Rabbi Daniel: Thoughts on Torah

Dear friends,

In 5786 we are reading the first triennial each week, which means starting each parsha at the beginning. The second verse of the first aliyah (35:2) is: 
וַיְצַ֤ו אֹתָם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר כֹּ֣ה תֹאמְר֔וּן לַֽאדֹנִ֖י לְעֵשָׂ֑ו כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ עַבְדְּךָ֣ יַעֲקֹ֔ב עִם־לָבָ֣ן גַּ֔רְתִּי וָאֵחַ֖ר עַד־עָֽתָּה׃
And [Jacob] instructed them as follows, “Thus shall you say, ‘To my lord Esau, thus says your servant Jacob: I stayed with Laban and remained until now"

Notice how Jacob refers to himself and how he refers to his brother Esau in this verse. He calls himself servant, while calling his brother lord. When Jacob and Esau last spent time together, Jacob had been a part of the ruse to acquire Esau's birthright. This would mean that Jacob would be the one to whom greater respect is due. What do we feel is Jacob's motivation here? Is he just being formal? Is this a gesture of kindness? Perhaps this is self-deprication? 
 
1) Rashi, the 11th century French commentator says, “It is not worth your while to hate me on account of the blessing of your father who blessed me” (27:29) 

“Be master over thy brethren”, for it has not been fulfilled in me (Tanchuma Yashan 1:8:5).

According to Rashi, it seems that Jacob is not feeling very blessed after having left Laban's house cheated, accused, and angry. Jacob, it appears, is lowering himself before his brother out of self pity. 
 
2) Ramban, 13th century Spain, says that Jacob was afraid of Esau even after all this time apart and he lowered himself before his brother to appease him. "He [Jacob] is conducting himself towards him [Esa] as a firstborn and father, in order to remove the hatred from his heart." 
 
3) A third commentator, Chizkuni, from 13th century France, combines these two perspectives together. "Yaakov used this subservient posture in order to cool Esau’s burning anger at what he perceived that Yaakov had done to him. He hinted broadly that his father’s blessing, which had portrayed Esau as subservient to him, had not been fulfilled at all. In fact, he, Yaakov, was quite ready to recognise his older brother as also his senior." 

Any one of these rabbis being correct about Jacob's motivation is as likely as Jacob being correct about his brother's attitude towards him after all this time. 

In life, we can find ourselves caught in situations where we are trying to discern the motivations of the other. It can add even more stress if we are put in a situation where we have to act based on what can only be an educated guess at best. In such cases, we have to take a leap and simply follow our instincts. In Jacob's case, the chance of his choice bringing negative results is far less likely than the choice being taken as a sign of deference. Ultimately, this is what Jacob likely hoped to achieve, a calming of the waters, whether he was feeling extra blessed (over his brother) or not. I would say taking the high road, a path of deference, is usually a good strategy. When delivered with sincerity, it is hopefully taken in the same spirit. 

I hope everyone had meaningful Thanksgiving holiday, 
 
In peace,

Rabbi Daniel   

Dear friends,

In 5786 we are reading the first triennial each week, which means starting each parsha at the beginning.  The last verse of first aliyah (25:22) is: 

וַיִּתְרֹֽצְצ֤וּ הַבָּנִים֙ בְּקִרְבָּ֔הּ וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אִם־כֵּ֔ן לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה אָנֹ֑כִי וַתֵּ֖לֶךְ לִדְרֹ֥שׁ אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה׃

"But the children struggled in her womb, and she said, “If so, why do I exist?” She went to inquire of יהוה,"

In this first aliyah we have Isaac pleading on his wife Rebekah's behalf that she conceive and, as the text says, God opens Rebekah's womb.  This is similar to how things went down when Sarah had been unable to conceive and Abraham complained to God about it.   However, after the angels told

 Abraham that Sarah would be with child, Sarah hears the news through the tent curtains (one presumes) and laughs. God (who was upset that Sarah laughed) does not speak with Sarah directly but complains to Abraham about Sarah's behavior and then Abraham speaks to Sarah about the incident.  Here in Toldot, after Isaac has spoken to God, Rebekah takes her problem right to the chief   The great commentator Rashi says that Rebekah went to God so that he would tell her what would happen to her in the end.    A couple other commentators say that Rebekah spoke to God by way of the local prophets of the time.  Another says that she wanted to know what would happen to the two fetuses in her womb since they were fighting.   

There is a lot of evidence in the Torah itself that the matriarchs were in either direct or at least mediated conversations with God.  Even though God doesn't speak directly to Sarah he does tell Abraham to do as she says, and when it came to the next generation of women, they and God were connecting directly.  What this tells me is that including the Imahot in the opening paragraph of the Amidah is not only ethically justifiable due to the realities in our modern societies but that it is also textually supported by the narratives we read during these weeks of the Torah cycle.  

In peace and honor,

Rabbi Daniel 

Dear Friends,

In 5786 we are reading the first triennial each week, which means starting each parsha at the beginning.  The second verse of our first aliyah is: 

 וַיִּשָּׂ֤א עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא וְהִנֵּה֙ שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים נִצָּבִ֖ים עָלָ֑יו וַיַּ֗רְא וַיָּ֤רׇץ לִקְרָאתָם֙ מִפֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֔הֶל וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ אָֽרְצָה׃
 
Looking up, he saw three figures standing near him. Perceiving this, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them and, bowing to the ground,

I really like angels and angel-ology so when Rash tells us that the three

figures were angels I am listening. Rashi states certain facts about angels as if everyone knows them.  He says that, "A single angle cannot perform two assignments."
He explains that task #1 was to bring the news to Sarah that she would bear a child, task #2 was to bring about the destruction of Sodom, and task #3 was to heal Abraham.  There is one problem with this explanation.  If these were the three tasks and each went to one angel, then who was left to complete the task of rescuing Lot? I think it is interesting that later commentators tell us that the angel who healed Abraham was the raphael

angel Raphael who also happens to be the one who rescues.  How fascinating that our sages felt rescuing and healing are essentially the same thing.  Do you agree?  

Psalm 107 does say:

וַיִּזְעֲק֣וּ אֶל־יְ֭הֹוָה בַּצַּ֣ר לָהֶ֑ם מִ֝מְּצֻ֥קוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם יוֹשִׁיעֵֽם׃ יִשְׁלַ֣ח דְּ֭בָרוֹ וְיִרְפָּאֵ֑ם וִ֝ימַלֵּ֗ט מִשְּׁחִֽיתוֹתָֽם׃

In their adversity they cried to the LORD and He saved them from their troubles. He gave an order and healed them; He delivered them from the pits.

In peace and honor,
Rabbi Daniel   

Dear Friends,

In 5786 we are reading the first triennial each week, which means starting each parsha at the beginning.  The third verse of our first aliyah is:      

וַתִּשָּׁחֵ֥ת הָאָ֖רֶץ לִפְנֵ֣י הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ חָמָֽס׃
The earth became corrupt before God; the earth was filled with lawlessness. - Gen. 6:11

Now the Torah wants us to know that the earth and the people who lived on it were in a bad state before God brought the flood but we don't know exactly what the people were doing (or how they were doing it).  Have no fear for the rabbis come in to fill in between the lines, or even to try and explain the lines themselves.  Ibn Ezra attempts to clarify things by explaining that, "Before God

God," could mean either out in public where everyone could see, or in private where only God would notice.  A comment like this serves two purposes.  One, it corrects you lest you think the Torah is using unnecessary words or phrases (the phrase "Before God" seems unnecessary), and two, it reminds us that as Jews we believe that God knows about our misbehavior even if done while no one is watching.  Ibn Ezra concludes with the idea that the people acted brazenly, without fear of God, like a slave not trying to hide the inappropriate things he/she does in his/her master's house.  Another explanation from the commentator Abarbanel says that the phrase "Before God" refers to sins between people and God, and the, "the earth was filled with lawlessness," refers to sins between a person and his/her neighbor.  In this

this way the seeming redundancy is explained away and we are reminded of these two types of sins which come up around Yom Kippur and teshuvah. 

I think the phrase, "before God," is meant to remind us that what God had to be witnessing was the poor behavior of God's own creations.  Sometimes things that we do with the best of intentions don't turn out well.  Mistakes happen but hopefully we can fix our mistakes without having to destroy everything and start over.  Let us remember that being made or choosing to be the creator of anything is a huge responsibility and oftentimes that which is created can end up with a mind of its own.      
   
Rabbi Daniel   

Dear friends,

Chapter 5 Mishnah 6 of Mishnah Sukkot speaks of the animal sacrifices that were done each day of the festival in the Temple.  In a famous explanation of this mishnah we are told that on the first day of Sukkot 13 bulls were sacrificed, 

then on the next day 12, then 11, and so on down to seven bulls on the seventh day..  The total number of bulls comes to seventy which is a symbol of the seventy nations of the world - the universal aspect of the holiday.  In contrast, on the 8th day,  Shemini Atzeret, only one bull was  sacrificed.  Whereas Sukkot 

carries significant characteristics of a universal holiday, that eighth day, symbolized by the single bull sacrifice, is considered an intimate day for God and the people of Israel
 
Chag Sameach!
Rabbi Daniel Victor