The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
R' Frand began his first vort by quoting Rashi who explains that the reason that the Tamar-Yehuda story interrupts the discussion of the Yosef story is to compare the acts of Tamar and the wife of Potiphar. Rashi explains that both women acted L'Shem Shamayim as even the wife of Potiphar saw through the astrologers that she would be the ancestor of children through Yosef, she just did not know if it would be through her or her daughter.
R' Frand told a story involving R' Shalom Schwardon which connected to this thought. R' Schwadron had been in a shul on Parshas Zachor in which a man had pushed his way to lain. Why? Because he said that it was a Hiddur for the person who read Zachor to have a beard and the young Ba'al Koreh did not. R' Schwadron saw this occur and he left the shul. He remarked - how can we be Mekayem Mechiyas Amalek - this man did an act of Amalek?
R' Frand then made a reference to a story in the Gemara Yoma about two Kohanim who were running up the ramp to have a chance to do the Avodah. One took a sacrificial knife and stabbed the other. The father of the victim came to examine his son and when he realized the son was still alive he remarked that it was fortunate the son had not been killed as the knife could be used for the Avodah.
The Gemara then asks -what motivated him? Was his motivation that they could bring the sacrifice an act of Tzidkus or Rishus? Was the import of bringing the sacrifice paramount? Or was murder not significant in those days?
R' Frand said that R' Schwadron told the Gemara to the person who chased the young Ba'al Koreh away. Did you do so because the mitzva of hearing Zachor from a bearded person is so important? Or is it because you had no regard for the feelings of the Ba'al Koreh.
To return to the story of the two women - the reason that Tamar is viewed favorably is because she was concerned about Yehuda's Kavod - even if it meant that she would die and not have the child, it was more important that Yehuda not be embarrassed. Meanwhile the wife of Potiphar when she met an obstacle was ready to publicly embarrass Yosef.
R' Frand said a second vort in the name of R' Akiva Eger related to the interplay of Yosef and the Sar Hamashikm. When Yosef tells him the butler the meaning of his dream, the Torah recounts in Bereishis 40:13 that Yosef tells him that in three days he will be restored to his old position and that he will place Pharaoh's cup in Pharaoh's hand as was his former practice when he was the cup bearer.
R' Akiva Eiger asked - why does the Torah need to tell us at the end of the pasuk the mechanics of what the butler did and will do? Why not just say that he will get his old job back? What is added by telling him that he will put the cup back in Pharaoh's hand just like originally?
R' Akiva Eiger also asked on the next pasuk wherein Yosef says "Ki Im Zechartani" - which implies that this is happening so that you will remember me. Why not just say - please remember me?
R' Akiva Eiger answered his questions by stating that if Yosef had just told him that he was getting his job back, the butler would have been a nervous wreck. After all, if he was jailed simply because a fly fell in the wine, what would stop it from happening again. And the next time that the fly was in the wine, he could lose his head.
In order to calm down the butler, Yosef tells him that he did not do anything wrong. He definitely checked the wine each time. Yosef was telling him that this happened because it is the hand of Hashem. You were put in jail because Hashem wanted this to happen, but it wont happen again. Hashem put you there so that you would meet me and be the vehicle for me to get out of jail. So relax, there wont be another fly in the cup and you will go back to doing all the things that you used to do for Pharaoh. And this is why you should remember me and mention me to Pharaoh.
R' Frand connected this to a story about an Askan named Gary Turgo (sp?) who is involved in many Jewish organizations in Detroit. He told a story of hashgacha pratis which related to Blue Cross-Blue Shield. He had attended a meeting of Blue Cross-Blue Shield where he intended to announce that he was going to resign as he had completed all that he needed to do there. And while he was at the meeting he got a text message from someone who had a loved one in the hospital in NY and needed an operation.
The problem was that Blue Cross-Blue Shield had not approved the operation and time was of the essence. The person wanted to know of Mr. Turgo knew anyone at Blue Cross-Blue Shield who could help. Since Mr. Turgo was siting next to the head of Blue Cross-Blue Shield, he showed her his phone and within five minutes the operation was approved.
And he did not resign his post.
This was a Ki Im Zechartani situation - this is why he was on the board of Blue Cross-Blue Shield.
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