Edward Reichman died in Jerusalem after a long illness at the age of 80 years old. He was a real estate tycoon, and when he passed away, he left a vast fortune worth billions of dollars. He left two wills directing that one be opened immediately and that the other one to be opened 30 days later. Among the instructions left in his first will was the request that he be buried with a certain pair of socks he owned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Reichman children immediately brought the socks to the Chevra Kadisha<\/em>, requesting that their father be buried in them. Of course the Chevra Kadisha<\/em> refused, reminding the family that it is against Halacha<\/em>. They pleaded explaining that their father was a very pious and learned man, and he obviously had a very good reason to make this request. The Chevra Kadisha<\/em> remained firm in their refusal. \u05d5\u05b0\u05d6\u05b9\u05d0\u05ea\u0599 \u05d4\u05b7\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u0594\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05a5\u05e8 \u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05e7\u05b0\u05d7\u0596\u05d5\u05bc \u05de\u05b5\u05d0\u05b4\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u0591\u05dd \u05d6\u05b8\u05d4\u05b8\u05a5\u05d1 \u05d5\u05b8\u05db\u05b6\u0596\u05e1\u05b6\u05e3 \u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b0\u05d7\u05b9\u05bd\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05ea\u05c3 \u05d5\u05bc\u05ea\u05b0\u05db\u05b5\u05a7\u05dc\u05b6\u05ea \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d2\u05b8\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u059b\u05df \u05d5\u05b0\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b7\u05a5\u05e2\u05b7\u05ea \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e0\u05b4\u0596\u05d9 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05a5\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b4\u05d6\u05b4\u05bc\u05bd\u05d9\u05dd\u05c3 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b9\u05e8\u05b9\u05a8\u05ea \u05d0\u05b5\u05d9\u05dc\u05b4\u05a7\u05dd \u05de\u05b0\u05d0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u059b\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b9\u05e8\u05b9\u05a5\u05ea \u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05d7\u05b8\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u0596\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e6\u05b5\u05a5\u05d9 \u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d8\u05b4\u05bc\u05bd\u05d9\u05dd\u05c3 \u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u0596\u05de\u05b6\u05df \u05dc\u05b7\u05de\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0\u05b9\u0591\u05e8 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd\u0599 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05a3\u05de\u05b6\u05df \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d7\u05b8\u0594\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05d8\u05b9\u0596\u05e8\u05b6\u05ea \u05d4\u05b7\u05e1\u05b7\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05bd\u05d9\u05dd\u05c3 \u05d0\u05b7\u05d1\u05b0\u05e0\u05b5\u05d9\u05be\u05e9\u05b9\u05c1\u0595\u05d4\u05b7\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b7\u05d1\u05b0\u05e0\u05b5\u0596\u05d9 \u05de\u05b4\u05dc\u05bb\u05bc\u05d0\u05b4\u0591\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05e4\u05b9\u0596\u05d3 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b7\u05d7\u05b9\u05bd\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05df\u05c3 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b8\u05a5\u05e9\u05c2\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b4\u0596\u05d9 \u05de\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u0591\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05db\u05b7\u05e0\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u0596\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9\u05db\u05b8\u05bd\u05dd\u05c3<\/p>\n\n\n\n And these are the gifts that you shall accept from them: gold, silver, and copper; blue, purple, and crimson yarns, fine linen, goats\u2019 hair; tanned ram skins, dolphin skins, and acacia wood; oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the aromatic incense; lapis lazuli and other stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. (25:3-8)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n We can understand where most of these items may have come from: the Jewish people left Egypt with some wealth, presumably with the gold, silver, and copper necessary for the mishkan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But atzei shittim? Acacia wood? They are receiving this command in the middle of a desolate desert: where are they supposed to find trees to provide wood for the mishkan?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rashi at the beginning of our parsha quotes a magnificent midrash to answer this question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b5\u05d0\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05df \u05d4\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b8\u05d4\u05b6\u05dd \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d3\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8? \u05e4\u05b5\u05bc\u05e8\u05b5\u05e9\u05c1 \u05e8\u05b7\u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05e0\u05b0\u05d7\u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u05d0: \u05d9\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e7\u05b9\u05d1 \u05d0\u05b8\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05e6\u05b8\u05e4\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e7\u05b9\u05bc\u05d3\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1 \u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e2\u05b2\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05df \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc \u05dc\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05df \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05d3\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8, \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b5\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d6\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05e6\u05b0\u05e8\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b0\u05d8\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05dd, \u05d5\u05b0\u05e6\u05b4\u05d5\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05dc\u05b4\u05d8\u05b0\u05bc\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd \u05e2\u05b4\u05de\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u05b6\u05dd \u05db\u05b0\u05bc\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d9\u05b5\u05bc\u05e6\u05b0\u05d0\u05d5\u05bc \u05de\u05b4\u05de\u05b4\u05bc\u05e6\u05b0\u05e8\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd:<\/p>\n\n\n\n But from where did they get this in the wilderness? Rabbi Tanchuma explained it thus: Our father Jacob foresaw by the gift of the Holy Spirit that Israel would once build a Tabernacle in the wilderness: he therefore brought cedars to Egypt and planted them there, and bade his children take these with them when they would leave Egypt<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Hundreds of years before our parsha, Yaakov Avinu knew through divine inspiration that his descendants were destined to build a mishkan. So when an elderly Yaakov arrived in Egypt, he planted saplings, and told his children to tell their children to tell their children that they should chop down these trees and bring the wood with them as they eventually leave Egypt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The image is beautiful: an elderly Yaakov Avinu in the final chapter of his life literally planting the seeds for redemption as he enters the Egypt exile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I hate to nitpick on such a beautiful scene, but I have two questions on this Rashi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n First, why is Rashi only bothered by the wood of the mishkan? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s focus on two other items listed above in the pasuk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTchelet\u201d- one of the dyes needed for the curtains of the mishkna. Rashi explains what many of us may know: that the tchelet color is extracted from a specific sea creature known as the chilazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where are they getting these sea creatures in the middle of the desert? <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShemen lamaor\u201d- they are to bring olives to provide oil for the menorah. How will they find olives in the middle of the dessert? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Putting aside Rashi for a moment, these questions are not too difficult to answer. Perhaps they sent messengers to have these items brought from outside sources. Perhaps they obtained them miraculously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But if it is true that Bnei Yisroel are anyway forced to rely on outside sources or miracles, how could Rashi justify an elderly Yaakov Avinu needing to go through the effort of planting trees? Why can\u2019t the Jewish people obtain acacia wood the same way they would obtain dyes or olive oil? <\/p>\n\n\n\n My second question based on two great sources: Ibn Ezra and Wikipedia. The Ibn Ezra, who tends to avoid midrashic interpretation, points to the absence of textual evidence that Yaakov planted these trees. But his stronger point challenges Rashi\u2019s premise. Three weeks ago, in Parshat Beshalach, we read of the bitter waters of Marah. What did Moshe throw into the waters to sweeten them? <\/p>\n\n\n\n A tree! <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Torah itself mentions that there are trees in the desert! <\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, my quick research on Wikipedia verified that atzei shittim, which translates to acacia wood, can be found today growing in the Sinai Desert! <\/p>\n\n\n\n So we have two very strong questions on Rashi: first, why did Yaakov feel the need to plant trees if they were going to rely on external or supernatural sources anyway, and second why would he need to plant trees in Egypt for his descendants to schlep with them, if there are trees in the desert anyway!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Picture for a moment, a Jewish slave in Egypt, 200 years after Yaakov died. He may have heard rumors of an eventual exodus, but this is merely an abstract idea. He\u2019s been a slave his entire life, his father was a slave, his grandfather was a slave, and you can imagine the frustration and burnout of a lifetime in slavery. But when he looks up at the end of the day, what does he see? Atzei shittim. These thick, towering, trees planted by his great great great grandfather. These trees represent a connection to the past, and a sign of hope towards a brighter future. He can connect to a Yaakov, a Yitzchak, an Avraham, and he understands that he is a part of history, a part of something special, and that there is light at the end of the tunnel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s return to the story of Reichman\u2019s will. After burying the family patriarch without his requested socks, the family waited thirty days to read the second will left for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 30 days later, the second will was opened and it read something like this: \u201cMy dear children, by now you must have buried me without my socks. I wanted you to truly understand that a man can have 1 billion dollars, but in the end, he can\u2019t even take along one pair of socks!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yaakov Avinu did not plant these trees thinking that if he did not plant them there would be no mishkan. Yaakov Avinu planted the trees as a message to his grandchildren who would be slaves in Egypt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It may be true, as the Ibn Ezra points out, that there were trees in the desert. And yes, Bnei Yisroel may have needed to rely on outside sources for other parts of the mishkan. But Yaakov Avinu\u2019s saplings were more than a source of wood in the desert. Yaakov planted the seeds of our nation, sending a powerful message to a generation of slaves, reminding them of their past, and guiding them through hard times towards a brighter future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The trees were a symbol. A way for Yaakov to share his values with 600,000 descendants. A symbol of consolation, of courage, of faith, and of hope. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A study recently released showed that a third of Americans cannot name their four grandparents. I am embarrassed to admit that I cannot name my eight great grandparents. I certainly cannot tell you much about their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reichman\u2019s son supposedly wore those socks every day until they wore out. The socks symbolized that Edward Reichman\u2019s legacy to his children would be more than money. They would be his values. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yaakov\u2019s trees were able to speak to generations of slaves in Egypt and become part of our destiny in the desert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What trees are you planting?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The family frantically summoned the Chevra Kadisha<\/em> to the Beit Din where the great Rav explained to them \u201cAlthough your father left that request when he was in this world, now that he is in the world of truth, he surely understands that it is in his best interests to be buried without the socks.\u201d
Mr. Reichman was buried without his socks.
Our parsha begins with an itemized list of items needed for the mishkan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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