tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242114482024-03-13T09:33:42.241-04:00Yehuda's ThoughtsThis is a place where I can record my latest thoughts. I hope it will serve as a sounding board where a dialogue, not bound by time or place, can take place between me and my <i>chaveirim</i>.Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-3287774045522932222023-11-09T11:48:00.008-05:002023-11-09T13:42:33.477-05:00The Well of the Living One Who Sees: Three Approaches<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://theholylandwithrichandcheryl.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/well-in-the-desert.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="736" height="469" src="https://theholylandwithrichandcheryl.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/well-in-the-desert.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Be’er LaChai Ro’i</b></span></h3><span id="docs-internal-guid-1b204140-7fff-e077-7b7d-8d959a9061b0"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 36pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And Yitzchak came from coming to Be’er LaChai Ro’i (the well of the Living One Who sees me)--and he lived in the land of the south. And Yitzchak went to meditate in the field towards evening, and he lifted his eyes and he saw, and behold, camels were coming. And Rivka lifted her eyes, and she saw Yitzchak, and she descended from upon the camel. And she said to the servant, “Who is that man, the one who is walking in the field to greet us?” And the servant said, “He is my master.” And she took the veil and covered herself. And the servant related to Yitzchak everything that he had done. And Yitzchak brought her into the tent of Sarah, his mother, and he took Rivka, and she became his wife and he loved her. And Yitzchak was consoled after his mother. (</span><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Tanakh/Bereshit/24.62#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">24:62-67</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Every time I read this story I am drawn to the seemingly superfluous detail of where Yitzchak was coming from: Be’er LaChai Ro’i (Well of the Living One Who sees me). My simple question is why is this important? Why does it matter where he was coming from? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Be’er LaChai Ro’i is mentioned three times in Sefer Breishit:</span></p><br /><ol style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Tanakh/Bereshit/16.14#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Breishit 16:14</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> - the “origin story” of Be’er LaChai Ro’i, when the place gets its name on account of Hagar’s encounter with the angel of God. (see the entire story </span><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Tanakh/Bereshit/16.1#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Tanakh/Bereshit/24.62#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Breishit 24:62</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> - where Yitzchak was coming from before he encountered Rivka for the first time. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Tanakh/Bereshit/25.11#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Breishit 25:11</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> - where Yitzchak settled after Avraham died. </span></p></li></ol><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Yitzchak seems to have had a special affinity for the place. The strange phrasing, “בא מבוא”-literally, ”he came from come”, might imply, as Rabbi Shmuel David Luzzato </span><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dual/Shadal/Bereshit/24.62#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">explains</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, that it was a place he would frequent often (see <a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dual/Ramban/Bereshit/24.62#m7e1n6">Ramban</a>). It is also possible that “he lived in the land of the south” means he lived near Be’er LaChai Ro’i (see </span><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dual/Rashi/Bereshit/24.62#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rashi</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and </span><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dual/Shadal/Bereshit/24.62#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Shadal</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">). Alternatively, according to Rabbi Avraham ben HaRambam (</span><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dual/R._Avraham_b._HaRambam/Bereshit/24.62#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">on 24:62</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">), he lived with Avraham but would regularly frequent Be’er LaChai Ro’i (the referent הוא in והוא יושב בארץ הנגב refers to the location of the well, not where Yitzchak lived). </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is surprising because the place would seem to have more meaning for Hagar and Yishmael. Specifically, this is where an angel of God found Hagar, on the run from Sarah, and heralded the birth of Yishmael and his numerous offspring. In recognition of God “seeing” her predicament and saving her, the place gained its name. Yet, this place seems to have had no further significance to them.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here I will present two approaches to understanding the story of Be’er LaChai Ro’i: Rabbi Avraham ben HaRambam and Rabbi Shmuel David Luzzato (Shadal). </span></p><br /><h3 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rabbi Avraham ben haRambam</span></h3><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rabbi Avraham ben haRambam’s addresses why the Torah mentions where Yitzchak was coming from before encountering Rivka. (my translation, Hebrew </span><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dual/R._Avraham_b._HaRambam/Bereshit/24.62#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">here</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And Yitzchak came from coming – </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">there is no doubt that there was a great distance between Be’er LaChai Ro’i and the place where Avraham and Yitzchak were then living. Yitzchak would regularly depart from the place of his settlement and go to the wilderness to the mentioned well on account of his attachment to the service [of God] and his desire to seek contemplative solitude [my translation of התבודדות, which implies both solitude and contemplation], in the way of the righteous and the prophets–as we explained in the Al-Khaphaya [his main philosophical work, in Hebrew HaMaspik L’Ovdei Hashem] in the chapter on contemplative solitude–and he would tarry there for brief intervals and then return to his place of settlement. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The scripture relates that the mentioned encounter was at a time that Yitzchak was returning from the mentioned well and not at the time he was departing to go there. The lesson derived from here, as far as I understand and which appears to me, was in order to make known to keepers of the Torah that Yitzchak, A”H, was not departing to serve [God] and turned back because Rivka had arrived with Eliezer. If he had encountered them on his way, he would not have turned back from his service. Rather he would have met up with them after he finished his service and returned from it. Therefore, he returned with them, as it appears from the story. This is a lesson and source of instruction for keepers of the Torah which will not be obscured from someone who has comprehension and understanding. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rabbi Avraham ben haRambam’s approach is fascinating. According to him, the mention of Yitzchak’s previous journey adds nothing to the story at hand (though, no doubt, it would reflect on how we understand the larger narrative). Rather, it was an opportunity for the Torah to teach an important philosophical lesson about the pursuit of the contemplative life of service of God. He emphasizes this further in the remainder of his comments on this verse:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Regarding what it says at the end of the verse, “and it was situated in the land of the south” this is defining the place of the well so that the prophets of Israel who are attached to the service of God in their desire to be blessed in the place of the service of our forefather Yitzchak. Or, on account of the blessing that was there, which was why Yitzchak went there. What greater blessing is there than that this was the place the angel revealed itself and words of prophecy. Yaakov said similarly, “this is none other than the House of God!” and Onkelos translates, “the is no ordinary place.” Understand these lessons that are understood from the Torah of the Exalted One–grace and kindness from Him. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here he is suggesting that the Torah is providing literal instruction to aspiring devotees of God. The Torah wants us to know where this place was, so that “prophets of Israel who are attached to the service of God” can actually go there. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He continues with this “philosophical” approach in his comments on Breishit 25:11, regarding why Yitzchak moved to Be’er LaChai Ro’i after Avraham died (Hebrew </span><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dual/R._Avraham_b._HaRambam/Bereshit/25.11#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">here</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">):</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Yitzchak settled by the well because of the blessing he, A”H, found there regarding the service of God. During the life of Avraham he was not able to separate from him, rather he would go back and forth between his father and the well and the well and his father. When Avraham, A”H, departed from this world to the World of Truth, Yitzchak traveled and established his settlement near the well that he chose on account of its special character that he found there. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Again Rabbi Avraham ben haRambam emphasizes the philosophical import of the location. It was a blessed place that was conducive to prophecy–accordingly Yitzchak moved there. The only thing holding him back was his duties to Avraham.</span></p><br /><h3 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rabbi Shmuel David Luzzato’s Approach</span></h3><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rabbi Shmuel David Luzzato (Shadal) takes a more literary approach. Here is his explanation for why the Torah mentions that Yitzchak was coming from Be’er LaChai Ro’i before encountering Rivka for the first time.[1]</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> He writes (my translation, Hebrew </span><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dual/Shadal/Bereshit/24.62#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">here</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">):</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 36pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And Yitzchak came from coming, etc. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">– he returned to his home from his coming–that is, that he had gone–to Be’er LaChai Ro’i. It is difficult to understand why it is necessary to relate this here. It would have been sufficient to say, “And Yitzchak went out to meditate in the field.” [see </span><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dual/Shadal/Bereshit/24.63#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">here</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> for Shadal’s explanation of the word לשוח] What purpose is there in us knowing where he had gone previously? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 36pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It would appear that Yitzchak was a holy man and loved solitary contemplation. For this reason he was out towards evening to meditate in the field–to be in contemplative solitude and to pray. In order to make this evident, the scripture preceded this by telling us that he had already gone to be in contemplative solitude in Be’er Lachai Ro’i–where he ultimately settled–because there the angel had revealed itself to Hagar heralding the birth of Yishmael, his numerous offspring, their might and their success. [</span><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dual/Shadal/Bereshit/16.13#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Link</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> to Shadal’s comments on Hagar’s naming of the place]</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 36pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And now, as he too was anticipating getting married, he went to pray there. And this is mentioned here to inform us that he was answered immediately. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Yitzchak was a contemplative individual. He was in the field in contemplative solitude and prayer. This was also why he was in Be’er LaChai Ro’i. In this way, Shadal’s approach is similar to Rabbi Avraham ben haRambam’s. However, this is also where they part ways. While Rabbi Avraham sees this fact as being purposely disconnected from the narrative to teach a fundamental philosophical lesson, Shadal sees this as fully integrated into the narrative. The very content of his contemplative solitude and prayer is revealed by his previous journey to Be’er LaChai Ro’i. Its significance is in the content of what God’s angel revealed to Hagar–heralding Yishmael’s birth and the future prosperity of her family. Yitzchak went there to pray to God for similar reasons. He was praying for the future of his own family–to find a wife and have children. The encounter with Rivka was, then, the answer to his prayers. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While it is clear why Yitzchak settled in Be’er LaChai Ro’i after Avraham died, it is unclear following Shadal’s approach why he made this move. I would like to offer my own approach to this question.</span></p><br /><h3 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Why did Yitzchak move to Be’er LaChai Ro’i?</span></h3><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I would suggest, similar to Shadal, this can only be understood through the story of Hagar and the birth of Yishmael. Hagar was told by the angel of God the great destiny of her family. Though Avraham was privy to such promises–in his case directly from God–Yitzchak never had such an assurance. Additionally, as Rashi emphasizes, Avraham never directly blessed Yitzchak. Only after he died the Torah relates: </span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">וַיְהִ֗י אַחֲרֵי֙ מ֣וֹת אַבְרָהָ֔ם וַיְבָ֥רֶךְ אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־יִצְחָ֣ק בְּנ֑וֹ וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב יִצְחָ֔ק עִם־בְּאֵ֥ר לַחַ֖י רֹאִֽי׃</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">After the death of Avraham, God blessed his son Yitzchak, and Yitzchak dwelled by Be'er LaChai Ro'i.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Notably, this blessing has no content. God blesses him, but with what? Perhaps the move to Be’er LaChai Ro’i reflected Yitzchak’s preoccupation (and prayer) that he too be blessed, like Yishmael, with the promise of a great destiny and prosperous family. Only later, after Yaakov and Yishmael are born, when there is a famine and Yitzchak seems bound to leave the land like Avraham, does God explicitly tell Yitzchak what he had been waiting to hear (</span><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Tanakh/Bereshit/26.3#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Breishit 26:3-5</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">): </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath I swore to your father, Avraham. I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the heavens and I will give your offspring all these lands. All the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring, because Avraham has listened to my voice and has kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My teachings."</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This approach helps us understand why Yitzchak had such an affinity to a place that seemed disconnected from his own destiny. His destiny as the scion of Avraham was at the heart of his angst. This was what preoccupied him. This is further suggested by the use of the word לשוח–Rashi cites the following verse from Tehillim (</span><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dual/Rashi/Tehillim/102.1#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">102:1</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">):</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> תְּ֭פִלָּה לְעָנִ֣י כִֽי־יַעֲטֹ֑ף וְלִפְנֵ֥י ה׳ יִשְׁפֹּ֥ךְ שִׂיחֽוֹ׃</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A Prayer of the afflicted, when he faints and pours out his complaint before Hashem.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">לשוח is the verbal expression of one who is afflicted, one who is preoccupied with something that causes suffering. Perhaps this question of destiny was Yitzchak’s affliction. </span></p><br /><h3 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Three Approaches to Prayer</span></h3><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">According to the Talmud (</span><a href="https://shas.alhatorah.org/Gemara/Berakhot/26b.4#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Berakhot 26b</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">), the verse “And Yitzchak went to meditate in the field towards evening” is the source that Yitzchak decreed the Mincha/afternoon prayer. The three approaches to understanding Be’er LaChai Ro’i suggest three approaches to prayer:</span></p><br /><ol style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Rabbi Avraham ben haRambam - prayer is an expression of a desire to serve God with absolute devotion. One should seek out ways of achieving contemplative solitude and the places that are most conducive to this form of service. We can not let mundane manners distract us from this service. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Shadal - prayer is prayer </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">for</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> something. One seeks out God to </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">answer</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> one’s prayers. A place–that is remarkable as a place where God bestowed a specific kind of blessing–can help a person who is praying focus on God as the source of that specific kind of blessing.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Me (based on Rashi) - prayer is the expression of someone who is suffering. It is the beseeching of God as the only one who can give us relief. </span></p></li></ol><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">___________________________</span></span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">[1] </span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Regarding the original naming of the well he writes (my translation, Hebrew </span><a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dual/Shadal/Bereshit/16.13#m7e1n6" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">here</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">):</span></div></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-8e162db5-7fff-e795-e223-7cf472eb2b97"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">You are the God who sees me</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> – the God of seeing, the God of providence, the God who takes care, whose eyes are open to the ways of men (Rashi). This is in reference to what was written, “for God has listened to your suffering.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Would also here?, etc. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">– would I have ever thought that here too, in the wilderness, I would find someone who would watch over me, after I have departed from the one who sees me, from Avraham, my beloved, who watched over me? This is an abbreviated verse, “would I also see here one who sees and watches over me?”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Though Shadal doesn’t make any remarks on the naming of the well, it is clear that what happened at the well was a source of astonishment for Hagar. She knew that she was taken care of when she was with Avraham, but was shocked to find herself under God’s protection and care in the wilderness.</span></p><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-57087136629309983732023-03-29T23:51:00.004-04:002023-03-30T00:04:20.474-04:00The meaning of Hesed: Kindness or Dedication<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9ALfZcXaXMNOcwB24KcS8YblnOhxyXsbrn1aTiqMniPBw7w4LYNS0YOrQIslGVgZZkF8TgqxIPd0zNou5pq2h5uU9wfPnnJvELvCYu8VT1akWI6FwqKl4CwaTNo7m1zQUMT6-8Zw1PE-fNryaMhLCAIvba7QOHJlnSh_0VcfrVaRAFtwM0Y/s5184/benjamin-grull-j3_zQFDGRqs-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2920" data-original-width="5184" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9ALfZcXaXMNOcwB24KcS8YblnOhxyXsbrn1aTiqMniPBw7w4LYNS0YOrQIslGVgZZkF8TgqxIPd0zNou5pq2h5uU9wfPnnJvELvCYu8VT1akWI6FwqKl4CwaTNo7m1zQUMT6-8Zw1PE-fNryaMhLCAIvba7QOHJlnSh_0VcfrVaRAFtwM0Y/w640-h360/benjamin-grull-j3_zQFDGRqs-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>I originally delivered these remarks in March 2019, in memory of my wife Neomi's dear Aunt, Rashel. When I asked Neomi what I should speak about she said חסד—because that was who she really was. From her years serving in a hospital in Iran during the war to her never-ending love for her mother, brothers and sisters and numerous nieces and nephews. When she was still a little girl in Iran her grandmother would prepare meals for her to bring to an elderly blind person in their town. She told my wife that more than anything, she learned from this experience how happy helping others made her. She lived to make others happy and she inspired so many people to follow her example. </p><p>What I’d like to explore is the meaning of חסד in the first blessing of the amida.[1] Specifically, what does חסדי אבות—the kindness of the Forefathers refer to? This question is difficult to answer because there are no stories [2] which explicitly feature the אבות doing חסד. </p><p>חסד is a difficult word to translate. It is often translated as kindness. However, it is clear from many examples throughout Tanakh that it is sometimes something more, sometimes something different and sometimes completely at odds with this translation. For example, in מגילת אסתר it probably means favor. So, I will do you a chesed and I will not try to solve the entire puzzle of חסד’s meaning right now. </p><p>Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks uses the word loving-kindness to translate חסד as it appears here in the עמידה. Clearly, he wants to convey that the chesed being referred to here is something more than the English word kindness can express. </p><p>In fact, the word lovingkindness was made up for just this purpose. In 1535, Myles Coverdale published the first complete translation of the Bible into English. Loving-kindness is a word that he made up to capture one of the senses of this word. However, it still doesn’t answer the question. </p><p>One of the earliest commentaries we possess on the siddur is from Rabbi Yehuda ben Yakar. He died at the very beginning of the 13th century and was a teacher of Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, the Ramban.[3] His style is to cite verses that he believes are the source for the phraseology of the liturgy—the building blocks the חכמים made use of. He writes in his introduction that when the אנשי כנסת הגדולה (the Men of the Great Assembly) composed the liturgy after our return from the Babylonian and Persian exile they said:</p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><i>…let us investigate the words of the Torah of Moshe and the words of the Prophets when they prophesized from Hashem words of truth. And let us give heart to understand the psalms of David, the servant of Hashem, and the wisdom of Shlomo, the bearer of proverb and verse, the words of the sages and their riddles. And they all came like gatherers of fallen grain, gathering this from here and this from here. And they joined them into the tent of prayer with its boards and its hooks and its pillars and its sockets. </i></span><span style="white-space: pre;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i> </i></span> </span></p><p>It seems to me that the Ri Yakar (as he is known) is saying that the key to understanding the tefillot is to understand its sources in the Tanakh.</p><p>I wanted to see if his commentary could give me any insight into my question about the meaning of חסדי אבות.</p><p>The Ri Yakar cites two verses as the source of this phrase. The first is from Vayikra 26:45:</p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"> וְזָֽכַרְתִּ֥י לָהֶ֖ם בְּרִ֣ית רִֽאשֹׁנִ֑ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר הוֹצֵֽאתִי־אֹתָם֩ מֵאֶ֨רֶץ מִצְרַ֜יִם לְעֵינֵ֣י הַגּוֹיִ֗ם לִהְי֥וֹת לָהֶ֛ם לֵֽא-לֹהִ֖ים אֲנִ֥י ה': </p><p>“And I remember for them the covenant with the first-ones whom I took out of the Land of Egypt before the eyes of all the nations to be their G-d, I am Hashem.” </p><p>This verse comes at the end of the blessings and curses at the end of Sefer Vayikra. It is a reminder that even if we fail to fulfill our mission and are cast out of the Promised Land and suffer greatly as a result, the ברית (covenant) with the אבות will always be remembered. </p><p>For more clarity on the meaning of this verse I checked what the רמב"ן, Ri Yakar’s student, had to say. He writes:</p><p><i><span style="color: #666666;">The meaning of “And I remember for them the covenant of the first-ones” is that Hashem will remember this for them, whether they’re in the land or in the exile alluded to here, and in every generation. This is the meaning of “before the eyes of all the nations”—Hashem will act on their behalf for the sake of His great name, that it should not be defiled amongst the nations, but not on their account, because they did not repent and they did not receive atonement for their sins. This is what our rabbis said, “I will not despise them”—in the days of Vespasian; “I will not reject them”—in the days of the Greeks; “to wipe them out, to nullify my covenant with them”—in the days of Haman; “for I am Hashem their G-d”—in the days of Gog and Magog. </span></i></p><p>The redemption of the Jewish people is intimately tied to G-d covenant with His relationship with Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. But what were the חסדי אבות that were the basis of such an everlasting covenant? This question is answered by the next source Ri Yakar quotes from Yirmiyahu 2:2: </p><p><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>זָכַ֤רְתִּי לָךְ֙ חֶ֣סֶד נְעוּרַ֔יִךְ אַֽהֲבַ֖ת כְּלוּלֹתָ֑יִךְ לֶכְתֵּ֤ךְ אַֽחֲרַי֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר בְּאֶ֖רֶץ לֹ֥א זְרוּעָֽה</p><p>“I remember for you the (חסד-נעוריך) chesed of your youth, the love of your nuptials, your following Me in the desert, in a land not sown.”</p><p>This verse is referring to the generation of the wilderness, who, as Rashi explains, followed Moshe and Aharon from an inhabited land to the wilderness with no provisions for the way because they believed in Hashem. From the generation of the wilderness (the descendants of the avot) we learn the meaning of the חסדי אבות. The חסדי אבות refers to our forefathers’ <b>willingness to follow</b> Hashem—even when it meant an unsettling and discomfiting of their lives. </p><p>Avraham could have continued to live a prosperous life with his powerful and influential family in Charan. </p><p>Yitzchak could have abandoned his father’s wells and sought a comfortable life elsewhere. </p><p>Yaakov could have given up on his dreams and just settled for something less lofty—acceded to Esav, or simply give up on outwitting Lavan. </p><p>In other words, the חסדי אבות was the <b>deep love</b> our forefathers had for Hashem <b>that propelled them to persevere and overcome all obstacles</b> to fulfill His will. Perhaps a better translation of חסדי אבות would be the <b>dedication of the forefathers</b>. </p><p>From this vantage point we can better understand the next phrase of the תפילה:</p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">ומביא גואל לבני בניהם למען שמו באהבה</p><p>And he brings a redeemer to their children’s children, for the sake of His name, with love.</p><p>Redemption comes to a people willing to enter the wilderness with all its uncertainties and dangers—for those who can put their faith in Hashem’s vision even when their own vision cannot yet reach that far. חסד, in all its many varieties, is a going beyond the self—an excess in service of the Other.[4] This is what Aunt Rashel exemplified beyond all else—may her memory be a blessing. </p><p>_______________________________________________</p><p>Notes<br /></p><p>[1] Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d and G-d of our fathers, G-d of Abraham, G-d of Isaac and G-d of Jacob; the great, mighty and awesome G-d, the most high G-d, Who bestows loving-kindness and goodness and is master/creator of all, Who remembers the loving-kindness of the fathers, and brings a redeemer to their children, in love and for the sake of His name. King, Helper, Savior, and Shield. Blessed are You, O L-rd, Shield of Abraham.</p><p>[2] We have a number of examples of חסד. But nothing about the אבות doing חסד.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">1. The אבות ask for חסד: </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>a. Avraham from Sarah, 20:13; </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>b. Yaakov from Yosef, 47:29; </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>c. Avraham’s servant from Rivka’s family to do חסד for Avraham to find a wife for Yitzchak, 24:12,14, 27, 49. </p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>2. Avimelekh requests from Avraham to do חסד in kind (21:23). </p><p>3. Hashem granted חסד to Yosef when he was in prison.</p></blockquote><div>[3] The interpretation of תפילה is not easy. Unlike the Chumash, we do not have a robust tradition of parshanut haTefilla, Tefilla interpretation. While the text of the Tanakh has been the subject of a long interpretive tradition, the Siddur has not received such lavish attention. While I have entire bookcases filled with commentaries on Tanakh, the commentaries on the siddur in my possession fill slightly more than one shelf. While there are numerous commentaries on Tanakh from the 11th century up until the present day, most of the commentaries on the siddur were written in the 19th and 20th centuries. </div><div><br /></div><div>[4] It’s worth mentioning Rambam’s definition of a chasid (Commentary on the Mishna, Pirkei Avot 5, 6):</div><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">וחסיד, הוא האיש החכם כאשר יוסיף במעלה, רצוני לומר: במעלות המידות, עד שייטה אל הקצה האחד מעט, כמו שבארנו בפרק הרביעי, ויהיה מעשהו רב מחכמתו, ולזה נקרא חסיד, להוספתו, לפי שההפלגה בדבר תיקרא חסד, בין שהיתה אותה ההפלגה בטוב או ברע.</div><div>A chasid is a chakham (wise individual) who has increased in virtue - meaning to say: ethical virtues - such that he leans a little toward one extreme (as we explained in the Fourth Chapter of the Shemoneh Perakim) so that his actions go beyond his wisdom. For this reason he is called a chasid—due to an excess—any kind of surplus being called chesed, whether this surplus is for good or bad. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p> </p>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-21715327288884155412022-12-30T00:13:00.002-05:002022-12-30T00:13:37.723-05:00Yossi Klein Halevi’s, Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2e98IKTk-lrZ1Zu_-E1VwSuR-3VphszN7_KZk-fDqulyjbC_cCg_UC1R_eec02KKqw4qdPWMezUgkK4hcD7jWFXBD5Vt8f9p9LjOlGB7HmHFFPnTJqM02bdyk7VspHR4IYiNwb5xnEwNh21OaU89xL0XEVjOrfQeMU3MXys8oGzpzknl1ww/s984/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-30%20at%207.12.49.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="658" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2e98IKTk-lrZ1Zu_-E1VwSuR-3VphszN7_KZk-fDqulyjbC_cCg_UC1R_eec02KKqw4qdPWMezUgkK4hcD7jWFXBD5Vt8f9p9LjOlGB7HmHFFPnTJqM02bdyk7VspHR4IYiNwb5xnEwNh21OaU89xL0XEVjOrfQeMU3MXys8oGzpzknl1ww/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-30%20at%207.12.49.png" width="214" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I read Yossi Klein Halevi’s, Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, more than four years ago. After reading it I wrote a first draft of the following review. I rewrote it a few times as I wanted to convey both my deep appreciation for the book as well as some of my misgivings. I ended up deciding not to share it, but then I read Micah Goodman’s Catch-67. The pragmatic approach presented by Goodman made me reflect on the more idealistic approach of Klein Halevi and so I blew off the dust on this old review and decided it was time to share.</span><p></p><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">On the cover of Yossi Klein Halevi’s, Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, there is one small image: an olive branch. A simple, iconic indicator that this book is an overture for peace—a series of letters addressed to an imagined Palestinian “neighbor.” He had it translated into Arabic and offers the letters freely on the Internet to any Palestinian who wants to read it. The responses he has received from readers (mostly Arabs from other countries and a few Palestinians) as well as his replies can be read on his website: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.letterstomyneighbor.com%2Freader-responses%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2wn5c7t3rIr1p8LGsAQEUFZVtyA-hEA3Gm613EUraESlIrHR_UE_00EW8&h=AT0JYhgTh6nnoaI-WAKa7TlgFwyX3DzLV_t5TSAgQPkbAiPhnfI_kyFJKe8gAvcw2MtikuDScrVChKwUlsMyToezkEe81Hvap5__Pv8R3PwX0L_EhUptSibktLFhUguRj01E2mx8sg&__tn__=-UK*F" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">https://www.letterstomyneighbor.com/reader-responses/</a></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">This book is in many ways a plea for complexity. Klein Halevi wants Palestinians to understand that his thoughts and feelings (which, according to him, are consonant with the thoughts and feelings of most Israelis—a highly debatable point) are often times contradictory. Though he personally feels deep guilt over the occupation, he also has difficulty imagining Israel as a divided land. He is hoping that his neighbor can himself accept a solution of complexity—one that demands compromise. Though the geographical dreams and aspirations of each side are mutually exclusive, each side must forge ahead with the knowledge that their dreams will have to remain dreams.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I was deeply moved by Klein Halevi’s passion and deep honesty. However, I was disappointed with his dalliance with relativism. It upset me because it weakens his otherwise potent message.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">The first hint of this relativism is his jarring claim (p. 56) that since Judaism is a particularistic religion (just for the Jewish people) with a universal vision (that all of humanity should come to know God) it, therefore, accepts the validity of multiple faiths. This illogical jump feels disingenuous. While I am aware that there are modern thinkers who go in this direction, I am unaware of a source in the classical texts of our tradition that says anything of the sort. (I can provide multiple sources that say the exact opposite. As a start, see both Yehuda Halevi’s Kuzari, beginning of the first book, and Rambam, most famously in The Laws of Kings and their Wars, chapter 11.) Since he seems to be following a view of rather recent vintage, he should spell that out, lest his Palestinian neighbor open up a copy of the Kuzari which was originally written in Arabic (though of the Judeo dialect).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">This relativist confusion goes deeper.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">He writes regarding the definition of Judaism (p. 76): “We are a story we tell ourselves about who we think we are.”</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">He says almost the same line in an interview from May 3, 2018 (</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.timesofisrael.com%2Fwho-we-are-why-were-here-israeli-author-explains-zionism-to-the-palestinians%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0fGzi5SBMCjh2WPleUoYgH_EO0pf2iVPYY2Q4RE13vImp9nyUTbpYlTXY&h=AT3yIrVwEftazbRquySssT_GommFSMP6DDicOWYDLy9EpXG2wFUlG95bG3IPIMi5DT1cabtSo66u10U13i27LRKvytT5K--vNCPi1EwsivwCBpBjBCJZo9TWFjH42_oag5Na5fzjLw&__tn__=-UK*F" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">https://www.timesofisrael.com/who-we-are-why-were-here.../</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">): “And for me, the essence of Judaism is its story. I would define the Jews as a story we tell ourselves about who we think we are.”</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">He repeated the same line, almost verbatim, at the beginning of his speech at a Stand With Us event that took place in Seattle, WA on May 6, 2018 (which I attended and at which I received an advanced copy of the book—thank you very much). This is clearly an idea that he gives a lot of stock. Why is this definition of Judaism so important to him? Because this constructivist approach is at the core of his path to peace:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">“We need to respect each other’s right to tell our own stories. That’s why I am writing to you, neighbor: to tell you my story, not yours. If you chose to write in response, as I hope you will, you’ll tell me your understanding of your history. I respect your right to define yourself, and I insist on the same right. That is the way to peace.” (p. 70)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">On one hand this approach sounds noble. We must respect each other’s stories. We all have the right to tell our own stories. Only out of this mutual respect and honesty can a lasting peace be forged.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">On the other hand, he’s saying that it all comes down to storytelling. I’d say, yes, and no. Yes, facts say nothing until we ask what story they tell. The facts can’t tell the story, only we can. And no, it’s not all about story telling—there are also facts that I would call hard truths. Hard truths are facts that are hard to fit into an interpretive frame. They’re the facts that people don’t want to see because it would too disturb their cherished story—i.e., interpretation of the world.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">No matter what our stories are, Israelis must confront the hard truths of occupation and the Palestinians need to confront the hard truth that Israel’s here to stay. The first step might be respectful listening, but this is only the first step. The truly difficult step is entering a dialogue where one places one’s cherished story at risk—and these are stories that have been built up over the past 100 years, and, for that matter, the last 2000.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I believe that this might actually be what Klein Halevi is getting at. He is a man of facts and a truth teller. If anything, I would say this book is a goad of sorts to help Palestinians and Israelis rewrite their stories in a way that can incorporate hard truths. Klein Halevi is without a doubt a gifted story teller (check out Like Dreamers, a real tour de force) and he is able to present that truth in a compelling, and to my eyes, balanced manner.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">What I believe is most compelling about this book is Klein Halevi’s invitation for dialogue. What will ultimately lead to a lasting peace is not just our leaders meeting with each other, but individuals learning to sit down together face-to-face and no longer be strangers, but neighbors. Neighbors can have conflicting beliefs, but ultimately can reach an understanding when they become real to each other, each with his or her own story.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I hope and pray that the good Palestinian people can see, along with the good people of Israel, a common truth. I hope we all can internalize the truth conveyed in Klein Halevi’s book—not just hear a story. His message is too important to be cast “as a story we tell ourselves about who we think we are.”</span>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-86565184880722971322022-12-30T00:11:00.000-05:002022-12-30T00:11:09.108-05:00Micah Goodman’s Catch-67<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEV_PVcHmbaCWe99o-F12_c4C-QCmT5IS6vCI-26_o13bgvtr9j4NrThqbqMjiAqrmpOnPASy1GgcMY-NgGlaR-gcQ6Vs5HzKq7KhrdrCNAJokCJzMD_QBVcl4l5YCGz0WLQVC_T-IWFiwhDLey4EC89dMxCaBxi5zPOygYvJc5lcO-eKW75I/s1102/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-30%20at%207.10.13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="770" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEV_PVcHmbaCWe99o-F12_c4C-QCmT5IS6vCI-26_o13bgvtr9j4NrThqbqMjiAqrmpOnPASy1GgcMY-NgGlaR-gcQ6Vs5HzKq7KhrdrCNAJokCJzMD_QBVcl4l5YCGz0WLQVC_T-IWFiwhDLey4EC89dMxCaBxi5zPOygYvJc5lcO-eKW75I/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-30%20at%207.10.13.png" width="224" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Micah Goodman’s Catch-67 was my Tisha B’Av reading this year. I truly regret having put off reading it for as long as I have. If tribalism was one of the causes of the destruction of the Second Jewish Commonwealth as well as the sundering of the First into two kingdoms, then we’ve got a lot of work to do. Micah Goodman points out that the Medina was only formed because of Ben-Gurion’s willingness to compromise on some of his most cherished beliefs about what the character of Israel should be. Many of Israel’s political problems could be solved with a return to the pragmatic approach.</span></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">This book deals with the bitter argument between the left and the right regarding the land to the west of the Jordan River that was captured during the Six Day War in 1967. The reason why no progress can be made is because both sides have staked their identity on their chosen ideology. The way forward is to strip away the ideology and see the underlying arguments. Once the arguments of each side are laid bear, it can be seen how both sides are actually mired in a “catch”—both the left and the right’s solution to the problem enters them into another unsolvable problem (read the book for details).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Beyond showing the underlying arguments for each side, he offers two paths forward (again, read the book). The key is to not seek total solutions (which result in total problems), but instead to think pragmatically and find partial solutions.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I’m a bit late on reading this book and I haven’t yet read the reviews and analysis that came in its wake. I’m really not sure if this book had a positive impact. Either way, Micah Goodman deserves tremendous applause for a move in the right direction.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">To sum up the lessons of this book:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">when ideology becomes identity peace is unattainable</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">peace does not equal agreement</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">we must be able to make peace with ourselves before we can attain peace in the Middle East</span></li></ol>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-32766879955389371762022-12-13T09:23:00.001-05:002022-12-13T09:31:22.716-05:00Yosef's Imaginations and Thoughts<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1kNdS0t5MbtdiFVLcjy2VJAMcGoEcFuJdXNn_ETUvgOeKnaKmYo0mS8h8EsPZOtOO3Y2IsBw9tguOsDRzE1GA-6Z360GoI7gVwx8nLc24FpkisJNUFE8tdu-01K5iZtwkIUjLJboWcYuJK0Hhv7HnUqQyoQeeBRUl98TWGKBbDGlm2e6yUA/s1024/DALL%C2%B7E%202022-12-13%2016.14.31.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1kNdS0t5MbtdiFVLcjy2VJAMcGoEcFuJdXNn_ETUvgOeKnaKmYo0mS8h8EsPZOtOO3Y2IsBw9tguOsDRzE1GA-6Z360GoI7gVwx8nLc24FpkisJNUFE8tdu-01K5iZtwkIUjLJboWcYuJK0Hhv7HnUqQyoQeeBRUl98TWGKBbDGlm2e6yUA/s320/DALL%C2%B7E%202022-12-13%2016.14.31.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DALL-E prompt: king vs tyrant renaissance style</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"> </div><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-align: right; white-space: pre-wrap;">וַיֹּ֤אמְרוּ לוֹ֙ אֶחָ֔יו הֲמָלֹ֤ךְ תִּמְלֹךְ֙ עָלֵ֔ינוּ אִם־מָשׁ֥וֹל תִּמְשֹׁ֖ל בָּ֑נוּ וַיּוֹסִ֤פוּ עוֹד֙ שְׂנֹ֣א אֹת֔וֹ עַל־חֲלֹמֹתָ֖יו וְעַל־דְּבָרָֽיו׃ (בראשית לז:ח) </span></div><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-7e92b644-7fff-82e2-e1e2-82e63639eb8d"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His brothers said to him, will you really reign over us? Will you really rule upon us? And they continued to hate him more on account of his dreams and on account of his words.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why do the brothers make two statements that appear to be synonymous? Is there a difference between “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">will you really reign over us?” and “Will you really rule upon us?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Ramban presents the interpretations of Onkelos and Ibn Ezra:</span></p><p dir="rtl" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 36pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> המלוך תמלוך עלינו אם משול תמשול בנו – פירש ר' אברהם: אנחנו נשימך מלך עלינו, או אתה תמשול בנו בחזקה. ויותר נכון דעת אנקלוס, התהיה מלך עלינו או שלטון מושל בנו, כי לשניהם אדם משתחוה, לא יהיה לך עלינו לעולם לא מלכות ולא ממשלת.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SHALT THOU INDEED REIGN OVER US? OR SHALT THOU INDEED HAVE DOMINION OVER US? Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained: "Shall we voluntarily make you king over us, or will you rule over us by force?" The opinion of Onkelos appears to be more correct. He rendered it: "Shall you be king over us or some authority ruling us?" For people prostrate themselves before both. The verse thus means, "You will never be king or any kind of authority over us." (translated by Charles B. Chavel, Shilo Publishing House, (New York, 1971-1976) (CC BY 3.0), digitized by Sefaria)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ibn Ezra suggests that the first phrase was the brothers’ astonishment regarding the possibility that they would ever voluntarily submit to Yosef. The second phrase expressed their shock at the possibility that Yosef thought he might even rule over them by force. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Onkelos, on the other hand, says the brothers were expressing their incredulity that they would ever submit to Yosef–it was preposterous to think that he would be their king, as suggested by their first phrase, or any other kind of authority, as suggested by the second phrase.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ramban states his preference for Onkelos’ translation.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ramban, however, seems to have a different version of Onkelos. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our version </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">says: His brothers said to him, Do you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">imagine</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that you will reign over us? Or do you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">maintain/think</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that you will rule over us? They hated him even more because of his dreams and his words. (English translation retrieved from AlHaTorah.org with some changes) Onkelos, noticeably adds the word “imagine” to the first phrase and “maintain/think” to the second phrase.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With these additions, Onkelos can very easily be understood to be in consonance with the Ibn Ezra. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rabbi Isaiah Berlin also known as Rav Yeshaye Pick (1719-1799) in his Minei Targuma[1]</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, explains that Ibn Ezra and Onkelos are expressing the same idea. To imagine lacks certitude–Yosef can’t be sure the brothers will willingly submit themselves to him–does he imagine they will?! To maintain something (the word </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">savir</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in Aramaic is used to express a decisive thought) is to be decisive–meaning, was Yosef ready to make his dominance decisive by forcing the brothers to submit to his rule?![2]</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Based on Rabbi Berlin’s suggestion, I would like to suggest that according to Onkelos the brothers were not offering two logical possibilities. Rather, they were emotionally working through–or working up–what Yosef’s dream could mean. At first they thought he was making the laughable suggestion that they were going to make him their king. What a joker! What kind of imagination he must have! And then, like a slap in the face, they realized the true meaning might be much darker–perhaps his delusion was not regarding what the brothers would come to do–rather he decisively maintained that he would, indeed, rule them–by force if necessary. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The problem is that the brothers were interpreting through fear. They let their jealousy of Yosef lead their thoughts. They could only imagine the worst. They couldn’t entertain the possibility that Yosef’s dream might point to something more benevolent. All they could see was Yosef’s youthful arrogance and not his potential.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">_______________________________</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[1] </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=39943&st=&pgnum=10">https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=39943&st=&pgnum=10</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">[2] </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rabbi Berlin suggests that Ibn Ezra might have been compelled to give this explanation of the verse to make sense of the different prepositions used for each phrase, “Will you really reign over us (</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">aleinu</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)? Will you really rule upon us (</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">banu</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aleinu</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> implies by the brothers’ good graces. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Banu</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, on the other hand, implies by force.
The Daat Mikra cites the Vilna Gaon's interpretation that <i>malchut</i> in general implies rule by the will of the people and <i>moshail</i> in general implies rule by force. Additionally, the Vilna Gaon points out that only the first phrase starts with a <i>hey haTeima</i>--meaning they were truly astonished/astounded by the suggestion that they would willingly make him their king because they hate him! (Daat Mikra citing Kol Eliyahu, p. 8)</span></p></span>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-41296302577623072962022-08-19T09:17:00.002-04:002022-08-19T09:17:46.402-04:00Blessing and Waiting<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://altonbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/very-basic-bread.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="534" src="https://altonbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/very-basic-bread.jpeg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>This is a translation of the Dvar Torah from the previous post which was written in Hebrew. As it's a translation it doesn't sound quite right in English. There's a lot that really needs a more expanded treatment in English. Hopefully, I'll get to do that eventually.</p><p>The Parsha begins:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">And it shall be, the consequence (Eikev) of when you listen to these laws and keep and do them; Hashem, your G-d, will keep for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers.</p></blockquote><p>First of all, what is meant by the expression Eikev, which I have translated here as “consequence”? The Ibn Ezra explains that Eikev implies a reward that comes about in the end. Meaning, a reward that doesn’t come immediately, but only after the passage of time. That the reward does not come immediately is apparent from the utopian promises that one reads in the continuation of the Parasha—blessings of produce and progeny, and the complete removal of our enemies. These are blessings that, to our dismay, have still not fully materialized.</p><p>The question is, why? Why must it be that the reward for keeping the commandments will only come later—not immediately?</p><p>The Ralbag answers this question in his commentary to the second half of the verse. What does it mean when it says that “Hashem, your G-d, will keep (shamar) for you the covenant and kindness that he swore to your forefathers”? What is the meaning of “(shamar) keep”? According to the Ralbag, what’s implied by the word “keep” is to “wait.” Meaning, that as a reward for keeping the Torah, Hashem will wait to give the promised reward and keep it kept safe until the time that is most propitious. </p><p>Whenever the reward does come, there is a danger. With all the blessings of the land that they are coming to inherit and with all the success that is to follow, comes the chance of stumbling upon the thought that, “by my power and the strength of my hand this great success happened.” As the remedy to this danger Hashem gave us a powerful tool to combat this damaging thought—the mitzvah of Birkat Hamazon (Grace After Meals).</p><p>Seemingly, the mitzvah of Birkat Hamazon works as a reminder. We eat and we are satisfied and then we are commanded to remember the source of our blessing. In the Siddur of Rav Kook that his son, Rav Tzvi Yehuda edited, there is an amazing explanation of how the blessings of the Birkat Hamazon do not only remind us of the source of our blessing, but they also show the way to the fulfillment of the dream of Judaism as well as consolation for the disappointment we feel when that fulfillment is delayed. </p><p>I will do my best to summarize his comments with brevity. Rav Kook explains that in Judaism “the thread that weaves its way through all the paths of the Torah is the connection of the general to the particulars.” I believe what is meant is that the particulars—the more base and material things—are raised up to the general—to those matters that are more elevated and spiritual, which is the ultimate end. Like the ladder of Jacob, with its base on the ground and its top reaching up to the heavens.</p><p>How does this work in the case of Birkat Hamazon? Moshe instituted the first blessing when the manna fell for Bnei Yisrael. The primary goal in the giving of the manna (as well as the text of the first blessing) was to rectify their physical condition—to raise them up from the base animalistic pleasures to human beings who recognize the source of their blessing—“His great goodness.”</p><p>Yehoshua decreed the second blessing when they entered the Land. While the first blessing was centered on the sustenance of the individual body, the second blessing ascends one level to the sustenance of the “general body”—the nation—in the place where it can be sustained.</p><p>These first two blessings are like the first layer of bricks in a building. From here we ascend to the third blessing. David instituted the half of the blessing regarding “Israel your people and Jerusalem your city”—upon the founding of the city where the nation is joined together in its spiritual form. And Shlomo instituted the second half of the blessing “upon the great and holy Temple”—upon the building of the Temple wherein the highest goal of the nation is fulfilled—not only for them to know Hashem, but for all of the world, “so that all the nations of the earth know that Hashem is God, there is no other.”</p><p>Finally we get to the fourth blessing. “The good and the beneficient” was decreed in Yavneh, on account of the slain of Beitar—this, says Rav Kook, was instituted in opposition to the people becoming discouraged. How so? When a person compares our current lowly state with our lofty aspirations, discouragement is bound to follow.</p><p>“The good”—for they did not decompose; “the beneficient”—for they were given for burial.</p><p>When the hopes of the nation for national independence were lost with the conquering of Beitar, the forms of the slain were preserved—a sign to the generations that when we are downtrodden and without strength, there still remains within us our individual form.</p><p>And they were “given for burial”—a sign for the generations that we are confident that the spirit of our nation will be revived, similar to burial, which demonstrates that we have confidence in Hashem that He will preserve His faith to those who sleep in the dust when the dead are resurrected. </p><p>To summarize: when a person comes to sit at his table to eat and feels the satisfaction of the body, the Torah obligates one to contemplate one’s dependence on Hashem’s blessing. Then one ascends, level after level to see the fulfillment of the great mission of the nation—that all the nations of the world should know and bless the great name of G-d. And even though our hopes and dreams might only come to be fulfilled after an extended wait—Eikev—we should not be discouraged—for we are still capable and qualified, with G-d’s kindness, to give thanks to Hashem, who sustains the entire world with His goodness. This is both the start and the goal. As it is written at the end of the Hallel Hagadol:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>He gives bread to all flesh—for his kindness endures forever.</p><p>Praise the God of the Heavens—for His kindness endures forever.</p></blockquote><div><br /></div>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-55974519144836461472022-08-18T09:54:00.001-04:002022-08-18T14:41:34.113-04:00מברכים ומחכים<p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><br /></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/iAPb7Ytbr_eg57HxZXz87batDgg=/880x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__recipes__images__2014__08__20140810-workhorse-bread-vicky-wasik-3-3a86ee51da2e4a7b8239ceb62d8d8d17.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/iAPb7Ytbr_eg57HxZXz87batDgg=/880x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__recipes__images__2014__08__20140810-workhorse-bread-vicky-wasik-3-3a86ee51da2e4a7b8239ceb62d8d8d17.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">הפרשה פותחת: </p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">וְהָיָ֣ה׀ עֵ֣קֶב תִּשְׁמְע֗וּן אֵ֤ת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים֙ הָאֵ֔לֶּה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֥ם וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם </p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">וְשָׁמַר֩ ה׳ אֱ-לֹהֶ֜יךָ לְךָ֗ אֶֽת־הַבְּרִית֙ וְאֶת־הַחֶ֔סֶד אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖ע לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃</p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">קודם כל, מה פירוש עֵקֶב? </p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">האבן עזרא מסביר שלשון עֵקֶב הוא ״שכר באחרונה.״ זאת אומרת שכר שמגיע, לא מיד אלא אחרי זמן. שהשכר לא בא מיד מובן מההבטחות האוטופיות שקוראים בהמשך הפרשה—ברכות יבול ורחם, והסרה מוחלטת של שונאינו, וכו׳. אלו ברכות שלצערינו עוד לא התגשמו בִּמְלוֹאָם. </p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">השאלה, למה? למה עֵקֶב —באחרונה—ולא תיכף ומיד?</p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">הרלב״ג עונה על זה בביאורו לחלק השני של הפסוק. שמה זאת אומרת, ״וְשָׁמַר֩ ה׳ אֱ-לֹהֶ֜יךָ לְךָ֗ אֶֽת־הַבְּרִית֙ וְאֶת־הַחֶ֔סֶד אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖ע לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ״? מה המשמעות של ״וְשָׁמַר״? לדעת הרלב״ג, פירוש ״וְשָׁמַר״ הוא להמתין. זאת אומרת שבשכר קיום התורה, ה׳ ימתין/יחכה לתת השכר המובטח לבוא כתוצאה משמירת התורה שיהיה שמור אל העת היותר נאות.</p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">מתי שיבוא—יש סכנה. עם כל ברכות הארץ המשובחת שהם באים לרשת ועם כל ההצלחות האמורות לבא, בא מכשול המחשבה ש״כֹּחִי֙ וְעֹ֣צֶם יָדִ֔י עָ֥שָׂה לִ֖י אֶת־הַחַ֥יִל הַזֶּֽה״. לסכנה הזאת נתן לנו ה׳ תכסיס מאוד יעיל נגד המחשבה ההורסת הזו—מצות ברכת המזון.</p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">כמובן, מצות ברכת המזון עובד כמזכיר. אוכלים ושבעים, ואז צריכים לזכור מקור הברכה. בסידור של הרב קוק שהעריך בנו, הרב צבי יהודה, יש פירוש נפלא שמסביר איך הברכות של ברכת המזון לא רק מזכירים לנו על מקור הברכה אלא גם מורים דרך להתגשמות של חלום היהדות וגם נחמה על האכזבה בעיכוב ההגשמה.</p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">אני מנסה לסכם תמצית דבריו בקצרה. הרב מסביר שביהדות ״החוט החורז בכל דרכי התורה הוא קשר הכלל אל הפרטים״—זאת אומרת (אני חושב) שמהפרטים—דברים יותר בסיסיים וחומריים—עולים למעלה אל הכלל—דברים יותר נעלים רוחניים, שהם התכלית—כמו ״סולם המוצב ארצה וראשו מגיע השמימה.״ </p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">כיצד? משה רבינו תקן ״ברכת הזן״ בשעה שירד להם המן. המטרה הראשונה בנתינן המן ובנוסח הברכה היה לתקן את מצבם החומרי—להעלות אותם מגסות הנאות בהמיות לאנשים המכירים מקור הברכה—״טובו הגדול.״</p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">יהושע תקן ״ברכת הארץ״ כשנכנסו לארץ. ״ברכת הזן״ היה מרוכז על קיום הגוף הפרטי. ו״ברכת הארץ״ עולה מדרגה לקיום הגוף הכללי במקום שגוף הכלל—האומה—יכול להתקיים.</p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">אלו כמו הנדבך הראשון בבניין. מכאן עולים למעלה לברכה השלישית. ״דוד ושלמה תקנו ״בונה ירושלים״—דוד תקן ״על ישראל עמך ועל ירושלים עירך״—על כינון הבירה שמאגד את העם בצורתה הרוחנית. ושלמה תקן ״על הבית הגדול והקדוש״—על בנין הבית שבו מתגשם המטרה העליונה של האומה—לא רק ידיעתם את ה׳, אלא כל העולם, ״למען דעת כל עמי הארץ כי ד׳ הוא הא-לוהים אין עוד״. </p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">אז מגיעים לברכה הרביעית. ״הטוב והמטיב ביבנה תקנוה, כנגד הרוגי ביתר״—זה, אומר הרב, נתקן נגד התייאשות. איך? כשאדם עושה השוואה בין המטרה העליונה ומצבינו השפל עלול להתייאש. אז תקנו ״הטוב והמטיב.״ </p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">׳הטוב׳ - שלא הסריחו, ׳והמטיב׳ - שניתנו לקבורה. </p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">כשתקוות עם ישראל לעצמאות ממלכתית אבדו בכיבוש ביתר, נשמרה צורת ההרוגים—סימן לדורות כשאנו נדכאים ונטולי כח עוד נשאר בנו, בלשון הרב, ״צורתינו הפרטית.״ </p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">ו״ניתנו לקבורה״—סימן שאנו בטוחים בתחיית רוח האומה, דוגמת הקבורה המורה שאנו בטוחים שה׳ מקיים אמונתו לישני עפר בתחיית המתים.</p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">לסיכום: שכשאדם בא לשבת בשולחנו לאכול, ומרגיש שביעות הגוף, התורה מחייבו להתבונן בהתלותו בברכת ה׳. אז עולים מדרגה אחר מדרגה לראות ולהגשים את יעוד הגדול של האומה, שכל אומות העולם יידעו ויברכו את השם הגדול. ואע״פ שרק ״עֵקֶב״, אחרי זמן ממושך יתגשם ציפיתינו, אל לנו להתייאש—כי עוד אנחנו מסוגלים להודות לה׳ שזן את העולם כולו בטובו—וזה ההתחלה וגם המטרה. </p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">כמו שכתוב בסוף ההלל הגדול:</p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">נֹתֵ֣ן לֶ֭חֶם לְכָל־בָּשָׂ֑ר כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:</p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">ה֭וֹדוּ לְאֵ֣-ל הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ:</p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"> </p>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-51074433658065975022022-06-21T00:19:00.009-04:002022-06-21T02:03:34.281-04:00Reflections on Palmer's Hermeneutics, Part II: Torah as "Work" or Torah as "Object"<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://yehudathoughts.blogspot.com/2022/06/reflections-on-richard-e-palmers.html">Part I</a>.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Palmer sets up a dichotomy between text as “work” and text as “object.” There is a similar issue in the interpretation of the Torah. This issue is eloquently laid out by Mordechai Z. Cohen in his article, <a href="https://www.yutorah.org/_cdn/_shiurim/TU6_Cohen.pdf">“‘The Best of Poetry…’: Literary Approaches to the Bible in the Spanish Peshat Tradition”</a> (Torah U-Madda Journal, Vol. 6). Cohen opposes the Spanish tradition with the Midrashic. Namely, does the Torah “speak in the language of men” (the Spanish tradition) or not (the Midrashic tradition)? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Spanish tradition views the words as an outer shell that needs to be interpreted to bring out the inner core–the meaning. There is, however, an intrinsic connection between the outer shell and the inner core. The outer shell points to, in some way, what’s contained within. This view is beautifully summed up by the Rambam in his <a href="https://www.sefaria.org.il/Guide_for_the_Perplexed%2C_Introduction%2C_Prefatory_Remarks.10?lang=he&with=all&lang2=he">introduction to the Moreh HaNevuchim</a>, וצריך שיהיה בגלויו מה שיורה המתבונן על מה שבתוכו (There must be within the revealed that which directs those who contemplate it to what is within.) The various practitioners of the Spanish tradition more or less hewed to the Rambam’s approach. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Midrashic tradition views the words of the Torah as having an omnisignificance. Every word, even every letter, points to various meanings. At times those ideas only have a tenuous relationship to the actual semantics of the sentence. (These articles, by Y. Elman, are essential reading on the topic of omnisignificance in biblical interpretation, <a href="https://download.yutorah.org/TUJ/TU4_Elman.pdf">“‘It Is No Empty Thing’: Nahmanides and the Search for Omnisignificance”</a> and <a href="https://jewish-faculty.biu.ac.il/files/jewish-faculty/shared/JSIJ2/elman.pdf">“The Rebirth of Omnisigificant Biblical Exegesis”</a>)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">On some level, the Spanish approach corresponds with text as “work,” and the Midrashic with text as “object.” However, this is not entirely accurate. The Spanish tradition evinces more of a tension between Torah as object and Torah as work. </div><div style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the one hand the Spanish tradition believes that the text shares the characteristics of a human work of literature and, therefore, can apply methods one would apply to a human work. One can talk about the beauty of the work, the inclusion of words for the sake of aesthetic effect, extra words that are only there for their literary value, etc. On the other hand, the Spanish tradition views the Torah as “object”–one of God’s creations. As the Rambam writes in <a href="https://www.sefaria.org.il/Rambam_on_Mishnah_Sanhedrin.10.1.25?lang=he&with=all&lang2=he">the 8th principle in his Introduction to Chelek</a>:</span>
</div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> כל דבור ודבור מן התורה יש בהן חכמות ופלאים למי שמבין אותם ולא הושג תכלית חכמתם ארוכה מארץ מדה ורחבה מני ים ואין לאיש אלא להלך בעקבות דוד משיח אלהי יעקב שהתפלל גַּל עֵינַי וְאַבִּיטָה נִפְלָאוֹת מִתּוֹרָתֶךָ תהילים קי״ט:י״ח </span>
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every single statement in the Torah contains wisdoms and wonders from someone who contemplates them. The extent of their wisdom is longer in measure than the length of the earth and broader than the Sea. All a man can do is follow on the heels of David, the anointed one of the God of Jacob who prayed, “Expose my eyes that I may glimpse wonders from your Torah.” 119:18)
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></span></div>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-47537272027739881272022-06-10T04:28:00.008-04:002022-06-21T00:19:44.662-04:00Reflections on Richard E. Palmer's Hermeneutics Part 1<p> </p><span id="docs-internal-guid-929a9df5-7fff-ca46-c0e2-7dff78133713"><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZs-qLj9rXoQp0yhD2G_DeT_7jImK6CldvaX8yLFRpwwxUEjJs5f_fU-G6n-UnD9mnF0YozNoJW-nk-Lc3x_x9_YTF8jPEcT0JV_k3rc0enB9QE2b8-zaD5GSX39flqvjgcyyRML1sBkOKmD0aXxI1BDf-fQ3l6fCGT3oMxQgbxWN65_K_I4Y/s500/51d73N22zOL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="338" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZs-qLj9rXoQp0yhD2G_DeT_7jImK6CldvaX8yLFRpwwxUEjJs5f_fU-G6n-UnD9mnF0YozNoJW-nk-Lc3x_x9_YTF8jPEcT0JV_k3rc0enB9QE2b8-zaD5GSX39flqvjgcyyRML1sBkOKmD0aXxI1BDf-fQ3l6fCGT3oMxQgbxWN65_K_I4Y/s320/51d73N22zOL.jpg" width="216" /></a></div></span></h2><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hermeneutics</span></h2><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I went to Seattle University for my degree in psychology, I was introduced to Continental philosophy. I was most impressed by a field I had never heard of: hermeneutics. I had seen the 13 </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">midot</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of biblical legal exegesis translated as hermeneutics, and just thought it was a funny sounding word. It turns out that in 19th century Germany theologians’ original interest in the principles of biblical interpretation broadened to an interest in the principles of interpretation in general–they called this field of study hermeneutics. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After graduating I wanted to take a deeper dive into the world of hermeneutics and found a wealth of resources. My favorite was Hermeneutics: Interpretation Theory in Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Heidegger, and Gadamer, written by Richard E. Palmer in 1969 (My copy was the 8th printing, from 1988, so that gives you an idea how popular it was. According to Google Scholar it's been cited 4,348 times). </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think it’s been about 10 years since I first read the book and now I’ve decided to read it again. During my first read I kept thinking about all the meaningful connections that could be made to my learning of Torah and, for sure, my study of hermeneutics has impacted how I study and how I reflect on my studies. Now that I’m re-reading it I decided I would try to make some of those connections more explicit with brief summaries and personal reflections on major points in the book. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s my first reflection. I’ll start with the summary and next time I’ll give the reflection. </span></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Object” vs “Work”</span></h2><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the time Palmer wrote the book the prevailing method of interpretation in England and America fit into the framework of realism. In this framework the work is held as having a being in and of itself. The author’s intentions are beside the point. Subject and object are held strictly apart–the literary work must be held aloft and analyzed. Analysis is identical with interpretation.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Palmer bemoans this approach:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have forgotten that the literary work is not a manipulatable object completely at our disposal; it is a human voice out of the past, a voice which must somehow be brought to life. Dialogue, not dissection, opens up the world of a literary work. Disinterested objectivity is not appropriate to the understanding of a literary work. (p. 7)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Palmer goes on to give a helpful way of conceptualizing the two ways of approaching the written word: “object” vs “work.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Object” implies objectivity. “Object” comes from two Latin roots. “Ob” meaning "in front of, towards, against" and “iacere” meaning "to throw.” This can be opposed to “subject” which replaces “ob” with “sub” meaning under. (hat-tip to www.etymonline.com) (We’ll talk about the etymology of project and what the hermeneuticists (I think I made that word up) another time.) So a subject is that which is thrown under–or, that which is under the control of another. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The view of literature as “object” necessitates an obliteration of the subject. This obliteration is twofold–the author and the reader must be removed from the analysis to attain a true, or objective understanding of the text. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Work” returns the human subject to the text. A “work” is a human product and must be judged in that light. A “work” does not stand separate from its maker, nor from its receiver. Hermeneutics seeks to understand literature as a “work.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Palmer sums it up as follows:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Literary criticism needs to seek a “method” or “theory” specifically appropriate to deciphering the human imprint on a work, its “meaning.” This “deciphering” process, this “understanding” the meaning of a work, is the focus of hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the study of understanding, especially the task of understanding texts. Natural science has methods of understanding natural objects; “works” require a hermeneutic, a “science” of understanding appropriate to works as works. (p. 8)</span></p><br /></span>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-12651848652691498782022-06-10T04:19:00.005-04:002022-06-21T00:19:58.306-04:00Your wind, western front, aromatic: Translation of a poem by Yehuda HaLevi<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRd-wvgHIL-Dtrqj3y-VmRloF1Knxco41Y_CopMKEhkFPOKJRl07mBxNISbaps1mRgQ-2A6CvXkL4bLYpO_WxbhbnZ8wMTgFdvFtAHySv7I0XIEKdeG2YKQc64kn64OJCZRcAV6LFmeuqcuViNbAysAGknC8oXwu2u1vZ_3F95J7IGeWafUnQ/s2746/flying-carpet-Si1MFhSLNWY-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1831" data-original-width="2746" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRd-wvgHIL-Dtrqj3y-VmRloF1Knxco41Y_CopMKEhkFPOKJRl07mBxNISbaps1mRgQ-2A6CvXkL4bLYpO_WxbhbnZ8wMTgFdvFtAHySv7I0XIEKdeG2YKQc64kn64OJCZRcAV6LFmeuqcuViNbAysAGknC8oXwu2u1vZ_3F95J7IGeWafUnQ/w640-h426/flying-carpet-Si1MFhSLNWY-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@flying_carpet_tours?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Flying Carpet</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/license?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was the week before Shavuot in the year 4901 (May, 1141) when Yehuda Halevi boarded a ship headed for Israel, his final destination in life. He waited seven days aboard the boat for the winds to shift and send the boat on its way. Finally, on the eve of Shavuot the winds shifted and the boat made its departure on the first day of Shavuot (May 14, 1141). Moshe Gil and Ezra Fleischer surmise that he wrote the following poem while waiting for the winds to shift (Yehuda Halevi and His Circle, 2001, p. 251) </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-4e88a17d-7fff-15bc-9631-ceb6b8940b1a"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is my translation (followed by the Hebrew original):</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your wind, western front, aromatic–</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in its wings the aroma of balm and fragrant fruit</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sourced from the treasuries of perfumers, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">for you cannot be from the treasuries of the wind</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Murmurings of the wings of the sparrow call to me: freedom–</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">like pure myrrh from the bundle taken</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How the people long for you, whom, for your sake, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">they rode on the back of the sea on a meager raft</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let not your hand slacken from this craft, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">as the day encamps and dissipates</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let the depth spread out, split the heart of the sea and reach the holy mountains–</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and there take rest</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Give rebuke in the east–give storm to the sea until–</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the heart of the sea stirs like a boiling cauldron</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What shall a prisoner in the hand of the Rock do, who is–</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">at once detained, the next moment delivered</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For certain, the secret of my wish is in the hand of the Most High, and He–</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is Maker of the highest mountains, Creator of the wind</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">זֶה רוּחֲךָ צַד מַעֲרָב רָקוּחַ</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">הַנֵּרְדְּ בִּכְנָפָיו וְהַתַּפּוּחַ</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">מֵאוֹצְרוֹת הָרֹכְלִים מוֹצָאֲךָ</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">כִּי אֵינְךָ מֵאוֹצְרוֹת הָרוּחַ</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">כַּנְפֵי דְּרוֹר תָּנִיף וַתִּקְרָא לִי דְרוֹר</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">וּכְמָר-דְּרוֹר מִן הַצְּרוֹר לָקוּחַ</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">מַה-נִּכְסְפוּ לָךְ עָם אֲשֶׁר בִּגְלָלְךָ</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">רָכְבוּ בְגַב יָם עֲלֵי גַּב-לוּחַ</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">אַל נָא תְרַפֶּה יָדְךָ מִן הָאֳנִי</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">כִּי יַחֲנֶה הַיּוֹם וְכִי יָפוּחַ</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">וּרְקַע תְּהוֹם וּקְרַע לְבַב יַמִּים, וְגַע</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">אֶל הַרְרֵי קֹדֶשׁ וְשָׁם תָּנוּחַ</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">וּגְעַר בְּקָדִים הַמְסָעֵר יָם עֲדֵי</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">יָשִׂים לְבַב הַיָּם כְּסִיר נָפוּחַ</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">מַה יַעֲשֶׂה אָסוּר בְּיַד הַצּוּר אֲשֶׁר</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">פַּעַם יְהִי עָצוּר וְעֵת שָׁלוּחַ</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">אַךְ סוֹד שְׁאֵלָתִי בְּיַד מָרוֹם, וְהוּא</span></p><br /><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">יוֹצֵר מְרוֹם הָרִים וּבוֹרֵא רוּחַ.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-90803618061497011562021-10-21T07:24:00.001-04:002022-11-11T03:46:48.516-05:00Vayera: Parent-Child Relationship is the Secret of Judaism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://img.jakpost.net/c/2016/11/02/2016_11_02_15139_1478060911._large.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="800" height="535" src="https://img.jakpost.net/c/2016/11/02/2016_11_02_15139_1478060911._large.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>In this week’s parasha, Hashem plans to destroy the wicked city of Sedom and asks, “Shall I conceal from Avraham what I am doing?”</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p> “Avraham will surely be a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him. And they will keep the way of the L-rd to act with righteousness and justice, so that Hashem will bring upon Avraham that which He said about him.”</p><p>“ויגש אברהם”—“And Avraham approached and said, "Will You even destroy the righteous with the wicked? Perhaps there are fifty righteous men in the midst of the city; will You even destroy and not forgive the place for the sake of the fifty righteous men who are in its midst? Far be it from You to do a thing such as this, to put to death the righteous with the wicked so that the righteous should be like the wicked. Far be it from You! Will the Judge of the entire earth not perform justice?" </p></blockquote><p>Avraham’s tone is shocking. “Far be it from You to do a thing such as this!” “Will the Judge of the entire earth not perform justice?” Who is Avraham to hold Hashem to a higher standard? </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>Hashem assures Avraham that, no, He will not destroy the city for the sake of the 50. At this point, Avraham’s tone shifts: “Behold now I have begun to speak to the L-rd, and I am dust and ashes. Perhaps the fifty righteous men will be missing five. Will You destroy the entire city because of five?" And He said, "I will not destroy if I find there forty-five." </p><p>Avraham proceeds to ask: “What about 40, 30, 20, 10?” All to which Hashem answers in the affirmative, until finally: “I will not destroy for the sake of the 10.”</p></blockquote><p>What can explain Avraham’s shift in tone from combative to plaintive? From demanding that Hashem act justly to recoiling as an earthly being made of dust and ashes!</p><p>I believe this comes down to our dual relationship with Hashem. On the one hand, Hashem is our companion—He guides us, provides for us and cares for us. On the other hand, Hashem is our King—we don’t understand everything Hashem does—especially in the face of tragedy and loss. At times, His ways are entirely obscure and hidden, as if behind a thick veil.</p><p>These are two relationships that, for the most of us, are kept separate. At times we feel Hashem’s gentle and loving guidance. At other times His distance. When we are given the gift of a child, Hashem’s love is overwhelming. When a loved one is taken from us we feel Hashem’s distance—all we can do is מצדיק את הדין—say that Hashem acts with justice. We have no position of intimacy to ask: why? We simply must accept.</p><p>For Avraham, at this moment, the two relationships became mixed. The King of Justice—the Almighty at His most removed—chose to lift the curtain of concealment and intimately engage Avraham in the workings of His court. </p><p>Now, Avraham—Hashem’s beloved—has been given permit to ask the question that so often burns in our hearts, but our mouths cannot utter: if Hashem is just, why is there injustice?</p><p>Though Avraham was invited to take such a bold stance, he cannot help but recoil and be shocked at himself, a lowly creature of dust and ashes, and completely shift his tone. However, that doesn’t stop his inquiry. He continued to seek and probe until he found the precise answer to his question: תכלס, how many people are we talking about?</p><p>But why does Hashem offer this invitation?</p><p>I believe a re-reading of the verses I cited previously reveals the answer.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>“Shall I conceal from Avraham what I am doing?”</p><p>“Avraham will surely be a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. For I know him, <i><b>that he will command his children and his household after him</b></i>. And they will keep the way of Hashem to act with righteousness and justice, so that Hashem will bring upon Avraham that which He said about him.”</p></blockquote><p>Avraham is going to be a father—through his leadership and instruction of his children and household he lays the path for the future. </p><p>Interestingly, Rambam finds in this verse the source for the commandment to imitate Hashem—to follow, the middle-path:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Since the Creator is called by these terms and they make up the middle path which we are obligated to follow, this path is called "the path of Hashem." This is what Avraham, our Father, taught his children, as it says: "for I have known Him so that he will command his children...to keep the path of Hashem." <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">One who follows this path brings benefit and blessing to himself, as it says: "so that Hashem will bring about for Avraham all that He promised."</p></blockquote><p>I would humbly suggest that Hashem was not only teaching Avraham the content of justice, but was also—following this same principle of imitation—modeling the kind of relationship he must have with his child. A relationship in which distance is always overcome by a warm embrace—in which strict justice and rules are always tempered by deep love and care. </p><p>Avraham’s journey began with a rupture—a separation from his father. He could not fulfill his destiny in the house of his father. With Avraham, a new model was established—the future of the nation would be dependent on parent-child relationship. Indeed, this is the secret of Judaism.</p><p></p>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-17914375714692675632021-03-26T04:38:00.001-04:002021-03-26T07:38:03.593-04:00Speaking of Great Things: Redux<p dir="rtl" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.israelhayom.co.il/sites/default/files/styles/566x349/public/images/articles/2013/03/20/13637377200215_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="566" src="https://www.israelhayom.co.il/sites/default/files/styles/566x349/public/images/articles/2013/03/20/13637377200215_b.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><blockquote><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">שִׁמְעוּ, כִּי-נְגִידִים אֲדַבֵּר; וּמִפְתַּח שְׂפָתַי, מֵישָׁרִים. (משלי ח:ו)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Listen, for I will speak noble things, and the opening of my lips shall be right things. (Mishlei 8:6)</span></p><p></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: arial;">In this short essay I will present an approach to understanding the mitzvah of telling the story of the Exodus based on the Rambam’s presentation in the Mishneh Torah. I wrote this a few years ago and recently made some significant changes.</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">From Denigration to Praise</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Our Rabbis tell us that we must tell the story of Pesach in a peculiar manner:</span></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><blockquote><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;">וְצָרִיךְ לְהַתְחִיל בִּגְנוּת, וּלְסַיַּם בִּשְׁבָח.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It is necessary to begin with denigration and end with praise.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Here’s how Rambam explains this obligation:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"></p><blockquote><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;">כֵּיצַד: מַתְחִיל וּמְסַפֵּר שֶׁבַּתְּחִלָּה הָיוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בִּימֵי תֶּרַח וּמִלְּפָנָיו, כּוֹפְרִים וְטוֹעִין אַחֲרֵי הַהֶבֶל וְרוֹדְפִין עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה; וּמְסַיֵּם בְּדַת הָאֱמֶת, שֶׁקֵּרְבָנוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לָהּ, וְהִבְדִּילָנוּ מִן הַתּוֹעִים, וְקֵרְבָנוּ לְיֵחוּדוֹ. וְכֵן מַתְחִיל וּמוֹדִיעַ שֶׁעֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרַיִם, וְכָל הָרָעָה שֶׁגְּמָלוּנוּ; וּמְסַיֵּם בְּנִסִּים וְנִפְלָאוֹת שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ לָנוּ, וּבְחֵרוּתֵנוּ.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">How [does one begin with scorn and end with praise]? Begin and tell that originally our forefathers in the days of Terach and before him were heretics and were swayed after vanity and chased after idolatry; and conclude with the true religion - that the Holy One Blessed is He brought us close to Him and separated us from the wayward and brought us close to His Unity.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And also, begin and inform that we were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and all the evil he caused us; and conclude with the miracles and wonders that were done for us and with our freedom.</span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I would like to make a surprising suggestion. Specifically, that a comparison of this halakha along with a few other halakhot concerning the obligation to tell the story of the Exodus with the halakhot of lashon hara (slander) reveals some compelling insights. Rambam’s formulation of these two, quite different areas of law have deep connections in both content and terminology.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Lashon Hara at the Seder</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Here’s how Rambam defines lashon hara:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"></p><blockquote><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;">יֵשׁ עָווֹן גָּדוֹל מִזֶּה עַד מְאוֹד וְהוּא בִּכְלַל לָאו זֶה, וְהוּא לָשׁוֹן הָרַע; וְהוּא הַמְּסַפֵּר בִּגְנוּת חֲבֵרוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאָמַר אֱמֶת.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There is an much greater sin than this [gossiping] … : lashon hara, slanderous speech. It is [defined as] one who tells/relates the scorn of his fellow, even if he says the truth.</span></p></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Starting with the most obvious comparison, Rambam refers to both lashon hara and the mitzvah of telling the story of the Exodus as a kind of sippur, story telling. He also uses the word גְנוּת (denigration) in both halakhot.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It sounds as if the Rambam is telling us that the story of the Exodus must begin with lashon hara. It’s hard to escape this conclusion. How else should we consider describing our ancestors as idolaters, heretics and slaves? We are commanded to begin the story in exactly the manner that Rambam defines lashon hara—a telling of a story about the scorn of his fellow. In the following, I will attempt to address this troubling problem.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Stories of Wonder—Stories that Make you Wonder</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Let’s continue with the next halakha in the Mishneh Torah regarding lashon hara:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"></p><blockquote><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;">אֲבָל בַּעַל לָשׁוֹן הָרָע זֶה שֶׁיּוֹשֵׁב וְאוֹמֵר ׳כָּךְ וְכָךְ עָשָׂה פְּלוֹנִי׳, וְ׳כָךְ וְכָךְ הָיוּ אֲבוֹתָיו׳, וְ׳כָךְ וְכָךְ שָׁמַעְתִּי עָלָיו׳, וְאוֹמֵר דְּבָרִים שֶׁלִּגְנַאי - עַל זֶה הַכָּתוּב אוֹמֵר: ״יַכְרֵת יי כָּל שִׂפְתֵי חֲלָקוֹת, לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת <b>גְּדֹלוֹת</b>״ (תהלים יב,ד).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">However, this slanderer sits and says, “this is what so-and-so did,” “this is how his ancestors were,” “this is what I heard about him,” and says scornful words—concerning this individual the verse says, “May God cut off all smooth lips, the tongue that speaks <b>great/big things.</b>” </span></p></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The verse quoted from Tehillim describes the slanderer as a מדברת גדולות, a speaker of great/big things. The slanderer makes big claims, he makes big promises, he presents himself as big and powerful. In the next halakha Rambam cites the next verse in Tehillim. Here he makes clear that the slanderer’s defect is not just on the interpersonal level: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"></p><blockquote><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;">וְעוֹד אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים: כָּל הַמְּסַפֵּר בְּלָשׁוֹן הָרַע, כְּאִלּוּ כָּפַר בָּעִקָּר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ לִלְשֹׁנֵנוּ נַגְבִּיר, שְׂפָתֵינוּ אִתָּנוּ, מִי אָדוֹן לָנוּ?״</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Furthermore, the sages say, anyone who relates slanderous speech, it is as if he denies the most fundamental principles of the Torah. As it says, “Who said, ‘With our tongue we will overpower; our lips are with us. Who is lord over us?’”</span></p></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This description of the slanderer as a speaker of “big things” is picked up in Rambam’s long exposition regarding the evils of slanderous speech at the end of the laws of tzaraat. In his description of the lesson one should learn from Miriam’s tzaraat, the resonance with the halakhot of sippur yetziat Mitzrayim comes out. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"></p><blockquote><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;">וְעַל עִנְיָן זֶה מַזְהִיר בַּתּוֹרָה וְאוֹמֵר (דברים כ״ד:ח׳) הִשָּׁמֶר בְּנֶגַע הַצָּרַעַת (דברים כ״ד:ט׳) זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְמִרְיָם בַּדֶּרֶךְ. הֲרֵי הוּא אוֹמֵר הִתְבּוֹנְנוּ מָה אֵרַע לְמִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה שֶׁדִּבְּרָה בְּאָחִיהָ שֶׁהָיְתָה גְּדוֹלָה מִמֶּנּוּ בְּשָׁנִים וְגִּדְלַתּוּ עַל בִּרְכֶּיהָ וְסִכְּנָה בְּעַצְמָהּ לְהַצִּילוֹ מִן הַיָּם וְהִיא לֹא דִּבְּרָה בִּגְנוּתוֹ אֶלָּא טָעֲתָה שֶׁהִשְׁוַתּוּ לִשְׁאָר נְבִיאִים וְהוּא לֹא הִקְפִּיד עַל כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלּוּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר י״ב:ג׳) וְהָאִישׁ משֶׁה עָנָו מְאֹד וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן מִיָּד נֶעֶנְשָׁה בְּצָרַעַת. קַל וָחֹמֶר לִבְנֵי אָדָם הָרְשָׁעִים הַטִּפְּשִׁים שֶׁמַּרְבִּים לְדַבֵּר<b> גְּדוֹלוֹת וְנִפְלָאוֹת</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Concerning this matter [lashon hara] the Torah says, “Take guard regarding the tzaraat affliction,” “remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on the way.” It is saying to deeply contemplate what occurred to Miriam the prophetess who spoke against her brother. She, who was greater than him in years, raised him on her lap, risked her life for him to save him from the Sea. And she didn’t speak about his scorn, rather, she made a mistake and compared him to other prophets. And he was in no way mindful of these things, as it says, “and the man Moshe was very humble.” Even so, she was immediately punished with tzaraat. </span></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">All the more so, evil, foolish people who <b>excessively speak </b>about <b>big/great and wondrous things.</b></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Tellingly, Rambam adds the word נפלאות/wonders to his description. While the m'sapeir lashon hara in his foolishness speaks excessively about what he considers to be great and wondrous, the m'sapeir b'y'tziat Mitzrayim is commanded to expand upon the truly wondrous and great deeds of the Almighty (Hilkhot Chametz uMatza chapter 7):</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"></p><blockquote><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;">מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁלַּתּוֹרָה לְסַפַּר בְּנִסִּים <b>וְנִפְלָאוֹת</b> שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְּמִצְרַיִם</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It is a positive commandment from the Torah to tell of the miracles and <b>wonders </b>that were done for our forefathers in Egypt.</span></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;">כָל <b>הַמַּאֲרִיךְ</b> בַּדְּבָרִים שֶׁאֵרְעוּ וְשֶׁהָיוּ, הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Anyone who <b>expands</b> upon the matters that happened and that were - this is praiseworthy.</span></p></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">At this point, one significant difference emerges between the scorn we are required to speak on the night of Pesach and the scorn of the slanderer. When it comes to describing the miracles and wonders of the Exodus we are adjured to speak at great length, when it comes to describing the scorn of our ancestors there is no such imperative (and it would probably be prohibited). The slanderer views the mundane scorn of his fellow man as that which is great and wondrous. The teller of the story of the Exodus has no such delusion. Only the works of God are worthy of expansive description—only God’s deeds are truly great and wondrous.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">I Am the Lord!</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">All of this begs the question: even without being expansive, why begin with scorn at all? Why not skip over the lashon hara and launch into what Rambam himself defines as the essential mitzvah: telling of the miracles and wonders done for our forefathers in Egypt!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I believe only one thing can explain this strange halakha. The purpose of Sippur Y'tziat Mitzrayim is exclusively the knowledge of God.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"></p><blockquote><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;">וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, בֹּא אֶל-פַּרְעֹה: כִּי-אֲנִי הִכְבַּדְתִּי אֶת-לִבּוֹ, וְאֶת-לֵב עֲבָדָיו, לְמַעַן שִׁתִי אֹתֹתַי אֵלֶּה, בְּקִרְבּוֹ. וּלְמַעַן תְּסַפֵּר בְּאָזְנֵי בִנְךָ וּבֶן-בִּנְךָ, אֵת אֲשֶׁר הִתְעַלַּלְתִּי בְּמִצְרַיִם, וְאֶת-אֹתֹתַי, אֲשֶׁר-שַׂמְתִּי בָם; <b>וִידַעְתֶּם, כִּי-אֲנִי יְהוָה</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">God said to Moses, 'Come to Pharaoh, for I have made heavy his heart and the heart of his servants, in order that I would be able to place these, My signs in his midst. And in order that you tell it in the ears of your children and grandchildren how I made a mockery out of Egypt, and My signs that I placed on them. And you will <b>know that I am God.'</b></span></p></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We must engage in scorn because to do otherwise would be too great a risk. We must tell the story in this manner because on this night we cannot let anything distract us from recognizing God's greatness. We must make a clear declaration that we were nothing—we were idolater, heretics and slave—we had no role in our redemption. On the night of Pesach we must realize that God alone redeemed us. The exclusivity of God’s redemptive power is the apex of the Haggadah.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"></p><blockquote><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;">ויוציאנו ה', ממצריים--לא על ידי מלאך, לא על ידי שרף, לא על ידי שליח, אלא הקדוש ברוך הוא בכבודו: כמו שנאמר "ועברתי בארץ מצריים, בלילה הזה, והכיתי כל בכור בארץ מצריים, מאדם ועד בהמה; ובכל אלוהי מצריים אעשה שפטים, אני ה'" (שמות יב,יב).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And the Lord took us out from Egypt—not through an angel, not through a saraf, not through a messenger, rather, the Holy One, blessed is He, in His glory. As it says, “And I passed through the land of Egypt on this night, and struck every first-born in the land of Egypt, from man to beast, and against all the gods of Egypt I wrought justice, <b>I am the Lord</b>.</span></p></blockquote><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Then those who fear God conversed… and God listened and Paid Heed</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally, I believe the very structure of the Haggadah and the meal enables the use of scorn as a means to an end. Everything is structured and directed to an enlightening purpose. The slippery slope described in great detail by Rambam at the end of the laws of tzaraat depicts the exact inverse of the intended outcome of sippur yetziat Mitzrayim:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"></p><blockquote><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;">לְפִיכָךְ רָאוּי לְמִי שֶׁרוֹצֶה לְכַוֵּן אָרְחוֹתָיו לְהִתְרַחֵק מִישִׁיבָתָן וּמִלְּדַבֵּר עִמָּהֶן כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִתָּפֵס אָדָם בְּרֶשֶׁת רְשָׁעִים וְסִכְלוּתָם. </span></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;">וְזֶה דֶּרֶךְ יְשִׁיבַת הַלֵּצִים הָרְשָׁעִים בַּתְּחִלָּה מַרְבִּין בְּדִבְרֵי הֲבַאי כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (קהלת ה׳:ב׳) וְקוֹל כְּסִיל בְּרֹב דְּבָרִים. וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ בָּאִין לְסַפֵּר בִּגְנוּת הַצַּדִּיקִים כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים ל״א:י״ט) תֵּאָלַמְנָה שִׂפְתֵי שָׁקֶר הַדֹּבְרוֹת עַל צַדִּיק עָתָק. וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ יִהְיֶה לָהֶן הֶרְגֵּל לְדַבֵּר בַּנְּבִיאִים וְלָתֵת דֹּפִי בְּדִבְרֵיהֶם כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברי הימים ב ל״ו:ט״ז) וַיִּהְיוּ מַלְעִבִים בְּמַלְאֲכֵי הָאֱלֹהִים וּבוֹזִים דְּבָרָיו וּמִתַּעְתְּעִים בִּנְבִאָיו.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></p></blockquote><blockquote><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;">וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ בָּאִין לְדַבֵּר בֵּאלֹהִים וְכוֹפְרִין בָּעִקָּר כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלכים ב י״ז:ט׳) וַיְחַפְּאוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא כֵן עַל ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיהֶם. וַהֲרֵי הוּא אוֹמֵר (תהילים ע״ג:ט׳) שַׁתּוּ בַשָּׁמַיִם פִּיהֶם וּלְשׁוֹנָם תִּהֲלַךְ בָּאָרֶץ מִי גָּרַם לָהֶם לָשִׁית בַּשָּׁמַיִם פִּיהֶם לְשׁוֹנָם שֶׁהָלְכָה תְּחִלָּה בָּאָרֶץ. זוֹ הִיא שִׂיחַת הָרְשָׁעִים שֶׁגּוֹרֶמֶת לָהֶן יְשִׁיבַת קְרָנוֹת וִישִׁיבַת כְּנֵסִיּוֹת שֶׁל עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ וִישִׁיבַת בָּתֵּי מִשְׁתָּאוֹת עִם שׁוֹתֵי שֵׁכָר. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Therefore a person who seeks to structure his course of conduct should distance himself from their gatherings and from speaking to them so that he will not become caught up in the web of their wickedness and foolishness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the path followed by the gathering of wicked fools: In the beginning, they speak excessively about empty matters, as Ecclesiastes 5:2 states: "The talk of a fool is characterized by a multitude of words." As a result of this, they come to speak negatively of the righteous, as reflected by the verse Psalms 31:19: "May the lying lips be silenced; those which speak falsehood about a righteous man." As a consequence, they will become accustomed to speaking against the prophets and casting aspersions on their words, as reflected by the verse II Chronicles 36:16: "They would abuse the messengers of God, scorn His words, and mock His prophets." And this would lead them to deny God's existence entirely, as reflected in the verse II Kings 17:9: <b>"And the children of Israel spoke in secret things that were not true against God, their Lord."</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In this vein, Psalms 73:9 states: "They set their mouths against Heaven and their tongues strut on earth." What caused them to "set their mouths against Heaven"? Their tongues which previously were given free reign on earth. This is the speech of the wicked that is caused by loitering on the streetcorners, frequenting the assemblies of commoners, and spending time at the parties of drunkards.</span></p></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Rambam concludes the halakhot of tzaraat with a description of the proper path:</span></p><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"></p><blockquote><p dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;">אֲבָל שִׂיחַת כְּשֵׁרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵינָהּ אֶלָּא בְּדִבְרֵי תּוֹרָה וְחָכְמָה. לְפִיכָךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹזֵר עַל יָדָן וּמְזַכֶּה אוֹתָן בָּהּ. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלאכי ג׳:ט״ז) <b>אָז נִדְבְּרוּ יִרְאֵי ה׳ אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ </b>וַיַּקְשֵׁב ה׳ וַיִּשְׁמָע וַיִּכָּתֵב סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹן לְפָנָיו לְיִרְאֵי ה׳ וּלְחשְׁבֵי שְׁמוֹ:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In contrast, the conversing of the legitimate (kasher) of Israel only concerns words of Torah and wisdom. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, assists them and grants them merit because of it, as Malachi 3:16 states: <b>"Then those who fear God conversed, each person with his fellow and God listened and paid heed.</b> And a book of remembrance was composed before Him for those who fear God and contemplate His name."</span></p></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Speaking of B'nei Yisrael's scorn is only meant as a means to recognizing and praising God. On the night of Pesach we converse with each other about God and nothing else. He alone is our focus. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-30652946302648966412021-03-18T23:55:00.006-04:002021-03-18T23:58:35.498-04:00 Tasty Mitzvot : Chametz, Honey and Salt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdog9_NIbbHvqjSgxzl_3pZnVhPIiPD0hxSchFcW6JuWsq4kKqlZIJkuT1j8RP41ViwcbdE9OF8f2_qEsdhD0q9TYeOeJz2OLJsDxaj92BaGDq2Y6sJo34DtrEBZtGoYeV6O-dtQ/s580/macrina_honey-volkhorn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="580" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdog9_NIbbHvqjSgxzl_3pZnVhPIiPD0hxSchFcW6JuWsq4kKqlZIJkuT1j8RP41ViwcbdE9OF8f2_qEsdhD0q9TYeOeJz2OLJsDxaj92BaGDq2Y6sJo34DtrEBZtGoYeV6O-dtQ/w640-h640/macrina_honey-volkhorn.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The following is a reworking of a piece I wrote a number of years ago.</p><p><b>Chametz & Honey: No. Salt: Yes</b></p><p>The entire second perek of Sefer Vayikra discusses the laws of menachot, flour offerings. In verses 11 through 13 the Torah presents some general halachot of menachot. </p><p>The following is a summary of the mitzvot the Rabbis derive from these verses:</p><p>Negative:</p>1) No offerings may be chametz (leavened).<br /><p style="text-align: left;">2) No offerings may be brought with fruit-honey.</p><p>Positive:</p><p style="text-align: left;">1) Every korban must be offered with salt.</p><p><b>The Rambam's Reason</b></p><p>What is the reason for these commandments? The Rambam maintains that the ta'am, reason, for most of the practices associated with korbanot, as well as many other mitzvot, is the Torah's desire to distance us from the practices of the idolaters. In the Moreh Nevuchim (III:46) he explains that the idolaters would use chametz and fruit-honey in their offerings to their gods. We do not do so because we wish to distance ourselves from their practices. Additionally, the Rambam explains, this is why korbanot (Vayikra 2:13) must be offered with salt: because the idolaters never used salt.</p><p>The Rambam’s explanation begs the question: why? Why did the idolaters use chametz and honey? And why did the idolaters never use salt?</p><p><b>The Ralbag's "Reason"</b></p><p>The Ralbag writes in his "To’elot" (meaning, lessons/benefits—in which he explains the lessons of each section of the Chumash) that he agrees with the ta'am given by the Rambam, but he has more to say. I will paraphrase the Ralbag's comments: </p><p style="text-align: left;">The ancients (before the Torah was given) believed that nature was random and they did not recognize that there is a Creator and everything has a cause. Because of this belief they thought that the products of their own craft were greater than anything in the natural world. Chametz and fruit-honey are artificial—they do not occur naturally. The Torah wants us to bring korbanot from our best products. Therefore, the Torah prohibits these artificial products to emphasize the superiority of the natural products of Hashem's Creation.</p><p>Let me risk elaborating: the idolater serves his god as a means to furthering his own designs, dreams and aspirations. He hopes that by currying favor with his god he will gain success. Sacrifice, for an idolater, is an opportunity to impress his deity—so of course he gives what he believes is the most impressive fruits of his labor (man-made products). But Hashem is not impressed by our gifts. The Torah’s vision of sacrifice has the exact opposite intention—the offering of korbanot is an opportunity to submit oneself to Hashem and marvel at the beauty of His Creation. </p><p><b><i>The </i>Reason VS <i>A </i>Reason</b></p><p>According to Rambam and Ralbag (amongst many other Chakhamim, too numerous to list) when the Sages offer ta'amim for the chukei haTorah they are not attempting to give <b>the</b> reason for the mitzvah they are only attempting to give <b>a</b> reason. And many of these Sages believe that it is not just acceptable but fitting that we seek these reasons. As the Rambam writes at the end of Hilchot Temura: </p><p style="text-align: left;">Even though all the chukei haTorah [the korbanot are chukim] are g'zeirot (decrees)—as we explained at the end of Hilchot Me’ilah—it is fitting (ראוי) that we contemplate them. And for whatever you are able to give a ta'am (reason), give it a ta’am (reason)!</p><p><b>The "Reason" for Salt</b></p><p>This actually fits perfectly with the Ralbag’s explanation for why all korbanot had to be brought with salt. Here’s my translation/paraphrase of the Ralbag:</p><p style="text-align: left;">I think that there is a special benefit/lesson for the command to bring salt with all korbanot. Since salt prevents the decay/rotting that would occur as a result of all the flesh and fat and other things that were burned there. Additionally, this indicates that <b>nothing in the sacrifices was without reason</b> (ta’am). This metaphor can be seen in the book of Iyov in reference to things that his friends say that don’t have reason (ta’am) [that don’t make sense], “Shall bland food be eaten without salt!?” (Iyov 6:6) </p><p>To say it in my own words: flavor/salt is a metaphor for reason. The command to bring salt with all korbanot is meant to teach us that all the details of the korbanot have a reason. This works especially well in Hebrew because טעם means both flavor and reason.</p><p><b>In summary: </b></p><p>1. Not using honey and chametz teaches us that the korbanot are not meant to impress Hashem, they are to help us be impressed with Him. </p><p>2. Using salt teaches us that every detail of the korbanot has a reason.</p>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-62627171504995329582021-02-25T06:22:00.002-05:002021-02-25T06:22:37.866-05:00Rambam's Sefer Zemanim: Between Sorrow and Joy, Exile and Redemption<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Arch_of_Titus_Menorah.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="800" height="357" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Arch_of_Titus_Menorah.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">This article/essay discusses the larger theme of Sefer Zemanim and the special place of the laws of fasting in that book. It's also more technical than most of my writing, but I think it's worth a read.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hopefully it will give you a deeper insight into the expression: חגים וזמנים לששון</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's too long and has too many footnotes for a blog post so here's a link to a pdf: <a href="https://pdfhost.io/edit?doc=9b721fab-0e59-4717-8305-8e1ee1275325">Rambam's Sefer Zemanim: Between Sorrow and Joy, Exile and Redemption</a></span></p><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 16px;"></span><br />Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-15149904478695982462021-02-25T03:25:00.006-05:002021-02-25T06:04:20.054-05:00Shekalim: Between Exile and Redemption<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iEwDdAgAlT-ake0kZqP3XcgNS7Sm-8ZOiitPhccaSbUTNi_9A-DjxOpamiKOSRaf9QYzsxyxJ_ShOvPf3eBD8A4Af_yUzuLwooEy9jT0LTiTcnJcRZg5FffaRvYEAtg8BVBg6g/s250/shekalim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="122" data-original-width="250" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iEwDdAgAlT-ake0kZqP3XcgNS7Sm-8ZOiitPhccaSbUTNi_9A-DjxOpamiKOSRaf9QYzsxyxJ_ShOvPf3eBD8A4Af_yUzuLwooEy9jT0LTiTcnJcRZg5FffaRvYEAtg8BVBg6g/w640-h312/shekalim.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><a href="https://pdfhost.io/edit?doc=d32edbf4-db4e-4099-842a-1c1ac212c70e" target="_blank">PDF version of this article.</a></p><p><b>Introduction</b></p><p>Many have pointed out that Hilkhot Shekalim, focused on the mitzvah of collecting the half-shekel tax to fill the coffers of the Temple, seems completely out of place in Rambam’s Sefer Zemanim and would seem to find its more natural place in Sefer Avodah. I would like to offer a solution to this problem that demonstrates the appropriateness of Rambam’s organization.</p><p><b>The Placement of Hilkhot Shekalim</b></p><p>Rambam describes the general theme of Sefer Zemanim in his introduction to the Mishneh Torah as follows: </p><p style="text-align: left;">"The Third Book includes all of the commandments that occur at known times (zemanim) – e.g. Shabbat, Holidays (Moadot, lit. Appointed Times). I have named this book Sefer Zemanim." </p><p>Rabbi Dr. Isadore Twersky points out the following difficulty with Rambam’ classification as it related to the inclusion of the laws of shekalim:</p><p style="text-align: left;">The Temple-oriented components of the holidays, particularly Passover and the Day of Atonement, are reserved for the books dealing with the Temple and sacrifices. Its [Sefer Zemanim's] subject matter is thus a special unit of ritual-ceremonial law, related primarily to the order Mo'ed in the Mishnah, separated from Book Two [Sefer Ahavah] by its trait of periodicity rather than constancy or continuity. The inclusion of the section Shekalim (Shekel Dues), found in the Mishnaic order of Mo'ed, is, to be sure, problematic in terms of the Maimonidean conceptualization.[1]</p><p>Boaz Cohen makes an almost identical point, “One would expect these regulations [the laws concerning the shekel] in book VIII, where he assembled all the rules concerning the Temple. Somehow, Rambam seems to have desired to adhere to the order in the Mishna.”[2] </p><p>Dr. Joseph Tabory believes this problem is so intractable that he levies it as evidence of the Mishnaic influence on Rambam’s codificatory scheme: “[the] fact that this tractate [Shekalim] appears in Appointed Times [Moadim] in the Mishnah influenced its inclusion in the book of Times [Sefer Zemanim].” [3] </p><p>Hilkhot Shekalim, the seventh section, certainly seems out of place. Every adult Jewish male was obligated to give a half-shekel each year.[4] Granted, it had to be given once a year—“a known time.”[5] However, it would seem to find its place more naturally in the eighth book of the Mishneh Torah, Sefer Avodah (Book of Temple-Service), which includes all of the laws related to the Temple and public sacrifices, as it is described in the introduction:</p><p style="text-align: left;">The eighth book includes all of the commandments related to the building of the Temple, the communal sacrifices and the temidin (constant sacrifices). I have named this book Sefer Avodah.[6] </p><p>Sefer Avodah would seem to be the logical place for Shekalim. After all, the majority of the funds collected from the half-shekel donations were used to pay for the public sacrifices and Temple needs.[7] Additionally, it is puzzling why Rambam himself does not make note of this problematic inclusion. As Twersky himself points out,[8] Rambam was highly self-conscious and vocally forthright and reflective about the "stresses and strains" in his classificatory system and even offers explanations and apologies for his less harmonious choices.[9] One would certainly expect such an explanation from Rambam when an entire section of halakhot seems out of place—yet none is provided.</p><p><b>Servicing the Temple or Temple Service</b></p><p>What can account for the seeming misplacement of Shekalim? Why not put it in Sefer Avodah? It is, after all, a commandment “related to the era of the Temple” as Rambam writes in the first chapter of Hilkhot Shekalim,</p><p>Shekalim are only observed when the Temple is extant. In a time in which the Temple is standing, the shekalim are given, whether in the Land or outside the Land. When it is in ruins, it is not observed even in the Land of Israel.</p><p>First, I would like to make a rather simple distinction. The mitzvah of Shekalim is fundamentally different from the mitzvot of Sefer Avodah. Though it might be necessary to be b’fnei haBayit (for the Temple to be up and functioning) to give the shekel-offering, no demand is made of an individual to actually be at the Temple and no priestly assistance is required. The laws in Sefer Avodah are characterized by the fact that they can only be performed in the precinct of the Temple and its environs with priestly officiation. </p><p>In simpler terms, the collection of shekalim is a fundraiser. Of course, the institution that the funds are being raised for must be extant for the mitzvah to be performed. However, the collection of those funds is not, fundamentally, a Temple service.</p><p><b>The Time of Shekalim</b></p><p>The above distinction is still not sufficient to explain the peculiar placement of Hilkhot Shekalim. It would be necessary to demonstrate that time is a critical feature of the shekel-offering. Fortunately, one need not look too far. Rambam (basing himself on the Talmud Yerushalmi on the same mishnah) emphasizes the importance of time in relation to this mitzvah in his commentary on the first mishnah in Mesekhet Shekalim [emphasis is my own]:</p><p style="text-align: left;">The explanation of M’shamin (they announce) is: they make an announcement concerning them [shekalim on the first day of Adar], that people should prepare their shekalim in order that the terumat halishkah (levy for the coffers) be done in its time—i.e. the first day of the month of Nissan—as it was done originally—i.e. in the time of the Desert. The original terumah (levy) was done on the first of the month of Nissan, as they [the Rabbis] said, “the day the Mishkan (Tabernacle) was erected was the day the terumah was levied.” And it is said concerning the erection of the Mishkan (Exodus 40:17), “In the first month [Nissan], in the second year, on the first of the month, the Mishkan was erected.”</p><p>We see from this source that the timing of this mitzvah has scriptural significance in the same way as Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot. These three festivals are clear testimonials to the events related to the Exodus and the “time of the Desert.” It should not be surprising that Rambam makes no mention of the scriptural significance of the timing of shekalim in the Mishneh Torah. He, in fact, does not mention the significance of the timing of any of the festivals, Shabbat or Yom Hakippurim. He only explains the timing of the fast days whose scriptural source are somewhat unclear[10] and Chanukah, which has no scriptural source whatsoever. This is understandable; the purpose of the Mishneh Torah is normative—understanding the significance of these days is part of the study of Torah Sh’bikhtav (the Written Torah).[11] </p><p>From this analysis it should be evident that Rambam did not write his Mishneh Torah based on a simple opposition between halakhah as applicable in the exile and halakhah as applicable in y’mot hamoshiach (messianic times)—or, b’fnei habayit as opposed to shelo (not) b’fnei habayit. </p><p>Though a book written during and for the period of the exile, it should not be viewed purely through the lens of exile. The Mishneh Torah is visionary and optimistic—it presents a complete vision of halakhah, which is conscientious of the fact that it is the time of the exile, but is also not swept away by that fact. Halakhot related to y’mot ha-moshiach are not tucked away in some other section because of their lack of practical relevance in the here-and-now. </p><p><b>Conclusion</b></p><p>Each book of the Mishneh Torah was written with great literary artistry. Though not everything is a “perfect” fit nothing was included haphazardly or merely as an imitation of some previous organizational structure like the Mishnah.</p><p>From our analysis of the placement of Hilkhot Shekalim, we were reminded that the Mishneh Torah is not a simple manual teaching practical halakha. It is nothing less than Messianic in its outlook. As Rambam writes in the introduction to the Book of Commandments (Sefer HaMitzvot), "...it [the Mishneh Torah] would include all of the laws of the Law of Moses, including both that which is necessary to know during the exile and that which is not yet necessary."[12] Rambam wanted to paint a complete picture of the halakhic system. This, of course, was already pointed to in the crowning motto of the introduction to the Mishneh Torah [emphasis is my own]: Then I shall not be ashamed—when I gaze upon all your commandments.[13] </p><p><br /></p><p>_____________________________________</p><p>[1] Twersky, Isadore, <i>Introduction to the Code of Rambam (Mishneh Torah) </i>(New York: Yale University Press, 1980) 262. Words in brackets have been added for clarification.</p><p>[2] “Classification of Law in the Mishneh Torah,” JQR, XXV (1935), 519-40.</p><p>[3] “The Structure of the Mishneh Torah,” in <i>Traditions of Maimonideanism</i>, ed. Carlos Fraenkel (The Netherlands: Brill, 2009), 67.</p><p>[4] Hilkhot Shekalim, chapter 1.</p><p>[5] On the first of Adar they would make an announcement for every man to prepare his half-shekel. On the fifteenth of Adar money-changers would set up in every city and would gently petition for the donation. On the twenty-fifth they would set up in the Temple to collect and from then on the court would compel anyone who had not given yet to give (paraphrased from Hilkhot Shekalim, chapter 1).</p><p>[6] While most printed editions that I have seen have “התמידין” the Oxford, MS. Huntingdon 80 has, “ותמידין.” </p><p>[7] See Hilkhot Shekalim, chapter 4, halakha 1.</p><p>[8] <i>Introduction</i>, 281-282.</p><p>[9] For example, in the Mishneh Torah: in the Hakdamah, in the description of the topic of each of the fourteen books, Rambam provides an explanation for including b’rit milah in Sefer Ahavah; in the register of mitzvot included in Hilkhot Eivel, an explanation is provided for why the laws of mourning were included in Sefer Shoftim; in Hilkhot Avodah Zarah, chapter 2, an explanation is provided for why the laws relating to the blasphemer are included in that section. </p><p>[10] This would also explain why he provides the scriptural derivation for the mitzvah of sippur yetziat mitzrayim on the night of Pesach (Hilkhot Chametz uMatzah, chapter 7, halakhah 1).</p><p>[11] See Hakdamah to the Mishneh Torah and Hilkhot Talmud Torah, chapter 1.</p><p>[12] Also see the end of the fourth chapter of Hilkhot Yesodei HaTorah.</p><p>[13] Psalms 119:6.</p>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-59066313204211846172021-02-25T01:02:00.000-05:002021-02-25T01:02:08.941-05:00Sefer Yehoshua: The Pillar of Torah<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Benjamin_West_-_Joshua_passing_the_River_Jordan_with_the_Ark_of_the_Covenant_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/2560px-Benjamin_West_-_Joshua_passing_the_River_Jordan_with_the_Ark_of_the_Covenant_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="800" height="436" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Benjamin_West_-_Joshua_passing_the_River_Jordan_with_the_Ark_of_the_Covenant_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/2560px-Benjamin_West_-_Joshua_passing_the_River_Jordan_with_the_Ark_of_the_Covenant_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the beginning of Sefer Yehoshua, Hashem echoes Moshe’s last words to Yehoshua in Sefer Devarim (31:7-8): “And Moshe called to Yehoshua and he said to him before the eyes of all of Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous for you will bring this people to the land that Hashem swore to their forefathers to give to them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And Hashem, He will go before you, He will be with you, He will not release or abandon you. You shall not be fearful or tremble.’”</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">However, in Sefer Yehoshua, Hashem adds that Yehoshua’s success will hinge upon whether he fulfill the Torah of Moshe as he commanded it. And famously implores of him:</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: right; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">לֹא</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 600;">יָמוּשׁ</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> סֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה הַזֶּה מִפִּיךָ וְהָגִיתָ בּוֹ יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה לְמַעַן תִּשְׁמֹר לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּכׇל הַכָּתוּב בּוֹ כִּי אָז תַּצְלִיחַ אֶת דְּרָכֶךָ וְאָז תַּשְׂכִּיל. (יהושע א׳:ח׳)</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This Torah Scroll shall not depart from your mouth and you shall meditate upon it day and night so that you shall keep to do in accordance with all that is written therein—for then your way will be triumphant and then you shall succeed.</span><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl q66pz984 gpro0wi8" href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/?cquick=jsc_c_4cf&cquick_token=AQ5I2vh0R14rCmHZs0I&ctarget=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com#_ftn1" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">[1]</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This exhortation is, of course, reasonable. If Yehoshua is to be expected to faithfully keep the Torah he must dedicate himself to studying it. However, I think there’s something more being alluded to here. The only other usage of the expression “it shall not depart…day or night” is at the beginning of the exodus from Egypt:</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: right; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-weight: 600;">לֹא</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 600;">יָמִישׁ</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן יוֹמָם וְעַמּוּד הָאֵשׁ לָיְלָה לִפְנֵי הָעָם. (שמות י״ג:כ״ב)</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night departed from before the people.</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When Bnei Yisrael were taken out of Egypt their Divine protection was outwardly manifest in the pillar of cloud and fire. Through no merit of their own they were extracted from the iron furnace of Egypt. The pillars guided the way.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The entry into Canaan parallels, but does not replicate the exodus. No longer will Bnei Yisrael have need for miraculous pillars to guide them and give them faith in God’s protection. Yehoshua was to set a new example. The Sefer Torah itself—imprinted with God’s word—would not depart from Yehoshua’s mouth. It would be the source of Bnei Yisrael’s success. With its guidance they would find success and triumph over their enemies. And it would be Yehoshua, Moshe’s attendant, the one who “would not depart (לא ימיש) from the Tent,” (Shemot 33:11) who most faithfully dedicated himself to the Torah of Moshe, who would lead the way. In Sefer Yehoshua there is a new pillar—more steadfast and long-lasting than the pillars of fire and cloud: the Torah.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">____________________________________________________________</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl q66pz984 gpro0wi8" href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/?cquick=jsc_c_4cf&cquick_token=AQ5I2vh0R14rCmHZs0I&ctarget=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com#_ftnref1" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">[1]</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> This too neatly follows the textual pattern in Devarim. Moshe’s charge to Yehoshua is followed by the writing or completion of the Sefer Torah.After Moshe’s last words to Yehoshua the Torah tells us that Moshe wrote down the Torah and gave it to the priests and elders for safekeeping (31:9). Moshe then commands that the Torah be read at the end of every seven years during the holiday of Sukkot to fortify Bnei Yisrael’s commitment to the Torah (31:10-13).</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.41px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Moshe is then informed that his life is nearing its completion. He is told to “call to Yehoshua, stand in the Tent of Meeting and command him.” However, before the command is recorded Hashem relays a dire prognosis to Moshe, with Yehoshua standing at his side, of what will befall Bnei Yisrael in the future (31:14-18). Perhaps as a remedy to this bleak prophecy, Moshe is commanded to write “the song” that will testify to Bnei Yisrael’s future abandonment of the covenant (32:19-22). Then, we hear the command to Yehoshua, “And he commanded Yehoshua bin Nun and he said, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you will bring Bnei Yisrael to the land that was sworn to them—and I will be with you.’”</span></p>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-33160376369016278872021-01-03T14:04:00.006-05:002021-02-24T23:56:07.279-05:00The End: Death and Purpose<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://israeltours.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/caiaphas-ossuary1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="800" height="448" src="https://israeltours.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/caiaphas-ossuary1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">כו וַיָּ֣מָת יוֹסֵ֔ף בֶּן־מֵאָ֥ה וָעֶ֖שֶׂר שָׁנִ֑ים וַיַּֽחַנְט֣וּ אֹת֔וֹ וַיִּ֥ישֶׂם בָּֽאָר֖וֹן בְּמִצְרָֽיִם׃</p><p style="text-align: center;">26 And Joseph died at the age of one hundred ten years, and they embalmed him and he was placed into the coffin in Egypt. </p><p>This is the last pasuk of Sefer Breishit. I’d like to share the comments of Rav Avraham ben HaRambam and Rav Yosef ibn Kaspi for two reasons. They are good examples of how two commentaries deal with endings—both the ending of Sefer Breishit, and the end of their commentary on that book. Ultimately, they are teaching us about the ultimate end/purpose of the Torah. </p><p>R’ Avraham ben HaRambam first addresses why Yosef was buried in an ארון, which mean box, as opposed to the ground. (There’s actually a word for a box for bones: ossuary.) He explains that an ossuary would preserve his bones better and would make it easier for future generations to find his bones and bring them to Canaan. Then he remarks that his remains were more likely to decay in the ground because “the body returns (decays) to the earth of necessity because it’s made of the same substance. Just as the spirit returns to its source, ‘וְיָשֹׁב הֶעָפָר עַל-הָאָרֶץ, כְּשֶׁהָיָה; וְהָרוּחַ תָּשׁוּב, אֶל-הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ.’ ‘And dust returns to earth when the spirit returns to God who gave it.’” Here he completes his commentary on Sefer Breishit with a quote from the end of Sefer Kohelet. It seems that this verse doesn’t add anything to his comments, rather he chose to end his commentary with a poetic flourish. But this is a poetic flourish heavy with meaning. It brings the reader full circle to the beginning of Sefer Breishit, when the first human was formed from the dust of the earth. Now, at the end of this beautiful book of beginnings we return to the beginning. </p><p>Rav Yosef ibn Kaspi also finds an opportunity to end his commentary to the first book of the Torah with beauty. He similarly found inspiration from the end of the Book of Kohelet. Here is a translation of Rav Yosef ibn Kaspi’s last comment:</p><p style="text-align: right;">וימת יוסף בן מאה ועשר שנים – סוף אדם למות, ואם קודם זה ״ויצבור יוסף בר כחול הים״ (בראשית מ״א:מ״ט), ״וילקט יוסף את כל הכסף״ (בראשית מ״ז:י״ד). ולא נשאר לו מכל עמלו רק השארות נפשו שבאה גן עדן. ולכן אמר שלמה ״כל אשר בכחך לעשות עשה״ (קהלת ט׳:י׳), כלומ׳, השגת החכמה המעשית והעיונית, כמו שסיים דברו ואמר ״כי אין מעשה וחשבון ודעת וחכמה בשאול אשר אתה הולך שמה״ (שם). ואלו הם הארבעה מיני שלמויות שזכרו ארסטו ואפלאטון. ובכלל, ״סוף דבר הכל נשמע את האלהים ירא ואת מצותיו שמור כי זה כל האדם (שם י״ב:י״ג)״.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">And Yosef died when he was 110 years old—it is a man’s end/destiny to die. And though when he was alive “Yosef gathered grain like the sand of the sea,” and “Yosef collected all the silver” nothing was left of all his toils—only his soul remained which went to Gan Eden.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>And so Shlomo Hamelech said, “Everything that is in your power to do—do.” Meaning, the gaining of practical and theoretical wisdom, as he concludes his words and says, “For there is no deed, or consideration, or knowledge, or wisdom in the place that you are heading to.”</p><p>And these are the four kinds of perfection that Aristotle and Plato mention. </p><p>In summary, “The final word, after all has been heard: God—fear; His commandments—keep; for this is the whole of man.”</p></blockquote><p>Rav Kaspi, at the end of this book, takes a deeply philosophical turn. Yosef did so much in his life, but what did it all amount to? In the end, all that remained was his soul. And so, when we live our lives we should do everything in our power to tend to the needs of the soul: to learn to do good deeds and gain knowledge of God’s beautiful world. That, in the end, is all that remains.</p><p>It's worth noting that Ibn Kaspi make very similar remarks at the end of Sefer Yehoshua:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>ואלעזר בן אהרן מת ויקברו אתו – זה הוא סוף כל אדם, וכן תכלית חומש בראשית וימת יוסף (בראשית נ׳:כ״ו), ואם קדם ויצא יוסף בכל ארץ מצרים, ויצבר יוסף בר כחול הים, וילקט יוסף את כל הכסף. וכן תכלית כל התורה כולה וימת שם משה. אשרי מי שבא לכאן ותלמודו בידו, עם פי׳ הרב שאמר והענינים הנקראים פרדס הם בכלל התלמוד. יבא דודי לגנו ויאכל פרי מגדיו.</p><p>And Elazar, son of Aharon, died and they buried him—this is the end of all men, and also the final point of Breishit, “And Yosef died…” and even if previously, “Yosef went out to all of the land of Egypt,” “And he gathered grain like the sand of the sea” and “Yosef collected all the silver.” And so too, the final point of all the Torah is “And Moshe died there.”</p><p>Happy is he who arrives here with his (talmud) learning in his hand, considering the explanation of the Rambam who says, “And the matters that are called pardes are included in the category of Talmud. “Let my beloved come to his garden and eat his sweet fruit.”</p></blockquote><p>Though his comments are somewhat cryptic at the end, I think what he is saying is that Sefer Yehoshua, Breishit and Devarim (and thereby the entire Chumash) don’t end with the deaths of Elazar, Yosef and Moshe just because that’s what happened chronologically. More importantly, it is emphasizing the idea that our mortality is, in fact, one of the fundamental, if not the fundamental lesson of the Torah. </p><p>Ultimately, no matter what we accomplish and do in our lives, in the end we die. However, we can prepare ourselves for death through our involvement in learning/talmud. Looked at from another angle, the Torah wants us to confront what is ephemeral and what is eternal. Human happiness and our ultimate purpose in life comes down to this realization. וְיָשֹׁב הֶעָפָר עַל-הָאָרֶץ, כְּשֶׁהָיָה; וְהָרוּחַ תָּשׁוּב, אֶל-הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ.’ ‘And dust returns to earth when the spirit returns to God who gave it.’”</p><div><br /></div>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-819429931105514772021-01-01T06:59:00.001-05:002021-02-24T23:59:32.421-05:00The End of Yosef's Bones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Tomb_of_Joseph_at_Shechem_1839%2C_by_David_Roberts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="708" height="437" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Tomb_of_Joseph_at_Shechem_1839%2C_by_David_Roberts.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The story of Yosef—or rather, his bones—ends with a “to be continued.” Surprisingly, that story does not end in Sefer Shemot when Moshe, as the great exodus from Egypt commenced, famously took Yosef’s bones with him.</div><div><br /></div><div>The conclusion of the story of Yosef’s bones appears in a surprising place—the end of Sefer Yehoshua. What makes its appearance there even more surprising is its total disconnect from the rest of the narrative in that place.</div><div><br /></div><div>These four pesukim would seem to be an ideal ending to Sefer Yehoshua:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><i>And Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance. And it was after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being a hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in Mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.</i></div><div><i>And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, and who had known all the works of the Lord, that He had done for Israel.</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>However, there are two more verses—in fact, two more burials—with which the book conclude:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><i>And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.</i></div><div><i>And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in the hill of Phinehas his son, which was given to him in Mount Ephraim.</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>It is somewhat understandable why Eleazar’s burial is mentioned (though I believe this question requires further attention). Yehoshua’s appointment as leader was joined to Eleazar’s role as the Kohen Gadol: </div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>He shall stand before Eleazar the kohen and seek [counsel from] him through the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. By his word they shall go, and by his word they shall come; he and all Israel with him, and the entire congregation." (B’midbar 27:21)</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>However, the mention of Yosef’s burial is very odd. It’s unlikely that it is mentioned here for chronological reasons. Bnei Yisrael probably didn't wait until after the burial of Yehoshua to bury Yosef. </div><div><br /></div><div>Rashi remarks that we’ve come full circle! “From the place that he was stolen (Shechem) there he was returned.” </div><div><br /></div><div>One problem with Rashi's comment: Yosef was not, in fact, stolen from Shechem. Even so, I believe that Rashi’s words are accurate. Shechem is where our focus should be. Let me explain.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was the mismeeting of Shechem that precipitated what followed. His father, Yaakov, sent Yosef to Shechem to “see to the <i>shalom</i> of your brothers, and the <i>shalom</i> of the flocks, and bring me back word.” Shechem was to be a meeting of <i>shalom</i>. However, his brothers had departed from there. As Rashi says, “they departed from brotherhood.” If Yosef had not encountered the mysterious man in Shechem who just happened to know that his brothers had gone on to Dothan, Jewish history would not have taken its course.[1] With the peaceful settling of the land by the twelve tribes one chapter of Jewish history came to completion. At the age of 17 Yosef was sent by Yaakov to make peace with his brothers in Shechem. Now, hundreds of years later, Yosef truly returns to Shechem. Only at this point can we say, “How good and pleasant—for brothers to dwell together!”[2]</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>_____________________________________________________________________</div><div><br /></div><div>[1] This is a paraphrase of Rabb J.B. Soloveitchik’s comments on these pesukim heard in a recorded lecture. https://www.yutorah.org/sidebar/lecture.cfm/767755/rabbi-joseph-b-soloveitchik/mechiras-yosef/</div><div><br /></div><div>[2] Additionally, I believe that the recording of Yosef's burial at the end of Sefer Yehoshua broadens our understanding of that book. The events of Sefer Yehoshua were, in fact, the fulfillment of the words of Yosef, “פקד יפקד אלהים אתכם.” Only after Bnei Yisrael had conquered and settled in the Land could one truly say that this promise was fulfilled.</div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-46375022951332947222017-07-25T13:31:00.002-04:002021-02-25T00:07:06.947-05:00The Genius of Hospitality: In Memory of Shmully Moskowitz, A"H<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://dgw7l17furt3h.cloudfront.net/uploads/header_pictures/531/picture/afb5a46d113854d2ea4df995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="640" src="https://dgw7l17furt3h.cloudfront.net/uploads/header_pictures/531/picture/afb5a46d113854d2ea4df995.jpg" /></a></div><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><i>The following speech in memory of Shmully Moskowitz was delivered at SBH, Shabbat, Parashat Matot-Masei, 5777.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I am so honored to have been asked to speak in memory of my
dear friend Shmully, a”h. My earliest memories of Shmully go back more than
twenty years ago, when I was still studying in yeshiva. Though he was no longer
“officially” studying in the yeshiva, he would frequently come to the Rosh
Yeshiva, Rabbi Chait’s shiur. No matter what the topic, or how complex the
discussion, Shmully was “holding,” as we say in yeshivish. Most of the shiur
would be a dialogue between Shmully and Rabbi Chait that very few people were
able to follow. We would simply watch and behold the wonder of Shmully’s agile
and profound mind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Though he was undoubtedly a genius, what was so unique about
Shmully was his gift with people. He possessed a kind of openness and ease of
relating that anyone who was blessed to know him could tell you countless
stories about. There was no one he would not receive with </span><span dir="RTL" face=""arial" , sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">סבר פנים יפות</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>—with a welcoming and embracing
smile. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">If each of us
could emulate even a fraction of Shmully’s openness and receptivity to others the
world would certainly be a better place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I hope that my remarks will be an honor to his memory. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">We are now in the middle of the three weeks period—<i>Bein
haMeitzarim</i>, between the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">straits—</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">leading up to Tisha B’av on which we commemorate the
destruction of, principally, the first and second Temples. Close to 40 years
before the destruction of the first Temple, Yoshiyahu haMelekh led a massive
campaign to purge the Land of idolatry and return the people to the service of
Hashem. Sadly, his son, Yehoyakim, did not continue in his footsteps and through
his wicked deeds sealed the decree for destruction. The following two deeply
connected, yet diametrically opposed stories are about the seminal events of
these two men’s lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Story #1: (Melakhim II, 22)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In the eighteenth year of Yoshiyahu’s rule, while undergoing
repairs to the Temple, Shafan the Sofer/scribe came to the king with some
interesting news…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> “Chilikiya
the Kohen has given me a Sefer/scroll,” he announced. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Chilkiya read the scroll before the king—it was the Torah. What
part of the Torah he read him, we do not know. (Rashi tells us he read from the
curses listed in Sefer Devarim—specifically the verse (28:36) which says, “G-d
shall cast out you and the king you place over you to a nation you and your
fathers never knew—and there you shall serve other gods, of wood and stone.”) Whatever
he read to him, Yoshiyahu was shaken. Awakened from a spiritual slumber he was
horrified to see how low he and the people had descended—how steeped in pagan
worship and immoral behavior. Mortified, he tore his garments. He commanded a
contingent including Chilkiya the Kohen Gadol, Shafan the Sofer and Shafan’s
son Achikam to, and I quote, “seek out Hashem for me, the people, and all of
Yehuda, concerning the </span><span dir="RTL" face=""arial" , sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">ספר הנמצא הזה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, the <i>sefer </i>that has been found, for great is the wrath
of Hashem against us for our forefathers have not paid heed to the words of
this <i>sefer</i></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> to do
everything that is written concerning us.” (22:13) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">What followed was a religious reformation like no other. Yoshiyahu
haMelekh was utterly transformed. He gathered all the people and read the Torah
in a massive gathering in which he and the people rededicated themselves to the
covenant. He removed the pagan icons and paraphernalia that had been placed in
the Temple and idolatry and all form of pagan practice were purged from the
land. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Story #2: (Yirmiyahu 36)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Now we must fast forward roughly 17 years to the fourth year
of Yoshiyahu’s son Yehoyakim’s reign—now less than 30 years before the
destruction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Yirmiyahu was instructed by Hashem to take a </span><span dir="RTL" face=""arial" , sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">מגילת ספר</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>/a scroll and have Barukh, the
Sofer, write all of his prophecies concerning Yisrael, Yehuda and the other
nations…perhaps the people would, as a result, repent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Radak, the pashtan, suggests this marked
the beginning of Yirmiyahu’s literary output—he was instructed to write most of
what we now call Sefer Yirmiyahu. The Chakhamim suggest that he was bidden to
compose Megillat Eicha—the Book of Lamentations. Either way, same message: the
end was neigh. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">A short time later a public fast day was
called. This was the opportunity they’d been waiting for. Barukh brought the <i>sefer</i>
to Yerushalayim and, in the chamber of Gemaryahu the son of Shafan (the Sofer
from the previous story), by the entrance to the Temple, he began to publically
read the words of Yirmiyahu.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Word got out. The king’s men heard about
Barukh’s provocations. They called upon
him to bring the scroll. They were deeply frightened and informed him that they
would bring a report back to the king. After verifying the authenticity of the
scroll with Barukh they put it away for safekeeping and sent Barukh away to
safety. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">They brought the report to the king and
he bid them to bring it so he could hear for himself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">It was Kislev—the middle of the winter—and the king was
sitting in his winter-house, a fire burning in the fireplace. As he warmed
himself by the flame Yehudi (that’s the name of one of his men) arrived with
the scroll. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">After Yehudi read a few verses, the king took a scribe's knife
and tore out the offending words and threw them onto the fire. He read a few
more verses and repeated the same horrific act over and over until the entire
roll was nothing more than ash.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">No one, we are told, tore their garments in response.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The king commanded his men to arrest Baruch the scribe
and Yirmiyahu the prophet, but Hashem had hidden them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Yoshiyahu tore his garments
upon hearing the words of the Sefer haTorah. Yehoyakim tore the scroll of Yirimiyahu,
one paragraph at a time. Yoshiyahu sought out Hashem. Yehoyakim tried to take
Yirmiyahu and Barukh prisoner. Yoshiyahu was moved by the Word of Hashem to
transform his kingdom. Yehoyakim set Hashem’s Word to flame.<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Desktop/Shmully.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">As I mentioned before, the Chakhamim said
that the scroll was, in fact, the book of Eicha/Lamentations—Yirmiyahu’s
heartbreaking dirge on the destruction of the Temple and the kingdom of Judah. The
Chakhamim tell the following elaboration of our story in the Gemara, Mo’ed
Katan, 26a:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">They said to Yehoyakim: Yirmiyahu has
written a book of Lamentations</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">He said to them: What is written in
it?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">They read the first verse: <b>“Oh,
How the city sits solitary”</b> (<b>Lamentations 1:1</b>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">He said: I am king.</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">They read </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">the second verse: <b>“Weeps, she
weeps in the night”</b> (<b>Lamentations 1:2</b>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">He said: <b>I am king.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">They read the third verse: <b>“Judah
is gone into exile due to affliction”</b> (<b>Lamentations 1:3</b>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">He said: <b>I am king.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">They read the fourth verse: <b>“The
ways of Zion do mourn”</b> (<b>Lamentations 1:4</b>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">He said: <b>I am king.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">They read the next verse: <b>“Her
adversaries have become the chief”</b>(<b>Lamentations 1:5</b>), (meaning, the
king will be removed from power)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Once he heard this, <b>he said
to them: Who said</b> this? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">They said to him (from the next
pasuk): <b>“For Hashem has afflicted her for the multitude of her
transgressions”</b> (<b>Lamentations 1:5</b>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Immediately, he cut out all the names</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> of Hashem <b>from</b> the
book <b>and burned them in fire.<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Desktop/Shmully.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b><span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></b></span><!--[endif]--></span></a></b>
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Yehoyakim could not stand to have his power challenged—he was
the king! He could not bear the imposition of the Word of Hashem. He could not
let it upset the illusion of his impeachable power. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In contrast, Yoshiyahu was open to critique—he did not suffer
from a delusion of grandeur. He humbled himself before the Word of Hashem and
utterly abandoned his old lifestyle and fully embraced the unsettling truth
that all of his decisions up until that point had been a horrible mistake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I believe there is a deep connection between one’s
receptivity to the Word of Hashem and one’s receptivity to others. The
Prophetic Word disrupts and shatters one’s previously held conceptions. The one
who thinks he is king cannot accept any disruption to his comfort—neither from
Hashem nor from another man. One must discomfort oneself to accommodate the
other—to be hospitable, to place another’s needs and wants before your own. And
this is the key: to be hospitable to another human is the <i>ultimate sign</i> of
the readiness of one’s heart to be hospitable/to welcome the Word of Hashem—and,
vice-versa: to welcome the Word of Hashem is to welcome the other. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">This should not come as a surprise—this is Avraham, the man
whose absolute devotion to G-d came in tandem with his devotion to his fellow
man. As Hashem says before revealing his plan to destroy Sedom: “I know
him—such that he will command his children after him to keep the way of
Hashem—to do <i>tzedaka/</i>righteousness</span> and <i>mishpat</i>/justice.”<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">As Yishayahu said, “</span><span dir="RTL" face=""david" , sans-serif" lang="HE" style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">צִיּוֹן בְּמִשְׁפָּט
תִּפָּדֶה וְשָׁבֶיהָ בִּצְדָקָה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>”—“Zion
shall be redeemed with justice—and they that shall return with righteousness.” (Yishayahu
1:27)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">This was also Shmully. He had an unparalleled receptivity to the
Word of Hashem and to people. His genius was in his hospitality—his ability to
welcome in the other and the ultimate Other. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">He was a true student of Avraham.
May his memory be a blessing to us all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The first place I encountered the comparison of these two stories is a brief
paragraph in Lau, Binyamin. <i>Jeremiah: the Fate of a Prophet</i>. Maggid
Books, 2013. p. 113.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Translation adapted from the The William Davidson digital edition of the Koren
Noé Talmud, with commentary by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz Even-Israel.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-14697530097931800182016-11-25T00:43:00.004-05:002021-02-25T00:10:19.034-05:00The 5th Cup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.elal.com/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/wineries-in-israel_1903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="229" data-original-width="800" height="184" src="https://www.elal.com/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/wineries-in-israel_1903.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoHeader"><br /></div><div class="MsoHeader">
Derasha for the 2<sup>nd</sup> day of Pesach, <span dir="RTL" lang="HE">תשע"ה</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Most of
us have heard of the four cups, but very few of us have heard of the much less
famous fifth cup. This is probably for a few very good reasons: 1. the Mishna
mentions four cups, not five; 2. the printed text of the Talmud does not say
anything about a fifth cup; 3. we all learned in day school that the four
expressions<i> </i>of<i> </i>redemption from the beginning of <i>Parashat Vaera</i>—<span dir="RTL" lang="HE">והוצאתי, והצלתי, וגאלתי, ולקחתי</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>—I will take out; I
will save; I will redeem; and I will take—teach us that we need four cups, not
five.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But as
one ventures toward the fringes of the pages of the Talmud, one discovers that
there was an alternative text possessed by many of our medieval sages which
stated: “Rabbi Tarfon says, “[On] the <b>fifth</b> [cup], we recite the <i>Hallel
Hagadol</i>.” <i>Hallel haGadol </i>refers to the 136<sup>th</sup> chapter of
Tehillim, which consists of 26 verses, each beginning with an exclamation of
gratitude and each concluding with the same phrase: <span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: "Shlomo LB";">כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם
חַסְדּֽוֹ׃</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Shlomo LB";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>—</span><span style="background: white;">for his loving</span>-kindness endures forever.<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/5%20cups%20final.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Rambam
codifies Rabbi Tarfon’s dictum in the following words:<o:p></o:p></div>
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…he
pours the fourth cup and completes <i>hallel</i> upon it…and he may not
taste anything else the rest of the night—except for water.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One may
pour a fifth cup, and say<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b><i>hallel
haGadol </i></b>upon it. This cup is not a requirement like the four cups. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is
a very peculiar <i>halakha</i>. Either it’s good to say <i>hallel haGadol</i>
or it’s not—why is it tied to this optional fifth cup!? Why is this cup not a
requirement? Is it merely a halakhic mechanism permitting someone to drink just
one more cup? Basically, what is the purpose of this fifth cup? <o:p></o:p></div>
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And furthermore, if, according to the Rambam, drinking
the four cups is a fulfillment of the obligation for a person “to present
himself as if he himself went out at that moment from the bondage of Egypt”<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/5%20cups%20final.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-fareast-language: HE; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
what does the fifth cup represent? <o:p></o:p></div>
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On Pesach we are presented with a basic
problem: on one hand, we are supposed to rejoice in our freedom—but on the
other hand, we are still (even after the establishment of <i>Medinat Yisrael</i>)
in the bondage of the exile.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This tension is most palpable in the blessing
said on the completion of the <i>Maggid.<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/5%20cups%20final.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">[3]</span></b></span><!--[endif]--></span></a></i>
At the moment we should be experiencing the greatest joy, the tone of our
prayers shifts as we pray for the rebuilding of Yerushalayim and the Beis
HaMikdash and express our yearning for the day on which we will give thanks to
God with, and I quote:<o:p></o:p></div>
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“a new song for our redemption
and the saving of our souls.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Though while in exile each of our festivals is
tinged with a degree of grief and bitterness, perhaps on Pesach more than any
other festival we feel this anguish most acutely. As we sing <i>hallel
haMitzri, </i>rejoicing in our redemption from Egypt, how can we not be
reminded of the redemption that is yet to come? How do we deal with this
tension between reality and vision?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I believe that the fifth cup
comes to provide a kind of resolution to this problem. To understand how this
is so, let us take a closer look at the text of the <i>hallel haGadol</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The most striking feature of
this chapter of Tehillim is the 26 time repeated phrase,<i> </i><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: "Shlomo LB";">כִּ֖י
לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ׃</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Shlomo LB";"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>—</span>for His loving-kindness
endures forever. Why is it repeated so many times in the <i>hallel haGadol</i>?
What is its significance?<o:p></o:p></div>
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The answer, I believe, can be
found in the words of our prophets. This refrain<i> </i>just happens to be identical
with the joyful cry of the final redemption expressed by Yirmiyahu:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="10"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="11"></a>So
said the Lord: There shall again be heard in this place, concerning which you
say, "It is desolate without man and without beast," in the cities of
Yehudah and in the streets of Yerushalayim that are desolate without a man and
without an inhabitant and without a beast, the<b> sound of</b> <b>joy</b>
and the sound of happiness, the voice of a bridegroom and the voice of a bride,
the sound of those saying, <span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: "Shlomo LB";">הוֹדוּ֩ אֶת־ה' צְבָא֜וֹת
כִּי־ט֤וֹב ה֙ כִּֽי־לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּ֔וֹ</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><b><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> "Thank the Lord of Hosts, for the Lord is good, for His
loving-kindness endures forever," </b>bringing a thanksgiving
offering to the House of the Lord, for I will restore the captivity of the land
as at first, said the Lord. (33:10-11)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Hallel haGadol</i>
is, in fact, a song of redemption! <o:p></o:p></div>
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With this in mind, I am ready to offer an
interpretation. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“The fifth cup is not a requirement like the
four cups.” What this means is that <b>the fifth cup is not like the
other four, which represent our redemption from Egypt. The fifth cup recognizes
our state of exile and represents the possibility of a personal redemption that
echoes the ultimate redemption</b>—it cannot be a requirement
like the four cups, but it must be there as a possibility. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This, of course, begs the
question: how do we achieve this personal redemption? The secret is revealed by
taking an even closer look at the text of the <i>hallel haGadol</i>. After a
litany of gratitude for the wondrous creation and the numerous salvations God
has wrought for us time and again—including the exodus, the splitting of the
Yam Suf, the defeat of the mighty kings, Sichon and Og, and the inheritance of
the Promised Land—we end with the following two verses:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="HE" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Shlomo LB";">נֹתֵ֣ן לֶ֭חֶם
לְכָל־בָּשָׂ֑ר כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ׃</span><span dir="LTR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Shlomo LB";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="HE" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Shlomo LB";">ה֭וֹדוּ לְאֵ֣ל
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ׃</span><span dir="LTR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Shlomo LB";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">He provides sustenance to all flesh; for his
loving-kindness endures forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Give gratitude to the God of Heaven; for his
loving-kindness endures forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>This</b>,
according to R’ Yochanan, is the reason it is called <i>hallel haGadol</i>, the
<b>Great</b> Hallel.<i> </i>“Because the Holy One, blessed is He, resides at
the height of the world and distributes sustenance to every creature.”
(Pesachim 118a) God’s greatness is ultimately demonstrated in His everyday
sustenance of the world!<o:p></o:p></div>
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The tension between exile and
redemption is resolved by a shift in focus: from the political to the personal.
<b>The fifth cup embodies the idea that when we are able to recognize the true <i>chesed</i>
that God does for us at every moment—providing us with our daily sustenance—we can
experience a redemption that can transcend the limitations of our exile. </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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It is my b’rakhah to all of
you that, even in the midst of our exile, each of you be able to experience
this personal redemption. May we all merit to say <i>l’chaim</i> on the fifth
cup, speedily in our days! <o:p></o:p></div>
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More precisely, it begins with three calls to give praise using the word <span dir="RTL" lang="HE">הודו</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, followed
by 22 exclamations of praise and capped with a final call of <span dir="RTL" lang="HE">הודו</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In every generation a person is obligated to present himself as if he himself
went out at that moment from the bondage of Egypt, as it says, "and us—He
took out from there..."(Deuteronomy, 6:23). And concerning this matter the Torah
commands, "And remember, that you were a slave" (Deuteronomy, 5:14;
15:15; 16:12; 24:18; 24:22), meaning, it is as if you yourself were a slave and
you went out to freedom and were redeemed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Therefore, when a person dines on this night, he must
eat and drink while he is reclining in the way of freedom. And every single
person, male and female, is obligated to drink on this night, four cups of
wine, no less; and even a poor person who is supported by charity, they should
not give him less than four cups….<o:p></o:p></div>
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Blessed are you Hashem our God, King of the Universe, who redeemed us and
redeemed our forefathers from Egypt, and enabled us to reach this night to eat <i>matza</i><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"><span dir="RTL"></span> </span>and <i>marror</i>. So
Hashem our God and the God of our forefathers should enable us to
reach other convocations and festivals that are coming to greet us in
peace, happy in the building of Your city and joyful (<i>sasim</i>), in your
service, and we shall eat there from the sacrifices and from the <i>paschal </i>offering
that their blood should reach the wall of Your altar for favor, and we shall
give thanks to You [with] a new song for our redemption and for the saving of
our souls. Blessed are you Hashem, Redeemer of Israel.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-62490651193973244842015-12-29T11:15:00.002-05:002021-02-25T00:11:48.150-05:00Early Morning Bialik<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/62/da/37/62da37383d1c73fe277c7ba93d44cd4b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="620" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/62/da/37/62da37383d1c73fe277c7ba93d44cd4b.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">This
morning, after waking up very early, I was reading Yehuda Mirsky's biography of
Rav Kook. On page 35 he quotes a line from a Bialik poem, </span><span dir="RTL" face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">לא זכיתי באור מן ההפקר</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=24211448#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">I
dutifully looked up the poem in my copy of </span><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Kol Kitvei Bialik</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> and
was quite taken by the short poem. A google search for the text brought to my
attention that Miki Gavrielov (<a href="http://jazztimes.com/guides/artists/14267-miki-gavrielov">http://jazztimes.com/guides/artists/14267-miki-gavrielov</a>)
had actually put this song to music: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Th7oH5HUA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Th7oH5HUA</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">(These are all things that I’m sure any Israeli my age
would know like the back of their hands—but, of course, I’m not Israeli.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Being up so early, I felt motivated to translate this
beautiful poem. After completing my translation, I discovered that I was not
the first (nor, I’m sure the last) to have tried my hand at translating this
poem (for example: <a href="http://www.soulandgone.com/2014/05/03/hayim-nahman-bialik-lo-zakhiti-be-or-min-ha-hefqeir/">http://www.soulandgone.com/2014/05/03/hayim-nahman-bialik-lo-zakhiti-be-or-min-ha-hefqeir/</a> this is also the site from which I stole the Hebrew with nikkud) but here’s my attempt:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-insideh: none; mso-border-insidev: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
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<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 233.75pt;" valign="top" width="312">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><b>H.N. Bialik</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><b>I Did Not Merit the Light from the Castoff</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">I did not merit
the light from the castoff,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Nor did it come
as an inheritance from my father,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">But from my rock
and my slab I cleaved it<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">And hewed it from
my heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">One spark is
concealed in the flint of my heart,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">A small spark—but
it is all mine,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Neither borrowed
from another, nor stolen<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 16px;">—</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">But it is from me
and in me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Under the hammer
of my great sorrows<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">For my heart
bursts, my strength’s rock,</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">The spark flies, it
leaps into my eye,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">And from my eye</span><span style="font-size: 16px;">—</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">to my verse.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">And from my verse
it escapes to your hearts,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">And in the
burning of your fire that I have ignited, it vanishes,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">And I, with my
flesh and my blood<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Shall fulfill the
burning-flame.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 233.75pt;" valign="top" width="312">
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;">חיים נחמן ביאליק</span></b><b><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;"><br />
</span></b><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;">לא זכיתי
באור מן ההפקר</span></b><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<span style="background: white;"> </span><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">לֹא זָכִיתִי בָאוֹר מִן-הַהֶפְקֵר<span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">אַף לֹא-בָא לִי בִירֻשָּׁה מֵאָבִי<span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">כִּי מִסַּלְעִי וְצוּרִי נִקַּרְתִּיו</span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">וַחֲצַבְתִּיו מִלְּבָבִי<span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<span style="background: white;"> </span><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">נִיצוֹץ אֶחָד בְּצוּר לִבִּי מִסְתַּתֵּר<span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">נִיצוֹץ קָטָן – אַךְ כֻּלּוֹ שֶׁלִּי הוּא<span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">לֹא שְׁאִלְתִּיו מֵאִישׁ, לֹא גְנַבְתִּיו<span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" lang="AR-SA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span><span dir="LTR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;">–</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">כִּי מִמֶּנִּי וּבִי הוּא<span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<span style="background: white;"> </span><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">וְתַחַת פַּטִּישׁ צָרוֹתַי הַגְּדוֹלוֹת</span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">כִּי יִתְפּוֹצֵץ לְבָבִי, צוּר-עֻזִּי<span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">זֶה הַנִּיצוֹץ עָף, נִתָּז אֶל-עֵינִי<span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">וּמֵעֵינִי – לַחֲרוּזִי<span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<span style="background: white;"> </span><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">וּמֵחֲרוּזִי יִתְמַלֵּט לִלְבַבְכֶם<span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">וּבְאוּר אֶשְׁכֶם הִצַּתִּיו, יִתְעַלֵּם<span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">וְאָנֹכִי בְּחֶלְבִּי וּבְדָמִי</span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">אֶת-הַבְּעֵרָה אֲשַׁלֵּם<span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.</span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=24211448#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <i>Kol
Kitvei Ch. N. Bialik </i>(Tel Aviv: Dvir, 1947), 31.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-50155118808445658612015-12-06T00:09:00.001-05:002021-02-25T00:15:14.206-05:00Dreams of Destiny<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Owen_Jones_-_Joseph_dreams_of_stars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="500" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Owen_Jones_-_Joseph_dreams_of_stars.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>This is the derasha I gave on Shabbat at BCMH:<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">These past few months have been difficult ones for the Jewish
people. It feels as if not a day passes without being confronted by some
horrific event that leaves us feeling depressed and wondering: what’s next? </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Three times each Shabbot before Birkat HaMazon we sing the
words of David Hamelekh in Tehillim:</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">שִׁיר</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">הַמַּעֲלוֹת</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>:</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span> <span lang="HE">בְּשׁוּב ה'</span></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">אֶת</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">-</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">שִׁיבַת צִיּוֹן</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">הָיִינוּ,</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">כְּחֹלְמִים.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">A song of ascents. When the L-rd
restores Zion’s fortunes, we were like dreamers.<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Like a dream, the events that play themselves out before our
eyes seem unreal. We sense there is a meaning, a purpose, to all of our sufferings,
but it alludes us. We are desperately in need of a Yosef who can discern the
inner truth that lies hidden beneath the horror.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I believe that a deeper understanding of Yosef and his dreams
can teach us how to approach these difficult times as we await the final dream
of redemption. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The Gemara in Berakhot (55b) relates a fascinating story:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">R. Bizna bar Zavda said in the name of R. Akiba, who said it
in the name of R. Panda, who said it in the name of R. Nahum, who said it in
the name of R. Biryam, who said it in the name of a certain elder — and who was
this? R. Bana'ah: There were twenty-four interpreters of dreams in
Yerushalayim. Once I dreamt a dream and I went round to all of them and they
all gave different interpretations, and all were fulfilled, confirming that
which is said: “</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">כל החלומות הולכין אחר הפה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>”—“</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">All dreams follow the mouth.” But is the statement “all
dreams follow the mouth” Scriptural?
Yes, as stated by Rebbi Eleazar. For Rebbi Eleazar said: From where do
we know that all dreams follow the mouth? Because it says, “</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר פָּתַר</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">-</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">לָנוּ</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">כֵּן הָיָה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> “—“and it was, as he interpreted to us, so it was.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Those, as we will read in next week’s parasha, were the words
of the Minister of Butlers when he was describing Yosef to Pharaoh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">But does this not contradict the words of </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">יוסף</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> himself who says quite clearly (<i>B’reishit</i>, 40:8): </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">הֲלוֹא לֵא-לֹהִים פִּתְרֹנִים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>—do not interpretations belong
to G-d?<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">So which one is it? Did Yosef (and other interpreters) determine
the outcome of dreams or does G-d?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I believe Rav Ovadia Seforno’s comments on this verse offer a
novel solution to this problem. He suggests that Yosef was not saying that G-d
would directly provide him with an interpretation<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
but that the science of dream interpretation was something within man’s grasp,
in so far as he is created </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">בצלם א-לוהים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, in the likeness of G-d.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Let me take a moment to explain what the
Seforno means. </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">א-לוהים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> is the name of G-d used in the first chapter of B’reishit—it
expresses G-d’s dominion over creation; that by His word everything came into
being and by His word all is sustained. When man is described as being created </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">בצלם א-לוהים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, it means that man himself is
endowed with a creative capacity—first and foremost expressed in his ability to
speak<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>—which
can be exercised to shape his own future. Saying that interpretations belong to
</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">א-לוהים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> is identical with saying that man has been given the capacity
to interpret and shape his future.<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">I believe this idea can be brought into
sharper focus by a beautiful distinction </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rav Yosef Dov HaLevi Soloveitchik, </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">זצ"ל</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> made in his famous essay, <i>Kol Dodi Dofek, </i>The
Voice of My Beloved Knocks—between what he calls </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">the “I of fate” and the “I of destiny.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Let me explain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">There are times in life when I feel like
I have no control. I did not chose when I was born, where I grew up, who my
parents were. Numerous circumstances outside of my control have led me to my
job, my spouse, my community. I have very little impact on the political
climate. I have no say over the economy, whether my country is at war, disease,
the list goes on and on. I am like a ship tossed and thrown on the waves of fortune—carried
aloft and then cast back down into the depths. This is the “I of fate.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">On the other hand, I realize that I need
not take this position. No matter what faces me, I am endowed with creativity. I
am able to choose my path; to make out of what gets thrown my way what I will.
However, this takes tremendous patience. I must be reconciled with the fact
that I may never see the fruits of my labors—that freedom lies not in the
ability to reach a certain end, but in the ability to choose the path. This is
the “I of destiny.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">With this distinction in hand, I believe
we are ready to see Yosef and his dreams in a whole new light. Let us start by going
back to the beginning of the Parasha and draw our attention to Yosef’s dreams: first,
the bundles of grain bowing to his bundle and then, the sun, moon and eleven
stars bowing to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">The meaning of these dreams was so <i>obvious</i>
to the brothers that they nearly murdered Yosef and ultimately sold him into
slavery. He was a </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">בעל החלומות</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, a dreamer, and therefore dangerous. Yosef thought that he was
not only superior in the realm of the economic (their bundles of grain
prostrated before his own) but in the celestial realm as well (the sun, moon
and 11 stars bow to Yosef himself)—he was not just arrogant, but delusional. This
dreamer could bring about nothing but ruin and tyranny for the House of Yaakov</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">: he was a threat—he had to be
stopped. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">What is truly startling is that no one
ever explicitly interprets these dreams—and this, I believe was the problem. If
only they had taken a moment to truly consider what the dreams might be saying
beyond the surface—if they had only talked it out, perhaps they would have
reached a different conclusion. When things are left unsaid, unspoken, they are
not subject to our creativity, our insight—the I of Destiny cannot express
itself when silence prevails: </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">וַיִּשְׂנְאוּ</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">אֹתוֹ</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">; </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">וְלֹא יָכְלוּ</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">דַּבְּרוֹ לְשָׁלֹם</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>—the
brothers hated him and could not speak to him peaceably (37:4).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Yosef, in his naiveté—</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">והוא נער</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, he was a lad, immature—shared
his dreams with his brothers. He did not perceive the danger—he didn’t see the
hatred that was stirring in their hearts. What he hoped to gain by sharing his
dreams we can only speculate. Perhaps he thought he could win them over.
Perhaps he thought he could impress them. Perhaps, as the Ohr HaChayim (37:5)
suggests, he thought that if his brothers knew that his appointment of
leadership was ordained by Heaven, they would cease to hate him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Whatever the case may be, what none of
Yaakov’s sons could perceive was that, perhaps, there was nothing fatalistic
about these dreams. Perhaps they offered a glimmer of the future—but what that
future would be was not yet determined. How they chose to interpret those
dreams was truly in their hands. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Only Yaakov is described as not rushing to any conclusions
about the dreams. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">וְאָבִיו</span><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">, </span><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">שָׁמַר אֶת</span><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">-</span><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">הַדָּבָר</span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">And his father, <i>guarded</i> the matter. (37:11) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Yaakov held onto the dreams. Certainly, he was repelled by
the dream of the sun, the moon and the stars—would he, his wife (who has
already passed away) and his sons come to bow down to him? But, Yaakov took
dreams seriously. It was a dream that provided him succor during his many years
of exile—during cold frost-bitten winter nights and long summer days of
thankless labor under the burning sun tending to Lavan’s flocks. He knew that
the G-d of his fathers would protect him and return him, one day,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> to the Promised
Land. It was a dream that protected him from the schemes of the duplicitous
Lavan and another dream that ultimately encouraged him to return to the place
of his birth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Yaakov knew that a dream never spelled
out one’s fate—it could only point out the way. Yaakov’s dreams did not give a
precise prediction—it is hard to find anything in Yaakov’s life that worked out
the way he expected it to. His dreams bid him to take hold of his destiny and
dig deep—into his inner resources—and courageously move forward.<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">When Yosef encountered the </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">שר המשקים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, the minister of the butlers,
and the </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">שר האופים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, the minister of the bakers, he had finally made the
breakthrough. Clearly, his own dreams did not spell out a glorious fate. As
quickly as he had moved up the ladder in the house of Potifar, he had been cast
back down. Now he was both a slave and a prisoner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">He realized—</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ממעמקים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, from the depths—that </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">לא-לוהים פתרונים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>—to G-d belong interpretations.
That the only choice for man—no matter how dire the circumstances—is to shape
his own destiny. That nothing, no matter how much it might seem to be, is
inevitable. With this insight he was more than ready to interpret the
ministers’ dreams. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Interpreting these dreams (as many have
pointed out) was a simple matter of observation: the minister of butlers spoke
first, his dream radiated confidence, he was an actor, Pharaoh’s cup was in his
hand, he took the cluster of grapes, he squeezed them into his cup, and he
placed the cup onto Pharaoh’s hand—he was a man of destiny.<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
The minister of the bakers was a passive victim. He spoke second, he was clearly
more worried by what he saw. In his dream he has no agency whatsoever. The
baskets rest on his head, the bird eats from the basket as he does nothing. He
was the ultimate man of fate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Yosef saw that we can either seal our
fate, like the minister of the bakers, with passivity and inaction or, we can
take our fate in our own hands, and live a life of destiny.<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">So why did he remain in jail for another
two years? Because he played the victim card. He tried to appeal to the
minister’s pity. He was stolen from his land! He was in prison, but had
committed no crime! He shifted from a man of destiny, creative and full of
vitality, into a man of fate.<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">These are the choices that are before us
when we face tragedy and suffering. We can bemoan the horrible situation we
find ourselves in. We can cry out that we are victims—we have been wrongly
accused. But that will gain us no sympathy. The only choice is to act
resolutely, with confidence in our creative capacity to face our destinies with
pride and dignity. We must embrace the motto of the man of destiny so
beautifully expressed by Rav Soloveitchik: “</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">על כרחך אתה נולד ועל כרחך אתה מת, אבל ברצונך
החפשי אתה חי</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>”—“Against your will you were born and against your will you
shall die, but by your free will you shall live.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> I
use Rober Alter’s (2007) translation with one alteration. Where he has “we
should be like dreamers” I have put “we were like dreamers.” This reflects an
ambiguity of meaning in this verse. Different commentaries have interpreted
this verse in accordance with both translations. See, for instance, Meiri, who
presents both possibilities.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Rebbi
Eleazar surely was noting the use of a unique choice of words: <span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">וַיְהִי</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>—and
it was; <span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">כֵּן הָיָה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>—so it was—a formula previously found (and repeated 6 times)
only in <span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">מעשה בראשית</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, the story of creation: <span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">וַיְהִי-כֵן</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>—and so it was. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
See Ibn Ezra (40:8) who notes and dismisses the contradiction: <span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">וכל החלומות הולכים אחר הפה דברי יחיד הם</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
Compare to Seforno (ibid.):<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">הֲלוא לֵא-להִים פִּתְרנִים</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><b><span dir="LTR"><span dir="LTR"></span>.</span></b><span dir="LTR"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">הִנֵּה חָכְמַת הַפִּתְרון הִיא בְּאָדָם מִצַּד מַה
שֶּׁהוּא </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">"</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">בְּצֶלֶם אֱ-להִים</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">", </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">וְלָזֶה יִתָּכֵן שֶׁתִּהְיֶה גַּם בִּי</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֲנִי עַתָּה עֶבֶד וּבְבֵית הָאֲסוּרִים</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">וּמִפְּנֵי זֶה אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁלּא צְדַקְתֶּם בַּמֶּה
שֶּׁאֲמַרְתֶּם </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">"</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">וּפתֵר אֵין אתו</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"><span dir="LTR"></span>". <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
For Seforno there does not seem to be a contradiction between
the gemara and the verse. I am following the approach of the Seforno.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Cf. to Ibn Ezra, Ramban and Netziv (ibid.).<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
See Onkelos and Rashi (2:7).<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> It
is also the name used for G-d from the beginning of chapter 40 until the end of
B’reishit. The only exception being 49:16, where the <span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">שם הויה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="HE"><span dir="LTR"></span> </span>is used once in the blessing of Dan. It should
also be noted that beginning with 32:11, the only two chapters that use the <span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">שם הויה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> are 38 and 39, the stories
of the Yehuda and Yosef’s respective descents. This absence is conspicuous
considering that the <span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">שם הויה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> is used 153 times (if my
count is correct) in the first 32 chapters of B’reishit.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
See especially p. 12 in <i>Divrei Hagut v’Ha’arakha</i>, 1982.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn8">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
See <i>Berakhot</i> 55b: <span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">א</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">"</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ר לוי לעולם יצפה אדם לחלום טוב עד כ</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">"</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ב שנה מנלן מיוסף דכתיב </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">בראשית לז</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">) </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">אלה תולדות יעקב יוסף בן שבע עשרה שנה וגו</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">' </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">וכתיב </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">בראשית מא</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">) </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ויוסף בן שלשים שנה בעמדו לפני פרעה וגו</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">' </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">מן שבסרי עד תלתין כמה הוי תלת סרי ושב דשבעא
ותרתי דכפנא הא כ</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">"</span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ב</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn9">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
This might explain the <span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">מדרש</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> (<span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">מ"ר פ"ח:ה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>) the interprets the <span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">שר המשקים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>’s dream as relating to the <span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">גאולה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ויספר שר המשקים והנה גפן לפני</span></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></b><span dir="LTR"><br />
</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">אלו ישראל</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">שנאמר </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">תהלים פ</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">)</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"><span dir="LTR"></span>:<b> </b></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">גפן ממצרים תסיע.</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><b><span dir="LTR"><span dir="LTR"></span> <br />
</span></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ובגפן שלושה שריגים</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><b><span dir="LTR"><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span></b><span dir="LTR"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">משה אהרן ומרים.</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"><span dir="LTR"></span> <br />
</span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">היא כפורחת</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><b><span dir="LTR"><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span></b><span dir="LTR"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">הפריחה גאולתן של ישראל.</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"><span dir="LTR"></span> <br />
</span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">עלתה נצה</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><b><span dir="LTR"><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span></b><span dir="LTR"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">הנצה גאולתן של ישראל.</span><span dir="LTR"><br />
</span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">הבשילו אשכלותיה ענבים</span></b><span dir="LTR"></span><b><span dir="LTR"><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span></b><span dir="LTR"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">גפן שהפריחה מיד הנצה</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ענבים שהנצו מיד בשלו</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"><span dir="LTR"></span>.</span><span dir="RTL"></span><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span dir="RTL"></span> וכוס פרעה בידי</span></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></b><span dir="LTR"><br />
</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">מכאן קבעו חכמים ד</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">' </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">כוסות של לילי פסח</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"><span dir="LTR"></span>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn10">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> His
mistake was that he lost his confidence. He became desperate and presented
himself as a victim of circumstance to the minister of the butlers. It would be
two more years until he had his next opportunity. When he stands before Pharaoh
he is ready. Note the echoing back to the <span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">שר המשקים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> in Pharaoh’s pronouncement: <span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">על פיך ישק כל עמי</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>—by your
mouth all of my people will be provided for.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn11">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Derashot/Shabbat%20Vayeishev%205776.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
See Rashi, 40:23.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-36450279708691072812015-09-11T20:42:00.002-04:002021-02-25T00:26:40.452-05:00Beyond Paradox: A Sense of Wonder<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.wuwm.com/sites/wuwm/files/styles/x_large/public/202009/AdobeStock_326545658.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="427" src="https://www.wuwm.com/sites/wuwm/files/styles/x_large/public/202009/AdobeStock_326545658.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The following is the speech I will be giving this Shabbat at Sephardic Bikur Holim, Seattle, WA.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I asked to
speak this week in memory of my beloved mother-in-law, Esther Alfi, </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">ע"ה</span><span dir="LTR" style="line-height: 200%;"></span><span dir="LTR" style="line-height: 200%;"></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,
whose <i>yahrtziet</i> was on Friday. She possessed a simple piety and <i>ahavat
Hashem</i> (love of Hashem) that will always be an inspiration to my family. <i>Sefer
Tehillim</i> never left her side and rarely was there a moment that it left her
lips. I hope the following words convey something of her spirit which, for me,
breathes through every word of the songs of David.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">In this week’s
Parasha we are presented with a simple instruction (with obvious relevance to
the upcoming <i>yamim noraim</i>): <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">הַֽעִדֹ֨תִי בָכֶ֣ם הַיּוֹם֮
אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ֒ הַֽחַיִּ֤ים וְהַמָּ֨וֶת֙ נָתַ֣תִּי לְפָנֶ֔יךָ
הַבְּרָכָ֖ה וְהַקְּלָלָ֑ה וּבָֽחַרְתָּ֙ בַּֽחַיִּ֔ים לְמַ֥עַן תִּֽחְיֶ֖ה
אַתָּ֥ה וְזַרְעֶֽךָ׃</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" lang="HE" style="font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span> </span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I call heaven and earth to witness against you this
day: that I have set before you life and death; the blessing and the curse;
choose life, so that you may live, you and your children. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Simple
and straightforward advice. But yet, underlying this verse is one of the most</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"> fundamental problems in Jewish philosophy: how to reconcile man’s
free-will with G-d’s foreknowledge. Quite simply put, if G-d knows what we are
going to do, in what way are we masters of our own destiny? This knotty
question is seemingly unavoidable—we can neither deny G-d’s foreknowledge nor
man’s free-will. <span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Rambam, in <i>Hilkhot
Teshuva</i>, famously answers the question by denying our ability to grasp the
answer. As he puts it, we don’t have the capacity to understand how G-d knows
what He knows—our difficulty grasping the solution to this paradox is really
just another expression of our inability to truly know Him, as it says: </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">כִּי לֹא</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">-</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">יִרְאַנִי הָאָדָם</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">, </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">וָחָי</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>—for no man can see
Me and live.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Rabbeinu
Avraham ben David, the Ravad, otherwise known as the <i>Ba’al haHasagot, </i>the
Critic,<i> </i>in his famous </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">critique of the Rambam, questions his inclusion of this difficult
philosophical problem in his code. What right does the Rambam have to expose
the innocent reader to such perplexities? Wouldn’t it be better to preserve the
reader’s purity of belief? Why present this question to the masses?<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Shabbat%20Netzavim%205775%20Seudah.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">In my very humble opinion Ravad got the Rambam wrong on this one. The
Rambam was, in fact, not corrupting the masses, but actually trying to return them
to their innocence. The denial of free-will was already a popular belief in his
day. He felt compelled to respond to, what he describes as, </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">הַטִּפְּשִׁים
הוֹבְרֵי שָׁמַיִם</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">the foolish astrologers who claim man has no
free-will and that the fate of each man has already been decreed. In other
words, the philosophical problem was not a genuine problem, but one
manufactured by fools who try to paint man as a fated, helpless creature
who…and here’s the clincher, bears no responsibility for his life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The Rambam, however, goes one step further than dismissing the question
because of its questionable motivation. He explains why there is, in fact, no
paradox. It comes down to a simple fact: G-d is unknowable. We have no idea
what it means to say that G-d knows everything: </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">כִּי לֹא
מַחְשְׁבוֹתַי מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">, </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">וְלֹא דַרְכֵיכֶם דְּרָכָי</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>—“My thoughts are not your
thoughts and your ways are not my ways.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Saying “G-d knows everything” or “G-d knows the future” is really just as
unfathomable as anything else we might try to understand about G-d. The
profoundest truth we can know about G-d is that we really don’t know anything
at all. This also explains why the Rambam describes the answer to this question
as being vaster than the expanse of the earth and sea: the progress we make
towards fully realizing our lack of knowledge—our limitations—knows no bound; the
infiniteness of G-d can just as well be described as the infiniteness of our
ignorance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">I believe there is one chapter of Tehillim that gets to the heart of the
issue that the Rambam is pointing to: <span dir="RTL" lang="HE">פרק קלט</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, chapter 139. The Ibn Ezra describes this
chapter as being, and I quote, “quite glorious—there is none other like it in
all the five books of Tehillim—and in accord with the depth of one’s
understanding of the ways of <i>Hashem</i> and the ways of the soul one may
contemplate its meaning.” Let me take you on a quick tour. (I highly recommend
spending some time reading it carefully.) Consisting of 24 verses it divides
neatly into four sections, or stanzas, each containing six verses.<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Shabbat%20Netzavim%205775%20Seudah.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> The
first section expresses the idea that not one of our thoughts—not a single
word—escapes G-d: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">אַתָּ֣ה
יָ֭דַעְתָּ שִׁבְתִּ֣י וְקוּמִ֑י </span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">בַּ֥נְתָּה לְ֝רֵעִ֗י מֵֽרָחֽוֹק:</span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">It is You who know when I sit and when
I rise, You fathom my thoughts from afar.<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Shabbat%20Netzavim%205775%20Seudah.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The sixth verse sums it up beautifully:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">פְּלִ֣יאָֽה
דַ֣עַת מִמֶּ֑נִּי נִ֝שְׂגְּבָ֗ה
לֹא־א֥וּכַֽל לָֽהּ:</span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">(Your) knowledge is too wondrous for me, high
above—I cannot attain it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The next section (7-12) moves from a feeling of wonder to a feeling of, for
lack of a better word, dread—the shock that there is literally nowhere to hide:
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">אָ֭נָ֥ה
אֵלֵ֣ךְ מֵֽרוּחֶ֑ךָ </span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">וְ֝אָ֗נָה מִפָּנֶ֥יךָ אֶבְרָֽח:</span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">אִם־אֶסַּ֣ק
שָׁ֭מַיִם שָׁ֣ם אָ֑תָּה </span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">וְאַצִּ֖יעָה שְּׁא֣וֹל הִנֶּֽךָּ:</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Where can I go from Your spirit, and
where from before You flee?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">If I soar to the heavens, You are
there, if I bed down in Sheol—there you are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The third section describes the boundaries, or the lack there
of, of G-d’s knowledge—G-d has known our innermost being—not to mention our
entire fate—from the moment our bodies began to take shape. Reading the
following verse it’s hard to miss a deep resonance with our conception of Rosh
Hashana. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">גָּלְמִ֤י</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">׀ רָ֘א֤וּ עֵינֶ֗יךָ </span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">וְעַֽל־סִפְרְךָ֮ כֻּלָּ֪ם יִכָּ֫תֵ֥בוּ</span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">יָמִ֥ים
יֻצָּ֑רוּ </span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">ולא </span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">(</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">וְל֖וֹ</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">) </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">אֶחָ֣ד בָּהֶֽם׃</span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">My unformed shape Your eyes did see,
and in Your book all was written down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The days were fashioned, not one of
them did lack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Finally, in the fourth and final section, David makes a
simple petition: that G-d destroy the wicked, because, after all, all of
David’s hatred is only against those who hate G-d. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The chapter ends with an envelope structure, returning to the
opening verses:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">חָקְרֵ֣נִי
אֵ֭ל וְדַ֣ע לְבָבִ֑י </span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">בְּ֝חָנֵ֗נִי וְדַ֣ע שַׂרְעַפָּֽי׃</span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">וּרְאֵ֗ה
אִם־דֶּֽרֶךְ־עֹ֥צֶב בִּ֑י </span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">וּ֝נְחֵ֗נִי בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ עוֹלָֽם׃</span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Search me, G-d, and know my heart,
probe me and know my mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">And see if a vexing way be in me, and
lead me on the eternal way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">What is so fascinating about this chapter is that this deep
awareness of G-d’s absolute, unfathomable knowledge does not lead to
philosophical befuddlement. G-d being all-knowing is the furthest thing from an
impediment to David the Psalmist’s exercise of free-will—it is the foundation
and opening for prayer! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">What I believe is most important is that David did not lose
his sense of wonder (which is nothing other than being struck by the fact that
one does not understand) as he says in the central verse:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">אֽוֹדְךָ֗
</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">עַ֤ל כִּ֥י נֽוֹרָא֗וֹת נִ֫פְלֵ֥יתִי</span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">נִפְלָאִ֥ים
מַֽעֲשֶׂ֑יךָ </span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">וְ֝נַפְשִׁ֗י יֹדַ֥עַת מְאֹֽד:</span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: Shlomo; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I acclaim You, for awesomely I am set
apart,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> wondrous
are your acts,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> and
my being deeply knows it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">G-d’s omniscience is not a philosophical problem, but the
ultimate source of wonder! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">It is my prayer that as you enter the <i>Yamim Noraim</i> you
should find inspiration from the wondrous fact that no thought, no step, no
breath is beyond the Holy One blessed is He.
</span><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
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<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Shabbat%20Netzavim%205775%20Seudah.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The Ravad (<a href="http://www.hebrewbooks.org/rambam.aspx?sefer=1&hilchos=5&perek=5&halocha=5&hilite=">here</a>) does not leave
his critique at that. He is also bothered by the fact that the Rambam doesn’t
really give an answer. Though there might not be a decisive solution to the
paradox, the Rambam could have offered <i>some</i> resolution. The Ravad,
magnanimous as he was, dutifully proceeds to offer one. Here’s the basics of
his solution: <i>if G-d knows something, then it must be so.</i> His knowledge
and his <i>gezeirah</i> (his decree) should be identical. So, if G-d knows the
future how do we have free will? The Ravad suggests that when G-d gave man free
will He actually undid the connection between His knowledge and His decree—in
the words of the Ravad, “He removed this dominion from His own hand and gave
that authority to man.” Though G-d’s knowledge should, in a sense, be
equivalent with His decree, He has willed that this not be so, so that man can
chose his own path. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Of
course, this is not the most satisfying answer: it basically avoids having to
answer the question by saying that G-d, being all powerful, simply willed it to
be that way. It’s kind of like a theological “because He said so” answer. In
defense of the Ravad, he does end-off this suggestion with the words: </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 107%;">וכל זה איננו שוה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span dir="LTR"></span>—which,
loosely translated, means “this is unsatisfactory.”</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Shabbat%20Netzavim%205775%20Seudah.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
See, Meltzer, F. <i>P’nei Sefer Tehillim</i>. Jerusalem: Mosad Harav Kook,
1982. p. 410.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Shabbat%20Netzavim%205775%20Seudah.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> All
translations of Tehillim taken from Alter, Robert. <i>The Book of Psalms</i>.
New York: Norton, 2007.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-55762675760206295882015-08-16T00:56:00.002-04:002021-02-25T00:29:42.595-05:00The Secret of Selihot<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://assets-global.website-files.com/5b8fd783bee52c8fb59b1fac/5d404555dbb1122f267aba24_TheTorah.com%252FMount%2520Sinai.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="427" src="https://assets-global.website-files.com/5b8fd783bee52c8fb59b1fac/5d404555dbb1122f267aba24_TheTorah.com%252FMount%2520Sinai.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">This is the text of the d'var Torah I delivered this Shabbat at Seudah Shelishit at Sephardic Bikur Holim in Seattle.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">This past week
marked the <i>yahrtzeit </i>of Mr. Shmuel Zanvel Mordechai Schwartz, <i>zekher
tzadik l’vrakha</i>, a man who was nothing less than a father to my wife and
our son’s namesake. <span style="background: white;">I use the
phrase,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>zekher… tzadik…
l’vrakha...</i>remember the righteous for a blessing—not merely as an
honorific, but, as Rashi explains in his commentary on Mishlei (10:7), as a
call to action: “</span></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">המזכיר צדיק מברכו</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>“
when we remember a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>tzadik</i>,
a righteous man, we must talk about what made that individual so great. This is
an honor that befits the righteous, but it is also of great benefit to us—the
life and deeds of the righteous inspire and guide us in our lives: the
blessedness of their life becomes a blessing to us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">I remember Mr.
Schwartz, who was a Satmar Hasid, telling me once—in an almost apologetic
form—that the <i>levush</i>—the outer trappings—was not the true <i>hasidut </i>(piety).
He didn’t spell out what that truth was and I think this was for a reason.
Something which is deeply known on an experiential level only loses its luster
when an attempt is made to put it into words. (Can one truly put into words
one’s love for one’s spouse or children? Can one truly describe the beauty of a
rainbow or the majesty of Mt. Rainier?) However, I believe his <i>hasidut</i>
was on display when <span style="background: white;">in literally a
moment’s notice, he and his wife, </span></span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">שתבדל לחיים
ארוכים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, made my
wife a part of their family. Mr. Schwartz’s warmth and kindness will
always be for us the ultimate example of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">gemilut chasadim.</span></i><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> He radiated the unity between religious
dedication and a deeply kind and caring way of being. In the following words I
will try and say something about this unity of one’s relationship to G-d and
one’s relationship with his fellow human being. Of course, no words will ever
live up to his glowing example.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">On Monday,
early in the morning, before tefilla, we will begin to say the <i>selihot</i>—penitentiary
prayers that we will continue to say up and through Yom HaKippurim.<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Shabbat%20Reeh%205775%20Seudah.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The
center-piece of the <i>selihot</i> is the recitation of the 13 <i>midot</i> of <i>rachamim</i>,
or, attributes of mercy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">וַיַּעֲבֹר ה' עַל</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">-</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">פָּנָיו</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">, </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">וַיִּקְרָא</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>
ה' ה' אֵ</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>-</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">ל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">-</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span> </span></span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">נֹצֵר חֶסֶד
לָאֲלָפִים נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וָפֶשַׁע וְחַטָּאָה וְנַקֵּה לֹא יְנַקֶּה פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן
אָבוֹת עַל</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">-</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">בָּנִים וְעַל</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">-</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">בְּנֵי בָנִים עַל</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">-</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">-</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">רִבֵּעִים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">And Hashem passed before him and He called out: Hashem, Hashem! A
compassionate and gracious G-d, slow to anger, and abounding in kindness and
good faith, keeping kindness for the thousandth generation, bearing crime,
trespass and offence, yet He does not wholly acquit, reckoning the crime of the
fathers with sons and sons of sons, to the third generation and the fourth.”
(translation taken from Robert Alter’s, The Five Books of Moses)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Though there is
no record of the <i>selihot </i>service in Talmudic literature (Soloveitchik,
J.B. <i>Tefilla, Vidui v’Teshuva. </i>Divrei Hashkafa. 1994.) we learn in
Mesekhet Rosh Hashana (17b) the following regarding this formula:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Rebbe Yochanan said: If it had not been written in Scripture, it
would not have been possible to say. When the verse says that G-d passed before
Moshe’s face and called out (the 13 attributes of mercy) we learn that G-d
cloaked Himself in the fashion of a prayer-leader and showed Moshe the
arrangement of the prayers. G-d explained to Moshe, “Whenever Israel sins they
should perform before Me this service and I shall give them pardon.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">It is worth
investigating how this works. To do this we will need to take a few steps back
and understand the context of this formula. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">After the sin
of the Golden Calf, G-d was ready to sever His relationship with <i>B’nei
Yisrael</i>. Moshe, in turn, pleaded with G-d to forgive <i>B’nei Yisrael</i>
and restore His relationship with them. However, Moshe goes about this in what
seems to be a peculiar way. He says:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"> “</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">הוֹדִעֵנִי נָא אֶת</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>-</span><span class="x"><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">דְּרָכֶךָ</span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span class="x"><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">וְאֵדָעֲךָ</span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">לְמַעַן אֶמְצָא</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">-</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Let me know your
ways and I shall know you, so that I shall find favor in your eyes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In response to this request, G-d tells
Moshe that he has, indeed, found favor in His eyes and He will grant Moshe’s
request. To this, Moshe requests that G-d reveal His </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">כבוד</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, His glory to him. G-d agrees to
grant this request, but with an important limitation—Moshe will not see G-d’s
face, only His back. Moshe is instructed to carve new tablets to replace the
ones he broke and ascend the mountain where he will behold G-d’s glory. Once Moshe
is firmly secured in a crag of the mountain, G-d passed before him and called
out the 13 attributes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The commentaries—both classic and
modern—struggle to make sense of this story—especially Moshe’s request. What
knowledge was Moshe seeking? How would that knowledge help reestablish the bond
between G-d and His people? How did revealing His 13 attributes of mercy answer
Moshe’s question?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">I would like to
suggest that the answer to these questions goes to the heart of Judaism’s
unique approach to theology. In Judaism the moment our gaze turns to behold
G-d’s glory, we are immediately cast back and forced to take an account of man.
Moshe seeks to know G-d, but what he gets are His attributes of mercy—which
are, in the spirit of </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">והלכת בדרכיו</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
(Devarim 28:9), the injunction to follow in His ways—a guide, above all, to who
man must be. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Our theology—an account of G-d—always
returns us to anthropology—an account of man. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Rambam spells
this out explicitly in the first chapter of <i>Hilkhot De’ot</i>, the Laws of
Character—or, perhaps a better translation for <i>de’ot </i>would be: Mentalities:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction: rtl; line-height: 200%; margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: right; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">וּמְצֻוִּין אָנוּ
לָלֶכֶת בִּדְרָכִים אֵלּוּ הַבֵּינוֹנִיִּים</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">, </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">וְהֶם הַדְּרָכִים
הַטּוֹבִים וְהַיְּשָׁרִים</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">, </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">שֶׁנֶּאֱמָר </span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">וְהָלַכְתָּ</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">, </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">בִּדְרָכָיו"
(</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>
</span><span dir="LTR"><a href="http://www.mechon-mamre.org/i/t/a0528.htm#9"><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">דברים כח</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">,</span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">ט</span></a></span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">) כָּךְ לִמְּדוּ
בְּפֵרוּשׁ מִצְוָה זוֹ</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">: </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">מַה הוּא נִקְרָא חַנּוּן</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">, </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">אַף אַתָּה הֱיֵה
חַנּוּן</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">; </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">מַה הוּא נִקְרָא
רַחוּם</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">, </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">אַף אַתָּה הֱיֵה
רַחוּם</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">; </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">מַה הוּא נִקְרָא
קָדוֹשׁ</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">, </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">אַף אַתָּה הֱיֵה
קָדוֹשׁ</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">.
</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ זוֹ
קָרְאוּ הַנְּבִיאִים לָאֵל בְּכָל אוֹתָן הַכִּנּוּיִין</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">, </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם
וְרַב חֶסֶד צַדִּיק וְיָשָׁר תָּמִים גִּבּוֹר וְחָזָק וְכַיּוֹצֶא בָּהֶן</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">--</span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">לְהוֹדִיעַ
שֶׁאֵלּוּ דְּרָכִים טוֹבִים וִישָׁרִים הֶם</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">, </span><span lang="HE" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">וְחַיָּב אָדָם
לְהַנְהִיג עַצְמוֹ בָּהֶן וּלְהִדַּמּוֹת כְּפִי כּוֹחוֹ</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR" style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>.</span><span dir="LTR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">We are commanded to follow the middle-way—that is, the good and
just ways—as it says, “And you shall follow His ways.” Such is how this <i>mitzvah
</i>has been explained: Just as He is called gracious, so to you must be
gracious; just as He is called compassionate, so to you must be compassionate;
just as He is called holy, so to you must be holy. In this vein the prophets called
G-d by all of these characteristics: slow to anger; abounding in kindness;
righteous; just; perfect; mighty; strong; etc.—to teach us that these are good
and just ways. A person is obligated to conduct himself by them and to imitate them
to the degree that he is capable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">This leads to
the following conclusion: the knowledge of His attributes is the knowledge of
the path<i> </i>that man must follow. The petition before <i>Hashem</i> with
the 13 <i>midot</i> of <i>rachamim</i> is no magical formula, but, in fact, from
this perspective, guidance for how man must conduct himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The moment we
seek G-d, we are confronted with the depth of what it means to be human—to
imitate G-d in all His ways. This is why—as we are so often reminded by our
prophets—the service of G-d can never be separated from our service of our fellow
man. This is one of the many lessons my wife and I learned from Mr. Schwartz, </span><span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">זכר צדיק לברכה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"> and this, I believe, is the secret of the <i>Selihot</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">May we all
merit the fulfillment of our prayers and have a truly blessed Elul—Shabbat Shalom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div>
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<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Dropbox/Shabbat%20Reeh%205775%20Seudah.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> This
is the custom of Sepharadim.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24211448.post-83844148850275471002015-07-26T19:33:00.002-04:002022-06-21T00:20:19.641-04:00Prisoner of Hope<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ancientportsantiques.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Kyrenia2-300BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="800" height="451" src="http://www.ancientportsantiques.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Kyrenia2-300BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">This is the derasha I delivered on Shabbat.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Nearly 900 years ago, in the summer of 1140, Yehuda HaLevi,
the great poet and thinker, waited aboard a ship at port—waiting to embark on
the next leg of his pilgrimage to Eretz Yisrael. He waited for the winds to
shift, the sails to billow forth and push the craft into the indigo blue waters
of the Mediterranean. The wait might have been hours or even days until a wind
from the west would move with force to the east, bringing him closer to his
destination. The poet he was, Yehuda Halevi could not resist putting ink to
paper and he penned a letter (in the form of a poem) to his family who he had
left behind in Spain:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Greetings of
peace to sisters, brothers, family and friends<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> from a prisoner
of hope who has been sold<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> to
the sea, his spirit hostage to the winds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> seized by
the west, forced to the east<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> this
one leads on, this one repels.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"> <a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Desktop/Shabbat%20Hazon%202015.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I believe this poem works well as a metaphor for the
protracted trials of the exile. </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">אסירי תקוה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Prisoners of hope, we are subject to the
unpredictable conditions of our captivity—sometimes catching a favorable wind
and brought closer to our destination; sometimes stymied or cast back for
interminable periods without a glimmer of respite. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I often feel this way during the three weeks. Stuck, waiting for
a journey to begin. I feel frustrated. I want the winds to shift and set things
in motion. I wonder, we have been in exile waiting for our redemption for
almost 2000 years…is there anything good—anything redeeming—about waiting? Or
is it just a purgatory, filled with suffering? How well the following stanza
from the same poem describes our fears and frustrations at so many stages of
our exile:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Seasick,
fearful of Gentiles,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> from pirates
and tempests.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> The captain
and crew, these riffraff<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">are lords and masters of this place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> The fame of
a sage means nothing here, and nothing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> you have
learned has any use<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">unless you’ve learned to swim. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Are we doomed to a life of mourning and yearning, in which,
as Yehuda HaLevi describes in perhaps his most famous poem, “My heart is in the
East and I, at the far reaches of the West/ How can I enjoy my food? What
pleasure can it have for me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">As a depressed person finds no joy in eating, can we find no
joy in this broken world?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Shortly after the destruction of the Second Temple, there
were a group of pious Jews who took this approach and refrained entirely from
eating meat or drinking wine. Rabbi Yehoshua asked them, “Why are you not
eating meat or drinking wine?” They responded, “How can we eat meat from which
sacrifices were offered upon the altar? How can we drink wine from which
libations were offered upon the altar? Our Temple is in ruins!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rabbi Yehoshua responded, “If that’s the case, then you
shouldn’t eat bread on account of the grain offerings; and you should abstain
from fruit on account of the first fruit offering; and you shouldn’t drink
water on account of the water libation!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">They were silent. He said, “My children, I cannot tell you to
not mourn at all…the decree has already been pronounced. But, you equally
cannot mourn to such an extreme.” (Bava Batra 60b; read in Mekor Hayim, vo. 4,
203:19, p. 185)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">We cannot live a life of constant sorrow. But does that
somehow dishonor the memory of what once was? Does experiencing joy mean we are
not truly waiting? That our hope is not real?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">For the three weeks leading up to Tisha B’Av our vision
darkens—we are cast down and feel the weight of exile. On each of the three
Shabbatot of this time period we read <i>haftarot</i> of <i>puranut, </i></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">punishment, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">in which we are castigated by the
prophets and are called to take account of our sins and repent. Today marks the
final of those three Shabbatot—Shabbat Hazon. In today’s <i>haftorah</i>, we
read the opening chapter of Sefer Yeshayahu in which the people are called
sinners and murderers—comparable only to the likes of the people of Sedom and
Amora! The only <i>nechama, </i>consolation,
is the assurance that if we pursue justice and righteousness we shall be
redeemed.</span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> <i>"Tzion through justice shall be
redeemed and her repentant ones through righteousness."<span class="apple-converted-space"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">After Tisha B’Av the tone shifts dramatically. For the next seven
Shabbatot we read <i>haftarot</i> that are entirely consolation. We are told to
take comfort, rise up and ultimately to rejoice! The bright vision of our
future is placed ever more luminously in front of us until we can experience
the joy of our festivals in the month of Tishrei. </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">But how can we make this transition? How
do we go from the depths of sorrow to experience the joy of our festivals once
more? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">I would argue that t</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">he <i>sasson</i>, the joy, of the
holidays can only be experienced in the wake of mourning—after fully
confronting what was and what we lost. How so?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">It boils down to a simple truth that I believe the Rambam
stated best at the end of Hilkhot Purim: the true joy of our festivals is, in
fact, </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">לשמח לב עניים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>—to cause the heart of the impoverished to rejoice. </span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"</span><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">לְהַחֲיוֹת רוּחַ שְׁפָלִים</span><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">, </span><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">וּלְהַחֲיוֹת לֵב נִדְכָּאִים</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>"—“To
revive the spirit of the lowly, to revive the heart of the downtrodden.” We
rejoice not just because we have received good. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">We rejoice in our ability to emulate the Divine
Presence—to be a conduit of the ultimate good! </span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">This
joy is only tainted by our inability to fulfill this ideal to the highest
degree! Without this realization—which is only brought about by mourning the
catastrophic results of not living up to this ideal—we cannot experience any
joy at all!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Isn’t it perfect? The ultimate source of joy—the commitment
to justice and righteousness, to answer the call of the widow and the orphan,
the homeless and impoverished—is also that which brings about our ultimate
redemption!</span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">But
how can we stand to wait? What gives us the patience to wait for this ultimate
state of being? This time of greatest joy?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">After relating the difficulties of his
wait, Yehuda Halevi concludes his letter:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> These
thoughts throw shadows on my face,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> but
only briefly, for my core,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> my
inner self, is joyous. Soon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> I
will be pouring out my heart<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> to
G-d, where once the ark and altar stood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> There
I will repay Him, giving thanks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> as
due to Him from me, imperfect man,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> and
offering Him my best: my song and praise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">There is a sweetness to waiting for
something good—it gives meaning to all the steps along the way. Being an </span><span dir="RTL" face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="HE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">אסיר תקוה</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, a prisoner of hope, is a
strange state of being…on one hand you are a prisoner, on the other, you are a
prisoner to the most wonderful of wardens: hope. Hope keeps one bound as long
as the end has not come, but the boundaries of that prison give life meaning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">So, the next time you are waiting,
bored, frustrated, and angry at time…think deeply about your destination. Where
are you headed? What are you doing along the way? Let that bring a smile to
your face. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;">May we all merit the fulfillment of our
prayers:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> </span><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">וְתֶחֱזֶינָה עֵינֵינוּ
בְּשׁוּבְךָ לְנָוְךָ</span><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">,
</span><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">לְצִיּוֹן בְּרַחֲמִים</span><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="AR-SA" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">,
</span><span dir="RTL" face="David, sans-serif" lang="HE" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">כְּמֵאָז.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">May our eyes see your return to your abode, to Tzion with
mercy, as it once was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Shabbat Shalom.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/yrapoport/Desktop/Shabbat%20Hazon%202015.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> All
translations of Halevi’s poetry are adapted from Scheindlin, R. <i>The Song of
the Distant Dove: Judah Halevi’s Pilgrimage. NY:Oxford University Press,</i>
2008; and Halkin, H. <i>The Selected Poems of Yehuda Halevi. Nextbook,</i> 2011.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Yehudahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13012748301457819738noreply@blogger.com0