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Parshat
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Parshat
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A Student Publication of the Torah Academy of Bergen County
Parshat Toldot
18 Kislev 5764
December 13, 2003
Vol.13 No.14
In This Issue:
Rabbi
Darren Blackstein
Yaakov
Prupis
Rabbi Chaim Jachter
Halacha of the Week
Unfinished Business
by Rabbi Darren
Blackstein
Upon
the arrival of a newborn, parents face the responsibility of naming their child.
There are many factors that people take into account when contemplating the name
that they will give to this child. After all, the child will be known by this
name for the rest of his life!
Shall this child bear the name of a dearly departed loved-one? Will this child
carry on a name presently used? Perhaps this child will acquire a name based
upon the closest Chag or based upon simple phonetic tastes of the parents! The
one common denominator that is shared by all of these expressions is a desire
for the child to aspire to some values associated with the name or with people
bearing that name. This notion may be expressed as a Tefillah by the parents
that the child should have and carry on certain values and traditions somehow
represented and embodied by the name. The quality of omniscience gives Hashem an
advantage not enjoyed by man: Hashem knows us in some way even before we are
born. Hence, when Hashem gives a name, it is a true reflection of the person as
opposed to a hope as to who one might be. This intimate knowledge of us also
gives Hashem the insight to change our name when He sees fit. The change may be
warranted by a change in status, an accomplishment, or perhaps, the change is a
challenge to be embraced. Either way, when it is Hashem making the change, we
can be confident in its being a true reflection of some aspect of that person's
essence.
In our Parsha, towards the end of Perek 32, Yaakov struggles with some
mysterious being and when the battle seems to be a stalemate, this being injures
Yaakov.
When Yaakov demands that this being bless him, this being informs Yaakov
that his name will no longer be Yaakov.
He will be known as Yisrael because he struggled with the Divine and with
men and has overcome.
Yaakov then asked this person for his name and then upon expressing shock
at the request, this being blesses Yaakov.
Then Yaakov proceeds to name the area where this event took place.
Rashi points out that the name Yaakov is based on the word for some type
of deceit, alluding to the acquisition of the blessings from Yitzchak in what
appeared to be an unorthodox manner. This implies that, now, Yaakov has
developed to the point where he has arrived and has come into his own,
disassociated from the previous act of deceit. This change in character is
denoted by his struggle with the Divine and with man. Yaakov suffers a physical
wound and files no complaint. Rather, he expresses curiosity as to the
attacker's name, wanting to learn more as he embraces this bizarre event. Yaakov
emerges physically wounded but spiritually intact. Only after such a challenge
does he merit the alternate name that is symbolic of his character development.
Yaakov has dealt with challenges and has emerged from them all the
better. To this end, we read of his naming the place where this challenge took
place. He wants the name to reflect what that place stood for in his experience.
Every
discipline has its nomenclature. We use names, love to give them, and refer to
them all the time. Ironically, the very names we go by are not given as a result
of having witnessed our accomplishments, but are given to us by people who hope
and pray that our character will rise to the challenge of the name. On the other
hand, we believe that things are "meant to be" in this world. This
lack of coincidence would then have us recognize a type of Divine involvement in
the names we end up with. Under this circumstance, having Hashem involved at
least indirectly would lead us to see that our names may also reflect our
essence and that we have it within our grasps to aspire to the goals set out for
us by our names. May we all, as Yaakov did, demonstrate to Hashem and to
ourselves that we have it within ourselves to do this internal Kiddush Hashem,
to act in a way that truly brings out the character of our names into the lives
we lead.
A Universal Struggle
by Yaakov Prupis
- Class of '03
Informed that his brother Esav is advancing toward him
with 400 men, Yaakov becomes “afraid and very distressed” (32:8). As a
result, he immediately whips into action, dividing his camp into two because
should Esav succeed in destroying the front camp, the women and children behind
would have a chance to escape. Doing
everything he can to prepare for the confrontation, he then turns to Hashem for
help. He pleads to Hashem to recall
His promises to him and his father, which ensure the survival of him and his
progeny.
Having prepared for the imminent encounter with Esav in every possible aspect,
Yaakov camps for the evening. What
ensues is a puzzling, almost comical encounter with the angel of Esav.
They wrestle until the break of dawn.
Then, Realizing he cannot defeat Yaakov, the angel dislocates his thigh.
The latter then demands a blessing from the angel.
The blessing? He changes
Yaakov’s name to Yisrael.
What is it exactly that transpires that night? Even further, why does it occur
specifically at that point in Yaakov’s life? Finally, what practical
information can the reader gain from the story?
What seems to have occurred and thus the reason for the placement of the episode
becomes clear with a more prudent examination of the events surrounding the
encounter.
The struggle between Yaakov and the angel is not necessarily to be understood in
its literal sense; and if it is, it is not one of physical might, nor is the
understanding of it to be restricted to its literal sense.
In any event, the struggle is a challenge that Hashem places before Yaakov in
response to his plea for help. If
Yaakov is to emerge victorious that night, he will be deserving of victory on
the morrow; if he fails, however, Hashem will allow Esav to kill Yaakov and
destroy his camps.
|If the confrontation that night would directly decide the outcome of the
following day’s confrontation, what then is the parallel between the two?
That is, what precisely is the cause and effect?
What is the significance of Yaakov’s fight with the angel that it
should impact Yaakov’s confrontation with Esav?
The Torah says that Yaakov becomes “frightened and distressed” upon hearing
the news of his brother’s advance. Why? Should
he not be confident that the promises of Hashem would ensure his safety? For Hashem had promised Yaakov in the beginning of Parshat
Vayetzei, “And I will guard you wherever you go…for I will not forsake you
until I will have done what I have spoken to you” (28:15).
Later, Hashem tells him, “Return to the land of your fathers and to
your birthplace, and I will be with you” (31:3).
Rashi notes that Yaakov thinks to himself, “My merits have been reduced
through the kindness that You have done for me and the truth that You have
showed me. Therefore, I am afraid
lest since the time you promised me, I have become soiled with sin and it will
cause me to be given over into the hand of Esav” (32:11).
Thus Yaakov fears that he may no longer be deserving of the promises.
It appears that Yaakov’s worries are valid. Perhaps he has sinned and his
merits have been reduced. However,
Hashem listens to Yaakov’s cries; He presents him with an opportunity
to prove he is worthy of keeping Hashem’s promises, thus being saved from
Esav.
Avraham merited his special relationship with Hashem due to his Chesed, Yitzchak
due to his Avodah, and Yaakov due to his Torah.
Thus, without Yaakov’s devotion to Hashem and his total immersion in
Torah, he would no longer be able to merit the blessings that Hashem promised
him. After all, Hashem blessed Yaakov with numerous offspring so
that they may remain loyal servants to Hashem, learn his Torah, and continue in
the path of the Avot.
With this knowledge we can see that Hashem thus presents Yaakov with the
spiritual manifestation of the physical danger he will soon encounter.
Hashem presents a situation to Yaakov that challenges his devotion to
Hashem and His Torah. The angel wrestles with Yaakov, not in order to pin him to
the ground but to corrupt him spiritually, to challenge his beliefs, and to
strip away his Torah. Therefore,
the encounter is at night when Yaakov is alone; a time when Yaakov is most
defenseless and susceptible to the evils of the angel that approaches him.
But with his iron-clad will, and his absolute devotion to Hashem, Yaakov cannot
be swayed. Therefore, he holds onto his beliefs. It is this piece-de-resistance of Yaakov Avinu that
proves his spiritual superiority over Esav, thus making him worthy of Hashem’s
protection for the next day. Hashem
will keep His promise so that Yaakov and his progeny will continue in the Derech
Hashem.
As mentioned earlier, however, the struggle is not limited to Yaakov alone.
In fact, it typifies the ever-constant threat the Jewish nation faces in
every generation, in general, and the unremitting struggles the individual
faces, in specific. The question is: will the Jew be timid and relent, afraid
that the nations might “dislocate his thigh”?
Or will the outcome of his progenitors struggle inspire him, giving him
the mental fortitude to continue his struggle and overpower his enemy.
In every generation an enemy rises up to destroy the Jewish people.
Our enemies, especially our ancient ones, have always known that the
secret to our defeat lies in the removal of every facet of Avodat Hashem and
Limud Torah from our lives. For
without it we are no longer a special, a unique, and an elevated spiritual
people. We are no longer greater
than any other nation; in fact, if anything, we are far weaker and inferior.
Without the Torah, Hashem will not keep his promise to Yaakov, and as a
result, Yaakov will become vulnerable to and easily defeated by Esav.
The story of Chanukah provides an excellent example of this. During the period
of the Second Beit Hamikdash, Antiochus forbade the study of Torah.
He enacted decrees preventing Jews from engaging in Avodat Hashem.
The Torah that the Jews kept
alive, albeit in secret, prevented our extinction and merited our ultimate
defeat of the Greeks. We came out
“limping”; the Greeks oppressed us and killed many people, but they could
not touch us spiritually.
Many people do not realize it or simply refuse to acknowledge it, but even in
the 21st century we are still facing the same struggle that Yaakov,
the Jews of the second Beit Hamikdash, and generations before and after,
encountered. Too many Jews are
assimilating, succumbing to the pressure, the beliefs and “Gashmiut”, of
secular society. It is imperative
to take note of the struggle and then protect ourselves by learning Hashem’s
Torah. For without Torah as the
fulcrum of our lives we will be dominated by secular thought and cease to exist
as the Jewish People.
Nowadays, in most regions of the earth, no king or despot is set on killing and
wiping out the Jews. Nonetheless,
the struggle for every individual Jew still exists.
As Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch writes, “As long as night prevails on
earth, as long as man’s consciousness is clouded, and as long as things are
intermingled beyond recognition so that they cannot be understood for what they
really are, Jacob will have to expect struggles and conflicts.”
The individual’s beliefs are being challenged incessantly by secular
philosophies and ideals, and as a result, doubts creep into his conscious.
Without counteracting this with Torah study, the individual will inevitably lose
the struggle. But armed with Torah, strong-willed and steadfast in his
beliefs, the individual can win the struggle.
He can overcome the Yetzer Hara and the persistent secular attacks.
As Hashem told Kayin, “Halo Im Teitiv Seit Veim Lo Teitiv Lapetach
Chatat Rovetz Vielecha Teshukato Viata Timshol Bo,” “Surely, if you
improve yourself, you will be forgiven. But
if you do not improve yourself, sin rests at the door.
Its desire is toward you, yet you can conquer it” (Bereshit 4:7).
Each individual should strive to master his Yetzer Hara, to become
completely devoted to Hashem and His Torah that the truth becomes so celestially
clear that secular concepts will subsequently have no profound effect on us.
If we work on developing ourselves spiritually, we might be scathed, but
we will be victorious and aptly rewarded, just as Yaakov Avinu was.
When Yaakov emerges the victor, the angel, and later on Hashem, renames him
Yisrael. For Yaakov had “striven
with the Divine and with men and… [had] overcome” (32:29).
The name Yisrael is a conjugation of “striven” and “Elokim”.
Yaakov walks away from the struggle a new man.
Giving only a cursory glance one may suspect that Yaakov lost, being that
he limps away. But in fact he has
transcended the heights of spirituality to such an extent that he merits a new
name. Thus the angel’s blessing
is that he should remain Yisrael forever, that he should forever remain on the
same elevated spiritual plateau he was on at the moment he conquered the angel
and merited the blessing.
And
this is what every Jew should emulate and strive for: to be inspired by
Yaakov’s triumph so that he may emerge from his own struggles victorious, so
can truly merit the title of Ben Yisrael.
Spiritual Sleep
by Ben Krinsky
This
week’s Parsha describes Yaakov receiving a Nevuah in his sleep.
When he wakes up, he makes a Neder that if Hashem helps him on his
journey, he will do the right things in life and follow Hashem’s path.
However, if Yaakov is good already and is following Hashem’s ways then
Hashem should reward him.
To
fully understand this Neder we must look at the Bracha that Yaakov got from
Yitzchak in last week’s Parsha.
This Bracha was intended to help Esav get Olam Haba by giving him the
means to support Yaakov.
However, when Yitzchak transferred the Bracha, he used the word Elokim,
the name of Hashem that refers to the Midat Hadin, judgment, because he wanted
to make the Bracha conditional.
This was to make sure that Esav uses what he receives in order to support
Yaakov. As
a result, when Yaakov ended up receiving Esav’s Bracha, the Bracha was also
conditional.
Therefore, looking at this week’s Parsha we can now understand the
terms of Yaakov’s Neder.
If Hashem helps him on his journey and in life, it shows that Yaakov is
doing the right thing.
Yaakov and the Seven Dwarfs
by Avi Wollman
In
this week’s Parsha, Yaakov has a dream.
The Torah then states, “Yaakov woke up from his sleep and said,
‘Surely Hashem is present in this place and I did not know,’” (28:16).
Two Pesukim later, the Torah writes, “Yaakov woke up early in the
morning and took the stone that he placed around his head and set it up as a
pillar” (28:18). What is happening here? Did Yaakov go to sleep two times?
Furthermore, why does Yaakov promise to give a percentage of his wealth to
Hashem after the dream?
In
order to answer this question, we must analyze the dream Yaakov had. In his
dream Hashem promises him protection and the land. Why does Hashem feel the need
to reassure Yaakov that land, one of the most unspiritual things, will be given
to him? The first time Yaakov woke up he did not wake up physically; rather, it
was a spiritual wakeup. Yaakov realized how much potential land he had, and as
he later says, “This is the gate to heaven.” By working the land, we can
make it more spiritual and do Mitzvot with it, and it will be “the gate to
heaven.” Similarly, money can become spiritual when it is given as Tzedakah.
This is why Yaakov promises a percentage of his wealth, because any worldly item
can be made spiritual. This is what Yaakov teaches us: we can make anything we
own spiritual, and it is important to give all of what we own some spiritual
purpose in order to make those items much more meaningful.
Halacha of the Week
Onions
and radishes that are cut and served in a salad at a non-kosher restaurant must
be regarded as non-kosher, as one must assume that the utensils used in a
restaurant have been used within the last twenty-four hours (see, for example,
Teshuvot Yechave Da’at 4:42 and the sources that he cites in this regard).
In general, one must consult with his Rav concerning the Halachic
propriety of eating any food (even tomatoes or apples) at a non-kosher
restaurant (see Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 122:6).
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