Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayeitzei

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.

In Bereishis 28:14, the Torah states וְהָיָ֤ה זַרְעֲךָ֙ כַּֽעֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ וּפָֽרַצְתָּ֛ יָ֥מָּה וָקֵ֖דְמָה וְצָפֹ֣נָה וָנֶ֑גְבָּה וְנִבְרְכ֥וּ בְךָ֛ כָּל־מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הָֽאֲדָמָ֖ה וּבְזַרְעֶֽךָ. R' Frand asked - why is Ya'akov being told that his children will be like dust? Elsewhere there is a promise that they will be like the stars in the sky. And while stars are beautiful, dust is just that. Dust is trampled on and certainly not glamorous.

R' Frand quoted the Rambam in Igeres Teiman who cites this pasuk and explains that while the Jews will be oppressed, the Jews will survive and the oppressors will disappear. He explains that even though today the Jews may be trampled as people step on the dust and dirt, the Jews will win. Because in the end, the dust and dirt covers the person when he is buried.

R' Frand linked this to a Tosfos in Berachos, which links this to the tefillah Elokai Nitzor, which states that our souls should K'Afar L'Kol Tihiyeh. Tosfos explains that dirt lasts forever, so too we want out offspring to be forever like the pasuk in the parsha.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Toldos

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's first vort focused on the question - why do we call Esav "Edom" and his descendants by the same term, simply because he asked for soup which he called "Edom." If Ya'akov had been making pizza and Esav had asked for pizza, would he and his descendants have been called pizza?

R' Frand answered by quoting R' Hutner who explained the difference between Jews and Akum. A Jew will focus on self improvement and understand the totality of the circumstances. But Esav, although aware of the fact that Ya'akov was making this food because their father Yitzchak was in mourning for their grandfather Avraham, was solely thinking about his stomach. He did not care that his father was mourning or that his grandfather died, he just wanted the red stew. And so he became known as Edom.

The second vort related to a Medrash HaGadol which added a post script to the story. The Medrash relates that after Ya'akov traded the Bechorah for the soup, Esav called a town meeting and invited everyone to hear about the trade. He loudly proclaimed that he had obtained Ya'akov's food and drank his wine, in exchange for the Bechorah. He proceeded to laud the transaction and how he had hoodwinked Ya'akov in the deal. In so doing he cemented his rationalization that he had done the right thing.

R' Frand said that this was emblematic of Esav's view of himself as infallible and without fault. He quoted the Ba'al HaTurim who notes that the Gematria of Esav is Shalom - showing that he was always at peace with this actions. Meanwhile, Ya'akov is similar to Akuv (meaning bent or crooked) because he was constantly bent over and examining whether he had done the right thing.

R' Frand's third vort related to the pasuk in Bereishis 27:33 - וַיֶּֽחֱרַ֨ד יִצְחָ֣ק חֲרָדָה֘ גְּדֹלָ֣ה עַד־מְאֹד֒. He quoted the Medrash Tanchuma, which observes that a person does not have חֲרָדָה֘ גְּדֹלָ֣ה unless he had previously had a lower level of fear. The Medrash explains that Yitzchak had a previous fright at the Akeidah when the heavens opened up as his father was about to sacrifice him and he saw the Merkavah.

But why would the realization in this week's parsha cause greater fear?

R' Frand first quoted R' Ya'akov Breish (sp?) who was the Chief Rabbi of Switzerland during and after World War II. When he spoke on Yom Kippur after the war ended, he explained that the two fears are emblematic of two ways that Jews have died off over history. There were Jews who died on the Mizbeach when they gave up their lives Al Kiddush Hashem. But there are also Jews who died because they ate, drank and intermarried with non-Jews. This was the second fear of Yitzchak.

R' Frand gave another explanation, which was his own thought. He said that perhaps Yitzchak was afraid because he suddenly realized that his entire view of Esav was wrong. To this point he had not seen Esav for who he really was, but upon hearing Esav's reaction to the giving of the Berachos to Ya'akov, he saw Esav as the Rasha that he was.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Chaye Sarah

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.

Tonight's first vort was predicated on a Rabbenu B'Chaye in Parshas Yisro. It begins with a quote from Mishlei 15:4 - מַרְפֵּ֣א לָ֖שׁוֹן עֵ֣ץ חַיִּ֑ים וְסֶ֥לֶף בָּ֜֗הּ שֶׁ֣בֶר בְּרֽוּחַ which can be loosely translated as a healing tongue is a tree of life, but cutting language shatters the spirit. 

Rabbenu B'Chaye explains that Shlomo was teaching that speaking kindly when dealing with a person with depression or a spiritual ailment, can be the tree of life. Indeed, when dealing with a person who has physical ailment, there is the possibility that the person may be healed by the medication, and even if he is healed, it is simply the disease that leaves. On the other hand, speaking kindly to someone with depression or other psychological or spiritual ailment can be uplifting and a permanent cure for what ails them.

This can be seen with Avraham Avinu, who converted thousands of people. He would speak kindly and warmly with people and help uplift their spirits. 

R' Frand tied this to a Gemara in Bava Basra 16 which talks about a diamond that was hung around Avraham's neck, which had the power to heal people who viewed it. The Gemara teaches that when Avraham died, Hashem hung the diamond on the sun.

Rabbeinu B'Chaye explains that the necklace was not physical - it was the language that Avraham used when he spoke with people - it was the power of his throat. People with sickly souls would hear his words about Hashem and be uplifted. After Avraham died, there was no one who would speak with people that way, so Hashem took the stone and hung it on the sun. This allegorical reference meant that Hashem had people look to the heavens in order to recognize Hashem and be uplifted.

R' Frand said a second vort based on the sefer Arzei HaParshah. He observes that Eliezer is not referred to by his own name in the parsha. Instead he is referred to as Ish or Eved. Even though Eliezer was carrying out the wishes of Avraham, Eliezer did not merit being referenced in his own name.

R' Frand mentioned R' Elchanan Wasserman HYD who was a talmid of the Chofetz Chaim. When the Chofetz Chaim died, R' Elchanan was in London and was asked to give a Hesped. R' Elchanan said that when Moshe died, he was eulogized by Hashem as "Eved Hashem" because his entire existence was to serve Hashem. This is what can be said about the Chofetz Chaim, author of the Mishna Berurah and Shmiras HaLashon - he was an Eved Hashem.

R' Frand said that he visited the kever of the Bet Yosef and he was moved by the tombstone which simply reads R' Yosef Karo - the author of the Shulchan Aruch. Nothing more needed to be said.

He then connected this with a Medrash Tanchima which tells the story of a man who traveled from Israel with his slave, leaving behind a son who was learning Torah in Israel. When the man was dying, he wrote a will that left everything to the slave and instructed that the son could take "one thing." After the man's death, the slave took everything, and the son was incredulous. The son went to his rebbi who said - you've won! If the property had been left to you, the slave would have stolen it. But now he comes to you and says - take something. But since what a slave acquires belongs to his master, if you acquire the slave as your "one thing" you will have inherited everything.

A slave has no identity, he is just a possession of the master. Moshe Rabbenu was like this as he was entirely devoted to service of Hashem. And Eliezer is not identified by name in the parsha as he was simply an extension of Avraham.

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