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, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, the Kedoshim of Har Nof and Pittsburgh, and the refuah shlaimah of Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Mordechai ben Miriam Tovah, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
“On that day, you must tell your child, ‘It is because of this that G-d acted for me when I left Egypt.’” (Sefer Shemot 13:8, translation, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan zatzal)  This is one of the best known pasukim of both our parasha and the Passover Haggadah, and is used by Talmud Bavli, Pesachim 116b as the source text for the well-known concept: “In each and every generation an individual is obligated to view himself as if he went out of Egypt.” This interpretation underscores the concept that yitziat Mitzraim (the Exodus from Egypt) is not some long ago historical event; rather, it is a constitutive element of our people’s identity that we are obligated to re-experience during the Passover Seder each and every year.
 
So much emphasis has been placed upon our verse’s interpretation in the Talmud that its direct meaning has been nearly lost. Yet, we must ever remember Chazal’s (our Sages of blessed memory) statement: Ain hamikra yotzai m’yidei peshuto − the simple and direct understanding of the Torah text must never be ignored. This mode of analysis was championed by the Rashbam (Rabbi Shmuel ben Meir, 1080-1158), who analyzes our pasuk in the following manner:
​
“...it is because of this” Hashem performed miracles for me in Egypt. Therefore, I am performing this sacrificial service. So, too, do we find in the case of the verse: “This is the day that Hashem created for me for I was on the highest of heights, let us rejoice and let us celebrate.” (The latter quote is based upon Sefer Tehillim 118:24, with the Rashbam’s interpolations in bold, translation my own).
 
The Rashbam strongly emphasizes the terms “for me” and “I,” and urges us to focus upon the personal salvation experienced during yitziat Mitzraim, that helped forge a powerful relationship between the Almighty and every member of the Jewish people. As the celebrated verse in the Shirah (Song upon Crossing the Sea of Reeds) proclaims, “…this is my G-d and I will extol Him, the G-d of my fathers and I will raise Him up.” (Sefer Shemot 15:2, translation my own) 
 
The closeness of our relationship with the Master of the Universe is underscored by Dovid HaMelech (King David) in Sefer Tehillim. These verses reflect his passionate belief in Hashem’s nearness to us:
 
You are near, O L-rd, and all Your commandments are true. (119:151)
 
The L-rd is near to the broken-hearted, and He saves those of crushed spirit. (34:19)
 
Truly, His salvation is near those who fear Him, so that His glory dwells in our land. (85:10)
 
The L-rd is near to all who call Him, to all who call Him with sincerity. (145:18)
(Translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
A careful reading of these pasukim reveals a fascinating pattern. 119:151 teaches us about G-d’s status; He is, by definition, “near.” This is somewhat parallel to 34:19 wherein, simply because a Jew is broken-hearted, Hashem is close to him or her. This, too, is a matter of status. In contrast, 85:10 and 145:18 clearly indicate that Hashem’s nearness is partially contingent upon our behaviors toward Him. This raises a simple and direct question: “If it is Hashem’s nature, so to speak, to be close to mankind, why are our actions of any import whatsoever in this regard?”
 
My rebbi and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, poses a similar type of question in his analysis of Friday night Kiddush. He asks: “If Shabbat is sanctified since the very moment of Creation, why is it necessary for us to say the words of the Kiddush? What can we possibly add to that which G-d has already sanctified?” The Rav explains that although the essential kedushah (holiness) of Shabbat is a constant and endures eternally, when we recite Kiddush, we bear testimony to Hashem as the Creator of the Universe, and thereby join Him as partners in the act of Creation - shutfim b'ma’aseh Bereishit. As such, our words spoken during Kiddush add to the holiness of Shabbat, and raise it to an entirely new level of kedushah.
 
I believe that the reasoning inherent in Rav Soloveitchik’s analysis of Kiddush provides us with an answer to our earlier question, “If it is Hashem’s nature to be close to mankind, why are our actions of any import whatsoever in this regard?” It is true that, by definition, Hashem is close to us. Yet, when we call upon Him in heartfelt sincerity, we reinforce our relationship with Him, just as Ya’akov Avinu (our Father, Jacob) did when he declared, “Mah nora hamakom hazeh” (“How awe-inspiring is this place,” Sefer Bereishit 28:17). Moreover, when we recognize Hashem’s awesome nature, our personal relationship with Him achieves new and more profound levels of meaning.
 
With Hashem’s help, may we ever strive to call upon Him in sincerity and awe. Then may we be zocheh (merit) to grow in our closeness to Him, so that we may each proclaim, “…this is my G-d and I will extol Him, the G-d of my fathers and I will raise Him up.” (Sefer Shemot 15:2, translation my own) 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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** 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, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, the Kedoshim of Har Nof and Pittsburgh, and the refuah shlaimah of Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Mordechai ben Miriam Tovah, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Our parasha contains four celebrated words spoken by the Almighty that refer to our nation’s imminent salvation from the inhuman servitude of Egypt: V’hotzati (and I will take you out), v’hitzalti (and I will save you), v’ga’alti (and I will redeem you), and v’lakachti (and I will take you, see Sefer Shemot 6:6-7)  Based upon Talmud Bavli, Pesachim 99b, Rashi, Rashbam and Tosafot, among many others, describe these words as the “four expressions of redemption.” The earliest examination of our terms that I was able to discover, however, is the Talmud Yerushalmi, Pesachim (10:1):

What is the derivation of the obligation to drink the four cups of wine at the Seder on the night of Passover? Rabbi Yochanan in the name of Rabbi Banayah said: “They correspond to the four redemptions: “Therefore, say to the children of Israel, ‘I am the L-rd, and I will take you out (v’hotzati)… And I will take you (v’lakachti) to Me as a people… v’hotzati, v’hitzalti, v’ga’alti, v’lakachti.’” (Translation and emphasis my own)
 
Fascinatingly, instead of describing four expressions of redemption (arba’ah leshonot geulah), as found in the above-mentioned commentators, we find that the Talmud Yerushalmi utilizes the nomenclature of “four redemptions” (arba’ah geulot) to describe our four well-known Torah terms. This represents far more than a mere difference in language.
 
Rabbi Baruch Halevi Epstein (1860-1941), in his Torah commentary entitled, Torah Temimah, drew attention to the Talmud Yerushalmi’s text of “four redemptions” and championed its authenticity over that of the phrase “four expressions of redemption:”

…And in all the halachic decisors (poskim), commentators, and homiletically based works that bring this homily, [we find] that it is stated as “corresponding to the four expressions of redemption.” You must see, [ however,] that the Yerushalmi that we have quoted is missing the word “leshonot” (“expressions”), and instead reads, “corresponding to four redemptions.” According to my opinion, this text is exceedingly correct. (This, and all following translations of the Torah Temimah, my own)
 
Rav Epstein supports the textual authenticity of the Talmud Yerushalmi in the following manner:

If one were to explain the phrase “four expressions of redemption” in its clear and simple meaning, there would be no reason whatsoever to establish four corresponding cups of thanks [at the Seder]. This is the case, since the concept of the Redemption is but one [concept] and not four. Therefore, it does not matter whether one employs four or 14 expressions [of redemption since they all reference the exact same idea.]
 
In other words, in Rav Epstein’s perception, Chazal (our Sages of blessed memory) would never have had reason to establish four cups of wine at the Seder if there is only one concept of Redemption. One cup, i.e. Kiddush, would have sufficed.
 
As Rav Epstein explicates the Talmud Yerushalmi’s phrase of “four redemptions” (arba’ah geulot), he infuses our understanding of geulat Mitzraim (the Redemption from Egypt) in an entirely new way. Instead of there having been one geulah (Redemption) comprised of four different descriptions (arba’ah leshonot geulah), there were four separate and distinct acts of redemption whose sum total we call geulat Mitzraim:

But if we utilize [the Talmud Yerushalmi’s phrase of] “corresponding to the four redemptions” (“k’neged arba’ah geulot”), the entire matter [of the Four Cups of Wine] is explained very well. This is the case, since if you examine the [passage under discussion] very carefully, you will find that there are four separate and distinct topics in these four words [i.e. v’hotzati, v’hitzalti, v’gaalti, v’lakachti]. Each word, when examined in detail, is revealed as a complete entity unto itself and, thereby, worthy of thanks in its own right.
 
Rav Epstein continues his explanation and suggests the following:

…each subsequent verse adds to the prior one, that is to say: ‘I, Hashem will not only do this for you, but rather I will do this as well. Moreover, not only the aforementioned, but this as well.’ Since this is the case, it is manifestly evident that each and every word [of these four words] contains a different level of Redemption that obligates us to thank our Creator. As a result, [our Sages] instituted the Four Cups of Wine.
 
Rav Epstein’s analysis of each word, in the order spoken by the Almighty, provides valuable additional insights into the Redemption process: “The first level, v’hotzati (I will take you out), means that Hashem took the Jews out from under their burdens, by lessening their work. This does not mean, however, that everyone was now free from their servile labor, or that they were free from all work.” Rav Epstein goes on to explain that in order for this to be the case, Hashem needed to raise them to the second level of the four Redemptions, namely, v’hitzalti (I will save you): “Therefore [Hashem] added the next level of Redemption and said: ‘and I will save you from your labor.’ This means that they did no more work [for Pharaoh] at all.”  Nonetheless, after the first two levels of Redemption had been achieved, they were still slaves to Pharaoh − even if they no longer worked for him. Therefore, Rav Epstein states, the third level of Redemption, v’ga’alti (I will redeem you) became a necessity: “Even after all of the lessening of their burdens, they were still Pharaoh’s slaves and their Redemption was incomplete. Therefore, [a new level of redemption] was added and Hashem said: ‘I will redeem you.’”
 
Why, then, was a fourth and final level of Redemption necessary? After all, our ancestors were now free from slavery. They finally controlled their own time and affairs. What was added by the phrase: “v’lakachti li l’am?” (“And I will take you to Me as a people”)?  According to Rav Epstein: “Even with the first three levels of Redemption, they [our forebears] were still not a defined nation and the unique portion of Hakodesh Baruch Hu. Therefore, Hashem added the fourth and final level of Redemption: “And I will take you to Me as a people, and I will be a G-d to you.” Thus, with the fourth level of Redemption, we became Hashem’s unique nation, as expressed in the words we spoke at our finest hour, “Na’aseh v’nishmah,” (“We will do and we will then understand”), when we received the holy Torah at Mount Sinai.
 
Once again, just as we have always done, we beseech Hashem to perform wonders and miracles, and bring Mashiach soon and in our time. Then may we witness the complete fulfillment of the ultimate Redemption: “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 Zechariah 14:9) 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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** 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, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, the Kedoshim of Har Nof and Pittsburgh, and the refuah shlaimah of Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Mordechai ben Miriam Tovah, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
According to a celebrated Midrash, shortly after the creation of Adam, he was given the job of naming the flora and fauna of the world. Why was he given this task? Why did Hashem simply not show Adam a “catalog” of the plant and animal kingdoms and tell him, when he saw this or that plant or animal, “this is the name by which it is to be called.” Why, instead, was Adam the active party in this naming convention?
 
Perhaps we can indirectly answer this question by noting Rabbi Eleazar’s famous dictum in Talmud Bavli, Berachot 7b in reference to the name of a person:

How do we know that the name [of a person] has an effect [upon his life]?  R. Eleazar said: Scripture says, “Come, behold the works of the L-rd, who has made desolations in the earth.” Read not shammot (desolations), but shemot (names). (Translation, Soncino Talmud, with my emendations for readability)
 
A name, therefore, is a crucial aspect, even a constitutive element, of the person or thing it denotes. If this is the case, we can now understand why Adam was given the task of naming the plants and animals of Creation. By doing so, he became a shutaf im Hakadosh Baruch Hu b’ma’aseh Bereishit (a partner with G-d in the Creation of the Universe).
 
If the names of plants and animals are so singularly important, all the more so are the names of the Creator. Unlike the rest of Creation, however, man did not name G-d; rather, the Almighty, so to speak, named Himself. This is very logical, since the giving of a name suggests a certain amount of control over that which has been named, which would be absurd in the context of the G-d-Man relationship − as G-d is wholly other.
 
The name “Hashem” appears 47 times in Sefer Bereishit, and a number of these instances take place in the context of the Holy One’s direct communication with the Avot (Patriarchs). Fast forwarding to our parasha, Moshe asks the Almighty, “What should I tell b’nai Yisrael when they ask: ‘What is His name?’” While providing an immediate answer to Moshe’s question, it seems that the Almighty’s response simultaneously presents us with a serious exegetical challenge: “So shall you say to the children of Israel, ‘The L-rd G-d (Hashem) of your forefathers, the G-d of Abraham, the G-d of Isaac, and the G-d of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is how I should be mentioned in every generation.’” (Sefer Shemot 3:13 and 15)  This appears to contradict an early verse in Parashat Vaera: “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob with [the name] Almighty G-d, but [with] My name Hashem, I did not become known to them.” (Sefer Shemot 6:3)
 
In his Commentary on the Torah on Sefer Shemot 6:3, the great Spanish Torah interpreter, Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra (1092 –1167), presents a deeply insightful resolution to our textual challenge. He opines that it was impossible for the Avot to have been unaware of the name “Hashem” per se, since, as we have noted, it is used liberally throughout Sefer Bereishit. The Ibn Ezra explains that the Avot knew this name as the shame etzem (proper name) of Hashem. They did not, however, know Hashem in terms of His actions that had yet to be performed in order to fulfill His promises. The Ibn Ezra calls this the shame toar (descriptive name), and emphasizes this as a newly-revealed aspect of G-d’s name. He goes so far as to suggest that the true purpose inherent in Moshe’s agency was none other than: “… to make this name Hashem known [to mankind].” When viewed in this light, the name “Hashem” clearly carries the connotation of He who fulfills that which He promises; it was this new “persona” that Moshe publicized to the Jewish people, and the entire world.
 
May we be zocheh (merit) to witness Hashem’s kindness and mercy in the fulfillment of His promises to our people, and the arrival of the Mashiach. May this time come 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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** 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, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, the Kedoshim of Har Nof and Pittsburgh, and the refuah shlaimah of Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Mordechai ben Miriam Tovah, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The concluding pasukim (verses) of our parasha present Yosef’s final words to his brothers. They contain both a reminder of Hashem’s promise to ultimately redeem the Jewish people from Egypt, and Yosef’s poignant personal request:

Joseph said to his brothers, “I am going to die; G-d will surely remember you and take you up out of this land to the land that He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” And Joseph adjured the children of Israel, saying, “G-d will surely remember you, and you shall take up my bones out of here.” (This and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Herein, Yosef reveals the depth of his abiding faith in Hashem and twice declares,
“G-d will surely remember you.” Within this context, he placed an oath (shavuah) upon his brothers and their descendants to transport his bones with them in the course of the promised Redemption and bury him in Israel. In so doing, he emulated his father, Ya’akov Avinu (our Patriarch Ya’akov), who had insisted Yosef take a shavuah stating that he would not bury Ya’akov in Egypt, but rather with his forebears in Israel. (Sefer Bereishit 47: 29-31)  A straightforward reading of our passage indicates that the obligation to transport Yosef’s bones from Egypt and bury him in Israel was delegated to the entire Jewish people.
 
When the Exodus takes place, Sefer Shemot 13:19 tells us that Moshe, as the representative of the entire Jewish people, gathered up Yosef’s remains and began the long process of reinterring him in Israel: “Moses took Joseph’s bones with him, for he [Joseph] had adjured the sons of Israel, saying, ‘G-d will surely remember you, and you shall bring up my bones from here with you.’” The first chapter of Mishnah Sotah (7 and 9) utilizes this to teach us a crucial lesson about how our present behaviors determine the way we will be treated by Hashem and our fellow man in the future:

According to the manner in which a person acts, others [G-d and man] will act toward him… This [general rule] is in effect when it comes to matters of a positive nature as well…Yosef merited the right to bury his father [Ya’akov], and there was no one among his brothers who was greater than he. As the Torah states: “So Joseph went up to bury his father…And chariots and horsemen also went up with him, and the camp was very numerous.” (Sefer Bereishit 50: 7, 9).
 
Our passage continues and informs us that Yosef was worthy of the greatest possible respect and, therefore, it was only fitting that the most prestigious person alive at the time of the Exodus should be involved in his burial in the Land of Israel:

Whom do we have that deserved to be buried with greater respect than Yosef? Therefore, the only one who could possibly render him the proper respect was Moshe. Moshe merited the right to bury Yosef, and there was no one among his brothers who was greater than he. As the Torah states: “Moses took Joseph’s bones with him.” (Mishnah translation my own) 
 
The operating principle in the above-cited Mishnaic passage is the well-known concept of middah k’neged middah − according to the manner in which a person acts, G-d and man will act toward him. What is the standard of behavior that should guide us? We are fortunate that the Torah provides us with a clear and direct answer to this question: “V’halachta b’drachov” (“And you should walk in His path,” Sefer Devarim 28:9). This commandment is explicated in a celebrated passage in Talmud Bavli, Sotah 14a:

Just as Hashem clothed the naked [in the case of Adam and Chava] … so, too, should you clothe the naked. Just as Hashem visited the sick [in the case of Avraham after his brit milah] …so, too, should you visit the sick. Just as the Holy One Blessed be He comforted the mourners [in the case of Yitzhak after Avraham’s passing] …so, too, should you comfort the mourners. Just as the Holy One Blessed be He buried the dead [in the case of Moshe] …so, too, should you bury the dead. (Translation, my own)
 
Stated quite simply, our goal is to emulate the Almighty’s actions in each of our deeds.
 
As my rebbi and mentor Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903-1993) noted on many occasions, halachta b’drachov emerges as the fundamental underpinning of Judaism’s ethical structure. By emulating the actions of the Holy One blessed be He, we create substantive changes in ourselves, and positively impact those with whom we interact. In this sense, we become partners with Hashem in creating the world − shutfim im Hashem b’ma’aseh Bereishit.
 
With Hashem’s help, may we be zocheh (merit) to fulfill the mitzvah of halachta b’drachov in its most profound sense. Then may we may become shutfim im Hashem b’ma’aseh Bereishit, to make the world a better and nobler place, and, may the middah k’neged middah we receive be replete with zechuyot (merits). 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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** 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, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, the Kedoshim of Har Nof and Pittsburgh, and the refuah shlaimah of Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Mordechai ben Miriam Tovah, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Our Sages, in Tosefta Berachot 4:17-18, ask a very fundamental question: “Why did Yehudah merit kingship?” After all, each of the brothers was great in his own way; why, then, was Yehudah and his tribe permanently given the mantel of leadership? One answer offered by the Tosefta is, “Because of his humility (anivut).” This is demonstrated in Sefer Bereishit 44:18, 32-33, wherein Yehudah calls himself a “servant” no less than four times, and even offers to become Yosef’s slave – all in an effort to save Benyamin from that role:

Then Judah approached him [Yosef] and said, “Please, my lord, let now your servant speak something into my lord’s ears, and let not your wrath be kindled against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh. For your servant assumed responsibility for the boy, from my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him to you, I will have sinned against my father forever.’ So now, please let your servant stay instead of the boy as a slave to my lord, and may the boy go up with his brothers.” (This, and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah 13:3 focuses upon Yehudah’s anivut, as reflected in these verses, and declares this to be the rationale for his tribe’s subsequent position of glory and honor:

Rabbi Berechyah the Kohan, the son of Rabi, said in the name of Rabbi Levi: “The Holy One Blessed be He said: ‘Yehudah, since you have lowered yourself before your younger brother [in order to rescue him from servitude], when the Mishkan (portable Sanctuary in the desert) will be erected and all of the tribes will come to offer [sacrifices], there will be no tribe that will offer before you. Rather, they will all demonstrate respect before you and you will have [the honor] of being the first to bring [the sacrifices].’ Therefore, the Torah states: ‘And the one [of the tribal princes] who brought sacrifices on the first day… from the tribe of Yehudah…’” (Translation and brackets my own)
 
We live in an age wherein arrogance (ga’avah) is the rule, and humility is the exception. In truth, the single greatest barrier to authentic anivut is ga’avah, since it blinds us to the consequences of our actions and beguiles us into believing we are superior to others. As such, the Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270), in his famous Iggeret HaRamban (Letter of the Ramban), strongly warns us against this negative middah (character trait): “And now, my son, understand and observe that whoever feels that he is greater than others is rebelling against the Kingship of Hashem, because he is adorning himself with His garments, as it is written, ‘Hashem reigns, He wears clothes of pride.’” (Sefer Tehillim 93:1). Next, the Ramban notes that whether it is wealth, honor or wisdom – everything is a gift from the Almighty:

Why should one feel proud? Is it because of wealth? Hashem makes one poor or rich (Sefer Shmuel I:2:7).  Is it because of honor? It belongs to Hashem, as we read, “Wealth and honor come from You.” (Divrei Hayamim I:29:12)  So how could one adorn himself with Hashem's honor? And one who is proud of his wisdom surely knows that Hashem “takes away the speech of assured men and reasoning from the sages.” (Sefer Iyov 12:20) So we see that everyone is the same before Hashem, since with His anger He lowers the proud and when He wishes He raises the low. (Translation, http://www.pirchei.co.il/specials/ramban/ramban.htm)
 
Herein the Ramban is teaching us that greatness comes from G-d, and G-d alone. How, then, can we avoid the pitfalls of ga’avah, and, like Yehudah, live lives infused with anivut? We are fortunate that the Ramban addresses this fundamental question:

In all your actions, words and thoughts, always regard yourself as standing before Hashem, with His Schechinah [Divine Presence] above you, for His glory fills the whole world. Speak with fear and awe, as a slave standing before his master. Act with restraint in front of everyone. When someone calls you, don’t answer loudly, but gently and softly, as one who stands before his master. (Ibid.)
 
In short, when we truly feel ourselves to be in G-d’s presence, we naturally act with humility before Him − and with restraint and dignity toward others. In my estimation, Yehudah had an extremely powerful sense of the Almighty’s presence in his life, and very often felt the gentle “touch” of the Schechinah upon his shoulder. As such, anivut came quite naturally to him. Little wonder, then, that his descendant and future king of Israel, Dovid HaMelech (King David), would one day proclaim to the world: “Sheviti Hashem l’negdi tamid!” (“I have placed the L-rd before me constantly…,” Sefer Tehillim 16:8)

With Hashem’s help, may each of us try to emulate Yehudah and recognize the Almighty’s unceasing presence in our lives, so that we, too, may reject ga’avah, embrace anivut, and act with abiding respect toward each other. 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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** 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, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, the Kedoshim of Har Nof and Pittsburgh, and the refuah shlaimah of Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Mordechai ben Miriam Tovah, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Last week’s parasha concludes with the story of Yosef’s undeserved imprisonment in an Egyptian dungeon based upon Potiphar’s wife’s false accusations. While incarcerated, Yosef rises to the top of the dungeon hierarchy and analyzes the dreams of two of his fellow prisoners − Pharaoh’s chief baker and chief cupbearer. Based upon his ruach hakodesh (prophetic insight), Yosef realizes that the chief cupbearer will be returned to his former position of honor and prestige, and most likely will be able to influence Pharaoh on his behalf. He therefore asks him: “But remember me (zikartani) when things go well with you, and please do me a favor and mention me (v’hizkartani) to Pharaoh, and you will get me out of this house.”  (Sefer Bereishit 40:14, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press complete Tanach)
 
While Yosef’s strategy seemed to guarantee success, this is not how matters initially proceeded: “[Pharaoh] restored the chief cupbearer to his [position as] cupbearer, and he placed the cup on Pharaoh’s palm…But the chief cupbearer did not remember Yosef, and he forgot him.” (40:21, 23) When we fast forward to our parasha, we encounter a situation wherein none of Pharaoh’s wise men were able to effectively interpret his very disturbing dreams. This becomes the impetus for the chief cupbearer to finally remember Yosef, the dream analyst, and bring him to the regent’s attention. Not too surprisingly, the perplexed king quickly takes advantage of this new-found opportunity:

So Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they rushed him from the dungeon, and he shaved and changed his clothes, and he [then] came to Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter for it, but I have heard it said of you [that] you understand a dream, to interpret it.” And Joseph replied to Pharaoh, saying, “Not I; G-d will give an answer [that will bring] peace to Pharaoh.” (Sefer Bereishit 41:14-16)
 
Allow me to expand upon our passage: Yosef was summoned from his dungeon of despair and brought before Pharaoh, the most powerful man on the planet. Almost immediately, the monarch told him that he had heard Yosef was capable of accurately interpreting dreams. Let us pause for a moment and imagine how many of us would have responded to such a seemingly omnipotent ruler. Assuming that we had Yosef’s talent, most of us probably would have said some variation of the following: “Yes, I can interpret dreams very well. In fact, your majesty, I haven’t been wrong yet! I do have an amazing gift that is now at your service. What did Pharaoh dream? Allow me to interpret the dream’s meaning.”
 
Yosef, however, chose a very different approach and, in so doing, took the final step toward becoming Yosef Hatzadik (Yosef the Righteous): “Bil’adai, Elokim ya’aneh et shalom Pharaoh” (“It is not through my wisdom [Onkelos] that I shall interpret your dreams, G-d will provide an answer that will bring peace to Pharaoh”). The singular import of these six Hebrew words cannot be overestimated. They created a chain of events that established Yosef as the key figure who enabled the Jewish people to initially thrive in Egypt, and subsequently survive the Egyptian exile.
 
Why does the phrase, “Bil’adai, Elokim ya’aneh et shalom Pharaoh,” have such manifest power? We are fortunate that the Malbim (Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel, 1809-1879), in his Commentary on the Torah on our verse, provides us with an answer to this question:
​
[When Yosef declared this phrase, he was actually telling the king that] the dream was a communication of Divine Providence from Hashem. Moreover, just as Hashem sent you [Pharaoh] this communication to make known to you your peace [i.e. your future] … so, too, will He make known its interpretation to the dream analyst no matter who he may be. In addition, even if the [interpretation] of this [Heavenly] message will not come from me, nonetheless, others will be able to interpret it, for even without me, certainly Hashem Himself will provide an answer to Pharaoh that will bring you peace… (Translation, underlining and brackets my own)
 
A careful reading of the Malbim’s words leads to an inescapable and seemingly counter-intuitive conclusion: Yosef achieved his ultimate greatness precisely because he took himself, and any agenda of self-aggrandizement, completely out of the picture. Instead, Yosef declared that everything that takes place is completely dependent upon the Almighty, and never upon an individual ─ no matter who he or she may be.
 
May we strive to be like Yosef Hatzadik, and ever be aware of Hashem as the Creator and Ruler of the Universe, as found in the words of Dovid HaMelech (King David): “M‘ate Hashem hiyitah zot he niflot b’aineynu” − “This was from the L-rd; it is wondrous in our eyes” (Sefer Tehillim 118:23). May this time come soon and in our days, v’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and Chanukah 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 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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** 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, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, the Kedoshim of Har Nof and Pittsburgh, and the refuah shlaimah of Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Mordechai ben Miriam Tovah, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Yosef is the sole figure in Tanach to whom Chazal (our Sages of blessed memory) attach the title, hatzadik (the righteous one). The second century work, Seder Ha’olam Rabbah, is one of the earliest Rabbinic sources wherein this appellation is found:

“…He grants wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who know understanding.” [This verse from Sefer Daniel 2:21] refers to Yosef hatzadik, for as the text states in his regard, “Then Pharaoh said to Yosef, ‘Since G-d has let you know all this, there is no one as understanding and wise as you.’” (Sefer Bereishit 41:39, these and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, Seder Ha’olam Rabbah chapter 30, translation, my own)
 
Our passage’s view of Yosef as “Yosef hatzadik,” based upon his wisdom and understanding, seems very unusual, since it does not correspond to the standard action-based concept of tzidkut (righteousness). Normally, it is customary for individuals to receive the title of tzadik because of what they have done, and not because of their great intellectual acumen. Perhaps this is the reason why Talmud Bavli, Yoma 35a, teaches us that Yosef earned the title, Yosef hatzadik, as a result of his rejection of the amorous advances of Potiphar’s wife:

It was told of Joseph the righteous that the wife of Potiphar every day endeavored to entice him with words. [Moreover,] the garments she put on for him in the morning, she did not wear in the evening, those she had put on in the evening, she did not wear in the morning. She said to him: “Yield to me!” He said: “No.” She said: “I shall have you imprisoned.” He said: “The L-rd releases the bound.” (Sefer Tehillim 146:7)  She said: I shall bend thy proud stature. He replied: “The L-rd raises those who are bowed down.” (146:8)  She said: “I shall blind your eyes.” He replied: “The L-rd opens the eyes of the blind.” (Ibid.)  She offered him a thousand talents of silver to make him yield to her, to lie with her, to be near her, but he would not listen to her; not “to lie with her” in this world, not “to be with her” in the world to come. (Translation, The Soncino Talmud, with my emendations)
 
Clearly, Yosef fulfilled the famous words of the Mishnah in Pirkei Avot IV:1: “Ben Zoma would say… ‘Who is strong? One who overpowers his inclinations. As is stated [Sefer Mishle 16:32], “Better one who is slow to anger than one with might, one who rules his spirit than the captor of a city.” (Translation, Rabbi Yosef Marcus)  Moreover, the Talmud informs us that in addition to ceaselessly cajoling Yosef, Potiphar’s wife threatened him with imprisonment and physical disfiguration if he continued to reject her advances. Nonetheless, Yosef did not yield to her illicit requests - a mark, it must be noted, of an authentic tzadik, and hence the very fitting name, “Yosef hatzadik.”
 
In my estimation, there is another reason why Chazal call Yosef, “Yosef hatzadik.” I believe it may be derived from Rashi’s interpretation of a verse in our parasha: “And his master saw that the L-rd was with him, and whatever he [Yosef] did the L-rd made prosper in his hand.” (39:3) Rashi, based upon Midrash Tanchuma, Vayeshev VIII, adds the following interpretation: That the L-rd was with him [Yosef]: “The name of Heaven was frequently on his lips.” (“Shame Shamayim shagur b’pive”)  Yosef explicitly mentioned Hashem’s name in all situations in which he found himself, both positive and negative, as we find in the following verses:

Rejection of Potiphar’s wife: “Now how can I commit this great evil, and sin against
G-d?” (39:9)

In prison with the baker and cup-bearer: And they said to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter for it.” Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to G-d? Tell [them] to me now.” (40:8)

Upon being removed from prison and standing before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams: “And Joseph replied to Pharaoh, saying, “Not I; G-d will give an answer [that will bring] peace to Pharaoh.” (41:16)

As we have seen, even Pharaoh, one of the world’s greatest practitioners of idol worship and the black arts, recognized Hashem subsequent to Yosef’s interpretation of his dreams:
So Pharaoh said to his servants, “Will we find [anyone] like this, a man in whom there is the spirit of G-d? “Since G-d has let you know all this, there is no one as understanding and wise as you.” (41:38-39)
 
Given these textual proofs, I believe that one of the most cogent reasons Chazal call Yosef, “hatzadik,” is precisely because he was mekadash shame Shamayim (sanctified Hashem’s Name), and led others to do so. This was the case, even when he could have directly benefited by stressing his own unique talents and abilities − instead of Hashem’s glory and omnipotence. In this sense, Yosef is the rebbe of klal Yisrael, for he taught us to declare the greatness of the Almighty’s Name at all times, so that we may be imbued and instill others with a sense of the greatness of the Creator. With Hashem’s help, may we ever have the wisdom and desire to do so, and thereby fulfill the mitzvah of kiddush Hashem (hallowing G-d’s name) in our daily lives. 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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** 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, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, the Kedoshim of Har Nof and Pittsburgh, and the refuah shlaimah of Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Mordechai ben Miriam Tovah, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Sefer Bereishit presents three celebrated name changes that were declared by the Almighty or one of His angels. The first two were Abram and Sarai, whose names were changed to Abraham and Sarah:

And Abram fell upon his face, and G-d spoke with him, saying…your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. And G-d said to Abraham, “Your wife Sarai − you shall not call her name Sarai, for Sarah is her name.” (17:3, 5, and 15, these and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Midrash Bereishit Rabbah makes it very clear that Abraham’s name change is absolute and universal in nature, to the extent that it is forbidden to call him by his prior appellation:
Bar Kapparah said: “Anyone who calls Abraham, ‘Abram’ [from this time forward] will violate a positive commandment (aseh).” Rabbi Lavi said: “He will not only disobey a positive directive, he will transgress a negative prohibition (lo ta’aseh), as well: ‘Your name shall no longer be called Abram,’ is the negative prohibition, and ‘Your name shall be Abraham,’ is the positive commandment.’” (Seder Vayishlach 78:3, this and the following translation and brackets my own)
 
According to our Midrash, however, Sarah’s name change is directed solely to Abraham, since the verse reads: “Your wife Sarai − you shall not call her name Sarai, for Sarah is her name.” In other words, Hashem gave Abraham a clear-cut personal directive to help him understand that his beloved wife was no longer his princess alone (“Sarai”), rather, she was now ready to take her place on the stage of world history as “Sarah.” As the verse states: “I will bless her, and she will become [a mother of] nations; kings of nations will be from her.” (17:16)
 
Our parasha contains the third divinely-decreed name change in Sefer Bereishit, as found in two pasukim (verses) that narrate Jacob’s transition from Jacob to Israel:

And he [Esau’s angel] said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, because you have commanding power with [an angel of] G-d and with men, and you have prevailed.
 
G-d said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” And He named him Israel. (32:29 and 35:10)
 
On the surface, these pasukim seem to be quite similar. A considered reading reveals, however, that there are two different speakers; in 32:29, Esau’s angel declares Jacob’s name change, whereas in 35:10, the speaker is the Almighty. In addition, 32:29 appears to depict a permanent name change, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,” whereas in 35:10, Hashem somewhat curiously reminds Jacob, “Your name is Jacob,” prior to stating, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” The confluence of these two verses led our Midrash to ask whether Jacob’s name change to Israel was similar to his grandfather’s transformation from Abram to Abraham, or was it substantively different?
 
Is it the case that one who calls Jacob “Jacob” will be in violation of a positive commandment [as in the case of Abram/Abraham]? It has been taught: The name, “Jacob,” has not been uprooted, rather, the name Israel is now the essential appellation, whereas, the name, “Jacob,” is now of secondary import. [The opposite approach was offered by] Rabbi Zechariah in the name of Rabbi Acha — [Hashem told Jacob] that his primary name remained “Jacob,” but henceforth, “Israel will be your name.” In other words, “Jacob” was his main name, and “Israel” was his additional secondary name. 
 
Based on a close reading of the two opinions in the Midrash, Jacob, unlike Abraham, retains his original name. The only question under debate is whether or not “Jacob” remains his essential name, or is it somehow eclipsed by the new name, “Israel?” In my opinion, the Midrash is teaching us a profound lesson regarding Jacob’s very nature, that henceforth he has a dual persona that is reflected by each of these names. As such, there are periods when he thrives as Jacob and lives as “an innocent man, dwelling in tents,” (25:27) and there are times when he must rise to existential challenges and be Israel, the one who has “commanding power with [an angel of] G-d and with men.” (32:29)
 
The Jacob persona is illustrated by the prophet Michah when he speaks of Jacob in this manner: “You (Hashem) shall give the truth of Jacob (emet l’Ya’akov), the loving-kindness of Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers from days of yore.” (Sefer Michah 7:20) In my estimation, Emet l’Ya’akov is only possible when Jacob is living a tranquil and introspective existence. Little wonder, then, that the first pasuk of next week’s parasha states: “Jacob dwelt (vayeshev) in the land of his father's sojourning, in the land of Canaan.” (37:1)  In line with my analysis, Midrash Rabbah, Bereishit 84:3 interprets “vayeshev” as Jacob’s manifest desire to dwell serenely (b’shalveh) in the Land of Canaan, the land of his grandfather and father.
 
In contrast, there are periods in history when Jacob must project his Israel persona, and act as one “with commanding power with men.” At these moments in history, Jacob as Israel must become a Maccabi, as our people did during the battles with Amalek, the Syrian-Greeks (Chanukah), the War of Independence, and in each succeeding war that our beloved Medinat Yisrael has been forced to fight when threatened by the forces of darkness and hatred. As we have demonstrated time and time again, however, both as a people and a nation, our goal is shalom. This idea was given powerful voice by Prime Minister Golda Meir (1898-1978), when she declared in her oral autobiography: “When peace comes we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons.” (A Land of Our Own: An Oral Autobiography, 1973, edited by Marie Syrkin, p. 242).
 
May we be zocheh (merit) to see the fulfillment of emet l’Ya’akov, and the final words of the Kaddish realized in our time: “May He Who makes peace in His celestial heights make peace in His ultimate compassion for us and for all the Jewish people.” May this take place 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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** 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, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, and the Pittsburgh Kedoshim, the refuah shlaimah of Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Mordechai ben Miriam Tovah, Yitzhak Moshe Aleksander ben Chayeh Sarah and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Our parasha begins with the famous words, “And Jacob left Beersheba, and he went to Haran.” (Sefer Bereishit 28:10, this and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) Jacob’s departure is a direct response to his mother Rebecca’s wishes, and his father Isaac’s earlier two-fold statement:

And Rebecca said to Isaac, “I am disgusted with my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth like these, from the daughters of the land, [Canaan] of what use is life to me?” (27:46, brackets my own)
 
And Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and he commanded him and said to him, “You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and take yourself from there a wife of the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.” (28:1-2)
 
Jacob fulfills his filial responsibility with alacrity, and arrives “at the place and lodged there because the sun had set, and he took some of the stones of the place and placed [them] at his head, and he lay down in that place.” In a celebrated gloss in his Commentary on the Torah, Rashi (1040-105) identifies the place cited in this verse as Mount Moriah, the location of both Akeidat Yitzhak (the Binding of Isaac) and the future Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple). Little wonder, then, that the following miracle took place:

And he dreamt, and behold! a ladder set up on the ground (sulam mutzav artzah) and its top reached to heaven (v’rosho magiya od hashamaimah); and behold, angels of G-d were ascending and descending upon it. And behold, the L-rd was standing over him, and He said, “I am the L-rd, the G-d of Abraham your father, and the G-d of Isaac; the land upon which you are lying, to you I will give it and to your children.” (28:12-13, emendations my own)

It must be noted that our verse contains the sole instance in Tanach of the term “sulam.” Such an unusual word naturally captured the exegetical imaginations of Torah commentators throughout the ages. Thus, we find the following Gematria-based (numerical-based) interpretation of Jacob’s dream by the great Mishnaic period thinker, Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai:

 “And he dreamt:” Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said: “[The Almighty] showed him [Jacob] Mount Sinai. [What indication do we have in the verse that this is so?] The letter samech in Sinai equals 60, the first and last yud(s) equal 10, and the nune is equivalent to 50. This adds up to 130 – the exact same numerical value of the word “sulam.” In addition, in our verse, we find the expression, “mutzav artzah v’rosho magiya od hashamaimah,” [in regards to the sulam,] and in reference to Mount Sinai we find, “…and the mountain burned with fire up to the midst of the heavens (hashamayim).” (Sefer Devarim 4:11, passage source, Midrash Tanchuma, Solomon Buber edition, Parashat Vayatze VII, translation and brackets my own)
 
In sum, for Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, based upon the relevant numerical equivalents of the Hebrew letters and the linguistic parallels within the verses that he quotes, the sulam is Jacob’s prophetic on-ramp to a vision of the future Revelation at Mount Sinai. We are not surprised, therefore, when Jacob proclaims: “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of G-d, and this is the gate of heaven.” (28:17)
 
Like Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, the 14th century Torah scholar Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher (“the Tur”) was a master of using Gematria to elucidate the Torah’s meaning. In his Commentary on the Torah, he notes that the word “sulam” is also the numerical equivalent of kol (130, voice), and joins this observation with a citation from the first volume of the Zohar, section 266: “The voice of the righteous (tzaddikim) in prayer is the ladder upon which the angels ascend.” Shortly thereafter he states: “Everyone, therefore, who has true intention (kavanah) and heartfelt dedication in their prayers has a ladder with complete rungs upon which the angels will be able to ascend [to Heaven].” According to the Tur’s interpretation of the Zohar, it appears that tzaddikim, by definition, have the ability to imbue their tefilah (prayer) with deep-level kavanah. Moreover, their prayers are so powerful and of such great import to HaKadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One Blessed Be He) that they serve as a vehicle whereupon the angels can travel to heaven.
 
We are neither prophets like Jacob, nor tzaddikim like those referenced in the Zohar. Nonetheless, with Hashem’s help and our most heartfelt desire, we can invest our tefilot with kavanah and a sense of awe and wonder that we, too, are ever standing before the Holy One blessed be He. When we do so, may we, too, build ladders upon which “the angels will be able to ascend [to Heaven].” 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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** 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, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, and the Pittsburgh Kedoshim, the refuah shlaimah of Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Mordechai ben Miriam Tovah, Yitzchak Moshe Alexander ben Chayeh Sarah, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Our parasha contains a crucial narrative in the lives of the Avot (Patriarchs) – a famine in the Land of Israel, and Isaac’s initial desire to follow in his father’s footsteps and travel to Egypt to avoid starvation. In this instance, however, Hashem reveals himself to Isaac and commands him to remain in Eretz Yisrael: “And the L-rd 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 to Hashem’s command to “dwell in the land that I will tell you,” He proclaims that Isaac will have numerous offspring, and that the covenant made with Abraham will 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 Abraham, 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 often refrains from providing a rationale for future events. In our case, however, Hashem explicitly tells Isaac the precise reason why he will receive these multiple berachot (blessings): “Because Abraham 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 our terms in the following manner:
Mishmarti: [Referring to] decrees to distance [himself] from transgressing the warnings in the Torah, e.g. secondary prohibitions to prevent incest from occurring, and the Rabbinic decrees to safeguard the prohibitions of the Sabbath.
 
Mitzvotai: [Referring to] things, which, had they not been written, would have been fit to be commanded, e.g. [prohibitions against] robbery and bloodshed.
 
Chuchotai: [Referring to] things that the evil inclination and the nations of the world argue against, e.g. [the prohibitions against] eating pork and wearing garments of wool and linen for which no reason [is given], but [which are] the decree of the King and His statutes over His subjects.
 
Torotai: To include the Oral Law, the laws given to Moses from Sinai.
 
Rashi’s analysis is based upon a variety of Rabbinic sources that maintain that Abraham fulfilled the entire Torah, up to and including Rabbinic decrees and enactments – many generations before it was given at Mount Sinai. By way of illustration:
 
Rab said: “Our father Abraham kept the entire Torah, as it is said: ‘Because Abraham hearkened to My voice [kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My instructions].’” (Sefer Bereishit 26:5) …Raba or R. Ashi said: “Abraham, 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 Abraham 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, guides us toward an answer:
In many respects, G-d was closer to Abraham than He was to Moses. An intangible feeling of tenderness lingers over the relationship of G-d to Abraham. There is the creative ardor, moving devotion and a lack of tension. All that G-d requests of Abraham is destined to promote the latter’s happiness and greatness. (The Emergence of Ethical Man, Michael S. Berger, page 155)
 
The Rav notes that Abraham acquired the moral law, and I believe, by extension, the Halacha, through “the mahazeh, the prophetic vision, not the royal decree [as in the case of Moses].” He continues this theme by suggesting, “There is no imposition of divine authority… Only a bilateral covenant, which binds both man and G-d, was concluded.” According to the Rav, Abraham was Hashem’s friend; thus, once Abraham received his divine prophetic visions, he did everything in his power to comply with the Almighty’s every request:
G-d addresses Himself to Abraham not in the commanding, authoritative tone of the L-rd but in the comradely, friendly manner of a fellow wanderer. He [G-d] wants a covenant with him. G-d, as it were, is lonesome and He is anxious to find a companion. Fellowship between G-d and man is the motto of Abraham’s life. (154-155, all brackets and underlining my own)
 
Rav Soloveitchik’s statement that “G-d, as it were, is lonesome and He is anxious to find a companion” 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 emulate Avraham Avinu (our father, Abraham) as we reach out to Hashem, our Yedid Nefesh, with heartfelt tefilot (prayers) and dedication to His holy Torah. 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.
 
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*** 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.