29:32 When Rebbi’s oldest son was born, Rebbi wanted to name him after Rav Elya Chazan which he did. There happened to be a Zeidy R’ Elya on Rebbi’s In Laws side which everyone would assume is who he is named after. So the Kler was, does the name go after what people think or what the parents have in mind?
There is a Maharsha that is a Raya that the name goes after what the parents have in mind and not what everyone thinks. This can be proven from the Posuk, “(וַתַּהַר לֵאָה וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן, וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ רְאוּבֵן).”
The Gemara says in Maseches Berachos 7b (15 lines from the top) (א”ר אלעזר אמרה לאה ראו מה בין בני לבן חמי דאילו בן חמי אע”ג דמדעתיה זבניה לבכירותיה דכתיב (בראשית כה) וימכר את בכרתו ליעקב חזו מה כתיב ביה (בראשית כז) וישטם עשו את יעקב וכתיב (בראשית כז) ויאמר הכי קרא שמו יעקב ויעקבני זה פעמים וגו’ ואילו בני אע”ג דעל כרחיה שקליה יוסף לבכירותיה מניה דכתיב (דברי הימים א ה) ובחללו יצועי אביו נתנה בכורתו לבני יוסף אפי’ הכי לא אקנא ביה דכתיב (בראשית לז) וישמע ראובן ויצילהו מידם) that Leah knew B‘nivuah that Reuvein would ultimately give the Bechoira over to Yosef and he wouldn’t hate Yosef because of it. She said (ראו מה בין בני לבן חמי), that when Eisav lost the Bechorah to Yaakov he hated him and Reuvein will lose the Bechorah to Yosef and will not hate him and will even try to save him. So that is why Leah called him Reuvein because (ראו מה בין בני לבן חמי). The Maharsha asks that is not what it says in the Posuk?
In the Posuk it says, (כִּי אָמְרָה, כִּי-רָאָה יְרוָר בְּעָנְיִי), meaning he was called Reuvein because Hashem saw Leah’s pain. How can the Gemara say something other than what is said in the Posuk?
The real reason that Leah had in her heart for giving this name is the reason of the Gemara, however she didn’t want to publicize to Yaakov that she knew B’nivua that Rochel will also have an oldest son and that the Bechor would be transferred from Reuvein to Yosef and that Reuvein would not be Ra’oi for it and that Yosef would be Ra’oi. So Leah said the Ki Amrah reason. However her real reason was the one from the Gemara.
So to apply this to us, if you publicize one reason for giving a name and you have in mind a different reason, the reason that you have in mind is the real reason. So if someone has a name that he must for whatever reason give his child, even though you might not think that you want to name a child after him, you should have in mind a Gadol with the same name when you name the child.
If the name is someone who is mentioned in Tanach, then there is an idea that the person you are naming after is the one from Tanach. That is the Mekor of the name, so it doesn’t matter if the relative that you are naming after is someone whom you wouldn’t want to name after.
30:18 When was Yissachar born (וַתֹּאמֶר לֵאָה, נָתַן אֱלֹקים שְׂכָרִי, אֲשֶׁר-נָתַתִּי שִׁפְחָתִי, לְאִישִׁי; וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ, יִשָּׂשכָר), I thought there was Vata’amoid Miledes as is seen in 29:35 (וַתַּעֲמֹד, מִלֶּדֶת)?
Leah got a hold of Duda’im and Duda’im are a Segulah to have children. Obviously if the Imahois thought it was a Segulah than it was a Segulah. When she gave them to Rochel than it took effect and she was able to have children. However, the Dudaim didn’t help Rochel. We some from here that the best Segulois are not the Segulois, but to show your devotion to Torah and Mitzvois. She got pregnant now because she got Schar when she showed how important it was to her to be with the Tzaddik Yaakov. She named Yissocher after the fact that she gave them away.
Rav Nissan Kaplan once said in a Shmuz that once he had lost something and after awhile he said to himself, they say that if you put money in Rav Meir Baal Haness that you find the lost object. Then he said no I am not doing that because I don’t go for Segulois. He went back and forth should I put in or not. He then a came to a conclusion not to put money in the Pushka. As soon as he came to that decision, he found the lost item. From there he learned, a Segula to finding things is to refrain from Segulois.
We live in a Dor that is to into the Segulois. Some of them are Narish and some of them a Goyish. The real Segula is to hang your Bitachoin on the Boirei Oilam.
30:21, 23, 24 (כא וְאַחַר, יָלְדָה בַּת; וַתִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמָהּ, דִּינָה כג וַתַּהַר, וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן; וַתֹּאמֶר, אָסַף אֱלֹקים אֶת-חֶרְפָּתִי כד וַתִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמוֹ יוֹסֵף, לֵאמֹר: יֹסֵף יְרוָר לִי, בֵּן אַחֵר) The Maharsha brings a Zoihar in Maseches Niddah. As you know Leah was Mispalel that Dina should be a girl rather than a boy in order not to have 7 Shevatim. The Maharsha says this miracle took place by Dina being conceived in the womb of Rachel and Yosef being conceived in the womb of Leah and they switched places. It fits in beautifully because Rachel says (וַתַּהַר, וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן), (וַתֹּאמֶר, אָסַף אֱלֹקים אֶת-חֶרְפָּתִי), meaning Hashem removed her shame. Where does shame fit in here?
Yosef wasn’t really Rochel’s child. Really Rochel carried Leah’s child. Then Rochel says, (יֹסֵף יְרוָר לִי, בֵּן אַחֵר), let me have a son that is truly mine.
It is Noigea L’dina also as there is a dispute where a woman carries someone else’s child, as to who the mother is. This Maharsha is often brought as something of a Raya.
28:10, 11 (י וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב, מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע; וַיֵּלֶךְ, חָרָנָה יא וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם וַיָּלֶן שָׁם, כִּי-בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, וַיִּקַּח מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם, וַיָּשֶׂם מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו; וַיִּשְׁכַּב, בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא) Vayeitzei Yaakov, we know that Yaakov learned in the Yeshiva of Sheim V’eiver for 14 years. Rav Yaakov asks why he felt the need to learn there if he had learned by Yitzchok for so many years. By Yitzchok he learned the Torah of someone who grows up in the house of the Avois. In Yeshivas Sheim V’aiver he learned a different aspect of Toirah. He learned the Toirah of one who is out amongst the Goyim. Sheim V’aiver lived during the Dor Hamabul and Dor Haflaga and did not grow up in a sheltered home. That is a different aspect of Limud Hatoirah.
Today we should also be doing that. However, we learn from Kindergarten all the way through Kollel in a sheltered environment. Suddenly we all go out into the world in which we desperately need the Torah of Yeshivas Sheim V’eiver. We currently don’t have this type of Yeshiva in existence. What did Yaakov learn from the Yeshiva Sheim V’eiver that he did not learn from Yeshivas Yitzchok?
The only clue we are given is the Rashi on (וישכב במקום ההוא: לשון מיעוט באותו מקום שכב, אבל ארבע עשרה שנים ששמש בבית עבר לא שכב בלילה, שהיה עוסק בתורה)Vayishkav Bamakoim Hahu which says that the 14 years that Yaakov learned in the Yeshiva of Eiver he didn’t sleep on a bed because he was so busy learning. In the Yeshiva of Yitzchok he did go to sleep in a bed at night. What changed?
When Yaakov was in Yeshiva learning all day, he made sure to get a good night’s sleep and to be well rested. However, in Yeshivas Sheim V’eiver where Yaakov is getting ready to go out into the world, he was going to be busy with the Tzoin of Lavan and many other things, he has to be trained that late at night you must push yourself to learn later. This is the opposite of what many people do, as they stay in the Bais Medrash until midnight while in Yeshiva, however, while they are in middle of the working years they go to sleep earlier. During your working years you should be learning later into the night.
Thursday nights which is a Leil Mishmar, especially since you know you can make up sleep over Shabbos that is coming up soon, you should have extra Sedorim. If you have a Shabbos Chavrusa, make it a Thursday night and Shabbos Chavrusa. That is Yeshivas Sheim V’eiver.
28:10, 11 Yaakov leaves Be’er Sheva and travels toward Charan. Be’er Sheva is the southernmost city in Eretz Yisrael. Yerushalayim is more north. So obviously he passed Yerushalayim. However, there is plenty more Eretz Yisrael further north as you pass Yerushalayim, as Yerushalayim is not the northern border. When Yaakov goes to sleep, he sees Malachim going up and Malachim going down. The Malachim of Eretz Yisrael left him and the Malachim of Chutz Yisrael come down to stay with him. What is the Pshat? He wasn’t at a boundary; he was still in Eretz Yisrael? Why did the Malachim switch here when Yaakov went to sleep?
