RITSS HIGH SCHOOL

PRESENTS A D`VAR TORAH

ON VAYECHI

By Rabbi Moshe Heigh

YISSACHAR'S BIRTH WAS CAUSED INDIRECTLY BY A.....DONKEY!

     We will discover today that at times, unlikely causes exist for significant events. Did you ever imagine that the conception and birth of one of the shevatim is actually attributed to a donkey? If you have seen the Gemara in Niddah 31A near the bottom of the page, this is no surprise to you. But it all starts with a pasuk in our parsha, plus another one back in Parshas Vayaitzai.

     Let us first explore Vayaitzai, the parsha where the shevatim were born. Reuven, Shimon, Levi, and Yehuda had been born to Leah (29:32-35). Bilha, maidservant of Rachel, then bore Dan and Naftali (30:5-8). Next, Zilpa, Leah's maidservant, gave birth to Gad and Asher (30:10-13). This leads up to the story of Yissachar's conception and birth.

     The Torah narrates that Reuven went about in the season of the wheat harvest (late spring, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan explains), and he found "dudaim" in the field. In the middle of the page of the Gemara Sanhedrin 99B, there are three opinions regarding the identity of dudaim. All agree, however, that they are some sort of fragrant flowers; see Rashi on that Gemara for details. They are commonly understood to be mandrakes. Ibn Ezra on 30:14 remarks that these dudaim have a pleasant aroma, as demonstrated by the pasuk in Shir Hashirim 7:14: "The dudaim have given off their fragrance." He adds that they have at least part of the form of a human body, possessing the image of a head and hands. Ibn Ezra also mentions that they might possibly be used as a fertility medicine. Sforno aids us in comprehending this section by stating that Leah was distressed that she had (temporarily) stopped having children. Consequently, Reuven, her son, went about in search of dudaim, a proven cure for infertility.

     Keep in mind that Leah had already mothered four shevatim, while Rachel had none as of yet. Nonetheless, Leah would bear her fifth and sixth sons to Yaacov very shortly. As Rashi on 30:17 explains, she had an overwhelming desire to produce the shevatim of Hashem, so she was answered with Yissachar (30:17-18) and Zevulun (30:19-20). This created a total of ten shevatim, counting the four from the maidservants. Only later, Rachel would bear Yosef (30:23-24) and Binyamin (Vayishlach, 35:16-18).

     As mentioned, Rachel was still childless at the point preceding the birth of Yissachar. As indicated by the Midrash Rabba 72:3, brought by Rashi on 30:15, Rachel would have had an assigned night with Yaacov, but since she requested some mandrakes from Leah, she sacrificed that opportunity. In other words, Rachel apparently felt that with these dudaim, her chances of eventually becoming pregnant would be much better. As a result, it seemed sensible to "trade" away this one night with Yaacov for the sake of obtaining some of the dudaim, allowing Leah to have that night instead. "And Yaacov came in from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him..." (30:16). She then informed her husband that she had "bought" that night, formerly intended for Rachel, by giving Rachel some mandrakes which her (Leah's) son Reuven had collected.

     The pasuk then hints to us that Hashem intervened that night, facilitating the conception of another shaivet. "And he lay with her on that night" (30:16). Instead of saying "balaila HAhoo", the common expression for "that night", the Torah says "balaila HOO", without the definite article (letter hey) before the word "hoo". Thus, it can be translated as "And he lay with her at night, HE (hoo)", a hint that Hashem Himself was present and assisting in the creation of Yissachar. But how did this work?

     The Gemara Niddah 31A makes the connection we need, between the psukim we have been studying in Vayaitzai and the pasuk we will focus on in today's parsha of Vayechi. Near the bottom of the amud, the Gemara declares as follows. When it says that he lay with her that night (the word HOO, as explained above), it teaches that Hashem assisted in that occurrence (the birth of Leah's fifth son, Yissachar, also the ninth shaivet born), as it says (our parsha, 49:14), "Yissachar, chamor gorem". The meaning, according to the deep pshat of this Gemara, is that a chamor, a donkey, caused the existence of Yissachar. In other words, the hint that Hashem Himself helped in an unusual way, from the word "Hoo" in Vayaitzai, is further explained in today's parsha, when Yaacov was blessing the shevatim before his death. How exactly did Divine Providence get involved with Yissachar's conception? This was with a chamor, a donkey. How did it work?

     Rashi on that Gemara does remark that the word "Hoo" in Vayaitzai obviously indicates the Master of the Universe. What did Hashem do, which is elaborated upon in today's parsha? He caused Yaacov's donkey to travel toward Leah's tent and away from Rachel's (and away from the other wives, Bilha and Zilpa). This had to happen, because otherwise, Yaacov would have entered another wife's tent, and the plan for Yissachar's creation would have been thwarted. After all, Yaacov himself was not aware of the deal made between Rachel and Leah. In the terminology of Rashi on the Gemara, "that night belonged to the others (the other wives, NOT Leah)". Thus, the donkey's path was simply redirected toward Leah. That is how Yaacov realized the changed plan for that night.

     On that same page of Gemara, Rabbi Akiva Aiger, in the Gilyon Hashas, brings another approach regarding how the donkey "caused" Yissachar to come into existence. His source is the early, authoritative sefer known as the Aruch. How did Leah know the precise time Yaacov was returning from the field at night? How did she exit her tent at the correct moment, to prevent him from going to Rachel's tent, which eventually led to Yissachar being conceived by her? As Yaacov came back from work, his donkey let out a braying noise loud enough for Leah to hear. This was the announcement of his arrival! Leah heard this and went out to meet him. The result? Her fifth son, the ninth of the shevatim, was conceived that very night.

     There are therefore two ways to explain a donkey's participation in the birth of Yissachar. Perhaps Hashem decreed that the animal simply head toward Leah's tent. Or, the donkey brayed at the right time willed by Hashem, and Leah came out to greet her husband and explain the arrangement she had made with Rachel.

     Either way, Klal Yisroel was blessed with another progenitor, the forbear of a noble shaivet of Torah scholars. In truth, you probably know that Rashi's simple pshat of the words "chamor gorem", which the Gemara interpreted as "a donkey caused him", is quite different. Yissachar is a strong-boned donkey who carries the yoke of Torah, like a powerful donkey upon which we load heavy burdens.

     Next time a donkey brays or some other animal makes its sound or turns a specific direction, you might want to consider the fact that NOTHING is coincidental. This does not mean we should spend hours looking into these everyday events, but we must realize that Hashem deals with Klal Yisroel with intimate supervision and providence. An actual shaivet came into being because of the behavior of Yaacov Avinu's vehicle, his chamor.

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