Rabbi Frand on Parshas Vayechi
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: Tape # 221,
Exhumation: When Is it Permitted? Good Shabbos!
Ephraim and Menashe: Role Models For The Jews Of Sioux City
In this week's parsha, Yosef brings his two children to his father Yaakov
for a bracha [blessing]. Yaakov gave Yosef's children a tremendous bracha:
"By you shall Israel bless saying, 'May G-d make you like Ephraim and like
Manasseh'" [Bereshis 48:20]. What a bracha! In the future, whenever the
Jewish people would bless their sons, they would invoke the prayer that they
should be like Yosef's two sons: Ephraim and Menashe.
A very obvious question is asked. Yaakov had twelve illustrious sons. Why
didn't Yaakov say, for example, that the perennial Jewish blessing would be
"May you be like Yehudah and Yosef" or "like Yissachor and Zevulun"? Why did
Yaakov single out these two grandchildren to be the prototypes of blessing?
Several meforshim [commentators] offer the following explanation, which I
saw most recently from Rabbi Eliyahu Munk, zt"l. Yaakov saw a special
quality in Ephraim and Menashe that he did not have the opportunity to see
in his own children. Yaakov's own children were raised in the best of
environments. They lived in the Land of Israel, in the house of the
patriarch Yaakov, insulated from any bad environment. Granted, it is not
trivial to raise good children even in the best of circumstances. However
there is nothing novel in the fact that Yaakov's own children turned out
well. It is no surprise if a child who is raised in Bnei Brak or Meah
Shearim grows up as an observant Jew. However if people raise a child in a
city such as Sioux City, Iowa -- where their family is, perhaps, the only
observant Jewish family in town -- and the child is subject to foreign
influences from all of his surroundings -- and nonetheless, the child turns
out a faithful Jew, that is truly a great accomplishment.
The Patriarch Yaakov, perceiving that generations of Jews would spend so
much of their time in Exile, formulated the greatest blessing that the
Jewish people could give over to their children. "May they be like Ephraim
and Menashe". Ephraim and Menashe were raised in the Sioux City, Iowa of
their time. They were the only Jews in the entire country! They had to grow
up knowing that many things that they saw around them were not right, not
the way things should be. Despite this, they turned out just like Yaakov's
own children. This is the special blessing that the Jewish people would need
-- the ability to be raised in a non-Jewish environment and yet turn out to
be good and honest Jews.
Chushim Ben Dan: Seeing An Intolerable Situation For What It Is
The Talmud tells us [Sotah 13a] that when the brothers arrived at the
Me'aras HaMachpela [Cave of Machpela] in Chevron to bury Yaakov, Eisav came
and protested. There was one remaining plot in the burial cave. The previous
burial plots were used for Adam, Chava, Avraham, Sarah, Yitzchak, Rivkah and
Leah. Eisav claimed that the remaining plot belonged to him.
The sons of Yaakov responded that Eisav forfeited his right to the plot when
he sold the birthright. Eisav counter-claimed, however, that he only sold
the "double-portion" to which a first born was entitled. However nowhere in
the sale was it implicit that he was selling his own burial plot! The
brothers responded that it _was_ included in the sale. Eisav demanded that
they produce the document of sale.
The brothers claimed that they _did_ have the document, but that they had
left it in Egypt. Eisav insisted on delaying the burial until the brothers
produced this deed of sale.
Who were the brothers going to send back to Egypt? This was before the days
of Federal Express. They sent Naftali, who was well known as the speediest
runner among the brothers.
Chushim ben [the son of] Dan, who was deaf, inquired from someone about the
delay and argument in the midst of the burial of his grandfather. Chushim
was astounded when he was told what was happening. "Until Naftali returns
from Egypt, my grandfather should lie over there in disgrace?" Chushim took
a club and hit Eisav over the head and killed him. The Talmud concludes that
this was in fulfillment of Rivka's question, "Why should I lose both of you
on one day?" [Bereshis 27:45].
This is an amazing passage. Out of Yaakov's twelve fine and upstanding
children and out of all the wonderful grandchildren, why was it that only
Chushim ben Dan was sensitive to the intolerable nature of the situation?
And why did the Talmud emphasize the fact that Chushim was deaf?
The Mir Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz zt"l, explains that this Gemara
teaches us a remarkable fact of life. The difference between Chushim and the
other children and grandchildren was that the others, unfortunately, became
accustomed to the idea that their father would lie there in disgrace until
Naftali returned from Egypt. Why?
The answer is that it started gradually. First there was a claim. Then there
was a counter-claim. Next came another counter-argument, etc. Everyone else
became accustomed to the idea of the negotiations, without stopping to think
that the scene was a world class offense to the honor of Yaakov.
Since they all had time to adjust to this slowly developing situation, they
gradually became used to the idea. However, Chushim was deaf and was not
involved in the whole dialogue. When Chushim asked what was happening, he
had not had the time to adjust. All of a sudden, he was hit by the whole
terrible travesty of the situation in a single instant, as if he was hit by
a load of bricks. Chushim, thank G-d, did not have time to adjust.
We learn from here a powerful insight into human nature. Human beings can
become accustomed to anything. This phenomenon is both a blessing and a
curse. People could not live without the ability to adjust. Sometimes we
find ourselves in terrible situations and we can not imagine how we will
survive. But, thank G-d, people are adaptable and resilient.
However, the terrible downside of this phenomenon is that we can become
accustomed to anything -- to murder, to violence, to anything. The first
time a soldier kills in war he is terribly distraught. But when one kills
for long enough and sees death so often -- even that can be accommodated.
The lesson is that there are times when a person must say, "I'm not supposed
to become accustomed to this. I should always react with disgust and
revulsion to certain situations."
Many students attend my shiur [class] as their 'last stop' in the Yeshiva.
After my shiur, they often go out into the worlds of their professions. I
often meet former students, a year or two later, and inquire, "So, how are
things going?" They sometimes respond, "Terrible. I can't take the office. I
can't take the dirt. I can't take the lewd language. I can't take the
innuendoes, I can't take any of it."
I respond to them with a blessing -- "You should always feel like that,
because if you become accustomed to it, that is bad." There are some
situations in life to which we must _always_ react with disgust. The
acceptance of an intolerable situation is itself, the start of the problem.
[Editor's note: Last year, several subscribers asked why Chushim was
justified in his act of killing Eisav. No one even criticized Chushim after
he killed Eisav and he did not have to stand trial for murder. Chushim was
right, although from a superficial glance we may not understand why. In
response to this question, Rabbi Frand offered an explanation of why Chushim
was right:
The Ramban on Parshas Vayishlach states that it was permitted for Shimon and
Levi to kill the people of Shechem because they certainly were in violation
of at least some of the Sheva Mitzvohs Bnei Noach [The seven laws commanded
to Noach and his descendants] - Avodah Zarah [Idol Worship], Gezel
[Stealing], and perhaps Giluy Arayos. As such, they were all chayav misah
[deserving of death].
Perhaps this was the case by Chushim and Eisav. We know from Chazal that
Eisav was in violation of several of the Sheva Mitzvohs, including murder.
As such, Eisav was chayav misah and could have been convicted by Chushim
himself. Also it could be that the very fact that Eisav did not let them
bury Yaakov in a plot that he had sold constituted an act of gezel and as
such Eisav was chayav for that alone.]
Sources and Personalities
Rav Eliyahu Munk (1900-1978) Germany, England.
Rav Chaim Shmulevitz (1902-1978); Mir Rosh Yeshiva; Lithuania; Kobe;
Jerusalem.
This write-up was adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tape series on the weekly Torah portion.
The complete list of halachic topics covered in this series for Parshas
VaYechi are provided below:
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
Project Genesis, 1-410-654-1799.
