48 Steps To Torah

Number 13: mikreh

The 13 Kinyan of the 48 ways to acquire Torah is Mikreh. This refers to the learning of the written Torah. As it happens the Bible is the most popular book in history and this is not for no reason. If an Alien from another galaxy was to come to earth with a book, every person in the world will get a copy and spend a lot of their time reading deep into every word to try and learn as much as possible. This is the same with the Torah. Hashem who isnt even in the realms of time or space gave us a book as a divine present about the world. Much can be discovered in this book and one would be a fool not to spend his time pouring over each and every word trying to learn deeply into the secrets of the world given to us by the Omniscient himself. This kinyan talks about the importance of being devoted to delving into the Torah and understanding that behind every word, if not letter, there is so much to learn. G-d placed so much into the Torah for us to learn from that it has practically become a manual to life. It contains everything from morals to the way a person should wake up and carry out every second of his day. Not only is the Bible the bestseller worldwide
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but many of its verses are used for important things. For example, the slogan of the United Nations is a phrase from Sefer Yeshayah. Not only has the Torah taught us everything there is to know about the world but it has permeated every corner of the globe. However there is a way in which to learn it. No doubt, where possible, it should be learnt in the original language, Hebrew, as once translated it can lose much of its meaning and a lot of the words just become a plain adjective or verb and we can no longer learn about why G-d chose to describe something in such a way or use such mysterious phrases. Look deeper into what each piece of Torah is telling you. All the stories and commandments are really philosophical messages waiting to be revealed by the intellectually active mind. The Mabul, the Tower of Bavel, the splitting of the Yam Suf all contain the deepest wisdom for living. Even dates, names, numbers, events and lineage all teach us something. The message is often between the lines. And when the message seems obvious, there's always more below the surface.

The Hasmonean High School Weekly Sedra Sheet

Dvar Torah

Living Torah
Issue No: Shabbos In: Shabbos Out:

22nd December 2012

418 3:38 4:48

The power within us

When Yosef says to his brothers "Ani Yosef, ha'oid avi chai" - "I am Yosef, Is my father still alive?" the brothers were shocked to their core, unable to answer. They had sold him into slavery 22 years previously, and given him up for dead - and now, he stood before them, not only alive, but the second in command of the most powerful country, and living out the dreams that he had prophesied! Suddenly, they were aware of the error of their ways, in one moment they had an overwhelming clarity, a realisation of the action they had committed, and they felt tremendous guilt. Chazal tell us that when Yosef said "Ani Yosef..." the brothers shook with fear. They realised the error of their ways and gained clarity on all that had passed. If Yosef, one of the youngest of the brothers, turned everything on its head by saying "Ani Yosef", proving he was right and they were wrong, al achas kama v'kama when Hashem, the eternal, turns to us and says "Ani Hashem", will we have what to answer him with? In our lives we have all kind of answers to explain our inappropriate behaviour, but in the clear light of day, as we stand before the Al-mighty, our rationalisation will crumble. There is a Medrash in the Tanna Devai Eliyahu: Eliyahu HaNovi was walking, and he saw a fishermen who was idling his time away. Eliyahu says, My son - did you learn today?' The man replied 'No'. So Eliyahu asks him how he will explain his bitul zman (waste of time) on Yom Hadin (the day of judgement). Says the fisherman: 'I will tell G-d that I was unable to learn Torah because He didnt give me the intelligence to do so. Eliyahu replies: 'Tell me my son, how do you make a living?' The man answers: 'I am a fisherman'. So Eliyahu asks the fisherman to describe the skills of his trade, which he does in great detail, explaining all the intricacies of fishing, from the production of nets, to the predicting of tides and the wisdom of finding the biggest schools of fish. Eliyahu asks him: 'So how did you learn all this?' And the fisherman answers: 'For this, G-d gave me understanding.' And Eliyahu castigated him - 'For THIS G-d gave you knowledge, but not to learn Torah, which is the root of your very being? How wrong you are!' Yosef says 'Ha'oid avi chai', thereby highlighting the foolishness of the brothers. He is saying 'You tell to me how your father will suffer if I keep Binyomin. Did you think for one minute how he would feel when you sold me?' What could his brothers answer? And what will we answer when Hashem gives us tochocha (rebuke) and says Ani Hashem, and we realise everything we had in our lives was for our good and yet we did not maximise all the gifts that He gave us. Even the hardships, the ups and the downs were to better us as a person. But we find it difficult to look at the bigger picture and instead choose to rely on our rationalisation. We are the holy Jewish people, invested with a mission to change the world, to be a light unto the nations, to take responsibility for all of the Al-mightys children. If we took to heart that He will one day take us to task for this responsibility, we would act with greater urgency. We can achieve, and live our lives to the fullest. We just have to awaken ourselves and realise we are capable. We have the tools, we just need to want it enough. If we want it, we can achieve anything. As heard from Rabbi Noah Weinberg zt"l

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Yartzheit Story

Dvar Torah

The Pittsburgher rebbe

This Sunday, 10th Teves, is the 23rd Yartzheit of Rav salt for his Challos, as they were filled with his Avraham Abba Leifer ZTL, 2nd Pittsburgher Rebbe tears. and author of Emunas Avraham. At dawn the next day, the Nazis rounded up the Although he moved to Pittsburgh in the USA as a Jews in the prison in order to load them onto young boy in 1928 with his family, Rav Avraham cattle carts, to take them to one of the camps. As Abba Leifer returned to Europe in 1930 in order to they were being stuffed onto the train, the SS study in the Yeshivos there. He remained in Eu- commandant pulled Rav Avraham Abba away from rope for many long years after that, and got mar- the other Jews. At this stage Rav Avraham Abba ried there in 1939, to the daughter of Rav Issamar suddenly became aware that he was the only Jew of Nadvorna. However, this meant that Rav Av- there who still had a beard and peyos (sidelocks). raham Abba was stuck in Eastern Europe when the While the Nazis hated all Jews, they despised reliNazis invaded in September 1939. gious Jews more than anything. So, when he was called over by the SS Commandant, Rav Avraham He lived with his wifes family in Chernowitz, RoAbba was certain that he was going to be shot. mania, during the Nazi oppression. On one occasion, on Erev Shabbos, Rav Avraham Abba walked The SS Commandant looked at him, and said I outside for a few minutes without wearing his was watching you all of yesterday, and I saw you compulsory yellow star. The Nazis spotted this praying. You were the only one in the prison prayimmediately, and pounced on him. ing constantly. This much I know: He was imprisoned with a large numanyone who prays like that has to be ber of other Jews over Shabbos, all of answered. As a result, I will let you whom had been rounded up by the go. However, dont ever let me see Nazis. His wife, who heard about this, you again! succeeding in smuggling Challos into We can see from here the extreme the prison for her husband. power of Tefillah, and the huge amounts it can accomplish. Rav Avraham Abba spent the entire Shabbos Davening and crying, and begging Hashem for mercy. He later related that he did not even require

Tefillahwe are all brothers

Vayigash Eilov Yehuda Vayomer Bi Adoini (44:18) And Yehuda drew near to him, and said Please, my master. The Slonimer Rebbe in his sefer Nesivos Sholom provides an esoteric interpretation of this possuk based on the midrash which says that hagosho (drawing near) refers to tefillah (prayer). Says the Nesivos Sholom, the Torah is providing us with guidance in our approach to davening. Often a person thinks that he is unworthy of being able to speak to Hashem, and unable to connect with the Ribono Shel Olam. Who am I to speak to the Melech Malcahi Hamlochim, the King of all kings? Who cares whether I daven or not? However, the truth is that each one of us has a Chelek Elokah Mimal (a kabbalistic term, loosely translated as a portion of G-d from above); each one of us has a Neshomo which comes directly from the Kisai Hakovod (Throne of Glory). Therefore the Torah tells us Vayigash Eilov Yehuda, when a Yehudi, a Jew, approaches the Ribono Shel Olam with the intention of davening, then Vayomer Bi Adoini, we must remind ourselves that there is a Bi Adoini in each and every one of us. Regardless of our personal situation, each of us contains a piece of the Ribono Shel Olam inside his Neshomo and therefore we are always able to connect with Hashem through our tefillos. proach to tefillah. We find that after Yehuda pleaded with Yosef on behalf of Binyomin the Torah tells us Vlo Yochol Yossef Lehisapek, Yosef could no longer hold himself back. The Tiferes Shlomo asks, what compelled Yosef to reveal himself to his brothers at this particular moment after concealing his identity for so long? Similarly, we have to understand why in the previous Parsha, when Reuven requested of Yakov Avinu that they be allowed to take Binyomin down to Mitzraim he refused, yet when Yehuda made the request Yakov relented. Yakov Tikayn Tefillas Arvis- Yakov established the Evening prayer. Arvis can also be translated as areivus (responsibility). Yakov Avinu established the principal that Kol Yisroel Areivim Zeh Lozeh, that each and every member of Klal Yisroel is responsible for each other. When Yehuda approached Yakov for permission to take Binyomin to Mitzraim he said Onochi Aervuna, I will take responsibility for my brother, I will ask as guarantor for my brother. That is why Yakov relented. Similarly, when Yehuda said to Yosef Ki Avdecho orev es hanar, (for your servant took responsibility for the lad) he realised that it was the right moment to reveal himself to his brothers.

Vayigash eilov Yehuda, when we approach Tefillah we have to remember that Kol Yisroel Arevim Ze Lozeh, we are all responsible for each other and we The Radomsker Rebbe in his sefer Tiferes Shlomo have to daven for our brethren not just for our own provides a further message with regards to our apneeds.

Gematria:
Have no fear of descending to Egypt (46:3) Now that Yaakov and his family were going to Mitzrayim, it would be 249 years before the Bnei Yisrael would return to their homeland. They would spend 210 years in Mitzrayim, and another 39 years travelling in the desert on their way back home. At the end of 39 years, although they were not yet ready to cross the Jordan into Eretz Yisrael proper, they occupied Eiver HaYarden, the east bank of the Jordan, which was the allotted territory of Reuven, Gad and half of Menashe. The numerical value of ,descending, is 249. Hashem thus told Yaakov not to fear this 249-year descent from the land because He would bring the nation back in newfound glory.

Riddle:
Which two people in Parshas Vayigash share the same name?
Last weeks riddle:

What does ( Macabi) stand for?

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