Parshas Va'eira - Frogger: Croak or Croak

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~

Parshas Va'eira

Frogger: Croak or Croak

By: Daniel Listhaus

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל משֶׁה אֱמֹר אֶל אַהֲרֹן נְטֵה אֶת יָדְךָ בְּמַטֶּךָ עַל הַנְּהָרֹת עַל הַיְאֹרִים וְעַל הָאֲגַמִּים וְהַעַל אֶת הַצְפַרְדְּעִים עַל אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם

“Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Say to Aharon, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals, and over the reservoirs, and raise up the frogs over the land of Egypt.’ ”

-Va'eria 8:1

            Rashi[1] writes that the reason the first of the makkos (plagues) brought upon Mitzrayim was dam (blood) was because the Egyptians worshipped the Nile and Hashem strikes a nation first by destroying its acclaimed deity. Clearly we see from Rashi that besides for the well-known fact that every single makkah brought on Mitzrayim was calculated middah-kneged-middah (measure for measure), there was also significance to the order. If so, we could ask the following question. If the first makkah of blood was primarily a strike against the deity of Egypt, there must be a special significance to the makkah of tzfardayim (frogs) as well. Why specifically was the plague of frogs chosen to spearhead the makkos brought upon the Mitzrim directly?

            When the Torah relates what Hashem told Moshe to warn Pharaoh regarding the invasiveness of the plague of frogs, the passuk[2] relates that the frogs were going to come into the houses, bedrooms, beds, the servants’ houses, the ovens, and kneading bowls. The Torah[3] then says that they will even enter into the people themselves. Rashi[4] details that the frogs would enter the Egyptians intestines and croak. Why does Rashi feel it necessary to write that the frogs were croaking? It seems like such a meaningless detail?  We do not find Rashi giving impressions of the various animal noises later by the makkah of arov (wild animals), so why is so significant that it be mentioned by the tzfardayim?[5]

            The sifsei chochomim[6] notes that when Moshe davened to Hashem for the tzfardayim to be removed, the passuk says that Moshe screamed out to Hashem – a description which is not used by any of the other makkos. The reason that Moshe had to scream by this particular makkah for it to stop, as the Sifsei Chochomim explains, was because there is a halacha[7] by davening that one has to be able to hear what he is saying; however, when Moshe was davening by tzfardaya, the frogs were croaking so loudly that Moshe literally had to scream in order to hear himself daven!

            Again, what is the significance of the frogs croaking that Rashi feels it necessary to mention it as opposed to it being an obvious sound effect which came with the makkah, and that the passuk itself alludes to by saying that by this makkah specifically Moshe had to literally scream his davening to be yotzei because the croaking was so loud?

            In Perek Shirah it states, “Hatzfardaya omeir: Baruch Shem Kavod Malchuso L’olam Va’ed!” – “The frog says: Blessed is the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever!” The Gemara[8] states that when Yaakov avinu wanted to tell his the shevatim what would be at the end of days, the shechina departed from him. At that point Yaakov was terrified that perhaps one of his sons was unworthy and wicked like Eisav. His sons, noticing Yaakov’s hesitation, immediately declared “Shema Yisroel Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad” to which Yaakov responded “Baruch shem kavod malchuso l’olam va’ed.” The Gemara continues to say that for us, we want to declare Baruch shema as part of the Shema as Yaakov did, however because it is not stated explicitly in the Torah as a passuk by Shema we compromise by saying it quietly.

            This Holy expression which B’nei Yisroel would declare aloud only on Yom Kippur upon hearing the Shem Ha’meforash (explicit Name of Hashem) from the Kohen Gadol, is one which to this day we reserve to say it aloud only once a year on Yom Kippur. Its Aramaic form however – Y’hei sheih rabbah m’vorach l’olam u’leolmei almaya” is the pinnacle of kaddish which we recite multiple times throughout davening. Like its lingual twin, Y’hei shmeih rabbah is so Holy that the Gemara[9] teaches that one who says it with all his strength has the ability to tear up a harsh heavenly decree. This Holy expression, one that the malachim (angels) themselves use to praise Hashem, and that we only say in an undertone and need to translate to Aramaic to recite aloud, and that we reserve Yom Kippur to say it aloud like the malachim on a day that we ourselves are like malachim, is something which frogs everywhere croak constantly. Perhaps this is why the frogs were chosen to head the makkos after having dam smite the Egyptian “deity”. What better to start an attack Mitzrayim – a nation which denied Hashem – than a declaration throughout the land that Hashem is One and it is He Alone Who reigns forever and ever!

Mark Twain is quoted to have said, “Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day”. Although perhaps the imagination alone of conquering such a disgusting feat is enough to motivate one to get through the hardest of tasks, with our aforementioned lesson we could have our own real take of starting a day with a frog perspective. If we just think about the croak of the frog and internalize that Hashem runs the world, we would be so calm and reassured that we would be able to easily get through the day and all that comes our way.

The Gemara[10] relates a couple of stories of rabanim who were seen being excessively cheerful during davening despite the mishna[11] saying that one should daven with a sense of seriousness and trepidation. When questioned about their attitude during davening, the rabanin replied that the reason they were so happy was because they were wearing tefillin. Rashi there explains that wearing tefillin, which bear witness to the fact that Hashem is the Ruler and sole Authority, indeed is a reason for one to be overjoyed. What could possibly be more comforting and elating than the realization that Hashem’s malchus (kingship) rules the world and we are His humble servants? This is precisely the idea of Baruch shem kavod malchuso l’olam va’ed with which we compliment the passuk of Shema.

Sometimes, life could feel like a giant game of Frogger. We have goals in mind which when put into a mission statement could sound so simple: Cross the street. Yet, the task could sometimes appear impossible with all the traffic and obstacles which seem to be never ending and out to get us. We could choose to be depressed, give up hope and croak, or we can choose to take inspiration from the croaking of the frogs and live each day happy with the comforting realization that Hashem is in charge; and once that frog could be swallowed at the beginning of each day, indeed nothing could possibly be able to ruin that feeling.

May Hashem help us internalize what it means to be subjects of His malchus so that we could achieve the madreiga (level) of being elated and comforted with the fact that Hashem is running the world.

---

[1] Shemos 7:17

[2] Shemos 7:28

[3] Shemos 7:29

[4] Rashi ibid.

[5] See also Rashi Shemos 8:17 where Rashibrings the Medrash which gives reason for the order of the makkos comparing to the strategy of an enemy army taking over a country. First they cut off the water supply, then they blow shofars and make a lot of noise to scare them, From this medrash too it seems that the croaking of the frogs was the primary force of the makkah.

[6] Shemos 8:8

[7] Shulchan Aruch 101:2

[8] Pesachim 56a

[9] Shabbos 119b

[10] Berachos 30b-31a

[11] Mishnayos Berachos 5:1

Parshas Shemos - Pull Yourself Together

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~

Parshas Shemos

Pull Yourself Together

By: Daniel Listhaus

וַיֵּצֵא בַּיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי וְהִנֵּה שְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים עִבְרִים נִצִּים וַיֹּאמֶר לָרָשָׁע לָמָּה תַכֶּה רֵעֶךָ: וַיֹּאמֶר מִי שָׂמְךָ לְאִישׁ שַׂר וְשֹׁפֵט עָלֵינוּ הַלְהָרְגֵנִי אַתָּה אֹמֵר כַּאֲשֶׁר הָרַגְתָּ אֶת הַמִּצְרִי וַיִּירָא משֶׁה וַיֹּאמַר אָכֵן נוֹדַע הַדָּבָר

“He [Moshe] went out the next day and behold! Two Hebrew men were fighting. He said to the wicked one, 'Why would you strike your fellow?' He replied, 'Who made you a man, a ruler, a judge over us? Are you saying that you are going to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?”

-Shemos 2:13-14

            After the death of Yaakov avinu and the shevatim,[1] the situation in Mitzrayim (Egypt) greatly deteriorated. Pharoah was very concerned that the growing number of Jews would create an environment suitable for a revolt.[2] In order to preempt this possibility, Pharoah decreed that from then on every new-born Jewish boy be killed,[3] while the rest of B'nei Yisroel – with the exception of shevet Levi – gradually became slaves to Pharoah.[4]

            The Torah tells us that despite Moshe having grown up in the palace of Pharoah, his eyes and heart were with his brothers slaving in the field.[5] One day while Moshe was walking thorough he fields he witnessed an Egyptian man beating up one of the Jews. Rashi[6] tells us that this Egyptian man had tricked a woman named Shelomis bas Dibri, who was the wife of this Jew, and had relations with her. Shelomis's husband returned home and realized what had happened. When the Egyptian sensed that he had found out, he began hitting him and threatening him and taunting him throughout the next day. Moshe rabbeinu saw this and could not sit back while one of his brothers was getting beaten up. So, the passuk[7] (verse) describes that Moshe killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. The Torah[8] continues to relate that the next day when Moshe once again was walking around empathizing with his fellow working Jews, he saw two Jews – Dasan and Aviram – fighting with each other. He turned to the one who had his hand up in the air ready to strike and shouted to him, “Why would you strike your fellow?” The man replied, “Who made you a man, a ruler, a judge over us? Are you saying that you are going to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?” When Moshe heard this, the passuk[9] tells us that he suddenly became frightened and thought to himself, “Indeed the matter has become known”.

            On a simple level, it would seem that Moshe was afraid that people had found out what he did and out of despair thought, “The matter has become known.” However, Rashi[10] tells us that Moshe had no regrets about what he did, nor was he particularly nervous that people had found out. Rather, Moshe was worried because he realized that there were informers within B'nei Yisroel who were willing to get their fellow brothers in trouble. When Moshe saw this he said, “Until now I was unsure why B'nei Yisroel should deserve to be slaves more than any other nation but now that I see that there are informers, I understand why they are deserving of such a punishment. Not only that, but if they are still willing to sink to such low depths, perhaps they are not fit to be redeemed.” This really scared Moshe.

            The question that we must ask though is that Rashi is saying that Moshe wondered why B'nei Yisroel deserved to be slaves more than any other nation. Somehow seeing that there were informers among B'nei Yisroel answered this question. How did that help Moshe understand? Certainly the other nations have informers among them too. So what was it that made Moshe understand why we deserved to be slaves to Pharoah in Mitzrayim? It seems a bit extreme that because there be informers among B'nei Yisroel that we deserve to be slaves to Pharoah.

            Later in the parsha, the Torah[11] tells us that Pharoah made things harder for the Jews as he stopped giving as many supplies to make the bricks, but never lowered his expectation of the quota he required in number of bricks. He appointed Jewish guards over groups of Jewish slaves and then had his own Egyptian taskmasters to watch over the Jewish guards. Rashi[12] tells us the Jewish guards were filled with mercy and did not want to put the extra pressure on their fellow Jews who were doing the hard labor. Therefore, more often than not, the quota would not be met. Being in managerial positions, these Jewish guards would be blamed for not putting enough pressure on the Jews to reach the quota, and in turn would be whipped by the Egyptian taskmasters. Rashi continues and states that because of the mercy that the Jewish guards had and their willingness to accept lashes instead of putting the extra pressure on the slaving Jews, these Jewish guards merited to be part of the Sanhedrin (Supreme Court).

            At this point, we must ask a similar question as before. We know Hashem punishes and rewards midah k'neged midah (measure for measure). So, it must be that for some reason becoming part of the Sanhedrin was the proper reward for these guards who had mercy on the Jewish slaves. How could we understand this? What does having mercy on B'nei Yisroel and the willingness to accept pain for their not finishing their quotas have anything to do with becoming a prominent member of the Sanhedrin?

            There is a certain business consultant who gets hired by companies in order to find issues within the company, point them out, and fix them for better performance. One simulation he does while on the job is to call a few executives and managers from the four largest divisions in the company and seats them, by division, by four separate tables. For example, he makes one table for the accounting division, a table for the marketing team, a table for the finance team, and a table for the human resources team. He then announces to everyone in the room that he is now the new CEO and each table represents a division of the company. He then passes out two cards for each table – one card with an “X” on it and the other with a “Y”. He then gives the following instructions: There will be ten rounds where each team could put out either its “X” card or its “Y” card, but there is to be no communication between the tables; you could only discuss which card to choose with the members at your table. There are five simple rules. If all four divisions put down the “X” card, then each team loses $1. If there are three “X's” and one “Y”, then the three “X's” win $1 each while the team with the “Y” loses $3. If there are two “X's” and two “Y's” then the two “X's” win $2 each and the two “Y's” lose $2 each. If there is one “X” and three “Y's” then the “X” wins $3 while each of the “Y's” lose $1 each. If all four teams put down their “Y” card then each team wins $1.

            Inevitably what happens is that each team starts off putting down “X's” for the first couple of rounds, hoping to make the most amount of money, but that of course results in each team losing as all four “X's” are chosen. Then one or two teams try putting down their “Y” cards hoping that others will do the same (remember, no communication between tables), but to no avail. They end up losing as the ones who kept putting down “X's” start tallying up a positive score. This goes on until the consultant goes around after five rounds and congratulates the teams which have been profitable and tells the teams which are carrying a negative balance to shape up fast. He then allows each team to say a message to the whole room. Some agree that everyone should be putting down the “Y” card in order to have consistent gains, but the competition in the air is too much to allow logic once the next round starts up again. After ten rounds, the consultant asks everyone to look at their score cards and points out that even the teams with the highest score has nothing compared to what it could have had with the consistent $1 each turn, let alone the aggregate of the four teams together. He ends with the strong message that oftentimes we allow our egos, emotions, and competitiveness to get the better of us and as a result we end up competing against ourselves without realizing.

            Inside each member of B'nei Yisroel is a special neshama (soul) given to us by Hashem. Each shevet (tribe) in Klal Yisroel represents certain things and has unique talents and potential as represented in Birkas Yaakov (Yaakov's blessings to the shevatim), and each individual within each shevet has his or her own talents and potential as well. However, the power of Klal Yisroel does not come from its numbers but rather from its unity. Our task is to achieve the level of k'ish echad b'leiv echad – to become like one person with one heart.

            When Moshe rabbeinu saw that Dasan and Aviram had informed to Pharoah about what he did, he realized that Klal Yisroel, as a nation dependent on its oneness and unit, deserved to be enslaved to equalize everyone and demonstrate that that no one was better than the next. Petty fights and competition within B'nei Yisroel does not benefit any individual in the long run and only pulls down the unity of B'nei Yisroel. On the other hand, when there are those such as the Jewish guards who were willing to take the hit for their brothers, people who share the burden of Klal Yisroel and would rather be pained themselves than to be the cause of pain for others, there becomes hope and such people are worthy of becoming part of the Sanhedrin – the rulers of B'nei Yisroel.

            As hard as this may be to internalize, it is time that as a people we realize that as members of  Klal Yisroel, an individual cannot become greater by pushing everyone else around him down, rather we only become profitable as a nation when we work together and maintain a steady and constant effort towards unity and helping each other. We no longer have leaders like Moshe rabbeinu who represent this idea in its fullest, but it is something that we should at least realize for ourselves.

            May Hashem help us realize and prioritize what is important and what is not in order to help us unite as a nation and not remain as separate individuals or teams who are just trying to get the maximum without thinking of what the effect is with the rest of the proverbial company.

---

[1]    Shemos 1:6

[2]    Shemos 1:10

[3]    Shemos 1:16, and 1:22

[4]    Shemos 1:11

[5]    Rashi Shemos 2:11

[6]    Ibid.

[7]    Shemos 2:12

[8]    Shemos 2:13

[9]    Shemos 2:14

[10]  Rashi ibid.

[11]  Shemos 5:6

[12]  Rashi Shemos 5:14

Parshas Vayechi - I Thought That You Thought

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~

Parshas Vayechi

I Thought That You Thought

By: Daniel Listhaus

וַיִּקַּח יוֹסֵף אֶת שְׁנֵיהֶם אֶת אֶפְרַיִם בִּימִינוֹ מִשְּׂמֹאל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶת מְנַשֶּׁה בִשְׂמֹאלוֹ מִימִין יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּגֵּשׁ אֵלָיו: וַיִּשְׁלַח יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת יְמִינוֹ וַיָּשֶׁת עַל רֹאשׁ אֶפְרַיִם וְהוּא הַצָּעִיר וְאֶת שְׂמֹאלוֹ עַל רֹאשׁ מְנַשֶּׁה שִׂכֵּל אֶת יָדָיו כִּי מְנַשֶּׁה הַבְּכוֹר

“And Yosef took the two of them – Ephraim with his right hand, to Yisroel's [Yaakov's] left, and Menasheh, with his left, to Yisroel's right – and he drew close to him. But Yisroel extended his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head though he was younger and his left hand on Menasheh's head. He moved his hands with intelligence, for Menasheh was the first born.”

-Vayechi 48:13-14

            The Torah^[1] carefully details the way that Yosef came to Yaakov with his sons, Menasheh and Ephraim. Menasheh was the older son and Yosef knew that he would be getting the bigger bracha (blessing). Ephraim, on the other hand,^[2] was younger and would therefore be secondary. For this reason, Yosef deliberately approached Yaakov with Menasheh on his own left and Ephraim on the right. This way, when they would be facing Yaakov opposite them, they would be in the proper mirror-imaged position, with Menasheh on Yaakov's right and Ephraim on his left.            

            However, much to Yosef's surprise, Yaakov crossed his hands and put his right hand on Ephraim, who was on his left, and his left hand on Menasheh, the older son, who was on Yaakov's right. At this point in time, as an on-looker, one would think that Yosef would just allow Yaakov to give the brachos according to the way he felt was proper. Yet, as the Torah continues to relate, Yosef's reaction was quite different, and a rather weird conversation erupted between Yaakov and Yosef.

            The passuk (verse)^[3] tells us that when Yaakov crossed his hands, Yosef was very displeased and said, “Not so, Father, for this is the firstborn; place your right hand on his head”^[4]. While saying so, Yosef actually started lifting Yaakov's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head in order to put it on Menasheh's. Yaakov, however, remained steadfast and insisted on his right hand being on Ephraim's head. His response to Yosef was simply, “I know my son, I know.”^[5]

            This event is very puzzling and hard to understand. Yaakov surely knew what he was doing, so why was Yosef questioning the way that Yaakov was giving the brachos? Had he merely switched their positions, one might make the mistake to think that Yaakov was just confused. However, an action as deliberate as swapping his hands seems to demonstrate a perfect knowledge of the situation and what Yaakov's intent was.

            Also, how did Yaakov explain his actions? Yosef had asked him to switch his hands back the right way, and Yaakov just responded, “I know my son, I know”, but didn't do anything about it. How did this terse response satisfy Yosef's request?^[6]

            The Rashbam^[7] sheds light on this difficult conversation by explaining as follows. When Yaakov switched his hands and put his right hand on Ephraim's head, Yosef was deeply upset. As the Da'as Zekainim^[8] explains, Yosef was thinking to himself, “My father thinks I am a fool. He thinks that when I came to him with my children that I had Menasheh on my own right and Ephraim on my left, like I usually do since Menasheh is my older son. He does not realize that I thought ahead and specifically came before him with Menasheh on my left and Ephraim on my right in order that when facing Yaakov, they would be in the correct position for Menasheh, the older son, to be the recipient of the right hand.” Yosef therefore spelled this out to Yaakov and said, “Despite the way you think I came to you, with my sons aligned from my perspective, that is not the way I did it. I had the brains to place them in order from your perspective so that they would be properly matched to your hands – with the firstborn adjacent to your right hand.”

            To this, Yaakov responded, “I know my son, I know”. The Rashbam continues to explain that the message that Yaakov was conveying to Yosef was the following, “I know, Yosef, that you are a chochom (wise person) and that you came to me with your children in the correct placements with Menasheh on my right and Ephraim on my left, yet, nevertheless, I am purposely placing my right hand on Ephraim.”

            Although this Rashbam does clear up many things for us, it is still difficult to comprehend. When Yosef saw Yaakov switch his hands and put his right hand on Ephraim, why did Yosef think that Yaakov thought that he was not smart. Why was it that the first possible explanation that could come to Yosef's mind was that his father considered him incompetent of planning in advance? At the end of the day, that was not the reason that Yaakov had switched his hands. So, why was it that the only reason that Yosef, who had a great relationship with his father even after being separated for many years, could come up with was that Yaakov had reversed his hands because he took Yosef to be a fool? What a strange conclusion for Yosef to draw!

            There is a famous article written by Frank Koch, in the U.S Naval Institute Proceedings,^[9] which goes as follows:

           “Two battleships assigned to the training squadron had been at sea on maneuvers in heavy weather for several days. I was serving on the lead battleship and was on watch on the bridge as night fell. The visibility was poor with patchy fog, so the captain remained on the bridge keeping an eye on all activities.

           Shortly after dark, the lookout on the wing reported, “Light, bearing on the starboard bow.”
           “Is it steady or moving astern?” the captain called out.
           The lookout replied, “Steady, Captain,” which meant we were on a dangerous collision course with that ship.
           The captain then called to the signalman, “Signal that ship: 'We are on a collision course, advise you change course twenty degrees.'”

           Back came the signal, “Advisable for you to change course twenty degrees.”
           The captain said, “Send: “I'm a captain, change course twenty degrees.'”
           “I'm a seaman second-class,” came the reply. “You had better change course twenty degrees.”
           By that time the captain was furious. He spat out, “Send: 'I'm a battleship. Change course twenty degrees.'"
           Back came the flashing light, “I'm a lighthouse.”
We changed course.”

            Often-times we enter situations with an idea already in our heads as to how the scenario is supposed to play out. When out at sea, the captain was perhaps expecting to come across some ships in his path, but was not expecting a lighthouse. Therefore when he was communicating with what he thought was an on-coming ship, every possible idea came to mind as to how this 'second-class seaman' could have the audacity to talk back to him. Yet, the possibility that this other ship may be a lighthouse was not something that he was anticipating and was therefore deemed an impossibility to enter his mind. It took the lighthouse staring him in his face, and its operator telling him that he better listen or he will be a sunken battleship, to finally be convinced that although he was not expecting there to be a lighthouse in his way, it was a reality that now needed to be faced.

            We are only privy to our own thoughts and perspectives. It takes a tremendous amount of open-mildness and objectivity to remove ourselves from the various influences that affect us. Every person's history, thought processes, and intentions are so different from each other. The way we perceive others is therefore not based on what they said, did, or thought, but rather what we heard, saw, or thought they thought.

            With this understanding, perhaps we could now better grasp Yosef's reasoning. Yosef knew the way that giving brachos worked, or at least he thought he did. Surely a bedtime story favorite of his was when Yaakov would tell him the story of how he had to buy the bechor (right to the first-born) from Eisav and how he had to deceive Yitzchak, upon Rivka's wishes through ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit from Hashem), in order to be considered the firstborn and befitting of receiving the brachos. Based on Yosef's comprehension, when he came to Yaakov with Menasheh and Ephraim for their brachos, it was so obvious to him that Yaakov's right hand should go on Menasheh's head. Therefore, when Yaakov criss-crossed his hands, the only possible explanation that Yosef could think of was that his father thought he was a fool. What other explanation could there be for Yaakov reversing his hands other than if Yaakov thought that Yosef had brought Menasheh on Yosef's own right, which would be Yaakov's left. It could not have been that Ephraim was really the one meant to get the bigger bracha, that was an impossibility because that is not the way the “happily ever after” story was supposed to end.

            This is something that occurs to us more often than not. It is quite often that after a misunderstanding between two parties, each side finds themselves thinking: “I thought that he thought that I thought”. Imagine how much clearer our eyesight would be if we were able to train ourselves not to think for others.

            As hard as it may be, we must admit that we are seeing an entire world through our eyes only. We must realize that we are constantly forcing our definitions and explanations into what others say, think, and do. From each of our vantage points, we consider ourselves like the captain of a ship and that we outrank anyone else's opinions. However, we must realize that as much as we are captains, there are things about others which we just cannot see past the fog that separates us as individuals.

---

[1]    Beraishis 48:13-14

[2]    Excuse the pun.

[3]    Beraishis 48:17

[4]    Beraishis 48:18

[5]    Beraishis 48:19

[6]    Perhaps if Yaakov was British it would be understandable because they are known to say, “I say, I say!” without actually saying anything.

[7]    Beraishis 48:17

[8]   Ibid.

[9]   Koch, Frank. “Pulling Rank”. Proceedings. November 1987. (pg. 81)

Parshas Vayigash - How Old Are You Now?

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~

Parshas Vayigash

How Old Are You Now?

By: Daniel Listhaus

וַיָּבֵא יוֹסֵף אֶת יַעֲקֹב אָבִיו וַיַּעֲמִדֵהוּ לִפְנֵי פַרְעֹה וַיְבָרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב אֶת פַּרְעֹה: וַיֹּאמֶר פַּרְעֹה  אֶל יַעֲקֹב כַּמָּה יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיֶּיךָ: וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב אֶל פַּרְעֹה יְמֵי שְׁנֵי מְגוּרַי שְׁלשִׁים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה mמְעַט וְרָעִים הָיוּ יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיַּי וְלֹא הִשִּׂיגוּ אֶת יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי אֲבֹתַי בִּימֵי מְגוּרֵיהֶם

 “Then Yosef brought Yaakov, his father, and stood him before Pharaoh, and Yaakov blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Yaakov, 'How many are the days of the years of your life?' Yaakov said to Pharaoh, 'The days of the years of my sojourns have been one hundred and thirty years; few and bad gave been the days of the years of my life and they have not reached the days of the years of the lives of my forefathers in the days of their sojourns.'”

-Vayigash 47:7-9

After Yosef revealed himself to his brothers, the brothers went back to fetch Yaakov and bring him down to Mitzrayim. As soon as Yaakov entered Mitzrayim, the famine, which was supposed to last for another five years,[1] miraculously ended as the Nile overflowed and watered the land. Yosef then went to Pharaoh and made all the proper arrangements for the B'nei Yisroel to be able to settle peacefully and separately in the city of Goshen. After Pharaoh granted Yosef what he had asked for, Yosef went to get his father to introduce him to Pharaoh.

Rashi[2] comments that upon meeting Pharaoh for the first time, Yaakov did what any person would do, he said “hello”. However, Pharoah's response seems to be a little strange and out of place. The passuk³ (verse) describes that after Yaakov greeted Pharaoh, Pharaoh asked Yaakov, “How old are you?” What sparked Pharaoh to ask such a question? It was not Yaakov's birthday nor was he in 'parsha' that Pharaoh was trying to be his shadchan. So what possessed Pharaoh to ask such a question?

Furthermore, let us say that we could somehow understand why Pharaoh asked this question, how could we begin to understand Yaakov's answer? The passuk[3] states that Yaakov replied that his days and years were few and miserable. What was the purpose in answering in this way? If Yaakov felt that the question was inappropriate he could have brushed it off somehow, and if he thought it was an appropriate question, why did he not respond with his age? Either way, complaining about his past experiences seems completely purposeless. How could we understand Yaakov's response?

The Da'as Zekainim[4] as well as the Chizkuni[5]  explain as follows. When Pharaoh took one look at Yaakov, he was in shock. He thought to himself: How could it be that a person who is so old still be alive? He was too curious how old Yaakov was and could not help but ask. However, the reality was that Yaakov was not really considered old for someone in those times, he merely looked old. This is precisely what Yaakov responded to Pharaoh. He told him that he was not as old as he looks; he just looks so old because of the many troubles he experienced during his lifetime. The Da'as Zekainim and Chizkuni continue to explain that for each of the 33 words that Yaakov used to complain to Pharaoh, a year was taken off his life.

There are two problems with this explanation. First, why was Yaakov punished? After all Pharaoh had asked him a question wondering how old Yaakov was because he looked extremely old. Yaakov was merely setting Pharaoh straight by informing him that he was not as old as he looks. Second, if you count the number of words that Yaakov used while “complaining to Pharaoh”, you will find that there are actually only 25 words. So why were 33 years taken from his life? Where were the other eight words said?

The Chizkuni writes that not only was a year taken off of Yaakov's life for every word that he said, but additionally for the eight words the Torah uses to record Pharaoh’s question. So we could now understand mathematically where the number 33 comes from, but still, what did Yaakov do wrong that he should be punished at all, let alone punished for the words Pharaoh used in asking him how old he was?

The mishna[6] quotes Shammai who said, “Receive every person with a pleasant facial expression”. Clearly Shammai is not merely referring to a person who just won the lottery because such a person would already be walking around with a smile on his face. Rather, Shammai is referring to every scenario. It does not matter if you just won the lottery, had a regular day, or failed a test. A person has an obligation to greet people with a warm and friendly “hello” no matter what.

There is a story told about Rav Yisroel Salanter (founder of the “Mussar Movement”) that he was once walking down the street and he crossed paths with another person who was clearly not in the best of moods. Rav Yisroel approached him and asked if everything was okay. The man responded, “What do you mean, Rebbe, by asking if everything is okay? Surely you know that it is the aseres y'mei teshuva (ten days from Rosh Hashana until Yom Kippur) and that the yom ha'din (judgment day) will soon be here! This is why I am so troubled and look so worried and depressed.” To this, Rav Yisroel responded, “I don't understand. Why should I have to suffer because of your yom ha'din?”

The lesson that Rav Yisroel was teaching this man is a profound one. When we are walking in public or interacting with other people, what right do we have to throw our misery onto them? The fact that we may have had a bad day at school or work does not give us the divine right to walk around ignoring people. Just the opposite. We are still obligated to stop to say hello and, furthermore, we are expected to do it with a smile.

With this in mind, we could now understand why Yaakov avinu was punished. When Yaakov came down to Mitzrayim his face clearly showed the combination of his challenging life experiences. He was chased by Eisav, had to run away from home, was tricked in the house of Lavan, buried his wife while traveling, had his daughter kidnapped, and for many years was under the impression that his favorite son was dead. There is no doubt that Yaakov did indeed lead quite a difficult life. However, for a tzaddik such as himself, Hashem expected him to keep his troubles inside and not burden the world with them. The fact that when meeting Pharaoh for the first time and saying hello, Pharaoh was able to immediately sense something was wrong from the way Yaakov looked, and right away asked, “How old are you?”, was proof to Yaakov that he was not doing a good job greeting people with “seiver panim yafos” (a pleasant facial expression). This is why Yaakov was punished even for Pharaoh having to ask the question – because Yaakov should not have allowed himself to show his difficulties at the expense of others. Saying hello and greeting someone for the first time is not the time to burden him with your issues even if all you are doing is showing it in the quality of your hello.

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[1] They were already into their second year of the famine.

[2] Rashi Beraishis 47:7

[3] Beraishis 47:8

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Avos 1:15