Parshas Veyeishev/Shabbos Chanukah
Rabbi Hillel Brody
In the first essay in the series “Shemiras Halashon in the Parsha,” we mentioned the inspiration for such a series. The Chofetz Chaim, in several of his Seforim on Shemiras Haloshon, points out that the content of our speech is of such great significance that there are sources and references to the concept in a majority of the Parshiyos of the Torah. He goes on to enumerate many of those references, Parsha by Parsha. Although the Chofetz Chaim doesn’t mention a reference in every single Parsha, given the intensity of the time we were facing on October 8th, and which we are still facing today, and knowing that Shemiras Halashon and the ensuing Sholom and Achdus are imperative for the safety and salvation of Klal Yisroel, I set out to share the ideas of the Chofetz Chaim. I even dared to add to the Chofetz Chaim’s work, intending to find some idea connected to Shemiras Halashon, even if perhaps a bit obscure, in every single Parsha. So far, so good.
Parshas Vayeishev is unique even in the Chofetz Chaim’s list. The lessons to be learned from the challenging story of Yosef and his brothers are so numerous that the Chofetz Chaim dedicates two entire chapters to this Parsha. I will not share every one of his points, but let us start from the most obvious:
ויבא יוסף את דבתם רעה אל אביהם (בראשית ל"ז:ב)
“And Yosef brought bad reports (of his brothers) to their father.” (Bereishis 37:2)
There are many difficult questions in the dealings between Yosef and his brothers, and Yosef’s actions here are one of them. On a superficial level, or perhaps when taught to children, we might get the sense of some kind of naughty little tattle-tale, perhaps trying to get out of the shadow of his illustrious older brothers and gain favor in the eyes of his father. However, that is obviously completely incorrect. Granted that Yosef was a relative youngster of 17, but he was also the primary Torah student of Yaakov Avinu. He certainly was extremely well versed in the laws of Lashon Hara. We simply cannot interpret this as being a meaningless story of a petulant kid brother. What was actually going on? And, what are we, as relatively mature adults, meant to learn from Yosef’s mistake?
In an unrelated anomaly, this Parsha is being read on Shabbos Chanukah; almost always it is Parshas Mikeitz which is read on Shabbos Chanukah. While I am not in the habit of divining the reasons why Hashem has things fall out the way they do, let me share a Chanukah insight which may shed some light on at least part of the Yosef narrative.
It struck me this year, for the first time, that Chanukah is perhaps the only Chag which does not have a clear reference to the importance of Achdus and Bein Adam L’chaveiro. I never thought of this before, and it frankly seems very strange. Knowing the centrality of Achdus to Judaism, how could it be that there is a Yom Tov, Chanukah, which has nothing to do with Achdus? ( Full disclosure: I had an ulterior motive this year, in that I wanted to connect Shemiras Halashon in Parshas Vayeishev to Chanukah. Nevertheless, I daresay it is a fair question.)
Fortunately, Rav Yerucham Olshin, Shlit”a, a Rosh Yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha, does have one beautiful essay in which he discusses the role of Bein Adam L’chaveiro in Chanukah. Allow me to share a brief synopsis.
The Shulchan Aruch commentator Magen Avraham mentions a minhag to give Tzedakah on Chanukah. The Pri Megadim explains that since the decrees of the Greeks were reprisal from Hashem for a weakness in our dedication to Avoda, this includes all three pillars of Service of Hashem: Torah, Avoda, and Gemilus Chassadim. Thus, says the Pri Megadim, we are enjoined during Chanukah to engage in all three of these: learning Torah, Davening and giving thanks for the miracles, and, “Kindness, both financially and physically performed.”
R’ Yerucham is troubled by the Magen Avraham/ Pri Megadim. Where do we find any reference to a weakening in the performance of kindness or a Greek decree in that area?
He explains by pointing out an enigmatic line in Maoz Tzur. (I suspect [hope] I am not the only one who has managed to completely ignore this line despite reciting it year in and year out for quite a long time.)
יְוָנִים נִקְבְּצוּ עָלַי אֲזַי בִּימֵי חַשְׁמַנִּים. וּפָרְצוּ חוֹמוֹת מִגְדָּלַי וְטִמְּאוּ כָּל הַשְּׁמָנִים…
The Greeks gathered against me in the days of the Chashmonaim. And they broke the walls of my towers and defiled all the oil… What is this business of breaking walls? That seems to have been more of a Babylonian/Roman thing. Where do we find the Greeks breaking any walls?
It turns out it is actually an explicit Mishna in Maseches Middos (2:3): “Inside (of the wall of the Temple Mount) was the Soreig, which was a wall of ten tefachim high. There were 13 breaks in this wall, which had been broken by the Greeks. They repaired the 13 breaches, and decreed thirteen prostrations opposite each repaired breach.”
Why did the Greeks choose to breach this wall, and why thirteen times? R’ Yerucham explains that the purpose of the Soreig is to separate between the non-Jews who came to the Beis Hamikdash, and the Jews. The very existence of this wall was antithetical to Greek philosophy, which held that there is no one wisdom, and thus no one people, which is any better than any other. In the Greek worldview the study of Torah was no different than mathematics or science. The Greeks’ intention with their decrees was to erase any distinctiveness about Judaism. They wanted to destroy all that the Soreig stood for.
Their choice of thirteen splits in the Soreig was not random either. Hashem’s thirteen attributes of mercy form the basis for our relationship with Him. Even more, they are the basis for how we treat one another. We have a Mitzvah of V’halachta Bidrachav, wherein we are commanded to emulate Hashem. Just as He is merciful and kind, so too must we be.
Beyond the technical Mitzvah, Hashem is our Father. Just as children often have a natural tendency to act like their parents, we have a natural inclination to treat one another with the ultimate in kindness, just like our Father does. In this way, our kindness is reflective of the essence of our relationship to Hashem; he is our Father. This idea is anathema to Greek philosophy, which holds that humans are humans, and it is merely humanism which drives kindness, no matter who you are. With the thirteen breaks in the Soreig, the Greeks were saying, “You think you have a special relationship with Hashem’s special attributes? You are wrong! There’s nothing special about your natural character traits. We are all the same.”
With this understanding, it becomes clear that Chanukah is indeed an appropriate time to embrace V’halachta Bidrachav, both by giving tzedakah and by specifically emulating Hashem in our interactions with others.
The Chofetz Chaim (LH 8:BMC 25) asserts that Yosef’s intention was pure. He told his father about his brothers’ (apparent) sins with the exclusive intention that his father would correct the brothers’ behavior. His intention was neither for personal gain nor to slander his brothers; he truly wanted only what was best for them. What, then, was wrong with Yosef’s report? He made one crucial error. He should have spoken with them about it directly instead of immediately telling his father. The Chofetz Chaim learns from here (among other sources) that there is a requirement to speak to the person before reporting him to the halachic authorities. Yosef was severely punished for his Lashon Hara, in spite of his good intentions. Being the Talmid Chacham and Tzaddik that he was, being the son of our Father, he should have known better.
This kind of precision in how we speak about one another goes far beyond merely being a nice guy. If we were looking at the world through the lens of humanism, Yosef would have been above reproach. However, our status as children of our Father demands a higher standard. We are responsible to go beyond simply being nice. We are required to be G-dly.
This is the Jewish position, which we won back when Hashem granted us our miraculous victory against the Greeks. How appropriate it is then, for us to celebrate our unique relationship with our Father during Chanukah by being especially attentive to the needs of others. Just as He is merciful, so must we be.
A Freilichen Chanukah and A Wonderful Shabbos!
