Overcoming Feelings of Revenge

The Messilat Yesharim goes through various Torah commandments, that are challenging and difficult to observe. An example of such a Mitzva, is the prohibition against taking revenge against a fellow Jew.”

The reason why this is very hard to observe is because it is an absolutely normal reaction, to want to get back at someone who wrongs us. This applies to situations where another individual shamed us, caused us bodily harm, or loss of money.

Without the Torah warning us not to do so, we will feel totally justified in paying that person back for all of the grief that person caused us.

The Messilat Yesharim goes on to say that despite the difficulty in overcoming our emotions, Hashem believes that we can overcome feelings of revenge.

This is an example of how we are capable of elevating ourselves to the point, where we are able to forgive and hope that the sinful person will repent. We do have an obligation to rebuke and make it perfectly clear, why we are upset with that person, but that’s as far as it goes.

This is why you will never hear a believing Jew say horrible things like, “Drop dead,” or openly wish that harm will come to that person.

Rav Ahron Soloveitchik epitomized this level of forgiveness. After a major disagreement with other leaders of the Chicago community, where Rav Soloveitchik believed that he was wronged and treated badly, he would tell his family the following: “I am looking forward to the day when these people will come and ask for forgiveness. I truly hope they will do Teshuva.”

Such an attitude is uncommon in the secular world. Revenge is considered justified and expected. The Torah teaches that we can rise above such feelings, and still learn to love every Jew.

This, of course, applies only to Jews. But revenge towards our enemies, is demanded of us. We must defend the honor of Hashem, and not allow the desecration of G-d’s holy Name. When the enemies of the Jewish people fall, there is glory to Israel and Hashem. May that time come speedily.

A Frightening Prophecy

In the Book of Kings II Chapter eight, there is the frightening dialogue between the Prophet Elisha and Hazael, King of Aram.

Originally, Hazael came to ask Elisha about the fate of the previous king, Ben Hadad, who was bed ridden. He was told that the king would recover, but would die a different death, and would be replaced by Hazael. This happened the next day when Hazael caused him to die by suffocating him.

Before he left, Elisha was unable to hold back his tears from the prophecy that he saw. He saw that the Jewish people would be deserving of punishment at the hands of Hazael. He begged Hashem not to allow this prophecy to come true.

He told Hazael the vision that he saw and why he cried. “Because I know what evil you will do to the Children of Israel. Their strongholds you will set on fire; their young men you will kill by the sword, their babies you will tear apart, and their pregnant women you will split open.”

Hazael responded to Elisha by saying, “Am I a dog that I would commit such atrocities?”

This is a particularly frightening prophecy considering what Israel has been going through. It is clearly a time of soul searching and repentance. Am Yisrael must rise in holiness and spirituality. The tragedy of October seventh must serve as the springboard to bring great things to the Jewish people. We must fervently believe that great times are ahead, that will come when we remain strong in our faith.

Outward Miracles

The Torah portions that describe the exodus from Egypt, are very significant in terms of its foundation to Judaism. There is an important philosophical message as to how Hashem interacts with the world.

In general, we are to seek out the miracles that we experience daily. We are to recognize the Hand of G-d even in mundane activities, and not take anything for granted.

However, during special times in our history, when the future existence of the Jewish people was challenged, G-d would reveal Himself in an open manner.

One such example was the showdown between Eliyahu Hanavi, and the false prophets of Baal. A great miracle was needed, and a fire came out of the sky, consuming Eliyahu’s sacrifice. This clearly showed the falsehood of Baal, and order was restored.

The outward miracles were needed in Egypt, as proof of the truth of Judaism. No religion began with signs and wonders, and the splitting of the Red Sea. This experience was culminated with the Revelation on Mount Sinai, when every Jew heard G-d speak.

The Kuzari tells the story of a king, seeking truth. He went to the Greek philosophers, a Christian, a Muslim, and finally, a Jew. He asked each how their religion or philosophy began. He further asked why only the Jewish religion began with exceptional miracles, witnessed by all.

When he was not given an acceptable answer, he converted, as did his entire kingdom. When great miracles are needed, Hashem provides them. But we must not forget the miracles we witness each day.

Now seems like a very good time for one of those outward miracles, where there will be salvation for the Jewish people, and the world will acknowledge the truth and might of the G-d of Israel.

Hopeless Evil

The Rambam discusses the subject of evil, and uses the behavior of Pharoah in Egypt, as proof to his theory.

He explains that although we believe that man was given free will, if he chooses a path of evil, this free will can be taken from him. The hope is that every sinner will come to repent for his sins, but this is not always the case.

Pharoah lost his free will after the first five plagues. After this, Hashem hardened his heart, and he was unable to let the Jewish people go, until Egypt was smitten with all Ten Plagues.

He was so deep in his evil, that there was no way for him to get out. In the Tanya, a book studied mainly by Chabad Chassidut, it also speaks of a person reaching a point of no return, where repentance cannot happen. This is referred to as, “being in the Kelipa,” or stuck in a shell that envelops him.

Until recently, and hopefully, this has changed, there were many who believed that there was no such thing as evil. If people were only showered with kindness and love, they would mend their ways.

Aside from it being stated openly in Isaiah, that Hashem, Himself, created evil, the world has witnessed what pure evil really is.

The Hamas and their followers, are a living example of what the Rambam described. The Jews in Egypt witnessed it with Pharoah. And we are witnessing this evil today. The Torah makes it clear how we are to act when it said, ובערת הרע מקרבך, “And you must burn out evil from your midst.” There must not be any compromise or discussion. Evil must be destroyed.

Miraculous Staff of Moshe

The story connected with the מטה, or staff of Moshe, is really quite amazing. It was one of the things created towards evening, on the sixty day of creation.

It was first in the possession of Adam in the Garden of Eden. It was eventually given to Chanoch, to Shem, son of Noach, and then to Avraham Avinu. Eventually, after Yitzchak, Yakov and Yosef, it was confiscated by Pharoah. When Yitro ran away from Pharoah, he took the staff with him, and planted it in his garden in Midyan. The staff became embedded in the ground, and nobody was able to remove it from the ground.

Yitro thought that this was a very strange occurrence. He saw this as a sign from Above. He made it known that anyone who could pull the staff from the ground, would be able to marry his daughter, Tzipora. One day, Moshe passed the garden, and saw the staff with Hashem’s holy Name on it. He removed it with no effort at all! He was given Tzipora as a wife, and she showed her worthiness, by removing all of the idol worship from her father’s house.

The staff was used to implement the Ten Plagues, and was designated from creation, for its special purpose. This information was provided by the Meam Loez.

Moshe in Exile

The Meam Loez contains some fascinating Midrashim that give us information, that might seem missing from the text of the Torah.

Many wonder what happened to Moshe, when he ran away from Pharoah. We know that he was eighty years old when he came back to Egypt, which means that he was gone for a long time.

The Meam Loez claims that Moshe was king of Cush for forty years, until he was sixty-seven years old. It was shortly after this, that he met Yitro, after he had saved his daughters.

When Moshe related that he was king, Yitro suspected him of serious wrongdoing. He put him in jail with no food and water for ten years. Secretly, his daughter, Tzipora, brought him food and water, and kept him alive.

After ten years, she tells her father to check on the Hebrew, that he imprisoned. Yitro was certain that Moshe must have died long ago. His daughter explained why he might still be alive.

She told her father that the G-d of the Jewish people, does wondrous acts. He saved Avraham from the fiery furnace, of Nimrod. He saved Yitzchak at Akeidat Yitzchak, the binding of Isaac. He saved Yakov, when he wrestled with an angel. And she described how Moshe was saved as a baby in the basket, and again from the sword of Pharoah.

Yitro was astonished to find Moshe alive. He reinstated him as a member of his household, and eventually became his father in-law. Three years later, Moshe began his mission as the savior of the Jewish people.

This information is quite interesting, and gives great insight as to what happened to Moshe all of those years.

Forbidden Foods

The Messilat Yesharim is a guide to help people grow spiritually. There are a number of steps that help achieve this goal.

One of these steps is called נקיות, trying to achieve cleanliness. This involves carefully observing all of the Mitzvot of the Torah. There are three areas in particular that require greater attention.

The Messilat Yesharim lists these three in the order of which are the most difficult to overcome. The Mitzvot involving theft are many more than we realize. We need to be “clean” in all aspects of money matters. This could be even harder than overcoming matters connected with illicit relations. This is because, areas related to money are much more subtle, and not so obvious.

The third area is related to matters of Kashrut. There is also a tendency here to be lax, and not take this as seriously as we should. The Ramchal, author of Messilat Yesharim, points out that we don’t realize the harm that we cause ourselves when we ingest foods that are not kosher. Such impure food has the effect of מטמטם את הלב והמוח, that it causes great confusion to one’s heart and brain.

He goes as far as to say that one should look at food where there is even the slightest doubt, as to its permissibility, just like poison. One would never consciously swallow anything that contains even an ounce of poison. The potential danger is enough to prevent us from taking chances.

The same is true of forbidden foods. The damage that it does is so great, that if we only recognized it, we would take the greatest care to watch what we eat.

These are the steps that we must take in order to grow in spirituality. Recognizing our temptations, and overcoming them, is the way to achieve this goal.

Enough Suffering

Before the Egyptians were smitten with the “Ten Plagues,” Hashem reveals a little bit of His nature. These were words of great inspiration.

Moshe is reminded that Hashem appeared previously to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yakov, as the G-d known as א-ל ש-די. This name of G-d is very holy and we must be careful not to desecrate it.

We are familiar with this three letter name, as it appears on our Mezuzot.

In that case the Name is an abbreviation of the words, שומר דלתות ישראל, the One who guards the doors of Israel. This is the hint that the Mezuza brings protection to every Jewish home.

When the name שד-י is used in Egypt, it refers to a different manifestation of G-d in the world.

The Keli Yakar wrote that the reassurance that was given to Moshe is that G-d eventually told the Patriarchs, “די,” meaning, “enough.” There was an acknowledgement that Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yakov, all went through difficulties in their lifetime.

Ultimately, they were told, “enough troubles and suffering. Salvation from G-d, has now arrived.

Now the message to Moshe is the same. There has been enough suffering in Egypt, with their horrible slavery. Now is the time for redemption and salvation. This was the introduction to the deserved beating, that Egypt would now suffer.

Perhaps the timing of this message of the Parsha, to our situation today, comes with the same message. We have gone through enough suffering and mourning. Hashem is also appearing as שד-י, “enough.” It is our fervent hope that salvation, joy, and redemption, is at hand. It is time for our enemies to fall, and that we all witness the glory of G-d.

Stifling the Senses

During the seven day discussion between Hashem and Moshe, the question of Moshe’s worthiness for the task came up. The fear of the future leader, was that he was not a man of words, as he had a speech impediment.

Hashem reminds Moshe that He is the One that allows man to either be able to speak or not. He gives man the ability to hear or become deaf. He gives man wisdom and He gives man sight. He will be with Moshe, and he will succeed in his sacred mission.

The Talmud Yerushalmi in Masechet Brachot, explains that this verse is a hint to the miraculous manner that Moshe was able to escape Egypt after he killed the Egyptian hitting the Jew.

Aside from being saved from the sword of Pharoah, when his neck turned to stone, Moshe was saved in another way.

It was said in the name Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi that the entire population of Egypt, were stricken, to allow Moshe to escape. They temporarily lost use of their sense. They became deaf mutes, blind, and lame.

When they were asked where was Moshe, they could not speak. They asked others, and they could not hear the question. When asked if they saw Moshe, they were blind.

This is what Hashem reminded Moshe. Not only is He the One that gives man his five senses, but He showed Moshe how He was able to take away these senses, in order to save him.

If we rely on Hashem, with perfect faith, we will see salvation. We have nothing to fear.

Everything Is Relative

The question is asked as to why the birth of Moshe when his mother Yocheved was 130 years old, is not given more emphasis. The Torah made a big story about Sara delivering Yitzchak when she was ninety years old.

The Maggid of Dubnov answered this question with a parable, to show how everything is relative. He told the story of two beggars who were discussing a particular town they had visited, seeking financial assistance.

One beggar complained that this town was extremely cheap, and they barely helped him at all. The other fellow said that he did very well on his visit to that same town.

The explanation was pretty simple. The first poor person, visited in the middle of the week on a cold winter day, and was unable to find donors. His friend visited the place on Purim day when everyone was giving מתנות לאביונים, money for the poor.

The Maggid continued and said that in Egypt, when women were having six healthy babies at a time, it was a miraculous time. Therefore, a woman giving birth at 130, wasn’t so outstanding. But when Sara delivered at ninety, it really stood out, as something remarkable. Everything is relative.

The Burning Bush

The incident of Moshe and the “burning bush,” have many interesting details, based on the Midrash.

This miraculous incident took place on Mount Sinai. G-d tells Moshe that the people will worship on “this mountain.” Just like Mount Sinai was the lowest mountain in the region, the “burning bush” was a short plant. This was to emphasize the importance of humility.

The Midrash says that Hashem’s voice was the same as that of Moshe’s father. He was being told in a gentle way, that his father had passed away, during Moshe’s absence of more than forty years.

The removal of his shoes, was not only because of the holiness of the place, but it was also a reminder to remove the חומריות, physicality and materialism. This weighs us down, and prevents us from becoming elevated.

We also learn that the meeting between Hashem and Moshe lasted for seven days. Moshe, in his humility, did not feel worthy to be the leader of Israel.

It was a very intense discussion, where a great deal was revealed about Hashem’s essence, and how He manifested Himself to man, in this world. It also became clear what the special mission of the Jewish people would be, in this world.

He was shown some of the wonders that would be seen in Egypt. He saw how the stick turned into a snake. When he spoke badly of the Jewish people, his hand became white as snow, with leprosy. When he placed his hand to his heart, he was cured.

The revelation at the “burning bush,” was the beginning of that special bond between G-d and Moshe. And it was a crash course as to how to be the messenger of the Al-mighty, and lead the Jewish people to the Promised Land, whose name is “Israel.”

Too Busy to Think

There is a great deal to be learned from Pharoah’s initial refusal to let the people go. He is so annoyed with the request, that they now have to gather their own straw to make brings.

The evil king of Egypt makes a very valid assumption about human nature. He realizes that the desire of his slaves to leave Egypt and become free men, is because they have too much free time. They are using this time, to dream of their freedom and establishment of a Jewish nation in Israel.

His solution to the problem is to keep his slaves too busy to think. If they have to work harder, and longer hours, they will be too exhausted to think, and their longing for freedom will vanish.

The Ramchal points out that there are many people that put themselves in a self imposed type of slavery. They fill their days with so much activity, that they literally have no time to think.

Because they never stop to pause and evaluate themselves, they fall spiritually. Their religious observance is mechanical and stagnant. There is no growth, and probably, not much joy in their lives.

Every Jew must take out the time every day, to do some serious self awareness. He must ask himself about his relationship with G-d. Is he working on his Midot, character traits? Is he recognizing and giving thanks for Hashem’s abundant blessings? Is he conscious of the need to try to be a better husband, father, or friend? Is he guilty of taking for granted, those that he truly loves?

If he will not stop and make such checks, it will not be good for him. This could lead to unfixable mistakes.

We cannot impose on ourselves, what Pharoah cleverly did to our ancestors. We must slow down a bit and focus on our dreams. If we do not, we will have only ourselves to blame for not reaching our goals.

Sanctifying G-d’s Name

A theme of the Book of Shemot is the idea of Kiddush Hashem, the sanctification of the Name of G-d. Pharoah lived to regret his foolish question, “Who is this G-d that I should listen to Him? I do not know Him.”

Repeatedly, the Torah emphasizes that “now he will know that there is a G-d in Israel.” Even Yul Brynner, in his portrayal of Moshe Rabbeinu, in the classic movie, “The Ten Commandments,” ends the movie with the words, “The G-d of Moses, is G-d.”

What is important for us to know is that it is our duty to act in a way that sanctifies the Name of Hashem. We have been witnessing terrible Chilul Hashem, desecration of Hashem’s name for a very long time. The Western world that should know better, has chosen to ignore the teachings of the Torah, and ignore the G-d of Israel. This is Chilul Hashem.

When Hamas acted as they did, and believed they could succeed in harming Israel, this is Chilul Hashem. It’s a Pharoah like declaration that they do not know the G-d of Israel.

The war against Hamas and against all of our enemies, is a Kiddush Hashem. We are teaching the world how we defend G-d’s honor, and He is helping us teach the world this lesson.

When David fought Goliath, he could not tolerate the daily mocking of G-d by the giant. He repeatedly said that if nobody would fight him, it was a proof that there is no god in Israel.

David defeated Goliath with words of Kiddush Hashem. “You come at me with sword, spear, and shield. I come in the Name of the L-rd of Hosts. This day He will deliver you into my hands, so that all the world will know that there is a G-d in Israel.” This is Kiddush Hashem at the highest level.

We are witnessing a great sanctification of the Name of G-d. When this war is over, the world will not be the same. Israel has already made a major change of going higher and higher in spirituality. An end to Chilul Hashem is near, and the glory of G-d will be revealed.

The Danger of Eirav Rav

As we begin the Book of Shemot, we become acquainted with the term, “Eirav Rav,” or mixed multitude. This referred to a group of insincere converts that latched on to the Jewish people in Egypt, and have been a thorn in our side, ever since.

Some view this term as a concept that refers also to Jews who betray their own people. They question whether or not there are actually individuals today, that are so evil, and are such traitors to the Jewish people, that they are the Eirav Rav of our generation.

The Talmud in Masechet Chagiga, says clearly that Hashem transplants the souls of Eirav Rav, in specific individuals in every generation. The Zohar also says that they exist, and they are the cause for the majority of the problems facing the Jewish people. The Zohar says further, that they are holding back the Redemption.

Later Torah giants, such as the Ari Zal, and the Vilna Gaon, wrote extensively about the Eirav Rav, and the evil they possess. They are described as Jews who are particularly argumentative and egotistical. Their goal is to tear down, rather than, to build. We are not supposed to point fingers at individuals and accuse them of being Eirav Rav. However, it has been extremely disturbing to see how the media has been particularly destructive, in their coverage of the events since October the seventh. The nation is in pain and in mourning. It makes things much worse by putting salt on our wounds, by giving us a barrage of bad news, with very little words of optimism and hope. They could have used their role to help us through the crisis. Instead, they made things much worse.

It is important to note that the Ari Zal, and Rav Kook, said that it is possible for the Eirav Rav to do Teshuva, and repent. Now is the time to unite, and insist that we silence the negative forces in our society. They must not be able to damage that special unity that we developed during these difficult times. There is definitely Eirav Rav among us. We must pray and help them mend their ways, so that our Redemption can come swiftly.

Revenge in Sanctification of G-d

The Maggid from Dubnov discussed the reprimand of Yakov to Shimon and Levi, before his death. He tells them, “In their conspiracy against Shechem, my wish was not consulted.”

Rashi says that there is a hint in these words, to the incident of Zimri, a descendant of Shimon. This is when he sinned with a Midianite princess, that led to a plague, that cost the lives of 24,000 men from Shimon’s tribe.

The Maggid explained that Yakov Avinu was very disturbed by Shimon and Levi’s actions. He understood that they were trying to bring honor to their sister. But he wasn’t sure if they acted out of personal revenge, or if they did it to defend G-d’s honor.

When Yakov saw in the future that there was a major blemish from Shimon’s descendant, he concluded that their actions were not entirely pure.

When one wages war against the enemy of the Jewish people, it is also a war against the G-d of the Jewish people. The fight against this enemy, must have emphasis on restoring Hashem’s honor as well. If Hamas actually feared G-d, they would not dare attack His children. This war is meant to be fought with such purity and resolve, that in the end, the world will know not to mess with the G-d of Israel.

We are moving in that direction, as our holy soldiers seem to understand that this is a major part of this battle. The awakening of the majority of our people, to come closer to G-d is an indication, that we will achieve this goal. Just as Pharaoh made a terrible mistake by asking, “Who is this G-d that I shall listen to His voice. I don’t know this G-d.” He received his answer with ten devastating plagues. Now it is the turn of Hamas, to receive the response as Pharoah!

Preparing for Death

The Talmud in Masechet Baba Metzia, says that Yakov Avinu was the first person to get sick, before passing away. Until that time, people died without much warning.

The reason for such sickness, was to be able to give the family the ability to pray and perhaps change the decree. The situation was a kind of wake up call to be able to get things in order, before the inevitable.

Rav Avigdor Miller once made a similar observation about the aging process. He said that the reason why people age, was to prepare their families that their loved ones were not going to be around so long. It was a way to lighten the sadness, so that there was more preparedness for that dreaded day.

We are living through a very painful period in our history. In addition to the shock and sadness of the events of October the seventh, we are also dealing with the loss of our young, brave soldiers. This is particularly painful, as they are taken from us in their prime of life. There is no real preparation for such tragedies.

The consolation for us is the knowledge that we believe in Olam Haba, the World to Come. And we believe that every life lost is welcomed in Heaven as the greatest hero. They are already beginning to experience an eternal life on incredible bliss.

Rav Mordechai Eliyahu once spoke at the Shiva of Adir Zik, a very holy Jew, who was also my eighth grade teacher in Los Angeles. He said that if we knew where Adir was, shortly after his passing, nobody would be mourning.

Sickness and death is very difficult to with. It is a little easier when we are a prepared. But even in the worst of times, our faith carries us through.

Temptation to Steal

There is a Gemara in Masechet Chagiga that says, “Theft and illicit relationships are things that a person’s character, covets and craves.”

The Ramchal claims that overcoming the drive towards theft, is more difficult than with illicit relationships. This is because, it is more obvious to an individual that what he is doing is wrong, regarding forbidden relations. But the matter of theft, has so many aspects to it, that rationalizing becomes the justification for acting improperly in money matters.

The Ramchal continues by saying that most people are not outright thieves. Nevertheless, most get a “taste” of theft, in the course of their business dealings.

There are so many details that a G-d fearing Jew must be aware of, in order to remain perfectly clean. The Torah forbids lying to one another. There is the matter of the removal of a landmark. One must not overcharge beyond the accepted market price. There must be proper weights and measures, and the taking of interest, is forbidden on all levels.

One who works on an hourly basis, is considered a thief, if he wastes time, during his hours of employment. There are even rules as to what is acceptable in winning over customers from a competitor.

We see that since there are so many different ways one can act dishonestly, and there is pressure to earn a living, the drive to steal, is considered greater than that of illicit relations. The beauty of the Ramchal and Messilat Yesharim, is that necessary reminders are provided, to prevent us from stumbling, in instances where we may not be aware.

The Power of Chessed

In Parshat Vayechi, we find Yakov Avinu making a request of Yosef. He asks him to do with him חסד ואמת, kindness and truth, by promising to bury him in Eretz Yisrael.

It is from here that we learn, that caring for the dead, is a true act of Chesed. This is a selfless act, as the deceased are no longer around to give thanks. It is motivated by a true desire to do the Mitzva, for its own sake.

The Jewish people stand out for this quality of giving and generosity. The Talmud in Masechet Shabbat points out that Jerusalem will only be redeemed by צדקה, acts of kindness. This is based on the words of the prophet who said, ציון במשפט תפדה ושביה בצדקה, that Zion will be redeemed with justice, and its returnees with Tzedaka.

An extremely encouraging sign of the current war, and a proof that a resounding victory is on its way, is the tremendous giving that we have been witnessing.

It is nothing less than astounding to see how collectively we have come together as a people. The endless preparation of food and supplies to our soldiers by volunteers, is amazing.

Jews have come together to help with picking the crops that have ripened. Generous donations have flooded in to help those uprooted from their homes. It gives us great pride that we are Jews.

This is a very real חסד של אמת that we have seen. In this case, it does not apply only to kindness to the dead, but it represents the selfless giving that is resurrecting us, as a nation.

We are witnessing before our eyes, the redemption of Zion, and the returnees redeemed with charity.

Guests in Galut

There is so much to be learned from the stories in the Torah. The end of the Book of Bereishit, speaks of the Jewish people getting acclimated to life in Egypt.

The Keli Yakar points out that the Jews in Egypt made the same mistake that Jews would make throughout the generations. They neglected to recognize that time spent outside of Israel, means living in Galut. Their major yearning should constantly be to return to our homeland, and hope that the time spent in Galut, will be brief. We are to long for our ultimate redemption.

Instead, time and time again, the Jewish people looked for שלווה, contentment, and a good life wherever they were. In Egypt, initially, they became comfortable and forgot that this was not meant to be a place of permanence.

The period of time, where Jews lived in any country, always proved to be temporary. Their stay always ended either in assimilation, expulsion, or annihilation. We were not to forget that we were guests in these lands, and our hope was that our hosts would treat us nicely.

We must learn from the first mistake made by the Jews in Egypt. They wanted to be accepted and considered as equal citizens. As long as Yakov was alive, life was very peaceful for the Jews.

As would happen so many times in the future, things started out well, but it did not always last. Perhaps the mistake of “making Berlin, Jerusalem,” was the cause for later difficulties.

The stories of the Torah, are placed there for a reason. The Ramban used the phrase, מעשה אבות סימן לבנים, “that which occurred to the Patriarchs, is a sign for the children,” to drive home this point. The ultimate home for all of the Jewish people is Israel. It is only in Israel where we are no longer guests, but it us, who are the hosts.

Prophecy and Joy

There is a great deal learned about prophecy, when the Torah tells us, ותחי רוח יעקב, that the spirit of Yakov lived.

Many commentators explain that the spirit of prophecy left Yakov during the years that he was in a state of grief over Yosef. He was unable to receive Divine messages during that time.

The Rambam explains that one of the principles of faith, is that Hashem communicates with man, by way of prophecy. We are also expected to believe that Moshe Rabbeinu was the greatest of all of the prophets.

The Rambam says further that prophets were unable to receive prophecy, any time they wanted. They needed to be in a state of joy. This is why some prophets would play musical instruments, to raise their spirits, so that a message from G-d would come.

Yitzchak thought that after eating a hearty meal, prepared by his son, he would be better prepared to receive Divine inspiration. This proves that one cannot communicate with G-d in an unhappy state.

Moshe Rabbeinu was unique, because he was able to speak with G-d at will, in a conscious state.

The intense joy that Yakov felt when he learned that his beloved son, Yosef, was still alive, elevated him to the level where the spirit of Hashem was renewed within him.

It is difficult for anyone to be creative and productive, when he is feeling down or sad. This is why we need to work on ourselves to try and maintain, a positive, upbeat perspective on life. There are many benefits from such a positive attitude. The greatest benefit, is the ability to feel closeness to Hashem at all times.