Brotherly Love

One of the often overlooked points of the story of the Exodus, is the special relationship of brotherly love between Moshe Rabbeinu and Aaron. While sibling rivalry is a common phenomenon and is motivated by jealousy, Aaron showed only love and devotion to his brother, Moshe.

We learn this from Hashem's dialogue with Moshe and the choice of Aaron to be Moshe's spokesman. Hashem tells Moshe, וראך ושמח בליבו. Aaron will rejoice and show gladness in his heart.

Even though Moshe was chosen to be the leader, Aaron was genuinely happy for his younger brother.

When we use the expression איש אחד בלב אחד, one man, one heart, we are referring to that special brotherly love between Moshe and Aaron. We are supposed to learn from this relationship, to remove all jealousy from our hearts.

G-d's Essence

Parshat Shemot devotes a great deal of emphasis on trying to understand Hashem's nature. There apparently was a seven day dialogue between Hashem and Moshe Rabbeinu mainly convincing Moshe that he was the right man for the job to lead the Jewish people out of Egypt.

Moshe asks a number of questions as to how he he is to teach the people about the Master of the Universe. When Hashem answers אהיה אשר אהיה, that is generally understood to mean that G-d will always be with us through every difficulty that we might encounter. It also was made abundantly clear that it was impossible for man to truly comprehend Hashem's true essence.

All of this was meant to reinforce the total awe that we are supposed to have towards G-d. We were to also realize our total dependence on Him. This is a prerequisite in establishing the foundations of our religion that is based on the dictates of Hashem Himself.

Trump and Jewish Loyalty

Shavua Tov from LA. I was able to watch the inauguration live which was very memorable. At 12:00 noon on Friday when Trump was sworn in, I had an overwhelming feeling that at that moment, the world became a better place as evil was weakened.

In פרשת שמות, we get a glimpse of our first encounter with self-hating, traitorous Jews. Rashi quotes the Midrash describing how Moshe Rabbeinu, when he was prince

of Egypt, could not understand what the Jewish people could have done to deserve being enslaved by another nation.

After killing the Egyptian, he is approached on the following day by two treasonous Jews who are not loyal to Moshe's heroic act. They become informers to Pharoah of Moshe's act. When Moshe sees this, he says, אכן נודע הדבר. "Now I understand the matter."

The Midrash says that when Moshe saw this lack of loyalty between Jews, and their willingness to help the enemy, he felt this was the reason why they deserved to be punished so severely. May Hashem grant us the ability to destroy the enemies from within, by having them do Teshuva. Needless to say, our enemies from without should also be destroyed.

And it would be a good idea if our leaders in Israel would learn from Trump, and openly ask for Hashem's blessings and help.

Parshat Shemot

About to board my flight to LA. This week's Parsha, Shmot, seems to have as its theme according to the של״ה הקודש, that the slavery and suffering in Egypt was necessary. Its purpose was to bring about refinement for the Jewish people before they were able to become a nation.

The של״ה says that the experience in Egypt is to serve as a reminder that Hashem is perfect and if He sends difficulties our way, it is only for our ultimate benefit.

While we are going through the difficulties, it is often very hard to see where there could possibly be a silver lining. These experiences are meant to test us and strengthen us. Egypt seemed to be a never ending struggle. But with faith and sincere prayer, they were answered and they witnessed a spectacular redemption.

We are to keep this in mind as we are presented with various challenges. May we all witness our own personal redemption from all of our sorrows.

I will try to keep up the Dvar Torahs from the Galut. Shabbat Shalom

Torah Legal System

Another interesting point made by the Rambam is that in a situation of Kiddush Hashem, where one is commanded to give his life rather than violate a commandment, and that individual does not have the courage to do this, he has desecrated the name of Hashem.

However, that person "only" answers to Hashem and is not given any punishment in a Jewish court. He did not violate the commandment because he believed in idol worship. He was too weak to do what was expected of him.

The legal system of the Torah, in general, only punishes when one violates, with malice, one of the Mitzvot of the Torah. If the violation is one of passivity, he would not be given one of the punishments listed in the Torah. Proper warning is necessary along with the person saying that he understands the warning and is violating the commandment anyways.

The Torah system is clearly superior in its wisdom to any other system in the world.

Iggeret Shmad

The Rambam in his Iggeret Shmad, discusses the correct conduct expected of Jews during times of persecution. There were situations where it was forbidden for Jews to practice their religion under fear of death.

Surprisingly, the Rambam gives a lenient ruling where the Shmad of the Muslims merely asked for a verbal recognition of the Prophet Mohammed. The Rambam would call this a mild Shmad. He reasoned that while it is certainly permitted to bribe the enemy in return for survival, one could pay lip service to something false in order to survive.

This view was challenged by other authorities of his generation. In general, the Rambam did not view the Islamic religion as idol worship, since they were monotheistic. He had a bigger problem with Christianity.

He did make a strong point that every Jew must choose to live in a place where he can grow in spirituality and closeness to Hashem. Today, that place would be Israel where spirituality and holiness is greater by far than anywhere in the world.

Interesting Shaatnez Law

There is an interesting Halacha regarding Shaatnez that is not very well known. The prohibition of wearing wool and linen is lifted when there is a Mitzva involved.

We apply the principle that עשה דוחה לא תעשה, that the positive commandment overrides the negative commandment. The Rambam in Mishna Torah, in הלכות כלי המקדש, discusses the various garments worn by the Kohanim. In addition to special pants, robe, and hat, there was also a special belt worn, אבנט.

This אבנט was made of both wool and linen and contained Shaatnez. It was permitted for the Kohein to wear this belt ONLY when he was performing his priestly duties. He had to remember to remove the belt as soon as he finished his Avoda. If he continued to wear the אבנט, when not on duty, he would be a Shaatnez violator.

This was not the case with ציצית, as it is a Mitzva to wear all day. An interesting Shaatnez law.

No Deception

In yesterday's Haftarah, King David instructs King Solomon on his death bed how to deal with various people. Certain people he was to be nice to, and others, not.

Shlomo was told to kill Yoav Ben Tzeruya, who was his army general. David was upset because Yoav killed Avner Ben Ner, the General of Shaul's army.

David really wanted to solidify his kingdom and unite the followers of Shaul. He made a point of attending Avner's funeral in Chevron, to show that he was not part of the plot to kill Avner and it was all Yoav's fault.

We find a similar story in the Talmud where Rav Simi Bar Ashi did a deceptive act to irrigate the fields of Abaye. He offered to irrigate the fields so that Abaye would agree to study with him. He gained access to the water by telling two different stories to field owners living upstream and downstream of the river.

When Abaye learned of Rav Simi's deception, he chose not to eat of the produce of that field. He did not want the people to think he was part of this deception.

We have examples from both the the Tanach and Talmud, how we are to act honestly and without deception.

Efraim and Menashe

Shavua Tov. A question that is asked related to today's Parsha is why do we bless our daughters that they should be like Sara, Rivka, Rachel, and Leah, but we bless the boys that they should be like Efraim and Menashe? Why not be consistent and bless our sons that they should be like Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov?

We must remember that Egypt was the place of the greatest impurity in the world. The Rambam says that it was so impure that men married men and women married women. So we bless our sons that wherever they travel in the world, and whatever temptations they might be faced with, they should be like Efraim and Menashe. Yosef's two sons managed to keep themselves strong in a very difficult situation. We bless our sons that they be equally strong.

Yisacchar and the Donkey

Among the blessings that Yakov gave to his sons before his death, was the unusual Bracha given to Yissachar. He was compared to a donkey that shoulders a heavy burden.

It was well known that there was an arrangement between Yissachar and Zevulon where Zevulon shared in the reward for the Torah study of Yissachar by supporting them financially. To this day, people make a Yissachar-Zevulon arrangement.

The של״ה הקודש says that the donkey is chosen as the symbol of Torah study for several reasons. The donkey is humble and undemanding. It sleeps in uncomfortable quarters. The donkey is a beast of burden. When one accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah, the yoke of government is removed from him.

One who studies Torah is revered in the eyes of G-d. Torah study expels forces of destruction. We must be prepared to take upon ourselves this burden of Torah, so that all other burdens be removed from us. Shabbat Shalom

חסד של אמת

 The final Parsha of the Book of בראשית is ויחי. The important Mitzva that is alluded to in this Parsha, is caring for the dead. Yakov makes Yosef swear that he will do חסד ואמת by seeing to it that he is buried in Erez Yisrael in מערת המכפילה in the city of Chevron.

Many of the burial societies, or חברא קדישא's, call themselves חסד של אמת, as caring for the dead is the highest level of Chessed one can do. It falls under the category of והלכת בדרכיו, walking in the ways of Hashem.

It is considered the highest Chessed because it's clear that it's being done without expecting anything in return as the deceased cannot thank you or repay you.

Other than in Israel, Jewish communities in other parts of the world, rely on volunteers to help with ritually washing the bodies before burial. Those who volunteer for this very difficult Mitzva, are, inevitably, people of the highest character.

More on Tikkun Olam

Another example of תיקון עולם had to do with difficult periods in our history when Jews were taken captive and held for ransom. Similarly , this applied to situations when the Gentiles would steal holy objects such as Torahs, Tefillin and Mezuzot.

The Rabbis made their decree of Tikkun Olam to try and calm down this painful dilemma. On the one hand, they obviously wanted to redeem Jewish captives as well as the holy objects. But, on the other hand, if they paid too high a price and gave in to the  demands of the enemy, it would only encourage them to continue in their crimes.

Therefore, as painful as it was, they set limits as to the maximum they would pay. They did not want to make it worse for future problems of this nature.

The great Maharam MeRottenberg insisted that he die in prison rather than have the Jewish community pay the huge sums asked for his redemption. This was a realistic תיקון עולם in dealing with our long and tortured exile.

Tikkun Olam

There is a concept in Halacha called תיקון עולם, which means making the world a better place. The most famous תיקון עולם is Hillel's Prozbul that allowed lenders to collect their debt in Shmitta. Since the Sabbatical year or Shmitta, became a rabbinic law, Hillel wanted to encourage people to be able to be paid back their loans.

Another example of תיקון עולם was that people who returned lost articles did not have to make a שבועה. This meant that in case the finder was accused of not returning the entire lost object, the owner or loser of the object could not force the finder to make an oath. The תיקון עולם was that people would be encouraged to return lost articles without hassles.

The rabbis were given this power at their discretion in order to answer to the needs of society.

Remorse and Forgiveness

The של״ה הקודש points out the remarkable behavior of Yosef and his brothers, each in their own way.

Yosef stood out in the manner that he found it within himself to give the brothers complete forgiveness.

It takes a very big man to be able to overcome the pain of being so horribly wronged, to be able to move on. Despite the sincere remorse of the brothers, there must have remained a painful wound.

The brothers are also impressive in that they were able to accept total responsibility for their actions. Others may have tried to justify their behavior, but the brothers did not. They made no excuses for what they had done, and were willing to accept the consequences.

The combination of Yosef's ability to forgive and the brothers' ability to accept their own wrongdoings, serves as a great example to all of us. Forgiveness and remorse are two difficult character traits that are hard to acquire. We become much bigger people if we are able to admit our mistakes and learn to forgive those who sincerely ask for it.

Tenth of Tevet

Shavua Tov. Tomorrow is Asara B'Tevet. The fast begins at 5:21 and ends at 5:23 according to Torah Tidbits. It represents the siege of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Bavel on Jerusalem. It lasted three years and ended with the destruction of the First Temple.

The Tenth of Tevet is also designated as יום קדיש הכללי, where Kaddish is recited for those who perished in the Holocaust and their date of death was not known.

According to tradition, there were three fast days in a row on the 8th, 9th, and 10th. The eighth of Tevet was the anniversary of when the Torah was translated into Greek by seventy-two elders. The Torah was intended to be transmitted in Hebrew only and translated orally.

The ninth of Tevet was the date when both Ezra and Nechemia died. May we see the fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah that the fast of the tenth month should turn into a day of celebration.

Underlying Themes of Parshat Vayigash

The Parshiot that deal with Yosef and his brothers, have an underlying theme regarding the future. The של״ה הקודש says that the main spokesmen to Yosef were Yehuda and Levi. Yehuda would ultimately wear the Crown of Malchut, kingship, and Levi, the Crown of Kehuna, priesthood. Yosef wore the crown of a good name.

It's also interesting that Binyamin had a role to play because he was the only brother who did not bow down to Eisav. He was charged with destroying Amalek, a descendant of Eisav by way of King Shaul and Mordechai, both descendants of Binyamin. The Temple was also built in the territory of Binyamin.

There is also a hint to the concepts of משיח בן יוסף and משיח בן דוד that will take place in the future. Yosef will lay the physical groundwork for the spiritual Mashiach who will come from Yehuda.

This is why Yosef's job was to physically sustain the Jews in Egypt. This was the preliminary to Yehuda emerging as the ultimate leader of Am Yisrael. It is fascinating how we learn new ideas each year when we review the weekly Parsha. Shabbat Shalom

The Maze

The Ramchal gives a famous analogy of the "maze" to describe how people can be without direction. He says that there are two ways to describe one who walks in darkness.

One, is the person who pays no attention to his actions nor to the potential harm that he is doing to himself. He only realizes his folly when he suddenly has to pay for his thoughtless actions. He does whatever he feels like until someone gets hurt.

The second is even worse because he is so much in darkness, that he convinces himself that the darkness is light and light is darkness. This sounds like the liberals who make fun of people who follow the Torah. They ridicule them by telling them they are weak because they don't know how to think for themselves. They convince themselves that their "do what feels good" philosophy is superior.

Both types are similar to one in a maze where they continue to hit dead ends as they are lacking direction. Once a person sees the light, he gets to his destination and is able to help those who are stuck in the maze.

Interaction with Gentiles

Another aspect of דרכי שלום has to do with our interaction with non-Jews. The Mishna in גיטין mentions the importance of allowing Gentile poor to come into our fields in order to partake of the same crops left over for Jewish poor. This is to keep peaceful relations with them.

The Gemara expands on this idea and says that it is also our duty to visit the sick of the non-Jews as well as burying their dead. The Torah obligation is to leave over parts of our field (לקט פיאה שכחה), as well as visiting the sick, and caring for the dead, applies specifically to Jews. However, the Rabbis instituted under the heading of דרכי שלום, to apply this to non-Jews.

A friend of mine worked as a street sweeper in Jerusalem and once found 140,000 shekels cash that belonged to an Arab. He returned the money and did not even get a thank you. I told him that he did a big Kiddush Hashem. He was rewarded in other ways for fulfilling the rabbinical decree of דרכי שלום.

דרכי שלום

The Talmud in מסכת גיטין discusses the concept of דרכי שלום, the need to establish rules that will increase peaceful relations in the Jewish community.

The Gemara's first example of דרכי שלום is that in the Beit Knesset, we must call to the Torah a Kohein first, followed by a Levi, followed by a Yisrael. The purpose of this rule is to avoid fights in the Synagogue.

The Talmud relates that Rav Ami and Rav Assi were both prominent Kohanim and they insisted that the great Rav Huna be given the first Aliya because he was clearly the greatest rabbi of the generation.

The Tosfot Rid points out that even when one is the spiritual leader of an entire city, he should not take the place of a Kohein. This is because of the jealousy factor and that there will inevitably be individuals that feel they are more learned and more qualified.

This is why the rabbis instituted a specific order of distributing honors in Shule, to maintain דרכי שלום.

Anti-Semitism in Egypt

There is a Pasuk from yesterday's Parsha that needs explanation. When the Torah describes the meal served at Yosef's house for his brothers, it's written that Yosef ate separately, and the brother separately, and the Egyptians separately. The reason given was that it was considered an abomination for the Egyptians to eat with the Hebrews.

The Rashbam says that the Egyptians were גסי רוח, highly conceited. They believed that the Hebrews were inferior to them so that they must not be seen eating with them.

The Radak says that they were repulsed by the Jews for eating meat. They raised cattle for the milk and shearings only.

Rashi simply says that it was something שנאוי, or hated, to eat together whatever the case may be. What is clear is that anti-semitism already began in Egypt where the Jewish people only numbered seventy souls. Jew hatred has no logical explanation, nor does hating someone for being different. This is a painful reality that we would do well to accept.