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• The Mystery of The Lit Candle

  Apr 11, 2022 Admin 0 Comments

  Have you ever wondered why we light a candle during the Bedikat Chametz or Searching for the Leavened Bread? This may seem like an ancient ceremony to the outsider, but as always, there may be reasons for it, and we should look into it.
  
  On the night of Bedikat Chametz, we use a candle and look for 10 pieces of bread that we hid before. Also, let me mention here that we use the lit candle on Motzeh Shabbat during the Havdalah. Why do we do that? Is there a connection between these two candles? I believe there is, so let's examine it closely.
  
  The first time the fire is mentioned is in the Midrash for Parashat Bereshit, when Adam and Chavah went out of Gan Eden. When the night falls, it says that Adam gets scared since this is the first time he has experienced nighttime. Hashem told him not to worry since it is a normal occurrence. He taught him how to start a fire with stones, which gave Adam peace of mind and calmed him down. But I believe more could be added to this Midrash or maybe explained from a different angle.

   

  Let's start with a question: how come Adam and Chavah ended up outside of Gan Eden?

   

  In Parashat Bereshit, right after Hashem created the world, Hashem told Adam not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge; in turn, Adam told Chavah not to touch the tree. Later, when Adam wasn't around, Chavah was approached by a Nachash, a primordial snake. This is when the snake persuaded her to eat from the Tree of Knowledge by telling her Lashon Hara or slandering Hashem, and she fell for it. There are several opinions about the tree's fruit - apple, grape, bread, and others... but I strongly believe this tree had ready-to-eat bread growing as fruits. 

   

  So there was Chavah - she took the fruit of that tree - a piece of bread from the Tree of Knowledge, and right before she ate it, the snake placed his poison into it - and Chavah ate the poisoned bread. And at that moment, the Yetzer Hara or an Evil Inclination went into her, and then she made Adam eat it as well, and there they were with Yetzer Hara or Evil Inclination also known as - the bad character traits - jealousy, anger, hatred, dishonesty, rudeness, and more - deeply rooted in them, which are passed on to billions of people throughout the generations until today all across the world.

   

  Hashem wasn't happy about this. He punished Adam, Chavah, and the snake, but humanity was still infected, and Hashem had to figure out how to somehow cleanse the people from it.

   

  And this is what Hashem did.

   

  Remember the time when Moshe Rabbeinu came to Egypt and took the Jewish nation out of Mitzrayim? In Parashat Beshalach, Hashem has given us manna in the desert—pure bread—food for the angels. It was bread that was digested fully by the body with no waste. There's a reason why Hashem has put millions of people in the desert on this diet—only one reason—to raise the nation spiritually to the level Adam HaRishon was at when he was in Gan Eden. 

   

  But later, when we get to Parashat Shelach, suddenly, the selected few get the idea of spying out the Land. Hashem is not so excited about this idea, but He still lets Moshe send out an expedition, which he does. After forty days, when they come back, what do they do? This time they slander the Land of Israel. Hashem tried to cleanse the nation from that original sin that happened in Gan Eden, and raise the nation to high spiritual levels by giving them manna, but they fell for the same sin again, and this time by slandering the Land. So, Hashem decided to kill all the males between the ages of 20 to 60 of that generation, and only their children went to Israel years later. 

   

  But the Evil Inclination was still inside those who went to Eretz Yisrael.

   

  So, in Parashat Bo 12:11 it says, "So shall you eat it: your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You shall eat it in haste. It is a Passover offering to G-d." It continues in 12:34 & 39: "The people picked up its dough before it could become leavened, their leftovers bound up in their garments upon their shoulders. They baked the dough they took out of Egypt into unleavened cakes, for they could not be leavened, for they were driven from Egypt, for they could not delay." 

   

  So, for generations, eating unleavened bread—matzah, a pure bread with no chametz—has been set as a holiday of Pesach. 

   

  The Sages teach us that we should celebrate the night of Pesach and feel like we are leaving Mitzrayim. But I don't believe that by leaving Mitzrayim, they meant that we should leave any physical location. Our Mitzrayim is our OK with the current situation, our contentment with it, and our will to continue living in it. Because the moment we understand what happened, we understand that we have lost - and we have lost BIG.

   

  On Motzeh Shabbat, when we make the blessing for a lit candle, we look at our fingernails, which remind us of Adam HaRishon, since it says in the Midrash that his whole skin was covered by fingernails like skin, but now we have nails only on our fingers and toes. But this is not the only loss it should remind us of. It should remind us that we no longer live in the Gan Eden. No longer have ready-to-eat bread growing on the trees, and have to toil daily for a piece of bread. We no longer have a close relationship with Hashem and thus live in the darkness. No Bet Hamikdash, and no Eretz Yisrael, with wars, diseases, hunger, death, conflicts, and a whole lot of troubles across the globe.

   

  Therefore, while we look for chametz with a lit candle and gather the pieces of chametz - the leavened bread, we realize: Chametz, it is because of you we have lost so much. The life we have, and the life the whole world has is not what Hashem initially intended it to be - and instead, we suffer today because of the poison the snake put into the bread - which is the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge - which in turn has infected us, humans, with the Yetzer Hara or Evil Inclination from which we suffer daily. We take that bread and burn it, and with it, we annul all the Chametz that may be in our possession -- thus weakening its influence over us for the next 7 days.

   

  And to all those who think that G-d has abandoned the Jewish nation, should know that He has neither abandoned nor given up on us.

   

  He has commanded us to celebrate the Holiday of Pesach for seven days. And on this holiday, we are commanded to eat unleavened bread—the bread with zero chametz—the matzah. When we eat the matzah, we grow in our belief in G-d, and most importantly, in holiness. And this eventually will lead to the ultimate redemption, Mashiach, and Third Bet Hamikdash. May this happen speedily in our days. Amen!!

   

  Shmuel Katanov
  
  

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• Why Did The Brothers Hate Joseph?

  Nov 27, 2018 Admin 0 Comments

  In the story of Joseph and the brothers, there's one incident that sticks out and makes this whole story look very puzzling. Let's delve into it and try to understand it.
  
  As you already know, there are was a tension between Joseph and older brothers, one against the many. Some commentators say it was jealousy, some say simply hatred, but let's look at it in more details.
  
  "And Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dotan" says in Midrash Tanchuma, Parashat Vayeshev 13:6 (Gen. 37:17-18). Joseph was coming towards his brothers per his father's request. As he was approaching, the brothers saw him from afar and said to each other, here's the dreamer coming, and they started thinking up plans of how to get rid of him. Some suggested to kill him to solve this problem once and for all. The older brother Reuven suggested to throw him in the pit. He said why kill your own blood, your own brother, when we can accomplish the same by throwing him into the empty pit. In Masechet Shabbat 22A says: "Pit empty from water but full of snakes and scorpions". Everyone liked this idea, only Reuven thought to himself that he will come later to rescue him.
  
  When Joseph came close to his brothers, they pulled off his fancy coat - the one his father gave him, the extra one - Rashi (Parashat Bereshit 37:24), and threw him into the pit. As they sat down to eat, they saw a caravan passing by, so out came another brilliant idea to sell their small brother to Arab merchants, to be taken to a distant land (Bereshit 37:27). And so they did. As much as Joseph pleaded with them, they were determined on their plan and have not turned from their way, and slowly the caravan left from their eyesight.
  
  After when the brothers left the scene, Reuven came over to rescue Joseph, but to his astonishment, Joseph was gone. Reuven tore his clothing in grief, but it was too late - Joseph was nowhere to be found. Rashi (Bereshit Rabbah 84:19).
  
  Where was Reuven? Wasn't he the one who gave an idea to throw Joseph into the pit?! Why didn't he stay to make sure his suggestion was carried out? Why did he leave the scene? In Midrash Tanchuma, Vayeshev 13:9 (Gen. 37:22:) says: "If Reuven had known that the Holy One would write this verse about him (about his suggestion and his intention of coming back for Joseph later), he would have placed Joseph on his shoulders and brought him unto his father."
  
  One of the answers Rashi gives in (Bereshit Rabbah 84:19), he says that Reuven was doing a teshuvah, for the incident that took place after the death of Rachel. What he did was that he moved the Jacob's bed from one tent to another. But hold on a second, that incident happened 10 years ago. Why was he doing the teshuvah now after 10 years?
  
  When Rachel Imeynu died, Reuven thought to himself and said that the right place for the bed to be is in his mother's tent, Leah. Without consulting with his father whether he wants this to be done or not, he has moved the bed by himself. What he did was - he has challenged the authority of his father Jacob - by moving the bed and doing it out of his own thinking, calculations and conclusions. As a result, of this, the punishment which Reuven suffered was threefold -- he lost the birthright, the priesthood and the kingship.
  
  And now 10 years later Reuven looks at Joseph and his brothers, and asked himself – why are the brothers treat Joseph this way? Okay granted, he may have said lashon hora or slander, he may have behaved differently then you, but he is their small brother and may have been too young to make the right decisions, they should have given him the benefit of the doubt. And if Joseph is doing something wrong, let the brothers go and ask their father Jacob to get involved, so he can let the brothers know how they should behave in this situation. Maybe Jacob will admonish Joseph, or maybe he will let them know how to behave towards Joseph so this issue should not escalate into something out of proportions - as they say: "nip it at the bud" under their father's supervision. Which would make things correct and no one would of get hurt and no ill feelings would of been around.
  
  But something else was happening, the brothers were following in Reuven's footsteps, he is witnessing the consequences of his own action - he sees how his brothers treat Joseph, thinking they can get away with it, which is a direct result of his action. They are making the same mistake he did 10 years before. Reuven subconsciously has taught them to act out of their own conclusions without consulting with their father or some other authority.
  
  How about us?
  
  Do we jump to conclusions and act out on our fears and anxieties, without thinking of the consequences the other party may have? Do we feed someone non-kosher food and he ends up liking it, and maybe later gets a job in non-kosher place and marries a non Jew. Have we introduced someone to try something they should of not and they have liked it and their life is not the same anymore.Have we mistreated someone in a synagogue, at work or someone we may have known while wearing a kippah and looking very or somewhat religious, and that person left the religion with a bad feeling toward the religious people, what will happen to all the generations that will come from him after this?
  
  Think of your actions before you act, and most importantly think of the consequences of your actions.
  
  Every Yom Kippur when we finish the Shmoneh Esreh of Shacharit and before starting the chazarah, in Sefardi sidurim there's a song, which goes like this: "Hashem Shamati Shim'akha Yareti Hashem." 
  
  It finishes off the song with these lines: "Hashem, sifrey chaim umetim lefonecha niftachim..." -- translation: "Hashem the Book of Living and the Book of Dead are open before You?" (Habakkuk 3:2)
  
  I understand why Hashem would open the Book of Living, as it says in the in Masechet Rosh Hashanah 16b: "Rabbi Kruspedai said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Three books are opened on Rosh Hashanah before the Holy One, Blessed be He: One of wholly wicked people, and one of wholly righteous people, and one of middling people whose good and bad deeds are equally balanced. Wholly righteous people are immediately written and sealed for life; wholly wicked people are immediately written and sealed for death; and middling people are left with their judgment suspended from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur, their fate remaining undecided. If they merit, through the good deeds and mitzvot that they perform during this period, they are written for life; if they do not so merit, they are written for death."
  
  Besides writing the new people in the Book of Dead, Hashem judges those people that already passed away long time ago... why? Aren't the dead are gone and everything is forgotten?
  
  No matter how many years passed from whatever incident you might of had, be it money, slander or something else. If the consequences of your actions, after many years still effect the people involved (see the Book of Chofetz Chaim - a story with a pillow), even generations later – you still get punished no matter where you are and what state you are in - dead or alive. It's just while you alive you still have an ability and a chance to repent and fix whatever the situation you have caused.
  
  Understanding the magnitude of the situation and the consequences it has caused, Reuven was doing teshuvah 10 years after the incident – feeling his direct involvement on the treatment of Joseph and on all that came out of it.
  
  Shabbat Shalom,
  
  Shmuel Katanov
  
  

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• Why the community of ancient Jerusalem was destroyed?

  Aug 13, 2019 Admin 0 Comments

  The 9th of Av is the most horrible and darkest day in Jewish history. Thousands of Roman troops came to the walls of Jerusalem and on 9th of Av, Jerusalem was on fire. Why? What did the Jews in the community do, so this happened to the nation?
  
  The Talmud, Gittin 55–56 says, that Second Bet Hamikdash was destroyed because of an argument of two people - Kamtza & Bar Kamtza. The story goes like this, there are was a man who made a party and he asked his servant to go and invite his friend Kamtza. The servant went, but instead of going to Kamtza, by mistake he invited his enemy Bar Kamtza. Already on the party, as the host was going from table to table, he noticed his enemy sitting and having a good time with the rest of the people. The host came over and asked him: What are you doing here? Bar Kamtza answered politely and said, that he was invited by his servant. That's when the host realized that his servant made a mistake, and called the wrong guy. Furiously, he asked the guy to leave the party, but Bar Kamtza offered to pay for his meal and asked him not to make a scene and humiliate him in front of everyone. But the host refused and asked him again to leave. Bar Kamtza offered to pay for half of the cost of the party and then for the whole party, but the host refused and threw him out from the party.
  
  The Talmud says, that people present at the party, especially the Torah sages, sat quietly and didn't get involved. The Talmud rebukes this behavior and says at the end, that this incident was the reason for the destruction of the Second Temple.
  
  Any argument is accompanied by gossip and spreading of rumors.
  
  The same thing happened many times in our history, and every time the reaction from Hashem was very severe. 
  
  - Yosef was saying about his brothers to his father, and for that they hated him. Because of this, the brothers sold Yosef, and later the whole family emigrated to Egypt. (Bereshit Chapter 37, and Bereshit Rabah 84:7)
  
  - Moshe was puzzled at why the Jewish people had such a hard life being slaves in Egypt. But when he found out that amongst them were people that spread rumors, he understood why this was their fate. (Shemot and Rashi 2:14)
  
  - When the spies came back and slandered the Eretz Yisrael, those that believed paid with their life - all the adults died and were buried in the desert. (Parashat Shelach)
  
  - Doeg, the Head of Sanhedrin, was solely responsible for the killing of the City of Kohanim. (Shmuel 22:9)
  
  - The armies of Shaul HaMelech were losing battles with Philistines because people were spreading rumors about (already anointed and future) King David. (Midrash Shocher Tov 7:8)
  
  There are lots of other stories where people slandered and all of them have one thing in common - all these events break one commandment: The Commandment of Lashon Hara - which means to say something bad, even though this is true. (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Hachaim 156:10)
  
  - It is forbidden to repeat something about someone, even though this may not be negative, this is called Rechilut. (Vayikra 19:16, Mishneh Torah, Chilchot Deot Chapter 7)
  
  - It is forbidden to listen when someone says something negative about someone. The person should admonish the speaker, and if this is not possible, he needs to remove himself from his presence. (Chafetz Chaim 6:2, based on Talmud Ketubot 5A and many other sources)
  
  - And even if the person heard something negative about someone, he is not allowed to believe it, on the contrary, he needs to give him a benefit of the doubt and justify his actions, and always judge a person for good. (Talmud Pesachim 118A, also in the commentaries of Rashbam in Perek HaMekabel)
  
  In the Book of Shemot, Parashat Vayera 18:1 - 18:33 talks about Avraham Avinu right after he made a brit, the three angels came to him. One of the angels said that he came to destroy the cities of Soddom and Gomorrah. When Avraham Avinu heard that, he started praying to Hashem and asked Him if there are fifty righteous people that live there - for their sake not to destroy the cities. Hashem told him, there are not. Then he asked him to save the cities for forty five and again He said they are not there. Then he asked for thirty, and twenty and still he got a negative answer. Then once again he approached Hashem in prayer and asked to save the cities for ten righteous people and still, Hashem said even ten don't exist in those cities. Rashi says, that lawyer - Avraham Avinu fell silent, and Hashem left his presence since there are were not even ten tzaddikim in order to save the cities in their merit.
  
  In the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, there are were no ten members of the community that have thought well of Bar Kamtza, and who were willing to get up and publicly defend him and stop the host of the party. People have been gossiping about Bar Kamtza, and others believed and have been spreading it further, this was an epidemic in the society that had laws against this kind of behavior. People were so sure that Bar Kamtza was the guilty party, that they have assumed the roles of the observers at the party. They were judging Bar Kamtza unfavorably since they already had an opinion of him, which was under an influence of all the gossiping and rumors going around before this incident at the party. And with all of this - laws of lashon hara and other laws were broken, which led to the destruction of the Second Temple, loss of millions of lives and an exile till our time.
  
  We are in exile, which means this disease is still plaguing us. And if there's a person amongst us, about whom everyone is talking, and talking very badly, and people believe and spread rumors, and based on these rumors he is being judged and treated differently, while imposing on him more and more of the new labels and accusations - this is called Lashon Hara - talking badly, spreading of rumors and gossiping, which Torah calls in two words - Sinat Chinam or Baseless Hatred. 
  
  And if in that place you still have 50, 45, 30, 20 or 10 righteous people, that do not believe all that gossip - contrary to public pressure, then there's still hope that Hashem's fury can be turned away. We should always try to prevent the community from speaking and spreading rumors, using our influence and communal pressure, and squash this type of behavior right from the start. 
  
  And if not? And the rumors went far - then there's a job to do - he should be cleaning up - when he sees those that heard and those that might have heard, he needs to convince them that this is not true, and ask Hashem for mercy. (Sefer Chafetz Chaim). Otherwise as was said in the previous articles, our Small Batey Mikdashim - homes, synagogues, and social places are at stake.
  
  Our Chachamim taught, "Any generation in which the Temple is not built, it is as if it had been destroyed in their times" (Talmud Yerushalmi, Yoma 1A). Because that generation continues at the footsteps of the one that caused the destruction of the Temple. They are not trying to fix the mistakes of the past generations, but continue doing the same destructive sins in the eyes of Hashem and the nation.
  
  Our goal - is to build strong families and communities which have to live by Torah laws. Based on our life experience we need to help people, by giving them advice, guiding and encouraging all those that fell in life - and to do this not because we owe them or they owe us, but just like that, as the Gemara says: Loving and helping another Jew without any reason - Achavat Chinam - Baseless Love. 
  
  This action alone will grow, multiply and strengthen the Jewish Nation and our communities while doing an unforgettable act of bringing peace between people and families, for which Hashem Himself will repay. This action will be responsible for many that have left to return back to Hashem and to His Torah and mitzvot. And based on everything that is said above, we and our families will merit to see Moshiach, while doing our part to his speedy arrival to free us from this prolonged exile.
  
  Shmuel Katanov
  
  
  

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• The Bitter Waters of the Sotah

  Jun 5, 2023 Admin 0 Comments

  In Parashat Nasso 5:11-31, Hashem tells about a woman that is suspected of adultery by her husband. I assume you know the details... So the husband takes her to the Bet Hamikdash, to Cohen for the test. A Cohen gives her a drink of bitter waters, if she is guilty, she dies there, but if she is not, she is blessed with a child.
  
  We have another incident of the bitter waters in a different parsha. In Parashat Beshalach 15:23-25, right after the Am Yisrael goes through the Yam Suf, the nation becomes thirsty, but couldn't drink the waters of the Marah, since they were bitter. So, they asked Moshe, who in turn asked Hashem. And Hashem showed him a piece of wood, that he threw into the water and it became sweet. And.. the nation drank. 
  
  I believe there's something about this piece of wood. So, let's look at it closer.
  
  Have you ever wondered, why Aron HaKodesh, looks this way? - click here
  
  In Parashat Terumah, we are told about the details of the Aron HaKodesh. A wooden box covered with gold from the inside out. On the cover of the box, there are two golden figures of angels - Keruvim facing each other with their wings stretched forward. Inside the box are two sets of Luchot - the 10 Commandments. And on the side of the box, two golden loops on each side, through which wooden poles covered with gold were inserted. The ends of each pole are wider than the opening of the loops, which makes it impossible to insert the poles through the loops, so the Zohar says - that miracle occurs, and the poles pass through the loops miraculously. 
  
  It is a very holy and mystical structure, where every part of it represents something.
  
  The tablets with 10 Commandments that are inside the box - represent a Ketuba - a marriage contract. When man and woman get married - they get a Ketuba, and the 10 Commandments is a Ketuba between the nation of Israel and Hashem, since on Shavuot when we receive the Torah, Hashem marries the nation of Israel. 
  
  Each wedding ceremony or chupa has 2 witnesses, and the two Keruvim - the golden angels on top of the Aron HaKodesh also serve as witnesses. Every time Cohen HaGadol goes into Kadosh Kedoshim on Yom Kippur, based on certain signs of the Keruvim, he determines whether Hashem is happy with the way the nation is leading the way of life or not.
  
  The wooden poles are covered in gold on the sides of the Aron HaKodesh, which represent man and woman or to be exact  - a husband and wife. Why are the poles covered in gold, you ask? Simple...what is Tzeniut or Modesty? When a couple follows the laws of modesty - in front of Hashem they are covered in gold, but by uncovering themselves, or dressing immodestly they are displaying their wooden-like human body, since wood and the human body are physical products grown by Earth, which makes them look lowly in the eyes of G-d.
  
  So, there you have it - two wooden poles, covered in gold, miraculously inserted into the rings, as the Zohar says. The Torah adds: And the poles shall never be removed... But if the wife removes her golden wrapping, abandons her position on Aron HaKodesh, and is suspected of having relations with someone else, other than her husband - Torah requires her to go through a test of bitter waters. If she is guilty she dies, if she is not guilty - she is blessed with a child, and Hashem wraps her back in gold and restores her to her former position.
  
  And this makes Aron HaKodesh a symbol of Loyalty between Husband and Wife, and a symbol of Loyalty between the Nation of Israel and Hashem. 
  
  The Midrash says Leviyim carried the Aron HaKodesh by holding the poles from each side. It adds, that it is not the Leviyim who carried the Aron HaKodesh, but it is the Aron HaKodesh that carried the Leviyim in the desert. 
  
  So it is, with the husband and the wife. When the couple gets married or later on in life - dedicates their life - their whole existence, to Kabbalat Ol Malchut Shamayim – Accepting the Kingship of Heaven, by following the laws of G-d, and leading a family based on Torah values. It is not the couple who carries the burden of The Kingship of Heaven, but it is The Kingship of Heaven just like Aron HaKodesh that carries the couple through their journey of life - by overflowing them with holiness, abundance, and constant miracles.
  
  Shmuel Katanov

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• Никто не забыт и ничто не забыто

  Dec 11, 2018 Admin 0 Comments

  В истории с Ёсефом и братьями, имеется случай который немного непонятен, давайте разберём его поподробнее. 

  Как вы уже знаете между Ёсефом и старшими братьями были очень натянутые отношения, он один против всех. Некоторые комментаторы говорят что это была просто зависть, а некоторые говорят ненависть, в любом случае надо копнуть поглубже.
  
  "И Ёсеф пошел за братьями и нашел их в Дотане" говорит Мидраш Танхума, Парашат Ваешев 13:6. Ёсеф шел в сторону своих братьев по повелению отца. Увидев его из далека, они сказали друг другу что идёт человек видящий сны и начали задумывать как от него избавиться. Один из братьев посоветовал его убить и этим решить проблему. Старший брат Рувен сказал "Зачем убивать свою кровь, ведь он наш брат, просто давайте бросим его в пустую яму." В Трактате Шаббат 22А говорится: "Яма была пуста от воды, но была полна змеями и скорпионами". Идея понравилась всем, только Рувен задумал прийти попозже когда никого не будет и вызволить Ёсефа.
  
  Когда Ёсеф подошел к братьям, они сняли с него, его красивый и разноцветный халат и бросили его в яму. Затем они сели поесть. Во время трапезы они увидели мимо проходящий караван, и опять один из братьев предлагает продать своего братишку караванщикам, чтоб увезли его далеко в чужие земли, Брешит (37:27). Сказано, сделано. И сколько бы Ёсеф их не просил и не умолял, они не услышали его мольбы и не изменили своего решения. Так караван скрылся с глаз с Ёсефом вместе.
  
  Когда братья ушли с этого места, туда возвратился Рувен, который ужаснулся когда увидел что яма пуста и Ёсефа нет внутри. Он разорвал свои одежды и начал плакать, но увы было уже поздно. Раши (Брешит Раба 84:19)
  
  Возникает вот такой вопрос - где был Рувен? Давши им идею бросить Ёсефа в яму, почему он покинул братьев и не остался охранять Ёсефа, чтоб ничего с ним не случилось? В Мидраше Танхума, Ваешев 13:9 говорится: "Если бы Рувен знал что Вс-вышний напишит о его намерении спасти Ёсефа, он бы поднял Ёсефа на свои плечи и понёс бы его к отцу".
  
  Один из ответов который дал Раши в Берешит Рабба 84:19, говорится что Рувен делал Тешува - раскаяние, за инцидент который произошел когда умерла Рахель. Он передвинул кровать Яакова, своего отца, с одной палатки в другую. Мидраш говорит что этот инцидент произошел 10 лет назад. Почему он раскаивается сейчас спустя 10 лет после того как это случилось?
  
  Когда умерла праматерь Рахель, Рувен подумал и сказал что не подобает кровати отца быть у служанки Рахель - кровать должна быть у законной жены Яакова - Лея, его матери. Так исходя из своих соображений и не спрашивая отца, он подвинул кровать сам. Он пренебрёг словом, решением, мнением и властью отца. В результате этого он и его потомки были трижды наказаны - они потеряли первородство, священо служение в Храме и корону царя.
  
  И вот теперь 10 лет спустя, Рувен смотрит на Ёсефа и своих братьев и спрашивает себя - почему братья относятся к Ёсефу так пренебрежительно? Допустим он их клеветал - но комментаторы говорят, что всё что он сказал отцу было всё то что он видел - и передал всё по юношеской глупости и по молодости. Может он повёл себя не так как они ожидали от него - но он является их младшим братом, в тот момент ему было 17 лет, и был очень молод чтоб не сделать ошибки и не ошибиться.
  
  Братья должны были усомниться в его мотивах и действиях, а не принимать всё за чистую монету или ожидать во всём от него подвоха. И даже если Ёсеф ведёт себя не правильно, скажите отцу, дайте папе решить проблему между братьями со своим младшим сыном. Отец может его поругать, дать ему урок как вести себя с братьями и в будущем в таких ситуациях. Отец бы смог его надоумить и не допустить ситуации выйти из под контроля. Он сделал бы так чтоб и братья и Ёсеф были бы друзьями и между ними не было бы никаких чувств неприязни друг другу.
  
  Но происходило всё совсем иначе, братья шли по стопам Рувена совершая те же ошибки, а он был свидетелем последствий своих действий. Братья относились так к Ёсефу думая что им это сойдёт с рук, также как Рувен когда то подвинул кровати не думая о последствиях своих решений и действий.

  Позвольте спросить:
  
  Как быстро мы приходим к поспешным выводам основываясь на наших страхах и тревогах, не думая о последствиях которые могут произойти с людьми которые вовлечены в спор? А как насчёт людей которых мы ввели в заблуждение, и у них многое в жизни обернулось не так как им хотелось? Как насчёт репутаций людей разрушенных нами, и какие у них сейчас последствия? Может мы отнеслись кому то не правильно, выглядя при этом очень или немного религиозными, и тот человек отвернулся от религии? А как насчёт.. здесь вы можете сами продолжить этот список.
  
  Нам надо думать о последствиях прежде чем мы что то сделаем или скажем. Потому что мы никогда не знаем что мы потеряем от неправильно сказаного слова или не правильного сделанного дела.
  
  Каждый Ём Кипур когда мы заканчиваем Шемоне Эсре после Шахарита и прежде чем начать Хазара, в Сефардских сидурах есть одна песня: "Хашем Шамати Шимахо Ёрети Хашем". Эта песня заканчивается куплетом: "Хашем, сифрей хаим уметим лефанеха нифтахим" -- "Г-сподь книги Живых и Мёртвых перед Тобой открыты..." (Хаббакук 3:2)
  
  Я понимаю почему Г-сподь открывает книгу Живых, как сказано в Трактате Рош Хашана 16б - "Рав Круспедай сказал от имени Раби Ёханана: Три книги открывают на Рош Хашана перед Г-сподом - одну для грешников, другую для праведных и третью для людей которые стоят между - чьи хорошие и плохие дела находятся в балансе. Праведники записаны сразу в книгу жизни; злодеи в книгу смерти; а те что между, их судьба решится на Ём Кипур и если они сделают хороших дел то перевесят весы в хорошую сторону."
  
  Кроме написания живых людей в Книгу Смерти, Г-сподь также судит людей которые умерли очень давно. Зачем судить мёртвых, ведь они уже давно не с нами и всё уже позабыто.
  
  В книге II Диврей Хаямим 33:12 (13-18), есть рассказ про царя Менаше, который поставил идолов по всему Израилю чтоб все поклонялись им тем самым отклонив сердца евреев от Г-спода. Однажды царь Менаше попадает в плен и его оставляют умирать, с привязаным руками вверх над открытым огнём. Он взывает ко всем богам которые ему известны, и не услышав от них ответа и не получив желаемого результата, он начинает говорить с Г-сподом и просит Его прийти к нему на помощь. Происходит чудо и он оказывается в Израиле и вне опасности.
  
  И вот теперь он меняет свою жизнь радикально - он убирает все идолы из Храма и со всего Израиля и издаёт приказ что все должны поклонятся одному Г-споду. Начинает учить Тору, законы и делает Тешуву. Проходит время и пришел его час уйти из этого мира. Вопрос возникает в Талмуде Санхедрин 102б, куда идёт царь Менаше в Ган Эдэн или Гехином? И отвечают мудрецы, что царь Менаше пробыл в Гехиноме очень долгое время, пока эффект его действий не умер с последним человеком. Он почистил Храм, но люди привыкшие к служению идолам продолжали это делать в тайне. Это было поколение его возраста, их дети и внуки.  И ждал он пока все не сделали тешуву или не покинули этот мир. И только тогда он был допущен в Ган Эдэн, когда эффект его действий закончил существовать в мире.
  
  Нет разницы сколько времени прошло с любого инцидента который произошел с человеком - по отношению к другим людям. Если последствия его дел после многих лет всё ещё имеют какой то эффект на людей которые были связаны с ним в тот момент, или даже поколения спустя - он несёт за это ответственность, и нет разницы если он ещё в этом мире или уже в том. Просто если человек ещё живой то он счастливчик, потому что он может приложить все усилия, изменить и исправить все те самые ситуации которые произошли. Уйдя из этого мира, человек или уже душа непосильна сделать чего либо и уже это забота следующего поколения и душа она полностью зависима от всех тех родственников которые остались здесь в этом мире, и может быть они исправят всё то что он не успел сделать будучи живым.
  
  Говорит нам Раби Нахман из Брэслава в своей Книге: Ликутей Мохаран: "Суды Небесные Происходят Каждый Час". Кого судит Г-сподь? Все те поколения которые должны исправить всё то что не успел или в чём провинился их предшественник. Мы встречаем людей, бываем в ситуациях, не зная и не понимая почему Г-сподь нас в них поставил, но только пройдя через ситуацию и познав людей и "перетерясь" с ними, мы исправляем то что кто-то до нас не смог или не успел сделать, и оно выпало на нашу долю, потому что мы в ответе за это и должны это сделать. Пройдя мы помогаем ушедшим и освобождаем их, себя и будущие поколения от этого греха, а не пройдя мы усиливаем страдания ушедшим, себе и будущим поколениям.
  
  В результате потеряв первородство, священослужение в Храме и корону царя, Рувен понял серьёзность всей ситуации которая сложилась и последствия которые произошли с Ёсефом. Рувен делал тешуву 10 лет спустя после инцидента с кроватью Яакова - чувствуя своё прямое участие в отношении к Ёсефу и всё что произошло после.
  
  Шаббат Шалом

  Шмуэль Катанов
  
  

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