Lessons Beyond the Classroom

Prior to his death Yaakov blessed his grandsons Ephraim and Menashe. He prefaced that blessing with a peculiar introduction:

וְעַתָּ֡ה שְׁנֵֽי־בָנֶ֩יךָ֩ הַנּֽוֹלָדִ֨ים לְךָ֜ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֗יִם עַד־בֹּאִ֥י אֵלֶ֛יךָ מִצְרַ֖יְמָה לִי־הֵ֑ם אֶפְרַ֨יִם֙ וּמְנַשֶּׁ֔ה כִּרְאוּבֵ֥ן וְשִׁמְע֖וֹן יִֽהְיוּ־לִֽי:

And now, [as for] your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt, until I came to you, to the land of Egypt they are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine like Reuben and Simeon.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein asks: why does Yaakov say that specifically his grandsons born in Egypt prior to Yaakov’s arrival in Egypt are considered like his sons? We would have though the opposite. Those grandsons that were born once Yaakov arrived in Egypt should be more dear to Yaakov since Yaakov was present for their entire lives, compared to Ephraim and Menashe who were born in Egypt while Yaakov was still in Canaan. Rabbi Feinstein answers that Yaakov is teaching his family- and all of us- that Chinuch, Jewish education, must transcend the walls of a family’s home and the walls of a classroom. The greatest testament to Yaakov’s strong Jewish identity and deep Jewish values are evident when we consider the fact that Yaakov had grandchildren who lived by the values of their grandfather without ever meeting Yaakov during their early formative years. We have the ability through what we do and what we value to make an impression on those with whom we interact, including and especially our children.  Here Rabbi Feinstein is suggesting that when we teach our children through word and deed we can have a positive impact on our grandchildren and future generations, even those whom we don’t meet and those with whom we do not spend much time.

This idea from Rabbi Feinstein reminded me of a story that I vaguely remembered regarding the power of a lesson beyond the classroom and the mitzvah of Hashavat Aveida, returning a lost object. Thanks to Google I was able to find a version of the story, as told/ quoted by Dr. Erica Brown, Vice Provost for Values and Leadership at Yeshiva University and the founding director of YU’s Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership. (Quoted from Weekly Jewish Wisdom, February 11, 2016):

“Many years ago, I was teaching in several gap year programs in Israel and carpooled with another faculty member to one of the programs. Impressed with a student in one of my classes, I asked my colleague if he knew her. He told me she had a fascinating story. She was set on studying in an ashram in India. On the way, she stopped off to see family in Israel. Her relative took her to a class in the Old City of Jerusalem on the topic of hashavat aveida, returning lost objects. The minutiae of Jewish law bored her to tears; she told her relative that this was precisely why she was going to India: to escape the legality of Judaism for the spirituality of an ashram. She studied for months with a guru. One day, she was walking and talking with her teacher, when they saw a lost wallet. He pocketed it and said the Indian equivalent of “finders, keepers, losers, weepers.” Suddenly, she recalled her Shabbat in Jerusalem. But this time, the class did not seem so boring. It seemed honest, authentic and ethical. She left India and went back to Jerusalem, where I had her as a student. And thus, returning lost objects helped her return to the tradition in which she was raised.”

Don't Just Exist- Really Live!

In Parshat Vayigash, Yaakov and Yosef are reunited and Yosef brings his father to meet Pharoh. Their meeting begins with Yaakov blessing Paroh, and then Pharoh asks a question in response:

חוַיֹּאמֶר פַּרְעֹה אֶל יַעֲקֹב כַּמָּה יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיֶּיךָ

And Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How many are the days of the years of your life?"

I view this question as an equivalent to a “How are you?” The socially correct answer in this situation would be a short factual response- which is what Yaakov initially provides:

וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב אֶל פַּרְעֹה יְמֵי שְׁנֵי מְגוּרַי שְׁלשִׁים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה

The days of the years of my sojourning are one hundred thirty years.

But then Yaakov goes off the rails and things quickly get uncomfortable, as Yaakov continues:

מְעַט וְרָעִים הָיוּ יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיַּי

The days of the years of my life have been few and miserable

This is a classic case of TMI- too much information. Pharoh was merely trying to make chit chat with his viceroy’s father, and Yaakov has to go ahead and ruin it by making things all serious.

So one lesson we can learn from this exchange in our Parsha is: let’s make sure our words are meaningful. Let’s consider a greeting other than “How are you?” and save that question for people and situations when we are really interested in the answer.

 

I want to turn to Yaakov’s response: It’s pretty shocking. Yaakov kvetches that his days have been “few” and miserable. Both claims can be challenged. The Ramban notes that by this time, a long life span was down to 70-80 years. So 130 years is nothing to complain about!

Second, things may not have always worked out in the easy most straightforward way for Yaakov. But for the most part- in the end things work out for him. Yaakov must flee from Eisav- but ultimately reconciles with him. Yaakov is persecuted by his father in law, but ultimately is able to leave as a rich man.  Sure, Yaakov had tzuris. But we would not expect our Patriarch to describe his life as “miserable.”

 

The Malbim (19^th century Russian commentator) encourages us to look at the text carefully:

When he first answers the question, Yaakov states that his “Yemei Shnei Megurai” is 130 years. However Yaakov uses a slightly different language “Yemei Shnai Chayei” – when referring to his life as short and miserable.

 

Explains the Malbim: The term “Shnay Megurei” refers to the years that Yaakov had lived on this planet: which solicits a factual answer: 130 years. What was few and miserable for Yaakov was his “Shnay Chayei”- the time Yaakov felt he was able to really live. To engage in meaningful activities. To help others, to learn Torah, to connect with family and with Hashem.

Yaakov’s response to Pharoh challenges us to consider what ways we are really living during the years that God gives us in this life. And how we can increase our Shnot Chayim during our sojourn on this planet.

 

As Abraham Lincoln put it: “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” Let’s do our best to live life to the fullest, as taught to us by our Torah and by our tradition.

No Time to Slack Off

In Parshat Miketz we read about the rise of Yosef into the second most powerful man in Egypt. The Torah tells us that Yosef got married and had children (41:50): “And to Joseph were born two sons before the year of the famine set in, whom Asenath the daughter of Poti phera, the governor of On, bore to him.”

The Talmud (Taanit 11) notes that Yosef’s sons were born before the onset of the famine in Egypt and learns from here that a person is not allowed to have children during a famine. This is codified in Shulchan Aruch (YD 240:12). Tosfot in Taanit asks how it can be forbidden to have children during a famine, if we have a tradition that Yocheved, Moshe’s mother, was born to Levi as Yaakov and his family arrived in Egypt- during the second year of the famine! Tosfot suggests that not having children during a famine is actually a “Midat Chasidut”, a pious yet voluntary practice. The Ohr HaChayim finds it problematic to suggest that Levi did not observe this pious practice in light of the pasuk in V’Zot Habracha:  וּלְלֵוִ֣י אָמַ֔ר תֻּמֶּ֥יךָ וְאוּרֶ֖יךָ לְאִ֣ישׁ חֲסִידֶ֑ךָ “And of Levi he said: "Your Tummim and Urim belong to Your pious man”. The Ohr HAchayim therefore explains that the restriction only applies to those who have already fulfilled the mitzvah to “Be fruitful and multiply”. The consensus is that this mitzvah is fulfilled by having (minimally) one son and one daughter. Since Levi had not yet had a daughter he was not bound by this restriction. According to the Ohr Hachayim Yosef was also not obligated to observe this restriction because he had not yet fulfilled the mitzvah of Pru Urevu, but he did so for some other reason that was not relevant to Levi.

Rabbi Yochanan Zweig suggests a different reason for the difference in practice between Yosef and Levi. Refraining from having more children is an expression of empathy with the plight of those who are suffering from hunger. Rabbi Zweig suggests that this restriction only applies to those who have enough to eat, but must abide by this restriction as a way to feel the pain of others. However those who are actually impacted by the famine share in the actual pain of those who are hungry. They do not need to adopt practices to show solidarity and empathy with those who are suffering- because they themselves are suffering too. If they have the perspective that God is the ultimate provider of sustenance, whether it’s a lot or a little; and children are a blessing, no matter the circumstances- then they would not be bound by the Talmud’s restriction and they would be allowed to have children during a famine. Levi was impacted by the famine in Egypt, so he was not bound by the Tamud’s restriction. Yosef had access to as much food as he and his family needed; he was therefore subject to the Talmud’s restriction meant to demonstrate empathy.

As we pass the two month mark for the war in Gaza, we must not lose sight of our obligation to empathize with Israel and her citizens, to keep them at the forefront of our minds and to fight the urge and the natural proclivity to return to normal life. The situation in Israel is just as abnormal and serious today as it was on October 7 and 8. In the immediate aftermath of Simchat Torah, many of us were paralyzed. Then we became mobilized. I fear that we are now becoming fatigued, losing our momentum, and unsure of how much longer we can “keep this up”. We need to find new outlets, and strengthen old ones, to show our empathy, solidarity and support until Israel is victorious and the threats to our homeland have been eliminated.

The Struggle Over Ideas- Then and Now

Chanukah celebrates the victory of the Chashmonaim over the Greeks. While the Jews won that battle, the war between these two cultures and worldviews continues to this very day. Much has been written about the clash of ideology separating Jerusalem from Athens. Nineteenth-century German poet-philosopher Heinrich Heine suggested that for the Greeks beauty was truth whereas for the Hebrews truth was beauty, and late-20th-century philosopher William Barrett maintained that while the Greeks idealized philosophic speculation and theoretical meditation, the Hebrews emphasized moral and ethical conduct in daily human behavior as being the highest good.

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin suggested another significant distinction between the Greek and Hebrew cultures, one which reverberates to this very day. The answer to the Greek Riddle of the Sphinx “Who walks on four in the morning, on two in the afternoon and on three in the evening?” is Man, who crawls about as a baby, stands upright as an adult and has need of a cane in old age. C.M. Bowra, the great interpreter of the wisdom of Hellas, suggests that indeed Man is the answer, not only to the Riddle of the Sphinx but to every question worth asking. Pythagoras taught that “Man is the measure of all things”; for the famed sculptor Praxiteles, the human form was the most perfect of all forms (and therefore for the ancient Greeks circumcision was a heinous crime because it maimed the perfect human body); and the chorus of Sophocles’ Antigone iterates and reiterates, “Many are the awesome-awful (Hebrew nora, nora’ot) phenomena, but none more awesome-awful than man.”

Hence the gods on Mount Olympus were formed in the image of man, endowed with human and mostly physical characteristics: Zeus was the most powerful, unpitying and terrible; Aphrodite was the goddess of love, beauty and pleasure; Hermes was the god of speed. The gods were created in the image of humans, warring and jealous human-like beings, idealizing their most physical and even animalistic traits.

Judaism, explains Rabbi Riskin, is the very antithesis of this. Human beings are created in the image of God, duty bound to walk in God’s ways and to emulate His Divine characteristics of love, compassion, patience, loving-kindness and truth. “Just as the Holy One Blessed be He is called compassionate, so must you be compassionate, just as He grants His grace freely, so must you grant grace freely....”

This distinction between Athens and Jerusalem is important for all Jews to remember as we navigate a society still enamored by many of the ideas that originated in Greek philosophy. But understanding this distinction is especially important for students on secular college campuses. College is an exciting time to learn and explore new ideas. Many of these ideas are directly from, or derivatives of, Greek ideas. And as the Talmud teaches us “Yesh Chochma BaGoyim”, we should not be so quick to dismiss ideas that are attributable to the Greeks. At the same time we must study and expand our minds from a Jewish perspective. We are first and foremost proud, educated, sophisticated Jews. The current climate on college campuses is one that is concerning to anyone who rejects the idea that all of life must be viewed through the prism of postmodernism, subjective morality, and Marxist class struggle. We celebrate Chanukah and appreciate why the Maccabee victory over the Greeks was so important then- and why we must continue to fight that fight today in ways that continue to shape our Jewish identity and serve as a light and enlightenment for the world.

Responding to Eisav’s Three Questions

 In Parshat Vayishlach we read how Yaakov prepares to reunite with his brother Eisav after 20 years of separation. Chazal understands that the confrontation between Yaakov and Eisav serves as the model for all of history as to how the Jewish People should interact with other nations, especially when the other nations is presenting as antagonistic or unfriendly. Rashi quotes the Midrash Tanchuma:

“Jacob prepared himself for three things: for a gift, for war, and for prayer. For a gift, [as Scripture says] (verse 22): “So the gift passed on before him.” For prayer, as Scripture says (verse 10): “God of my father Abraham…” For war, as Scripture says: “the remaining camp will escape.”

This is the blueprint for all time, including today and Israel’s current war with Hamas. We must engage in this battle against evil on three fronts. We must put in our effort, both on the battlefield (ie “war”) but also in supporting our soldiers on the front lines through material and moral support. At the same time we must never lose sight of the fact that our efforts are only part of the picture, and ultimately victory is decided by Hashem. We therefore must increase our efforts in terms of teshuva, tefilah, and tzedaka to create the merits that will tip the scales in Heaven towards victory and the elimination of evil.

Yaakov sends messengers to do reconnaissance on Eisav, and he tells them that Eisav will ask them three questions (32:17-18): “"When my brother Esau meets you, and asks you, saying, 'To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and for whom are these before you?' In a speech in 1964 Rav Soloveitchik explained these questions as relevant for the Jewish People to always ask as we consider our role in the world.

“Jacob anticipated that Esau would ask three questions of him and his family as they approached to take up residence in Canaan. ‘To whom do you belong’- ie to whom do you pledge your ultimate loyalty? ‘Where are you going?’ ie what objectives and goals do you seek for yourself in the future? These two questions relates to Jacob’s soul and spiritual identity. Consequently, Jacob commanded his representatives to reply boldly, clearly, and precisely that their souls, their personalities, their metaphysical identities, their spiritual future and social commitment were the private concerns of Jacob. ‘They are your servant Jacob’s’ and no human power may interfere or attempt to sever this eternal bond with God which had been established in the covenant with Abraham.”

Eisav’s first two questions force Yaakov- and his descendants- to acknowledge the Jewish People’s unique, and sometimes, lonely role within the world. Am Yisrael has a unique relationship with Hashem, with Torah and with the Land of Israel. We must declare this with pride whether the rest of the world is ready or willing to accept this reality.

Rav Soloveitchik continues and suggests that while we must at time stand alone, we have a mandate to contribute to the broader society and world around us:

“The third question is focused on secular aspects of life. To this question Jacob instructed his agent to answer in the affirmative: ‘It is a present to my lord Esau.’ Yes, we are determined to participate in every civic, scientific, political enterprise. We feel obligated to enrich society with our creative talents and to be constructive and useful citizens.”

Even as we remain firm in our Jewish identity, we have a mandate to use those Jewish values to contribute to the broader world. Today it seems that much of the world has no interest in hearing what the Jewish People have to say and have to contribute. But we know that it is through this dual commitment to both our Jewish identity and to positively impacting the world, that will ultimately bring about victory and redemption.

The Unity of 290,000

 I am proud to have joined over 100 members of our shul at Tuesday’s March for Israel on the National Mall in Washington DC. Leading up to the day of the rally there was a lot of talk about the attendance. How many people do you think will show up? The Palestinian march in London had 300,000. Yeah, but there are a billion Muslims in the world and only 16 million Jews. The last mass rally for Israel in 2002 had 100,000 people. No, there were more, the media underestimated. Does the parks department actually count the crowds at these events? Check the internet where you can learn that the parks department does not count or estimate crowd size at DC events.  The rally in Washington in 1987 for Soviet Jewry had 250,000 people. Do you think that many will show up this time? Somewhere in their permit request, the event organizers listed an anticipated crowd of 60,000. News media picked up on that phrase and began talking about the “tens of thousands” who are expected to show up. Rally organizers encouraged Jewish organizations planning to attend the rally to not talk about the anticipated total size of the rally, lest that number not be reached leading news media to spin the story as a “disappointing crowd shows up to support Israel.”

When I arrived at the rally an hour before start time there were a lot of people but there was also still a lot of space. By the time the program started the area in which I was standing was full. It would have been challenging for me to move around at that point so I decided to stay put and “rally” from one spot. It was difficult from my vantage point (towards the front, near the first set of screens) and from my height to see the size of the crowd. When it was announced that the crowd was 290,000 strong, the largest pro-Israel rally ever held in America, my heart swelled with pride. Pride in the Jewish community’s ability to mobilize and to come together with a strong voice in support of Israel. Pride that I and my daughter Shoshana had the opportunity to witness history and be a part of this moment. Pride in the strength of Am Yisrael and the virtue of Israel’s cause, one that you don’t have to be Jewish in order to appreciate. This was evident from the many “Christians Stand with Israel” signs at the rally.

While standing on the National Mall, I had no idea how many others were standing with me. Perhaps that is an apt metaphor for our current moment. The voices that today spew vitriolic anti-Israel and pro Hamas sentiment may be loud but they in fact represent a small number, too many for sure, but a small number relative to the total population of the United States. My experience makes me wonder about the little-known blessing that the Talmud records one is supposed to make when part of a crowd of 600,000: Baruch Ata…….Chacham Harazeem: “Blessed are You Hashem…the Knower of secrets.” On my way back from Dc I wondered: without drones or helicopters, how would anyone ever know that they were actually part of a group of 600,000? Practically this bracha is never recited. However, the language of the blessing is intriguing. What does a huge crowd have to do with God knowing secrets?

The Talmud (Brachot 58s) explains that every person is unique and yet God is able to know what each of us is thinking. Perhaps the lesson for us is that in the crowd on Tuesday in DC, there were 290,000 different motivations and reasons for being there. Yet God knows that there is a common theme that united us all. I believe that those of us in attendance were able to tap into that knowledge and feel the unity during the three hours of the rally. May we find ways to tap into that unity of cause and unity of purpose going forward – in service to Israel, our community and our world.

Timeless and Timely Lessons from Chevron

In a normal year, tens of thousands of Jews spend Shabbat in Chevron and Kiryat Arba for Shabbat Chayei Sara. In this week’s Parsha we read how Avraham sought out the cave complex in Chevron as a family burial plot, first for his wife Sara and ultimately for the family. Of course with the ongoing war in Gaza against Hamas there will be no mass gathering in Chevron this year. It is not feasible nor advisable to divert so many resources away from the war effort at this time.

Last week, as part of the OU synagogue leadership mission to Israel, we visited Chevron. We prayed Maariv at Mearat Hamchpela and then walked to Beit Hadasah, where there is a museum that tells the history of Chevron (with special focus on the 1929 Hebron riots) and a community center where we had dinner. In my few visits to Chveron I had never walked passed the pizza shop. As I was making the 10 minute walk through Chevron (with an armed escort of Israeli soldiers) last Wednesday night, I couldn’t help but note how odd it was that Chevron was one of the safer places to be in Israel at that moment. While it is true that the city numbers a few hundred Jews surrounded by tens of thousands of Arabs, the security situation in Chevron seems to be stable, if not calm from what I could see. And Chevron is rarely a target for rockets, and even when it is the city is far away from rocket launches giving people over a minute to prepare.

In Chevron we met with Eliyahu Liebman. Eliyahu was born in Kiryat Arba and his bris was the first one held at Mearat Hamachpela after 1967. When he was 10 years old Eliyahu moved to Beit HAdasah in Chevron. In 1980 a terrorist cell came to Beit HAdasah and killed 6 Yeshiva students while injuring 16. During the attack, young Eliyahu ran and hid in a closet; just like how little Israeli children ran to hide on the morning of Simchat Torah. Today Eliyahu os mayor of Kiryat Arba. One of the terrorists involved in the 1980 attack is now the Mayor of Hebron who boasts about his terrorist activities. Eliyahu’s son, Eliyakim Shlomo ben Avishag, was working security at the music festival. Instead of running away he and his friend Eitan Mor stayed to help people run away as well as to preserve the dignity of the dead. As a result, Eliyakim and Eitan were captured by Hamas and are presumed to be held captive in Gaza. Eliyahu told us that Hamas wants Israel and Jews to be afraid. In response we must not be afraid (neiother afraid of the enemy nor afraid to do what must be done to permanently neutralize the enemy), and we must not rely on miracles.

We also met Eitan Mor’s parents, Tzvika and Efrat Mor. Tzvika told us that Israel has been in a defensive posture for the last few decade, relying more and more on technology, cameras, and shelters in order to survive. Tzvika suggested that we need to change our mindset- part of which is to reconnect to our heritage, to Jerusalem and to Chevron. There is a Hollywood connection to this story: Eitan Mor is our member Nancy Zombek’s cousin. These are just two stories of thousands of stories of tragedy and heroism that have emerged since Simchat Torah. Let us retell these stories as a tribute to the individuals invo,ved as well as a tribute and source of strength for the Jewish People.