B"H

Friday, Tevet 6, 5779 / December 14, 2018

Questions and answers about the story of Joseph reuniting with his brothers and his father, as related in this week’s Parsha, Vayigash:

Q. How many years was Joseph away from his family before re-uniting with them again?

A. Joseph was 17 when he was sold by his brothers, into slavery to the Egyptians. He spent 13 years,  many of them in prison, before he was freed and made viceroy of Egypt. After being viceroy for 9 years, through the seven good years and two of the hunger years, he was reunited with his family. He brought them all to Egypt. He was away from his family 22 years. Joseph was 17 when he was sold and 39 when he met his father and brothers again.

Q. Is there a reason given why this painful separation happened to Joseph and Yaakov?

A. Here are two reasons: It was a measure-for-measure punishment to Jacob, for his being away from his parents for 22 years when he went to his uncle Lavan. He stayed with Lavan 20 years and two years of travelling time on his way home, for a total of 22 years.

Another reason: It was decreed many years earlier (about 240 years earlier), when G-d told Abraham that He will give his descendents the Land of Israel, but not before they will be strangers and enslaved in a foreign land. Thus, Yaakov and his family were destined to settle in Egypt.

There were two choices before G-d how to get Yaakov to go to Egypt. He could have gone in an honorable way or he could have been forced to go there under not so pleasant conditions. G-d chose to bring Yaakov and his family into Egypt with honor and dignity, by making his son, Joseph, the ruler of the land of Egypt.

Q. How many people came to Egypt with Yaakov?

A. Yaakov and his descendents, who came to Egypt, were 66. His granddaughter, Yocheved, who later gave birth to Moshe, was born as they entered Egypt. Together with Joseph and his two sons, who were already in Egypt, they were 70 people.

Q. Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream that Egypt will experience seven good years and seven famine years. At which point did Yaakov move to Egypt? How long did Yaakov live in Egypt?

A. Yaakov came after two years of famine. However, in Yaakov’s merit, the famine stopped. Thus, there were only two years of famine instead of seven. Yaakov lived in Egypt for 17 years. He was 130 when he came and he passed away at 147.    

SHABBAT  SHALOM

MontrealCandle lighting time: 3:53 / Shabbat ends 5:02

B"H

Monday, Tevet 9, 5779 / December 17, 2018

This Shabbat we read Parshat Vayechi, which is the final Parsha in the Book of Genesis (Breishis). With the reading of Parshat Vayechi we finish the first Book of the Torah.

In this Parsha we read about Yaakov’s (Jacob) final seventeen years of his life which were spent in Egypt. Yaakov was now reunited with his son, Joseph and Joseph’s two sons, Menashe and Ephraim, who were born in Egypt before Yaakov’s arrival.

Yaakov’s arrival in Egypt, after two years of famine, brought great blessings to Egypt. The famine which was to last seven years, stopped In Yaakov’s merit, thus, lasting only two years. 

In this Parsha we read how Yaakov, before his passing, makes his son, Joseph, swear that he will not bury him in Egypt. He urges Joseph to bring his body back to Canaan (Israel) and bury him in the family burial plot in Hebron.

We read about Yaakov’s blessings to his children before his passing. Yaakov also blesses Joseph’s two sons. They are the only grandchildren mentioned in the Parsha that Yaakov blessed. In fact, Yaakov tells them that they will be like his own two sons. As a result of this blessing, Menashe and Ephraim became two of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

Q. The numerical value of, Vayechi, is 34.  What is the significance of 34 to Yaakov and Joseph?

A. Parshat Vayechi is about the final seventeen years of Yaakov’s life, which he spent with Joseph.  Joseph was seventeen when he was sold into slavery. Thus, Yaakov and Joseph were together for a total of 34 years; the first seventeen years of Joseph’s life and the last seventeen of Yaakov’s life.

Q. The end of the Parsha is about Yaakov’s passing and burial. When paying condolences to mourners sitting Shiva, we say "Hamakom Yenachem Etchem B'toch Sha’ar Aveilei Tzion V'yerushalayim" - Hamakom (which literally means, "the place" - a reference to G-d) should comfort you amongst the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem." The expression "Hamakom" ("the place") is very rarely used to refer to G-d.  Why is it used in the context of expressing condolence to mourners?

A.  The reason G-d is called "Hamakom" (the place") is because, as our sages say, "G-d is the place of the universe but the universe is not His place." Meaning that the existence of the universe depends on G-d, but His existence is not dependent on the universe.

When a person passes away, there is a void left. We comfort the mourners who have lost a loved one, that G-d ("Hamakom" the "Place") Who is the place of everything, will comfort you and fill the place, which was left empty. It alludes to the ultimate comfort with the coming of Moshiach, when the place left void will again be filled, with the resurrection of the dead.  May it be speedily in our time.  Amen.

HAVE A GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY SUCCESSFUL & WONDERFUL DAY

B"H

Tuesday, Tevet 10, 5779 / December 18, 2018

Today, (Tuesday) is the 10th day in the Hebrew month Tevet. It is a fast day, called Asara B’Tevet.

Q.   What happened on the 10th of Tevet?

A.  On the 10th of Tevet in the year 3336 (-425), Nebuchadnezar, king of Babylon, began his siege on Jerusalem. It ended in the year 3338 (-423), with the destruction of the first Beth Hamikdash (Holy Temple) and the exile of Jews from Israel to Babylon. 

Though Nebuchadnezar's mighty army laid siege to Jerusalem, the small Jewish army within its walls inflicted heavy losses on their attackers. Despite starvation in the city, they fought heroically for two and a half years. Finally, on the 17th of Tammuz, Nebuchadnezar's army breached the walls of Jerusalem. Three weeks later, on the 9th of Av, they set fire to the Holy Temple. 

The First Temple was built by King Solomon four hundred and forty years after the Jewish people came to Israel. That Temple stood for 410 years until it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezar.

Q.  Is there any connection between this week’s Parsha, Vayechi, and the tragedies of this day?

A.  In the Parsha Yaakov makes his son Joseph swear that after Yaakov’s passing, he will carry him out of Egypt and bury him in the family burial plot in Hebron. Yaakov tells Joseph, “Although, I know that you have a heart on me that I buried your mother, Rachel, at the side of the road in Betlehem and didn’t bury her in the family burial plot, I had a good reason for this. I knew that one day the Jewish people will be exiled from Jerusalem at the time of the destruction of the Temple, they will, on the way out of Jerusalem, pass by her grave.Rachel will then pray for them, thus invoking G-d’s mercy upon them.

Q.   How many fast days are there throughout the year and which are they?

A.  There are six fast days during the year.  The order of the fasts as they occur in the Hebrew calendar are: Tzom Gedaliya - Fast of Gedaliya (3rd of Tishrei); Yom Kippur (10th of Tishrei); Asara B'Tevet (10th of Tevet); Ta'anit Esther - Fast of Esther (13th of Adar); Shiva Asar B'Tammuz (17th of Tammuz); Tisha B'Av (9th of Av). 

The Code of Jewish Law states the reason for these fasts: "The purpose of the fast is to stir our hearts to repentance and to remind us of our own misdeeds, as well as those of our ancestors, which brought upon them, as well as upon us, all these troubles. Remembering these events encourages us to improve our ways."   

The Prophets tell us that these fast days will be suspended when Moshiach comes and will, in fact, become days of happiness, rejoicing and festivity.  May it be speedily in our days.  Amen.

HAVE A GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY SUCCESSFUL & WONDERFUL DAY