Shnayim Yomi - Noach - Shishi - #6 - Rabbi Moshe Bamberger - Three Sons Divide a World

Parasak the sixth aliyah. So following the mabble nyak plants a vineyard. He becomes intoxicated by the vineyard and he falls asleep in a state of undress. the uh his son Kam who is the father of Kenan disrespectfully looks at Nyak undressed and he reverently describes him to his other brothers Sham and Yees and unlike Kam they have very great sensitivity towards their father. They walk backwards into his tent and cover him up. And after Nyak wakes up he realizes what Kam has done. He curses Kenan who is also involved with his father in this act against him in the incident and he curses Kenan that he should be a slave to his brothers and then Nyak goes and blesses Sheame and Yees the other two sons and that's how the aliyah ends. It's interesting that Arbanel points out that these three sons Sham and Yafes really they were the forebears of the entire universe. But the Aarbanel points out that the three major continents that were known at the time, they didn't know of America, North or South America. They didn't know of uh other parts like Australia and uh you know the the the Poles. The major three continents that were known at that time were Europe, Asia and Africa. And he says that I never realized this until I saw this Abar Benel recently inside that Yes is he took over Europe and the Abar Benel says that phonetically the word Yas and Europe is sort of similar. Shame took over Asia which includes Aris is and also Asia shame it's also somehow phonetically related and of course took over Africa. I don't know if that's phonetically related, but those were the three um portions of the world each given to one of these three sons respectively. I also thought once that the words shame, and ye were the three sons, the three children of Nyak and they represent the Nyak gave to them. These were the educational um recipients of Naaf's brilliance in in education. So I think these might symbolize their names might symbolize the three important elements of and that is shame is you have to give people give your students the understanding of how important it is to have a good reputation in life. The shame how important it is to carry a name. I'm a bentra. I'm a Jew and I'm proud of it. That's very very important means the warmth. You have to be very warm with your students. You have to provide a constant uh love and warmth and uh show them the uh you know the importance of having an emotional relationship, a caring relationship between a rebi and a uh and a and a and a talmed between a parent and a child. And finally yus means beauty. You have to show them the beauty of Yiddish kite. Misha Feinstein used to say that the reason why so many Jews did not uh stay on the course of Yiddishkite when they came over through Ellis Island is the first generation they were religious already back in the old country and they sort of kept their religion in America but it was very hard for them. They had to have great mess nephesh. They had to give up a lot um you know in terms of Shmeir Shabas was very difficult. It was always a struggle for them and their children were exposed to this and the parents would tell the children the famous words that it's difficult to be a Jew in Yiddish. as it's very difficult to be a Jew. And Ra used to say that those words were toxic to the next generation because these were American kids. They were now brought up in America, the land of Coca-Cola and rollerbladed and roller skating and uh drive-in movies. And if they hear their parents speaking about how difficult it is to be a Jew, they're going to say, "You know what? For them, they came from Europe. Maybe they're Jewish because of traditional reasons, but we don't want to be Jewish." and you know we just want to be Americans and they gave up you know Yiddish kite and Romesh said if they would have only been told the beauty of Yiddish kite that it's Gishmak to be a Jew that it's it's it's beautiful to be a Jew then they would never have given it up but they didn't hear that message so these are the messages that a parent and a rebi must constantly impart to a child shame that it's important to be proud of your name of your lineage of your heritage there has to be a warmth and a an emotional attachment between the rabbi and the tama, between the parent and the child. And also yeess it has to be conveyed that it's beautiful to be a Jew, that it's not something that's difficult, it's not something that's uh that that's a chore, but rather the mitzvah are opportunities to get close to Hashem and there's no life as beautiful as that of a of a Jew.