Parshah Va’era 5770

This weeks Parsha is Va’era Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 6:2-9:35

I am back to the normal schedule:  Question will be posted Monday and the answer on Friday morning.  Feel free to discuss or answer in the comments.

1) What phrase, used more than 70 times in the Torah, is used for the first time in this weeks Parshah?
2) At the start of the Parshah G-d says to Moshe: .

I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob with [the name] Almighty God, but [with] My name YHVH, I did not become known to them. ג. וָאֵרָא אֶל אַבְרָהָם אֶל יִצְחָק וְאֶל יַעֲקֹב בְּאֵל שַׁדָּי וּשְׁמִי יְ־הֹוָ־ה לֹא נוֹדַעְתִּי לָהֶם:

What is meant by this comparison and in what way is it a rebuke of Moshe?

Answer:
The answer to the firstquestion is the verse:

10. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, י. וַיְדַבֵּר יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר:

When it comes to the second question:

Ramban remarks that the name “El Shaddai” that is used with the patriarchs is the name the promises were made under but the promises were not yet fulfilled. It is also a name in which the miracles that occured were a manipulation of nature alone and nothing new was brought into existence under that name. On the other hand Moshe knew G-d under the name YHVH, the name under which the promises would be fulfilled. This name is also one under which miracles which include totally new creations can be brought. We see this in some of the plagues in this weeks parshah: The lice were created from dust- something completely outside of nature and involving a new creation; the hail combined fire and ice- a new creation outside of nature.

How was this a rebuke to Moshe? G-d was saying to Moshe- “The Avot who only heard promises and never saw them fulfilled; the Avot who only saw miracles within the bounds of nature, never questioned me or asked for my name. How can you, the one through whom the promises will be fulfilled and who has already seen me performing miracles outside of nature (the burning bush that did not burn) question me?”

Another rebuke here was that as the Avot only “knew” the name of El Shaddai (they knew the YHVH name as well, we see it in Bereishis, the implication here is that they only related to the El Shaddai name) their prophecy was likewise limited- like other prophets they needed to prepare for prophecy and only received it at specific times. Moshe who “knew” the name YHVH had prophecy at a much higher level- he did not need to prepare to receive prophecy and could talk to G-d at any time. Thus G-d is rebuking him saying
“the Avot had much lower prophecy, their prophecy was indistinct and unclear. You, whose prophecy is much higher, who sees clearly, doubt abnd question when they had the faith to accept even though they could not see the details.

Another way the sages put this is: All the prophets saw their prophecy as if through a smoky lens; Moshe’s prophecy was clear as seen through a clean lens

There is a lesson we can all learn from this. We all have levels we reach in our lives; we get faced with challenges, problems, decisions to be made. We can decide for ourselves from this- are we going to accept what Hashem has decreed? Are we going to inspect ourselves, our deeds, continue to look at improving ourselves and our connection to G-d or are we rather going to question Hashem; seek to challenge him for what we perceive as broken or unfulfilled promises? This rebuke of Moshe is saying we should always be doing the first- that we should accept that some things are beyond our understanding or abiltiy to perceive and that G-d will still ultimately make sure that everything is just and each person receives the reward or punishment they deserve.

In “Ma’amar HaIkkarim”, the Ramchal writes that there are two levels to Gan Eden in Olam Haba. The first one is where all manner of physical delights and all the enjoyments of this world can be experienced. however, the upper level, the higher level, is the one in which all manner of spiritual pleasures can be experienced. I read that and wondered, why would ther ebe a place in which physical pleasures can be experienced when we see in so many places the comment that the pure reward at a spiritual level surpases the pleasures fo this world so greatly? The answer is that it is there to show those who would query the justice of Hashem. When a soul receives their reward in the world to come, they might complain, “Is this all I get? I suffered to greatly in life and never experienced any pleasures. what kind of reward is this?” To that, Hashem shows them the difference- they can experienceall the delights and pleasures of this world they did not receive- but they will realise how pale and worthless they really are after they experience the reality of the spiritual rewards. Thus the true justness and mercy of Hashem will be shown to them.

Chanukkah and Teshuvah

When speaking about Channukah, people seldom talk about it and its relationship to Teshuvah (repentance) and Kiruv (outreach to bring Jews back to Judaism).  To me, these seem to be central themes.  Think about it his way:  Why do the Jews revolt? Over taxes?  Over land appropriation?  How about over not having self-rule and living in an “occupied territory”?  No- these matters all are insufficient to drive them to rebel and risk their lives.  The Greeks were a vastly superior power- their army was massive, they ruled a huge empire at the time and were THE world power!  What does drive the Jews to finally rebel?  The order to place an idol in the Temple and sacrifice a pig to it.

In itself, this would be bad- but we also know that many Jews had been attracted to the Greek philosophy and its grounding in this world.  It was attractive, logical, and easily studied- it provided concrete benefits in the here and now in that you then fitted into the ruling culture, became one of them and could move freely and enjoy a better lifestyle.  The Chanukkah story is not just about the miltiary victory, but about a spiritual one as well.  An interesting thing to note is that when we say the insert of Al Hanissim in Birkat HaMazon, the miracle of the oil is not mentioned, but it mentions the great military victory.  What does this teach?  That we won the war because Hashem created a miracle for us; the miracle of the oil was to emphasise that and to make sure it would be understood as such and not to see it as a purely physical victory.

But how does this relate to Tesahuvah and Kiruv?  The oil gives us the clue to this:  a small vial of pure oil is found.  This relates to the fact that a small amount of pure Jews remained while the majority had become Hellenised.  It also has a deeper message- it relates to the holy spark, the soul that is always there no matter how deeply buried it is beneath the trapings of having taken on another religion or committing great misdeeds.  With the correct behaviour, that spark can burn far more than its size would indicate.  It can transcend the physical and become something much greater that elevates us into the realm of the holy.  Mystically, the number 7 is seen as representing completeness in this world, a melding of the spiritual and the physical.  The Shabbos completeing the creation and making it whole- but the number 8 is seen as transcending that, bringing this world beyond the mundane, into the wholly spiritual.  Thus the eight candles of the Channukiah are a symbol of this. 

What is that small vial of oil teaching us?  That no matter how far we have fallen, how deeply we have buried our inherent holiness, we can always recover.  We can always repent and then that small element of holiness, that small vial of oil, brings us closer to Hashem- and once we approach Hashem, he takes over, he sustains us and we can reach beyond the limits we perceive to truly elevate ourselves spiritually.

Where do we see a message of Kiruv? The Hasmoneans fought against the Greeks and the Hellenised Jews- but afterwards they reached out, brought those estranged Jews back intot the fold, brought them back into the mainstream of Bnei Yisrael. Some remained Hellenised and lost to Judaism, but the majority of them returned to Judaism. It is seen in another way- we light the Chanukkah candles because of the dictum of the sages that we must publicise the miracle; this, too is a reaching out to the estranged and saying, “Come back, return, realise what it is that Hashem does for his people.” As I have frequently quoted from Pirkei Avot “Kol Yisrael arazim zeh lah zeh, v’yesh l’kol Yisrael chelek b’olam haba” “All of Isreal is responsible one for another, and for all of Israel there is a place in the world to come.” So this Chanukkah, lets watch these candles burning with a guest, with someone who would not light candles for themselves- and hope that this simple action will ignote the pach shemen (small vial of oil) within to a great flame of Teshuvah.

Parshas Mikeitz 5770 – Nature and recognising G-d’s bounty

First: An apology for not updating this timeously and keepign track- an unexpected holiday with no internet access is the excuse I give!

Parshah Mikeitz Bereishis (Genesis) 41:1-44:17

Question: What is the significance that the seven fat cows come from the river and stay there, but the seven thin cows are only described as coming from the river, but not as remaining there

Answer: The reason that the river is specificied as a location is a very mundane one: the Egyptian sustenance and agricultural is dependent and the annual flooding of the Nile- thus the seven good years were centered around that area; the farmers along the Nile had bounty crops for the seven good years, but the rest of Egypt remained unaffected. However, the seven bad years were not restricted to the banks of the Nile; after the bad crops were experienced and there was no food to be planted or harvested (the seven thin cows eating the seven fat cows), the effects spread across not just the rest of Egypt, but into all the neighboring countries. Wide spread famine means that the effects of the seven thin cows were not restricted to the banks of the Nile, but they “wandered’ across many areas.

Additional commentary:This incident represents the fact that things happen in a seemingly natural way- but they are directed to happen by G-d.  The Egyptians were used to the Nile flooding in an annual cycle.  Without the dreams of Pharoah and the interpretation of Yosef,  they would have seen the extraordinary years as simply part of the natural order of things, and the subsequent bad years as part of the natural order.  G-d was displayign his mastery of nature to them, emphasising his mastery.  None of the Egyptian magicians, sorcerors, dream interpretets etc could understand the dream but a a lone Jewish slave, being held in jail, could understand, interpret, explain and prepare the egyptians due to the power of G-d.

The incident was a warning for the Egyptians- the Jews were destined to be slaves, G-d had told Avraham Avinu as much; but G-d also said that the nation that enslaved them would be judged according to how the Jews were treated; would they be seen as a beloved servant and held in high esteem, or wpould they be oppressed and suffer?  Here G-d was givign a warning to the egyptians- right at the start as the Jews descended, G-d showed his mastery of the natural world and order- and how the Jews were above it.  The Egyptians were put on notice that the Jews were G-d’s chosen peopel and above the natural order.  Even more than this, Pharoah was rewarded for his actions in appointing Yosef- he gained all the land of egypt, the prdinary egyptians becoming tenant farmers on the land they worked on his behalf.  Pharoah had much to be grateful for, Yosef had made him far wealthier and greater than he had been before.

However, the lesson went unheeded, and instead of the egyptians and Pharoahs heeding the warning of G-d, and showing gratitude to the descendants of Yosef for saving them from the famine, they chose the wrong path and thus they were punished when the Jews left Egypt