B"H

Thursday, Tevet 5, 5776 / December 17, 2015 – HAKHEL YEAR

In this week's Parsha, Vayigash, we read that after Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers, he urges them, "Hasten and go up to my father and say, 'Thus had said your son Joseph: G-d made me a ruler of all of Egypt, come down to me, delay not.'"

When Yaakov hears that his beloved son was found and is the ruler of Egypt he exclaimed, "Joseph my son is alive! I will go and see him before I die."

The Torah tells us that when Joseph hears that his father is coming, "He made ready his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father."

Our rabbis explain that, instead of having his servants prepare his chariot, Joseph himself prepared his chariot to meet his father. The mitzvah of honoring parents is so great that Joseph wanted to prepare his chariot by himself in honor of his father.

The only reward mentioned in the Ten Commandments is for the mitzvah of honoring parents.

The Talmudic sage Rabbi Yehoshua ben Alim was a very learned and wise man. When he asked, "Who will be my partner in Gan Eden (World-to-Come)?" he was told in a dream, "You and Naness the butcher will be together in Gan Eden."

Rabbi Yehoshua was astonished; "After spending my life studying and teaching the Torah, I will share Gan Eden with a simple butcher?" he said.  "I must find Naness and see what kind of person he is."

Rabbi Yehoshua went from village to village and from city to city asking for Naness the butcher.  Finally he came to a place where there was a butcher by that name.

The people couldn't understand why Rabbi Yehoshua was so interested in meeting the butcher. "Rabbi, he is an ignorant person," the townspeople said.

"I would like to see him anyway," answered Rabbi Yehoshua.

Naness too couldn't understand why the great sage was interested in meeting him. "Why did you bother to come see a simple person like me?" Naness the butcher asked Rabbi Yehoshua.

"Tell me, my son, what good deeds have you done?" asked Rabbi Yehoshua.

"As you can see, I am a very simple man," answered Naness.  "I have very old parents who are weak and can't do anything for themselves.  Everyday I visit them, wash them, dress them, and feed them."

Rabbi Yehoshua kissed Naness on the forehead and said, "In that case, I consider myself lucky to be your partner in Gan Eden!"

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

B"H

Tuesday, Tevet 3, 5776 / December 15, 2015 – HAKHEL YEAR

This week’s Parsha is Vayigash, which is the 11th Parsha in the Book of Genesis.

In this Parsha the Torah tells the story of how Joseph, who was the ruler of Egypt, reveals his identity to his brothers, who many years earlier sold him into slavery.

The Parsha also tells how Yaakov and his family all moved to Egypt to be with Joseph. With this move began the Jewish exile in Egypt. The harsh slave labor actually started many years later. However, with Yaakov and his family leaving the Land of Canaan (Israel) and coming to settle in Egypt, we begin the count of the exile in Egypt.

Q.    How many years was Joseph away from his father and brothers?

A. Twenty two years. Joseph was seventeen when he was sold to the Egyptians and he was thirty nine when his brothers came to Egypt and he reveals his identity to them.  

Q.  For Joseph it all worked out well in the end. He became ruler of the land of Egypt and was in charge of the enormous food distribution. But why did his father, Yaakov, deserve to be punished so harshly as not to know Joseph’s whereabouts for twenty two years?

A.  Many years earlier, Yaakov left his parents and went to Lavan to marry his daughters. Yaakov was away from his parents at that time for twenty two years. By the time he returned, his mother had already passed away. Joseph’s being away from Yaakov was a punishment for the years that Yaakov was away from his parents and didn’t fulfill the mitzvah (commandment) of honoring his parents. Joseph’s being away for twenty two years was a punishment measure for measure to Yaakov.

Q.  With Yaakov’s moving to Egypt began the Egyptian exile. How long did they live in Egypt until the Exodus from Egypt?

A.  They lived in Egypt for two hundred and ten years.

Q.  How many people did Yaakov’s family number when they came to Egypt.

A. Together with Joseph and his two sons (who were in Egypt already) and Yocheved, Moshe’s mother, who was born as they entered Egypt, they were seventy people. This number includes only Yaakov’s descendants. It doesn’t include their wives.

Q.  What did Joseph tell his brothers to ease their embarrassment that they sold him into slavery?

A.  He said to them, “Don’t be upset or angry with yourselves that you sold me to this place, for now we see that G-d sent me here ahead of you to save your lives… It was not you who sent me here, but G-d…”

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

B"H

Monday, Tevet 2, 5776 / December 14, 2015 – HAKHEL YEAR

HAPPY 8^th & last day of CHANUKAH.  Chanukah is celebrated eight days, remembering the miracle of the oil, when they found a small flask containing undefiled pure olive oil, enough to light the menorah for one day. G-d performed a miracle and the small one day supply lasted for eight days with which they lit the menorah in the Holy Temple.

The lessons of Chanukah, although we celebrate only eight days of the year, should be carried forth and applied to every day of the year.

Here is one lesson which we can learn from the answer to the following question:

Q.If there was enough oil for one day in the small flask, then the fact that it lasted eight days was only a seven day miracle, as naturally, without the miracle, there was enough oil for one day. So, why do we celebrate Chanukah eight days, as if it was an eight day miracle?

A.The fact that the small flask of oil was originally sealed with the seal of the High Priest; that it wasn’t found by the Greeks and thus not defiled and then found in its original state was a great miracle. Although, it may have seemed that for one day they didn’t need the miracle, yet, if we think about it, we see that this in itself was also a great miracle.

This is why we celebrate eight days. We consider every day and every event, even those which seem natural, a miracle. This lesson we must carry throughout the year. Chanukah teaches us to view the natural events in life, our every day-to-day normal happenings in life, as miracles.

Max was on his way to a job interview.  It was the job of a lifetime. It would be the fulfillment of his lifelong dream and a guarantee to a successful future. He drove up to the office building in mid Manhattan, but there was no parking. He drove around the block a few times, but not one parking space was available. It was getting late and he couldn’t afford to be late for this interview. With only five minutes left, he was desperate! He looked up to heaven and said, “Oh G-d, PLEASE help me find a parking spot. If You help me now, I promise that I will put on Teffilin every day!! 

No sooner did he finish his prayer when all of a sudden a car pulled out right in front of him and he had a perfect parking place right in front of the building. He was delighted. He was going to make his appointment!  But as he was pulling into the space, he looks up to heaven and exclaimed, “G-d, forget the deal.. I just found a parking place on my own!

The eight days of Chanukah is a lesson that even events which seem, so to say, natural, are G-dly miracles, which we should appreciate for what they truly are.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY & HAPPY CHANUKAH

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In loving memory of Beatrice Cons – Bracha bat Asher – of blessed memory

May her Nrshama-soul have an aliya.  May she rest in peace in Gan Eden.