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שבת שלום - פרשת וארא - שבת מברכים
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Video Shiur
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Click play to watch the video shiur by Rav Pesach Wolicki
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News and Notes
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We offer our heartfelt condolences to Chaya Gorsetman, mother of our student, Yedidya, on the loss of her father, Ezriel Rosenfeld.
Yedidya eulogized his grandfather at the levaya as a giving man who loved Torah, loved making people laugh,
and respected the dignity of every human being.
HaMakom yenachem etchem b'toch sha'ar aveilei Tzion v'Yerushalayim.
We wish mazal tov to our student, Dov Muchnick,
who celebrated his completion of Seder Nashim with a siyum in the
Beit Midrash on Thursday.
Dov has now completed half of Shas Mishnayot since arriving at the yeshiva,
and we are eagerly anticipating a siyum on all of Shas Mishnayot by the end of the year.
We also wish a special mazal tov to Mrs. Ruth Solomont,
grandmother of our rosh yeshiva, Rav Scott Kahn, on the occasion of her ninety fifth birthday
this week! We look forward to celebrating many semachot together, ad me'ah v'esrim shana!
Rav Kahn and Rav Adi Krohn will be traveling to the
United States and Canada next week to interview
prospective students. If you would like an interview, please make sure to tell your Israel Guidance
Counselor, or contact the yeshiva office at yeshiva@yesodei.org.
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Yitzchak and the Exodus
By Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
"I appeared to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov..." The opening word of the second verse of this week's parashah is "Va'era" - "I appeared."
The Baal HaTurim (Rabbi Yaacov ben Asher, 13th cent.) makes a cryptic comment.
"The word 'Va'era' has the same numeric value [gematriya] as 'Yitzchak'. As it states in the Midrash that Yitzchak caused them [i.e. Bnei Yisrael] to leave Egypt.
This comment by the Baal HaTurim is difficult to understand. Aside from the general concept of G-d keeping His promise in the merit of the all three forefathers, how can one say that Yitzchak specifically caused the People of Israel to be redeemed? It should also be noted that the Baal HaTurim does not indicate a specific citation in the Midrashic literature.
I would like to suggest three possible answers to this problem.
The promise of the exile in and subsequent exodus from Egypt was made in the original covenant between G-d and Avraham. G-d said to Avraham, "your off spring will be strangers in a foreign land for four hundred years." (Bereshit 15:13) In fact, they were in Egypt for only two-hundred ten years. One explanation of the discrepancy is that the four hundred year count begins from the birth of Yitzchak. (Midrash Tanchuma Bo 9)
Why would this be? I'd like to suggest a parable. Imagine a bachelor who is told through prophecy that he will get married, have children, and grow extremely wealthy. He will live out his life in wealth and luxury. However, after he dies his children will lose everything and live in abject poverty. There is nothing he can do about it. While this prophecy is disturbing, the future suffering of his children is abstract. Imagine how he feels the day his first child is born. As he looks down at the newborn baby in his arms, thoughts of the future suffering are inescapable. That is when the pain begins.
When G-d made the promise to Avraham, Yitzchak was not yet born. The suffering of Avraham's offspring was much more real only after the birth of Yitzchak.
A second possible explanation relates to the binding of Yitzchak:
"'And I saw the blood' - I see the blood of the sacrificing of Yitzchak on the altar." (Mechilta Bo 7)
When G-d saw the blood of the Pesach on the doorposts in Egypt, the Midrash relates it to the blood of Yitzchak. Obviously, Yitzchak was not actually killed so there wasn't any blood. Rather the allusion is to the self-sacrifice represented by the episode of the Akeida.
A third explanation relates to the fact that Yitzchak never left the Land of Israel. Both Avraham and Yaakov travelled to Egypt in time of famine. Despite a famine in his lifetime as well, Yitzchak lived his entire life in the chosen land. It goes without saying that one who leaves a land in time of difficulty has undermined his commitment to that land. I'd like to suggest that Yitzchak's connection to the Land of Israel justifies our exodus from Egypt more than that of Avraham or Yaakov.
These three explanations are symbolic of three factors in our redemption from exile as well.
The promise of four hundred years teaches us that the redemption will definitely come because it is G-d's promise.
The binding of Yitzchak redemption teaches us that those who make it through until the redemption - those holy generations of the past two thousand years - cannot do so without great self-sacrifice.
Finally, in order to stay the course of our great destiny we must remain steadfast in our belief and commitment to Eretz Yisrael. We must see the Land of Israel as our homeland - to the exclusion of any other.
May the redemption of Israel and the entire world come speedily in our days.
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