Rabbi's Blog

When a person walks into a Shul he will find many items that are found in all other synagogues, regardless of their stream of identification. There will be a Torah scroll, the Bimah, prayer shawls, a ner tamid, and usually a charity box. Although each of these items are commonly found in synagogues throughout the world, they don't all look or function in the same way. Beth Jacob has all the items mentioned above, but one of them is very unique and I believe is a preferred crafted one at that. I am referring to the Tzedakah box that was crafted by two friends in the year 5757 - sixteen years ago. The Tzedakah box itself is a metal mail box attached to a long cylinder bolted onto a wooden platform. This tzedakah receptacle was built after someone walked right out of Shul with the smaller hand-held box.

In many Shuls a person carries the Tzedaka box around to individuals, encouraging them to deposit their charity. This may be very convenient, but it takes away an element of the Mitzva. In Beth Jacob the Tzedakah box is big, bulky and heavy, therefore the Mitzva of giving charity doesn't come to you; rather you have to go to it. A beautiful scene takes place every morning as people converge to the back of the beis medrash in order to GO and Give their daily tzedakah. There are many components of a Mitzva and a person should keep in mind that the effort involved in performing a mitzvah can sometimes be equal to the Mitzva itself!

In this week's Parsha Vayigash the Torah relates how Yosaif Hatzadik performs the preparation for a mitzvah himself and does not relegate it to his servants. In Perek mem vav passuk chaf tes 46:29 the Torah states: "Vaye'esor Yosaif Merkavto Va'Yaal Likras Yisrael Aviv Goshna...." And Yosaif harnessed his chariot and went up to meet Israel, his father, to Goshen;". This was the chariot that Pharoah had given to Yosaif. Many of the commentaries ask: "Didn't Yosaif have a number of servants who were able to fasten and ready the chariot for Yosaif?" Rashi explains that Yosaif harnassed it himself to show the desire and honor he placed on the Mitzva of honoring his father. He did the preparations himself prior to setting out to see his father for the first time since they last saw each other twenty- two years earlier. Yosaif felt that preparing for this mitzvah was an equal part to the mitzvah of going out to greet his father.

*Rav Menachem Ben Shlomo, in his work Medrash Seichel Tov, expounds upon Yosaif's readying of his own chariot due to the great love he had for his father. Ben Shlomo explains that 'love and hatred can remove a person from his position of leadership'. Love can take precedence over leadership, when warranted, as illustrated when Avraham Avinu prepares for the Akeidas Yitzchok. The Torah states 'Vayashkeim Avraham BaBoker': and 'Avraham got up early in the morning'. Chazal explain that Avraham got up early out of love for his Creator and saddled his own donkey. In similar fashion Yosaif harnesses his own chariot. Because Avraham loved Hashem and Yosaif loved his father, they actually set aside their ranks of greatness and performed menial tasks relegated to the servants Hatred also destroys a person's greatness as elucidated by Pharoah harnessing his chariot to chase after the Jewish people when we left Egypt. Later on in Bamidbar, Bilaam gets up early in the morning and saddles up his own donkey. Pharoah and Bilaam's hatred of the Jewish people caused them to prepare their means of travel, leading to their downfall from greatness.

Rabbeinu B'Chaya gives a third insight into Yosaif preparing his own chariot. He quotes a Medrash, Tanchuma zayin: "Rebbe Yudan in the name of Rebbi Eivo says, "Two people in the world, Yisro and Yaakov, saw honor which was greater than had been given to any "bor'oh" - any other creation. No other entity ever created - luminaries, stars, or living creatures - had ever been so honored as had Yisro and Yaakov because they took the initiative to give honor. When Yisro was going to see Moshe, the Torah states in Shmos 18:7 Vayeitzay, Moshe Likras Chosno:' ... and Moshe went out to greet Yisro his father in law.' Was there anybody who saw Moshe go out and they themselves did not go out?' The heads of thousands, the heads of hundreds went out, and do you think no one else followed them out? The seventy elders went out, and do you think everyone else wouldn't follow? Aharon, the Kohein Gadol, went out. Immediately the entire Jewish people went out to greet Yisro, Moshe's father in law.

When it came to Yaakov Avinu, it says that whoever saw Yosaif harness his own chariot and go up, do you think they did not go up as well? The servants of Pharoah and the elders of his house went out to greet Yaakov. Do you think no one else went out? Rather, all of Egypt went out to greet Yaakov to Mitzrayim. This concept of everyone going out to greet them fulfills the precept said by Shlomo HaMelech in Mishlei/Proverbs 3:35: "Kavod Chachamim Yinchalu"The wise shall inherit honor. Hashem says that in this world He gives a portion of honor to the elders.

The lesson to participate in a mitzvah is found even when the obligation is someone else's responsibility. How much more so when that Mitzva is ours to do. Running to do a Mitzva is also found regarding Shabbos. Shulchan Aruch tells us that a person should not run or jog on Shabbos, as this is a weekday non-holy activity. But a person is permitted to run on Shabbos if he is running to do a mitzvah.

Baruch Hashem, in today's day and age we are fulfilling many of the Mitzvos of the Torah. An area that perhaps we can improve upon, however, is in our approach to the Mitzva. Whether it is going over to the tzedakah box, filling up the oil for the menorah, picking up our lulav and esrog ourselves, as opposed to someone else getting it for us, or any other Mitzva that comes our way, let's take the initiative and go to it instead of waiting for it to come to us. That is the greatest honor that we can show a Mitzva.

Ah Gut Shabbos Rabbi Avram Bogopulsky

*Rav Menachem Ben Shlomo was born in Italy in the 12th century. He was a grammarian and authored Midrash Seichel Tov. It is a collection of old Midrashic material, arranged on each verse of the Torah and the five Megillos. It is interspersed with halachik notes and original comments. The work is quoted both for its aggadic substance and its halachik material. Among the Halachists of later generations who cite opinions and decisions of Seichel Tov are Maharam Mintz, Orchos Chaim, and the Mordechai. Seichel Tov is extant only from Genesis 15 through Exodus 19.