"Yitro’s Transformation"

Rabbi David Etengoff

​Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, Shayna Yehudit bat Avraham Manes and Rivka, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, Shoshana Elka bat Etel Dina and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The first 12 pasukim (verses) of our parasha relate the story of Yitro’s departure from Midian in order to join Moshe and the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. The Torah initially gives Yitro three appellations: Yitro, Kohane Midian and chotane Moshe (Moshe’s father-in-law). (Sefer Shemot 18:1)  Subsequently in the narrative, however, he is no longer known as Kohane Midian and is referred to either as “Yitro” (18:9-10) or “Yitro chotane Moshe” (18:2, 5, 6 and 12)
 
Names and titles are very significant in Tanach, since they often encapsulate the very essence of the person who bears them. As such, what does “Kohane Midian” mean, and why did Yitro lose this seemingly honorific designation? In his celebrated Torah commentary, Rashi (1040-1105) suggests the following Midrashically-based explanation: “… He [Yitro] was knowledgeable about every type of idolatry in the world, and there was no pagan deity that he did not worship.” (Sefer Shemot 18:11, this and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) According to this view, Yitro, in the persona of Kohane Midian, begins our parasha as the foremost idolatrous Priest of Midian. Yet, for some reason, he abandons this role and lifestyle and transforms himself into someone else entirely, namely, Yitro chotane Moshe. What can account for this radical spiritual and existential change? We are fortunate that Chazal (our Sages of blessed memory) focus upon this problem in their explication of the first two words of our parasha, “vayishmah Yitro” (“And Yitro heard,”) when they ask, “What matter did he [Yitro] hear that caused him to come [to Moshe] and convert?” (Talmud Bavli, Zevachim 116a) Their answer informs our understanding of Yitro until the present moment:
Rabbi Yehoshua said: “He heard about the war with Amalek, for as it states in juxtaposition to Yitro’s act of hearing: ‘Joshua weakened Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.’” (Sefer Shemot 17:13) Rabbi Eliezer Hamoda’i said: “He heard about the Giving of the Torah and came [to meet Moshe and convert.] This was the case, since when the Torah was given to the Jewish people, its sound [i.e. the sound of the glory of this act] reverberated from one end of the world to the other, and all of the kings of the idol-worshipping nations were overcome with a sense of fear and trembling and broke out in a song [of praise]. As the text states: ‘The voice of the L-rd will frighten the hinds and strip the forests, and in His Temple everyone speaks of His glory.’” (Sefer Tehillim 29:9, Talmud translation and brackets my own)
 
This Talmudic passage emphasizes that Yitro heard something overwhelming - either the war with Amalek or the Giving of the Torah - that caused him to abandon polytheism, join the Jewish people and become a ger tzedek (a righteous convert). Rashi underscores this idea in his commentary on the verse, “Moses saw his father-in-law off, and he went away to his land,” wherein he states that Yitro returned to Midian, rather than stay with the Jewish people, in order “to convert the members of his family.” (18:27)
 
My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, describes Yitro’s authentic nature and response to the Giving of the Torah, as the ideal reaction the non-Jewish world should have had toward our acceptance of the Torah:

Jethro was a Gentile; he was, what might be called today, the Archbishop of Midian. He came to the Jews with an open mind. He wanted to observe for himself what the Jews had accomplished and were about to engage in. He stayed with the Jews, and was so overwhelmed by their conduct, that he renounced paganism and embraced Judaism. This is one illustration of a Gentile’s reaction to Jews and Mattan Torah (The Giving of the Torah). Chazal did not describe Jethro as one of the chasidei umot ha’olam (a saintly Gentile). Rather, they portrayed him as a decent person, whose positive reaction should have been emulated by other Gentiles who witnessed the exhibition of Mattan Torah. (Noraos HaRav, Volume V, page 81)
 
According to the Rav, when Yitro stayed with us at Mount Sinai, it was not the wonders and miracles associated with the Exodus or the Torah itself that led him to convert to Judaism. Instead, it was our conduct, the way we behaved toward one another, that convinced Yitro of the falsehood of polytheism and the truth of Judaism.
 
The Rav’s insight is reminiscent of the famous concluding pasuk (verse) in chapter three of Sefer Yonah concerning the people of Nineveh: “And G-d saw their deeds that they had repented of their evil way…” When Yonah proclaimed his prophecy to Nineveh’s citizens, “in another forty days Nineveh shall be overturned,” (3:4) they had instantly believed him because “the people of Nineveh believed in G-d.” (3:5)  Therefore, they immediately realized that there was only one way to nullify Hashem’s decree, namely to undertake a positive and comprehensive societal change that would affect everyone, from the king and his courtiers in their magnificent castles to the lowliest peasant in his ramshackle hut.
 
I believe that Yitro witnessed precisely this kind of G-d-inspired change when he stood in the midst of our nascent nation. It was then that he saw, “the leaders of your tribes, your elders and your officers, every man of Israel, your young children, your women, and your convert who is within your camp both your woodcutters and your water drawers,” (Sefer Devarim 29:9-10) serving Hashem through acts of lovingkindness toward each other. This is exactly what led Yitro to convert to Judaism, and encourage the rest of his family to join him in his spiritual journey.
 
With Hashem’s help and our fervent desire, may we live lives that serve as models to all humankind so that, as Isaiah the prophet taught us so long ago, we will be a “light unto nations” (49:6) and His “witnesses” to the entire world. (43:10) V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org/ using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

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 have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
​
*** 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
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, Shayna Yehudit bat Avraham Manes and Rivka, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka and Shoshana Elka bat Etel Dina, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
One of the outstanding sections of our Torah portion is the Shirat HaYam Suf (Song of the Sea of Reeds), the song of joy and thanks to Hashem for having miraculously saved us from Pharaoh and his hordes of chariots and soldiers. Toward the end of this unparalleled poetic hymn we find, “Hashem yimloch le’olam vo’ed.” (“The L-rd will reign to all eternity,” Sefer Shemot 15:18, all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  Many of our classic Torah commentators discuss whether our verse refers to the actual moment of salvation at the Sea of Reeds, or a yet-to-be realized period in human history when Judaism’s ultimate visions will be realized. The Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270) presents both of these approaches in his Commentary on the Torah:

This is to say that, at this time, He enabled the world to see that He is the King and the Ruler over everything, and that He is the One who saves His servants, and destroys those who rebel against Him. So, too, should it be His will before Him to act in this manner throughout all generations forevermore. [This means] that He will never withhold [the favor] of His eyes from before the righteous, nor hide His eyes from before the wicked who act in an evil manner. There are numerous verses that underscore these ideas: “The L-rd will reign forever! Your G-d, O Zion, to all generations. Halleluj-ah,” “May the name of the L-rd be blessed from now and to eternity,” “And the L-rd shall become King over all the earth; on that day shall the L-rd be one, and His name one.” (Sefer Tehillim 146:10, 113:2, Sefer Zechariah 14:9, Ramban translation and brackets my own)
 
While the Ramban essentially views our verse as a statement of both present day reality and that which will one day be, the Netziv (Rabbi Naphtali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, 1816-1893), in his work, Ha’emek Davar, opines that it is a prayer of hope that all people will one day recognize Hashem’s kingship over the entire universe:

They [i.e. the Jewish people at the Sea of Reeds] prayed that His kingship would be eternal. This means that, in the future, the whole world will recognize that He, [and He alone,] may He be blessed, is the driving force (manhig) behind the Kingship of Heaven. And this prayer will be fulfilled in the Days of the Messiah, for then Hashem will be [recognized as] King over the totality of the Cosmos. (Commentary on Sefer Shemot 15:18, translation and brackets my own)
 
My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, adopts a different, but complimentary, approach to both the Ramban and the Netziv. He interprets our verse as referring to a crucial distinction that obtains between the natural law, which has been in effect since the creation of the world, and the moral law, wherein Hashem’s sovereignty is yet to be recognized:

In one sense, G-d is the sovereign now, but in another sense, He will only be sovereign in the future. G-d’s reign expresses itself in two ways: through the natural law and the moral law. At this time, the Kingdom of G-d is to be found solely in the natural law. His primordial Will created and regulates all of creation, both organic and inorganic, intelligent beings as well as the beast. Nature behaves in accordance with regulated patterns, a behavior which attests to His absolute sovereignty. Man has no control over the laws of nature; no one can rebel against G-d in this sense, since no one can change the natural law. We therefore do not need to pray for the establishment of G-d’s sovereignty over nature. “Hashem yimloch le’olam vo’ed” denotes that G-d is currently King of the Universe. (Noraos Harav, Vol. 15, pp. 13-16)
 
Unfortunately, as the ongoing cruelty of humankind attests, there is a marked contrast between our recognition of Hashem’s sovereignty in the natural realm and the acknowledgement of His dominion over the moral law:
​
As far as the moral law is concerned, G-d’s sovereignty is not yet universally accepted… [Therefore,] this verse expresses our belief that in the future all of humanity will eventually crown Him as King of the Universe. Man will ultimately accept the moral law in the same way that he now acknowledges the natural law. (Ibid.)
 
May the time come soon and in our time when Hashem’s moral hegemony will be universally recognized, so that all people will enjoy the benefits of true and lasting peace and witness the fulfillment of Zechariah’s most celebrated vision: “The L-rd shall become King over all the earth; on that day shall the L-rd be one, and His name one.” V’chane yihi ratzon.
​
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org/ using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

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 have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd

*** 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

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, Shayna Yehudit bat Avraham Manes and Rivka, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka and Shoshana Elka bat Etel Dina, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Our parasha tells the story of the Jewish people’s departure from Egypt:

It came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, and it came to pass in that very day, that all the legions of the L-rd went out of the land of Egypt. (Sefer Shemot 12:41)
 
It came to pass on that very day, that the L-rd took the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt with their legions. (Sefer Shemot 12:51, all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
On a certain level, Chazal (Our Sages of blessed memory) were troubled by our people’s redemption from Egypt. After all, we had sunk to the 49th level of impurity (Zohar Chadash, Parashat Yitro) to the extent that the malachai hasharet (Ministering Angels) declared shortly thereafter at the Sea of Reeds: “These [the Egyptians] and these [the Jews] are idol worshippers, why, then, are you saving the Jewish people and drowning the Egyptians in the Sea [of Reeds], for in truth, there is no difference between them?!” (Midrash Tehillim 1:20, 15:5, Zohar, Parashat Terumah 170, translation my own) 

Two major midrashic sources answer this formidable question by noting that we were worthy of the Exodus, and, by extension, the miracle of kriat yam suf (Splitting of the Sea of Reeds), based upon four crucial criteria. During the long dark night of Egyptian slavery, we never changed our names from their original Hebrew formulation, we steadfastly continued to speak the Hebrew language, we remained pure and rejected the promiscuous behaviors of Egyptian culture, and finally, we did not speak lashon harah (in negative terms) of one another. (Mechilta d’Rabbi Yishmael, Parashat Bo, Mesichta d’ Pischa, Parasha 5, Midrash Vayikra Rabbah 32:5)  The first three criteria focus upon the continuity of our ethnic identity; thus, even though we engaged in the severe sin of idol worship, we steadfastly refused to assimilate, and rejected nearly all undesirable aspects of Egyptian culture. Given the powerful draw of our overlords’ society, this was laudatory indeed.

Lashon harah appears to be the outlier on this list, since it seems to refer solely to our behavior, rather than to the essence of our national being. Why, then, did our Sages view it as a constitutive element in Hashem’s decision to redeem us from Egypt? In order to understand lashon harah’s singular import in this context, let us briefly review Chazal’s attitude concerning this serious transgression. We are fortunate that Talmud Bavli, Arakin 15b serves as a mini-encyclopedia of our Sages’ attitude on this subject: “Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Yossi ben Zimra: ‘Anyone who speaks lashon harah is as if he has totally rejected G-d Himself (kafar b’ikar).’ Rav Chisda said in the name of Mar Ukba that: ‘Anyone who speaks lashon harah is fitting to be put to death by stoning.’” A second statement by Rav Chisda in the name of Mar Ukba is even more powerful: “[Regarding] anyone who speaks lashon harah, Hakadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One Blessed Be He) Himself declares: ‘He and I are unable to dwell in the same world!’”

It is important to recognize that these statements are far more than sermonic musings meant to dissuade us from speaking lashon harah. Instead, they have deep and abiding halachic ramifications. For example, the Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) states:
Our Sages said: “There are three sins for which retribution is exacted from a person in this world and, [for which] he is [additionally,] denied a portion in the world to come: idol worship, forbidden sexual relations, and murder. Lashon harah is equivalent to all of them.”

Our Sages also said: “Anyone who speaks lashon harah is like one who denies Hashem (kafar b’ikar) as implied by Sefer Tehillim 12:5: “Those who said: With our tongues, we will prevail; our lips are our own. Who is L-rd over us?’”

In addition, they said: “Lashon harah kills three [people], the one who speaks it, the one who listens to it, and the one about whom it is spoken. The one who listens to it [suffers] more than the one who speaks it.” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De’ot 7:3, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger, emendations my own)
 
I believe we can now better understand why Chazal included lashon harah as one of the four essential elements leading up to the Exodus by closely examining Rav Chisda’s second statement: “Anyone who speaks lashon harah, Hakadosh Baruch Hu Himself declares, ‘He and I are unable to dwell in the same world!’” The Maharal (Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, 1512-1609) notes that this phrase is also used in connection with the negative personality trait of ga’avah (arrogance):

And it appears that these two formulations [connecting ga’avah and lashon harah with our phrase] are in accordance with the dispute that is found in Talmud Bavli, Avodah Zarah, as to whether chasidut (righteousness) is greater or anavah (humility) is greater regarding their overarching effect on the world. [In reality,] each of these middot (ethical characteristics) is the polar opposite of its negative counterpart. This means that the quality of ga’avah is the opposite of anavah, and lashon harah which is evil… to the extent that there is nothing called evil like lashon harah – is the exact opposite of the middah of chasidut that is most surely good for everyone. (Netivot Olam, Netiv HaAnavah III, s.v. v’od sham, translation and brackets my own)
 
At this juncture, the Maharal provides us with a clear summary of his thinking regarding the nexus that obtains between anavah and ga’avah, and chasidut and lashon harah:

And the author of the opinion that maintains that anavah is the most outstanding of all characteristics asserts that its opposite is ga’avah - the most offensive of all behavioral orientations. In contrast, the author of the opinion that asserts that chasidut is the ultimate positive personality trait affirms that its opposite is lashon harah… (Ibid.)
 
The Maharal’s cogent analysis reveals to us why Chazal viewed our ancestors’ refusal to speak lashon harah as having such remarkable significance. In short, although we were ovdei avodah zarah (idol worshippers), we nonetheless treated one another with chasidut, and thereby created an environment wherein, He [i.e. the Jewish people] and I [Hashem] are able to dwell in the same world! Therefore, the Holy One blessed be He redeemed us from Egyptian bondage, split the Sea of Reeds, gave us His holy Torah and the Land of Israel, and declared through His prophet, Hosea: “And I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and with justice and with loving-kindness and with mercy. And I will betroth you to Me with faith, and you shall know the L-rd.” (Sefer Hoshea 2:21-22)

May Hosea’s words ring loud and clear in the ears of our entire nation as we stand shoulder to shoulder in chasidut, so that we may bring Hashem’s holy presence into our midst and be zocheh (merit) to welcome the Mashiach (Messiah) soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org/ using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

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 have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
​
*** 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
​
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, Shayna Yehudit bat Avraham Manes and Rivka, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, Shoshana Elka bat Etel Dina and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The Passover Haggadah lists the Ten Plagues (makkot) in order of their appearance in Sefer Shemot: “These are the Ten Plagues that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt: blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, slaying of the first born.” (Translation, http://www.aish.com/h/pes/h/Ten_Plagues.html) The first seven appear in our parasha, whereas, the final three are found in Parashat Bo. The Torah teaches us that the overarching purpose of the makkot was in order that “… the Egyptians shall know that I am the L-rd when I stretch forth My hand over Egypt, and I will take the children of Israel out of their midst…” (Sefer Shemot 7:5, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Fascinatingly, while each plague profoundly affected every aspect of Egyptian society, only barad (hail) elicited the following statement from Pharaoh: “I have sinned this time (chatati hapa’am). The L-rd is the righteous One (Hashem hatzadik), and I and my people are the guilty ones.’” (9:27) Pharaoh’s words contain three separate ideas: The recognition of his personal sin, the acknowledgment of Hashem’s righteousness, and the assertion of his and the Egyptian people’s guilt for having acted cruelly toward us.
 
Why did Pharaoh make this proclamation exclusively in regards to this plague? Midrash Tanchuma Buber provides us with the following insight:

[Let us learn the reason for Pharaoh’s behavior based upon the manner in which most people would act:] If someone desires to go to war against his fellow man, and be victorious against him, he attacks him in an unexpected [and stealthy manner]. He then kills him and takes every possession that his enemy has. Yet, the Holy One blessed be He acted in an entirely different fashion toward Pharaoh and proclaimed to him: “And now, send, gather in your livestock and all that you have in the field, any man or beast that is found in the field and not brought into the house the hail shall fall on them, and they will die.” (9:19) [It was precisely as a result of Hashem’s warning that Pharaoh,] following his experience of the [forewarned] barad, exclaimed, “The L-rd is the righteous One.” (Parashat Vaera 20, translation and brackets my own)
 
According to this midrashic passage, Pharaoh was completely overwhelmed by Hashem’s merciful warning regarding the mortal danger that barad would entail. Nonetheless, because of his nearly unlimited arrogance, Pharaoh ignored G-d’s adjuration, and his people suffered untold death and destruction. When he finally recognized the dire consequences of his behavior, Pharaoh had little choice but to proclaim, “The L-rd is the righteous One.”
 
The Kli Yakar (Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz, 1550-1619) takes a different approach regarding the underlying reason for the Plague of Hail, focusing upon the question, “Why was this plague so pivotal to G-d’s plan?” He stresses that the hail was accompanied by thunder, “… the L-rd gave forth thunder and hail …” (9:23), which played a crucial role in Pharaoh’s recognition of the Master of the Universe:

The Plague of Hail and the thunder came upon Pharaoh as a result of his refusal to listen to Hashem’s voice with the proper majesty (“b’hadar”) to which it was due. Therefore, Hashem forced him to hear thunder that was both awe-inspiring and frightening in nature. As a result, here, and here alone, he confessed to his sin and declared, “the L-rd is the righteous One, and I and my people are the guilty ones,” since [until this point,] he had denied Hashem’s existence and verbally proclaimed His non-existence. As such, Pharaoh sinned through his voice, and spoke lashon hara [i.e. pejoratively] about his Creator. Therefore, he was punished through the sound of thunder… [Once, however, Pharaoh confessed his sin, Moshe declared,] “The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, in order that you know that the land is the L-rd’s.” (9:29, Kli Yakar translation, brackets and underlining my own)

The Kli Yakar depicts a scenario in which Pharaoh needed to be reminded of G-d’s existence and His ultimate majesty and power. This stands in stark contrast to one of the most stirring episodes in the early history of our people, namely Birkat Ya’akov (Jacob’s Blessings to His Sons). The first two pasukim (verses) of Birkat Ya’akov are written in the plural, and serve as a call for attention and introduction to everything that follows: “Jacob called for his sons and said, ‘Gather and I will tell you what will happen to you at the end of days. Gather and listen, sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel, your father.’” (Sefer Bereishit 49:1-2)  The great third-century Palestinian Talmudic scholar, Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, suggests this verse is teaching us that Jacob was about to foretell the future of the 12 Tribes, the Jewish people, and, by extension, the time of the Mashiach (Messiah):
 
R. Simeon b. Lakish said: ‘And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you.’ Jacob wished to reveal to his sons the ‘end of the days,’ whereupon the Schechinah [the Divine Presence] departed from him.” (Talmud Bavli, Pesachim 56a, translation, with my emendations, The Soncino Talmud)
 
Jacob immediately assumed that the Schechinah had abandoned him due to some critical flaw in one of his children. As Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish so beautifully explains:
​
Said he, “Perhaps, Heaven forefend! there is one unfit among my children, like Abraham, from whom there issued Ishmael, or like my father Isaac, from whom there issued Esau.” [But] his sons answered him, “Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d the L-rd is One.” Just as there is only One [G-d] in your heart, so is there only One in our hearts. (Ibid.)
 
Jacob was so reassured by his sons’ outpouring of faith and loyalty to Hashem that he joyously declared: “Baruch shame kavode malchuto l’olam vo’ed” (“Blessed be the name of His glorious Kingdom for ever and ever”), a practice we emulate until our own historical moment when we recite the Shema.
 
May we ever choose the path of Jacob and his sons, and raise our united voices in recognition of the Oneness of Hashem and the eternity of His Kingdom. Moreover, may our fervent prayer help bring us closer to the Almighty and herald the coming of the Mashiach soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org/ using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.

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 have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd

*** 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.