We can now dive into a topic that will bring us back to last week’s shiur and continue our thread related to Yitzchak Avinu and Rivka Imeinu. Before doing so, we’ll quickly summarize the ideas shared last week. We’ll recap, then add to the ideas, and Im Yirtzeh Hashem, even continue with this theme next week.
The seven Haftarot of consolation began last week with the reading of: לֹהֵ יכֶ ם-נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי יֹאמַר אֱ. Knesset Yisrael refused to be consoled, however, and their response is found at the start this week’s Haftarah: וֹן עֲזָבַנִי ה' וַ ה' שׁ ְ כ ֵ ח ָ נ ִ י.
We asked the question why double language is used when conveying many of the consolation messages in the Haftarot, and several answers were provided, including the Midrash’s answer of Bnei Yisrael having received double punishment – כִּ פְ לַיִםַד ה'ּ כִּי לָקְ חָה מִי – and a matching double-consolation is now being delivered to them.
We also brought forth an idea from both the Bnei Yissaschar and the Chida, who say the meaning of נַחֲמוּ נַחֲ מוּ relates directly to Yitzchak Avinu, the אַבָּא שׁ ֶל נֶחָמָה – Father of Consolation. They reach this conclusion from a couple of directions. Firstly, the numerical value of נַחֲ מוּ is 104, which multiplied by two results in 208, the same value as יצחק.
Secondly, the next words of לֹהֵ יכֶ ם-יֹאמַ ר אֱ refer to Yitzchak, as he was the only one of the Avot referred to alongside the name לוהים-א while still alive. Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to Yaacov, לֹהֵ י יִצְ חָ ק- וֵא לֹהֵ י אַ בְ רָ הָ ם אָ בִ יך-אֱ, while his father was still alive. Therefore, לֹהֵ יכֶם-יֹאמַ ר אֱ נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי refers to Yitzchak – namely, it will be Yitzchak Avinu who is central in bringing us comfort and consolation, both in the past and in the future. The reason for this traces back to Yetziat Mitzrayim, when Bnei Yisrael left Egypt in the merit of Yitzchak Avinu – his self-sacrifice on behalf of the nation and his Tefillot. The Bnei Yissaschar adds two additional dimensions to this idea. The first, as learned last week, relates to Yitzchak’s numerical of 208 corresponding to the four sons mentioned in the Pesach Haggadah – with each בן having a numerical value of 52, and four sons together equaling 208.
Yitzchak Avinu is the father of all sons, and the only one who can plead on behalf of all yiddin regardless of their knowledge, observance, and level of righteousness. Unlike Avraham Avinu and Yaacov Avinu, he was the only one to keep all his children close irrespective of the paths they took. [For a full explanation of Yitzchak Avinu's merit and the uniqueness of his Tefillot, as well as those of Rivka Imeinu, refer to Rav Rosenblum’s previous shiur (Rav Rosenblum English Shiurim – Va’etchanan 5784).]
The second addendum brought by the Bnei Yissaschar is one single line at the end of his commentary (Tammuz-Av, 5:1), and serves as a challenge for us during this period of bein hazmanim – the days between Tisha B’Av and Elul in which most Yeshivas are on break – when we thought we were done as the final line was reached.
וְזֶהוּ הַנִּרְ מָז וְטָרַף זְרוֹעַ אַף קָדְקֹד רָמַזְתִּי בְּרֶמֶז מוּעָט:
And this is what is alluded to in the verse 'he tore the arm, even the crown of the head'; I have hinted at this with a slight hint.
He says, the entire idea of Yitzchak Avinu being the Father of Consolation can be found in the Torah, and our clue to this is a Pasuk in Vezot Habracha, in the bracha given to Gad:
וּלְגָד אָמַר בָּרוּך מַרְ חִיב גָד כְּלָבִיא שׁ ָכֵן וְטָ רַ ף זְרוֹעַ אַ ף־קׇ דְ קֹד׃
And of Gad he said, Blessed is he that enlarges Gad: he dwells as a lion and tears the arm with the crown of the head.
Rabbotai, let's take this clue he provides, set out on our way, and begin our work! I took on this project during the "down time" of bein hazmanim – specifically to figure out what the Bnei Yissaschar means when he says וְ טָ רַ ף זְ רוֹעַ אַ ף־קׇ דְ קֹד explains our larger idea.
First off, it is not difficult. Why? Because the word קׇ דְ ק ֹ ד has a numerical value of 208, exactly like יִצְ חָ ק. A very easy clue to decipher. But it can’t be that simple, because if the Bnei Yissaschar wanted to simply produce the word קׇ דְ ק ֹ ד and through it imply the value of Yitzchak, he could have referenced the bracha given to Yosef several Pesukim earlier: נְ זִ יר אֶ חָ יולְ קׇ דְ ק ֹ ד ותָּבוֹאתָה לְרֹאשׁ יוֹסֵף. Not only does it appear earlier in the Torah, but it also pertains to Yosef HaTzaddik, who had a closer connection to his grandfather. According to the Megaleh Amukot, as Yosef exited the pit, Yitzchak Avinu went into the put – i.e., he died at that exact moment. Other connections exist as well, such as Yitzchak representing Din and Yosef being released from prison on Yom HaDin. More such links exist, but suffice to say, the reason the Bnei Yissaschar refers to וְ טָ רַ ף זְ רוֹעַ אַ ף־קׇ דְ קֹד is more than just a reference to קׇ דְ ק ֹ ד being the same gematria as Yitzchak.
Rashi, in explaining the bracha given to Gad, says those enemies whom Gad slew could be easily identified, because the tribe of Gad cut off the head together with the arm in one blow. The Vilna Gaon adds, the sword would be swung in an upward motion from the ground up, underneath the arm (at the armpit), severing it first and then taking off the head – זְרוֹעַ followed by קׇ דְ ק ֹ ד. This was a demonstration of their strength, and sitting on the east bank of the Yarden, they needed to instill fear in their neighbors. And where did they derive such strength from? The Vilna Gaon says it was from not speaking in between Tefillin Shel Yad and Tefillin Shel Rosh. It is known in Halacha that one who speaks in between placing their Shel Yad and Shel Rosh is returned home from the battlefield; the tribe of Gad never spoke in between and thus gained the strength to remove both the arm and head in one shot. As we approach the month of Eul, the month corresponding to Gad, we should also be aware of the custom of checking one’s Tefillin, which is a result of this linkage between the tribe of Gad and Tefillin.
Our two takeaways are that וְ טָ רַ ף זְ רוֹעַ אַ ף־קׇ דְ קֹד links directly to the Tefillin Shel Yad and Tefillin Shel Rosh, and according to the Bnei Yissaschar, the Tefillin Shel Rosh placed at the קׇ דְ ק ֹ ד is the essence of נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי. It is now up to us to understand this relationship and its significance.
Note: when we say קׇ דְ ק ֹ ד in reference to the Tefillin Shel Rosh, we are not referring to the bayit placed in the front, but rather to the knot positioned at the back of the head.
We’ll begin with the connection between Yitzchak Avinu and Tefillin. I searched for sources of this linkage and came up with only two. Perhaps you’ll find more, but these are the only two I could uncover. The first is based on a Pasuk found in Shir HaShirim:
שִׂ ימֵ נִ י כַ חוֹתָ ם עַ ל־לִ בֶּ ך כַּ חוֹתָ ם עַ ל־זְ רוֹעֶ ך – Let me be a seal upon your heart, like the seal upon your hand (Shir HaShirim 8:6). The Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni 941:2) says, the first half of that verse is in reference to Avraham Avinu because of his act in performing Brit Milah – i.e., Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s seal – and the second half is in reference to Yitzchak Avinu. Why Yitzchak? Because just as the Tefillin Shel Yad are bound to the arm, so too was Yitzchak bound to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. We see here a connection between Yitzchak and Tefillin, but it is different than what the Bnei Yissaschar expresses. He says Yitzchak Avinu represents the Shel Rosh, whereas this Midrash point to the Shel Yad.
The second source was in the Zohar (Ki Teitze), where amidst a discussion on Rosh Hashanah, it is stated that Rosh Hashanah is equivalent to the left arm, which also represents Midat HaDin. Additionally, the Zohar says, the left arm is associated with Yitzchak Avinu, and judgement is handed down on the nations of the world on the day of Rosh Hashanah: אֵיזוֹ לַחֶרֶ ב וְאֵיזוֹ לַשָּׁלוֹם, אֵיזוֹ לָרָ עָב וְאֵיזוֹ לָשּׂ בַע. We can see the effects of last Rosh Hashanah’s judgment, live, just by looking at the nations around us and seeing how they’re all acting up! The Zohar continues, Akeidat Yitzchak also took place on that very day of Rosh Hashanah, according to the majority of the Midrashim. The Zohar concludes that the wrapping of the Tefillin Shel Yad around our arms is meant to remind us of the story of Akeidat Yitzchak. Just as we continuously wrap the Tefillin around our arms and fingers, so too Yitzchak was tightly bound to the altar. Once again, the connection is present, but it differs from the Bnei Yissaschar who points specifically to the Tefillin Shel Rosh (which has no straps that are wrapped around).
Returning to the words of the Bnei Yissaschar, and the numerical connection between קׇ דְ ק ֹ ד and יִצְ חָ ק (208), I’d like to bring in the different types of Tefillin worn by most of Am Yisrael – Bnei Ashkenaz, Bnei Sepharad of Moroccan descent, and Yemenite Jews. Most wear Tefillin on Tisha B’Av only in the afternoon, while an older custom in Eretz Yisrael existed – and is still followed by a small minority – to wear them in the morning, either publicly or privately. For the majority who only wear Tefillin in the afternoon during Mincha, why then? Why at Mincha? Yes, it is at that time where the sparks of consolation begin to appear and practices of mourning begin to be reduced, but there is another reason. Who established the Tefillah of Mincha? It was none other than Yitzchak Avinu. Additionally, as we touched on last week, the letters of מִ נְ חָ ה and נֶחָ מָ ה are interchangeable. At Mincha, the process of consolation begins, and thus, we wear Tefillin. And who is both the Father of Consolation and the Father of Tefillin? It is Yitzchak Avinu. At that moment of the afternoon on Tisha B’Av, everything comes together for נַחֲ מוּ.
