Friday, December 2, 2011

Superficial Honor

"Yaakov has taken everything that belongs to our father, and from what belongs to our father he has amassed all his wealth" [Vayeitze 31:1]

The following question was once posed to the Vilna Gaon: The Midrash Rabbah states in relation to the abovementioned verse:  "There is no honor except for [that accrued by] silver and gold".  Yet, in Shemos Rabbah [ch 38] it states: "There is no honor except for [that accrued by] Torah, as the verse states: "The wise inherit honor".  The question is, is it the Torah or one's wealth that brings a person honor?

Wherever we find the word kavod [honor] spelled without a vav, answered the Gaon, we are meant to apply Chazal's statement "There is no honor except for [that accrued by] silver and gold".  For that type of honor is superficial and false.

However, continued the Gaon, when kavod is spelled in its complete spelling - with a vav - Chazal's statement "There is no honor except for [that accrued by] the Torah" applies.  For the honor that comes from the Torah is genuine and full.

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Cavod spelled out in milui with the vav = 968 = 913 plus 45 bereshite adam . bereshite in mispar katan= 9 plus 1 plus 13 = ahavah love or unity one = echad . as well cavod with the vav is 32 lev. lev 32 elohims in 6 days creation the heart of the universe , soul , man the first and last letters of the Torah of holiness . Yoav