Dear Friends;
This year’s Parshiyot Vayeitzei vort is being sponsored by Danny and Amy Michaels of Ramat Beit Shemesh dedicated Lilui Nishmas for the Yahrtzeit of Danny’s Dad Avraham Pinchas ben Yoel Meir and for the safety of the Chayalim and the liberation of all remaining hostages and their return home home without experiencing any further harm, as well as for the good health and security of kol Am Yisrael. To the Michaels family, many thanks for your sponsorship and for your continued kindnesses.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShevua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShevua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
Skype: mark.burt3
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As our Parshat Vayeitzei begins, Torah relates:
“Yaakov departed from Beer-sheva and went toward Haran. He encountered the place and spent the night there because the sun had set; he took stones of the place which he arranged around his head, and lay down in that place.
“Yaakov arose early in the morning and took the stone that he had placed around his head and set up a pillar; and he poured oil on its top.” (Sefer Breish’t, Perek 28, posukim 10-11 and 18 as rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash)
In Parshat Toldos, Torah relates:
“Yaakov was a wholesome man…” (Sefer Breish’t, Perek 25, posuk 27 as rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Chumash)
The Artscroll Stone Chumash provides commentary about Yaakov (page 127):
Yaakov. …The Torah does not specify who gave the name, Either Hashem commanded Yitzchak to give the name, or Yitzchak gave it on his own. The name is a play on the word “eikev,” meaning heel, because Yaakov grasped Eisev’s heel. (Artscroll Stone Chumash citing Rashi)
Yaakov… was morally wholesome [Ish Tam], saying what he thought and never being duplicitous [adjective: marked or characterized by duplicity: noun — deceitfulness in speech or conduct, as by speaking or acting in two different ways to different people concerning the same matter], and spending all his time in the study tents of Shem and Eiver. (ibid)
Rabbi Moshe Weissman provides additional commentary, in his “The Midrash Says” for Sefer Breish’t for our Parshat Vayeitzei (page 272):
“…He [Yaakov] fled to the Beit Hamidrash of Sheim and Eiver. (Rabbi Weissman citing Azulei Ba’alei Brit Avraham B’Sheim Chazal — This statement has an asterisk which notes: His decision was certainly motivated by the consideration of fortifying himself with Torah-study before entering the house of the idol worshiper and magician Lavan.) He stayed there… for fourteen years and studied Torah. Yaakov learned so diligently that he never once lay down to sleep in a bed during the entire period.” (Rabbi Weissman citing Breish’t Rabbah Samech Het)
If this author understands correctly, Yaakov did not allow this “Ish Tam” character trait to dominate him. Seemingly, he knew when and where to act otherwise, such as from his demand for the birthright from Esav in exchange for the lentil soup. These traits surely seem to have been inculcated to Yaakov as a result of Rivka Imeinu’s nurturing. We later learned that when Yaakov introduced himself to Rachel upon removing the stone from atop of the well, he told her (citing of Sefer Breish’t Perek 29, posuk 12 as rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Chumash):
“‘…He[Yaakov] was her father’s relative…'”
Artscroll Stone Chumash provides a commentary on Sefer Breish’t Perek 29, posuk 12:
“‘…He was her father’s relative.” [literally, brother] In addition to the plain meaning that Yaakov introduced himself to Rachel as her relative, Rashi cites the midrashic interpretation; He [Yaakov] intimated [adjective: made known indirectly; hinted or implied] that should Lavan try to cheat him, he could defend himself as being Lavan’s brother in deceit; but if Lavan dealt honorably, Yaakov would act with all of the integrity expected of the son of Rivka. Or HaChaim elaborates that Yaakov was surely not threatening to match Lavan’s thievery. Rather, he meant to say that he would defend himself strenuously, but only within the law.
The entire Yaakov/Lavan experience, as Torah expresses in our Parshat Vayeitzei, seems a lesson regarding situations where one needs to confront cunning with cunning, and regarding situations where truthfulness, honesty and kindness are a necessity.
The Hozeh of Lublin quotes the Sages saying;
“Whoever is compassionate where he should be cruel will eventually be cruel where should be compassionate.” He continued by saying that “a person needs to be master over all of his traits. If he fails to apply so-called negative traits in their proper times, he will end up applying them when it is wrong to do so.” “A person needs to know how to act in different circumstances, sometimes one way to further the will of Hashem and other times the exact opposite way for the same end.” (”Growth Through Torah” by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin on Parsha Toldos, pages 62-63, “Torah Gems” by Aharon Yaakov Greenberg, on Parsha Toldos, page 203)
Israel has taken great pains to try to avoid, or minimize civilian casualties and fatalities in its skirmishes and wars with Hamas and/or Hezbollah while inflicting damage upon terrorist forces who cowardly hide behind “non-combatant” civilians. But in war, it is inevitable that civilian casualties and fatalities will be collateral damage. And the current morally corrupt governments in the United States, Britain, France, Germany, the UN, etc. are not exactly ones, considering their own hypocrisies and past military histories, to preach at, threaten and issue ultimatums to Israel regarding the numbers of Gazan civilian casualties and fatalities or the level of “supplies” entering Gaza which Hamas seizes anyway.
We see cunning politicians, particularly both here in Israel as well as in the United States, mask hypocrisy with cunning.
Recall how Israel and the South Lebanese Army shared an alliance — it was called “The Good Fence,” until then Prime Minister Ehud Barak ran from South Lebanon in the dead of night in May, 2000, claiming to have saved the lives of many more Chayalim, while leaving the area open for Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah to fill the void with their hundreds of thousands of rockets and UAVs aimed toward Israel and bombarding northern Israel daily for this past year. As a result, tens of thousands of Israelis are living in temporary accomodations in hotels throughout Israel. And recall how then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon masked the expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif in the bogus rationale, told to then IDF Chief Rabbi Rabbi Yisrael Weiss, of “forty years of peace,” when in fact there was no peace at all, but continual rocket fire, fiery balloons and terror emanating from Gaza, from the areas of Gush Katif leading to the War of Simchat Torah (7 October).
Israel’s governance and military high command must learn, as was instilled in Yaakov, lessons regarding situations where they must confidently, with Emunah in Hashem, confront cunning with cunning to fight to complete victory in this war and eradication of all terrorist forces and Liberation of all remaining hostages — not withstanding the world’s threats, sanctions, ultimatums.
May it be that our Chayalim, regardless of the machinations of their high command, emerge totally victorious — eradicating from the face of the earth Hamas, their terrorist buddies and the so-called “innocent civilians” of Gaza who joined with Hamas in their murderous deeds, that the Chayalim return home whole — physically, mentally and spiritually and that the Chayalim Liberate and bring home all remaining hostages. And may we see the restoration of true unity within Am Yisrael.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently re-settled in Gush Katif, once the IDF, by the Yad Hashem, destructs and eradicates the wild beasts of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, all other terror entities, and if necessary Iran, and that our brethren be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them, that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Homesh be rebuilt, as well as the buildings of Yishuv Elchanan, all at total government expense. May our Chayalim return from battle unharmed — physically, mentally and spiritually and may all of the remaining hostages brutally taken by the wild beasts of Hamas be liberated and brought home to their families. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now in his fourth year at home in Eretz Yisrael and continues in a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her spirit and memory continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. May the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, as should the remains of the two chayalim from the Gaza War of ten years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. May we see, in 5785, the REAL Jews from the Ukraine and Russia as well as the US and Canada, the real Jews via matrilineal descent, make Aliyah enmass — via thorough review by Misrad HaPanim. And may we soon and finally see the total end to the Communist Chinese Wuhan Lab corona virus pandemic and all like viruses and variants. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
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