Parshat Vayechi Reflection: Hardcore Hebrews

BS"D

I dedicate the following divrei Torah l'ilui nishmas the Tenog (unnamed baby) bas Chana Leah.

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Last week, I simply ran out of time to assemble and send out a Parsha post.  Everything is meant to be though, for as I was learning Shabbos morning, Hashem led me to discover the subject of the lesson I am privileged to share with you now. 

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In traditional Jewish homes, a classic scene and cherished moment on Leil Shabbos (Friday night) before Kiddush, is when parents bless their children.  The words that define the blessing for sons exclusively, mark their place in this very parsha of Vayechi!

One of the last deeds Yaakov Avinu performed before his passing in Egypt, was bless his son Yoseif's two children, Menashe and Efrayim.  He included the following promise in his bracha:

"Vay'varcheim bayom hahu laymor 'B'cha yevareich Yisrael laymor 'Y'simcha Elokim k'Efrayim v'chi'Menashe''.... - And he (Yaakov) blessed them that day, saying 'By you shall Israel bless, saying 'May G-d make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh''..."  {Bereishis 48: 20}

Menashe and Efrayim were good boys, and children of Yoseif haTzadik, with their roots in the House of Yaakov.  But still, the question has been posed, of why do we bless our children in the names of Efrayim and Menashe?   Why not by Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon or Dovid, the Patriarchs and the Greats?  What is so significant about Menashe and Efrayim?

Menashe and Efrayim were the first Jewish children born in Galus.  They were raised as Egyptian nobles, and grew up in the midst of Egyptian society.  Nevertheless, they were neither steeped in nor influenced by Egyptian spirit and culture.  They leaned Torah, and were dedicated students of their grandfather Yaakov; at their essence and cores, they were true sons of Israel.  They remained distinct, and never forsook their holy heritage.

Tragic but true it is to note, that when young Jews leave their communities, schools, and Jewish environment as they mature, they are at risk of "going off the derech (right path)"...  and many unfortunately do.  That is just the way of our world.  There are innumerable distractions, and ever so many voices and vices that attempt to lead us astray. 

Therefore, we pray for our children to always remain strong against the current - to be the "Ivrim" (literally 'those on the other side') - and to remain true to who they are.  We pray for them to hang onto their beliefs and traditions wherever they go, and to live in sincere and full accordance with the Torah spirit.  It takes strength... and this is what we bless them with.

Many of our ancestors were compelled to dwell in lands and among peoples adverse to the Torah way.  Just look at Avraham and Sarah, who descended to Mitzrayim; Yitzchak and Rivkah, who lived in Philistine Gerar; Yaakov and his family, who built a household and worked in Charan.  They all triumphed over the challenging circumstances, and passed it on to the next generations for all eternity.  Their tenacity and success is woven, as I often quote, into "our spiritual DNA."  That potential is locked within us, but we must pray to unleash it, to allow it to manifest and truly make a difference.

I was very moved by a story I once read in R' Yechiel Spero's book A Touch of Chizuk.  It was about a heartbroken chassid who came to meet his Rebbe, to ask for guidance in a difficult time.  With tears streaming down his face, he relayed his plight to his leader, that his son - his beautiful, talmid-chacham son - had abandoned to Torah path.  For his whole life his son had observed his father's minhagim and chumros (customs and stringencies), and he'd been raised in a household immersed in ruchniyus.  The man absolutely couldn't figure out a reason why this had happened, regardless of how hard he thought.  The Rebbe was quiet, and after the chassid finished speaking, he asked pointedly: Did you pray for him?  Did you pray for him that he would hold fast to what you taught and showed him, or did you simply expect him to remain that way?

Prayer is the key, and the bracha of "Y'simcha Elokim k'Efrayim v'chi'Menashe," is relevant and necessary for all Yidden.

May you find the strength.

Parshat Toldos Reflection: First Come, First Served?

BS"D

I dedicate this parsha post as a zechus for a refuah sheleima for Devora Rudya bas Fraida Gila.

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The following is a Chiddush of my own, that I discovered last Erev Shabbos.

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We all know the famous tale of Yaakov and Eisav, Jacob and Esau.  After twenty years of barrenness, Rivkah at last gave birth-- to twins!  The elder was born, an unusual little one developed with hair, and his parents called him Eisav.  The younger emerged grasping his brother's heel; they named him Yaakov.  The boys grew up much alike, and only when they neared spiritual adulthood, did their dominant inclinations lead them down their split respective paths for life.  Eisav was wild and pursued his passions, and honed his skills as a hunter.  His base deeds and activities, mirroring those of his uncle Yishmael, were what his life revolved around, and he was drawn to the temples of idol worship.  Yaakov, at the other end of the spectrum, grew into a master of Torah, yet was a student of it his whole life.  He was a tzaddik, and destined to become the progenitor and pillar of the Jewish People.

It so happened that one day, Eisav returned home from a bloody hunt, famished and fatigued, when he observed Yaakov tending to a pot of lentil stew.  (Why was this on the menu for the day?  It was in fact the day Avraham, the patriarch, passed on from this world, in hoary age and contentment.  Yaakov was preparing lentils, a customary dish of mourners, for his father Yitzchak.)  Exhausted beyond capacity to even serve himself, Eisav addressed Yaakov "Haliteini na min ha'adom ha'adom - Give me, please, a swallow of this red stuff."  Yaakov wondered silently in distress if this coarse, gluttonous man would really be the one entrusted with the birthright, merit to serve G-d with holy service such as the sacrifices, and blessed with an exclusive blessing.  He realized this could not be so; Eisav was not worthy of such a privilege and responsibility to G-d!  Eisav further proved his younger brother's unspoken point when he acquiesced to his proposal, of selling the birthright to the latter in exchange for the lentil stew, initially cooked for their father.  "Eisav thus scorned the birthright." {Bereishis 25:34}

Transmittal of the birthright was of tremendous value, and indeed something taken very seriously at the time.  Yitzchak, unaware of his elder son's unworthiness, was prepared to bestow upon him the coveted prerogative.  How, then, was Yaakov to come and claim what was now legally his, without his father's knowledge?  This is where Rivkah entered the scene.  She, through a prophecy foretold to her through Ruach haKodesh when she carried her children in her womb, knew Eisav's genuine character.  She created a plan to ensure that it would indeed be the righteous Yaakov who'd receive the eternal blessing that was paired with the birthright.  She dressed the smooth-skinned Yaakov in rough goat skins to mimic Eisav's hairiness.  She prepared the delicacy that Eisav had been commissioned to make to bring in to his father, 'so that his soul would bless him' in a content and pleased state.  Yaakov entered into his father's tent under two shadows allowing his concealment:  Eisav was out hunting for game to cook for his father, and therefore knew nothing of the scheme; and secondly, Yitzchak's blindness inhibited him from recognizing just what son he was blessing.  It was all part of the Divine Plan that Yaakov receive these brachos.

When Yaakov's intimate time with his father concluded, just as he slipped out of the tent, Eisav entered through the opposite door.  Had the elder spotted the younger imposing as himself, he would've surely slain in him in his fury; Yaakov's life was spared by a hairsbreadth.  The real Eisav told his father to sit, served him the dish he cooked, and demanded his bracha.  Yitzchak was perturbed, and suddenly seized by violent trembling, as he realized what happened:  He had been deceived into giving Yaakov the blessing.  However, he declared that he remain blessed.  He relayed to Eisav the events that had occurred.  Eisav cried out with heartrending bitterness, and asked:

"'Hachi kara sh'mo Ya'akov?  Vayakveini zeh pa'amim; et b'chorasi lakach v'hinei ata lakack birchasi.'  Vayomar 'halo atzalta li b'racha?' -- 'Is he not rightly called Yaakov?  He has deceived me twice; he took my birthright and now he has taken my blessing.'  He said, 'Have you not saved a blessing for me?'"  {Bereishis 27:36}

I picked up on something interesting here...  The words "b'chorasi - my birthright" and "birchasi - my blessing" share the same root letters:  Beis/ב, Chaf/כ, and Reish/ר  (bechor/בכר - birthright; barech/ברכ - bless).  Therefore, the roots have equivalent gematrios (numerical equivalents).  Perhaps this connection signifies to us, that the privilege of the birthright and the blessing, we're both indeed unified and one.

Eisav was a man of lusts and material gratification.  His desirous traits allowed no room for patience and abstinence.  If it was something he couldn't acquire to immediately subdue his passion, or if a benefit wasn't measurable, sensual and tangible, then he was simply unable to find worth in it.  "Vayivez Eisav et hab'chora - (Thus) Eisav scorned the birthright."  {Bereishis 25:34}  The principal value of the Bechora was spiritual; furthermore, the majority of the honors it merited would be allotted at distant times ahead.  But Eisav's gaze was not set towards the future, for he was a man of "the here and the now."  Little did he know, in his lack of sensitivity, that when he casually sold the 'worthless' birthright status, he simultaneously forfeited his blessing.

On the other hand, a believing and trusting Jew is willing to wait.  Although clear and obvious blessing may at times be hidden from our limited human perception, we know that we are the Chosen Ones, as Hashem says of us in the Torah: "Yisrael (another name for Yaakov) is My firstborn."  We're loved and cherished by Hashem, forever and always.  The Jewish People are no strangers to suffering and Divine discipline, though...  Jewish history is rampant with pain, loss, persecution and tragedy.  Yet, by G-d's grace, we are still here, still standing, still growing and passing on the heritage.  Look carefully once more at Yitzchak's blessing, and you will note that he prophetically warned his son Yaakov, future father of the Klal Yisrael, that immense trials lay ahead.

"Or'reiycha arur, um'varacheiycha baruch - Those who curse you are cursed, and those who bless you are blessed."  {Bereishis 27:29}

Rashi notes the order of the verse, and inquires why the negative, the curse, is mentioned prior to the positive of the blessing.  He explains that it is common for the wicked to lead tranquil lives in this world, but their end is met with only curse and pain.  Oppositely, a tzadik, a righteous person, is usually challenged with struggles and bitterness during his life, but ultimately rewarded with true and eternal blessing and peace.  In the wording of his blessing, Yitzchak hinted to Yaakov that his children, all righteous, would have to endure astonishing suffering.  But he also promised, and we must always hold fast to our belief, that there is indeed a bright light at the end of this dark tunnel.

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Your children are waiting for You, Hashem, and our Geulah (Redemption).  We're not giving up.  But we're ready for the brighter days You've promised.  We're Your firstborn child... and we're ready to come home.

"Live Long and Prosper"? Kind Of!!!: A Micro-Journey through Birchas Kohanim

BS"D

"Live Long and Prosper" --Spock (from the Star Trek series)

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Birchas Kohanim (illustration sourced from Google Images)

Birchas Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing, consists of 3 clauses, each stanza bearing a unique and prized blessing, which the Kohanim would invoke in Hashem's name, to bless His nation.

Briefly, we'll go through each clause, and unearth its beautiful and individual meaning.

"Yevarech'cho Hashem v'Yishmarecho.../May Hashem bless you and safeguard you..."
  This first stanza is a request for material sustenance.  The basics, we could not live without, and the extra bounty-- why do we deserve it?  It is all from Hashem, and only because of His love and generosity.

"Ya'air Hashem Panav Aylecho Vichuneka.../May Hashem illuminate His countenance for you and be gracious to you..."
  This second segment alludes to a spiritual blessing, that Hashem be gracious unto us, blessing us with the light of Torah, to love and understand it, and that it remain with our descendants.

"Yisa Hashem Panav Aylecho v'Yaseim L'cha Shalom.../May Hashem turn His countenance to you and establish peace for you..."
  This third and final clause of the bracha, fuses both the material and spiritual-- bound together in the blessing of peace. 

How curious it is, that the Vulcan sign of greeting (known by avid Star-Treck viewers as the "Live Long and Prosper" sign, resembles that of the Kohanic gesture-- in both terms of position of the hand(s), and intent of blessing.  (Fun Fact:  How the Kohanim would elevate their hands as they blessed Klal Yisrael, raised, with split fingers, is often depicted on a Kohen's gravestone!)

Perhaps it is a stretch, or just me fantasizing, but I like to think that the actor who played Spock, Leonard Nimoy, a Jewish man, was emulating the leaders of his past, in his own way, perhaps without even realizing, as he echoed a similar message to theirs...  But I will argue, that "Spock", stole it! ;)

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So, readers and friends... we now have discovered Torah in yet another unexpected place.  Eternal, yet pertinent messages from Hashem, are everywhere... We need to just open our eyes!

(Birchas Kohanim is dealt with more extensively on this site, in an earlier article.  To learn more, please click here:

Parshat Nasso Reflection: You Must Try

BH

Hi everyone!  I'm so sorry I am getting my article on Parshat Nasso out so late!  There was so much going on here, and it's a surprise to acknowledge, that last week was the first time I wasn't able to write my parsha-post since I've started blogging!  I didn't forget about it, and I looked for an hour or so in which I could sit down, learn, and compose my post...   But it wasn't Hashem's ratzon that I get it out that week.  It was a little frustrating, since I love doing this, but it made me realize that my life, and what's going on around me, is totally in Hashem's hands.  But it's consolation to know that I put in my hishtadlus, I made my effort.  This is what we will discuss today, to reflect on Parshat Nasso.

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In this parsha, Hashem transferred the mitzvah of Birchas Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing, to Aharon haKohein and his sons.  The bestowing of Birchas Kohanim onto the Jewish People would become a very holy and precious ritual, an event greatly honored for all generations to come.

"Yevarech'cha Hashem v'yishmarecha.  Ya'air Hashem Panav aylecho viychunecha.  Yisa Hashem Panav aylecho v'yaseim l'cha shalom. - May the Lord bless you and watch over you.  May the Lord cause His countenance to shine to you and favor you.  May the Lord raise His countenance toward you and grant you peace."  {Bamidbar 6:24-26}

You might ask, "Why does Hashem need humans to give us a blessing?  Why can't Hashem give the brachos directly to us?".  It might surprise you to learn, that our ancestors, according to the Midrash, posed a complaint along the same lines!  They inquired of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, 'Why do you need priests to bless us?  We need only Yours, Hashem.  You can simply look down from Your High dwellings and bless Your people.'  And Hashem replied, that even though He gave this mitzvah to the Kohanim, He would be present, and join the Kohanim at the elevated time of the blessing.

We can't be misled, chas v'shalom, to believe that the Kohanim themselves had the power to make the differences.  Sifrei points out, that the bracha enumerated in the Torah makes sure the Kohanim clearly state that it is all coming from Hashem, for the Torah caps off the bracha with Hashem's declaration of "v'Ani avaracheim - And I will bless them."

But the Kohanim were given a mission, by Hashem Himself, to lead the people in their spiritual strivings, and were guides in the moral and ethical paths that define the life of a Jew.  The mitzvah of Birchas Kohanim furthered their obligation as intermediaries between the Bnei Yisroel and Hashem, helping to create a clearer and more powerful relationship.

The first clause of the bracha, Yevarech'cha, is a request for material sustenance.  The basics, we could not live without, and the extra bounty-- why do we deserve it?  It is all from Hashem, and only because of His love and generosity.  The second segment of the bracha, Ya'air, alludes to a spiritual blessing, that Hashem be gracious unto us, blessing us with the light of Torah, to love and understand it, and that it remain with our descendants.  The third and final part of the bracha, Yisah, fuses both the material and spiritual-- bound together in the blessing of peace.  The three intentions of the blessing, go in ascending order, from basic to most precious, climbing up in an "increasing surge of blessing", as the great Torah commentary author Nechama Leibowitz describes.

The Kohanim were examples of hishtadlus, effort.  Even though Hashem is the source of all blessings and happenings, we must exert ourselves to become the instruments and chariots for the Divine in this world.  Hashem ultimately decides what will be 'brought about' by whom in this world, but we can make ourselves zocheh, meritorious, to be the messengers.

This is exactly what the Kohanim were doing during Birchas Kohanim.  Hashem selected them, because of their merit, to be the messengers, to simply transmit many great values, and to bring down the blessing, to stir Hashem, and call upon Him, to answer the prayers of His people.

And so it is ,when we bless a person.  We are actually requesting of Hashem, to consider our good wishes and requests for the recipient of our bracha, and grant the person these gifts, whether it be parsnassah (a good livelihood), nechama (comfort) in times of pain, or even just a pleasant morning!

So, friends, providing us with an eternal, always-applicable teaching and song, the Torah strikes again.  Each and every one of us must put in our hishtadlus, when we seek a blessing, or a better future.  The world is entirely in G-d's hands.  He determines who gets what, when, why, through who...  But Hashem doesn't want it to be so easy to see His hand in every moment of our lives.  He wants us to stand up, work, for "man was made to toil", and He wants us to come look for him.  No matter who you are, you must try.  You can always call upon Hashem, but don't forget-- you and G-d co-manage your destiny.