In this shiur, delivered in the Valley in Los Angeles, Rav Burg discusses the inner nature of the Mitzvah of Yibum. Our responsibility in this world is to restore the name of Hashem which has been hidden since creation. When Avraham Avinu took on the responsibility of his brother's legacy in a completely selfless fashion he made himself into the person that Hashem could rely upon to restore His legacy in this world.
link to sources: www.sefaria.org/sheets/566624
Sources can also be found below.
When Hashem created the world there is an absence of His presence. When Adam and Chava sinned, His presence (name) was further hidden in the world.
The story of all of human history is how we deal with legacy in the face of death. Just as Hashem's name so to speak has been lost so to speak, so too do we grapple with the loss of our name, our legacy, in the face of death. |
Psychologist Irvin Yalom:
It's not easy to live every moment wholly aware of death. It's like trying to stare the sun in the face: you can stand only so much of it. Because we cannot live frozen in fear, we generate methods to soften death's terror. We project ourselves into the future through our children; we grow rich, famous, ever larger; we develop compulsive protective rituals; or we embrace an impregnable belief in an ultimate rescuer.
Despite the staunchest, most venerable defenses, we can never completely subdue death anxiety: it is always there, lurking in some hidden ravine of the mind. |
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The failure of Kayin is that he did not take responsibility for his brother's legacy after he murdered him. |
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Kayin killed Hevel but did not take responsibility for his brother's legacy. Hevel's name is only restored when Adam and Chava reunite after a 130 year separation and have Shes who is in place of Hevel. |
(יח) וַיִּֽהְי֣וּ בְנֵי־נֹ֗חַ הַיֹּֽצְאִים֙ מִן־הַתֵּבָ֔ה שֵׁ֖ם וְחָ֣ם וָיָ֑פֶת וְחָ֕ם ה֖וּא אֲבִ֥י כְנָֽעַן׃ (יט) שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה אֵ֖לֶּה בְּנֵי־נֹ֑חַ וּמֵאֵ֖לֶּה נָֽפְצָ֥ה כׇל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (כ) וַיָּ֥חֶל נֹ֖חַ אִ֣ישׁ הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה וַיִּטַּ֖ע כָּֽרֶם׃ (כא) וַיֵּ֥שְׁתְּ מִן־הַיַּ֖יִן וַיִּשְׁכָּ֑ר וַיִּתְגַּ֖ל בְּת֥וֹךְ אׇהֳלֹֽה׃ (כב) וַיַּ֗רְא חָ֚ם אֲבִ֣י כְנַ֔עַן אֵ֖ת עֶרְוַ֣ת אָבִ֑יו וַיַּגֵּ֥ד לִשְׁנֵֽי־אֶחָ֖יו בַּחֽוּץ׃ (כג) וַיִּקַּח֩ שֵׁ֨ם וָיֶ֜פֶת אֶת־הַשִּׂמְלָ֗ה וַיָּשִׂ֙ימוּ֙ עַל־שְׁכֶ֣ם שְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙ אֲחֹ֣רַנִּ֔ית וַיְכַסּ֕וּ אֵ֖ת עֶרְוַ֣ת אֲבִיהֶ֑ם וּפְנֵיהֶם֙ אֲחֹ֣רַנִּ֔ית וְעֶרְוַ֥ת אֲבִיהֶ֖ם לֹ֥א רָאֽוּ׃ (כד) וַיִּ֥יקֶץ נֹ֖חַ מִיֵּינ֑וֹ וַיֵּ֕דַע אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־עָ֥שָׂה ל֖וֹ בְּנ֥וֹ הַקָּטָֽן׃ (כה) וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אָר֣וּר כְּנָ֑עַן עֶ֥בֶד עֲבָדִ֖ים יִֽהְיֶ֥ה לְאֶחָֽיו׃ (כו) וַיֹּ֕אמֶר בָּר֥וּךְ יְהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹ֣הֵי שֵׁ֑ם וִיהִ֥י כְנַ֖עַן עֶ֥בֶד לָֽמוֹ׃ (כז) יַ֤פְתְּ אֱלֹהִים֙ לְיֶ֔פֶת וְיִשְׁכֹּ֖ן בְּאׇֽהֳלֵי־שֵׁ֑ם וִיהִ֥י כְנַ֖עַן עֶ֥בֶד לָֽמוֹ׃ (כח) וַֽיְחִי־נֹ֖חַ אַחַ֣ר הַמַּבּ֑וּל שְׁלֹ֤שׁ מֵאוֹת֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וַֽחֲמִשִּׁ֖ים שָׁנָֽה׃ (כט) וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ כׇּל־יְמֵי־נֹ֔חַ תְּשַׁ֤ע מֵאוֹת֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וַחֲמִשִּׁ֖ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיָּמֹֽת׃ {פ} |
(18) The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth—Ham being the father of Canaan. (19) These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole world branched out. (20) Noah, the tiller of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard. (21) He drank of the wine and became drunk, and he uncovered himself within his tent. (22) Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. (23) But Shem and Japheth took a cloth, placed it against both their backs and, walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness; their faces were turned the other way, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. (24) When Noah woke up from his wine and learned what his youngest son had done to him, (25) he said, “Cursed be Canaan; The lowest of slaves Shall he be to his brothers.” (26) And he said, “Blessed be יהוה, The God of Shem; Let Canaan be a slave to them. (27) May God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be a slave to them.” (28) Noah lived after the Flood 350 years. (29) And all the days of Noah came to 950 years; then he died. |
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In the aftermath of the flood, when Noach has to continue the legacy of humanity, Cham takes Noach's capacity to populate the world (as Adam and Chava continued Hevel's legacy through Shes) for selfish purposes. As we will soon see, this is foreshadowing the story of Migdal Bavel.
Hashem is called the God of Shem. Yefes lives in the tents of Shem.
The legacy of Cham is destroyed. Canaan, his son, is cursed to become their slave.
They took care of their father but not their brother who was cursed. |
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Faced with the prospect of another flood, the builders of the tower of Bavel sought to create a legacy.
Altruistic - We do something meaningful and as a result we have a strong reputation. Narcissistic - We build something in order to have a great name. The purpose of the building is to make a monument to yourself.
The problem was that a real legacy comes by what you do for another, not what you build as a testament to yourself. They displayed the same fundamental selfishness as Cham. |
The Mitzvah of Yibum: |
The purpose of Yibum is so that the brother's name should not be lost to Klal Yisrael |
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There was a Hava Amina that you may actually have to name the child after the deceased brother! In the end, he only inherits. |
“Some day soon, perhaps in forty years, there will be no one alive who has ever known me. That's when I will be truly dead - when I exist in no one's memory. -Irvin D. Yalom |
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Ramban: The Mitzvah of Yibum is one of the great secrets of the Torah and it was already a custom pre Matan Torah. |
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Sefer HaChinuch: Like Adam and Chava, one's spouse is considered to be a limb of the same body. When a person dies childless, he has nothing left in the physical world aside from his wife, “who is the bone of his bones and the flesh of his flesh." Therefore, out of G‑d’s kindness to the deceased, there is a mitzvah to establish offspring through the wife, together with the brother—who is also like half of his flesh. This child will take his place and serve Hashem in his stead, bringing him great merit, as it is known that a child gives merit to the parents. |
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Rabbeinu Bachya: The mystics explain that the deeper reason behind the mitzvah of Yibum has to do with the reincarnation of souls. They explain that when the brother marries the deceased’s wife, the soul of the departed is reincarnated into their child, enabling the soul to complete the purpose for which it came down into the world.
Arizal (Shaar HaGilgulim 3:7): Ordinarily, when a soul needs to reincarnate, only the spark of the soul that needs rectification reincarnates; in the case of Yibum, the entire soul reincarnates. |
Chalitzah: The wife removes the brother's shoe and spits in his direction. Tzemach Tzedek (Ohr Hatorah, Devarim, pp.1013-14): The removal of the shoe represents the removal of any buffer or hindrance to the feet being on the ground—allowing the departed soul to be a “walker” (as opposed to an Omed as Malachim are referred to) in this world once again. The spitting is “letting out,” so to speak, the piece of her husband’s soul that remained connected to her, enabling it to continue on its journey and reincarnate if it needs to. |
Avraham Avinu and Yibum |
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Questions: 1. What is the significance of the fact that Haran died while his father Terach was still alive? 2. What is the significance of the juxtaposition between Haran's death and Avram and Nachor taking wives? 3. So confusing - וְשֵׁ֤ם אֵֽשֶׁת־נָחוֹר֙ מִלְכָּ֔ה בַּת־הָרָ֥ן אֲבִֽי־מִלְכָּ֖ה וַֽאֲבִ֥י יִסְכָּֽה - and that of Nahor’s wife Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. Who is Milcah and Iska? Why does it matter? 4. Why does the Torah tell us now that Sarai is barren. In what way is this significant? 5. Why is Nachor left behind as they set off on their journey to Canaan? 6. Why did they stop and settle in Charan? 7. Why is this the introduction to Avraham Avinu? |
We know that Nachor married his niece Milcah, the daughter of the deceased Haran.
Who is Sarai? |
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Both Avram and Nachor married their nieces, the daughters of Haran!
Though Haran had a son Lot, one could argue that there is a type of pre Matan Torah Yibum here as Haran died young and would have had more children. |
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The story of Avraham begins in the aftermath of the story of the tower of Bavel. Interestingly, just as the story of Avraham begins with ensuring the continuity of his brother's name, the purpose of Migdal Bavel was to make for themselves a name.
Altruistic - We do something meaningful and as a result we have a strong reputation. Narcissistic - We build something in order to have a great name. The purpose of the building is to make a monument to yourself.
Yibum is the ultimate act of Chesed: You share your own personal biological legacy with your brother who can longer no longer perpetuate his name.
Kayin did not restore Hevel's legacy. Cham destroyed Noach's legacy. Shem and Yefes did not restore Cham's legacy. Migdal Bavel tried to protect their legacy with vanity.
If Migdal Bavel was the narcissistic act of building a name, Avram marrying Sarai was the ultimate act of kindness as he shares his own name with his brother. It is the perpetuation of someone else's name.
But Sarai was barren. As well intentioned as Avram is, he will not be able to perpetuate his brother's legacy. |
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Only two times is the phrase וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּ שָֽׁם found in the Torah: Migdal Bavel and Avram's journey to Canaan.
The question is: Will Avram stop his journey of perpetuating his brother's name because Sarai is barren and focus on his own legacy (and in this way he will be behaving like the builders of Migdal Bavel - וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּ שָֽׁם) or will he continue on his journey to Canaan and spend his life focusing on the act of kindness of perpetuating his brother's legacy?
When Hashem tells Avraham to continue on his journey to Canaan, He is telling him to double down on kindness. This is what makes Avram worthy of being the first Jew! Our job is to perpetuate Hashem's name in this world. Only someone who spends his life engaged in this pursuit can build a nation that will restore Hashem's name in this world. |
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Note for later: the language of Tachas Kanfei HaShechina is interesting. |
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The mission of our world is the restoration of Hashem's name in this world.
Avraham is promised with the growth of his name.
The mission of Avraham Avinu is educating about Hashem and restoring His name. The first thing that Avraham does when he arrives in Canaan is build a Mizbeach and invokes Hashem's name! |
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Comparing Rus and Avraham Avinu:
Both are not born Jewish but enter into Judaism.
Both leave everything behind to go on a journey.
Both are known for their kindness - Just as Avraham married a barren Sarai and stayed the course so too did Rus say with Naomi |
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Just as Avraham perpetuated the name of Hashem and brought converts under the wings of the Shechinah so too Boaz is expressing that because Rus acted like Avraham Avinu and followed Naomi even though there were no chances of having children she should be rewarded accordingly. |
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The King that is promised to Avraham Avinu is Dovid HaMelech, the descendant of Rus. In other words, Rus is the culmination of the Bris Bein HaBesarim. Avraham could be trusted to perpetuate the name of Hashem because of what he did for Sarai. Rus acted as Avraham did and was totally selfless and in that merit she completes the mission of Avraham Avinu. Shavuos - the nature of Torah is to perpetuate the name of Hashem in this world. This is the Jewish mission. |
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