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Toldos 5779

The delightful smell of betrayal[1]

ויגש וישק לו וירח את ריח בגדיו ויברכהו ויאמר ראה ריח בני כריח שדה וגו’‏‏
[Yaakov] got close and [Yitzchak] kissed him, smelled his clothes, and blessed him. [Yitzchak] said: “See that the scent of my son is like the scent of a field!”…[2]

This week’s parsha describes Rivka and her son Yaakov’s ploy to prevent Eisav from receiving Yitzchak’s blessings. Yitzchak had gone blind, and commanded his son Eisav to prepare a feast for him before the blessings would be given. Rivka, overhearing this, told Yaakov to impersonate Eisav and try to get the blessings himself. She would prepare a feast for Yitzchak, consisting of two goats, while Yaakov would put on Eisav’s prized garments. Since Eisav was hairy, and Yaakov was not, Rivka gave Yaakov goatskins to wear on his arms and neck. This was in case Yitzchak touched Yaakov, so he wouldn’t realize their ploy. Once the preparations were done, Yaakov went to Yitzchak’s tent, pretending to be Eisav.

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Chayei Sarah 5779

Significant jewelry[1]

ויקח האיש נזם זהב בקע משקלו ושני צמידים על ידיה עשרה זהב משקלם
…the man took a golden nose ring, the weight of a beka, and two bracelets for[2] her arms, the weight of ten golden shekels[3] [4]

Avraham sent his trusted servant Eliezer[5] to find a wife for his son Yitzchak. When Eliezer decided that Rivka was the appropriate match for Yitzchak, he gave her several presents[6]. Rashi points out[7] that these gifts weren’t arbitrary; they contained subtle hints to future events. The first gift he gave was a golden nose ring, which was the weight of a beka. A beka is the weight of the half-shekel coin that the Jews gave in the wilderness[8]. Eliezer also gave her two bracelets, צמידים in Hebrew. This is a hint to the two tablets which contained the Ten Commandments, which are described as מצומדות, a pair[9]. They also weighed ten golden shekels, an allusion to the Ten Commandments themselves.

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Vayeira 5779

A very holy meal[1]

אם-נא מצאתי חן בעיניך אל-נא תעבר מעל עבדך: יקח-נא מעט-מים ורחצו רגליכם והשענו תחת העץ: ואקחה פת-לחם וסעדו לבכם אחר תעברו כי-על-כן עברתם על-עבדכם וגו’‏
…If I have now found favor in your eyes, please don’t pass by your servant. Let there be some water taken [for you], and you’ll wash your feet, and relax under the tree. I’ll take some loaves of bread and you’ll satiate your hearts, since you have passed by me. For this is the reason you passed by your servant[2]

A prime example of Avraham’s hospitality is found in this week’s parsha. Three Angels, disguised as Arab nomads[3], passed by Avraham’s tent. Despite being in recovery from his recent circumcision[4], Avraham insisted on taking care of their needs. He wined and dined them, going beyond the call of duty. He slaughtered three calves in order to feed each of them their own cow tongue[5]. He had his wife bake bread special just for them. Avraham clearly didn’t realize that they were Angels[6]. Not wanting to be rude and go against societal norms[7], the Angels pretended to eat[8], despite their lack of physical needs. Little did Avraham know that his alacritous hospitality would have a tremendous impact on the destiny of his future descendants.

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Lech Lecha 5779

The unknown destination[1]

ואמר יקוק אל-אברם לך-לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך אל-הארץ אשר אראך
Hashem said to Avram: “Go for yourself from your land, from your birthplace, from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you”[2]

This week’s parsha contains the first record of Hashem interacting with Avraham, our forefather[3]. It was a command for him to leave everything behind, and to travel to the (future) land of Israel. This land was for his future descendants to inherit as their own. This was considered one of Avraham’s ten tests[4], which he passed successfully. He had to abandon his entire family, save for his wife Sarah and nephew Lot[5]. Avraham, who was the pillar of chessed, lovingkindness, could be accused of neglecting to take care of his aging father[6]. Nevertheless, he followed the word of Hashem.

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Noach 5779

Creating love towards another[1]

ואתה קח לך מכל מאכל אשר יאכל ואספת אליך והיה לך ולהם לאכלה
You shall take for yourself from all the food that will be eaten, and gather it to you, and it will be for you and for them for consumption[2]

As part of Noach’s preparations for the impending flood, Hashem commanded him to gather all the necessary provisions for his family’s yearlong[3] stay in the ark. They would not only themselves need to eat, there was also a need for food for all the animals that were with them in the ark. Some suggest[4] that the seemingly extraneous word לך, “for yourself”, is really meant to be understood as “from yourself”. That is, all the food gathered must be Noach’s own expense[5]. All the food had to be his. This command was so Noach wouldn’t think that he could take food away from other people. He may have thought it was permissible, as they were anyways going to die in the flood. It had to be specifically his own. However, there are many problems with this interpretation.

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Bereishis 5779

The downward escalator of life[1]

הלא אם תטיב שאת ואם לא תטיב לפתח חטאת רובץ וגו’‏
Is it not that if you improve then you’ll cheer up[2], and if not, sin crouches at the door…[3]

The two sons of Adam, Kayin and Hevel, took two different paths in life. Kayin became a farmer, and Hevel became a shepherd[4]. At some later point, Kayin decided to bring an offering to Hashem[5]. He brought from the worst of the fruit of his land[6]. Hevel was also inspired[7] to bring an offering. Unlike his brother, he brought the best of his cattle[8]. Hashem accepted the offering of Hevel, but ignored the offering of Kayin. This caused Kayin to become depressed[9]. Hashem, as a form of encouragement, taught Kayin a lesson. He told him that if he improves, then he will cheer up[2]. However, if he doesn’t improve, then sin crouches at the door[10]. What does this lesson mean?

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Shemini Atzeres / Simchas Torah 5779

What are we celebrating?[1]

שבעת ימים תחג…והיית אך שמח
You shall celebrate for seven days…and you shall be only joyful[2]

The holiday of Shemini Atzeres is one of those interesting festivals with no associated paraphernalia[3]. Rosh Hashanah has the Shofar, Sukkos has the Sukkah, Pesach has Matzah. The celebration of each festival seems to be accompanied with some sort of item or activity to add a focus to the festivities. They are usually associated with some event, which is the cause of the celebration. What are we celebrating on the holiday of Shemini Atzeres? In fact, the Torah, with regards to Sukkos, tells us to be “only” joyful. The gemarra expounds[4] the extraneous word “only”[5] to be teaching us that Shemini Atzeres is also a time of joy. What are we joyful about on Shemini Atzeres?

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Sukkos 2 5779

The fruit that dwells on its tree from year to year[1]

כתפוח בעצי היער כן דודי בין הבנים וגו’‏
Like a tapuach in the trees of the forest, so too is my beloved amongst the children…[2]

The gemarra asks[3]: why does the verse liken the Jewish people to a tapuach tree? The answer is, to teach us that just like a tapuach tree has its fruit grow before its leaves, so too the Jewish people gave precedence to “we will do” over “we will listen”[4]. While this is a nice, short, lesson, at first glance there are a couple of issues[5]. First, the word tapuach usually refers to an apple. An apple tree does not have its fruit grow before its leaves. Like most fruit trees, the leaves come first. Consequently, some explain that the tapuach here is referring to an esrog. We see this from the verse וריח אפך כתפוחים, the scent of your breath is like tapuchim[6]. The Aramaic translation[7] tells us that its referring to an esrog. We see from here then that a tapuach can also refer to an esrog. This works well because the esrog tree in fact retains its fruit from year to year. When last year’s leaves fall off, new ones take their place. Thus, arriving after the fruit. However, the second question is harder to resolve. This verse, which Chazal say likens the Jewish people to an esrog, is really referring to Hashem[8]! Why do they say it is referring to the Jewish people?

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Sukkos 5779

The collective sukkah[1]

בסוכות תשבו שבעת ימים כל-האזרח בישראל ישבו בסכת
You shall dwell in sukkos for seven days; every citizen in Israel will dwell in sukkos[2]

Chazal learn[3] from this verse that, hypothetically speaking, the entire Jewish people can fulfill the mitzvah of dwelling in a sukkah using one sukkah for everybody[4]. Each person would use it, one after the other. However, how can this be? There is an obligation to turn one’s sukkah into their permanent dwelling[5]. We are supposed to spend day and night there. This isn’t possible to accomplish if everyone had to share one sukkah[6]! Another question: why does the verse start in second person, תשבו, and end in third person, ישבו? It starts with you shall dwell, and ends they will dwell.

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HaAzinu 5779

The retractable flame[1]

אם שנותי ברק חרבי ותאחז במפשט ידי וגו’‏
If I’ll whet My flashing[2] blade and My hand will grasp judgement…[3]

This week’s parsha contains Moshe’s parting song to the people. It contains prophetic insights into the Jewish people’s past, present, and future. Verses that seem merely poetic often convey deep concepts. One verse uses the word ברק to describe Hashem’s “blade”. Some2 explain it to connote “flashing”, but it literally means a bolt of lightning. Consequently, the Sages understand[4] the verse homiletically to be teaching us a unique aspect of Hashem’s power. Normally, when a person shoots an arrow, they are unable to retrieve it. Not so the Holy One, blessed is He. When He shoots an arrow, He is able to retrieve it. We see this because the verse describes His arrow as being a bolt of lightning, which is in His grasp. Besides the homiletical teaching, the verse also provides a resolution to a seeming contradiction apparent in one of the Sages’ opinions.

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