Torah Down Under

The Medrash Rabbah says (Bereishis 96:6) אמר רבי סימון בנימוסות שלנו כתיב (שמות כ"ב) ואם אין לו ונמכר בגניבתו וזה יש לו לשלם Rabbi Simon says, “[Yehudah said to Yosef,] in our law it is written, ‘If he does not have the money needed to pay back that which he stole, then he will be sold as a slave (and the money from the sale will be used to pay back the person from whom he stole). However, Binyamin does have money to pay [so he does not need to be sold as a slave.]’” The gemara says in Kiddushin (18a) והתניא (שמות כ"ב, ב') בגניבתו בולא בכפילו “A ganav may only be sold to pay back the principal amount which he stole, but not to pay back the double payment which he must pay as a fine.” Since Yosef had already retrieved the chalice which Binyamin had supposedly stolen from him, the only sum which Binyamin could have been left indebted to Yosef for would have been the double payment which he had to pay as a fine for stealing the chalice. Why then did...

The passuk says in this week’s sedrah (41:25) וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹסֵף אֶל פַּרְעֹה חֲלוֹם פַּרְעֹה אֶחָד הוּא אֵת אֲשֶׁר הָאֱלֹקִים עֹשֶׂה הִגִּיד לְפַרְעֹה “And Yosef said to Pharoh, both of Pharoh’s dreams are one. That which Hashem is doing He has told to Pharoh.” The word עֹשֶׂה is in the present tense, seemingly the passuk should have said, “That which Hashem will do he has told to Pharoh,” and not “That which Hashem is doing?” Three pessukim later, Yosef repeats (41:28) הוּא הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי אֶל פַּרְעֹה אֲשֶׁר הָאֱלֹקִים עֹשֶׂה הֶרְאָה אֶת פַּרְעֹה “This is the matter which I said to Pharoh, that which Hashem is doing He has shown to Pharoh.” In the first passuk, Yosef said that Hashem has related ( הִגִּיד ) to Pharoh. In the second passuk, Yosef said that Hashem has shown ( הֶרְאָה ) to Pharoh. Why did Yosef change from הִגִּיד to הֶרְאָה ? Yosef continued to advise Pharoh that the grain from the good years should be stored for the yea...

The passuk says in this week’s sedrah (37:24) וַיִּקָּחֻהוּ וַיַּשְׁלִכוּ אֹתוֹ הַבֹּרָה וְהַבּוֹר רֵק אֵין בּוֹ מָיִם And they took him and they threw him into the pit and the pit was empty, it had no water in it. The Medrash Tanchuma comments on this passuk "וְהַבּוֹר רֵק אֵין בּוֹ מָיִם": "אמר רב כהנא, דרש רב נתן בר מניומי משמיה דרב תנחום: מאי דכתיב (בראשית לז) "וְהַבּוֹר רֵק אֵין בּוֹ מָיִם". ממשמע שנאמר: "וְהַבּוֹר רֵק" איני יודע שאין בו מים? אלא מה תלמוד לומר "אֵין בּוֹ מָיִם" - מים אין בו, אבל נחשים ועקרבים יש בו." If the passuk says, the pit was empty, we know it contained no water. Why does the passuk say “It had no water in it”? This teaches you that it contained no water, but it did contain snakes and scorpions. Thus it was a nes that Yosef survived in the pit. The Medrash Rabbah says (100:8) וַיָּשָׁב יוֹסֵף מִצְרַיְמָה הוּא וְאֶחָיו וְכָל הָעֹלִים אִתּוֹ לִקְבֹּר אֶת אָבִיו אַחֲרֵי קָבְרוֹ אֶת א...

The passuk says in this week’s sedrah וַיֹּאמֶר שַׁלְּחֵנִי כִּי עָלָה הַשָּׁחַר וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא אֲשַׁלֵּחֲךָ כִּי אִם בֵּרַכְתָּנִי And he said, “Send me, because the morning has dawned.” And he said, “I will not send you unless you give me a berachah .” Rashi explains: כי עלה השחר - וצריך אני לומר שירה ביום Because the morning has dawned – and I need to say shirah by day. ברכתני - הודה לי על הברכות שברכני אבי שעשו מערער עליהם Unless you give me a berachah (the word ברכתני really means “unless you will have blessed me”, this is because Yaakov said to the malach ) – Acknowledge that the berachos that Yitzchak gave me are rightfully mine, because Esav is complaining about them. Why did Yaakov insist that the malach should acknowledge that the berachos were his before allowing him to say shirah ? The passuk continues וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא יַעֲקֹב יֵאָמֵר עוֹד שִׁמְךָ כִּי אִם יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי שָׂרִיתָ עִם אֱלֹהִים וְעִם אֲנָשִׁים וַתּוּכָל And he said, “I...

The passuk says in this week’s sedrah וַיִּדַּר יַעֲקֹב נֶדֶר לֵאמֹר אִם יִהְיֶה אֱלֹקִים עִמָּדִי וּשְׁמָרַנִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ וְנָתַן לִי לֶחֶם לֶאֱכֹל וּבֶגֶד לִלְבֹּשׁ. וְשַׁבְתִּי בְשָׁלוֹם אֶל בֵּית אָבִי וְהָיָה ה' לִי לֵאלֹקִים. וְהָאֶבֶן הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי מַצֵּבָה יִהְיֶה בֵּית אֱלֹקִים וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר תִּתֶּן לִי עַשֵּׂר אֲעַשְּׂרֶנּוּ לָךְ. And Yaakov made a promise saying, “If Hashem will be with me and He will guard me on this way on which I go and He will give me bread to eat and clothes to wear. And I will return in peace to my father’s house then Hashem will be to me as a G-d. And this stone which I have set up as an altar will be the House of Hashem and all that He will give me, I will surely tithe to you.” Why did Yaakov start by saying אִם יִהְיֶה אֱלֹקִים עִמָּדִי and then conclude וְהָיָה ה' לִי לֵאלֹקִים ? The passuk says in Vayishlach ( בראשית ל"ב ל"ב ) וַיִּזְרַח לוֹ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כַּאֲשֶׁר עָבַ...

The passuk says in this week’s sedrah וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת יִצְחָק בֶּן אַבְרָהָם אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת יִצְחָק And these are the generations of Yitzchak the son of Avraham, Avraham bore Yitzchak. The gemara normally says that - ויו מוסיף על ענין ראשון - a vav adds on to that which was previously stated. Since Yitzchak did not have any children prior to Yaakov and Esav, why does the passuk say וְאֵלֶּה , with a vav ? The Medrash Rabbah says at the beginning of this week’s sedrah ואלה תולדות יצחק בן אברהם - (משלי כ"ג) גיל יגיל אבי צדיק ויולד חכם ישמח בו . גילה אחר גילה, בזמן שהצדיק נולד . The passuk says in Mishlei (23:24) - גִּיל יָגִיל אֲבִי צַדִּיק וְיוֹלֵד חָכָם יִשְׂמַח בּוֹ - The father of a tzaddik has great joy; a man who has a wise son rejoices. When the tzaddik is born there is rejoicing after rejoicing. What does the medrash add by saying that there is rejoicing after rejoicing when a tzaddik is born? When Yitzchak gave a berachah to Y...

The passuk says in this week’s sedrah ( בראשית כ"ג ט"ז ) וַיִּשְׁמַע אַבְרָהָם אֶל עֶפְרוֹן וַיִּשְׁקֹל אַבְרָהָם לְעֶפְרֹן אֶת הַכֶּסֶף אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּאָזְנֵי בְנֵי חֵת אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שֶׁקֶל כֶּסֶף עֹבֵר לַסֹּחֵר “And Avraham listened to Ephron and Avraham measured to Ephron the money which he had spoken in the ears of the children of Ches, four hundred silver shekalim , fit for mercantile use.” The first Ephron in the passuk is spelt with a vav , the second Ephron in the passuk is spelt without a vav . The medrash ( שמות רבה ל"א י"ז ) comments on this דבר אחר "נבהל להון" זה עפרון... מיד עמד אברהם ושקל לו... מה היה אומר עפרון לאברהם, אם אתה נותן לי ד' מאות שקל כסף מן סחורת ביתך אתה נותנה לי, וע"י שהכניס עין רעה בממונו של אברהם חסרו הכתוב וי"ו, הוי ולא ידע כי חסר יבואנו האיש שעינו רעה חסרו הכתוב וי"ו “The passuk says in Mishlei (28:22) נִבֳהָל לַהוֹן אִישׁ רַע עָיִן וְלֹא יֵדַע כִּי חֶסֶר יְבֹאֶנּוּ The man w...

The passuk says in this week’s sedrah ( בראשית יח ב ) וַיִּשָּׂא עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה שְׁלֹשָׁה אֲנָשִׁים נִצָּבִים עָלָיו וַיַּרְא וַיָּרָץ לִקְרָאתָם מִפֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אָרְצָה And he lifted his eyes and he saw and behold there were three men standing close to him, and he ran to meet them from the entrance of the tent and he bowed down to the ground. The Medrash Rabbah ( מדרש רבה, מ"ח, ט' ) comments on this passuk אמר ר' לוי, שלשת האנשים שנראו לאברהם אבינו אחד נדמה לו בדמות סרקי, ואחד בדמות נווטי ואחד בדמות ערבי Rabbi Levi said, “One of the men appeared as a thief (this seems to be the translation of the Chasam Sofer, the Matnos Kehunah however brings the Aruch who translates סרקי as a baker, unless the Chasam Sofer agrees with the Aruch’s translation and refers to the סרקי as a ganav because the gemara in Kiddushin (82a) says that most storekeepers are ganavim ), one of the men appeared as a sailor and one of the men appeared to A...