​
 
Rabbi David Etengoff
  
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimahof Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The first two chapters of our parasha focus upon mishpatim — laws that are crucial for the maintenance of a just, moral and righteous society. As such, the concluding pasuk of the second of these two chapters seems quite incongruous: “And you shall be holy people to Me, and flesh torn (basar treifah) in the field you shall not eat; you shall throw it to the dog[s].” (Sefer Shemot 22:30, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
The Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270) suggests the following rationale for our pasuk’s position in our sidrah:

The reason for [the placement of] this verse is because until this point the Torah mentions the rationally apprehensible laws (mishpatim) and warns us against morally reprehensible matters. And now, however, when the Torah is poised to introduce its discussion of food-based prohibitions [that are found in later parshiot], it begins by stating “And you shall be holy people to Me.” It is fitting that a person should be able to eat anything that would enable him to live; and the only reason for the prohibitions is to maintain purity of the soul. The one who eats only spiritually clean foods will not develop inflexibility and arrogance of the soul. Therefore, it states: “And you shall be holy people to Me.” This means that I [Hashem] desire that you should be holy people in order for you to be fitting for Me, to cleave to Me, for I am holy… (Commentary on the Torah, translation my own)
 
In the Ramban’s view, the laws of kashrut are a spiritual shield that guard our soul’s holiness and purity. Intransigence, conceit, and haughtiness represent the polar opposite of kedushah (holiness). Perhaps the single greatest threat to kedushah is ga’avah (arrogance). Little wonder, then, that the Ramban, strongly warns us against this toxic middah(character trait) in his celebrated Iggeret HaRamban:
​
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 (Sefer Tehillim, 93:1), “Hashem reigns, He wears clothes of pride.” 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 (Sefer Divrei Hayamim I:29:12), “Wealth and honor come from You.” So how can 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. So, lower yourself and Hashem will lift you up! (Translation, http://www.pirchei.co.il/specials/ramban/ramban.htm)
 
The Ramban is teaching us that human pride is antithetical to kedushah and constitutes rebellion against the Kingship of the Almighty. Wealth, honor, and glory are merely passing shadows that can be taken away from humankind, just as they are bestowed upon us, by the Creator. How, then, can we avoid the pitfalls of ga’avah, so that we may achieve kedushah and draw closer to Hashem? The Ramban provides us with very practical advice:
In all your actions, words and thoughts, always regard yourself as standing before Hashem, with His Shechinah [Divine presence] above you, for His glory fills the whole world. Speak with fear and awe... Act with restraint in front of everyone. When someone calls you, do not answer loudly, but gently and softly, as one who stands before his master. 
 
In sum, when we recognize we are always standing before the Almighty, we will act with humility before Him, and restraint and dignity toward others. 
 
The words of Michah, the eighth century BCE prophet, provide strong underpinning for the Ramban’s ideas: “Higid lecha adam mah tov, umah Hashem dorash memcha ki im asot mishpat v’ahavat chesed v’hatznayah lechet im Elokecha” (“He has told you O’ man what is good! What does G-d require from you except to perform acts of justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your G-d?” Sefer Michah 6:8)  Michah teaches us that good and, by extension a good life, are defined first and foremost by actions that embody justice in our dealings with others. This is an essential aspect of Jewish living. We are all created b’tzelem Elokim (in G-d’s image). As such, we are all the same in His eyes. By maintaining a constant awareness of the intrinsic value of our fellow human beings, we emulate Hashem (imitatio Dei). 
 
The next middah that is stressed by Michah is kindness. While this quality appears to be an “extra” in many quarters of modern life, Michah categorically states that it is part and parcel of what Jewish living should represent. As such, he urges us to love acts of kindness, and ardently practice these behaviors with all humankind. The navi concludes his famous words with the expression, “and to walk humbly with your G-d.” Anavah (humility) is one of the most important aspects of Jewish life. As the Ramban states in the Iggeret, when we act humbly, Hashem’s Divine spirit and glory rest upon us, and we merit Olam Haba (the World to Come). May we ever seek to draw near to Hashem in kedushah, and may His countenance shine upon us all. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom, and may Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the pandemic from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world. 
 
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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim 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, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Our parasha is one of two parshiot in the Torah that presents the narrative of the Revelation at Mount Sinai, the other is Parashat Va’etchanan in Sefer Devarim. Ma’amad Har Sinai (the Revelation) changed the world for all time, for at that moment, Hashem the Infinite spoke to humankind and gave the Jewish people His holy Torah. This extraordinary event was preceded by an unparalleled display of the Almighty’s power:

It came to pass on the third day when it was morning, that there were thunderclaps and lightning flashes, and a thick cloud was upon the mountain, and a very powerful blast of a shofar, and the entire nation that was in the camp shuddered...And the entire Mount Sinai smoked because the L-rd had descended upon it in fire, and its smoke ascended like the smoke of the kiln, and the entire mountain quaked violently. The sound of the shofar grew increasingly stronger; Moshe would speak and G-d would answer him with a voice. (Sefer Shemot 19:16, 18-19, this and all Tanach translations, unless noted, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Parashat Va’etchanan expands upon the significance of our parasha’s passage:

But beware and watch yourself very well, lest you forget the things that your eyes saw, and lest these things depart from your heart, all the days of your life, and you shall make them known to your children and to your children’s children, the day you stood before the L-rd your G-d at Horeb [Mount Sinai], when the L-rd said to me, “Assemble the people for Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.” (4:9-10)
 
In his Commentary on the Torah on these pasukim, the Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270) maintains that these verses are imperative, rather than declarative in nature, and contain two distinct mitzvot:

Behold, prior to mentioning the [asseret] hadibrot (Ten Commandments) that were said there, the text cautions us b’mitzvat lo ta’aseh (in a negative commandment) that no aspect of that ma’amad should never be forgotten, and it should never be removed from our minds. [Additionally,] it commands us in a mitzvat aseh (positive commandment) that we should [make this demonstration of the Almighty’s omnipotence] known to all of our descendants throughout the generations — inclusive of all that occurred there, both visually and auditorily. (This and the following translations my own)
 
Following this trenchant analysis, the Ramban notes that the benefit inherent in the mitzvat aseh cannot be overestimated, as it underscores the concepts of the authenticity and immutability of the Torah:
​
And the value in this mitzvah is very great: For if the words of the Torah were to have come to us through Moshe’s words alone, then, even though his prophecy was supported by signs and wonders, if there would have [subsequently] arisen amongst us a “prophet” or a soothsayer and commanded us in opposition to the Torah and given us a sign or a wonder [like Moshe had done], then doubts would have arisen in our minds [as to the veracity of the Torah]. Since, however, the Torah came to us from the All Powerful One Himself — through the vehicle of what our ears heard and our eyes saw without any intermediary whatsoever — we can readily repudiate anything that seemingly denies [the truth and eternality of the Torah] and any doubt that may ensue…
 
On measure, the Ramban’s gloss emerges as a fundamental theological statement regarding the unique status of the Torah. Clearly, lo b’shamayim he — the Torah is no longer in Heaven (Sefer Devarim 30:12) — and, as a corollary, there can be no other. As the Torah states: “V’zot haTorah asher sam Moshe lifnei b’nai yisrael” (“And this is the Torah that Moshe placed before the Jewish people,” Sefer Devarim 4:44, my translation)  With Hashem’s help, may we ever recognize and teach these principles of faith to our descendants throughout all the generations. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom, and may Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the pandemic from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world. 
 
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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim 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, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimahof Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The protagonist of this week’s haftorah is the prophetess and judge Devorah: “Now Deborah was a woman prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth; she judged Israel at that time.” (Sefer Shoftim 4:4, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  Our Sages note in Talmud Bavli, Megillah 14a, that Devorah was one of the seven prophetesses: “Who were the seven prophetesses? Sarah, Miriam, Devorah, Chana, Avigail, Chulda, and Esther.” It appears, as well, that she had the additional distinction of being one of the Judges (shoftim) of the Jewish people — if we take the phrase, “she judged Israel at that time” (“hi shoftah et Yisrael ba’eit hahi”) at face value.
 
It seems that we should interpret, “she judged Israel at that time,” quite literally, as the very next pasuk states: “And she sat under the palm tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Beth-el, in the mountain of Ephraim; and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.” (Sefer Shoftim 4:5)  There is a fundamental halachic problem with this interpretation, however, since the fourth century Talmud Yerushalmi, Yoma 6:1 (32a) states: “… a woman may not judge” (“ain haisha danah”). Although the Rambam (1135-1204) does not explicitly include this ruling in his Mishneh Torah, it is found nearly verbatim in the Arba’ah Turim of Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher (1270-1340), and in Rabbi Yosef Karo’s (1488-1575) Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat, Hilchot Dayanim 7:4: “A woman is disqualified from judging” (“ishah pasulah l’don”). Given this clear-cut ruling, we must ask the simple and straightforward question: “Was Devorah really a judge?” The answer, as in many areas of halacha and hashkafa, is a resounding, “It depends who you ask.”
 
Tosafot, an illustrious group of Rashi’s (1040-1105) students and disciples, discuss Devorah’s status in a number of different tractates of the Talmud. One such source is Talmud Bavli Gittin 88b s.v. v’lo lifnei hedyotot. Initially, Tosafot opines that the phrase from Sefer Shoftim “she judged Israel at that time,” should not be taken literally, since it may very well mean “… perhaps she never rendered judgment at all, and [instead] she instructed [the judges] as to what the legal decisions ought to be.” (This, and the following Tosafot translation of this source, my own)  According to this view, although Devorah was a legal scholar who discussed cases with members of various batai din (Jewish courts), she was not an actual judge. It should be noted that this approach is followed by Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher in the above-cited section of the Arba’ah Turim. In contrast, Tosafot’s second approach suggests that Devorah was a practicing judge, and her mandate to judge had come directly from the Almighty: “Alternately, perhaps they [the Jewish people] had accepted her juridical authority upon themselves because of [a Divine pronouncement] from the Schechinah (Hashem’s immanent presence).” 
 
Devorah as a judge in practice — based upon Divine mandate — finds further support in a previously cited Gemara, Talmud Bavli, Megillah 14a, in one of the explanations of the phrase, “And she sat under the palm tree of Deborah…” Therein our Sages teach us: “Just as this palm tree has but one heart [Rashi: a central growing point], so, too, did the Jewish people of that generation have but one heart (lev echad) directed to their Father in Heaven.” This explanation is particularly fascinating in that Devorah’s universal acceptance as a judge for klal yisrael (the Jewish people) took place precisely because the heart of the Jewish people was unanimously directed to avinu she’b’shamayim (our Father in Heaven).
 
Sadly, unlike the spiritually united Jews of Devorah’s generation, we live in an age of profound pirood (separation). Each one of us, even if we do not label ourselves, is labeled and defined by others as to what kind of Jew we are and where we stand on the religious/non-religious/not-yet-religious spectrum. The result of this kind of thinking is alienation and disaffection from our fellow Jews. Instead of banding together in love and tolerance, we are split apart by groundless hatred (sinat chinam) and distrust of one another. In stark contrast, the Jews of Devorah’s time clearly teach us what ultimately should bind us together, namely, singular dedication to avinu she’b’shamayim. If we can achieve this, we will be well on our way to replacing sinat chinam with ahavat yisrael (unconditional love for the Jewish people). 

Rabbi Yitzhak Avraham Kook (1865-1935), the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Palestine under the British Mandate, was one of the greatest exponents of ahavat yisrael in the modern age. He conceptualized this idea in the following poetic manner: 
​
Listen to me, my people! I speak to you from my soul, from within my innermost soul. I call out to you from the living connection by which I am bound to all of you, and by which all of you are bound to me. I feel this more deeply than any other feeling: that only you —all of you, all of your souls, throughout all of your generations — you alone are the meaning of my life. In you I live. In the aggregation of all of you, my life has that content that is called “life.” Without you, I have nothing. All hopes, all aspirations, all purpose in life, all that I find inside myself — these are only when I am with you. I need to connect with all of your souls. I must love you with a boundless love.... Each one of you, each individual soul from the aggregation of all of you, is a great spark, part of the torch of the Light of the universe which enlightens my life. You give meaning to life and work, to Torah and prayer, to song and hope. It is through the conduit of your being that I sense everything and love everything. (Shemonah Kevatzim 1:163, translation, Chanan Morrison) 
 
May the time come soon and in our days when we, as individuals and as a nation, will realize the truth inherent in Rav Kook’s stirring words and treat every one of our brothers and sisters with the ahavat yisrael they deserve. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom, and may Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the pandemic from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world. 
 
 
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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim 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, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimahof Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Arbeh (locusts) is one of the makkot (plagues) that figure prominently in our parasha. Like the other makkot, the arbeh are a heuristic device that the Almighty brought upon Pharaoh and his people in an effort to teach them the unlimited nature of His power. Therefore, Moshe and Aharon made it quite clear to Pharaoh exactly what was at stake if he remained obstinate in his recalcitrance: 

Moshe and Aharon came to Pharaoh and said to him, “So said the L-rd, the G-d of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, and they will worship Me. For if you refuse to let [them] go, behold, tomorrow I am going to bring locusts into your borders. And they will obscure the view of the earth, and no one will be able to see the earth, and they will eat the surviving remnant, which remains for you from the hail, and they will eat all your trees that grow out of the field.’” (Sefer Shemot 10:3-5, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
This passage presents a terrifying apocalyptic vision of the imminent future that will ensue if Pharaoh continues his rebelliousness against Hashem. Little wonder, then, that his servants beseech him and declare: “How long will this one [Moshe] be a stumbling block to us? Let the people go and they will worship their G-d. Don’t you yet know that Egypt is lost (haterem taida ki avda mitzrayim)?” On the surface, Pharaoh’s inability to recognize “haterem taida ki avda mitzrayim” is almost incomprehensible, as seven other plagues had already taken place, each one more destructive than the former. I believe, however, that we can explain Pharaoh’s self-destructive behavior in the following manner. Like many enemies of our people, this despot represented unrepentant evil. His yetzer hara, in conjunction with his unlimited arrogance, prevented him from seeing even the most obvious reality: “haterem taida ki avda mitzrayim!”Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zatzal formulates this idea in a deeply insightful manner:

Pharaoh is in fact (and this is rare in Tanakh) a tragic figure like Lady Macbeth, or like Captain Ahab in Melville's Moby Dick, trapped in an obsession which may have had rational beginnings, right or wrong, but which has taken hold of him, bringing not only him but those around him to their ruin. This is signaled, simply but deftly, early in next week's sedra when Pharaoh’s own advisors say to him: “Let the people go so that they may worship the L-rd their G-d. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?” (10: 7). But Pharaoh has left rationality behind. He can no longer hear them. (Covenant and Conversation, Parashat Vaera -16th January 2010 -1st Shevat 5770)
 
Upon careful analysis, it appears that Pharaoh had three nemeses. The first one was G-d. Thus, he declared with the greatest possible hubris: “… Who is the L-rd [Hashem] that I should heed His voice to let Israel out? I do not know the L-rd, neither will I let Israel out.” (Sefer Shemot 5:2)  Herein, Pharaoh denied the dominion of the Master of the Universe over the world that He had created. Moreover, he denied Hashem’s role as the supreme force in history. In Pharoah’s twisted world of irrational illusion, he, and not the Almighty, ruled the world and controlled human destiny. As a result, he believed that G-d did not exist — even when His presence could be palpably felt during the eser makkot (the Ten Plagues).
 
Pharoah’s second nemesis was Moshe Rabbeinu (our Teacher Moshe). Moshe was the polar opposite of Pharaoh, as he represented all that is righteous. He ceaselessly pursued that which is good, true and tahor (pure) with his entire being. In addition, he fulfilled his G-d-given mission with the greatest humility ever known: “Now this man Moses was exceedingly humble, more so than any person on the face of the earth.” (Sefer Bamidbar 12:3)  In stark contrast, Pharaoh was self-serving, pursued evil for its own sake, was driven by every manner of falsehood and machination, and led Egypt and its culture to the 49th level of tumah (impurity). 
 
Pharaoh’s third nemesis was none other than himself. At each twist and turn in his many encounters with G-d, Moshe and Aharon, he did his best to try to “outsmart” them and thwart their plan by further obstructing b’nai yisrael’s path to physical and spiritual freedom. He was a crazed individual whose evil obsessions drove him beyond all boundaries of humanity. Yet, far from being free, he was a slave to himself and his unfettered desires. As Rabbi Lord Sacks so eloquently states: “Evil has two faces. The first — turned to the outside world — is what it does to its victim. The second — turned within — is what it does to its perpetrator. Evil traps the evildoer in its mesh. Slowly but surely he or she loses freedom and becomes not evil’s master but its slave.” 
 
In stark contrast to all that Pharaoh embodied, may we strive to fulfill the beautiful words of King David in Sefer Tehillim: “Shun evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.” (34:5) May Hashem grant us the wisdom and discernment to eschew all that is evil. If we can do this, we will be truly free to authentically serve our Creator. May this time come soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom, and may Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the pandemic from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world. 
 
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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim 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, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
 
Our parasha contains four words that refer to the imminent salvation of the Jewish people from their merciless Egyptian taskmasters: 

Therefore, say to the children of Israel, “I am the L-rd, and I will take you out (v’hotzati) from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will save you (v’hitzalti) from their labor, and I will redeem you (v’ga’alti) with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. And I will take you (v’lakachti) to Me as a people, and I will be G-d to you, and you will know that I am the L-rd your G-d, Who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. (Sefer Shemot, 6:6-7, translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) 
 
Rashi (1040-1105), Rashbam (1085-1158), and the Ba’alei Tosafot (12-14th centuries), among many others, labeled v’hotzati, v’hitzalti, v’ga’alti, and v’lakachti as the “four expressions of redemption” (“arba’ah leshonei geulah,” Talmud Bavli, Pesachim 99b). The earliest source for this concept, however, is the Talmud Yerushalmiin tractate 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, my own. See Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 88:11 for a parallel presentation of this idea.) 
 
Whether we follow the Talmud Yerushalmi’s approach and label our terms “the four redemptions,” or follow Rashi, Rashbam, and the Ba’alei Tosafot and call them the “four expressions of redemption,” it is clear they provide the Torah basis for the Rabbinic obligation of drinking the four cups of wine at the seder. This requirement is stated explicitly in the Mishnah at the beginning of the 10th chapter of Talmud Bavli, Pesachim 99b: “Even the poorest person from the Jewish people may not eat [on the night of the seder] until he leans [in a demonstrable sign of freedom]. In addition, there shall be given to him no less than four cups of wine — even if this must come from the public dole.” The Rambam (1135-1204) codified this halacha in the following manner: 

Therefore, when a person feasts on this night, he must eat and drink while he is reclining in the manner of free men. Each and every one, both men and women, must drink four cups of wine on this night. [This number] should not be reduced. Even a poor person who is sustained by charity should not have fewer than four cups… (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Chametz u’Matzah 7:7, this and all Mishneh Torah translations, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger) 
 
It should be noted that all subsequent poskim (halachic decisors) follow this opinion; as such, the commandment to drink the arba kosot (Four Cups of Wine) is a constitutive element of the Seder.
 
The 14th century Spanish halakhist, Rabbi Vidal di Tolosa, known as the Maggid Mishneh, after the name of his commentary on the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah, examines the underlying meaning of the arba kosot within the context of his explanation of Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Chanukah 4:12: 
 
The mitzvah of kindling Chanukah lamps is very dear. A person should be very careful in its observance to publicize the miracle and thus increase our praise of G-d and our expression of thanks for the miracles that He wrought on our behalf. Even if a person has no resources for food except [what he receives] from charity, he should pawn or sell his garments and purchase oil and lamps to kindle them [in fulfillment of the mitzvah]. 
 
In his gloss on this passage, the Maggid Mishneh opines: “It appears that the Rambam learns this from that which is explained in the seventh chapter of Hilchot Chametz u’Matzah: ‘Even a poor person who is sustained by charity should not have fewer than four cups.’ The reason thereof is because of the obligation of pirsumei nisa (publicizing the miracle) …” Based upon Maggid Mishneh’s interpretation, we may conclude that the overriding significance and obligatory character of the arba kosot stem directly from their role as mitzvah objects in the grand drama of pirsumei nisa. As such, they join two other Rabbinic commandments that share this rationale, the lighting of the Chanukah candles and the reading of the Megillah on the night and morning of Purim. 
 
The founder of the Sochatchover Chasidic dynasty, Rabbi Avraham Bornsztain zatzal (1838-1910), in his posthumously published work of Torah responsa entitled Avnei Nezer, expands upon the Maggid Mishneh’s analysis of the Rambam’s decision in Hilchot Chanukah and declares: 
​
Perforce one must say that the mitzvot of the night of Passover are different [than other commandments in general] since they serve the purpose of publicizing [the wonders and miracles of Passover] to his sons and the other members of his family, as the Torah states: “And you shall tell your son on that day…” This matter is understood based upon what I have already explained as the rationale of the Rambam — namely, in all other commandments [excluding pirsumei nisa] one is not obligated to sell their garment in order to fulfill a particular mitzvah. [This is based upon the well-known Talmudic dictum found in Talmud Bavli, Berachot 6a, wherein it states:] “Behold if one has the intention to perform a mitzvah and does not do so [through no fault of his own], the Torah considers it as if he has done so.” This is not the case in instances of pirsumei nisa where the entire rationale for the mitzvah is to publicize [the miracles] to others… (Orech Chaim, Hilchot Chanukah 501, translation my own) 
 
Rav Bornsztain teaches us that all the mitzvot of Pesach night, and not just the arba kosot, are an expression of pirsumei nisa. Moreover, while regarding other mitzvot it may well be “the thought that counts,” in matters of pirsumei nisa, the commandment must be performed without exception. 
 
With Hashem’s help, may we be zocheh (merit) to live lives wherein we bring universal recognition to His great and awesome Name, reflecting the ultimate purpose of arba kosot. May this time come soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon. 
 
Shabbat Shalom, and may Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the pandemic from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
 
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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim 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, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimahof Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The name Hashem (yud-heh-vav-heh) appears 47 times in Sefer Bereishit, a number of which take place within the context of Hashem’s direct communication with the Avot. In our parasha, the name is found following Moshe’s request from the Almighty as to what he should tell B’nai Yisrael when they ask: “What is His [that is, G-d’s] name? what shall I say to them?” The Almighty responds: “So shall you say to the children of Israel, ‘The L-rd G-d of your forefathers (Hashem Elokei avotaichem), 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 and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  It is, therefore, difficult to understand one of the early pasukim in next week’s Parashat Vaera: “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob with [the name] Almighty G-d (A-le Sha-dai), but [with] My name Hashem, I did not become known to them.” (Sefer Shemot 6:3) 
 
Rashi (1040-1105) explains this seeming contradiction in the following fashion:

It is not written here lo hoda’ati, “but My Name Hashem I did not make known to them,” but lo noda’ati, “I did not become known.” [That is,] I was not recognized by them with My attribute of keeping faith, by dint of which My name is called Hashem, [which means that I am] faithful to verify My words, for I made promises to them, but I did not fulfill [them while they were alive]. (Sefer Shemot 6:3)
 
Rashi suggests that the solution to the above-noted inconsistency is contained in the terminology of the verse itself. Clearly, the Avot were well aware of the name Hashem. They were, however, unaware of its full significance and meaning, since Hashem had not yet fulfilled His promises regarding their future numerous descendants and possession of Eretz Yisrael.
 
The great Spanish exegete, Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra (1092 –1167), presents an insightful resolution to our textual conundrum that parallels that of Rashi. He opines that it was impossible for the Avot to be unaware of the name Hashem, since it is used throughout Sefer Bereishit. He describes this name as the shame etzem (the proper name) of G-d. In other words, while they knew G-d by this title or appellation, they had not encountered Him based upon His actions and deeds, which the Ibn Ezra calls the shame toar (the adjectival descriptive name). Hashem specifically refers to G-d’s name as manifested through His actions and as He who fulfills His promises. The Ibn Ezra places a great deal of emphasis on this newly revealed aspect of G-d’s being. In fact, he suggests that the true purpose inherent in Moshe’s agency was none other than: “… to make this name Hashem known [to mankind].” (Ibn Ezra, Commentary on the Torah, Sefer Shemot 6:3)  When viewed in this light, Hashem clearly carries the connotation of He who fulfills that which He has promised. In sum, it was this newly revealed aspect of Hashem that Moshe publicized to the Jewish people and the world.
 
My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, builds upon the interpretations of Rashi and the Ibn Ezra, and suggests the following analysis of the meaning and import of the name Hashem to the Jewish people:
​
The name Hashem signifies realization. The Patriarchs had only been given promises; a long road still lay ahead of them before their descendants would conquer the land. Deviations from the straight course and long delays characterize the strange movement of Jewish history: the longest, not the shortest route, seems to be our destiny. This mystifying pattern of Jewish history demands our loyalty even as it defies our comprehension. Why should A-le Sha-dai be separated from Hashem, the promise from the fulfillment? And yet the Jew waits patiently, filled with expectancy, with an unshakable faith in the inevitable geulah. (Chumash Mesoras HaRav, Sefer Shemos, page 49)
 
May the time come soon, and in our days, when the promises made to Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov regarding Eretz Yisrael and their future offspring will be completely realized:
For all the land that you [Avraham] see I will give to you and to your children for all eternity. And I will make your children like the dust of the earth, so that if a man will be able to count the dust of the earth, so will your children be counted. Rise, walk in the land, to its length and to its breadth, for I will give it to you. (Sefer Bereishit 13:15-17)
 
V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom, and may Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the pandemic from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim 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, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimahof Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Ezra the Scribe (5th century BCE) was one of the great leaders of the Jewish people. One of his most significant achievements was the establishment of the exact format in which a sefer Torah must be written. Our parasha contains an outstanding example of his handiwork. At the beginning of all other parshiot in a Sefer Torah, there is a clear indication that a new Torah portion is about to begin, separate from the previous one. This is not the case in our sidrah,which leads Midrash Bereishit Rabbah and Rashi (1040-1105) to ask: “Lamah parasha zu satumah?” (“Why is this Torah portion completely closed?”)  The Siftei Chakhamim (Rabbi Shabbeti Bass, 1641-1718) explains the substance of this question in the following manner: 

That is to say, we have a tradition from Ezra the Scribe, may he rest in peace, that Parashat Vayechi [beginning with the word “vayechi” itself] is the beginning of an entirely new section and not conjoined to the preceding parasha [that concludes] with the verse “vayeshev Yisrael…” [Parashat Vayechi, however,] does not follow the standard form of a parasha satumah, since [such a section normally has a blank space in front of it] that equals the size of nine letters, yet, in our case, the entire beginning of the parasha is totally closed without any space whatsoever. (Commentary on Rashi’s gloss, Sefer Bereishit 47:28, translation my own) 
 
Although Midrash Bereishit Rabbah offers three answers to the question, “Lamah parasha zu satumah,” the Kli Yakar (Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz, 1550-1619) summarily rejects each of them and states: “It certainly appears that there is no support whatsoever from the Torah’s text for any of these interpretations; as such, they are like false prophecies.” (Sefer Kli Yakar, Parashat Vayechi 47:28, this and the following translations my own).  This leads him to surmise that even though Parashat Vayechi and Parashat Vayigash are two separate parshiot, it is:

incontrovertibly the case that Ezra the Scribe’s intention [in writing Parashat Vayechi completely satumah] was to have the verse beginning with vayechi juxtaposed to the preceding verse [from Parashat Vayigash] in order for the two pasukim to be read as: “And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt in the land of Goshen, and they acquired property in it, and they were prolific and multiplied greatly. And Ya’akov lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years…” as if they were actually one verse. (47:27-28, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, Kli Yakar translations my own)
 
At this juncture, the Kli Yakar utilizes this “extended verse” concept to revisit and reinterpret the first answer Midrash Bereishit Rabbah provides to the question lamah parasha zu satumah, namely, “When Ya’akov died, shibud Mitzrayim (Egyptian servitude) began.” In so doing, he offers two approaches to the relationship between Ya’akov’s death and the onset of the shibud:

Initially the text states, “And Ya’akov lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years,” and teaches us through the utilization of the word, “vayeshev” (lived) that the Jews at that time dwelt in peace and tranquility, so much so that they were able to acquire significant landholdings in Egypt and greatly expand their population. All of this took place during the time of, “and Ya’akov lived,” for during his lifetime each member of the Jewish community directly benefitted from zechut Ya’akov (the merit of Ya’akov). From here we may infer that his zechut ceased upon his death, and so, too, all the positive outcomes it had engendered...And, according to this line of thought, Ya’akov’s death caused the onset of the Egyptian servitude. 
 
In sum, according to this view of the Kli Yakar, Ya’akov’s death ended the golden age described in 47:27-28, when our forebears “dwelt in peace and tranquility.” In addition, as he clarifies in further comments, the fledgling Jewish people then ceased being landowners and became enslaved to the Egyptians who strived to embitter their lives. In short, Ya’akov’s death precipitated shibud Mitzrayim.
 
The Kli Yakar takes the polar opposite tact in his second analysis of the juxtaposition of the last verse of Parashat Vayigash and the first pasuk of our parasha. In this scenario, rather than Ya’akov’s death triggering shibud Mitzrayim, shibud Mitzrayim led to Ya’akov’s death:
​
And it is possible to say exactly the opposite, namely, the beginning of the servitude was the reason for his death, as the Holy One blessed be He shortened the years of his life so that he did not live as long as his fathers [that is, Yitzchak and Avraham] in order for him to be spared seeing his children in bondage, for the time had now arrived [as foretold to Avraham] of “and they will enslave and oppress them for four hundred years.” (Sefer Bereishit 15:13)  
 
I believe that the Kli Yakar is intimating something quite fascinating regarding Ya’akov Avinu’s persona. Our standard perception of Ya’akov is as ish tam yosheiv ohelim (Sefer Bereishit 25:27, the pure and innocent individual who dwelt in the tents of Torah), who represented the highest heights of truth, as we find in the celebrated verse: “You shall give the truth of Ya’akov, the loving-kindness of Avraham, which You swore to our forefathers from days of yore.” (Sefer Michah 7:20)  As such, we rarely focus upon the emotional sensitivities that infused his being. Yet, the Kli Yakar is teaching us that Ya’akov simply would have been unable to bear seeing his children suffer in abject slavery; therefore, the Master of the Universe mercifully allowed him to die before his time, to spare him from witnessing such heart-wrenching scenes. In a very real sense, we can now understand why Ya’akov was the perfect husband for Rachel, for they were united in their empathy for the pain and anguish of the Jewish people. As the verse states: “So says the L-rd: A voice is heard on high, lamentation, bitter cries, Rachel weeping for her children, she refuses to be comforted for her children for they are no more.” (Sefer Yirmiyahu 31:14, with my emendations)
 
May the time come soon and in our days when Rachel will no longer weep for her beloved children and Ya’akov will no longer fear for our physical and spiritual welfare, a time when we will be blessed with true shalom al Yisrael. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom, and may Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the pandemic from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim 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, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimahof Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Hashem’s prophecy to Ya’akov Avinu on the eve of his traveling to Egypt to meet his beloved son Yosef is one of the many dramatic episodes in our parasha:

Israel began the journey, taking all his possessions, and he arrived in Beersheba. He offered sacrifices to the G-d of his father Isaac. G-d spoke to Israel in a night vision, and said, “Jacob! Jacob!” “Yes,” replied [Jacob]. [G-d] said, “I am the Omnipotent G-d of your father. Do not be afraid to go to Egypt (Al tirah merdah mitzraimah), for it is there that I will make you into a great nation. I will go to Egypt with you, and I will also bring you back again. Joseph will place his hands on your eyes.” (Sefer Bereishit 46:1-4, translation, The Living Torah)
 
I have always been intrigued by the seemingly out of place phrase, “Al tirah merdah mitzraimah,” after all, Ya’akov was on the verge of reuniting with Yosef! Moreover, Ya’akov now knew that his beloved son was the viceroy of Egypt and his family’s physical needs would be assured, even in the midst of a frightening worldwide famine. Therefore, the words “Al tirah merdah mitzraimah,” seem strangely out of place. 

My rebbi and mentor, Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known by his students and followers as “the Rav,” provides us with a brilliant insight that enables us to understand Ya’akov’s fear and trembling. He notes that two distinct britot (covenants with Hashem) have existed in the history of the Jewish people. The first is the Patriarchal Covenant (brit avot), and the second is the Sinaitic Covenant that we embraced at Har Sinai. The first covenant originally differed from the second in that it was limited to the families of the Patriarchs and was obligatory only in Eretz Yisrael. In contrast, the Sinaitic Covenant has been incumbent upon all Jews since the moment we received the Torah. The Rav further advances our understanding of the content of these two britot in the following manner:
​
The Patriarchal Covenant apparently imparts teachings to the Jewish people by example rather than by prescription. While the Sinaitic Covenant tells the Jew what to do and how to act as a member of the covenantal community, the Patriarchal Covenant addresses the “I” awareness of the Jew, teaching him how to experience his Jewishness. It sensitizes him in specifically Jewish ways; it expresses attitudes, ideals, and sentiments which still speak to us. It guides our feelings and consciousness rather than our physical acts, for we are duty-bound not only to act as Jews, but to feel as Jews. (Man of Faith in the Modern World: Reflections of the Rav, volume II, page 68) 
 
In particular, the Rav is teaching us a profound lesson regarding the depth-level significance of the Patriarchal Covenant. Far too often, we are tempted to think of Judaism solely in regard to its rich and comprehensive halachic system. The Rav reminds us, however, that while this component of Judaism is absolutely necessary for the continuation of our people, it is equally vital for each of us to embrace the Patriarchal Covenant, so that “our feelings and consciousness” as Jews are as authentic as the mitzvot the Almighty commanded us at Har Sinai.
 
In a variety of sources, the Rav suggests that Ya’akov was keenly aware of the geographic limitations of the brit avot of his time and felt that his family and descendants were on the brink of the greatest tragedy they could face. As such, Ya’akov was convinced that the impending exile in Egypt would nullify this covenant and the unique connection to the Almighty would be lost forevermore. Little wonder, then, that he felt such powerful fear regarding the future of his family and descendants. The only antidote to this debilitating dread was Hashem’s promise: “Do not be afraid of going down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up….” Now, Ya’akov was assured that the Shechinah (Divine Presence) would accompany him and protect his family, for with Hashem “at his side,” Egypt would be “transformed” into an extended portion of Eretz Yisrael. As a result, the Patriarchal Covenant would remain in effect and the future of his family, and our people, would be guaranteed. This, then, is precisely why Hashem declared: “Al tirah merdah mitzraimah.”
 
Like Ya’akov, we live in a period of great uncertainty. The entire world is in the throes of a powerful pandemic that we have not experienced for many generations, and fear and anxiety are the watchwords of today. Yet, we must ever remember the comforting and stirring words of David HaMelech: “Yisrael b’tach b’Hashem ezram u’maginam Hu — Yisrael, trust in the L-rd; He is their help and their shield.” (Sefer Tehillim 115:9, translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach). May Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the pandemic from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world soon and in our time. 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:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim 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, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Our parasha contains a dramatic pasuk that relates Pharaoh’s reaction to his dreams concerning cows and grain, wherein the sickly and lean devoured the healthy and robust ones:

Va’ye’hi ba’boker — Now it came to pass in the morning — that his spirit was troubled; so he sent and called all the necromancers of Egypt and all its sages, and Pharaoh related to them his dream, but no one interpreted them for Pharaoh. (Sefer Bereishit 41:8, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, underlining my own)

It is immediately apparent why Pharaoh’s spirit was troubled and why he had a passionate desire to understand these frightening dreams, as they seem to portend some indeterminate disaster. Try as they might, the “necromancers of Egypt and all its sages” were unable to interpret their monarch’s dreams in a convincing manner. Rashi (1040-1105) explicates this idea in the following fashion: “They did interpret them, but not for Pharaoh, for their voice did not reach his ears, and he had no satisfaction from their interpretation…” The failure of the Egyptian necromancers and sages set the stage for Yosef’s release from prison, his prescient interpretation of the dreams and subsequent elevation to the lofty role of mishneh l’melech (second-in-command) of Egypt, our people’s exile in Egypt and the exodus therefrom, and the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.
 
There are two other instances of va’ye’hi ba’boker in Chamishah Chumshei Torah that foreshadow a fundamental change for an individual or the entire Jewish people. The first of these is found in Parashat Vayatze in connection with the undesired marriage triangle of Ya’akov, Leah, and Rachel: “Va’ye’hi ba’boker, and behold she was Leah! So he [Ya’akov] said to Laban: ‘What is this that you have done to me? Did I not work with you for Rachel? Why have you deceived me?’” (Sefer Bereishit 29:25) How could this have happened? How was Ya’akov so radically misled on his longed-for wedding night? As always, we turn to Rashi, who shares with us the “story behind the story:”

And it came to pass in the morning, and behold she was Leah: But at night, she was not Leah, because Ya’akov had given signs to Rachel, but when she saw that they were bringing Leah, she (Rachel) said, “Now, my sister will be put to shame. So she readily transmitted those signs to her.”  [Based upon Talmud Bavli Megillah, 13b]
 
This narrative is one of the greatest examples of self-sacrifice that appears in Tanach. Rachel longed to share her wedding joy with her husband. Yet, she heroically determined that Leah’s potential embarrassment took priority over her personal needs and feelings. As such, she selflessly gave Ya’akov to Leah in order to guard her sister’s honor and dignity. Leah, in turn, went on to become the mother of 10 of the shivtei kah (the Tribes of Israel), changing Jewish history forevermore.
 
The second occurrence of va’ye’hi ba’boker is found in Sefer Bamidbar, in the narrative concerning Balak and Bilam. Balak was the King of Moav, who both hated and feared the Jewish people. He hired Bilam, the world’s greatest sorcerer, to curse our nation and halt our seemingly inexorable rise to glory. Little did Balak know, and even less could he understand, that our people’s grandeur was a direct result of G-d’s desire to have His divine plan fulfilled. He, therefore, was convinced Bilam could effectively curse our nation and bring us to our knees. In fact, Balak was so focused upon the destruction of klal Yisrael that he refused to listen to Bilam’s multiple protestations that he could only say and do what G-d allowed him:

Balak said to Bilam, “Did I not send to you to call for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I indeed incapable of honoring you?” Bilam said to Balak, “Behold I have come to you, do I have any power to say anything? The word G-d puts into my mouth-that I will speak.” … Va’ye’hi ba’boker that Balak took Bilam and led him up to Bamot Ba’al, and from there he saw part of the people. (Sefer Bamidbar 22:37-38, 41)
 
Like other absolute rulers, Balak expected his evil desires to be fulfilled. Instead, what began with va’ye’hi ba’boker, eventuated in Bilam’s unparalleled blessing to the Jewish people:

How can I curse whom G-d has not cursed, and how can I invoke wrath if the L-rd has not been angered? For from their beginning, I see them as mountain peaks, and I behold them as hills; it is a nation that will dwell alone and will not be reckoned among the nations. Who counted the dust of Ya’akov or the number of a fourth of [or, of the seed of] Israel? May my soul die the death of the upright and let my end be like his.” (Sefer Bamidbar 23:8-10)
 
Bilam’s bracha that we will ever be “a nation that will dwell alone, and will not be reckoned among the nation,” is one of the major reasons we continue to thrive. Despite all odds, am Yisrael chai — the Jewish people live, a testament to our unique relationship with the Almighty.
 
May the time come soon and in our day when we once again hear, “va’ye’hi ba’boker,” and may it signal the coming of Mashiach Tzidkanu (the Righteous Messiah), the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash and the ultimate redemption of the Jewish people. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom and may Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the magafah from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world.

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:rdbe718@gmail.com.

*** My audio shiurim 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, Chana bat Shmuel, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Peretz ben Chaim, Chaya Sarah bat Reb Yechezkel Shraga, Shmuel Yosef ben Reuven, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, and the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, Moshe ben Itta Golda, Yocheved Dafneh bat Dinah Zehavah, Reuven Shmuel ben Leah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.


This week’s haftarah contains a celebrated verse: “…This is the word of the L-rd to Zerubbabel, saying: ‘Lo b’chayil v’lo b’koach ki im b’ruchi amar Hashem Tzivakot — Not by force and not by physical strength, but by My spirit,’ says the L-rd of Hosts.” (Sefer Zechariah 4:6, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  In some ways, it is as cryptic as it is famous, as there is little consensus among our classic meforshim as to the content of this prophecy and to what it refers. This is particularly the case, since our pasuk is preceded by:

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

“Lo b’chayil v’lo b’koach ki im b’ruchi amar Hashem Tzivakot” — for if the Holy One blessed be He had not created the evil inclination; man would have been forced to perform each of his actions and there never would have been a place or an opportunity for schar — reward based upon his righteous and just [behaviors]. This, then, is the meaning of lo b’chayil v’lo b’koach, regarding all of mankind’s actions [that would have been devoid of free choice], but rather, ki im b’ruchi amar Hashem Tzivakot” — that is, solely through the G-d-endowed spirit of habechirah hachafshite —free choice — will a person plan and implement their actions… (Responsa Yoreh Deah II, Petach HaBayit, translation, brackets and underlining my own
 
Rav Shmelkis’ analysis is an exegetical tour de force. In relatively few words, he places Zechariah’s nevuah squarely in the context of one of Judaism’s most fundamental theological underpinnings, namely, the G-d-given spirit of bechirah chafshite, which, in turn, is the basis for the doctrine of schar v’onesh — Reward and Punishment. In so doing, he underscores the Rambam’s (1135-1204) words in Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah:

Free will is granted to all men. If one desires to turn himself to the path of good and be righteous, the choice is his. Should he desire to turn to the path of evil and be wicked, the choice is his… Each person is fit to be righteous like Moses, our teacher, or wicked, like Jeroboam… There is no one who compels him, sentences him, or leads him towards either of these two paths. Rather, he, on his own initiative and decision, tends to the path he chooses… This principle is a fundamental concept and a pillar [on which rests the totality] of the Torah and mitzvot as the [text] states: “Behold, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil.” (Sefer Devarim 30:15)  And as it is written: “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse,” implying that the choice is in your hands. (Chapter 5:1-3, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)
 
We must always remember that while bechirah chafshite has great power, it carries with it great responsibility. In other words, it is crucial to recognize that each of our free-willed choices affects not only ourselves, but in a very real way, the entire world. Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon gave powerful voice to this idea when he declared:

Since the world is judged after the majority of its deeds, and the individual is judged after the majority of his actions, if he does one mitzvah, he should rejoice, for he has tilted the scales of justice for himself and the entire world l’kaf zechut — toward the side of merit. [Unfortunately, however,] if he does one aveirah — sin, woe unto him, for he has tilted the scales of justice for both himself and the entire world to the side of guilt. (Talmud Bavli, Kiddushin 40b, translation my own)
 
With Hashem’s help, and our fervent desire, may we be ever vigilant in our exercise of bechirah chafshite recognizing the power with which it is endowed, and may we be among those who rejoice as we bring ourselves and the entire world l’kaf zechut. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and may Hashem in His infinite mercy remove the magafah from klal Yisrael and from all the nations of the world.

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:rdbe718@gmail.com.

*** My audio shiurim 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.