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OnegShabbos NORTH WEST LONDON’S WEEKLY TORAH & OPINION SHEETS A Torah publication that enables local Rabbonim and Avreichim to share their insights and Divrei Torah on a variety of different levels, to provide something for everyone

Shabbos Times

25TH NOVEMBER 2017

‫ז' כסלו תשע"ח‬

‫ג‬:‫לב‬-‫י‬:‫ בראשית כח‬:‫קריאת התורה‬

LONDON

MANCHESTER

GATESHEAD

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‫הדלקת נרות‬

4:56 PM

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4:52 PM

‫מוצש’’ק‬

K I N D LY S P O N S O R E D

In Memory of

Leslie and Freda Aronson

Time4Mishna is an international program which involves learning 4 new Mishnayos each day from Sunday to Thursday, reviewing that week's 20 Mishnayos on Friday, and going over the previous Masechtos on Shabbos. A time committment of just 15 mins a day, and finish Shas Mishnayos in 4 years - having reviewed it multiple times!

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Sunday 26th Nov - ‫ח' כסלו‬ ‫ו‬:‫ יז‬- ‫ג‬:‫שבת יז‬

Monday 27th Nov - ‫ט' כסלו‬ ‫ב‬:‫ יח‬- ‫ז‬:‫שבת יז‬

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Shabbos

28th Nov - ‫י' כסלו‬

29th Nov - ‫י"א כסלו‬

30th Nov - ‫י"ב כסלו‬

1st Dec - ‫י"ג כסלו‬

2nd Nov - ‫י"ד כסלו‬

‫ג‬:‫ יט‬- ‫ג‬:‫שבת יח‬

‫א‬:‫ כ‬- ‫ד‬:‫שבת יט‬

‫ה‬:‫ כ‬- ‫ב‬:‫שבת כ‬

‫ה‬:‫ כ‬- ‫ג‬:‫שבת יז‬

‫ כ‬- ‫שבת פרקים יז‬

Just a few minutes a day and finish Nach in just a year and a half! Sign Up at dailynach.com Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 26th Nov - ‫ח' כסלו‬ 27th Nov - ‫ט' כסלו‬ 28th Nov - ‫י' כסלו‬ 29th Nov - ‫י"א כסלו‬ 30th Nov - ‫י"ב כסלו‬ ‫משלי כ"ט‬ '‫משלי ל‬ ‫משלי ל"א‬ '‫איוב א‬ '‫איוב ב‬

Rabbi

Yonosan Sacks

Rosh HaYeshiva, Lander College for Men/Beis Medrash L’Talmud; Rav, Agudas Yisroel Bircas Yaakov of Passaic, NJ

The author can be contacted at aryeh.manheim@touro.edu

The Plight and Destiny of Klal Yisroel The Gemara in Maseches Berachos (26b) cites two different sources for our daily tefillos. According to Rabi Yosi b’Rabi Chanina, our tefillos were instituted by the avos. Rabi Yehoshua ben Levi however maintains that our tefillos correspond to the daily korbanos.

The Gemara subsequently (27b) disputes the nature of tefillas arvis. Rabban Gamliel maintains that tefillas arvis chova, the nightly tefilla is compulsory, whereas Rabi Yehoshua argues that tefillas arvis reshus, maariv is elective.

Although the Gemara never connects these two themes, Rashi (Shabbos 9b) explains that the source and extent of our obligation to daven maariv are clearly linked. If tefilla is rooted in the practice of the avos, there is no difference between shacharis, mincha, and maariv. According to Rabi Yehoshua ben Levi, however, who bases tefilla on korbanos, one can easily distinguish between shacharis and mincha, which are patterned after fixed korbanos, and maariv, which does not correspond to a specific korban.

The Netziv, (HaEmek Sh’Aila 8), however, observes that this cannot be the view of Rav Achai Gaon.

Although the Rav Achai Gaon maintains tefillas arvis reshus (maariv is elective), he nevertheless cites the source of Rabi Yosi b’Rabi Chanina who maintains that our tefilos were instituted by the avos. Why however, should the tefilla of Yaakov Avinu be any different than the tefillos of Avraham and Yitzchok?

The Netziv explains that an answer can be found in the verse vayifga bamakom (Bereishis 28,11), “he encountered the place,” which describes the tefilla of

Friday

Shabbos

1st Dec - ‫י"ג כסלו‬

2nd Nov - ‫י"ד כסלו‬

'‫איוב ג‬

'‫איוב ד‬

Please urgently Daven For

Parshah

Yaakov Avinu. The Gemara in Maseches Chulin (91b) comments “ki mata l’Charan amar, efshar avarti al makom shehispalelu avosai va’ani lo hispalalti?” “when Yaakov reached Charan he exclaimed, how could I have passed the place where my fathers davened and not have davened there myself?”

Unlike the tefillos of Avraham and Yitzchok, where the Torah simply states that they engaged in tefilla, here the passuk attributes the tefilla of Yaakov Avinu to a particular time and place. Apparently, the tefilla of Yaakov was not a categorical obligation, but rather a response to his unique circumstance. If so, the Netziv observes, the view of Rabi Yehoshua who holds tefillas arvis reshus can be understood based on the tefilla of Yaakov Avinu.

Alternatively, one could suggest a different approach. Tefillas arvis, which was instituted by Yaakov Avinu, emphasizes the appropriateness of tefilla when one is surrounded by darkness. The Meshech Chochmah (Beraishis 46:2), explains that twice, Hakadosh Baruch Hu appeared to Yaakov Avinu at night, b’maros halayla. Although Yaakov Avinu was forced to leave Eretz Yisroel and endure the difficulties of galus, Hakadosh Baruch Hu reassures him, specifically at night, that even b’cheshkas hagalus one can experience hashroas haShechina.

A magnificent relationship emerges – HaKadosh Boruch Hu appears to Yaakov Avinu at night, and Yaakov Avinu reaches out to HaKadosh Boruch Hu and establishes the nightly tefilla. Although tefillas arvis acknowledges the plight of Klal Yisroel in galus, one must recognize that this state is only a temporary condition and certainly not our ultimate destiny.

Although tefillas arvis is exceedingly meaningful and impactful, it was and remains inherently a tefillas rshus.

‫שלמה טבלי בן שרה נ''י‬ '‫שירה תמר בת שושנה דבורה תחי‬ ‫אריאל יהודה בן יהודית נ"י‬ ‎'‫חיה רוחמה בת אטא תחי‬ ‫הרב יונתן יוסף בן טעמא שליט"א‬ ‫לרפואה שלימה בתוך שאר חולי ישראל‬

CHANUKA Boker Iyun

LANDER COLLEGE FOR MEN together with

NER YISRAEL and EVENING BEIS

Sunday 3 December 10.00 AM Introduction by Rabbi Kimche

TRACK A 10.15 AM

Rabbi Yonason Sacks

Revealed and Concealed Miracles 11.15 AM

Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokol

Why Did Yosi ben Yo’ezer’s Nephew Join the Enemy? A Chanukah Aggadah for Today

TRACK B (men only)

10.15 AM Seder with prepared mekoros 11.15 AM

Rabbi Yonason Sacks

Shiur on Sugya of Hiddur Mitzvah

MILLER MUSINGS

2

Rabbi

Shimmy Miller Rebbe/Teacher/Counsellor Manchester Mesivta and Private

SEDRA SUMMARY Thank you to Chabad.org

Y

aakov leaves his hometown of Beersheva and journeys to Charan.

On the way, he encounters “the place” and sleeps there, dreaming of a ladder connecting heaven and earth, with malachim climbing and descending on it; Hashem appears and promises that the land upon which he lies will be given to his descendants. In the morning, Yaakov raises the stone on which he laid his head as a mizbeach and monument, pledging that it will be made the house of Hashem.

In Charan, Yaakov stays with and works for his uncle Lavan, tending Lavan’s sheep. Lavan agrees to give him his younger daughter, Rachel—whom Yaakov loves—in marriage, in return for seven years’ labour. But on the wedding night, Lavan gives him his elder daughter, Leah, instead—a deception Yaakov discovers only in the morning. Yaakov marries Rachel, too, a week later, after agreeing to work another seven years for Lavan.

Leah gives birth to six sons—Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Yissachar and Zevulun—and a daughter, Dina, while Rachel remains barren. Rachel gives Yaakov her handmaid, Bilhah, as a wife to bear children in her stead, and two more sons, Dan and Naphtali, are born. Leah does the same with her handmaid, Zilpah, who gives birth to Gad and Asher. Finally, Rachel’s prayers are answered and she gives birth to Yoseph.

Yaakov has now been in Charan for fourteen years, and wishes to return home. But Lavan persuades him to remain, now offering him sheep in return for his labour. Yaakov prospers, despite Lavan’s repeated attempts to swindle him. After six years, Yaakov leaves Charan in stealth, fearing that Lavan would prevent him from leaving with the family and property for which he laboured.

Lavan pursues Yaakov, but is warned

by Hashem in a dream not to harm him.

Lavan and Yaakov make a pact on Har Gal-Ed, attested to by a pile of stones, and Yaakov proceeds to the Holy Land, where he is met by malachim.

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Finding the Ladder Yaakov’s wondrous dream of the Guardian Angels ascending and descending the heavenly ladder evokes vivid imagery and celestial notions, yet the Torah never really explains its significance or indeed the message it is meant to portray to Yaakov. Equally puzzling is that we are told that Yaakov was given a kefitzas haderech - the place that he travelled back to, Har Hamoriah, was supernaturally brought to him, in Charan, so that he did not need to travel the few hundred miles required to return to that location. But why? Why did Hashem choose to overturn nature in this manner at such a time?

In order to suggest an answer to these questions, let us first ask another. When one thinks of Yaakov, the two attributes that should spring to mind are the search for absolute truth and an unparalleled pursuit of greatness in his Torah learning. In his time with Lavan, both of these characteristic were put to the ultimate test. He had to spend many years shepherding, away from his precious Torah, and he had to deal with the ultimate trickster, in Lavan. This is always the nature of testing the greatest people; that in an area that they have perfected the most, they are asked to go against that trait in service of Hashem. (e.g. Avraham with the akeidah). But how did Yaakov indeed manage to keep his level of purity so far from the ideals he believed in?

In answering all these questions we can perhaps also discover a new insight into our task in the world that most of us inhabit. Yaakov was indeed distant from his natural habitat, in an undesirable situation, but he understood that this new set of circumstances required a new set of goals. His mission, in this starkly mundane way of life, was to find Hashem in a place that may not be as conducive to seeing Hashem as those places he had previously been privileged to exist in. His task was to look for the evidence and elements of Hashem’s divine providence in his worldly

Parshah ‫לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם‬ ‫לעילוי נשמת שרה יעל בת גרשון‬ pursuits. To stay true to his beliefs even when those around him may be the antithesis of those convictions and even when they lead to seemingly negative outcomes. In effect he was being given a new path to Hashem in his new situation.

But when Yaakov was about to embark upon this extremely spiritually perilous choice to live in Charan, a place almost totally devoid of G-dly content, he may well have been entering there with immense trepidation not knowing if he would be able to exist on his chosen path in such a spiritual desert. Reb Moshe Feinstein zt’’l explains that by miraculously bringing the holiest place on Earth to Yaakov, Hashem was conveying the message that no matter where you are, the holiness of Har Hamoriah, the gateway to Heaven, is accessible to you. The ladder up to Hashem is available and awaiting you no matter where you are.

This is what we need to appreciate, and perhaps change our perspective about. We need to understand that wherever we are, whether it be in our working life, doing those necessary mundane activities we all must do, or dealing with any new challenging situation, these are not merely things that we have to do to move on to the meaningful stuff. They can be a means to a greater level of closeness to Hashem as long as we understand what are true goals are within them.

Whatever situation in life you find yourself in, and no matter what circumstances become your reality, as long as you use the right ladder (the advice and tools proscribed by the Torah) you are able to connect with the highest levels of existence.

Of course one should do whatever one can to be in a setting most conducive to being able to achieve one’s purpose. But if you do not find yourself there, look for the ladder and start climbing-it is always there!

Rachel Charitable Trust QUIZ TIME

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1. livingwithmitzvos.com

How could Yaakov marry two sisters something that the Torah forbids?

Rabbi

This page is sponsored by Federation

3

Menachem M Junik

Beis Gavriel, Lubavitch, Federation

The Author can be contacted at mmjunik@aol.com

How to attain spiritual protection

Parshah

Life is complicated. From the moment that we awake in the morning there are various different pressures and demands on our time; many distractions and nuisances that get in the way of us fulfilling the days’ tasks. We may ask ourselves, imagine if Hashem had created the world in a way that we are not pulled in all different directions and in a world where we are not constantly being distracted from what is really important in life? Envision our day being occupied primarily with Torah, Mitzvos and acts of Chessed.

Our financial worries would be to a minimum.

In our Parsha, Vayeitzei, the Torah discusses the journey of our father Yaakov from Be’er Sheva to Charan. The Torah describes Be’er Sheva as a holy and spiritual environment where Yaakov sat near his father Yitzchak learning Torah. Charan, however, as Rashi describes at the end of Parshas Noach, is a place that angers Hashem. It was a place of idol worship and where peoples’ behaviours did not follow in the ways of Hashem.

have the strength to overcome the challenges that he would now face in the new Galus of Charan, and that everything that he had learned and experienced in Be’er Sheva should be a source of energy and strength for him.

When Yaakov lay down to daven, the Posuk tells us that he took from the stones of the place and he put them around his head. Rashi (28:11) explains that he put the stones around his head to protect it from the wild animals that would harm him.

Even though this journey from Be’er Sheva to Charan meant going to a less holy and spiritual environment, nonetheless Yaakov understood that being with his father Yitzchak was a preparation for him. He saw the Jewish people would go into a dark Galus – exile, as the Rambam explains, and have the strength to bring light and Kedusha into the bleakest corners of the world.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe zt’’l asks the question, why should Yaakov want to protect only his head from the wild beasts, what about the rest of his body?

Yaakov was not worried about the physical wild animals. He was worried about the new spiritual challenges that he would now face.

He knew that exposure to the lifestyle of the people in Charan can lead one on a path of immorality and decadence.

Charan also represents the physical and material world we are living in. Hashem does not want us to live an angelic life without any connection to the world. On the contrary, He wants us to play our part in being a partner with Him in transforming the world to a place of holiness.

Yaakov was willing to expose his hands and feet to the elements of Charan, but not his head. He would do whatever it would take to succeed in the secular world, which is filled with wild beast of all shapes and sizes.

Nevertheless, his enthusiasm and passion for Torah and spirituality would be protected and preserved.

What is the first thing that Yaakov does when he leaves Be’er Sheva? He does not seek the tourist office or look for accommodation; He davens to Hashem, asking that he should

TEXT

SHAILATEXT 07403 939 613 NEW NUMBER

QUIZ TIME

When it comes to commerce and business, and our daily mundane routine, one should invest in the labour of one’s hands. The head, the intellect, should primarily focus on Torah and Mitzvos.

This journey from Be’er Sheva to Charan represents our life. Be’er Sheva is the warm and comforting atmosphere of our homes, the sanctuary for our moral and spiritual growth.

Eventually we have to face the “real” world, filled with obstacles and challenges. The world is Charan – anger, the total dichotomy of physical and spiritual, where the material is in a constant state of dispute against the spiritual and ‘angers’ G-d.

Yaakov knew that ultimately he would become involved in the material and mundane.

He and we would have no choice but to do so.

However, he committed to keeping a distance, to not become consumed with these things. In this way, his passion and love for Torah and spiritual development would always remain and grow.

07403 939 613

For more information visit www.federation.org.uk/shailatext/

??

Dovid Hamelech writes in Tehillim (128:2) Yegia kapecha ki sochel ashrecha vetov lach.

Fortunate is you who eats from the labour of your hands, You will be happy and full of goodness.

2. livingwithmitzvos.com

‫ לע”נ‬DAYAN GERSHON LOPIAN ‫זצ”ל‬

How many daughters did Yaakov have?

SAVE THIS NUMBER IN YOUR CONTACTS LIST NOW!

A COMMUNITY SERVICE OF THE

Rabbi Yeshaya

4

Staszewski Yeshivas Ner Moshe

The Author can be contacted at lebrett.s@gmail.com

Luz – Where Eternity meets Transience Having just witnessed the vision of the ladder, Yaakov Avinu is awoken to the realisation that he is currently in the holiest place on earth, the site of the future Beis Hamikdash. Appropriately, Yaakov renames it “Beis El” – the House of G-d. Yet, the Torah elaborates on the historical details of this site, informing us that it was previously known as “Luz”. Why does the Torah attach such importance to this name Luz? Moreover, this was not the first occasion that the Avos had visited this site; previously both Avraham and Yitzchak had Davened here and had performed the Akeida here. Why then was it left to Yaakov to rename it as the House of G-d, while his predecessors were content with the name ‘Luz’?

Hashesiyah, so called because from here the world was established.

The term Luz therefore refers to the point which transcends the finite limitations of this world, which is not bound by the constraints of time and space. It is a point of eternity within a material world, the point of transition between the finite and the infinite. This was represented by the ladder in Yaakov’s dream which was centred over the Beis Hamikdash, slanting upwards from the foot of the ladder which rested on earth to the top of the ladder which reached the heavens. This indicated that the Beis Hamikdash was the point of transition between the upper, heavenly worlds and this lowly world, as the Beis Hamikdash contained both physical, natural elements and supernatural miracles, transcending the law of nature.

The name Luz is also used to refer to a certain bone in the spine which Chazal tell us does not decompose after death, but remains entirely intact in the grave. In fact, this bone is completely indestructible – it cannot be smashed with a hammer or ground up into dust, nor can it be burnt to ashes in a furnace.

This bone, which remains intact ad infinitum, will be used by Hashem to resurrect the body at the time of Techiyas Hameisim, and so too it is from this bone that the formation of the foetus begins.

Chazal tell us of another city named Luz over which the ‫ מלאך המוות‬was powerless, and the residents would live forever. The secret of their longevity seems to have been that only truth was spoken in their city, and in fact one resident was banished from the city after he lied and brought death to the city, albeit that he lied with good intentions. This attribute of emes – truth was the Midda of Yaakov Avinu, as the posuk says “‫”תתן אמת ליעקב‬, for which reason he was constantly tested and challenged to remain truthful in the house of Lavan the trickster.

riddle

Parsha

Similarly, the point in the universe named Luz was the starting point of the creation of the world, which Hashem formed as the foundation of His creation. This location was later to become the site of the Beis Hamikdash.

Accordingly, the holiest part of the Beis Hamikdash, the Aron in the Kodesh Kedoshim was placed upon a rock known as the Even

Thank you to Boruch Kahan bkahan47@yahoo.co.uk

As can be seen from this city of Luz, the attribute of truth/emes brings permanence and an existence above the vicissitudes of this world, referred to as a world of falsehood.

In contrast, the World to Come is called

QUESTION

Why is the Metzora the odd one out in this week's Parsha?

Clue: Think about how many people are not considered to be alive.

Parshah the World of Truth/Emes, because the truth remains permanent for all eternity, deriving its existence from Hashem Who is the True G-d and whose characteristic is emes. Yaakov, with his attribute of emes therefore had a particular affinity for this location of Luz, a point of eternity, where it was possible to ascend to the heavens and be elevated above this world of falsehood. However, Yaakov was not content to let this site be known as Luz, despite its connotation of eternal truth. For Yaakov, with his attribute of emes and his viewpoint on eternity, realised that the Shechina which would dwell on this spot was akin to a house, a place of settled and permanent abode, hence he renamed it Beis El, the house of G-d.

Following his vision of the ladder, Yaakov understood that by ascending rung after rung, we can connect with the Divine, heavenly world of truth and by so doing we can bring the presence of the Shechina down to this world to dwell here permanently for all eternity, in the aptly named House of G-d, ‫ל‬-‫בית א‬.

1. ‫ י”ט‬,‫בראשית כ”ח‬ 2. This Dvar Torah follows the opinion that Luz was the original name of Yerushalayim and the Mokom HaMikdosh.

3. ‫ י”ט‬,‫רבינו בחיי בראשית כ”ח‬ 4. ‫ י”ז‬,‫רש”י שם כ”ח‬ 5. I heard once that during the Holocaust those who worked in the death camps actually found this bone amongst the ashes of the victims, having remained untouched by the furnaces.

6. ‫ א‬,‫’ויקרא רבה י”ח‬ 7. ‫’מטה משה סי’ ש‬ 8. ‫ י”ט‬,‫רבינו בחיי בראשית כ”ח‬ 9. ‫ מלשון ‘הושתת העולם‬:‫’יומא נד‬ 10. ‫ י”ז‬,‫גור אריה בראשית כ”ח‬ 11. ‫ ח‬,‫’בראשית רבה ס”ט‬ 12. ‫’אור גדליהו ליקוטים פ’ ויצא אות ה‬ 13. ‫סנהדרין צז‬.

14. ‫ כ‬,’‫’מיכה ז‬ 15. ‫שבת קד‬.

16. ‫ י‬,’‫’ירמיה י‬ 17. ‫ ד”ה לא כאברהם‬.‫עיון יעקב פסחים פח‬

ANSWER FROM LAST WEEK

There is a second Vov missing between the Daled and the Tof. In fact the normal way that it should be spelt is with the second Vov. According to the Medrash Rabba Parshas Mishpotim( Parsha 30:3) it is written Moley (with two Vovs) only twice in Tenach ,once in Parshas Bereishis (Perek 2 Possuk 1), and once in Megilas Rus (Perek 4 Possuk 18), concerning the genealogy of Dovid Hamelech starting from the Toldois of Peretz.

FIND THE ANSWER IN NEXT WEEK'S ONEG

QUIZ TIME

??

3. livingwithmitzvos.com

Where is the source of Sheva Brochos from Parshas Vayeitsei?

Rabbi

5

Yoni Denitz The Jerusalem Kolel

The author can be contacted at yonasan.denitz@gmail.com???

Parshah

The Sky’s The Limit Potential. A fascinating and intriguing concept. How does one measure potential? Is potential something measured against oneself or the community at large? Is potential something ingrained or something that must be achieved?

In this week’s Parsha, Parshas Vayeitzei, we learn about Yaakov Avinu and some of his trials and tribulations. From dealing with a cruel and overbearing father-in-law to experiencing the loss of his most beloved son, Yaakov is faced with many difficult challenges that obligate us to ask: how in the world did he pass? Was Yaakov born and/or destined for greatness or did he have to work hard on himself to become one of the pillars of our great nation? Yes, he had a pretty decent yichus that would pique every shadchan’s interest. And sure, one might say that Yaakov Avinu was a marvel of superhuman talent that none of us could ever live up to in our wildest dreams. Yet, I beg to differ. When Yaakov left Be’er Sheva and went to Charan the Torah tells us that the melachim of Eretz Yisrael went up, left Yaakov alone, and then the melachim of Chutz La’aretz came down. Yet, at the end of the Parsha, Rashi says that the Melachim of Chutz La’aretz and Eretz Yisrael were both with Yaakov at the same time. Why the discrepancy?

What’s happened to me?” The answer is that you were given a gift. The gift of potential. The gift of opportunity. The gift of “In the beginning.” It is our job to harness all the koach within to bring everything out b’poel. Our greatness begins at the start. Let us internalise this lesson to recommit ourselves to dreams we thought were out of our reach. Think they’re unattainable? Think again.

(This article was based on ideas given over by Rav Yehuda Wagschall of Yeshivas Mir in the name of the Shem M’Shmuel).

“In the beginning…” Why did Hashem choose to begin his Torah with this phrase? Wouldn’t it have been more appropriate to start with the first mitzvah? As our commentaries explain, the Torah’s entirety can be linked back to this first word. The beginning is everything. Every beginning is associated with a special siyata d’shmaya and hisorerus. We feel inspired and alive. When Yaakov Avinu is left alone during the transition of guardianship from the malachim of Eretz Yisrael to the malachim of Chutz La’aretz, the Torah says that each stone that Yaakov laid his head on wanted to serve this great tzaddik.

Wait a second. Tzaddik? Avinu? Last I read, Yaakov hadn’t yet passed his most difficult tests! How was he able to experience this neis? Why were the stones fighting to be under Yaakov’s head? The pshat might be that it was at this moment when Yaakov Avinu was arguably at his highest madreiga. Hashem created a ruchniyos metzius such that Yaakov, from the very beginning, was unstoppable. For this reason, Yaakov was left alone and didn’t need the same shmirah that he needed later in this week’s Parsha.

The Navy Seals have a rule: when you think you’re exhausted and can’t carry on much longer, know that you’ve only used 40% of your full potential. It was this rule that enabled a former Navy Seal named David Godgins to run a 100-mile Ultra-Marathon Relay on his own (this is a race normally run by a 6-person relay team). At mile 70, David had broken every minor bone in both feet and had torn ligaments in both shins. While other teams had support crews and state-of-the-art gear, Godgins ran the race with no more than a water bottle. On his own and surmounting all odds, he finished the race. Nothing is unachievable and nothing is out of our reach. It was the potential that was laden inside Yaakov Avinu that enabled him to fight the malach “levado.”

Sometimes in life we ask ourselves, “where has all my inspiration gone? I feel like everything I’m doing these days is so routine. I had so much cheishek! I used to feel so alive!

QUIZ TIME

??

4. livingwithmitzvos.com

What lies behind the name Levi?

Rabbi

Mordechai Rose

The author can be contacted at mordechairose@live.co.uk

This piece is an excerpt is from Parashas Vayeitzei which is part of a translation and adaptation of the Alshich on the Torah to be published by Feldheim

The Whole World Exists for the Sake of Yaakov ‫ וַ יּ ְִפגַּ ע ַבּ ָמּקוֹם‬.‫וַ יּ ֵ​ֵצא י ֲַעקֹב ִמ ְבּ ֵאר ָשׁ ַבע וַ יֵּלֶ ְך ָח ָרנָ ה‬ ‫וַ יָּלֶ ן ָשׁם כִּ י ָבא ַה ֶשּׁ ֶמשׁ וַ יּ ִַקּח ֵמ ַא ְבנֵ י ַה ָמּקֹום וַ יּ ֶָשׂם‬ ‫ וַ יּ ֲַחֹלם וְ ִהנֵּ ה ֻסלָּ ם‬.‫ְמ ַר ֲאשׁ ָֹתיו וַ יּ ְִשׁכַּ ב ַבּ ָמּקוֹם ַההוּא‬ ‫ֻמ ָצּב ַא ְר ָצה וְ רֹאשׁוֹ ַמגִּ ַיע ַה ָשּׁ ָמי ְָמה וְ ִהנֵּ ה ַמלְ ֲאכֵ י‬ ‫ֹאמר‬ ַ ‫ וְ ִהנֵּ ה ה' נִ ָצּב ָעלָ יו וַ יּ‬.‫ֹלהים עֹלִ ים וְ י ְֹר ִדים בּוֹ‬ ִ ‫ֱא‬ ‫אֹלהי י ְִצ ָחק ָה ָא ֶרץ ֲא ֶשׁר‬ ֵ ֵ‫ֹלהי ַא ְב ָר ָהם ָא ִביָך ו‬ ֵ ‫ֲאנִ י ה' ֱא‬ ‫ (בראשית‬.‫ַא ָתּה שֹׁכֵ ב ָעלֶ ָיה לְ ָך ֶא ְתּנֶ נָּ ה וּלְ זַ ְר ֶעָך‬ )‫י''ג‬-'‫י‬:‫כ''ח‬ And Yaakov left Be’er Sheva and went to Charan. He chanced upon “the place” and spent the night there because the sun had set. He took from the stones of the place and he placed them around his head and lay down [to sleep] in that place. He had a dream.

There was a ladder positioned [with its base] towards the ground and its top reaching up to the heavens. The angels of G-d were ascending and descending upon it. And Hashem was positioned upon him, and said, “I am Hashem G-d of Avraham your father, and the G-d of Yitzchak: the land on which you lie, to you will I give it and to your seed.”

(Bereishis 28:10–13)

Consider the following questions: 1. Having stated in verse 10 that Yaakov went to Charan, how can the next verse say that he chanced upon “the place” — which refers to Har HaMoriyah, the site of Akeidas Yitzchak and the future Temple Mount in Yerushalayim1? After all, he had already reached his destination outside the Land of Israel2.

2. In telling us that Yaakov came to Har HaMoriyah the pasuk says: ‫ ַויִּ ְפגַע בַּמָּקוֹם‬, he chanced upon “the place” (verse 11). Why does the Torah use the unusual expression of “chanced upon”?

3. The Torah (verse 28:19) tells that that the place where Yaakov slept was formerly called Luz, and Yaakov named it Beit-El (the House of G-d)3. The obvious difficulty is that, as stated in Question 1, “the place” where Yaakov slept was actually Yerushalayim. In addressing this difficulty, Rashi writes that Har HaMoriyah was uprooted from its place and transported miraculously to Luz. But we may ask:

QUIZ TIME

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wouldn’t it have been more appropriate for Luz4 (which was a relatively less important place) to be uprooted and transported to the Temple Mount?

4. Our Sages (Chullin 91b) tell us that Hashem made the sun set before its time in order to force Yaakov to spend the night in that place. Why did He use such an extreme measure to accomplish this goal?

5. Why does the Torah need to tell us so many details in verse 11 — He chanced upon the place; he spent the night there; the sun set; he took from the stones and placed them around his head; he lay down to sleep in that place?

6. What is the meaning of angels ascending and descending in Yaakov’s dream?

7. What is the deeper meaning of Yaakov’s dream about the ladder?

In answer to the first question, our Sages explain that after Yaakov got to Charan, he felt bad that he had passed by the place of the future Beis HaMikdash — where Avraham and Yitzchak had poured out their hearts to G-d — and he had not prayed there. He therefore decided to retrace his steps in order to pray there himself. In other words, Yaakov indeed went to Charan first and only afterward came to “the place,” i.e., the Temple Mount.

To explain this more deeply: When Yaakov was approaching Lavan’s home in Charan, he became concerned about how he would survive Lavan’s schemes against him. He was particularly worried since he had left the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael and the protective embrace of the Divine Presence in order to live in an impure land. He therefore decided to turn back and visit the holiest place on earth — the future Temple Mount, Har HaMoriyah. There he would beg for Hashem’s protection even after he would leave the Land of Israel. [THIS ANSWERS QUESTION 1.]

Responding to Yaakov’s prayer, G-d appeared to him on Har HaMoriyah and showed him that even though he was unimportant in his own eyes, in truth the entire world was created in his merit6, and therefore he had nothing to fear. How did G-d do this? By showing him that the entire world was subservient to him7.

The universe can be divided into three

5. Who were the parents of Bilha and Zilpa? livingwithmitzvos.com

6

Parshah levels: (1) the lower part of the physical world — i.e., the earth and everything in it; (2) the higher part of the physical world — i.e., the heavens and the stars; and (3) the spiritual realm, which is inhabited by malachim (angels).

1. In order to show Yaakov that the physical world was subservient to him, He uprooted the holiest place in the physical world, Har HaMoriyah — the gateway to heaven, the place from which G-d took the earth to form Adam, and the site of the future Beis HaMikdash — and brought it to him, in Luz. This point would not have been made if G-d had instead brought Luz to Har HaMoriyah. [This answers Question 3.]

2. In order to show Yaakov that the heavens and stars were subservient to him, Hashem altered the very operation of the heavenly bodies and caused the sun to set early, thus forcing Yaakov to spend the night where he was. Delaying Yaakov in a more mundane way would not have accomplished this purpose. [THIS ANSWERS QUESTION 4.]

3. In order to show Yaakov that the angels were subservient to him, Hashem showed him the vision of a ladder reaching up to the heavens, with angels ascending and descending upon it. The Midrash8 gives two explanations of this phenomenon. (a) The angels who had been accompanying and protecting Yaakov in Eretz Yisrael were returning to heaven, while at the same time a new group of angels was descending to accompany and protect Yaakov outside Eretz Yisrael. (b) The angels who were ascending were those who had been sent to destroy Sedom.

These angels had not been allowed to return to heaven after accomplishing their mission9 because they had arrogantly stated, “We are destroying Sedom,”10 when they should have said, “G-d is destroying Sedom.” When Yaakov came to Har HaMoriyah, G-d gave them permission to return to heaven in Yaakov’s merit. They then descended in his honor, coming this time to serve him and accompany him11.

According to both explanations, the angels in the dream were demonstrating that

continued on page 8

Rabbi

7

Chaim Leizorek The Jerusalem Kolel

The Author can be contacted at chaimleizorek@hotmail.com

Parshah

Yes we can!

Out of our three patriarchs, Yaakov seems to be the one that had the toughest life.

Although Avraham went through ten trials, bottom line, his life was relatively calm and peaceful compared to the one of Yaakov. It all begins in last week’s parsha, Toldos.

Here is a list of Yaakov’s difficulties: 1. Yaakov ran away from his own brother because he wanted to murder him. 2. The Torah insinuates that our patriarch Yitzchak had a favourite son, and it was not Yaakov.3.

Yaakov was attacked by his nephew and is left with zilch. 4. Yaakov works for seven long years to get married to Rachel. At the wedding night, Rachel is swapped, and Leah is given to him instead. 5. He is forced to work another seven years in order to marry Rachel.

6. Rachel cannot have children. 7. He works for another seven years for Lavan-the-crook.

Throughout those seven years, Lavan deceits and cheats Yaakov many times. 8. Yaakov is falsely accused of stealing Lavan’s idols.

9. Eisav tries to kill him. 10. He has to fight with Eisav’s angel. 11. Yaakov’s daughter is violated. 12. Rachel dies prematurely. 13. He is led to believe that his favourite son is dead. 14.

A famine strikes his hometown. 15. For twentytwo years, he lost his divine spirit. 16. Shimon is held captive in Egypt.

under pressure? What kept him going? What was his secret?

The answer to this conundrum lays in next week’s parsha, Vayishlach. Yaakov forgets small jugs across the river and he decides to return to pick them up. He crosses the river and is left alone. At that precise moment, the angel of Eisav confronts and quarrels with him.

Yaakov puts up a strong fight until finally the angel surrenders and ‘taps out’. Right before the angel goes, he changes Yaakov’s name to Israel. Why? The angel tells him: “…because you fought with ‫ אלקים‬and with man and you prevailed.” What does ‫ אלקים‬mean? Who did Yaakov fight against?

The word ‫ אלקים‬has many meanings. It can either mean Hashem, an angel, an extremely powerful force, a strong man or even an idol.

Yaakov fought an angel but he also ‘struggled’ throughout his life with constant obstacles and difficulties. What made him the preferred patriarch was that he continually opted to overcome his challenges. He was not afraid to put up a ‘good fight’. Even when things did not look bright, when the odds were against him, when it was very painful and burdensome, he did not escape, he was resilient. That is what the change of name represents, the fact that he was willing to fight even when the forces against him seemed overwhelming, impossible and insurmountable. Many crumble under similar circumstances. How come Yaakov did not?

Yaakov goes through many other hardships.

We get to hear Yaakov’s perception of his own life when he expresses his feelings and sentiments to Pharaoh. When he meets Egypt’s Pharaoh, Yaakov says: “I have lived so far 130 years, my life has been short and terrible.”

The question must be asked: Where did Yaakov muster the emotional strength to withstand those difficulties? In today’s world, most people who would go through his challenges, would need at least a psychologist, psychiatrist and pills to numb the pain and agony. Yaakov, not only pulls through, but he becomes the ‫בחיר שבאבות‬, the choicest patriarch. How come Yaakov did not crumble

The first thing that a Jew does when he wakes up early in the morning is, recite the Modeh Ani. In it, we thank Hashem for returning our soul and for allowing us to wake up once again. But then we say something that is very odd. We say “‫רבה‬...‫מודה אני לפניך‬ ‫…“ ”אמונתך‬great is your faith.” Why are we

thanking Hashem for having faith? What does Him having faith have to do with anything?

Besides, aren’t we supposed to be having faith in Him, why is it reversed here?

The answer is marvellous and very powerful. Every morning that Hashem brings us back alive, He is making a very reassuring statement: “You are here because I believe in you.” More than we have faith in Him, He has faith in us. We thank Hashem for our lives, but more than that, we are grateful and appreciative that He believes in us. Hashem believes that we have what it takes, to overcome any obstacle, difficulty, challenge and hardship that we may encounter throughout the day.

Yaakov lived with this lesson in mind. When Yaakov faced a crisis, he reasoned: “If Hashem placed me, in this specific scenario, at this specific time, it means that He believes in my capability to overcome this specific challenge.”

He also understood that “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” Hashem places the obstacles, but He also gives the strength to withstand them. He was able to overcome them because he knew ‫רבה אמונתך‬, Hashem believes in us.

Most of us go through difficult times, most of us run into bumps and obstacles that seem impossible, many of us are contemplating ‘throwing-in the towel’ because it is simply impossible. Yaakov shows us that life may be extremely difficult, but if you try hard enough, you can get over it and succeed. Difficulties, obstacles and challenges are what make or break us. The result is dictated by one single factor. Do we believe that we have what it takes? Do we believe that we can go on? Just remember, ‫רבה אמונתך‬. Hashem is sure that we can, how could we not?!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our own blessings QUIZ TIME

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6. livingwithmitzvos.com

Leah called her fourth son, Yehuda, meaning thanksgiving to Hashem (see Rashi, 29:35). The Gemora Brochos (7b) brings that by doing so she was the first one to thank Hashem. Surely there were people before her who already thanked Hashem. What then does this mean?

8 cont from page 6: Rabbi Mordechai Rose the angelic realm was subservient to him.

sudden, unexpected encounter. [THIS ANSWERS

1.

See Rashi to verses 11 and 17.

[THIS ANSWERS QUESTION 6 AND BEGINS THE

QUESTION 2.]

2.

Charan was a city located in present-day Turkey.

The Torah’s use of the word ‫ויפגַ ע‬ ְ also helps us understand the various details given in the rest of the verse (see Question 5). It was because Yaakov chanced upon “the place” without realizing that it was the sacred ground of Har HaMoriyah that he dared to spend the night there. And if you wonder why Yaakov spent the night there instead of continuing on to Yerushalayim (considering that he did not realize that Yerushalayim had come to him), the answer is that it was because the sun had set. And because he was still unaware that he was on sacred ground, he took from the stones of the place and made personal use of them, placing them around his head ... and lay down [to sleep]13. [THIS ANSWERS QUESTION 5.]

3.

Luz (Beit-El) is located in Eretz Yisrael, about ten miles north of

4.

Rashi, verse 28:17. This is how Rashi explains the ‫יצת ַה ֶד ֶרְך‬ ַ ‫ְק ִפ‬

ANSWER TO QUESTION 7.]

The Torah also tells us (verse 13) that G-d was positioned upon him (Yaakov). This part of the vision symbolizes that only G-d was above Yaakov (for everything except G-d was subordinate to him). It further symbolizes that G-d chose Yaakov (and no one else in his generation) to serve as His Chariot, i.e., as the vehicle through which the Divine Presence would be present in the world, resting upon him12. [THIS COMPLETES THE ANSWER TO QUESTION 7.]

Based on what we have learned, we can also understand the use of the unusual word (‫יפגַ ע‬ ְ ַ‫)ו‬ in verse 11. We have explained that Yaakov, after arriving in Charan, headed back to Eretz Yisrael to pray at Har HaMoriyah; and that when he arrived in Beit-El, Hashem brought Har HaMoriyah to him. In light of this, it is not at all hard to fathom that Yaakov had no idea that the mountain he had now come across was actually the destination he was seeking. That is why the Torah describes Yaakov’s arrival at the future Temple Mount with the phrase, ‫ויפגע‬ ‫ — במקום‬he chanced upon “the place.” It was a

In sum, it was through Yaakov’s dream and all that accompanied it that Hashem showed Yaakov that the entire world was subservient to him, and that he therefore had no reason to fear leaving Eretz Yisrael and going to Lavan’s house.

Jerusalem.

(“contraction of the way”) mentioned in Chullin 91b; see further.

Hashem performed the miracle of ‫יצת ַה ֶד ֶרְך‬ ַ ‫ ְק ִפ‬in order to help Yaakov and hasten his return trip.

5. Chullin 91b.

6.

See Vayikra Rabbah 36:4, cited by the Alshich.

7.

As the Alshich writes, if the entire world existed only in Yaakov’s merit, it was morally obligated, as it were, to be subservient to him. (Cf. Ramban, Bereishis 1:29.)

8.

Bereishis Rabbah 68:12.

9. The Midrash states that this had occurred 138 years earlier.

10. Bereishis 19:13.

11.

One difference between the two explanations is that according to the first one, the angels ascending the ladder were a different group than the ones who were descending it, with both happening at the same time; according to the second explanation, the angels ascending the ladder were the same group who had descended it many years earlier.

12. For a fuller explanation of this concept, see Alshich above, Parashas Vayera, text at footnote 13.

13.

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As the Alshich notes, when Yaakov woke up from his sleep he proclaimed (verse 16), ‫ ָאכֵ ן יֵש ה' ב ַָמקום ַהזֶ ה וְ ָאנֹכִ י ֹלא י ָ​ָד ְע ִתי‬, Surely, Hashem is in this place, and I did not know! Upon which Rashi comments: Yaakov was saying, “If I had known, I would not have slept here.”

ANSWERS

1. The Ramban answers that they only kept the whole Torah in Eretz Yisroel while he remained married to two sisters only outside of Eretz Yisroel (as Rachel died on the way). The Maharal says that before the Torah was given the Avos could decide to do prohibited things based on spiritual calculations and this was no longer allowed after the Torah was given.

The Chizkuni (29:28) answers that since they were converted it as if they are reborn and are not related to each other – no longer viewed as sisters.

Another answer is that Rachel and Leah were only half-sisters sharing the same father but a different mother and since they had the status of Non Jews, they go after the mother and therefore both were permitted to Yaakov.

4. The Chizkuni (29:34) explains that until now there were two children so that Leah could hold one with each hand. However, with the third child she would now require how husband to escort her (loshon levayo) and assist with the third child!

2. From what is stated explicitly in the possuk it appears Yaakov only had one daughter, Dena (30:21). However, the possuk says (37:35) that when Yaakov saw Yosef’s torn turncoat he refused to be comforted by his daughters (plural) implying he had more daughters. Rashi brings that according to R’ Yehuda with each of the twelve tribes a twin girl was born whom they married. Rashi (35:17) brings that with the birth of Binyomin another twin girl was born. According to all this Yaakov

6. I heard a fantastic explanation from R’ Moshe Aaron Stern zt”l. Usually when one gives thanks, it is forgotten some time later. By Leah calling her son Yehuda she was ensuring that this thanks was remembered the whole time by the mere mention of his name! In this sense she was the first one to thank Hashem!

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had fourteen daughters! (This means that he had twelve shevotim and fourteen daughters totalling twenty-six children, the gematria of the Shem Havaya!)

3. (29:28) When Yaakov got married to Leah and was told he would also be given Rachel to marry, he first waited seven days of sheva brochos for Leah before marrying Rachel.

5. They were also the daughters of Lovon from a different wife making them half sisters of Rachel and Leah (see Rashi, 31:50).

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