Rabbi David Etengoff

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

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

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

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

Rabbi David Etengoff


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

Rabbi David Etengoff


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rabbi David Etengoff

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

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

Rabbi David Etengoff


ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Our parasha contains the sole instances of the phrase, “l’brit olam—as an everlasting covenant,” in Chamisha Chumshei Torah:

And I will establish My covenant between Me and between you and between your seed after you throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant, to be to you for a G-d and to your seed after you. (17:7)
 
Those born in the house and those purchased for money shall be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. (17:13)
 
And G-d said, “Indeed, your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you shall name him Yitzchak, and I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.” (17:19, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
A direct reading of these pasukim reveals three interwoven covenants: The unalterable agreement between Hashem, Avraham and all Jews forevermore affirming the Master of the Universe will always be our G-d, the physical covenant of brit milah, and the promise that the covenant of Avraham will continue through his yet-to-be born son, Yitzchak, and his future offspring.
 
My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, depicted the relationship between these pasukim in this way:

With circumcision, another mission was assigned to Avraham: the formation and education of a covenantal community that would be close to God and would follow a new way of life, an enigmatic modus existentiae [existential mode of life], a special relationship to God.” (Abraham’s Journey: Reflections on the Life of the Founding Patriarch, page 158, brackets my own)
 
What are the constitutive elements of this “covenantal community that would be close to G-d and would follow a new way of life” that Avraham was charged with creating? In his 1944 work, “U’vikashtem Misham” (“And From There You Shall Seek”), the Rav suggests two complementary aspects, Knesset Yisrael and Adat Yisrael:

Knesset Yisrael (the Community of Israel)—its definition: the inextricable connection between the first and last generations of prophet and listener, of Torah scholar and student, of the Revelation of God’s Divine Presence in the earliest lights of dawn, and the eschatological vision on that day to come. The Community of Israel is also Adat Yisrael (the Congregation of Israel). It incorporates in its innermost being the ancient and true testimony of the myriad visions that have never been obliterated in the depths of the past, the continuity of history, and the unceasing transmission of the Revelation from generation to generation. (Page 66, translation, underlining and parentheses my own)
 
In sum, according to the Rav, the covenantal community that Avraham founded is transhistorical in nature and links all Jews together for all time. As such, the prophets and their adherents, as well as Torah scholars and their students, are eternally connected by both “the unceasing transmission of the Revelation” of Har Sinai and Judaism’s messianic vision.
 
The Rav has given us a far-reaching understanding of the nature of the covenantal community. Yet, exactly how did Avraham establish it and ensure its unceasing continuation? I believe the Torah teaches us the secret of his success: “For I [G-d] have known him because he commands his sons and his household after him, that they should keep the way of Hashem to perform righteousness and justice (la’asot tzedakah u’mishpat), in order that Hashem bring upon Avraham that which He spoke concerning him.” (Sefer Bereishit 18:19) The extent to which tzedakah u’mishpat have shaped the collective persona of our people is underscored in Talmud Bavli, Yevamot 79a:

This nation [Yisrael] is distinguished by three characteristics: They are merciful (harachmanim), meek (habaishanim) and practitioners of loving-kindness (gomlai chasadim). “Merciful,” as it is written, “and grant you compassion, and be compassionate with you, and multiply you,” (Sefer Devarim 13:18) “Meek,” for it is written, “and in order that His awe shall be upon your faces,” (Sefer Shemot 18:17) “Practitioners of Loving-Kindness,” as it is written, “because he [Avraham] commands his sons and his household after him, that they should keep the way of Hashem to perform righteousness and justice…” (Sefer Bereishit 18:19, passage translation, The Soncino Talmud with my emendations)
 
At first glance it seems that the context of this passage is extra-legal in nature. The Rambam (1135-1204), however, teaches us otherwise by codifying it as normative halacha: “… the distinguishing signs of the holy nation of Yisrael is that they are meek, merciful, and kind.” (Mishneh Torah, Sefer Kedushah, Hilchot Issurei Biah 19:17, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)  As such, Avraham’s legacy of gemilut chasadim, as an expression of righteousness and justice, emerges as a defining characteristic of our nation, and one of the foundations upon which the covenantal community is based.
 
As the prophet Michah declared so long ago: “He has told you, O man, what is good, and what Hashem demands of you; but to do justice, to love loving-kindness, and to walk humbly with your G-d.” (6:8) With Hashem’s help, may we, as a nation and as individuals, fulfill these stirring words. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

Rabbi David Etengoff

ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The post-Flood world should have been one wherein mankind felt chastened and humbled before the Almighty after the world’s near total destruction. Moreover, logic would dictate they would have demonstrated overwhelming hakarat hatov (manifest gratitude) to Hashem for His mercy in enabling them to survive. Instead, we are presented with the following disturbing narrative of the Tower of Babel:
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Now the entire earth was of one language and uniform words. And it came to pass when they traveled from the east, that they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and fire them thoroughly;” so the bricks were to them for stones, and the clay was to them for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered [by G-d] upon the face of the entire earth.” (Sefer Bereishit 11:1-4, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Shortly afterwards, “Hashem descended to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built.” (11:5) The expression, “the sons of man had built,” is peculiar, for who but humans could have constructed the tower? This question is echoed in Rashi’s (1040-1105) midrashically inspired comment on our verse:

But the sons of whom else [could they have been]? The sons of donkeys and camels? Rather, [this refers to] the sons of the first man (Adam HaRishon), who was ungrateful and said (Sefer Bereishit 3: 12): “The woman whom You gave [to be] with me she gave me of the tree; so I ate.” These, too, were ungrateful in rebelling against the One Who lavished goodness upon them and saved them from the Flood.
 
In sum, Rashi views the actions of the Dor HaHaphlagah (Generation of the Tower of Babel) as parallel to the behavior exhibited by Adam Harishon when asked by Hashem, “Have you eaten from the tree [of knowledge] of which I commanded you not to eat?” (3:11) Rather than taking responsibility for violating the one mitzvah entrusted to him, Adam blamed Hashem for having given him Chava, and Chava for having given him the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge to eat. The Ba’al HaTurim (Rav Ya’akov ben Asher, 1270-1340) supports this perspective when he notes that Adam’s reaction personifies the pasuk (verse), “He who repays evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.” (Sefer Mishle 17:13) This is an apropos observation, since the concluding Hebrew letters of the phrase, “lo tamish ra’ah—evil will not depart,” spell the word “isha—woman,” a homiletic reference to the lack of gratitude to Hashem that Adam so blatantly demonstrated regarding Chava.
 
Both Adam, and the Dor HaHaphlagah repaid Hashem’s beneficence with ingratitude. Years later, the Dor HaMidbar repeated this pattern of behavior time and time again. Tosafot in Talmud Bavli, Avodah Zarah 5a, discusses their actions in this manner: “Therefore, [Moshe] labeled them [the Jewish people as practitioners of] kafui tovah, since they refused [to give thanks to Hashem for all of His beneficence] that is, they refused to recognize the good that He had done for them in all of these matters.” The Torah Temimah (Rabbi Baruch Halevi Epstein, 1860-1942) expands upon Tosafot’s gloss and suggests that kafui tovah is far more than a failure to recognize the good that someone else has performed for you; instead, it is a completely conscious rejection of the kindness as if it never had taken place.
 
The Abarbanel’s (1437-1508) analysis of kafui tovah complements Tosafot’s explication in a deeply insightful manner:

The evilest of all middot (behavioral traits) is kafui tovah. This is the case, since when a person recognizes [and gives voice] to the benefit he has received from another individual, he adds to the strength of the benefactor to [continue to] provide him with overflowing kindness, with a full sense of desire and in complete goodness. When, however, the recipient of manifest kindness consciously withholds the requisite recognition of the good that is his benefactor’s due, he weakens his supporter’s strength and aspiration to demonstrate further kindness to him. (Commentary on the Torah, Sefer Shemot, chapter 29, this and the following translations my own)
 
The Abarbanel buttresses this interpretation by citing Rav Ammi’s words in Talmud Bavli, Ta’anit 8a: “Rain falls only for the sake of men of faith (ba’alei emunah) [that is, trustworthy people],” as it is said, “Truth will sprout from the earth, and righteousness will look down from heaven.” (Sefer Tehillim 85:12, translation, The Soncino Talmud)  In the Abarbanel’s estimation, ba’alei emunah are those people who practice hakaret hatov. He, therefore, reasons that those who engage in kafui tovah are the same people that Chazal identified as individuals steeped in brazenness and temerity (azut panim), and those who cause droughts. He suports this view based on Yirmiyahu’s statement: “And the rains were withheld, and there has been no latter rain…you refused to be ashamed.” (Sefer Yirmiyahu 3:3) As such, the Abarbanel opines:

Everything proceeds as Chazal said: [Illumination reaches us,] “during the times that the Jewish people fulfill the will of the Omnipresent we add to the power, so to speak, of that which is Above. As the text says, ‘Now, please, let the strength of Hashem be increased, as You spoke…’ (Sefer Bamidbar 14:17) [Conversely,] during the times that the Jewish people fail to fulfill the will of the Almighty, we diminish the power, so to speak, of that which is Above. As the text states, ‘You forgot the [Mighty] Rock Who bore you; you forgot the G-d Who delivered you.’” (Sefer Devarim 32:18)
 
Based upon these presentations, kafui tovah emerges as a reprehensible behavioral trait that manifests itself in a brazen repudiation of the good that either Hashem or man has done for us. As such, its remedy must be the polar opposite action, namely, hakarat hatov, wherein we demonstrate heartfelt gratitude to our benefactor through our words and deeds. With Hashem’s help, may we master this middah thereby fulfilling Shlomo HaMelech’s stirring counsel: “Kindness and truth shall not leave you; bind them upon your neck, inscribe them upon the tablet of your heart; and find favor and good understanding in the sight of G-d and man.” (Sefer Mishle 3:3-4)  V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
​
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
Parashat Bereishit contains some of the most thought-provoking pasukim in the Torah. One of the most notable examples is the description of man’s creation: “And Hashem Elokim formed man of dust from the ground, and He breathed into his nostrils nishmat chayim (the soul of life), and man became a nefesh chaya (a living soul). (Sefer Bereishit 2:7, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
Rashi (1040-1105), in his Commentary on the Torah, analyzes nefesh chaya in this manner: “Cattle and beasts were also called living souls, but this one of man is the most alive of them all, because he was additionally given intelligence and speech.” In his work, Kli Yakar, Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz (1550 – 1619) rejects Rashi’s interpretation. In his view, nishmat chayim, rather than nefesh chaya, is the crucial expression for understanding humankind’s true nature:

Nishmat Chayim must be understood as the eternal rational soul (hanefesh hamaskelet hanetzachi). Come and learn, [after all,] who was the One who breathed [into Adam the soul of life]? We, therefore, find that this [nishmat chayim] refers to a portion from above (chalek Elokah). (Translations and brackets my own)
 
In shifting the verse’s emphasis from nefesh chaya to nishmat chayim, Rav Luntschitz defines this term in a unique manner and declares it to be a heavenly portion from above. In addition, he maintains that Hashem’s overwhelming kindness in providing each person with a nishmat chayim is necessary but insufficient for attaining the highest level of humanity:

This is to say, that although Hashem breathed the eternal rationale soul into Adam, nonetheless, man, at the outset of his being, is indistinguishable from any other living soul and is just like the other animals. [As the text states:] “For man is born as a wild donkey.” (Sefer Iyov 11:12)  [Moreover,] the essence of man’s perfection (shlaimuto) is contingent upon the diligence of his labors and the degree of good inherent in his choices, as he opens his intellectually maturing eyes (einei sichlo) while growing in age.
 
At this juncture, Rav Luntschitz clarifies the diligence that is required to actualize our eternal rationale soul and thereby achieve perfection in our service of Hashem:
…this soul…will remain solely in potential unless he will try with all of his efforts to go to the “head of the troops,” and fight the war of Hashem. If he fails to do so, he will remain in his original animalistic state (ruled by the yetzer harah) and will be the equivalent of an animal…man should never beguile himself into thinking that he can attain shlaimuto without tremendous effort and persevering exertion…rather, everything depends upon his own actions…
 
Rav Luntschitz’s words are reminiscent of the well-known expression of Ben Hey Hey: “L’fum tza’arah agra—According to the effort is the reward.” (Pirkei Avot 5:23)  This phrase is interpreted by Rav Yisrael Lifschitz (1782-1860) in his commentary on the Mishnah, Tiferet Yisrael, in this manner:

Rabbeinu HaKadosh (Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi) concluded this section of the Mishnah with this statement in order to teach us that whether we are engaged in the act of Torah study, the fulfillment of its mitzvot, or in the improvement of middot hanefesh (ethical characteristics), [the same rule applies, namely,] their reward will grow according to the effort that one expends on them in order to perfect themself ….
 
Both Rav Luntschitz and Rav Yisrael Lifschitz focus on the need to expend great effort in refining ourselves so that we can overcome our “original animalistic state” and become true servants of the Almighty. As we study His holy Torah, perform its mitzvot and perfect our middot hanefesh, may Hashem help us to realize this goal. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

​
 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The mitzvah of dwelling in the succah appears quite straightforward, as the Rambam (1135-1204) states:

What is the mitzvah of dwelling in the succah? One should eat and drink and dwell in the succah for the entire seven-day period both at night and during the day in exactly the same manner that he dwells in his house during the other days of the year. Throughout the entire seven-day period, a person should treat his house as a temporary dwelling and his succah as his permanent dwelling. As it says in the verse: You shall dwell in succot for seven days (Vayikra 23:42). (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Succah 6:5, translation my own)
 
The Rambam emphasizes the ma’aseh hamitzvah of succah, the actual manner in which the commandment should be performed. In contrast, the Tur (Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher, 1270-1340), focuses on its rationale:

“You shall dwell in succot for seven days…in order that you should know throughout the generations that I caused the Jewish people to dwell in succot when I led them out … [from Egypt]” (Vayikra 23:42). The Torah demonstrates that the mitzvah of succah is contingent upon the Exodus from Egypt. So, too, in the case of many other mitzvot. This is so, since this is a matter that we saw with our eyes and heard with our ears and no one is able to deny it. It teaches us about the truth of the existence of the Creator, may He be exalted, and that He created everything according to His will. It also teaches us that He has the power, the dominion, and the ability, both in the upper and lower worlds, to do with them as He so desires… (Introduction to Hilchot Succah, translation my own)
 
The Tur underscores the conceptual link that obtains between the mitzvah of succah and essential principles of Jewish thought, such as the existence of the Creator and His omnipotence in both the Heavens and the earth. In so doing, he suffuses the act of sitting in the succah with notable theological significance.
 
The Bach (Rabbi Yoel Sirkes, 1551-1640) scales the Tur’s analysis and reveals further levels of meaning. He asserts that the Tur’s core point is highlighting the indispensable role that kavanah plays in performing the mitzvah of succah, namely, viewing the succah as the symbol of Yetziat Mitzraim. The Bach elaborates on this point in his conclusion:
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The purpose of the mitzvah of succah is to remember Yetziat Mitzraim. This is accomplished through one’s dwelling in a succah where the shade is greater than the sun. This, in turn, is a reminder of the Clouds of Glory that protected them … through their wanderings in the desert.
 
In addition, the Bach asserts that the highest form of fulfilling this commandment requires us to carefully focus on the Torah’s phrase, “… in order that you should know (yaydu) throughout the generations that I caused the Jewish people to dwell in succot.” The Bach maintains that this “will enable one to fulfill the mitzvah in its most proper fashion (k’tikunah).” Therefore, for the Bach, if a person desires to fulfill the mitzvah of dwelling in the succah on its deepest level, he must have kavanah regarding two major points: this mitzvah’s inextricable link to Yetziat Mitzrayim, and Hashem’s great kindness in allowing us to dwell in succot following the Exodus.
 
May Hashem soon fulfill the stirring words of our Friday night tefilot “And spread over us the succah of Your peace. Blessed are You Hashem, Who spreads the succah of peace upon us and upon all His people Israel and upon Yerushalayim.” V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you would like to be added, please contact me via email: mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: Tefilah and Tanach
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.