Parshat Vayetzei by Rabbi Baruch Taub

okay good morning everybody um say we're going to we going to do a little para uh and maybe with some some ideas from the para which may dovetail with our current mat um and then in the the end I want to I do want to say something specifically with regards to what we're doing what we're supposed to be doing what we're not doing and what's happening um I I know people are are uh very of divided Minds about the situation with the hostage release and so on uh and and I understand it I understand that there's a lot of anxiety um I don't know which which decision was the right decision is the right decision but I've been doing the last few days that the that the the uh that God will will give the will give the our political leaders and our military leaders the SE and the the in their their minds and their intellect and their hearts to make the right decision we we can't do better than that Theon is aay and whatever happens really is under his Direction and we just have to hope for the best although um I must tell you that um there's a very good chance that this hostage deal will never go through right there's a stall there's a day it's a day being put off but it might be more might be more for all the reasons that those of you who are skeptical about it are are correctly skeptical but we'll see as as we go along I wanted to share something fascinating that I saw this morning somebody sent me that a lawyer in fairw New Jersey um uh patented in in court uh the um the use of the term from The River To The Sea um now why would a Jewish lawyer do that because he's brilliant now he can sue anybody that anybody and everyone that uses that term it is a patented term and nobody has the right to use it aside from its insanity but I think it's just a wonderful expression of or as we say in Chinese okay let's let's go to number two on the sheet uh it it goes over it goes number two goes over to the second page and it's um it's from the par and it's called called par galut the par of gas that's what par is Yakov goes into Gus right and um this is a piece actually safer called canona This is my safer on the para in Hebrew called Kona and that's where I took I took this from and here's what we say one of the characteristics now what what is what are we saying here there are chapter divisions in the Torah when you see a big p or a big inish right what does that mean that indicates that it's a different it's a new chapter there's a difference between a and a how the it's divided whether it starts the chapter starts on the same line or on the next line but this is very instructive it's very important to know something that some of us might not be aware of when you open up a and you see that the Torah quotes a chapter and verse those chapters that we use are not our chapters the the first printed tan tanim were done by Christian Scholars and they were very inacurate with the chapters and the verses the precise chapters and verses are theas and stas the pay and the sum that we see in the tanak why do we continue to use this because because for gener for of years Jewish scholarship has been basing references on these chapters and verses so um it would have put it would have put Tor Jewish scholarship in a in a tremendous tizzy and therefore we keep it that way right we keep it that way but the actual pario are are divided by stuma now what we're pointing out here is really something that we're going to see in the the name of the balat that this par is a is one runon sentence there's no and no divisions of chapters why is that explains he leaves his father's house he's going into a situation of the unknown he's going into the unknown Miss this is a a certainly going into the unknown the the lack of cuses of is a a symbolic of going into the unknown going into the mystery of gas we don't know what's going to be everything is sealed we don't know to go to the left go to the right what do we do and that's why the para is closed it hints the fact the the vacuum the The Emptiness when we go into into gas it's closed there's a there's a sense of uncertainty there are no pauses to borrow a a contemporary phrase there are no Pro pauses when we are in a situation of Gus we're in a situation of Gus here causes are dangerous right we quote the great he adds to this there's aash at the beginning of and there Rashi comments on why we need sometimes we do need pauses right so now he's going to contrast the the lack of pauses in V because this is a Gess moment a mystery moment an unknown moment we just have to plug plug forward based on what the Rabon tells us without stopping without taking a rest right but there are moments that we do have pauses in the Torah most of the Torah is right he quotes God spoke to m directly did not hear whaton was saying to him we have to assume that when who spoke to mosha there were also pauses why we have paes in the why were there pauses when a was giving the Torah over to Moshe Renu why were there pauses let's learn Torah we don't we just keep learning right no are necessary even Moser Renu needed time to stop and pause and think and review to understand make sure that he understands the material that he receives all the more so we who learn Torah anything we do we have to pause and think about what we're doing and not just ramble through it's not enough just to learn the par there's a necessity a necessity of part of the Torah is the the the white spaces between the black letters of of the Torah in order to to grasp it and to internalize it I write here Mill says there's a lot of wisdom out there in the nations of the world and sometimes we see brilliant comments so I'm going to tell you I'm G to Spill the Beans I wrote right here that a very famous musician so he was Cel famous chist was once interviewed and he was asked what is the secret of of of a musician what is the secret of perfecting music so you know what he end answered so he I write here Pim he's talking about I put here pianos I didn't put cello but the notes that I play they're no different than the notes that any other person plays on his instrument but the pauses paes The Secret of of good music is knowing how to pause that's what that conductor is doing up there that's exactly what he's doing it's not a question of just playing it's about pausing that knowing when to pause having that I the the the ability not just to play the instrument but pausing is the secret of good music right knowing how to pause so pauses are crucial here right this this idea of Rashi really will open our eyes into why the par of Gus when we are in a a state of uncertainty in we're all in gos even in is for the moment right who the idea the utility of these close we have to think as we go along why is this happening to us right that's normally speaking but when you have it continues the chapter new chapter of AUM is on the same line we can't really do a full assessment of what's Happening that's G that's the opposite the way of God is is sealed to us we're we have an uncommon denominator what the Ron does and what we understand what he does we we don't right we we don't we we don't I mentioned last week I think after the recording was off you know there's a bro that we say for on good news right on bad news we say God blessed is God the faith faithful judge what's the difference between the two is I see it I understand it I met is is that I intellectually accept it right because the gorah says that the day will come the day should come that we will make the of on bad news also we will understand clearly that there is good and bad and therefore to we would make a br on it today to make on what seems to be bad the unknown is a in in vain so we have to make another I don't understand it but I accept it as a as a an article of faith that whatever the does he does for the good I can't say continue here we we we have don't have the ability it's an uncommon denominator what the does he does what we have to do what we have to do our what we have to do in these times is to attach ourselves to him and his Torah and his even though we fully do not understand what he's doing and why he's doing what he's doing there's a story about the Jew who was suffering came to the and cried his eyes out his heart out poured his heart out he told them over gor and now we're on the next page page two we can son are you there there we go thank you the day that that Adam was created famous gamorra very nice gor when the sun started to setar oily uh oh I must have done something terrible wrong terribly wrong and therefore God is making the world dark the world is going to return to to the unformed void this is death for me coming from the marish fasted and he cried all night and also cried next to him and D when the sun rose the morning the dawn of the morning the Morning Star he realized right it's interesting he did not did not attribute it to his F right but he realized this is the way of the world so he he offered a a unicorn he offered an offering a sacrifice of to based on a so that's what say this over to this Jew when when when Adam saw the sun setting on the first day of his life kid of the world is going to be destroyed this the end of the world the end of History right when he saw the sun shining the next day this was only temporary the darkness was temporary this is not an indication that everything is is over the fact that the Twilight of today does not should not bring sadness that we know that after the darkness the uncertainty of the night there will come we we there will become a dawn IM that's how we have to look at the times that we are in now we are in a time of darkness and we're crying we're doing a lot of right the sun the sun will will come again soon compare this to someone who's who's stuck in a deep pit down there in a big well he was thrown into they throw him down a rope the only thing you can do is hold on to this rope Al he keeps holding on to the Rope he's not going to lose touch with the world outside of his dark tunnel This Is Us during these dark periods and to to lean on him to understand that he is going to help us this is what we have to do by doing his Torah and his and his was called well of tense and Torah he was in the tent of Torah we know that that's what the rabbis say the tent of Torah the the mid the why is it called oh the place of Torah the place of Torah is called an oh a tent not a palace right this relates to's life he he was not he he was not stationary he was not static he couldn't stay in one place wherever we are and we certainly hear us right now this group of people who are learning who the to have you know we we uprooted our tents from wherever we came the temporary we set up a tent here right now we have to understand things are still temporary the ronam is going to make it permanent mik will be built one other piece from the par which I want to do before I go back to number one and I'm going to just do this outside it's a fascinating at the near the beginning of the par that yakob goes to sleep we know the story with the stones right and he went to sleep and he had an incredible incredible dream and Angels coming going up and coming down uh but Rashi makes a comment that Yakov slept that night but the 14 years that he was learning in the Yeshiva of sh he did not sleep right which um I must tell you a very quick story many many years ago uh um I was in Miami and my rashash Baltimore rashash of Yakov rudan zal was staying in somebody's home there was a Jew uh in in Miami who um hosted the SAT mbbi for most of the winter satb would go down uh for the for the winter and his old age to Miami and he wasn't there that particular time rud was staying in the house so I came in to visit the rashash Shiva and um and the maid the maid uh who was cleaning the house uh saw me waiting and she said uh who you you waiting to see this man she says is he a rabbi I said yes yes he's a rabbi he's not a rabbi she said I said what mean he's not a rabbi the other Rabbi I never had to make his bed he sat on a chair there was an easy chair that's he never laid down in the bed this man he goes to bed I don't know maybe two hours three hours four what but he's he's not a rabbi right satar reab I'm not getting into the philosophy of the satar you know that's not point something was a very saintly saintly special Jew who we might disagree with many of this his his ideas particularly about Isel uh he was a saintly individual so that's what we're saying here that um that Yakov Rashi says he didn't sleep the 14 years that he was by Shane vver now there's an interesting thing here um Yakov was away from uh from uh his father not just for 14 years for another 22 years right he was away 22 plus the 14 years by Shane vver um we find that kazal tell us that Yakov was punished for the 22 years that he was away from his father Yak by uh by suffering the same scenario with Yos that he did not see yos for 22 years right this was mean the question is why wasn't he punished for the entire period why wasn't he punished for the 22 plus4 why was the part the 14 years by Shane vver somehow a necessity uh and not up for for discussion in terms of punishment right so rakam kineski says something very very um uh Majestic what was he doing what was he was learning right he was learning so first all you have to ask yourself Yakov ainu until he was 15 learned with his grandfather right Yakov learned with a couldn't have a better Reby than that for the next 63 years right he he continued to learn right now he no not for the next until he was 63 years old he was learning now then he goes 14 years to shame I understand importance of living in yiva po it's a wonderful thing but you know there's a limit 63 years old already he has to go for another 14 years to study in the yeshu what's that all about so rakov says yes was very different than the of andov the ofu is a Yesa of of learning Torah Torah lishma pure the purity of Torah but sh shame V A were survivors they were survivors of gas survivors of terrible times right the the doraa the flood the the Tower of Babel all the the wars that took place he had to learn it was necessary for Yakov to be the leader of CLA Israel not only to learn the pristine Torah of the Ivory Tower of the Yeshiva of Aram is and yob but he also had to learn theiva of sh the Yesa of survival how we have to somehow we have to get down and dirty so to speak and understand the nature of the enemy and understand to Fight Fire with Fire that was the Yeshiva of Shan vver and that was a necessity for the survival of CLA Israel I.E military tactic the idea of physical survival right how do we survive spiritually in a world that is trying to destroy us so I think this has has application to us today now finally I want to go back to number one on the sheet [Music] uh somebody if I just ask to turn your put yourself on mute there's some sound coming from somebody thank you back to number one now this is um these are Pim from tanak this is from uh SCH B the 13th chapter per gimin SCH B in tanak and um I want to share with you an idea that I heard from uh there by Risman who's one of the Russ shivas in toras says has been saying air for many years in Tanakh and this is an idea that he he brought out from this it's really based on a radak in the in the para the this is about um a king of um a king uh of of Israel whose name was yoaz right and Yas was the son of y y we've heard of Y the gamor speaks about y was someone was very famous melim of Yehuda and B he hid in the Kim it's a well-known story but yo who is this who is this uh y right who who reigned for 17 years this is by the way the only place we see him right and he was not a very good King but listen to the few that I brought here about Yas in so y was the king Israel Israel in the sh he was a king for 17 years he was very evil he he he worshiped Idols right we know who influenced the Jewish people in Israel to worship idols and he never left it he never left it Israel the god of Israel got very angry with the Jewish people now when when the god of Israel gets angry with the Jewish people in it means that we are not doing what we're supposed to be doing and you see we were not doing what we were supposed to be doing we don't do Mitzvah we don't do toor whatever however we Veer away from whatever we're doing all of us right so the god of Israel doesn't like that name and he put them he pitted against us arble enemies of the Jewish people Savages right who wanted to destroy claw Israel so what did this do governed to Hashem he pleaded with Hashem and Hashem listened to him he answered him he at is because he saw the condition that CL is was in the this was they were in a terrible situation I would say comparable comparable I mean you know we never saw the movie of what Mel Haram did but we can well imagine that we could be in a situation quite similar Isel M and God sent a savior and he saved them from and they went back to their again right now by the way who the Savior was there are four opinions amongst the rishonim who the p is who the Novi is talking about according to R it's talking about Y in his prayer the of Y there were other other answers but it was the he was answered the says answered him but he never left the idol worshiping afterwards he put up an AER put up an idol an aera three in in the shaman right in our holy Shaman right so I don't we understand that what what's going on here right so the idea is and this is what this Rabbi Risman says a beautiful idea actually the he speaks about it by and he theor says Theon always takes the position of the pursued not the pursuer right and that's not only when it's a Russia pursuing a sadic or a Russia pursu even when a Russia is pursuing a Russia who's the pursuer when a sadik is pursuing a Russia for when a Russia is pursuing a but even when a Russia is pursuing a a sadic is pursuing a Russ God takes the god takes the side of the the victim and Yas was a victim he was being pursued even though they were sinning CL was was worshiping Idols but takes the and y d for that and we were saved because of it that Theon if we're being pursued we are being pursued and there are so many good people amongst us so many holy people amongst us all of us are holy but obviously we're not perfect nobody's perfect and and so I might say to myself well my doing I'm GNA D Who Am I who Am I who am I I I I know the inconsistencies in my life so I'm going to D look at this cap in t y the king of is Israel who who who was an obscene leader worshiped Idols influenced people in yudam our holy to worship idols right Hashem answered his if his could be answered our this can certainly be answered finally I just want to point out that a couple of weeks ago I like I'm sure many of you was very concerned last week about the the the rain terrible Reigns that were coming that the it's going to make it hard for them tring through mud and the the tanks are going to go through the mud how easy is that going to be it's not going to be easy what's going to be so people actually approached RAB La RAR Rashi and they asked him like you know maybe maybe we maybe s can come from the ba that we shouldn't save AAL we shouldn't save a t we started saying the should bring rain maybe for we should stop saying the for the time being because the CL is in danger so he said to them listen you didn't finish it says rain is a we don't know sometimes understand the BR but it's a br what happened the next day we all saw the the news we continue our yish our holy soldiers they kept trudging through the mud but what happened with the talat that poured down it flooded the tunnels it drowned rash others desperately escaped but they were followed by aircraft and intelligence and when every when they went into these empty buildings they blew up the buildings so the same that's a chief Rabbi right he obviously had when he said what he said and PAs we're not taking out so let's not belittle ourselves right I'm not suggesting we should arrogate ourselves we should continue to be humble and understand our inconsistency but don't sell ourselves short our is very important and at this time is crucial and important we should continue to doen and uh and see the end of this this uh anxious moment that all Israel is going through inem it's going to happen soon and as I say about the situation of the hostage situation let's do specifically for that that the ronam is doing what he's doing for the right reason and it will come out for the good and all of the hostages will come out mem and I want to say that it's not only 240 hostages Hali there are 240 living host hostages 238 but you know what our 380 Kim are also hostages so we're doing we D for shim we're doing for the and the official hostages those holy Jews who are kept from their family but our Thim are also hostages some of you can appreciate that your children your grandchildren our neighbors our friends okay everyone we should just continue to do what we're supposed to be doing andon will do what he will do and hopefully we will soon come to the day that we will fully understand y that we will understand the day and we'll be able to make that BR even on crying moments like this have a wonderful day shabbat shalom to everybody