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י Gratitude to Egypt? בס“ד Parshat Vaera 1 Shevat, 5777/January 28, 2017 Vol. 8 Num. 21 This issue of Toronto Torah is dedicated by Rochel and Jeffrey Silver נ“י in honour of the recent birthdays of Jeffrey’s parents, Leona and Label Silver Gratitude to Egypt? Yaron Perez “Tell Aharon: Take your staff, and they began to oppress and enslave us. others, and return the favour, and not extend your arm upon the waters of So why should we display gratitude? be disgusting, distant and ungrateful. Egypt, upon their rivers, upon their This is a wicked trait, entirely revolting, canals, etc.” (Shemot 7:19) Rashi We may suggest an answer. The Torah before G-d and Man.” Pharaoh exhibits explains, citing a midrash, “Because states that “a new king arose in Egypt, an extreme example of the challenge of the river protected Moshe, it was not who did not know Yosef.” (Shemot 1:8) developing a sense of gratitude, and this struck by his hand in the plagues of On this, Rashi explains that the king flaw led to his demise. We must learn to Blood and Frogs; it was struck by knew all about Yosef, but “he acted as be different. Aharon’s hand.” This is perplexing; of though he did not know Yosef.” Building what value is gratitude toward an on the same idea, a midrash (Midrash Therefore, when we express gratitude to inanimate object? HaGadol, Parshat Shemot) states, “He Egypt, benefiting the undeserving knew, but he did not look at this; he hid Egyptians is not the ultimate goal; our Devarim 23:20 adds to our confusion, [Yosef’s] benevolence, and in the end he gratitude to the inanimate river, too, is commanding, “You shall not reject the hid G-d’s benevolence.” Expanding not for the sake of the insensate river. Egyptian, for you were a stranger in upon this midrash, Rabbi Shemuel The central purpose is to train our own his land.” The Talmud (Bava Kama Ashkenazi wrote in his 16th century character. As long as our character, and 92b) explains, “Do not cast a stone commentary Yefeh Toar, “All who deny particularly our gratitude, grows and into the cistern from which you the benevolence of others, will in the strengthens, we will develop a more drank.” And explaining this mitzvah, end deny the benevolence of G-d.” grateful response to those around us, to Rambam writes (Moreh Nevuchim Pharaoh began by denying the our parents, and ultimately to G-d. As 3:42), “So regarding anyone you benevolence of Yosef, and he issued Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler wrote (Michtav needed once, and anyone from whom decrees against his descendants; in our mei’Eliyahu 3), “One must make every you benefited, who now encounters parshah, we see that Pharaoh comes to effort to acquire this trait fully, for trouble. Even though he then harmed deny Divine authority and benevolence through it he will learn to recognize the you, you must remember that which as well. great kindness of G-d with all Creation, came first… See that we learn several and so he will draw close to G-d… For good traits from these mitzvot.” In principle, recognizing the aid of gratitude to Man and gratitude to G-d others and responding with gratitude is share a common root. If the trait of It appears that Rambam seeks to see a fundamental aspect of being a moral gratitude to others is flawed, then he the good in the Egyptian, despite all of person, and it catalyzes wondrous will not recognize the generosity of G-d.” their evils. But how can one be changes in the soul of both the speaker grateful to Egypt, and neither reject and the original benefactor. [email protected] nor hate them, after all the ways they Nonetheless, human beings do find it harmed us? Should we ignore the fact difficult to express gratitude from the that they threw our sons into the river, depths of their hearts, and to respond because they gave us a home during a to those around them in kind. Indeed, famine? Further, it appears that all of Sefer haChinuch (Mitzvah 33) sees the their supposed kindness to the Jewish mitzvah of honouring one’s parents as a people in the days of Yosef was only in training ground meant to help us learn order to reap the financial benefits of gratitude, precisely because it is so his presence and leadership. When commonly ignored: “Among the roots of they no longer needed the Children of this mitzvah is the fact that one should Israel, and Yosef had passed away, recognize the benefit done for him by OUR BEIT MIDRASH ROSH BEIT MIDRASH ABBI ORDECHAI ORCZYNER R M T SGAN ROSH BEIT MIDRASH RABBI JONATHAN ZIRING AVREICHIM DAM RIEDMANN ARON EREZ A F , Y P CHAVERIM EZER DIENA, URI FRISCHMAN, NADAV GASNER, SHIMMY JESIN, ELISHA KELMAN, BJ KOROBKIN, YOSEPH LEVI, RONI PEREZ, JOSH PHILLIP, JACOB POSLUNS, DAVID RIABOY, MORDECHAI ROTH, ARIEL SHIELDS, DAVID SUTTNER, DAVID ZARKHINE Find our upcoming shiurim on-line at WOMEN’S BEIT MIDRASH MRS. ORA ZIRING, MRS. ELLIEZRA PEREZ www.torontotorah.com CHAVEROT YAKIRA BEGUN, NOA BORDAN, MAYTAL CUPERFAIN, MIRA GOLDSTEIN, KAYLA HALBERSTADT, LEORA KARON, RIVKA SAVAGE, KAYLA SHIELDS, ARIELA We are grateful to SNOWBELL, SARAH WAPNER Continental Press 905-660-0311 Book Review: Judaism’s Encounter with Other Cultures Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner Judaism’s Encounter with Other to whether he should pursue graduate with regard to them as [one can do] in Cultures: Rejection or Integration? studies in the field – and in a the halakhic portions, that is, to issue Ed. Rabbi Dr. J. J. Schacter denominational university, at that. The a ruling applicable to all. They depend Aronson (1997) Rav responded that airplanes are very much upon the temperament of known to crash and yet people fly. The the individual person and upon his The Question questioner subsequently confided that unique mode [of life], and also depend Almost two millennia ago, the great several years later he woke up one upon the conditions of time, place, sage Rabbi Yishmael was asked by his morning with an urge to call the Rav to circumstance and environment.” nephew, “I have studied the entire tell him that the plane had just Torah; may I learn Greek wisdom?” crashed, as indeed it thunderously To demonstrate this point, Judaism’s Rabbi Yishmael replied that one ought had.” (Judaism’s Encounter with Other Encounter with Other Cultures presents to study Torah day and night, and Cultures, pg. 284) three essays written by ordained therefore he could only study Greek rabbis with extensive credentials in wisdom at a time that was neither. A Jewish community which pledges both Torah and the academic study of (Menachot 99b) On the other hand, fealty to Torah and sends its youth to Jewish history and philosophy. Gerald talmudic sages debated philosophy with university must ask the question: Are Blidstein speaks to the talmudic non-Jewish philosophers. (Avodah we living a single, unified Jewish life? attitude to non-Jewish knowledge and Zarah 17b, for example) Are we in danger of crashing? culture; David Berger discusses the period from the close of the Gaonic Era Later in Jewish history, Rambam The Answer up to the Enlightenment; and Shnayer displayed deep knowledge of Greek and Judaism’s Encounter with Other Z. Leiman adds the developments of Arab philosophy. However, he also Cultures seeks to answer this question, the past few centuries. Finally, the wrote, “Regarding any idea which could by demonstrating the complexity of book concludes with an essay by cause a person to uproot one of the our tradition’s reaction to non-Jewish Rabbi Lichtenstein, exploring the principles of Torah, we are prohibited culture. As Rabbi Dr. J. J. Schacter threats and benefits of engagement from bringing it into our hearts or writes in his introduction, “[T]he with general culture. All of the articles turning our attention to it.” (Mishneh attitude of Jews throughout history to are multi-faceted, thoroughly sourced, Torah, Hilchot Avodah Zarah 2:3) Gentile learning and culture is not and clearly argued. monolithic and unidimensional and In our own day, Rabbi Aharon cannot be reduced to any simplistic, To this reviewer, these essays are Lichtenstein, himself a holder of a PhD facile generalization.” He cites a letter essential for the university-educated, in English literature, told the following from Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Bloch, Torah-studying Jew who wishes to story: “A would-be philosopher who had av beit din of Telz before World War II, thoughtfully navigate Jewish life today. attended Rav [Yosef Dov] Soloveitchik’s regarding general studies: “[I]t is shiur once turned to him for counsel as impossible to establish firm rulings [email protected] Israel’s Chief Rabbis: Rabbi David Stav Rabbi Jonathan Ziring Rabbi David Stav unsuccessful campaign for Chief Rabbi of Israel. Tzohar was b. 1960 specifically founded as a response to the assassination of Chief Rabbi of Shoham Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin by a religious Jew, as that increased animosity towards the religious community. Biography Born in Jerusalem in 1960, Rabbi David Stav studied at He has pushed for more leniency in the areas of conversion Yeshivot Netiv Meir and Mercaz HaRav, where he learned and kashrut. He encourages establishing kashrut standards with Rabbi Avraham Shapira, whom he considers his primary without stringencies he considers unnecessary, and he teacher. He served in the Tank Unit in the IDF. Later he was established an alternative kashrut certification when the ordained as a Dayan (religious judge). Israeli rabbinate refused to certify institutions using the heter mechira during Shemitah.
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