A Local Source of Energy
A Local Source of Energy
When we conclude the public reading of any of the five books of the Torah, it is customary for the entire community to call out, "Chazak chazak v'nischazek! Be strong, be strong, and may we be strengthened!"—encouraging each other in the continued study of the Torah. In particular, the proclamation "Chazak chazak v'nischazek" highlights the strength we draw from the final verses of the book whose reading we are concluding, and the strength these verses impart into the next book of Torah whose reading will soon follow.
This raises the question: The book of Bereishis concludes with the account of Yosef's passing, and finally, how his coffin was interred in Egypt. Whereas his father Yaakov's body was brought to the Land of Canaan for immediate burial, Yosef's body was embalmed and retained in Egypt, "the shame of the earth" (Bereishis 42:9). How then is Yosef's burial in Egypt a source of strength and encouragement?
In fact, however, Yosef's burial in Egypt is the ultimate embodiment of the theme of the book of Bereishis and its lead up into the book of Shemos. In the book of Bereishis we read about the deeds of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, which serve to inspire and guide their descendants, the Jewish people, particularly in the dark times of galus, exile. Likewise, we learn of G-d's promise that Bnei Yisrael would not remain exiled in Egypt forever, and, in fact, they would return to their homeland even greater and richer than they had been before their exile. These accounts, as well as Yaakov's blessings to his children near the end of the book of Bereishis, would assist and empower Bnei Yisrael to endure their exile in Egypt. Ultimately, however, in order for Bnei Yisrael to survive and even thrive in the lengthy exile, they needed not only promises, blessings and a legacy to aspire to, but also thepresence of an actual source of strength to help them overcome the darkness of galus (see Zohar, vol. 1, p. 222b).
Yosef's burial in Egypt thus constitutes the most invigorating conclusion to the book of Bereishis. For the physical presence in Egypt of Yosef's holy remains, besides whom "no one may lift his hand or his foot in the entire land of Egypt" (Bereishis 41:44), was what would give Bnei Yisrael in Egypt the strength to overpower the difficult galus that lay ahead of them.
—Likkutei Sichos, vol. 25, pp. 476-479
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ביוזמת ולזכות הרה״ח הרה״ת ר' ישעי' זושא ווילהעלם שליט״א להצלחה רבה לו ולכל משפחתו בגו״ר
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12/25/15
A Local Source of Energy
12/24/15
A Tale of Two Coffins
A Tale of Two Coffins
A Tale of Two Coffins
All Yaakov's sons carried his coffin from Egypt to Canaan, says Rashi, with the exception of Levi and Yosef, who were represented by Menasheh and Ephraim instead. In Rashi's words, Yaakov instructed them, "Levi shall not carry it because he (i.e., his tribe) is destined to carry the Aron. Yosef shall not carry it because he is a king."
We find, however, that whereas the future carrying of the Aron precluded the tribe of Levi from carrying Yaakov's coffin, yet when Bnei Yisrael were leaving Egypt, Moshe, who was of the tribe of Levi, carried Yosef's coffin himself. Evidently, carrying these two coffins from Egypt represented two very different ideas, only one of which conflicted with the tribe of Levi's future as bearer of the Aron.
Our Sages tell us that as long as Yaakov lived, his presence in Egypt prevented the enslavement of his family to the Egyptians on any level (see Rashi on Bereishis 47:28). Thus, Yaakov's passing and the transfer of his body from Egypt marked the early beginnings of Bnei Yisrael's slavery in Egypt.
Levi and his tribe, however, were never subject to the slave labor (see Rashi on Shemos 5:4). For when Pharaoh originally came to recruit Bnei Yisrael to "join him" in his work effort, the tribe of Levi refused to join, reasoning that it was not appropriate to participate in building Pharaoh's cities when one day they would be the ones to carry the holy Aron. Consequently, when Pharaoh later forced his original workers into slave labor, the tribe of Levi was not affected by that decree (see Baalei Hatosafos, Shemos 1:13). Accordingly, it was unsuitable for Levi, who "transcended" the Egyptian bondage, to take part in carrying Yaakov's coffin, a stage in the slavery's development.
Carrying Yosef's coffin from Egypt, however, was a symbol of Bnei Yisrael's redemption. For Yosef's remains in Egypt had been Bnei Yisrael's greatest source of hope that they would be redeemed, as Yosef had assured them, "G-d will surely remember you, and you shall bring up my bones from here with you" (Shemos 13:19). The most suitable to carry Yosef's coffin was therefore Moshe, from the tribe of Levi, who in fact led Bnei Yisrael to their long-anticipated redemption.
—Likkutei Sichos, vol. 20, pp. 237-238
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ביוזמת ולזכות הרה״ח הרה״ת ר' ישעי' זושא ווילהעלם שליט״א להצלחה רבה לו ולכל משפחתו בגו״ר
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12/23/15
If You Can Beat Them
If You Can Beat Them
If You Can Beat Them
Before his passing, Yaakov rebuked Shimon and Levi and cursed their rage, "For in their wrath they killed a man…" The Midrash (cited by Rashi) explains that the "man" that Shimon and Levi are said to have killed is actually a reference to quite a few men: the entire adult male population of Shechem. Yaakov calls all of them "a man," because before G-d, to defeat all of Shechem was as simple as defeating one man.
Why did Yaakov pay tribute to the ease with which Shimon and Levi—endowed by G-d with extraordinary strength—decimated the population of Shechem, while he was rebuking them for actions? Implied is that this extraordinary strength was in fact part of the reason for Yaakov's displeasure with Shimon and Levi's rage-driven actions.
One explanation for this is that Yaakov agreed with Shimon and Levi that it was justified to punish the people of Shechem. He was only critical of their deceitful means of doing so. They promised the people of Shechem peace if the entire male population would circumcise themselves, but then exploited the weakness and pain of the men of Shechem to attack them in violation of their agreement. Such deceitfulness was a disgrace for Yaakov and for the belief-system for which he stood.
Yaakov therefore rebuked Shimon and Levi saying that, considering their ability to wipe out the entire city with the ease of killing one man, they had no need to deceive them. They could have confronted the people of Shechem for their crimes directly and punished them honorably. "Cursed be their rage!" said Yaakov, for it blinded them from recognizing their ability to mete out punishment on the people of Shechem without resorting to trickery.
—Likkutei Sichos, vol. 5, pp. 151-152
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ביוזמת ולזכות הרה״ח הרה״ת ר' ישעי' זושא ווילהעלם שליט״א להצלחה רבה לו ולכל משפחתו בגו״ר
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