Vayigash, Part 4: Kriyas Shema and Finding Hashem’s Love Through Yisurim

Transcript

This Torah class is brought to you by TorahAnytime.com. Yaakov Avinu instilled in the DNA, so to speak, just like it's brought down from Chaim Volozhin, Avraham Avinu instilled in Klal Yisroel a kedah, that one could sacrifice a child, and that Yitzchak instilled in Klal Yisroel mesiras nefesh, that one could give up his life for HaKadosh Baruch Hu. I believe that this Shema Yisroel that Yaakov Avinu said at this particular moment instilled that the greatest love that a person could have, and that greatest love could be directed to the Ribono Shel Olam. He instilled it at this kriyas Shema that he said. It's interesting, the Rambam brings down that actually Shema Yisroel, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad, we say today afterwards, Baruch shem kevod malchuso l'olam va'ed. Why do we say the Baruch shem kevod malchuso l'olam va'ed? It's because Yaakov Avinu said it. Kriyas Shema is min haTorah. But actually, the Shema Yisroel, which follows by Baruch shem kevod malchuso l'olam va'ed, was instilled, was started by Yaakov Avinu. The Rambam in Hilchos Kriyas Shema, perek aleph, halacha daled. The Rambam says, Hakorei kriyas Shema k'shugayim b'pasuk rishon, omer, Baruch shem kevod malchuso l'olam va'ed, v'chozer v'korei k'darko, v'ahavta es Hashem Elokecha ad sofah. V'lama korin kein? The Rambam, interestingly, says, Why? Why do we say Baruch shem kevod malchuso l'olam va'ed? Misoires hi b'yadeinu, sheb'sha'ah shekibetz Yaakov Avinu es banav miMitzrayim b'sha'as misaso, tzivam v'zirzam al yichud Hashem v'al derech Hashem. She'hala Avraham v'Yitzchak aviv v'sha'alu osam, Bni, shema yesh bachem paslus, mi she'eino ma'amin b'yichud Hashem? Is it possible among you there's someone who doesn't have this strong belief in HaKadosh Baruch Hu? To which the children answered, Anu kulanu, v'amru, Shema Yisrael. Yisrael is Yaakov Avinu. Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem echad. Ki lomar, shema mimenu Avinu Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem echad, pasach Chazakim v'amar, Baruch shem kevod malchuso l'olam va'ed. Lefichach nahagu kol Yisrael lomar shevach sheshovach bo Yisrael haTzadik, acha pasuk zeh. Baruch shem kevod malchuso was also introduced, installed, to Klal Yisrael from Yaakov Avinu. It's important, rabosai, to speak another part of the kriyas Shema here. It's interesting, he said, Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem echad. Yaakov Avinu looks and he sees Yosef in Mitzrayim. Many mefarshim say that even when he was told that Yosef was alive, lo he'emin. He didn't believe it. Why didn't he believe it? It's so pashut. When a person gets news that's so bizarre, so to speak, it's so strange, he didn't believe it. Lo he'emin. He didn't believe it. The mefarshim say that wasn't the issue. Lo he'emin means he didn't believe that Yosef was in Mitzrayim. Oy, Yosef b'ni chai. It wasn't about Yosef. It was Yosef b'ni, that he remained a religious Jewish and honest Yid in Mitzrayim, an ehrlich Yid in Mitzrayim. That he didn't believe. So Yosef is alive, but how do I know that Yosef b'ni is alive? Yaakov Avinu comes down to Mitzrayim, and the pasuk says, Vaye'aser...

Vayar likras Yisrael aviv Goshnah, vayera eilav. I mean, if Yosef went to see him, so it's vayera eilav. He was seen. To Yaakov. Rashi explains, vayera eilav, Yosef nir'eh l'aviv. Yosef was seen to his father. The pasuk is redundant. What does Rashi want? Something's missing here, right? If Yosef went to see his father, so Yosef was seen to his father. Ramban explains that it's a technical issue here. Yosef looked like a king in Mitzrayim. He was wearing a special turban and everything. Yaakov Avinu wasn't accustomed to seeing... thought he was one of the kings in Mitzrayim. So then, when it was vayera eilav, when he recognized him, that's pshat. Yosef nir'eh l'aviv means he recognized him. He sees him, he says, Oh, now it's Yosef. It's so important, rabosai, is it so important to know that first he didn't recognize him because he was wearing Egyptian royal clothing, and then he recognized him? What's— I have to know every— he saw him and he fell on him, and Yaakov was... Why the emphasis? Tamaidik areh, yeh rabosai, why the emphasis, Yosef nir'eh l'aviv? Chazal used to say over from Baalei Mussar, I think from Rav Tolly Tropp, and they say over from Rav Chaim Shmulevitz and other gedolei mussar. Yosef was on such a great level that when he came to see his father, it also wasn't personal. See? Yaakov took it, and he said, I'm taking out the, so to speak, the personal, humanly emotion from it. Yosef also, he did it only to be nireh elav. It's not that he was excited to—no, a person, what are you— you ask a guy, Well, what are you so— I'm excited to see my father. Yosef didn't say that. I'm excited that my father should be able to see me. Huh? You ever see anyone talk like that? Someone doesn't see somebody for so long. I'm excited to see the person. No, no. I'm excited that that person should see me. Somebody can think I'm madrega, but that's what many baalei mussar say, that's what— Yosef nireh. Vayeira elav. Yosef went that he should be able to be seen by his father. I would say a different pshat, but I think that's what the Ramban is maybe meaning. Yosef, outwardly, externally, he was dressed like a king, like an Egyptian almost. Almost not like what you would call a Yid mit a bard, mit a hamburger, right? You know, mit a kapoteh. He was dressed like an Egyptian king. Yaakov was searching to see the Yosef. He didn't want—the external was not his issue. That part he wasn't excited. Yosef nireh. The Yosef was nireh elav. Oh, that's all of a sudden when Yaakov says, now it's time to read Kriyas Shema. Now it's time to thank the Eibishter. And let me explain to you. Many mefarshim explain that he didn't just say Shema Yisrael. He said, Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad. It's not Shema Yisrael, even though it says the word Shema. It's Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad. What does that mean, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad? If you look at the sefarim, the Rishonim, the Acharonim that explain the nusach of the Kriyas Shema, Hashem is midas ha-rachamim. Elokeinu is midas ha-din. Sometimes we see midas ha-rachamim, and sometimes we see midas ha-din. Eventually, you know what we end up seeing? That the rachamim and the din is all the same. There is no such a thing as midas ha-din. Hashem Echad. It's all one Hashem. Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad. At the end of life, we look back.

And we start to understand that what we thought was midas hadin was actually so much midas harachamim. Yaakov Avinu sees Yosef now, and he says, now I understand what it means, Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad, that it's all one Hashem. What I thought was din was actually all rachamim. The Chofetz Chaim, zchus yagen aleinu, used to say, man before he exits the journey in this world will have a chance to look back and get an insight on everything that happened in his life, to see how actually it was all l'tovah. He says the Gemara says that Nachum Ish Gamzu, he was called Gamzu because gam zu l'tovah. He says Nachum Ish Gamzu was zocheh to see it right away. Everyone will eventually see it. The problem is we don't have patience. That's how the Chofetz Chaim used to say. We don't have the patience in life to wait. We want quick results. We want right now to understand, right now to give us a good understanding. It's very possible, rabosai, and I believe I heard this nusach either from my zeide or from different Rosh Yeshivas, I don't remember exactly now where I heard it, but that the Chofetz Chaim actually said one more point, that those that say gam zu l'tovah will be zocheh to see it right away. Nachum Ish Gamzu was zocheh. The next day, because he believed and exclaimed to the today is gam zu l'tovah. And therefore it didn't have to take a long journey of life to see the tovah. It's a lesson, rabboisai. Every day when we say Kriyas Shema, Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad, to be able to see the tovah. I want to give you advice. We get wrapped up, wrapped up with the situation: this is not good and that's not good. And there's a lot of chesed in every situation between the lines. Between all the—there's a lot of things that if we would focus on it, we would see, here the Ribono Shel Olam is doing a chesed with me. I might have to go through this situation. It's possible that this is the way for many reasons. But if you pay attention, you'll realize the chesed, the chesed of the Eibishter to go through that. And if a person says gam zu l'tovah, and he realizes Hashem Elokeinu is really Hashem Echad, then he'll be able to be zocheh to see the chesed of HaKadosh Baruch Hu. You know, Yosef, we read it as if it's a beautiful story, the story of Yosef. Think about all the yissurim, all the yissurim that Yaakov Avinu had the entire time. I once thought about, you know, the Shechinah. Left Yaakov Avinu, all the years that he was misabel, all the years he wasn't zoche that the Ribono Shel Olam should be with him because he was b'aveilus. Now that he sees his son, all of a sudden, his hashraas hashchina. Could be Yaakov Avinu says, Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu. He started to see the Ribono Shel Olam, the Shechina, more because he was mitoch simcha. At this moment, he recognized that the Ribono Shel Olam is here. Shema Yisrael. The Shema Yisrael that he said, he was moved. By now, all of a sudden, he sees Yosef, so the Shechina comes back. Rabosai, there's no question that if a person is in a very difficult situation, and he works on himself to be b'simcha through it, he will see the Ribono Shel Olam. He will see the Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad. Ein haShechina shruya lo mitoch atzvus.

When a person's atzeiv. Now, of course, I'm not giving mussar, so to speak, for people go through very difficult things in life. But the daily things that we go through that bring us down, overpower, that feeling. Say to yourself, Rabbeinu Shalom, I want to see your yad, your hand. I want to see what you, through this whole situation, are holding my hand. You will see it. There's an interesting Chiddah with this ayin. The Chiddah says that there's a parsha called Eglah Arufah. What was the story of Eglah Arufah? The story of Eglah Arufah was that he went from one town to another and he got killed. Eglah Arufah, what were they able to do for him to protect him? It seems like the chachamim of the town, they're responsible. It's their fault. So Rashi brings down, shelo patruhu, that we didn't feed him, we let him go without mazon, without food. Yes, therefore what? That's why he got killed, or he didn't get killed. I mean, what does that have to do with anything? But I say, think of the pashut pshat, no? Rabosai, pach pshat. Yeah? Yeah, the story of Eglah Arufah. So the chachamim are responsible because they didn't feed him, and therefore what? If they fed him, what, he wouldn't get killed? Says the Chiddah, chidush nifla, that if they fed him and they cared for him and they showed him a little warmth, he'd be b'simcha. Al pi bisimcha, he wouldn't have the bad mazel to get killed on the road. It would have protected him, huh? Unbelievable. Let's talk. What did Yosef send back to his father? He sent back the parsha of Eglah Arufah, right? He sent agalos. Chazal say, what were the agalos? That that was the last thing they were learning was the sugya of Eglah Arufah. So the mefarshim ask, why did he send back the last thing that he was learning, Eglah Arufah? And they say he was trying to tell his father he's still holding in learning. He's still holding in learning. Tell me, you know how many years? Twenty-something years, he's still in the same sugya. Unbelievable. Could you imagine, you're still in the same sugya after 22 years? There's a lot of terutzim, a lot of explanations, but I always thought to myself something interesting. Many mefarshim learn that he was meramez that there was a problem, that Yaakov sent Yosef without leviah, without protection. He sent him to the brothers, and look what happened. It's the story of Eglah Arufah. It's mamash the story of Eglah Arufah. There was no leviah. He let him go in the field by himself, and look what happened. Maybe, rabosai, he was sending a tremendous lesson, and that is, Yosef is telling his father for so many years. For so many years, I was lost, but I was protected. Why? Because I was mekabel it b'simcha. Baruch Hashem, I learned from the sugya of Eglah Arufah that if I took the nisyonos and I grew from it, and I didn't fall, there's a protection from that itself. The only time it was isra mazlei, that the mazel is no good, that's only if it's when a person falls and he's depressed and he's down. Eglah Arufah was a lesson. I still kept the lesson of Eglah Arufah, and meileh I was protected in Mitzrayim, an unbelievable protection. Yosef babor, Yosef babor. He was in the pit. He was in—another person would have been broken. Another person would have been—what does Yosef take it all? V'Hashem was with me the entire time. And this becomes the lesson of Eglah Arufah that he was sending back to his father Yaakov.

Let's learn from the parsha. Difficulties, difficulties. There's a tremendous love that a Yid has for the Rabbeinu Shleilam, and that love overrides every difficult situation in life. How come people, the more yisurim they get, the more they love HaKadosh Baruch Hu? It's an interesting phenomenon. I thought about it. The Gemara says that Klal Yisrael is like a zayis. The more you squeeze them, the more they... The more you koitish, the more you... the more you crush them, right, the bigger and better they become. I know it's Zos Chanukah, I just want to end with this nekudah, rabosai, if you don't mind, a thought that I had. What was the nes Chanukah? The nes Chanukah was about the oil. What took eight days? Tell me, how long does it take to make oil? Go to the store and buy oil. Or if you have to make the oil, I'm sure you can make oil in an hour. It took eight days to make new oil? It says for eight days they were lighting. Why? Why? Why eight days? So it’s stated in the mefarshim, they had to squeeze it, and they had to get that special, the pure, the pure oil. Okay. Klal Yisrael is doimeh l’zayis. The more you squeeze it... And the more you crush it, the better oil comes out. The more pure is the oil. By nes Chanukah, they did tremendous yisurim to us. Lachtzum lachatz gadol, the Rambam brings down, they made us suffer. But the more they made us suffer, the closer we became to the Eibishter. That was part of the nes of Chanukah. They thought that if you make the Yid suffer, it makes him want to become more and more like the goy, and let go of his Torah and let go of his religion and let go of the Eibishter. The opposite. It brings out more and more the love. V'ach kach bou bonecha lidvir beisecha. The Yid's love to the Eibishter is so strong that the more it gets tested, the more it overrides the test and becomes stronger. Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, is the words of every dying Jew, because the love of the Eibishter overrides any difficulty. A person has difficulty in life. Tap into that tremendous ability that a person is able to love the Ribono Shel Olam. And I part with a story. Everybody loves a good story. I part with a story. Ready for a beautiful story? My shadchan was a great tzaddik, Rabbi Yaakov Tolidano, zecher tzaddik kadosh livracha. He was the Rosh Yeshiva in Marseille. Renzi, in Paris. He was a tremendous personality. His capability of giving shiurim and davening, such tremendous ability, koiches. He unfortunately got a disease. He had ALS. And little by little, he deteriorated. He couldn't move. I went to visit him when I went to Paris. They took him down the steps, had to carry him. They sat him down. They fed him a coffee. And I just broke down when I saw it. I couldn't. The beauty, the beauty of a person. Look what happened. So he asks me, Avos veinsta, why are you crying? I told him, a shufra d'bala b'ara. The beauty. He was a person, a personality, strong, capable. His drashes. Look what they disintegrated into. So he tells me, You're a ben Torah. You're a ben Torah. You shouldn't cry. Veinish, don't cry. I want to tell you something.

My sister, she was not religious. My sister's not religious. In Morocco, they had like haskalah, like they had in Europe, they had haskalah. So in Morocco also, they had like a type of, you know, it got influenced. And the boys left Morocco, went to yeshivas in England and in Eretz Yisrael, so they remained religious. But the girls who remained back home, they went off. So the sister went off. And don't forget, the sister was daughter of the great Rav Chalfon Baruch Tolidano, ... the greatest, the one that wrote the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch for the Moroccan Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. So he tells me that his sister came to visit him. And she sees him in this state of health, and she asks him, Zu Torah v'zu scharah? This is, you gave up your life for Torah, and look at the reward you got. He says, I answered her. I answered her. She probably didn't fully comprehend the answer, but you as a ben Torah, you should comprehend the answer, learn it, accept it, and live with it. The love that I feel for the Ribono Shel Olam through my disease is so strong that if Hashem would offer me, do I want it or I don't want, I would have accepted the disease. That's how much love I experienced. That's how much connection I... Gained through the yisurim, through the machla, that I would have accepted it l'chatchila. Ben Torah veinish, don't cry. That's what he told me. I'm sorry, I'm crying. I learned a tremendous lesson from it. He is able to overlook all the physical and be attached to the love of the Ribono Shel Olam. He has it in his neshama. And this is what Yaakov was teaching us. All the yisurim that he went through, he realized, Ribono Shel Olam, I thank You for those yisurim. Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu. Why? Because Hashem Echad. I realized and I understood that You were behind it all. There's something called tziduk hadin. What does tziduk hadin mean? I thank You for tziduk hadin. You know, when you say tziduk hadin, lo aleinu, on a meis, baruch Hashem, it's not only for a meis. Tziduk hadin can be for anything. We don't just say that the Ribono Shel Olam is right. We give a bracha, Baruch Atah Hashem. It's a bracha. Why? Because it's not just that the Ribono Shel Olam is right, but once we realize how right He is and how righteous—tziduk is a lashon of tzedek—we realize it's baruch. We realize a Jew is able to thank and bless and appreciate the Eibishter for that. Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad. Was not just recognition that Hashem is Hashem Echad, that all the middas hadin was rachamim. But actually, what was it? It was a shevach l'hodah, Baruch shem kevod malchuso. Yaakov instilled that everything that he went through in his life, in conclusion of it, he thanks the Eibishter that he went through it. And where did that come from? At the moment where he overrode his feeling, his emotion to his son, and said, You know what? Ribono Shel Olam, Shema Yisrael, my love to You, the Ribono Shel Olam. At that moment, he instilled in the Klal Yisrael this koach, life and the Eibishter. The Eibishter is the Father, and we are able to love Him in every situation. V'achar kach bo'u bonecha l'daber beisecho. That's the Shema in zayis, and that's the beauty. And every day when we say Kriyas Shema, we should mekabel the love of the Ribono Shel Olam. You've just experienced another Torah class brought to you by TorahAnytime.com.