Vayishlach - 5th Portion

Join me as we learn together for Thursday the fifth Torah reading in paras chapter 34 verse1. Yesterday we discussed as Yakov and his family finally escaped from love and Anov and they come to the city of Shrem that Yakov purchased. Today we continue about the Jewish people's living in the city of Dina. The daughter of Leia who has been born to Yakov went out to observe the girls of that region. Rashi, why does he call her here the daughter of Leia? [snorts] Why not bas which generally the Torah usually refers to any of the people he refers to the father because of the fact that she went out. She was called the daughter of Leia because she was similar to her mother or had the propensity for going out for living for leaving her confines. As it says shmar and went out to greet him which was she went to greet when gave her the fl when she gave ra the flowers that wim brought in the parable is given like a mother like mother like daughter and the son of theite theite who was at the time the chief of the region saw her and he took her and he raped her and he abused her. What's the double terminology? Sarashi says and he raped her in the normal fashion and he abused her shalad and he was intimate with her also in the unusual way. Verse three. And he became attached to the daughter of Dina Basakov, the daughter of Jacob. Dino, the daughter of Zakov. And he loved the girl. And he spoke to the girl's heart. What does this mean? He spoke to her heart and trying to win her over as we're going to see in Rashid. Alan on the heart of the girl. words that will try to uh win her over that she should be able to be convinced to be with him. She would he would say to her, "Look, look how much f money your father spent over a small little field. I will marry you as a woman as a wife and as a husband and you'll be my wife and you can acquire all the fields and all its the entire city." Verse number four spoke to his father saying as follows get me this girl as a wife. Verse five and heard now that has defiled his daughter and his children were in the field with the livestock. and kept quiet until they would come home. Meanwhile, father went out to speak with Yakov to him with him about his son. Verse number seven. And the children of Jacob came back from the field. when they heard that what did to Dina and they became deeply agrieved and upset and they became very angry because a terrible sin such a terrible thing has been happening that such a such a terrible thing disgusting thing happened amongst them that A daughter of Jacob, a daughter of Jacob was raped. Such a thing should not happen. What does it mean? Meaning that even the nations of the world who had to observe the seven laws, this was something that was not allowed to be done to rape and to abuse girls as did. as one of the seven laws was to also refrain from any type of uh adultery and type of promiscuity and because of that this was something that should not be done even though that they were non-Jews and they were noites [snorts] verse number eight spoke to them saying my daughter deeply desire My son deeply desires your daughter and your daughter. Please give her, I implore you, give her to me, to him in marriage. What does the word mean? Rashi says verse eight, he desires. He desires to marry her. Verse nine. And into marry with us. Our daughters we will give to you and your daughters. You can we we will give you daughters and you can take our daughters for yourselves. Verse 12 verse 10. And you'll be able to live amongst us and the land will be open for you to enjoy to settle here and to trade here and acquire holdings in it as well. Verse number 11. And then comes and says to her brother and her father, let me find favor in your eyes. And whatever you tell me uh to give as a dowy I will give. Verse number 12. You demand you can go ahead and demand for me exceedingly amount of high figure of dowy and gifts and I will give it to you like you tell me whatever the contract you say for whatever gifts I will have to give. No problem. Just give me the girl as a wife. Rashi. What does the word mohar mean? In this case means kassuba. The amount of money that they commit to give in the kuba. The amount of money that a person commits to give in marriage that he also not only in marriage that he's going to support the wife but also, god forbid there is a divorce or death that there will still be the money a prenuptual agreement that they agree to. Verse 13. And the children of Jacob and answered and his father cleverly and they spoke that they for they have defiled their sister Dina. 13A cleverly doesn't mean that they were lying but in a way of cunningly to be able to get you know to deceive them a little bit that they shouldn't know what was going on and they said as follows verse number 14 they said and they told them that we cannot do such a thing to give our sister to a man who is not circumcised this would be a disgrace for us previous verse 13 that they defiled. This is not from the words of Jacob to the people of the verse is telling us the fact they were saying this cleverly and they weren't cheating them. Why were they coming up with such a type of plan was because Dina was defiled by their by by was defiled by them defiled Dina their sister what does the mean the word disgrace it's a kind of disgrace who had slain a person that comes to embarrass his friend who he tells him you're uncircumcised you're the son of an uncircumcised person therefore the The word in any place is a type of disgrace where a person embarrasses another individual by it. Verse number 15. This is the only way that we will ascend to such a condition. If you're going to be like us, they will circumcise every male. Then verse 16, we will give you our daughters to you. and your daughters we will take for ourselves and we will live together with you will be for a singular nation the word if you notice the it has a stressed is particular as we mentioned previously that whenever you have the which has an extra dugish which has the extra data in it is telling us because it is taking up a it's taking the place of an extra non that's not there because technically it should be in a double nun. So really there should be three nouns telling us that we will give we will give. So the new is we no which is the root word but he puts the uh the dot in the to be able to show that it's in place of an extra if you look at the actual words of the verse you will [snorts] find in the condition that says to and as well in the response that the children of Jacob give that they put that you can see the uh importance is on the fact of the children of Jacob meaning that they use that the children of Yakov are the ones giving and are the ones taking they are the priority here meaning that they that the children of Jacob can take from the daughters of whoever they would like to choose and they're going to be able to give their daughters also So according to their will and desire that they will have the choice to give and to take whichever they'd like as it says and we will give our daughters according to what we decide and your daughters we will take for us it's according to what we wish as well. And later on also before later on in verse 21 you see that when the people of when talk to the people of their city they also again however they switch it cleverly telling the people the opposite that we're the ones important and we get to decide we're going to take their daughters as we wish and they're our daughters we're going to give to them according to their desire because they wanted that they should accept that they should accept to uh circumcise themselves. So therefore they said that they are going to have the ability to give their daughters as well verse number 17. But if you're not going to listen to us and you're not going to circumcise and we'll take our sister, our daughter, our father's daughter, which is our sister and we will depart and have a nice day. And these terms were acceptable in the eyes of in the eyes of the son of verse 19. The young man did not delay in carrying out the because he was desire. He desired to have Jacob's daughter and he was the most respectful person in his father's household. Verse 20 came to the gate of the city and they spoke to the people of the city. That's where everybody used to gather by the gates of the city. That was the place where people would get together for meetings whenever they had an announcement to make. And they spoke to the men of their city as follows. Verse 21. These people, they're fully at peace with us. They're fully at peace with us. And they let them live in the land. They will bring good business here. They'll make trade and the land that we're in. There's ample room here for them to hang out and to stay and to make business here. As their daughters we will take their daughters as wives as wives and our daughters we will give them according to our discretion as you see he's trying to convince the people and therefore he says it's our discretion how it's going to go about rashi verse 21 what does it mean bishim with peace shalim and with a complete heart without any differences of opinion. They want to can settle here without any issues. What does it mean that the land is ample space like a man who has a generous hand and he's willing to give up? You guys are not going to lose anything from it. They're going to bring business here. They're going to bring a lot of business because we have a lot of business, but there's no buyers. But now that they're going to come here, we have no worries. that don't worry about the price going up. Things they're going to bring business and everything's going to work out. Verse 22. However, for them to live here, they have one condition. But only on this condition will these men consent to live with us to become one nation. We're gonna have to circumcise all males just as they are circumcised. Verse 22. This is part this is made up of two words because they aren't circumcised. Verse after all he says mamm their livestock and all their possessions and all their animals they will all become ours. Let us just agree to their condition that we should become circumcised and they will live amongst us. Let us agree this thing to become circumcised because of this they will stay together with us and become one nation. Verse 24 and they listened to what had to say. All the people that came out from the gate of the city who were there gathered and they circumcised themselves. All the people that came to the meeting at the gateway of the city. Verse 25. It was on the third day when they were in great pain. A Yakov and the two children of Yakov, the two sons of Yakov, Shimi, Shim and Ley, the brothers of Dina, they took their sword, and they came upon the city confidently, and they killed every male. Rashi verse 25, the two sons of Yakov. Why is he telling us that the two sons of Jacob? Don't we know that they're two sons of Jacob? We learned in the previous parish already who Jacob's sons were. What he tells us is they were his sons became even though they were the sons of Jacob. But still in all the verse is alluding to us the fact that even though they were the sons of Yakov they made it as if they were strangers not the sons of Yakov because they did not ask Jacob permission before they went and did this and not as sons that would respect their father and asked their father's permission they went ahead and did it on their own. The brothers of Dina were older brothers were the brothers of Dina. Why only him? Because they sacrificed their life to save her. Therefore, they were called her brothers. Confidently, why were they so confident they were able to they would be able to kill them? Because they were in great pain from their circumcision and they did not have the strength to fight back. The medish explains but they were def they were confident because they had the power of Yakov behind them though they did not ask Yakov's permission but they knew that Yakov was praying for them and that's why later on when he gives the city of he says that I conquered it my sword and my bow and it's explained because of his prayer that he was praying that they should be successful the Reb points out an interesting thing that over here from this verse we that bar mitzvah age is at 13 because Shim and Ley were 13 at this point and the Torah calls them ish a man. So from here we know that a man is at the age of 13. The interesting thing is that we find that we use a place in the Torah. First of all we are their father did not necessarily agree with what they done and we call them an ish a man. Why from this verse out of all verses of the Torah do we learn the age of bar mitzvah? The Reb goes on to explain because as we see the Chim and Ley sacrificed themselves gave when Amirus Nephesh sacrificed their lives to be able to save their sister Dina teaching us that the first obligation of a man that are reaches the age of mitzvah that every man should realize his obligation to put his life on the line to save another Jew regardless of its instance. Verse 26. They also killed and his son they killed by the sword and they took from the house of they rescued her and they left. Verse 27. The children of Yakov. Yakov's sons came upon the slain and they plundered the city that has defiled their sister. What does it mean? They came to them to take what they had as their clothing, their jewelry, and all the things that were there. So too the explains to undress to take whatever they had from the people that they killed. Verse and they verse 28 their flock and their sheep their flock is their donkeys and everything that was in the city and everything that was in the field they took. Verse 29. And they took all their money and their children and their wives. They plundered they took in captivity and they plundered everything they had is and everything that was in their houses. What does the word mean explains their money? So too you see it later on in the book of Deuteronomy when it talks about a person saying I have accomplished everything. my power, my strength made this entire wealth or you also see it in in numbers that the Jew made wealth like it says and they left for others their wealth they took in captivity means captivity therefore the word is every time the uh canellation and where you find the letter is under the baseu it's not in the meaning the word is where you put the stress of the word either at the beginning the first word or second word telling us that this is um that they took them in captivity verse 30 you have taken away my peace you have taken away my peace of mind because you have made you embarrassed me amongst the inhabitants of the landani by theanites and the pites say only a few people they will gang up against me they will attack me and they'll wipe out my my me and my family [snorts] rashi what does the word mean comes from the word dirty. You have dirtied my name. You have made my reputation bad or you've made that I don't have a clear mind anymore. I don't have a clear mind. I'm concerned. I'm afraid the explains the wine that was in the jug was clear. You made it dirty. You shook it around and because of that all the sediment came up to the top. Why was this? Because since there was a tradition by the Canananites that they were going to fall in the hands of Jacob, they would say when was the guarantee was only going to be later on when they'll inherent the land and therefore they were quiet and they didn't say anything. But now that you guys are starting to make a ruckus, you're shaking up the sediment. Things are coming to the top. They're going to say, "Oh, he's starting to get us now. We should be worried." Misper. What does the word misper mean? Few people. What does respond to their father when they responded? Should we treat our sister like a woman who is not protected that she's away and nobody protects her? Is she Hefker? Rashi uses the terminology. Is she's everyone's property? Is our sister Hefker that anybody wants? Hear means that anybody can come and take her. No, without protection. Our sister this is our sister. We got to watch over. Chapter 35 verse one. Now the Torah comes back and telling us about Yakov on his way back to B. Yakoving God comes to Jacob and he tells him get up and go to Bv and settle there and live there and make an altar to the God who has appeared to you when you were running away from your brother. Cut up and go. What happened here? Tells us here why is God coming to tell him this? because you delayed the way you were then punished and therefore was taken away because you promised to bring make an altar and bring a sacrifice and you delayed in that therefore this episode of Dina happened to you. Verse two said to his household and told the people that were with him remove from amongst you from all your possessions all the idols that are amongst you and purify yourselves and change your clothes. What does it mean? How do they have idolatry? Where were they getting idolatry there? Therefore, he tells them where do they have it from that you own from the booty that you may have collected when you ransacked purify yourselves from the idolatry and change your clothes. What is he telling them? Maybe you have amongst you garments that belong to the idolatry or that was used for idolatry. You got to get rid of it. Then you shouldn't have it with you. Verse number three. of we will get up and we'll go to make alter to God who has answered me in my time of distress and he was with me on the journey that I took. Verse four, and they gave it to Jacob, all the idols that they had in their in their possession and the nose rings and earrings name and the earrings that were in their ears buried them under the term that was next to verse for what kind of tree was this? A tree does that not that does not bear fruit thereby that if somebody were to want to have fruit from it won't be that he's having pleasure from idolatry next to not that it was with verse five and they traveled and they set out to travel and the dread of God was fell upon all the people around them and they did not pursue Jacob. Over here we're learning and then this is the verse where it talks about and the word tells us gives fear. The fear of God is comes upon the people around them which tells us that by us learning also causes the fear of God and the nations around us that we are protected and protect ourselves and the Jewish people by the study of verse six and Jacob came to the place called where is it in the land of he and the entire people that were with Verse seven. And he built an altar there. And he called to the name of the place which was because over there God revealed himself and he was fleeing his brother Aske. What does that mean? How do we explain this verse? So explanation is as follows. God is in Bil revealed his divine presence in a place called Bale and this is what he's coming to tell us here. Why? How? And this is missing a base in the beginning bale because you have at times there are words that are missing the letter B which tells us what the word is all about. In the beginning it's called the Bashim that tells me what is this word telling me how I translate it. And this is sometimes where you find that the base is missing. Why does it say in plural? That God revealed to him many times. We find this many times that name of God is used in plural. The masters of any time. In fact, the name of Alikim is plural because that is a terminology of discipline and judgment and severity. So therefore, it's here used in a plural terminology. And no other of the names of God will you find in a plural terminology only not any other one. Verse eight. And the vor died. Who was the vorrika? The nurse. The wet nurse of Rifka. And she was buried on and she was buried below baselin under the tree under on a plateau. And they named that area that plane alus the plane of weeping. So the rashi asks why all of a sudden does it start tell us about the which he died? What's going on over here? So he explains as follows what's the have to do with Jacob's family when he's coming back from told when he left and I will send and I'll call you to come back she send to tell Jacob it's time for you to come back law tells Mam to leave there and to escort him and what happened to me And she died along the way. This is from the words of where did she die? That was on the way back. So she was the one to tell Jacob it's time to come back. On the way she died. Where was she buried? What does it mean? Under the city was on top of the mountain. She was buried on the bottom of the mountain. And that's why it's called that means in the plane in the valley. It was like a valley or plateau on top where the mountain comes to a point was buried on the bottom at the end of the plane and the plane of B was called says because over there at that time Jacob was also notified about an second episode besides the passing of Dvorra. He was told about a second morning which was he was told that his mother died the word in another language means another because why did the Torah not tell us about the time of her passing [snorts] that the people should not curse him and say that the womb which from him came out from them came out of therefore the Torah does not um the therefore the Torah does not publicize what happened there as well. Meaning that because it was disguised from Yakov and his children about her passing, therefore it wasn't that people should say, "Oh, look at this woman who she's the one that Asov gave birth to." Others also explain in another place that this was also not to embarrass Yakov that he wasn't there to bury his mother. Another interesting thing that other commentaries explain as well that this place where Dvorah was buried was the same place later on with the second Dvorra. The judge D'vorah in the time of Borak, she sat under a tree and judge the Jewish people. This was by this exact place where the first Dvorra was buried. Verse Nikim and God again appeared to And he came to him and he blessed him. What does it mean? This is the second time in this place once on his way to and once on his way back and he blessed him. What did he give him? He gave him the mourner's comforting on the mourers at this point because his mother passed away. So therefore he was con offering him condolences. Verse 10. And God said to him, "Your name is your name will no longer be called only but rather your name will also be Israel." And he called him, he named him Israel. Your name will not only be called. What's he coming to tell me is a name of a person who comes connivingly or deceitly what's your name going to be which is like a minister or an important individual verse number 11 then God said I am the God Almighty be fruitful and increase therefore Therefore, be fruitful and increase and you shall be a nation and a community of nations will be from you will come from you and kings will be born from you. Verse 11, what is he coming to tell them? What is the word special name of God's name over here? I am worthy and I'm able to bless you because all the blessings come from me. Didn't Jacob have a nice large family by now? He already had 11 tribes and one daughter because still has not yet been born. Even though at this point was already pregnant still in all he was giving him the blessing that he will have another child a nation which is referring to which is going to have which will be the completion of the 12 tribes goim other nations as well because who's the other nations which will eventually come to Yoseph and they are going to be considered as part of the 12 tribes and kings will come from your children. This was referring to and his son is that was the king after him which were from because hasn't yet been born. He's saying that will come from you which is referring to and the kings that will be born from this verse. Aar explained and extrapolated when he made was king souls after died and he made king and not which came from the tribe of Yehuda. His explanation was because it says kings plural. So too also the tribes explained this and they were um they were able to bring back the tribe of after the episode of which then they put them aside and they banned them. as it says because they said in the book of Judges we have the stories that nobody should marry into the tribe of but then afterwards they brought them back because he was part of the tribes if he was not part of the tribes then God wouldn't say that kings will come from him because God says that kings will come from him we should bring them back and remove the ban and allow to marry into the tribe of goaly a nation and a nation of nations nations is that his children are going to do they're going to be like the other nations of the world the other 70 nations and all these are going to be 70 another explanation of this is because his children are going to bring sacrifices in the time when the B mikdesh was built once before that the holy temple was built people were able to have private altars in the backyards once the holy temple was built and it was the altar in the holy temple in Jerusalem. Nobody was allowed to bring sacrifices privately and therefore he says when it was prohibited while the others did not bring other nations. They brought sacrifice where they want that they brought in every place pimeio like in the time of Elijah the prophet that only then was he allowed to bring uh he was only allowed to bring in that place because that was a temporary ruling that he was allowed to be able to disprove of what was going on at the time but generally not. And therefore he's talking about a nation amongst nations that they have different laws while there are other nations in the universe as well the 70 nations. However it's referring to this idea of the sacrifices as well. This concludes the Torah reading for Thursday the fifth Torah reading of parishes.