The Weekly Shtikle - Vayeishev

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h.

 

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my Oma, Chaya Sara bas Zecharia Chaim, a"h.

When Tamar sends to Yehudah to inform him that she is pregnant from him, the pasuk states (38:25) "And she sent to her father-in-law saying by the man to whom these are, I am pregnant. And she said 'Please recognize to whom these belong.'" The gemara (Sotah 10b) learns from here that it is better for one to have himself thrown in a burning fire than to embarrass his friend, from the fact that Tamar did not say outright that she is pregnant with his child and was willing to face death if Yehudah was not prepared to face the embarrassment that such a story would cause.

 

Mahari"l Diskin is bothered by two points. First, considering the exact form of the message, it does not leave much to figure out that Yehudah is the father. She specifically sent to Yehuda that the father is the owner of these items, and please recognize to whom they belong. That makes it quite obvious. Why would she be begging Yehudah to recognize them if not that she knew that they belonged to him? Second, the word vatomer in the middle of the pasuk seems superfluous.

 

He answers that Tamar put together a very clever plan. She sent two messengers. With the first she simply sent a message "by the man to whom these are, I am pregnant," without sending the actual items. Then she sent a second messenger with the items and a message "please recognize to whom these belong." This explains the appearance of the word vatomer in the middle, introducing the message she sent with the second messenger. Also, this way, neither of the two messengers could figure out on his own that it is Yehudah who is the father. Only Yehudah could figure it out and thus, she succeeded in saving him from embarrassment. 

Have a good Shabbos and a Chanukah Samei'ach!

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Clear the Halls (Chanukah)

Dikdukian: Naaseh Neis (Chanukah)

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The Weekly Shtikle - Vayishlach

Title: What's in a Name

On Fri, Nov 19, 2021 at 3:34 AM Weekly Shtikle <weeklyshtikle@weeklyshtikle.com> wrote:

A special Weekly Shtikle mazal tov to our nephew Ezra Lifshitz of Migdal HaEmek on his bar mitzvah this Shabbos. Mazal tov to the extended Yeres and Lifshitz mishpachos.

 

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h.

 

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my Oma, Chaya Sara bas Zecharia Chaim, a"h.

In his fierce battle with the angel, Yaakov essentially emerges victorious before the angel strikes below the belt. Following the altercation (32:28), he is asked his name. After his name to be Yaakov, the angel responds that he will no longer be called Yaakov. Rather, Yisrael will be his name. Could this declaration not have been made regardless of Yaakov's original name? Why did the angel have to ask him his name first?

 

It would appear that Yaakov's original name added special significance to his new one. His original name was given because he was holding on to Eisav's ankle when he emerged. The connotation is that of a trailer or follower, one who is always tagging along behind or even dragging down those who are in front of him. The name Yisrael, however, symbolizes his emergence as a powerful force unto his own. The name-change signified that whereas he was once a follower, lagging behind others, he had now risen to the level where he was overcoming angels.

 

Yaakov's journey, in this sense, can serve as a model for any budding, young bar mitzvah boy. Each of us is born into this world completely helpless and dependent on others. But, as we all declare at the bris, "this little one shall grow into a big one." Bar mitzvah is that turning point when a boy realizes his independence. He is no longer dependent on others but is now responsible for his own deeds as he works to become the gadol he was blessed to become.

 

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: The Great Dishon Confusion

Dikdukian: Appearances

Dikdukian: Efrasah, What is your Real Name?

Al Pi Cheshbon: Goats and Amicable Numbers by Ari Brodsky

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

 

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Eliezer Bulka

WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

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A special Weekly Shtikle mazal tov to our nephew Ezra Lifshitz of Migdal HaEmek on his bar mitzvah this Shabbos. Mazal tov to the extended Yeres and Lifshitz mishpachos.

 

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h.

 

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my Oma, Chaya Sara bas Zecharia Chaim, a"h.

In his fierce battle with the angel, Yaakov essentially emerges victorious before the angel strikes below the belt. Following the altercation (32:28), he is asked his name. After his name to be Yaakov, the angel responds that he will no longer be called Yaakov. Rather, Yisrael will be his name. Could this declaration not have been made regardless of Yaakov's original name? Why did the angel have to ask him his name first?

 

It would appear that Yaakov's original name added special significance to his new one. His original name was given because he was holding on to Eisav's ankle when he emerged. The connotation is that of a trailer or follower, one who is always tagging along behind or even dragging down those who are in front of him. The name Yisrael, however, symbolizes his emergence as a powerful force unto his own. The name-change signified that whereas he was once a follower, lagging behind others, he had now risen to the level where he was overcoming angels.

 

Yaakov's journey, in this sense, can serve as a model for any budding, young bar mitzvah boy. Each of us is born into this world completely helpless and dependent on others. But, as we all declare at the bris, "this little one shall grow into a big one." Bar mitzvah is that turning point when a boy realizes his independence. He is no longer dependent on others but is now responsible for his own deeds as he works to become the gadol he was blessed to become.

 

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: The Great Dishon Confusion

Dikdukian: Appearances

Dikdukian: Efrasah, What is your Real Name?

Al Pi Cheshbon: Goats and Amicable Numbers by Ari Brodsky

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

 

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The Weekly Shtikle - Vayeitzei

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h.

 

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my Oma, Chaya Sara bas Zecharia Chaim, a"h.

One of the more famous teachings of Ramban (12:6) is that the main purpose of the extended text retelling the story of our forefathers is to serve as a foreshadowing of that which will befall the generations to come, an idea commonly known as "maaseh avos siman labanim." At the end of the parsha, Lavan seems to take a page out of the playbook that has already been written by Avimelech and would go on to endure for millennia and is perhaps more apparent in our day than in the many centuries previous. It's really quite simple. Plan A: Destroy the Jews. Plan B: Bind the Jews to treaties to protect against any further losses. So, too, when Lavan finally realizes that he cannot overcome Yaakov (31:49-54), he insists on some pretty strict covenants moving forward.

Indeed, one might point out that this is a rather standard political strategy. (I offered a slightly different spin on this idea in a previous shtikle.) But my father, a"h, in More Torah Therapy, points out some deeper nuances in this exchange which are even further a harbinger of what is to come in our dealings with the nations. It would only be appropriate to quote the text directly:

Nevertheless, in spite of all this, the deal that is struck between Lavan and Yaakov turns out to be one-sided. The Gaon of Vilna points out that there were two objects used for the treaty – the maẕayvah (the monument; alternately referred to as miẕpah) and the gal, the heap. The Gaon suggests that gal relates to megulah, meaning "obvious," whereas miẕpah relates to ẕafun, meaning "hidden." Lavan was only obligated to avoid obvious trespass, his was a gal treaty. But, as far as Yaakov was concerned, even hidden trespass was forbidden; Yaakov's was a miẕpah treaty. Thus, Lavan says that "if you afflict my daughters and if you take wives besides my daughters" (Bereshit 31:50), it will be a breach of their agreement.

In effect, Yaakov had to be moral not only to the outside world, but even within his four walls, in his thoughts and actions. Yaakov had accepted this for himself long before signing the agreement with Lavan. The double standard of morality here imposed by Lavan is only a prototype of what has happened throughout history. Many nations have demanded a form of moral superiority from the Jew. This has given them carte blanche to attack the Jew at every turn for not being as morally superior as they were supposed to be.

Yaakov accepted Lavan's terms, but not in Lavan's context. He accepted the responsibilities of a higher morality, not out of weakness, but out of strength; not because it was imposed, but because it was presupposed. By his show of strength, he categorically rejected the right of anyone to impose a double standard of morality.

The message of this dialogue between Yaakov and Lavan remains clear in our time. Note, for example, the illegitimate accusations hurled against the Jews, accusations which are not only untrue but also indicative of a double standard. Arab states are allowed to persecute Jews with impunity, but Israel is held culpable by those who consider even thriving business people in the "administered territories" to be "refugees."

In this age of double standards, Yaakov's approach stands out. The Jew accepts a higher standard of morality not for the sake of being superior and not because of being the weaker, but out of the strength and conviction that this is the way to live.

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Wordsthatsticktogether

Dikdukian: From his Sleep

Dikdukian: Complete it

Dikdukian: Qualification of the AHOY rule

Dikdukian: Different Types of Kissing

Dikdukian: Come on, People - Part II

AstroTorah: Did Yaakov Leave the Solar System by R' Ari Storch

AstroTorah: Yaakov's Lesson on Zemanei HaYom by R' Ari Storch

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

 

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The Weekly Shtikle - Toledos

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h.

 

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my Oma, Chaya Sara bas Zecharia Chaim, a"h.

 

Yitzchak and his family are faced with a famine at the beginning of the parsha and relocate to the land of Gerar. Implicitly, a move to Mitzrayim, where conditions were likely better, was also on the table. HaShem appears to Yitzchak and warns him not to do so. Rather, he is told (26:2) to dwell in the land "asher omar eilecha." Simply translated, he is being told to receive instructions as to where he should bring his family. However, in the very next pasuk he is told to live in this land (Gerar.) So what is the purpose of the introductory instruction which seems to imply that guidance would come later?

Some commentaries, among them R' Sadia Gaon, take a very simple approach. This command – to await HaShem's instruction – applies not only at this moment but later as well. No matter what would befall Yitzchak in the years to come, he should only relocate by HaShem's word. We don't actually find such a conversation recorded after this one. However, when Yaakov finally returns, (35:27) Yitzchak appears to have been living in Chevron so he had moved at some point.

Netziv, in Ha'amek Davar, is also bothered by this. He resolves the issue with a novel interpretation of the words. He defines omar not as referring to actual speech but as the will and desire of HaShem. He also brings other examples to support this approach. Therefore, what Yitzchak is being told is to always live in the land HaShem desires him to live which, as the next pasuk goes on to explain, is right where he is right now.

Kli Yekar offers yet another intriguing approach based on a restructuring of the pasuk. HaShem did not want Yitzchak to leave Eretz Yisrael because he would be unable to behold the Divine Presence. HaShem, therefore commanded "reside in the land (Eretz Yisrael) so that I may speak to you at any moment." With this, Kli Yekar explains why the first pasuk uses the word shechon, denoting a more permanent abode, while the second use gur, a more temporary dwelling. As far as Eretz Yisrael is concerned, he was to permanently station himself in the land like a resident. His specific location in Gerar, however, was to be treated as temporary.

Have a good Shabbos. 

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: (From the) The Fats of the Land

Dikdukian: Be'er Sheva / Shava

Dikdukian: I will eat, You will eat

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

 

 

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