J013 - 2-2 - The Expulsion From Spain

מיד בהגיעם לא"י הוצרכו המרגלים לנוס.
איך שמע מלך יריחו? ס' טעמא דקרא - כי כן רצה הקב"ה, וכן מפרש איך אחי יוסף לא הכירוהו.
סימן לדורות שא"י נקנה ביסורין.
אגרת ר' הוטנר אודות א"י נקנה ביסורין.

גירוש ספרד
הרבה ספרדים יצאו לקושטנטינא שרובה הי' אשכנזים. ודנו אם לשנות למנהג אשכנז.
ב"י באבקת רוכל לת' שיש מושג של ב' קהלות בעיר א' דומיא לב' ב"ד בעיר א דאמרי' ביבמות יד. דליכא איסור "לא תתגודדו" (פרשת ראה - דברים יד א).

שו"ת ישמח לב אה"ע סי' ד' תמה על האשכנזים בירושלים שמחזיקים במנהגיהם אף שהספרדים מרובים וקדומים.
האשכנזים משיבים שכך נהגו גם הספרדים כשהגיעו גרושי ספרד למקומות האשכנזים, ע"פ תשובת הב"י הנ"ל.

עוד בהשתלשלות גירוש ספרד והיישוב בצפת ובירושלים.
קבלת שבת.

J012 - 2-1 - Netzach - Permanent Change

התמיה על שילוח יהושע מרגלים. ולא למד ממשה.
הראשונים - שכוון לחזק העם.
לכאו' לא הצליחו שמיד נתגלו והוצרכו לנוס. ומ"מ מדבריהם בשובם משמע שכן הצליחו.
רמב"ם הל' תשובה איזהו תשובה שלמה הרי שבא לידו כו'
אבל לכאו יותר טוב שלא נבא לידי נסיון.
ר' צדוק בתקנת השבים מביא בשם הבעש"ט והכלי חמדה פרשת חקת שיש לבעל תשובה להביא עצמו לידי הנסיון כדי לקיים התשובה גמורה. ותמה עליהם.
ביאור מדת נצח. נצחון + צמיתות. ושייכותו למשה רבינו, שנשלל בחירה ממנו כיון שדבריו נעשו תורה.
(א"ה עי' הקדמת משך חכמה לספר שמות)
יש להבין ענין התשובה השלמה, שנצח על הנסיון עד שאי"ז נסיון אצלו.
ובזה ניישב הנהגת יהושע. בהגיעם לארץ היה הכרך שנסיון המרגלים יהיה מנוצח.
מ"מ ק' שאין להביא עצמו לידי נסיון? בצדקת הצדיק מפרש, שיש לנו להביא את עצמנו לכך, שנסיונותינו יהיו לגבי גדרים ודברי הרשות.
"כי תצא למלחמה" - במלחמת רשות הכתוב מדבר.
שכן עצם האיסור כבר מאחורינו.

Why Did Moshe Run From The Snake? - Shemos 5770

4:3 וַיֹּאמֶר הַשְׁלִיכֵהוּ אַרְצָה וַיַּשְׁלִיכֵהוּ אַרְצָה וַיְהִי לְנָחָשׁ וַיָּנָס מֹשֶׁה מִפָּנָיו When Moshe threw the stick to the ground it turned into a snake and Moshe ran away from it. The Mishnah in the first Perek of Berachos says, when you Daven Shemoneh Esrei you must picture yourself as standing before the Ribboinoi Shel Oilam. The wording of the Mishna is even of a snake wraps itself around your ankle you shouldn’t be Mafsik. Moshe Rabbeinu who was standing in front of the Boirei Oilam and he sees a snake so he runs away? There is a technical Halachik Teretz to this Kasha.

Risking One's Life To Save Others - Shemos 5770

4:19 There is a Shaila in the Poiskim if a person can put himself in Sakana to save other people who are also in Sakana. The understanding is, that it is a Rishus and not an obligation; however, there is a certain amount of debate. The Ohr Sameiach discusses this both in the Sefer Ohr Sameiach and in the Meshech Chochmoh. He holds that it is Assur. Chayecha Koidmin is an obligation that you have to take care of yourself first. He brings a Raya from the Parsha, וַיֹּאמֶר יְ־רוָ־ר אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְּמִדְיָן לֵךְ שֻׁב מִצְרָיִם כִּי מֵתוּ כָּל הָאֲנָשִׁים הַמְבַקְשִׁים אֶת נַפְשֶׁךָ For Moshe, going to Mitzrayim was a Sakana because he was sentenced to death in Mitzrayim. We can make a Diyuk from that Posuk that were it not for the fact that all the people who wanted to kill Moshe had already died, it would have been Assur for Moshe to go to Mitzrayim because of the Sakana. This Pshat of the Ohr Sameiach is good if you only learn this one Posuk. However, if you look through the narrative, you will see that the Pshat doesn’t fit well.

First, the Ribboinoi Shel Oilam asked Moshe Rabbeinu to go to Mitzrayim and he doesn’t say that the people who want to kill him are dead already. The 7 days of the S’neh come to an end by Shishi. Than Moshe says to Yisroi that he is going back to Mitzrayim and Yisroi says Leich L’shaloim. Then we have the Posuk that Hashem says that the people died who want to kill Moshe. It seems that this message came for another reason but not that it was the Mattir for him to go.

Patience - Shemos 5770

6:1 וַיֹּאמֶר יְ־רוָ־ר אֶל מֹשֶׁה עַתָּה תִרְאֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶעֱשֶׂה לְפַרְעֹה כִּי בְיָד חֲזָקָה יְשַׁלְּחֵם וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה יְגָרְשֵׁם מֵאַרְצוֹ:

The Gemara in Maseches Sanhedrin 111a (5 lines from the bottom) explains; now you will see what I shall do to Paroh, meaning the war against Paroh (Yetzias Mitzrayim.) However, you will not live to see the war against the 31 Kings of Canaan, meaning you will die before Klal Yisrael reaches Canaan. It seems that Hashem is saying to Moshe Rabbeinu that it is not befitting that Moshe should take Klal Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael. What did Moshe do wrong, he complained for the Kavod of Klal Yisrael?

Rav Schwab to answer this question asks, why did Kibush and Chaluka of Eretz Yisrael take 14 years? Klal Yisrael conquered slowly. Why did it have to be slowly? One of the Middos of Hakadoish Baruch Hu in this world is the Middah of Mitinois, which means developing things slowly. Rav Schwab calls it the Middah of Toicheles as in וַיָּחֶל עוֹד שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים וַיֹּסֶף שַׁלַּח אֶת הַיּוֹנָה מִן הַתֵּבָה which is found in Parshas Noach 8:10. In 8:12 we find again, וַיִּיָּחֶל עוֹד שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת הַיּוֹנָה וְלֹא יָסְפָה שׁוּב אֵלָיו עוֹד

This shows the Middah of building slowly in this world. It says in Maseches Berachos 32b (24 lines from the top) והא א"ר חייא בר אבא א"ר יוחנן כל המאריך בתפלתו ומעיין בה סוף בא לידי כאב לב שנא' (משלי יג) תוחלת ממושכה מחלה לב This means, whoever prolongs his Davening and expects that his prayer will be granted due to his having prayed at great length, will eventually suffer heartache because of the Posuk that is quoted from Mishlei, Prolonged prayer makes the heart sick. This is as if to say it is a bad Middah to expect Ruchniyos to come right away when there is a Tefillah for something. A farmer knows when he plants a seed that it takes awhile until something sprouts and grows. A person who has Mitinois is an important Middah in Avoidas Hashem. Moshiach is called Avdi Tzemach. Tzemach as in something that sprouts slowly.

This was Hashem’s Tayna on Moshe, you go to Paroh and expect that right away the Yehshua should come. The Ribboinoi Shem Oilam doesn’t work that way. The Yehshua doesn’t come quickly and suddenly. This was the Chisaroin so to speak of Moshe Rabbeinu K’madrai’gusoi which the Ribboinoi Shel Oilam said it is good that you are not going to lead Klal Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael because there it will take years and your Middah is that you don’t have the appropriate amount of patience.

There is a Brisker Rav that discusses the 12^th Ani Maamin where it says regarding Moshiach, Af Al Pi Sheyis’ma’mei’ah, Im Kol Zeh Achakeh Loi. It is like a Kasha and a Teretz in the Ani Maamin. I am waiting and have Emunah even though he may delay? The Teretz is, nevertheless I anticipate every day that he will come. We don’t have a Kasha and a Teretz in any of the other Ani Maamins, so why here do we? The Brisker Rav answers, that part of the Middah of waiting for Moshiach is Achakeh Loi which is the same Middah of Toicheles that Rav Schwab is talking about. To be patient for good things to happen.

Why do we have a world in which we have to wait patiently for good things to happen? It is based on a Rabbeinu Yona in Pirkei Avos 3:9. He writes that the Taivah for something Ruchniyos is what builds up a person. It is not when you achieve it that you are built up. Moshiach’s coming will not build up Klal Yisrael. It is the Achakeh (the anticipation) that builds up Klal Yisrael. The desiring of something is Moisif Ahavah and Chochmoh. Therefore the Ribboinoi Shle Oilam made it that you have to wait patiently for something good to happen.

Dovid To Miriam - A Mysterious Lineage - Shemos 5770

1:21 וַיְהִי כִּי יָרְאוּ הַמְיַלְּדֹת אֶת הָאֱ־לֹקִים וַיַּעַשׂ לָהֶם בָּתִּים

Rashi says which homes, ויעש להם בתים: - בתי כהונה ולויה ומלכות שקרויין בתים. ויבן את בית ה' ואת בית המלך (מלכים א' ט א). כהונה ולויה מיוכבד, ומלכות ממרים, כדאיתא במסכת סוטה (סוטה יא ב):

So Batei Kehuna came from Aharon and Batei Malchus came from Yehuda. However, as the Gemara says in Maseches Sotah 11b (7 lines from the bottom) Miriam married Caleiv Ben Yefuneh who was from Sheivet Yehuda and from there came Malchus Beis Dovid.  

The problem with this is, if you look at Megillas Rus 4:18 – 4:22 it says  יח  וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת פָּרֶץ, פֶּרֶץ הוֹלִיד אֶת-חֶצְרוֹן. יט  וְחֶצְרוֹן הוֹלִיד אֶת-רָם, וְרָם הוֹלִיד אֶת-עַמִּינָדָב. כ  וְעַמִּינָדָב הוֹלִיד אֶת-נַחְשׁוֹן, וְנַחְשׁוֹן הוֹלִיד אֶת-שַׂלְמָה. כא  וְשַׂלְמוֹן הוֹלִיד אֶת-בֹּעַז, וּבֹעַז הוֹלִיד אֶת-עוֹבֵד. כב  וְעֹבֵד הוֹלִיד אֶת-יִשָׁי, וְיִשַׁי הוֹלִיד אֶת-דָּוִד.

So Dovid is traced all the way back to Yehuda, however, Caleiv is not mentioned at all. So it seems that Dovid Hamelech did not come from Caleiv. You can’t say that Caleiv was known by a different name because Ram from Posuk 19 is Caleiv’s brother and Chetzroin was Caleiv’s father. The reason why Caleiv was called Ben Yefuneh even though Chetzroin was his father is as the Gemara explains here in Sotah 11b (2 lines from the bottom) that Caleiv turned aside (fanah) from the plot of the Meraglim. So how can it be that Miriam married Caleiv and that brought about Malchus Bais Dovid if it was Ram?

R’ Vidal Hatzarfasi who is a Moroccan Gadol suggests a Teretz. Maybe there was some type of Yibum in this line of generations until Dovid Hamelech. So Miriam could have married one of the brothers either Ram or Caleiv and he died and then Miriam performed Yibum with the other one. The lineage is called Al Sheim Achiv Hameis and still it was literally from one of them. This is an ingenious Teretz to make both be true that Miriam married Ram and Caleiv and from them came Malchus Bais Dovid.

We know that Caleiv outlived Miriam because Miriam died in the Midbar and Caleiv got a Cheilek in Eretz Yisrael. So it can’t be that Caleiv died during the lifetime of Miriam and Ram did Yibum. So it must be that Ram married Miriam, then died, and Caleiv was Miyabeim her. However, the Gemara in Sotah 12a (top line) says Miriam was called Azuvah because she had a disease that made it that no one wanted to marry her except for Caleiv. So it sounds like Caleiv was her first husband. If so, the Teretz would fall apart and the original Kasha comes back of how can Dovid come from Caleiv if it says that he came from Ram?

Moshe's Clothes – Parshas Shemos 5771

The final question of the week is: When Moshe Rabbeinu comes to Midyan, the daughters of Yisro say that we were saved from a Mitzri as it says in 2:19 (וַתֹּאמַרְןָ--אִישׁ מִצְרִי, הִצִּילָנוּ מִיַּד הָרֹעִים). There is a well known Chazal that Moshe Rabbeinu was faulted for looking like a Mitzri (he was dressed like a Mitzri) and not like a Yid, unlike Yosef when he went down to Mitzrayim was called (הָעֶבֶד הָעִבְרִי). This is why Yosef was Zoche to be buried in Eretz Yisrael and Moshe Rabbeinu was not.

There is a problem with this whole idea. We are told that Moshe Rabbeinu was only 13 years old when he left Mitzrayim and when he came to Yisro he was already 80. In between the Medrash explains that Moshe Rabbeinu was a Melech in some far away land. However we explain the 67 years in between, Moshe Rabbeinu was not in the land of Mitzrayim. Why in the world would he still be wearing his clothes from Egypt 67 years later? That is difficult to understand.