Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Vayishlach 5773 (From the archives) Shabbos in the Parasha Chashmonaim and Medrash Antiochus) states that one of the decrees that the In this week’s parashah it is said Greeks promulgated against the Jewish (Bereishis 32:25) vayivaseir Yaakov People was that they could not observe livado vayeiavek ish imo ad alos Shabbos. Let us understand this decree hashachar, Yaakov was left alone and a and we will see how it has practical man wrestled with him until the break of applications in our own times. At the dawn. The Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah onset of Shabbos a Jewish woman lights 77:3) states that the man who wrestled Shabbos candles, ushering in the Holy with Yaakov was the angel of Esav. Day. We then pray in shul and we come Why was the angel of Esav wrestling home and eat a festive meal. On Shabbos with Yaakov? The Torah records the morning we again pray in shul and eat result of the struggle. It is said (Ibid another festive meal, and we repeat this verse 26) vayar ki lo yochol lo vayiga in the afternoon by praying Minchah and bikaf yireicho vateika kaf yerech Yaakov eating the third meal. If the Jewish biheiavko imo, when he perceived that People were prohibited from observing he could not overcome him, he struck Shabbos, does this mean that they the socket of his hip; so Yaakov’s hip- actually were forced to desecrate the socket was dislocated as he wrestled Shabbos? It would appear that the with him. It would seem from this that Greeks, unlike the Nazis of cursed the angel of Esav was initially memory, did not intend that the Jewish attempting to overwhelm Yaakov People should be engaged in back- completely, and when he saw that breaking labor on Shabbos. Rather, the Yaakov was a formidable opponent, he Greeks sought to remove the sanctity of merely wounded him. Yet, the Medrash the Shabbos from the Jewish People. (Bereishis Rabbah 77:3) tells us that this Once the Jewish People would not be dislocation of the hip-socket was an engaged in sanctifying the Shabbos ominous omen for the future of Jewish through prayer, Torah study and festive life, when the Jewish People would be meals, what else could they do but visit attacked on a spiritual front, known as the theaters and entertain themselves in a the doro shel shemad, the generation of manner foreign to Jewish lifestyle? This destruction. The commentators point out is what can also occur to us, heaven that this “dislocation” was manifest in forbid, if we do not sanctify the Shabbos the period known as the Greek Exile, properly. It is insufficient to merely which culminated in the miracle of desist from physical labor, eat a few Chanukah. The Medrash (Megillas bowlfuls of cholent, and then assume 1 that we have observed the Shabbos is imprisoned until the Holy Shabbos arrives properly. Rather, we must engage and release the world from bondage. When ourselves in intense prayer, Torah study, Shabbos arrives the Jewish People are then and delight in the festive Shabbos meals, bathed in the light that existed by the creation of the world. and then we will truly be victorious over the Esav-Greeks who constantly Shabbos in Tefillah challenge our service of HaShem. It is further noteworthy that the words the Hamanchil menuchah liamo Yisroel Torah uses to describe the battle between bikdushaso biyom Shabbos kodesh, Who Yaakov and the angel of Esav are gives a heritage of contentment to His biheiavko imo, as he wrestled with him. People, Israel, in His holiness on the holy The word biheiavko contains the word Shabbos day. Why do we say that HaShem avukah, which means a flame. We can gives contentment as a heritage? interpret this homiletically to mean that Contentment is not tangible, so how can one the angel of Esav was attempting to inherit it? The Tiferes Shlomo (Bereishis) remove the “fire” from Yaakov, i.e. to writes that the meaning of this passage is dampen the enthusiasm with which the that HaShem gives a heritage of contentment Jewish People exhibit in their Torah in this world from what will be in the future, study and performance of mitzvos. in the World to Come. Thus, the words biyom Shabbos kodesh that we recite does HaShem should allow us to merit that in not necessarily refer to Shabbos in this the coming days that lead up to the world. Rather, it refers to the light and festival of Chanukah we will reignite the holiness of Shabbos in the World to Come. spark within us that brings us closer to HaShem and His service. We will thus Shabbos Stories merit greeting Moshiach Tzidkeinu, speedily, in our days. Bris for the future Rabbi Chaim Berlin, the head of Shabbos in the Zemiros Moscow’s rabbinical court, lived in Jerusalem in his old age. He would read Askinu Seudasa the Torah in his shul every Shabbos very Composed by the Arizal, Rabbi Yitzchak beautifully and very carefully. Many Luria people in Jerusalem came to daven in his shul just to hear him. On Shabbos during Shevisin ushivikin misaavin dirichikin Pesach, many people streamed into his chavilin dimikin vichol zinei chavushin, shul to hear him read Song of Songs, suspended and relinquished be the distant which he did with fervor and an abominations the afflicting destroyers of all outpouring of love. In particular when he forms of prisoners. Here again we see the reached the verse, “Behold you are theme of Shabbos being a time when all the forces of evil are suspended and beautiful my beloved, behold you are relinquished. It appears as if the entire world beautiful, your eyes are those of doves,” 2 he would read with great excitement and festive meal, as is the Jewish custom, with tears. Rabbi Aryeh Levine, as a and therefore I told him that he should close student, decided one year to ask his be prepared to be the sandak (to hold the rebbi why, when he reached this verse boy on his knees), and then we would be every year, he would break down in able to carry out the bris by ourselves. tears. Does this verse not describe so “’No, I will not be able to do that, beautifully the love that exists between Rabbi,’ replied this Jew in fright. ‘I have G-d and the Jewish people? “Let me tell a soft heart and I cannot bear to look at you the reason,” answered Rabbi Chaim. anyone being hurt. How then will I be “Once when I was a rabbi in Moscow, a able to watch my young son having a Jew came to me and asked to speak with bris? Perhaps my hands will shake and I me privately. I thought, who knows what will, God forbid, drop the baby from my kind of trouble this Jew is in, to the point lap.’ “I asked him for a few more details that he is embarrassed to speak in front about his situation, where he lived and of strangers. We went into a side room, the like, and then I made the following and I was surprised to hear that his suggestion: ‘Firstly, on the day of the ‘secret’ was the announcement that - bris, send away all the non-Jewish mazel tov - his wife had just given birth servants that are in your house, so they to a baby boy. He had come to invite me will not see what you are doing there. to perform the bris. (Rabbi Chaim Berlin Secondly, since there is in the city a was known as an expert Mohel.) “I Jewish doctor, a famous surgeon, whose asked my guest what was the reason for services are requested by many non- secrecy in the matter; after all, every Jews as well, you should ask him to Jewish boy has a bris. What then is there come on the eighth day to be present at to hide? “’Your honor should know,’ he the time of the bris, and you should tell replied, ‘that I live in an entirely non- your neighbors that a physical blemish Jewish area, and none of my neighbors was found in the baby and he needs a or acquaintances know that I am a Jew. I minor operation. And I will come with own a large warehouse of Christian the doctor at the appointed time. The religious articles, and of course if it were doctor will be the sandak, and I the to become known that I am a Jew, I Mohel. And the doctor will be able to would lose my comfortable income, and come afterwards a few times to your there might be danger to my life. house to oversee the healing of the bris, Therefore, while I'm inviting you to give and everything will go peacefully.’ “On my son a bris, I ask for advice as to how the appointed day, the Jew came to lead to arrange the bris so that no one will be me to his house, together with the aware of what is happening.’ “Of course, famous surgeon. We passed through in such a situation there was no room to streets and areas that in all the years I think of fulfilling the mitzvah in an had lived in Moscow, I had never had exemplary way, with a minyan and the opportunity to pass through, because 3 never did a Jewish foot tread there. We continued. ‘I think that my tender son, reached his house, which was like a who has been given the bris, will be nobleman’s, and there was not a single even more distant than I am from sign that this was a Jewish home.