Below, please find a write-up of Rav Weinberger's Shabbos morning drasha from this Shabbos, Parshas Vayigash. See here for past write-ups. Also, thousands of Rav Weinberger's shiurim are available online HERE.
There are many surprising things about the reunion between Yosef and his brothers in this weeks parsha, which is one of the most dramatic episodes in all of Tanach. One of the fascinating aspects of the reunion is the meeting of Yosef and Binyomin when they finally meet after so many years. The pasuk says (Bereishis 45:14), “וַיִּפֹּל עַל צַוְּארֵי בִנְיָמִן אָחִיו וַיֵּבְךְּ וּבִנְיָמִן בָּכָה עַל צַוָּארָיו,” “and [Yosef] fell on his brother Binyomin’s neck and he cried, and Binyomin cried on his neck.” Why does the pasuk focus on the fact that Yosef and Binyomin cried on each other’s necks specifically?
Rashi explains that Yosef cried on Binyomin’s neck “על שני מקדשות שעתידין להיות בחלקו של בנימין וסופן ליחרב,” “for the two Temples which will be built in the portion [of Eretz Yisroel] belonging to Binyomin and which will ultimately be destroyed,” and that Binyomin cried on Yosef’s neck “על משכן שילה שעתיד להיות בחלקו של יוסף וסופו ליחרב,” “for the Tabernacle in Shilo which will be in the portion [of Eretz Yisroel] belonging to Yosef and which will ultimately be destroyed.”
It appears then that when the Torah compares the Beis Hamikdash to the neck, such that when it says that someone is crying on someone’s neck, it means that he is crying over the Beis Hamikdash. We see this in the pasuk in Shir Hashirim (4:4), “כְּמִגְדַּל דָּוִיד צַוָּארֵךְ בָּנוּי לְתַלְפִּיּוֹת,” “Your neck is like the tower of David built with turrets.” Chazal (Medrash Raba Shir Hashirim 4:11) explain that this pasuk compares the Beis Hamikdash to the צואר, the neck.
The most obvious reason why Chazal compare the Beis Hamikdash to the neck is that the neck connects the higher part of the person, the mind, with the lower parts of the person, the rest of the body. Similarly, the Beis Hamikdash connects the upper world to this world. We can, however, offer an additional explanation.
The Gemara in Yuma 12a says that “מה היה בחלקו של יהודה הר הבית הלשכות והעזרות ומה היה בחלקו של בנימין אולם והיכל ובית קדשי הקדשים ,” “What was in Yehuda’s portion? The Temple mount, the offices, and the courtyards [including the מזבח, the alter]. And what was in Binyomin’s portion? The Antechamber, the Holy, and the Holy of Holies.” Why did only Binyomin and Yehuda merit to have the Beis Hamikdash built in their portions of Eretz Yisroel?
The most well known reason is that given by the Medrash that Binyomin was the only one of the brothers who did not bow down to Eisav because he had not yet been born when Yaakov and his children met Eisav and bowed down to him. According to Reb Yerucham Levovitz, the Beis Hamikdash cannot be built with the attitude that we must bow to the desires of the nations of the world.
There is another explanation as well. According to another Medrash (Yalkut Shimoni V’Zos Habracha Remez 957), “מפני מה זכה בנימן שתשרה שכינה בחלקו, שכל השבטים היו במכירתו של יוסף ובנימן לא היה במכירתו של יוסף, אמר הקב"ה אני אומר לאלו שיבנו בית הבחירה לא שיהיו מתפללין לפני ואני (מבקש) [מתמלא] עליהן רחמים, איני משרה שכינתי בחלקן שלא היו רחמנים על אחייהם.,” “Why did Binyomin merit that the Divine Presence dwelt in his portion [of Eretz Yisroel]? All of the brothers were involved in the sale of Yosef, but Binyomin was not involved in the sale of Yosef. The Holy One Blessed be He says: I say to those who will build the Beis Hamikdash, is it not so that they will pray to me and I will fulfill their requests with mercy?! I will therefore not allow My Divine Presence to dwell in the portion of those who did not show mercy to their brother.” See also Yalkut Shimoni Yisro Remez 284.
The Beis Hamikdash serves a duel function which can explain both the comparison of the Beis Hamikdash to the “neck” and why the Beis Hamikdash must be built in the portions of Binyomin and Yehuda.
The neck has a duel function. As those who recently learned Chullin in Daf Yomi know, the two primary סמנים, organs in the neck are the קנה and the וושט, the trachea and the esophagus. Just like the Beis Hamikdash, the trachea serves the מלמטה למעלה, below-to-above function by bringing a person’s words of תפילה, prayer from within himself to Hashem. And the esophagus serves the מלמעלה למטה, the above-to-below function by bringing the food, Hashem’s blessing, into the person’s body.
Similarly, the Beis Hamikdash serves as a medium for מלמטה למעלה, from below-to-above, as the conduit through which our תפילות, our prayers ascend to שמים, the heavens. As the pasuk in Divrei Hayamim 2:6:32, says “וּבָאוּ וְהִתְפַּלְלוּ אֶל-הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה,” “and they will come to this house [the Beis Hamikdash] to pray.” That is also why the Beis Hamikdash is called a תל תלפיותת (Shir Hashirim 4:4), which literally means “built with turrets.” The Medrash (Yalkut Shimoni Melachim 1, Remez 184) explains that pasuk as follows: “בנוי לתלפיות תל שכל פיות פונות אליו ומתפללים ,” “[The Beis Hamikdash is called] 'בנוי לתלפיות,’ built of “,תלפיות” because it is built on a mountain [תל] to which all mouths [פיות] turn in prayer.”
The Beis Hamikdash also serves as the conduit through which Hashem responds to our requests with רחמים, mercy, מלמעלה למטה, from above-to-below. As the pasuk in Tehillim 133:3 says about the Beis Hamikdash, “כְּטַל-חֶרְמוֹן שֶׁיֹּרֵד עַל-הַרְרֵי צִיּוֹןכִּי שָׁם צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת-הַבְּרָכָה חַיִּים עַד-הָעוֹלָם,” that the Har Hermon is compared to the Har Tzion [the place where the Beis Hamikdash is located] because it is the place where blessing and eternal life descends into the world. It is therefore compared to the צואר, the neck, which also serves a below-to-above and above-to-below function.
The Gemara in Shabbos 151b teaches us that “כל המרחם על הבריות מרחמין עליו מן השמים וכל שאינו מרחם על הבריות אין מרחמין עליו מן השמים ,” “anyone who has mercy on other people is shown mercy from heaven, and anyone who does not show mercy for others is not shown mercy from heaven.” In other words, when someone hears others’ cries and has mercy on them, Hashem hears his prayers and has mercy on him when he requests it. Conversely, when someone turns a deaf ear to the suffering of others, Hashem turns a deaf ear, so to speak, to his prayers and cries for mercy. The Beis Hamikdash, the place where all prayers ascend to heaven, must therefore be built on the portion of those brothers who showed mercy to others. The majority of the brothers were disqualified because, as they themselves said (Bereishis 42:20), “אֲבָל אֲשֵׁמִים אֲנַחְנוּ עַל-אָחִינוּ אֲשֶׁר רָאִינוּ צָרַת נַפְשׁוֹ בְּהִתְחַנְנוֹ אֵלֵינוּ וְלֹא שָׁמָעְנוּ,” “indeed we are guilty regarding our brother whose suffering we saw as he begged us for mercy and we did not listen.”
Only Binyomin qualified to have the Beis Hamikdash built on his portion of Eretz Yisroel because he was not involved in the sale of Yosef and showed great mercy to Yosef by giving his children names which caused him to recall Yosef’s suffering. See Rashi on Bereishis 43:30. As the Yalkut we quoted above said, Hashem will not allow the Beis Hamikdash, where Hashem’s mercy is meant to descend into the world, be built on the portion of those who did not have mercy on their brother.
Yehuda also had part of the Beis Hamikdash built on his portion of Eretz Yisroel because he also showed a measure of mercy when he convinced the other brothers to sell Yosef rather than kill him. In addition, he showed mercy for Binyomin when he took responsibility to bring him back to their father Yaakov. He also showed מסירות נפש, self-sacrifice, by giving up his life in this world an in the next for Binyomin’s sake. Perhaps this is why he merited that the עזרה, the courtyard, which contained the alter where sacrifices were brought, was built on his portion of Eretz Yisroel. Because he showed self-sacrifice, he merited to have the מזבח, the alter whose whole essence is sacrifice, built on his portion.
We can see an important message for the chossan and kallah from this understanding. According to the Gemara in Sota 17a, “איש ואשה זכו שכינה ביניהן ,” “if a man and woman merit, the Divine Presence dwells between them.” The goal of a chosson and kallah is to build their home into a מקדש מעט, a little Beis Hamikdash. But as the Gemara says, not every single home merits to be one in which the Divine Presence dwells. It is only if the couple is זוכה. What must people do to merit that the שכינה, the Divine Presence in their home? They must be people who listen to and have mercy on others.
It is very easy for even spiritual people to become caught up in their own world and not listen to what is happening with others. Hashem says, however, that He only dwells with those who listen. A husband and wife must therefore also listen to one another. When a chosson and kallah listen to each other and to the pain of others, then they will merit to build a little Beis Hamikdash in their homes in which Hashem’s Presence will dwell.
אם ירצה ה', we should all be זוכה, merit, to listen to and have mercy on others so that “עוד ישמע בערי יהודה ובחוצות ירושלים קול ששון וקול שמחה קול חתן וקול כלה ,” it will be heard in Yehuda and in the open places of Yerushalayim the sound of the joy of the chosson and kallah בגאולה שלמה ואמיתית במהרה בימינו אמן.
Rav Moshe Weinberger
Parshas Vayigash 5772
Listening
I would like to wish a mazel tov to Yehudit and Aharon, the chosson and kallah, as well as to their parents, grandparents and their entire families. Everything that I say this morning is meant בתורת ברכה, as a blessing for the chosson and kallah.There are many surprising things about the reunion between Yosef and his brothers in this weeks parsha, which is one of the most dramatic episodes in all of Tanach. One of the fascinating aspects of the reunion is the meeting of Yosef and Binyomin when they finally meet after so many years. The pasuk says (Bereishis 45:14), “וַיִּפֹּל עַל צַוְּארֵי בִנְיָמִן אָחִיו וַיֵּבְךְּ וּבִנְיָמִן בָּכָה עַל צַוָּארָיו,” “and [Yosef] fell on his brother Binyomin’s neck and he cried, and Binyomin cried on his neck.” Why does the pasuk focus on the fact that Yosef and Binyomin cried on each other’s necks specifically?
Rashi explains that Yosef cried on Binyomin’s neck “על שני מקדשות שעתידין להיות בחלקו של בנימין וסופן ליחרב,” “for the two Temples which will be built in the portion [of Eretz Yisroel] belonging to Binyomin and which will ultimately be destroyed,” and that Binyomin cried on Yosef’s neck “על משכן שילה שעתיד להיות בחלקו של יוסף וסופו ליחרב,” “for the Tabernacle in Shilo which will be in the portion [of Eretz Yisroel] belonging to Yosef and which will ultimately be destroyed.”
It appears then that when the Torah compares the Beis Hamikdash to the neck, such that when it says that someone is crying on someone’s neck, it means that he is crying over the Beis Hamikdash. We see this in the pasuk in Shir Hashirim (4:4), “כְּמִגְדַּל דָּוִיד צַוָּארֵךְ בָּנוּי לְתַלְפִּיּוֹת,” “Your neck is like the tower of David built with turrets.” Chazal (Medrash Raba Shir Hashirim 4:11) explain that this pasuk compares the Beis Hamikdash to the צואר, the neck.
The most obvious reason why Chazal compare the Beis Hamikdash to the neck is that the neck connects the higher part of the person, the mind, with the lower parts of the person, the rest of the body. Similarly, the Beis Hamikdash connects the upper world to this world. We can, however, offer an additional explanation.
The Gemara in Yuma 12a says that “מה היה בחלקו של יהודה הר הבית הלשכות והעזרות ומה היה בחלקו של בנימין אולם והיכל ובית קדשי הקדשים ,” “What was in Yehuda’s portion? The Temple mount, the offices, and the courtyards [including the מזבח, the alter]. And what was in Binyomin’s portion? The Antechamber, the Holy, and the Holy of Holies.” Why did only Binyomin and Yehuda merit to have the Beis Hamikdash built in their portions of Eretz Yisroel?
The most well known reason is that given by the Medrash that Binyomin was the only one of the brothers who did not bow down to Eisav because he had not yet been born when Yaakov and his children met Eisav and bowed down to him. According to Reb Yerucham Levovitz, the Beis Hamikdash cannot be built with the attitude that we must bow to the desires of the nations of the world.
There is another explanation as well. According to another Medrash (Yalkut Shimoni V’Zos Habracha Remez 957), “מפני מה זכה בנימן שתשרה שכינה בחלקו, שכל השבטים היו במכירתו של יוסף ובנימן לא היה במכירתו של יוסף, אמר הקב"ה אני אומר לאלו שיבנו בית הבחירה לא שיהיו מתפללין לפני ואני (מבקש) [מתמלא] עליהן רחמים, איני משרה שכינתי בחלקן שלא היו רחמנים על אחייהם.,” “Why did Binyomin merit that the Divine Presence dwelt in his portion [of Eretz Yisroel]? All of the brothers were involved in the sale of Yosef, but Binyomin was not involved in the sale of Yosef. The Holy One Blessed be He says: I say to those who will build the Beis Hamikdash, is it not so that they will pray to me and I will fulfill their requests with mercy?! I will therefore not allow My Divine Presence to dwell in the portion of those who did not show mercy to their brother.” See also Yalkut Shimoni Yisro Remez 284.
The Beis Hamikdash serves a duel function which can explain both the comparison of the Beis Hamikdash to the “neck” and why the Beis Hamikdash must be built in the portions of Binyomin and Yehuda.
The neck has a duel function. As those who recently learned Chullin in Daf Yomi know, the two primary סמנים, organs in the neck are the קנה and the וושט, the trachea and the esophagus. Just like the Beis Hamikdash, the trachea serves the מלמטה למעלה, below-to-above function by bringing a person’s words of תפילה, prayer from within himself to Hashem. And the esophagus serves the מלמעלה למטה, the above-to-below function by bringing the food, Hashem’s blessing, into the person’s body.
Similarly, the Beis Hamikdash serves as a medium for מלמטה למעלה, from below-to-above, as the conduit through which our תפילות, our prayers ascend to שמים, the heavens. As the pasuk in Divrei Hayamim 2:6:32, says “וּבָאוּ וְהִתְפַּלְלוּ אֶל-הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה,” “and they will come to this house [the Beis Hamikdash] to pray.” That is also why the Beis Hamikdash is called a תל תלפיותת (Shir Hashirim 4:4), which literally means “built with turrets.” The Medrash (Yalkut Shimoni Melachim 1, Remez 184) explains that pasuk as follows: “בנוי לתלפיות תל שכל פיות פונות אליו ומתפללים ,” “[The Beis Hamikdash is called] 'בנוי לתלפיות,’ built of “,תלפיות” because it is built on a mountain [תל] to which all mouths [פיות] turn in prayer.”
The Beis Hamikdash also serves as the conduit through which Hashem responds to our requests with רחמים, mercy, מלמעלה למטה, from above-to-below. As the pasuk in Tehillim 133:3 says about the Beis Hamikdash, “כְּטַל-חֶרְמוֹן שֶׁיֹּרֵד עַל-הַרְרֵי צִיּוֹןכִּי שָׁם צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת-הַבְּרָכָה חַיִּים עַד-הָעוֹלָם,” that the Har Hermon is compared to the Har Tzion [the place where the Beis Hamikdash is located] because it is the place where blessing and eternal life descends into the world. It is therefore compared to the צואר, the neck, which also serves a below-to-above and above-to-below function.
The Gemara in Shabbos 151b teaches us that “כל המרחם על הבריות מרחמין עליו מן השמים וכל שאינו מרחם על הבריות אין מרחמין עליו מן השמים ,” “anyone who has mercy on other people is shown mercy from heaven, and anyone who does not show mercy for others is not shown mercy from heaven.” In other words, when someone hears others’ cries and has mercy on them, Hashem hears his prayers and has mercy on him when he requests it. Conversely, when someone turns a deaf ear to the suffering of others, Hashem turns a deaf ear, so to speak, to his prayers and cries for mercy. The Beis Hamikdash, the place where all prayers ascend to heaven, must therefore be built on the portion of those brothers who showed mercy to others. The majority of the brothers were disqualified because, as they themselves said (Bereishis 42:20), “אֲבָל אֲשֵׁמִים אֲנַחְנוּ עַל-אָחִינוּ אֲשֶׁר רָאִינוּ צָרַת נַפְשׁוֹ בְּהִתְחַנְנוֹ אֵלֵינוּ וְלֹא שָׁמָעְנוּ,” “indeed we are guilty regarding our brother whose suffering we saw as he begged us for mercy and we did not listen.”
Only Binyomin qualified to have the Beis Hamikdash built on his portion of Eretz Yisroel because he was not involved in the sale of Yosef and showed great mercy to Yosef by giving his children names which caused him to recall Yosef’s suffering. See Rashi on Bereishis 43:30. As the Yalkut we quoted above said, Hashem will not allow the Beis Hamikdash, where Hashem’s mercy is meant to descend into the world, be built on the portion of those who did not have mercy on their brother.
Yehuda also had part of the Beis Hamikdash built on his portion of Eretz Yisroel because he also showed a measure of mercy when he convinced the other brothers to sell Yosef rather than kill him. In addition, he showed mercy for Binyomin when he took responsibility to bring him back to their father Yaakov. He also showed מסירות נפש, self-sacrifice, by giving up his life in this world an in the next for Binyomin’s sake. Perhaps this is why he merited that the עזרה, the courtyard, which contained the alter where sacrifices were brought, was built on his portion of Eretz Yisroel. Because he showed self-sacrifice, he merited to have the מזבח, the alter whose whole essence is sacrifice, built on his portion.
We can see an important message for the chossan and kallah from this understanding. According to the Gemara in Sota 17a, “איש ואשה זכו שכינה ביניהן ,” “if a man and woman merit, the Divine Presence dwells between them.” The goal of a chosson and kallah is to build their home into a מקדש מעט, a little Beis Hamikdash. But as the Gemara says, not every single home merits to be one in which the Divine Presence dwells. It is only if the couple is זוכה. What must people do to merit that the שכינה, the Divine Presence in their home? They must be people who listen to and have mercy on others.
It is very easy for even spiritual people to become caught up in their own world and not listen to what is happening with others. Hashem says, however, that He only dwells with those who listen. A husband and wife must therefore also listen to one another. When a chosson and kallah listen to each other and to the pain of others, then they will merit to build a little Beis Hamikdash in their homes in which Hashem’s Presence will dwell.
אם ירצה ה', we should all be זוכה, merit, to listen to and have mercy on others so that “עוד ישמע בערי יהודה ובחוצות ירושלים קול ששון וקול שמחה קול חתן וקול כלה ,” it will be heard in Yehuda and in the open places of Yerushalayim the sound of the joy of the chosson and kallah בגאולה שלמה ואמיתית במהרה בימינו אמן.
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