Stories Of Greatness

 In order to make a covenant with Lavan, Yaakov told “his brothers” to take stones. Yaakov had only one brother, Eisav, who was not with him at the moment. The midrash cited by Rashi points out that his “brothers” refer to Yaakov’s sons, whom he called brothers. The question is, what are the midrash and Rashi teaching us here? Why does the Torah refer to Yaakov’s sons as his brothers? Let the Torah call them his sons. Rav Shlomo Wolbe zt”l explains that part of chinuch is to have your children become your partners. If a child feels that he is a partner in his parents’ mitzvah and chesed activities, he does not feel that he is being forced to do something, or that his parents are providing for someone else rather than attending to the child’s needs. Quite the contrary, he feels honored by the responsibility (Zeriah U’Vinyan B’Chinuch, page 27).

Hashem sent three messengers to Avraham Avinu. Each of the mal’achim was tasked with a unique assignment. The angel Michael came with the tidings that Sarah will have a son. Gavriel was assigned the task of destroying Sodom. Rafael came to heal Avraham and aid his recovery from circumcision. He was then to proceed and rescue Lot. Rafael’s dual responsibilities present a problem. We know that an individual angel can only be assigned a single mission. Rashi explains that both of Rafael’s tasks involved salvation. Because of this common feature, a single angel could perform both tasks.

Chazal tell us that the “Toldos” of a tzadik are his good deeds. What one does in this world will truly be his descendants, for a person’s good deeds truly shape his eternity. The following story began seven months ago, but the “Toldos” are forever. A chareidi man from Bnei Brak pulled up to a gas station in central Israel to fill up his car’s gas tank. He saw a secular man looking very troubled. He went over to him and asked, “Achi, my brother, you look like something is wrong. Is there any way I can help you?”

A number of years ago, Rabbi Hertzel Borochov, a Lubavitcher chasid in Rechovot, in the Central District of Israel, visited an auto body shop near his home to have his car serviced. The owner of the shop was a man by the name of Tziyon Kedoshim, a Sephardic Jew, who was nominally observant.

Before one of his overseas trips, a woman asked Rabbi Yerachmiel Milstein, a lecturer in Aish HaTorah’s Discovery Program, if he could take a suitcase to Eretz Yisrael for her. Reb Yerachmiel was happy to do the favor, and she was appreciative of his graciousness. Reb Yerachmiel made it to the airport in time. After take-off, he prepared for some of his upcoming meetings at Aish HaTorah, and then sat back and reflected on the possibility of visiting his grandmother’s kever.

After the Mabul (Flood) wiped out mankind and civilization as it were, Hashem spoke to Noach and commanded him to rebuild the world once more. Noach was not simply a “survivor”; he was charged with an awesome task, a responsibility like no other. He must go forth and repopulate, replant, resettle – and basically restart life on this earth.