c h i l d has at b i r t h come

This, then, is the meaning of the verse: I n man's life,

‫״ויאמר אלק״ם נ ע ש ה אדם״‬

A N S W E R : A s soon as an a n i m a l is b o r n , i t is complete and

W h e n G-d created m a n , H e addressed a l l generations

m a n , w h o was created i n H i s image, w i l l be contingent o n their