Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The tragic failures of Adam and Chava, the Dor HaMabul, and Noach enable us to appreciate the unmatched greatness of Avraham Avinu. His spiritual drive led him to discover the truth of Hashem’s existence that had been lost in the sands of time. His “classroom” for so doing was Nature and the Cosmos, and his rebbe was HaKadosh Baruch Hu. My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), presented this idea in his celebrated essay, The Lonely Man of Faith:

Abraham, the knight of faith, according to our tradition, sought and discovered God in the starlit heavens of Mesopotamia. Yet, he felt an intense loneliness and could not find solace in the silent companionship of God, whose image was reflected in the boundless stretches of the cosmos. Only when he met God on earth as Father, Brother, and Friend—not only along the uncharted astral routes—did he feel redeemed. Our sages said that before Abraham appeared majestas dei [the majesty of God] was reflected only by the distant heavens, and it was a mute nature which “spoke” of the glory of God. It was Abraham who “crowned” Him the God of earth, i.e., the God of men. (Kindle edition, pages 47-48, underlining and brackets my own)
 
Make no mistake about it: Avraham was an authentic religious revolutionary who repudiated the underlying “religious” axioms and behavioral norms of the nations among whom he lived. Based on his unceasing efforts, Hashem and His Divine will, rather than idolatry and immorality, would become the brilliant new light that would penetrate the nearly impenetrable darkness of his time. Avraham recognized, as Yeshayahu the prophet taught us so many years later: “shehame mishtachavim l’hevel v’rik, u’mitpallim el ale lo yoshiyah—For they bow to vanity and emptiness and pray to a god which helps not.” (Aleinu Leshaba’ach based on Sefer Yeshayahu 45:20, translation, Artscroll Tanach).
 
Avraham transformed the entire world by introducing the one true God to humankind. This remarkable individual forever altered the history of world. As such, he was, and will ever be, every Jew’s religious model and mentor. Moreover, Avraham’s entrance on the grand stage of world history was a great comfort for Hashem. He was the first person to faithfully rise above each trial he encountered, while worshipping the Almighty in ultimate love and heartfelt devotion. Little wonder then, that Hashem called him both Avraham avdi (Avraham My servant, Sefer Bereishit 26:24), and Avraham ohavi (Avraham My beloved friend, Sefer Yeshiyahu 41:8). At long last, Hakadosh Baruch Hu had a beloved compatriot who loved, served Him and publicized His presence before the entire world.
 
With the Almighty’s help, may we emulate Avraham Avinu and proclaim His glory before one and all. As the Aleinu teaches us: “Aleinu leshaba’ach l’Adon hakol, l’tate gedulah l’Yotzer bereishit—It is our duty to praise the Master of all, to ascribe greatness to the Master of primeval creation…” V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
A number of them may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org using the search criteria 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 on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** 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 Noach is preeminently the story of the Flood that destroyed the majority of life on earth. Noach and his immediate family were saved via thee Ark, however, since “he was a righteous man who was perfect in his generations [and] found favor in the eyes of Hashem.” (Sefer Bereishit 6:8,9) Upon emerging from the Ark, Hashem uttered the following eternal oath: “I will no longer curse the earth because of man, ki yetzer lev ha’adam rah—for the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth—and I will no longer smite all living things as I have done.” (8:21, this and the following Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach with my emendations) The phrase, ki yetzer lev ha’adam rah parallels an earlier expression in the Torah preceding Hashem’s decision to destroy the world by the Flood: “And Hashem saw that the evil of man was great in the earth, v’chol yetzer machshavat libo—and every inclination of his heart—was only rah (evil) all the time.” (Sefer Bereishit 6:5) Both these verses connect the word “yetzer” to the word “rah,” and thereby introduce us to the concept of the yetzer harah (the evil inclination).
 
Yetzer harah is an often used but rarely understood expression. Fortunately, Talmud Bavli, Succah 52a helps us better understand this term:

Rabbi Avira or, as some say, Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, made the following exposition: The yetzer harah has seven names. The Holy One, blessed be He, called it rah (Evil)...Moshe called it aral (the Uncircumcised)…David called it tamei (Ritually Unclean)…[King] Solomon called it sonei (the Enemy)…Isaiah called it the michshol (Stumbling-Block)...Ezekiel called it even (Stone)...Joel called it the tzefoni (Hidden One)…(Translation, The Soncino Talmud with my emendations)
 
Rav Ya’akov Ettlinger (1798-1871) explains that these names for the yetzer harah may actually be understood as “seven different aspects that cause the yetzer harah to be such a monumental challenge for the Jewish people.” (Aruch L’Ner, Succah 52a, this and the following translations and summary my own) He then proceeds to explain each name and its underlying significance. Rah teaches us that the inclination to do evil is the source of all varieties of sins and can bring us to terrible forms of death. Moreover, “there is no kind of evil greater than this, which is why the Holy One blessed be He called it rah.” Aral indicates the aspect of the human personality that, “stands before that which is good, to prevent it from entering the hearts of humankind...” Tamei refers to the ability of the yetzer harah to “render impure even those holy and pure thoughts that have already entered a person’s mind...” Sonei “not only affects one who seeks to be under its influence; rather it lies in wait in order to capture a person’s very soul, just as an enemy would do to another...”  Michshol exemplifies the yetzer harah’s ability to injure even someone who can resist obvious forms of evil, as “it continuously schemes and harasses such a person in subtle ways just like a stumbling block in the road can easily cause one to trip and fall when they are unaware of its presence...” Even reflects the “physical” characteristic of the yetzer harah, in the sense that it is “hard and heavy like a stone.” Finally, tzefoni:
​
...refers to that aspect of the evil inclination that is hidden within the heart of a person until they fail to recognize it is lurking within them...As a result, a person might very well think that they are performing a mitzvah, when, in fact, they do not know that they are being driven by the advice of the yetzer harah that has totally penetrated their very essence. Therefore, a person must ever be on guard and must take the necessary steps to recognize the hidden actions of the yetzer harah.
 
Rav Ettlinger’s trenchant analysis of the yetzer harah goes a long way in helping us understand why it is such a formidable foe, and why we must ever be ready to face it head-on and avoid all-too-ready rationalizations. As Hashem told Cain so long ago, “Is it not so that if you improve, it will be forgiven you? If you do not improve, however, at the entrance, sin is lying, and to you is its longing, but you can rule over it.” (Sefer Bereishit 4:7)
 
With Hashem’s help, may we be zocheh to fulfill Dovid HaMelech’s inspiring words: “Sur m’rah v’aseh tov, turn away from evil and do good...” (Sefer Tehillim 34:15) 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 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 on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** 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 Torah begins with the well-known words, “Bereishit bara Elokim ate hashamayim v’ate ha’aretz.” Our classic meforshim disagree as to the meaning of “bereishit.” Does it mean “b’techilah, in the beginning,” or “bishvil hareishit, for that which is first?” Rashi (1040-1105) hints at this difficulty in his first gloss in his Commentary on the Torah: “Ain hamikra hazeh omare elah darshani, this text proclaims nothing other than, ‘Interpret me!’” Next, he cites a section in Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 1:4 that suggests, “bishvil hareishit,” is the correct interpretation of our text: “bishvil haTorah sh’nikrate reishit darko, u’bishvil Yisrael sh’nikrau reishit tevuato, for the Torah that is called ‘the beginning of His way,’ and for the Jewish people who are called ‘the first of His grain.’” This reading of Rashi’s gloss is supported by one of his most celebrated supercommentators, Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrachi (1455-1525): “The letter ‘bet’ at the beginning of ‘bereishit’ is like the bet found in the verse, ‘va’ya’a’vod Ya’akov b’Rachel, and Ya’akov worked [in order] for Rachel [to become his wife].’” (29:20)
 
The Maharal of Prague (died 1609) is another great Rashi super commentator. In his classic work, Gur Aryeh, he cites Rashi’s focus upon Torah and the Jewish people as the reason for Creation and notes that it is crucial to examine his choices. After all, opines the Maharal, is it not the case that “all actions of Hashem are for His own sake…” (Sefer Mishle 16:4)  Moreover, it states in Talmud Bavli, Yoma 38a: “Everything that has been created in this world was created for the Holy One blessed be He, and for His glory was it created.” Then, too, did not Yeshayahu the prophet proclaim: “Everything that is called in my name was created in My honor.” (33:7) In sum, why did Rashi limit his gloss to Torah and the Jewish nation and exclude other aspects of the Universe, when the rationale for the creation of the world logically should have included everything the Almighty created?
 
The Maharal’s answer speaks to the essence of the unique relationship that obtains between Hashem and the Jewish people:

There is no honor from the created entities except when they fulfill His mitzvot and serve Him; and this is only possible with the Jewish nation, regarding whom it is said: “I formed this people in order that they would speak of My praise.” (Sefer Yeshayahu 33:21) … And the Jewish people do not serve the Holy One blessed be He except through His mitzvot when they fulfill His Torah. This, then, is [why Rashi so clearly emphasized], the world was created bishvil Yisrael, for the Jewish people and bishvil haTorah, for the Torah … (Translation my own)
 
Based upon the Maharal’s trenchant analysis we now understand why Rashi underscored Torah and the Jewish people as the underlying cause for the creation of the world. As Yeshayahu prophesized, our nation was created to praise the Almighty; and as the Maharal notes, this can only be achieved through the Torah and the fulfillment of the mitzvot.
 
David HaMelech declared in Sefer Tehillim 35:10, “kol atzmotai tomarnah, all of my bones will say, ‘Hashem who is like You?’” I believe his message is unmistakable in its meaning, namely, that our very beings praise Hashem when we venerate Him through the performance of the mitzvot found in His holy Torah. As such, let us remember Rashi’s words, “bishvil haTorah u’bishvil Yisrael” did the Holy One blessed be He create the Universe, and may they ever be our guide as we strive to honor and serve Him. 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 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 on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** 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 public reading of Megillat Kohelet is one of the highlights of Shabbat Chol Hamoed Succot.  One of its standout passages contains the first eight verses of chapter three:

Everything has an appointed season (l’kol zeman), and there is a time for every matter (v’ate l’kol chafetz) under the heaven. A time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot that which is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; a time to break and a time to build. A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time of wailing and a time of dancing. A time to cast stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to seek and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to cast away. A time to rend and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace. (This, and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
A straightforward reading of the verse, “Everything has an appointed season (l’kol zeman), and there is a time for every matter (v’ate l’kol chafetz) under the heaven,” suggests that it is a preface to the various times found in the subsequent pasukim. The Maharal of Prague (Rabbi Yehudah Loew ben Bezalel, d. 1609), however, maintains that it is far more than an introduction to the rest of the chapter. Moreover, he maintains that “l’kol zeman” and “v’ate l’kol chafetz” refer to entirely different subjects: the former emphasizes physical objects and actions, and the latter focuses upon the intellect:

Those matters that are [discussed in Midrash Kohelet Rabbah on our verse] are physical in nature, including Adam entering Gan Eden and his exit therefrom, the destruction of the world [at the time of Noach] and its repopulation, and Avraham’s brit milah. The body is subject to time. It is fitting, therefore, to use the expression, “l’kol zeman,” when referring to these matters. In contrast, something that is purely intellectual in nature, [as signified by “v’ate l’kol chafetz] namely, Kabbalat HaTorah, is removed in its very essence from all physical matter and is not time-bound..” (Sefer Tiferet Yisrael, Chapter 25, this, and the following translation and textual notations my own)
 
The Maharal further expands upon his fascinating analysis in this manner: “This means that the matter [Torah] is completely of the intellect and, therefore, it is not under the control of time. As such, it is permanently in the present (b’atah), even in regards as to when it was given [at Har Sinai] at that particular time…” This  powerful concept enables us to understand why the phrase, “asher anochi metzavecha hayom” (“that I am commanding you this day”), is found no less than 19 times in Sefer Shemot and Sefer Devarim regarding the Torah and its mitzvot. As Rashi (1040-1105) so beautifully explains, “They (the words of the Torah) should not appear to you as an antiquated edict that no one cares about, but as a new one, which everyone rushes to read.” (Sefer Devarim 6:6)
 
We will soon be celebrating Simchat Torah. With Hashem’s help, may this joyous day be one wherein we recognize the timeless nature of the Torah viewing it as a new and precious gift each and every day. V’chane yihi ratzon.
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!
 
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 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 on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: https://www.box.com/s/7bf01f9abcabf02e25c3
 
*** 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.