Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayechi

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.

R' Frand began the vort by noting that in the middle of the parsha, specifically in the midst of Ya'akov giving the brachos to Ephraim & Menashe, Ya'akov gives a discourse on his history, including the fact that Ya'akov buried Rochel in Bet Lechem, rather than in Hebron. Rashi on Bereishis 48:7, explains that Ya'akov mentions this to Yosef within the context of Ya'akov's request to be buried in Hebron, even though I buried Rochel in Bet Lechem. 

R' Frand quoted R' Bentzion Kook who asked - why is this mentioned here? Ya'akov had already mentioned to Yosef earlier in Bereishis 47:28-29 that he did not want to be buried in Egypt and in fact asked Yosef to bury him in Ma'aras HaMachpela. So why not mention the burial of Rochel within the same discussion?

R' Frand then underscored his point by quoting a later Rashi in Bereishis 48:7, which provides a dialogue between Ya'akov and  Yosef, where Ya'akov says - I know that you have qualms with me that I did not bury Rochel in Ma'aras HaMachpela, but know that I did not do this because it was because of the weather conditions as the weather was fine, I buried her there because Hashem commanded me to do so and so that in the future when the Jews are exiled from Israel, she will pray for them as they leave.

R' Frand then asked another question on this dialogue - why did Ya'akov need to say that he did not bury her there because of the rains?

R' Frand answered this second question by quoting R' Chaim Shmulevitz who cited a gemara in Gittin wherein Ilish was sitting in prison, along with another man with the unique talent to understand birds. Ilish asked him what the raven was saying and the man told him - it is saying Ilish run away, now is the time to flee. To this Ilish responded - we don't trust ravens, they are liars. But then he heard a dove and again asked the man - what did it say. The man again responded - Ilish run away, now is the time to flee. Ilish accepted this, saying that the Jews are compared to doves.

R' Akiva Eiger asks on this gemara - but it was known that Ilish himself spoke bird language - so why did he need to ask for a translation? 

R' Chaim answer R' Akiva Eiger's question - because when a person is too close to the situation, he is liable to be influenced by his personal feelings and interpret things based on his own rationale. Similarly, Ya'akov needed to tell Yosef - I did not bury her there for any personal reason - it was not the rain or the distance. I buried her there because Hashem commanded me to do so.

However the initial question still remains - why is this mentioned later in the parsha and not when Yosef was sworn to bury his father in Hebron?

R' Frand quoted R' Kook who explained that it relates to the brachos which were being given. At this point, Ya'akov tells Yosef - you will receive double, as your sons will both be tribes. But this is a blessing (the double portion) which should go to the first born?

R' Kook explains that after the blessings of Ephraim & Menashe, Ya'akov then blesses Reuven and notes that although he is the first born, he acted with water like impetuousness by switching the beds.

R' Kook quotes Rashi on Bereishis 49:4 which again provides more to the dialogue, explaining that Reuven was told - you should have been the bechor and you should have had the kehuna. But you were upset about my bed being in Bilha's tent instead of Leah's and you acted impetuously in moving the beds. 

In contrast, Yosef had a real reason to have a claim against his father, as he did not bury Rochel where all of the other patriarchs and matriarchs were buried. Yet Yosef held his tongue and for this, he was rewarded.

This is why the discussion of not burying Rochel appears in the blessing of Ephraim & Menashe - as Yosef's acceptance of his father's actions (in contrast to Reuven's) was the reason that he received a double blessing.

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Sunday Night Suds -Saranac Permafrost IPA

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac's Permafrost IPA.

COVID notwithstanding, the good folks at Saranac (aka the FX Matt Brewery) continue to roll out new beers. This year's 12 Beers of Winter mix box includes new beers - Joy to Ale, Winter Warmer and the Permafrost IPA, along with one of my all time Saranac favorites - the Big Moose Ale (reviewed here https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/11/sunday-night-suds-saranac-big-moose-ale.html).

The Permafrost IPA is an unfiltered IPA which poured a cloudy orange with decent foam which lasted throughout my drink. Since this is a Saranac the carbonation was spot on and the scent was all fruit when I brought the glass to my face. The beer is brewed with Mosaic, Citra, and Galaxy hops and the mix provides a complex combination of flavors with the IPA bitters as there was some tangerine and even some pineapple notes in every sip. Mrs KB and I enjoyed this well after dinner and it was a refreshing drink all by itself. 

At 6% abv the Permafrost has average alcohol content for an IPA, but there was no overt alcohol taste.

The Permafrost IPA is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit as is every other beer produced at the Matt Brewery plant in Utica, NY. Keep in mind, Saranac brews some varieties off site, so check the cans/bottles for kosher certification from the Va'ad of Detroit.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about the brew, click you can search on  https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/307269/. 

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

Lastly, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!

Motzei Shabbos Special Parsha Vort - Part II of Rabbi Mansour on Vayigash

The following is the second half of a summary of a fascinating shiur that R' Mansour said Thursday Night (the first half which I blogged on Friday can be found here - https://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2020/12/fridays-bonus-parsha-vort-parshas.html) Same ground rules as always apply. Any perceived inconsistencies are the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Mansour.

After revealing his identity, Yosef asks them to come close, and he tells them that they are right - he was a shaliach mitzva and was not nizok, as his being sold down to Egypt preserved life - וְעַתָּ֣ה | אַל־תֵּעָ֣צְב֗וּ וְאַל־יִ֨חַר֙ בְּעֵ֣ינֵיכֶ֔ם כִּֽי־מְכַרְתֶּ֥ם אֹתִ֖י הֵ֑נָּה כִּ֣י לְמִחְיָ֔ה שְׁלָחַ֥נִי אֱלֹהִ֖ים לִפְנֵיכֶֽם  (Bereishis 45:5).

Then he tells them - you did not send me down here as the Torah states in 45:7 וְעַתָּ֗ה לֹֽא־אַתֶּ֞ם שְׁלַחְתֶּ֤ם אֹתִי֙ הֵ֔נָּה כִּ֖י הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיְשִׂימֵ֨נִי לְאָ֜ב לְפַרְעֹ֗ה וּלְאָדוֹן֙ לְכָל־בֵּית֔וֹ וּמשֵׁ֖ל בְּכָל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם .

R' Mansour then quoted the Meshech Chachma which casts a shadow over this reassurance to Yehuda. The Torah writes that Yosef could not hold back - וְלֹֽא־יָכֹ֨ל יוֹסֵ֜ף לְהִתְאַפֵּ֗ק (Bereishis 45:2) - but he really wanted to hold back, because he knew that his dreams were prophecies and if his dreams would come true in their entirety, he needed the dreams to be fulfilled. The first dream did come true (the sheaves) as the brothers did all bow to him. But the second dream - with the sun and moon (personified by Ya'akov and Bilha) bowing to him, did not happen and the tikkun for their sin could not be complete. Throwing Shimon in the pit was a partial act, as was making Yehuda and the brothers bow, but had he not had mercy (like they did not have mercy when he cried out from the pit) then the tikkun could have been complete.

The Rambam notes that when the brothers were begging for mercy, Yosef's advisors came to Yosef and told him he should forgive Binyamin. This is why Yosef told all the others to leave, because he did not want to break. R' Mansour quoted the Sfas Emes who writes that if Yosef had held back the Beis HaMikdash would not have been destroyed as the sin would have been fixed. This is why Yosef's voice filled with crying and all of Egypt could hear. But why did Yosef cry? He knew who they were and what this was about.

R' Mansour quoted the Ben Ish Chai who tied this crying to the crying of Moshe as a baby in the basket on the water - it was the crying of all the Jewish people who were suffering. Here, Yosef was crying not only for himself - but also because there would be an Asarah Harugei Malchus which the Arizal states were gilgulim of the brothers. Yosef saw the terrible troubles that would befall the Jewish people and the crying of the Harugei Malchus were crying through him.

This also explains why only now Yosef cried when he embraced Binyamin in 45:14. Rashi explains he cried because of the future destruction of the Beis Hamikdash I & II which were in Binyamin's land. But this would not have happened if Yosef had been strong enough to prevent himself from giving in.

R' Mansour then tied this into the fast of Asarah B'Teves that took place on Friday, which the Abudraham writes if it had fallen on on Shabbos we would have fasted on Shabbos too. This is the only fast that occurs on a Friday, where others fasts which fall on Shabbos would be pushed off. Why?

According to the Chasam Sofer, on Asarah B'Teves the year that the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed, the Beis Din Shel Ma'alah sat and decided that it would be destroyed. And every year thereafter, the Beis Din sits on the 10th of Teves and judges whether it will be rebuilt. So unlike all other fasts which commemorate a past event, this fast is addressing a current crisis. Much like a person who fasts for Ta'anis Chalom does so even on a Shabbos, we fast on Asarah B'Teves because there is a judgment ongoing - will we merit a rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash?

And all of this is because the tikkun of the sin was not made. Following this parsha we see the Jews start their galus in Egypt which spawns all of the other galuyos. 

IYH we should see an end to Sinas Chinam and with it an end to the troubles and crises which we are all dealing with and then see a rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash speedily in our days.

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Friday's Bonus Parsha Vort - Parshas Vayigash (PT I)

The following is a summary of a fascinating shiur that R' Mansour said last night which I wanted to briefly summarize in a pre-Shabbos post. Same ground rules as always apply. Any perceived inconsistencies are the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Mansour.

Rabbi Mansour began with a discussion of events from the end of Parshas Mikeitz, where Yosef ordered his son Menashe to put the silver cup in Binyamin's sack. Why would he do this as it already looked like he had made peace with them as they sat and ate together?

Rabbi Mansour quoted the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh who says that this was done as an atonement for their sin - they would be embarrassed by being accused of being thieves and this would atone for their selling him. This also relates to Yosef throwing Shimon into a pit when he was required to stay behind - this atoned for Shimon throwing Yosef into the pit before he was sold.

The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh also says a second answer - this was to set them up in the same situation they were in before. Will they abandon Binyamin or will they stand up for him?

The third answer was the most intriguing - he wanted to let them know that he knew what they did.

R' Mansour developed this thought by continuing the discussion from last week's parsha. After they left Egypt with the sacks full of food and a sack with the cup, he sent Menashe to ask them - why are you being ingrates  לָ֛מָּה שִׁלַּמְתֶּ֥ם רָעָ֖ה תַּ֥חַת טוֹבָֽה (Bereishis 44:7). However afterwards he goes one step further and states in Bereishis 44:8 - הֲרֵֽעֹתֶ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר עֲשִׂיתֶֽם - you have done evil in the way you acted. Why did he add this as well?

R' Mansour noted that the brothers then said back to him - we are honest! When we returned we gave you the money that you sent back with us in our sacks on our first. The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh said that Menashe anticipated this. Sometimes people make a gesture of honesty to set themselves up for the big score. This is why he said הֲרֵֽעֹתֶ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר עֲשִׂיתֶֽם - you did evil by returning the money becuase this was a way to set yourselves up to steal the cup.

At the end of last week's parsha, the brothers come to Yosef and admit their guilt and say that they we will be slaves. Yosef then says, only the one who sinned should stay and the rest should go home. And then the parsha ends.

But this week's parsha then begins with Yehuda asking to speak with Yosef and he wants to speak privately. But what is the new information? This was already all known! And all of the information is a recounting of the story from their first meeting until Binyamin comes down.

The Alshich explains that the brothers had started to believe that this was all occurring as a punishment for the sale of Yosef. But when Binyamin was singled out they realized that it could not be - since Binyamin was not involved in the sale!

R' Mansour also quoted an unnamed sefer which said that the brothers knew of prophecy at Bris Ben HaBisarim and they said - we are becoming slaves because that was the prophecy. But not just Binyamin!

The Ramban states that Yehuda was rehashing the story to try to strike a chord of mercy and if he chose the right words he could succeed by hitting Yosef's sensitivity as he said that he was G-d fearing.

The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh explains that the reason that the parsha says וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ אֵלָ֜יו יְהוּדָ֗ה is because the rules of etiquette did not allow commoners to speak face to face with the king. And Yehuda uses the words בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִי֒ יְדַבֶּר־נָ֨א עַבְדְּךָ֤ דָבָר֙ בְּאָזְנֵ֣י אֲדֹנִ֔י וְאַל־יִ֥חַר אַפְּךָ֖ בְּעַבְדֶּ֑ךָ - is because he is going to whisper this and that will show the king is wrong. In the king's court, one who proves the king wrong is killed - so Yehuda is asking nicely to speak privately.

What was he going to say? R' Mansour's first answer was that the language shows that he recounted the story, but Yehuda says - you accused us of being spies, but spies never offer personal information. And you know our story, even though our father got mad at us for telling you that we had another brother. So how can you call us spies?

The second answer was based on the medrash that the cup was used by Yosef in a magic trick to show who the oldest to youngest were. Now Yehuda is defiant - why did you ask us about our father and our brother? You should have used the cup to learn all this information!

Rabbi Mansour told a story in the name of Rabbi Rosenblum (I dont know which one) that there was a king who had a Jewish advisor who was accused of stealing from the king. The advisor was approached and denied it, and said that I can prove who the thief is. The king agreed. The advisor took a chicken and dyed it black and brought it to the king. He told the king - this is a lie detector - each person should tap the chicken on the head and if the chicken makes noise, we know he is the thief. Each person went in and tapped the chicken - from the treasurer to the Jewish advisor to the galach. The chicken did not make any noise and the king said - this did not work. Then the advisor said - look at everyone's hands. They were all black, except the galach - he did not touch it because he did not want it to scream.

Yehuda said - this cup has no power, so you are looking to throw us in jail for stealing this?

R' Mansour then quoted "chazal" who said that Yehuda was giving Yosef a history of the family. We had a father who was a big tzaddik and worked for his father in law for many years and had many children. And when he left his father in law's house, his favorite wife, the mother of Binyamin, died. And he had to raise him Binyamin all by himself. And our father is afraid of sending anyone on the road as his son Yosef was sent on the road and he was lost. And with all this, Binyamin who knew that his mother and brother died on the road, still came down to Egypt. Do you think he would steal? Not only that, my brother Reuven offered to give up two of his sons as a guaranty to our father and he would not take it. It was not until I offered my eternity that our father said OK. 

And with all that, Binyamin went down because this was a mitzva and we have a rule that a shaliach mitzva does not have issues.

To this, Yosef could not control himself. Why? He needed to reveal to them - I am Yosef, is my father still alive? He sent me and I followed his directive and then you threw me in the it and then sold me. I was a shaliach mitzva and doing my father's wishes just like Binyamin. What happened to me?

There was more to the shiur which I will IYH summarize in a moztei shabbos post.

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayigash

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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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Mikeitz

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.

R' Frand began the vort by noting that the parsha takes a dramatic turn towards the end of the sedra when Yosef and Binyamin meet. In Bereishis 43:30, the Torah states - וַיְמַהֵ֣ר יוֹסֵ֗ף כִּֽי־נִכְמְר֤וּ רַֽחֲמָיו֙ אֶל־אָחִ֔יו וַיְבַקֵּ֖שׁ לִבְכּ֑וֹת וַיָּבֹ֥א הַחַ֖דְרָה וַיֵּ֥בְךְּ שָֽׁמָּה - Yosef went quickly because his mercy was arisen by seeing his brother and he went into another room to cry.

Rashi relates the dialogue between Yosef and Binyamin when they met, as Yosef asked Binyamin whether he had any brothers from his mother and Binyamin said "yes." Thereafter Binyamin told him of his ten sons and that each had been named for aspects of Yosef's life. Some of these names were descriptive such as Becher as Yosef was the first born and Na'aman because he was pleasant. Other names related to the troubles that befell Yosef such as Bela, since Yosef was swallowed up by the other nations.

R' Frand quoted the Tolner Rebbi who asks - why is it that Na'aman was the name of Binyamin's fifth child? After all, the quality that Yosef was pleasant was not minor, this should have been first or second!

R' Frand then digressed to discus what it means to be pleasant. He quoted a Gemara in Sanhedrin in which R' Oshaya said that he had two staffs - one he called Naim and one he called Chovlin (damager). The Naim were the talmidei chachamim who lived in Israel and pleasantly discussed the Torah together. Chovlin on the other hand were those who lived in Bavel and who were combative and spirited in their discussion of Torah.

R' Frand then told a story of R' Menachem Zumba (sp?) who had spoken at the Third Knessia (R' Frand compared it to an Agudah convention) prior to WWII. R' Zumba was not one of the first speakers and many of the speakers who came before him spoke critically of certain issues. When R' Zumba spoke he began by stating וַיִּשְׁמַ֞ע יִתְר֨וֹ and quoting Rashi who asks why was he called Yisro when he had all these other names? Because due to Yisro there was another parsha added to the Torah - the parsha of וְאַתָּ֣ה תֶֽחֱזֶ֣ה. But why did Rashi call it by that name when Yisro also said לֹא־טוֹב֙ הַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתָּ֖ה עֹשֶֽׂה four pesukim earlier? He answered that everyone is capable of complaining and criticizing, but the person who has the solution and positive guidance is to be lauded.

Yosef had the quality of being pleasant, but he also was forced to endure trouble after trouble - being hated by his brothers, being thrown into a pit, sold down to Egypt, thrown in jail. These are things that could cause a person to lose his pleasant disposition. Yet, even after all of these events, when he sees Pharaoh's two servants thrown in jail he says to them in a pleasant way (Bereishis 40:7) - מַדּ֛וּעַ פְּנֵיכֶ֥ם רָעִ֖ים הַיּֽוֹם - why are your faces sad today? Because even after all his troubles, he was pleasant to others. And this is why the name pleasant came fifth, after the description of being first born and three of his troubles.

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