Lessons from פרשת מקץ

Some lessons to be learned from Parshat מקץ from the של״ה הקודש: We learn the importance of confessing one's sins from the butler. He was a pagan and he reminded Pharoah of his transgressions. How much more should we confess our sins.

Hashem's name is constantly on Yosef's lips. He sets a good example of attributing our success to Hashem.

Yakov still had food but did not want to arouse the envy of the people around him. It's always a good idea not to show off and arouse jealousy.

It's impossible to confront those who admonish us. The brothers could not answer Yosef. Even Bilam could not answer the rebuke of his donkey.

Gratitude is a virtue that should be practiced by all. The Egyptian clergy saved Yosef's life when he was accused of sinning with Potiphar's wife. Yosef was only jailed because the clergy verified that the tear on his clothing was in front. This meant it was questionable if he did anything wrong. Later, Yosef was kind to the clergy.

Shabbat Shalom and Chanukah Sameach

The Apocrypha

There is a word that describes books that are not part of the twenty -four holy writings that make up the Tanach. This is called the "Apocrypha", which means, outside.

A perfect example of a book of the Apocrypha, would be ספר החשמונאים, also known as, "The Book of the Maccabees." I actually took a course on this book during my Yeshiva days at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois.

The book primarily discusses the war strategy of the Maccabees and how they were able to defeat the powerful Greek armies. They utilized the caves near Modiin and relied on swift surprise attacks mostly at night. Obviously, the miraculous victory was thanks to Hashem. But the way they went about it, with precision planning and intelligence, was very impressive.

The sages of Israel evaluated this book and did not feel that it contained רוח הקודש, so it did not become a book of Tanach. We are not really sure who the author was but we assume it was a devout Jew writing about the revolt and wars.

Books that made it as part of the Tanach with difficulty, were שיר השירים and קהלת, and even יחזקאל that seemed to have some discrepancies with the Torah. The Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes made it because of the specialness of King Solomon and his wisdom.

Why is Chanukah Eight Days

There is a classic question of the Beit Yosef that we mention every year. Chanukah really should be seven days and not eight. The cruse of oil was supposed to burn for one day. Therefore, the first day was not a miracle. The extra seven days that it lasted was the real miracle. So why eight days and not seven?

There are numerous answers to this question. Some say the first day is a celebration of the military victory and the other seven days was the miracle of the oil. Others say the oil was divided into eight equal parts so that the miracle was seen on the first day.

There is an opinion that the pitcher of oil remained full immediately after pouring it out on the first day.

My favorite answer was given by Rabbi Meir Kahane זצ״ל. He said that the reason for the celebration of the first day was the miracle that Jews "got involved" altogether. And the other seven was the miracle of the oil. Chanukah Sameach

הדלקה עושה מצוה

There is a concept related to Chanukah where we say הדלקה עושה מצווה, that the lighting of the candles is what makes the Mitzva. This means that we have completed the obligation to light Chanukah candles as long as they had adequate oil or wax to last for thirty minutes after צאת הכוכבים under normal conditions.

If there is every expectation that the candles should burn their appropriate time and they are accidentally extinguished, one does not need to re-light the candles, as the Mitzva is considered complete.

If, on the other hand, there wasn't enough oil or the candles were placed in the path of a רוח שאינה מצויה, an unusually strong wind, that will almost certainly blow out the candles, he has not fulfilled the Mitzva, and must re-light the candles so that they burn the required thirty minutes. This is what is meant by הדלקה עושה מצוה.

Chanukah Candle Lighting Times

There is a concept regarding Chanukah called עד שתכלה רגל מן השוק, until there are no longer feet in the market place. This was the rule of thumb to indicate the latest one is allowed to light Chanukah candles.

This means that as long as there are people walking the streets, we are able to fulfill the Mitzva of פרסומי ניסא, advertising the miracle.

The earliest time to light would be from פלג המנחה, which is roughly an hour and a quarter before sunset. This is provided that the candles burn for thirty minutes after צאת הכוכבים, when the stars come out.

The ideal time to light candles is right at צאת הכוכבים, which is at 5:03 today

in Jerusalem. My calendar says, מצוה מן המובחר 5:03, the choicest time is right at צאת. This shows an eagerness to perform the Mitzva at the earliest opportunity. Chag Chanukah Sameach

על הניסים

Shavua Tov and Chanukah Sameach. Well, we entered Chanukah knowing who our modern day Antiochus is in the person of Barak Obama. He ends his eight year reign showing his true colors of anti-semitism and disdain for the State of Israel.

I intended to write about the על הניסים prayer which now has even greater meaning with this shameful news. First of all, if one forgot to insert על הניסים in שמונה עשרה or ברכת המזון, he does not need to repeat the Shmone Esrei or the Benching.

The prayer celebrates the victory of the few over the many. In a book written by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach about Chanukah, Reb Shlomo claims that there were only 70 Maccabees against 500,000 Greeks. When they saw Yehuda Maccabee riding on a lion, they fled in fear!

We are to recite this prayer with a great deal of gratitude and awe for the physical victory of the war, and the spiritual victory of overcoming the impurity of the Greeks and Greek culture. עם ישראל חי

טוב האמיתי

The Ramchal emphasizes the importance of self examination and awareness of how we are acting in the world. We are to monitor our service of Hashem as well as looking at improving on our interaction with the world.

He says that one who sincerely wishes to work on himself must start with having a very clear definition of הטוב האמיתי that he chooses to cleave to, and הרע האמיתי that he knows to distance himself from.

The טוב האמיתי, true goodness, must be defined as the principles outlined by the Torah and our sages. Anyone who believes there is any other system that is more just and compassionate than the Torah, possesses arrogance beyond belief.

The רע האמיתי, true evil, therefore, has to be what is contrary to Torah principles. This is the starting point that must be clearly defined as a prerequisite towards self awareness and self improvement.

Lessons of Chanukah

The Chanukah story actually began with the historic meeting between Alexander the Great and the Kohein Hagadol, Shimon Hatzaddik. Alexander dreamed of this meeting and was very impressed with the holy garments worn by the high priest.

He promised that he would act kindly with the Jews and not do them physical harm. He was respected by the Jews to the extent that Jews are still called Alexander, to this day.

Nevertheless, Alexander did cause great harm to the Jews, with his introduction of Greek culture into Israel. Many Jews became Hellenists and abandoned their observance of Judaism in order to emulate the Greeks.

This has been the story of the Exile. Either we needed to devise tactics to overcome a physical threat to us, as in Shmad. Or, we needed to overcome a spiritual threat when we were enticed with foreign cultures.

Our experience with the Greeks provided a challenge on both fronts. We fought a physical war with the Greeks and we tried to restore our spirituality with the re-dedication of the Temple. This is the dual celebration of the Chanukah holiday.

Shmad

There is a concept in Judaism called "שמד״. Shmad refers to periods in our history, such as during the Chanukah story, when it was forbidden for Jews to practice their religion under penalty of death.

In such a situation, if a Jew does practice his religion in a time of Shmad, and is put to death for it, this is the highest level of Kiddush Hashem on the level of the Ten Martyrs ( Rabbi Akiva and colleagues ).

The Rambam makes a very important point on the subject by saying the following: The reward for Kiddush Hashem applies only in a situation where the Jew was forced to live under unbearable situations. However, if the Jew had an opportunity to escape the שמד, and run away to a place of safety, and he chooses not to, this is like a dog returning to its vomit. Such a person will inherit Gehinnom and no reward of any kind awaits him.

יראת רוממותו

The Ramchal discusses the concept of יראת רוממותו, the fear of Hashem's exaltedness. He explains that generally it is not too difficult to pinpoint the distance between two points. For example, we know how far it is from Jerusalem to Eilat. We can determine how long it will take to get there if we drive there.

However, when it comes to knowing the distance between ourselves and Hashem, we know that point one is the place we are standing. The point where we reach Hashem is not able to ascertain. It cannot be measured in any form at all. We know that Hashem's Presence is very very high.

The Ramchal felt that if we put things according to this perspective, we will have an idea of יראת רוממותו and we will know our place in relation to G-d.

Lessons from וישלח

The של״ה הקודש summarizes each Parsha with lessons to be learned. The lessons from וישלח are as follows:

When one prays and asks something from Hashem, he should be specific in what he asks for. Yakov asked to be saved "from his brother, from Eisav."

From the words קטונתי מכל החסדים we learn that one should live frugally so as not to use up one's merits.

From והיה המחנה הנשאר לפליטה we learn that one should spread out his investments in different places as Yakov divided up his camp.

From the Pasuk, הסירו את אלוהי הניכר, to remove false deities, we are taught to clean our homes of foreign and impure objects. We must keep our homes holy as in והיה מחניך קדוש, "Your camp should be holy." Shavua Tov

Yakov Avinu

Yakov Avinu is a very complicated personality. On the one hand, he is forced to deal with very low people such as Lavan and Eisav. But on the other hand, he's on the level to fight with a spiritual being like an angel.

It is obvious that Yakov had attained a very high level of holiness as was also attested by the dream that he had with the ladder and the angels.

The manner in which he was able to be so connected to the spiritual world and at the same time, have his feet on the ground to deal with pure evil, is both remarkable and an example of something we are to strive towards.

The Rabbis have a saying that יעקב לא מת. The Pasuk in the Torah was ויקרבו ימי ישראל למות, that Yisrael was going to die but not Yakov. The של״ה הקודש said that this was learned from the words, ותחי רוח יעקב , that Yakov's spirit lived. At that time, he had תחיית המתים and he never died. He was very much like אליהו הנביא in that he comes on numerous occasions to help his children.

We say מעשה אבות סימן לבנים, that what happened to the Avot is a sign for the children. There is a great deal to be learned from Yakov Avinu. Shabbat Shalom

Pause and Reflect

  The Ramchal spoke about the importance of being able to "pause and reflect." This means that we need to take regular moments where we stop and think about the direction we are going, and what we are achieving.

The inability to do this, causes us to wander aimlessly without being able to see if the path we are taking is the right one.

The Ramchal says further that if a person never does this, he is on a lower level than an animal. An animal uses its G-d given instincts to separate itself from danger. It is constantly on the lookout for potential attackers and it tries to find shelter from animals of prey.

If a person never stops to think about what he's doing and just continues to act according to how he feels, and he does not look at the potential danger of his behavior, he is lower than an animal.

One of the tricks of the יצר הרע is to keep us so occupied, that we don't have the time to think. We must take the Ramchal's advise to regularly on a daily basis, do some self reflection that will help get us back on track to serve Hashem and live according to His laws in the proper way.

Needs of the Soul

There is a great deal written in the Mussar books such as מסילת ישרים and ספר הישר about how one needs to focus his concentration on the needs of his soul. The tendency is to worry about our physical and material needs, without realizing that our spiritual needs might be the key to eliminating such worries.

The truly holy individuals are the ones who are detached from the physical world. Material satisfaction is of very little consequence when one feels Hashem's Presence close to him at all times. That spiritual joy far surpasses anything attained in the physical world.

We need to be reminded from time to time of the existence of our soul altogether- especially when our lives become so hectic on a day to day basis. We need to reiterate the fact that our souls have needs just as the body does. Our souls have an eternal aspect about them. And finally, our souls are the source for what ultimately gives us peace of mind and contentment.

Reward and Punishment

Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi, who has become very popular with his internet lectures, tells the story of how he became a Baal Teshuva. It is based on the Rambam's details of the Torah's penal system.

The Torah enumerates four death penalties for various transgressions. There is stoning, burning by fire, decapitation, and strangulation. In addition, there is also Karet as well as מיתה בידי שמים, death at the hands of Heaven. There are also 207 cases of lashes in the Torah. And finally, there are monetary penalties for various sins such as stealing and rape and seduction.

Rabbi Mizrachi was confronted by a relative who asked how he could be so sure that the punishments in the Torah would not be implemented. Was he willing to risk that the Torah was outdated and these penalties did not apply any longer?

This made Rabbi Mizrachi think a great deal. He came to the conclusion that it was not worth taking such a risk. This was the single event that motivated him to return to Judaism and allowed him to become an extremely influential rabbi.

Reward and punishment is not something that we should take lightly. We need to wake up and more carefully observe the Torah and Mitzvot.

מודה אני

The first chief rabbi of Israel, Rav Avraham Yitzchak Hacohen Kook זצ״ל, made an interesting observation about the מודה אני prayer that we say every morning.

The prayer gives thanks to Hashem for restoring our souls after a night's sleep. The Rabbis say that sleep is a fraction of actual death. Therefore, we are not to take for granted that we were given the blessing of being able to wake up each morning.

Rav Kook wrote that an individual who takes this prayer seriously each day, and says it with a great deal of Kavana, is on a very high spiritual level. Before tending to his daily needs, his very first instinct when he opens his eyes is, "Thank you Hashem for letting me live another day."

His high level of spirituality prioritizes for him, his order of priorities. First acknowledge Hashem's Chesed, then go about your business of the day. This will also help a person deal with his daily challenges in the right perspective. Our dependence on G-d comes before everything else. Think about this tomorrow when you say מודה אני.

A Lesson from Mother Rachel

Shavua Tov. Rav Elazar Abuchatzeira זצ״ל used to say that there was a huge message to be learned from the devoted behavior of Rachel Imeinu.

Rachel obviously knew of her father's plan to switch Leah as Yakov's bride. However, she also knew that if she would have protested and exposed her father's devious plot, it would have destroyed her sister. Leah would have been a laughing stock, she may have had to marry Eisav, and she certainly would not have been remembered as a matriarch. Hashem later rewarded Rachel for her loyalty.

Rav Elazar said that we learn from this not to be ruthless. Even if we are right and the other side may have acted improperly, we will see no blessing if we destroy that person. A Jew is always expected to act with compassion even when wronged. This lesson was taught by our Mother Rachel.

Lessons from פרשת ויצא

The של״ה הקודש ends each Parsha with lessons to be learned from each Parsha. There are several from פרשת ויצא:

When we visit a historic site, we should stand in awe of it as Yakov did after his dream. We should also treat our synagogues and בתי מדרש with respect.

We should not ask Hashem for more than the necessities of life as Yakov asked for bread to eat and clothing to wear. לחם לאכול ובגד ללבוש.

One should always speak politely as Yakov asked, אחי, מאין אתם.

Yakov reprimanded the shepherds for leaving work early. He said, עוד היום גדול, meaning there's plenty of daylight. This is a hint that we should do תשובה while there is still time.

The Pasuk of וגללו את האבן that Yakov removed the stone from the well is a רמז that we should remove all of the obstacles preventing the גאולה.

Nice lessons to be learned from פרשת ויצא. Shabbat Shalom

An Honest Day's Work

The של״ה הקודש says that an important lesson learned from the Parsha, is the importance of putting in an honest day's work. This is learned from Yakov Avinu when he reprimanded the other shepherds for leaving their job too early in the day. Their answer was that they were unable to remove the heavy stone that was on the well.

Yakov also set the example of hard work with the diligence that he worked for Lavan for twenty years. He barely rested and worked days and nights.

We are to learn from this that when we are hired to do a job, we are expected to do it well. If we are paid by the hour, we are to be certain that we work a full hour and that we do not cheat or mislead our employer. Aside from it being the proper thing to do, if we are religious and we don't act properly, it would be a Chilul Hashem.

עבודה זרה

The Rambam in the Mishna Torah says that there are fifty one out of the 613 Mitzvot that fall under the category of עבודה זרה. He explains that idol worship first began when individuals began substituting Hashem's awesome creations for G-d Himself.

It began with worshipping the sun instead of viewing the sun as a proof of Hashem's power and might. Instead of the sun being the vehicle to intensify our belief in G-d, people got sidetracked and turned the vehicle into a deity.

The Rabbis tell us בכל דרכיו דעיהו, in all your ways, know Him. This means that we are to be aware of Hashem's Presence in everything we do. Even when we exercise, we don't make the exercise the ultimate, but it is a means of serving G-d better with a healthy, well tuned body.

Anything can become עבודה זרה if we give it too much importance and we take G-d out of the equation. Even Halacha can become עבודה זרה if we stop seeing at as a means of getting closer to Hashem and it becomes an end in itself.