Renaming The City - Toldos 5770

We have an incident in which Avimelech gets into a squabble with Yitzchok.  After this, Avimelech and Fichol come together to make Shaloim with Yitzchok. It says they made it a Bris between them in 26:33, (וַיִּקְרָא אֹתָהּ, שִׁבְעָה; עַל-כֵּן שֵׁם-הָעִיר בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה)  Meaning, He named it Shiva, therefore the city is called Be’er Sheva until this very day. Pashut Pshat in the Posuk is that it was named after the 7th Be’er. Rashi says, (שבעה: על שם הברית) At any rate it is difficult. It already says earlier in 26:23 that (וַיַּעַל מִשָּׁם, בְּאֵר שָׁבַע) That Yitzchok went to Be’er Sheva. In Parshas Vayeira 21:31 we already have that Avraham named it Be’er Sheva (עַל-כֵּן, קָרָא לַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא--בְּאֵר שָׁבַע:  כִּי שָׁם נִשְׁבְּעוּ, שְׁנֵיהֶם). Al Pi Pshat it is very difficult to understand. The Meshech Chochmah and Netziv both say, that the city was called Be’er Sheva. However, subsequently, the Bris was broken when Avimelech’s people made trouble for Yitzchok. Yitzchok came and made a new Bris between them and was again Mefarseim the name בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה.

This idea that a person can give a name to a city that already has a name brings to mind a Noide B’yehuda which Rebbi learned in Yeshiva now in Maseches Gittin. The Teshuva is in Even Ha’ezer and it is about a city in Poland named Piltz. They were writing a Get and the city was always spelled Pei, Yud, Lamed, Tes, Ende Tzaddik. A new Rav came to town and said this is an incorrect spelling because in Lashon Koidesh you can never have 3 Sh’va sounds one after the other. He spelled it without the Tes on 2 Gittin. Earlier there had already been Gittin with the Tes. People wrote the Noide B’yehuda asking if the new Rav was correct or not. This was one case where knowing too much Dikduk caused problems because the Noide B’yehuda wrote back that the original spelling was correct. It should have the Tes and the rules of Dikduk don’t apply to other languages. However, due to Kavod Harav the Noide B’yehuda asked that for the next 30 days they should be Machriz in every Shul in town and say that the city’s name is spelled without the Tes. Just like we can change a person’s name so to you can change the name of a city and with this Hachraza, he made that there wouldn’t be any Lav made on the Gittin. Of course the Chidush is that you can change the name of a city which we learn here from Yitzchok, that he called the city Be’er Sheva which happened to be the same name, however, with a different Tam. What we learn B’derech Mussar is the tremendous Kavod Hatalmid Chochom that the Noideh B’yehuda had.

Was Rivkah 3 or 14? - Toldos 5770

25:26 (בן ששים שנה: עשר שנים משנשאה עד שנעשית בת שלש עשרה שנה וראויה להריון ועשר שנים הללו צפה והמתין לה כמו שעשה אביו לשרה, כיון שלא נתעברה ידע שהיא עקרה והתפלל עליה. ושפחה לא רצה לישא, לפי שנתקדש בהר המוריה להיות עולה תמימה) Rashi brings the well known Chazal that Rivkah was 3 years old at the time she married Yitzchok. With that, Rashi makes a Cheshbon that until she was 13 she was not Ra’oi to have children, another 10 years they didn’t have children and then they were Mispallel. It is very difficult to understand, Rivkah got married at 3 years old, Lavan sent her with Eliezer, and Eliezer is asking her to fill up pitcher of water for camels. Tosafos argues and says in Maseches Yevamos 61: (וכן הוא אומר והנערה טובת מראה מאד. תימה דהכא משמע דרבקה נערה היתה ובסדר עולם (פ"א) תניא בהדיא שהיתה בת שלש כשנשאה יצחק ואי אפשר להגיה דהא תניא התם יצחק אבינו כשנעקד על גבי המזבח היה בן שבעה ושלשים שנה ובו בפרק נולדה רבקה וכתיב ויהי יצחק בן ארבעים שנה וגו' נמצאת שהיתה בת ג' וה"ר שמואל חסיד משפיר"א הוכיח שהיתה בת י"ד) that Rivkah was 14 years old.

To try to understand Rashi, Rav Schwab gives an insight that answers a Kasha that was asked in Parshas Vayeira. Rav Schwab says it is hard to understand that Rivkah was 3 years old. There is a concept of Ibur Neshamos. This means that one Neshama can have a Hashpa’a on another Neshama. We understand that concept when we name a child after someone. That idea is that somehow there is a connection between the 2 Neshamos. Rav Schwab suggests that physically Rivkah was 14 years old. What happened was at the end of Parshas Vayeira in 22:20 ( וַיְהִי, אַחֲרֵי הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, וַיֻּגַּד לְאַבְרָהָם, לֵאמֹר:  הִנֵּה יָלְדָה מִלְכָּה גַם-הִוא, בָּנִים--לְנָחוֹר אָחִיךָ) that at the time of the Akeidah and Sara being Niftar, Rivkah is born. The fact that Rivkah was born at this time, connected her Neshama to Sara’s Neshama.

We find when Rivkah is brought into Sara’s tent in 24:67 ( וַיְבִאֶהָ יִצְחָק, הָאֹהֱלָה שָׂרָה אִמּוֹ, וַיִּקַּח אֶת-רִבְקָה וַתְּהִי-לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה, וַיֶּאֱהָבֶהָ; וַיִּנָּחֵם יִצְחָק, אַחֲרֵי אִמּוֹ), meaning Yitzchok was then consoled for the loss of his mother. The reason why he was consoled is because Rivkah had the Ibur Neshamos. The new Rivkah with the Ibur Neshamos was now 3 years old. It fits well with what we understand that at a Bar Mitzvah a person has a Hashlomas Haneshoma. It fits well with the Tosafos that she was 14 because she had the Ibur Haneshoma at 11 before her Bas Mitzvah.

This idea would work well in making a sort of Pesharah between the 2 Shittos, physically she was 14 and the Ibur Neshama happened 3 years earlier. At the end of Parshas Vayeira we find in 22:20 that Avraham was worried after the Akeida that Yitzchok was not married and Rashi says that Avraham was told a Bisurah that Rivkah, Yitzchok’s  Zivug was born. If she was born then, what was the big thing that Avraham sent Eliezer to find someone, just send him to look for the girl who is 3 years old and is capable of getting married, there couldn’t havf been too many people who fit into this category?

According to Rav Schwab it is good. Avraham was told that there was someone who was ready; however, it wasn’t known how old the person was because of this idea of Ibur Neshama. So Mimeila Avraham sent Eliezer to find her.

Yitzchok finds out the Truth About Eisav - Toldos 5769

25:28  וַיֶּאֱהַב יִצְחָק אֶת-עֵשָׂו, כִּי-צַיִד בְּפִיו.  Rashi on the Posuk explains a Medrash (בפיו: כתרגומו בפיו של יצחק. ומדרשו בפיו של עשו שהיה צד אותו ומרמהו בדבריו) that with his “mouth” Eisav would entrap his father Yitzchok and trick him with words. How can it be that Yitzchok didn’t understand who Eisav was?

There is a Chazal on the Posuk in 27:1 that says, “וַתִּכְהֶיןָ עֵינָיו מֵרְאֹת” (Yitchok’s eyesight faded and he couldn’t see). This Chazal is found in Rashi on this Posuk in the Davar Acher, that “כדי שיטול יעקב את הברכות” (To enable Yaakov to receive the blessings.) In Poshut P’shat, Yaakov was only able to fool Yitzchok because he was blind. Perhaps on a deeper level, the whole incident that Yitzchok became blind was in order that Yaakov would receive the B’rachos. The B’rachos came about B’derech Mirmah in a way that B’Poiel it was a B’racha to Yaakov, however, B’kavanah, it was a B’racha to Eisav. For that reason L’doirois, Klal Yisroel has this type of a B’racha, where Kol Zman Klal Yisroel is B’Poiel doing the things they have to do, Hakodoish Boruch Hu deals with us B’Poiel. Conversely, Kol Zman Klal Yisroel Chas Vasholom doesn’t follow the correct path, so then Loi Aleinu, we are lacking the B’racha. The plan Min Hashomayim was that the B’racha should come in a certain way, and therefore, the entire episode happened, that Yitchok became blind. M’meila, Rav Pam would add, it was the along the same lines that made it a possibility that Yitchok couldn’t see Eisav for what he really was, and thought that Eisav was a Tzadik. This all happened so that Min Hashomayim the B’rachos could come about B’derech Mirmah.

What is beautiful about this, is that it answers what would have been an obvious problem. After Yaakov gets the B’rachos and he leaves, Eisav comes in. The Posuk says in 27:33, “וַיֶּחֱרַד יִצְחָק חֲרָדָה, גְּדֹלָה עַד-מְאֹד” (Yitchok was seized with a powerful trembling.) Why did Yitchok have this trembling?

Rashi explains on this Posuk, “ראה גיהנם פתוחה מתחתיו” (he saw Gehinnom open beneath him.) Eisav came into Yitchok many times, so why was it all of a sudden now that Yitchok saw Gehinnom enter with Eisav?

Loit what Rav Pam is saying, it is Moiradik M’duyik. All along, Eisav’s true nature was hidden from Yitchok so that the B’rachos could end up by Yaakov. V’ha Raya, the very first time that Eisav walks in after Yaakov had received the B’rachos, Yitzchok sees Gehinnom open underneath Eisav. This is one idea that Rav Pam used to mention very often.

מעשים מוכיחים זה את זה - Toldos 5769

It says in 25:34, “וַיִּבֶז עֵשָׂו, אֶת-הַבְּכֹרָה” (that Eisav scorned the birthright). It is a B’zoiyoin that Eisav sold the B’choirah for a little bit of food. However, Chazal tell us, as brought down by Rashi in 25:32, (הנה אנכי הולך למות: (מתנודדת והולכת היא הבכורה שלא תהא כל עת העבודה בבכורות כי שבט לוי יטול אותה ועוד) אמר עשו מה טיבה של עבודה זו, אמר לו כמה אזהרות ועונשין ומיתות תלוין בה, כאותה ששנינו אלו הן שבמיתה שתויי יין, ופרועי ראש. אמר אני הולך למות על ידה, אם כן מה חפץ לי בה) those performing the Avoidah who drank wine are Chayov Misah. Eisav said אני הולך למות על ידה, אם כן מה חפץ לי בה, (I will eventually die as a result of the B’choirah, if so, why should I desire it). So therefore, he sold the B’choirah. Why is that וַיִּבֶז עֵשָׂו, אֶת-הַבְּכֹרָה? He sold it because he felt unworthy of it?

The answer has to do with an idea, Maasim Moichichim Zeh Es Zeh. Sometimes you can judge what a person is doing, by looking at other things that he does. Like here, Eisav had just returned from doing battle with Nimroid over some B’godim so that he could have the honor of being the strongest warrior in the world. Not everyone is guaranteed to survive a battle with Nimroid. It was a great risk to do battle with him. For honor, Eisav was willing to put his life at risk. So for other things Eisav was willing to die. So he couldn’t Taina that he was unworthy of performing the Avoidah in the Beis Hamikdash because he might die.

Another example is found in Parshas Ki Sisa, 32:9, “וְהִנֵּה עַם-קְשֵׁה-עֹרֶף הוּא, (Posuk Yud) וְעַתָּה הַנִּיחָה לִּי, וְיִחַר-אַפִּי בָהֶם וַאֲכַלֵּם” (And behold they are a stiff necked people. Now leave me alone and my wrath will blaze against them and destroy them.) In 34:9 it says, “כִּי עַם-קְשֵׁה-עֹרֶף הוּא, וְסָלַחְתָּ לַעֲו‍ֹנֵנוּ וּלְחַטָּאתֵנוּ וּנְחַלְתָּנוּ” (although it is a stiff necked people, pardon our iniquity and our sins, and take us as your own possession). It is a P’liyah, Hashem wants to destroy us because we are an עַם-קְשֵׁה-עֹרֶף, so Moshe Rabbeinu’s Taina back to Hashem 2 Perokim later is save us because we are an עַם-קְשֵׁה-עֹרֶף?

Klal Yisroel uses the Midah of עַם-קְשֵׁה-עֹרֶף  for good as well as bad. So even though Hakodoish Baruch Hu was unhappy with Klal Yisroel this one time, overall, the Midah of עַם-קְשֵׁה-עֹרֶף  is a good package.  

They say over from the Gerrer Rebbe, why is the third meal on Shabbos called Sholosh Seudos, it should be Seudas Shlishis? The Gerrer Rebbe said, every day a person eats 2 meals. So you don’t know if those 2 meals are for K’void Shabbos or not, however, when you eat the 3^rd meal, that is obviously for K’void Shabbos and it is Maasim Moichichim Zeh Es Zeh that the other 2 meals were eaten for K’void Shabbos. So the whole Chashivus of Sholosh Seudas on Shabbos lies in the 3^rd Seudah that a person has on Shabbos. We eat many times not for Sheim Shomayim. When it comes to Mitzvois, we really have to be careful to be Zahir not to be cheap on our eating. Many people when it comes to Sholosh Seudos are Yoitzei with Mezoinois or Peirus. Is that the way we eat when it is for our own pleasure?

For our own pleasure we go out of the way for the best type of foods. So when there is a Mitzvah of Hakadosh Baruch Hu to eat, we have to eat properly. Maybe that is why when it comes to being Yoitzei a K’zayis, we try to be Yoizei all the Shitois. If there is a snowstorm and a person doesn’t go to Minyan because it is hard to go out, he shouldn’t go out later to play in the snow with his kids. The idea is to be consistent. This was the failure of Eisav, Vayivez Es Habichoira.

One Big Yetzer Hara - Ku Seitzei 5770

21:10 י  כִּי-תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה, עַל-אֹיְבֶיךָ; וּנְתָנוֹ יְ ר וָ ר אֱלֹ קֶיךָ, בְּיָדֶךָ--וְשָׁבִיתָ שִׁבְיוֹ  The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh says this is a Remez of a person’s constant battle with the Yeitzer Hora. The usual idea is that when we do battle with the Yeitzer Hora we need help from Hashem. Our job is to go out to do battle and hope that Hashem will help us in the battle with the Yeitzer Hora.

Rav Gifter added a beautiful thought. It says  כִּי-תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה, עַל-אֹיְבֶיךָ; וּנְתָנוֹ the word אֹיְבֶיךָ  means many enemies, and וּנְתָנוֹ יְ ר וָ ר אֱלֹ קֶיךָ  Unisanoi is in the singular, and Hashem will give him into your hands.   Why the change from plural (going out to battle)to singular(being victorious in battle)?

Rav Gifter said, we try to Daven and we try to learn, we have many things that the Yeitzer Hora puts in our way. Some days he has us worrying about Parnasah and that distracts us from our Davening and Learning. Sometimes he tells us that we are very tired and we have a hard time staying up. Sometimes he makes us feel meaningless. Our Davening is meaningless. We have many enemies. We fight fatigue when we want to learn. We fight the business thoughts that come into our minds when we want to Daven Shemoneh Esrei. We fight the many distractions that exist. When you finally fight the Yeitzer Hora you realize it is all Narishkaitin. The Yeitzer Hora finds many things to throw in your way. It is one Yeitzer Hora. It is all about distracting us. After the distraction of Shemoneh Esrei he will find something else to throw at you. It doesn’t get easier. Something else then comes up. It is a roadblock that he puts up for you. When you finally do battle you realize it is all one Yeitzer Hora.

Zechor - Stay Connected - Ki Seitzei 5770

25:17 יז  זָכוֹר, אֵת אֲשֶׁר-עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק, בַּדֶּרֶךְ, בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם  This weeks Parsha has the Mitzvah of Zechiras Mechiyas Amaleik. The Chasam Sofer in a Teshuva in Even Haezer Teshuva 119, writes a Hiddur Mitzvah or a Chumra of Zechiras Mechiyas Amaleik. A person has this Mitzvah once a year. Why is it once a year, it doesn’t say anything about once a year? The Chasam Sofer brings it down from a Gemara in Maseches Berachos 58b (27 lines from the bottom) אמר רב אין המת משתכח מן הלב אלא לאחר שנים עשר חדש שנאמר (תהילים לא) נשכחתי כמת מלב הייתי ככלי אובד and a Gemara in Bava Metzia 28 (that is brought further down). 12 months is a Zman of forgetting and therefore since the Torah says Zachar that you must remember, so every 12 months you are obligated to Lain Parshas Zachor.

So the Chasam Sofer asks what about in a leap year such as this year? This year where there are 2 Adars, so from last year Parshas Zachor until this year’s Parshas Zachor it will be 13 months. The Chasam Sofer says a person in a year such as this should have in mind Parshas Zachor during the Laining of Parshas Ki Seitzei. When they Lain Maftir many Shuls will announce that you should have in mind for the Mitzvah of Zechiras Maiseh Amaleik and the Mitzvah of Zechiras Mechiyas Amaleik at the time of the Laining. The Maram Shik quotes this as well in Mitzvah 605, the Chumra of his Rebbi the Chasam Sofer.

 The idea of the Chasam Sofer to connect the Gemara in Berachos that was quoted above to the Mitzvah of Zachor is questioned by the Satmar Rebbe in his Teshuva Sefer the Divrei Yoel Teshuva 33. The Gemara in Bava Metzia & Berachos says that Shicha is every 12 months. This is if someone loses something then the finder must announce it for 3 Regalim, one year.  דף כח, א משנה  ועד מתי חייב להכריז עד כדי שידעו בו שכניו דברי ר"מ ר' יהודה אומר שלש רגלים. After a year he no longer has to announce it.

The Satmar Rebbe asks we are not talking about forgetting of an existence. A person who loses an object doesn’t forget that he lost it after 12 months. The Gemara is saying that after that point we are talking about losing hope and despair from finding something it again, and therefore, the Shicha here doesn’t mean that he forgot a fact, it means to give up on something.

The same thing, after 12 months a person doesn’t forget his relative, he forgets the connection he has to it. So the Satmar Rebbe asks that there is no Shaychus between the Mitzvah of Zechiras Mayseh Amaleik and this Gemara?

 The concept might be to forget a “connection” to a fact. Rav Hutner in Pachad Yitzchak at the end of Maimar 78 says that we put our idea of what forgetting is and compare it to the Schicha that Chazal mention. Rav Hutner is talking about forgetting as applied by Chazal its not about remembering that Amaleik existed the idea of remembering is about the connection to the loss. When we talk about a loss of a relative, after 12 months the newness of the loss is forgotten. That Shicha is what we want to avoid by Amaleik. Zechiras Mayseh Amaleik means to remember it not as a historical fact, but to have some type of connection to it, Shaychus to it, and concept to it, and therefore, that is this idea of Zichronos.

This idea has a tremendous connection to Rosh Hashana. There are 3 primary ideas, that of Malchiyos, Zichronos, and Shofros. The idea of Zichronos is often questioned because we know that Hashem remembers everything. So what does it mean Zichronos?

It means remembering the connection. A living connection, something that affects a person. Even the idea of Malchiyos it means to have a renewal of a connection of Malchiyos.

Zichronos doesn’t mean to remember as Rav Hutner said. We can’t take our idea of forgetting a fact and putting it into Chazal who is talking about remembering the connection.

The third area this is Shayich to is remembering Yerushalayim. We do many things Zeicher Yerushalayim and Zeicher the Churban. The idea is not to remember the historical fact that there was a Bais Hamikdash and that there was Yerushalayim, the idea is to connect to it and have a Shaychus to it. This is a rule that Zeicher is what affect it should have on the person and not just remembering a fact.

The Pink Umbrella - Ki Seitzei 5769

22:5  ה  לֹא-יִהְיֶה כְלִי-גֶבֶר עַל-אִשָּׁה, וְלֹא-יִלְבַּשׁ גֶּבֶר שִׂמְלַת אִשָּׁה:  כִּי תוֹעֲבַת יְרוָר אֱלֹקֶיךָ, כָּל-עֹשֵׂה אֵלֶּה  It says “Loi Yilbash Gever Simlas Isha” A man is not allowed to wear the Beged of a woman. It becomes a Nichshal on Purim when little children are dressed as the other gender, which is Sheloi K’din. Even for Ketanim it is a Shaila of an Issur D’oiraisa. Let’s say I have to go out and it is raining, can I take an umbrella that everyone would say was made for a woman? Is this included in Loi Yilbash? The Shittas Habach has an extraordinary Kullah and he holds that unless your Kavana is to pretend you are a woman you may wear women’s clothing. His Raya is, one of the things that are Assur is to look into a mirror. This is from the time of the Rishoinim when men didn’t look into mirrors. The Shulchan Aruch says it is Assur for a man to look into a mirror because of Loi Yilbash. Rav Akiva Eiger brings that nowadays is different, in that men also look into a mirror. Toisafos in Maseches Avoidah Zarah 29a D’H Hamistapeir Mei’oived Koichavim Roi’eh B’mar’eh says that if someone is getting a haircut by a Goy, he is allowed to have a mirror because we are Choi’shed Goyim for lifting weapons against Yidden when getting haircuts. This is like the Bach because he is not looking into the mirror to look like a woman. The Chochmas Adam in Binas Adam Ois 74 says the Bach is incorrect. One of the Issurim is for a woman to wear K’lei Zayin, arms. We find by Ya’el who killed Sisra, in Shoiftim 5:26, when she killed him with a peg of a tent, that Chazal say that was because she didn’t want to use Kley Zayin because of Kli Gever. She didn’t do it because she thought someone would think that she was trying to be a man? Clearly it is Assur. What about the Raya of looking in a mirror? The Chochmas Adam says there are 2 types of Loi Yilbash Gever Simlas Isha. One is when you wear a Malbush Gamur. A Malbush that you are wearing is always Assur, no matter what your Kavana is. Something that is not a Malbush, like for example looking into a mirror, since it has to do with how a person looks, Chazal understood to Assur that as well. So when it comes to wearing the arms of a rifle or a sword, that is something that is worn, and something that is worn, the Lashon of the Gemara is, Sheloi Teitzei Isha Bichlei Zayin Lamilchamah. If it is being carried and not worn than if there is no Kavana to dress like the other gender it is Muttar. The example given is a cane, where even if it is a woman’s cane a man can use it because it is not worn. This is a Heter to use a woman’s umbrella, because it is not worn and the Kavana is not to look like a woman. A woman would be able to carry a revolver as well. By clothing we don’t Pasken like the Bach and therefore, we can’t wear clothing of the opposite gender. However, we can rely on the Bach when it comes to carrying things that were meant for the other gender.