The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts on the parsha that R' Frand spoke about in his shiur tonight. 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 44:28, the Torah states וַיֵּצֵ֤א הָֽאֶחָד֙ מֵֽאִתִּ֔י וָֽאֹמַ֕ר אַ֖ךְ טָרֹ֣ף טֹרָ֑ף וְלֹ֥א רְאִיתִ֖יו עַד־הֵֽנָּה. Translated literally, the pasuk is a recounting by the brothers of what Ya'akov said to them - that "One of them went from me and I said he was surely torn to pieces and I have not seen him since." However, R' Frand quoted the Chasam Sofer who gave a more derush approach, explaining that the achudus - the cohesiveness of our family left and now that there was machlokes in the family, we are in a famine. Previously we had more than enough food, but as a result of the fighting, the teref has left. R' Frand noted that Rashi states that this was a "yeridah" for us as we used to have enough food to provide for others, but now there is not enough for us.
R' Frand next quoted from Tehillim 147:14 which states - הַשָּׂ֣ם גְּבוּלֵ֥ךְ שָׁל֑וֹם חֵ֥לֶב חִ֜טִּ֗ים יַשְׂבִּיעֵֽךְ. Again, this can be translated literally as "Within your borders He makes peace, with the best of the wheat He will satisfy you." Again, R' Frand quoted the Chasam Sofer who stated that a person sets borders that he will not pass. If the person's border is peace - meaning that he will not get into an argument and will allow someone else to take what he wants, then he will have the best of the wheat.
R' Frand also quoted the Alshich who stated - better to have a house full of stale bread then to have a house full of strife but also full of food, because ultimately the house full of strife will lose its food as well.
R' Frand then linked this to the Sim Shalom prayer in Shemoneh Esreh - there are many things that we ask for in this prayer, but it has to begin with peace, as we know from the last mishna is Shas that Hashem has not found a vessel better to hold beracha for the Jews that peace.
We are sitting at the beginning of Asarah B'Teves which is a fast day commemorating the siege of Jerusalem - the beginning of the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. The Chasam Sofer states that on the tenth of Teves in the year that the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, the Beis Din Shel Ma'alah decided that the churban would occur. And every year after the Beis Din reconvenes on Asarah B'Teves to decide whether it will be rebuilt.
R' Frand stated that the world is in a time of din right now and not rachamim. When there is machlokes, it is an invitation to be judged, so we need to work on Asarah B'Teves to avoid machlokes.
R' Frand closed the vort by quoting the Arizal on the pasuk in Devarim 17:8 כִּ֣י יִפָּלֵא֩ מִמְּךָ֨ דָבָ֜ר לַמִּשְׁפָּ֗ט בֵּֽין־דָּ֨ם | לְדָ֜ם בֵּֽין־דִּ֣ין לְדִ֗ין וּבֵ֥ין נֶ֨גַע֙ לָנֶ֔גַע דִּבְרֵ֥י רִיבֹ֖ת בִּשְׁעָרֶ֑יךָ - if it seems a peleh - a wonder to you that all this blood is being spilled, despite the fact that the Torah shows concern for covering the blood of a bird. And if it seems a wonder to you that a mother animal and its child cannot be slaughtered on the same day, but this occurs in the human world - its because there are ribos - quarrels- in your gates.
IYH we should see the end of the quarreling and machlokes and quick end to the mageifah.
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