Power of Lashon Hara

Rabbi Elazar Abuchatzeira זצ״ל, commented on Moshe being told by Hashem that it was safe to return to Egypt. Those who wished to harm him, were no longer alive.

Rashi says this refers to Moshe’s primary agitators, Datan and Aviram. They didn’t exactly die, but they became impoverished, and a poor person is like a dead person, and they have no power to harm.

Rav Elazar explains that Moshe didn’t need to fear Pharoah, because he could have been bribed, or his stepmother, Batya, could have convinced her father not to harm him.

It was the power of Lashon Hara that Moshe needed to fear. One who speaks it, is usually, a very arrogant person. And arrogant people are usually wealthy. When someone loses all his money, he is humbled quite a bit.

Hashem is telling Moshe never to minimize the power of Lashon Hara, but in his case, he no longer needed to worry about it harming him.

Pharoah’s Advisors

Shavua Tov. The Midrash teaches that Pharoah had three primary advisers in Egypt. They were Yitro, Iyov, and Bilaam.

These advisors were consulted as to what to do about the “Jewish problem.” The Torah tells us ויקצו מפני בני ישראל. Most interpret ויקצו, as they were afraid of בני ישראל, because they saw how quickly they multiplied, and how powerful they were becoming.

There is another translation of ויקצו, as, they detested the Jewish people. This was our first confrontation with anti-Semitism.

We are taught that Iyov remained silent when asked for a solution to the Jewish problem. Yitro ran away and later converted to Judaism. It was Bilaam who advised the drowning of Jewish babies in the Nile.

Already in Israel’s young history they were confronted with the reality that we were destined to either being admired or despised by the nations around us.

We are meant to remain separate and accept our role as being the moral compass of the world. Our comfort comes with the knowledge that the the day is approaching where the haters will disappear and the whole world will admire the Jewish people and accept Hashem as the One and only true G-d.

Overcoming Obstacles

This Shabbat we begin the Book of Shemot. The impressive character traits the budding Jewish nation had in Egypt. It is all the more impressive when we consider that Egypt was the most decadent and corrupt place on earth.

The Jewish people didn’t change their names or lifestyles and remained faithful to the traditions of their ancestors.

Yosef set the tone for other Jews where he was challenged in an even bigger way. The Torah tells us הוא יוסף, “he was Yosef.” Rashi asks, don’t we know who Yosef was? But it was to tell us that this was the same Yosef as the simple young man that went down to Egypt. All of his wealth, fame, and notoriety, did not change him.

We are to constantly be aware how easy it is for us to be influenced by our surroundings. It is also easy for us to get carried away with our own successes and forget that it was Hashem that enabled us to succeed.

The Jews in Egypt managed to overcome these obstacles. Perhaps living together in Goshen allowed them to stick together. But what went on around them could easily have affected them. The fact that it didn’t, is nothing less than remarkable. We must never minimize these challenges, and be strong like our ancestors and remain committed to the principles of Judaism.

Timing is Everything

I always refer to the Haftarah of פרשת ויחי, as the “Godfather” Haftarah. King David gives instructions to Shlomo how to carry out his unfinished work.

For example, David mentions Yoav as having been disloyal to him, and he killed his son, Avshalom. He is told to make sure he doesn’t die an old man. Shlomo, obviously got the hint.

Similarly, he is told to punish שמעי בן גרא for his abusive behavior towards the king. But when it came to the sons of ברזילאי, Shlomo is told to treat them well, and welcome them to his table.

We learn from this chapter, how important timing is. Young people tend to be impatient and have the tendency to act too quickly. The wise man thinks things through and waits for the appropriate time to act.

King David trusted that his son would complete his unfinished work. And isn’t interesting that this son, Shlomo, wrote in Kohelet, לכל זמן, “everything has its proper time.

Protected from Ayin Hara

The special bond between Yakov and Yosef, was not only apparent in his receiving first born rights, but it was also seen in the special Bracha that Yosef received.

Yakov refers to Yosef as בן פורת יוסף, “the charmed son, Yosef.” This “charm” gave him special protection against עין הרע, the evil eye, that is potentially, very damaging.

We all see a reference to this protection from עין הרע when Yakov blesses Yosef’s two sons, Efraim and Menashe. Their blessing was that ידגו לרב, that they multiply like fish. And just as fish are protected by the water, so too, should Yosef’s descendants be protected from עין הרע.

While we are taught not to be obsessed and worried about עין הרע, it is real. We are to be careful so as not to arouse the jealousy of others by bragging about our wealth and children.

Yosef’s Bracha of protection was very special. Could it be compared to a lifetime guarantee of never getting a virus or hacking of your computer? I think this is a far better Bracha!

Yosef’s Shortened Life

We learn from the Torah that all of Yosef’s brothers lived at least 120 years. Levi lived the longest at 137 years. Yosef, himself, was the exception as he lived to “only” 110.

The explanation for Yosef’s reduced lifespan was that he was involved with “Rabbanut.” This term refers to his having been in a position of leadership.

The תורה תמימה explains exactly what Yosef’s deficiency was. Because of his position, he allowed his brothers to refer to their father, Yakov, as עבדך אבי, “your servant, my father,” ten times, without Yosef protesting. In actuality, it was said five times, but five more times were added, when repeated by the interpreter.

It was a mistake on Yosef’s part, even though he was trying to show his brothers that he was a tough ruler, to allow his own father to be referred to as “his servant.”

For these ten utterances, Yosef lost ten years of his life. This mistake came about because he involved himself with “Rabbanut.”

Parnassa

Yakov Avinu reviews with Yosef the highlights of his life. He tells him of his special relationship with Hashem on two specific levels. He refers to Hashem as “ה׳ הרועה אותי” and “המלאך הגואל אותי.”

When it came to Parnassa, physical sustenance, Hashem is referred to as his shepherd who provides for him. When redemption was needed from his adversaries , Hashem sends His Angel to redeem him.

From here we learn that Parnassa comes from Hashem, which seems like the greater challenge than the redemption that comes by way of a מלאך.

The message here is to give us comfort in connection with our earning a livelihood. Hashem, Himself, is involved in providing for our needs. The תורה תמימה tells us that we should look at the animal world regarding פרנסה.

The animals go about their business with the confidence that Hashem will provide. None of them demonstrate the slightest bit of worry. Therefore, despite our financial difficulties, we should be confident that Hashem will provide.

This was Yakov’s blessing to Yosef’s sons. They should be provided for as he was, by Hashem and His angels.

Power of Prayer

Shavua Tov. In today’s Parsha, Yakov Avinu tells Yosef that he is giving him the city of Shechem that he conquered בחרבי ובקשתי, with my knife and my arrow.

The Rabbis question this statement as it was Shimon and Levi who conquered Shechem. They give an explanation that “ knife and arrow,” are really a reference to the power of prayer.

Yakov was giving a charge to Yosef that he must never underestimate the power of prayer as the key to every success.

King David mentioned this point that we include in our morning prayers. רוממות א-ל בגרונם וחרב פיפיות בידם, “there are exaltations of G-d in our throats, and a double edged sword in our hands.”

We need to be constantly reminded that every success we have, is due to Hashem’s kindness. The power of prayer is so great that it can even conquer cities.

Overcoming Dishonest People

It is interesting that the final Parsha of the Book of Bereishit that speaks of the death of Yakov, is called ויחי, “and he lived.”

This is meant to teach us that צדיקים don’t really die, as their teachings live on.

Yakov showed the power of his faith because during his lifetime, he had major confrontations with Lavan and Eisav, and he needed to deal with the ordeal of Dina and Yosef.

Despite these tremendous challenges, Yakov never lost his faith and reached a level of moral perfection. He is recognized for his truthfulness, as we say, תתן אמת ליעקב, “give truthfulness to Yakov.”

We are meant to learn from Yakov how to stand up to the challenges we face, in an upright and dignified manner.

He also taught us that we need to adapt to the situation before us. This is based on a Pasuk in תהילים that tells us עם נבר תתבר ועם עקש תתפל, “With an honest person, act honestly, and with a perverse person, show yourself subtle.”

Even though we need to adjust our tactics when dealing with a crook, it does not necessarily diminish from our own integrity.

Perhaps this was the greatest lesson of all, learned from Yakov Avinu!

Our Hands Did Not Spill This Blood

The Torah gives us a hint as to why Yakov ultimately believed that Yosef was still alive. The Pasuk says, וירא את העגלות, that he saw the wagons, and then realized that the good news was true.

Yosef was reminding Yakov of the last subject that they studied together before he was kidnapped and sold by his brothers.

It was all about עגלה ערופה. This was the situation where a murdered corpse was found close to a particular city. The members of that city must break the neck of a calf and declare, ידינו לא שפכו את הדם הזה, “that our hands did not spill this blood.” This declaration served to exempt the inhabitants of that city, of any wrongdoing.

Rav Elie Munk pointed out the irony of this whole affair. Could Yosef’s brothers declare that their hands did not spill their brother’s blood? On one level, they were certainly guilty. But from the aspect of the overall Divine plan, this is the way it was meant to play out.

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.