The פסוק at the begining of the Parsha tells us on יעקב אבינו

ויפגע במקום

To which חז”ל say refers to Yaakov establishing the תפלה of מעריב. This תפלה is said at night, when it’s dark outside. The משך חכמה explains that יעקב established this תפלה as he was leaving ארץ ישראל and heading into the גלות, which is dark, like the night. And we can gleam lessons on living in and surviving the גלות from the life of יעקב אבינו.

Rav Yosef Ber Soliveichik points out that it’s in this Parsha that we’re exposed to the 1st case of classic Antisemitism. לבן confronts יעקב and threatens him.

יש לאל ידי לעשות עמכם רע

He had planned to wipe out יעקב and his entire family, as we say in the הגדה

ולבן ביקש לעקור את הכל

What is the source of this great hatred, that possessed לבן and all Antisemites? We can likewise find a hint to it in the Parsha. When יעקב travels to חרן and arrives at the well, he notices the local shepherds standing around, and confronts them

לא עת האסף המקנה השקו הצאן ולכו רעו

Noticing what appeared to be professional misconduct on behalf of the shepherds, יעקב proceeds to rebuke them. Herein lies the key to understanding the hatered many of אומות העולם have for Klal Yisrael. When they look at us and see perfection of character, ethics and morality, it makes them feel guilty. So instead of improving themselves, they channel those feelings towards jew hatred. This was articulated in the words of one of the worst anti semites of all time, who wrote that ” Conscience is a Jewish invention.” Our enemies recognize our greatness, and it’s because if that greatness that they hate us.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. In 1924, at age 86, the Chofetz Chaim decided that he will be moving to Eretz Yisrael. He went to the government offices to obtain a passport for his travels. At the office, he was asked to show his birth certificate. When he replied that he doesn’t have one, the local Polish authorities asked him to bring 2 witnesses, who remember when he was born, and that will count as a birth certificate. When retelling this episode the Chofetz Chaim noted. ” The 2 witnesses alive who can remember my birth would have to be at least 100 years old. How would I ever find 2 such people?” Explained the Chofetz Chaim, that this is exactly similiar to the claims of לבן. When יעקב confronts him and details how לבן cheated him for 2 decades, while he served him loyally,  לבן responds

הבנות בנותי והצאן צאני וכל אשר אתה רואה לי הוא

What kind of answer is this? What לבן is really saying is” Don’t try to rationalize with me. As far as I’m concerned, be glad that I didn’t wipe you out.” Similarly, when the authorities are asking for 2 witnesses who are over 100 years old, what they’re really saying is that as far as they are concerned, you don’t even exist. So don’t look for any rational arguments with us. In fact, just be glad that we let you live.

Such is the reality of גלות. But like יעקב אבינו who established תפלת מעריב for the גלות, as long as we remain connected to Hashem, we will always endure.

The Parsha starts off with the story of יעקב and עשו fighting in the womb. The פסוק says

ויתרוצצו הבנים בקרבה

Rashi notes

שהיו מריבים בנחלת שני עולמות

Each one was fighting for the inheritance of both worlds, עולם הזה and עולם הבא. The מהר”ל asks, even if their each trying to be the dominant brother, what good does fighting in the womb do for them? After all, they are yet to be born, so why fight now for what isn’t yet relevant?

Answers the מהר”ל, the battle here was not merely a competition between 2 brothers. Rather, this is a battle between 2 opposing forces, קדושה as represented by Yaakov and טומאה as represented by Esav. Just like fire and water cannot coexist and one has to overpower the other, so too קדושה and טומאה cannot exist together. So, although Yaakov and Esav are not yet born, they already sense that the environment they’re in together cannot work, and each one is trying to overcome the other, even before their born.

Indeed, shortly after this description, the תורה provides a clear illustration of these 2 opposing forces in action

ויזד יעקב נזיד ויבא עשו מן השדה

Rashi tells us that this was on the day of the passing of אברהם אבינו Yaakov cooks a מאכל אבלים. Seeing the food, Esav asks

הלעיטני נא מן האדום האדום הזה

To which Yaakov responds

מכרה כיום את בכורתך לי

The twin boys are confronted with the reality of life; that nobody lives forever, and eventually we all die. Esav, who is the force of טומאה immediately makes his calculation: “If life is short, I may as well enjoy it to its fullest. Instead of worrying about the בכורה which isn’t relevant today anyway, let me enjoy the here and now.” Yaakov, on the other hand, is the force of קדושה and as such comes to the opposite conclusion: “If life in this world is fleeting, I should invest all my efforts into עולם הבא, which is forever.” As such, he gladly sells the food for the בכורה which is eternal.

מעשה אבות סימן לבנים

What was true back then is still relevant today. Nowadays too, קדושה and טומאה cannot coexist. And we can try to learn from the lessons of our forefather Yaakov to do our utmost to live a life of קדושה, and through that, merit eternal שכר in the world to come.

We’ll conclude with a famous story that highlights this point. A Chosid came to the Apter Rav complaining that his daughter is set to be married, and all he has in his possession is 1 meager ruble. How will he make Chasuna for his daughter? The Rebbe advised him to travel back home. ” And grab The 1st business opportunity that comes your way.” On the way home, the man stops at an inn to rest. Sitting in the lobby is a group of wealthy Jewish businessmen. Seeing the disheveled Chosid, a member of the group approaches him with a mischievous smile. ” Would you like to make a deal with me?” Remembering the Rebbe’s words, the man replies in the affirmative. ” Great!”responds the businessman. ” I’ll sell you my עולם הבא. ” Sure enough, they agree to sell it for 1 ruble and sign a contract verifying the sale. Returning to his friends, the businessman bursts into laughter over the “naive ” Chosid who gave up his last ruble for something intangible. His laughter didn’t last though, upon returning home and hearing from his wife that she will not live with a man who sold his עולם הבא. In despair he tracks down the Chosid, who agrees to return the purchase, but only for 1000 rubles. With no choice, the man hands over the 1000 rubles to the now overjoyed Chosid who promptly gifts him back his עולם הבא. Upon learning of this episode, the Apter Rav explained: As long as the businessman gave no value to his עולם הבא , it was indeed worth only 1 Ruble. But once he learned that the future of his marriage defended on it, it became worth the 1000 rubles he purchased it back for.

May we follow in the ways of יעקב אבינו, and utilize life towards acquiring a great חלק in עולם הבא

This Shabbos is the final one of the year. We know from חז”ל that

הכל הולך אחר החיתום

How we act in the final days of the year can be מתקן the entire year. We find in the begining of the Parsha a hint to something that certainly can be a great זכות for the upcoming ימי הדין

The Parsha starts off

אתם ניצבים היום כולכם לפני ה’ אלוקיכם….לעברך בברית ה’ אלוקיך

As רש”י explains, on the final day of the life of משה רבינו, he entered כלל ישראל in a new covenant with Hashem. From now on there is a concept of ערבות in which every Yid is responsible for one another, both physically and spiritualy. And this new ברית is valid for all times, as the פסוק says

כי את אשר ישנו פה עמנו עומד היום…ואת אשר איננו פה

For all future generations, we are now responsible for one another. This means that we can be מוציא others in certain מצוות by having them in mind. And it also means that we must be there for each other at all times. And included in this, is the obligation of

ואהבת לרעך כמוך

To love every single Yid. It’s only through our love for one another that we can be full עריבים for each other. And this includes loving those who may behave and act in ways that are different than what we’re used to. The אריז”ל writes that just like there is שבעים פנים לתורה So too, there are שבעים פנים in fullfilling the מצוות. People connect to Hashem in different ways, and included in the מצוה of loving each other, is to appreciate that what may work for me in עבודת השם , may not work for someone else.

As we approach the final שבת of the year, we can gain inspiration by trying to strengthen our feelings of ערבות and love for our fellow Yidden, which will certainly be a great זכות for us as we approach the ימי הדין.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. At the Agudah Convention one year, a speaker noted the opinion of a Reform rabbi on a certain topic. The speaker then continued, ” להבדיל, our רבנים tell us differently.” Suddenly a voice called out from the dais ” We don’t say להבדיל on another Yid!” It was the voice of Harav Aharon Schechter זצ”ל, calling out to the speaker and the entire audience. We may not agree with them, but no matter what, a Yid is a Yid.

We just began חודש אלול, the time of

אני לדודי ודודי לי

In his Sefer עטרה למלך, Rav Pam זצ”ל makes a poignant observation: For many people, the month of Elul is not a time of connection, but rather a time of apathy. Instead of utilizing this special month for תשובה and connecting with the רבש”ע, many people just wish it away, and wait for Elul to pass and for סוכות and שמחת תורה to come.

What is the reason for these feelings of apathy? Explains Rav Pam, the fear of change and the overwhelming sensation of “It’s too hard to do תשובה, ” coupled with the realization that past atttemps at change didnt last, causes people to give up even before making an attempt to improve. This is unfortunate, as these are precious days of אני לדודי ודודי לי, of special connection to Hashem. What then can we do, to try to have a productive Elul, without being overwhelmed?

During Elul, we say לדוד ה’ אורי by Davening. In it, דוד המלך declares

ה’ אורי וישעי ממי אירא

Hashem is my light and salvation, whom shall I fear?

אם תחנה עלי מחנה לא ירא לבי, אם תקום אלי מלחמה בזאת אני בוטח

Even when an entire army encampment is facing us, even if they wage war against me, I will not fear because Hashem is on my side. We can gain חיזוק from these powerful words as we begin אלול. The רבש”ע is on our side, and we can place our trust in Him. If we chose even just a small קבלה to work on during this time, we are showing the רבש”ע that we want to come close to Him. And that small קבלה is what we can use as our attempt at תשובה.

Beyond that, we can put our trust in Hashem, that He understands us and our weaknesses, and doesn’t demand more than we can possibly do. And the words of דוד המלך can serve as an inspiration, not too despair or give up, but rather to trust that the רבש”ע appreciates these small steps and does not ask us for more. And then we can embrace אלול and the special connection it gives us, confident that Hashem is on our side. As the פסוק says:

ה מעוז חיי, ממי אפחד?

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point: Ben Brafman, the famous criminal defense attorney, was hired to defend a young man who was charged with serious drug offenses. Realizing that his client was facing significant jail time, Mr. Brafman asked him to solicit letters of character from his circle of friends and family. The young man responded that he has no friends and is estranged from his family, but that he can get a letter from his dentist attesting to his character. When the letter arrived, it read “To whom it may concern, Jimmy is always on time to his dental appointments.” Mr. Brafman presented the letter to the judge and implored him to be lenient in his sentencing. ” Look, your honor. This young man has absolutely nobody in the world. All he could produce was this letter. Surely you can be merciful to him and give him a light sentence.” And indeed, the judge decided on a lenient sentence.

We too, turn to Hashem this time of year with just a little to show. But that little is all He needs from His beloved children Klal Yisrael, to Bentch us all with a wonderful and sweet year.

Rashi at the begining of the פרשה asks:

למה נסמכה פרשת מרגלים לפרשת מרים לפי שלקתה על עסקי דבה שדיברה באחיה ורשעים הללו ראו ולא לקחו מוסר

Why is the story of the מרגלים featured immediately following the episode of מרים receiving צרעת? To highlight the great error of the מרגלים. They should have learned from Miriam the severity of speaking לשון הרע.

Rav Yosef Ber Soliveichik asks: Miriam spoke about משה רבינו, the great leader of כלל ישראל. The מרגלים merely spoke about ארץ ישראל, an inanimate object. Why would the מרגלים be expected to draw parallels to their conplaints from Miriam’s punishment?

To better understand the parallel, we need to examine the mistake that Miriam and Aharon made. The Pasuk detailing this mistake says:

ויאמרו הרק אך במשה דיבר ה הלא גם בנו דיבר

Both Miriam and Aharon understood that משה was greater than them. However, they thought they were all within the same realm, the realm of נבואה. Perhaps משה was a greater נביא, but ultimately they too were נביאים. So why did משה have to separate from his spouse, if Miriam and Aharon didn’t have to? Hashem rebuked them by stating their error. The regular נביא sees a vision, and needs to interpret the message he’s seeing according to his understanding.

לא כן עבדי משה בכל ביתי נאמן הוא, פה אל פה אדבר בו ומראה ולא בחידות

The נבואה of משה is an entirely different realm. His נבואה is Hashem talking directly to him, with no need to interpret. It’s the direct word of Hashem, a level that’s an entire league above that of Miriam and Aharon. And it’s because of that great level that משה could transmit the תורה , the direct words of Hashem.

We can now understand what the מרגלים failed to do. They thought that Eretz Yisrael was just another piece of land, and they didn’t hesitate to report the negative things they saw there. They failed to realize that it’s an entirely different realm. It’s the center of the world, and the land הקב”ה chose to dwell in and to be משרה his שכינה in. In this land the regular laws of nature don’t apply, and if Hashem told them they will inherit it, they had nothing to fear. And that was the lesson the מרגלים failed to learn from Miriam.

Today, as we witness the nations of the world’s obsession with ארץ ישראל, a tiny country that desires only to live in peace, we see clearly how this is no regular real estate, but a land better and different than the rest of the world.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. In 1267 the Ramban left Spain on a journey to ארץ ישראל. In a letter to his son he describes the poor state of the land, and in particular, ירושלים עיר הקודש, where there wasnt even a Shul standing. And he states:

כל המקודש מחבירו חרב מחבירו

The more holy a place is in ארץ ישראל, the more desolate it is. Yet, he concludes that this sad state of affairs fills him with hope. Because just like he saw the fulfillment of the קללות in the תוכחה, he hopes to merit seeing the fulfillment of the promise that ירושלים will be rebuilt and restored to its glory.

May we be זוכה to see it, בקרוב ממש!

This Parsha is the 1st in a series of פרשיות discussing unfortunate episodes that accured in the מדבר, including Korach, the מרגלים and בנות מואב. We read in the Parsha about the מתאוים, who cried

מי יאכילנו בשר?… ועתה נפשנו יבשה אין כל בלתי אל המן עינינו

The people complained that all they had to eat was the מן, of which they were sick and tired. The פסוק continues:

והמן כזרע גד הוא ועינו כעין הבדולח

The Torah describes the מן as having the look of a crystal gem.

והיה טעמו כטעם לשד השמן

It had the taste of sweet fried oil. Rashi points out that while בני ישראל were busy complaining about the מן, Hashem describes it as appealing both in look and in taste. And Rashi continues:

כלומר ראו באי עולם על מה מתלוננים בני, והמן כך וכך הוא חשוב

“See what My children are complaining about, The מן is wonderful in so many ways!”

The Torah is highlighting the aggrevation Hashem has when כלל ישראל complains. Rav Avraham Pam notes that this is applicable even today. When a person complains, instead of focusing on all the good the enjoy, הקב”ה says ראו באי עולם על על מה מתלוננים בני. For instance, a man comes home from work to his wife and kids at night and finds the house a mess, and no supper ready. The kids’ toys are strewn all over the floor. In exasperation, he raises his voice at his wife: ” Don’t you know how to run a household?”

Says Rav Pam: how many people would give everything they own to be married and come home to a house full of kids? So many are not fortunate to be blessed with these great privileges. And when someone is lucky to have these blessings, he should be overflowing with gratitude to Hashem, and learn to overlook the small mishaps he may experience.

And just like complaining brings the רבש”ע aggrevation, thanking Him for the good in our life gives him נחת רוח. And that is our role as יהודים, the nation that knows how to be מודה and give thanks to Hashem.

In June 2023, smoke from Canadian wildfires resulted in New York City briefly having the worst air quality in the world. It was almost impossible to stand outside without experiencing burning eyes and coughing fits. Thankfully, this episode lasted only for a few short days. A rare event like this reminds us that

על כל נשימה ונשימה תהלל קה

We should thank Hashem for the clean and fresh air we get to breath each and every day.

This week the אדירי התורה event took place. 25,000 people came together in support of the Yungerlieit of Lakewood’s Beth Medrash Gavoah, whose current number stands at over 8,000. This staggering number is even more impressive when taking into account that when Rav Ahron Kotler started BMG in 1943, he had a total of only 14 תלמידים! Indeed, when we examine the explosive growth of תורה in our generation, we see the fulfillment of Hashem’s promise כי לא תשכח מפי זרעו. And that too should lead us to give Him thanks.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. Rav Elya Meir Bloch escaped Europe to America in 1941. On a visit to a Seforim store on the Lower East Side, he asked the proprietor for the classic Sefer קצות החושן. The man climbed a ladder and removed a dusty copy of the קצות. Handing it to Rav Bloch he said: ” Be careful with this Sefer. It’s the last קצות that will ever be sold in America” ” Rav Bloch replied Torah WILL flourish in America.and many many more קצות will be yet sold.”

Thank You Hashem that we merit to see the fulfillment of that declaration with our own eyes!

Parshas במדבר is always read on the שבת preceeding שבועות. Chazal explain the reason as תכלה שנה וקללותיה

We want to separate the קללות of בחוקותי from שבועות and קבלת התורה, and that is done by reading Parshas במדבר.

The Mishna in ראש השנה states:

בארבעה פרקים העולם, בפסח על התבואה, בעצרת על פירות האילן, בראש השנה כל באי עולם עוברים לפניו כבני מרון, ובחג נידונים על המים

There are 4 judgment days in the year: Pesach:  for the crops, Shavous: for fruit trees, Rosh Hashana is the judgment day for all creatures, and Sukkos is the judgment time for water.

Harav Moshe Shapira זצ”ל asks: For each of the ימי הדין discussed, there is a unique act that is done to influence the judgement On ראש השנה we Daven and blow the שופר. On Pesach we say תפלת טל, and on Sukkos תפלת גשם. This is all done to influence the דין of that day. What then do we do on שבועות, that influences the דין of פירות האילן?

We say by ברכת התורה

אשר נתן לנו תורת אמת וחיי עולם נטע בתוכינו  Hashem implanted  a life of eternity in us, through the Torah he gave us.  By learning it and following it, we guarantee ourselves an eternal life. And this gift was given to every member of Klal Yisrael, for all generations, at Har Sinai on Shavous

Explains Rav Shapira, when the משנה speaks of the דין of פירות האילן on שבועות, it’s not only alluding to the fruit trees. It’s also alluding to the deeply ingrained roots that are inside each and every one of us; the roots of the חיי עולם that Hashem implanted in כלל ישראל.

On שבועות we are judged on how much תורה we will obsorb in the upcoming year. And through that תורה we are strengthening the roots and our connection to eternity. And so on שבועות we ARE doing something to help with the דין of the day. We spend the night of שבועות engaged in לימוד התורה; to help us merit a good judgment; a year of connection to תורה and a strengthening of the roots deep inside of us, the roots of וחיי עולם נטע בתוכינו, which help us merit eternity.

And that is what the משנה is alluding to by stating בעצרת נידונים על פירות האילן. Not just fruit trees, but also the deep roots inside each and every one of us.

We’ll conclude with a famous story about the greatness of תורה learning on שבועות night, as told over by Rav Shlomo Alkavetz, who witnessed it.

This story accured some 400 years ago, when the בית יוסף and some of his חברים stayed up to learn שבועות night. At around midnight on the 1st night of יום טוב, the voice of a מלאך appeared to them and declared in a great and powerful sound;

שמחו ועלצו ודעו כי אתם מבני עליה…וזכיתם להיות מהיכלא דמלכא, וקול תורתכם והבל פיכם עלה לפני הקב”ה

” Rejoice since your learning has gone straight up to שמים and הקב”ה himself is listening to it.”

Continues Rav Elkavetz: ” We stayed up the 2nd night as well, and again the voice appeared; אילולא נתנה רשות לעין הייתם רואים האש הסובבת הבית הזה A great fire is surrounding the בית מדרש attesting to the קדושה of your תורה learning!”

Such is the greatness of learning תורה on שבועות.

Gut Shabbos and Gut Yomtov

The Parsha begins with the promise of Hashem:

אם בחוקתי תלכו ואת מצוותי תשמרו ועשיתם אותם

Klal Yisrael will enjoy endless ברכות when following the Torah. The מפרשים are bothered by a fundamental question:

We know that

שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא

The reward for following the תורה is given in עולם הבא, the place of eternity, not in this world which is temporary. How then are we promised us all these rewards for following the תורה, in this world?

When detailing the rewards the פסוק states:

והתהלכתי בתוככם והייתי לכם לאלוקים ואתם תהיו לי לעם

Rashi explains:

אטייל עמכם בגן עדן כאחד מכם ולא תהיו מזדעזעים ממני

Just like אדם and חוה before the חטא עץ הדעת enjoyed גן עדן in this world, so too, כלל ישראל can live in גן עדן-in this world, by following the תורה. When we follow the תורה, we are walking with Hashem, and when we’re with Him, we have all the blessings possible.

We can now understand how the promises of אם בחוקותי תלכו don’t contradict the idea of שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא. Hashem does not give us reward in this world. Rather, when following the תורה, we get to live with Him. And living with Hashem automatically gives us all the ברכות in the world. Not as a reward, but as a fact of והתהלכתי בתוככם.

We’ll conclude with an anectode that highlights this point. At the Purim מסיבה in Yeshiva Chaim Berlin one year, the Rosh Yeshiva Rav Hutner זצוק”ל said the following: “In this generation, there is a lot of הסתר פנים. But there’s 1 place where there is absolutely no הסתר פנים even today. That place is by a בלאט גמרא. “

And he explained: ” A Blatt גמרא is the אור פנים of Hashem, as we say by שים שלום: ברכנו אבינו כולנו כאחד באור פניך, כי באור פניך נתת לנו ה אלוקינו תורת חיים We ask Hashem for his אור פנים, and that is found by the תורת חיים. And by the place of Hashem’s אור פנים, there is no מציאות of הסתר פנים”

And when we have that אור פנים, we merit the continuation of that ברכה,

וצדקה וברכה ורחמים וחיים ושלום!

The מדרש writes that פרשת וישב is unique from all the פרשיות in the תורה, in that all the פסוקים in the Parsha, with the exception of 8, begin with the letter ו. What is the uniqueness of the letter ו that almost every פסוק in the פרשה begins with it?

The letter ו symbolizes חיבור- connection. We read in the פרשה about events unfolding in a chain effect. This starts with יוסף reporting behaviors he observed in his brothers which he suspected as being in violation of the תורה, to יעקב אבינו. This לשון הרע was the catalyst for all the events that followed, including יוסף being sold as a slave and taken down to מצרים, resulting in גלות מצרים. All of this started with the לשון הרע that יוסף told about his brothers.

The חפץ חיים points out from here that there really is no such thing as ” innocent” לשון הרע. Every negative word uttered about a fellow Yid has a ripple effect that can continue to reverberate negatively for years to come.

We find later in the Parsha that when יוסף is confronted with אשת פוטיפר, he refuses to succumb to temptation and remains strong, as the תורה says: וימאן.

Rashi notes:

“באותה שעה באתה דיוקנו של אביו ונראתה לו בחלון אמר לו יוסף עתידין אחיך שיכתבו על אבני אפוד ואתה ביניהם רצונך שימחה שמך מביניהם?

The image of his father יעקב appeared in the window telling יוסף that if he falls he will lose his place in the future חושן as one of the 12 שבטים.

The “Trop” on the word וימאן is a שלשלת. A שלשלת is literally translated as a chain. Realizing that the glorious chain of אברהם, יצחק and יעקב might be disconnected if he succumbed to אשת פוטיפר helped יוסף maintain his קדושה. Here too, the chain effect is apparent. By withstanding the ניסיון he was faced with, יוסף ensured that the chain of the אבות will not break and will continue through him.

Perhaps that is what the תורה is hinting to in the Parsha with repetition of the ו החיבור. Just like the letter ו symbolizes connection between words, so too the lessons of this Parsha remind us that nothing said or done remains in a vacuum. Rather, every word we speak and every action that we take can have a long-lasting ripple effect that will continue to reverberate for years to come.

Rashi at the begining of the פרשה famously notes

וישכב במקום ההוא- אבל יד שנים ששימש בבית עבר לא שכב

For 14 years יעקב אבינו learned at the Yeshiva of שם ועבר, during which he toiled so strongly in his learning that he didn’t lay down to sleep at all. Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky asks: How was Yaakov allowed to disregard the command of his parents who explicitly instructed him to travel to חרן, and put that command on hold for 14 years? If a parent sends their son to the store to purchase items for the home, the son should not stop on his way at the בית מדרש to learn, as this would be a violation of כבוד אב ואם. why thenYaakov take this long break from fulfilling his parent’s wishes?

To answer this question we need to 1st ask a different question. Yaakov was 63 years old when he left his father’s home. He had spent his entire life learning by his father, יצחק אבינו. What more learning was there for him to gain at the ישיבה of שם ועבר that he hadn’t already learned until now? Explains Rav Yaakov; Yaakov, for the 1st time in his life would be leaving the confines of the בית מדרש and entering the outside world with all its נסיונות. The תורה he had absorbed in his father’s home, יצחק, was beneficial for his time in the בית מדרש. However, it did not prepare him for living in the גלות far away from his father’s home, in the home of לבן הארמי. To prepare for that, he needed to travel to שם .ועבר שם lived through the דור המבול and עבר lived through the דור הפלגה. They both had 1st hand exposure to living among רשעים and they both remained great צדיקים despite their environment. It was this תורה that יעקב needed to learn now, before he would enter the house of לבן the great רשע.

שם ועבר

We can now understand why Yaakov stopped to learn for 14 years in spite of Yitzchaks instructions to go to חרן. This can be compared to a father who sends his son out to purchase ארבע מינים. Not being sure of the of the relevant הלכות, the son stops in Shul to learn them. This type of learning is not violating his father’s instructions. Rather, it’s a necessary step needed in order to fulfill his instructions. So too, in order to fulfill his instructions to go to גלות to Lavans house, Yaakov needed to 1st fortify himself with the unique תורה of the גלות. And he did so by learning at the בית מדרש of שם ועבר.

מעשה אבות סימן לבנים

In our own life, living in גלות among the nations of the world, we too should strive to remain strong in our own commitment to תורה and live a life of קידוש השם.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. Famous criminal defence attorney Ben Braffman was hired to defend a famous-non Jewish- rapper, who was facing serious gun charges. Mr. Braffman gave the rapper his home phone number and noted that he’s available to answer his calls 24 hours a day. On Shabbos, however, he never answers the phone. This, he explained, is a firm commitment, and no money in the world will make him answer the phone. On a Friday night several weeks later, the phone rang in the Braffman home. And it continued to ring dozens of times throughout the night. Knowing that his family was safe and there was no פיקוח נפש, Mr. Braffman did not answer. It was only after שבת that he found out the full story. The rapper had made a bet with a friend that his attorney won’t answer the phone despite it ringing constantly through the night, with the friend not believing such a thing is possible. Sure enough, the rapper won the bet. Happily, he told attorney Braffman: “Thanks to your strong convictions, I made $20,000!”

Have a Good Shabbos