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THE WEEKLY SIDRA- VAYAISHEV
Rabbi Moshe Greebel
“To deliver him…..The Holy Spirit testified upon R’uvain, that he only stated this in order to deliver him (Yosef). For, he (R’uvain) would come (later), and, take him (Yosef) from there. He (R’uvain) stated, ‘I am the first born and the greatest of them (the brothers)! The ruination (of fratricide) will be hung on to me!’”
One of the restrictions of being human, is that at times, we have the tendency to overlook that which is very simple. This is especially true when it comes to the study of Torah, in which, attempting to comprehend the most difficult concepts therein, we will miss what is obvious. This week’s Sidra is a good example of this principle.
Having heard his brothers plot to kill Yosef, R’uvain addressed them with the following:
“And R’uvain heard it, and he saved him from their hands; and said, ‘Let us not slay a person!’” (B’raishis 37:21)
R’uvain then made the following suggestion:
“And R’uvain said to them, ‘Shed no blood, but throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him,’ that he might rid him from their hands, to deliver him to his father again.” (ibid. 37:22)
Discussing this action of R’uvain, Rashi instructed:
“To deliver him…..The Holy Spirit testified upon R’uvain, that he only stated this in order to deliver him (Yosef). For, he (R’uvain) would come (later), and, take him (Yosef) from there. He (R’uvain) stated, ‘I am the first born and the greatest of them (the brothers)! The ruination (of fratricide) will be hung on to me!’”
While thinking of his own reputation, we clearly do see that R’uvain was very certainly concerned for the life of his brother. After the brothers accepted the council of R’uvain, we find the following:
“And they took him, and threw him into a pit; and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.” (ibid. 37:24)
Now, if the pit was empty, what need was there for the Torah to state that it had no water? Citing the Gemarah in Shabbos 22a, and the Midrash B’raishis Rabbah 84-16, Rashi provides us with the following answer:
“There was indeed no water in it, but serpents and scorpions were in it…..”
And, concerning pits which contain serpents and scorpions, we find the following in the Gemarah of Y’vamos 121a:
“Our Rabbis taught, ‘If a man fell into a lion's den, no evidence may be legally tendered concerning him…..’”
Momentarily interrupting the flow of Gemarah, we are speaking of those who saw a man fall into a lions’ den, but, did not actually witness the lions killing him. ‘No evidence may be legally tendered concerning him’ refers to the fact that there is no evidence of his death, and, his wife may not re-marry, based on those who saw him fall. The Gemarah continues:
“…..But if into a pit full of serpents and scorpions, evidence may legally be tendered concerning him.”
However, according to this opinion, if he was seen falling into a pit full of serpents and scorpions, he is considered dead, and his wife may re-marry.
Hence, if R’uvain truly wanted to save the life of his brother Yosef, how could he suggest that Yosef be cast into a pit full of serpents and scorpions? Based on the probability of the above Gemarah, simply throwing him in there, would have meant his death! What was in R’uvain’s mind?
For a very Lomdish (scholarly) response to this incredibly obvious dilemma, we turn to the commentary of the celebrated Gra (Vilna Gaon- Rabbeinu Eliyahu Kramer 1720- 1797), of blessed memory, who cited the Gemarah in Shabbos 21b-22a:
“Rav Kahana said, ‘Rav Nassan Bar Minyumi expounded in Rav Tanchum's name, that if a Chanukah lamp is placed above twenty cubits (from the ground) it is unfit, like a Sukka and a cross-beam over (the entrance of) an alley (in order to carry there on Shabbos)…...’”
Based on the fact that an Amah (cubit) is from 18 to 24 inches, twenty Amos could range from 30 to 40 feet. Rashi here, explains that since there is no peripheral vision at this height or distance, the Ner Chanukah would not be noticed by anyone passing in the street, making it unfit.
But, if we continue with the Gemarah, we see an additional statement of Rav Kahana, which has nothing to do with his first statement:
“Rav Kahana said, ‘Rav Nassan Bar Minyumi expounded in Rav Tanchum's name, why is it written, and the pit was empty, there was no water in it? From the implication of what is said, ‘and the pit was empty’, do I not know that there was no water in it? What then is taught by, ‘there was no water in it’? There was no water, yet there were serpents and scorpions in it.’”
The Gra taught that the relationship between these two statements is based on the following Passuk (verse), which speaks of the Olah (burned offering) of poultry:
“And he (Kohain) shall remove its crop (gullet) with its feathers, and throw it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes.” (Vayikra 1:16)
In order to understand the physical perspectives of the poultry Olah, we turn our attentions to the very first daily Avodah (service) in the Bais HaMikdash, T’rumas HaDeshen (sweeping of ash from the Mizbai’ach- altar), by using the diagram below.
In the Mishna of Tamid 28b, we encounter the Kohain, who won the lottery for that morning’s T’rumas HaDeshen, about to ascend the Kevesh (ramp- point #2), going north, leading up to the Mizbai’ach (point #1):
“…..Then he took the silver fire pan, and ascended (north) to the top of the Mizbai’ach, and cleared away the (live) cinders (of coal on the pyre) on either side, and scooped up the (dead) ashes in the center (into the fire pan). He then descended (south), and upon reaching the pavement, he turned his face to the north (180%), and walked along the east side of the Kevesh a distance of ten Amos (15-20 feet), and he then made a heap (of the cinders in the fire pan) on the pavement at a distance of three T’fachim (about a foot) away from the Kevesh (point #3)…..”
The Mishna concludes:
“…..In the place where they used to put the crop of poultry (Olah), and the ashes from the inner Mizbai’ach, and the ashes from the Menorah.”
Basically then, point #3 on our diagram was the settling place for these four items. Concerning this ash mound, Rashi in the Gemarah, instructs as follows:
“…..It (ash mound- point #3) was a distance of twenty Amos (30- 40 feet) from the (south wall) of the Mizbai’ach….. And, it was established by our Rabbanim that nothing is considered ‘throwing’ unless it is a distance of twenty Amos…..”
Essentially, the top of the Mizbai’ach, from where the crop of the Olah of poultry was thrown by the Kohain, to the side of the Mizbai’ach where the ashes were heaped (point #3), was a distance of twenty Amos. That is how the Gemarah knew, taught the Gra, that nothing under a distance of twenty Amos is considered throwing.
It is understood of course, that a shortstop flipping the fielded ball a few feet to his left for the force at second base, might disagree with this definition of throwing as presented in the Gemarah. Suffice it to say, that in this mailing, we will abide by the Torah instead of The Baseball Playing Rules Committee.
Now then, concluded the Gra, since the Passuk states ‘And they took him (Yosef), and threw him into a pit,’ the pit must have been at least twenty Amos deep, in which the serpents and scorpions at the bottom could not have been seen by R’uvain, based on our above Gemarah in Shabbos. He assumed the pit was truly empty, and would later return to the pit to fetch Yosef out. And that, according to the Gra, is not only how R’uvain mistakenly thought to save Yosef, but also the relationship between the two statements of Rav Kahana (the inability at twenty Amos to see the serpents and scorpions below).
Once again we see the brilliance of the Gra, and his extremely masterful familiarity with the entirety of Gemarah. Even though Talmidei Chachamim (Torah scholars) the likes of the Gra may be very difficult to come by these days, we must count ourselves overly fortunate that his words of Torah remain with us throughout time.
May we soon see the G’ulah Sh’laimah in its complete resplendency- speedily, and in our times. Good Shabbos.
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