One Hundred Words on the Parshah
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One Hundred Words on the Parshah
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Only after leaving Avram did Lot get captured. It would seem from this that the z’chus of Avram had protected Lot until then. In Parshas Shlach, Calev spoke about the z’chus of tzadikim saving the people of Eretz Cnaan.
Hashem said to Noach that the Mabul would happen because all living beings destroyed their way
Chazal tell us that even plants were immoral. The influence of the people spread so far, even to the plants, because the people were so immoral.
R’ Elya Lopian said about his times when the Haskala was so prevalent (approx. 75 years ago) , that the influence of Haskala negatively affected all kinds of people. In fact, in a conversation that I had with an “alter mirrer”, R’ Moshe Pivovitz, R' Moshe was delighted that the “Yetzer Hora of seforim chitzonim” and haskala went away because it was pervasive.
In our times,the nisayon that is so prevalent and strong is technology.
R’ Elya Lopian applies the possuk “על זאת יתפלל כל חסיד לעת מצו א “ About this every chosid should daven, when he is challenged.
חז"ל say that in the first 2,000 years after creation, there was no תורה. The next 2,000 years starting with אברהם and שרה being מגייר many people are called 2,000 years of תורה because אברהם and שרה spread the idea of ה' and were מגייר many people (“ ואת הנפש אשר עשו בחרן”). The question is, since there was already a place for learning תורה in existence during the first 2,000 years, the ישיבה of שם ועבר , why is the world said to not have contained תורה in that period?
R’ Gruskin (חיים של שלמה) answers that the ישיבה was private, limited to those who came on their own to seek ה', whereas אברהם and שרה reached out to the larger society, creating a world with תורה.
The lesson for us is clear: we must reach out to others with תורה to make the world full of “דעה את ה'”
Chazal explain that Avrohom’s “kidneys became like wells that provided him with Torah”.
R’ Moshe Feinstein was asked why Avrohom didn’t got to learn by Shem and Ever. R’ Moshe answered that Avrohom was greater in learning than them.
From R’ Nosson Wachtfogel on his Yahrtzeit
After losing the ברכות of יצחק אבינו to יעקב, עשו cried and was therefore זוכה to acquire הר שעיר. What was so meritorious about this crying? R’ Nosson Wachtfogel explains that people have to appreciate the good things that they have. Denigrating them causes one to lose them. עשו denigrated the בכורה when he sold it to יעקב (ויבז עשו את הבכורה) and therefore, lost the ברכות that came because of the בכורה. When he cried, he was realizing the value of the בכורה and was rewarded for that.
Yoseph’s body was placed in an aron – a box or coffin – as opposed to a Jewish burial where the body is put in the ground. One possible reason for this may have been to prevent the אוירה – the atmosphere – of Mitzraim from coming in contact with Yoseph’s body. (Yoseph specifically stated that he did not want to be buried in Mitzraim.) Thus, the pasuk states that he was placed in an aron “במצרים – in Egypt” to indicate that the reason he was in a box was because it was Mitzraim. Later, in Eretz Yisrael he would be taken out.
The pasuk (in Shir HaShirim 8:10), אני חומה – “I am a wall”, is understood to mean that Klall Yisrael should place barriers before untoward influences.
We find many times in the תורה that יהודה leads the way for כלל ישראל. For instance, in this week’s פרשה, he is the first to receive a ברכה, as the brothers spoken to before him got rebukes rather than ברכות. Previously, he led the way, saving יוסף from the בור. He also paved the way for תורה learning in גושן by traveling ahead to establish a ישיבה there.
Later on, his descendant, נחשון בן עמינדב, led the way by jumping into the ים סוף, and is considered the quintessential leader. Later, as the נשיא of שבט יהודה, he was the first נשיא to bring a קרבן in the משכן. Again he led the way; in fact the term נחשון is synonymous with leading the way.
It is no wonder that יהודה’s descendants were chosen to be the kings of the Jews, ultimately יהודה’s descendant, משיח will be the one to lead us out of our גלות, may it be soon in our time.
Why did Lot’s wife turn to salt? Even though the Malach told her not to, Lot’s wife turned around to see the punishment of Sodom. She was nostalgic about Sodom and had a hard time “letting go”. That extra attachment, when she was supposed to be distancing herself, caused her to get caught up in their punishment.
Yosef snitched to his father about what his brothers were doing wrong. Rashi says that he was punished for this. The Chafetz Chaim explains that that there is a Mitzva of Tochacha, giving Mussur that Yosef was supposed to give the brothers before telling Lashon Hara to their father. Only if they ignore his Musur should he tell their father so that he would improve them. Even telling a father is considered Lashon Hara when it is not necessary.
As part of the Slichios davening, we ask Hashem to have pity on Yosef who was sold but not for money. The question is that Yosef was actually sold for money? Sometimes when a person sells something, it’s not for the money. The money is besides the point. There are things that people do for alternative reason, not the obvious reason. We must then delve deeper in order to understand the motivation “What made the person tick”
Whether it’s a tool of Teshuva or otherwise we should know the true motive for what is being done.
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All learning should be a zechus for a refuah shelaimah for Yosef Ezriel Ben Chaya Michal