Parshas Vayeitzai 5786
- Torah Tavlin
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
יחיו דגן ויפרחו כגפן זכרו כיין לבנון ... (הושע יד-ח)
Hoshea Hanavi describes Hashem’s infinite kindness to those who adhere to His word, by stating: “They who sit in His shade shall be revived and bring to life new grain. They shall blossom like the vine and His scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon.” The Medrash tells us that Hashem elaborated on this and declared that, “He loves the names of the converts like wine that is brought on the mizbeach.” The obvious question is, what does one have to do with the other?
R’ Avraham Bornstein zt”l of Sochatchov (Zera Baruch), also known as the Avnei Nezer, explains that it is important to establish that the mitzvah of ניסוך היין was never performed by the Avos. In fact, they only performed ניסוך השמן. In that case, why do we perform the ritual on wine as opposed to oil? He explains that Klal Yisroel are compared to fine wine which comes from grapes that grow on a vine. For just as grapes must have a strong vine to grow from, so too Klal Yisroel must always remember their foundation - the Avos Hakedoshim. Thus, as a זכר to the Avos, we perform the ritual with wine as opposed to oil. So, converts who are considered the children of Avraham Avinu are beloved by the almighty as a result of their newfound connection to Avraham Avinu, who stands as their new foundation in life.
Taking a lesson from those who chose to join the Jewish Nation despite their previous backgrounds, all Jews must maintain that strong connection to previous generations, and to the Avos specifically.