The Weekly Shtikle - Vayeira

This week's shtikle, as per tradition for parshas Vayeria, is dedicated le'ilui nishmas my brother Efrayim Yechezkel ben avi mori Reuven Pinchas, whose 48^th yahrtzeit is next Tuesday, 18 Cheshvan.

 

At the end of this week's parsha, Avraham faces the ultimate challenge of akeidas Yitzchak. It is certainly not unreasonable to consider this the greatest of Avrhaham's 10 tests on a number of different levels. It is certainly worth noting that this is the one time the Torah actually refers to the episode as a test, (22:1) "VehaElokim nisa." However, Rashi, based on a gemara (Sanhedrin 89b) cites a deeper meaning of the beseeching nature of HaShem's request which seems, at first glance, to border on hyperbole. HaShem uses the word "please" as if to say, "Please stand up to this test so that people do not say of the first tests that there was nothing to them." Suppose Avraham had difficulty with this command. Suppose he had questions about this daunting, impossible task. Would that really have detracted from the utter devotion he showed in the previous tests?

 

R' Schwab, in Ma'ayan Beish HaSho'eiva, explains that while the first 9 challenges were all great in their own right, there was one very important element missing – the involvement of his progeny. Passing these tests were of great significance on a personal level for Avraham. But that, on its own, would not be enough to pass on to the great nation of which Avraham was to be the father. We often speak of Avraham as having instilled the will and the strength of self-sacrifice in all future generations. But this is not accomplished simply through genetics. Akeidas Yitzchak was a trial of sacrifice that Avraham and Yitzchak would experience together as father and son. Only through enduring this test and persevering together could this virtue be passed on. Indeed, if Avraham were to have failed this test in any way, his previous accomplishments would be of much lesser value to the generations that followed. This explains the urgency of HaShem's request.

 

Have a good Shabbos.

 

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

AstroTorah: A Scratch on the Wall

AstroTorah: Witnesses to Sedom's Destruction

AstroTorah: The Mysterious Midrash by R' Ari Storch

AstroTorah: Lot's Twilight Escape by R' Ari Storch

AstroTorah: I Can't Believe it's not Fresh by R' Ari Storch

Dikdukian: Different Forms of Yirash

Dikdukian: Be'er Shava

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The Weekly Shtikle - Lech Lecha

After leaving Mitzrayim and returning to Eretz C'na'an, the shepherds of Lot and Avraham engage in a dispute as the land they were occupying was not vast enough to accommodate all of them. The pasuk recounts (13:7) that there was a riv between the shepherds. When Avraham attempts to settle the dispute with Lot, he beseeches him, "Al na sehi merivah beini uveinecha." Avraham uses the word merivah, rather than riv, to refer to the dispute. Malbim explains that riv refers to the actual act of dispute, while merivah refers to the factors that caused the dispute. Avraham was indicating to Lot the cause for the friction between the shepherds. The country was surely large enough for both of them to settle peacefully. However, this was only possible if they would separate. It was due to their brotherly relationship, being anashim achim, that they had chosen to travel together. But their togetherness was the root of their difficulties. Therefore, Avraham had to explain to Lot that it was time for them to split up.

SHEL"AH offers an interesting approach to the change in wording. He interprets merivah simply as the feminine form of riv. The female, as opposed to the male, is the species that produces offspring. A riv therefore symbolizes a minor disagreement, while merivah implies a festering dispute, with the potential to spawn a more serious altercation. Avraham was warning Lot, while the dispute was still in its minor stage of riv, that something must be done before it develops into something graver.

This is generally a very valuable, national lesson for klal Yisrael. But somehow, it seems even more apropos in the Unites States this week as we all recover from a rather contentious election season. There will always be divides among us and strong differences of opinion. Let us not allow them to become a merivah.

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: King #5

Dikdukian: Vekoyei (le'iluy nishmas Dedi, a"h)

AstroTorah: Quality not Quantity by R' Ari Storch

AstroTorah: The Uncountable Stars

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The Weekly Shtikle - Noach

This past Wednesday, 28 Tishrei, was the 23^nd yahrtzeit of my dear friend, Daniel Scarowsky, z"l.

This week's shtikle is dedicated leiluy nishmaso, Daniel Moshe Eliyahu ben Yitzchak.

 

A special Weekly Shtikle mazal tov to my nephew Yaakov Yeres of Cherry Hill on his bar mitzvah this Shabbos. Mazal tov to the extended Yeres and Stark families.

There are many questions surrounding Noah's sending of the two birds at the end of the episode of the mabul. Last year, we explored what the actual purpose was in the first place. Another interesting issue that is discussed is whether Noach was even permitted to send these birds out. After all, he was commanded to enter the teivah and waited explicitly for HaShem's direction to leave.

One of the most fascinating approaches comes from Netziv in Ha'amek Davar. He suggests that this raven and dove were actually not from the pairs of animals brought along for survival. Rather, as a member of the nobility, Noach possessed these birds as pets which was evidently customary even in earlier times. Therefore, these birds were allowed to be let out. (See a further discussion there as to why these specific birds were chosen.)

It occurred to me that this interpretation might explain another nuance in the pesukim. Both the raven and the dove are referred to (8:7-8) in the definite form – ha'oreiv and ha'yonah. If Noach just took any one of those birds, it should have just said, for example, vayeshalach yonah. But if these were his own special birds that he owned, the use of the definite form is much more understandable.

*****

On the lighter side (since, as illustrated below, the teiva was quite heavy): A good friend of mine and noted author, Mordechai Bodek, wrote a homourous book called Extracts From Noah's Diary. Every year since, I have forgotten to insert a plug for the book. This year (with his help,) I finally remembered.

Have a good Shabbos and Chodesh Tov.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Al Pi Cheshbon: The Weight of the Teiva and The Constant Rate of Recession 
AstroTorah: Sailing the Friendly Skies by R' Ari Storch

AstroTorah: The World's First Boat?

AstroTorah: Interesting Calendrical Facts About the Mabul

Dikdukian: Noach's Three Sons

Dikdukian: Different Ways to Wake Up

Dikdukian: Take it Easy

Dikdukian: Geshem vs. Gashem

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The Weekly Shtikle - Sukkos

As part of the requisite mitzvos pertaining to Sukkos, we are told (Vayikra 23:42) "You shall dwell in sukkos for a seven-day period." Interestingly, the word sukkos is in plural. The first inclination would be that this is because the nation as a whole will dwell, collectively, in many sukkos. However, the adjacent pasuk referring to the mitzvah of the four species refers to the esrog as pri eitz hadar in singular form, despite the fact that the nation as a whole will be taking many. In fact, it is further puzzling that the rest of the species are referred to in the plural. The hadassim and aravos are understandable. But the lulav, of which we only take one, is also in plural.

     

For now, I would like to address only the discrepancy in the wording of sukkos. There is a significant difference between the mitzvah of sukkah and that of lulav and esrog. The mitzvah to take a lulav and esrog is very personal and private in nature. This is epitomized by the fact that one must own his own four species and cannot fulfill the mitzvah with someone else's.

 

The mitzvah of sukkah, by contrast, is one that naturally includes others, notwithstanding the opinion of R' Eliezer (Sukkah 27) that one must remain in the same sukkah for the duration of the chag. Everyone makes the sukkah their temporary dwelling, the place where they eat all of their meals. Some are unable to make their own. Families and individuals, whether they have their own sukkah or not, are almost certain to share this mitzvah with others, either by eating in others' sukkah or inviting them eat in their own. Therefore, the mitzvah of sukkah is given in the plural because it is the intention that one should eat in many sukkos whereas the mitzvah of lulav and esrog can only be fulfilled with one's own set of the four species.

Have a good Yom Tov and good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Sukas Dovid Hanofeles

Al Pi Cheshbon: Number of bakashos in Ya'aleh veYavo

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The Weekly Shtikle - Yom Kippur

In this tumultuous presidential election campaign season, there has been no shortage of entertaining memes. One video clip shows one of the candidates repeating the exact same line over and over again in various different speeches. In numerous different settings, this candidate is seen claiming to "see what can be, unburdened by what has been." While it is certainly a laughable string of clips, there might actually be a valuable message behind this catchphrase, extremely pertinent to Yom Kippur and the ideas of teshuvah.

This point is best brought out with a beautiful thought I heard from R' Tzvi Mordechai Feldheim in the name of R' Shimon Schwab, zt"l. Each and every night, in the hashkiveinu prayer we recite during maariv, we beseech HaShem to "remove the satan from in front of us and behind us." The satan in front of us is simple enough to understand. This is the force that stands between us and becoming closer to HaShem. It is ever-present, drawing us toward sin and preventing us from performing mitzvos. But what is the nature of the satan behind us?

Rav Schwab explains that the satan behind us is the cynical voice that emerges when we try to make significant change. It is particularly active during this time of year. When we make up our minds to do teshuvah, the satan behind us says "yeah, that's what you said last year, and the year before." It has you believing that things must stay the same because that's the way they have always been. (Perhaps we should name him Newton.) We ask HaShem nightly for assistance in combating this force that pulls us down and burdens us by what has been.

Have a good Shabbos and a gemar chasimah… tov? {See below)

 

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

 

Weekly Shtikle Blog Roundup:

Dikdukian: Remember Us for the Good

Dikdukian: A Happy Ending

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The Weekly Shtikle - Rosh HaShanah

I assume that I'm not the only one who, more than once, while itching for the end of mussaf on Rosh HaShanah, has read Artscroll's explanation of the symbolism behind the 100 shofar blasts. The source is Eliyahu Ki Tov's Sefer HaToda'ah, wherein he explains that Devorah, in her song following the defeat of Sisera and his Canaanite army, states (Shofetim 5:28-30) that Sisera's mother whimpered and groaned while she awaited her sons return. She did so 101 times, according to the midrash. We sound the shofar 100 "whimpers" to express our opposition to the barbarism Sisera's mother supported but we fall short by one blast to show the smallest inkling of sympathy for her pain.

Surely, there must be more behind this connection. The mother's whimpers are not enough for us to base such a significant custom on this episode in Tanach. (I have always thought it ironic that the heroine of the story of Sisera's defeat was Yael who single-handedly killed the ruthless general. The mishnah (Rosh HaShanah 3:3) states that the shofar used on Rosh HaShanah is the straight horn of an ibex, a "yael." This observation is made slightly less significant by the fact that our custom is not in accordance with that mishnah.)

The theme of Rosh HaShanah is accepting upon ourselves the yoke of HaShem's Kingship. We do this every day when we recite the Shema and declare that HaShem is One. The essence of a king is a single, authoritative entity with no superior and no equal. Thus, recognizing HaShem's oneness is a crucial part of accepting His Dominion. To achieve that recognition, we must come to accept that the good and the bad, life and death (as in this past week's parsha) all come from a single source. In the Torah, we are often confronted with seemingly contradictory messages - messages of kindness and compassion alongside messages of apparent cruelty and destruction. As well, on Rosh HaShanah, we often reflect upon the events that have transpired over the past year - the blessings and the good fortune, the tragedies and hardships. The challenge, again, is to realize that these are not conflicts but simply Divine decrees.

The story of Sisera presents a very similar challenge (although not necessarily unique in Tanach.) We read about poor Sisera - all he wanted was a glass of water and what did he get? A glass of milk and a tent pole through his skull. And then we read about his poor, grieving mother. Yet we must be careful to keep our emotions in check, to realize that Sisera was a man of great cruelty and that his demise was the will of HaShem and an essential component of B'nei Yisrael's miraculous victory. With this, the story of Sisera's demise is more closely related not only to shofar, but to the general theme of Rosh HaShanah itself.

This challenge has certainly become more prevalent over the past year. In the response to the horrific terror attacks of a year ago, we have witnessed scenes of heart-wrenching devastation. While these scenes evoke feelings of sympathy, we must also understand that this destruction is part of a necessary step to uproot evil and keep our people safe. I am not in a position to suggest exactly how to strike the balance of those emotions, just to observe that the challenge exists.

May you all have a shanah tovah umsukah, a kesiva vachasimah tovah and a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: HAL

Dikdukian: Remember us for the Good

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The Weekly Shtikle - Nitzavim / Vayeilech

This week's shtikle comes with some sad news, the passing of my dear uncle, Rabbi Dr. Israel Rivkin, z"l, in Yerushalayim. This week's shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmaso, Yisrael ben Refael Zev, z"l.

Nitzavim contains a most important and timely discussion of the significance of teshuvah and the study of Torah. The pesukim proclaim 

 "For this mitzvah (the whole Torah, according to Rashi) that I command you today is not removed from you, nor is it far. It is not in the heavens that you may say who will go up to the heavens and take it for us and teach it to us and we shall do it. Nor is it across the sea that you may say who will cross the sea and take it for us and teach us and we shall do it." (30:11-13)

At first glance, this passage seems to be expressing a leniency, comforting us that Torah and teshuvah are not out of our grasp. These are not difficult things for us to achieve. However, R' Kulefsky, zt"l, points out that Rashi reveals that in fact, the passage may be indicating the exact opposite. Rashi quotes from the gemara (Eiruvin 55a) that while the Torah is reassuring us that it is not across the sea or in the heavens and therefore, one need not journey there to attain it, it is implying that if it were, we would be expected to go such lengths. The Torah is, in fact, relating a stringency in HaShem's expectations of us. No matter how far from our reach the Torah is, no matter what extremes are necessary to grasp it, those extremes are nevertheless expected of us.

R' Kulefsky would illustrate this idea with a story that was told of R' Zalman of Volozhin, the brother of R' Chayim. When studying late at night, if he were to need a sefer which was not immediately available to him, he would not simply move on. He would travel even to another city to obtain that sefer. His actions were based on the above. If the Torah were across the sea or in the heavens, one would be expected to sojourn there to attain it. If the Torah he seeks is in another city, surely he is expected to make the journey.

Have a good Shabbos and a kesivah vachasimah tovah.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:
Dikdukian: Nitzavim Takes it on the Nee

Dikdukian: Don't you Worry

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