Special Features Putting things in perspective... The very first pair of brothers in the world were Kayin and Hevel. Out of jealousy caused by G-d's favoring Hevel's offering over his own, Kayin commits the world's very first murder. The Torah records a clash between Shem and Yefet on the one hand, and Cham on the other, concerning Cham's treatment of their father. Avraham and his "brother" Lot are not able to live together because of economic factors and different moral standards. Avraham tried hard to keep Lot close to him (even at the expense of communication from G-d), but he ended up giving Lot "his walking papers". Yishmael and his mother Hagar were expelled from Avraham's house on the demand of Sara (with G-d's approval) because of the bad influence he was having on (his brother) Yitzchak. The friction, tension, and problems between Yaakov and Eisav and between Yosef and his brothers capture a major portion of B'reishit. Furthermore, the problem often stems from the older brother's jealousy for some real or imagined prominence accorded his younger brother. This is certainly the case with Kayin, Eisav, and Yosef's brothers. And then we come to the last sedras of the Book. We
see brothers embracing each other, weeping, comforting each other for the terrible things
that had transpired. We see Yehuda willing to risk his own life on behalf of Binyamin. Yaakov, however, insists that Ephraim receive the superior bracha. Keeping peace between brothers by avoiding any possible reasons for confrontation will not solve anything - it will just postpone problems. The real test in this case is to give Ephraim the bracha that he deserves and hope for the best. Our sources tellus that that is exactly what happened - the best. Ephraim did not flaunt his superior position, nor was Menashe jealous of him. It has been proven over and over again that brothers will fight with each other. But if there is a strong love between them, as there must be, then the family will be strong, and the nation will be strong. This is the lesson of the Book of B'reishit over and over. Let's finally learn these lessons well. Halacha & Hashkafa of a Sneeze Section 270 of Shulchan Aruch Orech Chaim deals with "some personal brachot". Subsection 4 says that after medical treatment one should say BARUCH ROFEI CHOLIM, acknowledging G-d as the ultimate healer. In his commentary on the Shulchan Aruch, the Mishna B'rura, the Chafetz Chaim adds that when a person sneezes and hisfellow says to him ASUTA (or Livriyut or the like), he (the sneezer) should say back to his fellow BARUCH T'H'YEH, and then say (not as a reply) LISHU'ATCHA KIVITI HASHEM (B'reishit 49:18). The Mishna B'rura explains as follows: Our Sages tell us that originally, people did not get sick at all. (Perhaps this refers to the illness and deterioration prior to death; perhaps it means at all.) They would be "walking in the marketplace, sneeze and die". Torah T'mima ties this idea to the pasuk in B'reishit aboutG-d breathing into his (Adam's) nostrils the living soul, and the pasuk in No'ach that refers to "everyone with the living breath in his nostrils died". The sneeze was the method by which the breath of life left a person. Literal or figurative, the sneeze is a symbol of the mortality of the human being. Yaakov Avinu, say our sources, was the first to be ill prior to his passing. This he saw as a blessing from G-d, giving us time to put our affairs in order (among other things). He "put himself in G-d's hands". And he expressed this with the words LISHU- ATCHA KIVITI HASHEM. We view a sneeze as a sign of an oncoming cold, an allergy, perhaps the result of breathing in a bit of dust. Most people dismiss a sneeze as an insignificant trifle. This lesson on the Halacha & Hashkafa of the Sneeze was intended to sensitize us to the message of a sneeze. Not necessarily your particular sneeze just now,but the idea behind the sneeze. And the sneeze is just an example, an example of all
the small things in life that most people take for granted. Those small things are
supposed to capture our attention. LA'BRIYUT (or Livriyut) For your information... A "VAV Sefer Torah" with a VAV starting each column, will have 5 out of its 245 columns not starting with a VAV, as indicated above. The most common Sifrei Torah have 42 lines per column. It's Open & Shut A Parsha P'TUCHA, open parsha, begins at the beginning of a line, with a blank space of a certain minimum length at the end of the previous line. A Parsha S'TUMA, closed parsha, begins on the same line as the previous parsha ended, with a suitable space between the last letter of the previous parsha and the first letter of the new one. The existence of the parshiyot and which type they are, are matters of Tradition. These divisions in the Torah are the only divisions; there is no indication in the Torah as to the end of a pasuk (and certainly not of perek). Just Parshiyot. (Do not confuse this term Parsha with Parshat HaShavua; they are not the same.A specific Parshat HaShavua can be made up of many Parshiyot.) Which brings us to this week's sedra - VAY'CHI. There is no space (except for the normal space between words) between the end of Vayigash and the beginning of Vay'chi. Assuming that Vay'chi begins a parsha, what we have is the only parsha in the Torah not to follow a blank space. Vay'chi is considered "Super-S'tuma". Why is Va'y'chi super-closed? Two answers are offered. Yaakov Avinu wanted to tell his sons about the future. G-d "closed off" his ability to do this. Furthermore, with the deaths of Yaakov and his sons, the first stage in what is soon to become the Nation of Israel comes to an end. This parsha - this part of the story- is closed. Following the first parsha of the sedra, which is super-closed, so to speak, we find 6 open parshiyot including Reuven, Shimon & Levi, Yehuda, Zevulun, and Yissachar. This is followed by 5 closed parshiyot for Dan, Gad, Asher, Naftali, and Yosef. Binyamin begins the open, long, final parsha of the sedra and the Book of B'reishit. [sdt] Yaakov was alarmed with his inability to reveal the end to his sons. He feared that among them was one who was unfaithful to G-d. When the "tribes" reassured him with "Sh'ma Yisrael...", Yaakov offered a quiet prayer of thanks to G-d: Baruch Shem K'vod Malchuto L'Olam VaEd. Our Sages added Yaakov's response, to besaid quietly, after the first verse of Sh'ma. We say it quietly (except on Yom Kippur) because Yaakov said it softly (maybe), and because it is the only part of our Sh'ma that is not written in the Torah. On the issue of Yaakov's inability to tell of the "end of days", some suggest that Yaakov's blessings, which seem to follow from his loss of Ru'ach HaKodesh, are "better" for us, his children, than his original plan to reveal the end of days. The blessings "reveal" our potential and provide the challenge of Jewish Life.This should be our focus; we should let the end of days come when they come and concentrate on our tasks in this world. Did you realize that... • 26.2% of the Torah's p'sukim (Being one of five books, its share on average should be 20%) B'reishit has 12 sedras, more than each of the other books. It's 1533 p'sukim, 20,612 words, and 78,064 letters are each the most by far among the five books. In words and letters per sedra, it is the leader. But in p'sukim per sedra, Bamidbar beats B'reishit for the top honor. [sdt] The Baal HaTurim writes that the word EMET (as in Chesed shel Emet - the ultimate kindness shown to the dead) can stand for: ALEF - Aron (coffin), MEM - Mita, the bed upon which the deceased is carried, and and TAV - tachrichim (shrouds). These are three components of Chesed shel EMET.. [sdt] From R. Auerbach z"l: The Beit HaMikdash was partly in Binyamin's territory. Binyamin Ze'ev Yitrof = 2+50+10+40+10+50 + 7+1+2 + 10+9+200+80 = 471 Har HaMoriah = 5+200 +5+40+6+200+10+5 = 471 [sdt] "More difficult is the sustenance of a person than his Redemption", says the Gemara. Yaakov says - G-d Who has sustained me... the angel who has redeemed me. (B'reishit 48:15-16) [sdt] The Gemara says that Yosef was rewarded for his having taken his father's remains out of Egypt for burial in Eretz Yisrael by having Moshe Rabeinu take his bones out of Egypt. This is reward "measure for measure". The Jewish Outreach Center of Ra'anana in
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