Kerem B'Yavneh Parsha Podcast

๐ŸŽฌ Watch this shiur on YouTube

โ”€โ”€ Shiur Outline โ”€โ”€
(0:08) The Diplomatโ€™s Shabbat Mixโ€‘Up and the Word โ€˜Ben'
(1:27) Why the Bahag Calls Exodus โ€˜The Second Bookโ€™

AI-Generated Summary (AI can be inaccurate. Check important information):

1. Dual meaning of Ben โ€” The Hebrew word ben refers both to being a child of one's parents and to the measurement of one's years, highlighting a dual identity.
2. The Second Book โ€” The Bahag refers to Sefer Shemot as HaSefer HaSheni, signifying that the story of creation begun in Bereishit is not officially complete without it.
3. Creation requires Torah โ€” As Rashi notes on the "Sixth Day," the physical world remained incomplete until the sixth of Sivan when the Jewish people accepted the Torah.
4. Spiritual vs. Physical creation โ€” While Sefer Bereishit describes the physical beriah, Sefer Shemot represents the vital spiritual completion of the world.
5. Universal and Individual stages โ€” Just as the world underwent physical then spiritual creation, every individual must transition from physical birth to self-directed spiritual development.
6. Intellectual responsibility โ€” The Rambam warns in Moreh Nevuchim that a person who fails to develop their soul and middot tovot can be more dangerous than an animal.
7. Autonomy in growth โ€” Physical birth is a matter of al korchacha (against one's will), but spiritual creation is entirely dependent on an individual's own choices and effort.
8. Maximizing time โ€” To be true banim (children) of Hashem, we must properly utilize our years and dedicate ourselves to Torah study.

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Shalom from Camp Yavneh.

The story's told of a certain Israeli diplomat that was in ื—ื•ืฅ ืœืืจืฅ and

he figured it would be a good idea in order to strengthen his ties

with the Jewish community to attend the services on ืฉื‘ืช.

So he shows up in ืฉื•ืœ and the ื’ื‘ืื™ sees ืคื ื™ื ื—ื“ืฉื•ืช and he

figures well,

it might be a nice idea to give him an ืขืœื™ื”.

So the ื’ื‘ืื™ comes over to the diplomat and he asks him his name.

The fellow says,

"My name is ื™ืฆื—ืง." "ื‘ืŸ?" asks the ื’ื‘ืื™.

"ื‘ืŸ ืฉืœื•ืฉื™ื ื•ื—ืžืฉ." But the ื’ื‘ืื™ says,

"No,

no,

ื”ืื‘ื,

ื”ืื‘ื." So the fellow says,

"Oh,

ื”ืื‘ื,

ื”ืื‘ื ื‘ืŸ ืฉื™ืฉื™ื ื•ืฉื‘ืข." ืขื“ ื›ืืŸ the story.

Now what makes that story somewhat humorous is the dual meaning of the word

ื‘ืŸ.

A person is the ื‘ืŸ,

the child of his parents,

but he's also the ื‘ืŸ of his years.

What does this have to do with ื—ื’ ื”ืฉื‘ื•ืขื•ืช?

That we'll see in a second.

The ื ืฆื™"ื‘ in his ื”ืงื“ืžื” to ืกืคืจ ืฉืžื•ืช points out that the ื‘ื”"ื’ has

an interesting name for ืกืคืจ ืฉืžื•ืช;

he refers to ืกืคืจ ืฉืžื•ืช as ื”ืกืคืจ ื”ืฉื ื™.

At first glance that seems pretty bland.

We could probably come up with better names for ืกืคืจ ืฉืžื•ืช:

ืกืคืจ ื”ื’ืœื•ืช ื•ื”ื’ืื•ืœื”.

What sort of name is this,

ื”ืกืคืจ ื”ืฉื ื™?

Explains the ื ืฆื™"ื‘ that the ื‘ื”"ื’ is trying to make an important point over

here.

The ื‘ื”"ื’ is emphasizing the fact that just as ืกืคืจ ื‘ืจืืฉื™ืช is the story

of the ื‘ืจื™ืื”,

so ืกืคืจ ืฉืžื•ืช is the continuation of that story.

And the ื‘ืจื™ืื” is not complete until the Jewish people accept the ืชื•ืจื” on

ื”ืจ ืกื™ื ื™.

Of course,

a similar idea is expressed by ื—ื–"ืœ.

ืจืฉ"ื™ writes:

ื•ื™ื”ื™ ืขืจื‘ ื•ื™ื”ื™ ื‘ื•ืงืจ ื™ื•ื ื”ืฉื™ืฉื™.

Why the sixth day of creation?

ื”ืฉื™ืฉื™ is a ืจืžื– the sixth of ืกื™ื•ืŸ where the Jewish people received the

ืชื•ืจื”.

Without the Jewish people accepting the ืชื•ืจื”,

the completion would not have been fulfilled,

the creation would not have been complete.

And thus ืกืคืจ ื”ืฉื ื™,

ืกืคืจ ืฉืžื•ืช is the completion,

the spiritual creation of the world.

Physical creation,

ืกืคืจ ื‘ืจืืฉื™ืช;

spiritual creation with the accepting the ืชื•ืจื”,

ืกืคืจ ืฉืžื•ืช.

ืžื•ืจื™ ื•ืจื‘ื™,

Rabbi Mordechai Willig ืฉืœื™ื˜"ื pointed out that just as these two stages of creation

exist on the cosmic level,

this is also true on the individual level.

Every human being is created in a sense by the ื’' ืฉื•ืชืคื™ื,

by ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื,

by his father and his mother.

But there's an additional level of creation that a person needs to do for

himself and that is the spiritual creation.

The ืจืžื‘"ื points out in ืžื•ืจื” ื ื‘ื•ื›ื™ื towards the beginning when he discusses the

word ื™ืœื“,

that an individual that does not develop himself spiritually and intellectually is like an

animal,

just in a certain sense worse.

An animal doesn't have the brains to be able to connive,

to be able to plan to do all sorts of terrible things and a

person that doesn't develop himself in terms of ืžื™ื“ื•ืช ื˜ื•ื‘ื•ืช,

in terms of ืชื•ืจื”,

could do all sorts of terrible things with the brains that he was given.

So we all need to see to it that we are developed not only

physically but also spiritually.

The physical development,

our physical growth,

that's something which is in a certain sense not in our control:

ืขืœ ื›ืจื—ืš ืืชื” ื ื•ืฆืจ,

ืขืœ ื›ืจื—ืš ืืชื” ื ื•ืœื“.

But in terms of the spiritual creation,

that's all up to us.

Before ื—ื’ ื”ืฉื‘ื•ืขื•ืช,

it's a wonderful time to see to it that we are not only ื‘ื ื™ื

of our parents,

but also ื‘ื ื™ื in the sense of the children of our years,

using our years properly,

using our time properly,

dedicating ourselves to ืชื•ืจื”.

And if in fact we do so,

then we will be.

fully ื‘ื ื™ื ืืชื ืœื”ืณ

ืืœื”ื™ื›ื.

May we be ื–ื•ื›ื” to a proper ืงื‘ืœืช ื”ืชื•ืจื” on ื—ื’ ื”ืฉื‘ื•ืขื•ืช and throughout

the year.

ืฉื‘ืช ืฉืœื•ื and ื—ื’ ืฉืžื—.