155 - Vayeishev

In this week's parsha we read how Yosef is falsely accused of improper conduct and as a result is thrown into jail by his master Potiphar. After sitting in jail for ten years, Yosef is presented with an opportunity to be released from bondage. He correctly interpreted the dream of another jail mate, the Sar Hamashkim, - foretelling his imminent release. Yosef felt that this would be an opportune time to bring his case before Pharaoh, and he requested from the Sar Hamashkim to remember him favorably before the king. Rashi (Bereishis 40, 23) tells us that because Yosef placed his trust in an Egyptian, he was punished by having to spend another two years in jail. 

Rav Wolbe (Shiurei Chumash) notes that the Ramban in the beginning of Parshas Vayishlach writes that tzaddikim do not rely on their righteousness, but rather attempt to save themselves with the resources available to them (as discussed in last week's dvar Torah). If so, he asks, why was Yosef punished for asking the Sar Hamashkim to help him? Wasn't this a normal act of hishtadlus? 

Rav Wolbe quotes the Chazon Ish (Sefer Emunah U'Bitachon) who explains as follows. One definitely has to make a hishtadlus. However, he must calculate if his hishtadlus has a reasonable chance to succeed. As Rashi tells us, the Egyptians are described as "rahavim" - arrogant, and therefore, Yosef should not have placed his trust in an Egyptian. His request was made out of despair - like a drowning man grabbing at a piece of straw - and it was for this reason that he was at fault. On Yosef's high spiritual level, such an attempt could not be considered a reasonable hishtadlus.

The Mashgiach offers another explanation as well. There was nothing wrong with the actual request that Yosef made of the Sar Hamashkim. Yet, as Rashi emphasizes, "Yosef placed his trust in the Sar Hamashkim."  One must be aware that all attempts are merely a fulfillment of his obligation to make a hishtadlus; his trust must be placed completely in Hashem. On Yosef's high spiritual level, he was punished for placing his trust to a small degree in man.

Even when one plants a seed in the ground, he should be cognizant of the fact that it is Hashem Who causes the seed to sprout. The planting is an act of hishtadlus; the actual sprouting happens because Hashem decides to fulfill the farmer's desire and causes the tree to grow. Everything that happens in this world is solely because Hashem so wishes. Therefore, despite our obligation to make a hishtadlus, it is merely a hishtadlus, and it is in Hashem that we must place our complete trust.

154 - Vayishlach

The Ramban in his introduction to Parshas Vayishlach enumerates a number of lessons to be learned from the stories recounted in the parsha. "This parsha was written to publicize that Hashem saved His servant and redeemed him from a power mightier than him and sent an angel who rescued him. Additionally, it teaches us that Yaakov did not rely on his righteousness but rather attempted to save himself with all his resources ..." Rav Wolbe explains (Shiurei Chumash) that Hashem created the world in a way that it should run in accordance with the laws of nature. The Avos understood that if He so willed that the world operate in such a manner, they must act accordingly. Therefore, all their dealings with others were within the framework of these laws.

Yaakov didn't merely say, "Hashem you're in charge and please save us." He sent presents to his brother in an attempt to appease him, while preparing for war and the possibility that he might be overwhelmed and be forced to flee. He did everything in his power to save himself and his family, because he realized that it was incumbent upon him to do his share, and that this too is an aspect of avodas Hashem.

Toward the beginning of World War II, Rav Leib Malin urged all the bochurim in the Mirrer Yeshiva to flee to Japan despite the fact that there were many great people that were of a different opinion. Rav Yeruchom Levovitz had impressed upon him that one must not rely upon miracles, but rather do all possible to save oneself in a conventional manner. His advice was responsible for the survival of the Mirrer Yeshiva; all those who fled to Japan were saved from the horrors of the Holocaust.

Nevertheless, Yaakov also davened to Hashem to save him from his angry brother. His down to earth attempts to save his family were intertwined with a prayer to Hashem. Likewise, we find in Parshas Miketz, that Yaakov told his sons to prepare a present for the viceroy of Egypt in an attempt to appease him to free Shimon and Binyomin. He also added a prayer on their behalf: "And may Hashem grant you compassion" (Bereishis 43, 11). All one's endeavors must be complimented with a tefillah to Hashem. Even when one must take medication he is supposed to pray, "May it be [Your] will that this endeavor provide a cure for me" (Shulchan Aruch O.C. 230, 4).

Hashem created the world in a way that requires us to abide by the laws of nature. However, there is a danger that he who is successful in his endeavors might begin to think that it was his brains and brawn which brought him success. Although we must do all we can, we should not lose sight of Who really is in charge. We must also pray to Hashem to help us succeed, because hishtadlus and tefillah go hand in hand.

153 - Vayeitzei

"And Yaakov made a promise saying, 'If Hashem will be with me and watch over me on the path which I will take and give me food to eat and clothing to wear. And if I will return to my father's house in peace and Hashem will be for me a G-d - This stone that I have placed as a monument will be a house for Hashem...'" (Bereishis 28, 20-22).

Rav Wolbe (Shiurei Chumash) notes that in effect Yaakov was asking that Hashem watch over him with an extremely high level of Hashgacha Pratis. What justification did Yaakov have to ask for such special treatment from the Almighty? Rav Wolbe explains that Hashgacha Pratis works measure for measure in accordance with the amount of effort that a person puts into his avodas Hashem. The closer one gets to Hashem, the more acute the Divine Providence becomes. Hence, Yaakov wasn't merely asking for a free handout. He realized that he would need to reach a lofty level of spirituality for him to merit the ultimate Hashgacha Pratis - that Hashem dwell in an abode on earth. He was declaring that if he succeeded in reaching a high level of spirituality, Hashem would then reciprocate and "be with him", watch over him and take care of his physical needs. If this would happen, that would be his cue that he was successful in his endeavor. He would then be able to build his monument into a house for G-d, because by perfecting himself, he will have created a proper resting place to accommodate Hashem's Shechina here on earth.

Our forefathers merited constant Hashgacha Pratis in all of their dealings, because they made an effort to serve Hashem with every action. Moreover, they earned the ultimate Hashgacha Pratis when Hashem's Shechina rested upon them. They subjugated themselves entirely to Hashem and thereby merited that thrice daily we refer to Hashem as, "The G-d of Avraham, the G-d of Yitzchok and the G-d of Yaakov."

Nevertheless, this rule of Hashgacha Pratis is not limited to our Avos. It holds true for each and every one of us. As Chazal tell us, Hashem leads a person on the path he wishes to follow. For example, if one is extremely cautious with regard to his speech or his thoughts, Hashem will assist him not to transgress an aveirah in that area. The more of an effort that one makes in his avodah of the Divine, the more Divine Providence he merits.

We say in Tehillim (121), "Hashem is your shadow" - since He mimics our behavior. If we are vigilant in a certain area of avodas Hashem, Hashem helps us in that area. [There was a man who decided to take upon himself to be careful not to miss hearing the haftorah on Shabbos. One week he had to excuse himself and he missed hearing the haftorah. On his way home he was called into a minyan that needed a tenth man, because someone had stepped out in the middle. He entered to find them just about to commence the reading of the haftorah. As they finished, the original tenth man reappeared, and he was free to go home; the Hashgacha Pratis was clear.] Why not try it and see for yourself the special Hashgacha Pratis one merits when he puts in the extra effort in his avodas Hashem.

152 - Toldos

Rashi tells us that during Rivka's pregnancy she felt conflicting movements within her womb. When she passed by a place where Torah was studied, she would feel sensations as if the baby wanted to leave her stomach indicating that he was interested in spending his time learning Torah. On the other hand, when she passed by a house of idol worship, she would feel the very same sensations - implying a dramatically different way of life. Unsure of what to expect, Rivka went to the beis medresh of Sheim to find out what Hashem had in store for her. Hashem told Sheim to relay to Rivka that she is expecting twins, one will be righteous and the other wicked. Hence, the conflicting messages she has been receiving, since some of the movements are by one child while some are by the other.

After this inquiry we find no mention of any concern on Rivka's part. It would seem that she was reassured by Sheim's explanation. Rav Wolbe asks (Shiurei Chumash), shouldn't she have had more reason to be concerned, for now she knew that one of her children was going to grow up to be wicked? He explains that originally Rivka thought she was expecting only one child and she was afraid that he was schizophrenic - vacillating between serving Hashem and idol worship. Once she was informed that in reality she was expecting two children, one righteous and one wicked, she was able to come to terms with this knowledge because it is the normal way of the world - a constant struggle between good and evil.

The Mashgiach elaborates, when good and evil are mixed up into one entity, it is very difficult to overcome the evil. Even if one refrains from sinning for one reason or another, in most instances he has merely pushed the desire into his subconscious, only for it to resurface at a later date. When the evil is defined and isolated, one knows his enemy. It is easier to subdue his negative desires because he has a clear picture of what he is fighting. Hashem created the world in such a way that there is always a balance between the forces of good and evil and it is incumbent upon each person to choose good and overcome evil. However, if one is not sure as to what is really good and what is evil, he doesn't know what is expected of him, and he lacks the assertiveness to truly overcome those things he suspects are bad.

Our fight with the yetzer hara is a continuous and difficult battle. The very first step in this life-long struggle is defining the evil so that we have clarity in our mission. If one isn't sure when it is permissible to become angry and when it is forbidden, and in general has a hard time comprehending what is wrong with getting angry, he will have an even harder time overcoming this negative trait. The same holds true on all fronts of the war against the yetzer hara. The best way to defeat the enemy is to study a sefer that deals with the trait one wishes to rectify, thereby gaining the tools to define the enemy and vanquish him.

151 - Chaya Sara

When Sara Imeinu passed away, Avraham went to Bnei Cheis to purchase Me'aras Ha'Machpeila as a burial ground for his wife. After he bought the land from Efron, the Torah tells us, "And Efron's field "rose" ... as an acquisition of Avraham" (Bereishis 23, 17). Rashi explains that the field, so to speak, "ascended" when its ownership was transferred from a layman (Efron) to a king (Avraham). Rav Wolbe asks, (Shiurei Chumash) what difference does it make to the field who owns it? He explains as follows.

The Vilna Gaon on Megillas Esther (3, 13) writes that there are three mitzvos performed on the day of Purim - the reading of the Megilla, Mishloach Manos to complement the Seudah and Matanas L'evyonim - corresponding to the three components that comprise a person. The reading of the Megillah corresponds to his neshama, the Mishloach Manos to his body and Matanos L'evyonim to his material acquisitions. It is evident from this explanation that one's money and possessions are part and parcel of who he is. If so, we can understand the spiritual ascension of Me'aras Ha'Machpeila after it was purchased by Avraham. It had been an essential part of Efron and now it became an essential part of Avraham, the greatest person alive at the time.

Rav Wolbe elaborates that we tend to believe that we are in control of our money and we may do with it as we see fit. However, this is not a correct perception. Every dollar and every material acquisition was Heavenly ordained that it be placed in a person's possession, and he becomes a guardian of all that he owns. Therefore, he must appropriate his money properly and not act negligently with regard to his belongings. One who constantly spends his money on frivolities might very well be lacking in his emunah. Such a person shows that he does not believe that his money was given to him by Hashem with a specific purpose in mind.

The Torah relates a number of stories, which according to Chazal, demonstrate this idea. One such example is when Yaakov Avinu prepared his family in anticipation of their meeting with Eisav, and he crossed over a river with his family and all his belongings. However, he forgot some small vessels and he put himself in danger by going back to retrieve them. Yaakov acknowledged the fact that his money was G-d given and therefore, spent time and effort to retrieve seemingly trivial utensils.

All possessions are given to a person for a purpose. If he doesn't need it himself, then it was given to him to allocate to others who do need it. Just because one may have no use for an item, this does not permit him to act carelessly with it. One who shows care for his possessions has in effect displayed his emunah that the Creator gave him those belongings for a specific reason.

150 - Vayeira

The Gr"a says that the 613 mitzvos are merely the general commandments, because the specific details of each mitzva are endless. He proves this idea from the fact that many parshios in the Torah contain not even a single one of the 613 mitzvos. If we were not supposed to be gleaning details from these parshios with regard to the performance of mitzvos, for what purpose were they written? Rav Wolbe comments (Shiurei Chumash) that Parshas Vayeira is a case in point of this idea of the Vilna Gaon. Despite the fact that it contains not a single commandment, it contains a veritable "Shulchan Aruch" with regard to the area of chesed. Vayeira commences with recounting Avraham's extraordinary hachnasas orchim.

Despite Avraham's very advanced age and weak state of health, as he recovered from his circumcision, he nevertheless went out searching for guests in the scorching sun. When he finally spotted the G-d-sent angels in the guise of Arabs, he asked Hashem to put their conversation on hold(!) so that he could tend to his guests. He offered his guests merely bread, but then hurried to prepare them a gourmet meal: slaughtering three cows so that he could give each one the best cut of meat. Avraham didn't wait until the entire meal was prepared; as each dish was made he hurried to bring the food to his hungry visitors. He waited over them as they ate, and personally escorted them after they finished their meal.

However, the chesed mentioned in this week's parsha is not limited to Avraham i.e. the host. The Torah tells us that the angels asked Avraham, "Where is your wife Sarah?" to which he answered that she could be found inside the tent. Rashi points out that although the angels knew the whereabouts of Sarah, they asked Avraham so that he would appreciate his wife's modesty. It didn't make a difference that Avraham was nearly one hundred years old and had been married for over seventy years - a wife should always be endeared to her husband. This is chesed that pertains to a guest.

Moreover, the Torah reveals a chesed performed by Hashem Himself. After being informed that she would give birth to a child, Sarah laughed and questioned the possibility of such an event in light of the old age of Avraham. Hashem (the G-d of truth) repeated this conversation to Avraham - with a small change intended to preserve their marital harmony. Instead of relaying that Sarah said, "My husband is old" He stated that Sarah said, "I am old." Chazal derive from Hashem's remark that it is permissible to lie for the sake of making peace. When the intention is one of chesed, an untruth cannot be considered deceit.

Our second encounter with the chesed performed by Avraham comes in the wake of his being informed about the imminent destruction of the cities of Sodom and Amorah. Though the inhabitants were wicked, he was concerned about them and extended himself on their behalf by praying fervently for their survival. They were neither his colleagues nor his friends - he didn't even know them; they needed help and he did everything in his ability to save them.

If we take a minute to study this Shulchan Aruch of chesed, we will find many aspects that we can incorporate into our everyday lives. There is nothing loftier than helping another, there is almost never a situation where it is too difficult to perform chesed, and it is never beneath one's dignity to personally perform the kindness. The beneficiary deserves the very best treatment, without delay and every single person is a potential beneficiary - regardless of his greatness, age or social status. We have much to gain from an in depth study of the parsha - even one that contains none of the 613 commandments!

149 - Lech Lecha

People tend to believe that the earlier generations were less advanced than later, more cultured, generations. We know that for Jews there is a concept of yeridas hadoros - a continuous decline in their spiritual level as they get further away from Matan Torah. However, with regard to Non-Jews, people think that their spiritual level hasn't changed, and if anything, they have only advanced as the generations have moved along. Moreover, some claim, Non-Jews had no knowledge of G-d before the introduction of the religions of Christianity and Islam. Rav Wolbe (Shiurei Chumash) opens our eyes to a number of incidents in the Torah that prove the exact opposite. The earlier generations believed in Hashem to an extent unmatched by later generations.

In Parshas Vayeira (Bereishis 20, 2-8) the Torah relates that King Avimelech took Sarah as a wife - believing that she was Avraham's sister. Hashem came to Avimelech in a dream and warned him lest he touch Avraham's wife. Avimelech rose early in the morning and recounted his dream to his servants who all trembled in fear after hearing what happened. The very fact that Avimelech merited having Hashem speak to him in a dream is proof that he was on an extremely high spiritual level. Additionally, it could only be the fear of Heaven that propelled the king out of bed in the morning and caused his servants to quake in fright.

In addition, Rashi in this week's parsha (Bereishis 16, 1) tells us that Sarah's maidservant, Hagar, was the daughter of Par'oh - the most powerful ruler in the entire world. After beholding the miracles that occurred to Sarah, he sent his daughter off to work as a maid for this extraordinary woman. He declared, "It is better that my daughter be a maidservant in this household than she be a mistress in any other household!" It is doubtful, to say the least, that in our day and age the President of the United States would send his daughter to work in the home of the Gadol Hador!

What caused Par'oh to make such a remarkable statement? The Torah recounts the amazing events that led up to Par'oh's declaration. Due to a famine in the land of Cana'an, Avraham traveled with his wife Sarah to Egypt - the land of plenty. Upon beholding Sarah's beauty, the Egyptians seized her for they felt she would be an appropriate wife for Par'oh. As a result, Hashem brought terrible afflictions upon Par'oh and his family. The Ramban explains that Par'oh contemplated the cause of his suffering until he came to the realization that it was due to the abduction of Sarah. Hence, he scolded Avraham, "Why didn't you tell me that she was your wife?" Par'oh fulfilled Chazal's dictum, "When one begins to suffer he should examine his actions [to determine the cause of his suffering]."

The Mashgiach adds that we are a little too lax in examining our actions. When one catches a cold or virus he immediately attributes it to some phenomenon. Instead he should take a few moments to reflect on what has happened: "Who caused this, and why did it happen?" A minute of introspection might reveal some action that should have been avoided. One can't know for sure if it was that, which was the cause of his suffering, but regardless, it will motivate him to improve in the future.