Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
 
Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman zatzal (1874–1941) was one of the greatest disciples of the saintly Chafetz Chaim zatzal (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan, 1838-1933). In his eulogy for his beloved rebbe, he explained that the Chafetz Chaim at first wanted to change the world, then lowered his expectations to his community. After then directing his efforts toward his family, he finally settled upon changing himself. According to Rav Wasserman, the Chafetz Chaim was so humble, he failed to realize that his self-transformation ultimately did change his family, community and the entire world.
 
Our parasha contains a similar narrative of change regarding Moshe Rabbeinu. As the Torah attests, his youth was spent as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter and, according to Rashi, the head of Pharaoh’s household. (2:1) Most people in this situation would have embraced their opulent conditions and rejected their enslaved family of origin. Moshe, however, acted very differently. Although the Torah remains completely silent regarding the inner workings of his mind during this period, it is clear Moshe maintained a strong connection to his Jewish origins:

Now it came to pass in those days that Moshe grew up and went out to his brothers and looked at their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man of his brothers. He turned this way and that way, and he saw that there was no man; so he struck the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. (Sefer Shemot 2:11-12, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Why did Moshe rescue his fellow Jew? Like any nobleman of his time, he could easily have ignored this all-too-common violence. Then, too, the very next day he again left the palace to continue to look after the welfare of his fellow Jews. When he discovered Datan and Aviram (Rashi 2:13) in the midst of a heated argument that threatened physical violence, Moshe immediately asked them to refrain from striking one another. Unfortunately, they rejected his intervention, and their harsh rebuke revealed to Moshe that his actions against the Egyptian taskmaster had become public knowledge:

He [Moshe] went out on the second day, and behold, two Hebrew men were quarreling, and he said to the wicked one, “Why are you going to strike your friend?” And he retorted, “Who made you a man, a prince, and a judge over us? Do you plan to slay me as you have slain the Egyptian?” Moshe became frightened and said, “Indeed, the matter has become known!” (2:13-14)
 
Moshe immediately fled Egypt and sought asylum in Midian, a wise plan, since when “Pharaoh heard of this inciden,t he sought to slay Moshe.” (2:15)  In sum, Moshe risked everything by identifying with, and defending his brethren.
 
Once in Midian, Moshe’s focus on justice and righteousness expanded to include the needs of non-Jews:
​
… so Moshe fled from before Pharaoh. He stayed in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well. Now the chief of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew [water], and they filled the troughs to water their father's flocks. But the shepherds came and drove them away; so Moshe arose and rescued them and watered their flocks. (2:15-16)
 
At this point in in the narrative of Moshe’s life, we see him undertaking several crucial steps toward becoming a consummate leader. First, he refused to be corrupted by the life he had led as a palace prince. Next, he grew in his love of his fellow Jews to the extent that he placed his own life in danger. Lastly, in a true test of moral rectitude, he actualized his desire for universal justice and fought to protect the non-Jewish daughters of the chief of Midian. With righteousness, conviction of purpose, and singular bravery, Moshe became a true representative of the Master of the Universe. Little wonder, then, that the Almighty chose him to be the leader of our nascent nation.
 
With Hashem’s help, may we strive to emulate Moshe Rabbeinu and bring forth positive changes in ourselves, our nation, and ultimately, our world. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
 
Parashat Vayechi is the final sidrah in Sefer Bereishit and the bridge to Sefer Shemot. Until the time of this narrative, our forebears were a small family comprised of 12 tribes. Yet, within the first chapter of Sefer Shemot, Pharaoh utilizes fear-mongering and rabble-rousing rhetoric in his proclamation to his nation:

… “Behold, Am B’nai Yisrael — the people of the children of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we are. Get ready, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they increase, and a war befall us, and they join our enemies and wage war against us and depart from the land.” (1:9-10, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Suddenly, we have become an am, a people and a recognized “nation within a nation” that, in Pharaoh’s twisted and hate-filled mind, threatens the very being of the Egyptian people.
 
I believe that Ya’akov Avinu was well aware that his family of 70 individuals was destined to become an am: “…Hayasfu—Gather and I will tell you what will happen to you at the end of days. Hekabtzu—Join together and listen, sons of Ya’akov, and listen to Yisrael, your father.” (Sefer Bereishit 49:1-2, with my emendations)  While hayasfu and hekabtzu have slightly different meanings, both suggest the idea of banding together into a singular entity—in this case, the Jewish people.
 
What is the essence of Am Yisrael? What makes us a unique nation? How, against all the “laws of history,” have we managed to not only survive, but to thrive? These are questions to which my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993) returned time and time again. During some of the darkest days of the Holocaust, the Rav penned, “U’vikashtem Misham--And from There You Shall Seek,” his most personally beloved theological work. Therein, he identifies and analyzes the idea of Knesset Yisrael:
​
Knesset Yisrael—the Community of Israel—its definition: the inextricable connection between the first and last generations of prophet and listener, of Torah scholar and student, of the Revelation of G-d’s Divine Presence in the earliest lights of dawn, and the eschatological vision on that day to come. (Translation my own)
 
At first blush, one might imagine that Knesset Yisrael is a homogeneous entity that is linked together by like-minded people and universally agreed upon concepts and patterns of thought. Yet, in his analysis of the term, “hekabtzu—join together,” the Rav Soloveitchik presents an entirely different notion that helps account for the continuation and greatness of Knesset Yisrael: “Jacob here [in his blessings to his sons] expresses the essence of Knesses Yisrael. According to Nachmanides, Knesses Yisrael connotes a community of contradictory, mutually exclusive ideas and people. … [with] many traits of character.” (Public lecture, Boston, 1979, cited in, Chumash Mesoras HaRav, Sefer Bereishis, page 357)
 
I believe that Ya’akov Avinu profoundly understood this constitutive aspect of the Jewish people, as demonstrated by his differentiated brachot to each of his sons. In a very real sense, his brachot represented the key to the Jewish future in which our many differences would become a dynamic source of strength, enabling us to survive the seemingly endless trials and tribulations of our storied history.
 
May the Master of the Universe ever encourage us to embrace our myriad differences so that we may join together and proclaim as one, “Am Yisrael chai!” V’chane yihi ratzon.
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

​Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Our parasha begins with the dramatic encounter between Yehudah and Yosef: “Vayigash aluv--then Yehudah approached him [Yosef]...” These simple words conceal far more than they reveal. Yehudah is the spokesman for his family; Yosef is the second-in-command of Egypt, the most powerful nation in the world. As we know, this asymmetrical power dynamic undergoes a radical shift in succeeding millennia of Jewish history when Yehudah’s descendants, rather than Yosef’s, become the kings of Israel.
 
My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, notes that “Joseph wanted to be king, to combine political and economic power with spiritual leadership. He dreamt of sheaves and he also dreamt of stars.” In contrast, “Judah was not a dreamer. Yet, apparently there was something in his personality which commanded respect and obedience…And now Judah is in the forefront; he is the one who argues with Joseph…He was a very strong and powerful personality who radiated authority.” (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Vision and Leadership: Reflections on Joseph and Moses, David Shatz, Joel B. Wolowelsky, and Reuven Ziegler editors, page 40)
 
Why did Hashem choose Yehudah instead of Yosef to lead the Jewish people? In order to answer this question, the Rav analyzes the dual nature of the covenantal community (the Jewish people), and the differences that obtained between Leah and Rachel:

The covenantal community that God established with Abraham displayed two characteristic moral streaks, two tendencies which prima facie are contradictory and mutually exclusive. First, the covenantal community does not shrink from power…Without power one cannot be majestic and dignified. Majesty and dignity are not sinful, they are moral virtues.
 
The pursuit of power in the service of majesty and dignity is counterbalanced by the second constitutive element of the covenantal community, namely, sacrificial action:

…the covenantal community displays another trait as well: sacrificial action, the ability to give away and to renounce basic inalienable rights for the sake of a great vision, an ideal, or for the benefit of another human being or community…Covenantal man knows when to act like a warrior—majestic, dignified and proud—and when to part with everything he has. (Pages 41-42)
 
According to the Rav, these two essential qualities were exemplified by Leah and Rachel:

Leah and Rachel were not merely people. Leah was the personification of middat ha-gevurah, of dignity and majesty…She symbolized the strength of Jewish character and the unshakable will of the Jew throughout the ages and millennia. It is because of that persistence, that stubbornness and tenacity, that we still remain a living people after thirty-five hundred years of persecution and massacres. (Page 43)
 
In stark contrast, Rachel epitomized great sacrificial action:

Rachel is the opposite of Leah. She is the tragic heroine who lives for others and not for herself. She gave up her most precious possessions and her elementary rights in order to make it possible for others to find the happiness denied them…She helped her sister take Jacob away from herself. She brushed aside all her own hopes and cherished wishes because her sister was also entitled to the same happiness which Providence had showered upon her, but denied to her sister. (Page 44)
 
As is the Rav’s wont, Leah and Rachel are presented as archetypes. Within this conceptual construct, Leah is gevurah (power) and Rachel is tzimtzum (withdrawal) and sacrificial action. Moreover, each mother endows their respective sons (in this instance, Yehudah and Yosef) with their most powerful personality trait: “Leah represented gevurah, and Judah was a son of Leah. Judah’s personality radiated power, authority, and prestige…Judah is self-asserting, valiant, and fearless; he personifies dignity and majesty.” In contradistinction:

Joseph was the son of Rachel, to whom was assigned a mission to sacrifice, to retreat from positions won with blood and tears…He retreated many times, thus sacrificing himself, but his real sacrifice was the way he treated his brothers when they were at his mercy: “Be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here.” (Sefer Bereishit 45:5)  He was not the least bit vindictive.
 
How could Yosef, the second most powerful person of his time, nullify himself in such a manner before his brothers? As the Rav explains:

Only a son of Rachel could have done that. Only the son of Rachel, who had sacrificed her love for Leah’s sake, could down-grade his own self and offer friendship and kindness to his brothers who were responsible for all the misery and agony he had experienced. Joseph was the representative of hesed (kindness) and kedushah (holiness; page 45).
 
We are now ready to ask our question once again, “Why did Hashem choose Yehudah over Yosef to lead the Jewish people?” The Rav suggests this response:
​
Who then should be the king: the representative of gevurah or the representative of hesed and kedushah? The problem was submitted to the Almighty, and He decided in favor of gevurah. The king is the trustee and the leader of the people; he must possess all facets of gevurah: the ability to acquire, to defend, to possess and to protect. Sacrificial life is good as far as the individual is concerned. But the king cannot be a sacrificial type at the expense of the nation. (Page 45)
 
Based upon the Rav’s trenchant analysis, we may now better understand why Hashem chose the tribe of Yehudah for kingship and, ultimately, messianic leadership. Our kings must represent the highest aspects of gevurah if they are to lead and protect. Only Yehudah and his descendants could fulfill this role.
 
May the time come soon and in our days when we will witness the return of our nation’s kingship in the person of the Mashiach and the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
This week’s haftarah contains a famous verse: “…This is the word of Hashem to Zerubbabel, saying: ‘Lo b’chayil v’lo b’koach ki im b’ruchi amar Hashem Tzivakot—Not by force and not by physical strength, but by My spirit,’ says the L-rd of Hosts.” (Sefer Zechariah 4:6, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  In some ways, it is as cryptic as it is renowned, as there is little consensus among our classic meforshim as to the content of this prophecy and its point of reference. This is particularly the case, since the preceding verse states:

And [there were] two olive trees near it [that is, the golden Menorah]; one on the right of the bowl, and one on its left. So I [Zechariah] answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel who spoke with me answered, and he said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” (4:3-5)
 
Even a cursory reading of our passage leads to the conclusion that lo b’chayil v’lo b’koach ki im b’ruchi amar Hashem Tzivakot does not answer the angel’s question posed to Zechariah regarding the mashal of the two olive trees.
 
In his collection of responsa entitled, Beit Yitzchak, Rabbi Yitzchak Yehudah Shmelkis zatzal (1827-1905) suggests that the olive trees symbolize the two inclinations within humankind, the yetzer tov (the good inclination. to the right of the Menorah) and the yetzer harah (the evil inclination, to the left of the Menorah). Moreover, in his view, the malach was really asking Zechariah, “Do you know why the Holy One blessed be He created human beings and placed within them two possible approaches [to life]and two inclinations?” To this the angel answered:

“Lo b’chayil v’lo b’koach ki im b’ruchi amar Hashem Tzivakot”—for if the Holy One blessed be He had not created the evil inclination, humankind would have been forced to perform each of their actions and there never would have been a place or an opportunity for schar—reward based upon their righteous and just [behaviors]. This, then, is the meaning of lo b’chayil v’lo b’koach, regarding all of humankind’s actions [that would have been devoid of free choice], but rather, ki im b’ruchi amar Hashem Tzivakot”—that is, solely through the G-d-endowed spirit of habechirah hachafshite —free choice—will a person plan and implement their actions… (Responsa Yoreh Deah II, Petach HaBayit, translation, brackets and underlining my own
 
Rav Shmelkis’ analysis is an exegetical tour de force. In relatively few words, he places Zechariah’s nevuah squarely in the context of one of Judaism’s most fundamental theological principles, namely, bechirah chafshite, that is the basis for the doctrine of schar v’onesh—Reward and Punishment.
 
We must always remember that while bechirah chafshite has great power, it carries with it great responsibility. In other words, it is crucial to recognize that each of our free-willed choices affects not only ourselves, but in a very real way, the entire world. Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon gave powerful voice to this idea when he declared:

Since the world is judged after the majority of its deeds, and the individual is judged after the majority of his actions, if he does one mitzvah, he should rejoice, for he has tilted the scales of justice for himself and the entire world l’kaf zechut—toward the side of merit. [Unfortunately, however,] if he does one aveirah—sin, woe unto him, for he has tilted the scales of justice for both himself and the entire world to the side of guilt. (Talmud Bavli, Kiddushin 40b, translation my own)
 
With Hashem’s help may we ever be vigilant in our exercise of bechirah chafshite and recognize the power with which it is endowed. Moreover, may we ever be counted among those who bring the entire world l’kaf zechut. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and Chanukah Sameach!
​
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.
 

Rabbi David Etengoff

​
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Parashat Vayeshev begins with the pasuk: “Ya’akov dwelt (vayeshev) in the land of his father’s sojournings (b’eretz megurei aviv), in the land of Canaan.” (Sefer Bereishit 37:1, this and all Tanach citations with my emendations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  At first glance it seems unnecessary, since the Torah previously stated: “So Rachel died, and she was buried on the road to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem…And it came to pass when Yisrael dwelt in that land…” (Sefer Bereishit 35: 19 and 22)  If so, what is our parasha’s initial verse coming to add?

A 1974 Boston public lecture by my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), helps us understand the singular import of this pasuk. He notes that “vayeshev” signifies the sense of permanent settlement: “This verse strongly emphasizes that it was Jacob’s intention at this point to attach himself to the Land of Israel.” Why was this the case? The next phrase, “b’eretz megurei aviv,” provides the answer: “The words b’eretz megurei aviv connote not merely a geographical location, but a love for the land that was both his father’s and his grandfather’s home.” (Chumash Mesoras HaRav, Sefer Bereishit 37:1, page 273) 

Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi (1075-1141) was one of the greatest exponents in Jewish history of Ahavat Tzion (Love of the Land of Israel). Little wonder, then, that his celebrated line of poetry, “libi b’mizrach v’anochi b’sof ma’arav—My heart is in the East, and I am at the edge of the West,” has come to epitomize his powerful affection for Eretz Yisrael. In so doing, he emulated the very same devotion for the land that was demonstrated by the Avot. In passage after passage of his classic sefer on Jewish thought, The Kuzari, he underscored the singular significance of Eretz Yisrael. Here is one telling example:

The Rabbi said: “Eretz Yisrael was established to rectify the entire world…Avraham himself was designated for cleaving to Divinity and for making a covenant with Hashem only after he was living in the land at the time of the Brit Bein HaBetarim (Covenant of the Pieces). How much more then, when discussing the entire chosen nation, were they worthy of being called the ‘Am Hashem Aleh—These are the People of Hashem’ (Sefer Yechezkel 36:20) only when they were living in the specially designated land called the ‘nachalat Hashem—the heritage of Hashem.’” (Sefer Shmuel I:26:19)  (The Kuzari, translation with my emendations, Rabbi N. Daniel Korobkin, page 163, underlining my own)
 
May all of klal Yisrael soon be zocheh (merit) to once again live in nachalat Hashem as “Am Hashem Aleh.” As we wistfully say in the weekly Shemoneh Esrei: “Sound the great shofar for our freedom, raise the banner to gather our exiles and gather us together from the four corners of the earth. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who gathers in the dispersed of His people Israel.” (Translation, The Complete ArtScroll Siddur, page 106)  V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
​
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

Rabbi David Etengoff


ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Our parasha contains one of the most dramatic moments in Tanach: the encounter of Ya’akov and Eisav. It begins with a well-known pasuk: “Ya’akov lifted his eyes and saw, and behold (vayisa Ya’akov ainav va’yare v’hena), Eisav was coming, and with him were four hundred men…” (Sefer Bereishit 33:1, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach). This is not the first time we have encountered the phrase “vayisa ainav va’yare v’hena.” Regarding Avraham Avinu, the second pasuk of Parashat Vayera states: “Vayisa ainav va’yare v’hena three men were standing beside him, and he saw, and he ran toward them from the entrance of the tent, and he prostrated himself to the ground.” (18:2)  In addition, one of the concluding verses of the Akeidah reads: “Vayisa Avraham et ainav va’yare v’hena there was a ram, [and] after [that] it was caught in a tree by its horns…” (22:13)  Perhaps no better example of the midrashically-inspired phrase, “ma’aseh avot siman l’banim—the actions of the fathers foreshadow those of their children,” can be found in Tanach.  
 
Midrash Tanchuma (Warsaw, Parashat Vayeshev 6) suggests that in addition to the Avot looking up and seeing the scenes before them, this action raised them to a higher level: “atah motzai sh’hatzaddikim mitrommanin b’ayneihem—you find that the righteous ones were raised up through their eyes.” (Translation my own)  In my estimation, this higher level refers to the pursuit of the holy; by looking upward, the Avot were able to connect to Hashem in a new and powerful manner. As such, vayisa ainav va’yare foreshadows Dovid HaMelech’s stirring words in Tehillim 121, 1-2: “Easa ainei el heharim ma’ayin yavo ezri--I shall raise my eyes to the mountains, from where will my help come? My help is from Hashem, the Maker of heaven and earth.” In his Commentary on Sefer Tehillim, the Rashbam (1085-1158) explains that the phrase, “to the mountains,” connotes “heavenward,” that is toward, “the Maker of heaven and earth.”
 
May we ever join the Avot, Dovid HaMelech, and countless other tzaddikim in casting our eyes heavenward, for there, and there alone, will we find true salvation. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
​
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

Rabbi David Etengoff


ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The name “Be’er Sheva” appears nine times in Sefer Bereishit and is found in the opening verse of our parasha: “And Ya’akov left Be’er Sheva and went to Haran.” (28:10) The nine-fold recurrence of Be’er Sheva suggests that it was a sacred place during the time of the Avot. Little wonder then that Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov each lived in Be’er Sheva at different points in their lives.
 
My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” to his students and disciples, expands upon Be’er Sheva’s singular significance in this manner: “Be’er Sheva was rooted in a wellspring of kedushah. It was a fulcrum for offerings to God and a conduit for the Divine Presence.” (This, and the following quotations, are from Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Darosh Darash Yosef: Discourses of Rav Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik on the Weekly Parashah,” Rabbi Avishai C. David, editor, pages 74-75) As such, this holy place was the center of pre-Sinatic Torah and prophecy, and the center of many of the beliefs and practices associated with Judaism until our present day.
 
Now that we are familiar with ancient Be’er Sheva’s striking spiritual standing, we can better understand why the first pasuk of our parasha emphasizes “Ya’akov left Be’er Sheva,” instead of simply stating, “and Ya’akov went to Haran,” as we find in an earlier pasuk: “And Ya’akov listened to his father and his mother, and he went to Padan Aram [that is, Haran].” (28:7)  As the Rav explains: “And Ya’akov left Be’er Sheva, denotes that Ya’akov was severed somehow from Be’er Sheva… uprooted by forces beyond his control, compelled to leave a place he loved… a place to which he had become bonded.” Moreover, “Ya’akov and Be’er Sheva had merged into one symbiotic entity, and now Ya’akov had to leave… and wander.”
 
What was the nature of the symbiotic relationship that obtained between Ya’akov and Be’er Sheva? In the Rav’s view:

Be’er Sheva… was the first home of the covenantal community, the center of spiritual life for the adherents of Abraham’s teaching. When Jacob left Be’er Sheva, he pulled away from this spiritual center. Perhaps he was frightened that if he left the home of his father and grandfather and the center of their teaching, he would also lose his role as leader and teacher of the covenantal community.
 
Clearly, as much as Ya’akov needed Be’er Sheva, Be’er Sheva needed Ya’akov. As the Rav states in a comment based on Midrash Rabbah, Bereishit (68:6): “…when Jacob left, Be’er Sheva lost its glory. Once Jacob had gone, Be’er Sheva resembled Mount Sinai when the shofar sounded, and the sanctity of the mount dissipated.” Therefore, according to Rav Soloveitchik, Ya’akov’s departure from Be’er Sheva had a two-fold effect: it created fear and anxiety in his psyche as to whether or not he would continue to be the “leader and teacher of the covenantal community,” and it diminished Be’er Sheva’s kedushah forevermore. Based upon Hashem’s chesed, however, its kedushah was not lost for all time, and instead “found its home in the place that Ya’akov encountered on his journey from Be’er Sheva: the holy city of Jerusalem.”

Armed with the Rav’s penetrating analysis, “and Ya’akov left Be’er Sheva” takes on new meaning, for Ya’akov did far more than physically leave Be’er Sheva, for without Ya’akov, Be’er Sheva became just one more place on the map of ancient Israel, ceasing to be the spiritual center of our people.

With Hashem’s help, may we be zocheh to witness the coming of Mashiach and the kedushah of the rebuilt Beit HaMikdash in Yerushalayim soon, and in our time. V’chane yihi ratzon.
​
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Yitzchak Avinu was presented in our parasha with the existential threat of a powerful famine. Like Avraham Avinu, he desired to travel to Egypt in order to protect his family’s future. This time, however, Hashem revealed himself to Yitzchak and commanded him to remain in Eretz Yisrael: “And Hashem appeared to him, and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land that I will tell you.’” (Sefer Bereishit 26:2, this and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) In addition, Hashem declared that Yitzchak would have numerous offspring and the covenant made with Avraham would be fulfilled through him:

Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and I will bless you, for to you and to your children will I give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Avraham, your father. And I will multiply your children like the stars of the heavens, and I will give your children all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will bless themselves by your children. (26:3-4, emendations my own)
 
The Torah almost always refrains from providing a rationale for future events. Our case, however, is different: “Because Avraham hearkened to My voice, and kept My charge (mishmarti), My commandments (mitzvotai), My statutes (chuchotai), and My instructions (torotai).” (26:5)  Rashi explains each of these terms in this manner:
​
Mishmarti: [Referring to] decrees to distance [himself] from transgressing the warnings in the Torah, that is, secondary prohibitions to prevent incest from occurring, and the Rabbinic decrees to safeguard the prohibitions of Shabbat.
 
Mitzvotai: [Referring to] things, which, had they not been written, would have been fit to be commanded, that is, [prohibitions against] robbery and bloodshed.
 
Chuchotai: [Referring to] things that the evil inclination and the nations of the world argue against, that is, [the prohibitions against] eating pork and wearing garments of wool and linen together for which no reason [is given], but [which are] the decree of the King and His statutes over His subjects.
 
Torotai: Include the Oral Law, the laws given to Moshe from Sinai.
 
Rashi’s analysis is based upon a variety of Rabbinic sources that posit Avraham fulfilled the entire Torah inclusive of Rabbinic decrees and enactments. By way of illustration:
 
Rab said: “Our father Avraham kept the entire Torah, as it is said: ‘Because Avraham hearkened to My voice [kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My instructions].’” (Sefer Bereishit 26:5) …Raba or R. Ashi said: “Avraham, our father, kept even the law concerning the eruv tavshilin as it is said: ‘My Torahs:’ one being the Written Torah, the other the Oral Torah.” (Talmud Bavli, Yoma 28b, translation, The Soncino Talmud, with my emendations to enhance clarity)
 
At this juncture we may well ask, “Why did Avraham fulfill the Torah if he was not commanded to do so?” My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, suggests this answer:

In many respects, G-d was closer to Avraham than He was to Moshe. An intangible feeling of tenderness lingers over the relationship of G-d to Avraham. There is the creative ardor, moving devotion and a lack of tension. All that G-d requests of Avraham is destined to promote the latter’s happiness and greatness. (The Emergence of Ethical Man, Michael S. Berger, page 155)
 
The Rav notes that Avraham acquired the moral law through “the mahazeh, the prophetic vision, not the royal decree [as in the case of Moshe].” Moreover, “there is no imposition of divine authority… Only a bilateral covenant, which binds both man and God, was concluded.” According to the Rav, Avraham was Hashem’s friend; as such, once Avraham received his divine prophetic visions, he did everything in his power to comply with the Almighty’s every request:

God addresses Himself to Avraham not in the commanding, authoritative tone of the Lord but in the comradely, friendly manner of a fellow wanderer. He [God] wants a covenant with him. God, as it were, is lonesome and He is anxious to find a companion. Fellowship between God and man is the motto of Avraham’s life. (154-155, all brackets and underlining my own)
 
The Rav’s analysis is a theological tour de force, teaching us that as much as we wish to encounter Hashem and draw close to Him, He too longs for the Jewish people’s embrace. In many ways, this concept is reminiscent of the first stanza of the stirring liturgical poem “Yedid Nefesh” that is often sung in Ashkenazi synagogues during Kabbalat Shabbat and at Shalosh Seudot:

Beloved of the soul (yedid nefesh), Compassionate Father, draw Your servant to Your Will, then Your servant will hurry like a hart to bow before Your majesty; to him Your friendship will be sweeter than the dripping of the honeycomb and any taste. (Translation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yedid_Nefesh#Text)
 
May we ever strive to reach out to Hashem, our Yedid Nefesh, with heartfelt tefilot and dedication to His holy Torah. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Our parasha relates the deaths of one of history’s most spiritually dynamic couples, Sarah and Avraham:

And Sarah died in Kiriath Arba, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan, and Avraham came to eulogize Sarah and to bewail her. (Sefer Bereishit 23:2)
 
And Avraham expired and died in a good old age, old and satisfied, and he was gathered to his people. (25:8, these and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
We are met with the following pasuk following Avraham’s passing: “Now it came to pass after Avraham’s death, that Elokim blessed his son (b’no) Yitzchak, and Yitzchak dwelt near Be'er Lachai Ro’i.” (25:11)  Midrash Tanchuma, Parashat Lech Lecha IV, notes that prior to Avraham’s arrival on the historical scene, G-d alone gave brachot to humankind. As proof of this assertion, the Midrash cites the cases of Adam, Chava and Noach, wherein we find: “And Elokim blessed them [Adam and Chava], and Elokim said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…’” (1:28), “And Elokim blessed Noach and his sons, and He said to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.’” (9:1) According to the Midrash, this changed at the beginning of Parashat Lech Lecha when Avraham responded to Hashem’s call:

“Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and [you shall] be a blessing (v’heyah bracha).” (Emendations my own)
 
At this juncture, our Midrash suggests that Avraham acquired the ability to bestow a bracha upon others. If this is the case, why did Elokim, rather than Avraham, bless Yitzchak in our parasha—13 chapters later? The Midrash provides this answer:

Once Yitzchak was born, Avraham very much wanted to bless him. [Unfortunately, he saw with ruach hakodesh, prophetic insight] that Eisav and Ya’akov were to come forth from Yitzchak, therefore, he refrained from blessing him. At that moment, Avraham declared: “Let the Master of the World come and bless he Whom He so desires.” (Translation and brackets my own)
 
In sum, even though Avraham was given the gift to bless others, he refrained from blessing Yitzchak, since through ruach hakodesh he knew his progeny would one day include both Eisav and Ya’akov and did not want his bracha to rest upon Eisav. As such, Avraham declared: “Let the Master of the World come and bless he Whom He so desires.” According to this interpretation, the phrase, “Elokim blessed his son (b’no) Yitzchak,” refers to Avraham as the father, and Yitzchak as his son.
 
In his Commentary on the Torah, Rabbi Moses Alshich (1508-1593) interprets our pasuk, “Now it came to pass after Avraham's death, that Elokim blessed his son (b’no) Yitzchak, and Yitzchak dwelt near Be’er Lachai Ro’i,” in a very different manner. Although Rav Alshich initially agrees with our Midrash and states that the Almighty gave Avraham the ability to bless others, he diverges by suggesting that in order to avoid blessing Yishmael in addition to Yitzchak, Avraham withheld his blessings from both his sons. Consequently, after Avraham’s passing, Yitzchak was blessed by Hashem. In addition, the Alshich HaKadosh maintains that the word “b’no” in the phrase, “Elokim blessed his son (b’no) Yitzchak,” seems superfluous, since we certainly know by now that Yitzchak was Avraham’s son. Why, then, does the Torah add the word, “b’no?” The Alshich HaKadosh offers a fascinating response to this question that offers keen insights into our relationship with the Almighty:
​
But it may well be said that it is the normal way for one who buries his father to become profoundly saddened, or his father’s shadow has departed from upon him. Yet, when he is a tzaddik (a thoroughly righteous individual), he is not afraid, for he knows he remains a son to Hashem, for He, may He be blessed, will be a father unto him, and he will be His, may He be blessed, son…[This, then is the correct interpretation of the phrase,] “Elokim blessed his son Yitzchak,” namely, that after the death of Avraham, Hashem blessed Yitzchak His son, as if He said to him, “If Avraham has departed, [do not fear,] for you are a son to Me. [Moreover,] I am your Father who exists for all eternity.” Therefore, [the Almighty] blessed him [Yitzchak] in order to strengthen his heart [and mind so he would be able to successfully continue upon his life’s journey.] (Translation, underlining and brackets my own)
 
Though few of us are tzaddikim like Yitzhak Avinu, yet we can take comfort in knowing that the Almighty declared to one and all: “You are children of Hashem, Elokachem.” (Sefer Devarim 14:1)  No matter how many trials we encounter in our lives, and no matter how dark the night may be, the dawn of Hashem’s deliverance will surely burst forth. As Ya’akov Avinu declared so long ago, “For Your salvation, I hope, Hashem!” (Sefer Bereishit 49:18)  May this time come soon and in our days, with Mashiach Tzidkanu. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

Rabbi David Etengoff

​
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Avraham Avinu’s countless acts of kindness represented chesed in action. Consequently, Elokim’s command to Avraham to bring Yitzchak Avinu as a korban olah (completely burnt sacrifice) was antithetical to his very being:

And it came to pass after these things, that Elokim tested Avraham, and He said to him, “Avraham,” and he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, Yitzchak, and go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which I will tell you.” (Sefer Bereishit 22: 1-2, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
The Torah tells us that Avraham proceeded to fulfill this directive with alacrity. Given that Avraham exemplified chesed how was this possible? My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, suggests that: “… the idea of sacrifice is a cornerstone of Judaism, and the Akedah has inevitably introduced sacrificial action as part of our historical drama.” (This and the following citations, Abraham’s Journey: Reflections on the Life of the Founding Patriarch, pages 110-11)  As such, analysis of this aspect of avodat Hashem is essential for understanding our relationship with the Almighty. For the Rav, avodat Hashem, which he terms “service awareness,” means that our entire being is under Hashem’s hegemony:
​
Man is a servant of God. He belongs completely to God—body and soul. God owns human existence at every level, physical, spiritual, and social. Every movement of our muscles is related to God. Every thought that flashes through our minds belongs to Him. Every feeling, stirring of the soul, every joyful anticipation or sad expectation is not the property of man.
 
God is the Lord of the world and the master of man. Hence, God from time to time calls upon man to return to Him whatever is His. He demands that man give not a part but the whole of himself. He requires of man to return divine property to its rightful owner.
 
This provides an important insight into Hashem’s command that Avraham bring Yitzchak as a korban olah. Avraham was returning to G-d that which was always His. As the Rav explains: “The supreme sacrifice is never too much, since G-d owns everything, and man possesses nothing. ‘The soul is Yours, and the body is Your handiwork’ (High Holy Day prayers). Total sacrifice was decreed by God when He summoned Abraham to offer Isaac on Mount Moriah.”
 
These ideas enable us to better understand how Avraham could have acceded to Elokim’s command to sacrifice Yitzchak: “God is the Lord of the world and the master of man.” This means that no matter how challenging a situation may be, we must give Hashem pride of place in our decision making and follow His holy Torah. As Dovid HaMelech said so long ago: “Shiviti Hashem l’negdi tamid--I have placed the L-rd before me constantly.” (Sefer Tehillim 16:8). V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.