The following is a brief summary of a thought said over by R' Frand in his shiur this evening. I have attempted to reproduce this vort to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistencies are the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
In Bereishis 2:4-5, the Torah discusses how Hashem had made the heavens and the earth, but the trees of the fields and the grasses and flowers had not yet sprouted, because Hashem had not yet sent the rain on the fields and there was no man yet to work the fields.
Rashi on pasuk 5 explains that the reason that the trees and grass and flowers had not yet sprouted and lay dormant below the surface was because there was no rain. Why? Because there was no man yet to work the land who would recognize the blessing of the rain.
The Maharal in Gur Aryeh asks - why didn't Hashem bring the rain even without man being present to appreciate its goodness? The Maharal answers that a tovah cannot be done for someone who is unable to appreciate it. If a person is capable of appreciating the gift that will be bestowed upon him, then Hashem will grant him the gift. Where there is no one capable of appreciating the present, the gift will be withheld until such time as someone can appreciate it.
Rabbi Frand then mentioned the end of the Rashi on 2:5 in which Rashi notes that once man was created and recognized the goodness of the rain and the need to pray for it, then Hashem sent the rain and permitted the vegetation to rise above the surface of the earth. R' Shimshon Pincus in his sefer Sh'arim B'tefillah explains that all the trees and flowers were there waiting for Adam Harishon to pray for them and the rain needed to stimulate their growth. This follows along the prior thought that Hashem wants to give us good things, we just need to pray for them and they will be granted.
Finally, Rabbi Frand made reference to another pasuk in Bereishis and told a vort which (in the words of my friend Adam W.) would be appropriate for a sheva brochos. The Torah states at Bereishis 2:24 "Al kein ya'azav ish es aviv v'es imo, v'davak b'ishto v'hayu l'vasar echad." This is translated generally as - therefore a man will leave his father and mother and cling to his wife.
Rabbi Frand (quoting R' Lau in the name of his father in law - Rav Frenkel) asked - why did the Torah need to specifically say that a groom will leave his parents? It is more than obvious that the child will leave home when he starts his new life with his bride. If anything, it is already painful for the parents - after all, at weddings the children are beaming and the parents are crying. Why? Partly out of joy, but also for recognition that the child has left the home and that this stage of their life is done.
So if it is obvious and possibly painful that the child is leaving his parents, why does the Torah need to mention it explicitly?
R' Lau in his sefer "Al Tishlach Yadcha El HaNa'ar" states that R' Frenkel explains that the verb "Azav" has more than one meaning. The word can be used as "leave." However, there is another Hebrew word - "Izavon" which means inheritance. Using this connotation, the Torah is explaining that the son entering the marriage will bring with him an inheritance from his father and mother of what he saw in their home. He will pass on the values of treating spouses and children with respect, of being kind to strangers and charitable to the poor. In so doing, the Torah is explaining that when the husband and wife enter the marriage they do so with the inheritance of their individual parents' values and will use those lessons to build their new life together.
If you have seen this post being carried on another site such as JBlog, please feel free to click here to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!
No comments:
Post a Comment