Healthy Competition

Parshas Toldos

Posted on November 28, 2019 (5780) By Rabbi Berel Wein | Series: Rabbi Wein | Level: Beginner

 

Sibling rivalry is the name of the game. In fact, the entire book of Bereishis can be described as a narrative of sibling rivalry. We have Kayin and Hevel, Avraham and his nephew Lot, Yishmael and Yitzchak, Yaakov and Eisav and Yosef and his brothers. It is as though the Torah wishes to inform and impress upon us the true nature of human beings.

I often think that that is what is meant when the Torah said that the nature of human beings is bad from its onset. We are by nature competitive creatures and the competition always begins at home and with those who are closest to us. We should not think of our children as being angelic but rather deal with their true nature and recognize the pitfalls that natural sibling rivalry will always engender.

Every child is a different world and no two – even identical twins – are the same. Because of this fact of human nature, competitiveness is built into the structure of all children. It is the task of education and the home to channel this competitiveness into positive behavior and creative goals. This is what the Rabbis meant by their statement that the competitiveness between scholars and wise men is a method for increasing wisdom and understanding generally. Without competitiveness there can be very little creativity or advancement in all forms of life – technology, healthcare, finance, politics and human nature. The task is to direct this competitiveness towards positive aims and to limit it so that it does not descend into violence and tyranny.

Part of the problem with Eisav is not competitiveness but rather insecurity. He always feels his younger brother tugging at his heel and preventing him from achieving the greatness that he feels is his due. Because of this insecurity, he seeks fame and fortune in opposing the ideas and lifestyle of his own very family. He scorns his birthright because he feels that fulfilling its demands will only inhibit him. He feels that only by being different than Yaakov can he achieve permanent respect. As all his plans crumble, he cries out in anguish to his father that he wants the blessings that Yaakov has received. He realizes that only in those blessings, which he will have to share always with Yaakov, can his destiny truly be fulfilled.

This is what Yaakov himself tells Eisav at their last meeting, which we will read about in a few weeks. Eventually Yaakov will come to the mountain of Eisav and then Eisav will be redeemed by his acceptance of Yaakov and of the moral values and tradition of his family. Throughout the books of Tanach, we find this constant struggle of insecurity versus acceptance and competitiveness versus conformity. We are uncomfortable when we see people who are different than we are. But the only way to achieve personal greatness is by realizing that our own inner security need not be weakened by competitiveness with others.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Berel Wein

 

A Healthy Transmission

Parshas Toldos

Posted on November 28, 2018 (5780) By Torah.org | Series: Lifeline | Level: Beginner

 

The Torah spends a great deal of time discussing the life of our forefather Avraham, and that of Yaakov. By comparison, Yitzchak receives relatively short shrift. The offering of Yitzchak as a Korban, a sacrifice, is primarily told as a test of his father. It is Eliezer, his father’s servant, who goes out to find Yitzchak a wife. And though I have not done a formal count, I strongly suspect that the Torah provides a longer account of Eliezer’s visit to the family of Besuel, Rivkah’s father, than the total of all verses directly discussing Yitzchak. Yitzchak meets and marries his wife at the end of last week’s reading, and this week begins by discussing “Toldos” Yitzchak, meaning his children Yaakov and Esav.

Much of what we hear about Yitzchak sounds very familiar. He is forced to hide his wife’s identity, fearing for his life. That is precisely what happened  to his father. We learn that Yitzchak goes back and digs the same wells that his father previously dug, which the Pelishtim had filled with dirt.

Even in appearance, Yitzchak was like his father. Rashi tells us, in his commentary to the first verse of our reading, that the mockers of Avraham’s time said that it must be that Sarah became pregnant from Avimelech, because she had been with Avraham for many years and only became pregnant after being briefly taken by Avimelech. To prove otherwise, G-d made Yitzchak look so profoundly similar to his father that no modern DNA test was needed to prove paternity.

So with all of the above, what is Yitzchak’s unique identity?

Our Rabbis teach that our forefathers were each paragons of a particular character trait. For Avraham, that was Chesed, kindness. He was so devoted to reaching out, to showing generosity to others, that he ran to welcome idolaters into his tent (or, angels that he believed to be idolaters) while suffering the worst day of recovery from his circumcision. Yaakov’s defining characteristic was Emes, truth, and thus the biggest tests for him were needing to mislead his father, and then deal with Lavan’s deception.

Yitzchak’s characteristic was Gevurah, strength. How did he show that strength?

One answer is found in the very similarity to his father’s story, that we find above. Yitzchak’s mission was to hold firm to the teachings of his father, and prove that his father, though a uniquely great individual, would not be a “one off,” an “aberration,” a “blip on the radar.”

We learn that Yaakov, when he ran from Esav, went to study with Noach’s son Shem and grandson Ever. Shem and Ever were great men, they knew Torah through prophecy, yet they were unable to transmit righteousness to their descendants. Yitzchak was able to take what he learned from Avraham, and give it to Yaakov. Yitzchak is the linchpin tying grandfather to grandson, creating the “threefold chain” which, our Sages teach, “is not easily broken.

In last week’s reading, when Rivkah comes to Yitzchak, he marries her, and loves her, and “is consoled after his mother.” Rashi tells us that during Sarah’s lifetime, she would light the Shabbos candles, and they would continue burning until the eve of the following Shabbos. She would bake loaves, and they would be blessed. The cloud of the Divine Presence rested by the tent. When Sarah passed away, all of these three things stopped. But when Rivkah came to the tent, the blessings returned.

Yitzchak saw consolation, because he wanted that continuity. He wanted to see his wife able to bring the same blessings as his mother brought, because he wanted to follow in the path of his father. He did not want to strike out on his own, to do something different. On the contrary, his very strength of character was shown in how carefully he modeled to the example set by his holy parents.

All of us, as Jews, come from those holy ancestors. We, like Yitzchak, must strive to continue, to hold fast to the patterns set by our holy forebears, to maintain that which we have, and to successfully transmit it to the next generation. May we be successful in doing so until the end of days.

Yitzchok and Rivka Build a Family

Parshas Chayei Sarah

Posted on November 10, 2009 (5770) By Rabbi Berel Wein | Series: Rabbi Wein | Level: Beginner

Death is not only tragic for those intimately affected it also always poses problems of succession and reorganization of the family, company or institution. Avraham and Sarah, the founders of the Jewish nation pass from the scene in this week’s parsha. They are succeeded by Yitzchak and Rivka and in fact the majority of the parsha concerns itself with how Yitzchak marries Rivka and they establish their new home together.

In personality, temperament and action Yitzchak and Rivka differ markedly from Avraham and Sarah. Whereas Avraham and Sarah devoted themselves to reaching as many outsiders as they could and were actively engaged in spreading the idea of monotheism in the surrounding society, Yitzchak and Rivka seem to take a more conservative approach. They attempted to consolidate what they accomplished and to build a family nation rather than to try to attract more strangers to their cause.

As we will see in next week’s parsha the struggle of Yitzchak and Rivka is an internal family struggle as how to raise Eisav and Yaakov and guarantee the continuity of the ideas and beliefs of Avraham and Sarah through their biological offspring. Eventually it is only through Yaakov that Avraham and Sarah continue and become the blessing that the Lord promised that they would be. The world struggle that engaged Avraham and Sarah becomes a struggle within Avraham and Sarah’s family itself.

It becomes abundantly clear that the main struggle of the Jewish people will be to consolidate itself and thus influence the general world by osmosis, so to speak. The time of Avraham and Sarah has passed and new times require different responses to the challenges of being a blessing to all of humankind.

There are those in the Jewish world who are committed to “fixing the world” at the expense of Jewish traditional life and Torah law. Yet the simple truth is that for the Jewish people to be effective in influencing the general society for good there must be a strong and committed Jewish people. King Solomon in Shir Hashirim warns us that “I have watched the vineyards of others but I have neglected guarding my own vineyard.”

The attempted destruction and deligitimization of the Jewish people or the State of Israel, G-d forbid, in order to further fuzzy, do-good, universal humanistic ideas is a self-destructive viewpoint of the purpose of Judaism. Without Jews there is no Judaism and without Judaism there is no true moral conscience left in the world. Therefore it seems evident to me that the primary imperative of Jews today is to strengthen and support Jewish family life, Jewish Torah education and the state of Israel.

We are in the generations of Yitzchak and Rivka and therefore we have to husband our resources and build ourselves first. We have as yet not made good the population losses of the holocaust seventy years ago! If there will be a strong and numerous Jewish people then the age of Avraham and Sarah will reemerge. The tasks of consolidation of Jewish life as represented by the lives of Yitzchak and Rivka should be the hallmark of our generation as well.

Shabat shalom.

Rabbi Berel Wein

 

The Choice Way

Parshas Vayera

Posted on October 21, 2010 (5771) By Rabbi Label Lam | Series: Dvar Torah | Level: Beginner

 

And HASHEM said, “Shall I hide from Avraham what I do, now that Avraham is surely to become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the world will bless themselves by him?! For I have loved him (Avraham) because he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of HASHEM to do acts of charity and justice in order that HASHEM might bring upon Avraham that which He had spoken of him. (Breishis 18:18-19)

Avraham is being treated as a partner of The Almighty. A loyal friend would not do something that would upset his comrade’s world without first consulting with him. It’s wondrous to behold such a level of Divine endearment directed at a single mortal individual. It begs a larger question though.

The Ramchal in Derech Etz Chaim writes the following: This is the most powerful medicine that you can find to cure the negative inclination. It’s easy and yet it result is profound, and its fruit is plenty. The person should set aside and fix at least one hour daily a time without any other distractions and consider and focus on only this matter about which I have spoken (to wonder about your purpose in the world) and he should consciously meditate in his heart on the following question: “What did the Patriarchs of the world do that HASHEM desired them so? What did Moshe do? What did David the anointed one do? And all the other great individuals that preceded us, what did they do that they went up into His mind? What would be good for a person to do all the days of his life so that it should also be good for him?

What had Avraham done that distinguished him from all the other people that came before him? What had he done to be chosen? How did he prove himself worthy to G-d?

What might we be able to do that would earn perhaps similar recognition? Could anything be more important in the entire world?

The hint is as subtle as the sun at noon! The verse above identifies two items. Avraham will teach his children to go in the way of HASHEM for all generations! Well, what is the way of HASHEM? How is it such a certainty that Avraham will be able to cast his opinion and his influence across so many future generations?

A woman was buying clothing for her boys for an upcoming holiday when she noticed the rather sad face of a child pressed against the window of the store on the outside. She recognized the boy and remembering that he was an orphan who had recently lost his father. She asked her own children to step aside momentarily while she went outside to speak to the young fellow. Within minutes the mother had kindly coaxed the youth into the store and was urging him to pick out a jacket, pants, shirts, and a tie just as if he was her own. While she stood in line to pay for these items the boy queried naively, “Are you HASHEM?” The woman chuckled and responded in all modesty, “No! I’m just one of his children!” To which the boy retorted, “I thought you were related!!”

The verse explicitly states that the way of HASHEM is “to do acts of charity and justice”. So Avraham is portrayed as living in HASHEM’s spotlight, high on the stage of human history at an advanced age, infirmed, deep in prophecy, yet in search of strangers in the heat of the day to wash, feed, and dignify. Styles and tastes come and go. The political landscape changes like the seasons. An act of kindliness, though is classic-always in-style, and for all time it’s the choice way.

DvarTorah, Copyright © 2007 by Rabbi Label Lam and Torah.org.

 

 

 

 

Why Test Abraham?

Parshas Vayera

Posted on November 15, 2019 (5780) By Rabbi Berel Wein | Series: Rabbi Wein | Level: Beginner

 

The Mishnah in Avot specifically, and Jewish tradition generally, instructs us that our father Abraham was constantly challenged with great tests in life and was able to survive and surmount all of them. There is an underlying difficulty to this narrative regarding the testing of Abraham. G-d after all is omniscient and knows well in advance what the reaction of Abraham will be to all the challenges that are placed before him. This being the case, then one can easily ask why bother presenting those challenges in the first place.

This fits in to the general question that Maimonides deals with when he attempts to reconcile G-d’s omniscience with the presence of human free will and free choice. His answer is that both exist and coexist and that is part of the secret of the fact that human beings and human logic can never truly understand the Infinite and the Eternal. So that is undoubtedly true in the case of Abraham and his challenges.

Even though ultimately we will be unable to arrive at a definitive answer to this question – almost all questions that begin with the word ‘why’ are never completely satisfactorily answered – nevertheless I believe that we can attempt to arrive at some sort of understanding as to the purpose of the tests that Abraham endured and overcame. The Torah would not have devoted so much space and such detailed descriptions to these events in the life of Abraham if there wouldn’t be eternal moral teachings present in the narrative that are relevant and true to all humans in all generations.

I think the obvious answer that jumps forth from the pages is that the tests are not meant to prove anything to Heaven as much as they are meant to prove the potential of greatness of Abraham to Abraham himself. It is our nature not to realize how great our potential is, how strong we really are, morally and emotionally, and to our surprise what we are capable of accomplishing.

It is one thing to profess that one has faith and is willing to make sacrifices on behalf of the preservation of that faith, whether personal or national. However, it is another thing completely to make those sacrifices, and to experience the emotional difficulties and even tragedies that life often visits upon us. A person never really knows what one’s true makeup is unless tested over a lifetime, with the Talmud’s graphic phrase that we are ultimately tested regarding our final resting place.

Abraham becomes great and stands erect after having successfully dealt with the challenges to his faith and to his vision that life and the environment in which he lived set before him. That is perhaps what the Torah indicates to us when it says that Abraham’s faith was of such power in nature that the Lord deemed it to be the paragon of righteousness. Righteousness is achieved only when challenges are overcome.

Shabbat shalom
Rabbi Berel Wein

A Man and a Mission

Parshas Lech Lecha

Posted on November 6, 2019 (5780) By Rabbi Berel Wein | Series: Rabbi Wein | Level: Beginner

 

It is interesting to note that the Torah in its opening chapters deals with the lives of individuals with a seemingly very narrow focus. It portrays general society for us and tells us of the events that led up to the cataclysmic flood that destroys most of humanity, but even then, the Torah focuses on the lives of an individual, Noah and his family. This pattern continues in this week’s reading as well with the story of human civilization condensed and seen through the prism of the life of an individual Abraham, his wife Sarah and their challenges and travails.

Unlike most history books which always take the general perspective and the overview of things, the Torah emphasizes to us that history and great events spring forth from the actions of individuals and even though Heaven preordains events and trends, they only occur when individuals actually by their choice, implement them and make them real. The prophet Isaiah described Abraham as “one” – unique, alone, individualistic… important and influential.

We often think that an individual really doesn’t make much of a difference in the world of billions of human beings. However, all of history teaches us that individuals are the ones that shape all events, both good and better in the story of humankind. For every individual contains within him and her seeds of potential and of future generations, of events not yet visible or foretold.

The greatness of Abraham is revealed to us in the Torah through the fact that he was a person of strong and abiding faith. We are taught that his faith in G-d never wavered and that the Lord reckoned that trait of faith as being the righteousness that transformed him into being the father of all nations. However, faith in G-d carries with it the corollary of faith in one’s self and one’s purpose in life. There is a great difference between the poison of arrogance and hubris and the blessing of self-confidence and self-worth.

Abraham describes himself as being nothing more than dust and ashes. Yet, as a sole individual standing against kings, armies, societies and the accepted mores of the time, he is confident in the success of his mission, in calling out for the humankind to hear, over the millennia, the name and sovereignty of the Lord.

It is the sense of mission within us that drives our creativity and accomplishments in all spheres of our existence. The journey of the Jewish people through the ages of history and the countries of this planet are the journeys of our father Abraham and our mother Sarah during their lifetimes. Both sets of journeys are driven by this overriding sense of mission, of the importance and worth of every individual who shares that sense of purposeful existence.

Shabbat shalom
Rabbi Berel Wein

 

The Hidden Blessing

Parshas Noach

Posted on October 30, 2019 (5780) By Rabbi Pinchas Avruch | Series: Kol HaKollel | Level: Beginner

 

 “And Cham, the father of Cana’an, saw the nakedness of his father and related it to his two brothers outside.and Shem and Yefes took the garment.and covered the nakedness of their father.” (Berisheis/Genesis 9:22-23) Noach (Noah), whom the Torah tells us was a righteous individual, had been treated disgracefully by one of his sons and respectfully by his other two. The Torah’s record of the reaction of this righteous individual to this incident is unusual. First he cursed the descendants of his grandson Cana’an that they should be slaves to the descendants of Shem and Yefes, and then he blessed the descendants of Shem and Yefes.

One would expect such an individual to be more forgiving, particularly toward his own grandchild. He did not reprimand him to improve his behavior, he simply cursed him. Why? Further, Noach’s reaction seems to be an impulsive result of anger. If G-d deemed Cham’s actions worthy of punishment, He is certainly capable of doing that without Noach’s curse. What is the significance of Noach’s curse, that the Torah recorded it? Finally, why did Noach connect his curse of Canaan to the blessings of Shem and Yefes, and once he did connect them, why did he not offer the blessing first?

Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch (1) explains that the name Cham – Hebrew for “hot” – is indicative of his nature. Cana’an, Cham’s son, was an individual who, in the heat of the moment, would lose his self-control as well as respect for anything or anyone spiritually elevated, including his grandfather’s honor. Knowing Cana’an’s nature, he understood his descendants would likely possess these same traits. For such people, leadership and even freedom can be very destructive. Chasam Sofer (2) explains that Noach’s curse did not come from anger. He was interested in fixing that which Canaan (and Cham) had done wrong. Therefore, Noach “cursed” Canaan’s descendants to be slaves because that would ultimately be in their own best interest. By being subservient to the G-d- fearing descendants of Shem, the descendants of Canaan might be influenced positively and improve themselves. At least they would be limited in the amount of destruction they could cause themselves and the rest of the world. The blessings of the other sons were meant to help them be true role models, secondary help for Cana’an’s service-bound descendants.

We often wonder why we are not the recipients of wealth, power, or other blessings that we would like, curious why we must face the challenges and choices we confront daily. We forget that these “blessings” may indeed be curses, with many tests and responsibilities that we are ill equipped to face and are not in our best interest. Whatever our current situation presents us, it is a custom-tailored opportunity from G-d, that He has sent us to utilize to feed our spiritual growth and forge our G-d consciousness. What we, with our finite minds and blinded perspective, may view as a curse, He has afforded us as one of our greatest blessings.

Have a Good Shabbos!

(1) 1808-1888; Rabbi of Frankfurt-am-Main and leader of the pre-war German-Jewish Orthodox community

(2) Rabbi Moshe Sofer of Pressburg; 1762-1839; acknowledged leader of Hungarian Jewry of the time

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Text Copyright © 2005 by Rabbi Shlomo Jarcaig and Torah.org.

Kol HaKollel is a publication of The Milwaukee Kollel Center for Jewish Studies · 5007 West Keefe Avenue · Milwaukee, Wisconsin · 414-447-7999

 

 

 

 

Wine and Window Washers

Parshas Noach

Posted on October 11, 2018 (5779) By Rabbi Naftali Reich | Series: Legacy | Level: Beginner

 

The world is devastated, every last vestige of civilization washed away by the Great Flood. There are no people, no buildings, no roads, no crops, no cultivated land, only a great wooden ark perched incongruously on a mountaintop.

The door to the ark slowly swings open, and Noah steps out onto dry land for the first time in forty days. He looks about him at the endless expanse of ruination, and he realizes he must begin the work of reconstruction immediately. What does he do? The Torah relates, “And Noah, man of the earth, demeaned himself and planted a vineyard; he drank of the wine and became drunk.” One thing led to another. Noah’s son Ham took advantage of his father’s inebriated condition and acted disgracefully toward him, thereby giving rise to the curse of Ham and his son Canaan.

The point of this entire episode is clearly to give the historical background for the depravity that would characterize Canaanite society, the nemesis of the Jewish people, for thousands of years. Why then wasn’t it sufficient to tell us simply that Noah became drunk? Why does the Torah find it necessary to tell us that he obtained wine for his cups by planting a vineyard? And what if he had had a barrel stored away on the ark? Would the situation have been any different?

Furthermore, the Torah seems to imply that Noah debased himself by the very act of planting a vineyard, even before he drank the wine and became drunk? Why did planting a vineyard debase him?

The commentators explain that a person is a complex mass of interests, biases and drives that often obscure the true nature of his soul, very often even from himself. Going off in all directions, some good and some not so good, pursuing this, that and the other, he presents a confusing, multi-hued image. Which of those manifestations represent the real identity that lies within? It is difficult to determine. But there are some defining moments when he does not find it necessary to posture for other people and he is able to focus completely on his own interest. It is moments like these that the true nature of his essence becomes manifest.

Noah spent forty tempestuous days in the close confines of the ark, and now for the first time, he once again sets foot on terra firma. As he looks around at the vast wasteland, where is his head? What thoughts and issues occupy his mind? What is the first thing he does? He plants a vineyard. So that is his true nature! That is what lies closest to his heart. And so by the very act of planting a vineyard Noah had already debased himself, long before he actually became drunk. And this debasement of his inner core, this lack of self-respect, triggered the awful disrespect of his son Ham.

A young man once came to a great sage and asked to become his disciple. “Please step into the synagogue for a moment,” said the sage.

A few moments later, the young man returned.

“What did you see there?” asked the sage.

“I saw a foul-smelling window washer,” he replied.

“I see,” said the sage. “I’m afraid I cannot accept you.”

“But why?” the young man protested. “Is it my fault that the fellow hasn’t had a bath in a month.”

“My dear young friend,” said the sage, “a high-minded man would have seen the beautiful ark, the holy books piled on the tables, the flickering eternal flame. Only a mean-spirited person would focus immediately on the foul smells emanating from the window washer.”

In our own lives, we are constantly dealing with the complexities and ambiguities of contemporary society. Very little is clearly black and white, and we often find ourselves making all sorts of compromises and accommodations. But we should always ask ourselves what we are deep inside. Where are our minds? Where are our hearts? As long as we are essentially spiritual and altruistic, as long as the values and ideals of the Torah are the focus of our lives, we will always find ourselves uplifted and enriched, regardless of the environment in which we find ourselves.

Bounce Back

Parshas Noach

Posted on October 10, 2018 (5779) By Rabbi Berel Wein | Series: Rabbi Wein | Level: Beginner

 

The opening sections of the Torah with which we are currently engaged in studying, deal with one of the central problems of human existence and that is the ability to cope with tragedy, disappointment and frustration. The adjustment of human beings to being driven out of the Garden of Eden is really the entire story of human civilization and of its very bleak moments.

This week we read of the difficulty of Noach and his descendants to cope with the tragedy that they witnessed when the great flood destroyed the Mesopotamian human civilization. There were different reactions to what they had witnessed and experienced. Noach himself forsook much of his spiritual greatness and accomplishment to become a person of the earth, traumatized by the experiences of the past.

The English expression for this type of attitude is that one attempts to drown his sorrows away. As is recorded for us in this week’s Torah reading, this attitude and behavior leads to disaster and complete family dysfunction. The opportunity for resilience, and family and national rebuilding is lost and squandered.

There is a strong inclination within each of us to be overwhelmed by challenging circumstances and tragedies. It is not easy to put one’s life back together after witnessing an event such as the great flood. Yet, this is exactly what the rabbis pointed out to us as the major difference between Noach and Abraham. Tested ten times, Abraham’s resilience never wanes, and he continues to look forward towards accomplishment.

This week’s Torah reading indicates another reaction to tragedy with rebellion and an abandonment of principles, beliefs and faith. The generations after the flood, in their anger and despondency over the punishment that Heaven meted out to human kind, rebelled against G-d and morality by building of the tower of Babel. They knew of G-d and they knew of the flood, but they rebelled as a sign of their displeasure with what human kind suffered at the hands of Heaven.

It is historically accurate to say that after great wars and tragedies, decades of decadence and immorality suffuse human society. It is this rebellion against what experience should have taught them that leads to further disaster. It is a different symptom of the same malady, the lack of resilience which often engulfs entire societies and, as history has proven, eventually leads to their demise and disappearance.

This description of human behavior as outlined above, is of enormous instruction to us in our time. We are still the generation reminiscent of the sword raised to destroy the Jewish people and endanger the existence of the Jewish national state. Only by our resilience and tenacity in following the lead of our father Abraham are we guaranteed to have overcome the challenges that face us.

Shabbat shalom

Rabbi Berel Wein