Rabbi
Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi,
Kehillat New Hempstead
Social
Worker, Yeshiva Bais Hachinuch/Ashar
STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
VAYECHI 5773
“THE
LIGHT IN THE TUNNEL”
Rav Shmelke of Nikolsberg once
approached his Rebbe, Rav Dov Ber, the great Maggid of Mezhritch, with the
following question: The Mishna[1]
states that one must bless G-d for the bad just as he blesses G-d for the good.
How does one reach such a level of belief in G-d? The Maggid did not reply but
instructed Rav Shmelke to visit his disciple, Rav Zushya, to ask him for an
explanation.
Rav Zushya lived in abject poverty. Yet when
Rav Shmelke approached Rav Zushya and explained to him that the Maggid had sent
him, Rav Zushya was surprised. “I cannot comprehend why the Maggid sent you to
me. What do I know about blessing G-d for the ‘bad’, I have all I need in life
and don’t know from bad!” Having received his answer, Rav Shmelke turned around
and went home.
The family stands around in
excitement. Mr. Kleineman, an eighty-six year old Holocaust survivor of the Warsaw
Ghetto, Auschwitz, and Bergen Blesen, eagerly awaits the entrance of his grandchildren.
His only son, Dovid, who was born when Mr. Kleinman was well into his fifties,
is hosting a very special occasion. He is making three brissim! After many
childless years of marriage, Dovid and his wife were blessed with healthy
triplets.
Mr. Kleinman cannot contain his emotions;
tears trickle down his pain-ridden cheeks as the babies enter and the Mohel
begins the ritual. Then a deadly silence fills the room as everyone leans over
to hear the names of the babies. A gasp is heard and Mr. Kleinman practically
faints. His new grandsons are named “Auschwitz
Yehuda”, “Treblinka Moshe”, and “Shloime Warsaw Ghetto”.
To any rational person, this story
sounds absurd. Mr. Kleinman may have been a survivor and surely wanted his children
to preserve the memories of his horrific ordeals. However, there is no way he
would want his children to be named after the infamous horrors he endured. Who
in their right mind would name their child such tragic and painful names?
Actually, there was someone in the Torah
who did just that - Binyamin, the son of Yaakov Avinu. The Torah[2]
relates that when Yosef first saw his brother Binyamin after so many years he
was overwhelmed. “His compassion for his brother had been stirred and he wanted
to weep; so he went into the room and wept there.”
Rashi records the conversation that ensued
between Yosef and Binyamin that had so moved Yosef: “Yosef asked Binyamin,
“Do you have a brother from your mother?” He replied, “I had a brother but I do
not know where he is” “Do you have sons?” Binyamin replied, “I have ten sons.”
Yosef said to him, “What are their names?” He said to him, “Bela, Becher, etc.”
Yosef said to him, “What is the nature of these names?” He said to him, “They
are all (allusions) to my brother and the troubles he encountered. ‘Bela’
because he was swallowed up among the nations; ‘Becher’ because he was the
firstborn of his mother; ‘Ashbel’ because G-d made him a captive; ‘Gera’
because he sojourned in an inn; ‘Na’aman’ because he was exceedingly pleasant;
‘Echi’ and ‘Rosh’ because he was my brother and he was my chief; ‘Muppim’
because he studied from the mouth of my father; ‘Chupim’ because he was not
able to attend my wedding nor was I present at his wedding; ‘Ard’ because he
descended among the nations…Immediately (when Yosef heard the names) his
compassion was stirred.”
Five of Binyamin’s ten sons were named
after tragic occurrences in Yosef’s life. How could Binyamin have given his
children such morbid names?
When Yaakov Avinu realized that his
days were numbered he summoned his holy sons to receive his final blessing. The
Torah records the blessings of Yaakov which helped define the individualization
of each tribe. Each tribe would fuse different strengths into the collective
whole of Klal Yisroel “E Pluribus Unum - out of many (different tribes)
emerged one”, i.e. a united force called Yisroel.
After recording each tribe’s individual
blessing the Torah leaves a space to separate each one and to demonstrate the
uniqueness of each. After the Torah lists the blessing of Binyamin however, the
Torah does not leave a space. In fact, following the blessing of Binyamin there
is no space until the end of Chumash Bereishis, a few verses later.
Following Binyamin’s blessing the Torah
describes Yaakov Avinu’s passing and the tremendous funeral rite that was
accorded to him. Then, the Torah relates that Yosef reassured the brothers that
he would protect them and not exact vengeance against them. Finally, the Chumash
concludes with the Torah relating about Yosef’s passing and burial. With Yosef’s
passing Chumash Bereishis - the genesis and foundation of Klal Yisroel - comes
to a close, and sets the stage for the ensuing Egyptian exile.
A space in the Torah always connotes a
pause. If the Torah does not leave a space between Binyamin’s blessing and the
subsequent events until the end of the parsha it seems that they are
inextricably bound. With the death of Yaakov - the venerable spiritual leader
of Egypt , and the death of
Yosef - the enabling force of Egypt
At first glance, Binyamin’s blessing seems
terse and unimpressive. (49:27) “Binyamin is a wolf who will maul; in the
morning he will devour spoils and in the evening he will distribute plunder.”
Rashi explains that the morning is a
metaphor for the time when Klal Yisroel shines with glory, such as at the time
when Saul, a descendant of Binyamin, was crowned the first monarch of Klal
Yisroel. The evening is a metaphor for when the sun of the nation’s glory has
set, after the destruction of the first Bais Hamikdash at the behest of
Nebuchadnezzar. At that time, Mordechai and Esther - also descendants of Binyamin
- guided the Jews to victory against Haman, during the Purim saga.
The story of Purim demonstrates the
resiliency, unyielding faith, and spiritual strength of Binyamin, as manifested
in the heroic efforts of Mordechai and Esther.
Rabbi Mordechai Rogov zt’l[3]
explains that this strength is the foundation of our national survival: “And so
is the ability and strength of the Jewish nation who possess the great vitality
of Binyamin. It has been nearly two thousand years since the destruction of the
Bais Hamikdash and we are still wandering in exile, bearing the oppression and
brutality of every nation at whose mercy we have fallen. We have so many
unanswered questions and contradictions about the ways of G-d yet we only have
one response, “G-d is righteous in all his ways.” We may not understand but we
still believe.”
This ability to tenaciously cling to our
beliefs and ideals is the contribution of Binyamin. It is particularly Binyamin
who infuses resiliency and courage into Klal Yisroel. Binyamin has the ability
to rouse the troops from the deluge of despair, to counterattack with vim and
vigor.
After the vile decrees of Haman were
proclaimed the Jews sunk into the worst national depression they had ever known
since the inception of their nationhood. Yet, Mordechai and Esther were able to
awaken them, bringing about a wave of repentance which was the spiritual
conduit that precipitated the downfall of Haman.
We can postulate why Binyamin named his
children as he did, but we would be remiss if we do not notice that it is an
inherent part of his genetic makeup. In relating the tragic story of Binyamin’s
birth[4]
the Torah relates that as Rochel felt her soul departing, she named him, ‘Ben
Oni- the son of my pain’. Yaakov then revised the name to the more benign,
‘Binyamin’ (“the son of my right”). How could Rochel name her son after her
anguish and tragedy?
While it is true that normally it is
inappropriate for one to name a child after a tragedy, it seems that this is
not the case with Rochel and her descendants. Rochel embodies and personifies
resilience. Rochel and her progeny have an innate ability to thrive in the
darkest and most bleak situations. Where people plunge into despair, Rochel and
her descendants rise to the occasion. The prophet Jeremiah expressed this with
his famous prophecy, “A voice on high is heard; Rochel is crying for her
children, she refuses to be consoled.” ‘There is hope’, proclaims G-d to
Rochel, ‘because of your tears and unyielding strength’.
She names her own son ‘Ben-Oni’ and that
son names five of his children after the tragic loss of his older brother. To
Rochel the pain and anguish of life do not lead to despair, but rather demand
determination to rise to the occasion.
The Gemara[5]
notes that the ‘hint’ to Esther in the Torah can be found in the verse[6]
“And I will conceal (“haster aster”)
my face from you on that day” referring to G-d’s concealment in exile, as it
were.
The Gemarah then says that Mordechai too is
alluded to in the Torah in the Targum[7]
which translates one of the spices used in making the Temple incense as ‘mayra dachya’ (‘mayra’ literally means bitter). At the time of Purium when G-d’s Providence
Binyamin is ready to attack in the
dark of night and he will not be intimidated! It is that strength that has
guided and preserved Klal Yisroel through two millennia of exile. We refuse to
be deterred and we will not allow anyone or any ideology to obscure our quest
to be the Torah Nation. Our matriarch Rochel, was the paragon of this ideal.
To Rochel the light is not only at the end
of the tunnel. Rochel sees the light while she is still in the tunnel.
“Binyamin is a wolf who will maul”
“Rochel is crying for her children”
_______________________________________________
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Vayechi
15 Teves 5773/December 28, 2012
Mr. Alex Gold, the indefatigable and devoted director of Camp Dora Golding began his orientation to the campers this past summer by recounting the following personal vignette:
“One day I was walking towards my car in Brooklyn, and as I took my car keys out to open the car door the keys slipped out of my hand and fell straight down into a sewer. I was able to see my keys just sitting there, but they were out of reach and there was nothing I could do. It wasn’t like I could just have another key made because the key has a magnetic computer chip inside it and costs $300 to replace.
I was quite frustrated as I called Chaveirim for help. Within a few minutes a representative showed up. He reassured me that this happens all the time and he would be able to retrieve my keys within a minute or two. Sure enough he lowered a powerful magnet attached to a cord, hooked on my keys and handed them back to me.”
Mr. Gold concluded his story in his inimitably witty manner by saying, “Why did I tell you this story? It really has nothing to do with what I want to talk about now. But I got all of your attention, so now I’ll begin.”
In my opinion however, there is a beautiful message contained in this story (aside from the obvious J…)
Rav Avrohom Pam zt’l related that in the shtetles in Europe the impoverished Jews would say that in America there is gold and diamonds in the streets. Rav Pam explained that the statement is indeed true. But it is not something to be proud of. Many of our young men and women have been exposed to the relentless depraved influence of the streets and have been drawn to it. They are the gold and diamonds that are in the streets. Our job is to get them out of there; to reach out to them lovingly, to draw them back to a life of Torah and mitzvos.
Tragically, many of our children live in the doldrums of spiritual void. The keys to their souls have fallen into the muck of the sewers. But we know that no Jewish soul is ever lost.
In camp there were campers who listened to the music of a particular Jewish singer whose lyrics are not very Jewish, to say the least. When a camper told the camp Mashgiach, Rabbi Mordechai Finkleman, that it was ‘Jewish music’, Rabbi Finkelman replied that the fact that a Jew sins doesn’t mean that we should join him. Rather, we should pray for him when we say the blessing of Hasheveinu (Repentance) in Shemoneh Esrei.
It takes an adroit person who has the expertise, and more importantly the love and devotion, to reach down into the sewer and draw out those keys. But once the keys are in the right hands, there is no limit to how far they can go.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum
720 Union Road • New Hempstead, NY 10977 • (845) 362-2425
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