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שבת שלום - פרשת ויחי
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Dear Friends,
Parashat Vayechi includes the bracha Yaakov gives to Ephraim and Menasheh, in which Yaakov puts his right hand on Ephraim's head, despite the fact that he is younger than Menasheh. Yosef attempts to correct his father, to which Yaakov responds he put his hand on the younger son's head intentionally; for while Menasheh will be great, Ephraim will be even greater. At that point, Yaakov states that all Jewish parents will bless their children with the words, "May G-d make you like Ephraim and Menasheh."
Ephraim and Menasheh are unique, for they are the first brothers in Sefer Bereshit who do not squabble over the rights of the firstborn. Indeed, it is not Menasheh who complains when Yaakov puts his right hand on Ephraim, but Yosef; Menasheh and Ephraim epitomize perfect brotherly love and acceptance. For this reason, immediately following this demonstration of Ephraim and Menasheh's love for each other, Yaakov determines that all parents should bless their children to be like these brothers - that is, models of love for each other, in which jealousy plays no part.
May we all succeed in inculcating the message of this bracha in our children, so that love and acceptance reign throughout Am Yisrael, now and forever.
With Torah blessings and best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Scott Kahn and Rabbi Pesach Wolicki,
Roshei Yeshiva
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Video Shiur
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Click play to watch the video shiur by Rav Yosef Kaminetsky
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News and Notes
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Yeshivat Yesodei HaTorah was proud to host Rabbi Moshe Simkovich, founding principal of the Stern High School in Philadelphia, on Monday afternoon. Rav Simkovich offered a shiur in Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah and Hilchot Talmud Torah of the Rambam, dealing with the nature of true Gemara study and the Rambam's take on the fundamentals of learning Torah.
On Sunday night, alumnus Avi Meghnagi made a siyum on Seder Zeraim in the Yesodei Beit Midrash. Avi, now in his third year learning full time, has continued to be an important presence at the yeshiva, and we look forward to his completing additional sedarim and masechtot over the course of the year. Mazel tov!
We wish a tzeitchem l'shalom to shana bet student David Kahana, who left the yeshiva this week after a year and a half of study at Yesodei HaTorah. David will be continuing his studies at Yeshiva University later this month. David left an indelible impression on the entire yeshiva, and his seriousness in learning and fun personality will be missed.
This Shabbat is an in-Shabbat, and we welcome Rav Eliezer Kwass and his family, who will be staying at the yeshiva. In addition to a full program of shiurim, wonderful davening, delicious meals, and a kiddush, there will also be a special oneg Shabbat, hosted by Lori and Daniel Esses of Beit Shemesh.
On Sunday, there will be a one-day tiyul, designed to further our students' knowledge of the Biblical history of the Beit Shemesh area in which they are spending their year
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The Blessings of the Land
By Rabbi Moshe Lichtman
Before Ya’akov Avinu passed on to the next world, he gave his grandsons, Efrayim and Menasheh, the following blessing: May the angel who redeemed me from all evil bless the lads, and may my name be called upon them, and the names of my fathers Avraham and Yitzchak; and may they multiply greatly in the midst of the land (48:16).
The Gra points out a “problem” with this blessing: seemingly, it did not come true! If one studies the various censuses in the Torah, one does not find that the tribes of Efrayim and Menasheh were more populous than any other tribe. What happened to Ya’akov’s blessing And may they multiply greatly?
The Gra answers that the blessing did come true, exactly as Ya’akov Avinu intended. He blessed his grandsons that they should multiply specifically in Eretz Yisrael, as it says, May they multiply greatly in the midst of the Land. And that is exactly what happened. Immediately after the Jews conquered Eretz Yisrael at the time of Yehoshua, the verse says, The children of Yosef spoke to Yehoshua saying, “Why have you given me an inheritance of [only] one lot and one portion, when I am a numerous people, for the Lord has blessed me so much (lit., until now – עד אשר עד כה ברכני ה')” (Yehoshua 17:14). In other words, they said: In the short time “until now” (עד כה) that we have been in Eretz Yisrael, God has blessed us so greatly that we need more land.
How did Yehoshua respond to their request? If you are such a numerous people, ascend to the forest. (ibid. 17:15). Chazal comment: “He [Yehoshua] said to them, ‘Go and hide in the forests, so that the evil eye will have no control over you’ ” (Bava Batra 118a). That is, Yehoshua was afraid that such a quick and wondrous proliferation would provoke the “evil eye” to take action against them. Therefore, he advised them to hide in a place where the “evil eye” has no dominion. All of this, says the Gra, was a result of Ya’akov’s blessing: May they multiply greatly in the midst of the Land. (Found in Itturei Torah, vol. 2, p. 439.)
This idea demonstrates that the Land of Israel has the unique ability to help Am Yisrael grow physically. At Yeshivat Yesodei HaTorah, we are privileged to see another special quality of the Holy Land: its ability to help B’nei Yisrael grow spiritually. Baruch HaShem, we notice year after year how our students grow in Torah learning, middot tovot, and overall maturity. Many factors contribute to this growth – the rabbeim, the warm atmosphere, the special attention, etc. – but the fact that they learn Torah in the Land of the Torah is certainly one of the main reasons our students flourish so much during their year of study.
May we continue to see our yeshiva and its students grow both physically and spiritually for many years to come.
Rabbi Moshe Lichtman, who teaches Gemara, Chumash, and Nach at Yesodei HaTorah, is the translator of several books, including the classic work Eim HaBanim Semeichah, and Simcha Raz’s biography of Rav Kook, zt”l, An Angel Among Men. He recently authored the well-received book, Eretz Yisrael in the Parashah (Devora Publishers), from which the main part of this dvar Torah was excerpted
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