This week we read פרשת זכור, in which we are given the מצוה of מחיית עמלק. This entails, when כלל ישראל is settled in ארץ ישראל, to wipe out עמלק in its entirety, men women and children. As the פסוק says

לא תחיה כל הנשמה

Amalek was not the only nation to start up with כלל ישראל. Why then are they the only nation who’s punishment is so severe?

As we approach פורים, another question comes to mind: The פסוק says:

על כן קראו לימים האלה פורים על שם הפור

The Yomtov is named after the “פור” the Goral that Haman drew to determine the date of his גזירה. This is seemingly a small detail on the overall miracle. Why was it that this seemingly unimportant detail bear the name of this great Yomtov?

To better understand this we need to explain, what exactly is the concept of a גורל? Is it a seemingly random result or is there more to it? It says in חז”ל

הכל תלוי במזל, אפילו ספר תורה שבהיכל

The word מזל is similiar to the word נוזל-flow. The רבש”ע created the world with a certain plan in mind, known only to Him. And for that plan to be carried out things need to flow in a certain way. Nothing happens randomly, rather they ‘flow ‘ in a certain way, so that the outcome will be as the רבש”ע Willed it to be.

This concept is illustrated in the גמרא in תענית. The Tzadik רבי אלעזר בן פדת was destitute. He begged the רבש”ע to take him out of poverty. In a dream that he had he was told by the רבש”ע

: רצונך שאחזיר את העולם לתוהו ובוהו?

The only way you can come out of poverty is if the world is destroyed and then recreated. It’s possible that the 2nd time around, you no longer will need to be a pauper. The Tzadik now understood: it was embedded in the structure of the world that he would be poor, and that is a fact which cannot change.

That is the meaning הכל תלוי במזל Everything is going to flow and unfold as was planned, and this is the will of הקב”ה. When a גורל is done, it’s to reveal the will of Hashem through the גורל. It’s not a random outcome, but rather a display of what the רצון of Hashem really is.

When המן conducted the פור, it was with the belief that everything is random and the פור will give him that random time. He failed to recognize that everything is orchestrated and already planned from above. As the story of the מגילה shows, all the events that transpired, while seemingly random and not connected, were proven in the end to be the hand of Hashem.

We can now understand why the תורה is so strict with עמלק. Following the ניסים of יציאת מצרים, the entire world saw and feared the יד ה. As the פסוק says שמעו עמים ירגזון חיל אחז יושבי פלשת It was then that עמלק attacked, in an effort to diminish that fear.

אשר קרך בדרך

They cooled things off and showed that כלל ישראל can be vulnerable. And by doing so they not only attacked כלל ישראל, but also the רבש”ע Himself. And as such they were deserving of the punishment of bring wiped out.

May we be זוכה to speedily and completely fullfil the מצוה of מחה תמחה את זכר עמלק מתחת השמים

Parshas משפטים starts off with the דינים of עבד עברי, the Jewish slave. The Passuk says

שש שנים יעבוד ובשביעית יצא לחפשי חנם

He works his master for 6 years and is then released. And in the case of an עבד נרצע, he works his master till the יובל. The תורה continues

אם אדוניו יתן לו אשה

Should his master give him a שפחה כנענית, both her and the children she bears from him remain in slavery after the 6 years or יובל are up.

How is it possible for the תורה to permit a Jewish person marry a non- Jew? The Chofetz Chaim explains that when a man is sold as a slave, he’s committed to doing anything his master would want from him, since that is the definition of an עבד. This includes marrying a שפחה כנענית so that he can bear more עבדים from her,should his master want him to do so.

Continues the Chofetz Chaim, while the עבד עברי commits himself completely to his master, it’s still only limited to the time he spends as a slave. After 6 years or by the יובל, he’s free from all the commitments to his master . But someone who’s a slave to his own passions and cannot say no to his יצר הרע, is not just enslaved for an alloted time, but rather a slave for life, without having any self control.

How then can we ensure we don’t become slaves to our own passions and guarantee that we remain free people?

People tend to think that when seeking and achieving pleasure, we’re actually achieving happiness. But in reality, pleasure and happiness are 2 different things. Pleasure is a momentary enjoyment, whereas happiness is a lasting feeling of content. When seeking pleasure, there’s never a sense of fulfillment, rather one is always seeking more and more. But when one experiences happiness, he feels content in the present moment.

The more we train ourselves to be present and happy the less we will need to seek constant pleasures. And as Yidden, we already have the tools to live a happy and fullfilled life. And that is by learning the Torah and keeping the Mitzvos. By engaging in Torah and Mitzvos in the proper way, we will be in control of our Yetzer Hara, not slaves to it.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point, told over by Harav Yankel Galinsky זצ”ל. Sometime in the 1960’s he got word that an old friend of his had moved to Eretz Yisrael. The friend was a former fellow Talmid at the Novardok Yeshiva in Bialestock. Sadly, after WW2, this friend was no longer observant. Rav Galinky called his old friend and invited him to his house for Shabbos. The friend, however, demurred, saying that he would instead walk to Rav Galinsky’s home in Bnai Brak on Shabbos from the neighboring town of Givatayim. Friday night they waited and waited, but the guest never showed up. Likewise they waited Shabbos day to no avail. Motzay Shabbos, Rav Galinsky called to find out what happened. His friend responded: ” I walked into Bnai Brak and saw the men walking to shul with their children. I saw the ladies walking with their babies in strollers. I saw children playing in the streets. Everyone was dressed in their Shabbos finery and seemed happy and relaxed. ( the entire city of Bnai Brak is closed for traffic on Shabbos) And he concluded: ” Yankel, when I left Yiddishkiet I knew I was losing my עולם הבא. What I didn’t realize is that I was also losing my עולם הזה!”

By living a life of Torah we are guaranteeing ourselves the ability to be happy and free.

The story of יציאת מצרים reaches its climax in the Parsha, when Paroah says

קומו צאו מתוך עמי גם אתם גם בני ישראל ולכו עבדו את ה’ כדברכם

The final plague, מכת בכורות was so devastating to the Egyptians that they all insisted that Klal Yisrael should immediately leave מצרים. If this was the case, why then was it necessary for ה’ to bring the 1st 9 מכות? Why couldn’t it have just been מכת בכורות, and Klal Yisrael would have been set free?

We can perhaps answer this based on the Pasuk in begining of Parsha

ולמען תספר באזני בנך ובן בנך את אשר התעללתי במצרים ואת אותותי אשר שמתי בם וידעתם כי אני ה’

Not only is the purpose of the מכות to force Paroah into releasing Klal Yisrael, but it’s also for the purpose of us telling these miracles over to our children and grandchildren to strengthen our Emunah in Hashem. The more we speak about the miracles of יציאת מצרים, the more our Emunah strengthens.

As such, even though 1 מכה could have been enough to get us out of מצרים, we need all 10 so we can retell each, and through that strengthen our belief in Hashem.

The רמב”ן writes at the end of the Parsha that the reason there are so many מצוות that we do in commemoration of יציאת מצרים is for the purpose of strengthening our Emunah. The מצריים did not believe that Hashem runs the world. And it was through the 10 מכות that His reality was revealed to them. There is 1 Hashem and He runs and controls every aspect of the world. And while everyone saw the יד ה’ in מצרים, future generations who were not present there will not merit seeing these open miracles. So in order for these ניסים to continue strengthening אמונה,we were given numerous מצוות to commemorate יציאת מצרים. These include Pesach, Tefilin, Mezuzah, Krias Shema and others. When we engage in these מצוות we remember those miracles and through that, strengthen our Emunah.

Concludes the Ramban, that as we remember and internalize the message of the ניסים of יציאת מצרים, we will gradually also come to acknowledge and realize that everything that accures to us, each and every day, is also ניסים, orchestrated directly by Hashem.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. Rav Yisrael Salanter would frequent an inn during his travels. The proprietor was a G-d fearing Jew. On one his stays by the inn, R’ Yisrael noted the innkeeper being lax in his Mitzva observance. He told R’ Yisrael that some weeks prior, a secular man had visited the inn and challenged the innkeeper’s Emunah by eating non kosher food. “If there’s a G-d,” he said, ” let Him punish me for eating this food.” He ate it, and nothing happened. Watching this incident caused the innkeeper to doubt his Emunah. R’ Yisrael said nothing in response. Some time later, though, he approached the innkeeper’s daughter. ” I heard you’re a talented musician, can you please play a number for me?” The girl refused, saying she was too busy at the time. Said R’ Yisrael ” How then do I know that you can actually play music? Maybe you’re making it up?” The girl pointed to her diploma hanging on the wall. “I proved myself in school, and that’s enough.” Turning to the innkeeper, R’ Yisrael said “Hashem too has already proven Himself in מצרים that he runs the world. He does not need to do it again.”

By remembering יציאת מצרים, may we indeed merit strengthening our Emunah always.

In this week’s Parsha, we read about the first 7 of the 10 מכות. By מכת שחין, the 6th מכה, the פסוק says:

ויחזק ה’ את לב פרעה ולא שמע אליהם

Hashem hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Many of the מפרשים are bothered by a very basic question: We know that

הכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת שמים

Each person has בחירה חופשית- free will to choose good or bad. And it’s due to בחירה that we’re held accountable for our actions. However, if Hashem strengthened Paroah’s heart, he then had no בחירה. How then was he accountable for not allowing בני ישראל to leave מצרים?

We can perhaps answer this based on the words of חז”ל

עתידים הצדיקים לראות את יצר הרע כהר גבוה, ויתמהו ויאמרו, איך יכולנו לכבוש הר גבוה עליון הזה. ועתידים הרשעים לראות את יצר הרע דק כחוט השערה, ויתמהו ויאמרו, איך לא יכולנו לכבוש את חוט השערה הדק הזה.

The day will come when both the צדיקים and the רשעים will be shown the יצר הרע. To the צדיקים it will appear as a great mountain, while to the רשעים it appears as a thin thread. What are חז”ל alluding to in these words?

Another חז”ל sheds light on this:

עבר אדם עבירה ושנה בה, נעשית לו כהיתר.

A person who repeatedly engages in an עבירה, will eventually regard it as a permitted act. This is because the more an action is repeated, the more ingrained it becomes in a person’s nature. When a person is first challenged by the יצר הרע it is fairly easy to overcome, as is symbolized by the thin thread. However, after he succumbs again and again, it eventually becomes an ingrained habit, symbolized by the great mountain. The צדיק sees how great the יצר הרע can become and is grateful he never allowed it to grow big, while the רשע realizes how easy it could have been for him to not allow the יצר הרע to grow in the first place, and bemoans how he allowed it to overcome him.

We can now understand why Paraoh is held responsible for his actions even when it’s Hashem Himself who hardens his heart. For the first 5 מכות, Paraoh chose on his own to not send בני ישראל out, despite the warning signs he received. After repeatedly hardening his heart through his own volition, he eventually lost his ability to choose correctly. It was through his own actions and choices that he finally reached the point that he could no longer choose correctly.

The lesson we can gleam from here is that we cannot allow the יצר הרע to entice us by saying “it’s only once ” as that opens a pathway for the יצר הרע to grow stronger, and our ability to hold back in the future gradually weakens.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point, told over by the Chofetz Chaim. 2 of the leading משכילים in Lithuania were Berel Levenson, and his friend Ahron Ginzburg. Both were Apikorsim, who spent their life spreading השכלה and secularism. Not fully believing in the afterlife they made a deal that whoever dies first will reveal himself to the other and tell him what really happens after death. Ginzburg died first and was buried in the Vilna cemetery. Some time after, his friend Berel Levenson walks past the cemetery, and sees the image of his friend hovering over his grave. His face was black and frightening! The shocked Levenson fainted on the spot. When he came to, he did not utilize this revelation to do תשובה. Rather, he concluded, it was just a hallucination.

Concluded the Chofetz Chaim ” Berel Levenson was given a clear and direct message from שמים to do תשובה. But because he was so set in his ways, he was unable to come back.”

May we merit to always choose the proper way- ובחרת בחיים!

In this week’s Parsha we’re introduced to the birth of Moshe Rabeinu. The Passuk says:

וילך איש מבית לוי ויקח את בת לוי. ותהר האשה ותלד בן.

We know from חז”ל that the Passuk is alluding to Amram and Yocheved. Why does the Torah not specify Moshe’s parents by name?

In order to better understand this Passuk, we can take a look at the Davening of Shabbos Shachris in which we say;

ישמח משה במתנת חלקו כי עבד נאמן קראת לו, כליל תפארת בראשו נתתו לו

We allude to Moshe as an עבד נאמן, a loyal servant. Being a servant is the the opposite of being a king. He is completely subjugated while the king is the ultimate ruler. Why then does it say כליל תפארת בראשו נתתו לו That he wears a crown of glory on his head?

A king is indeed a ruler. However, all his power is only a reflection of the will of the people who annointed him. If they choose to depose him, then he no longer has any power. As such, kingship in and of itself is actually just a reflection of the people. The same can be applied to the servant of the king. He completely negates himself to the will of the king that he comes to reflect the king’s will in all that he does. As חז”ל say עבד מלך- מלך The king’s servant is also a king, as he reflects the will of the king through his conduct.

Hashem’s ultimate servant, was משה רבינו. He negated himself completely to the will of Hashem, and as such, in everything he did, he reflected Hashem’s will. That is why we say that he wore a crown of glory. By being completely subservient to Hashem, he reflected royalty himself- עבד מלך-מלך

And it’s because of his great humility that he was able to transmit the תורה. There was no self-interest involved that could have possibly tainted transmitting the Torah. Moshe reflected Hashems words exactly as they were told to him. And it was only Moshe who was the humblest of all men that could be the one to transmit the תורה.

We can now understand why the תורה leaves out Moshe’s parents’ names in detailing his birth. Even in his birth, there are no other parties-so to speak involved. His entire essence was one of ביטול to Hashem, so much so that even his parents’ names are irrelevant.

This indeed is the hallmark of all great leaders in Klal Yisrael. They are completely dedicated to their mission of serving Hashem and His people, without having personal interests involved.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point, told over by Rav Ahron Lopianski, who witnessed it. Rav Lopianski was once sitting with Rav Noach Weinberg, Rosh Yeshiva of Aish Hatorah, in the latter’s office, when a staff member entered. He was upset that one of Rav Weinbergs projects was “highjacked” by an individual, who claimed ownership over it, and proceeded to raise funds on his own for this project. ” How can someone have the gall to claim one of our projects as his own brainchild?” Rav Weinberg, however was not dismayed and replied:” He took over the project? That’s wonderful! Now we can use our resources for other important projects. Who cares that we won’t get credit for it. As long as it’s being done, and it’s helping Klal Yisrael.”

Such is the look of our leaders. There is only 1 important ideal: To serve Hashem and His people.

In this week’s Parsha, Yaakov Bentches his children prior to his death. In the Brachos to Yehuda, we find an illusion to the abundance of wine in his portion of the land:

אסרי לגפן עירה ולשורקה בני אתונו

The abundance will be such that they can launder their clothing with wine. Similarly by Asher, the Torah says,

מאשר שמינה לחמו והוא יתן מעדני מלך

The Torah attaches significance to abundance of food. We find in the Shabbos Zmiros:

להתענג בתענוגים ברבורים ושליו ודגים

Literally translated as ” To endulge in delights, fowl, quail, and fish.” In fact the ירושלמי writes:

עתיד אדם ליתן את הדין על מה שראו עיניו ולא נהנה מהם

The Torah seems to encourage indulgence in food and the pleasures of the world. How then is this understood with another חז”ל that says

” עד שיתפלל אדם שייכנסו דברי תורה לתוך לבו יתפלל שלא יכנסו מעדנים לתוך פיו”

Clearly from here and other sources, we see that the Torah discourages indulgence?

We can answer the seeming contradiction based on a well-known story with Rav Yisrael Salanter. He once ordered a coffee in an upscale Paris coffee shop. To his surprise, he was charged an exorbitant 5 Francs. Reb Yisrael realized that the pay was not just for the drink itself but also for the ambiance and service as well. Still, while this was the price for the diners, the waiter could enjoy as much coffee as he wanted on the house since he worked for the boss.

Reb Yisrael drew a powerful lesson from this observation. This world, too, is an expensive restaurant, where we enjoy all the wonderful things Hashem has created. And just like a cup of coffee in a fancy restaurant can be very expensive, so too, when enjoying this world, one can be charged the expensive price of enjoying it in reward for all his Mitzvos. Thus said Reb Yisrael, by enjoying a plate of Tzimmes, a person can eat up his entire Olam Haba! But, just like the waiter who enjoys everything in the restaurant for free, a person can enjoy this world if he too works for The Boss, Hashem.

If we approach this world with the attitude that it’s His world and we acknowledge and appreciate that everything is from Him, then we’re working for Him and can enjoy this world without worrying about losing anything in the world to come. This is why chazal instituted brachos, so that we can remind ourselves that we’re enjoying Hashem’s world and thank Hom for everything that we have.

We can now understand the seeming contradiction. There are times when we praise food, and there are times we look at it askance. It all depends on how we approach our eating. When we eat without the proper approach of acknowledging Hashem’s kindness, then it’s certainly negative behavior. But we can have our cake and eat it too, when done in the proper way. By paying attention to what we’re asking, we become Hashem’s waiters by acknowledging that it’s His world. And then, we can certainly enjoy all the pleasure of the world as it’s all on His tab without having to worry that we might be losing out on our future reward.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point. Harav Yaakov Bender was at Los Angelos’ LAX airport, awaiting a flight when he noticed a commotion. He proceeded to take a closer look and noticed that a famous movie actor had arrived, and people were surrounding him, clamoring for a selfie or an autograph. Rabbi Bender then watched as the man approached the counter at one of the airports diner and ordered a foot-long hotdog. He then asked for relish to be placed on it and repeated “more, more.” Finally, he took the massive hotdog and stuffed it into his mouth , swallowing it in just a few gulps. Concludes Harav Bender: ” This is how the hero of the nations of the world eats his food. But by us, Klal Yisrael, even a young child, wouldn’t eat like that. He would wash, make Brachos, and finally Bentch.”

May we merit to use this world in its proper form, and enjoy both this world and next!

At the beginning of the Parsha we read about the dramatic climax of the battle of minds between Yosef and his brothers.

Yehuda, who was the leader of the brothers, spoke to Yosef, and his words had the desired effect.

ולא יכול יוסף להתאפק

After hearing Yehuda, Yosef was no longer able to retain his secret any longer. What was it about Yehuda’s words that forced Yosef to reveal himself?

If we look back in previous פרשיות we find a fundamental difference between the mothers of Yosef and Yehuda, Rochel and Leah. When describing them the פסוק says

ועיני לאה רכות ורחל היתה יפת תואר ויפת מראה

Something was lacking from Leah’s vision, while Rochel’s vision was perfect. Yet, it is Leah who ends up being the primary builder of Klal Yisrael, as she gave birth to 6 of the שבטים. How do we understand the difference between Rochel and Leah?

This can be compared to a man planning the building of a home. The 1st person to consult with would be the architect, who designs and plans the layout of the house. He draws the pictures of how it will look. The next person to consult with is the actual builder. He’s the 1 who carries out the plans on the ground and brings them to fruition.

Rochel, with her perfect look is compared to the planner of כלל ישראל. Leah, with her poor vision can be compared to the actual builder.

The difference between these 2 types of people is that the architect is not necessarily skilled in actual building. His skills lay in seeing the broad picture. The builder on the other hand, while not a visionary, is the 1 who gets things done.

Another difference is that the visionary cannot allow any mistakes in his planning as it will ruin the outcome of the plans. Whereas the builder can afford to make mistakes, as he can always fix them at a later time.

Rochel was the visionary, while Leah was the actual builder.

These 2 forces of Rochel and Leah were transmitted to each of their descendents. Yosef received the beauty and vision of his mother Rochel, while Yehuda received the practicality of Leah. As the son of Rochel, Yosef could not afford any mistakes in his conduct, needing to remain perfect. That is why Yosef is known as the צדיק יסוד עולם. The perfect צדיק.

Yehuda however, as the son of Leah, knows that man is not created to be perfect, and as long as you’re able to own up to them, mistakes are an inevitable fact of life. As such, when confronted by Tamar, he was able to acknowledge his error; צדקה ממני. She is right and I was wrong.

These 2 qualities are further developed by their future descendents. מלכות ישראל comes from Yosef and מלכות בית דוד from Yehuda. The 1st king that Klal Yisrael had was שאול המלך, who is a decendent of בנימין and Rochel. He instituted מלוכה in Klal Yisrael and paved the way for his successor דוד המלך. Shaul played a big role in the history of Klal Yisrael. However, it’s only מלכות בית דוד that will ultimately endure.

In practical terms too, while remaining perfect is certainly a remarkable feat, it is even greater to make mistakes and then own up to them.

We can now understand why Yosef was so astounded by Yehuda’s plea and couldn’t hold himself back any longer. Yehuda owned up to his responsibilities as the guarantor of Binyamin and declared to Yosef that he is willing to take on the responsibility of remaining behind instead of Binyamin. The great צדיק Yosef, who does everything perfectly, is astounded that his brother can state ” If my brother made a mistake by stealing the goblet, I’m taking full responsibility for him.” Seeing the ability of making mistakes and then owning up to them, is what causes the perfect Yosef to finally give in.

Every member of Klal Yisrael is called יהודי- after Yehuda. We look up to Yosef as the picture of perfection, and gain inspiration from him. Yet we know that in practical terms, it’s Yehuda who’s path we can connect with the most. Trying our best, but realizing that mistakes are an inevitable part of the process of growth. By strengthening ourselves through learning from our mistakes, we are following in the footsteps of our namesake Yehuda.

May we be זוכה to see the fulfillment of the פסוקים which we read in this week’s Haftara from the יחזקאל הנביא:

כה אמר ה’ אלוקים הנה אני לוקח את עף יוסף אשר ביד אפרים ושבטי ישראל חבריו ונתתי אותם עליו את עץ יהודה ועשיתים לעץ אחד….ועבדי דוד מלך עליהם

Both Yosef and Yehuda will merge together as one, with דוד being the leader of all Klal Yisrael, with the coming of Mashiach, במהרה בימינו אמן

Based upon Shiur from Harav Aharon Lopiansky שליט”א

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It’s in this Parsha that we’re introduced to the Father of our nation, Avraham Avinu.

The Torah tells us in the Parsha that הקב”ה told Avraham

הבט נא השמימה וספור הכוכבים אם תוכל לספור אותם….ויאמר לו כה יהיה זרעך

Just like the stars in the sky are too inumeurous to count, so too will be your offspring.

The תורה continues

והאמין בה’ ויחשבה לו צדקה

As רש”י explains:

שלא שאל לו על זה אות

Avraham Avinu did not ask for any kind of sign from the the רבש”ע that this promise would be fullfilled. Harav Ahron Lopiansky שליט”א asks: What benefit would a sign serve? After all, even that would be dependent on הקב”ה keeping his promise?

At the beginning of the Parsha, Hashem tells Avraham

לך לך מארצך וממולדך ומבית אביך אל הארץ אשר אראך

Rashi notes: ולא הגיד לו לאן, כדי לתת לו שכר על כל פסיעה

Avraham had no idea or sign where he was heading to. The concept of heading out on a journey into the unknown runs contrary to human logic. By nature, when setting out on a journey, a person is expected to know where he’s heading and the knowledge of how to get there. And yet, Avraham chose to leave the security of his own home and head out without knowing where to or how to get there. This concept of going against human logic and doing things only because it’s the will of Hashem is the core of אמונה, which we inherited from Avraham Avinu.

We can now understand why the תורה praises Avraham Avinu for not asking for any sign when promised children. At the time he was already old and had no descendents. The idea that he would one day have offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky seemed completely contrary to reality. Had he at least been given a sign from Hashem it would have been a reassurance that the promise of children would one day be fullfilled. But with his unwavering אמונה, Avraham trusted Hashem completely even when the promise seemed completely unlikely.

And it was for his great faith that the תורה praises Avraham by saying

ויחשבה לו צדקה

We know that

מעשה אבות סימן לבנים

Whatever great attributes the אבות developed, they inherited to us, their descendents. That includes learning to develop our own אמונה to be able to traverse life even in spite of challenges, by recognizing that this is the will of Hashem, and that He’s in control.

We’ll conclude with a famous story highlighting this point. Shalom Rubashkin was in prison for 8 years. During that period there were numerous appeals to overthrow his conviction. On the 7th day of Chanukah, 2017 Shalom Rubashkin received a message that his final legal appeal was rejected. He smiled and then said to himself: ” Up until now we relied on the השתדלות of humans. Now that Hashem has shown us that the ישועה will not be coming through our השתדלות, it’s time to put our trust only in Hashem. And He certainly can do anything.” The very next day he received his commute, setting him finally free. Have a Good Shabbos!

Rashi at the begining of the Parsha notes the famous חז”ל on the words

נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדורותיו יש דורשים לשבח ויש דורשים לגנאי

According to one opinion had Noach lived in the same period of other צדיקים, he would have been even greater. According to the second opinion, had Noach lived in the times of אברהם אבינו he wouldn’t have been considered great at all. Why would חז”ל look to describe Noach in a negative way, if we can translate the פסוק in its simple form, that Noach was a צדיק for all generations? This opinion is further difficult to understand, when looking at another פסוק in the Parsha, when הקב”ה says to Noach

כי אותך ראיתי צדיק לפני

The רבש”ע Himself attests to Noach being a צדיק. Why then is he נדרש לגנאי?

Harav Aharon Lopiansky explains: There are 2 types of great people. There are those who are born with great abilities and a natural drive to do great things. Such individuals live their lives being great using the talents and abilities they were given at birth. They were born for greatness and lived greatness. Then there are self made people, who were not born into greatness, but rather transformed themselves through a lifetime of hard work.

The פסוק says on נח ונח מצא חן בעיני ה’ Noach was born into greatness, and he lived a life of greatness. The great צדקות he had was not something he had to acquire through hard work. It came to him naturally. By Avraham אבינו this was not the case. He was born into a house of רשעים who worshiped עבודה זרה. At a young age he started exploring and searching until he came to the realization there is a רבש”ע. He then continued to develop himself through the 10 נסיונות he was tested with, until he finally became the great person he was. His greatness was acquired, not gifted.

This is alluded to in another רש”י in the Parsha on the words

: את האלוקים התהלך נח

Says רש”י

נח היה צריך סעד לתמכו אבל באברהם כתוב התהלך לפני

Noach needed assistance to be great, but אברהם did it on his own. The פסוק is telling us that Noach’s greatness was a complete gift from הקב”ה, whereas by אברהם אבינו it was built up and developed through his own hard work.

We can now understand the concept of דורשים לגנאי Noach was surely a giant. But the רבש”ע values even more when that greatness comes about through hard work and toil. Greatness acquired through hard work is more appreciated then greatness given as a natural gift. So when חז”ל say דורשים לגנאי, they are not retracting from Noach’s greatness. Rather they’re saying that אברהם אבינו was much greater since he became great through his own hard work, unlike Noach who was born perfect.

This is also a lesson for life of every person. None of us were born perfect. Rather we’re meant to utilize every day to become better people.

We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this concept. Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz, founder of Artscroll, was close with the Kapichnitzer Rebbe זצ”ל. One year he joined the Rebbe for his מצה baking Chabura. After completing the baking, the Rebbe generously tipped all the bakery workers. On Erev Pesach afternoon, they once again returned to the bakery, this time to bake the famous מצות מצוה, the special Erev Pesach Matzos. Once again the Rebbe generously tipped the workers. Rabbi Zlotowitz said to the Rebbe, ” you just tipped them a few days ago. You were יוצא with that.” The Rebbe replied: ” I didn’t come to this world to be יוצא” Life is meant to be a process of ongoing growth and accomplishment. Good Shabbos

As we approach ראש השנה there’s an important question that stands out. We know that ראש השנה is the יום הדין, is stated in numerous places in חז”ל. As such, it would seem that our תפלות on this day would center around us asking הקב”ה for a good year. Yet, if we look at the actual תפלות there is very little reference to such בקשות. Rather, the focus of the Davening of the day is mostly about asking for the מלכות of the רבש”ע to be revealed to all.

As we say: וידע כל פעול כי אתה פעלתו ויבין כל יצור כי אתה יצרתו ויאמר כל אשר נשמה באפו ה’ אלוקי ישראל מלך

Why aren’t we instead asking for a good judgment?

The Sefer שפתי חיים explains: We read in פרשת וישב how Yosef interpreted the dreams of Paroah’s servants the שר המשקים and the שר האופים. The Torah then tells us that things unfolded exactly as Yosef said they would.

ויהי ביום השלישי יום הולדת את פרעה ויעש משתה לכל עבדיו וישא את ראש שר המשקים ואת ראש שר האופים בתוך עבדיו

Pharaoh celebrated his birthday and counted these 2 servants among his other servants.

וישב את שר המשקים….ואת שר האופים תלה

The שר המשקים was returned to his post, while the שר האופים was hanged. What kind of birthday celebration is this when you choose to hang your former servant? The understanding is, that everything a king does is done with a broad perspective of how it affects his kingdom, not based on his personal interests. As such, on his birthday, פרעה examined his servants to see which among them is indeed worthy of being in the service of the kingdom for the uocoming year. Based on his judgment, Paroah realized that the שר האופים has no place in those grand plans and as such he was put to death.

מלכותא דארעא כעין מלכותא דשמיא

What’s true down here is true as well in שמים. The birthday of the world is on ראש השנה, as we say in Davening: היום הרת עולם today is the birth of world. And on the world’s birthday the King of the world also examines His subjects to determine where they stand and how they can serve Him in the upcoming year.

And so חז”ל established מלכיות on this day so that we can tell the רבש”ע that we are ready to coronate him. We declare that- unlike the שר האופים- we are ready and able to carry out our role, the role of being ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש. And by showing הקב”ה that we want to be his servants, we are doing our part to have a good judgment. And it’s for that reason that we focus on מלכויות instead of our own needs.

Concludes the שפתי חיים, when we focus on מלכויות we need to also remember that when we coronate Hashem on the entire world, we should remember to coronate him on ourselves as well, through doing our part to improve our own רוחניות, every person in their own way.

May we merit a כתיבה וחתימה טובה and a שנה טובה ומתוקה for us and all כלל ישראל.