Day: January 9, 2025

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By Rabbi Shloimie Lindenbaum

ויחי יעקב בארץ מצרים (פרק מז פסוק כח)

There is normally a break in the Sefer Torah between one parsha and the next, however our parsha begins “closed”. Rashi explains that this is because, once Yaakov passes away in our parsha, the eyes and hearts of the Jews were “closed” from the pain of the subjugation. R’ Moshe Feinstein asks, why is this hinted to at the beginning of the parsha, at this point Yaakov was still alive? R’ Moshe explains that the issue was that the Jews didn’t recognize that they were already in גלות, exile, in some way, even before Yaakov died. Although life was good and pleasant, the fact that they were dependent on Pharoah and under his rule, as opposed to being only subservient to Hashem, was already a גלות. Because they didn’t realize this, when the full servitude did come, it was all the more sudden and painful. This is why the hint about their pain is before Yaakov died, because the problem was rooted in their original descent to Egypt. Their mistake was not realizing that living under any other rule except for Hashem’s, regardless of how good it seems, is exile.

וישתחו ישראל על ראש המטה (פרק מז פסוק לא)

Yaakov calls Yosef and asks him to bring his body out of Egypt to be buried in Eretz Yisroel. After Yosef agrees, Yaakov bows “towards the head of the bed”. Rashi, in one explanation, says that his bowing was thanking Hashem that all of his children were righteous, even Yosef who needed to live amongst the Egyptians in a government position. Why did Yaakov specifically thank Hashem for this now? R’ Uren Reich suggested that what Yaakov was asking from Yosef, to be buried in Eretz Yisroel, was not something required by Halacha, by the letter of the law. Rather, it was something that came out of a sensitivity towards קדושה, holiness, and a feeling for Eretz Yisroel. When a person is surrounded by influences that differ from their upbringing, even if they can maintain their original way of life on the outside, often their emotions and feelings will be affected by their current culture. When Yaakov asked to be buried in Eretz Yisroel and Yosef understood the need for it and accepted upon himself to do it, regardless of obstacles, Yaakov realized that Yosef still had the sensitivities of his upbringing. Not only did Yosef manage to hold strong in his commitment to the actions and rituals of Judaism, but even his emotions and feelings were in line with Yaakov’s house. This was cause for another thanksgiving to Hashem that all his children were righteous.

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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier

אבינו יעקב, our patriarch Jacob, before his death, blessed his sons. To ראובן he said, “Reuven, you were to have superior positions, that of kingship and priesthood. But due to water-like impetuosity, you forfeited both of them.” Though Reuven had thought he was acting virtuously in justifying his mother’s honor and had subsequently sincerely repented, nevertheless a leader can not ever be impetuous.

This idea was the core teaching of the מקלם אלטר, the Kelm Yeshiva – not to have בהלה, impulsiveness, rather one must be deliberate at all times. HaRav Nosson Wachtfogel ל“זצ related that the first time he entered the Kelm Yeshiva for מעריב, when the חזן said a ברכה, he immediately  shouted  אמן! Whereupon, the whole yeshiva turned around, looked at him, and then after 1 or 2 seconds, all said Amen, in perfect harmony. The lesson, he said, relax, think, contemplate, and patiently react in unison.

The Medrash teaches, “וילך ראובן בימי קציר חטים”. (in מדרש רבה ע“ב:א) And Reuven went out in the time of the harvest (בראשית ס“ל:י“ד) and he found “dudaim”… This is to teach us the noble character of Reuven: he was so determined to only take something that he was positive it was ownerless, not to possess an item that there was the slightest chance of dishonesty.

The Medrash continues with the verse in Proverbs, משלי כ“ב:י , “ חנוך לנער על פי דרכו , Train a child according to his natural tendency, if so, even when he ages, it will not leave him.” Leah recognized that even in Reuven’s earliest, formative years that he possessed a relentless disposition to acute honesty and one mutrain him accordingly. Therefore, all his life, his actions would be predicated on this innate gift endowed by Hashem.

Continues the Medrash; at the end of the 40 years in the desert, the tribe of Reuven (and גד), beseeched משה רבינו, Moshe Rabeinu, “Please give us this land, that was conquered in the Eastern side of the Jordan River as our place of dwelling due to our abundance of cattle. They needed a place where they could be certain that their animals would not graze in another’s field. Due to the expansive amount of pasture that was on that side of the Jordan, their needs would be satisfied.

Though for forty years all of Klal Yisroel had been studying Torah and had anticipated to enter the land of Israel where the Divine Presence was at its peak; they accepted that their manner of “sanctifying Hashem’s name”, their responsibility to do so required them to choose this land. Reuven from his earliest years was creating the paradigm of integrity; this was his task, to be the tribe that would engender honesty throughout Klal Yisroel by example. (see מטות ‘פ ‘ב מאליהו מכתב)

Moshe Rabeinu didn’t argue with their conviction. Rather, he remonstrated them for not offering to join the rest of Klal Yisroel in the conquest of the land of Canaan and furthermore for mentioning their cattle before their families. It’s true that they were selflessly dedicating themselves to do Hashem’s will, but their approach was not perfect; it wasn’t deliberate enough and understanding the total scope of the situation. Despite their total spiritual, enthusiastic commitment to their designated role, they were still slightly impulsive.

What is the connection between Reuven having the hallmark of honesty and the unsatisfactory trait of impetuousity?

Impulsiveness is a reaction to a situation where one allows their emotions to dictate their behavior, essentially robbing one of the ability to intellectually view a situation from every angle and possibility. If Reuven was to be the leader of Klal Yisroel, being impulsive would disallow the correct evaluation of situations and preclude patient, deliberate decisions. This in effect is a direct contradiction to unequivocal integrity. He was therefore relieved of his eminent position by Yaakov Avinu. Yehuda, on the other hand, when challenged by Tamar to recognize that he was the one who impregnated her, immediately, intellectually understood that he absolutely must acknowledge it’s him. He was therefore chosen to be the monarch of Klal Yisroel.

This same idea applies to the halacha that if one drinks a certain measure of wine, one is disqualified from rendering a complex decision or to adjudicate a case. One is required to have intellectual acuity, coupled with thoughtful emotional sensitivity which is compromised by a slight amount of alcohol.

A pure intellectual process has to be balanced with emotional observation as we are taught that a judge who is childless cannot adjudicate a case of “capital punishment” due to his lack of acquired sensitivity, that is gained through child-raising.

In our daily lives our actions are often predicated on needs of desires, jealousy, and aggrandizement.  הקנאה, התאוה, והכבוד מוציאין אדם מן העולם . They can totally ruin a life of relentless accomplishment and true, steady intellectual focus. Yaakov Avinu taught us how extremely careful one must be to examine the true source of one’s thoughts and actions.