Transcript
Good morning. בוקר טוב Boker tov. It should be a good morning, it should be a בוקר טוב Boker tov. We should hear בשורות טובות besorot tovos, ישועות ונחמות yeshuos ve'nachamos, please God. We should hear only good news, hostages be brought home in a sweeping victory, soldiers returned to their families, peace for our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. Our פרשה Parsha series sponsor, we remain very grateful to Becki and Avi Katz and family, who've dedicated the פרשה Parsha series in loving memory of David Grossman, in memory of לעילוי נשמת דוד בן מנחם מנוש le'iluy nishmas Dovid ben Menachem Manush. This morning's שיעור shiur is also sponsored by Erica and Perry Galler in memory of her mother, Irene Markowitz, his נשמה neshama should have an עלייה aliyah. In honor of the wedding of Daniela Rose to יהודה Yuda Lewis, dedicated by their parents, Dr. Jerry and Esther Friedman, Dr. Moshe and אלנה Alana Wurtentile of Teaneck, in tribute to grandmothers Natalie Friedman, Dorothy Roll, and Esther Wurtentile. Wonderful occasion and שמחה simcha. Anonymously in appreciation of the weekly שיעור shiur. Thank you so much, appreciation right back atcha. And by Miriam Nusbaum on the יארצייט yahrzeit of her beloved husband Alan Nusbaum, אשר בן אליעזר Asher ben Eliezer, his נשמה neshama should have an עלייה aliyah. Thank you to all of our generous sponsors. As always, we encourage and invite you to stay after the שיעור shiur. The more who stay, the quicker it'll go and the more times we can complete all of ספר תהילים Sefer Tehillim. We come not only to learn, but to לדאוון l'daven. The combination of our learning and our davening, בחרבי ובקשתי be'charbi u'vekashti, we'll learn this morning. Please God, should pierce the heavens and be heard and bring only good news.Page 268, פרשת ויחי Parshas Vayechi, the last פרשה parsha of the book of בראשית Bereishis. This is a שבת חזק Shabbos Chazak. And boy, do we need the חזק chizuk, as we turn to one another and say חזק חזק chazak chazak and together נתחזק nischazek. It's only when Jews together turn to each other חזק חזק chazak chazak, offer חזק chizuk to each other, נתחזק nischazek, can we find strength together. So here we have the story line continue to unfold. We know the story, and yet we're at the edge of our seats. What will happen next? ויחי יעקב בארץ מצרים Vayechi Yaakov b'eretz Mitzrayim, שבע עשרה שנה ויהי ימי יעקב שני חייו שבע שנים shva esrei shana vayehi yemei Yaakov shnei chayav sheva shanim, וארבעים ומאת שנה ve'arbaim u'meas shana. יעקב Yaakov, reunited, long awaited with his son יוסף Yosef. The brothers are back together again. Are they? Are they back together? Is it only during יעקב's Yaakov's lifetime? Was it real and authentic? Was it superficial and surface? We'll see more. But יעקב Yaakov comes to live in מצרים Mitzrayim and how long is he there? He lives in מצרים Mitzrayim for שבע עשרה שנה shva esrei shana, 17 years. שני חייו שבע שנים וארבעים ומאת שנה shnei chayav sheva shanim ve'arbaim u'meas shana. The years of his life are 147 years. The בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim tells us, ויחי יעקב בארץ לא מצינו לא חיו ימים טובים בלא צער אלא כמיניין ויחי Vayechi Yaakov b'eretz lo matzinu lo chayu yamim tovim b'lo tzaar ela keminyan Vayechi. The only days of his life that he lived without pain, without anguish, without struggle, without crisis were the same as the number, the numerical value, the גמטריא gematria of ויחי יז שנה משנולד יוסף עד שנמכר Vayechi yud zayin shana mishenold Yosef ad shenimkar. The 17 years from when Yosef was born until Yosef was sold, those were peaceful and those were happy. ויז שנים במצרים v'yud zayin shanim b'Mitzrayim, the 17 years in Mitzrayim, his retirement years. He went to the BRS afternoon כולל kolel, כולל בוקר Kolel Boker, לילה כולל laila kolel, the כולל Kollel in residence program, שטעקל מאשען shtikl mazhan, a little walk around the circle. דבר אחר ויחי יעקב בארץ מצרים שבע עשרה שנה שהראשונים לא היו חיים שהרי אמר כי ארד אל בני אבל שאולה davar acher Vayechi Yaakov b'eretz Mitzrayim shva esrei shana she'ha'rishonim lo hayu chayim she'harei amar ki ereid el bni avel she'olah. So יש לאיין Yesh l'ayen, wonders Rav Druk in his beautiful ספר לב אש sefer Lev Ha'esh. I don't know if it's come out on the other, I only have it on בראשית Bereishis. I don't know if it came out yet on שמות Shmos, just like תפארת שמואל Tiferes Shmuel. I don't know. If you're listening and you know and you can send me the לב אש Lev Ha'esh and the תפארת שמואל על שמות Tiferes Shmuel al Shmos by next week, we'd be very grateful. So wonders of Druk, יש לאיין בלשון הכתובים ויחי יעקב בארץ מצרים Yesh l'ayen b'lashon ha'kesuvim Vayechi Yaakov b'eretz Mitzrayim. Why does it say ויחי יעקב Vayechi Yaakov, not ויהי יעקב בארץ מצרים Vayehi Yaakov b'eretz Mitzrayim? It would have been more accurate, it would have been more appropriate to describe and יעקב Yaakov lived, and יעקב Yaakov was, and יעקב Yaakov existed, and יעקב Yaakov inhabited מצרים Mitzrayim for 17 years. Or וישב יעקב בארץ מצרים Vayeshev Yaakov b'eretz Mitzrayim. He moved, because מצרים Mitzrayim had no state income tax, so he moved. He moved to מצרים Mitzrayim. Ah, he went to the DMV, updated his driver's license, officially changed his residence, proved to the IRS more than 51% of the time, to the days, he had the travel log. So מהו לשון ויחי Mahu lashon Vayechi? It should just say he took up residence. He existed. What do you mean ויחי Vayechi? ויחי Vayechi is an unusual word. וישב Vayeshev, he resided, he moved in. So from the בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim, it seems, שכתב כי הראשונים לא היו חיים she'kasav ki ha'rishonim lo hayu chayim. Because it seems that until now יעקב's Yaakov's life was not a life. יעקב's Yaakov's life was filled with crisis and misery and challenge and struggle, as he said about himself, כי ארד אל בני אבל שאולה ki ereid el bni avel she'olah. ובשנים האחרונות שהיה במצרים הוא כבר נודע לו שיוסף בנו חי uv'shanim ha'acharonos she'haya b'Mitzrayim hu kvar noda lo she'Yosef bno chai, only those last years in מצרים Mitzrayim, when he saw that יוסף Yosef was alive and the beautiful family that יוסף Yosef built and the beautiful life that יוסף Yosef crafted. Oh, אז פסקה אבלותו מעליו והחל לחיות בחזרה Az paska aveiluso me'alav v'heichel l'chyos b'chazarah. He was no longer in a perpetual state of mourning and grieving. He was no longer worried. He was able to see יוסף Yosef in יוסף's Yosef's family and יוסף's Yosef's life. And these were the only years that he was really alive. מפני שהשנים הטובות שלו בלא צער היו כמיניין ויחי mipnei she'hashanim ha'tovos shelo b'lo tzaar hayu k'minyan Vayechi. The days that he was not בצער b'tzaar, the days that he was able to exhale, he was able to breathe, he was able to have some מנוחת הנפש menuchas ha'nefesh, those only numbered the same numerical value of ויחי Vayechi. כן מצינו בפירוש רבינו חיים פלטיאל על התורה שכתב כן על הקושיא שכן למה לא כתב ויהי חי ימי יעקב כמו גבי שרה ויהיו חיי שרה Ken matzinu b'feirush Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel al haTorah she'kasav ken al ha'kushya she'ken lama lo kasav Vayehi chayei yemei Yaakov kmo gabei Sarah vayihiyu chayei Sarah. It says with Sarah, ויהיו חיי שרה Vayihiyu chayei Sarah. ויש לומר מלמד שלא חיה יעקב שנים טובות אלא כמיניין ויחי דהיינו ל\"ד שנים V'yesh lomar melamed she'lo chaya Yaakov shanim tovos ela k'minyan Vayechi, d'hainu lamed daled shanim. It was only 34 years. Those were the only years that he lived. ויחי גמטריא Vayechi gematria 34 years. Because all of his days were filled with צער tzaar until then. However, says Rav Druk, maybe you could explain alternatively. Maybe you could explain a little bit differently. In פרשת ויגש Parshas Vayigash, after we're told, שסיפרו האחים ליעקב שיוסף חי והוא מושל במצרים she'sipru ha'achim l'Yaakov she'Yosef chai v'hu moshel b'Mitzrayim, after, after יעקב Yaakov was told that יוסף Yosef is still alive, great news, you were right to be inconsolable all those years, you were right, יוסף Yosef is still alive. And not only is he alive, it's not that he's barely holding on, it's not that he's some homeless man on the side of the road, it's not that we found him in a shelter, he is the viceroy of all of Egypt. What does the Torah tell us, last week's פרשה Parsha? ותחי רוח יעקב אביהם Vatechi ruach Yaakov avihem. יעקב Yaakov when he heard that news was כאילו k'ilu revived. It's as if CPR was on, he came back to life. אונקלוס Onkelos, the תרגום Targum there translates, ושרת רוח קודשא על יעקב אבוהון v'sharas ruach kudsha al Yaakov avuhon. ותחי Vatechi means the שכינה Shechina, רוח הקודש ruach hakodesh returned. יעקב Yaakov became spirited, alive, soulful, the presence of השם Hashem dwelled upon him once again. כי הקדוש ברוך הוא אמר ליעקב אבינו אנכי אקל אלוקי אביך אל תירא מרדה מצרימה כי לגוי גדול אשימך שם אנכי ארד עמך מצרימה ואנכי אעלך גם עלה ki ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu amar l'Yaakov avinu Anochi ha'Kel Elokei avicha al tira me'reida Mitzraima ki l'goy gadol asimcha sham. Anochi ereid imcha Mitzraima v'anochi a'alcha gam alo. We spoke about a ערב שבת erev Shabbos a week or two, I think last week. אנכי Anochi, אנכי Anochi, the ספרים הקדושים sfarim ha'kedoshim say אנכי Anochi is a אנכי Anochi of עשרת הדברות Aseres HaDibros. השם Hashem said אנכי Anochi, עמו אנכי בצרה imo anochi b'tzarah. I'm going down, the שכינה Shechina itself, I'm going with you. אל תירא מרדה מצרימה al tira me'reida Mitzraima, said רש\"י Rashi, don't worry, don't be fearful, don't be stressed out about going down to מצרים Mitzrayim, שהיה מיצר שנסתלקה ממנו חוצה לארץ she'haya meitzar she'nistalka mimenu chutz la'aretz. יעקב Yaakov was worried about going to חוץ לארץ chutz la'aretz. He was very worried. I know that my system, I know that ידישקייט Yiddishkeit can thrive where? The holy religion in the holy land with the holy people, that winning triad, that winning combination, I know can win, but חוץ לארץ chutz la'aretz, can it adapt? Can it pivot? Will it survive? Will it thrive? Yaakov was worried. The פרקי דרבי אליעזר Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer says, שחשש יעקב אבינו לרדת מצרימה she'chashash Yaakov avinu lareides Mitzraima, היה מכיוון שמקום השראת השכינה הוא רק בארץ ישראל haya mikeivan she'makom hashras ha'Shechina hu rak b'Eretz Yisrael. We know the שכינה Shechina can only dwell where? In ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael. That's why prophets, נביאים neviim only prophesies where? In the land of Israel, והקדוש ברוך הוא אינו משרה שכינתו בחוץ לארץ v'ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu eino mashreh shchinaso b'chutz la'aretz. ולכן חשש יעקב והיה מיצר לרדת למצרים V'lachen chashash Yaakov v'haya meitzar lareides l'Mitzrayim. He just got the שכינה Shechina back. ותחי Vatechi. He was just revived. He just again became this instrument, this medium of divine countenance, divine presence. He didn't want to go to חוץ לארץ chutz la'aretz, שמוץ לארץ shmutz la'aretz. Like your grandchildren call it when they come back from the שנה shana in Israel. He didn't want to go to שמוץ לארץ shmutz la'aretz where he would lose the שכינה Shechina. על כן הבטיח לו הקדוש ברוך הוא אנכי ארד עמך מצרימה al ken hivtiach lo ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu Anochi ereid imcha Mitzraima. Don't worry, I'm going with you and I'm going to come back with you. שגם שם בארץ מצרים תהיה השראת השכינה עליו she'gam sham b'eretz Mitzrayim tihiyeh hashras ha'Shechina alav. Even there, exception, even there in exceptional circumstance, I'll be with you. So now we understand, what does it mean ויחי יעקב Vayechi Yaakov? says Rav Druk. כי בא הכתוב לומר שהבטחה נתקיימה הבטחה של הקדוש ברוך הוא אנכי ארד עמך מצרימה ki ba ha'kasuv lomar she'havtacha niskama havtacha shel ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu Anochi ereid imcha Mitzraima. Because indeed, הקדוש ברוך הוא's HaKadosh Baruch Hu's word came true. ששרה על יעקב השכינה אף בארץ מצרים she'sharsah al Yaakov ha'Shechina af b'eretz Mitzrayim. Even in גולה Golus it wasn't a step down. They didn't lose something. The שכינה Shechina was present. ויחי יעקב Vayechi Yaakov, his ידישקייט Yiddishkeit thrived, it flourished. He was able to transmit his מסורה mesorah, the שכינה Shechina was present even in חוץ לארץ chutz la'aretz. So that's why it doesn't simply say וישב Vayeshev, he dwelled. He didn't just change his residence. ויחי Vayechi, he lived with the שכינה Shechina. He lived with the שכינה Shechina. Don't give up and don't forfeit and don't be hopeless. Then חוץ לארץ chutz la'aretz, אך ach, among non-Jewish influence and non-Jewish host nation, we can't. We can. The שכינה Shechina can be found even here, even here. And then Rav Druk offers a second insight. Says Rav Druk, דברי בעל הטורים האלו צריכים ביאור Divrei Baal HaTurim eilu tzrichim biur. כיצד ניתן לומר שיעקב חי שלא בצער באותם יז שנים מהולדת יוסף הצדיק עד מכירתו Keitzad nitan lomar she'Yaakov chai shelo b'tzaar b'osam yud zayin shanim me'huledes Yosef HaTzaddik ad mechiraso. He has some more fundamental questions. The בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim asserted that the 17 years from when יוסף Yosef was born until יוסף Yosef was sold were the only peaceful 17 years of, of יעקב's Yaakov's life. But let's review the 17 years of יוסף's Yosef's childhood. הלא באותם שנים הוא היה בבית לבן הארמי Halo b'osam shanim hu haya b'veis Lavan ha'Arami. Where was יעקב Yaakov when יוסף Yosef was a child, an adolescent? Where was יעקב Yaakov? He was in the house of his father-in-law, לבן Lavan. לאחר מכן לבן רדף אחריו L'achar miken Lavan radaf acharav. And then when יעקב Yaakov has the courage and tells his wives, we're out of here, let's go, גנוק genuk, it's enough. What happens? לבן Lavan pursues, לבן Lavan chases. And then what happens? רחל אשתו מתה בדרך Rachel ishto meisa ba'derech. Our פרשה Parsha, we have the interesting language, מתה עלי רחל meisa alai Rachel. I pointed out every year. It sounds like חלילה chalila יעקב's Yaakov's talking about his car, it gave out on him on the highway. My car died on me. Could you imagine מתה עלי רחל רחל meisa alai Rachel, Rachel went and up and died on me on the way. So in those 17 years, he had to navigate and survive the house of his wicked father-in-law לבן Lavan. לבן Lavan runs after him and pursues him. His wife dies young, premature. ואז עשיו הגיע ונלחם עמו בדרך מיום שמו כדי להרגו V'az Eisav higia v'nilcham imo ba'derech meiom shmo kdei l'hargo. He confronts and reunites his brother עשיו Eisav, prepared for war, for battle. By the way, he's injured in the wrestling match with the שר של עשיו Sar shel Eisav. His daughter דינה Dinah is #MeToo, unless you're a Jew. דינה Dinah is raped and taken by שכם Shechem. אם כן עברו על יעקב כל כך הרבה צרות במשך אותם יז שנה כיצד ניתן לומר שהיו אלו ימים טובים ליעקב Im kein avru al Yaakov kol kach harbeh tzaros b'meshech osam yud zayin shana keitzad nitan lomar she'hayu eilu yamim tovim l'Yaakov. Wonders of Druk on this Baal Turim, what? Only the 34 year, what? 17 years of Yosef's childhood, those were the only peaceful years of his life. After that was misery, those were peaceful years, those were good years. We just listed all kinds of debilitating, difficult, anxiety-ridden, challenge, crisis incidents of יעקב's Yaakov's early life, of יוסף's Yosef's childhood. So how could he say those 17 years were easy? ניתן לבאר זאת על פי המסופר מתלמידיו המובהקים של הגאון רב נחום פרצוביץ nitan l'vaer zos al pi ha'mesupar m'talmidav ha'muvhakim shel ha'gaon Rav Nachum Partzovitz. He tells a story, the same story is told of רב יעקב קמנצקי Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky. There was a תלמיד talmid of רב נחום Rav Nachum, שהגיע לכמה שיעורים she'higia l'kama shiurim, he didn't come to שיעור shiur, he missed שיעור shiur several times. So שאל רב נחום מדוע החסרת מן השיעורים איפה היית sha'al Rav Nachum madua hech'sarta min ha'shiurim eifo hayisa? Where have you been? What's going on? You've been absent. What's going on? השיב התלמיד היה לי צער גידול בנים heishiv ha'talmid haya li tzaar gidul banim. So the student said, רבי rebbe, I'm so sorry I missed shiur. I'm so sorry I missed כולל kolel, I missed, I wasn't in the בית מדרש Beis Medrash. I'm struggling. צער גידול בנים tzaar gidul banim. What's צער גידול בנים tzaar gidul banim? I'm going through צער גידול בנים tzaar gidul banim, the pain of child rearing. ילד אחד היה לו חום yeled echad haya lo chom. One child had a fever, the other one had a virus, the third had to run to the doctor in the middle of the night. And that's why I missed all the shiurim. What can I do? צער גידול בנים tzaar gidul banim. So אמר לו רב נחום amar lo Rav Nachum, he turned to him and he said, this is זה לא צער גידול בנים zeh lo tzaar gidul banim. You know what that's called? לא צער גידול בנים lo tzaar gidul banim. You know what that's called? גידול בנים gidul banim. That's called גידול בנים gidul banim. That's called having children. Children get sick and children don't listen and children get in trouble and children get bad grades and children make a mess and children, that's called child rearing. That's not צער גידול בנים tzaar gidul banim. That's גידול בנים zeh gidul banim. That's גידול בנים gidul banim. They say the same story of רב יעקב Rav Yaakov. רב יעקב Rav Yaakov met a תלמיד talmid. He asked how it's going, and he said, I'm struggling terribly, צער גידול בנים tzaar gidul banim. He said, tell me what's the matter. And he said, you know, this child socially with friends, this one in school, this one. רב יעקב Rav Yaakov said, זה לא צער גידול בנים zeh lo tzaar gidul banim. That's called זה גידול בנים zeh gidul banim. That's גידול בנים gidul banim. That's built-in. That goes with the territory. That's called raising children. מהו אם כן צער גידול בנים mahu im kein tzaar gidul banim? So what is צער גידול בנים tzaar gidul banim then? אמר רב נחום כאשר אדם משקיע וטורח הרבה בגידול בנים ומיצטער על כך עושה לילות כימים למען ילדיו משקיע בהם את כל גופו וכספו ובסוף הילד בועט ויוצא לתרבות רעה או אז נמצא כי כל גידול בנים הופך להיות צער אחד גדול amar Rav Nachum ka'asher adam mashkia v'toreach harbeh b'gidul banim u'mitztayer al kach oseh leilos k'yamim l'maan yeladav mashkia bahem es kol gufo v'kaspo u'vasof ha'yeled bo'et v'yotzei l'tarbus ra'ah o az nimtza ki kol gidul banim hofech l'hiyos tzaar echad gadol. Person invests and gives and sacrifices everything, everything. Financially they invest in their children, they give up their sleep, they give up their emotion, everything is invested in that child. And that child chooses a different path, that child makes choices that are irreparable, that child disappoints. That's called צער tzaar, גידול בנים gidul banim. That's a גידול בנים gidul banim, you put everything into the child and what you got back in return is צער tzaar, is a צער tzaar. כי מכל עמלו לגדל בנם בדרך התורה לא קיבל צער גדול זהו צער גידול בנים ki mi'kol amalo l'gadel bnam b'derech haTorah lo kibbel tzaar gadol zehu tzaar gidul banim. אבל הנסיונות הרגילים היום יומיים שיש בסוף גידול בנים aval ha'nisyonos ha'regilim ha'yomyomim she'yesh b'sof gidul banim. But the daily challenges of raising children, yeah, this one's going to overturn the cereal bowl, this one threw up on the chair, this one had a messy diaper, this one got in trouble in school, this one got a bad grade, this one didn't do the homework. That's just called גידול בנים gidul banim. That's not called צער גידול בנים tzaar gidul banim. Scope, perspective. Scope, we have to know. בדומה לזה b'domeh l'zeh, I have to announce to my children also, don't call me in the middle of a פרשה שיעור parsha shiur. Turn your phones to vibrate and don't you know Tuesday mornings, 9:30 by now. גידול בנים gidul banim, שטעקל צער shtikl tzaar. That's called גידול בנים gidul banim. ברוך השם baruch Hashem, that's just גידול בנים gidul banim. בדומה לזה יש לברר בעניינינו b'domeh l'zeh yesh l'varer b'inyaneinu. says Rav Druk, maybe now we can understand this Baal Turam. Why? הנסיונות שהיו ליעקב אבינו מלבן ועשיו ודינה אינו נחשב כצער שעל אדם להסתדר עם הנסיונות לאמין שכל מה שהשם עושה לו טוב הוא עושה והוא להתחזק בביטחון בקדוש ברוך הוא ha'nisyonos she'hayu l'Yaakov avinu m'Lavan v'Eisav v'Dinah eino nechshav k'tzaar, she'al adam l'histader im ha'nisyonos l'amin she'kol ma she'Hashem oseh lo tov hu oseh, v'hu l'hischazek b'bitachon ba'Kadosh Baruch Hu. Everything he had undergone until now, having to navigate Lavan, having to overcome and survive Eisav, having to redeem and bring Dina back home, all of that is not called צער tzaar, because that was things that you could surpass. הצער אצל יעקב אבינו נחשב רק כאשר אירע לו מקרה של אבדן רוחני Ha'tzaar eitzel Yaakov avinu nechshav rak ka'asher eira lo mikreh shel ovdan ruchni. For Yaakov Avinu, physical challenges and crises, those are from Hashem, for whatever reason, and Hashem should give us the strength to overcome, to navigate them. But spiritual challenges, צער רוחני tzaar ruchni, צער tzaar. כאשר יוסף נסתלק ממנו במשך כ\"ב שנה ka'asher Yosef nistalek mimenu b'meshech kaf beis shana, 22 years that he thinks Yosef is gone. לא היה יכול ללמוד עמו lo haya yachol lilmod imo. He couldn't learn with him. He couldn't model for him. He couldn't transmit to him as his progeny, as the ambassador, as the one who would take over his legacy. That was צער גידול בנים tzaar gidul banim. נראה יובן מדוע השנים שחיה יעקב אבינו משנולד יוסף ועד למכירתו נחשבו כשנים בלא צער neireh yuvan madua ha'shanim she'chaya Yaakov avinu mishenold Yosef v'ad l'mechiraso nechshavu k'shanim b'lo tzaar. Now we can understand. The 17 years of Yosef's childhood, they were filled with difficulty and challenge, but they were far from ordinary, but they were surmountable. One could navigate them with faith in Hashem. But רוחני ruchni, to lose a child, to not be able to learn with a child, to feel that child is gone, physically, spiritually, that is צער גידול בנים tzaar gidul banim. And that's why the, according to the Baal Turim, that's why it is understood, explained as such, as such. שליטא shlita, the גאון ראש ישיבה gaon Rosh Yeshiva. My beautiful safer that he gave me, says the following, amazing idea, amazing idea. Rashi tells us this parsha between Vayigash and Vayechi, we have something unusual, unusual that doesn't happen throughout the entire rest of the Torah. What is this unusual thing that happens? Says Rashi, למה פרשה זו סתומה lama parsha zo stumah? This פרשה parsha is סתומה stumah. What does it mean to be סתומה stumah? Something is blocked off or closed off. Rashi is making a pun. It's a play on words. What does it mean this parsha is סתומה stumah? It's סתומה stumah because שנסתמו עיניהם shenistamu eineihem, נסתמו עיניהם nistamu eineihem. It's a pun that only makes sense in Hebrew. In the translation, it loses its meaning. סתומה stumah means closed off. There's no gap, there's no space, Vayigash goes right into Vayechi, סתומה stumah, it's closed off. And עיניהם eineihem, their eyes were closed off. The Rambam at the end of הלכות ספר תורה hilchos sefer Torah writes there are 290 פרשיות פתוחות parshiyos pesuchos, 290 times that there's a gap and it continues, the text in the next line. And 379 פרשיות סתומות parshiyos stumos. The difference between פתוחות pesuchos and סתומות stumos is whether or not the next parsha starts on a new line or the same line. פתוחות pesuchos begin on the next line and סתומות stumos begin on the same line. But both פתוחות pesuchos and סתומות stumos have at least a little gap, nine אותיות osiyos away. Even סתומות stumos where the narrative continues on the same line, but there's a blank space, the equivalent of emptiness of nine letters. This is the one case, פרשת ויחי Parshas Vayechi is unique that Vayigash goes right into Vayechi without the nine אותיות osiyos gap. There is no gap of nine letters. It doesn't continue on the next line, continues on the same line, but with no gap and no break whatsoever. It's hard to appreciate even in the Artscroll חומש Chumash, they do a good job visually, you can get the idea, but if you look in a Sefer Torah, one would see it there explicitly. So Rashi, in a play on words, says, למה פרשה זו סתומה lama parsha zo stumah? Why is this the one exception? Not only does it not continue on the next line, it continues on the same line, but continues on the same line with no margin, with no gap, with no empty space of nine letters. It goes right into it. Why? To teach us שנסתמו עיניהם ולבם של ישראל מצרת השעבוד shenistamu eineihem v'libam shel Yisrael mi'tzaras ha'shibud. To teach us that Yaakov lived another 17 years in Mitzrayim, but the eyes of the Jewish people were closed, the hearts of the Jewish people were closed. Why? שעבוד מצרים shibud Mitzrayim, because the servitude, the suffering, the persecution of Mitzrayim had begun, it started, it started. That's the פרשה זו סתומה parsha zo stumah. So ask all the מפרשים meforshim, we'll see two answers to this question. Let's start with Rav Shaul with the גאון ראש ישיבה שליטא gaon Rosh Yeshiva shlita. הקשו המפרשים מי נתן לנו את הפרשיות, ויגש פרשת ויחי מתחלקים לבית פרשיות. מהיכן שיש אין מרווח כלל שמה אינה פרשה בפני עצמה hikshu ha'meforshim mi natan lanu es ha'parshiyos Vayigash, Parshas Vayechi, mischalkim l'beis parshiyos. Meiheichan she'yesh ein mervach klal, shema einah parsha bifnei atzmah. How do you know that it's סתומה stumah? How do you know it's two parshiyos with no break? Maybe it's all one parsha. How do you know it's in fact two parshiyos? And the מהר\"ל Maharal says, שהפרשיות איזה סתומה ואיזה פתוחה הם קיבלו בקבלה בידינו מעזרא הסופר she'ha'parshiyos eizeh stumah v'eizeh pesucha heim kiblu b'kabbalah b'yadeinu m'Ezra ha'sofer. סופר מהיר בתורת משה ופרשיות אלו אחרי שמחלקים אותם לשתי פרשיות אם כן על כרחך הוא קבלה בידינו sofer mahir b'Toras Moshe, u'parshiyos eilu acharei she'mechalkim osam l'shtei parshiyos, im kein al korchach hu kabbalah b'yadeinu. So the מהר\"ל Maharal quotes that עזרא הסופר Ezra ha'sofer, we have a tradition going back to Ezra, how do you break up the parshiyos? Much of the delineation of תנ\"ך Tanach is actually based on Christian editors and publishers, not Jewish. That's why some are makpid not to call it a פרק perek, they call it a קפיטל kapitel. They don't want to use the Hebrew word as if to suggest that this is a Jewish delineation. There's a difference between חומש Chumash proper and other sections of תנ\"ך Tanach. It's a fascinating subject for another time. But we have a tradition from עזרא הסופר Ezra ha'sofer. Ezra was a סופר sofer and he was a counter and he knew exactly how to delineate, to count and to be the scribe who would write תנ\"ך Tanach, חומש Chumash. And we have a tradition that are two separate פרשיות parshiyos. And the מהר\"ל Maharal adds, quote, ואין עניין פרשה זו לזו וצריך לומר שכל אחת פרשה בפני עצמה v'ein inyan parsha zu l'zu, v'tzarich lomar she'kol achas parsha bifnei atzmah. And also, moreover, the parshiyos are not connected thematically, they don't continue. We know they're two separate פרשיות parshiyos. So wonders the גאון ראש ישיבה gaon Rosh Yeshiva, ויש להבין מה מוסיף המהר\"ל טעם נוסף v'yesh l'havin ma mosif ha'Maharal taam nosaf. Why is he giving another reason? Why is he giving another answer? And what's the Maharal adding? ואוד לקרא אחרי שאמר שזה בא מן השמיים ומסורת מעזרא הסופר v'od l'kra acharei she'amar she'zeh ba min ha'shamayim u'masores m'Ezra ha'sofer. What do I need another reason for? And he says the following. פרשת ויגש Parshas Vayigash ends, וישב ישראל בארץ מצרים בארץ גושן ויאחזו בה ויפרו וירבו מאוד Vayeshev Yisrael b'eretz Mitzrayim b'eretz Goshen vaya'achzu vah vayifru vayirbu meod. פרשת ויגש Parshas Vayigash ends, we read it as a very benign פסוק pasuk. We read it nonchalantly, we just gloss over it, it's the end of Vayigash, parsha perspective's who knows if we'll ever get to it, it's the end of the פרשה Parsha. So we just glance over it. And what does it say? When יעקב Yaakov and his children came down, when this reunion occurred, וישב Vayeshev. What does the word וישב vayeshev mean? To dwell, to take up residence, to move in permanently where? בארץ מצרים בארץ גושן b'eretz Mitzrayim b'eretz Goshen. ויאחזו בה vaya'achzu vah. And they, they grabbed on to the land. They embedded themselves in that place and that land. ויפרו וירבו מאוד vayifru vayirbu meod. And they promulgated and propagated and they spread and they multiplied. ששכין מדובר על שבטי קה she'sachin medubar al shivtei kah, שאין לנו הסגה בהם כלל she'ein lanu hasaga bahem klal. We're talking about of course, the great שבטי קה shivtei kah. And of course, אין ein, we always have to give this disclaimer. They're not like us, they're categorically different, they're great, we shouldn't project ourselves on to them. End of disclaimer, that said, אבל כתיב שישבו aval ksiv she'yashvu where? בגלות b'galus. These children, these 12 tribes, 11 at least of whom were raised in ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael, were raised in the holy land, in the lap of their holy אב av, now moved to גלות galus. And instead of seeing themselves there in the diaspora on שליחות shlichus, temporarily, for a mission, וישב בארץ מצרים vayeshev b'eretz Mitzrayim. They moved in. ויאחזו בה vaya'achzu vah. And they grabbed on to it, because we're proud to be Egyptians. ויפרו וירבו מאוד שנשקעו בתוך הגלות vayifru vayirbu meod she'nishke'u b'soch ha'galus. And they became immersed, intertwined, they became linked with גלות galus. ואילו בפרשת ויחי תמון עצה עמוקה איך ניתן להחזיק מעמד בגלות V'ilu b'parshas Vayechi tamun eitzah amuka eich nitan l'hachzik ma'amad b'galus. Now we get to Vayechi and all of a sudden we have embedded within it, the hint, the illusion, how can we survive גלות galus? והוא סוד הגאולה v'hu sod ha'geulah. What is the secret to redemption? How can we survive the darkness, the harshness of this exile, this diaspora, living among hostile nations, being foreigners? How can we survive? שיעקב אבינו עליו השלום אמר ואלוקים פקוד יפקוד אתכם והעלה אתכם מן הארץ הזאת she'Yaakov avinu alav hashalom amar v'Elokim pakod yifkod eschem v'he'elah eschem min ha'aretz ha'zos. Those secret words, those magic words were embedded. That is the code, how to survive galus. Which two words? פקוד יפקוד אתכם pakod yifkod eschem. What does פקוד יפקוד pakod yifkod mean? To be counted, to be a number, but also to be separate, to be apart. God will והעלה אתכם v'he'elah eschem, He's going to lift you, He's going to elevate you from הארץ הזאת ha'aretz ha'zos. This place, you don't belong. You're here temporarily. You're here as a stranger. והיוסף הצדיק אמר לאחים שלו אף בי אנוכי מת מכל מקום פקוד יפקוד אלוקים אתכם V'Yosef HaTzaddik amar l'achim shelo af bi anochi meis mikol makom pakod yifkod Elokim eschem. Even though I may die, השם Hashem פקוד יפקוד pakod yifkod, זה סימן שהם נגאלים zeh siman she'heim nigalim. Rashi in the third perek of Shmos tells, שלא תשבו בארץ מצרים shelo tishvu b'eretz Mitzrayim, you're not going to be here forever. This is the exact antithesis, this is the opposite, this is the antidote to ויאחזו בה vaya'achzu vah. So ויגש Vayigash was all about the mistake of getting confused and saying גלות galus is גוואלדיק gevaldik. גלות galus, it's fantastic. We can live free, practice our religion, establish כוללים kolelim and ישיבות yeshivos, learn, שולים shuls, כשר kosher restaurants, wear our יארמלקעס yarmulkes. It's amazing. וישבו Vayeshev, we can, we could live here. We could see ourselves here permanently. That's Vayigash. That was the mistake of the גלות galus. What was the antidote? What's the answer? What's the repair? What's the code? How to get redemption, how to get out? פקוד יפקוד pakod yifkod is the opposite of ויאחזו בה vaya'achzu vah. והנה הפרשה סתומה מחמת הגלות v'hinei ha'parsha stumah machmas ha'galus. אמנם הגלות יכול להיות בשני אופנים omnam ha'galus yachol l'hiyos b'shnei ofanim. So this פרשה parsha is closed because of the גלות galus, but a גלות galus can happen in two ways. ויטמאו בגוים vayitme'u ba'goyim, ומבלא בליה בהם u'mivla bli'i bahem. We could get intermingled and intermixed and assimilated with our host nation. ויש אפשרות נמצאים תוכם בין המצרים ואף על דיין נפרדים מהם כיחידה עצמאית v'yesh efsharus nimtza'im tocham bein ha'Mitzrim v'af al dayin nifradim meihem k'yechida atzmais. Or, we can be living there temporarily, guests, but an independent and apart, separate. והוא שכתוב בכבר בלשון פקוד פקדתי v'hu she'kasuv b'kvar b'lashon pakod pakadeti. Those magic words. פקוד יפקדתי pakod pakadeti. And that's where the words פקוד יפקדתי pakod pakadeti come in. The גמרא Gemara has a מחלוקת machlokes in פסחים Pesachim. אם משקין מבלע בליעי או מפקד פקידי Im mashkin mivla bli'i o mifkad pkidi. You have it at the beginning of מסכת נידה maseches Niddah, having to do with anatomy. You have it in מסכת פסחים maseches Pesachim. Whether liquids are absorbed entirely, or they are not absorbed, they're just within a pocket of the thing that's holding them. כשסוחטים ענבים ויוצא מהם יין k'shesochtim anavim v'yotzei meihem yayin. When you squeeze grapes and wine comes out, האם אחרי הסחיטה זו מציאות חדשה שנוצר על ידי הסחיטה ha'im acharei ha'schita zo metzius chadasha she'notzar al yedei ha'schita. When you squeeze a grape and you get grape juice that ferments into wine, is the wine or the grape juice something new, something new? כי מקודם לכן היה משקין בלוע בפרי ואוכל כמותו ki mikodem l'chen haya mashkin balua b'pri v'ochel kamoso. It used to be a grape and now it's grape juice. And the grape juice is transformed and is different than a grape. Or, or, או כשם הטעם אתה לא היה משקין חלק מהפרי אלא מופקד בפרי o k'shem ha'taam ata lo haya mashkin chelek meh'pri ela mufkad b'pri. Or no, the grape always held the grape juice within it. So this was always grape juice. It used to be grape juice inside a grape and now it's grape juice outside a grape. But it was always grape juice. Is this something new? It used to be a grape and then it was squeezed and transformed into grape juice. Or no, it was always grape juice. It used to be grape juice inside the grape and now it's grape juice outside of the grape. אלא מופקד בפרי ela mufkad b'pri, כדבר נפרד ומונח בתוך דבר אחר k'davar nifrad v'munach b'soch davar acher. והיתה יוצא לחוץ ונפקא מינה לתמי מים שנוגע בענבים v'hayta yotzei l'chutz v'nafka mina l'tamei mayim she'nogea b'anavim. And you're wondering, a little Lomdus here. You're wondering, what's the difference? Who cares? Is grape juice a grape that became juice or was it always grape juice inside the grape, now it's grape juice outside the grape? What's the נפקא מינה nafka mina? A חקירה chakira, a חילוק chiluk without a נפקא מינה nafka mina, is not a חילוק chiluk, it's not a חקירה chakira. So what's the נפקא מינה nafka mina? What's the practical difference between the two? says the Gemara, whether a טמא מת tamei meis who touches the grape, does it is it considered also touching the juice or not? So if the juice used to be the grape, so it's טמא tamei too. If it was held inside, כשנסחת היין טמא או לא k'shenis'chas ha'yayin tamei o lo. So that language, פקוד pakod, is it מפקד פקידי mifkad pkidi or מבלע בליעי mivla bli'i? Is the same language of our פרשה parsha, פקוד פקדתי pakod pakadeti. See yourself as different, just held inside. It's not that you're part of and defined by and identify with. You're different, you're separate, you're apart, you're distinct, you're just held inside. That's galus. Galus is not absorbed and integrated and assimilated. Galus is separate and apart, just within, just dwelling within. וזה הסימן שהיה מסור בידם בלשון פקוד יפקוד v'zeh ha'siman she'haya masur b'yadam b'lashon pakod yifkod. פקוד יפקוד pakod yifkod. That's the סימן siman. That was the סימן siman. He has a long essay here and he goes on, which I'd love to share with you, but we don't have time. But that he describes these words that chazal saw within them entirely embedded the answer and the way out. And this is the way out for us. And when we forget, Hashem and the world around us remind us. פקוד פקדתי pakod pakadeti. We're just guests. You can't integrate. Don't think you can assimilate. Not in the 20th century in Eastern Europe, in Germany, in the enlightened and the world of a Haskalah, when we want to assimilate, the nations of the world remind us that we are different and separate and apart. You happen to just be here for now, but you're not fully integrated. When we forget, they remind us and we're seeing that now. But there's another question. חזקאל ווינפעלד שליטא Chatzkel Weinfeld shlita, who was a guest here last year. He wonders a great question, a great question. Rashi says this parsha is סתומה stumah, no break between Vayigash and Vayechi, why? שנסתמו עיניהם ולבם של ישראל מצרת השעבוד shenistamu eineihem v'libam shel Yisrael mi'tzaras ha'shibud. When does the צרת השעבוד tzaras ha'shibud start? When do we begin to experience the suffering of the servitude? After Yaakov dies, after these seventeen years. So when should the סתומה *stumah* be? Between Vayechi and Shmos. Or somewhere later in Vayechi, after Yaakov dies. After Yaakov dies and we lose the merit of Yaakov, we lose the merit of the שבטי קה *shivtei Kah*, of the, of the holy tribes, holy sons, so then the servitude kicks in. That's when it should be סתומה *stumah*. Their eyes are closed, their hearts were closed, they were suffering the servitude. Why is it now at the beginning of the parsha while Yaakov is still alive and at the beginning of the description of these seventeen wonderful years of retirement in Mitzrayim? It must be, it must be, says what, says Rav Weinfeld, that already Yaakov during these last seventeen years was teaching us how it's going to be in גלות *galus*. It was a sense of a preparation and anticipation for what life is going to be like in גלות *galus*. In גלות *galus*, people are going to have נסתמו עיניהם ולבם *nistemu eineihem v'libam*. You know what גלות *galus* is? Is when people are suffering, they become wrapped up in their own problems. Their eyes are closed to see the struggles of others. Their hearts are closed to be able to feel with sympathy and empathy the pain of others. People become self-absorbed, they become self-centered. And there's no greater גלות *galus*. There's no greater גלות *galus* than a community of people who are self-absorbed and self-centered. But if you want to bring גאולה *geulah*, people have to do exactly the opposite.So Yaakov was already teaching us on the way into the state of גלות *galus*, נסתמו עיניהם ולבם *nistemu eineihem v'libam*. גלות *galus* is when your eyes and your hearts are closed and you don't see people and you don't see their suffering. And what is גאולה *geulah*? גאולה *geulah* is when you open your eyes and גאולה *geulah* is when you open your hearts. So a little preview for next week, for Shmos. What happens? Moshe. ויהי בימים ההם ויגדל משה ויצא אל אחיו וירא בסבלותם *Vayehi bayamim hahem vayigdal Moshe vayetze el echav vayar b'sivlosam*. וירא בסבלותם *Vayar b'sivlosam*. וירא *Vayar*, Moshe Rabbeinu opens his eyes, וירא *vayar*. He has every right to hide and live in the palace in complete safety and security, and yet he can't. He can't help but go out וירא *vayar* and open his eyes and open his hearts and see the pain of his brothers. Later it says וירא אלוקים את בני ישראל וידע אלוקים *Vayar Elokim es Bnei Yisrael vayeda Elokim*, and Rashi says, נתן עליהם לב ולא העלים עינו *nasan aleihem lev v'lo he'elim einav*. We see during the גלות *galus*, people's eyes and hearts are closed, they become self-centered. They're hurting. They're just worried about their own survival. They're worried about getting to the end of the day. They're worried about their own chronic pain. But what's the answer, the way out? Counter-intuitively is not to focus on yourself. The way out, גאולה *geulah* comes how? When you open your eyes and you open your heart and you become selfless, that's when גאולה *geulah*, that's when גאולה *geulah* comes. That's when גאולה *geulah* comes. So Rashi says, סתומה *stumah*. Why is this parsha סתומה *stumah*? Because it's the beginning of the end, the beginning of גלות *galus*, and Yaakov is already teaching on the way into גלות *galus*, what is the formula and what will be the way out. He doesn't say this, Rav Weinfeld, but you see this also the חידושי הרי\"ם *Chidushei HaRim*. The penultimate plague is חושך *choshech*. It's the second to last, second to worst, second to most intense plague that we had, חושך *choshech*. Why is חושך *choshech* so terrible? Darkness. לא ראו איש את אחיו *Lo ra'u ish es achiv*. Because people did not see others. Says the heilige חידושי הרי\"ם *Chidushei HaRim*, when a Jew, when a person doesn't see another person, that is a horrific plague, that's a מכה *makkah*. לא ראו איש את אחיו *Lo ra'u ish es achiv*, to not see the people around you, to worry and see only yourselves and not connect with and feel the pain and want to relieve the suffering of the people around you, that's גלות *galus*. That's גלות *galus*. And what's גאולה *geulah*? גאולה *geulah*, redemption comes when you care. When you care. And you see this in modern research, people suffering and struggling from depression, the answer is not lean into your own problems, dwell and focus on your own trials and tribulations. One of the treatments for depression today is volunteer. Go do something good for someone else. Break out of looking inward, see outward, care, help others, and it has an extraordinary difference in transforming your own גלות *galus*. When a person is in a personal place of גלות *galus*, of darkness and despondency and despair, don't lean in. Don't lean in to Town Center or Neiman Marcus or Lord & Taylor or Bloomingdale's. Lean in to volunteering, to giving and doing and helping, because the גאולה *geulah* that the answer to that גלות *galus* of סתומה, נסתמו עיניהם ולבם *stumah, nistemu eineihem v'libam*, is to open one's eyes. וירא בסבלותם *Vayar b'sivlosam*, to open one's heart, to be able to see את אחיו *es achiv*, to not live in a state and a place of חושך *choshech*.Moving right along. פרק מ\"ז פסוק ל\"א *Perek mem zayin pasuk lamed aleph*. ויאמר *Vayomer*. So what happens? Yaakov comes down, he says, \"I have a favor. Swear to me,\" he tells Yosef, \"Get me out of here. Bury me, bury me in מערת המכפלה *Me'aras HaMachpelah*.\" And he says, \"I'll do it.\" אנכי אעשה כדברך *Anochi e'eseh k'dvarecha*. ויאמר השבעה לי וישבע לו וישתחו ישראל על ראש המטה *Vayomer hishava li vayishava lo vayishtachu Yisrael al rosh hamitah*. \"Swear to me.\" He swore to him, and Yisrael then prostrated himself toward the head of the of the bed. Our first of Shmuel of the day. Says Rav Shmuel Berenbaum. Rashi, על ראש המטה *al rosh hamitah*. What does it mean that Yisrael, Yaakov leaned down, bent down, bowed down according to towards the head of the bed? על שהיתה מטתו שלמה ולא היה בה רשע *Al shehayta mitaso shleima v'lo haya bah rasha*. In that moment that Yosef swore to him, he said, \"Tati, Abba, Dad, Paps, I'm good for it. I swear, I'll get you out of here. I won't leave you permanently interred here. I will bring you to ארץ ישראל *Eretz Yisrael*. I'll bring you to ארץ ישראל *Eretz Yisrael*.\" We have a small Rabbi Brody led yet another mission this week. They're in Israel, and they stopped at ארץ החיים *Eretz HaChaim* cemetery in Israel, and one of the people on it sent me a beautiful picture. He davened at the graves of my grandparents, who are buried in the BRS section of ארץ החיים *Eretz HaChaim*. They passed away many, many, many, many years ago. My grandfather when I was four years old, my grandmother when I was in high school, many years ago, but they were only buried in Israel recently. How could that be? Because they were buried in a cemetery in Staten Island and my father moved my grandparents to ארץ ישראל *Eretz Yisrael*. Like the fulfillment of Yosef in his promise to his father Yaakov. My siblings live in Israel, my parents are in Israel, please God our children and grandchildren will all be in Israel, and he felt, he wanted to honor them by moving them to Israel. It was actually a beautiful, there was a הקמת מצבה *hakamas matzeivah*. It's an amazing thing to have an unveiling decades after people pass away. When they're moved, reinterred, if they were buried on condition, you're allowed to move them. If you're bringing them to ארץ ישראל *Eretz Yisrael*, you're allowed to move them. Anyway, he took a picture, he davened at the graves of my grandparents in ארץ החיים *Eretz HaChaim*. It's a very beautiful thing. So Yosef makes a promise to Yaakov. Yaakov says, \"Don't leave me here. Don't leave me here. Bury me in ארץ ישראל *Eretz Yisrael*. Bury me in ארץ ישראל *Eretz Yisrael*.\" He did not want to be permanently in Mitzrayim. I once went to Cuba for a day with a delegation from here. Saw the small, fledgling Jewish community left in Cuba, and we visited the Cuban cemetery. One of the people with us actually, grandparents lived in Cuba when they fled from the Nazis, and his grandfather, one of the rabbis who was with us, his grandfather is buried in the cemetery in Cuba. And then the revolution, the family fled, he had never been to Cuba. It was the first time at his grandfather's grave. And the grave, the cemetery in Cuba is beautiful, the Jewish cemetery. There's a טהרה *tahara* room. There are מצבות *matzeivos*, headstones made out of marble, beautiful. And do you know when his grandfather was buried? This was all I could think. When his grandfather was buried, there was a thriving Jewish community in Cuba. Shuls and kollelim and yeshivas and kashrus and it was a thriving Jewish community. And then the revolution happened and Jews fled and there's almost nothing left of the Jewish community of Cuba. And for a long time, no one could go and visit and it was his first time there, and possibly and probably his last time there. When his grandfather was buried, they thought we'll be here forever. Look at this thriving Jewish community. And now we know, we know what it is. So, Yaakov understood, where is the one place that Jews will go and visit and be forever? There's only one place. There is only one place. Don't leave me in Mitzrayim. Maybe 70 of us are going down now, maybe you're the viceroy right now, maybe it feels like we'll be here forever, but this is not where we belong. This is not home. This is not if we get it right, where our great-grandchildren will come to visit. So bring me to, bring me to Israel. Bring me to Eretz Yisrael. Bring me to Israel. And Yosef promises and Yaakov reacts to that promise, like a shtickel overreaction. He bows down towards the head of the bed, and \"Wow, thank you so much,\" and \"I can't believe it,\" and \"I'm so...\" Okay, like, it's nice. Yosef promises him. It's nice that Yosef says, \"Don't worry, I'm not going to leave you here,\" but did it really deserve that reaction? So Rashi tells us, you know what the reaction was? It wasn't about the prospect of being buried in Israel. What was the reaction about? מיטתו שלמה *Mitaso shleima*. Wow, my family is complete. When I leave this world, as I die, all my children are on the derech. All my grandchildren, לא היה בה רשע *lo haya bah rasha*. שהרי יוסף מלך היה *Sheharei Yosef melech haya*, says Rashi. Yosef was a king. שנשבע ונגע בגויים *She'nishba v'naga ba'goyim*. He was captured. He grew up. He lived. His formative years were in Mitzrayim among non-Jews. הרי הוא עומד בצידקו *Hareihu omed b'tzidko*. And with this promise, he understood that Yosef is righteous, that Yosef gets it, that Yosef is raising his children on this path. And he felt, he sensed a sense of relief, the enormous sense of relief.So wonders of Shmuel Berenbaum in the Tefer Shmuel, למה דווקא אחרי שקיבל יוסף על עצמו לקבור את אביו *lama davka acharei she'kibel Yosef al atzmo likbor es aviv*. Why now when he accepts upon himself to bury his father, הודה יעקב לקדוש ברוך הוא על שמיטתו שלמה ולא מיד כשנכנס יוסף אצלו *hodah Yaakov la'Kadosh Baruch Hu al she'mitaso shleima v'lo miyad k'shenichnas Yosef etzlo*. Why aren't you all asking this question? Why didn't you all jump out of your chairs to ask this question? The Tefer Shmuel asks an obvious question. Why only now is Yaakov relieved, \"Yosef gets it, Ephraim and Menashe get it, I'm good to go, all my children, בלי עין הרע *bli ayin hara*, are on the derech.\" When should Yaakov have felt that sense of relief? When should he have expressed that gratitude? When should he have bowed down to God and said, \"ברוך השם *Baruch Hashem*! They're all on the derech, בלי עין הרע *bli ayin hara*.\" When? When he first came down. When he first came down into Mitzrayim, when he first saw Yosef, the first time he encountered Ephraim and Menashe. פירוש הדבר *Peirush ha'davar*. So why is it only now when Yosef promises, \"Yes, I'll move you, I'll carry you, I'll shlep you, I'll bury you in Eretz Yisrael\"? So why now? שכאשר קיבל יוסף על עצמו למלאות בקשת אביו מיד בלי כל הסוס ראה יעקב שאף על פי שהיה משנה למלך לא עשה את זה זולת משום השפעת יוסף כי הרי לא אכפת לו מה יאמר פרעה מצרים ואפילו אם יתנגדו לו בזה ומזה הבין שהוא עומד בצדקו כי הוא לא היה מצרים אלא כאילו הוא נמצא בבית אביו *She'ka'asher kibel Yosef al atzmo l'malos bakashas aviv miyad b'li kol hisus, ra'ah Yaakov she'af al pi she'haya mishneh l'melech, lo asah es zeh zulass mishum hashpa'as Yosef, ki harei lo ichpas lo ma yomar Paroh Mitzrayim, v'afilu im yisnagdu lo b'zeh. U'mizeh hevin shehu omed b'tzidko, ki hu lo haya Mitzrayim, elah k'ilu hu nimtza b'veis aviv*. Yosef didn't say, \"I hear your request. Let me get back to you. I need to just run this by Pharaoh. I need to make sure it works with the cabinet. I got to go to the legal office. I gotta, I gotta make sure it's okay. Let me take a poll in the field and see how it'll play.\" Yosef doesn't do any of that. What does he say? \"Yeah, of course. I got it. 100%.\" And only now, and only with this, does Yaakov understand that Yosef is not influenced by what the polls will show. Yosef is not influenced by what Pharaoh will allow. Yosef is true to his father and to his father's legacy. מצינו במשנה, שני שרים המקרבים לאדם אלא לצורך עצמם. המשל בפרק אבות says \"Be careful about government, because they only come close to you for their own personal gain.\" They only have a relationship with you to get votes, to get campaign financing. ולא כן היה יוסף. ואף על פי שהיה שר אצלם עמד בצדקו ולא כיוון לעצמו רק לטובת אחיו. *V'lo kein haya Yosef, v'af al pi she'haya sar etzlam, amad b'tzidko v'lo kiven l'atzmo rak l'tovas achiv*. But Yosef was an exception to this rule. Yes, Yosef was a politician. Yes, Yosef was in government. But Yosef was not manipulative and self-centered. Yosef cared about others. ואף על פי שדרך האיש המקבל כבוד מאנשים הרי הוא מושפע מהם. אולם יעקב ראה אצל יוסף שלא הושפע כלל מכל הכבוד שקיבל ממצרים *V'af al pi she'derech ha'ish ha'mekabel kavod mei'anashim, harei hu mushpa mehem. Ulam Yaakov ra'ah etzel Yosef she'lo hushpa klal mi'kol ha'kavod she'kibel mi'Mitzrayim*. What Yaakov, what gave reassurance to Yaakov about Yosef was that he saw that Yosef was independent, that Yosef rose above, that Yosef didn't care about how it will play. ומטעם זה כאשר ראה יעקב אבינו שיוסף לא הושפע כלל ממצרים אף עם כל הגדולה שנתנו לו, השתחווה והודה לקדוש ברוך הוא אשר מיטתו שלמה. *U'mi'ta'am zeh, ka'asher ra'ah Yaakov avinu she'Yosef lo hushpa klal mi'Mitzrayim af im kol ha'gedulah she'nasnu lo, hishtachava v'hodah la'Kadosh Baruch Hu asher mitaso shleima*. Only now, only now did he accept that Yosef was complete, Yosef was good to go, Yosef was independent and Yosef would be the credible ambassador of his, of his legacy. פרק מ\"ח פסוק ח *Perek mem ches pasuk ches*. You know what? Actually, let's skip. We're gonna do something unusual. We're gonna go to the end of the parsha, then we'll come back because here we saw that Yaakov makes Yosef promise, you'll bury me in Eretz Yisrael. Did he make good on the promise? Did he make good on the promise? Skip, פרק נ פסוק י\"ג *perek nun pasuk yud gimmel*. See? Don't give up on me. I'm trying to learn. I'm a work in progress. That's what I tell your chevruta. פרק נ פסוק י\"ג *Perek nun pasuk yud gimmel*. Which is on page 286 in the ArtScroll Stone Chumash. ויעשו בניו לו כן כאשר צום *Vaya'asu vanav lo kein ka'asher tzivam*. His children did for him as they promised. וישאו אותו בניו ארצה כנען ויקברו אותו במערת שדה המכפלה אשר קנה אברהם את השדה לאחוזת קבר מאת עפרון החתי על פני ממרא *Vayis'u oso vanav artza K'naan vayikberu oso bim'aras sdeh ha'machpelah asher kanah Avraham es ha'sadeh la'achuzas kever mei'eis Efron ha'Chiti al pnei Mamre*. So Yaakov dies, Yosef makes good on the promise with his brothers, they carry him to the land of Canaan, they bury him in Me'aras HaMachpelah, the field that Avraham had bought as a burial estate from Ephron haChiti, facing Mamre. When was this? When did Yaakov die? Let's pull out an oldie but a goodie, the אוצר פלאות התורה *Otzar P'laos HaTorah*. We didn't get to it last year. The אוצר פלאות התורה *Otzar P'laos HaTorah*. When was this? The מדרש תנחומא *Midrash Tanchuma* tells us, when was this? When did Yaakov die? Sorry, the ספר שערי המלך *Sefer Shaarei HaMelech* says and it's also in the דרשות חתם סופר *Drashos Chasam Sofer*, יעקב אבינו מת *Yaakov Avinu meis*, what's Yaakov Avinu's יארצייט *yahrzeit*? Anyone know? Nobody knows? Don't feel bad, I didn't know. Yaakov Avinu died on the first day of Sukkos. אזוי זאגט דער חתם סופר *Azoy zogt der Chasam Sofer*. The בני יששכר *Bnei Yissaschar* brings a רמז *remez* with a דבר from the pasuk, ויעקב נסע סכתה *v'Yaakov nasa Sukosa*. Yaakov went to Sukkos. When did Yaakov depart and leave, נסע *nasa*, this world? סוכותה *Sukosa*, on Sukkos. So, the first day of Sukkos, even though the אושפיזין *ushpizin* is Avraham, next year on Sukkos you'll remember it's the יארצייט *yahrzeit* of Yaakov Avinu, at least according to the חתם סופר *Chasam Sofer* and the מדרש תנחומא *Midrash Tanchuma*, the שערי המלך *Shaarei HaMelech*. Chasam Sofer brings another opinion. אין רחוק שהיה קבורתו ביום *Ein rachok she'hayah k'vurato b'yom*. When was his funeral? There's another opinion. When was the לוויה *levaya*? When was he buried in Me'aras HaMachpelah? I'll give you a hint. We just observed it and you were hungry. עשרה בטבת *Asarah B'Teves*. Chasam Sofer says Yaakov Avinu's לוויה *levaya*, his funeral, his burial was on עשרה בטבת *Asarah B'Teves*. There's another opinion the בני יששכר *Bnei Yissaschar* brings the second opinion. Yaakov Avinu was buried on Chanukah. On Chanukah, that he died on the first day of Sukkos, and seventy days till Chanukah was complete and then he was buried. Another sefer brings a third opinion בשם בעל הסוד *b'shem Baal HaSod*, the one who keeps secrets, that Yaakov Avinu was buried again on the first day of Sukkos. A fourth opinion, יערות דבש *Yaaros Dvash*, רב יונתן אייבשיץ *Rav Yonasan Eibeshutz*, based on the Gemara, יעקב אבינו מת בפסח *Yaakov Avinu meis b'Pesach*. He died on Pesach. גם בארץ ישראל נהג יוסף אבלות שבעה ימים קודם הקבורה. ממצרים לחברון *Gam b'Eretz Yisrael nohag Yosef aveilus shiva yamim kodem ha'kvurah. Mi'Mitzrayim l'Chevron*, is a six-day travel. All these different opinions exactly when he, when he died, when his yahrzeit was. אל נא תקברני במצרים *Al na tikbereini b'Mitzrayim*. Don't bury me in Mitzrayim. But I want to share with you something else amazing. Something else amazing. וישאו אותו בניו *Vayis'u oso vanav*, the children take him, ויקברוהו *vayikberuhu*, so they bury him in מערת המכפלה *Me'aras HaMachpelah*. מערת המכפלה *Me'aras HaMachpelah*. Says the Midrash, says חז\"ל *Chazal*, כיון שהגיעו למערת המכפלה *keivan she'higiu l'Me'aras HaMachpelah*, when they got to Me'aras HaMachpelah, you know this, בא עשו *ba Eisav*, who came out to greet them? They wanted to bury Yaakov, but there was someone there blocking them. Who was blocking them? עשו *Eisav*. בא עשו מעכב. אמר להם המערה הזו של קרית ארבע חברון *Ba Eisav m'akev, amar lahem, ha'me'arah ha'zu shel Kiryas Arba Chevron*. So what happens? They get there, Esav comes out, was preventing them from burying them. אומר רבי יצחק קרית ארבע, ארבע זוגות היו אדם וחווה, אברהם ושרה, יצחק ורבקה, יעקב ולאה. איהו קברי ללאה בדידיה, והאי דפייש דידי הוא. *Omer Rabi Yitzchak, Kiryas Arba, arba zugos hayu, Adam v'Chava, Avraham v'Sarah, Yitzchak v'Rivka, Yaakov v'Leah. Ihu kavrei l'Leah b'didei, v'hai d'payish didi hu.* It's called Kiryas Arba, why? Kiryat Arba, the mayor of Kiryat Arba, his son is still being held hostage. We daven for his return with all the others. There were four couples who were buried there. So Esav says, \"Okay, let's count.\" Yaakov buried Leah in this spot and the spot that's remaining is mine. Me. אמרו לו *Amru lo*, so Yaakov's children say to Esav, זבינתיה *zabintei*. You sold your rights to our father. You don't have a right to this spot. It went with the בכורה *bechorah*, it went with the first born. אמר להו נהי דזבינתי בכירותא, פשיטותא מי זביני? *Amar lehu, nehi d'zabinti bechiruta, pshituta mi zabinei?* It's true, I sold the birthright. But I didn't sell my rights to the burial site. I'm an ordinary, I'm a pashet. I still have a status of an ordinary brother, and I belong in Me'aras HaMachpelah. So I'm going in. I'm saving the spot for me. Find another place for your father, for my brother Yaakov. אה *Uh*. אמרו לו *Amru lei*, they said, \"in, דכתיב בקברי אשר כריתי לי\" *d'chsiv b'kivri asher karisi li*. They said, \"Yeah, those two sales went together.\" With the birthright went the burial right. They go together. אמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחאי אין כירה אלא לשון מכירה, שנאמר ויכרך כריה, and he brought a proof to this. So אמר להו *amar lehu*, Esav tries again. הבו לי איגרתא *Havu li igarta*. He says, \"Bring, bring me the contract. I want to see the contract.\" If you've bought a cemetery plot, which you all should, it's a סגולה לאריכות ימים *sgulah l'arichus yamim*. If you don't have, you should. It's one of the greatest gifts you could give your children is to do all your preparations in your lifetime. Both to pay for it now, a burial plot is a piece of real estate. Real estate is only going up in value. The longer you wait, the more it will cost. And a great gift you can give is to be clear exactly what you want, where you want, how you want, what you want, what you want said, who do you want to speak, where do you want. The more you can clarify what you want, the less ambiguity, the less room for fighting and tension, the less compounding the grief of your children and grandchildren after 120. So it's a big gift that you can give them. And it's a סגולה לאריכות ימים *sgulah l'arichus yamim*. At least that's what all the cemeteries say when they try to sell you a plot. It's a סגולה לאריכות, it's a סגולה לאריכות ימים *sgulah l'arichus yamim*. And you can buy a plot in Eretz Chaim in the BRS section or the BRS section in Hollywood, but I'm not trying to sell you anything. It's a סגולה לאריכות ימים *sgulah l'arichus yamim*. So Esav says, if you ever sold that, if you ever signed that contract, it's longer than the mortgage on your house. You got to sign a lot of papers. So Esav says, \"Bring me the paperwork. Let me see the paperwork. You can't prove your claims that I sold my right.\" So אמר ליה איגרתא בארעא דמצרים היא *Amar lei, igarta b'ar'a d'Mitzrayim hi*. We just shlepped up here, Me'aras HaMachpelah, Chevron, we left the contract where? In Mitzrayim. ומן ניזל, ניזל נפתלי דקליל *U'man neizal? Neizal Naftali, d'kalil*. So they said, \"Who will go bring it?\" Naftali, because the pasuk tells us that Naftali was as quick as a doe. So, go, run. שלוחה אמרים שפר *Shlucha imrei shefer*. אמר רבי אבא אל תקרי אמרים שפר אלא אמרי שפר *Amar Rabi Abba, al tikri imrei shefer, ela imrei shefer*. חושים, in the meantime, חושים בר דן *Chushim brei d'Dan*. Dan had a son named Chushim. תמן הוה, דיקירן ליה אודניה *Taman hava, d'yakiran lei udnei*. His ears were heavy. He was hard of hearing. He didn't hear well. And they hadn't invented yet hearing aids. He was not able to hear. אמר להו מהאי *Amar lehu, mai hai?* So he can't understand what's going on. He can't hear anything. He's missing out on the whole conversation between Esav and his nephews. And he says, \"מהאי *Mai hai?* What's going on?\" אמר להו מעכב האי עד דאתי נפתלי מארעא דמצרים *Amar lehu, m'akev hai ad d'asei Naftali mei'ar'a d'Mitzrayim*. He said, \"Esav's blocking us. Even though we just came up here and shlepped up here, now we got to wait for Naftali to go back down, get the contract and return. It's going to take forever. In the meantime, it's we're dishonoring our father Yaakov.\" When we brought to be buried here in Me'aras HaMachpelah where he rightfully deserves to go. And what happens? עד דאתי נפתלי מארץ מצרים יהא אבי אבא מוטל בבזיון *Ad d'asi Naftali mei'eretz Mitzrayim, yehei avi abba mutal b'vizayon?* שקל קולפא, מחייה ארישיה *Shakal kulfa, machyei al reisha*. What does he do? Chush, Chushim, the son of Dan, what does he do? He takes a club, a קולפא *kulfa*, and he hits Esav, his uncle Esav, on the head. And Esav's eyes fall out, and they fell on the legs of Yaakov. Yaakov opens his eyes and smiles. That is the Chazal. That's the Chazal. Esav's trying to block them, they have this whole negotiation, he insists you get the contract. While Naftali is running to go get the contract, Dan has a son named Chushim. Chushim is deaf, he can't follow what's going on, so they signal to him a little bit so he barely understands. And while Naftali is going to get the contract and everybody else is busy negotiating, he takes a club and beats his uncle Esav, great uncle Esav over the head. Yaakov gets a little nachas and kilo opens his eyes and smiles.What happens here in this Chazal? So, end of the parsha. Skip to the end of the parsha. How could Yaakov's own children have left and waited? Yaakov's body is laying while Naftali goes to and from Mitzrayim. Only Chushim was bold enough, courageous enough, brave enough to confront Uncle Esav? Everyone else was willing to tolerate the degrading of Yaakov that he sits there while waiting? What's going on over here? What's going on over here? So I want to tell you an incredible pshat in the sefer `עיני יצחק` *Einei Yitzchak*. It appears in his commentary on the Gemara Sota daf yud gimmel. And it says the following. He's the one who asks this question. יש לתמוה, למה לא שאל אף אחד מהשבטים את השאלה הזו, עד שישב נפתלי במצרים יהא אבא מוטל בבזיון *Yesh lismoa, lama lo sha'al af echad me'ha'shevatim es ha'she'elah ha'zu, ad she'yoshev Naftali b'Mitzrayim yehei abba mutal b'vizayon*. Why wasn't anyone else bothered by the thought of Yaakov laying and wait, why would he laying there? ואיך יכלו יעקב, בני יעקב, שבטי קה, לסבול מצב כזה *V'eich yuchlu Yaakov, bnei Yaakov, shivtei Kah, lisbol matzav kazeh*. How could they tolerate such a matzav? אלא ביאור הדבר *Ela biur ha'davar*, the explanation is the following. עשו כפי גודל רשעו היה איש שיודע ציד, ציד בפיו. היה יודע לצוד ולרמות הבריות בדבורו כאילו צדיק וישר הוא *Eisav k'fi godel risho haya ish she'yodea tzayid, tzayid b'fiv. Haya yodea latzud u'lramos ha'brios b'diburo k'ilu tzaddik v'yashar hu*. Esav was not only a hunter with his hands, Esav was a master manipulator with his lips, with his words. He was a salesman, he could sell you the shirt on your back. He could sell snow to an Eskimo. He was manipulative and deceitful and he was persuasive and he was a salesman. וכן כאן הוא הצטדק לפניהם והסביר שמלם למכור חלול מקום קבורתו, שהדבר הזה יקר בעיניו מכל ממון דתבל, וכך המשיך בדבריו, שמה שציווה יעקב למותם לקוברו מערת המכפלה, יתכן שמתוך חולשותו התבלבל בדעתו ושכח בדימיון *V'chein kan hu hitztadek lifneihem v'hisbir she'me'olam lo machar chelko b'makom k'vurato, she'ha'davar ha'zeh yakar b'einav mi'kol mamon d'teivel, v'chach himshich b'dvarav, she'mah she'tzivah Yaakov l'motam l'kovro b'Me'aras HaMachpelah, yitachen she'mitoch chulshaso hisbalbel b'da'ato v'shachach b'dimyon*. Esav, hunting with his words with his mouth, had even convinced his nephews, his nephews. \"Your father was delirious. Your father had dementia. Your father was confused. He forgot. He forgot that yes, he bought the birthright, but the grave doesn't go with it. He forgot it doesn't belong to him. He was confused. Trust your Uncle Esav. Would I lie to you? I'm telling you the truth. It's mine. It belongs to me. We'll find another coveted place for your father Yaakov, for my brother. But this spot, Me'aras HaMachpelah, it belongs to, it goes with me.\" ומרוב פיתויי דבריו, הם התפתו קצת סבורים אולי הוא מדבר בתמימות *U'mi'rov pituyei dvarav, heim hispatu k'tzas, s'vurim ulai hu medaber b'tmimus*. And you know, sometimes there are people who are manipulative with their words but they're so compelling and persuasive, you actually start second guessing yourself. You don't believe and you lose the confidence in yourself and you wonder, \"Huh, maybe they're right. Maybe what they're saying is true.\" חשבו אולי יש איזשהו מיסוד בדבריו, לכן הסכימו לשלוח את נפתלי *Chashvu, ulai yesh eizeh shehu misod b'dvarav, lachein hiskimu lishloach es Naftali*. So they said, \"You know what? We need to clarify. Maybe Uncle Esav's right. It's pretty compelling, pretty persuasive. His words reached their hearts.\" They said, \"Go get the contract. It's worth waiting. Yes, it's a בזיונא *bizyona* to our father Yaakov, but Naftali, you're fast. Go run to Mitzrayim, go get the contract, go review it, let's go see.\" Ah, so what happens with great nephew Chushim, with Dan's son Chushim? Why was he different and where did he get the courage to step up and to stand up? חושים בן דן היה כבד שמיעה, חירש *Chushim ben Dan haya k'vad shmia, cheresh*. He was deaf. And therefore, because he was deaf, he didn't hear the words of his Uncle Esav. He wasn't debilitated. He wasn't frozen. He wasn't still. He didn't hesitate. He wasn't gripped by Esav's words. חושים, בגלל שהיה כבד שמיעה, הוא לא שמע את כל דברי החלכלות של עשו. ושאל את אחיו, \"למה לא קוברים אותו?\" השיבו לו ברמז ובקיצור, שעשו מחזיק דברי יעקב... אה, עשו מחזיק אותנו, יש לו טענה אחרת. *Chushim, biglal she'haya k'vad shmia, hu lo shama es kol divrei ha'chalkalos shel Eisav. V'sha'al es achiv, \"Lama lo kovrim oso?\" Hishivu lo b'remez u'v'kitzur she'Eisav machzik divrei Yaakov... Ah, Eisav machzik osanu, yesh lo ta'anah acheres*. \"Esav's holding us up. He's got some other claim.\" כששמע זאת חושים, חרה אפו *K'she'shama zos Chushim, charah apo*. Chushim was enraged. He was outraged. He didn't buy anything that Esav was selling. And therefore he acted. He took the club and he hit him over the head. And what's the message to us? The message to us is, sometimes you got to be deaf. Sometimes you have to be deaf and act. Don't listen to the pundits and the experts and the analysts. Don't listen to the world and the commentators. Don't listen to people who sound compelling or persuasive or act like they're getting it right but couldn't be more wrong. Don't be those who are deceitful and manipulative with their words. Be like Chushim. Sometimes, we're so caught up in media and social media and news cycles that thrive on hype and hyperbole. Don't believe it. Don't buy into it. Turn off the volume. Shut it off. Be like Chushim ben Dan. Sometimes, sometimes with all the noise that's going on around us, that can be seductive and persuasive and compelling and make us second guess what we know to be true, that can tug on our heartstrings and pull on our emotions. Sometimes we need to be more like Chushim ben Dan. Sometimes you got to go deaf. Turn off the noise, disconnect, return to what we know to be simple and clear and obvious truths in a way that is not complicated so that we will act. Sometimes, like Chushim, you have to go and you have to be willing to be a little bit, a little bit deaf. A little bit deaf. Let's go back to the parsha. Ephraim and Menashe. You see that? Beginning of the parsha, I went to the end. We're trying. We're trying. Back to פרק מ\"ח *perek mem ches*. It's the end of Yaakov's life. He's giving out brachos. Yosef brings his sons Ephraim and Menashe. And Yosef, Yaakov puts his hands on the wrong way. ויומר יוסף אל אביו לא כן אבי כי זה הבכור שים ימינך על ראשו. וימאן אביו ויאמר ידעתי בני ידעתי *Vayomer Yosef el aviv lo chein avi ki zeh ha'bachor sim yimnicha al rosho. Vayima'en aviv vayomer yadati bni yadati*. \"I know. I got it right. It's just I know more about these children and their potential and what direction they're going in. I get it more right than you.\" There's a whole strange, peculiar conversation going on here, the back and forth between Yosef and his father over these sons. What exactly was Yaakov worried about? Right? When Yaakov first sees Ephraim and Menashe, וירא ישראל את בני יוסף ויאמר מי אלה *Vayar Yisrael es bnei Yosef vayomer mi eileh*. He says, \"Who are they?\" And Yosef says, \"Don't worry, these are my kids.\" He's been learning with them his whole time in Mitzrayim. Now he wonders מי אלה *mi eileh*? What's going on here? מי אלה *Mi eileh* that he doesn't recognize them? And how does Yosef, how does Yosef appease them? Rav Druk in Lamdavei She'eilos quotes his father, Rav Mordechai Druk, the Drash Mordechai. אבי מורי ביאר בזה שכל הדורות ישנה ירידת הדורות *Avi mori bi'er b'zeh she'kol ha'doros yeshna yeridas ha'doros*. We have a doctrine called the decline of the generations, ירידת הדורות *yeridas ha'doros*. Chazal understood that with generations, the further away we are from Har Sinai, the further removed we are from that moment of great revelation, the lower we go, the more that we lose, ירידת הדורות *yeridas ha'doros*, the doctrine of decline. The Gemara Brachos says אין קורין אבות אלא לשלושה והשבטים הקדושים לא נקראו אבות. *Ein korin avos ela l'shlosha v'ha'shevatim ha'kedoshim lo nikre'u avos*. We only have three avos and four imahos, and after that, the shevatim are not called avos or imahos. The Gemara Shabbos kuf yud beis, אם ראשונים בני מלאכים אנו בני אנשים *Im rishonim bnei malachim anu bnei anashim*. If the early ones were like angels, we're people. If the earlier ones were the people, we're donkeys, and not like a righteous donkey, like a stam, stinky donkey. So, ירידת הדורות *yeridas ha'doros*. ירידת הדורות *Yeridas ha'doros*. That's the way the world goes. We lose something, ירידת הדורות *yeridas ha'doros*. However, here's an exception. אפרים ומנשה כראובן ושמעון יהיו לי *Ephraim u'Menashe k'Reuven v'Shimon yihyu li*. What Yaakov sees is this is an exception to that rule. Ephraim and Menashe are not less or lower or declined. Ephraim and Menashe have the same status as the generation before them. And that, in fact, is therefore, says Rav Mordechai Druk, the Drash Mordechai, that is why we give our children a bracha on Friday nights, ישמך אלוקים כאפרים וכמנשה *Yesimcha Elokim k'Ephraim v'chi'Menashe*. Why? I don't want a ירידת הדורות *yeridas ha'doros*. I want you to be not like me. I want you to be greater than me. Even though the way of the world is ירידת הדורות *yeridas ha'doros*, even though generally there's a decline, who broke that cycle? Who were the exception? exceptions to that rule, Ephraim and Menashe. And that's our hope and that's our wish for our own children. יִשִׂמְךָ אֱלֹקִים כְּאֶפְרַיִם וְכִמְנַשֶּׁה Yisimcha Elokim ke'Ephraim ve'chi'Menashe, two brothers who got along, first generation where there wasn't sibling rivalry. Two brothers who got along, even though the younger one was elevated above the older one, and despite the potential for strife they got along. That's our hope for our children. And two who were born and raised in that exile, that גלות galus, and nevertheless clung to their values and their יידישקייט Yiddishkeit, that's our hope to children. And also because breaking the cycle of decline, our hope is, our hope is, כראובן ושמעון יהיו לי k'Reuven v'Shimon yihiyu li, they're not a doctrine of decline, but they'll be. And therefore you could explain Yaakov says, קחם נא אלי ואברכם kacham na eilay v'avarchem. שרמז לו בזה שהגביה את מנשה ואפרים לדור שלו she'ramaz lo b'ze she'higbia et Menashe v'Ephraim l'dor shelo, lift them to your generation. קחם נא אלי ואברכם, שלא תהיה בהם ירידת הדורות kacham na eilay v'avarchem, shelo tihiyeh bahem yeridas ha'doros. ואז יוכל לברכם v'az yuchal l'varchem, כי יהיו הם כדורו ללא נפילה של ירידת הדורות ki yihiyu hem k'doro l'lo nefila shel yeridas ha'doros. May they be an exception, may they be transcend this doctrine of decline. I shared many times, I had an uncle who passed away. My uncle Eli, Rabbi Eli Lazar, and his children collected his beautiful דברי תורה divrei Torah that he said on different family life cycle occasions. And in there, he once said at a bris of a grandchild. We say, זה הקטן גדול יהיה zeh ha'katan gadol yihiyeh. May this child, may this little פצקלה pitzkela, grow to be a גדול gadol. May they go from being a קטן katan to a גדול gadol. Saloveitchik has a beautiful insight. The מאור הקטן ma'or ha'katan and the מאור הגדול ma'or ha'gadol. The moon is called the small luminary, and the sun is called the great luminary. And from here we learn what's the difference between a גדול gadol and a קטן katan. The moon is not a source of light. The moon is just a reflection of the light of the sun. A קטן katan is something that doesn't have its own independent radiance, it's just a reflection of that which is greater than it. The זה הקטן zeh ha'katan, this little פצקלה pitzkela who will just reflect his parents, גדול יהיה gadol yihiyeh, may he become a source of light himself. That's זה הקטן גדול יהיה zeh ha'katan gadol yihiyeh. But my uncle, עליו השלום alav ha'shalom, said a different פשט pshat. He said we should read it, we don't say this word, but we should read it as if we say, זה הקטן גדול ממני יהיה zeh ha'katan gadol mimeni yihiyeh. May this one who right now knows less, earns less, keeps less, observes less, is less developed, less smart, but may they surpass me. That's the Jewish hope and aspiration. We're not jealous of our own children. We don't compete with our own children. We don't want our own children to earn less than us. Too many people, too many Jews, they want their kids to be exactly where they are. I come to שול shul, a 9:00 minyan. I get there at 9:26. If my kid comes 9:25, they're a religious fanatic. If they come 9:27, they're off the דרך derech. What's gonna be with this reject? I come at 9:26, they have to come 9:26. I eat these הכשרים hechsherim, they have to eat these הכשרים hechsherim. Too many are so worried. We're worried if they do a little bit less, they're off the דרך derech. They do a little bit more, they're a religious fanatic. Where did I go wrong? And it's instructive which one people are more afraid of, being less religious or more than religious. Which people are more afraid of. But really, that's not who we are. Our wish, our hope, our dream, our aspiration is זה הקטן גדול ממני יהיה zeh ha'katan gadol mimeni yihiyeh, that our children should be greater than us, greater than us. You know, you don't hear parents say, \"I went to City College, I don't want them to go to…\" now nobody should want their kid to go to Ivy League. But back once, if it ever was safe, spiritually, religiously, back when it was safe, you heard people say, you know, \"I couldn't go to college, I want them to go to college.\" \"I went to the City College, I want my kid to go to Ivy League college.\" \"I only got a BA, I want my kid to be a doctor, get a graduate degree.\" Everyone wants more. What about religiously? What about spiritually? We should also want them to be more, know more, observe more, not be threatened, not be afraid of that. We should be proud of that. It's exactly what we דאווענען daven for. It's exactly what you דאווענען daven for. In a world in which, and this is full circle to the beginning of the שיעור shiur, we'll end with this. We saw the פשט pshat of צער גידול בנים tza'ar gidul banim. You know what צער גידול בנים tza'ar gidul banim is? That after all the גידול בנים gidul banim, all you got was צער tza'ar. That's צער גידול בנים tza'ar gidul banim. צער גידול בנים Tza'ar gidul banim is not that they had a temperature, got the flu, threw up on your kitchen floor, climbed into your bed in the middle of the night. That's not צער גידול בנים tza'ar gidul banim. You know what that's called? גידול בנים Gidul banim. That they broke their screen on their phone for the 15th time. That's called גידול בנים gidul banim. I could give you a lot more examples, but that's called גידול בנים gidul banim. צער גידול בנים Tza'ar gidul banim is after all the גידול בנים gidul banim, what you got was צער tza'ar. That's, that's what you should be afraid of, not that they came back religiously on fire and inspired. That's what you דאווענען daven for. That's what we all דאווענען daven for. So that's what the ברכה bracha, ישמך אלוקים כאפרים וכמנשה yisimcha Elokim k'Ephraim u'ch'Menashe, is that even though there's ordinarily a ירידת הדורות yeridas ha'doros, even though there's a decline, Ephraim and Menashe were not a decline. They were like כראובן ושמעון יהיו לי k'Reuven v'Shimon yihiyu li. And that's our hope for our children. קינדערלאך Kinderlach, כאפרים וכמנשה k'Ephraim u'ch'Menashe. I want you to be גדול ממני gadol mimeni. I want you to know more, keep more, דאווענען daven more, דאווענען daven better, have better מידות midos, give more צדקה tzedakah, learn more תורה Torah, be more righteous than I am. I want you to surpass me. I want you to be the exception to the rule ירידת הדורות yeridas ha'doros. That's our תפילה tefillah, that's our ברכה bracha for our children on Friday night. Please stay to help us complete ספר תהלים Sefer Tehillim a few times. We should hear בשורות טובות besoros tovos.
