During World War I, when the fighting was raging on the Russian front, there were opinions from many gedolei Yisroel to gather all the sifrei Torah from small communities and bring them to St. Petersburg, which was considered a safe city at that time. However, Rav Meir Simcha, known as the Ohr Somayach, was against this idea. He argued that it was risky to hide all the sifrei Torah in one place, citing a lesson from Parshas Vayishlach, where Yaakov Avinu divided his family into two groups to protect them from Esav. Rav Meir Simcha explained that if one group of Torah scrolls were to be destroyed in one location, the others elsewhere would be spared.
When questioned about whether he knew this through Ruach Hakodesh, Rav Meir Simcha humbly replied that it was not prophecy but a careful analysis of Torah teachings. His foresight was proven correct when heavy fighting indeed reached St. Petersburg, validating his cautious approach to safeguarding the sifrei Torah.
Except for Rashi and his grandchildren, the Baalei Tosfos, most of our Rishonim were gedolei Sefard. The Rif, Rambam, Ramban, Rashba, Ritva, Nimukei Yosef, Ran, Rabeinu Bechaya, Rivash, Ridvaz etc. were all gedolei sefard. The time period of the Rishonim was from about 1000 to year 1500. From the 1500’s and on start the time period of the Achronim like the Rema, Taz, Maharshal, and Maharsha. If you take a look at all the meforshim on the Shulchan Aruch, they are all gedolei Ashkenaz. The Magen Avraham, Taz, Shach, Sma, Chelkas Mechokek etc. are all Ashkenaz. What happened that the period of Rishonim were mostly Sefard and Achronim were mostly Ashkenaz?
During the period of the Rishonim, there was a terrible period of oppression on Ashkenaz Jewry. The crusaders marched through Europe, butchering entire communities of Ashkenaz yidden. One of the kinnos we read on Tisha Ba’av is about this terrible time period; we are still mourning the terrible destruction of Ashkenaz - and the immeasurable loss of Torah as a result. The Jews in Spain, however, experienced years of peace and Torah flourished for them. Therefore, the Torah of the Rishonim that we have today is mostly from Sefardic gedolim. However, in 1492 the tables turned. The Jews were driven out of Spain, forced to leave all their possessions behind. Wandering and broken, their Torah learning was weakened. During this tekufah, the Jews of Ashkenaz had relative peace and were able to concentrate on disseminating Torah. Therefore, the Torah of the Achronim that we have today is primarily from Gedolei Ashkenaz. This is how it always is by klal Yisroel – Hashem divides us so that there will always be Torah flourishing. “V’haya hamachna hanishar lifleita” – there will always be a group of us that survives and rebuilds klal Yisroel. There will always be a machane that keeps the Torah alive.
When Yaakov makes up to meet up with Eisav, he strategically arranges his family so that Eisav should meet up with him first, then the shefachos and their children, followed by Leah and her children, and finally Rachel and hers. This is because the most beloved goes last, giving them a higher chance of survival.
The Shinova Rav asks: The halacha in Yore Deia (156) teaches us that if bands of goyim come to attack and they say, “Give us one yid to kill and if not we will kill all of you”, the halacha is that we’re not allowed to. Why not? Because “Ain doche nefesh” - we can’t sacrifice the life of one yid because we want to save another yid. If so, how was Yaakov Avinu allowed to put the shifchos and their children first just to save the others?
Says the Divrei Yechezkal, the pasuk says “V’haelokim yivakesh es hanirdaf” – Hashem always seeks out the nirdaf, the one being pursued. This means that when there’s a pursuer chasing after a victim, Hashem will personally take care of that victim. The Midrash notes that even if the rodef is a Tzadik and the nirdaf is a rasha, the fact that the rasha is now a victim classifies him as a “nirdaf”, and Hashem will save him from his pursuer.
Now, the children of the shefachos were considered nirdafim, as they felt “second class” to the children of the Imahos Leah and Rochel. Therefore, Yaakov Avinu knew that Hashem would personally protect them more than the others. The reason why he put them first was not chas v’shalom because he wanted to sacrifice them first. You are not allowed to do that. He made a cheshbon – the shefachos and their children have a din of a nirdaf, so they are most protected by Hashem. Afterwards go Leah and her children, as they were still second to Rachel. The ones most in danger were Rachel and Yosef since they were beloved and surely not “nirdofim”. And that’s what Rashi means by “achron achron chaviv” – meaning: Yaakov Avinu set up his family in a special, thought-out order so that everyone should be saved.
My father Rav Noach Isaac Oelbaum Shlita said that we live in a time where we are considered nirdofim from the umos ha’olam. The mere fact that we are being attacked classifies us as nirdofim. The fact that we are nirdofim means that we are going to have that extra-special protection from Hashem, as the pasuk says “V’haelokim yivakesh es hanirdaf”. This should give us chizuk that we are in the best of Hands and that the geulah is surely closer than we think.
