1 – Topic - The lesson of the Sh’nei Gedayei Izim
Don’t forget that we Lain the Haftorah of Machar Chodesh since Sunday will be B’ezras Hashem Rosh Chodesh Kisleiv. For today I would like to discuss the words of Rivka to Yaakov Avinu in Perek 27 and the three Nikudos I want to mention all have to do with Rivkah. The first one has to do with the fact that Rivkah in preparing food for Yitzchok says as is found in 27:9 (לֶךְ-נָא, אֶל-הַצֹּאן, וְקַח-לִי מִשָּׁם שְׁנֵי גְּדָיֵי עִזִּים, טֹבִים). Go get me two goats so that I can prepare a meal for Yitzchok Avinu. Of course it is a Davar Pele, why in the world does Yitzchok Avinu need two goats, how hungry could he have been.
Rashi says (וכי שני גדיי עזים היה מאכלו של יצחק, אלא האחד הקריב לפסחו והאחד עשה מטעמים) one was for the Korban Pesach and one for dinner. Why do you need one for dinner if you have one for the Korban Pesach? Probably what Rashi means to say is that the Korban Pesach is eaten Al Hasova and therefore, you need one Korban for dinner and one Korban to eat the Korban Pesach Al Hasova. This is Rashi. It is hard to say that it is Pshat, but lacking any other Pshat this is how Rashi learns Pshat.
I would like to share with you the words of the Netziv in Harchev Davar who adds that there was a Remez that Rivkah was saying to Yaakov Avinu. The Netziv doesn’t say this on his own. He brings a Medrash that the Sh’nei Gedayei Izim are a Remez to the Shnei S’irai of Yom Kippur. As you know, on Yom Kippur there is S’ir Echad Lashem and S’ir Echad Lazazeil and these two were a Remez to the two S’irim. It needs some kind of Hesber what in the world does Yom Kippur have to do with this which applies on Pesach.
Zagt the Netziv very Geshmak. Rivkah was teaching Yaakov Avinu a lesson here. Yaakov said that I am going to go B’ramaos, I am going to go with trickiness, I am going to go with lies? Is that the way to serve the Ribbono Shel Olam?
Rivkah told him let me teach you something. In the Avodah of Yom Hakipurim we bring two S’irim. One which is offered to Hashem and one which is offered L’azazeil. Why is one to Azazeil, it is a sign of the Sitra Achara? It is not a Korban that is offered in the Bais Hamikdash?
The answer is that Hashem created Kochos Hat’haro V’ha’emes in this world and He created Kochos Hatumah and Sheker in this world. Of course it is our job to connect the Tahara to Emes. However, there are times where we are commanded to give a Shochad to the Satan, a little bit to the Sitra Achara, where we use the Kochos of the Sitra Achara in serving the Ribbono Shel Olam. We see that from Yom Kippur where the S’ir L’azazeil is B’lashon HaRamban, Shochad L’satan, like a bribe to the Sitra Achara. There is a little bit of Kochos Hatumah that we use L’kedusha as well. That was the Remez of the Sh’nei Gedayei Izim according to this Medrash, a Remez that you have to be multi-faceted, that you have to be able to do what is right and do what is the Ratzon Hashem even in a case where it requires Ramaos, where is requires Sheker that as well. So this was Rivkah’s lesson to Yaakov that was Mirumaz in the Sh’nei Gedayei Izim.
2 – Topic - The lesson of (עַד-שׁוּב אַף-אָחִיךָ מִמְּךָ)
Let’s move on to a second thought that actually comes with a story that is perfect for the Shabbos table, really a Gevaldige lesson. This comes from the Maimar Mordechai of Rav Mordechai Schwab who says the following and it comes to explain the words of Rivkah which she says in Posuk 43. The following words she says to Yaakov Avinu, go to Lavan’s house (וְעַתָּה בְנִי, שְׁמַע בְּקֹלִי; וְקוּם בְּרַח-לְךָ אֶל-לָבָן אָחִי, חָרָנָה). How long will you stay there? (וְיָשַׁבְתָּ עִמּוֹ, יָמִים אֲחָדִים--עַד אֲשֶׁר-תָּשׁוּב, חֲמַת אָחִיךָ). Stay there until when? (עַד אֲשֶׁר-תָּשׁוּב, חֲמַת אָחִיךָ). Until your brother’s anger subsides. Posuk 45. (עַד-שׁוּב אַף-אָחִיךָ מִמְּךָ). Until your brother’s anger ends from you. What in the world, this is redundant. Posuk 44 (עַד אֲשֶׁר-תָּשׁוּב, חֲמַת אָחִיךָ). (עַד-שׁוּב אַף-אָחִיךָ מִמְּךָ) This is a redundancy. Rivkah is saying what appears to be the same thing twice.
Rav Schwab told over a Maiseh or Mashal. If I understand correctly it comes from the Ben Ish Chai. The story of a man, a Rav who was involved in a town with a Moser, with a Yid who was a Rasha and he had to publicly embarrass him and chase him out of the community. The Moser swore to take revenge. The day came that the Rav was traveling on the road with two Talmidim out of the city and in the distance they saw the Moser and he sees them and he raises his fist and comes running with some hoodlums. The Talmidim and the Rav are frightened. The Rav says give me a few minutes and he closes his eyes as the Moser is running towards him and he concentrates and he thinks hard. Lo and behold when the Moser comes he says to the Rav I am not going to touch you. Give me Reshus to beat up the Talmidim and the Rav said no. The Moser was Mekabeil and he was Mevakeish Mechilah and the Talmidim were Nishtomeim as they saw the anger in him when he had started out running towards them. Subsequently, the Talmidim asked the Rav what were you doing when you closed your eyes and were concentrating, were you Davening?
He told them, as it says in Mishlei 27:19 ( כַּמַּיִם, הַפָּנִים לַפָּנִים-- כֵּן לֵב-הָאָדָם, לָאָדָם). As the image of a face when you look into the reflection in a still pool of water. When you smile it smiles at you. Pnei Ish El Achiv, the face of a man to his brother. As you are to him he will be to you, and he thought to himself if I can feel Ahavah towards this man and get rid of my Tainos to him and feel real Ahavah then when he comes to me he will feel real Ahavah to me too. V’kach Hava, I worked hard for those few minutes to take away my complaints to him, my Tainos to him, to feel a genuine love to him, and when he came he couldn’t help but to feel a love for me. But the two of you still hated him so he asked permission to beat you up. But as a tool, if you have Ahavah for someone (no guarantee) but it will be Poel that he will have Ahavah to you.
Zagt Rav Mordechai Schwab based on this Mashal, he says Gevaldig. In Parshas Vayishlach the Meraglim say as is found in 32:7 (בָּאנוּ אֶל-אָחִיךָ, אֶל-עֵשָׂו) we came to your brother. Your brother? He is not your brother, he is Eisav who hates you. What did Yaakov Avinu do? When Eisav comes towards him from the distance as it says in 33:3 (וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אַרְצָה שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים). He shows great respect and love for his brother. Imagine, he bows seven times, not bowing the way you do by Modim nodding his head. (וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אַרְצָה) He spreads himself on the ground in a sign of respect (שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים, עַד-גִּשְׁתּוֹ עַד-אָחִיו) until he comes to him.
Zagt Rav Schwab (עַד-גִּשְׁתּוֹ עַד-אָחִיו) when he got there it was Achiv again it wasn’t Eisav. He showed him so much Ahavah that it was M’oreir, it awakened a feeling of Achva, a brotherly relationship. Eisav could not help but to feel an Ahavah back.
Where did Yaakov get this idea as he had not heard the story? The answer is that this is what his mother told him. His mother told him go away until the time will come. When will the time come? (עַד אֲשֶׁר-תָּשׁוּב, חֲמַת אָחִיךָ) When your brother is not angry. When will your brother not be angry? (עַד-שׁוּב אַף-אָחִיךָ מִמְּךָ). When you will stop having anger and complaints and hatred against your brother then he too will stop having anger. This is because a person who feels true love to someone else and gets rid of his personal Peni’os is able to create in the other direction love.
Klal Gadol Ba’chaim say Rav Schwab, a Mentch Macht the Eigenir Tzaros. A person makes his own problems. A person is capable of making peace with someone else if only he feels the Ahavah.
Rav Schwab brings that this idea comes from Rav Chaim Voloziner quoted in Keser Rosh. He says there, that when you feel that somebody has hatred to you show him love and hopefully in Heaven it will cause an awakening of a reciprocal love. What a beautiful lesson.
Rivkah so many years ago taught Yaakov two lessons, the lesson of the Sh’nei Gedayei Izim and the lesson of (עַד-שׁוּב אַף-אָחִיךָ מִמְּךָ). And here we are, the great great grandchildren of Rivkah learning the lessons as we approach Parshas Toldos.
Topic 3 – A Dikduk thought.
Rivkah taught one more lesson which is a Dikduk lesson. Rivkah says in Posuk 8 (וְעַתָּה בְנִי, שְׁמַע בְּקֹלִי--לַאֲשֶׁר אֲנִי, מְצַוָּה אֹתָךְ) this which I command you. It doesn’t say Metzaveh Osach. What is (מְצַוָּה)? The answer is that in Lashon Nekaiva Metzaveh switches to (מְצַוָּה). Apparently Rivkah was familiar with Dikduk and she didn’t say Ani Metzaveh Osach as most people would say. She said (לַאֲשֶׁר אֲנִי, מְצַוָּה) because the Komatz takes the place of the Segal.
Freigt the Kasha, why do women say (מודֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ). (מודֶה) is Lashon Zachor. Why are the ladies saying (מודֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ) it should be Moda Ani Lefanecha. Lashon Nekaiva is Moda and as we saw the Sefardik Siddurim say (מודֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ) and L’nashim Moda Ani Lefanecha. How do you like that?
That is why we call our kindergarten teachers Morah and the Rabbanim Moireh as in Moireh Derech. A Moireh is a male while a Morah is a female. What do you know. We actually learned a piece of Dikduk. Is it going to make the ladies change from (מודֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ) to Moda Ani Lefanecha, I don’t know. But the Yedi’a, the knowledge, the understanding of the way Lashon Kodesh works is Geshmak.
And so, three lesson from the Baba Rivkah may she be a Melitza Yosheir for all of us as we learn her words. IY”H Shabbos Parshas Toldos should be a Gutten Shabbos for one and all!
