Monday, January 2, 2012

Shalosh Sheudos - Rav Moshe Weinberger - Parshas Vayigash 5772

Dr. Efrayim Nudman has graced us once again with a write-up of Rav Moshe Weinberger's Torah from Shalosh Sheudos at Aish Kodesh this Shabbos, parshas Vayigash. You can see past write-ups of Rav Weinberger's Shalosh Sheudos Torahs here and get thousands of his shiurim in mp3 format at ravmosheweinberger.com.
Rav Moshe Weinberger
Shalosh Seudos Drasha Parashas Vayigash 5772

 (Original text of the Ksav Sofer is in regular font. Rav Weinberger’s comments are in italics)

Writes the Ksav Sofer on the pasuk (Bereshit45:15) "וַיְנַשֵּׁק לְכָל-אֶחָיו, וַיֵּבְךְּ עֲלֵהֶם""And he kissed all his brethren, and wept over them".

“The midrash (רבה לג,יג) says that just like Yosef was not consoled with his brothers but through his crying, so Am Yisroelis not going to be redeemed but with their crying. Like it says in Yirmiahu(31:8) "בִּבְכִי יָבֹאוּ,וּבְתַחֲנוּנִים אוֹבִילֵם""They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them".
And according tomy humble understanding as I've explained in other places what the pasuk says in Tehillim (90:15) “שַׂמְּחֵנוּ, כִּימוֹת עִנִּיתָנוּ:   שְׁנוֹת, רָאִינוּ רָעָה”“Make us glad according to the days where You afflicted us, according to theyears where we have seen evil” is that because of  the length of our Galus we have lost the feeling for the good that we had. We have lost our memory and we don't even know what we are missing anymore, and we can't even cry about our loss.”

We don’t even understand what we dont’ have without moshiach. We don’t understand what the Tzura of a Yid should be, whatklal Yisroel should look like.

“But when we will return to our land (with the complete redemption) we willbe able to see with our own eyes what we've been missing all these years.”

At that moment when Hashem will reveal himself to us we will be able to understand it.
“Then our eyes will fill with tears over our loss for all these years and so many generations. And "בִּבְכִי יָבֹאוּ" means that there will be a crying of great joy and at the same time a crying of sorrow and grief over the past as we said.”

Every year in Tisha B’Av we talk about how we can’t even understand what it means to live without Nevuah, without a BaisHa Mikdash, what our lives are missing.

“We see that when Yosef was sold to slavery he was greatly distressed over being separated from his brothers and father. But over time he started forgetting about it. And he called his son Menashe "מְנַשֶּׁה: כִּי-נַשַּׁנִי אֱלֹהִים” “for G’dhas made me forget”.

But when he revealed himself to his brothers he was upset and crying over being separated from such Holy Tzaddikim for so many years. And this is what it says in the Midrash "just like Yosef revealed himself to his brothers weeping, so Klal Yisroel will return weeping”. And it seems to me that this is why it says"and Yosef cried over them"and not that they cried over him.Because they where always crying. Like it says later (Bereshit 43:34) "וַיִּשְׁתּוּ וַיִּשְׁכְּרוּ,עִמּוֹ" "And they drank, and were merry with him". Rashi explains that before that they didn't drink because they were mourning their separation from him. But Yosef wasn't crying before, only at that moment he cried over the past.

The same way in the future "with weeping" of sorrow and joy "they will return" and "with supplications I will lead them". That's how we will be gathered by Hashem, may it be speedily in our days.”

Chazal says about Parshas Vayigash, about the moment of truth when Yosef reveals himself to the brothers: says AbaBardela HaCohen  "ווי לנו מיום הדין, ווי לנו מיום התוכחה” “Woe to us for the day of Judgement, Woe to us for the day of rebuke”At that time when Hashem will reveal himself we will be judged “כפי שהוא ” according to what each one is.

The Chafetz chaim brings a Mashal about the days when armies would go around and come to a village and they would stay in local houses. In the small ones they would put up a soldier or two. But in the big mansions they would set up the general and all the officers. Once it came to pass that an army went through a town and the general and his whole officer corps showed up at the mansion of a wealthy man. The assistant to the general knocked on the the door and when the owner opened and saw them all standing there he complained “how come by my neighbor you put up only one soldier while all these people are coming to me. So the assistant explained “how can you compare yourself to your neighbor? he only has a very small house while you live in this huge mansion.”

That same way when we will be judged by Hashem and will be told “why didn’t you finish Sha’s?” We will also ask “whythe person before us was just asked if he finished Chumash with Rashi, and I’mbeing asked if I finished the whole Sha’s?” And the answer will be that each one is judged according to their own Kochos and their own potential. And we will be able to see with all clarity what our potential was like, what we could have done, and how we did compared to that. Tears will be shed over the years wasted not using our G’d given talents to serve Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Only then will we be able to move forward to serve Hashem with true joy and a full heart.

Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

ashrecha!

Ari said...

Is there any possibility we can make a new website for Rav Weinberger's written torahs?

something that would have a separate page for an index so it would be very easy to navigate