Zugger613

Vayishlach: No Right to Rule

In 1970, R’ Hutner was on a plane which was hijacked by PLO terrorists. After he was released from captivity, he made the following point:

The heads of the tribes of Esav are referred to in this weeks Parsha with honorary אלוף, which Chazal tells us denotes מלכות. However, the heads of tribes of Yishmael are referred to with the lesser honorific of נשיאים. Why is that?

R’ Hutner explained that this difference in titles is due to an inherent difference between the nations. Regarding Esav, Hashem says: ירושה לעשיו נתתי את הר שעיר – I have given Mount Sair to Esav as an inheritance. But regarding Yishmael, Hashem told Avraham: גרש את האמה הזאת ואת בנה, כי לא יירש בן האמה הזאת; drive out this maidservant and her son, for the son of this maidservant will not inherit. Yishmael was never intended to rule any particular place; any position of authority that they get is therefore inherently temporary.

Since Yishmael is never truly settled in a place of their own, they attempt to compensate by stealing Eretz Yisroel from us. Esav, on the other hand, truly rules their own lands; they therefore have less interest in taking what is ours.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Toldos: Together Forever

The Ramban writes that the three wells that Yitzchak dug symbolizes the three בתי מקדשות that will be built. Just as the first two wells were made unusable by the Pilishtim, so too were the first two בתי מקדשות destroyed; and just as the third well was the one that lasted, so too will the third בית המקדש last forever.

The Ramban elaborates on this point by finding hints in the names of the wells to what went right or wrong. The first well is referred to as עשק and the second is referred to as שטנה as a way of hinting to the infighting that was all too prevalent in the days of the first and second בית המקדש, while the third is referred to רחובות to hint that at time, Hashem will widen the boundaries of our land, since there will be no infighting.

The Chida finds another allusion in the Pesukim to the point of the Ramban. When the servants of Yitzchak dug the first two wells, the Passuk uses the word ויחפרו, which is the plural form of “and they dug”. However, when it came to the digging of third well, the Passuk uses ויחפור, the singular form of the word. This is because only when all of the Jewish people act together as one can we build the third Beis HaMikdosh, for that is the only way it can last forever.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Vayeira: We’ll Show Them

After Avraham’s bris milah, Hashem made sure the weather was extra hot so that no guests would bother Avraham. Yet not only did Avraham not find the lack of passerby in need to be a relief, but it actually bothered him so much that Hashem had to send Malachim to serve as Avraham’s “guests”.

But why did it bother Avraham that he had no guests? If there is nobody in need, shouldn’t that be celebrated rather than mourned?

R’ Shlomo Heiman, the first Rosh Yeshiva of Torah V’Daas, offers an incredible explanation. Avraham was born into a world where helping others was not valued, and his goal was to change that. It bothered Avraham that he had no chessed to engage in, since he sought to set an example for the world about the importance of chessed.

Said R’ Shlomo Heiman, in our own lives we should always seek to do Mitzvos loudly and proudly, with a particular emphasis on those Mitzvos that many people may not be aware of or sufficiently value.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Noach: Building Upward

Noach was the first person that the Torah tells us made a מזבח. But what is the point of a מזבח? Why can’t a Korban be brought on bare ground?

R’ Shamshon Rafael Hirsh has a fascinating explanation. Some people think that God can only be found in nature, and that they must retreat from society to connect to the divine.

But that is not what we believe. We believe that the best way to connect to Hashem is by building a society that reflects His will, by incorporating the divine into every aspect of our lives.

That idea, explains R’ Hirsh, is symbolized by a מזבח. A מזבח must be attached to the ground, but we need to make it by putting stones together. This represents using human activity to elevate the earth towards the divine.

After the world was destroyed in the Mabul, Noach built the first מזבח. This was an attempt to rededicate the world to its original mission – to be a place where people are constantly striving to build higher, to create an elevated society that connects us to our Creator.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Nitzavim: Wake Up Call

The Torah tells us that כי יבואו עליך… הברכה והקללה, after we have experienced both the blessings that come as a result of doing what we should and the punishments that result from the opposite, Klal Yisroel will ultimately do Teshuva.

And yet, points out the נודע ביהודה, the Gemora indicates that the Parsha is referring to תשובה מאהבה, Teshuva that is done out of love for Hashem. If the impetus for the Teshuva was the punishments, how can this be תשובה מאהבה?

The נודע ביהודה explains that there are two ways suffering can cause a person to return to Hashem. The first is comparable to a servant who is beaten for disobeying his master – going forward, he will do what he has to do going forward to avoid further punishment.

The other is like a son who is castigated by his father. If the son apologies to his father, he doesn’t do so only to make the “punishment” stop. Rather, the pain he experiences serves as a wake-up call which makes him realize that he’s hurt his father. The decision to make things right may have been sparked by the pain of separation, but it is really the product of a genuine desire to reconnect.

Writes the נודע ביהודה, this should be our reaction to misfortune. We should not do Teshuva merely to make the troubles stop. Rather, it ought to make us think:
‎הלא כי אין אלקי בקרבי מצאוני הרעות האלה, is it not because my G-d is not with me that these troubles have befallen me? The suffering should make us realize that we have disappointed Hashem, and make us genuinely want to reconnect and bring Him back into our lives.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Ki Seitzei: Build Back Better

כי תבנה בית חדש, ועשית מעקה לגגך, ולא תשים דמים בביתך כי יפול הנופל ממנו –
“When you build a new house, make a guardrail for your roof, so that there will not be bloodshed when the person who falls will fall from it.”

The Chida sees an allusion in this passuk how to properly do Teshuva. כי תבנה בית חדש alludes to when we set out to rebuild ourselves anew after we’ve fallen, to reestablish our innermost self.

The passuk hints to us that when rebuilding, there is an important addition we must make. ועשית מעקה לגגך, we must put up our own סייג לתורה specifically in the area that we have previously fallen in.

If we’ve succumbed once, we need to be extra careful in that area going forward. The best way of going about that is to establish Gedarim for ourselves to keep us from reaching the place that previously caused us to fall. Otherwise, יפול הנופל ממנו – he who has fallen is in danger of falling again.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Re’ah: Moving Forward Like the Fish

The Torah tells us that to be Kosher, a fish must have fins and scales. R’ Chaim Mintz sees in this Halacha a beautiful allusion to how an אדם הכשר ought to conduct their life.

Fish use their fins to propel themselves through the water, teaching us the importance of always moving forward and striving for self-improvement. Just as a kosher fish is always in motion, we must never become complacent with where we are in life.

The fish’s scales serve as a protective armor, shielding it from harm. This teaches us the importance of safeguarding any spiritual progress that we make. By surrounding ourselves with positive influences, we can ensure that we move forward and not backwards.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

V’eschanan: Infinity, Condensed

The Torah refers to the עשרת הדברות as being קול גדול, ולא יסף. Targum Onkelos translates this as “a great voice, which did not stop” (simply understood, this means there was no pause in the עשרת הדברות). Rashi, however, translates לא יסף as ״it did not continue״ – the Jewish people never again heard Torah straight from Hashem.

Perhaps we can suggest that both are true. The voice of Hashem ended; there will never be a new Torah. Yet on the other hand, לא פסק, the voice of Hashem never ends. Within the finite Torah that has been given, an infinite amount of guidance can be gleaned. כל יום בת קול יצאת מהר חורב – Hashem continues to speak to us, through the Torah that has already been given.

The way that the עשרת הדברות themselves were given is indicative of this idea. Rashi cites the Medrash that at first, Hashem said all of the עשרות הדברות at once in a single word; only afterwards did He say each one separately. The same is true with all of Torah; each word contains an infinite amount of messages. Hashem is speaking to us, in our situation, every time we read from the Torah – we need only to listen to hear what He says.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

How can we cry, they ask – it’s been so long.

How can we not cry – it’s been so long! So long since we were where we’re supposed to be. But more than that; so long since we were who we are supposed to be.

We are supposed to be not just in Yerushalayim; we are supposed to be of Yerushalayim. We are supposed to spend every second of every day improving ourselves and improving our connection to Hashem. We are supposed to be constantly in a state of being מתענג מזיו השכינה. Instead, we spend the vast majority of our lives doing things that are at best mundane, and often far worse.

What we cry about isn’t a building from thousands of years ago. What cry about is ourselves, and how far we’ve fallen. We’ve fallen so far that we barely know who we are supposed to be.

על אלה אני בוכיה, עיני עיני ירדה מים…

Massei: Moving On

R’ Asher Areilli expressed a beautiful thought on the passuk ‎וַיִּסְע֖וּ מֵרְפִידִ֑ם וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר סִינָֽי
We know that רפידים is so named because it was there that the Jews were רפו ידיהם מן התורה, weakened their commitment to the Torah. And yet, pointed out R’ Asher, they were still able to move on to Har Sinai.

Everybody has bad days. But you can’t let the inevitable bumps in the road make you forget your goal. Yes, you fell short. But you can still pick yourself up and keep going. Don’t let your failures define you.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Full מראה מקומות, with additional explanations:

זוהר (ויחי ס’):
וּמַה דְּאָמַר עָנִי, וְכִי מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא עָנִי אִקְרֵי. אֶלָּא הָכִי אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, בְּגִין דְּלֵית לֵיהּ מִדִּילֵיהּ וְקָרִינָן לֵיהּ מֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ. דָּא הוּא סִיהֲרָא קַדִּישָׁא לְעֵילָא, דְּלֵית לָהּ נְהוֹרָא אֶלָּא מִשִּׁמְשָׁא.
פי’ האור החמה: בגין דלית ליה מדיליה כדפי’ לעיל: המלך המשיח שהיא משוחה משמן החכמה אמנם בעל שמן לא הוי אלא משיח מלמעלה כדפי’:

בעל הטורים (במדבר כה, יב):
את בריתי שלום שלים כתיב והוא וי”ו קטיעא בפ”ג דקידושין כשהוא שלם. ד”א מתנה שלמה אני נותן לו י’ מתנות במקדש י’ במדינה (כי יו”ד במילוי גי’ כ’). ד”א ו’ קטיעא כי פנחס הוא אליהו וכן אליה כתיב חסר וי”ו ויעקוב מלא ו’ שנטל ו’ מאליהו למשכון עד שיבא עם המשיח ויגאל את בניו וזהו יגל יעקב ישמח ישראל ישמח אותיות משיח שישמח לימות המשיח ויחזור הוי”ו ויהא אליהו שלם:

צרור המור (שמות כה, כג):
שמן למאור זה מלך המשיח. שנקרא זית רענן זית זך. לפי שעתיד להאיר לישראל מתוך החשך. דכתיב לאמר לאסורים צאו וגו’ וכתיב והלכו גוים לאורך.

מהר”ל (נצח ישראל מ’):
נקרא ‘משיח’ כי קדושתו ביותר, ועל כן נקרא ‘משיח’. כי פלגא דקיסר יהיה קדוש, והקיסר שיהיה עליו הוא קודש קדשים, כי כל דבר שנמשח הוא קדוש לגמרי. ומפני מעלתו וקדושתו יהיה תחתיו אחר, והוא* כמו פלגא דקיסר, כי אין ראוי שיהיה הוא עצמו למנהיג, למעלת קדושתו שנקרא ‘משיח’. רק שיהיה תחתיו נשיא, והוא יהיה מנהיג, רק כי המשיח יהיה מנהיג בדברים האלקיים לגמרי.
וע”ע בגבורת ה’ ע’: ובפרק ד’ דנדרים (ל”ט ע”ב) תניא ז’ דברים נבראו קודם שנברא העולם… מה שאמר שמו של משיח ר”ל עצם מעלת המשיח מה שהוא מיוחד מבין שאר הנבראים מעלתו המיוחדת לו נקרא שמו, כי השם הוא מורה על דבר המיוחד בו מבין שאר הנמצאים, ולפיכך אף כי המשיח בעצמו לא נברא קודם שנברא העולם…, אבל שמו דהיינו מה שהוא מיוחד בו נברא קודם שנברא העולם שגזר השם יתברך קודם שנברא העולם על המעלה שלו המיוחדת לו וגזירתו יתברך היא הבריאה בעצמו.

בן יהוידע (סנהדרין צח.):
כי בשם משיח באיזה זכות יבא כי מ”ם דמשיח משמשת במקום ‘מן’ ונמצא אותיות משיח הם ‘מן שיח’ והתורה נקראת שיחתו של הקדוש ברוך הוא ונקראת שיחתן של צדיקים כמו שאמר דוד המלך ע”ה מָה אָהַבְתִּי תוֹרָתֶךָ כָּל הַיּוֹם הִיא שִׂיחָתִי (תהלים קיט, צז) וזו היא תשובתו של משיח שאמר לרבי יהושע בן לוי ‘הַיּוֹם אִם בְּקֹלוֹ תִשְׁמָעוּ’ (תהלים צה, ז) קֹלוֹ זו התורה שהיא שיחתו של הקדוש ברוך הוא…

ליקויט מוהר”ן (תנינא א, יב):
וּבִשְׁבִיל זֶה נִקְרָא מָשִׁיחַ, כִּי הוּא יוֹנֵק וּמְקַבֵּל מִשִּׂיחַ הַשָּׂדֶה, דְּהַיְנוּ כָּל הָרֵיחוֹת שֶׁבָּאִים בְּתוֹךְ הַתְּפִלָּה שֶׁהִיא בְּחִינַת חֹטֶם, בְּחִינַת: וּתְהִלָּתִי אֶחֱטָם וְכוּ’; וּמָשִׁיחַ מְקַבֵּל אוֹתָם בִּבְחִינַת: רוּחַ אַפֵּינוּ מְשִׁיחַ ה’, כַּנַּ”ל:

Chukas: Speak Softly & Drop the Stick

We know that when Moshe hit the rock, instead of talking to it as Hashem had instructed, he was no longer allowed to enter Eretz Yisroel. But the reason given seems somewhat puzzling: “יען לא האמנתם בי”, because you did not cause Bnei Yisroel to believe in Me. What exactly was the lesson that the Jewish people was supposed to have learnt from witnessing Moshe talk to the rock that they didn’t see from him hitting the rock?

The Mahral explains that if the rock would have given water simply by request, Klal Yisroel would have seen a model image of Avodas Hashem: you should do what Hashem wants, because you want to do what Hashem wants you to do.

Instead, by seeing Moshe angrily hitting the rock, they were shown a very different image: of doing what Hashem said because you feel you have no choice, due to either threats or rewards that you just can’t ignore.

This difference in attitudes is so critical, writes the Mahral, that it is part of the very definition of Emunah. כי אין אמונה רק שיהיה” דרך רצון ושמחה” – the only way of serving Hashem with Emunah, is do so voluntarily and joyfully.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Bamidbar: דגל התורה

The של״ה writes that the first three shevatim that traveled together, Yehuda, Yissachar, and Zevulun, represented the Torah.

Perhaps we can suggest that the names of the נשיאם of each Shevet give us a clue as to their unique contribution to the study and the spread of Torah.

The נשיא of Yehuda was נחשון בן עמינדב. Perhaps this shows that Nachshon and his shevet excelled in being שונה בנחת, teaching gently, the עם of Hashem (see שה״ש ז,ב where בנ״י are called בת נדיב). This can be seen in how Nachshon led by example, jumping into the ים סוף first.

The נשיא of Yissachar was נתנאל בן צוער. Perhaps this shows that the shevet of Yissachar would always toil in the Torah that Hashem gave (נתן קל) even when doing so entailed great sacrifice (צער).

The נשיא of Zevulun was אליאב בן חילון. Perhaps this shows that the shevet of Zevulun would always be focused on doing the will their Father in Heaven (אלי אב), even when they were doing things that were חול, seemingly mundane. Zevulun used their financial expertise to both support the Torah of Yissachar, and to show the nations of the world the beauty of Yiddishkeit.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Emor: Secret of the Omer

We know from the Sefer HaChinuch that we count ספירה to show how much we look forward to receiving the Torah on Shavous. And yet, the Sefira is tied specifically to the Omer, a Korban we bring on Pesach. What is the connection between the Omer and accepting the Torah?

R’ Matisyahu Salomon suggested the following idea: The measurement of the Omer comes up in another place in the Torah. By the מן, each person ended up with exactly one Omer worth of מן, regardless of how much or how little they worked on collecting. From here we see that parnassa is in the hands of Hashem, and only He decides how much we ultimately take home, regardless of how much or how little we work.

One of the prerequisites for being mekabel the Torah is simply putting in the time necessary to learn. But somebody who thinks that how much they make depends on how hard they work may simply be too busy to learn. However, somebody who internalizes the idea of the Omer, that his material well-being is ultimately only up to Hashem, will be able to find time to learn the Torah.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Pesach: Broken

R’ Shmuel Dovid Walkin was once asked the following question by his grandson: We know that the top Matza represents the Kohen, the middle Matza the Levi, and the bottom Matza the Yisroel. If so, why do we break the middle Matza to represent the pain of slavery? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to break the bottom Matza, since it represents those who actually went through the slavery?

R’ Walkin succinctly answered: “Who says you can only be broken by your own troubles?”

Indeed, this is one of the central themes of Pesach. Moshe was raised in the house oh Pharoh, yet he went out and felt the pain of his brothers – ויצא אל אחיו וירא בסבלותם. A key element of the Geulah was feeling the pain of another Jew and being broken at the thought of what they are going through.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Tazriah: עת לקרב ועת לרחק

The Torah tells about the tumah that affects people immediately after telling us which animal are tahor and which are not. Chazal explain that just as the creation of man only took place after the creation of the animals, so too is the תורת האדם only taught after the Torah first teaches us about the תורת הבהמה. But why would this seemingly tangential idea be called the תורת האדם, what does this tell us about the very nature of people?

R’ Aaron Lopiansky explains that the nature of person is that there are times they go through stages of taharah, where they are particularly holy and close to Hashem. But every person also goes through times of tumah, where they are removed from Hashem. This is not just an accident. This is the very nature of man.

The avodah of person in their time of taharah is obvious – to relish being close to Hashem. But there is also an avodah to be accomplished in times of tumah, in times of disconnection. During those times of disconnection a person should recognize that they are distant from Hashem, and should internalize just how empty that disconnection is. By doing so, even the time of tumah will serve to accentuate the importance of קרבת ה׳.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Vayikra: Living Like A Korban

Chazal refer to one who goes to their death rather than betray Hashem to as a Korban. This comparison is fairly simple to understand: both of them die for Hashem.

But there is a far more intriguing comparison which is brought down in Halacha. The Rema (או״ח קס״ז ה׳) and the Mishnah Berurah write that if one eats lishmah, for the sake of having strength to serve Hashem, the food they eat is like a Korban to Hashem. How are we to understand this?

The answer is that the Korban represents total dedication of every aspect of our lives to Hashem. Just as the Korban is slaughtered and burnt, so too must we be willing to give up our physical selves to serve Hashem. But the atonement of the Korban is not effectuated until the blood is sprinkled on the מזבח. This represents our heart and passion being focused solely on coming close to Hashem.

One way of proving one’s complete dedication to Hashem is to die for Him. But a far more impressive way of doing that is to live for Hashem. Somebody who dedicates every aspect of their lives, even such mundane things as eating, towards this noble goal can be said to be living the life of a Korban.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר ׳חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Vaykhel: Fire 🔥

Of all the 39 melachos, only one is specified in the Torah: lighting a fire. To add another layer of mystery as to why this particular melacha was chosen, the Zohar adds the prohibition against lighting a fire includes getting angry (igniting the the fire of anger) on Shabbos.

R’ Aron Lopiansky explains this by looking at the root of anger. Anger almost always comes from a place of frustration. Somebody who feels that they could be accomplishing something, but that they are being held from doing so, gets angry.

But Shabbos is supposed to be the antithesis of that very mindset. On Shabbos, we acknowledge that we do not run the world. Hashem made the world, and only He continues to control it.

A person only feels frustration and anger at a perceived loss of control, if they believe they were in control in the first place. Hence כל הכועס, כאילו עובד ע״ז.

One who truly appreciates Shabbos and acknowledges that Hashem alone controls the world, will not feel the fire of anger.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Tezaveh: Looking Inside

The Gemara tells us that the מעיל of the Kohen Gadol atones for lashon hara. Presumably, that means there is some lesson that we can learn from the מעיל that will help us avoid the pitfall of lashon hara. But what is that lesson?

Based on the Vilna Goan, R’ Lopiansky explains that the message lies in the fact that the מעיל is tucked into itself. The passuk stresses that the hem of the מעיל must be tucked back within itself: והיה פי ראשו בתוכו. This sense of internality, of looking inside oneself, is key to avoiding lashon hara.

All too often, we evaluate ourselves by comparing ourself to those around us. This is often why we are tempted to put others down; by speaking badly about others, we feel better about ourselves.

The message of the מעיל is to look inside one’s own self. Don’t try to see how you measure up to others. Our sense of success ought to be based on to what extent we are living up to our own potential. One who lives with that attitude will not feel the need to put down others to feel better about themselves.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Mishpatim: Serving A Greater Cause

Of all the ways to begin Mishpatim, the Torah chose to start with the halachos of עבד עברי. What does this reveal to us about how we are to approach Mishpatim, the laws of the Torah that we can understand with our own intellect?

R’ Lopiansky explains that an עבד is somebody who is considered only an extension of his master. That is why anything that an עבד acquires becomes property of his master. A proper עבד does not have a will of his own; he lives to carry out the will of somebody else.

This is how we are to approach all of mishpatim. גדול המצווה ועושה יותר ממי שאינו מצוה ועושה – it is better to do a mitzva because Hashem has commanded it than to do a mitzva voluntarily. If we do a mitzva because its moral lesson resonate with us, we are attaching ourselves to that sense of morality. But when we do a mitzva because Hashem has commanded that we do it, we are connecting ourselves to Hashem Himslef. By making His will into our will, we have made ourselves an extension of Him.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Bishalach: Seeing Double

We know that the reason we have לחם משנה on Shabbos is to remember that a double portion of Mun fell on Friday in preparation for Shabbos. The Medrash cites many other examples of doubling having to do with Shabbos, from זכור ושמור to the Shabbos Korban of two sheep.

What does it say about Shabbos that everything about is doubled?

R’ Lopiansky explains that this goes to the heart of what it means when we say that Shabbos is מעין עולם הבא. In עולם הבא, the reward that we get is not like a salary, which is entirely independent of the work that we did. Rather, the pleasure we receive is built upon the satisfaction of our accomplishments in this world. In the next world, we are able to truly appreciate all that we have already done.

That is why Shabbos is marked by the double portion that fell on Friday. On Shabbos, we are able to appreciate the ruchniyus in all the work that we have done during the six days of the week.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

The Necessity of Destruction

Moshe had previously complained to Hashem; למה הרעותה לעם הזה, למה זה שלחתני – why did you send me to Pharoh, he only made things worse for the people?

Hashem answers by saying that now He will reveal His true middos. But why was it necessary for the situation to get worse before it could get better?

Based on the מהר״ל, R’ Lopainsky explains that to make something truly new, a fresh start is required.

If Klal Yisroel had attempted to become the עם ה׳ without first shaking off the dust they had accumulated in Mitzrayim, they couldn’t have succeeded. Any Egyptian identity and outlook that Klal Yisroel had picked up in the past two hundred and ten years needed to be destroyed.

This phase of destruction that Moshe was aghast about was wiping the slate clean, getting the nation ready for a new beginning. As is so often the case, the destruction was setting up an opportunity to create something even better.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Vayechi: Stay Thirsty

In the Bracha of המלאך, Yaakov says וידגו לרוב בקרב הארץ, may they multiply manyfold in the midst of the land. The Gemara sees in the word וידגו a hint to fish (דג), which multiply quickly. What are we supposed to learn from this?

The Chidushei HaRim explains this based on another Gemora. Despite the fact that fish are surrounded by water, they always come to the surface to taste the “fresh”drops of rain. So too, says the Gemora, תלמידי חכמים who “live” with the Torah are still excited to hear something new.

And yet, points out the Chidushei HaRim, the Passuk says we should be like fish בקרב הארץ, when we are on dry land. We should never stop seeking inspiration from the Torah, both when we are immersed in its depths, and when life keeps us busy with the mundane tasks of this world.

This Bracha is particularly appropriate for Menashe and Ephraim. Menashe and Ephraim grew up alone in Mitzrayim. They could not spend their days only in the Beis Medrash; they worked for their father, who ran the country. And yet even so, they never stopped thirsting for Torah and a connection to Hashem.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Mikeitz: Who’s Serving Who?

The Medrash in this week’s Parsha makes a fascinating comparison. In Paroh’s dream, he saw himself standing over his god – ופרעה חולם והמה עומד על היאור. But when Yaakov dreamed, he saw God standing over him – והנה ה׳ נצב עליו. What is this Medrash trying to tell us?

R’ Simcha Wasserman explains that these dreams show how each person saw themselves in relationship to what they considered to be Divine.

Paroh worshiped the Nile in an attempt to get it to irrigate his crops. He saw himself standing over his god, because he wanted it to serve his needs.

This is also why Paroh practiced polytheism. He would “worship” any power that he thought might be able to help him. In reality, all he cared about was himself.

Yaakov was the opposite. He saw God standing over him. He viewed religion as being about us serving God, rather than God serving us. Everything he did was to come closer to and to develop a relationship with the one and only God.

In Judaism, we serve God, not the other way around. We do not keep the Torah and Mitzvos as a way of trying to get Hashem to do what we want Him to do. We do it because it is what He wants, and it is how we develop a relationship with Him.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום

Vayishlach: Till Dawn

A famous passuk in this week’s Parsha tells us: ויותר יעקב לבדו ויאבק איש עמו עד עלות השחר, Yaakov was left alone, and an individual struggled with him till dawn. Chazal see this as being symbolic of the the Jewish people, left all alone, having to fight the nations of the world through the dark and terrifying “night” of Galus.

But R’ Shamshon Raphael Hirsch points out that Yaakov does not win this war at the end. Instead, at dawn, the struggle just stops. Why is that?

R’ Hirsch explains that the purpose of history will not be accomplished by the descendants of Yaakov forcing the nations of the world to do what is right. Rather, at the end of time, the truth will dawn on them. They will suddenly see the light, and realize that the very Jewish ideals and principles that they have fought so hard against are what will bring happiness, security, and fulfillment to all of the nations of the world.

The nations of the world will not give up their fight against us because we beat them. Rather, they will eventually come to the realization that we were right all along.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום