Rabbi Shimon Klein

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1. Boundaries in Sefer Bereishit

   Rabbi Shimon Klein

   God regrets having created man in the world; He is grieved, and He decides to wipe out all living things from upon the face of the earth. To the reader suddenly coming upon these verses, this is an unthinkable, inconceivable course of action: the world has already been created; now problems start to arise, and the reaction is – complete annihilation?! We must ask ourselves how and why it is that God resorts to such a seemingly “dis-proportionate” response. The context of our discussion will be a broad one, going far beyond the boundaries of this specific narrative. We shall examine the moral standards of God and of man in Sefer Bereishit, and seek to identify a method for dealing with moral dilemmas relating to the fundamental life circles in this Sefer.

2. “Look to Avraham, Your Forefather”

   Rabbi Shimon Klein

   In Parshat Lech Lecha, Avraham leaves the life circles in which he is ensconced and emerges to adopt a position that observes it all from on high, from a position raised above the here and now. An expression of this is to be found in his abstract attitude towards the land; in his attitude towards the Canaanites – the patience and honor that he shows them, taking care not to push them out of their place; his patience and containment of Lot, allowing him to join him; and – later on – his offer to divide the land (if Lot takes the north, Avraham will take the south, and vice versa). All of this is a clue to recognizing the spiritual position that Avraham has adopted, as well as a clue to his character and qualities.

3. “Avraham begot Yitzchak”

   Rabbi Shimon Klein

   At the beginning of Parashat Toldot, Yitzchak is referred to as “Yitzchak, son of Avraham,” but the text then goes on to note, “Avraham begot Yitzchak.” The reader is perplexed: is this statement of lineage not a reformulation of what has just been said? Indeed, on the level of objective fact, it says exactly the same thing. In terms of inner essence, however, the focus is quite different. In the phrase, “Yitzchak, son of Avraham,” the subject is Yitzchak, and these words serve as an introduction to the description of his life and works. The fact that he is referred to as “son of Avraham” points to his direction, his source of inspiration. However, the text does not suffice with this statement of lineage, but invites us, as it were, to view the matter from a different perspective, where the subject is Avraham. It is Avraham who is dominant; it is he who bore Yitzchak and molded his character. A powerful paternal presence emerges from this description. In this shiur, we will embark on a journey through the text to locate the roots and essence of this presence.

4. “And This is the Gateway of Heaven”

   Rabbi Shimon Klein

   In this shiur, we will attempt to understand the nature of the place where Yaakov rests in the course of fleeing from Esav – Beit El, the House of God – through a review of our narrative as well as other narratives in Sefer Bereishit and in different chapters from the Prophets.

5. "And Yisrael Loved Yosef"

   Rabbi Shimon Klein

   The story of Yosef and his brothers is a dark and painful episode in the history of the Jewish People. A son is sent by his father to his brothers, and they conspire to kill him. Eventually, they decide to sell him instead. How are we to understand the brothers’ conduct? And what is Yosef’s role in what takes place? In this shiur, we will examine the verses closely and try to attain deeper insight into Yosef, the brothers, and what really happened.