Kerem B'Yavneh Parsha Podcast

๐ŸŽฌ Watch this shiur on YouTube

โ”€โ”€ Shiur Outline โ”€โ”€
(0:08) What's in a name? Intro at Kerem B'Yavne
(1:45) Eliasaf ben Deuel vs. Reuel โ€“ name meanings
(3:26) The name of God and the mitzvah of Torah study
(4:27) Torah as a metaphor for the Holy One
(5:48) Rav Aharon Kotlerโ€™s Yeshiva anecdote on purpose

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

1. Meaning behind names โ€” Unlike secular names which may serve as mere labels, a Hebrew shem reflects an underlying essence or shared connotation, as seen in the dual names of Shimonโ€™s son and the Nasi of Gad.
2. Essence and definition โ€” The power of naming was first demonstrated by Adam HaRishon, whose naming of the animals was not random but a result of Divine wisdom identifying each creature's true etzem.
3. Torah as Godโ€™s Name โ€” The mitzvah of Talmud Torah is intrinsically linked to the name of HaKadosh Baruch Hu, leading Chazal to derive the obligation of Birkas HaTorah from the verse regarding calling upon the "Name of Hashem."
4. The Ultimate Mashal โ€” According to the Chofetz Chaim and Rav Schechter, the Torah is referred to as Meshal Hakadmoni, acting as a multi-layered mashal that allows us to connect with the infinite Creator.
5. Reverence in study โ€” The Ramchal in Derech Hashem emphasizes that the spiritual influence and bracha brought by Torah study are contingent upon the student maintaining proper yiras shamayim.
6. Torah for its own sake โ€” As Rav Aharon Kotler clarified regarding the mission of Beth Medrash Govoha, while Torah study produces leaders, its primary purpose is the act of connection to God through His wisdom, regardless of external outcomes.

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ืฉืœื•ื from Camp Yavneh.

What's in a name?

In this week's ืคืจืฉื”,

the Torah tells us the census that was conducted of the Jewish people before

we entered ืืจืฅ ื™ืฉืจืืœ,

and one of the families of ืฉืžืขื•ืŸ is referred to as ื–ืจื—.

ืจืฉ"ื™ and the ืจืžื‘"ืŸ point out that this ื–ืจื— corresponds to the name ืฆื—ืจ,

a son of ืฉืžืขื•ืŸ that we find in ืคืจืฉืช ื•ื™ื’ืฉ.

Why the name change?

So the ืจืžื‘"ืŸ explains that ื–ืจื— and ืฆื—ืจ both have a similar connotation.

ื–ืจื—,

of course,

is to shine,

and ืฆื—ืจ is something which is white,

something which is bright,

also associated with the ืฆื”ืจ.

We remember the Tzohar ta'aseh lateivah ืฆื”ืจ ืชืขืฉื” ืœืชื™ื‘ื”.

So,

although the names are not identical,

but they do have a similar connotation.

The implication of the ืจืžื‘"ืŸ is that a name is not just a label.

It's true that perhaps in English if somebody's name is Harry or Bob or

Joe,

so there's nothing about him which makes him a Bob or a Joe or

a Harry.

It's a label.

But in Judaism,

we understand that a ืฉื,

that a name,

has some meaning.

Along similar lines,

the ืจืžื‘"ืŸ points out the ื ืฉื™ื of ื‘ื ื™ ื’ื“ in ืคืจืฉืช ื‘ืžื“ื‘ืจ is referred

at one point as Eliasaf ben Deuel ืืœื™ืกืฃ ื‘ืŸ ื“ืขื•ืืœ,

at another point as Eliasaf ben Reuel ืืœื™ืกืฃ ื‘ืŸ ืจืขื•ืืœ.

The ืจืžื‘"ืŸ explains that ื“ืขื•ืืœ and ืจืขื•ืืœ have a similar connotation.

ื“ืขื•ืืœ,

that knowledge,

his thoughts were about God,

and ืจืขื•ืืœ also has a similar meaning;

after all,

ืจืขื™ื•ืŸ is thoughts.

His thoughts were about God.

We could add that not only does a name have a meaning,

but in a certain sense,

the name is associated with the essence of the person or the object.

After all,

we're told in ืคืจืฉืช ื‘ืจืืฉื™ืช that ืื“ื ื”ืจืืฉื•ืŸ gave names to the animals.

What's the significance of that?

So presumably it's more than his thinking up all sorts of random names for

a dog,

a cat,

an elephant,

but rather in the wisdom that was granted by God,

he was able to define the essence of each of the animals and give

them their appropriate name.

This idea that a name is associated with the essence of that object or

that individual is something which is very relevant to the holiness of the ืžืฆื•ื”

of ืชืœืžื•ื“ ืชื•ืจื” as we'll explain.

We know that the source for the ืžืฆื•ื” of ืชืœืžื•ื“ ืชื•ืจื”,

the source for the ืžืฆื•ื” of ื‘ืจื›ืช ื”ืชื•ืจื”,

I'm sorry,

is the ืคืกื•ืง ki shem Hashem ekra,

havu godel l'elokeinu ื›ื™ ืฉื ื”' ืืงืจื ื”ื‘ื• ื’ื•ื“ืœ ืœืืœืงื™ื ื•.

ืžืฉื” ืจื‘ื™ื ื• at the beginning of ื”ืื–ื™ื ื• says when I call upon the name

of God,

give praise.

ื—ื–"ืœ say this teaches us that one is obligated to say a ื‘ืจื›ื” before

he learns Torah.

What's the connection?

We understand that havu godel l'elokeinu ื”ื‘ื• ื’ื•ื“ืœ ืœืืœืงื™ื ื• is to give praise,

but how do we see anything about learning Torah?

Well,

apparently ืฉื ื”' is a reference to ืชืœืžื•ื“ ืชื•ืจื”.

And the truth is when we say ื‘ืจื›ืช ื”ืชื•ืจื” every morning then we say

v'nihyeh anachnu v'tzetze'einu kulanu yodei shemecha ื•ื ื”ื™ื” ืื ื—ื ื• ื•ืฆืืฆืื™ื ื• ื›ื•ืœื ื• ื™ื•ื“ืขื™ ืฉืžืš.

So again,

we see that ืชืœืžื•ื“ ืชื•ืจื” is associated with the name of God.

What does this mean?

Well,

the ื—ืคืฅ ื—ื™ื™ื talks about,

ืจื‘ ืฉื›ื˜ืจ discusses this on somewhat of a regular basis.

We know that in the ืคืกื•ืง in ืกืคืจ ืฉืžื•ืืœ the Torah is referred to

as ืžืฉืœ ื”ืงื“ืžื•ื ื™.

A ืžืฉืœ of ื”ืงื“ืžื•ื ื™,

of Hakadosh Baruch Hu ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื,

which can be understood not only a ืžืฉืœ that was stated by Hakadosh Baruch

Hu ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื,

but also some sort of ืžืฉืœ in a certain sense about Hakadosh Baruch Hu

ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื.

That somehow the Torah on some level is some sort of a ืžืฉืœ of

a ืžืฉืœ of a ืžืฉืœ of Hakadosh Baruch Hu ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื.

The Torah is closely related and associated with Hakadosh Baruch Hu ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื.

Being involved in ืชื•ืจื” learning is our way of connecting to ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื.

This is perhaps why the ืจืžื—"ืœ writes in ื“ืจืš ื”ืฉื how critical it is

for a person to have proper reverence when studying ืชื•ืจื”.

He points out that ืชื•ืจื” learning is something which could have great influence on

our world,

bring so much ื‘ืจื›ื” to our world,

but one of the conditions for that taking place is that a person has

proper ื™ืจืืช ืฉืžื™ื.

Why should this be so?

Well,

presumably due to the fact that the whole part of the importance of ืชื•ืจื”

is the way of connecting with ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื,

so only if we have that proper ื™ืจืืช ืฉืžื™ื will our study of ืชื•ืจื”

be our way of connecting to ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื.

I'll conclude with the following anecdote.

There was once a meeting of ื’ื‘ื™ืจื™ื,

of philanthropists,

some sort of parlor meeting for the ื™ืฉื™ื‘ื” in Lakewood,

for ืจื‘ Aharon Kotler's ื™ืฉื™ื‘ื”,

ื‘ื™ืช ืžื“ืจืฉ ื’ื‘ื•ื”,

currently known as BMG,

in Lakewood.

And some fellow got up and said that we need to support this ื™ืฉื™ื‘ื”

because we need to provide the ability for leadership of the Jewish people in

the next generation,

and this ื™ืฉื™ื‘ื” will provide the leaders of the next generation.

ืจื‘ Aharon Kotler then stood up and said,

well,

I need to make something clear.

It is true that the leaders of the next generation quite possibly come from

this ื™ืฉื™ื‘ื”,

but nevertheless,

that's not the reason why I established the ื™ืฉื™ื‘ื”.

I established the ื™ืฉื™ื‘ื” for the sake of people to be involved in ืชื•ืจื”

study.

So certainly we do understand that ืชื•ืจื” study is something which does give us

the potential to lead the Jewish people.

We do understand that ืชื•ืจื” study certainly needs to be done ืœืœืžื•ื“ ืขืœ ืžื ืช

ืœืขืฉื•ืช,

ืœืœืžื•ื“ ืขืœ ืžื ืช ืœืœืžื“,

ืขืœ ืžื ืช ืœืงื™ื™ื,

but we need to understand and keep in mind that the very fact that

we're involved in God's ืชื•ืจื” is our way of connecting with ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื,

something which brings great ื‘ืจื›ื” to us and to the rest of the world.

Have a wonderful ืฉื‘ืช.