Yosef is described in our Torah portion as ‘the dreamer’ (Genesis 37; 19). This is clearly a reference to his two dreams which he described to his father and brothers, in which they symbolically became subservient to him. Thus dreams were the cause of the brothers’ jealousy of Yosef, and the reason for his sale into slavery. Yet it was also because of dreams that Yosef was freed from jail and elevated to become the viceroy of Egypt. The end of our portion describes the dreams of Pharaoh’s butler and the baker. Yosef is able to interpret these dreams correctly. Then the opening of next week’s portion describes Pharaoh’s dream of the impending fat and lean years. Yosef is let out of jail and through his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream he becomes second in command over all of Egypt. Thus the fulfilment of Yosef’s dream comes about through the dreams of others. It thus seems that the appellation ‘the dreamer’ is an appropriate one.
Being the dreamer gives Yosef a close link with his father, Ya’akov, who is also famous for his dream. When he fled from his brother Esav, Ya’akov had the famous dream about the angels going up and down the ladder, and he saw G-d standing over him. That event changed his life, and as a result of that dream, he began his transformation from Ya’akov, who stole the blessings, to Yisrael, who rightfully earned those blessings. In this light we can interpret the opening of our portion, “These are the descendants of Ya’akov, Yosef...” (ibid. 2). Though he had twelve sons, it was Yosef the dreamer who was the continuation of the dream of Ya’akov.
The Torah explains Ya’akov’s favouritism towards Yosef “because he was the child of his old age (ben zikunim)” (ibid.). This phrase demands interpretation, since it was Binyamin, not Yosef who was Ya’akov’s youngest child. Therefore Rashi explains, based on Onkelos’ commentary, that the phrase ben zikunim can be interpreted as ‘child of wisdom’. This means that Ya’akov passed on to Yosef the Torah that he had learnt from the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever (where he went for 22 years before going to live with Lavan - see Rashi to 28; 9). Obviously growing up in the home of Yitzchak and Avraham, Ya’akov had learnt Torah all his life, but there seems to be something unique about the Torah of Shem and Ever which enables a person to become a dreamer. Before Ya’akov’s dream the Torah tells us “he slept there” upon which Rashi comments that “he slept there, but for the preceding 22 years in the Yeshiva of Ever he had not slept at night”. Similarly with Yosef, two verses after stating that Ya’akov taught him the Torah of Shem and Ever we read of his dream.
However, there is a fundamental difference between the dream of Ya’akov and the dreams of Yosef. Ya’akov dreamt of the world-to-come, where G-d is perceived as ‘standing over him’. The Midrash explains the angels climbing up the ladder in terms of each nation’s ascendance to world domination, then their subsequent downfall.
Yosef’s dreams, and those he interprets, all deal with the physical world, and were fulfilled in the space of a relatively few years. Ya’akov, as the last ‘patriarch’ of the Jewish nation dreamed of the history of the world, and the role of the Jews in it. Yosef dreamt of himself, and the people and nations surrounding him. Ya’akov’s dream occurred in the ‘house of G-d’, the future site of the Temple, and contained no falsehood. Yosef’s dream did not take place in such a grand location, and did contain certain elements that were not entirely true.
The Talmud (Chagiga 5b) states: G-d said, ‘Even though I have hidden My face from the world, through dreams I will communicate’. We could describe Jewish history since the destruction of the Temple as taking place in a dream. Without the Temple and prophecy we lack a direct avenue of communication with G-d. Therefore we live in the ‘night’ of a dreamworld. The first festival which commemorates exile and G-d being hidden is Purim, when the name of the heroine, Ester, means ‘hidden’. G-d’s name does not appear anywhere in the text of the Megillah, and we see throughout the story the hidden hand of G-d. However, the next historical festival, Chanukah is even more dreamlike. Not only does G-d’s name not occur, but there is no direct mention of the festival or laws in any of the books of the Bible. The story itself is hidden and confused in the strands of history.
Yet Chanukah also provides us with the light to survive the darkness of exile. With the light of the Chanukah miracle we are able to at least glimpse the path that will lead is through our dreamlike existence in exile, and show us the way to the ultimate light of the Messianic era. As a nation we must undergo the trials and tribulations of Yosef’s dreams until ultimately we arrive at the revelation of Ya’akov’s dream, when the whole world will perceive G-d standing over, and everyone will exclaim that “this is none other than the house of G-d”.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Parshat Vayeshev 2
“Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flocks in Shechem” (Genesis 37; 12). In view of the brothers’ attack against Shechem (ch. 34) it seems strange that they would chose to return there, particularly as immediately after the incident Ya’akov was terrified of the threat from the surrounding cities (“Ya’akov said to Shimon and Levi, ‘You have disgraced me, making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanite and among the Perizzite; I am few in number and should they band together and attack me, I will be annihilated - I and my household” v. 30).
It seems that Shechem was a place set aside for trouble and creating schism within the Jewish nation, as Rashi says, it was a place set aside for tragedies. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 102a) tells us, “In Shechem Dina was raped, in Shechem the brothers sold Yosef and in Shechem the kingdom was divided (in the days of Rechavam and Yeravam)”. Thus it seems ironic Ya’akov promises Yosef this place, as stated in the verse, “As for me, I have given you Shechem - (one portion) more than your brothers...” (48; 22).
The town of Shechem is named for Shechem, whose father, Chamor, built the city. Shechem raped Ya’akov’s daughter Dina, then tried to marry her. Reading between the lines of the Chumash we see Shechem as the classic spoilt child. Everything that he has ever wanted has been given to him, even the town in which he lives was built only for his sake. All his life he has received everything that he has asked for, no matter how unreasonable. This explains how he had the chutzpa to go back to Ya’akov after raping his daughter, and ask to marry her. He has no concern for the feelings of Ya’akov and his family, his only interest is in how much it will cost him in dowry to procure Dina as his wife.
This selfishness and egocentrism became infused in the town of Shechem. The meaning of the word Shechem is ‘portion’, indicating selfishness and schism. Rashi comments that in the Torah scroll there are dots over the word es in verse 12, which teaches us that they went to Shechem not to look after the flocks, but to look after their own interests. If they have gone to Shechem they must be only interested in themselves, rather than the good of their family.
The name Yosef has a dual meaning. When his mother named him she said, “G-d has gathered up (Asaf) my disgrace, so she called his name Yosef, saying, ‘May G-d add on (Yosef) for me another son’” (30; 24). Thus the name means both gathering, and adding. This explains the duality of Yosef’s nature. On the one hand he seems to be ‘adding on’ to the work that his father has done, as an extension of Ya’akov, as our portion states at the beginning, “These are the chronicles of Ya’akov - Yosef...” (37; 2). This is also clear from the verse in Ovadia (1; 18), “The house of Ya’akov will be a fire, and the house of Yosef a flame...”. Yosef has the power to kindle and bring to life the spark of Ya’akov. The Midrash (Bereishis Rabba 84; 6) goes even further: “Ya’akov and Yosef had the same appearance … and similar histories. Both had barren mothers, both were one of two children, both were considered the ‘first born’, both were hated by their brothers, both were victims of attempted fratricide, both left the Land of Israel...”. Not only is Yosef the extension of Ya’akov, but in many respects they lived the same life.
However, it is precisely this part of his nature which led his brothers to try to kill him, as the Talmud (Shabbos 10b) states, “For the sake of two selahs worth of material (paid by Ya’akov for the coat of Yosef) our fathers went down to Egypt”. Ya’akov showed favouritism to Yosef, and saw in him his own future, causing the brothers to became jealous and want to kill Yosef. This is what brought them to the divisiveness of Shechem in the first place.
Yosef also means to gather, and it is he, more than any of the other brothers, who has the ability to unite the entire nation. He orchestrates the eventual reunification of the entire family in the land of Egypt. And in the future the Messiah descended from Yosef will unite the nation and pave the way for the coming of the Davidic Messiah. It is Yosef who has the vision and ability to bring all the other brothers together to a single purpose (“Your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf” Genesis 37; 7). This is why Ya’akov gave Shechem to Yosef, for it is he who is able to take the divisiveness of egocentrism and channel it towards the single purpose (Shechem echad) of service of G-d.
It seems that Shechem was a place set aside for trouble and creating schism within the Jewish nation, as Rashi says, it was a place set aside for tragedies. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 102a) tells us, “In Shechem Dina was raped, in Shechem the brothers sold Yosef and in Shechem the kingdom was divided (in the days of Rechavam and Yeravam)”. Thus it seems ironic Ya’akov promises Yosef this place, as stated in the verse, “As for me, I have given you Shechem - (one portion) more than your brothers...” (48; 22).
The town of Shechem is named for Shechem, whose father, Chamor, built the city. Shechem raped Ya’akov’s daughter Dina, then tried to marry her. Reading between the lines of the Chumash we see Shechem as the classic spoilt child. Everything that he has ever wanted has been given to him, even the town in which he lives was built only for his sake. All his life he has received everything that he has asked for, no matter how unreasonable. This explains how he had the chutzpa to go back to Ya’akov after raping his daughter, and ask to marry her. He has no concern for the feelings of Ya’akov and his family, his only interest is in how much it will cost him in dowry to procure Dina as his wife.
This selfishness and egocentrism became infused in the town of Shechem. The meaning of the word Shechem is ‘portion’, indicating selfishness and schism. Rashi comments that in the Torah scroll there are dots over the word es in verse 12, which teaches us that they went to Shechem not to look after the flocks, but to look after their own interests. If they have gone to Shechem they must be only interested in themselves, rather than the good of their family.
The name Yosef has a dual meaning. When his mother named him she said, “G-d has gathered up (Asaf) my disgrace, so she called his name Yosef, saying, ‘May G-d add on (Yosef) for me another son’” (30; 24). Thus the name means both gathering, and adding. This explains the duality of Yosef’s nature. On the one hand he seems to be ‘adding on’ to the work that his father has done, as an extension of Ya’akov, as our portion states at the beginning, “These are the chronicles of Ya’akov - Yosef...” (37; 2). This is also clear from the verse in Ovadia (1; 18), “The house of Ya’akov will be a fire, and the house of Yosef a flame...”. Yosef has the power to kindle and bring to life the spark of Ya’akov. The Midrash (Bereishis Rabba 84; 6) goes even further: “Ya’akov and Yosef had the same appearance … and similar histories. Both had barren mothers, both were one of two children, both were considered the ‘first born’, both were hated by their brothers, both were victims of attempted fratricide, both left the Land of Israel...”. Not only is Yosef the extension of Ya’akov, but in many respects they lived the same life.
However, it is precisely this part of his nature which led his brothers to try to kill him, as the Talmud (Shabbos 10b) states, “For the sake of two selahs worth of material (paid by Ya’akov for the coat of Yosef) our fathers went down to Egypt”. Ya’akov showed favouritism to Yosef, and saw in him his own future, causing the brothers to became jealous and want to kill Yosef. This is what brought them to the divisiveness of Shechem in the first place.
Yosef also means to gather, and it is he, more than any of the other brothers, who has the ability to unite the entire nation. He orchestrates the eventual reunification of the entire family in the land of Egypt. And in the future the Messiah descended from Yosef will unite the nation and pave the way for the coming of the Davidic Messiah. It is Yosef who has the vision and ability to bring all the other brothers together to a single purpose (“Your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf” Genesis 37; 7). This is why Ya’akov gave Shechem to Yosef, for it is he who is able to take the divisiveness of egocentrism and channel it towards the single purpose (Shechem echad) of service of G-d.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Parshas Vayeshev 3
Yehuda’s behaviour in the incident of Tamar is in stark contrast to Yosef’s reaction to the temptations of Potiphar’s wife. Yehuda becomes enticed by his daughter-in-law, thinking that she is a prostitute; he sleeps with her and she conceives twins. Not knowing that he is the cause of her pregnancy, Yehuda orders that Tamar be put to death. However, at the final moment he acknowledges Tamar’s righteousness and accepts responsibility for his actions. He thus becomes the paradigm of a Ba’al Teshuva, one who repents their former actions. In actuality, his ability to admit when he is wrong is implied in his very name; Yehuda comes from the root “lehodot”, “to admit”.
Yosef, on the other hand, is subjected to many temptations from Potiphar’s wife, yet overcomes them all. The Talmud explains “Every single day, he was approached by Potiphar’s wife, who tried to seduce him, changing her clothes from morning to evening. When she begged him to consent to her, he refused. When she threatened to lock him in prison, he replied “G-d loosens the bound”… She tried to bribe him with a thousand talents of silver, but still he would not come to her...” (Yoma 35b). Yet despite the fact that Yehuda succumbs to temptation, whereas Yosef overcomes it, Yehuda is the one chosen to be the father of kings. His two sons with Tamar, Peretz and Zerach, are the progenitors of kings and prophets.
Not only does Yehuda fail the test of sexual temptation, but it appears that this is also part of the legacy that he passes on to his descendants. The two greatest kings of Israel, David and Solomon, are both from Yehuda, and both fail the test when encountering women who are forbidden to them. Though David sins with Bat-Sheva, and Solomon with Pharaoh’s daughter, they are still held up as the paradigms of what a Jewish king is supposed to be.
The only king who is not from Yehuda is Shaul. He is from the tribe of Binyamin, genetically the closest tribe to Yosef. His downfall is not that he succumbs to temptation, but that he is unable to admit when he has made a mistake. Though his sin is almost trivial, offering a sacrifice a few moments before he has been instructed to, his inability to recognise his mistake causes him to lose the line of kingship.
Yehuda’s son from whom the kings are descended is Peretz, which means literally “breaking forth”. This is a hint to the Talmudic dictum that “HaMelech Poretz Geder”, “The king is permitted to break through boundaries (as he goes out to war)” (Pesachim 110a). Though this refers primarily to the physical walls that the king and his army may break through as they go out to battle, it is also true spiritually.
The Talmud says (Brachot 34b) “The place where Ba’alei Teshuva stand is a place where the completely righteous are unable to stand”. Elsewhere (Yoma 86b) the Talmud states “How great is Teshuva (repentance), that [through it] wilful sins are transformed into merits”. The simple explanation is that the efforts that one used to sin have now been channelled into the service of G-d, therefore the actions performed were the catalyst for a closer relationship with G-d and are therefore counted as Mitzvoth.
Though sinning takes a person further away from G-d, through Teshuva they can reach even greater closeness to Him, and therefore they stand before G-d in a place where someone who has never sinned is unable to stand.
Similarly, the king breaks down fences and boundaries. The family of Yehuda, who though their sin are able to repent and do Teshuva, are able to serve G-d in ways that Yosef, and other completely righteous people, are unable to do. They create new ways of serving G-d, though their actions are wrong. This is why the kings of Israel are all descended from Yehuda; they are able to exist in the real world. Though they are tempted, and often fail the tests which they are confronted with, they are able to admit their mistakes and repent. A king who is always right, and unable to see his own faults however slight they may be, cannot relate to the people whom he is ruling, and is similarly limited in his relationship with G-d.
Yosef, on the other hand, is subjected to many temptations from Potiphar’s wife, yet overcomes them all. The Talmud explains “Every single day, he was approached by Potiphar’s wife, who tried to seduce him, changing her clothes from morning to evening. When she begged him to consent to her, he refused. When she threatened to lock him in prison, he replied “G-d loosens the bound”… She tried to bribe him with a thousand talents of silver, but still he would not come to her...” (Yoma 35b). Yet despite the fact that Yehuda succumbs to temptation, whereas Yosef overcomes it, Yehuda is the one chosen to be the father of kings. His two sons with Tamar, Peretz and Zerach, are the progenitors of kings and prophets.
Not only does Yehuda fail the test of sexual temptation, but it appears that this is also part of the legacy that he passes on to his descendants. The two greatest kings of Israel, David and Solomon, are both from Yehuda, and both fail the test when encountering women who are forbidden to them. Though David sins with Bat-Sheva, and Solomon with Pharaoh’s daughter, they are still held up as the paradigms of what a Jewish king is supposed to be.
The only king who is not from Yehuda is Shaul. He is from the tribe of Binyamin, genetically the closest tribe to Yosef. His downfall is not that he succumbs to temptation, but that he is unable to admit when he has made a mistake. Though his sin is almost trivial, offering a sacrifice a few moments before he has been instructed to, his inability to recognise his mistake causes him to lose the line of kingship.
Yehuda’s son from whom the kings are descended is Peretz, which means literally “breaking forth”. This is a hint to the Talmudic dictum that “HaMelech Poretz Geder”, “The king is permitted to break through boundaries (as he goes out to war)” (Pesachim 110a). Though this refers primarily to the physical walls that the king and his army may break through as they go out to battle, it is also true spiritually.
The Talmud says (Brachot 34b) “The place where Ba’alei Teshuva stand is a place where the completely righteous are unable to stand”. Elsewhere (Yoma 86b) the Talmud states “How great is Teshuva (repentance), that [through it] wilful sins are transformed into merits”. The simple explanation is that the efforts that one used to sin have now been channelled into the service of G-d, therefore the actions performed were the catalyst for a closer relationship with G-d and are therefore counted as Mitzvoth.
Though sinning takes a person further away from G-d, through Teshuva they can reach even greater closeness to Him, and therefore they stand before G-d in a place where someone who has never sinned is unable to stand.
Similarly, the king breaks down fences and boundaries. The family of Yehuda, who though their sin are able to repent and do Teshuva, are able to serve G-d in ways that Yosef, and other completely righteous people, are unable to do. They create new ways of serving G-d, though their actions are wrong. This is why the kings of Israel are all descended from Yehuda; they are able to exist in the real world. Though they are tempted, and often fail the tests which they are confronted with, they are able to admit their mistakes and repent. A king who is always right, and unable to see his own faults however slight they may be, cannot relate to the people whom he is ruling, and is similarly limited in his relationship with G-d.
Parshat Vayeshev 1
The Talmud states (Shabbat 23a), “Rav Kahana said Rav Natan bar Minyuma expounded in the name of Rav Tanchum; What does the verse mean ‘The pit was empty, there was no water in it’? If the pit was empty, isn’t it obvious that it doesn’t have water? Rather, the verse teaches us that the pit contained no water, but had snakes and scorpions instead.”1 Yosef’s brothers didn’t want to kill him directly. They had judged him deserving of death for his rebellion against the kingship of Yehuda, yet they were unable to actually shed the blood of their baby brother. Therefore,they threw him into a pit full of venomous snakes and scorpions in order to kill him. Yet miraculously Yosef escaped unharmed; G-d prevented the reptiles from biting him. Why is this miracle not mentioned explicitly in the Torah? Surely something as extraordinary, and important for the future, as an escape from death by the father of two tribes should be stated openly, rather than just alluded to.
To answer this we have to find out the nature of miracles in general. Surely if G-d created the entire universe, then the mere fact that gravity remains constant, or that DNA replicates itself correctly, is as much an act of G-d as the splitting of the Red Sea, or manna falling form heaven. Yet we find that Judaism recognises ‘miraculous’ miracles as important. For example, there is a blessing to make upon seeing the site where a miracle happened for our ancestors. And the Torah states several times “Remember this miracle that occurred”.
G-d doesn’t perform miracles to ‘show off’; He doesn’t do ‘magic tricks’. In fact, praising G-d for performing a special action which goes against the natural order is an insult to Him. It is like describing a multi-billionaire as having at least a couple of pounds. In other words, it is totally demeaning. To say how wonderful G-d is for changing nature occasionally, when He is the one who keeps everything going constantly, is not praising but limiting.
In fact the question is even stronger. Why should we praise G-d for miraculously saving us, when He is the one who put us in the predicament in the first place? In our case, wouldn’t it have been better if G-d had never created poisonous reptiles, rather than having to perform a miracle to save us from them?
The answer to these questions is that a miracle is meant as a wake up call. Sometimes we forget about G-d and about our purpose in life. Though we thank G-d every day for all the things He has given us, most importantly life itself, we can begin to take these things for granted. When that happens we need a reminder; G-d puts us in a position where we can clearly see His hand in our lives. Each of us has had times when we could clearly see G-d intervening for us. Often we can utilise this to strengthen our relationship with the Creator. A miracle is a sign where G-d says to us “Here I am”. This is why the Hebrew word for miracle, ‘ness’, also means ‘flag’. A miracle is a proclamation to the world.
It is to our benefit, not G-d’s, that we remember the miracles that He has done for us; what we learn from them and how they affect our lives. Therefore the miracle of Yosef being saved from the snakes and scorpions is not recorded by the Torah because the brothers didn’t learn from it. Instead of realising that G-d was vindicating Yosef from the crime with which he was charged, they sold him into slavery. Since they were unable to learn from this miracle, it is not appropriate to record it in the Torah.
Perhaps this is the reason that the preceding statement of the Talmud that we quoted above is “Rav Kahana said Rav Natan bar Minyuma expounded in the name of Rav Tanchum; A Chanukah candle that is placed higher than twenty amot (cubits) is invalid”. The purpose of the celebration of Chanukah, and the lighting of the candles, is not only to brighten mid winter. It is to remind us of the miracle that G-d performed in the time of the Maccabees, and the reason He let the Greeks defile the Temple and persecute the Jews before He miraculously saved us. A Chanukiah placed higher than twenty amot is too far removed from us. It is not a reminder that we can learn from, therefore it becomes just another light in the dark.
To answer this we have to find out the nature of miracles in general. Surely if G-d created the entire universe, then the mere fact that gravity remains constant, or that DNA replicates itself correctly, is as much an act of G-d as the splitting of the Red Sea, or manna falling form heaven. Yet we find that Judaism recognises ‘miraculous’ miracles as important. For example, there is a blessing to make upon seeing the site where a miracle happened for our ancestors. And the Torah states several times “Remember this miracle that occurred”.
G-d doesn’t perform miracles to ‘show off’; He doesn’t do ‘magic tricks’. In fact, praising G-d for performing a special action which goes against the natural order is an insult to Him. It is like describing a multi-billionaire as having at least a couple of pounds. In other words, it is totally demeaning. To say how wonderful G-d is for changing nature occasionally, when He is the one who keeps everything going constantly, is not praising but limiting.
In fact the question is even stronger. Why should we praise G-d for miraculously saving us, when He is the one who put us in the predicament in the first place? In our case, wouldn’t it have been better if G-d had never created poisonous reptiles, rather than having to perform a miracle to save us from them?
The answer to these questions is that a miracle is meant as a wake up call. Sometimes we forget about G-d and about our purpose in life. Though we thank G-d every day for all the things He has given us, most importantly life itself, we can begin to take these things for granted. When that happens we need a reminder; G-d puts us in a position where we can clearly see His hand in our lives. Each of us has had times when we could clearly see G-d intervening for us. Often we can utilise this to strengthen our relationship with the Creator. A miracle is a sign where G-d says to us “Here I am”. This is why the Hebrew word for miracle, ‘ness’, also means ‘flag’. A miracle is a proclamation to the world.
It is to our benefit, not G-d’s, that we remember the miracles that He has done for us; what we learn from them and how they affect our lives. Therefore the miracle of Yosef being saved from the snakes and scorpions is not recorded by the Torah because the brothers didn’t learn from it. Instead of realising that G-d was vindicating Yosef from the crime with which he was charged, they sold him into slavery. Since they were unable to learn from this miracle, it is not appropriate to record it in the Torah.
Perhaps this is the reason that the preceding statement of the Talmud that we quoted above is “Rav Kahana said Rav Natan bar Minyuma expounded in the name of Rav Tanchum; A Chanukah candle that is placed higher than twenty amot (cubits) is invalid”. The purpose of the celebration of Chanukah, and the lighting of the candles, is not only to brighten mid winter. It is to remind us of the miracle that G-d performed in the time of the Maccabees, and the reason He let the Greeks defile the Temple and persecute the Jews before He miraculously saved us. A Chanukiah placed higher than twenty amot is too far removed from us. It is not a reminder that we can learn from, therefore it becomes just another light in the dark.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Short Vort Vayishlach
I recorded the 'Short Vort' this past week for Darche Noam. The only rules are that it has to be on the parsha, and has to be 2 minutes long.
Here is the recording of the vort:
Listen to the Short Vort as streaming audio
Download the Short Vort
On Friday someone told me that he was concerned that people would be offended by it, because I was saying that someone who followed baseball and the world series was not-Jewish and an idolater.
That had not been my intent when I wrote or said the vort, nor do I really see how someone could get that message.
But, as usual, when in doubt, blog it out. What do you think? Could this be misunderstood as an 'antibaseball' (or substitute any other Western cultural norm) d'var Torah? Do you find it offensive?
If you haven't got a spare 2 minutes and 9 seconds to listen to the vort, here is the text of the short vort (before I edited it and shortened it to fit into the allotted 2 minutes:
In the middle of this week’s parsha we find a very strange event. In chapter 34 G-d tells Yaakov to go back to Bet El to fulfil his vow. Yaakov tells his family to prepare for the return to Israel. He says to them, “remove the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, change your clothes. Let us arise, and go up to Bet El.”
He collects all the idols, and the verse continues “Yaakov buried them there under the oak tree” (Bereishis 35: 4).
Why did Yaakov’s family have idols with them at all? And what is the significance of Yaakov burying them under an oak tree?
Rav Shimshon Rafael Hirsch explains that the preparations for Yaakov’s return were similar to the preparations before B’nei Yisrael received the Torah at Mount Sinai. In Shemos 19 we read that “the people purified themselves and cleansed their clothes”. Coming back to Israel was not a physical journey for Yaakov as much as a spiritual one.
Rav Hirsch goes a step further and says that the foreign gods represent the foreignness of Chutz La’Aretz. Removing these gods represents the rejection of the non-Jewish world’s values and ideals. Returning to Israel and to Torah can only occur once those ‘Western’ values have been discarded and buried.
Shechem, where Yaakov made these final preparations, eventually became home to a group of people called Kutim, who were brought there by Sancheriv after he exiled the Ten Tribes, and who converted by force to Judaism. Throughout the period of the Mishnah they have an ambivalent status as not fully Jewish, but not non-Jewish.
The Talmud in Chullin, daf vav, tells us that the final reason that the Rabbis decreed that the Kutim were to be considered not Jewish was that they found a statue of a dove on the top of the mountain that the Kutim were worshipping.
Tosefot there brings a Midrash which says that this idol was made from the idols that Yaakov buried there many centuries earlier, under the oak tree.
Using the explanation of Rav Hirsch we can say that the Kutim not only built a physical statue, but rediscovered the alien values of Shechem that Yaakov had rejected and buried there.
We see then the difference between someone who is coming to Israel with the right intentions, to fulfil G-d’s word, and someone who has other motives. Yaakov prepared for Israel by removing any last vestiges of non-Jewish thinking from himself and his family.
The Kutim, even when they were in Israel, managed to dig up the rejected values of a previous era, and began worshipping them, rejecting G-d and Torah in the process.
May we all strive to be like Yaakov, and prepare ourselves for the spiritual journey we all make of coming closer to G-d.
Shabbat Shalom
Here is the recording of the vort:
Listen to the Short Vort as streaming audio
Download the Short Vort
On Friday someone told me that he was concerned that people would be offended by it, because I was saying that someone who followed baseball and the world series was not-Jewish and an idolater.
That had not been my intent when I wrote or said the vort, nor do I really see how someone could get that message.
But, as usual, when in doubt, blog it out. What do you think? Could this be misunderstood as an 'antibaseball' (or substitute any other Western cultural norm) d'var Torah? Do you find it offensive?
If you haven't got a spare 2 minutes and 9 seconds to listen to the vort, here is the text of the short vort (before I edited it and shortened it to fit into the allotted 2 minutes:
In the middle of this week’s parsha we find a very strange event. In chapter 34 G-d tells Yaakov to go back to Bet El to fulfil his vow. Yaakov tells his family to prepare for the return to Israel. He says to them, “remove the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, change your clothes. Let us arise, and go up to Bet El.”
He collects all the idols, and the verse continues “Yaakov buried them there under the oak tree” (Bereishis 35: 4).
Why did Yaakov’s family have idols with them at all? And what is the significance of Yaakov burying them under an oak tree?
Rav Shimshon Rafael Hirsch explains that the preparations for Yaakov’s return were similar to the preparations before B’nei Yisrael received the Torah at Mount Sinai. In Shemos 19 we read that “the people purified themselves and cleansed their clothes”. Coming back to Israel was not a physical journey for Yaakov as much as a spiritual one.
Rav Hirsch goes a step further and says that the foreign gods represent the foreignness of Chutz La’Aretz. Removing these gods represents the rejection of the non-Jewish world’s values and ideals. Returning to Israel and to Torah can only occur once those ‘Western’ values have been discarded and buried.
Shechem, where Yaakov made these final preparations, eventually became home to a group of people called Kutim, who were brought there by Sancheriv after he exiled the Ten Tribes, and who converted by force to Judaism. Throughout the period of the Mishnah they have an ambivalent status as not fully Jewish, but not non-Jewish.
The Talmud in Chullin, daf vav, tells us that the final reason that the Rabbis decreed that the Kutim were to be considered not Jewish was that they found a statue of a dove on the top of the mountain that the Kutim were worshipping.
Tosefot there brings a Midrash which says that this idol was made from the idols that Yaakov buried there many centuries earlier, under the oak tree.
Using the explanation of Rav Hirsch we can say that the Kutim not only built a physical statue, but rediscovered the alien values of Shechem that Yaakov had rejected and buried there.
We see then the difference between someone who is coming to Israel with the right intentions, to fulfil G-d’s word, and someone who has other motives. Yaakov prepared for Israel by removing any last vestiges of non-Jewish thinking from himself and his family.
The Kutim, even when they were in Israel, managed to dig up the rejected values of a previous era, and began worshipping them, rejecting G-d and Torah in the process.
May we all strive to be like Yaakov, and prepare ourselves for the spiritual journey we all make of coming closer to G-d.
Shabbat Shalom
Vayeshev Summary
Ya'akov (Jacob) settles in the land of Canaan. He makes his son Yosef (Joseph) a colourful coat. Yosef's brothers hate him because of their father's love for him. Yosef has two dreams showing his prominence over his brothers and they hate him even more.
Ya'akov sends Yosef to Shechem to see his brothers. They plot to kill him, but Reuven (Reuben) saves him, and persuades the brothers instead to throw him into a pit. They later decide to sell Yosef to a passing Arab caravan. They take Yosef's coat back to Ya'akov. Assuming that Yosef must be dead Ya'akov mourns him inconsolably.
Yehuda (Judah) leaves his brothers and goes into business with Chirah the Adullamite. He marries the daughter of Shua and has three sons, Er, Onan and Shelah. Er marries Tamar, but because he is evil in G-d's eyes he dies young. Onan performs levirate marriage and marries Tamar, but because he knows that any children would be considered his brother's, he makes sure that Tamar would not become pregnant. Therefore G-d makes him die also. A long time passes, and Tamar sees that Yehuda will not let her marry Shelah. In order to keep her husband's memory alive she dresses as a prostitute, seduces Yehuda, and becomes pregnant from him. When Yehuda finds out that Tamar is pregnant, he sentences her to death for adultery. Tamar gives Yehuda signs that she is pregnant from him, and he acknowledges that she has acted more righteously than he. Tamar gives birth to twin boys, Peretz and Zerach.
Meanwhile Yosef is sold to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officers. G-d grants him success and he quickly rises to being in charge of the household. Potiphar's wife tries to seduce Yosef, but when he flees from her, she falsely accuses him of raping her, and has him thrown into jail. G-d again shows Yosef favour, and he is soon placed in charge of all the other prisoners.
Pharaoh's wine steward and baker offend their master, and are thrown into jail. One night they each have a dream. Yosef interprets their dreams to mean that the steward will be returned to his former position in three days, and that the baker will be executed at that same time. He asks the steward to remember him to Pharaoh. On the third day it comes to pass as Yosef had said. But the steward forgot about Yosef.
Ya'akov sends Yosef to Shechem to see his brothers. They plot to kill him, but Reuven (Reuben) saves him, and persuades the brothers instead to throw him into a pit. They later decide to sell Yosef to a passing Arab caravan. They take Yosef's coat back to Ya'akov. Assuming that Yosef must be dead Ya'akov mourns him inconsolably.
Yehuda (Judah) leaves his brothers and goes into business with Chirah the Adullamite. He marries the daughter of Shua and has three sons, Er, Onan and Shelah. Er marries Tamar, but because he is evil in G-d's eyes he dies young. Onan performs levirate marriage and marries Tamar, but because he knows that any children would be considered his brother's, he makes sure that Tamar would not become pregnant. Therefore G-d makes him die also. A long time passes, and Tamar sees that Yehuda will not let her marry Shelah. In order to keep her husband's memory alive she dresses as a prostitute, seduces Yehuda, and becomes pregnant from him. When Yehuda finds out that Tamar is pregnant, he sentences her to death for adultery. Tamar gives Yehuda signs that she is pregnant from him, and he acknowledges that she has acted more righteously than he. Tamar gives birth to twin boys, Peretz and Zerach.
Meanwhile Yosef is sold to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officers. G-d grants him success and he quickly rises to being in charge of the household. Potiphar's wife tries to seduce Yosef, but when he flees from her, she falsely accuses him of raping her, and has him thrown into jail. G-d again shows Yosef favour, and he is soon placed in charge of all the other prisoners.
Pharaoh's wine steward and baker offend their master, and are thrown into jail. One night they each have a dream. Yosef interprets their dreams to mean that the steward will be returned to his former position in three days, and that the baker will be executed at that same time. He asks the steward to remember him to Pharaoh. On the third day it comes to pass as Yosef had said. But the steward forgot about Yosef.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Parshat Vayishlach 3
This week’s Torah portion contains within it the story of the rape of Ya’akov’s daughter Dina, and the revenge of her brothers on the perpetrators of that deed. “Leah’s daughter Dina, whom she had borne to Ya’akov, went out to visit some of the local girls. She was seen by Shechem, son of the chief of the region, Chamor the Hivite. He seduced her, raped her, and afflicted her. He became attached to Dina, and fell in love with her...” (Bereishis 34; 1-3). Though his crime was unspeakably horrendous, it does not seem from the text that Shechem was a sociopath, or serial rapist. Were that the case he would not have come to Dina’s father to ask for her hand in marriage, and certainly would not have agreed to circumcision, which was the demand made of him and his village by Shimon and Levi, Dina’s brothers. Through a closer examination of this incident we can gain an insight into Shechem and behaviour (though it is without justification).
Not only was Shechem the name of the son of the Chief of the town, it was also the name of the town itself. It seems that Chamor named the town in honour of his son, to show the world his love for his son. The word Shechem actually means ‘treasure’ or ‘special portion’ (see ibid. 49; 22), so Chamor’s name for his son denotes the special place he had in his father’s heart.
The name Chamor is related to the word Chomer, meaning ‘substance’ or ‘material’. We have a tradition that a person’s name gives us an insight into who they really are, so the Torah seems to be telling us that Chamor was someone who was very connected to the physical world. He showed his affection to his son through materialism, by naming the town after him, and presumably by giving him any worldly possession that he wanted.
We see from Shechem’s request of his father, “Get me this young girl [Dina] as a wife” (ibid. 34; 4) that he was used to asking for and receiving anything he wanted. Similarly, when negotiating with Ya’akov and his sons, Shechem shows that he is used to getting anything that he wants: “I will give you whatever you ask. Set the bridal payments and gifts as high as you like - I will give you whatever you demand of me. Just let me have the girl as my wife.” (verse 12). His assumption is that everything has its price, and his father can afford to purchase anything for him.
Since Shechem considered that his father would give him everything that he wanted, perhaps he assumed that it was already his for the taking. If he saw a woman that took his fancy, he would first take her and rape her, confident that since he desired her his father would ensure that he could marry her. In his mind the whole world was his to do with as he wished, since he was the son of the Chief.
Shechem and Chamor were living in a totally money oriented society. Ya’akov realised this from his first encounter with the place. The Torah tells us that Ya’akov’s first action upon arriving in Shechem was to purchase the land for his tents. We are even told the purchase price of that real-estate, 100 kesitas (33; 19). The focus on money in Shechem is in sharp distinction to the place where Ya’akov had just left. After his encounter with Esav, Ya’akov went to a place named Succot, where he built a house for himself and temporary shelters (succot) for his livestock. By naming the place Succot he demonstrated that he was only going to be there temporarily, and that he was not interested in the permanence of lavish housing or accumulating wealth. When he left that place, he arrived in Shechem Shalem, ‘complete’. Rashi quotes the Midrash which explains that he was complete in his finances and complete in his health. In other words he lacked nothing, and therefore was not interested in money, possessions or acquisitions. He had freed himself from the rat race of chasing after material well being, and was thus free to complete himself spiritually. This is what he had intimated to his brother as explanation for the gifts that he had sent to Esav, “I have all [I need]” (verse 11).
Thus Ya’akov elevated himself above concerns with materialism and possessions. He was unable to understand the world-view of Shechem and Chamor, who treated not only objects, but even people as belonging to them, and having primarily a financial worth. Though Chamor did mention love in his negotiations with Ya’akov for his daughter, his main concern was that this arrangement would bring financial gain to both parties, “The land will be open before you. Settle down, do business here, and the land will become your property.” Ya’akov does not even speak in the negotiations that follow, since he cannot even understand the concept of negotiating for a person as if they were only chattel.
Shimon and Levi did negotiate with Shechem and Chamor, but instead of asking for money they demanded that they must circumcise themselves in order that Shechem be able to marry Dina. Though this may have been only a ploy to weaken the defences of the town so that they could attack, we could also perhaps understand their terms and conditions as trying to explain that their sister was not a physical object for sale. The Rambam explains (Moreh Nevuchim section 3) that through circumcision a Jewish male shows that he does not view sexual relations solely in terms of physical pleasure, but as a spiritual means to fulfil G-d’s will. It seems that Ya’akov’s sons wanted to teach Shechem that women are not merely objects, and that marriage is primarily a spiritual commitment.
Not only was Shechem the name of the son of the Chief of the town, it was also the name of the town itself. It seems that Chamor named the town in honour of his son, to show the world his love for his son. The word Shechem actually means ‘treasure’ or ‘special portion’ (see ibid. 49; 22), so Chamor’s name for his son denotes the special place he had in his father’s heart.
The name Chamor is related to the word Chomer, meaning ‘substance’ or ‘material’. We have a tradition that a person’s name gives us an insight into who they really are, so the Torah seems to be telling us that Chamor was someone who was very connected to the physical world. He showed his affection to his son through materialism, by naming the town after him, and presumably by giving him any worldly possession that he wanted.
We see from Shechem’s request of his father, “Get me this young girl [Dina] as a wife” (ibid. 34; 4) that he was used to asking for and receiving anything he wanted. Similarly, when negotiating with Ya’akov and his sons, Shechem shows that he is used to getting anything that he wants: “I will give you whatever you ask. Set the bridal payments and gifts as high as you like - I will give you whatever you demand of me. Just let me have the girl as my wife.” (verse 12). His assumption is that everything has its price, and his father can afford to purchase anything for him.
Since Shechem considered that his father would give him everything that he wanted, perhaps he assumed that it was already his for the taking. If he saw a woman that took his fancy, he would first take her and rape her, confident that since he desired her his father would ensure that he could marry her. In his mind the whole world was his to do with as he wished, since he was the son of the Chief.
Shechem and Chamor were living in a totally money oriented society. Ya’akov realised this from his first encounter with the place. The Torah tells us that Ya’akov’s first action upon arriving in Shechem was to purchase the land for his tents. We are even told the purchase price of that real-estate, 100 kesitas (33; 19). The focus on money in Shechem is in sharp distinction to the place where Ya’akov had just left. After his encounter with Esav, Ya’akov went to a place named Succot, where he built a house for himself and temporary shelters (succot) for his livestock. By naming the place Succot he demonstrated that he was only going to be there temporarily, and that he was not interested in the permanence of lavish housing or accumulating wealth. When he left that place, he arrived in Shechem Shalem, ‘complete’. Rashi quotes the Midrash which explains that he was complete in his finances and complete in his health. In other words he lacked nothing, and therefore was not interested in money, possessions or acquisitions. He had freed himself from the rat race of chasing after material well being, and was thus free to complete himself spiritually. This is what he had intimated to his brother as explanation for the gifts that he had sent to Esav, “I have all [I need]” (verse 11).
Thus Ya’akov elevated himself above concerns with materialism and possessions. He was unable to understand the world-view of Shechem and Chamor, who treated not only objects, but even people as belonging to them, and having primarily a financial worth. Though Chamor did mention love in his negotiations with Ya’akov for his daughter, his main concern was that this arrangement would bring financial gain to both parties, “The land will be open before you. Settle down, do business here, and the land will become your property.” Ya’akov does not even speak in the negotiations that follow, since he cannot even understand the concept of negotiating for a person as if they were only chattel.
Shimon and Levi did negotiate with Shechem and Chamor, but instead of asking for money they demanded that they must circumcise themselves in order that Shechem be able to marry Dina. Though this may have been only a ploy to weaken the defences of the town so that they could attack, we could also perhaps understand their terms and conditions as trying to explain that their sister was not a physical object for sale. The Rambam explains (Moreh Nevuchim section 3) that through circumcision a Jewish male shows that he does not view sexual relations solely in terms of physical pleasure, but as a spiritual means to fulfil G-d’s will. It seems that Ya’akov’s sons wanted to teach Shechem that women are not merely objects, and that marriage is primarily a spiritual commitment.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Parshat Vayishlach 2
This week’s Torah portion contains within it the story of the rape of Ya’akov’s daughter Dina, and the revenge of her brothers on the perpetrators of that deed. “Leah’s daughter Dina, whom she had borne to Ya’akov, went out to visit some of the local girls. She was seen by Shechem, son of the chief of the region, Chamor the Hivite. He seduced her, raped her, and afflicted her. He became attached to Dina, and fell in love with her...” (Bereishis 34; 1-3). Though his crime was unspeakably horrendous, it does not seem from the text that Shechem was a sociopath, or serial rapist. Were that the case he would not have come to Dina’s father to ask for her hand in marriage, and certainly would not have agreed to circumcision, which was the demand made of him and his village by Shimon and Levi, Dina’s brothers. Through a closer examination of this incident we can gain an insight into Shechem and behaviour (though it is without justification).
Not only was Shechem the name of the son of the Chief of the town, it was also the name of the town itself. It seems that Chamor named the town in honour of his son, to show the world his love for his son. The word Shechem actually means ‘treasure’ or ‘special portion’ (see ibid. 49; 22), so Chamor’s name for his son denotes the special place he had in his father’s heart.
The name Chamor is related to the word Chomer, meaning ‘substance’ or ‘material’. We have a tradition that a person’s name gives us an insight into who they really are, so the Torah seems to be telling us that Chamor was someone who was very connected to the physical world. He showed his affection to his son through materialism, by naming the town after him, and presumably by giving him any worldly possession that he wanted.
We see from Shechem’s request of his father, “Get me this young girl [Dina] as a wife” (ibid. 34; 4) that he was used to asking for and receiving anything he wanted. Similarly, when negotiating with Ya’akov and his sons, Shechem shows that he is used to getting anything that he wants: “I will give you whatever you ask. Set the bridal payments and gifts as high as you like - I will give you whatever you demand of me. Just let me have the girl as my wife.” (verse 12). His assumption is that everything has its price, and his father can afford to purchase anything for him.
Since Shechem considered that his father would give him everything that he wanted, perhaps he assumed that it was already his for the taking. If he saw a woman that took his fancy, he would first take her and rape her, confident that since he desired her his father would ensure that he could marry her. In his mind the whole world was his to do with as he wished, since he was the son of the Chief.
Shechem and Chamor were living in a totally money oriented society. Ya’akov realised this from his first encounter with the place. The Torah tells us that Ya’akov’s first action upon arriving in Shechem was to purchase the land for his tents. We are even told the purchase price of that real-estate, 100 kesitas (33; 19). The focus on money in Shechem is in sharp distinction to the place where Ya’akov had just left. After his encounter with Esav, Ya’akov went to a place named Succot, where he built a house for himself and temporary shelters (succot) for his livestock. By naming the place Succot he demonstrated that he was only going to be there temporarily, and that he was not interested in the permanence of lavish housing or accumulating wealth. When he left that place, he arrived in Shechem Shalem, ‘complete’. Rashi quotes the Midrash which explains that he was complete in his finances and complete in his health. In other words he lacked nothing, and therefore was not interested in money, possessions or acquisitions. He had freed himself from the rat race of chasing after material well being, and was thus free to complete himself spiritually. This is what he had intimated to his brother as explanation for the gifts that he had sent to Esav, “I have all [I need]” (verse 11).
Thus Ya’akov elevated himself above concerns with materialism and possessions. He was unable to understand the world-view of Shechem and Chamor, who treated not only objects, but even people as belonging to them, and having primarily a financial worth. Though Chamor did mention love in his negotiations with Ya’akov for his daughter, his main concern was that this arrangement would bring financial gain to both parties, “The land will be open before you. Settle down, do business here, and the land will become your property.” Ya’akov does not even speak in the negotiations that follow, since he cannot even understand the concept of negotiating for a person as if they were only chattel.
Shimon and Levi did negotiate with Shechem and Chamor, but instead of asking for money they demanded that they must circumcise themselves in order that Shechem be able to marry Dina. Though this may have been only a ploy to weaken the defences of the town so that they could attack, we could also perhaps understand their terms and conditions as trying to explain that their sister was not a physical object for sale. The Rambam explains (Moreh Nevuchim section 3) that through circumcision a Jewish male shows that he does not view sexual relations solely in terms of physical pleasure, but as a spiritual means to fulfil G-d’s will. It seems that Ya’akov’s sons wanted to teach Shechem that women are not merely objects, and that marriage is primarily a spiritual commitment.
Not only was Shechem the name of the son of the Chief of the town, it was also the name of the town itself. It seems that Chamor named the town in honour of his son, to show the world his love for his son. The word Shechem actually means ‘treasure’ or ‘special portion’ (see ibid. 49; 22), so Chamor’s name for his son denotes the special place he had in his father’s heart.
The name Chamor is related to the word Chomer, meaning ‘substance’ or ‘material’. We have a tradition that a person’s name gives us an insight into who they really are, so the Torah seems to be telling us that Chamor was someone who was very connected to the physical world. He showed his affection to his son through materialism, by naming the town after him, and presumably by giving him any worldly possession that he wanted.
We see from Shechem’s request of his father, “Get me this young girl [Dina] as a wife” (ibid. 34; 4) that he was used to asking for and receiving anything he wanted. Similarly, when negotiating with Ya’akov and his sons, Shechem shows that he is used to getting anything that he wants: “I will give you whatever you ask. Set the bridal payments and gifts as high as you like - I will give you whatever you demand of me. Just let me have the girl as my wife.” (verse 12). His assumption is that everything has its price, and his father can afford to purchase anything for him.
Since Shechem considered that his father would give him everything that he wanted, perhaps he assumed that it was already his for the taking. If he saw a woman that took his fancy, he would first take her and rape her, confident that since he desired her his father would ensure that he could marry her. In his mind the whole world was his to do with as he wished, since he was the son of the Chief.
Shechem and Chamor were living in a totally money oriented society. Ya’akov realised this from his first encounter with the place. The Torah tells us that Ya’akov’s first action upon arriving in Shechem was to purchase the land for his tents. We are even told the purchase price of that real-estate, 100 kesitas (33; 19). The focus on money in Shechem is in sharp distinction to the place where Ya’akov had just left. After his encounter with Esav, Ya’akov went to a place named Succot, where he built a house for himself and temporary shelters (succot) for his livestock. By naming the place Succot he demonstrated that he was only going to be there temporarily, and that he was not interested in the permanence of lavish housing or accumulating wealth. When he left that place, he arrived in Shechem Shalem, ‘complete’. Rashi quotes the Midrash which explains that he was complete in his finances and complete in his health. In other words he lacked nothing, and therefore was not interested in money, possessions or acquisitions. He had freed himself from the rat race of chasing after material well being, and was thus free to complete himself spiritually. This is what he had intimated to his brother as explanation for the gifts that he had sent to Esav, “I have all [I need]” (verse 11).
Thus Ya’akov elevated himself above concerns with materialism and possessions. He was unable to understand the world-view of Shechem and Chamor, who treated not only objects, but even people as belonging to them, and having primarily a financial worth. Though Chamor did mention love in his negotiations with Ya’akov for his daughter, his main concern was that this arrangement would bring financial gain to both parties, “The land will be open before you. Settle down, do business here, and the land will become your property.” Ya’akov does not even speak in the negotiations that follow, since he cannot even understand the concept of negotiating for a person as if they were only chattel.
Shimon and Levi did negotiate with Shechem and Chamor, but instead of asking for money they demanded that they must circumcise themselves in order that Shechem be able to marry Dina. Though this may have been only a ploy to weaken the defences of the town so that they could attack, we could also perhaps understand their terms and conditions as trying to explain that their sister was not a physical object for sale. The Rambam explains (Moreh Nevuchim section 3) that through circumcision a Jewish male shows that he does not view sexual relations solely in terms of physical pleasure, but as a spiritual means to fulfil G-d’s will. It seems that Ya’akov’s sons wanted to teach Shechem that women are not merely objects, and that marriage is primarily a spiritual commitment.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Parshat Vayishlach 1
“It is not good for man to be alone” (Bereishis 2; 18). With this introduction G-d prepares Adam for the creation of his wife, Eve. The purpose of creation is to imitate G-d, as the Torah tells us that mankind were made in the image of G-d. Just as G-d has no needs, and therefore only gives, so too a person should strive to become a ‘giver’ and not a ‘taker’. For Adam to remain alone would have deprived him of the opportunity to give to another, who has different requirements to him. This is why G-d created men and women with distinct emotional, physical and spiritual needs.
However, ‘aloneness’ is only a negative thing when it deprives a person of the opportunity to give to others. But to be ‘alone’ in the sense of self-sufficient, and not needing to receive from others is also a form of imitating G-d. Yishaya (2; 11) tells us that G-d is ‘alone’, “The L-rd ‘alone’ shall be exalted”. This is the meaning of the verse “One who hates gifts will live.” (Mishlei 15; 27). The goal of self-sufficiency is best described by Ben Zoma in the Mishna (Pireki Avos 4; 1) “ Who is rich? Someone who is happy with their portion.” We see from here that spiritual perfection does not depend on others, but on utilising the capabilities and tools that a person has themselves.
This embodies the difference between Ya’akov and Esav. When they meet and Ya’akov offers his brother gifts (Bereishis 33) Esav responds “I have much”. Ya’akov on the other hand, says, “I have everything.” Someone who has a lot always wants more, but someone who feels that they have everything is ‘happy with their portion’.
“And Ya’akov remained alone” (ibid. 32; 25). Normally we think that the guardian angel of Esav was able to attack and wrestle with Ya’akov because he remained alone, without perfection. However, Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz explains that it was precisely because he had reached the level of spiritual independence and self-sufficiency that is referred to by the Torah as ‘alone’, that he was able to battle and defeat the angel. Ya’akov had spent 20 years with Lavan perfecting himself to be able to return and face his brother Esav. He was only able to survive his encounter with his brother because he had attained such a level of independence that he was able to send a message to Esav saying “With Lavan I remained a stranger (garti), and remained there until now” (ibid. 32; 5). Rashi points out that the word garti has the numerical value of 613, the number of commandments. Despite, or perhaps because of, dwelling with Lavan, Ya’akov was able to remain firm to all the laws and commandments of the Torah.
This quality of ‘aloneness’ was part of Bilam’s blessing of the entire Jewish nation, “This is a nation that dwells alone, and is not considered with the other nations” (Bamidbar 23; 9). Though popular culture changes the value system every few years, the strength of the Jewish nation is that we are not swept away by every passing phase, but are able to remain true to our Torah values regardless of how we are viewed by the rest of the world. We too are able to wrestle with the angels of Esav, and defeat them, because we define ourselves independently of the culture and society in which we live.
However, ‘aloneness’ is only a negative thing when it deprives a person of the opportunity to give to others. But to be ‘alone’ in the sense of self-sufficient, and not needing to receive from others is also a form of imitating G-d. Yishaya (2; 11) tells us that G-d is ‘alone’, “The L-rd ‘alone’ shall be exalted”. This is the meaning of the verse “One who hates gifts will live.” (Mishlei 15; 27). The goal of self-sufficiency is best described by Ben Zoma in the Mishna (Pireki Avos 4; 1) “ Who is rich? Someone who is happy with their portion.” We see from here that spiritual perfection does not depend on others, but on utilising the capabilities and tools that a person has themselves.
This embodies the difference between Ya’akov and Esav. When they meet and Ya’akov offers his brother gifts (Bereishis 33) Esav responds “I have much”. Ya’akov on the other hand, says, “I have everything.” Someone who has a lot always wants more, but someone who feels that they have everything is ‘happy with their portion’.
“And Ya’akov remained alone” (ibid. 32; 25). Normally we think that the guardian angel of Esav was able to attack and wrestle with Ya’akov because he remained alone, without perfection. However, Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz explains that it was precisely because he had reached the level of spiritual independence and self-sufficiency that is referred to by the Torah as ‘alone’, that he was able to battle and defeat the angel. Ya’akov had spent 20 years with Lavan perfecting himself to be able to return and face his brother Esav. He was only able to survive his encounter with his brother because he had attained such a level of independence that he was able to send a message to Esav saying “With Lavan I remained a stranger (garti), and remained there until now” (ibid. 32; 5). Rashi points out that the word garti has the numerical value of 613, the number of commandments. Despite, or perhaps because of, dwelling with Lavan, Ya’akov was able to remain firm to all the laws and commandments of the Torah.
This quality of ‘aloneness’ was part of Bilam’s blessing of the entire Jewish nation, “This is a nation that dwells alone, and is not considered with the other nations” (Bamidbar 23; 9). Though popular culture changes the value system every few years, the strength of the Jewish nation is that we are not swept away by every passing phase, but are able to remain true to our Torah values regardless of how we are viewed by the rest of the world. We too are able to wrestle with the angels of Esav, and defeat them, because we define ourselves independently of the culture and society in which we live.
Vayishlach Summary
Ya’akov (Jacob) makes preparations before facing his brother Esav (Esau). He divides his camp into two, so that in the event of war one half will be able to flee and survive, prays that G-d save him from his brother, and sends Esav gifts. During that night an angel comes and wrestles with Ya’akov and his hip is dislocated in the struggle. Ya’akov forces the angel to concede defeat and to bless him. The angel departs at daybreak, but to this day Jews are not permitted to eat the sciatic nerve in animals as a reminder of this battle.
Esav approaches with four hundred men. Ya’akov bows seven times before his brother, as do his wives and children. Esav doesn’t want to accept the gifts from Ya’akov, but because of his urging he finally takes them. Esav offers to accompany Ya’akov but Ya’akov refuses the offer, preferring to proceed at his own pace. Esav returns to Se’ir, while Ya’akov goes to Succoth. Ya’akov then sets up camp near the town of Shechem, and erects an altar there.
Leah’s daughter, Dina, wanders out to visit the local girls. She is seen by Shechem, son of the chief of the region, Chamor the Hivite. He seduces her, rapes her, and then falls in love with her. Shechem asks his father to get him Deena as a wife. Ya’akov’s sons demand that as a dowry, all the men of the city must be circumcised. Chamor and Shechem agree, and persuade all their subjects to allow themselves to be circumcised. On the third day, when the men are in the greatest pain, Shimon and Levi come and kill the men of the city, including Shechem and Chamor. When Ya’akov chastises them, they reply “Should he have been allowed to treat our sister like a harlot?”
Ya’akov instructs his entourage to get rid of their idolatrous artefacts in preparation for going to Bet-El. When they arrive in Bet-El, Ya’akov builds an altar at the site where G-d had appeared to him when he was originally fleeing from Esav. While there, Rivka’s nurse, Devorah, dies and is buried in a place named Alon Bochot (Weeping Oak). G-d appears to Ya’akov and renames him Yisrael (Israel). He also confers upon him the blessing originally given to Avraham, and promises the land of Israel to his descendants. As Ya’akov and his family approach Efrat, Rachel goes into labour. She gives birth to a son and names him Ben-Oni (Son of my sorrow), but Ya’akov calls him Benyamin (Benjamin, son of the right). Rachel dies and is buried on the road to Efrat.
The Torah gives a complete listing of all of Ya’akov’s sons. Ya’akov returns to his father, Yitzchak, in Kiryat Arba. Yitzchak lives to the age of 180, and when he dies is buried by his sons Esav and Ya’akov in the cave of Machpela. The Torah lists the descendants of Esav, also known as Edom. It also records the descendants of Se’ir, the original inhabitant of Esav’s country. The portion ends with the names of the twelve kings who ruled the land of Edom
Esav approaches with four hundred men. Ya’akov bows seven times before his brother, as do his wives and children. Esav doesn’t want to accept the gifts from Ya’akov, but because of his urging he finally takes them. Esav offers to accompany Ya’akov but Ya’akov refuses the offer, preferring to proceed at his own pace. Esav returns to Se’ir, while Ya’akov goes to Succoth. Ya’akov then sets up camp near the town of Shechem, and erects an altar there.
Leah’s daughter, Dina, wanders out to visit the local girls. She is seen by Shechem, son of the chief of the region, Chamor the Hivite. He seduces her, rapes her, and then falls in love with her. Shechem asks his father to get him Deena as a wife. Ya’akov’s sons demand that as a dowry, all the men of the city must be circumcised. Chamor and Shechem agree, and persuade all their subjects to allow themselves to be circumcised. On the third day, when the men are in the greatest pain, Shimon and Levi come and kill the men of the city, including Shechem and Chamor. When Ya’akov chastises them, they reply “Should he have been allowed to treat our sister like a harlot?”
Ya’akov instructs his entourage to get rid of their idolatrous artefacts in preparation for going to Bet-El. When they arrive in Bet-El, Ya’akov builds an altar at the site where G-d had appeared to him when he was originally fleeing from Esav. While there, Rivka’s nurse, Devorah, dies and is buried in a place named Alon Bochot (Weeping Oak). G-d appears to Ya’akov and renames him Yisrael (Israel). He also confers upon him the blessing originally given to Avraham, and promises the land of Israel to his descendants. As Ya’akov and his family approach Efrat, Rachel goes into labour. She gives birth to a son and names him Ben-Oni (Son of my sorrow), but Ya’akov calls him Benyamin (Benjamin, son of the right). Rachel dies and is buried on the road to Efrat.
The Torah gives a complete listing of all of Ya’akov’s sons. Ya’akov returns to his father, Yitzchak, in Kiryat Arba. Yitzchak lives to the age of 180, and when he dies is buried by his sons Esav and Ya’akov in the cave of Machpela. The Torah lists the descendants of Esav, also known as Edom. It also records the descendants of Se’ir, the original inhabitant of Esav’s country. The portion ends with the names of the twelve kings who ruled the land of Edom
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Parshat Vayetze 3
According to the tradition there is a gap of 14 years between the end of last week’s Torah reading, when Ya’akov leaves his parents’ home, and the beginning of this one, when he goes to Haran. The Rabbis tell us that he spent that time studying in the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever. Ya’akov had grown up in the house of Yitzchak, and had spent the first 63 years of his life immersed in study, as the verse states, “Ya’akov was a wholesome man, abiding in tents” (Genesis XXV; 27). Yet he realised that his was not adequate preparation before going to face Lavan, the arch enemy of the Jewish people (As the verse says, “An Aramean [Lavan] tried to destroy my father” Deuteronomy). In fact his study in this Yeshiva was so intense that he didn’t sleep a proper night’s sleep for the entire time that he was there.
So it seems strange that despite all this preparation Ya’akov makes a deal with G-d after he has the dream about the ladder. “Then Ya’akov took a vow saying, ‘If G-d will be with me, will guard me on this way... and I return in peace to my father’s house, then G-d (A-donai) will be a G-d (Elokim) to me.’” (Genesis XXVIII; 20-21). I wonder what the alternative would be? Can we deduce that had things not worked out so well Ya’akov would not have accepted G-d, despite all those years of study and preparation?
We have a tradition that all of the events that happened to the patriarchs were a foreshadowing of events that would happen later in Jewish history. This is especially true of Ya’akov, who became Israel, embodying the entire nation and all later generations. The Rabbis tell us that the four tribulations that befell Ya’akov symbolised the four exiles that the Jewish nation has experienced. Ya’akov’s encounter with Lavan represents the Babylonian exile, his dealings with Esav shows the Persian exile, the trial with Dina is the Greek exile, and his final suffering with the loss of Yosef represents the present Roman exile. Ya’akov somehow senses the importance of the events that are about to take place, and therefore his final ‘pact’ with G-d before leaving the borders of the Land of Israel define the entire future of Jewish history, and the nation’s relationship with G-d.
There are many different names for G-d that are used in the Torah. Each of them highlights a different way in which G-d interacts with, or is perceived in the world. The name A-donai always represents G-d’s attribute of mercy, whereas the name Elokim is used where G-d’s attribute of strict justice is shown. This is also the name for G-d as perceived through nature, the numerical value of the name Elokim is the same as that of Hateva, nature. This is because nature works on the principles of the survival of the fittest, and has no room for mercy. In a sense nature is the ultimate judge, because it shows no favouritism at all.
We know that the exiles are characterised by the hiding of the Divine Presence, as the verse states, “On that day I [G-d] will surely have concealed My face” (ibid. XXXI; 18). This means that it will be a period without the direct connection to G-d strengthened by open miracles and prophecy. This is a time when it will appear as if the world is running through the ‘random’ laws of nature, and G-d’s Presence will not be felt as clearly. However, we have assurances from the earlier prophets, that though there may be very difficult times for the Jewish nation, G-d will never forsake them, or abandon them. He will always ultimately provide for them, and direct world history to the events that will return us to a state of open recognition of His involvement in the world.
Ya’akov makes his preparations for exile, for the time of G-d’s apparent concealment by immersing himself totally in the world of Torah for 14 years. Only with this preparation is he able to withstand the trials and tribulations of exile. Even with all his preparations he is still unable to detect G-d’s Presence, “Surely G-d is present in this place, and I did not know” (Genesis XXVIII; 16). However he knows that G-d will never forsake him completely. Perhaps we could better translate the ‘bargain’ that Ya’akov makes with G-d not as a conditional agreement, but as a statement of fact. “G-d will be with me, and guard me... even though A-donai (the attribute of mercy, and direct involvement with history) will be Elokim (the hidden nature of G-d through miracles)to me.”
So it seems strange that despite all this preparation Ya’akov makes a deal with G-d after he has the dream about the ladder. “Then Ya’akov took a vow saying, ‘If G-d will be with me, will guard me on this way... and I return in peace to my father’s house, then G-d (A-donai) will be a G-d (Elokim) to me.’” (Genesis XXVIII; 20-21). I wonder what the alternative would be? Can we deduce that had things not worked out so well Ya’akov would not have accepted G-d, despite all those years of study and preparation?
We have a tradition that all of the events that happened to the patriarchs were a foreshadowing of events that would happen later in Jewish history. This is especially true of Ya’akov, who became Israel, embodying the entire nation and all later generations. The Rabbis tell us that the four tribulations that befell Ya’akov symbolised the four exiles that the Jewish nation has experienced. Ya’akov’s encounter with Lavan represents the Babylonian exile, his dealings with Esav shows the Persian exile, the trial with Dina is the Greek exile, and his final suffering with the loss of Yosef represents the present Roman exile. Ya’akov somehow senses the importance of the events that are about to take place, and therefore his final ‘pact’ with G-d before leaving the borders of the Land of Israel define the entire future of Jewish history, and the nation’s relationship with G-d.
There are many different names for G-d that are used in the Torah. Each of them highlights a different way in which G-d interacts with, or is perceived in the world. The name A-donai always represents G-d’s attribute of mercy, whereas the name Elokim is used where G-d’s attribute of strict justice is shown. This is also the name for G-d as perceived through nature, the numerical value of the name Elokim is the same as that of Hateva, nature. This is because nature works on the principles of the survival of the fittest, and has no room for mercy. In a sense nature is the ultimate judge, because it shows no favouritism at all.
We know that the exiles are characterised by the hiding of the Divine Presence, as the verse states, “On that day I [G-d] will surely have concealed My face” (ibid. XXXI; 18). This means that it will be a period without the direct connection to G-d strengthened by open miracles and prophecy. This is a time when it will appear as if the world is running through the ‘random’ laws of nature, and G-d’s Presence will not be felt as clearly. However, we have assurances from the earlier prophets, that though there may be very difficult times for the Jewish nation, G-d will never forsake them, or abandon them. He will always ultimately provide for them, and direct world history to the events that will return us to a state of open recognition of His involvement in the world.
Ya’akov makes his preparations for exile, for the time of G-d’s apparent concealment by immersing himself totally in the world of Torah for 14 years. Only with this preparation is he able to withstand the trials and tribulations of exile. Even with all his preparations he is still unable to detect G-d’s Presence, “Surely G-d is present in this place, and I did not know” (Genesis XXVIII; 16). However he knows that G-d will never forsake him completely. Perhaps we could better translate the ‘bargain’ that Ya’akov makes with G-d not as a conditional agreement, but as a statement of fact. “G-d will be with me, and guard me... even though A-donai (the attribute of mercy, and direct involvement with history) will be Elokim (the hidden nature of G-d through miracles)to me.”
Parshat Vayetze 2
Rachel is barren for years before she is finally able to have a son. During this time she complains to her husband that she feels worthless - “Give me a son, otherwise I am dead!” (Genesis XXX; 1). Yet when she finally gives birth to a son, instead of being happy that her childless days are over, she immediately looks to the future, and complains that she doesn’t have a second son, “So she called his name Yosef (Joseph), saying, ‘May G-d add on for me another son’.” (ibid. 24). She seems as if she will never be satisfied.
As soon as Yosef is born, Ya’akov asks Lavan’s permission to leave, to return to face his brother Esav (Esau), from whom he has been fleeing for all these years. The juxtaposition in the Torah seems to link the birth of Yosef with the ability to face Esav, how is that so?
The Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 68; 1) explains the imagery in Ya’akov’s vision of the ladder reaching heaven, as he slept in Beis-El. Each of the angels ascending represents one of the nations who in the future will exile the Jewish nation. Ya’akov sees the angel of Babylon climb 70 rungs, then fall back to earth. This represents the 70 years that the Jews are in exile in Babylon. Next he sees the angel of Medea, who reaches 52 rungs, then plunges downwards. The angel of Greece climbs 120 steps, then falls. Finally Ya’akov sees the angel of Edom, the nation of his brother Esav. This angel climbs higher and higher, in an apparently endless ascent to the heavens. Ya’akov does not see him fall, and becomes afraid. “Will this exile be never-ending?” he asks G-d. “No”, replies G-d, “Even if this angel climbs to the heavens, I Myself will take him down when the time comes.”
Ya’akov remains in fear of Esav because of that dream. He is unable to see the downfall of Edom, and foresees all the suffering that his descendants will experience at the hands of Esav’s children. However, Ovadiah prophesied that Yosef would be the one to conquer Esav: “The House of Ya’akov will be a spark, and the House of Yosef a flame - and the House of Esav like straw, they will kindle among them and consume them; and there will be no survivor of the house of Esav, for G-d has spoken.” (I; 18). Though Ya’akov is unable to see the end of Esav, he knows that Yosef will be able to carry his spark outwards, to challenge and consume Esav.
The Talmud (Brachot 7b) explains that a person’s name has an influence on their personality. When parents name a child they are given a minor form of prophecy, the ability to see the potential contained within the new-born baby. This is clearly seen in the naming of the twelve tribes in our Torah reading; though Leah and Rachel name their children based on their relationship with Ya’akov and G-d, the Talmud also derives prophetic meaning in each of the names. For example, Leah names her eldest son Reuven because G-d has seen her plight. However the Talmud also explains it as a statement “See the difference between Leah’s son, and the son of her father-in-law. Reuven tries to save his brother Yosef from being killed, even though Yosef took his birthright, whereas uncle Esav hated Ya’akov, and tried to kill him despite having willingly sold his birthright for a bowl of pottage.
Though Rachel named Yosef in anticipation of another child, she also brought his potential out in his name. He is thoroughly committed to the future. Yosef, meaning G-d will increase, shows his nature to see the long term vision, and be able to endure the short term in the hope of that ultimate future. We see this from Yosef’s earliest days, telling his father and brothers of his dreams that they will eventually bow down to him. Though he was an outcast, orphaned at a young age, and disliked by his brothers, he could already see the future happening. Every insult and hardship that he had to endure in the present was only a means to the eventual happiness. Similarly, while in Egypt, he never questioned the right of his brothers to sell him, he never complained about being a slave, or being thrown in jail without cause. He knew that it was all part of G-d’s plan. Therefore when Pharaoh eventually calls him to interpret the dreams, he is able to look beyond the present, and understand the vision in the context of the future of the country.
Ya’akov is unable to see the long term. He made the mistake of wanting contentment in the present. “Ya’akov settled in the land...” (Genesis XXXVII; 1). Because the Torah uses the word “settle” which implies permanence, rather than the word “sojourn”, Rashi explains that Ya’akov wished to finally settle down in tranquillity. Immediately he falls from centre stage, and the anguish of Yosef’s kidnapping devastates him. He thought that he had reached the end of his mission, and therefore was unable to see the whole picture. Yosef is left to be the main protagonist in the story, and pave the way for the Egyptian exile.
Because only Yosef can see through the limitations of the present, Ya’akov realises that he is the one who will be able to help him to confront Esav. Though Ya’akov is unable to perceive Esav’s downfall in his dream, he understands that Yosef, who lives in wait of the ultimate conclusion, will be the one to enable Ya’akov to return home.
As soon as Yosef is born, Ya’akov asks Lavan’s permission to leave, to return to face his brother Esav (Esau), from whom he has been fleeing for all these years. The juxtaposition in the Torah seems to link the birth of Yosef with the ability to face Esav, how is that so?
The Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 68; 1) explains the imagery in Ya’akov’s vision of the ladder reaching heaven, as he slept in Beis-El. Each of the angels ascending represents one of the nations who in the future will exile the Jewish nation. Ya’akov sees the angel of Babylon climb 70 rungs, then fall back to earth. This represents the 70 years that the Jews are in exile in Babylon. Next he sees the angel of Medea, who reaches 52 rungs, then plunges downwards. The angel of Greece climbs 120 steps, then falls. Finally Ya’akov sees the angel of Edom, the nation of his brother Esav. This angel climbs higher and higher, in an apparently endless ascent to the heavens. Ya’akov does not see him fall, and becomes afraid. “Will this exile be never-ending?” he asks G-d. “No”, replies G-d, “Even if this angel climbs to the heavens, I Myself will take him down when the time comes.”
Ya’akov remains in fear of Esav because of that dream. He is unable to see the downfall of Edom, and foresees all the suffering that his descendants will experience at the hands of Esav’s children. However, Ovadiah prophesied that Yosef would be the one to conquer Esav: “The House of Ya’akov will be a spark, and the House of Yosef a flame - and the House of Esav like straw, they will kindle among them and consume them; and there will be no survivor of the house of Esav, for G-d has spoken.” (I; 18). Though Ya’akov is unable to see the end of Esav, he knows that Yosef will be able to carry his spark outwards, to challenge and consume Esav.
The Talmud (Brachot 7b) explains that a person’s name has an influence on their personality. When parents name a child they are given a minor form of prophecy, the ability to see the potential contained within the new-born baby. This is clearly seen in the naming of the twelve tribes in our Torah reading; though Leah and Rachel name their children based on their relationship with Ya’akov and G-d, the Talmud also derives prophetic meaning in each of the names. For example, Leah names her eldest son Reuven because G-d has seen her plight. However the Talmud also explains it as a statement “See the difference between Leah’s son, and the son of her father-in-law. Reuven tries to save his brother Yosef from being killed, even though Yosef took his birthright, whereas uncle Esav hated Ya’akov, and tried to kill him despite having willingly sold his birthright for a bowl of pottage.
Though Rachel named Yosef in anticipation of another child, she also brought his potential out in his name. He is thoroughly committed to the future. Yosef, meaning G-d will increase, shows his nature to see the long term vision, and be able to endure the short term in the hope of that ultimate future. We see this from Yosef’s earliest days, telling his father and brothers of his dreams that they will eventually bow down to him. Though he was an outcast, orphaned at a young age, and disliked by his brothers, he could already see the future happening. Every insult and hardship that he had to endure in the present was only a means to the eventual happiness. Similarly, while in Egypt, he never questioned the right of his brothers to sell him, he never complained about being a slave, or being thrown in jail without cause. He knew that it was all part of G-d’s plan. Therefore when Pharaoh eventually calls him to interpret the dreams, he is able to look beyond the present, and understand the vision in the context of the future of the country.
Ya’akov is unable to see the long term. He made the mistake of wanting contentment in the present. “Ya’akov settled in the land...” (Genesis XXXVII; 1). Because the Torah uses the word “settle” which implies permanence, rather than the word “sojourn”, Rashi explains that Ya’akov wished to finally settle down in tranquillity. Immediately he falls from centre stage, and the anguish of Yosef’s kidnapping devastates him. He thought that he had reached the end of his mission, and therefore was unable to see the whole picture. Yosef is left to be the main protagonist in the story, and pave the way for the Egyptian exile.
Because only Yosef can see through the limitations of the present, Ya’akov realises that he is the one who will be able to help him to confront Esav. Though Ya’akov is unable to perceive Esav’s downfall in his dream, he understands that Yosef, who lives in wait of the ultimate conclusion, will be the one to enable Ya’akov to return home.
Parshat Vayetze 1
“Lavan”. A name meaning “White”, connoting purity and holiness. He has tremendous potential, as we see that both his sister and his daughters became the matriarchs of our religion. Yet this same Mr. White, Ya’akov’s uncle, is described in the Haggada we recite each Pesach as “The Aramean who tried to destroy everything”. He is described as worse than Pharaoh, who only wished to kill all the Jewish males. How did Lavan descend from such a tremendous spiritual height, to the ultimate depths of attempting to murder his own son-in-law, and the fledgling Jewish nation?
This week’s Torah reading gives us the paradigm of Galus, exile from the land of Israel, and from the continuously-felt Divine Presence which dwells there. Ya’akov sets off alone, fleeing from his brother, seeking a safe haven and a wife. The portion begins at night, with the famous dream. Night is always a metaphor for exile, the darkness of G-d hiding His face from us. The exile of Ya’akov, who later became Yisrael, the personification of the nation, sets a precedent for all exile later in history.
Exile is a punishment. We were sentenced to leave the Holy Land for our sins. Yet it is not a meaningless sentence. It gives us the opportunity both to directly influence the nations who we find ourselves amongst, and enable us to incorporate within the collective soul of Israel the positive aspects of those nations. Our influence upon them is not as clearly defined as it was when the Temple stood in Jerusalem, and all the peoples of the world would come to see the G-d of Israel and recognise His Kingship. Yet it is more direct, we interact with everyone else and contribute directly to both their technical and moral advances. And we also gain from the experience. As a people, we mature and evolve through the influence of our surroundings.
However, when we have gained all that we can from a nation, and become so involved in their ways that we begin to lose sight of our own true identity, the Higher Wisdom decrees that we must move on from there. The rulers of the country suddenly decide to expel the Jews, or try to destroy them physically or morally, until we are forced to flee and find another safe haven. This has happened time and again, most notably in Spain, with the inquisition and the expulsion, and in Germany this century. Historians may try to trace the reasons for these tragedies, and analyse the psyches of the nations that suddenly altered, almost over night. The real reason, though, is that the Divine Plan calls for us to move on to our next destination, our mutual relationship has reached its end. And inevitably when this happens it is not only the Jews who must rebuild their lives again, but also the former host nations. The “Golden Age” in Spain ended with the expulsion of the Jews, European “culture” embodied by the art, music and intellect of Germany came to an end with the Second World War and the Holocaust.
This is what happened with Lavan. Ya’akov brought blessing and prosperity to his household. He gave him material wealth and prestige. Yet Lavan did not avail himself of the opportunity to internalise this, to recognise and form a partnership with Ya’akov. Therefore, as soon as Ya’akov had absorbed what he lacked from Lavan, the Torah testifies “Ya’akov saw the face of Lavan, and behold, it was not with him as in former times”. Ya’akov is once again forced to flee, this time from his uncle, who instead of appreciating what he has done for him, pursues him to try and kill him.
The Torah is not a history book. We do not need the Bible to tell us about ancient times. But we would do well to look in the Torah to help us to understand contemporary events.
This week’s Torah reading gives us the paradigm of Galus, exile from the land of Israel, and from the continuously-felt Divine Presence which dwells there. Ya’akov sets off alone, fleeing from his brother, seeking a safe haven and a wife. The portion begins at night, with the famous dream. Night is always a metaphor for exile, the darkness of G-d hiding His face from us. The exile of Ya’akov, who later became Yisrael, the personification of the nation, sets a precedent for all exile later in history.
Exile is a punishment. We were sentenced to leave the Holy Land for our sins. Yet it is not a meaningless sentence. It gives us the opportunity both to directly influence the nations who we find ourselves amongst, and enable us to incorporate within the collective soul of Israel the positive aspects of those nations. Our influence upon them is not as clearly defined as it was when the Temple stood in Jerusalem, and all the peoples of the world would come to see the G-d of Israel and recognise His Kingship. Yet it is more direct, we interact with everyone else and contribute directly to both their technical and moral advances. And we also gain from the experience. As a people, we mature and evolve through the influence of our surroundings.
However, when we have gained all that we can from a nation, and become so involved in their ways that we begin to lose sight of our own true identity, the Higher Wisdom decrees that we must move on from there. The rulers of the country suddenly decide to expel the Jews, or try to destroy them physically or morally, until we are forced to flee and find another safe haven. This has happened time and again, most notably in Spain, with the inquisition and the expulsion, and in Germany this century. Historians may try to trace the reasons for these tragedies, and analyse the psyches of the nations that suddenly altered, almost over night. The real reason, though, is that the Divine Plan calls for us to move on to our next destination, our mutual relationship has reached its end. And inevitably when this happens it is not only the Jews who must rebuild their lives again, but also the former host nations. The “Golden Age” in Spain ended with the expulsion of the Jews, European “culture” embodied by the art, music and intellect of Germany came to an end with the Second World War and the Holocaust.
This is what happened with Lavan. Ya’akov brought blessing and prosperity to his household. He gave him material wealth and prestige. Yet Lavan did not avail himself of the opportunity to internalise this, to recognise and form a partnership with Ya’akov. Therefore, as soon as Ya’akov had absorbed what he lacked from Lavan, the Torah testifies “Ya’akov saw the face of Lavan, and behold, it was not with him as in former times”. Ya’akov is once again forced to flee, this time from his uncle, who instead of appreciating what he has done for him, pursues him to try and kill him.
The Torah is not a history book. We do not need the Bible to tell us about ancient times. But we would do well to look in the Torah to help us to understand contemporary events.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Vayetze Summary
Ya'akov (Jacob) departs from Be'er Sheva, fleeing from his brother, to seek a wife in Charan. He stops to sleep on the way and dreams of a ladder stretching from the earth to the heavens, with angels descending and ascending. G-d stands at the top of the ladder and blesses Ya'akov that He will guard and protect him while he is with Lavan. Ya'akov awakens and names the place Beth-El. He sets up an altar as a witness to the promises that G-d made to him.
Ya'akov continues to Charan and finds the local shepherds at a well. They are unable to water their flocks, because the rock covering the mouth of the well is too heavy for them to lift individually. Rachel comes with her sheep. When Ya'akov sees her he single-handedly rolls the rock off the well. Rachel runs to tell her father Lavan, who comes to greet Ya'akov. Lavan brings Ya'akov into his house, and hires him as a shepherd. Ya'akov agrees to work for seven years in order to marry Rachel. After the seven years, Lavan tricks Ya'akov by substituting Leah, Rachel's older sister, in her place. When Ya'akov realises that he has been tricked, he agrees to work for another seven years for Rachel. Lavan also gives Bilhah and Zilpah to Ya'akov as handmaids.
Leah gives birth to Reuven, Shimon, Levi and Yehudah. Rachel sees that she is barren, and gives Bilhah to Ya'akov in her stead. Bilhah gives birth to Dan and Naftali. Leah gives Zilpah to Ya'akov, and she has Gad and Asher. Reuven finds some mandrakes (a fertility drug) which he brings to his mother. Rachel buys them from her sister in exchange for her spending the night with Ya'akov. Leah has two more sons, Yissachar and Zevulun, and a daughter, Dina. Finally Rachel gives birth to Yosef.
After the birth of Yosef, Ya'akov asks Lavan for permission to return to his home. Instead, Lavan convinces him to stay and earn himself a flock of sheep. Lavan separates all the sheep with any black on them. Ya'akov is to have all the mottled and speckled sheep that are born. Ya'akov uses trees with the bark peeled off to encourage the sheep to have coloured lambs. Miraculously all of the sheep are born speckled from then on, and Ya'akov becomes wealthy.
Ya'akov hears Lavan's sons becoming jealous of his wealth, and decides to return to Padan Aram. Lavan hears that he has left and pursues him. G-d appears to Lavan, and tells him not to attempt to harm Ya'akov. Lavan bids his daughters and grandchildren farewell, and accuses Ya'akov of having stolen his teraphim (idols). Ya'akov does not realise that Rachel has taken them, and declares that whoever has taken them shall die. Lavan does not find his teraphim, and returns empty handed. He and Ya'akov set up a monument of their pact of non-beligerence. After Lavan leaves, Ya'akov encounters a camp of angels and calls the place Machanaim.
Ya'akov continues to Charan and finds the local shepherds at a well. They are unable to water their flocks, because the rock covering the mouth of the well is too heavy for them to lift individually. Rachel comes with her sheep. When Ya'akov sees her he single-handedly rolls the rock off the well. Rachel runs to tell her father Lavan, who comes to greet Ya'akov. Lavan brings Ya'akov into his house, and hires him as a shepherd. Ya'akov agrees to work for seven years in order to marry Rachel. After the seven years, Lavan tricks Ya'akov by substituting Leah, Rachel's older sister, in her place. When Ya'akov realises that he has been tricked, he agrees to work for another seven years for Rachel. Lavan also gives Bilhah and Zilpah to Ya'akov as handmaids.
Leah gives birth to Reuven, Shimon, Levi and Yehudah. Rachel sees that she is barren, and gives Bilhah to Ya'akov in her stead. Bilhah gives birth to Dan and Naftali. Leah gives Zilpah to Ya'akov, and she has Gad and Asher. Reuven finds some mandrakes (a fertility drug) which he brings to his mother. Rachel buys them from her sister in exchange for her spending the night with Ya'akov. Leah has two more sons, Yissachar and Zevulun, and a daughter, Dina. Finally Rachel gives birth to Yosef.
After the birth of Yosef, Ya'akov asks Lavan for permission to return to his home. Instead, Lavan convinces him to stay and earn himself a flock of sheep. Lavan separates all the sheep with any black on them. Ya'akov is to have all the mottled and speckled sheep that are born. Ya'akov uses trees with the bark peeled off to encourage the sheep to have coloured lambs. Miraculously all of the sheep are born speckled from then on, and Ya'akov becomes wealthy.
Ya'akov hears Lavan's sons becoming jealous of his wealth, and decides to return to Padan Aram. Lavan hears that he has left and pursues him. G-d appears to Lavan, and tells him not to attempt to harm Ya'akov. Lavan bids his daughters and grandchildren farewell, and accuses Ya'akov of having stolen his teraphim (idols). Ya'akov does not realise that Rachel has taken them, and declares that whoever has taken them shall die. Lavan does not find his teraphim, and returns empty handed. He and Ya'akov set up a monument of their pact of non-beligerence. After Lavan leaves, Ya'akov encounters a camp of angels and calls the place Machanaim.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Parshat Toledot 3
In almost all of the events of his life, Yitzchak remains a passive actor, or else he is not in control of the situation. His birth and his name, were prophesied a year earlier; in his ‘binding’ on Mount Moriah, he lay passively as his father was about to sacrifice him. When it was time for him to get married his father arranged for his servant to find the right wife for him. Even when he comes to bless his sons at the end of his life, it is really his wife who is pulling all the strings. In fact the only action that Yitzchak himself does is the digging of the wells in this week’s Torah portion (Genesis 26: 19-22). Therefore it seems worthy of closer examination if we are to gain an insight into Yitzchak’s personality.
“Yitzchak dug anew the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Avraham his father and the Philistines had stopped up after Avraham’s death; and he called them by the same names that his father had called them. Yitzchak’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of fresh water. The herdsmen of Gerar quarrelled with Yitzchak’s herdsmen saying. “The water is ours,” so he called the name of that well Esek (involvement), because they involved themselves with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarrelled over that also; so he called its name Sitnah (quarrel). He relocated from there and dug another well; they did not quarrel over it, so he called its name Rechovot (width), and said, “For now G-d has granted us ample space, and we can be fruitful in the land.” He went from there to Beer-Sheva...”
Since the Torah seems to spend so much space on actions which seem so trivial, the commentators have understood that there must be deeper significance to these events. Ramban, based on the principle that the experiences of the patriarchs are precursors of events in Jewish history, explains that the three wells represent the three Temples, the two that were destroyed, and the third Temple that will be built in the Messianic era, and which will not be destroyed. The Temple is likened to a well of water, as Jeremiah says “because they have forsaken the L-rd, the well of living waters” (17: 13). The first Temple was destroyed because of involvement with idolatry and other forbidden things, the second was destroyed because of the quarrelling between the Jews, the baseless hatred that divided them. The Third Temple will be in a time of increased borders and fruitfulness, and is therefore implied in the well named Rechovot.
It seems strange, however, that after the first two wells were lost to the herdsmen of Gerar, Yitzchak persevered and dug another well, yet after the third well which was uncontested he abandoned the place, and relocates to Beer-Sheva. If these wells represent the three Temples should he not have remained at Rechovot for a greater length of time, just as the third Temple will be the final one? The Ba’al HaTurim explains the historical significance of these wells slightly differently. He says that Esek refers to the Babylonians, who involved themselves in military conquest against the Land of Israel, Sitna refers to Haman, who plotted evil against the Jewish nation. And Rechovot corresponds to the Greeks who forbade the Jews from going to the Mikva, thus preventing them from having children. Miraculously the Jews found ways of immersing themselves in Mikvas surreptitiously, and were able to be fruitful, hence “we can be fruitful in the land”.
Rav Tzaddok HaCohen explains that these two explanations, of the Ramban and the Ba’al HaTurim are two sides of the same coin. The first well refers to the First Temple period, when the threat to the nation was from Babylon, who were engaged in a war of conquest. They were not against the Jews any more than any other nation in the region, and were simply trying to extend their borders as far as possible. The second well represents the Second Temple period, which was categorised by the hatred of Jews best symbolised by Haman. Wars were directed against Jewish rights to independence, not with a desire to take control of the Land of Israel. The third well, which according to the Ba’al HaTurim represents the Greek conquest, represents the entire period of Jewish history from the time of the Greeks, through the destruction of the Temple by the Romans, to our present situation. The Greeks did not try to kill the Jews physically, or even deny them vestiges of self-rule. Their goal was to try and destroy the spirituality and religion of the Jews. This was the approach taken by the herdsmen of Gerar with the final well, watching as Yitzchak and his men dug it, and perhaps even offering assistance. However, Yitzchak realised that this situation was even more dangerous than the former two. When nations attempt to destroy the Jewish nation there is usually very little that we as Jews can do. We can only persevere and pray that things will get better. However when the nations try to welcome the Jews that can be even more dangerous. For Yitzchak the only option was to leave there, and return to Beer-Sheva, a city founded by his father and a bastion of the ideals that Avraham had brought into the world.
“Yitzchak dug anew the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Avraham his father and the Philistines had stopped up after Avraham’s death; and he called them by the same names that his father had called them. Yitzchak’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of fresh water. The herdsmen of Gerar quarrelled with Yitzchak’s herdsmen saying. “The water is ours,” so he called the name of that well Esek (involvement), because they involved themselves with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarrelled over that also; so he called its name Sitnah (quarrel). He relocated from there and dug another well; they did not quarrel over it, so he called its name Rechovot (width), and said, “For now G-d has granted us ample space, and we can be fruitful in the land.” He went from there to Beer-Sheva...”
Since the Torah seems to spend so much space on actions which seem so trivial, the commentators have understood that there must be deeper significance to these events. Ramban, based on the principle that the experiences of the patriarchs are precursors of events in Jewish history, explains that the three wells represent the three Temples, the two that were destroyed, and the third Temple that will be built in the Messianic era, and which will not be destroyed. The Temple is likened to a well of water, as Jeremiah says “because they have forsaken the L-rd, the well of living waters” (17: 13). The first Temple was destroyed because of involvement with idolatry and other forbidden things, the second was destroyed because of the quarrelling between the Jews, the baseless hatred that divided them. The Third Temple will be in a time of increased borders and fruitfulness, and is therefore implied in the well named Rechovot.
It seems strange, however, that after the first two wells were lost to the herdsmen of Gerar, Yitzchak persevered and dug another well, yet after the third well which was uncontested he abandoned the place, and relocates to Beer-Sheva. If these wells represent the three Temples should he not have remained at Rechovot for a greater length of time, just as the third Temple will be the final one? The Ba’al HaTurim explains the historical significance of these wells slightly differently. He says that Esek refers to the Babylonians, who involved themselves in military conquest against the Land of Israel, Sitna refers to Haman, who plotted evil against the Jewish nation. And Rechovot corresponds to the Greeks who forbade the Jews from going to the Mikva, thus preventing them from having children. Miraculously the Jews found ways of immersing themselves in Mikvas surreptitiously, and were able to be fruitful, hence “we can be fruitful in the land”.
Rav Tzaddok HaCohen explains that these two explanations, of the Ramban and the Ba’al HaTurim are two sides of the same coin. The first well refers to the First Temple period, when the threat to the nation was from Babylon, who were engaged in a war of conquest. They were not against the Jews any more than any other nation in the region, and were simply trying to extend their borders as far as possible. The second well represents the Second Temple period, which was categorised by the hatred of Jews best symbolised by Haman. Wars were directed against Jewish rights to independence, not with a desire to take control of the Land of Israel. The third well, which according to the Ba’al HaTurim represents the Greek conquest, represents the entire period of Jewish history from the time of the Greeks, through the destruction of the Temple by the Romans, to our present situation. The Greeks did not try to kill the Jews physically, or even deny them vestiges of self-rule. Their goal was to try and destroy the spirituality and religion of the Jews. This was the approach taken by the herdsmen of Gerar with the final well, watching as Yitzchak and his men dug it, and perhaps even offering assistance. However, Yitzchak realised that this situation was even more dangerous than the former two. When nations attempt to destroy the Jewish nation there is usually very little that we as Jews can do. We can only persevere and pray that things will get better. However when the nations try to welcome the Jews that can be even more dangerous. For Yitzchak the only option was to leave there, and return to Beer-Sheva, a city founded by his father and a bastion of the ideals that Avraham had brought into the world.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Parshat Toledot 2
“G-d formed from the earth every beast of the field and every bird of the sky and brought them to Adam to see what he would call each one; and whatever Adam called each living creature, that remained its name” (Genesis 2: 19). We see from here the importance of names. A person’s Hebrew name is not mere coincidence, but is has an influence over their character traits, and shows us the potential within that person. The Hebrew word for “name” is Shem, which is related to the word Sham meaning “there”. How much more important to understanding the character of a person is a name given in the Torah, where every word has many layers of hidden meaning.
Esav (Esau) is born at the beginning of this week’s Torah reading. But his name appears to be a description of what he looked like as a baby, rather than a key to understanding his personality. “The first one emerged red, entirely like a hairy mantle; so they called him Esav” (ibid. 25; 25). Rashi explains that the word Esav is from the word Assui (made), because when Esav emerged from the womb he was covered in hair like an adult. This seems a strange reason for a name. All babies when they are born look like either aliens or Winston Churchill, yet very few are named E.T. or Winston.
Equally perplexing is the other name which Esav receives later in life, Edom (Red). This name is not a consequence of his ruddy appearance, but rather because he sold his birthright for a pot of red stew (ibid. 30). Why is the colour of Esav’s lunch the most appropriate description of who he really is?
The fact that Esav was born “fully made” gives us an insight into his attitude to the world. Adam and Eve were created after everything else was already formed, in order that they should enter into a “made” world, where they would not lack for anything. They had the potential to take the finished world, and elevate to a higher plane through their actions. However, through sinning, they plunged the world into imperfection, and forced their descendants to have to work to survive.
Similarly Esav was given everything when he was born. He was complete, and should have used that perfection as a building base to strive for even greater spiritual heights. To do this he needed to appreciate the world into which he was born, and recognise his debt of gratitude to G-d. However when he returns home exhausted, he tells Ya’akov that he doesn’t even want to know what he is eating “Pour into me now some of that red stuff”. He doesn't want to eat and enjoy the food, but just to have it poured into him. And the only thing he sees in the food is its colour.
Instead of perceiving the physical world as a tool to reach spiritual perfection, he thinks that this world is the totality of reality. He sees no use for the birthright, because he is finite, “I am going to die”. Therefore he is labelled with the derogatory name “Edom”, which not only means red, but is also related to Adam, the first man who also spurned the gifts that G-d had given him in this world.
Just as Adam forfeited his right to remain in the Garden of Eden, so too Esav gave up his birthright, the heritage of Avraham and Yitzchak. In place of the quest for spiritual perfection Esav sees only the material finite world, and despairs. However, by spurning the birthright he also gives up his share in the world to come, in the unbounded paradise that remains stored away for the righteous. He only sees only the physicality of the world, and that he is going to die, but ignores the spiritual elements of life, and the future rewards that they can bring.
Esav (Esau) is born at the beginning of this week’s Torah reading. But his name appears to be a description of what he looked like as a baby, rather than a key to understanding his personality. “The first one emerged red, entirely like a hairy mantle; so they called him Esav” (ibid. 25; 25). Rashi explains that the word Esav is from the word Assui (made), because when Esav emerged from the womb he was covered in hair like an adult. This seems a strange reason for a name. All babies when they are born look like either aliens or Winston Churchill, yet very few are named E.T. or Winston.
Equally perplexing is the other name which Esav receives later in life, Edom (Red). This name is not a consequence of his ruddy appearance, but rather because he sold his birthright for a pot of red stew (ibid. 30). Why is the colour of Esav’s lunch the most appropriate description of who he really is?
The fact that Esav was born “fully made” gives us an insight into his attitude to the world. Adam and Eve were created after everything else was already formed, in order that they should enter into a “made” world, where they would not lack for anything. They had the potential to take the finished world, and elevate to a higher plane through their actions. However, through sinning, they plunged the world into imperfection, and forced their descendants to have to work to survive.
Similarly Esav was given everything when he was born. He was complete, and should have used that perfection as a building base to strive for even greater spiritual heights. To do this he needed to appreciate the world into which he was born, and recognise his debt of gratitude to G-d. However when he returns home exhausted, he tells Ya’akov that he doesn’t even want to know what he is eating “Pour into me now some of that red stuff”. He doesn't want to eat and enjoy the food, but just to have it poured into him. And the only thing he sees in the food is its colour.
Instead of perceiving the physical world as a tool to reach spiritual perfection, he thinks that this world is the totality of reality. He sees no use for the birthright, because he is finite, “I am going to die”. Therefore he is labelled with the derogatory name “Edom”, which not only means red, but is also related to Adam, the first man who also spurned the gifts that G-d had given him in this world.
Just as Adam forfeited his right to remain in the Garden of Eden, so too Esav gave up his birthright, the heritage of Avraham and Yitzchak. In place of the quest for spiritual perfection Esav sees only the material finite world, and despairs. However, by spurning the birthright he also gives up his share in the world to come, in the unbounded paradise that remains stored away for the righteous. He only sees only the physicality of the world, and that he is going to die, but ignores the spiritual elements of life, and the future rewards that they can bring.
Parshat Toledot 1
The episode of Ya’akov “stealing” the blessings from his father Yitzchak is one of the most misunderstood incidents in the Torah. How could Ya’akov, who is the summit of the three patriarchs, the pillars upon which our religion rests, stoop to the deceit and dishonesty of cheating his own brother out of his blessings. Also, we must ask, how can anyone steal a blessing? A blessing is an expression of potential, showing someone their strengths and weaknesses, therefore it is impossible to “steal” someone else’s blessing. (For example, one could never turn a potato into an apple by reciting a different blessing over it.) And how could Yitzchak be so blind to Esav’s behaviour, that he didn’t realise which of his sons most deserved the blessings? Finally, if Rivka could see the truth, and had received prophecy stating that Esav would be subservient to Ya’akov, why didn’t she simply explain to Yitzchak that he was making a mistake, as Sarah had told Avraham when she knew he was wrong about Yishmael?
If we look closer at the text, we find that Yitzchak didn’t make as big a mistake as we may have thought. After he has blessed Ya’akov, thinking that he was Esav, and Esav himself comes in, Esav asks “Have you not reserved a blessing for me1?” Yitzchak explains that he has already given away the blessings, and none remain. Yet when Ya’akov leaves, to flee from Esav and to find a wife, Yitzchak summons him and blesses him2. In fact this is the “Abrahamic” blessing, that includes being fruitful, and the promise of the land of Israel. So Yitzchak obviously knew where the spiritual continuation of the nation lay. In contrast, the blessings that he had intended to give Esav are all material, the dew of the heaven, the fat of the land, corn and wine, subjugation of other nations, etc.
The Torah describes Esav as “A cunning hunter, a man of the field”, whereas Ya’akov is “A quiet man, dwelling in tents”3. Yitzchak understood the different natures of his two sons, and envisioned a partnership between them; Esav would be responsible for supplying the physical needs of his brother, and leave Ya’akov to devote himself totally to study and spirituality. (We find a similar arrangement between two of the sons of Ya’akov, whereby Yissachar was involved in commerce, and supported his brother Zevulun in his full time Torah study. This way they could each maximise their potential, and share in the rewards.) However, Yitzchak had underestimated the extent to which Esav was involved in the material world. He was totally immersed in the “survival of the fittest” of the physical, that even human life ceased to have any importance for him. Rivka, having grown up in Padan Aram surrounded by this materialistic mentality, was able to recognise the truth of who her eldest son was.
However this would not per se qualify Ya’akov for the material blessings. He had to show that he was able to survive in the “real” world, outside the confines of the tents of Torah. Rivka realised this, and therefore told Ya’akov that he must actually become Esav, if only temporarily, by impersonating his brother. Wearing Esav’s clothes is also a metaphor for taking on some of his skills and abilities. Not only that, but Ya’akov must show his ability to survive through less than ideal behaviour when necessary. In this way he was able to receive the material blessings from his father, by becoming Esav he earned his right to a share of the physical world. From this point on, the path to spiritual perfection is through revealing the G-dliness hidden in the physical, thus elevating it to the level of the Divine.
1Genesis 27: 36
2ibid. 28: 3
3ibid. 25: 27
If we look closer at the text, we find that Yitzchak didn’t make as big a mistake as we may have thought. After he has blessed Ya’akov, thinking that he was Esav, and Esav himself comes in, Esav asks “Have you not reserved a blessing for me1?” Yitzchak explains that he has already given away the blessings, and none remain. Yet when Ya’akov leaves, to flee from Esav and to find a wife, Yitzchak summons him and blesses him2. In fact this is the “Abrahamic” blessing, that includes being fruitful, and the promise of the land of Israel. So Yitzchak obviously knew where the spiritual continuation of the nation lay. In contrast, the blessings that he had intended to give Esav are all material, the dew of the heaven, the fat of the land, corn and wine, subjugation of other nations, etc.
The Torah describes Esav as “A cunning hunter, a man of the field”, whereas Ya’akov is “A quiet man, dwelling in tents”3. Yitzchak understood the different natures of his two sons, and envisioned a partnership between them; Esav would be responsible for supplying the physical needs of his brother, and leave Ya’akov to devote himself totally to study and spirituality. (We find a similar arrangement between two of the sons of Ya’akov, whereby Yissachar was involved in commerce, and supported his brother Zevulun in his full time Torah study. This way they could each maximise their potential, and share in the rewards.) However, Yitzchak had underestimated the extent to which Esav was involved in the material world. He was totally immersed in the “survival of the fittest” of the physical, that even human life ceased to have any importance for him. Rivka, having grown up in Padan Aram surrounded by this materialistic mentality, was able to recognise the truth of who her eldest son was.
However this would not per se qualify Ya’akov for the material blessings. He had to show that he was able to survive in the “real” world, outside the confines of the tents of Torah. Rivka realised this, and therefore told Ya’akov that he must actually become Esav, if only temporarily, by impersonating his brother. Wearing Esav’s clothes is also a metaphor for taking on some of his skills and abilities. Not only that, but Ya’akov must show his ability to survive through less than ideal behaviour when necessary. In this way he was able to receive the material blessings from his father, by becoming Esav he earned his right to a share of the physical world. From this point on, the path to spiritual perfection is through revealing the G-dliness hidden in the physical, thus elevating it to the level of the Divine.
1Genesis 27: 36
2ibid. 28: 3
3ibid. 25: 27
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Toledot Summary
Yitzchak (Isaac) was forty years old when he married Rivka (Rebecca). After twenty years Rivka becomes pregnant with twins. She receives a prophecy that the older son will be subservient to the younger. The eldest twin is born covered in hair, and he is called Esav (Esau) meaning fully made. The second son is clutching the heel of his brother and therefore he is called Ya'akov (Jacob) derived from Ekev, heel. Esav becomes a hunter, while Ya'akov remains a quiet tent dweller. Yitzchak loves Esav, whereas Rivka favours Ya'akov. Esav gives up his rights as firstborn to Ya'akov in exchange for lentil stew, thus showing contempt for his birthright.
There is a famine in Israel and Yitzchak and Rivka go to Gerar. They claim that they are brother and sister, but Avimelech the king sees them involved in intimacy and realises that they are husband and wife. He decrees that any of his subjects who harm them will be killed. Yitzhak is very successful in his agricultural endeavours, and is therefore forced to leave Gerar because of the jealousy of the residents. He redigs the wells that Avraham had dug, but which had subsequently been covered over by the Plishtim. When he returns to Beer Sheva, G-d appears to him and confers upon him the blessing that He had previously given to Avraham. Avimelech approaches Yitzchak and they sign a non-belligerence pact.
At the age of forty, Esav marries Yehudis and Bosmas, which causes bitterness to Yitzchak and Rivka. As Yitzchak approaches old age, he tells Esav to bring him a meal, in order that he may bless his son before his death. Rivka overhears and, based on the prophecy she had before her sons were born, instructs Ya'akov to impersonate his brother so that he should receive this blessing in Esav's stead. Yitzchak perceives that the hands are the hands of Esav, but the voice is the voice of Ya'akov. He blesses him with material prosperity and power. As Ya'akov leaves, Esav enters with the meal he has prepared. Yitzchak realises what has happened and confirms his blessings to Ya'akov. He tells Esav that he has no further blessing that he can give, but informs him that if Ya'akov rebels against G-d, Esav will be able to throw off his brother's yoke and gain the upper hand. Esav hates Ya'akov and plans to kill him after their father's death. Rivka suggests to Yitzchak that they send Ya'akov away to Lavan, her brother, to find a wife. Before he departs, Yitzchak bestows upon Ya'akov the blessing that G-d had given both to him and to Avraham. Ya'akov leaves for Padan Aram. Esav marries a third wife, Machalas bas Yishmael, granddaughter of Avraham
There is a famine in Israel and Yitzchak and Rivka go to Gerar. They claim that they are brother and sister, but Avimelech the king sees them involved in intimacy and realises that they are husband and wife. He decrees that any of his subjects who harm them will be killed. Yitzhak is very successful in his agricultural endeavours, and is therefore forced to leave Gerar because of the jealousy of the residents. He redigs the wells that Avraham had dug, but which had subsequently been covered over by the Plishtim. When he returns to Beer Sheva, G-d appears to him and confers upon him the blessing that He had previously given to Avraham. Avimelech approaches Yitzchak and they sign a non-belligerence pact.
At the age of forty, Esav marries Yehudis and Bosmas, which causes bitterness to Yitzchak and Rivka. As Yitzchak approaches old age, he tells Esav to bring him a meal, in order that he may bless his son before his death. Rivka overhears and, based on the prophecy she had before her sons were born, instructs Ya'akov to impersonate his brother so that he should receive this blessing in Esav's stead. Yitzchak perceives that the hands are the hands of Esav, but the voice is the voice of Ya'akov. He blesses him with material prosperity and power. As Ya'akov leaves, Esav enters with the meal he has prepared. Yitzchak realises what has happened and confirms his blessings to Ya'akov. He tells Esav that he has no further blessing that he can give, but informs him that if Ya'akov rebels against G-d, Esav will be able to throw off his brother's yoke and gain the upper hand. Esav hates Ya'akov and plans to kill him after their father's death. Rivka suggests to Yitzchak that they send Ya'akov away to Lavan, her brother, to find a wife. Before he departs, Yitzchak bestows upon Ya'akov the blessing that G-d had given both to him and to Avraham. Ya'akov leaves for Padan Aram. Esav marries a third wife, Machalas bas Yishmael, granddaughter of Avraham
Toledot Summary
Yitzchak (Isaac) was forty years old when he married Rivka (Rebecca). After twenty years Rivka becomes pregnant with twins. She receives a prophecy that the older son will be subservient to the younger. The eldest twin is born covered in hair, and he is called Esav (Esau) meaning fully made. The second son is clutching the heel of his brother and therefore he is called Ya'akov (Jacob) derived from Ekev, heel. Esav becomes a hunter, while Ya'akov remains a quiet tent dweller. Yitzchak loves Esav, whereas Rivka favours Ya'akov. Esav gives up his rights as firstborn to Ya'akov in exchange for lentil stew, thus showing contempt for his birthright.
There is a famine in Israel and Yitzchak and Rivka go to Gerar. They claim that they are brother and sister, but Avimelech the king sees them involved in intimacy and realises that they are husband and wife. He decrees that any of his subjects who harm them will be killed. Yitzhak is very successful in his agricultural endeavours, and is therefore forced to leave Gerar because of the jealousy of the residents. He redigs the wells that Avraham had dug, but which had subsequently been covered over by the Plishtim. When he returns to Beer Sheva, G-d appears to him and confers upon him the blessing that He had previously given to Avraham. Avimelech approaches Yitzchak and they sign a non-belligerence pact.
At the age of forty, Esav marries Yehudis and Bosmas, which causes bitterness to Yitzchak and Rivka. As Yitzchak approaches old age, he tells Esav to bring him a meal, in order that he may bless his son before his death. Rivka overhears and, based on the prophecy she had before her sons were born, instructs Ya'akov to impersonate his brother so that he should receive this blessing in Esav's stead. Yitzchak perceives that the hands are the hands of Esav, but the voice is the voice of Ya'akov. He blesses him with material prosperity and power. As Ya'akov leaves, Esav enters with the meal he has prepared. Yitzchak realises what has happened and confirms his blessings to Ya'akov. He tells Esav that he has no further blessing that he can give, but informs him that if Ya'akov rebels against G-d, Esav will be able to throw off his brother's yoke and gain the upper hand. Esav hates Ya'akov and plans to kill him after their father's death. Rivka suggests to Yitzchak that they send Ya'akov away to Lavan, her brother, to find a wife. Before he departs, Yitzchak bestows upon Ya'akov the blessing that G-d had given both to him and to Avraham. Ya'akov leaves for Padan Aram. Esav marries a third wife, Machalas bas Yishmael, granddaughter of Avraham
There is a famine in Israel and Yitzchak and Rivka go to Gerar. They claim that they are brother and sister, but Avimelech the king sees them involved in intimacy and realises that they are husband and wife. He decrees that any of his subjects who harm them will be killed. Yitzhak is very successful in his agricultural endeavours, and is therefore forced to leave Gerar because of the jealousy of the residents. He redigs the wells that Avraham had dug, but which had subsequently been covered over by the Plishtim. When he returns to Beer Sheva, G-d appears to him and confers upon him the blessing that He had previously given to Avraham. Avimelech approaches Yitzchak and they sign a non-belligerence pact.
At the age of forty, Esav marries Yehudis and Bosmas, which causes bitterness to Yitzchak and Rivka. As Yitzchak approaches old age, he tells Esav to bring him a meal, in order that he may bless his son before his death. Rivka overhears and, based on the prophecy she had before her sons were born, instructs Ya'akov to impersonate his brother so that he should receive this blessing in Esav's stead. Yitzchak perceives that the hands are the hands of Esav, but the voice is the voice of Ya'akov. He blesses him with material prosperity and power. As Ya'akov leaves, Esav enters with the meal he has prepared. Yitzchak realises what has happened and confirms his blessings to Ya'akov. He tells Esav that he has no further blessing that he can give, but informs him that if Ya'akov rebels against G-d, Esav will be able to throw off his brother's yoke and gain the upper hand. Esav hates Ya'akov and plans to kill him after their father's death. Rivka suggests to Yitzchak that they send Ya'akov away to Lavan, her brother, to find a wife. Before he departs, Yitzchak bestows upon Ya'akov the blessing that G-d had given both to him and to Avraham. Ya'akov leaves for Padan Aram. Esav marries a third wife, Machalas bas Yishmael, granddaughter of Avraham
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