Planting a vineyard

Hi,

And Noach, man of the earth, began and planted a vineyard.

וַיָּחֶל נֹחַ אִישׁ הָאֲדָמָה וַיִּטַּע כָּרֶם:

(Bereishit 9:20)

He made himself mundane, for he should have involved himself in another kind of planting first. 

עשה עצמו חולין, שהיה לו לעסוק תחלה בנטיעה אחרת:

 (Rashi to Bereishit 9:20)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

48 Ways: #22 - A long temper

Hi,

Pirkei Avot 6:5 teaches that Torah is acquired in 48 ways, which it lists for us. The twenty-second of the 48 is erech apayim - having a long temper.

There are many evident advantages to patience, personally and in society and in one's learning. Regarding this last category, on a very practical level, one who has a fiery temper is more apt to be distracted from his studies by personal issues and will have a harder time finding good mentoring and chavruta relationships.

Rabbeinu Bechayye notes an additional problem, though: We are taught that anger causes a person to forget his learning; see Rashi to Bamidbar 31:21, for example, stating that Moshe's moments of rage caused him to forget that which he knew. This may be explained naturally; in the learning stage our anger and stress deny us the focus needed to develop memories, and in the recall stage these same phenomena turn our mind away from tracking down those connections, and can also cause us to lose patience with the whole process of learning.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

In what way is Gd "alone"?

Hi,

Tehillim 86:10 says: "For You are great and You perform wonders; You are Gd alone."

Two midrashim explain "alone" in three different ways:
(1) Unique
(2) Without a partner
(3) The only one who is aware of what You do

""In the beginning, Gd created" – R' Tanchuma began: "For You are great and You perform wonders." R' Tanchum said: If this barrel would have a hole the size of a needle's point, all of its air would escape. Man is formed of tubes and tubes, holes and holes, and his air does not escape. Who does this? "You are Gd alone."

"Alternatively: "For You are great and You perform wonders" – Normally, a flesh and blood king is praised in the land, and the leaders of the land are praised with him for they carry his burden with him. Gd is not thus; He alone created the universe, He alone is praised in the universe, He alone is glorified in His universe. R' Tanchuma said, "For You are great and You perform wonders," Why? For "You are Gd alone," You created the universe alone."

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 1:3)

"While Yaakov delayed, where was Esav all that time? R' Yehoshua ben Levi said: He would trap prey and then a malach would release it and chase it away… Gd said, "Yaakov does not know what miracles were performed for him. When he left, Esav entered," as it is written… And so David said, "You are great and You perform wonders; You are Gd alone." You know what miracles and wonders You perform for this person, and he does not know…"

(Midrash Tanchuma Toldot 17)

Worth noting: Rashi to Tehillim 86:10 adopts the second explanation.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Why did the Torah begin with Creation? Part 2

Hi,

[Continued from two posts ago]

"R' Yitzchak said: The Torah did not need to begin other than from "This month is, for you, the first…," the first mitzvah in which the Jews were instructed. Why did it begin with Bereishit? Because, "He told His nation the power of His deeds, to give them the portions of nations."

"Lest the nations say to the Jews, "You are a nation of bandits, for you conquered the lands of the seven nations," they could respond, "All of the land belongs to Gd. He created it and gave it to the one who was righteous in His eyes. At His will He gave it to them, and at His will He took it from them and gave it to us.""

(Rashi to Bereishit 1:1)

To be continued...

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Influence of Miriam

Hi,

I was asked the following question the other day: In three separate places in Chumash, Chur is mentioned and Rashi takes pains, each time, to inform us that he was the son of Miriam.

First: Shemot 17:10, when Chur and Aharon support Moshe in his defense of the Jews during their war with Amalek.

Second: Shemot 24:14, when Moshe appoints Aharon and Chur to be the counselors of the Jews while he is away on Har Sinai.

Third: Shemot 35:30, when Chur's grandson Betzalel is appointed to lead the creation of the Mishkan.

Why does Rashi go out of his way to mention Chur's mother each time?

My first thought was that there were midrashim on each pasuk identifying Chur's lineage, and Rashi was only citing those midrashim, but I could not find any such midrash, on any of the pesukim.

So I have an idea which I would not deem "peshat", but which I like in any case: Each of these cases involves Chur in a different role, and in each case he channels the influence of his mother, Miriam.

In defending the Jews against Amalek, Chur channels his mother Miriam's defense of the Jews as a midwife (Shemot 1:17), and her defense of Moshe as he floated in the river (Shemot 2:4-9).

In counseling the Jews, Chur channels his mother Miriam's counsel to Amram and Yocheved to have more children (Sotah 12a), and her counsel regarding Moshe and Tziporah's relationship (Bamidbar 12:1, Rashi there).

In creating the Mishkan, Chur's grandson channels Miriam's act of connecting the Jews to Gd in the dance after they crossed through the Sea (Shemot 15:20-21).

And Rashi highlights this by commenting, each time, "Chur is the son of Miriam."

Just a thought.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Sin causes distance from Gd

Hi,

"See the power of sin! Before the Jews extended their hands into sin [with the Golden Calf], Exodus 24:17 said, 'The vision of the glory of G-d was like a consuming fire atop the mountain before the eyes of Israel,' and they were not afraid and did not tremble. Once they made the calf, even Moses's radiance caused them to shudder and tremble!"

(Rashi to Shemot 34:30)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Even a villain is created "in Gd's image"

Hi,

"Leaving the body of an executed criminal exposed is degrading to the King, for Man is made in His image, and Israel are his children.

"This may be compared to twins who resemble each other, and one becomes king while the other is caught for banditry and hanged. All who see him say, "The king is hanged.""

(Rashi to Devarim 21:23)

Gmar tov,
Mordechai

Lack of gratitude is animalistic

Hi,

[The last sentence in the book of Yonah mentions the people of Ninveh, upon whom Gd has mercy, and it also mentions "בהמה רבה," great numbers of animals who live in the city of Nineveh.]

"These are adult human beings whose minds are yet animalistic; they do not realize who created them."

(Rashi to Yonah 4:11)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Yosef remains Yosef

Hi,

The Torah states, at the start of Shemot and after a list of the sons of Yaakov: "And Yosef was in Egypt."

Rashi: "What does this come to teach us? Don't we know that he was in Egypt? It comes to instruct you about Yosef's righteousness. He was Yosef who herded his father's sheep, he was Yosef who was in Egypt and became king and remained righteous."

(Rashi to Shemot 1:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Atoning for inappropropriate spending

Hi,

"Gd was appeased by Israel for the creation of the Calf, and He found atonement for their sin. He told them, ‘Give to the Mishkan, and the gold of the Mishkan will come atone for the gold of the Calf.’"

(Rashi to Shir haShirim 1:13)

Have a great day,
Mordechai