Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, 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 Devorah was a woman prophetess, the wife of Lappidot; she judged Israel at that time.” (Sefer Shoftim 4:4, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  Chazal teach us 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 the phrase, “she judged Israel at that time,” should be understood in its literal sense, as the next pasuk states: “And she sat under the palm tree of Devorah, 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 hashkafah, is a resounding, “It depends on who you ask.”
 
Tosafot 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 adjudicate cases came directly from the Almighty: “Alternately, perhaps they [the Jewish people] had accepted her judicial 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 Talmud Bavli, Megillah 14a, in one of the explanations of the phrase, “And she sat under the palm tree of Devorah:” “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).
 
Chazal’s use of the term, lev echad, is reminiscent of Rashi’s gloss in Parashat Yitro on a celebrated phrase that precedes Kabbalat HaTorah (the Receiving of the Torah). Therein the Torah states: “and the Jewish people encamped (va’yichan Yisrael) there opposite the mountain.” (19:2)  Rashi focuses on the word, “va’yichan,” and notes that it is in the singular, rather than the plural, even though it refers to the entire Jewish nation. Consequently, he suggests this term connotes: “K’ish echad b’lev echad—like one man with one heart—but [that is, even though,] every other encampment was marred by complaints and arguments.”
 
In sum, our ancestors were united, and stood shoulder to shoulder in anticipation of receiving the Torah in order to serve avinu she’b’shamayim, just as they would in the time of Devorah HaNaviah. The message is clear: When we have achdut (unity) and a desire to draw closer to the Holy One blessed be He, then there is nothing that we cannot accomplish as a people. 
 
Shabbat Shalom 
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com to be added to my weekly email list.
 
*** 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: The Rav

 ​Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Parashat Bo continues the Torah’s emphasis on events leading up to Yetziat Mitzraim (the Departure from Egypt) that began in the prior two parshiot of Sefer Shemot. At this juncture, we are introduced to two mitzvot that portray the singular import of the Exodus: The first is the mitzvah of Zechirat Yetziat Mitzraim (13:3), the obligation to remember and mention the Exodus, and the second is the mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzraim, the recounting of the story of the Departure from Egypt (13:8).
 
The 13th century anonymous author of the Sefer HaChinuch, a work that analyzes the Taryag Mitzvot (the 613 Commandments), begins his discussion of Sippur Yetziat Mitzraim with this formulation: 

The commandment to recount the Exodus from Egypt: To retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt on the night of the fifteenth of Nissan—each person according to their power of expression—to laud and to praise Hashem, may He be blessed, for all the miracles He performed for us there, as it is stated, “V’he’gaddatah l’vinchah… (“And you shall tell your son,” Sefer Shemot 13:8),” translation with my emendations, https://www.sefaria.org/Sefer_HaChinukh.21.1?lang=bi)
 
The Sefer HaChinuch does not discuss Zechirat Yetziat Mitzraim, since it is nearly universally accepted among the Monei HaMitzvot (Compilers of the Taryag Mitzvot) that it is not counted among the 613 Commandments. In contrast, Rashi (1040-1105), in his gloss on the phrase, “zachor et hayom hazeh asher y’tzatem m’mitzraim (remember this day, on which you left Egypt, Sefer Shemot 13:8),” makes it clear that this statement represents a mitzvah of the Torah. Basing himself upon Midrash Mechilta d’Rabbi Yishmael, Parashat Bo 16, he explains “This teaches us that we have a daily [obligation] to mention the Exodus from Egypt.” My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, supports Rashi’s reading and notes that “regarding the truth of the matter, the mitzvah [that is, the daily obligation to mention the Exodus] was really stated in the verse, ‘zachor et hayom hazeh.’” (Shiurim l’Zacher Abba Mori, II, page 152, translation and brackets my own)  
 
It is clear that the mitzvot of Zechirat and Sippur Yetziat Mitzraim are firmly based upon pasukim in our parasha. Yet, if the Torah commands us to remember and mention Yetziat Mitzraim, why are we also obligated in the mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzraim? To borrow from the language of the Haggadah: Mah nishtanah mitzvat Zechirat Yetziat Mitzraim m’mitzvat Sippur Yetziat Mitzraim (What is the difference between the mitzvah of Zechirat Yetziat Mitzraim and Sippur Yetziat Mitzraim)? The Rav states that his father, HaRav Moshe Soloveitchik zatzal (1879-1941) shared the opinion of his father, HaRav Chaim Soloveitchik zatzal (1853-1918) on this matter, and noted four differences between these two mitzvot:

1. Zechirat Yetziat Mitzraim is obligatory twice a day in the morning and at night, whereas Sippur Yetziat Mitzraim is mandatory only on the first night of Pesach (15th of Nissan).
2. Zechirat Yetziat Mitzraim is fulfilled by merely mentioning the event, while Sippur Yetziat Mitzraim must contain a recitation of the specific miracles and wonders that the Holy One blessed be He performed for us in Egypt.
3. Zechirat Yetziat Mitzraim is, a private mitzvah, that is, a person need only mention the Exodus to themselves. Based upon the actual wording of the source text, however, Sippur Yetziat Mitzraim diverges from this approach and requires that the story be told to one’s children and others present at the Seder.
4. Zechirat Yetziat Mitzraim is not “a standalone mitzvah.” Rather, it stems from the mitzvah of Kriat Shema and the fulfillment of Kabbalat Ol Malchut Shamayim (Acceptance of the Yoke of Heaven). Sippur Yetziat Mitzraim, however, is its own mitzvah and is, therefore, included in the Taryag Mitzvot.

 
The Rav added another distinction: 
​
The obligation of remembering does not require a person to proclaim praise and thanks [to the Almighty,] whereas, Sippur Yetziat Mitzraim is not only [an act] wherein we recite the wonders and miracles that were done for us, rather, we have the additional responsibility to give praise and thanks [to Hashem] … (Shiurim l’Zacher Abba Mori, I, page 2, translation and brackets my own)
 
Whenever we recite Kriat Shema, we have the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of Zechirat Mitzraim. May the Almighty help us do so with kavanah (focus and intent) and may this spiritual awareness lead to a powerful recognition of the wonders and miracles He performed for us at that time, enabling us to praise and thank Him when we recount the story of Yetziat Mitzraim. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom 
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com to be added to my weekly email list.
 
*** 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: The Rav

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Pesach, the most widely observed chag of the Shalosh Regalim, is preeminently the time when families and friends join together at the Seder and recite the Haggadah. One of the many highlights of this experience is the presentation of the Eser Makkot (Ten Plagues), which have become one of the most celebrated aspects of the Pesach story. Precisely because they are so well-known, however, there is a danger that some among us may lose sight of their miraculous nature. As we find in Pirkei Avot: “Ten nissim (miracles) were performed for our forefathers in Egypt… Ten makkot were wrought by G-d upon the Egyptians in Egypt.” (5:4, translation, Rabbi Yosef Marcus with my emendations)
 
The first seven makkot are found in our parasha, and the final three in Parashat Bo. As such, the time of these Torah readings is an ideal opportunity to ask ourselves, “Since the Master of the Universe could have visited any kind of plague upon the Egyptians, why did He choose precisely these ten?” A revealing answer is found in the midrashic work, Seder Eliyahu Rabbah:

The Holy One blessed be He brought ten plagues upon the Egyptians; and all were brought upon them solely as a result of what they planned to do, [and did against,] the Jewish people. This is the case, since the words [and deeds] of the Holy One blessed be He are absolute truth and operate with the principle of middah k’neged middah (measure for measure). Therefore, no evil action goes forth from Him, only good (that is, fitting) actions. Moreover, [seemingly] negative behaviors are actualized against people, [as in the case of the Eser Makkot,] as a result of their twisted and perverse actions … (7:8, this and the following translation and brackets my own)
 
In sum, each of the Eser Makkot is a middah k’neged middah response by the Almighty to the evil behaviors of the Egyptians against our people. A particularly telling proof of this concept is offered by this midrash (7:15) in its analysis of Makkat Barad (the Plague of Hail):
Why was barad brought upon them? This is because the Egyptians forced the Jewish people to plant gardens, orchards, [vineyards] and all manner of trees. [They forced them to undertake this activity] to prevent them from returning to their homes so they would be unable [to engage in marital intimacy and bring forth] more children. Therefore, the Holy One blessed be He brought the Plague of Hail upon them that destroyed all the plantings in which the Jewish people had been engaged. As the texts state: “He destroyed their grapevines with hail…” (Sefer Tehillim 78:47) … “the hail struck all the vegetation of the field, and it broke all the trees of the field.” (Sefer Shemot 9:25)
 
The barad sent by the Almighty was completely beyond the Laws of Nature: “And there was hail, and fire flaming within the hail, very heavy, the likes of which had never been throughout the entire land of Egypt since it had become a nation.” (Sefer Shemot 9:24, this and the following Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach).  Rashi (1040-1105), basing himself on Midrash Tanchuma 14:10, develops this theme by noting the nase b’toch nase (miracle within a miracle) composition of the barad: “[This was] a miracle within a miracle. The fire and hail intermingled. Although hail is water, to perform the will of their Maker they made peace between themselves [so that the hail did not extinguish the fire nor did the fire melt the hail].” In addition, Midrash Tanchuma brings a mashal (parable) to help us grasp the meaning of this unique double nase:

To what may this be compared? To two powerful legionaries who have despised each other for a long time. When their king became involved in a war, he made peace between them so that they would go forth together to fulfill the king’s command. Similarly, though fire and hail are hostile to each other, when the time for war with Egypt came, the Holy One, blessed be He, made peace between them and they smote Egypt. Hence it is said: “The fire flashing up amidst the hail.” When an Egyptian was seated, he would be pummeled by hail; when he arose, he would be scorched by fire in conformity to the punishments meted out to wicked men in the netherworld… (Translation, Samuel A. Berman, with my emendations)
 
The miraculous nature of the Eser Makkot represented the perfect vehicle for teaching the greatness of Hashem. The Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270) gives powerful voice to this idea in his Commentary on the Torah, Sefer Shemot 13:16:

Now when G-d is pleased to bring about a change in the customary and natural order of the world for the sake of a people or an individual [that is, a miracle], then the voidance of all these [false beliefs] becomes clear to all people, since a wondrous miracle shows that the world has a G-d Who created it, and Who knows and supervises it, and Who has the power to change it…This is why Scripture says in connection with the wonders [in Egypt]: “in order that you know that I am Hashem in the midst of the earth” (Sefer Shemot 8:18), which teaches us the principle of providence (hashgacha), that is, that G-d has not abandoned the world to chance, as they [the heretics] would have it; “in order that you know that the earth is Hashem’s” (9:29), which informs us of the principle of creation, for everything is His since He created all out of nothing; “in order that you know that there is none like Me in the entire earth” (9:14), which indicates His might, that is, that He rules over everything and that there is nothing to withhold Him. The Egyptians either denied or doubted all of these principles, [and the miracles confirmed their truth]. Accordingly, it follows that the great signs and wonders constitute “trustworthy witnesses” (Sefer Yeshayahu 8:2) to the truth of the belief in the existence of the Creator and the truth of the whole Torah. (Translation, Rabbi Dr. Charles B. Chavel, with my emendations)
 
For the Ramban, the Eser Makkot emerge as one of history’s greatest heuristic devices, as they are exemplars of nissim that teach us Hashem created (bara et HaOlam) and runs the world (hashgacha), that “He rules over everything,” and that there is nothing beyond His control. With Hashem’s help and our fervent desire, may these essential principles of emunah (belief) guide our thoughts and actions each and every day. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com to be added to my weekly email list.
 
*** 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: The Rav

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The final three pasukim of Parashat Shemot are difficult to understand, as they seem to portray a disheartened Moshe Rabbeinu complaining to Hashem:

So, Moshe returned to Hashem and said, “O L-rd! Lamah haraota l’am hazeh--Why have You harmed this people? Why have You sent me? Since I have come to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has harmed this people, and You have not saved Your people.” And Hashem said to Moshe, “A’tah teireh--Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a mighty hand he will send them out, and with a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land.” (Sefer Shemot 5:22-23, 6:1, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, with my emendations)
 
In his Commentary on the Torah, Rashi (1040-1105), following Midrash Tanchuma, Parashat Va’era 6, states that Moshe was, indeed, protesting Hashem’s apparent harm to His people: Lamah haraota l’am hazeh? “And if You [Hashem] ask, ‘What is it to you?’ [I answer,] ‘I am complaining that You have sent me.’” He follows this approach, as well, in his gloss on “a’tah teireh,” wherein the Almighty takes Moshe to task for rejecting the manner in which He runs the world:

You have questioned My ways [which is] unlike Avraham, to whom I said, “For in Yitzchak will be called your seed” (Sefer Bereishit. 21:12), and afterwards I said to him, “Bring him up there for a burnt offering” (Sefer Bereishit 22:2), yet he did not question Me. Therefore, a’tah teireh--now you will see. What is done to Pharaoh you will see, but not what is done to the kings of the seven nations when I bring them [the children of Israel] into the land [of Israel]. (Based on Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 111a and Midrash Shemot Rabbah 5:23)
 
In sum, according to Rashi, although Moshe will bear witness to the Makkot and Yetziat Mitzraim (the Exodus) his question, lamah haraota l’am hazeh, permanently barred his entrance to Eretz Yisrael.
 
A completely different interpretation is presented by Rabbeinu Chananel ben Chushiel (980-1055), a great 11th century North African Torah commentator:

For the expression, “lamah haraota l’am hazeh,” is not an expression of complaint and insolence, but, rather, a question that was asked before the Holy One blessed be He: “Why does the middah (action-based characteristic) of tzaddik v’rah lo, v’rasha v’tov lo--the righteous one to whom evil transpires and the evil one who receives that which is good— [exist in the world?] For Moshe saw the Jewish people in the midst of great and powerful servitude coupled with unending misery, while the evil Egyptians, who rejected Hashem’s very existence, he saw in the midst of great success and tranquility… (Cited in Rabbeinu Bahya ben Asher ibn Halawa’s Commentary on the Torah, this, and the following translations my own)
 
For Rabbeinu Chananel, lamah haraota l’am hazeh is not an impudent declaration, but rather a question regarding the existence of tzaddik v’rah lo, v’rasha v’tov lo in the world. He extends his line of reasoning by underscoring Moshe’s concern that Hashem had allowed Pharoah’s evil to stand against the Jewish people:

Therefore, when Moshe saw from the day he came to Pharoah as Hashem’s representative, Pharoah made his yoke heavier upon them (the Jewish people) … he asked Hashem, may He be blessed, “Why have You allowed this evil to befall this people, is it not within Your power to save them? Yet You have not saved them!” … So, too, with [the question,] lamah haraota, which we can now understand as meaning, why have You allowed this evil to stand? For I [Moshe] am afraid lest he [Pharoah] will increase his evil [upon Your people].
 
At this juncture, Rabbeinu Chananel provides a novel elucidation of a’tah teireh that differs markedly from Rashi’s presentation:
​
And this is what a’tah teireh connotes, namely, the success and tranquility that Pharoah [and his nation enjoy] only serves to double the punishment on their punishment, this is why the text states, “what I will do to Pharaoh,” that is, I [Hashem] have already prepared the Makkot for him. Moreover, this is precisely the reason that I [Hashem] have allowed the servitude to become more noisome since the day I sent you, in order to redouble their punishment, and to increase and amplify the Jewish people’s reward when they stand firm and bear these trials and tribulations in love [and devotion to Me].
 
In Rabbeinu Chananel’s view, Hashem is explaining to Moshe that the ultimate purpose of His actions will be understood the moment He strikes the Egyptians with the 10 Makkot, for then, their punishment will be doubled according to the ever-increasing burdens they placed upon our people. Moreover, our forebears’ reward will expand, in kind, for having borne these trials in love and devotion to the Almighty.
 
May Hashem continue to guard us from all evil. As Dovid HaMelech proclaimed so long ago:
 
Behold the Guardian of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Hashem is your Guardian; Hashem is your shadow; [He is] by your right hand. By day, the sun will not smite you, nor will the moon at night. Hashem will guard you from all evil; He will guard your soul. Hashem will guard your going out and your coming in from now and to eternity. (Sefer Tehillim 121:5-8)
 
V'chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com to be added to my weekly email list.
 
*** 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: The Rav

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The passing of Ya’akov Avinu is the most poignant theme in our parasha: “And Ya’akov concluded commanding his sons, and he drew his legs [up] into the bed and expired and was brought unto his people. Yosef fell on his father's face, and he wept over him and kissed him.” (Sefer Bereishit 49:33-50:1, all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach with my emendations)  In his Commentary on the Torah on this verse, Rashi (1040-1105) states the following: “But no mention is made of death in his regard, and our Rabbis of blessed memory said: ‘Our father Ya’akov did not die.’” This gloss is based on the following passage from Talmud Bavli, Ta’anit 5b:

After they had eaten, Rabbi Yitzḥak said to Rav Naḥman that Rabbi Yoḥanan said as follows: “Ya’akov Avinu lo mate--Our patriarch Ya’akov did not die.” Rav Naḥman asked him in surprise: “And was it for naught that the eulogizers eulogized him, and the embalmers embalmed him, and the buriers buried him?” Rabbi Yitzḥak replied to Rav Naḥman: “I am interpreting a verse, as it is stated: ‘Therefore do not fear, Ya’akov My servant, says Hashem, neither be dismayed, Yisrael, for I will save you from afar, and your descendants from the land of their captivity.’” (Sefer Yirmiyahu 30:10) This verse juxtaposes Ya’akov to his descendants: Just as his descendants are alive when redeemed, so too, Ya’akov himself is alive. (Translation, Koren-Davidson Talmud, Rav Adin Steinsaltz zatzal editor, with my emendations)
 
In his Commentary on the Talmud, Rashi elaborates on the statement, Ya’akov Avinu lo mate and maintains: “[That is,] he lives forever.” Moreover, “when the Egyptian embalmers embalmed him, they did this because they [erroneously] thought he was dead.” As such, Rashi suggests that Rabbi Yitzḥak’s interpretation of the pasuk in Sefer Yirmiyahu, “just as his descendants are alive when redeemed, so too, Ya’akov himself is alive,” should be taken at face value. (Rashi translations and brackets my own)
 
A markedly different approach to understanding our talmudic passage is found in Perush HaAggadot by Rabbi Shlomo ben Avraham ibn Aderet (the Rashba, 1235-1310): 

How is it remotely possible to suggest that Rabbi Yoḥanan or Rabbi Yitzḥak based their understanding of what happened to Ya’akov Avinu more upon a midrashic interpretation of the verse in Sefer Yirmiyahu, with its hidden hints in the text, rather than upon explicit pasukim in the Torah that clearly explain that Ya’akov died, was eulogized, was embalmed, and was buried? Without a doubt, this is something that logic eschews and repudiates. (This and the following translations my own)
 
Rejecting Rashi’s gloss based on straightforward textual analysis, the Rashba instead suggests:
​
Rabbi Yitzḥak responded to him (Rav Naḥman) not in regard to the death of Ya’akov’s physical body, but rather in reference to [his ongoing spiritual presence among the Jewish people. As such, Rabbi Yitzḥak states]: “But, I am giving a midrashic interpretation to this text [in Yirmiyahu], and concluding, just as his (Ya’akov’s) descendants are alive [physically], so, too, is he alive [spiritually].” At that point, Rav Naḥman understood the allusions inherent in the essential principle Rabbi Yitzḥak was attempting to convey, and he was silent.
 
In my estimation, the Rashba’s interpretation of Rabbi Yitzḥak’s drasha is congruent with a well-known pasuk in Parashat Vayigash: “And Yosef said to his brothers, ‘I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?’” (Sefer Bereishit 45:3)  It is impossible to explain Yosef’s “question” as a question in the literal sense. After all, in the verses leading up to this pasuk in Parashat Vayigash alone, Yehudah refers to av (father), aviv (his father), avi (my father) and avinu (our father) no less than 14 times! I believe, therefore, that Yosef is speaking b’ruach hakodesh (with Hashem’s Divine Spirit resting upon him) and proclaiming to his brothers that no matter what they have done, no matter how great the emotional pain they had inflicted upon Ya’akov through their errant actions: My father is alive, and will be so forevermore! (See the Abarbanel’s Commentary on the Torah, Sefer Bereishit 41:1, for other examples of Yosef acting b’ruach hakodesh)
 
Today, anti-Semitism has once again has reared its ugly head throughout the world. As a result, there is no better time to focus on the spiritual lesson contained in Rabbi Yitzḥak’s drasha, and remember the stirring phrase, “Ya’akov Avinu lo mate.” As Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach zatzal taught us all, “Am Yisrael chai! Am Yisrael chai, od Avinu chai—The Jewish people live, the Jewish people live, and our Father [Ya’akov] continues to live!”
 
Shabbat Shalom 
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com to be added to my weekly email list.
 
*** 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: The Rav

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
The events in Parashat Vayigash represent a crucial moment in the history of the entire Jewish people. It begins with the celebrated phrase, “vayigash aluv Yehudah—And Yehudah drew near unto him.” (Sefer Bereishit 44:18)  These words initiate the celebrated dialogue between Yehudah and Yosef, the latter in the guise of Mishneh l’Melech (second-in-command of Egypt). A careful reading of the subsequent pasukim leads us to ask why the other brothers did not participate in this discussion, especially in light of its singular import. This point was addressed by our Sages in Midrash Bereishit Rabbah: “They said [the other brothers to one another]: ‘Kings are steeped in controversy and debating one another, therefore, what relevance does it have for us? Let the king contend with the king!’” (Vilna edition, 93:2, translation my own)
 
In his posthumous work, Chumash Mesoras HaRav, my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as the “Rav” by his followers and disciples, analyzes this statement in the following manner:

Intuitively, they [the brothers] felt that the controversy transcended the issue of their young brother Benjamin; it involved Jewish historical destiny. Who should be king over Israel, Joseph or Judah? From whom will the King Messiah descend, Joseph or Judah? Joseph wanted to be king, to combine political and economic power with spiritual leadership. He dreamt of sheaths, and he also dreamt of stars. Judah did not dream, yet there was something in his personality which commanded respect and obedience… It was he who had a powerful personality which radiated authority. Judah was a lion. (Page 328, brackets my own)
 
In sum, while on the surface, the disputation between Yosef and Yehudah centered on Benyamin’s future, in reality, Jewish historical destiny was at stake: From whom would the future kings of klal Yisrael descend, and from which shavet would mashiach ultimately come? As the Tanach attests, Hashem decided in favor of Yehudah, the lion, rather than Yosef HaTzaddik, the spiritual dreamer. 
 
Midrash Tanchuma on Parashat Vayera (Siman 8) offers a very different approach to understanding the phrase, “vayigash aluv Yehudah.” It suggests when the Hebrew letters that comprise vayigash are vocalized in this manner, it refers to the act of prayer: “v’ain vayigash elah tefilah—there is no use of the term ‘vayigash’ that does not refer to prayer.” As such, vayigash aluv Yehudah refers to Yehudah praying to the Holy One blessed be He for guidance in his upcoming confrontation with Yosef; that is, “aluv,” refers to Hashem rather than to Yosef. The midrash cites two additional examples in Tanach that strongly support the idea of vayigash referring to tefilah:

And Avraham approached and said--vayigash Avraham vayomar, “Will You even destroy the righteous with the wicked?” (Sefer Bereishit 18:23) 
 
And it was when the evening sacrifice was offered that Elijah the prophet came near and said--va’yehi b’a’lot hamincha vayigash Eliyahu hanvi vayomar, “Hashem, the G-d of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yisrael, today let it be known that You are G-d in Israel and that I am Your servant, and at Your word have I done all these things.” (Sefer Melachim I:18:36, these and the following translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)
 
In my estimation, this interpretation of vayigash aluv Yehudah teaches a fundamental lesson regarding the very essence of tefilah: In its ideal form, prayer stems from an overwhelming desire to draw near to the Almighty, to encounter Him and bask in the light of His holy presence. For when we do, Hashem draws close to us, as well. As we find in the uplifting words of Ashrei: “Karov Hashem l’kol koruv, l’kol asher yikrau’hu b’emet—Hashem is near to all who call Him, to all who call Him with sincerity.” (Sefer Tehillim 145:18)  V’chane yihi ratzon.
​
Shabbat Shalom 
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com to be added to my weekly email list.
 
*** 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: The Rav

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
When we focus on our Sages’ presentation of Purim and Hanukkah, we discover the former has an entire tractate of the Talmud Bavli that discusses its halachot, whereas Hanukkah and its laws are found in a few pages in Masechet Shabbat. Consequently, the following paragraph takes on particular import:
​
What is Hanukkah (mai Hanukkah), and why are lights kindled on Hanukkah? The Gemara answers: [The Sages taught in Megillat Ta’anit:] On the twenty-fifth of Kislev, the days of Hanukkah are eight. One may not eulogize on them, and one may not fast on them. [What is the reason?] When the Greeks entered the Sanctuary, they defiled all the oils that were in the Sanctuary by touching them. And when the Hasmonean monarchy overcame them and emerged victorious over them, they searched and found only one cruse of oil that was placed with the seal of the High Priest, undisturbed by the Greeks. And there was sufficient oil there [to light the Menorah] for only one day. A miracle occurred and they lit [the Menorah] from it eight days. The next year the Sages instituted those days and made them holidays with recitation of Hallel and special thanksgiving in prayer and blessings. (Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 21b, translation, The Koren-William Davidson Talmud, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz zatzal, editor)
 
In his Commentary on the Talmud, Rashi (1040-1105) suggests the interrogative phrase, “mai Hanukkah,” should be interpreted as “based upon which miracle was Hanukkah established?” rather than “what is Hanukkah?” in the literal sense of the words. (Shabbat 21b)  In so doing, he helps us understand the reason this passage in Masechet Shabbat comprises the functional equivalent of a mini-Hanukkah Haggadah, since without it, we would be unable to determine the primary miracle of Hanukkah. 
 
Having identified the key miracle of Hanukkah, the next logical question to ask is “why is it named, ‘Hanukkah,’ rather than something like, ‘Nase Pach Shemen (the Miracle of the Cruse of Oil)?’” After all, if it is really about, the “one cruse of oil that was placed with the seal of the High Priest, undisturbed by the Greeks… [and the] miracle occurred [… so that] they lit [the Menorah] from it eight days,” then Nase Pach Shemen seems to be a more appropriate name. 
 
Fortunately, there are classic sources that answer just this question. In his Chidushei Aggadot on Masechet Shabbat21b, Rav Shmuel Eidels (Maharsha, 1555 – 1631), basing himself on Mishna Middot 1:6, maintains that Hanukkah received this name because the Maccabees had hidden away the stones from the Mizbeach (Altar) that the Syrian-Greeks had desecrated through their idol worship. As such, they needed to construct an entirely new Mizbeach and reconsecrate it, a process known as chanukat haMizbeach. The etymological relationship between the terms chanukat haMizbeach and Hanukkah is clear and, for the Maharsha, constitutes the basis for the name Hanukkah.
 
In his work, Machzor Vitry, Rashi’s student, Rav Simcha ben Shmuel of Vitry, France (d. 1105) offers two responses: “The name Hanukkah [in the original Hebrew] may be read as ‘chanu kaf hay b’Kislev—they [the Maccabees] ceased fighting on the 25th of Kislev.’” His second answer, focuses, as well, on the Hebrew letters in Hanukkah and posits that, “chane b’ kaf hay Kislev— [the Maccabees obtained grace from the Almighty] on the 25th of Kislev.” Therefore, according to Rav Simcha ben Shmuel, this chag is named Hanukkah since its very letters portray major historical and spiritual aspects of the festival.
 
The second answer of the Machzor Vitry, “chane b’ kaf hay Kislev,” is reminiscent of an idea attributed to the Vilna Gaon (Rav Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman, 1720-1797) in which he notes that there is a remez (hint) to Hanukkah in the Torah itself: If someone counts from the first word of the Torah until the 25th word of the Torah, they will find that the 25th word is none other than, “ohr—light,” a hint to the light that we are blessed with on Hanukkah, on the 25th of Kislev. Moreover, building upon this thought, I believe we can discover a strong proof for the connection between light (ohr) and grace (chane) in the second verse of Birkat Kohanim: “May Hashem make His presence enlighten you and grant you grace.” (Sefer Bamidbar 6:25, translation, Rav Aryeh Kaplan)  With the Almighty’s help, may this bracha be realized this Hanukkah, and every day of the year, for the entire Jewish people. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom 
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com to be added to my weekly email list.
 
*** 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: The Rav

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
One of the many fascinating aphorisms in the holy Zohar is found in Parashat Naso, 134: “Everything depends upon mazal—even a Sefer Torah that is in the Aron Kodesh.” (Translation my own).  If we apply this maxim to Hanukkah, it emerges as the luckiest of all chagim on the Jewish calendar, for it has been consistently observed by every religious and political sector of our people. This degree of Hanukkah’s popularity leads us to the Talmud’s classic question:

What is Hanukkah, and why are lights kindled on Hanukkah? The Gemara answers: [The Sages taught in Megillat Ta’anit:] On the twenty-fifth of Kislev, the days of Hanukkah are eight. One may not eulogize on them and one may not fast on them. [What is the reason?] When the Greeks entered the Sanctuary they defiled all the oils that were in the Sanctuary by touching them. And when the Hasmonean monarchy overcame them and emerged victorious over them, they searched and found only one cruse of oil that was placed with the seal of the High Priest, undisturbed by the Greeks. And there was sufficient oil there [to light the Menorah] for only one day. A miracle occurred and they lit [the Menorah] from it eight days. The next year the Sages instituted those days and made them holidays with recitation of Hallel and special thanksgiving in prayer and blessings. (Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 21b, translation, The Koren-William Davidson Talmud, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz zatzal, editor)
 
In his Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Megillah v’Hanukkah 3:1, the Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) formulates his answer to the Talmud’s question in this manner:
 
In [the era of] the Second Temple, the Greek kingdom issued decrees against the Jewish people, [attempting to] nullify their faith and refusing to allow them to observe the Torah and its commandments. They extended their hands against their property and their daughters; they entered the Sanctuary, wrought havoc within, and made the sacraments impure. The Jews suffered great difficulties from them, for they oppressed them greatly until the G-d of our ancestors had mercy upon them, delivered them from their hand, and saved them. The sons of the Hasmoneans, the High Priests, overcame [them], slew them, and saved the Jews from their hand… When the Jews overcame their enemies and destroyed them, they entered the Sanctuary; this was on the twenty-fifth of Kislev. They could not find any pure oil in the Sanctuary, with the exception of a single cruse. It contained enough oil to burn for merely one day. They lit the arrangement of candles from it for eight days until they could crush olives and produce pure oil.
 
These classic sources emphasize the instrumental role of the Chashmonaim in the salvation of our people, an idea that is given powerful voice by my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as the “Rav” by his followers and disciples:

… Hanukkah represent[s] man’s active involvement… God chose the Maccabees not as onlookers but as actors. He demanded from them sacrificial, heroic action. He told them to plan the strategy and execute it. Man is the fulfiller of G-d’s will. Hence, when triumph was achieved, G-d willed man to celebrate a day of love and sympathy, a day of sharing and togetherness. Hanukkah revolve[s] around the merger of the individual with the community, promoting an open, sympathetic existence. (This, and the following quotes of the Rav, are from Days of Deliverance: Essays on Purim and Hanukkah, Eli D. Clark, Joel B. Wolowelsky and Reuven Ziegler editors, pages 121-124, brackets my own)
 
In sum, the Maccabees were the active agents in the salvation of the Jewish people. They engaged in “sacrificial heroic action” based upon their personally conceived strategies and chosen modes of deployment. In this way, they fulfilled Hashem’s plan, and “… when triumph was achieved, God willed man to celebrate a day of love and sympathy, a day of sharing and togetherness.” Why were the Chashmonaim given such a prominent role and “top-billing” in the redemption of our nation from the domination of the Syrian-Greek armies? To this the Rav replies:

We learn from this that when the fight is spiritual, God invites the Jew to participate. When spiritual survival is at stake, man must take the initiative. Even though man is under the guidance of the Almighty, man takes the initiative, and therefore his role is recorded… Antiochus was interested in destroying the Jews spiritually. When the menace is of a spiritual nature, then the initiative belongs to man. Man engages in the struggle for spiritual survival. For this reason, the Hasmoneans took the initiative, and we remember their efforts when we commemorate their victory on Hanukkah.
 
The spiritual nature of the Hanukkah victory is seen, as well, in the following section from the Al HaNissim tefilah for Hanukkah:
​
You delivered the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and the wanton into the hands of the diligent students of Your Torah…Thereafter Your children came into the shrine of Your house, cleansed Your Temple, purified Your sanctuary, kindled the lights in the courts of Your holiness…
 
As we have seen, the Rambam describes the primary goal of the Syrian-Greek overlords as having “…issued decrees against the Jewish people, [attempting to] nullify their faith and refusing to allow them to observe the Torah and its commandments.” In short, their goals were to destroy our emunah (faith) and bitachon (active trust and dependency) in the Almighty and prevent us from observing the mitzvot. Sadly, many other nations have pursued this path, as our Chachamim taught us so long ago in the Haggadah: “B’kol dor v’dor omdim aleinu l’kaloteinu—in each and every generation there are those who rise against to destroy us.” Yet, we must ever remember the remaining part of this statement: “v’HaKadosh Baruch Hu matzileinu m’yadam--and the Holy One blessed be He saves us from their hand.” V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom 
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com to be added to my weekly email list.
 
*** 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: The Rav

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
One of the fascinating themes in Parashat Vayishlach is Ya’akov’s wrestling with an anonymous man, as the Torah states: “Vayivater Ya’akov levado (and Ya’akov was alone), and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.” (Sefer Bereishit 32:25, this and all Tanach translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach, with my emendations) There are three other times in Chamisha Chumshei Torah wherein the word “levado” (alone) is employed in reference to major Biblical figures:

And Hashem Elokim said, “It is not good (lo tov) that man (Adam) is levado; I shall make him a helpmate opposite him.” (Sefer Bereishit 2:18)
 
And they set for him (Yosef) levado and for them (Yosef’s brothers) levadom… (Ibid. 43:32)
 
And Moshe levado shall approach Hashem but they shall not approach, and the people shall not ascend with him. (Sefer Shemot 24:2)
 
In the first instance, Adam HaRishon’s aloneness was absolute. He was literally the only person in world. Little wonder, then, that the Almighty described his existential condition as, “lo tov,” the polar opposite of the phrase “ki tov” that we find time and again in reference to Ma’aseh Bereishit (the Creation of the Universe). 
 
In my estimation, the Torah’s description of Yosef’s physical distance from his brothers in the banquet hall depicts the state of alienation that existed between them before Yosef revealed himself as their long-lost brother. They were in the same room, yet they remained miles apart from each other. Moreover, Yosef was second in command of Egypt, the greatest world power of the time, while his brothers were but desperate strangers attempting to acquire grain to stave off starvation. A more unequal power dynamic could hardly be found. Yosef was truly levado.
 
The Torah’s statement, “and Moshe levado shall approach Hashem,” to receive the Torah is congruent with the idea that he was different in kind and degree from any prophet who had ever lived or would ever live. As the Rambam writes:

What is the difference between Moshe’s prophecy and that of all the other prophets? [Divine insight is bestowed upon] all the [other] prophets in a dream or vision. Moshe, our teacher, would prophesy while standing awake… [Divine insight is bestowed upon] all the [other] prophets through the medium of an angel. Therefore, they perceive only metaphoric imagery and allegories. Moshe, our teacher, [would prophesy] without the medium of an angel… His appreciation of prophecy would not be through metaphor, but through open revelation, appreciating the matter in its fullness. All the [other] prophets are overawed, terrified, and confounded [by the revelations they experience], but Moshe, our teacher, would not [respond in this manner] … just as a person will not be awe-struck from hearing his friend’s words, so, too, Moshe’s mental power was sufficient to comprehend the words of prophecy while he was standing in a composed state. All the [other] prophets cannot prophesy whenever they desire. Moshe, our teacher, was different. Whenever he desired, the holy spirit would envelop him, and prophecy would rest upon him… (Mishneh Torah, Yesodei HaTorah 7:6, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)
 
As such, in Moshe’s case, levado is far more than a statement of who was allowed to ascend Har Sinai. Instead, it is a description of Moshe’s singular spiritual uniqueness, and consequent aloneness.
 
Just as the term levado is closely tied to these biblical figures, so, too, is it connected to the entire Jewish people: “For from their beginning, I see them as mountain peaks, and I behold them as hills; it is a nation that will dwell levadad(alone) and will not be reckoned among the nations.” (Sefer Bamidbar 23:9).  Unlike the other nations of the world, our people, alone, have remained unwavering in devotion to Hashem. As we find in the following selection from the first paragraph of the Aleinu:
​
It is our duty to praise the Master of all, to proclaim the greatness to He who forms all creation. For He did not make us like the nations of other lands and did not make us the same as other families of the Earth. He did not grant us the same portion, and our destiny is not the same as that of all others… Hashem is our G-d, there is none other. Our King is truth, and nothing else exists besides Him. (Translation my own)
 
Shabbat Shalom 
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org.
 
Please contact me at rdbe718@gmail.com to be added to my weekly email list.
 
*** 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: The Rav

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon HaKohane, 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, Tikvah bat Rivka Perel, Gittel Malka bat Moshe, Alexander Leib ben Benyamin Yosef, the Kedoshim of Har Nof, Pittsburgh, and Jersey City, the refuah shlaimah of Mordechai HaLevi ben Miriam Tovah, and the health and safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Parashat Vayetze informs us that Rachel, like Sarah and Rivka before her, was barren. Finally, after many long years, the Torah states, “vayizkor Elokim et Rachel (And G-d remembered Rachel), and G-d hearkened to her, and He opened her womb.” (Sefer Bereishit, 30:22, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach with my emendations)  The phrase, “vayizkor Elokim,” cannot be taken at face value. After all, how is it possible that the Creator and Master of the Universe would ever forget? Moreover, the great Mishnaic period sage, Rabbi Elazar HaKapor, said: “Blessed is He, for before Him there is no wrong, no forgetting (v’lo shicha), no favoritism, and no taking of bribes; know, that everything is according to the reckoning. (Pirkei Avot 4:22, translation, Rabbi Yosef Marcus)  As such, many meforshim (Torah commentators) focus on the appellation, Elokim (middat hadin, the quality of judgment), and maintain vayizkor Elokim suggests that the Holy One blessed be He rendered a positive judgment, as we find in three other instances in the Torah:
Vayizkor Elokim Noach and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark… (Sefer Bereishit 8:1) 
 
And it came to pass, when Elokim destroyed the cities of the plain, vayizkor Elokim et Avraham. (19:29) 
 
And Elokim heard their cry (that is, the Jewish people’s cry), and vayizkor Elokim His covenant with Avraham, with Yitzchak, and with Ya’akov. (Sefer Shemot 2:24)
 
Midrashic literature presents two approaches as to why Hashem determined Rachel was zochah (merited) to receive a positive ruling. Bereishit Rabbah asks:
Vayizkor Elokim: What memory did [Hashem] remember (that is, what evidence did Hashem focus on) concerning Rachel? She remained silent concerning her sister [Leah] at the time Leah was given over to him [Ya’akov, on what supposed to have been Rachel and Ya’akov’s wedding night]. Rachel maintained her silence, even though she was fully cognizant of what was taking place. Ultimately, vayizkor Elokim et Rachel, as was fitting, for Rachel knew full well she was bringing her tzaratah (rival) into her own home. (Parashat Vayetze 73:4, translation and brackets my own)
 
The second source, Midrash Aggadah (Buber), contains the explanation of our phrase that was employed by Rashi (1040-1105) in his Commentary on the Torah: 
Vayizkor Elokim: The Holy One blessed be He remembered (that is, focused on) Rachel’s [past] humility when she gave the simanim (unique signs between Rachel and Ya’akov) to her sister [Leah] to give to Ya’akov, as she [Rachel] could not bear the thought of her sister’s [potential] abject embarrassment. (Parashat Vayetze 30:22, translation and brackets my own)
 
In addition, in his Commentary on Sefer Yirmiyahu 31:14, Rashi cites Midrash Eichah Rabbah, Petichah 24, on the celebrated phrase, “Rachel m’vakah al banehah—Rachel weeping for her children.” This midrash combines Rachel’s silence and her giving over the simanim to Leah and, in so doing, reveals the power of her advocacy on behalf of b’nai Yisrael:
Rachel m’vakah al banehah: An aggadic midrash states that the Avot and Emahot went to comfort the Holy One blessed be He when King Menashe [14th king of Yehudah, 7th century BCE] placed an idol in the Beit HaMikdash. Nonetheless, He refused to be comforted. Rachel then came before Him and said: “Master of the Universe, whose mercy is greater, Your mercy or the mercy of one comprised of flesh and blood? Is it not the case that Your mercy is greater? Behold, I brought my rival into my very home [and demonstrated my mercy]! And all the work that Ya’akov did for my father was only performed on my account, yet, when I was preparing to go to my chuppah, my father brought my sister to the chuppah in my stead! It was not enough that I remained silent, since I handed over my special simanim to her as well! So, too, in Your case, if Your children have brought Your rival [the idol] into Your house [the Beit HaMikdash], You should remain silent towards them [regarding this affront, and not destroy them].” He [Hashem] said to her: “You have learned well to be an advocate! There is reward for actions and righteousness, [especially since] you handed over your simanim to your sister.” (Translation and brackets my own)
 
May we always be zocheh (merit) to receive merciful judgment from the Almighty. Moreover, even if we are undeserving of such, may Rachel Emanu ever be our malitzah yesharah (advocate) and help bring us rachamim (mercy) from Hashem. V’chane yihi ratzon.
Shabbat Shalom 
 
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