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Likutei Ohr
Volume II : Issue XI
!di"r-in-Chief: #sher Naghi 14 $enior Edi"r: %icah Hyman 14 #riel Amse&em 15 %anaging Edi"rs: !itan Meisels 15 %ichael Somekh 15 'ayout Edi"r: (air Fax 14 %arke)ng: (osef Hier 16 *is+ibu"rs: %itche& Silberberg 14 %ichael Lazovsky 14 Jordan Lustman 15 $ta, Advisor: -abbi Arye Su.i/

The Pamphlet of Light

Parshat Vayigash

A publication of YULA Boys High School!

From Your Editor-in-Chief

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Asher Naghi 14

The Bonds of Faith

The Flame of Our Ancestors

A man's mind should always be associated with his fellow men. -Taanit 7a

The Sifra on Parshat Bechukotai comments on the words They shall stumble over one another by interpreting that they shall stumble one because of another. This teaches that all of Israel are sureties for one another. Why, asks Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, does the Torah choose to quote the Tochacha the curses that Hashem promises to inflict on the Jewish nation when they sin when invoking a lesson of unity and inter-reliance? The Torah is replete with examples of Bnei Yisroel being affected by the actions of some of its members, so what is reason that this particular negative example is invoked? Rabbi Sacks responds with the following answer: the Mishnaic period closely followed the destruction of the Second Temple. Throughout the Torah, the close proximity of the Jewish people to one another made it self-evident that the Jews actions had an effect on one another. Now that the Jews were scattered, strewn across the world in a long and arduous exile, their interdependence should disappear. The Rabbis, however, chose a quote that reflected the reality: Jews are responsible for each other even when they are separated by great distances, even when they are punished by the curses of the Tochacha. In this weeks Parsha, Parshat Vayigash, Yoseph reveals himself to his brothers and sends them to retrieve his father, Yaakov, from Eretz Yisroel. Yaakov, before descending to the Egypt, visits BeerSheva to offer sacrifices to Hashem. In a night vision, God appears to Yaakov, which is unique; Hashem never comes to the other patriarchs, Avraham and Yitzchak, during the night. The Meshech Chochmah explains this phenomenon: Yaakov was about to leave the Land of Israel for Mitzrayim, and he was afraid of what would happen to his children while in exile. In reassurance, Hashem came to Yaakov at night, a time that symbolizes the despair of exile, and He communicated to his beloved servant that even when cast from their promised land, Hashem would be with the Jewish nation. It was for this reason, expounds the Meshech Chochmah, that Yaakov created the prayer of Arvit the Tefillah of nighttime. The evening prayer might signal the end of a day, but it also signals the start of a new, better one. Hashem tells Yaakov not to despair. Even in darkness, we are connected to HaKadosh Baruch Hu and to the Jewish people as a whole. The night indicates the coming of the following day. As Rabbi Sacks states, the Jewish nation sees adversity as birthing pains for newer, better, and greater times. The Sages sent a message to the Jews in the diaspora: even in the darkest of times we should not fear. Just as the timeless psalm states, Even when I walk in the valley of darkness, I will fear no evil for You are with me (Psalms 23:4). Throughout our history Jews have faced unimaginable odds and persecutions of every kind, yet what has bound and still binds us together is our faith that Hashem is with us in exile just as He promised to Yaakov. We know that what we do does have an impact on our fellow Jews Kol Yisroel Arevim Zeh LaZeh. In the Shema, we cry out, Hear oh Israel. Our declaration of faith in God is in the communal form we address the nation of Israel as a whole signaling our unity. We, at this time, on this Shabbat, should be Zocheh to have increased Emunah and a heightened sense of Achdut in order to bring an end the night that has been upon us for far too long. At this point, after serving three years on the Likutei Ohr, my time as editor-in-chief is over. Thank you to the incredible staff that has poured their time and energy into this pamphlet. A special thanks Micah Hyman, our senior editor who has served for three years, and to Yonah Hiller, our weekly Tefilla columnist who has served for four years; they will be stepping down this week as well. Congratulations to Ariel Amsellam, Likutei Ohrs new editor-in-chief, and to Eitan Meisels, the new senior editor.

"e#$ah Gems
%onah Hi$er 14

A while ago I received a remarkable email from a frum soldier in the United States army. The soldier recounted the different challenges he faces on a daily basis: I get a lot of questions from non-Jewish soldiers about me putting on Tefillin, why I seem that I am talking to myself when I come out of the bathroom, or putting on Tzitzit. I tell them they are my opportunities to connect with G-d. I was very inspired by his dedication and thought to myself, If somebody in the middle of a desolate desert in Iraq in 108+ degree weather no less can find a way to joyously perform Mitzvot and connect to HaKadosh Baruch Hu, how much more so should we be able to find ways to connect to Hashem in our pleasant lives. Davening is our opportunity to form a personal relationship with Hashem; it is the pinnacle moment of connection with our Creator. Modeling the attitude and behavior of my friend in Iraq will surely guarantee success in deepening our relationship with Hashem.

Getting Back Up

From Your Layout Editor Yair Fax 14

The meeting between Yosef and his brothers in this weeks Parsha is perhaps one of the most dramatic moments in all of Sefer Bereshit. After a whole Parsha of masking his identity from his brothers, Yosef breaks down crying as he sends all of his servants out the room and confesses to his brothers, I am Yosef. Is my father still alive? While Yosef certainly has a flair for the dramatic, upon further inspection, his confession appears to not make sense. The brothers just spent the entire last Aliyah explaining that they could not bring down Binyamin because their father would not let go of his youngest son and his only remaining connection to Rachel. Why would Yosef need to ask his brothers if his father is still alive when they clearly said only a few short minutes ago that their father is the very reason they are in Egypt in the first place. Therefore, one must assume that Yosefs inquiry is about something much deeper than his fathers health. I would like to propose that Yosef is asking not whether his father survives but whether his father lives. By this I mean that Yosef knows his father is still alive, but he is asking whether his spirit still endures. This is why Yosef asks not about Avinu, our father, but about Avi, my father. Yosef asks if the father that he knew, that father that always knew how to stand up after setbacks, still endures? Yosef knew his father as someone who had to deceive Yitzchak, someone who ran away from Eisav as a young man, someone who was continuously swindled by his uncle Lavan, someone who fought with an angel, and someone whose most beloved wife died in childbirth. Yaakov has perhaps one of the most difficult lives of all the Avot, and, in spite of all the hardships, Yaakov raised a family large enough to be the seed of Am Yisroel. In the wake of Yosefs dramatic moment, Yosefs brothers do not know how to respond. His brothers could not answer him, for they were so dumbfounded at seeing him (Bereshit 45:3). Through their silence, Yosefs brothers answer that the old Yaakov no longer lives. That man who could withstand any challenge died 20 years ago when the Shevatim sold Yosef into slavery. If we look at Yaakov at this point, we see a broken man. He has endured and even grown from many hardships throughout his life, but the loss of his favorite son, Yosef, pushed him over the edge. At this point, we see an overprotective father clinging to the past, not letting his youngest son and his only connection to Rachel and Yosef go down to Mitzrayim. But as soon as Yaakov learns that Yosef lives, we see the complete man shine through again. Once again he is called Yisroel instead of Yaakov, and he descends to Egypt a new, whole man. We can learn an important lesson from Yaakovs tenacity: although life presents challenges, the only reason we fall is so that we learn to pick ourselves back up.

Halachic Illuminations
From Rabbi Nachum Sauer
One of the prohibitions on Shabbat is cooking: the Melacha of Bishul was used in the construction of the Mishkan when plants were cooked to make various dyes. So, we immediately discern that the Issur of Bishul is not just about cooking food; its about cooking non-food items as well. The Rambam writes that when one prepares food, cooks plants to extract dyes, or boils liquids, he transgresses the Melacha of Bishul. What constitutes cooking something? If one has made a liquid hot enough that he would draw his hand back when touching it, he has Halachically cooked it. This definition of cooking is known as Yad Soledet Bo. The temperature of Yad Soledet Bo is much lower than the boiling point of water: while water boils at around 212 degrees, Yad Soledet Bo, according to Rav Moshe Feinstein, is between 110 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit. By solids, the definition of cooking is if one has cooked Kmaachol Ben Drosa, which is either half cooked or one-third cooked. The Rambam also posits that if one heats metal and melts it, he has committed a Toldah of Bishul; even if the metal doesnt melt but just glows, he has still committed a Toldah of Bishul because he has heated it to a degree where the metal has become soft and can change. Similarly, melting wax is also a Toldah of Bishul. The very act of placing food, liquid, or any material over a heat source is the Melacha of Bishul. Although the actual cooking process takes place with or without ones help, one commits the Melacha of Bishul just by putting the food in a place where it has the potential to cook and leaving it there until does so.

Compiled By Your Editor-in-Chief Asher Naghi From Your Senior Editor Micah Hyman14

Yaakov and Hashem: A Complex Relationship

There is a Gemara in Yevamot (.!") that proclaims that it is Mutar, permissible, for one to lie for the sake of peace. In fact Rabbi Nachman goes further and says that it is a Mitzvah to lie for the sake of peace. In colloquial terms the Gemara is telling us that white lies are permitted. This Gemaras discussion actually stems from a story in Parashat Vayera. There, Sarah laughs upon being informed that she will bear a child, protesting that both she and her husband are much too old to bear children. However, when Hashem relates the incident to Avraham, He recounts that Sarah only said she was too old. Hashem neglects to mention that she included Avraham. From this, the Gemara learns that one can lie to preserve peace. I would like to suggest that a similar incident takes place in this weeks Parsha, Parshat Vayigash. Right before Yaakov descends to Egypt, which he knows will catalyze the foreboding exile of Mitzrayim, he travels to Beer Sheva and seeks HaKadosh Baruch Hus help. Hashem comes to him in a vision and reassures him, I am the G-d G-d of your father. Have no fear of descending to Egypt, for I shall establish you as a great nation there. I shall descend with you to Egypt, and I shall also surely bring you up; and Yosef shall place his hand on your eyes (Bereshit 46:3-4). I believe that Yaakovs worry concerns only his descendants because Yaakov knows that he will be able to survive spiritually in Egypt, as he has spent his whole life resisting external influences. Thus, G-ds initial statement, I shall establish you as a great nation there, comes to reassure Yaakov that his descendants will remain resolute. Intriguingly, the Ribono Shel Olam protects Yaakov from the knowledge that his descendants will suffer as slaves in Egypt. Although Yaakov already knows this, in G-ds attempts to comfort him, Hashem leaves that sad detail out. This is similar to G-d leaving out Sarahs statement that Avraham was too old. In both cases, He leaves out a negative detail in order to keep his beloved, devout followers happy. What is really mystifying is how G-d ends his comforting remarks: Yosef shall place his hand over your eyes. The Chizkuni interprets that this alludes to the custom that a son would cover a fathers eyes at his death. However, I wish to humbly posit that this is HaKadosh Baruch Hus way of telling Yaakov that Yosef will shelter his father from the trials that will soon challenge Bnei Yisroel, metaphorically covering his eyes from those terrible sights. This is an interesting full circle, as Yaakov was caused such sorrow due to the deception of the brothers selling Yosef, and now Yosef will protect Yaakov from the terrible things to come, allowing Yaakov some happiness in his final days.

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