רוח הקודש

In פרשת ויגש, we learn a great deal about receiving רוח הקודש, the Divine Spirit. When Yakov Avinu finally accepted the news that Yosef was alive, the Torah tells us, ותחי רוח יעקב, that the spirit of Yakov lived.

The explanation is that the Holy Spirit once again lived within Yakov. Once his sadness and grieving had passed, and it turned to joy, he was again able to communicate with Hashem.

We are told that even Moshe Rabbeinu’s connection with Hashem was minimized during the years in the desert when each year 15,000 Jews died on Tisha B’Av. Only when the dying stopped, was Moshe able to connect with G-d as he did on Mount Sinai.

The Rambam wrote that during the years of prophecy, the prophets would play musical instruments to lift their spirits, so that they would be in a state to receive Divine messages.

In the time of Mashiach, there will be such great joy and such a high level of spirituality, that everyone will be able to have רוח הקודש. We must believe that we are getting closer and closer to that time.

Losing Trust

The Midrash makes a very interesting observation in connection with Yakov’s first reaction to the news that Yosef was alive.

The Torah tells us, ויפג ליבו כי לא האמין להם, that his heart was troubled, because he didn’t believe them.

The Midrash says that this is what happens when dealing with a liar; even when he’s telling the truth, he cannot be trusted.

It looks like Yosef’s brothers lost all credibility with their father. He must have suspected all along that something wasn’t right about the whole Yosef incident.

This explains why Yakov was suspicious when he heard about Yosef. Was this another lie that would lead to further disappointment and heartbreak?

The lesson for us is clear. If one chooses a path of deceitfulness and dishonesty, it will ultimately catch up with him. He will lose the trust of his peers and will not have any credibility. We need to think very clearly what the consequences of our actions will be. If we don’t, it will take a very long time to undo the damage.

ולא יכלו לענות

The Gemara in מסכת חגיגה, comments on the words, ולא יכלו לענות, that the brothers were so shocked when Yosef revealed himself to them, that they were unable to answer.

Rabbi Elazar, son of רבי שמעון בר יוחאי, would cry every year when he came to this Pasuk in the Torah. His comment was, if the rebuke of one of flesh and blood, could be so strong that its recipient was unable to answer, how will we be able to respond before the King of Kings, when we leave this world!

I often wonder how people can behave so recklessly, without even a thought that there will be an accounting one day for their bad behavior. We need to be reminded to always work towards self improvement and closeness to Hashem. This way, we will score high marks when we are judged on our day of reckoning.

Hurry Home Without Delay!

Shavua Tov. Rav Elazar Abuchatzeira זצ״ל commented on Yosef’s instructions to his brothers, אל תרגזו בדרך, that they should not be delayed on the way.

The explanation for this is that Yosef was concerned that his brothers would get involved with דברי תורה, and would get side tracked and not hurry home to tell Yakov the great news of him being alive.

The Gemara in מסכת תענית is more specific where Yosef used the word עיון, to describe their Torah study on the way home. עיון is a method of study, where one goes deeply into a subject, inside and out. One can become so engrossed in a subject, that he forgets where he is, and his total focus is on the subject at hand.

Rav Elazar felt that this was also an indication of the high level the brothers were on. Instead of spending the journey home, blaming each other for their role in the Yosef saga, they spent it, learning Torah.

Ox-Lion

Parshat ויגש begins with the confrontation between two powerhouses, Yehuda the Lion, and Yosef the Bull. Some say that there was a screaming match between them. It was a struggle for power and leadership of the Jewish nation.

Later in history, this struggle continued when the kingdom was divided. The northern part of Israel was known as Efraim, son of Yosef. And the south was the area of Yehuda. It is interesting that Binyamin aligned himself with Yehuda, and his protection.

The roles of Yehuda became more defined when we speak of משיח בן יוסף and משיח בן דוד. It is not clear if we will be able to actually identify משיח בן יוסף. Like Yosef, he will be more of a material provider. He will help with the physical return of the Jewish people to Eretz Yisrael.

The משיח בן דוד from Yehuda, has a clear task. He must destroy Amalek and rebuild the Beit Hamikdash. It is interesting to see how the origins of the roles of these great men already began in Egypt.

Food Lust

Rabbi Elazar Abuchatzeira זצ״ל commented on two words from פרשת מקץ. The description of going down to Egypt to purchase food, was called, “לשבור אוכל.”

The word לשבור means “to break.” And אוכל means “food.” Rav Elazar explained that this wording was to teach לשבור את תאוות האוכל, to break up the lust for food.

One would not normally rank food on the top of the list of things that people lust after. The Rav said that lusting after food, is the greatest of all lusts.

The proof of this is that the great sin of eating from the forbidden fruit of Gan Eden, came from the lusting after food.

This idea should not be taken lightly. We should elevate our eating habits and remind ourselves that our table is like a מזבח. Ideally, one should get satisfaction from the taste of Torah, rather than the taste of food.

Perhaps this is a very appropriate Corona message where many complain of having gained weight because of lockdown!

שחיטה שאינה ראויה

The Book of Breishit seems to be mainly the history of the Avot. However, sometimes, incidental Halachic matters are learned.

One such example comes from three words in פרשת מקץ describing Yosef’s instructions to prepare a lavish meal for his brothers. The Torah uses the words, וטבוח טבח והכן, which means to slaughter and to prepare.

Surprisingly, we learn a law related to שחיטה, ritual slaughtering from these words. The Halacha is that a שחיטה שאינה ראויה לא הוי שחיטה, that an unfit slaughtering is not considered שחיטה. Therefore, if an animal was found diseased ( טריפה ), or slaughtered for the sake of עבודה זרה, or another procedural defect, it would not count as שחיטה. And once it’s been nullified, there is no longer an obligation to do כיסוי הדם, cover the blood.

This is kind of a technical law, but it is learned from the words, וטבוח טבח והכן.

Guilt Feelings

One of the very moving verses in the Torah in פרשת מקץ, is the conversation between the brothers, when they are treated harshly by Yosef.

They say to one another, אבל אשמים אנחנו, “But we are guilty.” They finally recognize that they showed no compassion to Yosef when he begged them to have pity on them.

Rav Elie Munk in קול התורה wrote that until that moment, they were convinced that they had done the right thing in getting rid of their evil brother. They even thought that the grief they caused their father was necessary, to avoid having a cancer in their midst.

Too often, people and movements get carried away with what they believe to be the justice of their cause. It may take a dramatic event to wake them up and realize that they may have badly misjudged the situation.

There are numerous prophecies attesting to the guilt feeling the nations of the world will have, when they realize how they misjudged the Jewish people. They will acknowledge that the Jewish people suffered needlessly at their hands, when it was the Jews who stood up for morality and all that is good.

Yosef’s brothers eventually came to recognize the truth. And we are living at a time when the nations of the world are equally getting to the point of truth.

Keep a Low Profile

When the predicted famine spread throughout the world, it also reached Eretz Yisrael and Yakov Avinu. We learn an extremely important lesson from the way Yakov handled the situation.

He tells his sons, למה תתראו, which simply means, “Why should you be afraid.” The explanation of these words was that Yakov was reminding his family that while others had run out of food, they still had plenty in their storehouses.

On a deeper level, he was telling them how to avoid having to be afraid of Yishmael and Eisav. If they were to learn that Yakov’s family still had food, it would arouse the jealousy of those two families.

The remedy so as not to arouse such jealousy, was to go down to Egypt and purchase food like everyone else who had run out of food.

This little episode is the source for Jews needing to be more modest and not show off their wealth. Jews need to be careful not to make the Goyim envious of our good fortune.

This is especially true when Jews are living outside of Israel. We do not need to give the Gentile more reasons to hate us. And it’s always good to be modest and not show off. This is a most important lesson.

Oaths

Shavua Tov. We learn in today’s Parsha how Yosef rose to power very quickly. When פרעה elevated him from prisoner to slave, it was met by opposition from his servants.

They objected to having a former slave being given so much power. Pharoah assured his servants that he knew that Yosef came from royalty and was worthy of his high position.

The servants further challenged this appointment by saying that Yosef needed to be fluent in all seventy languages. The Gemara in סוטה explained that the Angel Gavriel taught Yosef all of these languages overnight.

We also learn that Pharoah made Yosef swear that he would not tell anyone that he himself did not know Hebrew. This would have been a great embarrassment to the Egyptian people.

This oath came in handy, because later Yosef told Pharoah that he had made an oath to Yakov that he would be buried in Israel. He reminded the king that one must not violate an oath. Permission was then granted to bury Yakov in Israel. Interesting Midrashim.

ישועת ה׳ כהרף עין

Parshat מקץ is considered a Chanukah Parsha. The plight of Yosef is meant to demonstrate how quickly one’s fortune can change.

Yosef was in prison for twelve years for a crime he did not commit. His situation seemed pretty hopeless. As fate would have it, the dreams that got him into trouble, and led to his being sold to Egypt, had other dreams get him out of prison.

The lesson of this whole story, which is related to Chanukah, is that we must never despair. As difficult and hopeless a situation might look, we must never forget that all is in Hashem’s hands.

We clearly see how ישועת ה׳ כהרף עין, the salvation of G-d is like the blink of an eye. One minute Yosef is a lowly prisoner, and the next, he is the viceroy of Egypt.

The Jews are living under hopeless Greek oppression, and in a relatively short time, they witness the miraculous overthrow of the Greek army.

We must learn from Yosef and the Maccabees never to lose faith. Things can change very quickly in miraculous ways as long as we put our trust in Hashem. This is the message of Chanukah and of מקץ. These are examples of ישועת ה׳ כהרף עין.

Education

A major theme of פרשת וישב is חינוך. Yakov Avinu is reprimanded for giving preferential treatment to Yosef over his other children.

The Gemara writes that this should be a lesson for all parents to treat their children equally without favoritism. There is a natural tendency for siblings to be jealous of one another.

Parents need to teach their children from a young age not to be jealous, and to learn to be happy for each other’s success.

If this lesson is not learned in the home, the child will grow to be envious of others, and will not be happy with his lot in life.

Perhaps Chanukah carries forth this idea of education. The Chanukah story shows how the small group of Maccabees led by Judah and his brothers, overcame great odds. The brothers worked together harmoniously for the cause of saving עם ישראל. The message of unity and brotherly love, can have miraculous results.

Dreams

Starting with פרשת וישב, the idea of dreams, comes to the forefront. We first learn of Yosef telling his dreams to his brothers. This caused them to hate their brother, and ultimately sell him as a slave.

The dreams of the butler and the baker, were Yosef’s ticket to get out of jail. His correct interpretation of the butler’s dream, allowed him to meet Pharoah.

And when Yosef interpreted Pharoah’s dreams, he was promoted to a position of great importance. This led to the formation of the Jewish Nation in Egypt.

The Rabbis tell us that there are three types of dreams, and that dreams are one sixtieth prophecy.

The first type of dream is induced by demons and contain negativity and impure thoughts. This is why we say the nighttime Shema before bed, and wash our hands in the morning.

The second type of dream reflect the natural consequences of the day. We carry with us our thoughts and activities of the previous day. These dreams are not that significant.

The final category of dreams could be actual prophecy. This is the lowest level of communication between G-d and man, but it can be real. Since there is no longer prophecy in our times, it could still reflect some kind of Divine communication. One needs to be on a very high level to receive such dreams.

Today we are taught not to put too much weight on our dreams. However, if one wakes up totally frightened about a dream he had, he should either say a special prayer during the ברכת כהנים, or, if it’s particularly frightening, declare a fast that day, called, תענית חלום.

May all of our hopes and dreams for ourselves and כלל ישראל, come true.

הדלקה עושה מצוה

There is a principle related to the Chanukah candles, titled: הדלקה עושה מצוה, that the lighting of the Menorah, is what makes the Mitzva fulfilled.

This means that as long as the candles could burn for thirty minutes at the time of lighting, you have fulfilled the Mitzva. If, for example, an unexpected gust of wind came and blew out the candles, even after a few minutes, the candles do not need to be lit again.

This also explains why a blind person is obligated to light the Menorah, even though he can’t see the candles. This is different than the case of the Bracha on smell. If one has no sense of smell, he cannot make the Bracha of בורא מיני בשמים.

But since we say הדלקה עושה מצוה, that it is the lighting that constitutes the Mitzva, the blind man must light the candles even if he cannot see them.

The Pit, the Snake, לשון הרע

On the subject of the בור, the pit, that Yosef was thrown into, Rav Elazar Abuchatzeira זצ״ל, has an interesting take.

The Rav said that the brothers knew that the בור had snakes in it, and the snake was a symbol of לשון הרע. They felt that this was a deserving punishment for Yosef, who constantly spoke negatively to Yakov about them. However, since his intentions were for תועלת, improvement, Yosef was not guilty of לשון הרע, and he was saved.

The Rav went on to say that in Morocco, where he grew up, the government would kill you if one went against them. But in Israel, one can finish off another person, via לשון הרע.

All he needs to do, is write a letter to מס הכנסה, income tax, that someone is a tax evader, that person can be ruined for life.

A story is told about Rav Elazar, that he once advised a Jew who was unfairly being destroyed by מס הכנסה to spend Shabbat in Tiberias. The disciple listened to the advice of the Rav and went to טבריה.

Right after Shabbat, there was a knock on the door by a stranger. He said that he noticed how distraught this Jew looked, and asked if he could help.

It turned out that this caring Jew was one of the heads of מס הכנסה. He reduced his penalty to a few hundred shekels.

When one is guilty of לשון הרע, he pays a heavy price. When he is innocent, Hashem often finds a way to save him.

Chanukah and Parshat וישב

Shavua Tov. פרשת וישב always falls on שבת חנוכה. There are two possible connections between Chanukah and the Parsha.

The first is related to Yosef being thrown into the pit by his brothers.

The Torah tells us, והבור ריק אין בו מים, that the pit was empty and had no water. It was filled with snakes and scorpions that certainly could have harmed Yosef. But in the merit of ארץ ישראל, the land of miracles, Yosef was miraculously saved.

This is the reason we say Hallel on Chanukah and not on Purim. The Chanukah miracle took place in Israel, and the miracle of Purim in Shushan.

A second minor connection to the Parsha is where Yosef ran away from Potiphar’s wife. The Pasuk says, וינס החוצה, that he moved himself outside. Within the Hallel prayer, we say, הים ראה וינס, that the sea saw and moved. Hence, two connections between the Parsha and Chanukah.

Chanukah

We are about to begin the holiday of Chanukah. This is a time when we celebrate the victory of the pure over the impure, and the good over evil.

Although we tell the story of the heroic struggle of the Maccabees/Chashmonaim over the Syrian Greeks, this struggle continues in every generation.

We are living at a time when there is great confusion in even being able to define what is good and what is evil. It is a time similar to that which was described by the Prophet Isaiah 5:20.

“Woe to those who speak of evil as good, and of good as evil; who make darkness into light, and light into darkness; they make bitter into sweet, and sweet into bitter!”

This Pasuk says it all. We need our own Chanukah miracle to bring clarity to the world. The cry of Judah Maccabee of ״Whoever is for Hashem, follow me,” is badly needed today. Truth, holiness, purity, and faith in Hashem, will again reign in this world, and the lights of Chanukah, will again shine brightly.

בכל מכל כל

The Gemara in בבא בתרא 17a says that there were three people who were able to have a taste of עולם הבא in this world. They were, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yakov.

By Avraham, the Torah tells us that he was blessed with בכל, everything. Some say he had a daughter named בכל, while others say that he had a son. And בן, son, and בכל are equal to 52 in גמטריא.

When Eisav returned from hunting, and brought his father food, in order to receive the blessing, Yitzchak responded in shock. He said that he already gave the ברכה and ואכל מכל, “and I ate from it all.” This, too, refers to a taste of עולם הבא.

When Yakov met Eisav, he tried to separate from him in a courteous manner. He told him that they should go their own separate ways, because, יש לי כל, “I have everything.” He also tasted עולם הבא.

This is the basis for the passage in ברכת המזון that says, בכל מכל כל, when we thank Hashem for our food. We give thanks in the manner that the Avot recognized Hashem’s abundant blessings.

Shimon and Levi

The incident of Dina and Shechem, is most disturbing. The Midrash says that Shechem sent musicians and dancers to the tent of Dina, to get her to come outside.

It is also stated that Leah had four sons in three years, as each was born after seven months. This meant that שמעון and לוי may have only been eight months apart in age.

The Midrash further says that they were both thirteen years old when they killed 645 people in the city of שכם.

The חידושי הרי״ם said that their Bar Mitzva Drasha was to teach that just as a Goy is forbidden to keep Shabbat which is called an “אות”, a sign, and is חייב מיתה, a death penalty, so, too, is the prohibition of a Goy who does ברית מילה, which is an אות, is he חייב מיתה.

They took their Bar Mitzva speech very seriously and killed the people of שכם!

תמנע

The end of פרשת וישלח, talks about the families of Eisav. This shows the huge contrast between Yakov’s family that remained pure, and Eisav’s family that had many instances of incest.

There is a brief mention of a woman named תמנע. We are told that she was a concubine to Eliphaz, the son of Eisav. She gave birth to none other than Amalek.

The Gemara in סנהדרין says that Timna was a princess who approached Avraham Avinu with the intention of converting to Judaism. Avraham made a serious error by rejecting her. He felt she was insincere and had ulterior motives that were not pure. Because of this error in judgement, we ended up with Amalek.

The Gemara continues and tells the story of a non-Jew who went to Hillel. He said he wanted to convert on condition that he be made the כהן גדול. Hillel accepted him and he proved to be a good, G-d fearing Jew.

This illustrates that the conversion issue is not simple at all. Even Avraham Avinu misjudged a potentially good convert.