Rabbi Frand on Parshas Vayeishev
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi
Yissocher Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah
portion: Tape # 76, Katlanis: The Twice Widowed Woman. Good Shabbos!
This issue of "RavFrand" is dedicated in memory of Arnold Ginsberg [Aharon Yehuda Ben Nassan] by his
children.
Chanukah & Gelt -- The Connection Between Fire & Money
In the beginning of Hilchos Chanukah [3:1], The Ramba"m says, "In the time
of the Second Temple, the Greek Government made decrees against Israel and
tried to abolish their religion. They did not permit them to learn Torah
or perform the mitzvos, and they sent forth their hands against their
property and their daughters."
Let us consider this list: They nullified our religion, they did not let
us learn, they did not permit us do mitzvos, they took away our daughters,
and they took away... our money. Money may be important, but should it be
listed in the same breath with the others? Should the Ramba"m be equating
taking our money with taking our daughters (and not only that, but the
Ramba"m mentions money first!)?
How are we to understand this statement of the Ramba"m?
Many people have the custom, on Motzaei Shabbos [Saturday night], to say a
Pizmon [poem] which begins with the words "HaMavdil bein Kodesh L'chol,
chatoseinu Hu yimchol" -- He who distinguishes between that which is holy
and that which is not holy, He will forgive our sins. These are beautiful
words. The poem says that we sin because we do not appreciate the
difference between that which is Sacred and that which is mundane. We
spend our time and efforts on foolishness. We do not know what is Kodesh
and what is Chol. We ask G-d, Who has the ability to distinguish between
Kodesh and Chol, to please forgive our sins.
(The Lubliner Rav, Rav Meir Shapiro, once said about American Jews that
they know how to make Kiddush, but they don't know how to make Havdalah.
In other words, they put the wrong emphasis on things. That which is holy,
they treat lightly, and that which is really unessential, they make holy.
They do not know how to differentiate.)
What is the next line of the Pizmon? "zareinu v'chaspeinu yarbeh k'chol,"
which means: "May our children and our money increase like the sand."
This, in and of itself -- the lumping of children and money in the same
breath -- would be difficult to comprehend. But, moreover, we just
finished saying that we are inadequate for not being able to distinguish
between Holy and mundane, and now we go ahead and make the same mistake all
over again -- equating that which is Holy (children) with that which is
mundane (money)!
This would be like davening Ma'ariv [the evening service] immediately after
Yom Kippur, without having the proper Kavanah [concentration]. We've just
finished confessing our sins for improper thoughts during prayer, and then
we turn around and do it all over again! Here too, we have just confessed
our failure to properly set priorities, and then we lump children together
with money.
Rav Shimon Schwab offers a beautiful insight, both in the Ramba"m and in
the Pizmon. Rav Schwab says that what the Ramba"m means by saying the
Greeks took away our money and our daughters, is that the Greeks knew how
to destroy us. If we are to succeed with our children and with our
religion, we need money. In order to have Yeshivos, shuls, a community, one
needs money. Money is a wonderful thing. Let's not kid ourselves. We can
do tremendous things with money. We cannot exist without money.
But money corrupts, sometimes... most of the time. However, money, in and
of itself, can be the greatest tool that there is. The Midrash says that
when G-d showed Moshe Rabbeinu [our Rabbi] a Half-Shekel coin, He showed
Moshe a 'coin of fire.' The reason is because that is what money is.
Money can be terribly destructive, like a fire. But where would we be
without fire? No heat, no light, nothing.
Money is the same way. If one handles it right, it can save him. If one
handles it wrong, it can destroy him.
This, the Ramba"m says, is what the Greeks understood. When they wanted to
take out the foundations of the Jewish people, they sent forth their hands
against their money and their daughters. Take away their money. Don't let
them have Yeshivas, don't let them have Torah educators. That is how the
Jewish People will be destroyed. The Ramba"m has his priorities very
straight. The Greeks knew how to wage a war.
Rav Schwab says that this too, is what we say on Motzaei Shabbos: If we
want to be successful with our children, then we also need 'our money (to)
increase like sand.'
Imagine! Money like sand, unlimited funds! Consider what that would mean.
We could pay educators, instead of their current low rate salary --
one-half, one-third, or one-quarter of what the lawyers and the doctors are
earning - an amount that they truly deserve.
Imagine if we could pay our teachers top dollar. What would the face of
Torah education in America look like if we had unlimited resources and
could pay top dollar? What would be if we could drop the class ratio from
one teacher per 25 kids, to one teacher per 15 kids?
What about the children that need extra help? For those children, we could
even have one teacher for every two children. It wouldn’t matter if that
would require an extra salary! We could do amazing things. The Jewish
People would be a different Jewish People if our children and our money
were 'increased like the sand.'
That is the prayer. We know what is holy and sacred and we know what is
mundane and profane... and we know what money can do. We can do the right
things with money. We can change the Jewish People with money. We pray
that we have 'children and money like sand' to accomplish wonderful things
for the Jewish people.
Vocabulary
Motzaei Shabbos -- the departure of the Sabbath
Pizmon -- Liturgical Poem
Kodesh -- Holy
chol -- mundane
Kiddush -- Sanctification (of a Holy Day), performed at the onset of the
Sabbath or Festival
Havdalah -- (literally distinction), ritual performed at the conclusion
of the Sabbath or Festival going into the weekday.
davening Ma'ariv -- reciting the evening prayers
kavanah -- concentration and religious focus (e.g. -- in prayers)
darshanim/drush -- homiletic expositors / homiletic exposition
chinuch -- (Jewish) education
Personalities & Sources:
Ramba"m -- Acronym for R. Moshe ben Maimon (1135-1204), Spain, Egypt;
author of "Mishneh Torah", Code of Jewish Law.
Rav Meir Shapiro -- (1887-1934) Polish Rav and Rosh Yeshiva; he visited
America in the early 1920s as part of a fund-raising
tour for his Yeshivat Chachmei Lublin; creator of
the Daf-Yomi learning schedule.
Rav Shimon Schwab -- (1908-1995), Rav of the 'Breur Kehilla' in
Washington Heights, New York, formerly a Rav in
Baltimore, MD.
This week's write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi
Yissocher Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah
portion (#76). The corresponding halachic portion for this tape is:
Katlanis: The Twice Widowed Woman. The other halachic portions for
Vayeishev from the Commuter Chavrusah Series are:
Also Available: Mesorah / Artscroll has published a collection
of Rabbi Frand's essays. The book is entitled:
and is available through your local Hebrew book store or from
Judaica Express, 1-800-2-BOOKS-1.
