Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 05 | Toldot, by Rav Eli Weber
Why did Hashem swear to each of the Avot? Did the Avot keep the Torah before it was given? Why was Yaakov ashamed of what he did?
KMTT - the Torah Podcast
Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 05 | Toldot
(upbeat music) Welcome everyone to another week of Rabana La Pasha. This week we have this close to read Pasha's Toldos and Pasha Toldos, I guess the main story obviously in Pasha's Toldos is the Brajos and Yaakov getting the Brajos from Asav. Mostly we did that last year. So I'm gonna try to avoid it this year even though it's a fantastically interesting Rabana on that area and happy for people to look at less than less years here. But I wanna focus today, at least a little bit on the role of Yitzhak Avina. Yitzhak Avina was certainly in contemporary biblical commentaries. Doesn't fare that well. The idea is that he just followed his father. Yaakov did something different. Avram did something different. Yitzhak Lesso, there is support for that. But I think the Ramban in one or two places this week seems to emphasize the importance of Yitzhak, something we might not have seen otherwise. Right, that the Pasha begins. Ela Toldos, Yitzhak Ben-Aberha, right, the whole purpose of the Pasha is to talk about the importance of Yitzhak. And then you got to Pasha, Para Kravav Pasakimu. Cesar Kaddish Baruchu to Yitzhak Avina. (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) And I will keep the chevua the oath that I took to Avramavinu. Cesar Kaddish Baruchu to Yitzhak Shiloh Yitzhak Shiloh Yitzhak Shiloh Yitzhak Shiloh Yitzhak Shiloh Yitzhak Shiloh Yitzhak Shiloh Yitzhak Shiloh Yitzhak Shiloh Yitzhak Shiloh Yitzhak Yitzhak Shiloh Yitzhak Shiloh Yitzhak Shiloh Yitzhak Shiloh Yitzhak (speaks in foreign language) Is no need for God to tell Yitzhak, oh, and don't worry, I'm gonna uphold the oath that I took to Avrami father. (speaks in foreign language) That a person doesn't change his mind. If he made a chevua, he's gonna keep his word. (speaks in foreign language) Roman kind of fudges the point. (speaks in foreign language) Of course he does have (speaks in foreign language) He's Ishmael, but he says (speaks in foreign language) Okay, but Avram doesn't have another child who is worthy of the covenant with God. (speaks in foreign language) Now, (speaks in foreign language) And the oath that God took to Avram wasn't contingent on anything, (speaks in foreign language) With respect to Yitzhak Avinu, who had two sons and two potential inheritors of the Bracha. So you had to say, okay, I'm giving it to Yitzhak Avinu and not to Esauf, but not here. And says the Ramban man, (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) This idea of Akash brohu saying (speaks in foreign language) It is a schwa to Yitzhak Avinu. (speaks in foreign language) Right, we often ask ourselves in Shrona Esra. Okay, it's enough to say that Akash brohu gave the Bracha to Avram Vinu, why also to Yitzhak and Tiyaka, which is what he did, (speaks in foreign language) Right, the Torah always says that God swore both to Avram, not both, but to also to Avram, to Yitzhak and Tiyaka of (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) Says the Ramban, we don't find that God swore to Yitzhak that he gave him the land other than here. So he sees here Yitzhak Avinu getting a Bracha from Akash brohu, the confirmation of Avram's Bracha is itself a Bracha to Yitzhak. (speaks in foreign language) Says the Ramban, it was important for Akash brohu to swear individually to each of the three of out. Again, we've seen in the Ramban before, (speaks in foreign language) each of the avote was significant. None of the avote, including Yitzhak, he wasn't just the son of Avram Vinu. He was a significant religious and spiritual and historical figure, for God to have given Eretes Israel to him. (speaks in foreign language) And the merit of each of the avote should stand for their children, meaning that we could claim Eretes Israel, not just because we're the Zara Avraham, but because we're the Zara Yitzhak, and even had we not been the Zara Avraham, and even had we not been the Zara Yaakov, we would deserve Eretes Israel. (speaks in foreign language) Even though Avram Vinu was great enough that we as his descendants are Zocha the Eretes Israel, (speaks in foreign language) It's an additional merit to us that we have both Yitzhak and Yaakov. (speaks in foreign language) Each of them individually was worthy enough, was significant enough for their descendants to inherit Eretes Israel. So it turns out for the Ramban, we have a twofold claim on Eretes Israel, right? The first is that we're the Zara Avraham, the second is that we're the Zara Yitzhak and Zara Yaakov, each of which on its own would have merited us Eretes Israel, Calvohomir, the double merit that we have inherits us Eretes Israel. Now the Ramban has another idea, (speaks in foreign language) Here God was telling Yitzhak that you will be the beneficiary of the brochos that God gave to Avraham. (speaks in foreign language) It could have been through any other descendant of Avraham and there were other descendants, Avraham in many sons. But no, here God says that the broch to Avraham would be fulfilled through Yitzhak, through his son Yitzhak. (speaks in foreign language) The blessing to all of us would come through Yitzhak. (speaks in foreign language) The point is no, Yitzhak, you will be a brochofedamim just like Yaakov will be a brochofedamim. So the bigger point here I think is the Ramban saying, Yitzhak Avinu wasn't just the son of Avraham, Avraham Oliad Yitzhak. Yitzhak Avinu was significant in his own right, merited the brochote of Avraham in his own right, and we would have merited all the brochote through Avraham, I'm sorry, we would have merited all the brochote that were given to the avote through Yitzhak himself. So it's really just a Ramban that strongly supports this idea that Yitzhak Avinu was a significant figure and an important figure on his own, something that I think we sort of overlook Bisman Hazah. Okay, the Torah then continues. Why does God love Avraham? (speaks in foreign language) The famous Rashi there, right? (speaks in foreign language) That basically makes the point that Avraham Oliad kept all of the Torah's and all of the Rabban nouns and all hachakos and all sineas and all the things Avraham kept already, okay? And so I'm picking up in the middle of the Ramban after he quotes Rashi 'cause we're not gonna have time to do the whole thing. We'll do it rather quickly, (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) All this is based says the Ramban on Rashi's understanding that Avavino kept the entirety of the Torah before it was given, which philosophically raises issues for us. What does it mean to keep the Torah before it was given? In addition, says the Ramban, it raises partial nude questions, skipping a little bit, (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) That's an Isidore, I say Amatseva, one stone. (speaks in foreign language) That's an Isidore, I say he married two sisters, (speaks in foreign language) According to certain measures, (speaks in foreign language) Billah and Zilpa were also sisters, that means he married four sisters. (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) He committed a sin in making Matsay vote. (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) How could it be that the descendants of Avraham were knowing ahead there in things that he was (speaks in foreign language) God, (speaks in foreign language) God praised Avraham for having kept all these (speaks in foreign language) So now his descendants stopped keeping them. (speaks in foreign language) The problem is the policy makes it clear that God loves Avraham because he's gonna command his descendants to keep the Torah like he did. If he kept all of the Yisurim, all the mitzvahs before they were given, how did his descendants not? Okay, the Ramban suggests a bunch of answers, including supporting Rashi's idea. But now he says, and this is really ties into the Ramban's philosophy in general. (speaks in foreign language) Now here comes the main point in the Ramban that I want to emphasize. (speaks in foreign language) And he kept the Torah. (speaks in foreign language) He kept the Torah, but he wasn't in the (speaks in foreign language) He was in (speaks in foreign language) So he kept it on the lower level, but he still kept it. Now here comes the main point in the Ramban that I want to emphasize. (speaks in foreign language) Says the Ramban, yes. (speaks in foreign language) But he only kept it in the arity's realm. (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) But he did it in the good starts. (speaks in foreign language) He married his end, but it was in Mitzrayim. Key line, (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) Says the Ramban, because the Torah is given by God, who's Elo Keha Arats, and we saw last week, right? (speaks in foreign language) Says the Ramban Arats doesn't mean the earth. It means arity's realm. God is a direct king over arity's realm. And therefore, Mitzvos are more binding in arity's realm than they are in Hutsarats, right? We saw last week, the Ramban quotes (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) Right? Here he implements that. And here he says that Avamavino kept the Torah only in arity's realm, because God is Mitzvotay, Elo Keha Arats, he is the God of arity's realm. Again, not to imply Chasvashalam, that God is not the God of Hutsarats, he is. But as we've seen before, and the Ramban really believes his hash Kaha is direct in arity's realm, whereas it's indirect in Hutsarats. And therefore, the idea that Avamavino would keep the Mitzvos and arity's realm only and his descendants, Yitzrat and Yaakov would keep the Mitzvos and arity's realm only, that makes complete sense. The Ramban then is gonna explain that matse vote, which we did make in arity's realm, is something that used to be, that used to be beloved by God, right? Ava made a matse vote, it wasn't a problem in making a matse vote. It's only later on when matse vote were taken by the Gentiles and made into a form of a vodazara that God decided that he used to love a matse vote, but no longer does he do so, and he's gonna make it ulcer. Okay, that itself is kind of an interesting idea that the line is (speaking in foreign language) God decided that he hated matse vote after he loved matse vote during the time of the avot. Okay, so that's the fascinating idea that yes, the avot kept call to Akula, but only in arity's realm ties into the bigger idea of the Ramban, about the importance of arity's realm and how it's unique in all of the lands. But at the very end of that piece, the Ramban says something that I think speaks to all of us in a more, you know, it's always hard to tell the Ramban has so many layers of understanding. Here he has, you know, four different understandings of whether the avot kept the Torah or not. And finally he says at the end, he says (speaking in foreign language) which I think means, this is the one that Ramban really believes, but I can't prove it. (speaking in foreign language) When the Torah says (speaking in foreign language) Ramban's gonna explain, this is a reference to monotheism. I think most of us think this. I don't know if he didn't keep, you know, all the myths of Satora, it's hard to understand it that way, but says the Ramban, no. He kept monotheism (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) He kept this (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) And he disagreed with all the avot is our, and he worked hard to bring people to the belief in the one true God. Then (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) just means when God commanded (speaking in foreign language) he kept it (speaking in foreign language) And he brought (speaking in foreign language) sending out (speaking in foreign language) That's what we would call in Latin. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) Right, and when it says (speaking in foreign language) it means the myths of (speaking in foreign language) So at the end, even though the Ramban has a really great answer for how it could be that Avram's descendants did not apparently keep the Torah. He says probably the Pshad is (speaking in foreign language) They're all the basic foundational beliefs of a Jew in the uniqueness of God, in the oneness of God, in the agreement to keep all the misses that God gave him. And there's no reason to say that Avram Veenu kept callator Akula, that seems beyond what Avram Veenu did and what we find in the Pshokim, maybe, maybe not. That's a fantastic and really, really interesting Ramban. Okay, let's go on. You go to (speaking in foreign language) Another interesting thing. (speaking in foreign language) Okay, all these references to Avram again makes us think for it not for the first Ramban that we did today, that it's all because of Avram and not because of Yitzhak. But here, God out of nowhere tells Yitzhak not to worry. Now, what's the context of this Pshok? Yitzhak became very, very rich in Grar and they kicked him out and Avimela kicked him out and the row him had a fight with him and they kicked him out. And so says the Ramban very reasonably. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) You're too rich, you got to get out. (speaking in foreign language) So two bad things had just happened to Yitzhak. (speaking in foreign language) So Yitzhak, all of a sudden, became nervous. What if all of the guys get together and join together and attack me? (speaking in foreign language) God says to him, don't worry about that. I know that you're concerned that they're gonna gang up on you. It's not going to happen. Now says the Ramban. (speaking in foreign language) Now, God puts it in Avimela's mind to go to Yitzhak and show Yitzhak great respect of the kind that he never showed Avraham. Yes, he was afraid of Sarah and Avraham and he gave them gifts and things. But now says the Ramban, now he comes. How do I know that? (speaking in foreign language) He came with the heads with his general and with all the leaders of his nation. (speaking in foreign language) And other great people came with him. And the term makes the point that when Avimela, who was one of the leaders of the time, comes with his generals and with his advisors to Yitzhak, it's an enormous sign of respect for Yitzhak. And it's a sign of respect for Yitzhak that Avravino never got. And so you see not just that God tells Yitzhak not to worry that bad things are gonna happen to him, that he's gonna protect him. But more than that, he then gets Avimela to come and show Yitzhak honor again, making the point that Yitzhak Avino was a significant figure and much, much more than what had happened to Avraham before him. Okay. Now, let's skip the brochote for the most part. Again, we've done it before and it is really, really significant and there are big points here to see. But let's go to the very end of that story. (speaking in foreign language) Says the Torah after Yitzhak either steals or properly gets the pussock, gets the brochos in pussock man-based. The Torah says, at the very end of that story, (speaking in foreign language) Right, what did Aesop say? (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) So it's interesting, right, he says it in his heart and then (speaking in foreign language) So first of all, there is a Ramban which we're not going to do about how she found out. Right, if Yomareh saw Billi Bo, he said it only in his heart, how did she find out? But the bigger problem the Ramban wants to know is (speaking in foreign language) Why did she have to send Yaakov? Right, where was Yaakov at the time? So says the Ramban. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) Yaakov Veenu was not in his house, he was not with his mother and his father. (speaking in foreign language) Right, he knew that he had done something that upset his brother Aesop very, very much. Again, he's getting the brochos. So he was hiding from him. And then it's a very important line. He says (speaking in foreign language) So part of that I understand clearly, meet Paredi was afraid he had Paredi from Aesop who might kill him, they understand. When he says (speaking in foreign language) I think the Ramban here is hinting at a more significant point, which is yes, Yaakov Veenu did the right thing and Rifka did the right thing by stealing the brochote. From Aesop. There's no question about it was the right thing. But it involved some type of dishonesty. Right, there's something that exists in Jewish history certainly, right? Even now in the wars that we're fighting. Yes, we're fighting them just moral war. Of course we're supposed to do it. But sometimes, you know, even when you're fighting a just moral war, you put yourself in the compromising situations. And he says Yaakov Veenu was embarrassed. He'd somehow been dishonest. Again, there's no question that he did the right thing. There's no question that Amisrall deserved the brochote. Yaakov deserved the brochote. However, we're gonna learn that Sugya. But nevertheless, there was something slightly embarrassing about how Yaakov Veenu went about it and he was embarrassed to see Aesop. So on the one hand Paredi is Aesop was threatening to kill him, so he had to hide from Aesop, which makes complete sense. When the Ramban says, you know, the word meet by Yash, I think he's hinting at, you know, again, having done the right thing and yet perhaps being slightly embarrassed that he had to do it and the way he had to go about doing it, which the Ramban is clear involves some dishonesty, right? Rashi sees nothing wrong whatsoever. Rashi doesn't see any problem with anything Yaakov did. But the Ramban does see a problem, even though it's the right thing. And this is seen perhaps when he says, "Vayyam meet by Yash, me manu," he was embarrassed to see Aesop. Okay, very last one we're gonna do today. It's almost the next, the next (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) And there we all recall Rashi says, (speaks in foreign language) Of course, Rifko was the mother of Yaakov and Aesop. That's the whole story. That's the whole point of the brochos, everything we've read in the pastures, based on the fact that Rifko was the mother of Yaakov and Aesop. So what's the Torah coming to teach us by saying that? So says the Ramban. (speaks in foreign language) Since Yash, Rekavina was now commanding Yaakov to go to love on the brother of his mother to find a wife, his (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) The Torah's pointing out that not only was he, the brother of the mother of Yaakov, he was the brother of the mother of Aesop. (speaks in foreign language) If that were the case, Ramban says, it's a great, great deal in the pastures. What the Torah was hinting of at was, Yitzok should command the Aesop to also go to the house of love on, to get a wife. (speaks in foreign language) Now what the point says the Ramban of the possuk is that Yitzok was now confirming that Yaakov was the rightful recipient of the brachah, and therefore Yaakov should go to the house of love on, to find a wife, because he's the recipient of the brachah. (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) And the Torah's telling us, Aesop heard the same command of Yaakov of Enu. (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) So Aesop knew this. He knew that Yaakov Enu wanted the recipients of the brachah, one of his sons, to not marry Benod Kenan, but he didn't go to love on. (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) Right, Lavon was the uncle of both Yaakov and Aesop. And Aesop should have done what Yaakov did. (speaks in foreign language) In addition, he took additional wives, it's true, but he didn't divorce his existing wives. (speaks in foreign language) (speaks in foreign language) Because his desire overwhelmed what his father commanded him, and therefore he kept the evil wives, the Benod Kenan that he had originally, he heard that his father Yitzchak had commanded Yaakov to go to Lavon, to get a wife. He did not go to Lavon, although he got wives, not from Benod Kenan, from Yishma'al and other places, but he kept the original wives, thus compounding the sin that he had committed originally. Okay, so sit there, I'm on the main point here, was that Lavon was not just the brother of the mother of Yaakov, Lavon was the brother of the mother of Aesop also. And here Yaakov, I'm sorry, Yitzchakovina was key, he was confirming the brochos when he told Yaakov to go to the house of Lavon, but he did not tell Aesop to do that. It's not a Ramban, but I remember very, very well, and we'll end with this. (speaks in foreign language) And he said (speaks in foreign language) and he said (speaks in foreign language) and he said, he said, (speaks in foreign language) I'm sorry, Rashi there says (speaks in foreign language) I remember clearly releasing said (speaks in foreign language) and he said, despite the fact that Rivka did what she did to steal the brochote in favor of Yaakov, and against Aesop, she remained the (speaks in foreign language) Yes, it would have certainly fractured her relationship with Aesop, but she still remained the Aesop's mother, she still remained the person who loved Aesop, and she did what she did because the Jewish history demanded it of her. Well, nevertheless, it was painful for her. Nevertheless, it was difficult for her. We shouldn't think that Rivka did it happily, because at the end of the day she remained (speaks in foreign language) Okay, so today we basically found two Ramban's that support, the fact that Yitzchok was great in his own right. (speaks in foreign language) that he himself deserves Arati-Sra'el. We saw a fascinating Ramban about whether the avote, and it deserves more time and more attention, whether the avote kept calat or Akula, the Ramban says they did, but only in Arati-Sra'el. Then he suggests at the end of the tip shot might be that Avrovino didn't keep the whole (speaks in foreign language) but Avrovino kept things related to Manotheism and commands that God made of him. Okay, we saw that Yakovino was not in the house of Lava, I'm sorry, of Rivka and Yitzchok, and Rivka had to call for him. Probably the Ramban makes clear, 'cause he was afraid of Asav, but also some element of embarrassment that he had to be dishonest, that he had to stoop to dishonesty in order to get the brochos, and the same theme at the very end of the parasha that Yitzchokovino sends Yakov to Lavaan, the brother of Rivka, aim Yakov a Asav, but that means that Yitzchok was telling Yakov, you are the right recipient, therefore I want you to go to the house of Lavaan, it's true, he's the uncle of your brother also, but I'm commanding only you, and Asav, who overheard that, listened to his father with only partially. He took additional wives, not from Benot Kenan, but he didn't divorce the original ones. Okay, that's it for today. Yitzchokov to everybody, have a great, great shabbos, and see you next week. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)