Transcript
Good morning and welcome back to פרשה Parsha Perspectives for today. Wonderful to be together again and try to extract from our פרשה parsha the contemporary lessons that can inspire a mindful and meaningful Jewish life. I want to thank our generous sponsors for the year, Becky and Avi Katz and family in loving memory of Becky's father, David Grossman, דוד בן מנחם מונש David ben Menachem Munish. Thank you so much for your generosity and your sponsorship, so deeply appreciated. And I want to take the liberty as well to dedicate our learning today, the study of the פרשה parsha in memory of my beloved grandmother, Rose Goldberg, רחל לאה בת שלום דוד Rachel Leah bas Shalom David, whose יארצייט yahrzeit is observed this week. We miss our grandma a lot. She was a tremendous source of inspiration and motivation and her נשמה neshama should have an עלייה aliyah from our learning as well. We have the privilege this morning of studying together פרשת ויצא Parshas Vayeitzei. פרשת ויצא Parshas Vayeitzei appears in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash on page 144 and our פרשה parsha begins where last week left off. Last week left off where יעקב Yaakov was fleeing after having taken the ברכות brachos from his brother עשיו Esav, after having tricked his father and his mother. He ends up having to hit the road. According to רבקה Rivka, the reason he's going, and she convinces יצחק Yitzchak, he's going to find a wife, and he cannot find a wife where they are. He has to go towards פדן ארם Padan Aram. Of course, the real reason is he is fleeing for his life from his brother עשיו Esav. עשיו Esav who surely will try to exact revenge from יעקב Yaakov for what he's done. ויצא יעקב מבאר שבע וילך חרנה Vayetzei Yaakov m'Be'er Sheva vayelech Charanah. יעקב Yaakov leaves באר שבע Be'er Sheva and he heads off towards towards חרן Charan. We're going to get started with an אש תמיד Eish Tamid. We have been on a רב דרוק Rav Druck kick. רב ישראל מאיר דרוק Rav Yisrael Meir Druck, the great ראש ישיבה Rosh Yeshiva of ירושלים Yerushalayim, the son of the דרש מרדכי Drash Mordechai. In his beautiful ספרים svarim, אש תמיד Eish Tamid has fantastic insights, and I want to share several of them again with you today. ויצא יעקב מבאר שבע וילך חרנה Vayetzei Yaakov m'Be'er Sheva vayelech Charanah, says רש\"י Rashi, לא היה צריך לכתוב אלא וילך יעקב חרנה lo haya tzorech lichtov elah vayelech Yaakov Charanah. What it should have said is where יעקב Yaakov was going. The journey and the destination matter, not where he is embarking from. אלא מגיד שיציאת צדיק מן המקום עושה רושם Elah magid she'yetziat tzadik min hamakom oseh roshem. It teaches us a very important powerful lesson that when a righteous person leaves the place that they are, עושה רושם oseh roshem, it makes an impression, it makes an imprint. שבזמן שהצדיק בעיר הוא הודה הוא זיוה הוא הדרה She'bizman she'hatzadik ba'ir hu hoda hu ziva hu hadara. The moment that the צדיק tzadik, the righteous person, remains in the city, in the town, that person is the glory, is the righteousness, is the splendor. יצא משם Yatza misham, but when the righteous person leaves, פנה הודה פנה זיוה פנה הדרה pana hoda, pana ziva, pana hadara, then the city is impacted. And we know that. We've all had tremendously inspiring righteous people, men and women, they make עלייה aliyah, they move to another community. God forbid, they move on and they leave this world, and the community is never the same again. Their model, their example, their impact, their influence, that loss is deeply, deeply felt. And so רש\"י Rashi tells us that's why the תורה Torah goes out of its way, even though it's peculiar and seemingly unnecessary, ויצא יעקב מבאר שבע Vayetzei Yaakov m'Be'er Sheva. It doesn't just say וילך חרנה vayelech Charanah. It could have and should have begun he went to חרן Charan, the destination. However, ויצא יעקב Vayetzei Yaakov to tell us that when a צדיק tzadik leaves it makes a רושם roshem. And the כלי יקר Kli Yakar is bothered. ויש לזבונן וכי אברהם אבינו ויצחק לא הלכו ממקום למקום, ולמה לא נכתב אצלם לשון יציאה V'yesh lizbonein v'chi Avraham Avinu v'Yitzchak lo halchu mimakom l'makom, v’lamah lo nechtav etzelam l’shon yetzia? אברהם Avraham and יצחק Yitzchak didn't? שרה Sarah and רבקה Rivka didn't travel, they didn't journey, they didn't go from place to place? When they left, they didn't leave a void? It didn't have an impact? Why do we wait until יעקב Yaakov to be able to share this teaching that when a righteous צדיק tzadik leaves the city, that impact is felt? ויתרץ הכלי יקר V'teretz haKli Yakar and the כלי יקר Kli Yakar explains the following. כאן בא לו חידוש, ולכן נקט כאן ויצא Kan bala chidush, v'lachen nokat kan vayeitzei. כי אברהם ויצחק לא הניחו במקום שהלכו משם צדיק כמותם Ki Avraham v'Yitzchak lo hini'chu b'makom she'halchu misham tzadik k'mosam. When אברהם Avraham and שרה Sarah, when יצחק Yitzchak and רבקה Rivka, when they left and they left the city bereft, absent of an example of righteousness, absent of a teacher of their level, פשיטא שיציאתם עושה רושם p'shita she'yetzi'asam oseh roshem. There was no one who could take over, there was no one like them. Of course their absence left an impact. אבל כאן, הרי יצחק ורבקה נשארו שם Aval kan, a'rei Yitzchak v'Rivka nisharu sham. What was different here? What's the חידוש chidush? יעקב Yaakov, says the כלי יקר Kli Yakar, may be leaving, וילך חרנה vayelech Charanah, but you know who he leaves behind? His mother and his father, יצחק Yitzchak and רבקה Rivka, his examples and role models. So maybe when you leave behind your teacher, when you leave behind your role model, maybe in such a situation, maybe יעקב's Yaakov's departure in fact doesn't make a רושם roshem. קא משמע לן שגם כאן יציאה של יעקב עושה רושם Kamashma lan she'gam kan yetzi'a shel Yaakov oseh roshem. You see here too, יעקב Yaakov was so unique, so distinct. יעקב Yaakov had such an impact that his leaving left an impact even though יצחק Yitzchak and רבקה Rivka remained behind. מבואר בזה שיציאתו של יעקב עשה רושם, כיוון שעד עתה היה במקום ג' צדיקים Mevo'ar b'zeh she'yetzi'aso shel Yaakov asah roshem, k'eivan she'ad atah haya b'makom gimel tzadikim. Until now there were three righteous, יצחק, רבקה, ויעקב Yitzchak, Rivka, v'Yaakov. ולאחר יציאתו נשארו ב' V'l'achar yetzi'aso nish'aru beis. And after he left there were only two. ונתמעט זכות המקום V'nisma'et zchus hamakom and the merit of the place was diminished, לכך יציאה זו גם עושה רושם l'chach yetziah zu gam oseh roshem. Says רב דרוק Rav Druck, אמנם יש לומר באופן שונה omnam yesh lomar b'ofen shonah. So that was the כלי יקר Kli Yakar. Again, the question was, why not begin וילך חרנה vayelech Charanah that יעקב Yaakov departed to חרן Charan? Why do we have to mention where he's leaving from? רש\"י Rashi says it comes to teach us that when a צדיק tzadik leaves a place it has an impact. The כלי יקר Kli Yakar asks, is he the first to leave? אברהם Avraham left, שרה Sarah left, יצחק Yitzchak left, רבקה Rivka left. The answer is when they left, there was no one there. Of course it made an impact. When יעקב Yaakov left, he left behind יצחק Yitzchak and רבקה Rivka. Maybe it wouldn't have made an impact. אלא מאי Elamai, says the כלי יקר Kli Yakar, יעקב Yaakov was so great, it went from three to two and you see the difference between three righteous people in a city versus two leaves an impact. But says רב דרוק Rav Druck, perhaps we can explain differently. שהסיבה שיציאתו של יעקב עשה רושם, אף על פי שנשאר במקום יצחק ורבקה She'hasibah she'yetzi'aso shel Yaakov asah roshem, af al pi she'nish'ar b'makom Yitzchak v'Rivka, why was it when יעקב Yaakov left it made an impact, even though he left behind יצחק Yitzchak and רבקה Rivka? It's not a numbers issue. It's not because you can't compare three righteous to two righteous, but rather, and listen carefully, שלכל צדיק יש לו סגנון ודרך עבודתו שלו she'l'chol tzadik yesh lo signon v'derech avodaso shelo. Because every righteous person is unique, is distinct, is a unique example and model, teaches us in their unique and distinct way. יעקב Yaakov had his own מידה midah. אברהם Avraham was חסד chesed and יצחק Yitzchak is גבורה gvurah and יעקב Yaakov is אמת emes. And when יעקב Yaakov left, that מידה midah, that living example of אמת emes left with him. So it's not simply a numbers game. It's not that you went from three righteous to two righteous and that was the impact, ויצא Vayeitzei. The ויצא Vayeitzei was יעקב's Yaakov's uniqueness, his distinctiveness. וכיוון שלכל אחד יש לו דרך עבודה פרטית ומיוחדת שלו, נמצא אם כן שיציאתו של יעקב מן המקום עושה רושם V'keivan she'l'chol echad yesh lo derech avodah p'ratis v'meyuchedes shelo, nimtza im kein she'yetzi'aso shel Yaakov min hamakom oseh roshem. כיוון שפנה הודה, זיוה, הדרה של העיר, חסרון העבודה המיוחדת בסגנון שלו Keivan she'panah hoda, ziva, hadara shel ha'ir, chesron ha'avodah hameyuchedet b'signon shelo. He was unique. Everybody is, everybody is their own. That also explains later when יעקב Yaakov will study in a moment, when יעקב Yaakov makes this deal with God, וידר יעקב נדר לאמר Vayidar Yaakov neder leimor, when God promises him, don't worry, you're going to go on the same path as your forefathers, it describes אברהם Avraham your father and יצחק Yitzchak. Why not just say אברהם Avraham and יצחק Yitzchak your fathers? Why do we separate it out? Similarly we begin our עמידה Amidah that way. אלקי אברהם, אלקי יצחק, ואלקי יעקב Elokei Avraham, Elokei Yitzchak, v'Elokei Yaakov. We could shorten דאווענען davening. Some of you just perked up. אלקי אברהם, יצחק ויעקב Elokei Avraham, Yitzchak, v'Yaakov. Why do I have to repeat אלקי אברהם, אלקי יצחק, ואלקי יעקב Elokei Avraham, Elokei Yitzchak, v'Elokei Yaakov? And the answer is, so many bring down, because each of our forefathers, each righteous person, they did their own דרישה וחקירה drisha v'chakira. Yes, we inherit the legacy of a relationship with the Almighty from our parents. Yes, we are their shoulders, yes, we are a link on that chain that they began, but simultaneously we have to forge our own unique relationship. It's not אברהם, יצחק, ויעקב Avraham, Yitzchak, v'Yaakov as if they are all in one box, they're not all simply lumped together. They each had their own מידה midah, their own quality. They each had their own skill sets, they each had their own talents and blessings, they each had their own liabilities and challenges, they each came their own background. And therefore each had their own journey of discovering השם Hashem in their life. And we too, we too have this dual relationship with השם Hashem. Both as inheritors of the legacies of those who came before, our parents and our great grandparents going all the way back to אברהם Avraham and שרה Sarah and יצחק Yitzchak and רבקה Rivka and יעקב Yaakov and רחל Rachel and לאה Leah, going all the way back. We have what we have, we believe what we believe, we do what we do because we have inherited from them. But simultaneously we have to discover our own, forge our own relationship. אלקי אברהם, אלקי יצחק, אלקי יעקב, אלקי אפרים, אלקי יוחנן, אלקי Elokei Avraham, Elokei Yitzchak, Elokei Yaakov, Elokei Ephraim, Elokei Yochanan, Elokei everybody. We cannot rely only on those who came before or that relationship will grow stale. It won't resonate, it won't feel like it's alive and dynamic. On the other hand, we can't wait for a relationship that we discover that feels alive and dynamic because what happens on a day where we don't? What happens in a period of our life where we can't? That's when we have to rest and rely on those who came before. So says רב דרוק Rav Druck, similarly here, maybe that's what it means that when יעקב Yaakov left, it made a רושם roshem, not because they went from three righteous in the city to two, but because Yitzchak contributed his own righteousness, and רבקה Rivka contributed her own righteousness. But יעקב Yaakov contributes his own righteousness. ובזה יש לבאר U'v'zeh yesh l'vareich, with this he explains the גמרא Gemara that's in מגילה כ\"ט Megillah chaf tes, כתובות י\"ז Kesubos yud zayin. שמבטלין תלמוד תורה להוצאת מת, דקרא ותניא עד ששים ריבוא She'mevatlim Talmud Torah l'hotza'as meis, d'kara v'tanya ad shishim ribo. The הלכה halacha is that if a person is sitting and studying תורה Torah and a funeral procession passes them by, and there's the opportunity to honor the memory of the deceased, you stop and you go. Why? כיוון שכמו שניתנה תורה, כך נטלתה Keivan shek'she'nitnah Torah, kach nitlasah. Just like when the תורה Torah was given with 600,000, so too when the תורה Torah is taken, when the soul is extracted from the body, it is done with such a myriad, such a number of people. מה נתנה בששים ריבוא, אף נטלתה בששים ריבוא Ma nitnasah b'shishim ribo, af nitlasah b'shishim ribo. והדברים צריכים ביאור V'hadvarim tzrichim biur. Says רב דרוק Rav Druck, what? What does this גמרא Gemara mean? Before the תורה Torah was given, there was no תורה Torah in the world. So the idea that it was given with 600,000 with pomp and circumstance, with such fanfare, with such a volume of people, I understand. This was a seminal moment of history, the giving of the תורה Torah. But נטילת התורה שאין אלא נטילה מאותו אדם netilas haTorah she'ein elah netilah m'oso adam? It's just one person. That one person who died, their soul won't learn תורה Torah anymore. So isn't the value of the others who are learning תורה Torah, doesn't it supersede honoring the soul of the one person from whom תורה Torah is taken? What in the world is the תורה Torah doing? What is the, I mean what is the הלכה halacha, the גמרא Gemara, מגילה Megillah, כתובות Kesubos, how is it comparing? The same manner in which the תורה Torah was given with such a number of people, with such pomp and circumstance, with such myriads, so too when the תורה Torah is taken because one person leaves the world, it deserves the same fanfare, it deserves the same assembly. What does one thing have to do with the other? ונראה לבאר לפי הנ\"ל V'neireh l'vareich l'fi ha'na'al, says רב דרוק Rav Druck, אש תמיד Eish Tamid, now we understand. שלעולם, כשם שאין פרצופיהם שוים, כך אין דעותיהם שוות She'l'olam, k'sheim she'ein partzufehem shavim, kach ein de'oseihem shavos. The מדרש תנחומא Medrash Tanchuma in פרשת פנחס Parshas Pinchas tells us that just like no two faces look exactly the same, just like no two people look exactly the same, so too no two people think exactly the same. וכיוון שכן כל חכם וחכם יש לו דרך לימודו וסגנונו המיוחד V'keivan she'kein kol chacham v'chacham yesh lo derech limudo v'signono hameyuchad. Every תלמיד חכם talmid chacham, every righteous person, every human being has their own way of living and thinking and approaching the world. Each is a unique, distinct expression of the Almighty in this world. And therefore when a person is taken from this world, it's as if the whole תורה Torah, 600,000, because that unique expression of God was taken and it cannot be replaced. And perhaps that's what the גמרא Gemara means, that the same way תורה Torah was given with such an assembly, it's taken, it deserves the same assembly of people to honor that one, that one. Why? It's only one. The answer is that one is a whole world. That one is unique and distinct, that one is irreplaceable, absolutely irreplaceable. When יעקב Yaakov left the city, he was irreplaceable. When a person leaves this world, they are irreplaceable, and with them goes a unique expression of God in this world. I once heard Dr. Lamb, זכרונו לברכה zechrono l'vracha, explained that's why we say קדיש Kaddish to honor the memory of a person who left this world. קדיש Kaddish doesn't include any reference to death, even though we associate it with אבלות avelus, with mourning and with death. Why is that? Because what is קדיש Kaddish? יתגדל ויתקדש Yisgadal v'yiskadash, may God's name be made great. Why are we דאווענען davening that God's name be made great in connection with the loss of a life, with a person's death, with mourning and grieving? Said Dr. Lamb, said Rabbi Lamb, because when a person dies and leaves this world, there's a piece of God, an expression of God, a manifestation of God, a way that others connect to God that is lost. Every human being is a צלם אלקים tzelem Elokim, is a distinct unique expression of God. And with their loss is a loss of connecting to God through them. And that's why we say יתגדל ויתקדש Yisgadal v'yiskadeish, may God's name be made great, may it be compensated the loss of that person, which is really a loss of God. When יעקב Yaakov left the city, when a person leaves this world, it makes a רושם roshem. When a righteous person who was that expression of God in a meaningful way leaves this world, it leaves a significant, it leaves a significant רושם roshem. Where does he go? Where does יעקב Yaakov go? Let's continue. ויפגע במקום וילן שם כי בא השמש Vayifga bamakom vayalen sham ki va hashemesh. ויפגע במקום Vayifga bamakom, he encounters the place. וילן שם Vayalen sham and he rests there, כי בא השמש ki va hashemesh, the sun had set. ויקח מאבני המקום וישם מראשתיו Vayikach me'avnei hamakom vayasem me'ra'ashosav, he takes the stones, the rocks of the place, he puts it under his head, וישכב במקום ההוא vayishkav bamakom hahu. We all know this story that the rocks are each competing who will the צדיק tzadik lie on, they combine to become one, he has the dream of the ladder, the angels going up and coming down, there's so much to talk about on this פרשה parsha, on this opening alone. And we have, listen to previous פרשה parsha classes and you'll hear our analysis and the contemporary messages, the פרשה parsha perspectives for yesterday and still today and tomorrow that we have discussed in the past. But ויפגע במקום Vayifga bamakom. The קאצקער רבי Kotsker Rebbe says, we've shared this before, it's one of my favorites. The קאצקער רבי Kotsker Rebbe says we say in קדושה Kedusha, איה Ayei. איה מקום כבודו Ayei makom kevodo? Where is the place of his glory? Says the קאצקער Kotsker, איה Ayei, when we go searching, when we look, when we ask איה Ayei, where is he? מקום כבודו Makom kevodo, we've found the place. One of the names of God is מקום Makom because he fills every place, because he is wherever we are. So says the קאצקער Kotsker, איה Ayei, when you ask איה Ayei, when you look for God, איה Ayei, מקום כבודו makom kevodo, you've discovered the place of his glory. Meaning, where is God? He's found in the search for him. He's found in a life where we're looking for him. He's found in a lifestyle where we're always including him. So יעקב Yaakov, ויפגע במקום Vayifga bamakom. He's running, he's fleeing, and he discovers, he encounters God. Says רש\"י Rashi, ויפגע כמו ופגע ביריחו, ופגע בדברי Vayifga k'mo u'faga b'Yericho, u'faga b'divrei. Other references in the ספר יהושע Sefer Yehoshua to this word ויפגע Vayifga. But רבותינו Raboseinu, our rabbis learn, לשון תפילה lashon tefilah. The word ויפגע Vayifga is one of the languages of prayer. אל תפגע בי Al tifga bi. ולמדנו שתיקן תפילת ערבית V'lamadnu she'tikein tefilas Arvis. יעקב אבינו Yaakov Avinu established the evening prayer of מעריב Maariv. אברהם Avraham established שחרית Shacharis, יצחק Yitzchak established מנחה Mincha, and יעקב Yaakov here with this episode and story, he introduces us to the world of מעריב Maariv, דאווענען מעריב davening Maariv. ומה שאינו כתוב לא כתוב ויתפלל אלא שקצרה לו הארץ כמו שמפורש בפרק ג' דחולין V'she'ne'emar kasuv lo kasuv vayispaleil elah she'kitzra lo ha'aretz k'mo she'meforash b'perek gimmel d'Chulin. Asks רב דרוק Rav Druck, we're back on the אש תמיד Eish Tamid. Asks רב דרוק Rav Druck, and several of you have asked me, it is not yet translated into English but it should, it is a magnificent commentary on the פרשה parsha. בגמרא ברכות דף כ\"ו B'Gemara Brachos daf chaf vov says, אברהם תיקן תפילת שחרית, וישכם אברהם בבקר Avraham tikein tefilas Shacharis, v'hashkem Avraham baboker, and יצחק מנחה, ויצא יצחק לשוח בשדה לפנות ערב Yitzchak Mincha, vayetze Yitzchak lasuach basadeh lifnos erev. And יעקב Yaakov was מתקן ערבית, ויפגע במקום וילן שם misakein Arvis, vayifga bamakom vayalen sham. And wonders רב דרוק Rav Druck, ויש להקשות v'yesh l'hakshos, you can ask, מדוע דוקא כאשר יוצא יעקב אבינו מבית אביו והולך לפדן ארם, ובדרכו פגע במקום, רק אז ראה לנכון לתקן תפילת ערבית madua davka ka'asher yotzei Yaakov Avinu m'beis aviv v'holech l'Padan Aram, u'v'darko paga bamakom, rak az ra'ah l'nachon l'sakein tefilas Arvis. Why now? Why now? יעקב's Yaakov's not a young man. יעקב Yaakov grew up as a יושב אהלים yosheiv ohalim. He grew up with this adversary, his brother עשיו Esav. And he grew up sitting and toiling and studying over תורה Torah and he wasn't motivated or inspired until now to go דאווען מעריב daven Maariv? Why now? Why now? My wife likes to make the joke, you know why יעקב Yaakov established מעריב Maariv? Because once he had twelve children, it's time for bathtime and bedtime, said sorry, I got to go דאווען מעריב daven Maariv. He established מעריב Maariv. But she's wrong because it was before he had all those children, it was ויפגע במקום vayifga bamakom. When he encountered that place, meaning when he encountered God. Why did he only encounter God then? And why did he wait to introduce מעריב Maariv until then? Why not introduce מעריב Maariv in his youth? Why not introduce מעריב Maariv when he's cooking the lentils for his father sitting שבעה shiva? Why not introduce מעריב Maariv when he's successfully purchased the בכורה bechira? Why did it take until now? And says רב דרוק Rav Druck, the following. ונראה לבאר, בזוהר הקדוש מובא, כי וילן הנאמר גבי יעקב אבינו הוא מלשון תלונה, כמו שנאמר וילן העם על משה V'neireh l'vareich, b'Zohar haKadosh muva, ki vayalen ha'ne'emar gabei Yaakov Avinu hu milashon tlunah, k'mo she'ne'emar vayalon ha'am al Moshe. That word וילן vayalen is not mean to sleep only. וילן Vayalen has another connotation. What does it mean? דהנה כאשר יעקב אבינו יוצא לדרך גלות D'hinneh ka'asher Yaakov Avinu yotzei la'derech galus, יעקב Yaakov is on his way to exile. He's leaving the protective cocoon, the insular environment of his mother who loved him and doted on him, of his father who was his רבי rebbi and his teacher, of יושב אהלים yosheiv ohalim, of sitting in the tents of תורה Torah study, and he's heading to exile. אל לבן הארמי ששיקר ורימה אותו אלף פעמים El Lavan ha'Arami she'shiker v'rimah oso elef pa'amim. He's going to immerse himself in the world of a לבן Lavan. לבן Lavan is the Aramean, the world of trickery, a world of lying, of deceit, a world of manipulation. והחליף את משכורתו עשרה מונים, ואומרים חז\"ל שכל כך היה מצבו של יעקב אבינו קשה כאשר יצא אל לבן הארמי עד שהיה צריך להתפלל ולומר שיר המעלות אשא עיני אל ההרים מאין יבוא עזרי V'hechlif es maskurto asarah monim, v'omrim Chazal she'kol kach haya matzavo shel Yaakov Avinu kasheh ka'asher yotzei el Lavan ha'Arami ad she'haya tzrich l'hispaleil v'lomar Shir Hama'alos esa einai el heharim, me'ayin yavo ezri. יעקב's Yaakov's life when he was living with לבן Lavan was so miserable, was so challenging, was so filled with tension, was so filled with distraction and temptation, that in fact he had to דאווען daven and say, שיר המעלות אשא עיני Shir Hama'alos esa einai, I lift my eyes, אל ההרים el heharim, to the mountains, which the מדרש Medrash tells us we read not אל ההרים el heharim, not I lift my eyes to the mountains, but I lift my eyes where? אל ההורים El hahorim, to my parents. מאין יבוא עזרי Me'ayin yavo ezri. יעקב Yaakov living with לבן Lavan, this trickery, thief, this horrifically manipulative, lying, deceitful, lowlife, he has to remember the influence of his parents, the fidelity to truth of his parents, the justice of his parents. זה הוא ביאור דברי הפסוק Zeh hu biur divrei hapasuk, and this is what it means, וילן שם כי בא השמש vayalen sham ki va hashemesh. שכאשר יש שקיעת החמה וחושך ולילה וגלות וצרות, אזאי מתקן יעקב אבינו ומתפלל תפילת ערבית She'ka'asher yesh shki'as hachamah v'choshech v'lailah v'galus v'tzaros, azai misakein Yaakov Avinu u'mispaleil tefilas Arvis. When יעקב אבינו Yaakov Avinu is heading out, the פסוק pasuk says, וילן שם vayalen sham he rested there, why? כי בא השמש ki va hashemesh, the sun had set. And says רב דרוק Rav Druck, the image of the sun setting is not simply one of the end of the day, it's not literally the physical ball of the sun that's set, it meant the sunset on a life of easiness, of joy, of pleasure, of serenity, of peace. The sun had set on the simplicity, on the איש תם יושב אהלים ish tam yosheiv ohalim. The sun had set on that stage, on that chapter of יעקב אבינו's Yaakov Avinu's life. And now, and now he's about to enter a period of darkness, of exile, of deceit, a period of adversity. It's going to be a very difficult time. ולכן אומר בערבית V'lachen omer b'Arvis, and that's why we say in מעריב Maariv, השכיבנו ה' אלקינו לשלום Hashkiveinu Hashem Elokeinu l'shalom. We ask ה' Hashem, escort us to a place of peace. הושיענו למען שמך והגן בעדנו והסר מעלינו Hoshieinu l'maan sh'mecha v'hagen ba'adeinu v'haseir mei'aleinu. Protect us and remove from us אויב, דבר, וחרב, ורעב, ויגון, והסר שטן מלפנינו ומאחרינו oyeiv, dever, v'cherev, v'ra'av, v'yagon, v'haseir satan milfaneinu u'mei'achareinu. Remove all kinds of adversaries and enemies, all kinds of threats from before us, from behind us, ובצל כנפיך תסתירנו u'v'tzel knafecha tascireinu, and shield us and shade us underneath your, the canopy of your peace. כי קל שומרנו ומצילנו אתה Ki Kel shomreinu u'matzileinu atah, you're a God who protects and preserves. ולפני כן כאשר שרה יעקב בישיבת שם ועבר, היה מוגן ולא היה צריך להתפלל V'lifneichem ka'asher shara Yaakov b'yeshivas Shem v'Ever, haya mugan v'lo haya tzorech l'hispaleil. When, when יעקב Yaakov is immersed for 14 years in the ישיבה yeshiva of שם ועבר Shem v'Ever, he doesn't need to דאווען מעריב daven Maariv. Why? Because the ישיבה yeshiva is the divine protection. תורה Torah is protecting him. His רבנים rabbeim are protecting him. Before then, his parents are protecting him. But it's all changing now. יעקב Yaakov is going on the road. יעקב Yaakov is graduating the ישיבה yeshiva, he's leaving the בית מדרש beis medrash. He's leaving his parents' protective home and environment and he's going into what we call the real world, the workforce, university, life. And he's going to confront all kinds of enemies and threats. He's going to leave a place of light and clarity to a place of darkness and doubt. And that's when he has to introduce the תפילה tefilah of מעריב Maariv, the דאווענען davening of מעריב Maariv. By the way, רב יעקב קמנצקי Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky in אמת ליעקב Emes l'Yaakov writes so beautifully that why did יעקב Yaakov go and stop 14 years? He leaves his parents' home, he's on his way to פדן ארם Padan Aram to find the proper wife, he's fleeing his brother עשיו Esav, and he immerses himself 14 years. Not שנה א' Shana alef and שנה ב' shana bet, שנה י\"ד shana yud dalet. I don't know anyone who's negotiated that with their parents yet. שנה י\"ד Shana yud dalet. 14 years in the ישיבה yeshiva of שם ועבר Shem v'Ever. Why did he need that? After all he came from the ישיבה yeshiva of his father, of יצחק Yitzchak. Why does he have to go שם ועבר Shem v'Ever? Says רב יעקב Rav Yaakov in אמת ליעקב Emes l'Yaakov, who is שם Shem? שם Shem lives in the generation of the flood. שם Shem lives through a corrupt society. Who's עבר Ever? עבר Ever lives through the generation of the tower. He lives in a time and a people who all they care about is honor and glory and their name. Their ישיבה yeshiva prepared you for the real world. Their ישיבה yeshiva prepared you to encounter a לבן Lavan. יצחק's Yitzchak's ישיבה yeshiva was a ישיבה yeshiva of, he was a קרבן korban, an עולה תמימה olah temimah. יצחק Yitzchak was pure and innocent. It provided the foundation of purity and innocence. But if you're about to head out and live with a לבן Lavan, you better stop at the ישיבה yeshiva of שם ועבר Shem v'Ever. You better learn not only how to live in the בית מדרש beis medrash, you better learn how to live outside the בית מדרש beis medrash. Rabbi Lubiansky, a great תלמיד חכם talmid chacham, the ישיבה yeshiva of Greater Washington wrote a book several years ago, a couple years ago, called בן תורה Ben Torah for life. It's sold out, it's a fantastic book. And it's written to בחורים bachrim, בני ישיבה bnei yeshiva, כולל יונגעלייט kollel yungeleit, that when you're done with ישיבה yeshiva, how are you a בן תורה ben Torah for life? How do you bring it with you into the workplace, into an educational environment, when you're going to encounter others and other influences, and how do you not compromise at all on your being a בן תורה ben Torah? יעקב Yaakov is learning בן תורה ben Torah for life. And he learns that in the ישיבה yeshiva of שם ועבר Shem v'Ever. And he introduces מעריב Maariv on his way, on his way to the home of לבן Lavan, where the sun has set, כי בא השמש ki va hashemesh, the sun has set and it's a new period and a new chapter in יעקב's Yaakov's life. And therefore he needs to דאווען א מעריב daven a Maariv. In other words, אברהם Avraham, you start of the day, the sun is high in the sky, the sun is rising, clarity, illumination, it's clear there's a God and it's clear with hope and optimism and positivity, the great day. That's the תפילה tefilah of אברהם Avraham. And יצחק Yitzchak שיח si'ach, a conversation with God, מנחה Mincha in the middle of the day, you give God a gift of a מנחה Mincha, you give him a gift of דאווענען davening, interrupting in the middle of the day. These short days are difficult to find a מנין minyan if you're at work. That's why it's called מנחה Mincha. You're giving God a gift, you're giving a treasure by finding that. But יעקב Yaakov is altogether different. And it needed to wait until now, when the sun set in his life. When he was living in a period of clarity, where the sun is high in the sky, he wasn't ready to introduce a מעריב Maariv. It's only כי בא השמש ki va hashemesh when the sun is setting in his life, he's about to go out to exile and darkness, that's when he introduces מעריב Maariv. עוד יש להוסיף Oid yesh l'hosif says רב דרוק Rav Druck, you can add on this, the בעל הטורים Ba'al HaTurim ואשל יעקב v'Eishel Yaakov יש אומרים שפרשה זו סתומה yesh omrim she'parsha zu stumah. The בעל הטורים Ba'al HaTurim points out that this פרשה parsha ויצא Vayeitzei is the only פרשה parsha in the תורה Torah that there are no, if you look at a column of the תורה Torah, sometimes it ends on a line and it picks up on the same line with a break in between. Sometimes it ends on that line and only picks up on the next line. But here you have neither. Here you have neither. שיצא בסתר וברח בחביון She'yatza b'seser u'varach b'chav'ei. Says the בעל הטורים Ba'al HaTurim, because he ran away quietly, he ran away secretly and in hiding. סתומה Stumah. ובספר שפתי חכמים כתוב שאשל יעקב אומר שאין בכל התורה שום פרשה פתוחה או סתומה, כלו יש שדכה בתורה זו אלס ויצא U'v'safer Sifsei Chachamim kasuv she'Eishel Yaakov omer she'ein b'chol haTorah shum parsha p'sucha o stumah, k'lo yesh she'decha b'Torah zu eleh Vayeitzei. ויצא Vayeitzei is the only פרשה parsha in the תורה Torah, there is no פתוחה psucha and there is no סתומה stumah. Why? The whole thing is meant to be read as one unit, as one section. There are no breaks. Those breaks we know חז\"ל Chazal tell us when the תורה Torah was being dictated to משה Moshe, משה Moshe said השם Hashem let me, let me listen, let me pause, let me absorb, let me integrate, let me think about what you've told me. It's a natural break in the narrative, in the story. But points out the שפת אמת Sfas Emes says רב דרוק Rav Druck, here in ויצא Vayeitzei, the one פרשה parsha of the whole תורה Torah, there are no breaks. Why? הביאור בזה Ha'biur b'zeh, says רב דרוק Rav Druck, יש לומר, שהרמז הוא כך בפרשה זו יעקב אבינו הולך לגלות אל לבן הארמי yesh lomar, she'haremez hu kach b'parsha zu Yaakov Avinu holech l'galus el Lavan ha'Arami. יעקב Yaakov is going to גלות galus to לבן Lavan. ובדרכו של עולם, האדם יכול לזבונן על כל שלב בחייו בנפרד U'v'darko shel olam, ha'adam yachol lizbonein al kol shlav b'chayav b'nifrad. Normally a person evaluates every chapter of their life separately. I went here, then there was a summer, then I did that, then I did this, then this happened. And when you zero in, when you zoom in the lens on the particular episode or chapter of your life, you can wonder and you can ask where was God and how and why did this happen? But יעקב אבינו Yaakov Avinu didn't live that way. He zoomed out the lens, and he saw all of this as one big unit. And therefore he didn't say at this moment why it was so difficult. And why did I have to go through this? He looked at the total picture, the big picture. And by zooming out that lens and looking at the total picture and the big picture, he was able to see השם Hashem in his life. He was able to see why everything happened the way he did. He was able to feel a sense of gratitude for the things and the good and the blessings that he encountered in his life. So יעקב אבינו Yaakov Avinu has this dream. Where was he when he had the dream? And what did he dream about? And what is its symbolism and meaning? As I said, we have discussed these things previously. I wish we could dive into them, other ideas to share with you this morning. So the תורה Torah continues. ויחלום והנה סולם מוצב ארצה Vayachalom v'hinei sulam mutzav artzah, he has this dream, the ladder, what it represents, the bridge between heaven and earth. You don't find God by escaping. You don't find God by living an ascetic transcendent life. You find God by building a ladder, a bridge between heaven and earth. You bring God down, you give him דירה בתחתונים dirah b'tachtonim. Here in the mundane, here in the everyday, being a בן תורה ben Torah, a בת תורה bas Torah for life, that's where you find God. That was the dream that he had to have in this transition from the chapter of living with יצחק Yitzchak and רבקה Rivka, learning in the ישיבה yeshiva of שם ועבר Shem v'Ever, and on his way to living with, living with לבן Lavan. The תורה Torah tells us, what happens, he has the whole dream and he wakes up, turn the page, פרק כ\"ח perek chaf ches, פסוק ט\"ז pasuk tes vov. וייקץ יעקב משנתו Vayikatz Yaakov mishnaso. יעקב Yaakov wakes up from his sleep. ויאמר Vayomer and he says, אכן יש ה' במקום הזה ואנכי לא ידעתי achein yesh Hashem bamakom hazeh v'anochi lo yadati. Whoa, there's God here. ואנכי לא ידעתי v'anochi lo yadati. I didn't know. Whoa, there's a ה' Hashem right here and I had no clue. I didn't even know. I saw homiletically, I forgot where I saw it, I apologize, I can't quote. I won't bring the גאולה geulah. Who said it. But you can read it, וייקץ יעקב משנתו vayikatz Yaakov mishnaso. The word משנתו mishnaso, משנתו mishnaso can mean, שינה sheinah means sleep, but לשנן אותו l'shanein oso can also mean to learn תורה Torah. Can mean to review. ושננתם לבניך V'shinantam l'vanecha, teach your children. ושננתם V'shinantam means to teach. משנתו Mishnaso means from his learning. And so I saw it suggested that we could read, וייקץ יעקב Vayikatz Yaakov, יעקב Yaakov finished, he woke up משנתו mishnaso from learning, ויאמר אכן יש ה' במקום הזה ואנכי לא ידעתי vayomer achein yesh Hashem bamakom hazeh v'anochi lo yadati. Whoa, God is here, I had no idea. Sometimes a person learns a whole דף יומי daf yomi, מזל טוב mazel tov to those who finished עירובין Eruvin and began פסחים Psachim. You could learn a whole מסכתא masechta, you could learn a whole ש\"ס Shas, and you turn one page a day, and at the end of the whole ש\"ס Shas, seven and a half years you say, I didn't talk about God once. I talked about a lot of details and minutiae and laws and esoteric and academic, but I never talked about God. You could finish learning and never talk about God. And that's the danger. וייקץ Vayikatz. We have to wake up. And I can't tell you how important this is in the curriculum for our children who are learning חומש Chumash and נביא Navi and גמרא Gemara and הלכה halacha and it's all critically important, but it's all a platform and it's all there to offer the opportunity to talk about השם Hashem, to talk about God. וייקץ יעקב משנתו Vayikatz Yaakov mishnaso, יעקב Yaakov woke up from his learning and he said, whoa, I didn't realize God's in the גמרא Gemara and the story in the נביא Navi and the lesson in the חומש Chumash. יש ה' במקום הזה Yesh Hashem bamakom hazeh. I didn't realize you're allowed to talk about God in the תורה Torah learning. אנכי לא ידעתי Anochi lo yadati, I didn't know. We have to go back to using our תורה Torah learning as a platform to talk about השם Hashem. What does it mean his involvement in our life and our relationship with him and how can we get closer and so on. Okay, that's one פשט pshat. But I want to share with you from the הפלאה Hafla'ah, the בעל הפלאה Ba'al Hafla'ah, רב פנחס הלוי הורוביץ Rav Pinchas Halevi Horowitz, the great צדיק sadik, who said the following. אכן יש ה' במקום הזה Achein yesh Hashem bamakom hazeh, God is here, יעקב Yaakov woke up and said, ואנכי לא ידעתי v'anochi lo yadati. Simple translation is, God is here and I didn't know. And I didn't know. Says the הפלאה Hafla'ah, what do we learn from here? מה היא הדרך העולה להגיע למדרגות גבוהות של הכרת מציאותו של הבורא Ma hi haderech ha'olah l'hagi'a l'madregos g'vohos shel hakaras metziuso shel haBorei. We learn from יעקב אבינו Yaakov Avinu what is the proper path? How do we ascend the steps of the ladder to get close to God? שכן אדם יכול להגיע למדרגה שבה הוא יכול לצרוח כי אכן יש ה' במקום הזה She'kein adam yachol l'hagi'a l'madreigah she'bohu yachol lischok ki achein yesh Hashem bamakom hazeh. We can get to a place that אכן יש ה' achein yesh Hashem, במקום הזה bamakom hazeh. One of the names of God is מקום makom, why? במקום Bamakom. Not only in the בית מדרש beis medrash or the שול shul, במקום bamakom. In the kitchen, the bedroom, in the driveway, in the gym, at the supermarket, at work, wherever we are, במקום bamakom. One of the names of God is מקום makom, place, because he is found in every place. במקום Bamakom, in this place, אכן יש ה' achein yesh Hashem, we can bring God into the gym and into work and into the supermarket and into every conversation. יש ה' במקום הזה Yesh Hashem bamakom hazeh. He is here. But what will it take? What do we have to do? Says the הפלאה Hafla'ah, only ואנכי לא ידעתי v'anochi lo yadati. If we can get rid of our אנכי anochi, our אנכי anochi. אנכי Anochi means the I, the ego, the id, the אנכי anochi, that sense of self. Too many of us, our lives are defined by our sense of self, our arrogance, our ego, our quest to receive honor and to indulge our needs, our pleasures, our wants, that the world has to conform to us, that we make everyone else around us conform to us, that sense of אנכי anochi. The אנכי anochi, the I, the ego, it stands and gets in the way of everything including, it gets in the way of living a life of אכן יש ה' במקום הזה achein yesh Hashem bamakom hazeh. So said the בעל הפלאה Ba'al Hafla'ah, said רב פנחס הלוי הורוביץ Rav Pinchas Halevi Horowitz, if you want to get to a level of life, of living, אכן יש ה' במקום הזה achein yesh Hashem bamakom hazeh, God is here, wherever here is, on the airplane, on the ship, in the car, wherever the here is, on my jog, on my run, wherever the here is. If I want to get to a life and a lifestyle, a place that אכן יש ה' במקום הזה achein yesh Hashem bamakom hazeh, that God is here, then I have to achieve ואנכי לא ידעתי v'anochi lo yadati, that I don't know my אנכי anochi, that my life is not defined by the pursuit of my אנכי anochi. The אנכי anochi, the ego, the I, that is not going to be what my life is all about. That is the beautiful insight of the הפלאה Hafla'ah. The great פיאסצנער רבי Piasetzner Rebbe, רב קלונימוס קלמן שפירא Rav Klonymus Kalman Shapiro, פיאסצנער Piasetzner, השם יקום דמו Hashem Yikom Damo, brutally murdered by the Nazis. Famous for his ספר sefer of his... אש קודש Eish Kodesh, the sermons he gave in the Warsaw ghetto, famous for his חובת התלמידים Chovas HaTalmidim. But he has another ספר sefer, דרך המלך Derech HaMelech. And in his ספר דרך המלך sefer Derech HaMelech, he says the following. Learn and listen with me. He says, Rashi writes, ואנוכי לא ידעתי v'Anochi lo yadati. אילו ידעתי לא ישנתי Ilu yadati lo yashanti. If I knew that God was here, I never would have taken a שלאף shluff. If I knew that this was a moment to connect, this was a moment to transcend, this was a moment to realize my very purpose and existence. אילו ידעתי לא ישנתי Ilu yadati lo yashanti. I never would have כאפט א שלאף chapt a shluff. I never would have taken a drimmel. I never would have closed my eyes and fallen asleep. ואבין הרש\"י פירש שאמר אפשר עברתי על מקום שפעלו בו אבותיי ואיך אזדקק להתפלל שם. אם כן ידע טרם שישן V'avin haRashi peirush she'amar efshar avarti al makom she'palu bo avosai, v'eich ezdakek l'hitpalel sham. Im kein yada terem sheyashan. What do you mean? I don't understand. Rashi said that, I would, would I ever pass the place where my forefathers were and not דאווענען daven? He knew it was a holy place. Yaakov acknowledged it himself it was a holy place, the precedent of his forefathers who had seen it as a holy place. So chronologically, he knew it was a holy place before. So what does the Piaseczner and what's going on? So אומר הרבי איסא מזיקנה הקדוש, הרבי רבי אלימלך omer haRebbe Eisa miZikna haKadosh, the Rebbe Reb Elimelech, וידבר אלוקים את כל הדברים האלה לאמר, אנוכי Vayedaber Elokim es kol hadevarim ha'eileh leimor, anochi. The, in פרשת יתרו Parshas Yisro, when the עשרת הדברות Aseres HaDibros, the Ten Commandments, are given, it says that God spoke all these things and he said אנוכי Anochi. שכל הדברים שדיבר אלוקים וכל המצוות הם לאמר אנוכי Shekol hadevarim she'diber Elokim v'chol hamitzvos heim leimor Anochi. The purpose of all Torah and מצוות mitzvos, all 613, all that we do, all of Jewish life is לאמר אנוכי leimor Anochi, to say אנוכי Anochi. Not the אנוכי Anochi of my I, my ego, myself, but שידע האיש את האנוכי השם she'yeida ha'ish es ha'Anochi Hashem, to know the אנוכי השם אלוקיך Anochi Hashem Elokecha. There are two אנוכי'ס Anochis in this world. There's the אנוכי השם אלוקיך אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים Anochi Hashem Elokecha asher hotzeisicha me'eretz Mitzrayim, the God אנוכי Anochi, where God says, I am the Lord your God, I took you out of Egypt. אנוכי Anochi, which all of Torah can be summarized by the Ten Commandments. All Ten Commandments can be summarized by the first commandment, and all the first commandment can be summarized and reduced to the first word, אנוכי Anochi. The totality of Torah, all of Judaism can be reduced to one word, אנוכי Anochi. To be מבטל mevatel, to cancel and nullify our אנוכי anochi for his אנוכי anochi.You see, we live in a world, there's competition. Are we going to indulge our אנוכי anochi, our sense of I, or his? Who will we listen to? Who will we indulge? Who will we follow? Which is more important? Which do we seek to elevate and promote? Our אנוכי anochi or his? So quotes the פיאסצנא Piaseczner is quoting the רבי רבי אלימלך Rebbe Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk who said, this is how you read the פסוק pasuk, וידבר אלוקים את כל הדברים האלה לאמר אנוכי Vayedaber Elokim es kol hadevarim ha'eileh leimor Anochi. God spoke all these things meaning all of Torah in order to say אנוכי Anochi, embrace a life with me. ולכאורה יש לשאול למה צריכין כל כך הרבה מצוות על זה, הלא בדיבור אחד שאמרנו שהשם יתברך נמצא וידעום V'lichora yesh lishol lama tzrichin kol kach harbeh mitzvos al zeh, halo b'dibur echad she'omrim she'Hashem yisborach nimtza v'yod'um. So with the first of the Ten Commandments, you've given it to me, I'm the Lord your God. Why do I need nine more commandments? Why do I need 612 more commandments? What do I need it all? And the answer is because we live in this competition. בכל משך ימי חיינו אנו צריכים לעבוד שנגיע לידיעה זו B'chol meshech yemei chayeinu anu tzrichim la'avod shenagia l'yediah zu. We're working so hard our whole lives just to come to this knowledge, just to come to this awareness, just to come to this mindfulness. There's a השם Hashem. He created everything, He has expectations of us. He's involved in our life, He is the answer in our life. But it takes all of this, 613 that translates to thousands of מצוות mitzvos. It takes a whole life of Judaism just to try to come to that conclusion. והנה בענינו של יעקב אבינו אין לנו השגה, אבל כל איש ישראל צריך לדעת מן הרמז הזה תורה אליו ובמצבו V'hinei b'inyano shel Yaakov Avinu ein lanu hasaga, aval kol ish Yisrael tzarich ladaas min haremez hazeh torah eilav u'vematzavo. We don't really understand what's in the mind of a יעקב Yaakov, but we know how it impacts us. And therefore מרמז שיעקב אמר, אכן יש השם במקום הזה, זה ידעתי מכבר meramez sheYaakov amar, Achein yesh Hashem bamakom hazeh, zeh yadati mikvar. יש השם במקום הזה Yesh Hashem bamakom hazeh, I know. I knew my forefathers stopped by here. I know there's a holiness to this place. As Rashi pointed out, and chronologically, that he already knew. כי אמר אפשר עברתי Ki amar efshar avarti, because he said, what am I going to pass by here and not take advantage and דאווענען daven? He knew it was a holy place. אבל האנוכי לא ידעתי Aval ha'Anochi, lo yadati. הידיעה לא חדרה אל פנימיותו ואל עצמי Hayediah lo chadra el pnimiyuso v'el atzmi. The fact that this was a holy place, that didn't penetrate, that didn't get inside my קישקעס kishkes. הידיעה לא חדרה אל פנימיותי ואל עצמי Hayediah lo chadra el pnimiyusi v'el atzmi. אילו ידעתי לא ישנתי כי בזה תלוי הכל Ilu yadati lo yashanti ki b'zeh talui hakol. If I knew, if I really felt Hashem's presence, I could never sleep. I'd be so excited. I'd be so in love. I'd be so longing. If I really knew, then I could never have slept. So the Piaseczner reinterprets this whole פסוק pasuk. And it's diametrically opposed to the way the הפלאה Hafla'ah understood it. The הפלאה Hafla'ah understood it that יש השם במקום הזה yesh Hashem bamakom hazeh, God is here when, when ואנוכי לא ידעתי v'anochi lo yadati, when we don't realize and we don't emphasize our אנוכי anochi. The holy פיאסצנא Piaseczner says it in the opposite direction. That of course, יעקב Yaakov knew it was a holy place. אכן יש השם במקום הזה Achein yesh Hashem bamakom hazeh, that I knew. But אנוכי לא ידעתי Anochi lo yadati. Taking that life and that lifestyle, taking those Torah and מצוות mitzvos, taking those lessons, but ואנוכי v'anochi, but having the אנוכי Anochi penetrate me, the אנוכי Anochi that there's a השם Hashem, having that really be absorbed into my kishkes, living with that in a real way, לא ידעתי lo yadati, I didn't know. Because if I did know, לא ישנתי lo yashanti, I never ever, ever could have fallen asleep. I never ever could have taken that, could have taken that drimmel. Okay, moving right along.So Yaakov wakes up, I'm hopefully we'll get past the beginning of the פרשה parsha today. Yaakov wakes up and he cuts a deal. It's time for let's make a deal. Yaakov says, let's make a deal with God. וישכם יעקב בבוקר ויקח את האבן Vayashkem Yaakov baboker vayikach es ha'even, and he makes a מצבה matzeivah and he calls out to God and he gives it a name, וידר, פסוק כף Vayidor, pasuk chaf. Page 146, the Artscroll חומש Chumash, chapter 28, verse 20. וידר יעקב נדר לאמר Vayidor Yaakov neder leimor, Yaakov takes an oath, he makes a vow. אם יהיה אלוקים עמדי ושמרני בדרך הזה אשר אנוכי הולך Im yihiyeh Elokim imadi u'shmarani baderech hazeh asher anochi holeich, that I am going on. See the note, see the use of אנוכי anochi again. Now have a fun time. The two אנוכי'ס anochis we spoke about. There's the I אנוכי anochi, which is bad, ego, bad. And there's the God אנוכי anochi, good. אנוכי השם אלוקיך Anochi Hashem Elokecha. And throughout Torah, look at when the word אנוכי anochi is used and figure out which אנוכי anochi it is. So if God stays with me, ונתנו לי לחם לאכול ובגד ללבוש v'nasnu li lechem le'echol u'beged lilbosh, and he'll give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, ושבתי בשלום אל בית אבי v'shavti b'shalom el beis avi, and I can return peacefully to the home of my father, והיה השם לי לאלוקים v'hayah Hashem li l'Elokim, and God will be for me a God. Then והאבן הזאת אשר שמתי מצבה יהיה בית אלוקים v'ha'even hazos asher samti matzeivah yihiyeh beis Elokim, this monument that I made will be a house for God, וכל אשר תתן לי, עשר אעשרנו לך v'chol asher titen li, aser a'asrenu lach. And whatever he gives me, I'll tithe, I'll give 10% of what he gives me away if, in fact, he keeps to his end of this deal. And you know, you can't help but be bothered. If, in fact, he keeps to his end of the deal, what in the world is going on here? Is it time for let's make a deal?יעקב Yaakov encounters God, and when he wakes up, he cuts a deal with God. I don't understand. Why is he making a God, why is he cutting a deal with God? We are not the first to be bothered by this. All the commentators are bothered by this, beginning with רש\"י Rashi. And Rashi says, you know, why he's cutting a deal with God? What's the deal? If you give me clothing to wear and food to eat, and you return me peacefully to my place where I come from, לבית אבי l'veis avi, to my ancestral home, then, then I'll stick with you too. Then I'm part of the covenant. Then I'll give מעשר maaser, I'll tithe the income. I'll tithe that which you blessed me with. Let's make a deal? I don't think you make deals with God. I don't think you make deals with God. And this is a יעקב Yaakov, is the one who's making the deal? יעקב, איש תם יושב אוהלים Yaakov, ish tam yosheiv ohalim. יעקב Yaakov, the one of אמת emes, the one of truth. יעקב Yaakov, the one of אמונה emunah, of faith, he's the one cutting this deal? So רש\"י Rashi understands, Rashi makes a suggestion that שמא יגרום החטא shema yigrom ha'cheit. Yaakov's faith in God didn't waver. Yaakov was worried his faith in himself. I recently published an interview I had done three years ago with Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, זכרונו לברכה zichrono livracha. The great Rabbi Sacks left us way too soon. I had interviewed him three years ago when he was in Boca and I never did anything with it. And when we lost him, I remembered and I and I put it up and I published it. The first question I asked him was, did his faith in God ever waver? Did he ever, did he ever have questions of faith? Did he ever have doubts? And he answers, I have questions of faith all the time, but never in God, only in man. And he spoke about, it's worth listening to how and why he was able to maintain an unwavering faith in God, even when his faith in man faltered. So here יעקב אבינו Yaakov Avinu, says Rashi, his faith in God wasn't at risk. He didn't lose his faith in God. It was his faith in himself. שמא יגרום החטא Shema yigrom ha'cheit. Maybe he had merits, maybe God made him promises, because that's really the question here. God already just said to him, don't worry, I'm with you. I'm going to escort you on the whole journey. It's all going to go well. Don't worry, you're guaranteed success. And Yaakov turns to him and says, look, here's the deal. If you A, B, and C, then I will X, Y, and Z. God, God just told you he promised you success. Now you're cutting a deal with him after he promised? Says Rashi, yeah. Maybe he thinks God is when making those promises to the Yaakov who earns it, to the Yaakov who's worthy, who deserves it. But שמא יגרום החטא shema yigrom ha'cheit, maybe he won't be deserving, maybe he won't be worthy. And that's why he's saying to Hashem, I'm worried I'm not going to merit your protection. And if but if you keep me and my children safe, I'll never forget that kindness because it will be a kindness. I won't be worthy of it. If you do it, I'll never forget it because I'm undeserving of it. That's how Rashi understands. The רמב\"ן Ramban understands differently. And the רמב\"ן Ramban writes, איננו תנאי כדיברי רש\"י einenu t'nai k'divrei Rashi, this is not conditional. אבל הוא נדר וענינו אם אשובה לבית אבי אעבוד השם המיוחד בארץ הנבחרת במקום האבן הזאת שתהיה בית אלוקים, ושם אוציא המעשר. ויש בעניין סוד, ממה שאמרו כל הדר בחוץ לארץ דומה כמי שאין לו אלוה Aval hu neder, v'inyano im ashuvah l'veis avi a'avod Hashem ha'meyuchad ba'aretz ha'nivcheres bamakom ha'even hazos she'tihiyeh beis Elokim, v'sham otzi ha'maaser. V'yesh b'inyan sod, mima she'amru kol hadar b'chutz la'aretz domeh k'mi she'ein lo Eloha. Says the רמב\"ן Ramban, and the רמב\"ן Ramban says this in a few places, a very powerful and startling and somewhat difficult statement that really God is only found in the land of Israel. And really Torah is only lived in the land of Israel. And that doesn't mean that we are free or unbound from a life of Torah or Jewish law outside of the land of Israel. What it means is we are doing it as a dress rehearsal. We're doing it as practice. We're doing it for to prepare for the day that we will enter the land. And therefore says the רמב\"ן Ramban, סוד הארץ sod ha'aretz, the mystical, spiritual quality found in Israel. That's what Yaakov is saying. God, I'm leaving. I have to leave ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael. I'm leaving you. I'm leaving the place of an intense connection to you. I'm leaving the place that is the real deal. And I'm going to the place of practice. I'm going to the place of rehearsal. But even as I'm outside the land, I will do your מצוות mitzvos, even if they won't be as powerful as they will be when I return. This is not a condition, it's a promise, השם Hashem. He's not saying if you do this, then I will do that. He's saying, Hashem, I hope you'll do this for me, but either way, I will be connected to you even while I'm outside the land. The third is the ספורנו Sforno. רב עובדיה ספורנו Rav Ovadia Sforno, the great Italian commentator says that we're bothered by questions in our life. And Yaakov here is bothered by this question too. He hear Hashem has promised I'm going to take care of you, but it doesn't feel like it. It doesn't feel like it. He's running and fleeing from his own brother. He has to leave the cocoon and protection of his own parents. He's about to live with the biggest trickster, the biggest liar, the biggest manipulator in time of all time, לבן Lavan. And God has made these promises, but it absolutely doesn't feel like it. It doesn't feel like it. So, what is Yaakov דאווענען davening for, says the ספורנו Sforno? You know what he's דאווענען davening for? He's דאווענען davening to go back to a time and a place of שלום shalom, of שלום shalom. ושבתי בשלום V'shavti b'shalom. I want to go back to a place of שלום shalom. You know, I used to believe in you, איש תם יושב אוהלים ish tam yosheiv ohalim, wholeheartedly. I had no doubts, I had no questions, I had no uncertainty. But you know what? On this journey in this place, I'm filled with doubt and uncertainty. I know you made me a promise. I know you promised me success, but it sure doesn't feel like it. It sure doesn't feel like it. So ושבתי בשלום v'shavti b'shalom, I want to go back to a place where it feels like it, אל בית אבי el beis avi, like it felt when I was living in my parents' home. The Sforno also understands this is not a condition, it's not let's make a deal. It's part of his תפילה tefillah, it's part of his promise. But let's see what Rav Druk says. So we saw Rashi, the Ramban, and the Sforno. Let's see what Rav Druk has to say. He says Rav Druk, מבואר שנדרו של יעקב הוא מקור לכל נדר בעת צרה והרבה דינים נלמדים מנדרו של יעקב Mevo'ar she'nidro shel Yaakov hu makor l'chol neder b'eis tzarah v'harbeh dinim nilmadim mi'nidro shel Yaakov. The simple understanding is that Yaakov absolutely is taking a vow. He's making a promise. And in fact, we learn many of the laws of taking such a vow, that when you're stuck between a rock and a hard place, when you're in a difficult circumstances on a crisis, there's a very Jewish tradition from Yaakov that you take a נדר neder. Hashem, if you get me out of this, I promise, I pledge to give the צדקה tzedakah, change this behavior, upgrade my my my lifestyle. הינה מביא בגמרא שצדקה היא זכות רק כשישראל עושים אותה. אבל כשצדקה וחסד שאומות העולם עושים, חטא להם. שאינם עושים צדקה אלא להתגדל בו, כמו שמקריבים הקרבנות להשם. ומקשה הגמרא והכתיב, מי שנותן צדקה למטרה כאילו אין צדקה גמורה? הלא אמרו, וכו'. שדווקא ישראל נותנים צדקה לשם מצוה, ורבותינו קדושים. We are allowed to make a condition when it comes to giving of צדקה tzedakah, and we learn that from here. Hashem I'll give you of this צדקה tzedakah if you get me out of this situation. And he has several questions, and he says the following. אבי מורי ביאר Avi mori bi'er, my father, Rav Druk is talking about his father, the דרש מרדכי Drash Mordechai, Rav Mordechai Druk, זצ\"ל zatzal. שאין הכוונה שאם יתן לו הכל, מבטיח הוא מעשר She'ein ha'kavanah she'im yiten lo hakol, mavtiach hu maaser. How do you understand the end? Yaakov says, if you provide for me all those things, then I'll tithe and I'll give you back. So we only are obligated in צדקה tzedakah if we feel God has given us our due? Only if we get what we deserve? If we're getting shortcut on what we think we deserve, then we don't have to give צדקה tzedakah? What kind of deal is this that Yaakov's making? So said Rav Druk's father, this is not מבטיח הוא מעשר, אלא גם המעשר הוא בכלל הבקשה. שמבקש מהקדוש ברוך הוא שיתן לו לחם לאכול ובגד ללבוש, ומבקש גם שיזכהו לעשר את ממונו ולתנו לקדוש ברוך הוא mavtiach hu maaser, ela gam ha'maaser hu b'chlal ha'bakasha. She'mevakesh me'haKadosh Baruch Hu she'yiten lo lechem le'echol u'beged lilbosh, u'mevakesh gam she'yizkehu l'aser es mamono v'litno la'Kadosh Baruch Hu. He's not saying if you give me this, then I'll tithe. It's part of the request. Give me clothing to wear and food to eat, and give me the opportunity, give me something to take a tithe over. It's not a condition. He's not making a deal with God. It's the opposite. He's saying to God, עשר אעשרנו לך aser a'asrenu lach, I so desperately want to take a portion of what I have and to reinvest it in your vision and mission and what you want me to be doing. So help and promise and give me what I need so that I can give it in return and use it for you. This entire section of וידר יעקב Vayidor Yaakov, Rav Druk has this long, we don't have the opportunity now to really elaborate, but he has this long beautiful insight and interpretation. Yaakov is not making a condition or a deal. He's making a promise and a pledge. Empower me, empower me with the tools I need to live a life that I can be in service of you. I need clothing, I need food, and I need material things upon which I can tithe in order to position myself to give my life to you. And Rav Druk quotes a משל mashal that רבי ישראל סלנטר Reb Yisrael Salanter gave, that there was a certain villager who got to a inn. And he ate and he drank and he slept. And in the end, the innkeeper, the hotel management wanted him to pay. So he said, I don't understand, why do I have to pay? The waiters and the staff of the hotel, they don't pay. They eat and they sleep and they drink, they have access to the amenities. And not only do they not have to pay for it, they get paid. And I, I'm not asking to get paid, but why should I have to pay? So the בעל מלון baal malon, the hotel proprietor says, שוטה שבעולם, הם עמלים ועובדים בשבילי shoteh she'ba'olam! Heim ameilim v'ovdim bishvili. They're working for me. So therefore, I have to give them food and board, and I pay them because they're working for me. But you're not working for me, you're just a guest. You're simply taking advantage of the amenities. They're the ones providing the amenities. And Reb Yisrael Salanter said this משל mashal. The נמשל nimshal is us in our lives. הקדוש ברוך הוא HaKadosh Baruch Hu says, I'm giving you food and board, but are you working for me? Or are you just taking advantage of the amenities and you're working and indulging yourself? If you're working for yourself, there's a payday. But if you're working for me, then not only are these things free, I'll pay you for them. And that's what Yaakov is saying. I want to live a life where I'm working for you. But I'm going to need room and board. I'm going to need material things upon which to take מעשר maaser. So עשר אעשרנו לך aser a'asrenu lach, I will tithe what you give me is not a condition or a deal. It's part of the prayer and it's part of the promise of what he is asking for. And says Rav Druk, we see this in our holy סליחות Slichos. In our holy סליחות Slichos. We say in סליחות slichos on a, הנשמה לך והגוף פעלך, חוסה על עמלך ha'neshamah lach v'haguf pa'alach, chusa al amalach. הנשמה לך והגוף שלך, השם עשה למען שמך Ha'neshamah lach v'haguf shelcha, Hashem aseh l'maan shmecha. So the חתם סופר Chasam Sofer, he quotes the חתם סופר Chasam Sofer. There are two types of people. There's a person, תכלית גופו בשביל נשמתו tachlis gufo bishvil nishmaso, the purpose we use our body as an instrument for our soul. And such a person we say הגוף שלך ha'guf shelcha, God, my body is yours. שגופו למען עבודת השם She'gufo l'maan avodas Hashem. I'm using all of my body and all of my energy and all of my faculties in order to serve you. And for him we say עשה למען שמך aseh l'maan shmecha, because it's all really to serve Hashem, to be מרבה כבוד שמו marbeh k'vod shmo, to enhance and promote his name. But there are also people who are the opposite. The נשמה neshamah is for the גוף guf. Want to eat and sleep, they want the pleasures of life. And that הגוף פעלך ha'guf pa'alach for such a person we say חוסה על עמלך chusa al amalach. Which type of person are you? Does your soul serve your body or does your body serve your soul? Are you a soul that has a body or are you a body that has a soul? Because the סליחות Slichos address both types of people. Yaakov was a soul that has a body. Yaakov says, I want to dedicate my life to the service of you, but in order to do that, I'm going to need some room and board. I'm going to need some things. And therefore this was not a condition or a deal. It was not a תנאי t'nai as much as it was part of the prayer, it was part of Yaakov's appeal to Hashem.Lastly on this pasuk, the holy ר' וועלווע Reb Volve, Reb Volve zatzal, the great mashgiach, also wonders, the great Yaakov is asking for such treatment from Hashem. How could it be to watch over him, to where does Yaakov come off asking for all these things? So it says Rav Wolbe, we know that the Rambam teaches, others teach, השגחה פרטית hashgacha pratis is directly proportional. The divine providence that we receive from God is directly proportional to our faith in him. The greater our faith in him, the more providence, the more direct interaction he has with us. It all works measure for measure. The closer we are to Hashem, the more intense Hashem provides that providence and looks over and watches after us. So Yaakov, says Rav Wolbe, was not merely asking for a handout. This is Rav Wolbe writes this in his שיעורי חומש על הפרשה Shiurei Chumash al haParsha. He was not looking for a handout. He's not looking to take advantage of God. He's not looking for extra פרוטקציה protektzia because who is he to ask for such things? What he's saying is the following. Hashem, I'm going to work hard to get on such a level that I'll earn the השגחה פרטית hashgacha pratis. If they're directly proportional, my faith earns me that relationship. People who have no faith, God's not involved in their life. People who have great faith, God says, thanks for inviting me in, I'll be involved and I'll provide providence in your life. So what Yaakov was saying again is not a condition or a deal. What Yaakov was saying was, I'm going to work hard in order to be worthy. I'm going to have דבקות dveikus and אמונה emunah and בטחון bitachon. I'm going to have faith and trust in you and then to get to that point that you will provide that providence in me. And says Rav Wolbe, this is the פשט pshat in the פסוק pasuk, this is what it means when we say in תהילים Tehillim, השם צלך, השם צלך על יד ימינך Hashem tzilcha, Hashem tzilcha al yad yeminecha. God is your shadow. What does it mean God is a shadow? It means he imitates and he mimics our exact behavior. If we are vigilant in our עבודת השם avodas Hashem, he'll reciprocate. If we put our faith and trust in him, he will be ever present and have great providence on us. השם צלך על יד ימינך Hashem tzilcha al yad yeminecha. The shadow imitates exactly the person. Hashem is our shadow, that he directly imitates us. What we put into him is what he reciprocates back towards us. Okay, the Torah tells us, skipping way ahead, just getting a couple other ideas this morning. The Torah tells us that Yaakov makes his way to the house of לבן Lavan. At the well, he meets רחל Rachel. We've discussed in the past the significance of a well. Always at the well. Everything is at the well. Why are all these שידוכים shidduchim at the well? Can't you meet someone other than at the well? What is the deeper symbolism or significance? Aside from the fact that the well was the marketplace. The well was where all the transactions and commerce and conversations all happened. But there's something deeper there. We've discussed in the past and you can check it out. יעקב Yaakov meets רחל Rachel, falls in love, wants to marry her. Lavan, of course, pulls the old סוויטשערו switcheroo and he marries לאה Leah first. פרק כ\"ט, פסוק ל\"א Perek kaf-tes, pasuk lamed-alef. וירא השם כי שנואה לאה ויפתח את רחמה ורחל עקרה Vayar Hashem ki snuah Leah, vayiftach es rachmah v'Rachel akarah. And after they're married, God sees that Leah is is hated and he therefore opens her womb. He wants her to experience some pleasures and joys and happiness in life, and he leaves רחל Rachel barren for the time being. And you can't help but wonder, this פסוק pasuk is very troubling. What do you mean, וירא השם כי שנואה לאה vayar Hashem ki snuah Leah? God saw that לאה Leah is hated. God saw that Leah is hated? Yaakov is a righteous man. He's the איש תם יושב אוהלים ish tam yosheiv ohalim. He's the one of אמת emes. This יעקב Yaakov is is such a special בעל מדות baal middos. How could it be that he hated לאה Leah? Hate is a very strong word. Hate is a very powerful word. How could it be he hated, he hated? So the רמב\"ן Ramban says that Yaakov didn't hate לאה Leah, but he carried resentment towards her for deceiving him and for switching with רחל Rachel the night of their wedding. So much so, says the רמב\"ן Ramban, he contemplated divorcing her. However, וירא השם כי שנואה לאה vayar Hashem ki snuah Leah, when Hashem saw that Yaakov was thinking of leaving her, ויפתח את רחמה vayiftach es rachmah. He helped לאה Leah conceive, and the birth rapidly in succession, several times, made Yaakov change his mind. They had children together, and they became close. They forged a shared destiny through their children. Yaakov stayed with לאה Leah. So it's not that he hated לאה Leah, but and this is part of the story that's not written in the text, and we can't help but wonder, what was that relationship like? We always talk about the generosity, how magnanimous רחל Rachel was in giving the סימנים simanim to לאה Leah, but how did Yaakov feel towards לאה Leah, that he wakes up and he finds לאה Leah's there? That לאה Leah participated in the old סוויטשערו switcheroo. It wasn't just לבן Lavan who was the tricker. לאה Leah also did. So the רמב\"ן Ramban says Yaakov was resentful and that's what it means כי שנואה לאה ki snuah Leah. But most commentators understand that when the Torah says שנואה snuah, it doesn't mean Yaakov hated לאה Leah. It simply means relatively speaking, he loved לאה Leah less than he loved רחל Rachel. He loved לאה Leah, but less than רחל Rachel. Yaakov, רחל Rachel was singular, she was unique. There was no one like her. So he loved לאה Leah, but it was less than רחל Rachel. And when he loved her less, it felt like she was hated. The problem is, it's not what the Torah says. Torah is very intentional. Torah uses and chooses its words very carefully. And it doesn't say Yaakov loved לאה Leah less, and it doesn't say Yaakov was resentful, but he still loved her. It says, שנואה לאה snuah Leah, it says he hated her. How could that be? And the answer is, I suggest to you this morning, my friends, that Yaakov did not in fact hate לאה Leah. However, however, לאה Leah felt hated. And the Torah is teaching us that how a person feels is as true as how you intended to make them feel. Perception is reality. לאה Leah felt hated. She perceived that יעקב Yaakov hated her. And because she bore that feeling, the Torah described לאה Leah as hated. The way we intend to make a person feel is often not as important as the way they feel, as how they feel. Our intent matters, but so does the way the other person feels. And even if we didn't speak or mean to speak with malice, and if we're speaking strongly or passionately only because of how strongly we feel, but if the result or consequence, if the outcome is that the other person feels a certain way, then we're responsible, then we're accountable, then we've brought about that perception, then we have created that reality and we have to own it. We have to be careful with our words and make sure that we don't let someone feel like לאה Leah did, that she was שנואה snuah. We have to be very careful because what we project is how people feel. And you see this in the other direction. You see this in the other direction. Yaakov, earlier in the פרשה parsha, encounters when he first comes to that well, ויאמר הן עוד היום גדול לא עת האסף המקנה, השקו הצאן ולכו רעו Vayomer hein od hayom gadol, lo eis he'asef hamikneh, hashku hatzon u'lchu r'u. He encounters these shepherds and they're calling it a day before quitting time. The sun hadn't set, the day is not over, there's more work to be done, and they're ready to go home. And יעקב Yaakov gives them a little מוסר mussar. He gives them a little rebuke and he says the sun is still high in the sky. You can't rob from your boss. Get back to work. And the question is, how could he say such a thing? Who is he to give them this מוסר mussar? He's a stranger. He's brand new. Why is he rebuking them? So the נצי\"ב Netziv says something remarkable. The נצי\"ב Netziv says that when Yaakov walked up to the shepherds, listen to the words he said. ויאמר להם יעקב, אחי, מאין אתם Vayomer lahem Yaakov, achai, me'ayin atem. Yaakov first met them and he walks up and he says, \"Hey brothers, where you from?\" ויאמרו מחרן אנחנו Vayomru mi'Charan anachnu. Says the נצי\"ב Netziv, Yaakov didn't walk up and position himself like the other, like he was a stranger. He positioned himself, he walks up and he says, \"אחי Achai, hey brothers. What's up, brother?\" And by saying, \"Hey brother,\" and \"brothers,\" he positioned himself with a closeness. He started out by saying, I care about you. I'm invested in you. I'm invested in this relationship. Hey, my brother, where are you from? What's going on? And then he was able to follow it up by giving a little מוסר mussar. Then he could follow it up by giving a little bit of encouragement because it all depends how you make the person feel. Do you make the person feel שנואה snuah, that they're hated, or do you make the person feel אחי achai, hey brother, and that they are loved? The משנה Mishnah in פרקי אבות Pirkei Avos says, אהרן הכהן Aharon HaKohen was אוהב את הבריות ומקרבן לתורה ohev es habriyos u'mekarvan laTorah. He loved all people and he drew them close to Torah. And the commentators on פרקי אבות Pirkei Avos point out, what was his methodology? What did he do? Bible codes? חלות Challot? How did he bring them close to Torah? The answer is in the exactly the statement of the Mishnah. אוהב את הבריות Ohev es habriyos. When you love people, מקרבן לתורה mekarvan laTorah. By loving people, he drew them in. He attracted them. Yaakov loved the shepherds, אחי achai. But yet he failed when it came to לאה Leah. Even though he didn't hate her, how could the איש תם יושב אוהלים ish tam yosheiv ohalim have hated her? He didn't hate her, but nevertheless, she felt hated. And because she felt hated, that was enough to make Yaakov accountable.This week is the holiday of Thanksgiving. Whether you observe it or not, we all should be thankful, not only on the Thursday of Thanksgiving, but every day of the year. So how can we not end with this last insight? Oh, I had several more of Druk's I wanted to tell you. As always, as is our מנהג minhag, we're out of time. But one last thought. When לאה Leah names her fourth son, she names him יהודה Yehudah. She says, הפעם אודה את השם hapaam odeh es Hashem, out of gratitude. And indeed the גמרא Gemara in ברכות Brachos goes so far as to say that Leah is the very first. אמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בר יוחאי, מיום שברא הקדוש ברוך הוא את עולמו, לא היה אדם שהודה להקדוש ברוך הוא, אלא עד שבאה לאה והודתו, שנאמר הפעם אודה את השם Amar Rabbi Yochanan mishum Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, miyom shebara haKadosh Baruch Hu es olamo, lo haya adam she'hodah la'Kadosh Baruch Hu, ela ad sheba'ah Leah v'hodaso, she'ne'emar hapaam odeh es Hashem. The whole world, Adam and Chava, and Avraham and Sarah, and Yitzchak and Rivka, nobody, not the Yeshivas Shem v'Ever, nobody had properly thanked God until Leah came on the scene. And how do you understand that? Noach made a mizbeach, he offered a korban to God. Others spoke to God. What do you mean Leah is the first to say thank you to God? What is at the root? What is at the core of Thanksgiving? What is Thanksgiving on that holiday or every day really all about? So there's a חתם סופר Chasam Sofer that I love, Rav Shmuel Binyamin Sofer of Pressburg, son of the great חתם סופר Chasam Sofer, the כתב סופר Ksav Sofer. I'm sorry, the כתב סופר Ksav Sofer that I love. The כתב סופר Ksav Sofer says, of course there were individuals before Leah who expressed their gratitude. However, each of the others only expressed their thankfulness because God had done a miracle. God had done something out of the ordinary. God had done something supernatural. God had done something that they never ever could have predicted or relied upon. Leah is the first who God does something totally cloaked in the natural. She has a child. Conception seems natural, childbirth seems natural. And she is the first who saw God in the natural. She said thank you for something others considered completely predictable or natural. She wasn't being saved miraculously or being given a second chance after being expelled from Garden of Eden. She was expressing gratitude for a biological reality, something completely natural. And that is at the root and the core of Thanksgiving, is when we say thanks for the things that we think we could take for granted and nevertheless, we say thank you. To not say thank you only for that which is extraordinary, to say thank you even for the things which are completely ordinary. Rav Yeruchem, the great mashgiach of the Mir says even further. He says Leah, don't read it, הפעם אודה את השם hapaam odeh es Hashem, this time I thank God. Read it, הפעם אודה את השם hapaam odeh es Hashem? What am I only going to thank God once? הפעם Hapaam? Says Rav Yeruchem something beautiful. Leah named her son, thank you. So what happened? Every single time she used his name, every single time she called him, she was reminding herself of her gratitude. \"Thank you, it's time for dinner. Yehudah, thank you, did you do your homework? Yehudah, thank you, come on, it's time to get in the school car, we gotta head out for school.\" Every time she called Yehudah, she said his name, she was saying thank you. הפעם Hapaam, only one time am I going to say thank you? When you really feel gratitude, you don't just discharge that obligation. You don't pay the debt of gratitude by saying thank you, now we're even. But you say thank you over and over and over again because thank you is not simply paying a debt. Thank you is how you really feel, and it's something which is worth saying over and over and over again. And that's what Thanksgiving and being thankful for is really all about. It's about the admission, as we've quoted from Reb Hutner many, many times, to the admission, I am enriched by you, I'm willing to say thank you, and I don't just thank you once, הפעם hapaam, only one time? No. Over and over and over again, I will say thank you. Have a great day, have a wonderful week, stay happy, stay healthy.
