Efraim and Menashe in the Parasha: Underpromising, Overdelivering and the Torah Portion of Lech Lechah

The opening verses of the Torah portion of Lech Lecha is loaded with meaning. Rashi's comments elucidate their depth, but also raise interesting questions. Much has been written about the first verse, therefore this post will focus on verses two and three:

1. And the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you.

         

2. And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will aggrandize your name, and [you shall] be a blessing.   

3. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you."

Below are a few of Rashi's comments:

And I will make you into a great nation: Since traveling (lit. "the way") causes three things: 1) it diminishes procreation, 2) it diminishes money, and 3) it diminishes fame (lit. name), therefore, he required these three blessings, namely that He blessed him concerning children, concerning money, and concerning fame. 

and [you shall] be a blessing: The blessings are entrusted into your hand. Until now, they were in My hand; I blessed Adam and Noah. From now on, you may bless whomever you wish. (Gen. Rabbah) (ad loc.). 

         

shall be blessed in you: There are many aggadoth, but this is its simple meaning: A man says to his son, May you be like Abraham. And so is every instance of [the words] “shall be blessed with you” in Scripture. And the following [text] proves this (below 48:20):“With you, Israel shall bless, saying: May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.” - [from Sifrei, Naso 18]

There are a few obvious questions here: 

1) Rashi addresses three blessings that parallel three things that are diminished during travel. However, G-d gave four separate blessings, not three. Shouldn't Rashi list four concerns during travel as well, instead of three?

2) What is meant by G-d entrusting "the blessings" to Avraham? Which blessings? All blessings, or the particular ones mentioned in this verse? 

3) What is the advantage of stating, "and the one who curses you I will curse?" Wouldn't it be better if no one cursed Avraham to begin with? 

4) According to Rashi, G-d tells Avraham that "all the families of the earth" will say, "May you be like Avraham." Yet, we see that today we do not say, "May we you be like Avraham," but instead use the formula which Rashi uses in this very comment to prove his argument, "May G-d make you like Ephraim and like Menasheh." Based on this verse, people should also say, "May you be like Avraham!"

Perhaps we can arrive to an answer to these questions by examining a much later verse, found in the Torah portion of Ki Teitzei, in Chapter 23 of Devarim:

4. An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even the tenth generation shall never enter the assembly of the Lord.     

5. Because they did not greet you with bread and water on the way, when you left Egypt, and because he [the people of Moab] hired Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim against you, to curse you.    

RASHI - Because: Heb. עַל-דְּבַר [lit., “because of the word,” i.e.,] because of the [word of] advice they gave you (sic), to cause you to sin. — [Sifrei 23:114]

         

on the way: when you were in [a state of] extreme exhaustion. — [Sifrei 23:114]

         

6. But the Lord, your God, did not want to listen to Balaam. So the Lord, your God, transformed the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord, your God, loves you.  

The people of Ammon and Moab demonstrated qualities diametrically opposed to that of Avraham. While Avraham was known for his hospitality and kindness, serving his guests food and providing them with shelter (both physical and spiritual), Moab was cold, heartless, and selfish. Such people could not join "the assembly of the Lord."

Similarly, as also previously noted in this blog (http://www.kabbalahoftime.com/2014/07/words-in-desert-horrible-bosses-and.html), Balaam represented the exact opposite of Avraham. About Balaam, Balak states, "whomever you bless is blessed and whomever you curse is cursed." (Bamidbar 22:6) As also noted before in this blog, the contrast between Avraham and Balaam is explored in Pirkei Avot (5:19): 

Whoever possesses the following three traits is of the disciples of our father Abraham; and whoever possesses the opposite three traits is of the disciples of the wicked Balaam. The disciples of our father Abraham have a good eye, a meek spirit and a humble soul. The disciples of the wicked Balaam have an evil eye, a haughty spirit and a gross soul.

What is the difference between the disciples of our father Abraham and the disciples of the wicked Balaam? The disciples of our father Abraham benefit in this world and inherit the World To Come, and as is stated, "To bequeath to those who love Me there is, and their treasures I shall fill" (Proverbs 8:21). The disciples of the wicked Balaam inherit purgatory and descent into the pit of destruction, as is stated, "And You, G-d, shall cast them into the pit of destruction; bloody and deceitful men, they shall not attain half their days. And I shall trust in you" (ibid., 55:24).

1) The above verses from Devarim do in fact point to a fourth danger of travelling (again, lit. "on the way"): the curse of an evil eye. A person becomes susceptible to it if he/she sins. One becomes particularly susceptible to sin if he/she is exhausted. 

2) Hashem's entrusting Avraham with the blessings points to the qualities instilled in him and his students/descendants that serve as a shield against Ammon and Moab in general, and Balaam in particular. A person's best defense against the evil eye is for the person him/herself not be envious or haughty, but instead have a "good eye, a meek spirit and a humble soul." Such qualities lead to the desire as well as the power to bless, to give.

3) G-d delivers much more than He promises. Not only would Hashem curse the one that wished to curse the Jewish people, but instead He did not even allow the curse to take place at all. 

4) Similarly, Hashem's blessing of having all the families of the earth say, "May you be like Avraham," will certainly one day be fulfilled as well on a literal sense, in an even greater measure. In fact, the blessing given today already hints to this greater level of fulfillment. "May G-d make you like Ephraim and like Menasheh," is a reference to the blessing given by Jacob that the children of Efraim and Menasheh (who are in fact an extension of Avraham), "will multiply like fish over the land," "Veyidgu LaRov BeKerev Ha'Aretz." 

The above blessing speaks to the growth and the numerous descendants promised to Avraham, yet also includes an additional blessing, possessed by fish and also by all the descendants of Joseph: protection against the evil eye (mentioned above).  The Talmud (Berachot 55b) states:  

"The fish in the waters are concealed by the water, and thus not susceptible to the Evil Eye. So too, the descendants of Joseph are not susceptible to the Evil Eye."

By blessing each Jewish child with a reference to Efraim and Menashe, we expand Yaakov's blessing to all the Jewish people, while at the same time more than fulfilling the original blessing with which Hashem blessed Avraham.

May we merit to see the fulfillment of all of the G-d's promises and blessings to the Jewish people (and much more), with the coming of Mashiach, speedily in our days!

We hereby complete a full cycle of comments on Torah portions. Baruch Hashem L'Olam, Amen veAmen.

Miriam in the Parasha: Fixing Mankind and the Torah Portion of Noah

The Torah portion of Noah begins with a description of Noah's offspring, interjecting in mid-sentence, that Noah was righteous and wholesome in his generation and that he walked with G-d. It then states that Noah had three children: Shem, Cham, and Yaffeth. 

Similarly, later in the portion (the beginning of the second aliyah), reads as follows:

1. And the Lord said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, for it is you that I have seen as a righteous man before Me in this generation.

There appears to be an inherent contradiction in the second verse, which is also included in the first. If Noah was the only righteous man in the generation, why is his entire household saved? Wasn't the whole purpose of bringing about the Flood to cleanse mankind from all its corruption and start again out of the sole person that showed promise?

Was Noah's entire household righteous? Not only is that not implied in the above verses, but we also know that Cham acted extremely inappropriately once out of the ark (there's a debate as to what it was), which caused Noah not to have children. The Midrash states that Cham behaved inappropriately even while inside the ark as well. 

We therefore see that the point of the Flood was not to rid the world of evil. We see that as well in Hashem's words to Noah after the Flood:

21. And the Lord smelled the pleasant aroma, and the Lord said to Himself, "I will no longer curse the earth because of man, for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth, and I will no longer smite all living things as I have done.

Rashi comments as follows:

from his youth: This is written מִנְּעֻרָיו [i.e., without a “vav,” implying that] from the time that he [the embryo] shakes himself [נִנְעָר] to emerge from his mother’s womb, the evil inclination is placed in him. — [from Gen. Rabbah 34:10]

The Zohar comments that the verse, "Noah begot three sons," refers to three aspects of the soul, Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshamah.

Just as from the time a baby is born, he must struggle to fight his evil inclination, so too, humankind as a whole. Just as the qualities of a person are refined over time, so too the qualities of humankind itself.

Shem, Yaffet and Cham are three essential traits, which also parallel the three pillars that sustain the world stated in Pirkei Avot: Torah, Avodah (prayer), and Gemillut Chassadim (acts of kindness). They also parallel Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov,[1] as well as Moshe, Aharon and Miriam.[2]

Shem means "name" in Hebrew. It therefore points to the aspect of truth in a person and parallels the Torah, as well as Yaakov, as in the phrase of our prayers, "Titen Emet L'Yaakov," "give truth to Yaakov." He also parallels Moshe, as in the statement of our sages, "Moshe Emet veToratoh Emet," "Moshe is truth and his Torah is truth." 

Yaffet comes from the word "Yaffeh," beautiful, representing Avodah (prayer, Divine service) as well as Yitzchak (who represents self-sacrifice, prayer). He is also connected to Aharon, the High Priest; 

Ham means "warm," representing Gemmilut Chassadim (acts of kindness), and parallels Avraham, known for his kindness and hospitality. He is also connected to Miriam, who was involved in delivering babies and saving them from Pharaoh's evil intentions. 

Miriam appears to have been a Tikkun (spiritual "fixing") for Cham. While Cham made it impossible for his father to have more children, Miriam saved children and helped deliver them. It was also Miriam's conversation with her father that led him to remarry her mother, which ultimately led Moshe's birth.

Yet, Miriam's Tikkun of Cham was not complete. Cham had also been guilty of slandering his father to his brothers. Miriam failed here, unfortunately speaking Lashon Harah (slander) about Moshe, even if with the best of intentions. Interestingly, the Torah relates that Miriam spoke about an "Isha Kushit," "a woman from Kush," who was a descendant of Ham. Perhaps the word Isha Kushit (repeated twice in the verse) is not only a reference to Tziporah, Moshe's wife, but also to Miriam herself.

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[1] The descendants of Yaakov numbered 70, paralleling the descendants of Noah, also 70, as stated in the Torah portion of Vayelech. 

[2] Other "threes" in the Torah are the three mother letters in Kabbalah: Shin (Shem), Alef (Yaffet), Mem (Cham). There also seems to be parallels with the elements in nature that Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam represent water (Miriam's well), air/fire (clouds of glory/pillars of fire, in the merit of Aharon), and earth (the manna, in the merit of Moshe). After Miriam and Aharon's passing, all elements resumed in Moshe's merit alone (the well as well as the clouds of glory and the pillars of fire, as well as the mannah).

Sha'ar HaGilgulim states that Moshe was a reincarnation of Shem, but also of Noah, who represents a combination of Shem, Yaffet, and Cham. The Shem M'Shmuel states that at the time of the sin of the golden calf, when G-d tells Moshe He will destroy the entire Jewish people and build a nation out of him, Moshe's response was a Tikkun for Noah, who failed to stand up for the rest of the people. Moshe responds, "Mcheni" (erase me [from your book]. which has the same letters as "Mei Noach," "waters of Noah," which is how the prophet calls the Flood (implying Noah's fault in the matter). 

Joseph and Judah in the Parasha, the Torah Portion of Bereshit

As is usual with all Torah portions, the name of the first is derived from the first word used in it: Bereshit, translated as "In the beginning." Much has been written about how the Torah begins with the letter Beit, the second letter, and not the first, the Alef. Beit signifies duality and multiplicity. The word that translate as beginning is Reishit, from the word Rosh, head. Therefore, despite Judaism's tremendous emphasis on the unity of G-d, and how the whole world is One, and we discussed in previous posts the importance of having only one leader, one head, the Torah itself begins with a word that can be easily understood as "Beit Reishit," two heads, two beginnings. The answer to why the Torah begins in simple: although G-d is absolutely One, by creating the world G-d introduced an element of duality and multiplicity.

Rashi's opening comment also appears to delve into this aspect of two beginnings by asking why the Torah does not actually begin in a different place, in the beginning of the discussion of G-d's commandments:

1. In the beginning of God's creation of the heavens and the earth.

RASHI - In the beginning:  Said Rabbi Isaac: It was not necessary to begin the Torah except from “This month is to you,” (Exod. 12:2) which is the first commandment that the Israelites were commanded, (for the main purpose of the Torah is its commandments, and although several commandments are found in Genesis, e.g., circumcision and the prohibition of eating the thigh sinew, they could have been included together with the other commandments). Now for what reason did He commence with “In the beginning?” Because of [the verse] “The strength of His works He related to His people, to give them the inheritance of the nations” (Ps. 111:6). For if the nations of the world should say to Israel, “You are robbers, for you conquered by force the lands of the seven nations [of Canaan],” they will reply, "The entire earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He; He created it (this we learn from the story of the Creation) and gave it to whomever He deemed proper When He wished, He gave it to them, and when He wished, He took it away from them and gave it to us.  

The beginning of Rashi's second comment on this verse again points to the theme of  duality. G-d created the world for the sake of two "firsts:" the Torah and Israel.

In the beginning of God’s creation of: Heb. בְּרֵאשִית בָּרָא. This verse calls for a midrashic interpretation as our Rabbis stated: [God created the world] for the sake of the Torah, which is called (Prov. 8:22): “the beginning of His way,” and for the sake of Israel, who are called (Jer. 2:3) “the first of His grain.”

The theme of duality is present in the Talmud (where there is a disagreement as to whether the world was created in Tishrei or Nissan) as well as in the Jewish calendar itself. While Rosh Hashanah is in Tishrei, the head of the months is actually Nissan. The source for Nissan being the head of the months is actually the verse quoted by Rashi:

2. This month [Nissan] shall be to you the head of the months; to you it shall be the first of the months of the year. (Exodus 12:2)

The duality between Tishrei and Nissan appears to relate to the contrast of the role of Hashem portrayed primarily as the One that creates us, judges and forgives us based on how we kept the Torah, and of Hashem as the One that redeems us, collectively and individually, and brings us to the Promised Land.

Rashi's first comment therefore can be understood as hinting to both beginnings, Tishrei and Rosh Hashanah. 

Rashi's second comment is also related to this duality. While it is more common to place Israel ahead of even the Torah itself in terms of importance, Rashi first mentions the Torah, the blueprint of creation and the standard by which we are judged in Rosh Hashanah, and only then mentions Israel, which became a nation in Nissan at the time of the Exodus from Egypt. 

This duality in the Jewish calendar is reflected in the Jewish people itself and in their two prototypical leaders: Judah and Joseph. Judah represents Nissan. Tishrei is represented by Ephraim, the son of Joseph (his other son, Menashe represents the following month, Cheshvan). Judah is first and foremost a leader of the people, while Joseph's leadership is more detached, in a sense more connected to the Torah itself.

The tension, balance, and contrast between Judah and Joseph is very apparent in the way the Torah places the very parallel stories of Joseph and Judah side by side,[1] as well as in the depiction of their direct confrontation, in the Torah portion of Vayigash.[2] Even the names of these two tribes are similar, because Joseph sometimes is called “Yehosef,” carrying the first three letters of G-d’s name, Hashem, just like Judah.

This balance and tension has continued throughout our history, most notably with King David and King Shaul, the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel (also called Ephraim in the Torah), and even eventually with the coming of two Mashiachs, ben David and ben Yosef, also known as Mashiach ben Ephraim.

The following are excerpts from the Kabbalah of Time's appendix, further discussing this duality: 

The Jewish calendar actually has two beginnings, one in Tishrei, on Rosh Hashanah, the head of the year, and the other in Nissan, on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the head of “the head of the months.”  There is even a debate in the Mishnah regarding which of these days is linked to Creation (because, as mentioned above, Rosh Hashanah actually celebrates the creation of man, on the sixth day, the creation of the world would have been five days prior, either on the 25th of Elul (as is the final ruling) or the 25th of Adar). Both in the months of Nissan and Tishrei, Tachanun, supplication prayers, are not said. 

There are also various important parallels and contrasts in both these sequences. For example, both Passover and Sukkot fall on the15th day of the 1st or 7th month, depending from which month the counting begins. Similarly, Tu B’Av and Tu B’Shvat fall on the 15th day of the 5th or 11th month, depending on which sequence is followed.  

Interestingly, there is a custom to use the twelve days preceding Tishrei, from the eighteenth of Elul (Chai Elul) to Erev Rosh Hashanah to atone for the twelve months of the year, with Chai Elul representing Tishrei and Erev Rosh Hashanah representing Elul. In contrast, in the thirteen days from Rosh Chodesh Nissan to the thirteenth of Nissan, it is the custom to read the offerings brought by the princes of the tribes during in honor of the inauguration of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. Each tribe brought their sacrifices on a different day. As explained previously, each tribe represents a different month, and the sequence of tribes’ offerings goes according to the months of the year, beginning with Judah (Nissan) and ending with Naftali (Adar I) and Levi (Adar II).

It is also fascinating that the Alter Rebbe’s birthday is on Chai Elul, the first of the twelve days, representing Tishrei, while the birthday of the grandson he raised, the Tzemach Tzedek, is on Erev Rosh Hashanah, the last of the twelve days, representing Elul itself. Furthermore, the Tzemach Tzedek’s yahrzeit is also on the last day of the reading of the princes, the thirteenth of Nissan. The yahrzeit of the Rebbe Rashab, the Tzemach Tzedek’s own grandson, is on the second day of Nissan, at the very beginning of the reading of the princes.

In Kabbalah, another difference between Tishrei and the ensuring “winter months” and Nissan and the accompanying “summer months” (both of which have twenty six weeks) is that Tishrei represents the concept of Ohr Chozer (reflective light), while Nissan represents Ohr Yashar (direct light). On Tishrei, we initiate our return to G-d, and G-d responds accordingly – that is why the month is spelled with the last three letters of the Hebrew alphabet, in descending order, mirroring/reflecting the first three letters in ascending order. On Nissan, G-d is the one that initiates the relationship, taking us out of bondage, independently of (or even despite) whether or not we merit it. This contrast is connected to the kabbalistic concepts of Ita'aruta de L’tata (arousal from below) and Ita'aruta de L'Eila (arousal from above), and which of the two come first.

It is interesting to note that in the “winter months,” from Tishrei to Adar, the animals in Perek Shirah comprise of birds, flying insects, and water animals, while those from Nissan to Elul are all land animals. From Tishrei on, we must first ascend to G-d, and in turn he descends to us. From Nissan on, Hashem first descends to us, and only then do we ascend to Him.

Rabbi Moshe Wolfsohn explains that this division is reflected even in the current differences between Chassidic and Lithuanian/non-Chassidic. Similar differences seem to exist between Ashkenazim and Sephardim, and baalei teshuvah (those who return to G-d, acknowledging their mistakes) and tzadikim gemurim (righteous one, who never sinned in the first place). Joseph is the prototype of the tzadik gamur, while Judah of the baal teshuvah.

The prophet Ezekiel’s vision of the Holy Chariot, Hashem’s holy throne, has a lion on the right (the symbol of Judah) and an ox on the left (the symbol of Joseph). The same prophet Ezekiel, in the haftorah reading for Vayigash, is told by G-d to collect one stick for Judah and one for Ephraim, and to join them together, symbolizing that in future Yosef and Yehudah will become completely united.[3]

The Jewish calendar also contains another duality and synthesis: its days are counted in accordance with the cycles of the sun and the moon. While the West’s calendar (based on the Roman one) is purely solar, and the Islamic calendar is purely lunar, the Jewish calendar has aspects of both. Each month in the Jewish calendar follows the moon, yet, as mentioned in Week 22, the Jewish year often contains two Adar months. This way, Passover always occurs in the spring, and all other months correspond to particular seasons accordingly. Here also, Joseph appears primarily associated with the year as a whole (countering Esau), while Judah appears to be primarily connected to the lunar months (countering Yishmael).

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[1] Genesis, Ch. 37 - 39

[2] Genesis, 44:18

[3] Ezekiel 37:15; See Rabbi Matis Weinberg, Patterns in Time, on Chanukah

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