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NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home
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From the Fire Parshas Vayishlach
The Many Faces of Evil By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf
T
he Torah tells us that the night before Yaakov planned to confront Eisav and his four hundred soldiers (Bereishis 32:25), “And Yaakov was left alone, and a man struggled with him until the break of dawn.” There is a fascinating dispute in the Gemara (Chulin 91a) regarding the appearance of this man with whom Yaakov wrestled, who we know was the ministering angel of Eisav and represents the yetzer hara, the evil inclination: “Rabi Shmuel bar Nachmeini says that he [the man] appeared to him [Yaakov] like an idol worshiper... Rav Shmuel bar Acha said before Rav Papa in the name of Rava bar Ula that he [the man] appeared to him like a Torah scholar.” The Mussar seforim explain that the deeper meaning of this Gemara is that the evil inclination constantly changes its approach and its tactics depending on the situation.
The Gemara (Sukkah 52a) even says that the evil inclination goes by seven different names since it takes on a different approach depending on the person and the circumstances. The tests of this world are always changing. As Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, in Mesilas Yesharim, writes, “All aspects of this world, whether good or seemingly bad, are tests for a person; poverty on one hand and wealth on the other...” We see a clear example of this in Lot, Avraham Avinu’s nephew. When it came to the test of poverty, he passed with flying colors. When Avraham had to descend to Egypt because of the famine, Lot went with him into exile and stayed strong. But while in Egypt, Avraham, and Lot as well, became very wealthy, as the pasuk says (Bereishis 13:2), “And Avraham was very heavy with cattle, with silver, and with gold.” Unfortunately, when it came to wealth, Lot failed the test. He chose Sedom over Avra-
ham, saying (Rashi on Bereishis 13:11), “I cannot stand Avram or his G-d.” Lot passed the test of poverty but failed the test of wealth. There was a wealthy benefactor in Minsk, Reb Boruch Zeldhovitz, who supported all of the yeshivos and poor people of Minsk. Unfortunately, after some time, he lost everything he had and became so poor he could scarcely feed his family. He traveled to Brisk to meet Rav Chaim Brisker. When he spoke with him, he asked: “Doesn’t it say in Mishlei 28:27, ‘One who gives to the poor will lack nothing’? Indeed, the Rambam paskens (Mishna Torah, Matnas Aniyim 10:2) that the halacha is that ‘a person will never become poor from giving tzedaka and no damage or anything bad will happen to the person because of giving tzedaka.’ If so, how could I have become so poor after giving so much tzedaka?” Rav Chaim answered him with
a story from his father, the Beis Halevi. Soon after the Beis Halevi became the Rav in Brisk, he went to the Jewish cemetery in Brisk for the first time to attend a funeral. While he was there, he noticed a very unusual thing. He saw a man’s matzeivah, tombstone, with the pasuk (Mishlei 31:20), “Her palm is open to the poor and her hand is stretched out to the destitute,” quoting from a pasuk from Eishes Chayil, the song in praise of the Jewish woman, the woman of valor. He was very curious about the choice of pasuk because pesukim from Eishes Chayil are usually reserved for women. After the funeral, he went to the cemetery office and researched the man’s family. After learning more, he followed up with some of the older Jews in Brisk to learn more about the man. The Beis Halevi’s research revealed several interesting things about this fascinating person. He had been very wealthy, supporting
