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Vayeshev "And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father considered the matter" After the death R' Eliezer Yitzchak, the son in law of R' Yitzchak of Volozihn, a great debate began concerning the position of Rosh Yeshiva of Volozihn. On one side were the camp of the Netziv and on the other were the partisans of R' Yoseph Ber Solveitchik. This dispute continued for some months until a panel of four leading Rabbonim were chosen to resolve the issue. They were R' Yoseph the Rav of Slutsk, R' Tevli of Minsk, R' Zev the Maggid of Vilna and R' Yitzchak Elchonon then in Nishviz. R' Zev the Maggid of Vilna opened the proceedings by stating this argument was one associated with the weeks sedra, that of VaYeshev. The other looked at him in surprise as they were meeting in Tishrei rather then Kislev. Explained R' Zev. "I speak weekly and I regularly juxtapose the ways of the Tzaddik and that of a Roshah, or good and bad. Every week I have what to say: Berieshis you have Adom and the Serpent, or Cain and Hevel; Noach and his generation; Avrohom and Pharaoh and Lot; Yaakov and Lovon etc. However Parshas Vayeshev we have Yoseph and his brothers, all of whom were righteous and meritous and there is no way to define which takes precedence. So too, in our situation. it is difficult to asses the benefits of one rather than the other." In this spirit of mutual respect, when the decision to appoint the Netziv was made, it was accepted by all. "Because of a cloth worth two small coins that Ya'akov gave to Yoseph more than his other sons, his brothers became jealous and our forefathers ended going to Egypt." So says the Gemorrah in Shabbos. Explains the Elder of Slabodka, one of the leading students of R' Yisroel Salanter who founded the Mussar movement, "While the argument between the brothers and Yoseph expressed itself in major questions of Torah Law and philosophy, the root was simply jealousy. This most basic emotion is what really moves people. R' Amiel, the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv would say: "The ramifications of the dispute are still with us. Just as the jealousy between them was instigated through an item of no real value, so to most arguments today are about things that have no real meaning or value." The difference between envy and craving is found in the following parable. Satan once met two people, one envious and the other desirous. Said Satan, "Let one of you ask for something and it will be granted, however the other will get double." The envious one would not take the initiative as he begrudged the other for the double portion, The greedy man desired the double portion so he pressed the envious one to speak first. This bitter man at last asked that one eye of his should be removed - so that the greedy man should lose two! This is the power of spite born from envy and jealousy. The Gemorrah tells how at one point G-d pleaded with Yerovam ben Nebat, the first ruler of the Kingdom of Israel, who had split the Jews into two nations and caused the Ten Tribes to serve idols to return from his evil ways. Hashem promised, "If you repent then I, you and David will stroll together in the Garden of Eden." Asked the envious Yerovam, "And who will go first?" "David," answered G-d. "If so," said the jealous Yerovam, "I will not return." Say our sages, G-d first listed Yerovam and then David. It was his question, stimulated by his envy and jealousy, that placed David first. |
