Rabbi Yishocher Frand's insights...
A Unique Application of the Law of "Keifel" (Double)After Leah's 6 sons are born (plus 2 from her handmaiden), the pasuk says, "And afterwards she had a daughter and she called her name Dena" [Bereshis 30:21]. Rashi, alluding to a Talmudic statement [Brochos 60a] notes: Our Rabbis explained that Leah (who knew prophetically that Yaakov was going to have 12 sons) made the calculation that if she had another son now (which would have been Yaakov's 11th son), then her sister Rochel would only be able to be the mother of one son, less than even the handmaidens (who were each mothers of two tribes). Leah issued a judgment (din) against herself, so to speak, that the child she was carrying should be a girl not a boy. In other words, the pasuk is to be interpreted "After Leah prayed that her fetus should be changed from male to female, indeed her prayer was answered and a daughter was born."
The Tiferes Torah from Rav Shimshon Pinkus, z"l, offers the following insight on this Rashi. There is a saying in the world "No good deed goes unpunished". That may be true as far as people are concerned, but regarding the Master of the Universe, on the contrary, "No good deed goes unrewarded." Leah, as we see from the earlier pasukim, was very anxious to be mother of as many Tribes as possible. It was a source of great merit to be the matriarch of many tribes in Israel. Here she forfeits the opportunity to be the mother of an additional tribe. This was a tremendous sacrifice on her part, considering how important this was to her.
As we all know, Dena was violated later on in life. The Yalkut states that she became pregnant as a result of that incident and gave birth to a baby daughter named Osnas -- the very same girl who years later was given by Pharaoh to Yosef as a wife. Yosef had two sons with Osnas: Ephraim and Menashe, who each on their own became an independent Tribe of Israel. Thus, if Leah was not the "mother" of the additional one tribe (Yosef) – she at least became the grandmother of these two additional tribes.
Rav Shimshon Pinkus makes the following comment: If one secretly steals something from someone, he has to pay back double. Here we see a case where someone secretly gave something to someone (Leah gave the right to be the mother of an additional tribe to Rochel) and she received back double (she herself was the grandmother of two additional tribes!)
Giving thanks for receiving "More Than I Deserve". What?!
Upon the birth of Yehuda the pasuk says: "She conceived again, and bore a son and said, 'This time I will give thanks to Hashem...'" [Bereshis 29:35]. Rashi comments: "Now that I have four sons – now that I took more than my share, now I have to give thanks."
This is a troubling Rashi. The implication is that we only need to thank Hashem when we get MORE than we deserve! Do we "deserve" anything? Why should we not thank Hashem for whatever we get? G-d did not sign a contract with anyone. We need to thank Him for every breath of life we are privileged to inhale.
There is another difficulty with this Rashi. The Talmud states [Brachos 7b] that from the day G-d created the world, no one came and thanked Him for anything until Leah came and thanked Him when she named her fourth son Yehuda, as it is written "This time I will thank Hashem." What does this mean? Does the pasuk not say that Eliezer bowed down when he found an appropriate wife for Yitzchak?
We say in the Al HaNissim that we are duty-bound to thank Hashem for the miracles and for the salvation and for the mighty deeds and for the wars. This is strange. We have already thanked Him for the salvation and the victories. It sounds like the intent of the prayer is that we are thanking G-d as well for the wars themselves. Why would that be the case?
I saw the following observation in the Sefer Heima Yenachamuni (by Rabbi Yitzchak Menachem Weinberg of Jerusalem, the Tolner Rebbe). The Talmud discusses [Shabbas 13b] the authorship of Megilas Taanis, which transcribed dates of Jewish historical salvation. In earlier times, these dates had the status of pseudo holidays on which it was forbidden to fast or give eulogies. The Gemara attributes the authorship to Chananya ben Chizkiya and his colleagues "because they loved tzaros [troubles]".
Now, who have we ever met who loves tzaros? Rashi explains that what is meant is they celebrated the miracle which allowed their salvation from the troubles. It was the miracle which was dear to them because it allowed them to mention the praises of the Holy One Blessed Be He. The troubles brought them to the appreciation that G-d was watching over them and He redeemed them from their tzaros. But according to Rashi it is still a bit problematic: Is that not then a misnomer? We should not say they "love the tzaros." We should say they love the redemption from tzaros!
The Sefas Emes in Tractate Shabbos interprets that "love the tzaros" means that if a person can make a simcha [celebration] after he has a tzarah [misfortune], it demonstrates that he sees the Hand of G-d even in the troubles. If a person, Heaven forbid, is terribly sick and then has a miraculous recovery and makes a party to celebrate -- what is the nature of that celebration? After all, what is there to celebrate – is it not better that he should not have been sick in the first place so that he would not have needed the "miraculous recovery?" If one can make a simcha and celebrate the fact that (a) he was in the state of danger and (b) he was saved from it, demonstrates the person has the faith that somehow even the danger was for his own good. This is a very high spiritual level – to see the Hand of G-d even in the troubles one encounters in life.
This is the intent of the Gemara. Chananya ben Chizkiya and his friends could write a book (Megillas Tanis) about all the troubles the Jewish people faced throughout the generations and their salvation from them and consider the whole book to be a book of praises of the Almighty. They were on such a high spiritual level that they could actually even appreciate the "tzaros" as being part of G-d's Divine Plan and manifesting His love for us.
The same is the message of adding the words "v'al haMilchomos" [and upon the wars] to the list of praises we utter in the "Al HaNissim" [upon the miracles] insertion into our prayers. We can e ven see the Hand of G-d and His Goodness to us in the wars that led up to our salvation.
This was the innovative novelty of Leah our Matriarch. Sure, there were people in history who preceded her in thanking the Almighty. Noach, Avraham, and Eliezer all expressed gratitude to Hashem. But Leah saw that she had been "senuah" [literally: hated by her husband] and now she was given a fourth son and clearly had achieved a preeminent role as matriarch of the Jewish nation as a result of G-d's pity for her. On this occasion, she expressed gratitude to Hashem even for the trials and tribulations of being an unappreciated wife. When she had Yehuda, she perceived that her earlier second class citizenship was ultimately for her good and it allowed her to merit having something that no other wife had – a fourth son of Yaakov.
We can now appreciate the author of this teaching: Rav Yochanan in the name of Rav Shimon bar Yochai. Rav Shimon bar Yochai has a history. He was a d isciple of Rabbi Akiva who taught "All that the Almighty does is for the best" (kol mai d'Avid Rachmana l'Tava avid). Rabbi Akiva had this uncanny ability to –- no matter what happened –- to see the good. When he saw foxes running out of the area of the Holy of Holies, when all his colleagues were crying, he laughed. He saw the silver lining in the sight he was witnessing. [Makkos 24b]. As a Rebbi, Rabbi Akiva was successful in giving over to his disciples this ability to see that all that Hashem does is for the best.
When Rav Shimon ben Yochai (the disciple of Rabbi Akiva) spoke out against the Roman Government, he had to go into hiding in a cave. His study partner Rav Meir was made Rosh Yeshiva and he was not. The Holy Ari says that Rav Shimon ben Yochai suffered his whole life and that is why he can make the statement [Sanhedrin 97b] that his suffering could atone for the sins of the whole world from the beginning of creation until his own time.
It is this R av Shimon ben Yochai who appreciates the fact that there was no one in the world who expressed thanksgiving to the Almighty until Leah thanked Him after the birth of her fourth child. He had an affinity for a person who could thank G-d for the tzaros [troubles] they endured in their life. Leah was such a person and it was her great, great grandson through Yehuda, Dovid HaMelech [King David], who also had a life filled with suffering, but who could himself say, "Also when I walk in the shadow of death, I will fear no evil because You are with me." [Tehillim 23:4] The whole volume of Tehillim describes the toil and turmoil he faced at every turn in his life, yet it is filled with praise and thanksgiving to the Almighty.
This is the approach of Rav Shimon ben Yochai. Not everyone merits having such an attitude. It is easier said than done, but it is a level of spirituality to which we must aspire.
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Topic: Video Study for Parasha Vayeitzei : Yaakovs Ladder and more (Read 2820 times)