STAM TORAH
PARSHAS VAYESHEV 5781[1]
“DREAMING AWAKE”
Dedicated l’refuah shleimah for נטע יצחק בן רחל
In
1944, as World War II continued ravaging Europe
and engulfing the entire world, the Ponovezher Rav, Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman
zt’l, arrived in the then undeveloped town of B’nei Brak. It was then that he
began to plan the construction of the Ponovezher Yeshiva, modeled after the
yeshiva in the village of Ponovezh, Lithuania that had been destroyed. When
someone told him that he was dreaming the Ponovezher Rav undeterredly replied, “Andere
cholomen un schluffen; uber ich cholom un schluff nisht – Others dream
while they are sleeping, but I dream while I am awake!”
In
Chumash Bereishis there is a recurring theme of dreams.
At
the b’ris bein habesarim, Hashem revealed Himself in a dream and related
to Avrohom that his descendants would be subjected to years of pain in exile before
being redeemed.
As
Yaakov was escaping the wrath of Eisav, he dreamed about a ladder with angels
ascending and descending its rungs. Hashem promised Yaakov that He would
protect Yaakov and that Yaakov would return home unscathed by Lavan or Eisav.
In
parshas Miketz, the Torah describes the dreams of Pharaoh. Those dreams were the
underlying cause of Yosef eventually assuming the throne as viceroy of Egypt. At
the end of the parsha, the Torah relates the dreams of the Chief Winemaker and
Chief Baker, and how Yosef correctly interpreted their dreams.
Perhaps
most prominently, are the dreams of Yosef. At the age of seventeen, Yosef had
two unusual dreams that he shared with his brothers and his father. As a result
of those dreams, the brothers became filled with jealousy and even hatred.
Their
hatred was revealed when Yosef was sent by Yaakov to check on the welfare of
the brothers. When they saw him coming, they began making plans: “So now, come
and let us kill him, and let us throw him into one of the pits; and we will
say, ‘A wild beast devoured him’. And we shall see what will become of his
dreams.”[2] Rashi
points out that the brothers did not utter the concluding words of the pasuk,
‘and we shall see what will become of his dreams’. Rather a heavenly voice said
those words, as if to say, “You think you will stop Yosef’s dreams. We shall
see.”
It
took decades, but eventually Yosef’s dreams indeed came to fruition. His
brothers bowed before him and he provided for them.
The
Jewish people’s existence is a dream. Our very birth was a dream, yet we
continue to endure based on that same dream. To remain committed to Torah
observance in a world that promotes so many anti-Torah values is a dream. It’s
as if throughout the exiles our enemies have repeatedly declared, “So now, come
and let us kill them,” and a voice from heaven replied, “We shall see what will
become of his dreams.”
When
the Satmar Rebbe, Rav Yoel Teitelbaum, instructed his Chassidim to maintain
their Chassidic garb in post-war America, he was dreaming. When Rabbi Aharon
Kotler founded a Kollel where young men would study Torah full time in
Lakewood, NJ, an unheard-of concept in America at that time, he was dreaming.
When the Lubavitcher Rebbe dispatched emissaries to all corners of the earth to
disseminate Torah, he was dreaming. The common denominator is that although
they were dreaming, they were not sleeping. We continue to thrive today only
because of those dreams.
The
brothers recognized that the dreams of Yosef were not superficial visions and
that’s why they feared them.
The
Kotzker Rebbe noted that when the Torah relates the two dreams of Pharaoh, the
Torah states that Pharaoh awoke[3]. The pasuk then
says that Pharaoh returned to sleep and had his second dream. Contrast that
with Yaakov and his dream atop Mount Moriah. There the Torah states, “Yaakov
awoke from his sleep and he said, ‘In truth, Hashem is in this place, and I did
not know it’.”
When
a great person has a dream, he is excited by it. He doesn’t return to his
slumber but immediately begins to think about how to implement his dream. One
who is a failure on the other hand, never capitalizes or makes a plan to ensure
his dreams are fulfilled. Pharoah goes back to sleep, while Yaakov awakens and
acts immediately.
To
accomplish anything in life, one must first have a dream and an end goal. Only
then can he figure out how to get there. But if he has no idea where he is
going, he has no chance of ending up at his real destination.
She’iltos
d’Rav Hai Gaon[4]
quotes a halachic opinion that one should light the Chanukah candles on the
left side of the doorway so that he will be surrounded by mitzvos. The mezuzah
hangs on the doorpost on his right side, with the Chanukah candles shining on
his left side, while he stands in the middle donned in his tzitzis.
What
is the connection between these three unique mitzvos? Each of them represents a
vital component a Jew requires in his quest to live a Torah life. The mitzvah
of tzitzis symbolizes that one must always know his goals and aspirations. “It
shall constitute tzitzis for you, that you may see and remember all the
commandments of Hashem and perform them; and not stray after your heart and
after your eyes after which you stray.”[5]
The
mitzvah of mezuzah symbolizes that one must always be steadfast and unyielding.
The blessing recited when one hangs a mezuzah on his door is, "Likvoah
mezuzah- To affix a mezuzah." The mezuzah remains affixed to the door,
all the while granting spiritual protection to the inhabitants of the house.
The
mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles symbolizes our never-ending quest for
continued growth. No other mitzvah - Biblical or Rabbinical - possesses such
opportunity to beautify a mitzvah more than lighting the Menorah. The actual
obligation on Chanukah is merely to light one candle each night for the entire
household. Our custom, that every member of the house lights candles
corresponding to whichever night of Chanukah it is, is considered mehadrin
min hamehadrin, the highest level of performance of the mitzvah.
When
lighting the Chanukah candles, we symbolically bring together these three
components of growth: Having dreams and goals, remaining consistent and
steadfast, and always striving ever higher.
Like our flickering candles, our national
dream seems so volatile. Yet, like our flickering candles, our national dream
has withstood the tempests of time and the efforts of our many hateful enemies
to snuff out our hopes. And like our flickering candles, our dream will live on
forever.
“In
truth, Hashem is in this place, and I did not know it.”
“We
shall see what will become of his dreams.”
Rabbi Dani
Staum
stamtorah@gmail.com
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