Transcript
Good morning everyone, boker tov בוקר טוב. Welcome back to Parsha פרשה Perspectives for today. It's really amazing to see the room, Baruch Hashem ברוך השם, the shul שול filling up. Great to have so many of you back live in person. If you are here live in person, you have the advantage of enjoying a hot beverage and the beautiful weather and the beautiful shul שול. So welcome back. Parsha פרשה series is generously sponsored by Becky and Avi Katz and family in memory of Becky's father David Grossman. Our learning is le'ilui nishmas לעילוי נשמת David ben Nachman Manish. This morning's shiur שיעור is also sponsored anonymously in honor of the yahrzeit יארצייט of Yitzchak ben Chaim Tzvi and Mindel bas בת Yitzchak. The neshamah נשמה should have an aliyah עליה. Thank you to our generous sponsors. We're always very grateful. If you'd like to sponsor the Parsha פרשה shiur שיעור, you can go on brsonline.org/sponsor. You could also sponsor the Parsha פרשה Perspective write-up, which is shared around the world and printed and read at Shabbos שבת tables around the world. We're grateful for everyone for their support and helping to share the Torah תורה that we learn together. Also, lastly, if you've not yet signed up for the the WhatsApp group for the Parsha פרשה Perspectives, you can get bonus material, you can find out the schedule if we're on or we're off, don't be confused and come if we're not meeting, which rarely happens, Baruch Hashem ברוך השם. Bonus material, the Parsha פרשה Perspectives write-up and so much more. All you have to do is join the group at rabbiephraimgoldberg.org/whatsapp. rabbiephraimgoldberg.org/whatsapp and you can join the group. Okay, Parshas Toldos פרשת תולדות, page 124, the Artscroll Stone Chumash חומש. Vav Hachibur ו' החיבור, we are connecting, we are continuing to where we last left off last week. Ve'eleh toldos Yitzchak ben Avraham, Avraham holid es Yitzchak ואלה תולדות יצחק בן אברהם, אברהם הוליד את יצחק. These are the offspring, these are the progeny, these are the children of Yitzchak the son of Avraham. And in case that wasn't clear, in case you couldn't follow that Yitzchak was the son of Avraham, pasuk פסוק goes on to say that Avraham, holid es Yitzchak הוליד את יצחק, that Avraham gave birth to Yitzchak. We spent much time on this in the past, which we're not going to do now, but of course it is a peculiar pasuk פסוק. These are the toldos תולדות, these are the, this is the legacy, these are the offspring, the progeny, this is the impact, the influence of Yitzchak the son of Avraham and Avraham begat. It's the only time anyone ever uses the word begat. I don't think anyone uses it out of this context, out of Parshas Toldos פרשת תולדות, and Avraham begat Yitzchak. Avraham begat Yitzchak. Why is the Torah need to emphasize this? So Rashi רש\"י here makes a famous comment, but I want to tell you incredible interpretation that I think is really a game changer. Rashi רש\"י says the following, shehayu leitzanei hador omrim, me'Avimelech nisabrah Sarah שהיו ליצני הדור אומרים, מאבימלך נתעברה שרה. Why does the Torah need to emphasize, Yitzchak the son of Avraham, Avraham's the father of Yitzchak? Yeah, we got it. We're good. Keep going. Tell us something new. Tell us something we don't know. Says Rashi רש\"י, you know why? There were leitzanei hador ליצני הדור. What are leitzanei hador ליצני הדור? Every door, every generation suffers from their leitzanim ליצנים. The cynics and the scoffers, those who are absolutely cynical about everything, critical about everything, they ridicule and scorn, scorn everything. So what did they say? What was their, what was their controversy or what was their scandal they were manufacturing? Me'Avimelech nisabrah Sarah מאבימלך נתעברה שרה. You know who the real father of Yitzchak is? It's not Avraham, rather it is Avimelech. Sheharei kama shanim she'asah im Avraham v'lo nisabrah heimenu שהרי כמה שנים ששהתה עם אברהם ולא נתעברה הימנו. They were married many years, countless years, countless anniversaries and gornisht גורנישט, nothing happened. Sarah never conceived, she never became pregnant. Mah asah HaKadosh Baruch Hu מה עשה הקדוש ברוך הוא? So what did Hashem do in order to respond to the cynics and the scoffers who were scorning and ridiculing, who were manufacturing controversy and scandals and and what theories, what's the word I'm looking for? Conspiracy. Thank you Mrs. Kamenetsky. Conspiracy theories. They were manufacturing conspiracy theories all to undermine, all to compromise, all to challenge the integrity and the authority of an Avraham. So what did Hashem do to respond? Tzar kalso pnei Yitzchak domeh l'Avraham צר קלסתר פני יצחק דומה לאברהם. He made Yitzchak look like the spitting image of Avraham. They looked exactly the same. V'heidu kol Avraham holid es Yitzchak והעידו כל אברהם הוליד את יצחק. So everyone looked and said, ah, no confusion here. Don't listen to them. It's a ridiculous accusation, impossible. No way Avraham is the father. V'zehu shekasav kan Yitzchak ben Avraham she'eidim zeh yesh l'Avraham holid es Yitzchak וזהו שכתב כאן יצחק בן אברהם שהעדים זה יש לאברהם הוליד את יצחק. And that's why we have the dual language to emphasize that Yitzchak was the spitting image of Avraham. By the way, we've spoken about in the past, but Hashem makes a miracle. Hashem intervenes. Ignore. Why not ignore the cynics and scoffers? Every generation has them. That was even before the internet and social media and online trolls. Can you imagine what Avraham would have had to endure today online? So why not ignore them? Isn't that the advice that we always get? Just ignore them. Rise above them. Why does Hashem not only not ignore them, he does a miracle to respond to them. You see how pernicious and negative, you see how destructive the cynics and the scoffers are. You see how they can compromise and corrupt. You see how they can destroy and undermine and sabotage so much good that even Hashem feels he needs to make a miracle and intervene. Why would they have reached this conclusion? Why would they have ever maintained that Avimelech was the true father of Sarah's baby? So the answer is, how closely chronologically the events unfolded. When did Sarah conceive? Long awaited. When did she finally conceive? Right after the story of Avimelech. Right after the story of Avimelech, thinking Sarah was single. Hashem punishes him. Ultimately Avraham davens for him, allows him to recover. And when Sarah was released to Avraham, right away the Torah says, v'Hashem pakad es Sarah ka'asher amar והשם פקד את שרה כאשר אמר. All of a sudden Sarah is pregnant. So there's this exchange, this interaction, this seclusion with Avimelech. Avraham says what's going on over here. Avimelech is struck with a illness. And Avraham davens, intervenes, Avimelech heals, and all of a sudden Sarah is pregnant. Some of Parshas Vayeira פרשת וירא says Rashi רש\"י, we have the adjacent, the juxtaposition of these two parshios פרשיות to teach us kol hamevakeish rachamim al chaveiro v'hu tzarich l'oso davar כל המבקש רחמים על חברו והוא צריך לאותו דבר. We learn from here a rule many are familiar with, not necessarily knowing its source. It's from here. that if you daven for someone else, v'hu tzarich l'oso davar והוא צריך לאותו דבר. What do those words mean? You're davening for someone and you need the exact same thing. So you're davening for someone's parnasah פרנסה because you need parnasah פרנסה. You're davening for someone's fertility, conception, because you want a baby. You're davening for someone's shidduch שידוך and you're looking for a shidduch שידוך. V'hu tzarich l'oso davar והוא צריך לאותו דבר, you need the very same thing, hu ne'eneh techilah הוא נענה תחילה, who's answered first, you. Shenemar v'yispallel u'smich lei v'Hashem pakad es Sarah שנאמר ויתפלל וסמיך ליה וה' פקד את שרה, she'pkado kvar kodem she'ripeh es Avimelech שפקדו כבר קודם שריפא את אבימלך. Avimelech is ill, Avraham davens, and who's answered first? Sarah conceives. So you see that Avraham is answered first, and then the tefillah תפילה for Avimelech is received, is answered, because Avimelech hears. So the parshios פרשיות are placed, they're juxtaposed one next to the other to teach that anyone who davens for a friend, l'oso davar לאותו דבר, for the same thing, that person is answered first. Avraham davened for Avimelech, Hashem answered Avraham first, prior to healing Avimelech. Tzarich l'oso davar צריך לאותו דבר. What are the words tzarich l'oso davar צריך לאותו דבר mean? So normally it's translated to be understood as, tzarich l'oso davar צריך לאותו דבר means you have the same need, parnasah פרנסה, health, nachas נחת, fertility, whatever the need is, you're both davening for the same thing. But based on the simple understanding, many organizations and online platforms and apps and campaigns have you pair up or connect with someone else. I think Yoel Gold did a video about this. You daven for someone else who has the same thing that you need, you'll be answered first. But here's the question. First of all, I never understood that because if the only reason you're davening for the other person is so that you're answered, then you're really still davening for yourself, which undermines the entire idea. So I never really understood it at all. But moreover, it's compounded by the following. Right now you should be jumping out of your chairs. Those watching online should be jumping out of your bed, your chair, I don't know where you are, what you're doing, subway car, whatever you're doing. What should be jumping out and asking, who's tzarich l'oso davar הוא צריך לאותו דבר? You need the same thing? Did Avraham and Avimelech need the same thing? They had totally different needs. What was Avraham needing? What was he lacking? Sarah in particular? A child, conception. What did Avimelech need? A refuah shleimah רפואה שלמה, he needed healing. What do you mean who's tzarich l'oso davar הוא צריך לאותו דבר? How do you derive that? How do you draw that from here when this is not in fact an example of who's tzarich l'oso davar הוא צריך לאותו דבר? So the Mabit מב\"יט in his Beis Elokim בית אלקים explains that when one davens for themselves, it's unclear whether they're davening because they believe in the power of prayer, they sincerely want to use it to connect to Hashem, or maybe tefillah תפילה is just another thing on your checklist. Got to go to the doctor, got to go to the pharmacy, got to eat kale. Nah, not worth it. Whatever it is, it's not worth it. I tell you this study that came out, I saw an article a few months ago. By the way, countless people sent it to me because they know my adopted allergy to kale, that babies in the womb when the mother ate kale, they did sonograms, made like a horrible face when the mother ate kale. So real study, look it up, you can see it. Countless people sent it to me. I'm still just a baby making a terrible face from kale. So how do you know, how do you know if when you daven דאַוון, maybe it's just a checklist thing? Maybe the davening is like going to the doctor, going to the pharmacy, going to the gym, taking care of your health. Oh yeah, I've got to daven דאַוון because I do every segulah סגולה under the sun, I do everything because I want. Maybe you're not really davening because you believe in Hashem, that he's hearing, that he's answering, the efficacy of prayer. Maybe the only reason you're davening is a gimmick, a checklist because why not dot all the i's and cross all the t's? So how do you know, says the Mabit מב\"יט, when you daven דאַוון for a third party. When you're davening for someone else and their needs, you're not doing it as a checklist item. That's evidence you believe in the efficacy, the power of prayer and the experience of talking to the creator. But again, beautiful, nice idea. You're davening not only for yourself as your own checklist, right? I'm eating these school of things and I'm getting the brachos ברכות from all the Rebbes רבנים and I'm going to all the kvarim קברים. I guess I should also daven דאַוון to Hashem, check. How do you know you believe in it? Because when you daven דאַוון for someone else, that's not your checklist. Maybe that's evidence you really believe. But it still doesn't answer the question. Avraham and Avimelech had different needs. How could Chazal חז\"ל deduce? How can they extrapolate from here that tzarich l'oso davar צריך לאותו דבר, same need? Listen to this insight. Rav Zelig Ruvein Bengis רב זעליג ראובן בענגיס, who is the head of the Eidah HaChareidis עדה החרדית of Yerushalayim ירושלים, he offers a brilliant and novel interpretation. Listen to how he understands tzarich l'oso davar צריך לאותו דבר, unbelievable. It does not mean you daven דאַוון for someone else who has the same need or suffers from the same problem. Rather, it's that the problem the other person has actually benefits you. If they would continue to have that problem, it would be to your advantage. And nevertheless, you daven דאַוון for them. Where do you see that? So for example, you have a competitor in business, you have someone competing and maybe you feel that they're taking some of your clients, your customers, your business. Something happens to their business. God forbid they get sick or some fire in their factory, a problem in their business. And you daven דאַוון for them nonetheless, you daven דאַוון for their success, you daven דאַוון for their healing, you daven דאַוון for their safety and security, even though it would be an advantage to you if they suffered the problem, then you're ne'eneh techilah נענה תחילה. Then you're ne'eneh techilah נענה תחילה. When you daven דאַוון for them first, despite the fact that their challenge is in your best interest, you have proven your merit and you're deserving a great reward. And that's exactly what you see from here. The scoffers were claiming that Sarah's pregnancy was from whom? Avimelech. What would compel Avraham to daven דאַוון for Avimelech? If Avimelech was sick and rendered impotent and incapable of fathering a child, who would it serve? Avraham. If the reality empirically proved that Avimelech couldn't father a child, Avraham would say, well that takes care of that. Take that cynics and scoffers. There goes your conspiracy theory. If you were weakened and non-functional, nobody would dream of suggesting that Avimelech was the father. So you know what oso davar אותו דבר means, says Rav Bengis? Oso davar אותו דבר means doesn't mean you're davening for the same thing. It means who's tzarich l'oso davar והוא צריך לאותו דבר. The thing that you're suffering from, I gain by, I could use, it's to my advantage. And nonetheless, I daven דאַוון for you, nonetheless, hu ne'eneh techilah הוא נענה תחילה. Hu ne'eneh techilah הוא נענה תחילה. Helping someone at your own expense, davening for someone even the very thing you're davening for will harm you, reflects on your generous heart and your magnanimous spirit and just who you are, how kind you are, shows that you don't put yourself first even though you would have an advantage and you would benefit. It shows how carefully calibrated your moral compass is and therefore who ne'eneh techilah הוא נענה תחילה. What an incredibly powerful, powerful image. The Shabbos שבת of Rav Schechter רב שכטר is coming. Moreinu v'Rabbeinu מורנו ורבנו, we're very excited to host Rav Schechter רב שכטר. I'll tell you an amazing story of Rav Schechter רב שכטר. Rav Schechter רב שכטר once received a call. Somebody who helped raise money for a Yeshiva ישיבה. A timing couldn't have been any better. Wow. Rav Schechter רב שכטר got a phone call from someone who helped raise money for a Yeshiva ישיבה that he was a supporter of. And they said, you know, such and such a person might donate to this Yeshiva ישיבה. Rav Schechter רב שכטר, you're close, he's a talmid תלמיד of yours. Do you mind calling and asking him to help this Yeshiva ישיבה? Rav Schechter רב שכטר said, sure, I'm happy to. Then it occurred to him that Rav Schechter רב שכטר gives a shiur שיעור in that neighborhood once a week. He said, you know, I come to that neighborhood once a week to give a shiur שיעור. Maybe I could stop by the Yeshiva ישיבה and when I see it for myself, when I make the phone call, it'll be that much more compelling, because I'll see myself, I'll know what I'm talking about, I'm not speaking about something in the abstract. So I'll stop by the Yeshiva ישיבה. So the man said, okay, maybe, let me call you back. And he called Rav Schechter רב שכטר back and he said, listen, the Yeshiva ישיבה is a little bit of a different hashkafah השקפה. Yeshiva ישיבה is a little bit of a different orientation than you and then where you are a Rosh Yeshiva ראש ישיבה. Rosh Yeshiva ראש ישיבה is a little concerned for you to stop by. What would that say? What would people say? If you don't mind, could you just make the phone call to the talmid תלמיד, help us raise the money. Maybe it's better to not stop by. Maybe better to not stop by. So, what would you have said? Are you crazy? Are you out of your mind? So insulting, so offensive, so judgmental. You're on your own. I'm going to do a favor. I'm going to raise money. I'm going to help a Yeshiva ישיבה that doesn't respect me. Forget about it. What makes Rav Schechter רב שכטר great? He said, no problem. Whatever's better for you, whatever's better for the Yeshiva ישיבה, I'm happy to make the phone call. So when Rebbetzin Schechter רבנית שכטר found out, I don't know if I should be telling this story. But when Rebbetzin Schechter רבנית שכטר found out, she said, absolutely not. No way. Your kavod כבוד, Rav Schechter רב שכטר is incredibly humble, and sometimes a spouse's job is to protect the kavod כבוד, the honor of the other. She said, absolutely not, no way. So one of the Schechter שכטר children asked Rav Asher Weiss רב אשר וייס, Nu, who's right? Who's correct in this story? So Rav Asher רב אשר said, your mother is right, your father is righteous. Your mother's right, your father's righteous. And again, I don't know if I should be repeating that story. If you see the Schechters שכטרס this Shabbos שבת, don't mention that I said the story. I think it's greatness and they're both, they're both right and they're both righteous. But your mother's right, your father's righteous. And that's who's tzarich l'oso davar הוא צריך לאותו דבר. Sometimes something's not in your best interest. Do you do it anyway? Do you daven דאַוון anyway? Do you help anyway? Do you step in anyway? It's a new interpretation. It's an incredibly novel interpretation in who's tzarich l'oso davar הוא צריך לאותו דבר. To daven דאַוון for someone else where what you're davening for helps you too, big deal. To daven דאַוון for someone else where if your tefillah תפילה is heard and it helps the other, it hurts you, that reflects a whole other level of your character. And that's what it means who's tzarich l'oso davar הוא צריך לאותו דבר. There are other interpretations of tzarich l'oso davar הוא צריך לאותו דבר, which means not that you need it because you need it. Who's tzarich l'oso davar הוא צריך לאותו דבר means that until the other person's problem is solved, who's tzarich l'oso davar הוא צריך לאותו דבר, you're in pain, you can't sleep, you're not comfortable. How could it be there's someone among us, a family, a friend, a community member, a neighbor, who's sick or who wants a child, or who's waiting for a shidduch שידוך. Who's tzarich l'oso davar הוא צריך לאותו דבר? I need that thing for them to be answered. Because it's not that I'm davening for the other. It's that, it's a beautiful Ksav Sofer כתב סופר, understands the Rambam רמב\"ם this way, not for now. But the Ksav Sofer כתב סופר understands the comment of the Rambam רמב\"ם this way, that every time we daven דאַוון for another, Hashem only hears when we're not only davening for the other. If our davening is, Hashem, I'm good, I've got everything, I'm good to go, nebach נעבעך, the poor nebach נעבעך over there. I'm davening for the nebach נעבעך. I want to be honored at the shul dinner. I want to get the Ish HaShana איש השנה award. I want to get mafteyona מפטיר יונה. So even though I'm all good, I got it going on, everything's perfect in my life, I'm davening for that nebach נעבעך over there. Hashem doesn't listen to such a tefillah תפילה. When does Hashem listen to a tefillah תפילה? When my tefillah תפילה is who's tzarich l'oso davar הוא צריך לאותו דבר. It's not that I'm good, I am well, I've got it all going on, and you are the nebach נעבעך I'm davening for you. It's that if nebach נעבעך you're missing out on something, I'm missing out on something. If you're lacking, I'm in pain. If you're suffering, I can't continue. Who's tzarich l'oso davar הוא צריך לאותו דבר? I need it also as well. The Chida חיד\"א, my new favorite sefer ספר, Otzar Pelos HaTorah אוצר פלאות התורה, we'll quote from it several times today. Hopefully we'll get to it. says the following, eleh toldos Yitzchak ben Avraham, Avraham holid es Yitzchak אלה תולדות יצחק בן אברהם, אברהם הוליד את יצחק. He quotes the Chida חיד\"א. It's an incredible sefer ספר, digs up the most obscure comments. Fantastic, fantastic stuff. And he says the following. The Chida חיד\"א in his sefer ספר, I don't even know how to pronounce it, Midbar Kadmos מדבר קדמות, quotes from a kuntres yoshan a klaf קונטרס ישן על קלף, she'kasvu talmidei Rabbeinu Yehuda HaChasid b'shem rabam שכתבו תלמידי רבינו יהודה החסיד בשם רבם. They found a parchment, they quote a tradition from Rabbeinu Yehuda HaChasid רבינו יהודה החסיד that says the following quote. Avos ha'olam, Avraham, Yitzchak v'Yaakov ra'u zeh es zeh אבות העולם, אברהם, יצחק ויעקב ראו זה את זה. Did you ever wonder, were they contemporaries? Did they live contemporaneously? Did Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov אברהם, יצחק ויעקב ever overlap? Was there ever a three generations of Thanksgiving dinner? Did they ever have together Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov אברהם, יצחק ויעקב? Says this tradition from Rabbeinu Yehuda HaChasid רבינו יהודה החסיד, yes. V'chamesh esrei shanim lamdu Torah b'chol yom v'laila chamesh esrei sha'os וחמש עשרה שנים למדו תורה בכל יום ולילה חמש עשרה שעות. For 15 years, for 15 hours a day, father, son, and grandson, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov אברהם, יצחק ויעקב learned Torah תורה. 15 years, 15 hours a day, the three of them learned Torah תורה. Now, it's very hard to understand because Yitzchak Avinu יצחק אבינו was born, how old was Avraham? 100. And Yaakov was born when Yitzchak was 60. So when Yaakov was born, Avraham would have had to have been 160. But all these years were, how old was Avraham when he died? 175. So Yaakov would have had to start to learn from birth, from infancy, from being a newborn. And so the Ba'al HaTurim בעל הטורים writes, ra'u zeh es zeh, tes vov shanim v'lo kasav she'lamdu ראו זה את זה ט\"ו שנים ולא כתב שלמדו. The Ba'al HaTurim בעל הטורים quotes this tradition that there is an overlap of 15 years, but he does not say they studied, they learned together, because Yaakov would have had to have been a newborn. But says the Otzar Pelos HaTorah אוצר פלאות התורה, maybe you could understand Rabbeinu Yehuda HaChasid רבינו יהודה החסיד, she'machmas otzem kedushaso shel Yaakov Avinu, hischil lilmod Torah teikaf b'yom she'nolad שמחמת עוצם קדושתו של יעקב אבינו, התחיל ללמוד תורה תיכף ביום שנולד. Yeah, maybe Yaakov was in the karseet כרסית, he was in the crib, he was in the bassinet. And we find this in a Midrash מדרש of Moshe Rabbeinu משה רבינו, that the day Moshe Rabbeinu משה רבינו was born, he already walked on two feet, and he already spoke to his parents. And when he was three months, he already had a prophecy, osid ani lekabel Torah mitoch lahavei eish עתיד אני לקבל תורה מתוך להבי אש. So we do see a tradition with Moshe Rabbeinu משה רבינו that the most advanced, that the greatest, they're already born, we need to develop, we need to evolve, we need to grow. I think it's Rabbeinu Bachya רבנו בחיי, I forgot where I once saw it, who wonders why the difference between animals and men. If you've ever seen a calf be born. Why would you have ever seen a calf be born? Because the Burman family from Hollywood, Gore Berman גור ברמן family has a farm in Okeechobee. When you have little kids, it's a great activity to do on a Sunday of Chol HaMoed חול המועד, to go to their farm and see the cows being milked and seeing Dr. Burman deliver calves from cows. Fascinating. Most fascinating part to me is when he successfully delivers a calf, you know what happens? The calf comes out and starts to walk. Stands up, stumbles a little bit, it's like a drunk calf at first, stumbles a little bit, and then it starts to walk. You say, wait one second. How come with us, it takes months, could take years. How come it takes a long time? And the calf pops out, start walking. So the answer, I think it's Rabbeinu Bachya רבנו בחיי says, because the animal is what you see is what you get. Behemah, ba mah בהמה, בה מה, what you see is what you get. Adam min ha'adamah אדם מן האדמה, we're meant to grow and make progress and evolve and advance. Our whole life is a journey of growth. The animal starts walking when it came out because what you see is what you get. This is it. The animal's not going to go for an education or great graduate degrees or learn lessons of life or study and read books. The animal, what you see is what you get from birth. Bah mah, behemah בה מה, בהמה. Adam min ha'adamah אדם מן האדמה, we grow, we advance, we make progress. So that's true for the ordinary individual. But Moshe Rabbeinu משה רבינו, the Midrash מדרש says, and here maybe a Yaakov Avinu יעקב אבינו, they're already born more advanced, and therefore maybe Yaakov was already learning from the womb, a fascinating example of Otzar Pelos HaTorah אוצר פלאות התורה. Torah tells us, perek chaf hey פרק כ\"ה, pasuk chaf aleph פסוק כ\"א. What happens? She, like all of our imahos אמהות, Rifka רבקה, rather, is barren. She's struggling with infertility, one of the most painful things known to man. We daven for all those who are waiting and longing for a child. They should be blessed with many, many healthy, wonderful children who give them tremendous nachas נחת. So Yitzchak davened for his wife, vaye'etar Yitzchak l'Hashem l'nochach ishto ki akarah hi ויעתר יצחק לה' לנכח אשתו כי עקרה היא. Yitzchak davened for his wife because she's barren. Vaye'aser lo Hashem v'tahar Rifka ishto ויעתר לו ה' ותהר רבקה אשתו. Hashem heard this powerful, deep prayer, and he responded, and in fact, she conceived. And we know the whole story, vayisrotzetzu ויתרוצצו. She feels this agitation. She goes to do a consultation. There's two children. We asked last year and answered last year. why is she satisfied by this conversation that she has? that it's two nations, that shouldn't make her feel any better that one of them is kicking to get out when she passes a beis avodah zarah בית עבודה זרה. How did that help? That was last year. So Rashi רש\"י says, vaye'etar lo ויעתר לו. So Yitzchak is davening. Vaye'aser lo Hashem ויעתר לו ה', Hashem answers Yitzchak. Why? Why does Hashem answer Yitzchak? Because you can't begin to compare the tefillah תפילה of a tzaddik ben tzaddik צדיק בן צדיק with the tefillah תפילה of a tzaddik ben rasha צדיק בן רשע. Now, if you would have asked me, I would have said, you're right, you can't begin to compare. Who's more impressive? The one with no background? The Bobover Rebbe באבאווער רבי hated when people said no background. We all have a background. We're children of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov אברהם, יצחק ויעקב. He said, people don't have an education, every Jew has a background. So who's more impressive? The person who has no role models, no inspiration, no education, grows up in a wicked home, and yet davens and such a righteous way, or the person that Yitzchak who grew up watching Avraham? How does that make sense, Rashi's רש\"י's comment that Yitzchak was answered? Why? You can't begin to compare the tefillah תפילה of a tzaddik ben tzaddik צדיק בן צדיק and a tefillah תפילה of a tzaddik ben rasha צדיק בן רשע. Says the Maggid Yosef מגיד יוסף, Rav Yosef Sorotzkin רב יוסף סורוצקין, who'll be here in a few weeks for Shabbos שבת. You know what's the inspiration of a tzaddik ben tzaddik צדיק בן צדיק? The tzaddik ben rasha צדיק בן רשע says, I was raised by and I live among reshaim רשעים, and I reject that way of life. I reject that corruption, I reject that immorality, I reject that atheism, and I want to live a more meritorious, virtuous life. Beautiful, super impressive, but also very self-rewarding. But the tzaddik ben tzaddik צדיק בן צדיק grows up and says, my father's a tzaddik צדיק. There's enormous pressure on me to be a tzaddik צדיק. How will I ever live up to being a tzaddik צדיק like my father? So you know what? I'm going to walk away. I'm going to give it up. I'm not even going to try since it's unlikely I could succeed. Why bother? To be a tzaddik ben tzaddik צדיק בן צדיק, and you see this empirically. We don't have that many dynasties of talmidei chachamim תלמידי חכמים because when a person is raised in the context of greatness, it's beautiful and it's wonderful and we think that we're jealous or envious, but it comes with its own set of problems. It's not so easy. It's not so easy at all. And Yitzchak nevertheless perseveres and endures. He's inspired and he's driven that he too can emerge to be a tzaddik צדיק in his own way and his own right, that it never gets old or stale or wrote, that even though he's got the greatest role model and even though from a very young age, he's already taught, he nevertheless is incredibly incredibly committed. V'nireh l'zot remez ba'mikra, vaye'etar Yitzchak l'Hashem ונראה לזה רמז במקרא, ויעתר יצחק לה'. Tefillas Yitzchak hayisa malei'ah hisragshus shel omed lifnei Hashem תפילת יצחק היתה מלאה התרגשות של עומד לפני ה'. His tefillah תפילה, vaye'etar Yitzchak l'Hashem ויעתר יצחק לה', his tefillah תפילה is described as he genuinely feels he's standing in front of God. Keneged hisragshuso shel Rifka sheba'ah mi'beis Lavan כנגד התרגשותה של רבקה שבאה מבית לבן. And this is now he interpretations. What does it mean l'nochach ishto לנכח אשתו? We're not going to spend time on this now. I don't remember if we did previously. What does it mean l'nochach לנכח? What does the word l'nochach לנכח? Just translate the word for me. Yitzchak davened to Hashem, l'nochach לנכח. Rashi רש\"י says they were in opposite corners. Opposite corners. Maybe this is the makor מקור for the separation of genders in tefillah תפילה, for a mechitzah מחיצה. Why do we have a mechitzah מחיצה, why do we separate? Certainly we're avoiding socializing and inappropriate interaction, licentiousness. Certainly the mechitzah מחיצה is playing that role, but it's playing an additional role. You know what happened, what would happen for a lot of men if they were davening next to their wife? She'd be with her siddur סידור, for some reason women hold it really close up to their chin, especially when they get back from seminary. So she'd be davening, pouring out her heart, you know, throwing her all into it, furrowing her brow, she'd be entirely sincere, and he'd be like, yeah, you know, God, I'm going to look at my texts, I'm with her. You see how sincere, you see how intense? You see how righteous she is? Yeah, I go with her. I go with her. I'm good to go. She has me in mind. She has me in mind. I'll be answering email. So the Halacha comes and says, no, no, no, no, no. Everybody, you're on your own. You daven and you daven, and you cannot have someone in mind, and you cannot piggyback, and you can't say ditto, and you can't go with someone else. Everybody, you're on your own, pour your heart to Hashem, develop your relationship with Hashem, connect with Hashem in your own way, separate corners. Maybe this is the makor מקור, maybe this is the source for that. L'nochach לנכח, they were in separate corners. They were davening in their own. L'nochach לנכח others say, why was Yitzchak davening for, not davening for a Hashem? He only needed to daven for her. Why didn't he need to daven for himself? He had a pretty good promise going. What promise did he have? Hashem, she lived saying, I have no idea if I'll ever conceive. I don't know if I'll ever merit to have a child. I don't know my continuity. Yitzchak said, yeah, I'm good to go. Because he promised my father and through my father, he promised me that I'm going to have children and offspring. The whole stars and sands, remember all those blessings? Yeah, I'm the chosen one. That goes through me. So I'm good to go. I don't know if it'll be through you, just like my father took on another wife, maybe it'll be through someone else. I'm good to go. So you know who I'm davening for? You. L'nochach לנכח. He davened for Rifka because he was good to go. That doesn't sit well with me. I'm sure it doesn't sit well with you. Says the Maggid Yosef, you know what it means l'nochach לנכח, l'nochach ishto לנכח אשתו? It means that Yitzchak, his tefillah תפילה, l'nochach ishto לנכח אשתו, it paralleled the intensity and the sincerity of his wife. She's a צדיק בן רשע tzaddik ben rasha. She on the one hand, for her this is new and fresh and exciting and energizing and romantic, this whole spirituality of being a בעלת תשובה baalat teshuva. She's on fire. She's on fire. You know, the גמרא Gemara says, קשין גרים לישראל כספחת kashin geirim l'Yisrael k'sapachat. Converts are as unpleasant to the Jewish people like a boil, like a bad rash, like a fungus, like a case of corona. What did converts do wrong that we label them so terribly? רש\"י Rashi, תוספות Tosafot, different opinions weigh in, but the explanation I find so beautiful, you know what it means? It means the convert walks in all excited. So excited, חנוכה Chanukah is coming up. פסח Pesach, I can't wait to clean for פסח Pesach. שחרית Shacharit is over. When can we start מנחה Mincha? Teach me more הלכה halacha, ל\"ו מלאכות lamed vav melachot, which jelly bean do I take from which color and leave behind and how and where and when? בורר Borer, I'm so beautiful, בורר borer is amazing. And the פרום פרום בערט frum from birth is like, yeah, whatever, just just eat the jelly beans. If you tell me ל\"ו מלאכות lamed vav melachot, I break out in hives from my the test I took in eighth grade, just leave me alone. Yeah, you and your דאווענען davening, you and your clean, פסח Pesach cleaning. So what does it mean that the converts are as painful to the Jewish people like a boil? It means they are a mirror. They are a conscience because they are the standard of the way we should and could be living. With the energy and enthusiasm. So, excuse me. Compared to them, we're asleep at the wheel. The גרים geirim. קשין גרים לישראל Kashin geirim l'Yisrael. השם Hashem looks down and he says to the פרום פרום בערט frum from birth, those FFBs who are burnt out and disaffected and disinterested and he says, could you be a little bit more excited like the convert?And I think it's not just the convert. השם Hashem looks down at the בעלי תשובה baalei teshuva. And he says, yeah, while you're barely holding on and you're still considering walking away, look at all these people who've just run towards. Look at the people who've embraced. Look at the people who've radically changed their life and lifestyle because they want a piece of what you're thinking of walking away from. The בעלי תשובה baalei teshuva are our conscience, they are our standard. They are מחייב mechayev us, they obligate us. So Rivka is a בעלת תשובה baalat teshuva. She's דאווענען davening, she's got her סידור siddur up here, she's swaying, she's making those faces, she's intensely concentrating. And in the other corner is the צדיק בן צדיק tzaddik ben tzaddik. He's like, yeah, I've been saying this my whole life. I say it forever. I grew up going to the slowest מנין minyan because my father was the ראש ישיבה rosh yeshiva. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's hard to be inspired to דאווענען daven. That's what the פסוק pasuk means, ויעתר יצחק להשם לנכח אשתו Vayetar Yitzchak l'Hashem l'nochach ishto. The תפילה tefillah of the צדיק בן צדיק tzaddik ben tzaddik was just as intense as the צדיק בן רשע tzaddik ben rasha. His תפילה tefillah, לנכח l'nochach, it was opposite her, that he was inspired by her, he paralleled her. He was able to be as intense as she one she was, and that's what it means. Okay. Let's keep going. We're going to do something we don't normally do. We're going to go out of order in the פרשה parsha. You know, every week I say we only got like halfway through, a third through. So several people email me, well, why don't you just start from the back and work your way forward? So we're going to go a little bit out of order today. So try to hold cup in the storyline because we're going a little bit out of order. פרק כ\"ז פסוק א' Perek kaf zayin pasuk aleph. פרק כ\"ז פסוק א' Perek kaf zayin pasuk aleph. You find that, we know Rivka, spoiler alert, Rivka gives birth to twins, יעקב Yaakov and עשו Esav. They're very, very different, they emerge to be very, very different. What happens when it's time for the ברכות brachos? Rivka concocts an entire scheme with her son, you know, the one who could never tell a lie, תתן אמת ליעקב titen emet l'Yaakov, and he tells one of the greatest lies of history when he disguises himself as his brother עשו Esav and steals the ברכה bracha from his brother עשו Esav. ויהי כי זקן יצחק ותכהנה עיניו מראות Vayehi ki zakein Yitzchak vatichhena einav mei'ros. When Yitzchak became old and he got cataracts, macular degeneration, he struggled to see. ויקרא את עשו בנו הגדול Vayikra es Esav bno ha'gadol. And he called Esav his son, ה ha גדול gadol. ויאמר אליו בני ויאמר אליו הנני Vayomer eilav bni vayomer eilav hineni. He called his son and Esav answered הנני hineni. פסוק ט\"ז Pasuk tet vav. Turn the page, page 136, פסוק ט\"ז pasuk tet vav. ועשה מטעמים V'asa matamim. סליחה, ויקח Slicha, vayikach. ותקח רבקה את בגדי עשו בנה הגדול Vatikach Rivka es bigdei Esav bna ha'gadol. Rivka takes the clothing of her son Esav, which son? ה Ha גדול gadol. And then a third time you see, פסוק מ\"ד pasuk mem daled. פסוק מ\"ד Pasuk mem daled, yet again. We find Esav being called גדול gadol. Why does the text continuously refer to Esav, sorry, פסוק מ\"ב pasuk mem beis. ותגד לרבקה את דברי עשו בנה הגדול ותשלח ותקרא ליעקב בנה הקטן ותאמר אליו הנה עשו אחיך מתנחם לך להרגך Vataged l'Rivka es divrei Esav bna ha'gadol, vatishlach vatikra l'Yaakov bna ha'katan, vatomer eilav hinei Esav achicha misnachem lecha l'horgecha. Why does the text at least three times refer to Esav as the גדול gadol and Yaakov as the קטן katan? Why? We know by now. Don't we know by now? Esav was born first. We obviously have to know by now because in fact that's how we got to this whole story. Esav is the older brother, Yaakov made the trade, he bought the בכורה bechora, עשו ויבז Esav vayivez, he disgraced it when he when he simply dismissed it. So we know Esav's older. So why does the text have to tell us not once, and not twice, at least three times, Esav's גדול gadol and Yaakov is קטן katan. So there are many interpretations to this, and I want to share some of them with you. The רמב\"ן Ramban says, you know why the Torah is telling us this? This is an amazing רמב\"ן Ramban. ברוך אתה אדוני אלהינו מלך העולם שהכל נהיה בדברו Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha'olam shehakol nihiyeh bidvaro.Parents are drawn to love and affection. Parents love all their children, they love all their children equally. That's what we're all told and that's what we tell our children. And it's true. We love all of our children equally. It's true, we love all of our children equally. But your firstborn child made you a parent. They gifted you and they, you gave them life, they gave you parenthood. There's a certain relationship with the firstborn. This is true in the Torah too. Jewish people, God has many children, all of humanity are his children. We are בני בכורי ישראל bni bechori Yisrael. We are his firstborn. And the בכור bechor, the role of the בכור bechor, the role of the firstborn is significantly elevated throughout the Torah and manifests in הלכה halacha. Firstborn has a certain status, and we have a certain affection, affinity towards that firstborn. And yet, here Rifka, Rifka, the mother of that firstborn, bless you, has to be willing to say he's not the chosen one. He may have granted and gifted me parenthood, he might be my firstborn, but I have to set aside whatever connection I have, whatever affinity or affection I have for him, because he's not the one, Yaakov is. So גדול gadol and קטן katan are emphasized again and again to indicate that Rifka is willing to do the difficult decision and to choose the correct child even though he's the younger one over the older one. Very interesting insight of the רמב\"ן Ramban. The נציב Netziv and the אור החיים Ohr HaChaim explain differently. The נציב רב נפתלי צבי יהודה ברלין Netziv, Rav Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, or החיים הקדוש רב חיים בן עטר Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh, Rav Chaim ben Attar says, this has to do with Esav's stature and his strength. גדול Gadol and קטן katan is not a description of birth order, nor is it a description of spiritual status or identity. It's simply a description of height. Esav's bigger, and Yaakov has to wear Esav's clothing. Esav's stronger, Yaakov's weaker, so Yaakov has to run and flee for his life. And that's why in this storyline, in the narrative, the Torah tells us, Yaakov is קטן katan, Esav is גדול gadol because they were different heights, they were different sizes. In fact, the אוצר פלאות התורה Otzar Plaos HaTorah has a discussion about this, about their different height. Okay, we won't get into it, but he has a discussion about their different height, about their different stature, physically, physically. And the third approach is Rav Schwab, Shimon Schwab, the Rav of German Jewry in Washington Heights. Shimon Schwab has a different interpretation, a final notion. He says גדול gadol is not an expression of physical height or stature or power or strength, nor is it a question of birth order. Esav was גדול gadol in a certain way. In what way and with what mitzvah was Esav greater than Yaakov? כיבוד אב ואם Kibud av v'em. Esav excelled at one mitzvah. He didn't just excel in that mitzvah, you know what he was? He was a גדול gadol in that mitzvah. He was a גדול gadol. כיבוד אב ואם Kibud av v'em. Rashi quotes that he tried to trick his father into asking שאלות shailos that weren't even true, but he he ran to be able to take care, to be able to provide, to be able to affectionately display the love for his parents. In fact, Esav had special clothing. He would change out of his gym clothing. He would change out of his smelly hunting garb. He put on special royal clothing to care for his parents. עד כדי כך Ad k'dei kach, he would honor his parents by wearing more honorable clothing. He was a גדול gadol in כיבוד אב ואם kibud av v'em. He was a גדול gadol in the realm of honoring his parents. And relative to Esav, Yaakov was a קטן katan, not that Yaakov didn't fulfill this mitzvah nobly, but compared to Esav who excelled, he was a קטן katan. Rivka understands and she tells Yaakov, against his better judgment, to go in an extraordinary act of כיבוד אם kibud eim. Honor me and become a גדול gadol in כיבוד אם kibud eim by doing something against your nature. תתן אמת ליעקב Titen emet l'Yaakov, your nature is truth. You cannot tell a lie. Your loyalty and fidelity to truth, I want you to go against your nature as a display of honoring me, כיבוד אם kibud eim. And by putting Yaakov in Esav's clothing, the clothing that he would wear while serving his father, she said, you are emulating your brother הַגָּדֹל ha'gadol. He's a גדול gadol in כיבוד אב kibud av, you should wear his כיבוד אב kibud av clothing to achieve being a גדול gadol in כיבוד אם kibud eim, by honoring me to do this against your father. It's a wild פשט pshat, no? So גדול gadol and קטן katan is not height, is not birth order, it is specifically related to a particular mitzvah, namely כיבוד אב ואם kibud av v'em, and relative to Yaakov, Esav's a גדול gadol, and Rivka put him on the special clothing of כיבוד אב kibud av clothing to be a גדול gadol himself in this way, in this, in this area. Okay. יושב אוהלים Yoshev ohalim. We're going to go back to the beginning of the פרשה parsha. Yaakov and Esav are born, they emerge, ויגדלו vayigdlu, they grow up. At בר מצוה bar mitzvah, you begin to see the differences in the maturity of people. פרק כ\"ה פסוק כ\"ז Perek kaf hei pasuk kaf zayin. Go back, I'm giving you whiplash. Page 126 in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash. ויגדלו הנערים ויהי עשו איש יודע ציד איש שדה ויעקב איש תם יושב אוהלים Vayigdlu ha'nearim vayehi Esav ish yodea tzayid ish sadeh v'Yaakov ish tam yoshev ohalim. Fundamental difference in the way that their names or their character is communicated. Esav is, what is Esav? יודע Yodea, צייד tzayid. Yaakov is יושב yoshev. What's the difference in tenses grammatically between יודע yodea and יושב yoshev? Rashi says, what does it mean he's יושב אוהלים yoshev ohalim? בית מדרשו של שם ובית מדרשו של עבר Beis midrasho shel Shem u'veis midrasho shel Ever. They each had their own ישיבה yeshiva, Shem and Ever. It's an old Jewish joke, the שול shul you go to, the one you'd never go to, the ישיבה yeshiva you're registered in, the ישיבה yeshiva you'd never go to. Shem and Ever, they couldn't even combine, and they couldn't, they couldn't, they couldn't collaborate. They're two separate competing ישיבות yeshivas. ישיבת שם Yeshivas Shem and ישיבת עבר Yeshivas Ever. By the way, which ישיבה yeshiva did Yaakov go to? Both. You know why? Yaakov diversified in his learning. My whole worldview of the שער הכלל shaar ha'klal, 70 faces of Torah. Don't just lock yourself into one path. Have a spiritual passport and travel. Learn from all. Explore חסידות Chasidus, explore different types of חסידות Chasidus, explore the ספרדי Sefardi tradition, the אשכנזי Ashkenazi tradition, different ישיבות yeshivos, different ראשי ישיבה rashei yeshiva, different השקפות hashkafos. Take and draw the best from all of them. Who do we learn that from? Yaakov. He's יושב yoshev, not יושב אוהל yoshev ohel. Yaakov doesn't plant himself and sit only in one בית מדרש beis medrash. He's יושב אוהלים yoshev ohalim. He explores multiple, multiple בתי מדרש batei medrash. Rashi specifically says Shem and Ever. Comes along with Rav Chaim Friedlander, the משגיח mashgiach upon a vision, he says, unlike Esav who's described as יודע צייד yodea tzayid, Yaakov is described in the הוה hoveh, in the present tense, יושב yoshev. Why is he יושב yoshev? יושב Yoshev, because he is always learning. Wherever and whatever he does, he's יושב yoshev in the present tense. He's always, life is a journey of learning. He's sitting and learning wherever he is, wherever he is, whatever he's doing. What do we call, what do we call somebody who is superior in their knowledge? In Judaism, what do we call them? תלמיד חכם Talmid chacham. We don't call them a חכם chacham, sometimes you call a חכם chacham. We call them a תלמיד חכם talmid chacham. This person is coming this weekend, oh, what an extraordinary תלמיד חכם talmid chacham. You know what makes someone a חכם chacham? That they remain a תלמיד talmid. What makes you a חכם chacham is remaining a תלמיד talmid. Is remaining a תלמיד talmid. Is remaining a student, יושב yoshev, that it's a perpetual state of sitting and learning, whether literally or figuratively, you're never done, you are never finished.The ויזד vayazed, now we move over to the story of the sale of the בכורה bechora, פרק כ\"ה פסוק כ\"ט perek kaf hei pasuk kaf tes. What happens? ויזד יעקב נזיד ויבא עשו מן השדה והוא עייף Vayazed Yaakov nazid vayavo Esav min ha'sadeh v'hu ayef. Yaakov's just amazing on his resume. He sits and he learns, and he cooks. Learner, I don't know if he was an earner, but he was a learner chef. יושב אוהלים Yoshev ohalim, and he cooks. Unbelievable. That's why he had resumes down to the floor. ויזד יעקב נזיד ויבא עשו מן השדה והוא עייף Vayazed Yaakov nazid vayavo Esav min ha'sadeh v'hu ayef. Yaakov's got a simmering stew, he's making a cholent, and Esav comes in and he says, boy, I am starving. And we know the whole exchange, the conversation, and the sale that takes, the sale that takes place. The גמרא Gemara in בבא בתרא Bava Basra tells us that, ט\"ז tet zayin. That day that Esav returned from the field, חמש עבירות עבר אותו רשע באותו היום chamesh aveiros avar oso rasha b'oso hayom. Esav violated five עבירות aveiros on that day. What were the five עבירות aveiros? They begin with בא על נערה מאורסה ba al na'ara me'urasa. Esav slept with a engaged woman. There was a woman who was engaged to someone else and Esav didn't care. He didn't respect boundaries and territory. Esav slept with a נערה מאורסה na'ara me'urasa. תוספות Tosafos and תוספות ארי\"ד Tosafos Ha'Rid sound like עבר על עבירה זו כפשוטה avar al aveira zu k'pshuta. Literally, he raped or seduced, or simply even with her consent, but he didn't respect boundaries, Esav slept with a married woman. But the פרי מגדים Pri Megadim in הלכות פסח Hilchos Pesach comes from אוצר פלאות התורה Otzar Plaos HaTorah. This is the kind of stuff he digs up. It's a גישמאק geshmak. Listen to what he says. The פרי מגדים Pri Megadim. Everyone knows the פרי מגדים Pri Megadim, the great הלכה halachic source, the פרי מגדים Pri Megadim. The פרי מגדים רב יוסף בן Pri Megadim, Rav Yosef ben Tumim, in his הלכות פסח Hilchos Pesach, סימן ת\"ע siman taf ayin vav, he quotes from a ספר יד יוסף sefer Yad Yosef, פרשת תולדות Parshas Toldos, our פרשה parsha, who says this גמרא Gemara may be על פי דרש al pi drash. גמרא Gemara says that that day Esav came in from the field starving, why was he so tired? Because being a רשע rasha is exhausting. I hope none of us know from experience, but being a רשע rasha is exhausting. So violating all these boundaries is exhausting. So again, תוספות Tosafos, תוספות הרי\"ד Tosafos Ha'Rid say literally he slept with an engaged woman, but the פרי מגדים Pri Megadim says, no, it's not what it means. You know what it means בא על נערה מאורסה ba al na'ara me'urasa? It means the following. He ate מצה matzah that Yaakov had made. And what did Yaakov intend Yitzchak was going to be eating it? What day was this on the Jewish calendar? When did Avraham die? ערב פסח Erev Pesach. Yaakov made this lentil stew, כשר לפסח kasher l'Pesach. And he made מצה matzah that Yitzchak was going to fulfill the mitzvah of מצה matzah with on סדר Seder night. Avraham died on ערב פסח Erev Pesach. Esav comes from the field on ערב פסח Erev Pesach and he says, הלעיטני נא hal'iteni na, I'm starving. Give me something. So Yaakov gave the מצה matzah to Esav. Why did Yaakov sell the מצה matzah to Esav? With the assumption that when would his big brother eat it? פסח Pesach night, like a good יוד Yid. But Esav was so starving and he had no discipline, no self-control. When did he eat it? Right then and there on ערב פסח Erev Pesach. The ירושלמי Yerushalmi in פסחים Pesachim says, האוכל מצה בערב פסח כבא על ארוסתו בבית חמיו ha'ochel matzah b'Erev Pesach k'ba al arusaso b'veis chamiv. To eat מצה matzah, we know some of the tradition not to eat מצה matzah from פורים Purim on, from a month before. Some have the tradition not to eat מצה matzah from ראש חודש Rosh Chodesh. But strictly speaking, it's prohibited to eat מצה matzah on ערב פסח Erev Pesach. A person should have their first taste of מצה matzah, have an appetite for מצה matzah. And the ירושלמי Yerushalmi says if you eat מצה matzah on ערב פסח Erev Pesach, it's like sleeping with your betrothed in your in-law's house. You couldn't wait. She's going to become permissible to you. There's an appropriate time and place and you can't wait. חז\"ל Chazal had some, you know, colorful imagery, metaphors. It's not mine, I'm reading to you verbatim. ירושלמי פסחים פרק י Yerushalmi Pesachim Perek Yud, הלכה א halacha aleph. האוכל מצה בערב פסח כבא על ארוסתו בבית חמיו Ha'ochel matzah b'Erev Pesach k'ba al arusaso b'veis chamiv. I'm just translating the words. If you eat מצה matzah on ערב פסח Erev Pesach, it's like you slept with your bride in the home of your in-laws, in her parents' home. And that says the פרי מגדים Pri Megadim, that's what the גמרא Gemara means when it says, Esav violated five things and one of them was בא על נערה מאורסה ba al na'ara me'urasa, because he ate the מצה matzah on ערב פסח Erev Pesach that Yaakov had baked, instead of waiting to eat it on פסח Pesach night. And that's the connection of eating מצה matzah on ערב פסח Erev Pesach to בשניים מותר להנות רק אחר שבירכו שבע ברכות b'shnayim mutar lehanos rak achar she'birchu sheva brachos. Both are only permissible after you recite שבע ברכות sheva brachos. Before you eat the מצה matzah you make three ברכות brachos: קידוש kiddush, יין yayin, קידוש kiddush and זמן zman, בורא פרי הגפן borei pri ha'gafen, קדש שהיה זמן שהחיינו kadeish she'asa zman she'hecheyanu. You make a בורא פרי האדמה borei pri ha'adamah on כרפס karpas, בורא פרי הגפן borei pri ha'gafen on the second cup, המוציא Ha'motzi, ברכת אכילת מצה birchas achilas matzah, שבע ברכות sheva brachos. There are seven ברכות brachos you say before you get to the מצה matzah. Rabbi Brand. חתן וכלה Chasan v'kallah also say שבע ברכות sheva brachos under the חופה chuppah before they could be intimate. So before you could eat the מצה matzah, there are seven blessings said. Before one is intimate, there are שבע ברכות sheva brachos said under the חופה chuppah. So when you eat מצה matzah on ערב פסח Erev Pesach, it's like your בא על ארוסתו בבית חמיו ba al arusaso b'veis chamiv. Says the פרי מגדים Pri Megadim, now you understand why we have eggs at the סדר Seder table. Don't break out in hives, I'm sharing with you a פסח Pesach דברי תורה dvar Torah. It's not even חנוכה Chanukah. Why? We eat ביצים beitzim בליל פסח b'leil Pesach like the ירושלמי Yerushalmi says, it's quoted by the כלבו Kolbo, the בית יוסף Beis Yosef, that what? Eggs is מאכל אבלים maachal aveilim. The the first meal the אבל avel eats when they come home from the cemetery, the סעודת הבראה seudas havra'ah is an egg and bread. That's in fact what Yaakov was bake was cooking for his father. Yitzchak was sitting שבעה shiva for the death of Avraham on ערב פסח Erev Pesach. He made him lentils round like eggs. So why do we eat eggs at the סדר seder? זכר שמית אברהם אבינו בערב פסח Zecher she'meis Avraham Avinu b'Erev Pesach. The whole reason we eat an egg at the סדר seder is because that day was the יארצייט yahrzeit of אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu. Avraham died on ערב פסח Erev Pesach. That's why Yaakov was making Yitzchak a round food, which to us today is not a lentil but an egg. Esav should have waited to eat the מצה matzah till סדר seder night, but he preempted, he ate it already on ערב פסח Erev Pesach, which was like קבל על ארוסתו בבית חמיו k'ba al arusaso b'veis chamiv. So that's why, that's why. Interesting, huh? Good stuff. Okay. I think it's good stuff. You look like you're a lot less impressed. וישמור משפטי Vayishmor mishpatai. פרק כ\"ו פסוק ה' Perek kaf vav pasuk hei. Excuse me. וירא רעב בארץ מלבד הרעב הראשון Vayar ra'av ba'aretz milvad ha'ra'av ha'rishon. Now there's a famine that forces Yitzchak, Yitzchak can't leave the Land of Israel, why? He's a קרבן עולה korban olah. He was on the מזבח mizbeach. Unlike his father, even though מעשה אבות סימן לבנים maaseh avos siman l'banim, unlike his father who fled whenever there was a famine, Yitzchak couldn't leave, but within Israel he goes to the land of the פלישתים P'lishtim, and he encounters אבימלך Avimelech. And the פסוק pasuk says, פרק כ\"ו פסוק ה' perek kaf vav pasuk hei. עקב אשר שמע אברהם בקולי וישמור משמרתי מצותי חקותי ותורותי Eikev asher shama Avraham b'koli vayishmor mishmarti mitzvotai chukotai v'sorosai. Because Avraham obeyed my voice and observed my safeguards, my commandments, my decrees, and my Torahs. רבי יעקב קמנצקי Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky says, what does this mean? The רמב\"ן Ramban hearing, the רמב\"ן Ramban on these words quotes, ויעקב בחוץ לארץ לבד נשא שתי אחיות V'Yaakov b'chutz la'aretz l'vad nasa shtei achayos. I don't understand. Yaakov kept everything. How did he keep everything? What did he explicitly violate? Those who learned the דף daf last year, two years ago? יבמות Yevamos. Are you allowed to be married to two, to two sisters? No. Yaakov is married to two sisters, רחל ולאה Rachel v'Leah. How could it tell us that Yaakov observed everything? He's going to marry two sisters. How is that allowed? לבד נשא שתי אחיות L'vad nasa shtei achayos. Why? Says the רמב\"ן Ramban, חוץ לארץ chutz la'aretz, כי המצוות משפט אלוקים בארץ הם ki ha'mitzvos mishpat Elokim ba'aretz heim. It was allowed because it was חוץ לארץ chutz la'aretz. So Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky, אמת ליעקב Emes l'Yaakov, he says the following. שלא יהיה קשה לרמב\"ן מדוע נשא יעקב את רחל אחר שנשא את לאה Shelo yihe kashe l'Ramban madua nasa Yaakov es Rachel achar shenasa es Leah. Why was Yaakov allowed to, why did he marry Rachel after he married Leah? שהרי ברור הדבר שאחר שיעקב הבטיח לרחל שישאה sheharei barur ha'davar she'achar she'Yaakov hivtiach l'Rachel sheyisa'ena, שיחה עם לבן מפורש רחל בתך הקטנה sicha im Lavan meforash Rachel bitcha ha'ktana, היה מחוייב לעשות זאת בלי מאחר כל רגע haya mechuyav la'asos zos b'li mei'acher kol rega. Because he had made a promise he was going to marry Rachel. And Yaakov Avinu doesn't violate his promise. His word is his bond. If he said he's going to marry her, he's going to marry her. Even though marrying her meant what did he have to abandon? A חומרא chumra that he had of observing the whole Torah, even though it had not yet been commanded. So says Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, you see something powerful here. חומרות Chumros are lovely. Stringencies that we adopt for ourselves, they're wonderful, but not at the expense of much more fundamental, core, and central commitments. Yaakov made a promise. He's not entitled to abandon the promise in order to fulfill a חומרא chumra. So he sets aside the חומרא chumra because he had made a promise that even though he had already married Leah, marrying Rachel would go against the Torah that he had voluntarily adopted. Nevertheless, keeping his promise is more, is more important, is more important. Okay. Yeah, the אוצר פלאות התורה Otzar Plaos HaTorah, back to my favorite new sefer. Says the following, still worth buying it. I'm quoting 10% on each parsha of what he has. 5%. It's fantastic. It's fun, it's great stuff. Here's a question he explores. Again, the kind of stuff he explores. The אבות Avos kept all of Torah. Did they wear תפילין tefillin? Did Yaakov put on תפילין tefillin every day? Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, did they put on תפילין tefillin? Which one, רש\"י Rashi or רבנו תם Rabbeinu Tam? Why is it a question, did they put on תפילין tefillin? What's inside the תפילין tefillin? Four פרשיות parshiyos. What are the פרשיות parshiyos? Included among the פרשיות parshiyos are leaving מצרים Mitzrayim, hadn't yet happened. Did they wear תפילין tefillin? What was inside the תפילין tefillin? The גמרא Gemara, יומא כ\"ח Yoma kaf chet. We learned from this פסוק pasuk, עקב אשר שמע אברהם בקולי וישמור משמרתי מצותי חקותי ותורתי eikev asher pasuk hei, eikev asher shama Avraham b'koli vayishmor mishmarti mitzvosai chukosai v'sorosai, that Avraham voluntarily observed all the mitzvos in the Torah, even דרבנן d'rabbanan. And Yaakov says the same thing. Yaakov is going to say עם לבן גרתי ו im Lavan garti v' תרי\"ג מצוות שמרתי taryag mitzvos shamarti. He kept all 613, all תרי\"ג taryag, all תרי\"ג taryag. So if he kept all תרי\"ג taryag, did he wear תפילין tefillin? The פרשה parsha of קדש לי kadesh li has the story of סיפור יציאת מצרים sipur Yetzias Mitzrayim. They hadn't yet been in מצרים Mitzrayim. They hadn't yet left מצרים Mitzrayim. How could you say they fulfilled a mitzvah whose sole essence is to commemorate an Exodus that hadn't yet happened? So did they wear תפילין tefillin if supposedly they kept the whole Torah? So the ספר מור ושמש Sefer Mor V'Shemesh says, לא מצינו שהאבות עשו בפועל ממש המצוות, כנחת תפילין הגדולה, רק שהמשיכו על עצמם פנימיות הקדושה על ידי המחשבותם בקדושה lo matzinu she'ha'avos asu b'foal mamash ha'mitzvos, k'hanachas tefillin ha'gedolah, rak she'himshichu al atzmam pnimiyus ha'kedusha al yedei machshevosam b'kedusha. Every mitzvah has a פנימיות pnimiyus. There's the physical mitzvah and there's the deeper meaning and spirituality of the mitzvah. When we say they observed and they kept all the mitzvos, says the מור ושמש Mor V'Shemesh, it does not mean they literally kept all the mitzvos. It means they were aware of and tuned into the deeper meaning of the mitzvah and that they kept, they were connected with the spirituality of the mitzvah, even if it doesn't mean that literally they observed the mitzvah. And maybe you could bring a ראיה raaya to this from the fact that Avraham gets שכר schar. The גמרא Gemara in חולין Chullin says, he gets a שכר schar by the fact that he never took anything from the war, the four kings, the five kings, סדום Sdom. It says מחוט ועד שרוך נעל mei'chut v'ad sroch na'al. From a, from a shoelace, for a string to a shoelace he didn't take anything. And חז\"ל Chazal say, זכו בניו לשתי מצוות zachu banav l'shtei mitzvos, that his children in the merit inherited two mitzvos, namely, which mitzvos? חוט chut is תכלת tcheiles, and רצועה retzuah is תפילין tefillin. In the merit of his not taking of the spoils, his children, זכו בניו zachu banav, to ציצית tzitzis and תפילין tefillin. So what does that suggest, says the אוצר פלאות התורה Otzar Plaos HaTorah? That the אבות avos didn't wear תפילין tefillin, it's בניו banav. If it would have meant that he merited תפילין tefillin, it would have said that he merited, it says בניו banav. Others disagree, quotes, others, the ריטב\"א Ritva, רש\"י Rashi, ישמח משה Yismach Moshe, quotes from all over, we're not going to take the time. Indication in this way, indication in that direction, did they wear תפילין tefillin, did they not wear תפילין tefillin. He concludes it, שאלתי חקירה זו לגאון רב חיים קנייבסקי sha'alti chakira zu l'Gaon Rav Chaim Kanievsky. I asked Rav Chaim Knu, did they wear תפילין tefillin? השיב לי בכתב בזו הלשון heishiv li b'ktav b'zu ha'lashon. Rav Chaim as he answered hundreds of thousands of postcards, normally with a terse answer, he answered everyone. So he answered this question and said, ידעו ברוח קודש עניין יציאת מצרים ויתכן שהניחו תפילין yad'u b'ruach kodesh inyan yetzias Mitzrayim v'yitachen she'hinichu tefillin. They knew, if not the notion of the slavery in מצרים Mitzrayim physically, but they knew what it would mean spiritually. They understood the principle of freedom, of emancipation, of Exodus. And therefore, even though it hadn't yet happened, it's uh, it is, it is possible, says Rav Chaim, that they wore תפילין tefillin. So it's possible that they wore תפילין tefillin. Again, another example of a of an interesting thing they they dug up.Later, פסוק pasuk says פרק כ\"ח פסוק ב' perek kaf ches pasuk beis. פרק כ\"ח פסוק ב' Perek kaf ches pasuk beis. I'm going to skip again towards the end of the פרשה parsha. Trying, I'm trying people, I'm trying. ויקרא יצחק אל יעקב ויברך אותו ויצוהו לא תיקח אשה מבנות כנען Vayikra Yitzchak el Yaakov vayivarech oso vayitzavehu lo tikach isha mibnos K'naan. There are questions I've shared this every year because they bother me every year. They're still unclear. Feels like עיקר חסר מן הספר ikar chaser min ha'sefer. Did Rivka and Yitzchak ever have pillow talk about their children? Did Rivka ever share her concerns about Esav? By the way, מעשה אבות סימן לבנים maaseh avos siman l'banim, if our matriarchs and patriarchs follow the precedent of what came before them, then how come Rivka didn't follow the model of Sarah? Sarah kicked Yishmael out of the house. Why don't Yitzchak and Rivka kick Esav out of the house? Why do they leave him around? Okay, it's her child. It wasn't Sarah's child, but Yishmael was Avraham's child. So much so that Hashem has to say, whatever Sarah says, שמע בקולה shma b'kolah, listen, she's right. If she was right to kick Yishmael out, why wouldn't it be right to also kick Esav out? But did Yitzchak and Rivka, the text leaves us wondering every year. The text is the same every year, so it leaves us wondering every year. Did Yitzchak and Rivka have pillow talk? Did Rivka say, you know, I went to parent-teacher conferences this week, first time in many, many, many moons. I generally don't go, but I went, I went. So, did they come back from parent-teacher conferences and say, what are we going to do about Esav? What's the story? It seems like they had no conversation at all. And moreover, Rivka comes up with this entire concoction and sets Yaakov up to trick his father Yitzchak. And it's not like the curtain comes down and then we never find out what happens. Did Yitzchak ever say to Yaakov, son, what's the deal with what you just did? It's not okay. Or it is okay because I understand you were serving a greater good, but it was a little uncomfortable. I feel like you you tricked me. Did they ever talk about it?And it's not like we don't know if they spoke. They spoke. ויקרא יצחק אל יעקב Vayikra Yitzchak el Yaakov. Yitzchak calls Yaakov over after the episode. And Yitzchak, we know, was Yitzchak just like roll with the punches? Was he easygoing? When he realizes that he had given the ברכה bracha to Yaakov instead of Esav, was he like cool with that? Was it fine? ויחרד חרדה גדולה Vayecherad charada gedola, he shakes, he almost passes out, he has a terrible, whoa! The text tells us how shaken Yitzchak is. If he's so shaken, why when he encounters Yaakov again, does he just talk to him about שידוכים shidduchim? Go to פדן ארם Paddan Aram, go to the house of Besuel, the father of your mother, your grandfather, and get married to there a niece of Lavan, אחי אמך achi imecha. Marry someone there from the daughters of Lavan, the brother of your mother. In other words, marry a cousin.How about, hey, can we talk about what happened? You almost gave me a heart attack. You gave me a stroke. Could we talk about what happened? Did they talk about it? Text doesn't tell us. I don't know. So the פסוק pasuk says, go, all they do talk about is he says, go run for your life, you're in trouble, your brother's going to kill you. And by the way, go get married. And only marry, because Yitzchak had this experience from his father, only marry your cousin. Keep it in the family.So, אוצר פלאות התורה Otzar Plaos HaTorah will end with this. We'll end with this. The מדרש בראשית רבתי Midrash Bereishis Rabbasi that Lavan did not have daughters at all. And once Yitzchak said the words, וקח לך אשה מבנות לבן v'kach lecha isha mibnos Lavan, צדיק גוזר והקדוש ברוך הוא מקיים tzaddik gozer v'Hakadosh Baruch Hu mekayem, immediately when Yitzchak, thousands of miles away, uttered the words, go marry from the daughters of Lavan, from your cousin, פונקט punkt, then Lavan's wife got pregnant. And she gave birth to twins. And that's why Yaakov spent 14 years in the ישיבה yeshiva of שם ועבר Shem v'Ever.And this answers a big question. Because, how old was Yaakov when he got married? How old was Yitzchak? 40. Not young. By today's standards, by their standards. Yitzchak was 40. Yaakov is how old? How old? Yaakov's 84. 84. Right? 84? He's much, he's more than twice as old. What is he waiting for? 14 years ישיבת שם ועבר Yeshivas Shem v'Eiver, he stops over to לערנען lernen? So אוצר פלאות התורה Otzar Plaos HaTorah explains, he had to wait for these girls to be at least 14 years old.We spoke last week, made a little controversy online, on Twitter there was a whole debate about what we said. That Rivka was three, that's one מדרש midrash, the גרא Gra says she was 14. You don't have to teach the מדרש midrash she was three. Generated a little debate about it. My daughter Tamar generated a little debate, the day she wasn't listening in school, because her teacher didn't make sense. So the גרא Gra says Rivka was 14 when she got married. Here also, here also, he learned for 14 years, he had to stay over in ישיבת שם ועבר Yeshivas Shem v'Eiver for these Lavan's new daughters to be, to grow up a little bit to be eligible to get married. So maybe that's why he stopped over, and that's why it took so long, and he waited so long to get married. A lot more to say, but we'll leave it there. Have a fantastic day. Stay happy, stay healthy.
