Vayechi 5786 - Each Shevet's Unique Avoda

This week's para we have a Pikoshud that the um rod of monarchy will not leave Yehuda until Mashiach comes and so on. And this is both a nva and also a prohibition that you cannot usurp Yehuda's uh reign and once he becomes the monarch anybody from that tribe that's so that's what monarchy is supposed to be. The Ramban over here um has an elaborates on an extraordinary phenomenon that Claio experienced um something that has a lot of um difficult feelings and that is the Kashoyim. On the one hand we're just coming off Kaneka and the Kashoi were the heroes. They were the ones that stood up to Ivanim. They were Mosphesh and they restored Clalius's Tyra aid and so on. And yet they met a terrible end. Um their family their families disintegrated, got killed. The Gmorra told the point where Morris says that there was no one left from the house of Kashoi. It really was um a very very um tragic chapter in Kaso's history. People who were the great saviors ended up in oblivion um at some point. Not they didn't oblivion but the kids and everything disintegrated and uh fell apart. So Ramban has two points to make as to um why this happened. One of them is he said because they transgressed this prohibition of Yehuda that the never shall monarchy shall never leave Yehuda. And he says I just would like to quote the words. He says he speaks about he says they were extraordinarily pious people. If not for them Torah would have become forgotten from Israel. Still they suffered a terrible punishment. They were killed out. They they they they um uh you know disintegrated. And then he says [clears throat] the uh because they transgressed this. Now that's one point that he makes as to why it happened. And the second point is it could be that the reason why they're retaining the monarchy the their persistence in in in being the their kings. He says They had on them the injunction to stay in the they checked out. They should not have become kings. They should have remained mikdesh. I want to speak a little bit about this in a specific way then broader way. So Raman is offering [clears throat] two explanations and both of them both [clears throat] of them have a um a similar point to it. The point is are supposed to stay with whatever duty that gave theseim. Every has its own mission and one is supposed to stay with it. So taking monarchy away from Yehuda means that we are taking away a we're taking from Yehuda, but it's a lot more than just we're robbing Yehuda of their chance or whatever it is. Yehuda is the tribe that is fit to be the monarchs. Whatever qualities that we that that a monarch needs to have shudah has that. That's the that's the way hashem made it. And therefore if we keep it away from them the monarchy itself suffers and the monarchy itself it does not does not go well with those who are not of Yehuda. So when is when broke off broke off and he made his own malus it was a catastrophe. the Mal Yehuda there were there were many of them that were not righteous but in the long run Malus Yehuda is the true M of Israel so usurping it um from its right address does does not deal well a monarchy that's not Yehuda is due to failure now they certainly were right in in in in [clears throat] taking on the battle and leading Kiso and so on but at some early point they should have bowed out and given it to um to Yehuda. Now the flip side of it is that he says a kayan should be doing their vote all the time and [clears throat] someone who is a kayan should not believe it even for malus. Now the um you know so somebody who sorry somebody sorry somebody sorry somebody will ask kind of foolishly well which is more important is it more important to be a king or is it more important to be a priest which one is is is moreash I should always be aiming for so if malus is moreashev then they should have been um running to be malus and Let the kuna be. This is much greater accomplishment. You're you're you're running Kalisur. You're saving Kalasur doing for everyone and whatever. [clears throat] If it's the other way around that kahuna that Malus that kahuna is more important then um why do we what's wrong with them taking the over the malus? They're they're quote unquote better at it. And the answer is both those statements both those questions are based on a fallacy. If avoashem were there was one path with sort of markers of important more important extremely important top important then these questions could be asked but that's not at all like it avoither it's like asking what's more important in a person, the heart or the lungs or the brain or the kidneys. The answer is missing any one of them, you're dead. And kidney tissue is uniquely suited for doing what kidneys do. Having two hearts will not replace the kidneys. And having three brains will not replace the heart and the lungs. Doesn't make a difference. the um the so avo um a a multiaceted task. Kalia as a clal can accomplish it but they divide up they there's a pre-ordained division of labor based on the the the the personal characteristics of each and every shvet. So the idea of one taking place other doesn't exist. I once um I once heard from a rebi of mine um he was by he heard this from I think or or the conversation I don't remember was but he he he he saw it he I heard this story he said that somebody was um there was a a very wealthy there was I don't know very wealthy but a wealthy man in Raden and he was a big belt stuck and he supported a lot of things and so on so forth. One day the saw him dabbing at an early minion where Eden would say or I assume the way I understood it it was a type of minion for for sadik type people where they would dab you know they longer thing they would sayims and I I gather it was it was sort of they said it was something of that nature I don't remember exactly had an eye about it he he felt I think he was scared that this person would substitute his personal sitkus for helping others. And he went over and told him deserting the army is not only if a person goes and leaves the army and runs off to to you know to to to take it easy in some forest. If you go from shooting a rifle and you without being told you you you go to the cannons to shoot the cannons, that's also desertion. In other words, to go from infantry to artillery without being told or assigned and vice versa is also desertion. In other words, hashem is something that is specific and therefore the the to say which is better, which is more important, which is greater is really not um uh uh it's not a relevant question. specifically um when we don't have today that we know of we we don't no one has the ability to be able to go to novi or take and say well I'm from somehow I should be doing a vod of naft we don't have that what we do have is circumstances station of life abilities talents resources people have whatever they have and a person at some point has to ask himself what is my toughkit who who now obviously on on a practical level one will ask a big person to help him somebody who knows him well and can understand and help guide him but I'm saying the the the question asked would be not what's best or more important but what is being asked of me and it may be that I I heard once from a person told me today actually was my Shapiro's yard site and someone told me a story with him this person um had become he was very much business came very wealthy and then sometime in the middle of his life he um made his he said you know maybe I could just sit and learn I'll let the business go I have got enough money to last himself so on so forth he wouldn't be able to generate the type of revenues we generate, but he would be able to sit comfortably and learn. And he asked Ram Shapiro if he can or should do it. And Shapiro told him there areas in the world and if you can be as good as as you are as then that's the right thing and it's Hashem's job to make sure she was provided for. But if you're an amazing and you'll be an okay, you have no right to leave your post and go to do something else. So we don't have exact um uh knowledge of who we are, what we are, but circumstance and guidance of of a person worthy of that it can help us understand it. To say that it's better to do X or Y is really really not usually the answer. The answer is what am I most suited to do? Whatever I'm most to do, that's what Kajb wants for me and I have to pursue that totally. So Ramban is telling us a tremendously over here [clears throat] created. He gave them different talents and resources and suited to their mission. Each shad has a different mission. Together all the all the avoid but each has its own section. Each has its braha. Each shave it has what it is going to what it has to accomplish and what and and what it was given tools it was given to accomplish with it. The shet needs to stick to that. usurping something else is a double a first of all you are taking away from the people that can do it best and you are doing something that's not for you [snorts] having and it brings the bra and that's the ideal that wants