Transcript
Okay, בוקר טוב Boker Tov and good morning. We'll announce our sponsorship and begin in a moment, but I want to remind everyone that January 1st, just a short time from now, South Florida will be celebrating together with the rest of the world the magnificent סיום הש\"ס Siyum HaShas. For those who have been part of the דף יומי Daf Yomi, seven and a half years, 2,711 days in a row, it's quite an accomplishment. And there are several celebrations that will be taking place. Agudah is hosting one here in South Florida, January 5th. I encourage people to attend that one too, but January 1st, there is a live hookup to the סיום siyum in New York, but while sitting outside under the sun, right now it says 75 degrees and clear on January 1st is the weather prediction here in South Florida, בלי עין הרע Bli Ayin Hara. A live hookup to the one in New York and also local סיום siyum as well, Simcha Leiner concert, kids fair, it's going to be an amazing, amazing day. Why am I telling you? Because Thursday, the prices go up. So if you sign up today, southfloridasiyum.org, get your tickets. There are general admission, five dollars. It's a fraction of the cost of participating in a similar event elsewhere. Five dollars general admission, and there are better and better seating and VIP experiences and so on and so forth. southfloridasiyum.org. It's community-wide throughout South Florida. Thousands of people will be there. It's going to be a magnificent celebration of the סיום siyum, even if you have the ability to go to a more local live hookup, you don't want to miss this one, gathering with the greater ציבור tzibbur, ברוב עם הדרת מלך b'rov am hadras melech, being with the South Florida community and participating, southfloridasiyum.org. Tickets go up Thursday, and I know we're very sensitive to that. So this is still the early bird pricing. southfloridasiyum.org. Okay. פרשת מקץ Parshas Mikeitz, page 222. We are grateful to our sponsors this morning, as always. The series for this year is sponsored by my dear friends Becky and Avi Katz, in memory of Becky's father David Grossman, לנשמת דוד מנחם מניש l'nishmas Dovid Menachem Manish, whose נשמה neshama should have an עלייה aliyah. And also the class this morning is sponsored by the Schrier family in commemoration of the upcoming יארצייטן yartzeiten of their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, Max and Bernard Silverman, and in memory of Uncle Lester Friedman, all their נשמות nishamos should have an עלייה aliyah through our study of the פרשה parsha and of חנוכה Chanukah. פרייליכן חנוכה Freilichen Chanukah, everybody. Forgot to wish everyone a פרייליכן חנוכה Freilichen Chanukah. פרשת מקץ Parshas Mikeitz. It's a very important and a very beautiful פרשה parsha, which continues the story line of ספר בראשית Sefer Bereishis and the rise and ascent of יוסף Yosef. It continues to be filled with the mystery of why יוסף Yosef did not make contact with his father and the unfolding of this drama that despite no matter how many times we've read it or listened to it, no matter how well we know it, you still are on the edge of your seat every year, פרשת מקץ Parshas Mikeitz. What's going to be? What will happen? When will the big reveal take place? The פרשה parsha begins, ויהי מקץ שנתים ימים Vayehi miketz shnasayim yomim, ופרעה חולם U'Pharaoh cholem, והנה עמד על היאור v'hinei omed al ha'yeor. At the end of two years, Pharaoh had a dream. He's חולם cholem. Now it shouldn't say חולם cholem, חולם cholem sounds like it's in the present. Pharaoh was dreaming. Not he had a dream, he was dreaming. And in his dream, what's happening? He's standing on the bank of the, on the bank of the river. So I want to share with you the סלונים-רבי Salanomer Rebbe's introduction to our פרשה parsha because it's significant for the פרשה parsha but it's also significant for חנוכה Chanukah, and I'd be remiss if we didn't connect the two. So the סלונים-רבי Salanomer Rebbe, the נתיבות שלום Nesivos Shalom says the following. He quotes the מדרש Medrash at the beginning of our פרשה parsha of מקץ Mikeitz, that he's דורש doresh on the פסוק ויהי מקץ שנתים ימים pasuk vayehi miketz shnasayim yomim, that it was at the end of two years, and he connects the beginning of פרשת מקץ Parshas Mikeitz with a verse in איוב Iyov. The פסוק pasuk in איוב Iyov says, קץ שם לחשך Ketz sam lachoshech, that השם Hashem put an end to the darkness, אבן אפל וצלמות even ofel v'tzalmaves. זמן נתן לעולם כמה שנים יהא באפילה Zman nasan l'olam kama shanim yeheh b'afeila. הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu predetermined and preordained how many years the world would be filled with darkness. מאי טעם קץ שם לחשך My taam ketz sam lachoshech? And why did God put an end to darkness? שכל זמן שהיצר הרע בעולם, אפל וצלמות בעולם Shekol zman she'yetzar hara b'olam, ofel v'tzalmaves b'olam. As long as the יצר הרע yetzar hara, as long as the drive inside us for poor judgment and to give into temptation and to indulge a less perfect version of ourselves and to self-sabotage. As long as that voice of the יצר הרע yetzar hara exists, we are cloaked in darkness. What does it mean to live in darkness? What does it mean to be in a world that is dark? It means to be in a world of self-centeredness. It means to be in a world in which we are immersed only in our own interests and needs and desires. It means that we are pursuing our own temptations and distractions, and we're not living the best version, the best lives. נעקר יצר הרע מן העולם, אין אפל ואין צלמות בעולם Ne'ekar yetzar hara min ha'olam, ein ofel v'ein tzalmaves b'olam. If God were to remove and purge the יצר הרע yetzar hara, if we all had the courage and the strength and the wisdom to always make the right decision, to think the right thoughts, to say the right thing, to behave in the correct way, then there'd be no darkness. And there'd be no sadness, and there'd be no despondency. The meaning of the מדרש Medrash is, שכל ענין החושך ואפל וצלמות מקורם כל זמן שישנו היצר הרע shekol inyan hachoshech v'ofel v'tzalmaves, mekoram mekol zman she'yeshno hayetzar hara, שמהמנו נובע החושך והאפילה she'meimenu novea hachoshech v'ha'afeila, that what is the source of darkness in this world is the drive of the יצר הרע yetzar hara. When a person feels that they're in a dark place, hopeless and helpless, when the world feels like it's caving in and closing in, that is the voice of the יצר הרע yetzar hara. That is the distraction, that is the voice that is not allowing us to see clearly with hope and optimism, but rather, that is the voice of the יצר הרע yetzar hara. הן בכללות ישראל, הן בפרטות ישראל Hein b'chlallus Yisrael, hein b'pratus Yisrael. It's true collectively, nationally, and it's true individually. בחינת אפל וצלמות bechinas ofel v'tzalmaves, when you're feeling in a dark place, when you feel the walls are caving in, the answer is not to self-indulge. That only feeds the יצר הרע yetzar hara and compounds the problem. It's counter-intuitive and paradoxical. You'd think you're in a bad place, how do you get out of a bad place? Town Center Mall. Bring your credit card, Lord and Taylor, and boy, you're going to turn it around. But as it turns out, not only is it true spiritually, not only is it true through the מדרש Medrash on פרשת מקץ Parshas Mikeitz connecting to the פסוק pasuk in איוב Iyov, but all the research also supports this idea, that the more inward a person turns, the more you indulge that voice of the יצר הרע yetzar hara, the more that you satisfied and pampered the body, the greater the darkness, the deeper the darkness. And the more that you conquer that יצר הרע yetzar hara and that you quiet that voice, and instead, you promote and you turn the sound up on the יצר הטוב yetzar hatov. And you say, I'm not going to nourish and nurture my body, but it's time to nourish and nurture my נשמה neshama, my soul. I'm not going to take, I'm going to give. I'm not going to turn inward, I'm going to turn outward. I'm not going to set time for myself, I'm going to find time for others. The more I do that, in fact, I get out of the darkness, and I discover and I find the light. תשת חשך ויהי לילה Toshes choshech vihi layla, it's a פסוק pasuk in תהלים פרק קד Tehillim Perek Kuf Daled. That when there's darkness is when the יצר הרע yetzar hara is able to operate. The methodology of the יצר הרע yetzar hara is to put you in a place of darkness, of sadness, depression, despondency, hopelessness and helplessness. When you're in a dark place and you feel fatalistic and your life is predetermined and it can't get any better, and so why not? I might as well go into deeper debt. I might as well indulge more substances. I might as well behave more impetuously and compulsively because why not? I'm already in a dark place. The יצר הרע yetzar hara's methodology and strategy is in fact, when you're in a dark place to take you deeper into that darkness, to have less clarity and less vision and see more poorly and not to be able to taste the light. And that's what חנוכה Chanukah says is all about. First of all, the methodology of the יונים Yevanim, החשיכו עיניהם של ישראל hechshichu eineihem shel Yisrael. We know it says the פסוק pasuk in the beginning of בראשית Bereishis that הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu created the world, תהו ובהו וחשך על פני תהום tohu vavohu v'choshech al pnei tehom, and that חז\"ל Chazal explained that these four phrases correspond with the four גלות galios, the four exiles. And the exile of יון Yavan, which interestingly is called an exile, even though where did it happen? In ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael, which is evidence that for us, exile and redemption are not geographic descriptions, but exile and redemption are metaphysical descriptions. You can be living in Israel and be in exile. And even if you're struggling outside of Israel, which of course we all belong there and have to move there and one day we will all be there, and that's where the ultimate גאולה geulah takes place. But if you can feel השראת השכינה Hashras Hashchina, we'll begin with ספר שמות Sefer Shemos, which is the story of גלות לגאולה galus l'geulah. The רמב\"ן Ramban, the מדרש Medrash says that חז\"ל Chazal called the story of ספר שמות Sefer Shemos the journey from גלות לגאולה galus l'geulah. Now, I understand גלות galus, the beginning of שמות Shemos begins where? In the depth and the heart of Egypt, suffering under the servitude and oppression. But how does ספר שמות Sefer Shemos end with גאולה geulah? Where are we geographically at the end of ספר שמות Sefer Shemos? We're in the desert. We're not yet in Israel. How can you call it גלות לגאולה galus l'geulah? How could the end of ספר שמות Sefer Shemos be גאולה geulah if you're not yet in Israel? So Rav Schechter always explains because גלות galus and גאולה geulah are not geographic terms. The beginning of שמות Shemos, we were in the darkness of hopelessness and helplessness. We feel that מקצר רוח ומעבודה קשה mikotzer ruach mei'avodah kasha, the Jewish people didn't believe it could get any better. This is the way it is and it's the way it'll always be, and that's the voice of the יצר הרע yetzar hara. But by the end of the book of שמות Shemos, we have a משכן Mishkan, and there's a השראת השכינה Hashras Hashchina, there's an intense divine presence and a connection with the divine, and that's redemption. You could have redemption in the desert, and you could have exile in the land of Israel. חשך זו יון Choshech zu Yavan. תהו ובהו וחשך על פני תהום Tohu vavohu v'choshech al pnei tehom. חשך Choshech, darkness, is the exile of יון Yavan. So of course geography plays a role in redemption. We do need to be gathered into Israel and it's where we'll ultimately go and be redeemed and build the בית המקדש Bais Hamikdash. I'm not denying that, but being in Israel alone does not mean one has experienced full redemption, maybe the אתחלתא דגאולה as'chalta d'geulah, but not the full redemption. So חשך choshech, darkness. And why do חז\"ל Chazal capture the impact of יון Yavan, the Syrian-Greeks, the Hellenists, as darkness, החשיכו עיניהם של ישראל she'hechshichu eineihem shel Yisrael. They tried to darken our eyes. As we read in על הנסים al hanisim, they tried to cause us to forget תורה Torah. תורה Torah comes from the word אור or, light. They tried to turn the light off. We were seeing with clarity. There's a God, and there's divine providence, and he's involved in our lives. And you know what they did? They came and they turned the light off. And they said, come sit in the dark. Go back to being cave people. You've made progress, you are enlightened. The תורה Torah, אורה זו תורה Ora Zu Torah, they turned the light off. No, setting you back. There is no God, there's no purpose, there's no meaning. Everything's random and chance. You have no reason to be optimistic. This is the voice of the יצר הרע yetzar hara. So the whole holiday of חנוכה Chanukah is lighting that fire to turn the light back on. I refuse to live in the darkness. I refuse to indulge the voice of the יצר הרע yetzar hara. I refuse to turn inward. I refuse to pamper myself. I refuse to be a taker. I'm turning the light on to illuminate the path and to see what's before me and to understand. What is a fire? What is a fire? No matter which direction, I mentioned yesterday in the afternoon קולל kollel, no matter what direction you hold a candle, the flame is always flickering how? Up. See our body drags us down. Our body tells you you're גשמי gashmi. You're physical, material being. And all you live for is material and physical pleasure. But the soul says, no, I reach and I strive for something much higher, something much more. And when we look at the flame of that candle, which represents the נשמה neshama, the flame is the נשמה neshama, I see that flame flicker and dance. The flame is dancing. And it's dancing where? Towards שמים Shamayim, up. And no matter what direction I hold the candle, so I'm feeling dark, and I say to that candle and that flame, I don't feel like dancing up. I'm turning you over. The flame looks at you and says, too bad. I only know how to dance in one direction, and that is up. I don't look down. The animal walks on all fours, it faces the ground because the animal is defined by the earth and the here and now. בהמה Behema, מה ma? What you see is what you get. But the אדם adam is אדמה adama. We have the ability to grow. We're poised for our potential and we stand on two feet because we reach towards the heavens, because like the candle, we refuse to face the ground. We're always flickering and dancing and reaching for the stars. And that's our mission of חנוכה Chanukah, is to dispel the darkness, to illuminate the world and the path forward for ourselves, to turn up the יצר הרע yetzar hara, the יצר הטוב yetzar hatov, and to turn down the יצר הרע yetzar hara. And that all is part of the beginning of our פרשה parsha says the סלונים-רבי Salanomer Rebbe. Okay. ווייטער Vaiter. So, we have the dreams of Pharaoh, and Pharaoh is turning to his advisors, his trusted advisors, and no one can tell him boo. Nobody can help him. פסוק י\"ד Pasuk Yud Daled, page 224. ושלח פרעה ויקרא את יוסף ויריצוהו מן הבור ויגלח ויחלף שמלתיו ויבא אל פרעה Vayishlach Pharaoh vayikra es Yosef vayiritzuhu min habor vayigale'ach vayichalef simlosav vayavo el Pharaoh. Pharaoh summons Yosef, because he hears, because he is, Yosef is remembered. Right? What happened? Pharaoh was angry at the butcher and the baker, and they had a dream, and they they mentioned that oh yeah, there was a guy we were in prison with and he was really good at dream interpretations and maybe he can help you out. So when Yosef at the end of last week's פרשה parsha said, please remember me, it paid off. It paid off. What happened at the end of last week's פרשה parsha? He told them to remember him. How many times? Twice. And because of that he was liable and accountable. And that's why ויהי מקץ שנתים ימים vayehi miketz shnasayim yomim. Yosef served two extra years in prison because he used a double language to remind them, please remember me if or when you get out. Where's the פסוק pasuk? אם זכרתני אתך Im zechartani itcha, והזכרתני אל פרעה v'hizkartani el Pharaoh. So he used the double language, אם זכרתני im zechartani, והזכרתני v'hizkartani. And because they used a double language, he sat and languished for two extra years. Because where was his faith and trust in Hashem? He invested too much in man that he was excessive twice. Please, please, please, remember me, remember me. Do you remember me? You sure you're going to remember me? Relax, you did your השתדלות hishtadlus, you told him to remember you, and now fall back. So some commentators ask, and if Yosef reminded him once, how much longer would he sat in prison for? Zero. Why? Because השתדלות hishtadlus he had to do once. He said twice, so he sat in prison two years. Had he reminded him once, he wouldn't have sat in prison one extra year. He would have gotten out at the preordained time because he had to do his minimum effort. He had to do his השתדלות hishtadlus. In our אמונה emunah Wednesdays mornings, we constantly try to address this balance, this tension. How much initiative do we take? And when do you sit back and rely on Hashem? What's considered excessive initiative? And what's considered excessive אמונה emunah such that it's not a legitimate אמונה emunah, it's just a cop-out. A person who sits on the couch at home and says, I'm not going to work. I have such faith in Hashem that someone's going to Ed McMahon's going to ring my doorbell and he's going to hand me a check for five million dollars and I'm going to be good to go. That's my אמונה emunah and faith in Hashem. I don't have to go to work. Is he still doing that? Ringing doorbells? Is he still alive? He's ringing doorbells upstairs. Okay, so is that considered אמונה emunah and בטחון bitachon? Of course not. So how do you find that balance between אמונה emunah and בטחון bitachon, showing faith and trust in Hashem on the one hand, and on the other hand, taking the proper initiative. How much is too much initiative? The people who work 20 hours out of a 24-hour day are taking too much initiative because if Hashem wants you to be a billionaire, he can have you be a billionaire working 10 hours a day, 12 hours a day, not 20 hours a day. So you have to work just enough, you have to take just enough initiative that it doesn't look like you're relying on a miracle, but not too much initiative that you don't believe Hashem can come through with the normal amount that is understandable and reasonable to do. So Yosef, who first of all is held to a much higher standard because he's supposed to have more faith. Hashem says once would have been the initiative you needed to take. So you wouldn't have languished one extra second. You would have gotten out on time if you said once, please remember me, but you said twice. And therefore you spent two extra years. So now they remind Yosef, they remind Pharaoh, it paid off. And Pharaoh says, oh yeah, I got a dream interpreter right here in my prison, in my dungeon? Go get him. So they go get him. And what does he do? He, they take him out of the pit, they shave, they change his clothing and they bring him to Pharaoh. Anyone know what day it was on the Jewish calendar? It was the day of ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah. We mentioned this last week? Right. And how did he get out? What was the catalyst that got him out? מדוע פניכם רעים היום Madua pneichem ra'im hayom, because in the prison cell, instead of turning inward and wallowing in his own sorrows, he bothered to care about someone else. He broke out of the darkness and he lit a candle, figuratively, in that prison cell. And because he was selfless and cared about others, he was remembered and he got out on ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah. So shouldn't you be bothered by something? We know that what? The אבות Avos kept all of תורה Torah even before they were commanded. And Yosef is getting out of prison on what day? ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah. And what is he doing when he gets out of prison? ויגלח Vayigale'ach. ויחלף שמלותיו Vayichalef simlosav, changing his clothing, there's no מלאכה melacha. Changing his clothing, you're allowed to do on ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah. If you're at a hotel, you change your clothing ten times on ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah. That's just the first day alone. So changing your clothing, you're allowed to do. But what about the shaving? Was he allowed to shave? So Rashi notes that when Yosef was wrote before Pharaoh, they shaved. Why? Out of respect for royalty. Is that what Rashi says? מבית הסוהר Mi'Beis Haso'ar, שעשה כן גומא she'asa kein guma. ויגלח vayigale'ach, מפני כבוד המלכות mipnei kavod hamalchus. He quotes the מדרש רבה Medrash Rabba. Out of respect, כבוד המלכות kavod hamalchus, he shaved. He shaved. So the חתם סופר על התורה Chasam Sofer al HaTorah, the חתם סופר Chasam Sofer says, I, what happened? I thought they kept כל התורה כולה kol haTorah kulah. So what do you mean? If you're keeping כל התורה כולה kol haTorah kulah, you could shave on ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah because you're going to see the king? And the חתם סופר Chasam Sofer says, yeah, you know why? Because they were אינם מצווה ועושה einam metzuveh v'oseh. Yosef wasn't commanded. He wasn't responsible. He wasn't obligated. It was an extra thing. It was a מדת חסידות middas chasidus. It was an extra act of righteousness and piety that they voluntarily elected to observe the Torah. So if there's a conflict between what you're volunteering to do, which is extra, and honoring the king, כבוד מלכות kavod malchus, which is fundamental and core, if there's a conflict between the two, which one supersedes the other? So the חתם סופר Chasam Sofer points out, and this is so important, Rav Schechter discusses this in his ספר sefer on the פרשה parsha. He quotes the חתם סופר Chasam Sofer and says, it's so important as we live our Jewish lives, with our Jewish lifestyle, to know the difference. And I think I've shared with you before that Rav Schechter emphasizes this often. And if you pay attention to his שיעורים shiurim, he always goes back and says, is this דאורייתא D'Oraisa, is this דרבנן D'Rabbanan? What פסוק pasuk do we learn it from? Is it a מנהג minhag? He always tries to trace the origin of the הלכה halacha and in what way is it binding? And why is that so critically important? Because we have to know the hierarchy of הלכה halacha. And we have to know how to resolve conflicts that arise in הלכה halacha. So sometimes there's something that we do that we think is absolute law, when the truth is it's מדת חסידות middas chasidus. It's an act of piety. It's an extra thing. It's laudable. It's wonderful, but it's not a דין din, it's not a הלכה halacha. And when it comes in conflict with something which is a core דין din, then the דין din takes place. So Yosef is an אינו מצווה ועושה einam metzuveh v'oseh. Was Yosef observing ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah? Yes, it makes for a nice דברי תורה d'var Torah, and he was. He volunteered. But he didn't have to. So now it comes in conflict with honoring the king. Honoring the king comes first. Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky made a similar suggestion regarding the custom of the אבות Avos about not to marry more than one woman. The הלכה halacha is you're not allowed to marry two sisters. עריות Arayos, you're not allowed to marry one more than two, more than one from a family. So how did Yaakov marry both Rochel and Leah? So you know what Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky answers? Everybody asks that. Well, they were outside of ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael. They have all kinds of... Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky has a very simple answer. Yaakov was an אינו מצווה ועושה einam metzuveh v'oseh. He wasn't obligated yet in the Torah's standards and rules. He wasn't bound by the Torah's restriction not to marry two sisters. So he thought he was marrying רחל Rochel. Turns out he wakes up in the morning and it's לאה Leah. Could you imagine now he turns to רחל Rochel who's still waiting to marry him and he says, you snooze you lose, I'm sorry. I really wanted to marry you, but, but, I've taken upon myself, even though I'm not obligated, but מדת חסידות middas chasidus, I've taken upon myself to observe Torah. So, I'm sorry, too bad. Put your resume together, you're back on the market. Can you imagine Yaakov says that to רחל Rochel? So Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky points out, why did Yaakov marry two sisters? Because he was allowed to. And not embarrassing רחל Rochel and not making רחל Rochel be have a life of loneliness and being in a forlorn state and disappointing her, superseded the מדת חסידות middas chasidus of already adopting a חומרא chumra of living Torah even when you're אינו מצווה ועושה einam metzuveh v'oseh. So you see from the example, both in our פרשה parsha, that Yosef says, yeah, of course I'm going to shave. I'm going to see the king. And you could argue it's פיקוח נפש pikuach nefesh because if he wasn't shaven and the king wasn't impressed by him, it could... But leave out the פיקוח נפש pikuach nefesh. Yosef says, I'm going to see the king, that's the right thing to do. In the biography, the Artscroll biography of Rav Moshe Sherer, zatzal, Rav Moshe Sherer was the great leader of the Agudah movement for so long, it tells the story of once he was summoned to the White House, to the Oval Office on תשעה באב Tisha B'av. So you know what he did? He shaved. On תשעה באב Tisha B'av. Because he said, not shaving even on תשעה באב Tisha B'av at most is a דין דרבנן din d'Rabbanan and it's an אבילות availus and it's a this, but כבוד מלכות kavod malchus, he was summoned to the Oval Office. And in the footnote in the Artscroll biography of the story of Rav Moshe Sherer, it says what did he do when he went to מנחה Mincha תשעה באב Tisha B'av afternoon and he walked in clean shaven. So he explained where he had been and why he had to. He wanted to make sure not to be misleading. But the bottom line is Rav Moshe Sherer understood what Yosef Hatzaddik understood, which is what Yaakov Hatzaddik understood, which is what we should understand, that there's a place for מדת חסידות middas chasidus and there's a place for חומרות chumros. Absolutely there's a place for it. Striving and aspiring for piety, it's how we began. We don't want to just light a minimum light. We want it to glow. We want to fan that flame and we want it to burn bright. And if you want to take on מדת חסידות middas chasidus, that's beautiful. But you have to understand it in context. The מדת חסידות middas chasidus you have to understand in the right way, in the right way. And he quotes in this essay, Rav Schechter, several other examples of it. One with Gidon Hanasha and then it offers an example having to do with תפלה בציבור tefilla b'tzibbur, when do you forfeit תפלה בציבור tefilla b'tzibbur? You have to understand what's a מנהג minhag, what's דרבנן D'Rabbanan, what's דאורייתא D'Oraisa, know everything's place so that we can make the proper value judgment in הלכה halacha. Yosef Hatzaddik understood that he had to shave. He understood that what was right. So now he comes before Pharaoh. חלום חלמתי ופותר אין אותו chalom chalamti u'poser ein oso. I had a dream. I can't find anyone to adequately interpret it. ואני שמעתי עליך לאמר תשמע חלום לפתר אותו V'ani shama'ati alecha leimor tishma chalom liftor oso. You know what I've heard about you? תשמע חלום לפתור אותו tishma chalom liftor oso. I heard you listen to dreams and you interpret them. Isn't that a fascinating formulation? What would you have expected Pharaoh to tell Yosef? I heard about you that what? You interpret dreams. There are two extra words in that פסוק pasuk. What are the two extra words? תשמע חלום לפתור אותו Tishma chalom liftor oso. תשמע חלום tishma chalom are extra. I heard you're a פותר poter, I heard you interpret dreams. Why does he have to add, I heard you listen to dreams in order to interpret them? Just say, I heard you interpret dreams. So here I draw your attention to a comment by Rav Wolbe zatzal, the great mashgiach. And Rav Wolbe says the following, such a brilliant insight. תשמע חלום לפתור אותו Tishma chalom liftor oso, תאזין ta'azin, Rashi says, look at Rashi on that. Rashi on the פסוק pasuk, פרק מא פסוק טז Perek Mem-Aleph Pasuk Tes-Vav. We're on page 224. תאזין ותבין חלום לפתור אותו Ta'azin v'tavin chalom liftor oso. You know what I heard about you? That you listen and you pay attention. You're an active listener. You're actually listening, and then you're able to interpret. You're not like the people who the whole time I'm talking, you're just formulating your response, but you're not actually listening to me. They're just saying what they want to say, but they haven't actually heard me. Before you can understand, before you can interpret, before you can analyze, before you can offer insight, before you can respond, you have to do something which is an increasingly lost art. You have to do something called listen. In seven habits, Stephen Covey says, you know, most people while they're listening, they're not actually listening. They're just buying time till they can talk again. That's what he writes. The silence of listening is not actually absorbing and listening what someone else is saying. You're just creating that space because it's the other person's turn until you can talk again. So there's two types of listening. There's listening where you're just buying time till you can talk again, and there's listening where you're not even sure you're going to talk again. You are actually interested in what the other person has to say. There's active listening. There's listening where I have output even while there's input. And you remember the old stereos, if you plugged in output and input at the same time, what did you get? Static. You got something really annoying for your ears. You couldn't hear or enjoy anything. So there are people who don't know how to shut down their output. And even in those brief moments of pause, when they let someone else talk, there's still output going on. And then there's active listeners. And that's Rav Wolbe's brilliant insight on this Rashi, that what Pharaoh was impressed by about Yosef, he had interpreters, but those interpreters already walked into his oval office imagining what they were going to say, or while Pharaoh was describing his dream, they were already formulating their response. And he can see from Yosef that while he spoke to Yosef, Yosef was just listening. First you have to listen and then you can understand. First you have to listen, and then you can answer. Often in marriage counseling, a good marriage counselor who's trying to help model and cultivate a healthy communication, will ask the spouse who was listening to repeat back what they heard before they respond. So what I'm hearing you say is that when I tell you I'm on my way home, but I haven't really left my office yet, that that makes you feel like I'm a big fat liar. Well, I'd like to respond to that now. I am a big fat liar and I mean to be more whatever. So you have to first show that you were listening before you can respond. יתרו Yisro excelled at this trait, וישמע יתרו vayishma Yisro. רחב Rachav was an amazing listener. That's the real reason that she was so solicited, not only because of her beauty, but because she was an amazing, active listener. And Yosef distinguishes himself from all the other people that Pharaoh ran his dream by, by the fact that he listened before he spoke. I'll tell you something. The really exceptional people in my life, not only great rabbis, but great people who I've turned to for wisdom and advice, they all have in common something which is really, really awkward and really amazing simultaneously. You're talking to them, you tell them something, and then there's silence, because they're first waiting to think about what you said until you were done speaking. Because while you were speaking, they were listening, then they need a moment to think and process, and then they're ready to respond. Most of us, low-level, superficial, pathetic people, we're busy formulating our answer while they're speaking, so there's no downtime. It's seamless. You're finishing speaking and I'm already winding up my talking. But if you're ever talking to someone really, really impressive, really, really smart, really, really insightful, you'll notice that they take a moment. In person, it's awkward enough. If you've called them on the phone, it's really awkward. It's like, are you still there? You finished saying your part and you still there. But they're doing something which really is what Yosef Hatzaddik modeled for us and what's the right thing to do, which is to be an active listener before we turn and respond and give our own answer. פרק מא פסוק טז Perek Mem-Aleph Pasuk Tes-Zayin, the next פסוק pasuk. ויען יוסף את פרעה לאמר בלעדי Vayaan Yosef es Pharaoh leimor, Biladai. So what's Yosef's response? Talk about sabotaging yourself. He doesn't say, yeah, you know, with all humility, it's true. I'm very blessed. I have the ability to interpret dreams. I have a pretty good track record. I have some success in that area. I've been told I'm good at it. What does he say? I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a good dream interpreter? בלעדי Biladai. It's not, it's not me. Oh, oh, אלקים יענה את שלום פרעה Elokim ya'aneh es shlom Pharaoh. Oh, yes, God can interpret your dream, and I guess he could use me as the agent to communicate it to you, but it's not really me. It's really, it's really God. He answers בלעדי Biladai, which is really sabotaging himself. And yet, it's exactly that expression of humility which lends the success. The גמרא בעירובין דף יג Gemara in Eruvin daf yud gimmel tells us כל המשפיל עצמו הקדוש ברוך הוא מגביהו וכל המגביה עצמו הקדוש ברוך הוא משפילו Kol hamashpil atzmo Hakadosh Baruch Hu magbiho, v'chol hamagbia atzmo Hakadosh Baruch Hu mashpilo. Whoever lowers themself, God lifts you up. And whoever lifts themselves up, God lowers them down. Whoever pursues greatness, greatness runs away from them. If you pursue honor, honor runs away from you. And if you run away from honor, and you want to run away from greatness, then greatness and honor run after you. And the בעל שם טוב Baal Shem Tov says, that's what you can where do we learn this from? How did חז\"ל Chazal know that? Yosef Hatzaddik. Yosef, this is his chance. They've taken him out of the pit, shaved, clean shaven, probably put some cologne on him. He's well dressed and he comes before Pharaoh. And Pharaoh says, I'm ready to take you out of prison. I'm ready to put you in my cabinet. I've heard about you interpret dreams. Me? No, I'm a nothing. God interprets dreams and he's blessed me to be that agent, בלעדי biladai.So the בעל שם Baal Shem says that's where חז\"ל Chazal understood. יוסף Yosef was running away from honor, and running away from greatness, and because of that honor and greatness ran after him. And the people who spend their lives running after honor and greatness, it runs away from them. It runs away from them and it flees from from their midst. This is what we're saying in in סידור Siddur snippets. We just said this פסוק pasuk. What was the פסוק pasuk? In the second of the הלל Hallelukas after אשרי Ashrei. We just interpreted this in סידור Siddur snippets. The פסוק pasuk is, מעודד ענוים ה' me'oded anavim Hashem. ה' Hashem lifts and gives courage and helps the ענוים anavim, and עניו anav is a humble. משפיל רשעים עדי ארץ mashpil resha'im adei aretz.Now I would have expected the פסוק pasuk to have the opposite of an עניו anav is a גאה gay, is an arrogant. Or the opposite of the רשע rasha is the צדיק tzaddik. And yet, דוד המלך David HaMelech sets it up that מעודד ענוים ה' me'oded anavim Hashem, we say this every day. We say this every day. We should know what it means. מעודד ענוים ה' me'oded anavim Hashem, that ה' Hashem gives, lifts the humble, and he lowers the wicked. Why is wicked the opposite of humble? And the answer the מלבי\"ם Malbim says is, because the arrogant person is destined to make poor choices and have bad judgment. It breeds wickedness. You'll make mistakes. You'll do the wrong thing. It comes from the wrong place. So the opposite of humility is wickedness, not arrogance. Because the arrogance by definition will lead to poor choices, poor decisions. So מעודד ענוים ה' me'oded anavim Hashem, the עניו anav, those who are humble, ה' Hashem lifts them. Greatness and honor run after them. But those who are arrogant, משפיל mashpil. ה' Hashem says, oh, look who thinks they're so big. Look who thinks they're so tough. Look who thinks that they're so capable. You know what I'm going to give you? An ingrown toenail. You know what I'm going to give you? A little tinnitus in your ear. The גמרא Gemara in גיטין Gittin tells us the story of טיטוס הרשע Titus HaRasha, Titus, who came and violated the קדש הקדשים Kodesh HaKodashim. And the גמרא Gemara elaborately tells us the whole story of his wickedness. And how does ה' Hashem pay him back? מי כמוך באלים ה' מי כמוך באלמים Mi chamocha ba'elim Hashem, mi chamocha be'ilmim. ה' Hashem is silent. He could have struck Titus down, he could have defeated the, nothing. טיטוס Titus, you're so tough? No problem. Go celebrate yourself as this great general, as this great warrior. And then Titus takes a nap, and then a bug crawls in his ear. And Titus can't shake that ringing in his ear for the rest of his life. And there's an article written in the American Journal of Medicine that claims that the diagnosis of tinnitus comes from Titus. The name tinnitus, that etymologically, it's from the fact that Titus was the first one struck with this illness. And the bug in his ear grew bigger and bigger and bigger, and he couldn't take it and it ruined his life. Because ה' Hashem says, oh look who thinks they're all that. I'll give you a little mosquito, a little ingrown toenail. I'll make you have this a little, whatever. Tiny little thing, ה' Hashem.So, the בעל שם Baal Shem says, how did חז\"ל Chazal know that? That he lowers the arrogant and he raises the humble? They knew it from our story simply watching the behavior of יוסף הצדיק Yosef HaTzaddik.Okay, פסוק ל\"ח pasuk lamed ches, let's skip ahead. So he comes before פרעה Pharaoh. פרעה Pharaoh, he tells him the dreams. Previously we've analyzed, but we're not going to today, that when פרעה Pharaoh relays the dreams, he doesn't do so the same way that they happened. תורה Torah gives us one version of the dream, and when פרעה Pharaoh relays the dream, he communicates the dream, he communicates it a little bit differently, and why does he do it in that way? But anyway, so יוסף Yosef listens. ויאמר יוסף אל פרעה חלום פרעה אחד הוא Vayomer Yosef el Pharaoh, chalom Pharaoh echad hu. Really, you think you had two dreams, but you really had one dream. It's the same dream, it's the same theme. את אשר האלקים עשה הגיד לפרעה Es asher ha'Elokim oseh higid l'Pharaoh. Now, יוסף Yosef keeps שטופן shtuppin ה' Hashem in there. Who asked for ה' Hashem? He didn't take יוסף Yosef out of the pit to give him a theology lesson. This wasn't the discovery seminar. He didn't ask him for a יום עיון yom iyun. So why does יוסף Yosef keep, because יוסף Yosef is the first model of outreach. He's transforming the world with nuance and subtlety. He doesn't overtly say to פרעה Pharaoh, listen, I'd like to interpret your dreams, but first let me tell you about the Bible codes. He doesn't say I'd like to interpret your dreams, but first let me give you proof of God's existence. He simply weaves in there, well, God's really the one who's helpful or God's trying to communicate to you what you're going to do. It's amazing. We've talked about this in the past also, is you see how many times יוסף Yosef name drops God. And as a result, when he's done and he tells פרעה Pharaoh, what's פרעה's Pharaoh's response? What does פרעה Pharaoh say? Wow, God's amazing. ויאמר פרעה אל עבדיו הנמצא כזה איש אשר רוח אלקים בו Vayomer Pharaoh el avadav, hanimtzah chazeh ish asher ruach Elokim bo? Have you ever seen such a spiritual person? Wow, look how godly this person is. ויאמר פרעה אל יוסף אחרי הודיע אלקים אותך את כל זאת Vayomer Pharaoh el Yosef acharei hodia Elokim otcha es kol zos, now that God has revealed all this through you, I'm so grateful to God that he sent you to me and to tell me this whole message, אין נבון וחכם כמוך ein navon v'chacham kamocha. There's no one as discerning and wise as you. פרעה Pharaoh is מקורב mekurav. פרעה Pharaoh flips. He flips out. He embraces God. All because יוסף Yosef did not coerce. יוסף Yosef was not in his face. In a very nuanced way, יוסף Yosef name dropped ה' Hashem, and it had this enormous impact.So פסוק ל\"ח pasuk lamed ches. ויאמר פרעה אל עבדיו הנמצא כזה איש אשר רוח אלקים בו Vayomer Pharaoh el avadav, hanimtzah chazeh ish asher ruach Elokim bo? Have you ever seen somebody who's got this רוח אלקים ruach Elokim? So רב וואלבע Rav Volbe says the following. כאן מתמנה יוסף למשנה למלך Kan mitmane Yosef le'mishneh la'melech. This is the beginning of the ascent of יוסף Yosef where פרעה Pharaoh is going to appoint him to be the viceroy. ובכך מתחילה גלות מצרים U'bekach matchilah galut Mitzrayim. And with that begins the exile, because with יוסף's Yosef's ascent are יעקב Yaakov and his offspring's descent. יוסף's Yosef's going up, he's becoming the viceroy, and יעקב Yaakov and the progeny are coming down. כל מה שהקדוש ברוך הוא אמר לאברהם אבינו מתקיים דרך יוסף Kol ma she'Hakadosh Baruch Hu amar l'Avraham Avinu, mitkayem derech Yosef. All that God had promised in the ברית בין הבתרים bris bein habesarim about the exile is going to be fulfilled through יוסף Yosef. זה התחיל בכך שיוסף חלם את חלומותיו Zeh hischil b'kach she'Yosef chalam es chalomosav. It began with יוסף Yosef dreaming and the brothers disliking the dreams. And so רב וואלבע Rav Volbe quotes the אלתר מקלם Alter of Kelm. שכך הוא המהלך She'kach hu ha'mahalach. This is why I'm telling you this piece. רב וואלבע Rav Volbe quotes the אלתר מקלם Alter of Kelm. שמצד אחד הכל נעשה בבחירה של בני אדם She'mitzsad echad hakol na'aseh b'bechira shel bnei adam. This is the story of the Jewish people, it's the story of the world. That when you read it, on the one hand it sounds like it's just a bunch of human people, mere mortals who are making decisions, who are expressing their free will. The brothers had free will, יעקב Yaakov had free will, יוסף Yosef has free will, פרעה Pharaoh has free will, the שר המשקים, שר האופים Sar HaMashkim, Sar HaOfim, everyone has free will. ששנאו את יוסף She'sonu es Yosef, they hated יוסף Yosef and they wanted to get rid of him. That was their בחירה bechira. But מן השמים min HaShamayim, מן השמים min HaShamayim, ה' Hashem orchestrated and ordained and choreographed a different reality. And in this episode, במעשה זה הם יוסף... דוקא ממחשבת בני אדם, המנסים להוציא את רצונם לפועל, דוקא מתוך מעשיהם מוציא ההשגחה את התוצאה הרצויה b'ma'aseh zeh, hem, Yosef... davka mimachsheves bnei adam, ha'menasim l'hotzi es retzonam la'poal, davka mitoch ma'aseihem motzi ha'hashgacha es ha'totsa'a ha'retzuya. That God, הרבה שלוחים למקום harbeh shluchim la'Makom. God has many agents. God does not suspend the rules of the world. He doesn't suspend nature and history and reveal himself. He did it once when he took us out of מצרים Mitzrayim. And the רמב\"ן Ramban there writes he did so with such pomp and circumstance so that it would last in perpetuity. That through the huge revealed miracles we would know that even which that which seems ordinary is really from ה' Hashem.So that's true about the natural order. That's the whole דרך derech of חנוכה Chanukah. בני בינה ימי שמנה Bnei vinah yemei shmonah. We've been singing in מעוז צור Ma'oz Tzur, we're singing again tonight. It doesn't say שמונה ימים shmonah yamim, it doesn't say חנוכה Chanukah is eight days. What does it say? חנוכה Chanukah are, חנוכה Chanukah is brought to you by the number eight. Sesame Street. Electric which one was it? Electric Company? Sesame Street. Sesame Street. בני בינה ימי שמנה Bnei vinah yemei shmonah. Happy חנוכה Chanukah brought to you by the number eight. Not שמונה ימים shmonah yamim, eight days, but ימי yemei, days of eight. What does it mean to be days of eight? So we all know from the מהר\"ל Maharal, seven represents the days of the week, seven is nature, seven is creation. Seven is the natural order. Eight is one more than nature. Eight is the supernatural. Eight is that which is transcendent. These are days not of seven, these are days of eight. These are days where we look out at the ordinary and we realize that even the ordinary is extraordinary. Even the natural is supernatural. The only difference is that I've come to expect it. But even that which seems like it should happen automatically is really from above. There's no such thing as nature. Everything is from ה' Hashem. And this is how you can answer the בית יוסף's Beis Yosef's question. The בית יוסף Beis Yosef famously asks, and hundreds of answers have been given, that if the פך שמן pach shemen, if the flask of oil should have lasted one day, and it lasted seven more, how how long should the holiday be? Seven days, not eight. Why is it eight days? If it was seven extra days, it was meant to last one day. And to me, the simplest and most beautiful and most compelling answer is, what we're celebrating on that eighth day of when the oil should have lit anyway, is that even when the oil is supposed to light, the fact that it lit is no less a miracle than it lasted for seven more days. Even the natural is supernatural. Even the ordinary is extraordinary. These are days that are brought to us by the number eight. And we're supposed to see ה's Hashem's guiding hand in that which seems like it's ordinary and natural. So that's true in the natural order, that's what חנוכה Chanukah is all about. And רב וואלבע Rav Volbe quoting the אלתר מקלם Alter of Kelm says, that's what the story's all about. When you read the storyline of the second half of בראשית Breishis, you say if you want to on the one hand say God is nowhere in the picture, you're entitled. Well the brothers made their choices and פרעה Pharaoh made his choice and יוסף Yosef made his choice. And lo and behold, the promise that was made to אברהם Avraham came true. Or you can realize that even when things look like people are doing them, it's הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu, הרבה שלוחים למקום harbeh shluchim la'Makom. ה' Hashem has many agents. And ה' Hashem brings about results through many different means. But listen to how רב וואלבע Rav Volbe applies this. I was a little surprised, given if you know רב וואלבע's Rav Volbe's השקפה hashkafa. He says, גם אנחנו יכולים לראות את ההנהגה הזו gam anachnu yecholim lir'os es ha'hanhagah hazu. We've merited to see this ourselves. למשל שדוקא מיד אחרי השואה הגוים החליטו שמגיע ליהודים את ארץ ישראל Lemashal she'davka miyad acharei ha'Shoah, ha'goyim hechlitu she'magia la'Yehudim es Eretz Yisrael. The fact that following the Holocaust, the United Nations and the non-Jews of the world, נתנו להם מדינה nasnu lahem medinah, gave us מדינת ישראל Medinat Yisrael, you can't deny that that's ה' Hashem orchestrating things from above. Writes רב וואלבע Rav Volbe in שיעורי חומש Shiurei Chumash, in his ספר sefer on פרשה parsha. He says, לא חשוב מה הם עשו מהמדינה lo chashuv ma hem asu me'hamedinah, forget what was done with the מדינה medinah, בזה מנפלאות ההשגחה b'zeh mi'niflaos ha'hashgacha, זה מנפלאות ההשגחה zeh mi'niflaos ha'hashgacha. This is among the most wondrous acts of divine providence we could ever imagine. This is on par with coming out of מצרים Mitzrayim and the splitting of the sea and the miracles of 2,000 years of surviving history. הנוצרים אינם ישנים בלילה בגלל המדינה הזו Ha'notzrim einam yeshenim ba'lailah biglal ha'medinah hazu. The Christians can't sleep at night because of the state of Israel. הלא במשך השנים הנוצרים טענו שכלל ישראל כבר אינם העם הנבחר Halo b'meshech ha'shanim ha'notzrim ta'anu she'klal Yisrael kvar einam ha'am ha'nivchar. Because during the Holocaust, the church celebrated that the Jews are no longer the chosen people. ושהם הנוצרים יהיו העם הנבחר V'shehem ha'notzrim yiheyu ha'am ha'nivchar, and that God made a new choice. ועתה לפתע עם ישראל קם לתחיה V'achshav l'feta am Yisrael kam l'tchiyah. And now the Jewish people have been resurrected from the dead. And now we have a state of Israel, sovereignty in our own land. ויש להם מדינה V'yesh lahem medinah, הם לא יכולים להשלים עם זה hem lo yecholim l'hashlim im zeh. לכן באים לארץ ישראל אלפי מיסיונרים Lachen ba'im l'Eretz Yisrael alfei misionerim. That's why so many missionaries come to Israel. They can't make sense of it. They can't figure it out. I thought God withdrew from the Jewish people. How did they revive themselves? How did they come back? So it's a fascinating application of the יוסף Yosef story to his common time. רואים אנו כאן שמכל מה שבני אדם עושים Ro'im anu kan she'mikol ma she'bnei adam osim, we see from this, says רב וואלבע Rav Volbe, that whatever people do, לבסוף יוצא מזה מה שבורא עולם רוצה l'vasof yotzeh mizeh ma she'Borei Olam rotzeh. What comes out of it is the result that ה' Hashem wants.So now, how you understand that is complicated. Does it mean that people aren't accountable or responsible for their actions? So if somebody slammed into my car and left me with enormous damage, I say, well, don't pay. You're off the hook because God wanted my car to be totaled. It wasn't you. Of course not. ספר החינוך Sefer HaChinuch writes that on the one hand, I hold the other person accountable, but the ספר החינוך Sefer HaChinuch on the מצוה mitzva of לא תקום ולא תטור lo sikom v'lo sitor, that you're not allowed to take revenge. ספר החינוך Sefer HaChinuch says, why can't you take revenge? It's one thing to hold the other person accountable. It's one thing thing to make you pay for the damages I incurred. But if I now additionally try to take revenge, what it means is, I deny God's role in the result that I have to deal with. I have to simultaneously feel ה' Hashem clearly wanted my car to be totaled. For whatever reason, it was meant to be, whatever lesson I'm meant to draw from it, whatever reason I need to go through it, it's from ה' Hashem that my car is totaled. He chose you to total my car, so you have to pay for it. I hold you accountable. You have to pay for it because ה' Hashem chose you to total my car, but it's from ה' Hashem my car was totaled. Therefore, all I extract from you is compensation for the car, I'm not going to take revenge, because that would deny God's role in what happened to me. ספר החינוך Sefer HaChinuch on the מצוה mitzva לא תקום ולא תטור lo sikom v'lo sitor.But says רב וואלבע Rav Volbe, the both the same can be true simultaneously. That on the one hand I hold others accountable for their behavior, but I have to realize that the results are from ה' Hashem. And that's true in our lives individually if someone totals our car, חס ושלום chas v'shalom, and it's true in our lives collectively, call it politically. הרבה שלוחים למקום Harbeh shluchim la'Makom. ה' Hashem has many agents and messengers. And yes, we have a right to vote, and we lobby, and we advocate, we campaign, and we're part of that system called democracy, and we're part of a system in which we advocate for policies that we care about. But we can't be overly invested and do too much השתדלות hishtadlus, forgetting that לב מלכים ביד ה' lev melachim b'yad Hashem. The hearts of kings is in the hand of ה' Hashem. Hearts of kings is in the hand of ה' Hashem. And in the end of the day, הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu is choreographing and orchestrating all of history and destiny to unfold the way he wants from above. It's all part of ה's Hashem's master plan.פרק מ\"א, פסוק נ' Perek mem alef, pasuk nun. Next pasuk. What happens? We now move on. Pharaoh is impressed with Yosef. By the way, what made the difference? Some of the commentators say, all the other interpreters told Yosef, told Pharaoh, here's what your dream means. They told him the problem. There were others who understood it to mean there's going to be a famine. Everyone else told Pharaoh the problem. You know what Yosef told him? Here's the problem. I have a suggestion for a solution. Pharaoh said, oh, somebody who has a solution, doesn't just bring me a problem, you're my viceroy. You're my man. I want to be surrounded by people who don't just point out problems, but who want to be part of a solution. There's an enormous message and we've spoken about this in the past too. But I can't help repeat it because I feel the same way in this regard as Pharaoh. Problems I don't need your help with. I can see the problems. I know the problems. Step forward and be part of the solution, and I welcome. To email or call or corner me at a kiddish because you want to tell me everything that's wrong with the world? I don't need your help so much with that. I'm pretty good at seeing all the problems. What we need help with is the solution. So don't ever step forward with a problem unless you're ready to be part of the solution. You have a suggestion, not a suggestion for everyone else to work on, but you're ready to volunteer, you're ready to work, you're ready to contribute, you're ready to make a difference. Bring problems when you're ready to also be part of the solution. Fine. Yosef's plan is implemented. He becomes the first, uh, economic advisor. He's the, he becomes the first secretary of of the Treasury. And in this regard, he saves all of Egypt, the Egyptian Empire. It's incredible what he accomplishes and what he does. And now he begins to plant his roots. ליוסף יולד שני בנים בטרם תבוא שנת הרעב אשר ילדה לו אסנת בת פוטיפרע כהן און L'Yosef yulad shnei vanim b'terem tavo shnas ha'ra'av, asher yaldah lo Asnas bas Potiphera Kohen On. First of all, who does he marry? We don't talk about this a lot, but who does Yosef end up marrying? אסנת Asnas. Who's אסנת Asnas? Just happens to be the daughter of the woman who relentlessly pursued him and tried to seduce him and falsely accused him. What do you think that Chanukah party was like in that house? How do you think that פסח סדר Pesach Seder went? Thanksgiving dinner at the פוטיפר Potiphar home. So, he has two sons. He has two sons. ויקרא יוסף שם הבכור מנשה כי נשני אלקים את כל עמלי ואת כל בית אבי Vayikra Yosef shem habechor Menasheh, ki nashani Elokim es kol amali v'es kol beis avi. He names some one son מנשה Menasheh. And why does he name him מנשה Menasheh? Because God has caused me to forget all the hardship of everywhere I came from. One thing I know is if you name your son, thank you ה' Hashem for allowing me to forget everything about where I came from in the hardship, one thing is clear to me. You haven't forgotten anything. So that in itself needs to be addressed. ושם השני קרא אפרים כי הפרני אלקים בארץ עניי V'shem hasheni karah Ephraim, ki hifrani Elokim b'eretz onyi. The second name he names אפרים Ephraim, because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering. A חסידישע ספרים Chassidishe Sfarim will talk about יוסף Yosef named his two sons corresponding with our two approaches to life, the סור מרע sur mei'ra and the ועשה טוב v'aseh tov. מנשה Menasheh is the סור מרע sur mei'ra and the אפרים Ephraim is the, is the עשה טוב aseh tov. And these attributes and character traits of one being characterized by avoiding the bad and the other characterized by the pursuit of the good, follow them throughout their lives. And you see it all the way through, through ויחי Vayechi and יעקב Yaakov and the switching of the hands, but not for now. So פסוק נ' pasuk nun, that יוסף Yosef had two sons. And here רב וואלבע Rav Volbe says the following. One of רב וואלבע Rav Volbe kick today. ליוסף יולד שני בנים L'Yosef yulad shnei vanim. He had two sons before the famine came, who were born to אסנת בת פוטיפרע Asnas bas Potiphera. בטרם תבוא שנת הרעב B'terem tavo shnas ha'ra'av. So says רש\"י Rashi, רש\"י Rashi tells us before the famine came, why is it important to tell us that the two sons were born before the famine came? Why is that an important fact? Who needs that detail, the timeline of family planning of יוסף Yosef and אסנת Asnas? So says רש\"י Rashi, מכאן שאדם אסור לשמש מיטתו בשני רעבון mikan she'adam assur l'shamesh mitaso b'shnei ra'avon. Because you're not allowed to have intimacy when is has to practice abstinence during the years of a famine. Why? אזוי שטייט Azoy shtayt. Where does it say in שולחן ערוך Shulchan Aruch that you have to be abstinent during the years of a famine? Where does it say that? That's a הלכה halacha? What's the הלכה halacha based on? And let me ask you this. יוסף Yosef and אסנת Asnas practicing abstinence, did that make the corn grow in the field? Were the supermarket shelves stocked because they were abstinent in their bedroom at home? So רב וואלבע Rav Volbe wonders, what good did it do that יוסף Yosef and אסנת Asnas separated from each other and denied themselves the intimacy and the love and the connection, that made the food grow? That made the famine end? What good did it do? Why do that? And where does it say you have to? מה זה משפיע או גורע לכלל אם הוא משמש מיטתו Ma zeh mashpia o gorea l'chlal im hu m'shamesh mitaso? אלא הענין של להשתתף בצער הכלל אינו תלוי ביחס של נתינה, מה לעשות כדי לעזור לטובת בצרתו, אלא הוא ענין של הרגשה ela ha'inyan she'lehishtatef b'tza'ar ha'klal, eino ta'luy b'yachas shel nesinah, ma la'asos kedei la'azor l'tovah b'tzaroso, ela hu inyan shel hargasha. The reason that you practice, not abstinence in particular, but that when someone else is suffering, you deny yourself some pleasure, why? It's not because you're going to make that person's life better. But because you want to feel their pain. אדם צריך להשתתף בעולם של ציבור Adam tzarich lehishtatef b'olam shel tzibbur. The משנה בפרקי אבות Mishnah in Pirkei Avos tells us that one of the 48 ways in which Torah is acquired is, נושא בעול עם חברו nosei b'ol im chavero. You have to be willing to be נושא בעול nosei b'ol. You have to feel the pain of another. Where do we learn that from? הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu himself. He speaks to Moshe from the סנה sneh, the lowliest of a thorn bush. Why? עמו אנכי בצרה Imo anochi b'tzara. ה' Hashem himself says, I feel your pain. There's a very Jewish quality of even when it won't relieve the suffering of another. Financially you're experiencing a collapse, you can't pay your bills, and therefore I am not going to indulge in that luxury. Even if I'm not giving you that money. You're trying to have a child and therefore I'm going to deprive myself of some, you're having a terrible diagnosis, a terminal illness, you've experienced a horrific loss, so therefore I am going to, yeah. Not because my sleeping with one pillow instead of two is going to make your terminal illness reverse. But because what I'm saying to you is, as long as you're in pain, I can't indulge in extra pleasure. It's not a דין din in the other person, it's in our own character. It's fashioning and molding and shaping who we are and we're meant to be and how we're meant to behave. There's a lot more to say about this, we've spoken about נושא בעול עם חברו nosei b'ol im chavero in the past, but here's an example of נושא בעול עם חברו nosei b'ol im chavero. Of נושא בעול עם חברו nosei b'ol im chavero. I'm going to carry the burden with you. I want you to know that as long as you suffer, I'm not indulging in extra pleasure. That I too am with you. I'm feeling your pain. I identify. I feel not only a sympathy, but I feel an empathy for you and for what you're going through. פסוק מ\"א Pasuk mem alef. Next pasuk. Yosef calls one Menasheh and he calls the other Ephraim. One because he says Hashem caused me to forget, and the other because Hashem allowed me to grow and to spread. The אמרי חיים Imrei Chaim from the ויז׳ניצער רבי Vizonitzer Rebbe, maybe we'll finish with this, we have to share at least one ויז׳ניצר Vizonitzer. Even though there's so much we didn't get to. Oh, it's such beautiful things connected to חנוכה Chanukah. Okay, I'll tell you quickly two more things. Quickly two more things. So one is on this פסוק pasuk, מרגלים אתם meraglim atem. Says the אמרי חיים Imrei Chaim, you know what מרגלים אתם meraglim atem means? מרגלים מלשון רגילות Meraglim milashon regilus. רגילים אתם לבוא הנה בכל זמן ושוב ומרגלים כמצוות אנשים מלומדה Regilim atem lavo heina b'chol zman v'shuv u'meraglim k'mitzvas anashim melumada. You know what your sin is מרגלים meraglim, not that you're spies, but that you are creatures of הרגל hergel, of habit. You come and you go and you've created this habit, but there's no sincerity, there's no authenticity, you're not really present and mindful and conscientious and conscious in what you're doing. You're simply creatures of habit. מרגלים אתם Meraglim atem. הרגל Hergel. You're just creatures of habit. So בזאת תבחנו u'vezot tivacheinu, here's how I'm going to test you. You know how you can test a creature of habit whether they're doing it sincerely? אם יבוא אחיכם הקטן הנה Im yavo achichem hakatan heina. Whether you do it like a קטן katan. You see a קטן katan, give an example. A boy turns בר מצוה bar mitzvah. In the month before he starts putting on תפילין tefillin, he can't sleep at night because he's going to put on his תפילין tefillin. And each of those first months he's putting on that תפילין tefillin, ooh, he's on fire. תפילין Tefillin is so careful and the touching the box and the strap and the ברכה bracha and the mirror and the תפילין tefillin and ה' Hashem and the heart and the head and what, תפילין tefillin. By his 14th birthday, it's like, תפילין tefillin. You're lucky if he's still putting on the תפילין tefillin. How do you know if it's הרגל hergel, if it's just habit and ritual and rote, or whether there's drive and emotion and dynamism and energy and presence? This was the test יוסף Yosef says. הקטן הנה Hakatan heina, is the קטן katan here? Is the קטן katan in you here? מרגלים Meraglim, are you just creatures of הרגל hergel? Is it just habit? Or is there a הקטן הנה katan heina, is there a... That's part of what the Chanukah candles are all about. I'm just ending with two וורטס vorts on Miketz and Chanukah together. This is the first. This is the אמרי חיים Imrei Chaim. Because the ספת אמת Sfas Emes tells us, the גמרא Gemara tells us, when do you light Chanukah candles? עד שתכלה רגל מן השוק Ad shetichleh regel min hashuk. The Chanukah candles can be lit from, call it sunset, ten minutes after sunset, צאת tzeis, different opinions, when it gets dark, until when? The גמרא Gemara says עד שתכלה רגל מן השוק ad shetichleh regel min hashuk, until people are no longer walking around. The ספת אמת Sfas Emes says don't read it עד שתכלה רגל ad shetichleh regel, that people aren't walking around, but that you need to light the candles and look at them and have them light you up until when? עד שתכלה הרגל מן השוק Ad shetichleh hergel min hashuk, until you've broken the habit in you. Light the light and let it illuminate what's right in front of you and break out of habit. Stop being a creature of habit. Stop living your lives מצות אנשים מלומדה mitzvas anashim melumada, just doing everything out of habit. But reawaken and revive the קטן katan in you, that childlike enthusiasm and excitement and dynamism. Reawaken it. עד שתכלה הרגל מן השוק Ad shetichleh hergel min hashuk. That Chanukah lights need to last until when? Until it breaks us out of the habits that we have formed.That is the purpose and that's what Yosef was testing his brothers. Are you just מרגלים meraglim? Are you just here as creatures of habit? Or is the קטן katan, is there a childlike enthusiasm in you, in you?I'll tell you one last connection between the two. Is the פסוק pasuk that says the following: ויגשו אל האיש אשר על בית יוסף וידברו אליו פתח הבית Vayigshu el ha'ish asher al beis Yosef vayidabru eilav pesach habayis. פרק מ\"ג, פסוק י\"ט Perek mem-gimmel, pasuk yud-tes. פרק מ\"ג, פסוק י\"ט Perek mem-gimmel, pasuk yud-tes. Page 242. ויגשו אל האיש אשר על בית יוסף וידברו אליו פתח הבית Vayigshu el ha'ish asher al beis Yosef vayidabru eilav pesach habayis. So Yosef sees Binyamin and he tests his brothers' sincerity, and they approach the person who's in the home of Yosef, and where do they speak to him? Where, דוקא davka? אל פתח הבית El pesach habayis. Says Rav Pinchas of Koritz, why did they speak to him דוקא davka על פתח הבית al pesach habayis? And he answers, what is at the פתח הבית pesach habayis? The מזוזה mezuzah. And what does it say on the מזוזה mezuzah? שין דלת יוד Shin daled yud, one of the names of Hashem. And where do we see that name of Hashem used? ואל שדי יתן לכם רחמים V'El Shaddai yitein lachem rachamim with יעקב אבינו Yaakov Avinu. So therefore they stood at the פתח הבית pesach habayis because they were invoking the message and the power of the מזוזה mezuzah. The מזוזה mezuzah is on the doorpost of the home. What else is on the doorpost of the home? People? Anyone awake still in here? Anyone know what holiday it is? Anyone here Jewish? It's the holiday of Chanukah. And what do we light? The מנורה menorah. And where do you put the מנורה menorah? So today, בשעת הסכנה b'shaas hasakana, you're entitled to put the מנורה menorah inside. But in the time of the גמרא Gemara, some people still today, my father lights the מנורה menorah outside. And where does the מנורה menorah go when it's lit outside? It goes on the doorpost where, opposite the מזוזה mezuzah. Why? So the classic reason given is so that a person should be surrounded by מצוות mitzvos, surrounded by מצוות mitzvos. But the מזוזה mezuzah is on the right. Why is the מזוזה mezuzah on the right? Because we always give deference to the right over the left. Is there not enough room on the right to put the מזוזה mezuzah and the מנורה menorah? Put them both on the right. So the classic reason is because you need to be surrounded by מצוות mitzvos.But I want to tell you the reason, we'll end with this, that Rav Shlomo gave. Such a beautiful reason. He says the מזוזה mezuzah and the מנורה menorah are both on the right side. What are you talking about? I'm looking at the door, and the מזוזה mezuzah is on the right, the מנורה menorah is on the left. What are you talking about? He says, no. The מזוזה mezuzah is on the right side when you're walking into the house. And when you walk into a house, you bring the message of the מזוזה mezuzah. The unity of Hashem's existence and peace and harmony and the values and the morals and the ethics and the דרך ארץ derech eretz that the מזוזה mezuzah reminds me of. I touch it, I kiss it on the way into my home and I bring that light into my home. And then when I'm leaving my home and I'm going to school, I'm going to work, I'm going to the gym, I'm going to the supermarket, the מנורה menorah is on my right going out. That the mission of a Jew is to light up and dispel the darkness in this world. And I take all the values that were in my home, and the מנורה menorah reminds me, bring it out with me wherever I go. That the truth is, the מזוזה mezuzah and the מנורה menorah are both on the right, it all depends which direction you're going in. A פרייליכן חנוכה freilichen Chanukah.Effective next week, a new policy. We're going to raise the most amount of money yet, still do Friends of BRS, but every cell phone that goes off is 180 dollars to Boca Raton Synagogue. Effective...
