Toronto Torah

Yeshiva University Torah MiTzion Beit Midrash Zichron Dov

Parshat Vayechi

12 Tevet, 5775/January 3, 2014

Vol. 6 Num. 16

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Beginning the End

And Yaakov called to his sons, and he
said: Come together and I will tell you
what will happen to you in the end of
days. Gather together and hear, sons
of Yaakov, and listen to Israel, your
father. (Bereishit 49:1-2).
These statements, made by Yaakov,
are immediately followed by the
blessings he gives his sons. One
obvious question, discussed amongst
our sages for generations, is why he
calls them in to reveal the end of
days, but then he only blesses each of
his sons. Also striking, though, is
Yaakov Avinus apparent redundancy:
why does Yaakov call upon his sons
first to come together [heiasefu], and
then to gather together [hikavetzu]?
Kli Yakar: From intimate unity to
public gathering
Answering the first question, Rashi
quotes the Talmud (Pesachim 56a) to
explain that Yaakov indeed intended to
reveal what would happen at the time
of the final redemption, but the Divine
presence (Shechinah) left him, and he
instead blessed his children.
Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz (Kli
Yakar) suggests that this shift from
revelation to blessing is directly
reflected in the shift in language from
heiasefu to hikavetzu. Heiasefu
implies coming together by
transitioning from a public setting to a
private one. The revelation of secrets is
a private matter, only for those who
are worthy, as in Psalms 25:14 The
secret of Hashem is for those who fear
Him. However, in recognition of the
Shechinahs departure and the loss of
that intimacy, Yaakov then changed
his call to hikavetzu, which still
implies gathering together, but in a
more public setting.

Rabbi David Ely Grundland

Malbim: From physical unity to
spiritual unity
In contrast with the Kli Yakars practical
distinction between heiasefu and
hikavetzu, Rabbi Meir Leibush Weiser
(Malbim) says the change was deeper.
He explains that heiasefu implies a
physical coming together, and hikavetzu
describes an emotional/psychological/
spiritual unity.
According to Malbim, Yaakov needed his
sons to be emotionally united before he
could reveal the end; he hoped they
were already of one mind, only requiring
a physical gathering.. However, Yaakov
then recognized that there was and
would be strife between his sons.
Therefore, he changed his request and
implored them to gather together
spiritually, in heart and mind; only once
there would be no more strife between
them would they be ready for
redemption. This is also why Yaakov did
not actually reveal the end; they were
not ready.
Malbims explanation is supported by a
midrash (Bereishit Rabbah, Vayechi
98:2) which states that Yaakov directed
his children to abandon any controversy
between them and to be united.
Furthermore, the Talmud (Yoma 9b)
teaches that the second Beit haMikdash
[Temple] was desroyed due to baseless
hatred; Yaakov needed them to unite,
before they could build an enduring
Temple. How could Yaakov reveal the
end, the ultimate experience of Divine
Unity (Zechariah 14:9), to brothers who
were not united? How could he reveal
redemption when their strife would
cause destruction?
The Torah (Devarim 30:4) teaches that
no matter how far we are scattered,
from there Hashem will gather you

together in Israel. Indeed, this verse is

quoted in the Prayer for the State of
Israel we recite in our synagogues. This
verse uses the term yekabetzcha, from
the same root as our parshahs
hikavetzu, which Malbim explains as
spiritual unity. The message is clear:
before we can be gathered together
physically, and before we can merit
redemption, we must first unite as a
people. Our collective history has taught
that if the order is reversed, destruction
may lie ahead.
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook
(Orot HaKodesh, vol. 3, pg. 324) teaches
that just as the Beit Hamikdash was
destroyed due to baseless hatred, so the
rebuilding will come through baseless
love. This message was embraced by
Yaakov when he blessed his children.
He hoped that they were already
spiritually united, and he called to them
to divulge the secrets of the future.
However, at that moment he recognized
that despite their brotherhood, they
were distant from one another.
By changing collective revelation to
individual blessing, Yaakov amended
his message for his children: Do not
worry about your collective redemption;
worry only that each one of you fulfills
his own task in the world, using his
unique blessing. Ensure you are
fulfilling your own obligations before
looking to see what the other is doing. If
you are falling short, then how much
more must you love and embrace your
brother, who may also be struggling!
Indeed, if we will each take Yaakovs
direction to heart, and gather together
as a spiritually united people, then we
will be one step closer to welcoming the
redemption!
dgrundland@torontotorah.com

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Book Review: Torah MiEtzion

Torah MiEtzion: New Readings in
Tanach
Edited by Rabbi Ezra Bick and Rabbi
Yaakov Beasley
Yeshivat Har Etzion/Maggid Books,
2011, English, 5 volumes
Who wrote this book?
The Torah MiEtzion series is a rich and
enlightening collection of articles,
written by different rabbis, centred
around Parshat HaShavua. Most of the
writers teach or have taught in Yeshivat
Har Etzion and its affiliated Herzog
Teachers College. These include Rabbi
Aharon Lichtenstein, Rabbi Yaakov
Medan, Rabbi Amnon Bazak, and Rabbi
Elchanan Samet. In a sense, while the
shiurim themselves are authored by
their distinctive writers, the collection
as a whole can be attributed to the
general spirit of this yeshiva.
Since its establishment, Yeshivat Har
Etzion has encouraged the study of
Tanach not as an escape for those not
sharp enough for serious Talmud
study, but as its own form of Torah
learning. When the Yeshiva, led by
Rabbi Amital ztl, opened a teachers
college, it was only natural that Tanach
would be one of the two main divisions.
Over time, the Yeshiva and college
became recognized as beacons of
Tanach study: many in Israel and
outside of it learn from shiurim
published in the yeshivas Israel
Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash (VBM),
the Yeshivas rabbis travel to spread its

teachings, and thousands of people including many Torontonians - gather

every summer for their annual Tanach
conferences.
What is special about this book?
One could rightfully ask: what is the
need for another Tanach book? Isnt
Tanach a field thoroughly plowed?
The editors of the book list three
concepts, which, intertwined, make
this book a tour de force in Tanach
study:
1. Understanding Tanach through
Tanach belief that peshat can and
must stand independent of derash,
giving proper respect to both
disciplines. In this book, as
Rashbam declared, interpretations
arise anew every day (Bereishit
37:2).
2. The use of literary tools belief that
the Torah conveys messages through
its style, parallels and motifs. Our
sages set the tone for this type of
careful and sensitive reading.
3. Parshah, Sefer, Tanach many
times, the focus is not upon the
explanation of a single word or
verse, but on an attempt to see the
forest formed by the trees, to see the
broad picture of G-ds Divine
message to us.
This combination of a fresh look with
the age-old belief in the significance
and meaning of the word of G-d
produces an old wine in a new bottle.

613 Mitzvot: #418: Love of G-d

Devarim 6:5 instructs the Jew, You shall love Hashem your
G-d, with your entire heart, with your entire life and with
your entire property. [See Berachot 54a and 61b for
additional commentary on that verse.] Rambam (Mitzvat Aseh
3) and Sefer haChinuch (Mitzvah 418) view this as a biblical
obligation. Based on the end of the verse, this mitzvah is
understood as obligating a maximum love of G-d, beyond any
normal affection.
How does one bring himself to love G-d? A midrash (Sifri
Devarim 33) looks to the subsequent verse, Devarim 6:6, for
guidance, And these words which I command you today
shall be upon your heart. Place these words upon your
heart, for through this you will recognize the One who spoke
and the world came into existence, and you will adhere to His
ways. As Sefer haChinuch (418) explains, By examining
Torah, love will necessarily be settled in ones heart.
Rambam (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yesodei haTorah 2:2) adds
another way to learn to love and revere G-d: When one
examines His marvelous and great deeds and creations, and
through them he perceives G-ds inestimable and infinite
wisdom, he immediately loves and praises and glorifies, and
desires with great desire to know the great G-d, as King
David said (Tehillim 42:3), My soul thirsts for Elokim, the
living G-d.

Rabbi Baruch Weintraub

What kinds of topics are discussed
in this book?
In order to taste of this wine, let us
turn our attention to the four articles
on Vayechi.
1. Rabbi Yehuda Rock analyzes
Yaakovs blessing to Yosef, showing
that the essence of this blessing was
to re-establish Yosefs place as part
of Yisraels covenant with G-d.
2. Rabbi Tamir Granot studies the
blessings of Yaakov to all of his
children, and comes to a conclusion
strikingly similar to that of Rabbi
Rock, that the thrust of the blessing
was to find a way in which all of the
children could remain part of the
family, without anyone being
rejected as had happened in earlier
generations.
3. Rabbanit Sharon Rimon writes
about the transformation from exile
to redemption in our parshah,
demonstrating how Yosef is teaching
us the necessary skills to survive in
exile.
4. Finally, there is a short but moving
piece from Rabbi Aharon
Lichtenstein, shlita, reviewing the
different instances of Yosefs crying
and finding a pattern and meaning
in them.
Full disclosure: the writer is a proud
student of Yeshivat Har Etzion and has
held different positions in the VBM .
bweintraub@torontotorah.com

Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner

Some thinkers contend that there is no need for developing
strategies toward love of G-d. Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato
wrote, Ones love of G-d should be... like the love of a son
for his father, which is a natural love; his nature compels
him to love his father. (Mesilat Yesharim 19) Rabbi
Klonymus Kalman Schapira (Bnei Machshavah Tovah,
Seder Hadrachah uKlalim 14) explains, Every Jewish soul
experiences awe of, and loves, G-d. It is only that she is
buried in a reed mat [a reference to Berachot 18b], hidden
in the body, and so her love and awe are also buried.
The mitzvah is not only about ones personal relationship
with G-d; according to the Talmud (Yoma 86b), the mitzvah
is also to cause other people to love G-d. And you shall love
Hashem your G-d (Deuteronomy 6:5) You shall cause the
Name of Heaven to be beloved, via your actions. You should
read and study and serve sages, and your interaction with
others should be gentle. What will people say of such a
person? Fortunate is his father who taught him Torah,
fortunate is his mentor who taught him Torah. Woe to those
who have not studied Torah. He studied Torah, and see how
pleasant are his ways, how refined are his deeds! Regarding
him it is written (Isaiah 49:3), And He said to me: You are
My servant, Israel, from whom I will be glorified. Both
Rambam and Sefer haChinuch understand this to be an
integral part of the mitzvah.
torczyner@torontotorah.com

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Biography

Torah and Translation

Rabbi Yaakov Reischer

Adding Communal Prayers

Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner

Rabbi Yaakov Reischer, Shevut Yaakov 2:44

Translated by Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner

Born in Prague, circa 1670, to a rabbinic

family, Yaakov Bechofen was known as a
prodigy in his youth. He studied under
the Chief Rabbi of Prague, Rabbi Aharon
Shimon Spira, and eventually he married
into the Spira family. He joined the
rabbinical court of Prague, then the
rabbinical court of Bavarian capital
Ansbach, and eventually the rabbinical
courts of Worms and then Mainz. Along
the way, Rabbi Yaakov Bechofen became
known as Rabbi Yaakov Reischer; some
attribute this to a period when he served
the community of Rzeszow, Poland, while
others contend that his family originated
in that city.
Rabbi
Reischer
wrote
prolifically,
primarily in Jewish law but also in other
aspects of Torah. His first public work
was a commentary to halachic writings
of Rabbi Moshe Isserles; it was published
when he was just 19 years old. He went
on to compose texts on various sections
of Jewish law, three volumes of
responsa, novel insights on the Talmud,
and a commentary to the Ein Yaakov
collection of aggada [stories and non-law
oriented texts found in the Talmud].
Strife was a part of Rabbi Reischers
rabbinic career, in part because of the
outspoken tone of some of his
publications. [See the accompanying
translation for an example.] With his
son, Rabbi Shimon Reischer, he
published pamphlets on the rulings of
Rabbi Moshe Isserles, publicly opposing
the positions of Rabbi Yochanan
Kremnitzer on the subject. Sephardic
rabbis wrote against his habit of
criticizing earlier authorities. In 1728,
opponents of Rabbi Reischer sought to
have him imprisoned.

...





...
:




...

...




.

...







.

...

...

[The question:] Let our master teach us:

Recently, certain special people have
accustomed themselves to gather in
the synagogue at the start of the final
third of the night, and to lament the
destruction [of the Temple]. Challengers
have risen against them, and those who
have concluded that this is not good and
proper, as Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel
said, Not all who wish to take upon
themselves the title [of righteousness]
may do so. (Berachot 16b)
Response: I will begin with his final
point, in which he wrote, We will add
that they are a group, and so there
should be no concern for [the
appearance of] self-righteousness. In
my humble opinion, the opposite
appears more likely. An individual,
specifically, who reveres Heaven and
wishes to be strict for himself, and
walks privately, is certainly remembered
for the good, and there is no concern for
self-righteousness And even an
individual, if he would act unusually in
public, would have concern for selfrighteousness; it would be appropriate
for him to do everything privately
And aside from all of this, it appears to
me that there should be concern
regarding doing this communally, since
the sages already enacted the order of
three [daily] prayers, parallel to the
sacrificial offerings. Therefore, one who
would add a communal prayer would
violate the prohibition against adding.
Although we follow Rabbi Yochanans
legal positions, and he said, I wish that
one would pray all day (Berachot 21a),
that referred to an individual taking on
a voluntary prayer, if he could say
something new therein

Rabbi Reischer addressed questions sent

to him from throughout Europe, as well
as the land of Israel. His responsa are
generally short and to the point, and
they address a broad range of topics,
including how to determine the time of
death (1:13), tefillin on chol hamoed
(2:25), dream interpretation (2:34) and
wearing a hat or yarmulka in public
(3:5). Rabbi Reischer passed away in
1733; his yahrtzeit is the 6th of Tevet.

And for this reason I have always

protested against initiators who have
newly arrived, publishers who publish in
the siddurim pleas and requests from
the book Shaarei Zion and the Shelah,
so that people recite these prayers in the
community as well. In my humble
opinion this is incorrect, and it involves
violation of Do not add [and] crossing
the border established by the early
ones, the order of prayers. There is also
concern for Gittin 3a, If you add words, people will come to remove from the
torczyner@torontotorah.com established prayer, enacted by early authorities. Especially one whose Torah is his
trade, he certainly has concern for loss of Torah when increasing prayer
inappropriately If one wishes to add prayer, he may recite Tehillim, which is like
involvement in Torah and which holds great power

Visit us at www.torontotorah.com

This Week in Israeli History: 18 Tevet, 2002

The Karine A Affair
18 Tevet is Friday
The Karine A Affair, also known as Operation Noahs Ark,
was a military operation carried out by the Israeli navy and
air force in the Red Sea. In the course of the operation, they
successfully intercepted a ship containing 50 tons of
weapons and ammunition that was going to be smuggled
into the Gaza Strip.
The Karine A was a ship purchased by Adel Mughrabi, a
major buyer in the Palestinian weapons purchasing system.
The ship was purchased in Lebanon and then filled with
regular cargo in Sudan in October 2001. In December 2001,
the ship sailed towards Iran, where it met a ferry containing
80 crates of weapons and ammunition. The crates were
transferred to the Karina A; three weeks later, the ship
began its trek towards the Suez Canal and ultimately the
Gaza Strip. The plan was to transfer the weapons to three
smaller ships and then dump them near the Gaza Coast,
where they would be retrieved by Palestinian naval police.

Rabbi Josh Gutenberg

The Israeli military found out about the arms hidden on the
ship and planned to take action. On January 3, 2002 (18
Tevet 5762), Shayetet 13, an elite naval unit, with assistance
from the air force, set out to intercept the ship. Israeli naval
soldiers successfully boarded the ship, and the crew
surrendered without any confrontation. The ship was taken to
Eilat, where Israel unpacked the ship to determine what was
on board. Among the confiscated weapons were Katyusha
rockets, assault rifles, anti-tank missiles, mines, speedboats
and diving equipment. Binyamin ben-Eliezer, Israels defense
minister, said the Palestinian Authority spent over 100 million
dollars on the weapons and ammunition, although Yasser
Arafat denied any involvement in the case.
This is one example of numerous instances over the past
fifteen years when the Israeli navy has successfully prevented
weapons and ammunition, intended to harm Israel and its
citizens, from being smuggled into the Gaza Strip.
jgutenberg@torontotorah.com

Weekly Highlights: Jan. 3 Jan. 9 / 12 Tevet 18 Tevet

Many of our shiurim are on break this week, but opportunities remain!
Time

Speaker

Topic

Location

Yisroel Meir Rosenzweig

Meshech Chochmah

Clanton Park

Special Notes

Jan. 2-3
10:30 AM

Before minchah
R Mordechai
Torczyner
Daf Yomi
We would
like to thank
koshertube.com for filming
our shiurim!

BAYT Visit us at www.torontotorah.com

Not this week

After minchah

R Mordechai Torczyner

Gemara Avodah Zarah

BAYT

6:30 PM

R David Ely Grundland

Parent-Child Learning

Shaarei Shomayim

8:45 AM

R Josh Gutenberg

Contemporary Halachah

BAYT

Not this week

9:15 AM

R Shalom Krell

Kuzari

Zichron Yisroel

Not this week

8:30 PM

R David Ely Grundland

Gemara: Mind, Body, Soul

Shaarei Shomayim

Not this week

R Mordechai Torczyner

The Book of Iyov (Job):

Job vs. Eliphaz

Shaarei Shomayim

R Mordechai Torczyner

History of Jewish Publishing

Week 1: Church Censorship

Beth Emeth

R Mordechai Torczyner

The Book of Yehoshua:

Meet the Givonim

R Mordechai Torczyner

Advanced Shemitah:
Otzar Beit Din

Not this week

Sun. Jan. 4

Tues. Jan. 6
1:30 PM
Wed. Jan. 7
10:00 AM
Thu. Jan. 8
1:30 PM

101 Tangreen Circle

For Women
Thornhill
Note location change

Fri. Jan. 9
10:30 AM

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