Parashat Vayeitzei: When To Say I Don't Know

0:03This week, we learn to train ourselves to follow the sages' principle of teaching your tongue to say "I don't know." Before we get into it, the Gemara also says sometimes... leaves the yeshiva of Shem and Ever on the way to Lavan's house, which he will later find out will literally try to destroy him and all of Israel. As we read in the Aggadah, he falls asleep at the place, a holy place, and he wakes up from a dream. He's scared because he realizes that the Shechinah of Hashem is there. leaves the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever on the way to Lavan's house, whom he will later find out will literally try to destroy him and all of Israel. As we read from the aggadah, he falls asleep at the place, a holy place, and he wakes up from a dream and he's scared because he realizes that Hashem, the Shechinah of Hashem, is there.

1:25And it says, Yaakov awoke from his sleep and said, surely Hashem is present in this place, and I did not know. That's where the word, that's where the teachings of "I didn't know" comes from, where the sages say that a person should teach themselves how to say "I don't know." But as a side note, as a joke, but certainly some who suffer from it. There was once an evil priest who had a lot of control over the government and said that he wanted to pass a decree to hurt the Jewish people. Unless they could defeat him in a debate, Were the first one in a debate that says, "I don't know," not only loses but gets thrown off a bridge. Now, while the sages of the time were debating who should go, some average Jew, not exactly known for his wisdom...

2:45If quite frankly the opposite, he was known as a fool, comes in and he says to the Chachamim, "Listen, let me go and debate this priest. I'll go to the bridge." The Chachamim respond, "You? Yeah, yeah, yeah, listen." Best-case scenario, I win. Worst-case scenario, if I lose, they throw me off a bridge, and you guys don't have to worry about anything because if they come to you and say, "Listen, you're gonna get punished now," you can say, "No, we didn't send such a fool. It's not our fault." This, by the way, is something that the Chachamim have said that Am Yisrael has done several times over the years, and it's mentioned in the Gemara. So anyway, they say, "Go ahead, go for it." He goes to the bridge, of course, and the priest is with his people. Everyone's excited to defeat another Jew and they see this lowly Jew. He says, "Okay, priest, I'm ready for this debate, but since you are so honorable and so majestic and so respected and so much more knowledgeable than I am, I think that it's fair that I get the first question." And the priest, of course, with his arrogance, says, "Sure, go ahead. What can you possibly ask me?"

3:57He says, "Well, can you please give me the meaning of the verse where the Torah says, 'What does it mean?' And the priest says, 'I don't know.' Quickly, foolish people that were supposed to guard him take him and throw him off the bridge. Now, of course, that's actually what the verse means, and he learned that. He means I don't know, but they didn't know that. But the clever, foolish average Joe, average Jew I should say, wins the contest, is celebrated, and comes back to the Jews." Foolish people that were supposed to guard him take him and throw him off the bridge. Now, of course, that's not actually what the verse means, and he learned that means something different. I don't know how, but they didn't know that. But the clever, foolish, average Joe—or average Jew, I should say—wins the contest and is celebrated. He comes back to the Jewish community, and they all ask him, "Listen, amazing, great job! How did you do it? How did you know that he was going to fall for the trick?" To which he responds, "What trick? What are you talking about? How did I know I was going to defeat him that way? I've been coming to synagogue for 20 years, and we get to this parsha and I look at the parsha, and I see the translation, and over there, in the translation, it says..." They all asked him, "Listen, amazing! Great job! How did you do it? How did you know that he's going to fall for the trick?" He answered, "What trick? What are you talking about? How did you know you were going to defeat him that way?" He replied, "What do you mean? For 20 years, I've been coming to the synagogue, and we get to this parasha. I look at the parasha and I see the translation, and over there, in the translation, it says..."

5:21He says, "I don't know," so I asked the religious guy next to me, "What does this mean?" and he says, "I don't know." I asked the guy next to him, "What does this mean?" and he says, "I don't know." So then I went to the rabbi and asked him, "What about this one?" and he says, "I don't know." Nobody knows. So I went to a different synagogue and I asked them, and they kept saying, "I don't know, I don't know." I asked prominent rabbis, rabbis that were visiting. For 20 years, I've been asking rabbis and various religious people, "What does this mean?" And they consistently responded, "I don't know." So I figured if these esteemed rabbis and these devout individuals all don't know, then surely this priest doesn't know either. A bit of humor at the priest's expense wouldn't be out of place here. The enemies, but nonetheless, this is actually something that the Gemara brings several times, that similar things happened throughout Jewish history in order for Am Yisrael to save itself. But the truth be told is that Rabbeinu, the Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, is telling us that this is actually something that a person needs to train themselves for—train yourself to say, "I don't know."

6:37speak to you about frivolous matters, you should use any means possible to avoid conversation. And if you cannot, you should offer the briefest answers possible, no more than absolutely necessary. So obviously, here, without us understanding what is this teaching of "I don't know," we're going to be dumbfounded. We're going to be at a place where we have no idea where to go. speak to you about frivolous matters, you should use any means possible to avoid conversation. If you cannot, you should offer the briefest answers possible, no more than absolutely necessary. So, obviously, here, without us understanding what this teaching of "I don't know" means, we're going to be dumbfounded. We will find ourselves at a place where we have no idea where to go. Of course, we have to understand what it means to say "I don't know," and why it is significant. The Gemara in Masechet Berachot, page 4a, discusses this. You will also find this in Masechet Berachot Zuta, chapter 31. The Gemara talks about when is midnight and it says who knew exactly when midnight is.

8:04David knew what midnight was because David woke up at midnight each day to pray to Hashem. He even had a special musical instrument, a harp, that would automatically play by itself. He positioned it in such a way that the air would go through it, and it would make music in the middle of the night to wake him up. So, David knew when midnight was, and Moshe didn't know. Why do you think Moshe Rabbeinu didn't know? Because when Pharaoh told him about the plagues to stop it, when is it going to be? Is it going to be at a certain time? And Moshe Rabbeinu pretended like he doesn't know the exact time. It's going to be around midnight. Meaning Moshe Rabbeinu made it seem as if he didn't know when midnight was. So the sages say, no, no, no, Moshe Rabbeinu did know exactly when midnight is. It's just that Moshe Rabbeinu was teaching us that you have to teach your tongue to say, "I don't know," lest you be caught in falsehood. We are meant to be a light unto the nations, not to follow their misguided practices. Remember, every Jew has to remember. made it seem as if he didn't know when midnight was. So the sages say, no, no, no, Moshe Rabbeinu did know exactly when midnight is. It's just that Moshe Rabbeinu was teaching us that you have to teach your tongue to say, I don't know, lest you be caught in falsehood. We are meant to be a light unto the nations, not to follow their misguided practices. Remember, every Jew has to remember

9:24that he's a Jew and she's a Jew. We don't celebrate non-Jewish holidays, even if they seem harmless. It's a zilzul, a disrespect to the Torah.