Chiddushim Blog: A place for me to post my Torah thoughts as they happen, to be further refined with the help of anyone who cares to contribute.
In Chapter 3 of Sefer Shemot, Moshe first encounters HKBH. Note pesukim 3 & 4; Moshe says "Asurah Na Ve'Er'eh" and HKBH only speaks with him "Vayar HKBH Ki Sar Lir'ot." Moshe must first leave behind something to be able to see and connect. What is was the Moshe left behind is open for discussion...
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Further bolstering Chiddushim's content, we welcome the addition of Harav Yonatan Kohn's weekly Parsha drash, straight from Eretz Yisrael.
"And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; and it the days of Jacob, the years of his life, [were] seven years and forty and one hundred years. And the days for Israel to die approached, and he called to his son, to Joseph, and he said to him, 'Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, please place your hand beneath my thigh; do with me kindness and truth, please do not bury me in Egypt” (47:28-29).
One is immediately stricken by the desperation with which Jacob appeals to his son, speaking to him in the language of a supplicant subordinate and not a father. While Jacob can simply tell his son that this is his wish, he presents his instruction as though it were a favor of which he is not unquestionably entitled. In the way that he addresses his will to his son, Jacob stands in stark contrast to his father and grandfather.
When Abraham sends his servant on the mission to find a wife for Isaac, Abraham instructs his servant, 'Please place your hand beneath my thigh. And I will make you swear by Gd, Gd of the Heavens and Gd of the land….' While Abraham binds his servant to a similar oath, he makes it clear that the servant is expected to comply with his instructions. He informs the servant that he will make him take an oath, and he outlines his wishes in the manner that one would expect that a master instructs his servant. Conversely, Jacob addresses his son with the formal and humble petition, "If I have found favor in your eyes…" What’s more, it is amazing to see that Jacob asks Joseph ‘please’ three times. Does Jacob really need to ask his son if he has 'found favor' in Joseph's eyes? Does Jacob need to prove himself to his son? Is it necessary for him to so thoroughly humble himself?
And this is not even to mention the fact that Gd has already promised that He will surely raise Jacob out of Egypt (46:4);* even if Jacob is asking Joseph to perform Gd's promised will, Jacob should speak with the confidence of one who has a divine assurance. One would expect Jacob to carry more surety that he will indeed be carried out of Egypt.
“And I will lay with my fathers [i.e. I will pass on]- lift me from Egypt and bury me in their burial; and he said, ‘I will do as per your word.’ And he said, ‘Swear to me,’ and he swore to him; and Israel bowed at the head of the bed” (47:30-31).
As Jacob plans for his own death, which he senses is imminent, the Torah calls to our attention that he has lived in Egypt for 17 years. The Torah’s standard epitaph includes a description of how many years the deceased lived, but it does not usually indicate how long the individual has been in a specific location. Therefore, when the Torah says that Jacob has reached 147, the additional comment about his time in Egypt must raise eyebrows. It is now 17 years after Jacob met with Pharaoh and told him, “Few and poor (* ra’im*, lit. evil or bad) were the days of my life” (47:9). It has been 17 years since Jacob told Joseph, “I will die this time after I have you’re your face, for you are still alive” (46:30). After Jacob expected to die, when it seemed that his life had come full circle, when he had reached closure, he lived another 17 years. He had spoken to Pharaoh as though his life were already over, but he was mistaken.
How Jacob knows he is dying is not entirely clear. His vision has begun to deteriorate, but it seems that he is not really deathly ill until after he tells Joseph to bury him in Kena’an. We might guess that he has a divine indication or a premonition, though there seems no textual evidence to determine conclusively how he knew. Still, Jacob is alive, and he remains alive long enough to impart final advice to each of them. Consequently, this line at the beginning of the reading- this note about Jacob’s age- is not an epitaph at all. Rather than the Torah editorializing, it is Jacob who realizes that he has reached the age of 147. And a reflective Jacob realizes that he has been in Egypt for 17 years.
Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch explains Jacob’s strange exchange with Pharaoh (please see 47:7-10). Pharaoh, impressed by Jacob’s stature, asks him how many were the days of his life’s years. He is sure that Jacob has made the most of many days, rather than letting the days and years pass by. And Jacob, humbled by life’s experienced, answers that he has not lived as many days as his fathers before him. Indeed, he has ‘dwelled’** for 130 years, but the days of his actual life, the days of vibrancy, have been regrettably few. Jacob laments his inadequacy when measured against his forebears.
What is it that so saddens Jacob? Why is he so convinced that his life has been so bereft? He prepares for his death in Egypt, sent into Exile to live out his last days. His fathers before him died in Kena’an and were buried there, but he is destined to demise in a foreign land.
When, years later, Jacob realizes that death truly is imminent, he is humbled once again. While he originally thought that he had finished his life’s calling in reuniting with Joseph, he now realizes that another 17 years have passed with his son. He lives 17 years in Egypt, though the *days of his life* should number 147. The last time Jacob had thought his life’s mission was complete, the last time he was prepared to settle down into tranquility and passivity, was when he first brought his family into Kena’an (37:1). He had ambitions at that time, Rashi notes, to relax through his final days. He hoped to settle in Kena’an, the land of his fathers. But the verse refers to Kena’an as the place of his fathers’ *dwelling.* Jacob did not appreciate that even his fathers’ lives were somewhat transient, that they could never afford a mentality of relaxation. And the Torah notes that when Jacob wanted to settle in Kena’an, permanently and finally, his son Joseph began to have dreams that would ultimately bring about hatred and estrangement from the family. At the time, the Torah notes that Joseph was 17 years old (37:2).
Therefore, after Jacob’s second 17 years with his son, he begins to wonder where he stands with his son. He starts to believe that maybe he is responsible for his son’s alienation, and he needs to reaffirm that his son is still loyal to his fathers’ tradition. After all, Gd has told Jacob that 'Joseph will extend his hand over your eyes.' It is only Joseph, now clearly the most powerful of Jacob's sons, who can help Jacob to peace when he dies. It is only Joseph who can carry the torch.
Just as Abraham before him tells his servant to make an oath on his circumcision, Jacob demands this of his son. Joseph's oath, like that of Abraham's servant, is not a trivial commitment. The task being undertaken is as sacred as the circumcision- the task is itself a necessary objective for the continuity of Abraham's tradition. Jacob needs to discern that Joseph is loyal, and Joseph’s loyalty alone can assure Jacob’s place alongside his fathers. It is for this reason that Jacob so delicately and humbly asks Joseph to bury him in Kena’an, not to allow his legacy to be interred forever in the Egyptian sand.
* Relating a tradition from the Jerusalem Talmud, Rashi comments on that verse that Gd’s promise to draw Jacob out of Egypt is specifically a reference to his burial in Kena’an.
** Jacob uses the Hebrew root *gr* to describe the total days of his life. This word is used to connote temporary residence. Please note the usage of this term, in contrast to other terms of life and residence.
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The topic for shiur this morning was inspired by my recently sprained ankle which impeded my ability to take the steps prior to and following Shomneh Esrei. Sources are available here.
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What is the status of the fasts of י"ז תמוז, ג' תשרי, and י' טבת nowadays?
We see a number of disputes regarding the laws and customs of these fasts:
I think that these disputes may all reflect two different approaches to these fasts.
Based on זכריה ח:יח, we learn (:ר"ה יח) that in a time of peace (understood as when the Temple is standing), these are days of joy, and in a time of persecution, they are fast days. In a time of neither peace nor persecution, such as nowadays, "if they so desire, they fast, and if they so desire, they don't fast."
The רמב"ן and the ר"ן point out that these are all inherently full תעניות ציבור, with all 5 of the restrictions that we observe on ט' אב and יום הכיפורים in force in a time of persecution. It's just that when כלל ישראל accepted to observe these fasts nowadays, we said, "we desire -- but only to a certain extent. We'll obstain only from eating and drinking, and only during the daytime." The ריטב"א and ריב"ש, on the other hand, see these days as "communal תעניות יחיד" (oxymoronic as that sounds), on which, in recognition of the events that led the נביאים to institute תעניות ציבור on these days in a time of persecution, we all observe individual fasts (with all of the usual leniencies of individual fasts).
The דברי יציב raises the question of whether the provision of a situation of neither peace nor persecution was part of the original תקנה of the נביאים. I think that the first approach above assumes that they are, so our observance of a fast on these days, even with its leniencies, is a partial קיום of "if they so desire, they fast," and of the original תעניות ציבור instituted by the נביאים. The second approach, on the other hand, might note that the verse from זכריה only addresses a case of them being either full fasts or days of joy, and assume that the question of what to do in a "regular" era was only addressed later. "If they so desire, they fast" means that the nature of the day is not covered by the תקנת נביאים at all, but individuals may choose on their own to observe a fast on this day (and our מנהג is that every individual should make this choice).
How these two approaches are reflected by the 4 disputes listed at the top of the post will be saved for the comments, if anybody's reading...
May our individual and communal introspection this עשרה בטבת help us to be זוכה to celebrate it next year as a day of ששון ושמחה.
So, as expected, the crazy travel surrounding the interviewing process has left Chiddushim neglected. Not to worry. In the spirit of Channukah, Rav David E Cohen of Teaneck has stepped forward to become a contributor to Chiddushim to help pick up the slack. Baruch Habah!
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