Aliza Feiga’s Bas Mitzvah

Bereshis Pasuk 44:18 

וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ אֵלָ֜יו יְהוּדָ֗ה וַיֹּ֘אמֶר֮ בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִי֒ יְדַבֶּר־נָ֨א עַבְדְּךָ֤ דָבָר֙ בְּאׇזְנֵ֣י אֲדֹנִ֔י וְאַל־יִ֥חַר אַפְּךָ֖ בְּעַבְדֶּ֑ךָ כִּ֥י כָמ֖וֹךָ כְּפַרְעֹֽה׃

What Does  בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִי֒ Mean

Kotzker Rebbe on this Pasuk

Rabbi Mark Dratch – Beverley Javasky-Lyons Bar Mitzvah

Sunday the 24th is Aliza Feiga Siegal’s Bas Mitzvah.  Shoshabana came in from Boynton Beach with Tovah and Tehillah.  Friday night Eli ate over and Nechaman and Itamer stayed over to be with their cousins.   Shabbos, Mordy, Rivky and the Bas Mitzvah girl came over for lunch.

I had too much cake Friday night and it was hard to wake up Shabbos morning.  I got up a 6:30 AM and work on the Parsha.

Torah Chiddush:

This year I am not really saying Torah Chidushim.  I am more focused on reading the dialogue in the Chumash with what I feel is to read the Chumash with the correct emotions and words in English..

I worked extensively on the first Pasuk, Verse 44:18

וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ אֵלָ֜יו יְהוּדָ֗ה וַיֹּ֘אמֶר֮ בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִי֒ יְדַבֶּר־נָ֨א עַבְדְּךָ֤ דָבָר֙ בְּאׇזְנֵ֣י אֲדֹנִ֔י וְאַל־יִ֥חַר אַפְּךָ֖ בְּעַבְדֶּ֑ךָ כִּ֥י כָמ֖וֹךָ כְּפַרְעֹֽה׃

Translations:

1 – Onkelys translates this Pasuk וּקְרֵב לְוָתֵיהּ יְהוּדָה וַאֲמַר בְּבָעוּ רִבּוֹנִי יְמַלֶּל כְּעַן עַבְדָךְ פִּתְגָּמָא קֳדָם רִבּוֹנִי וְלָא יִתְקֵף רוּגְזָךְ בְּעַבְדָךְ אֲרֵי כְפַרְעֹה כֶּן אָתְּ:

Yehudah approached him [Yoseif] and said, Please my master, let your servant speak [now] a word in my master’s ears [before my master], and do not be angry with your servant; for you are equal to Pharaoh. 

2 – Artscroll, Gutnick, JPS translations based on Onkelys:

Then Yehuda approached him and said “If you please my Lord may your  servant speak a word in my Lord’s ears and let not your anger flare up at your servant, for you are like Pharaoh.

3 – Charles Kahanah – Toras Yesharah translates it differently based on the Malbim  

And Judah approached him (Joseph), and said: “I cannot base this case on arguments of justice. But I beg you, master, allow me to plead in the hearing of my master for mercy, and be not angry at your servant thinking that I ask you to debase justice, for as governor you have the power, like Pharaoh, to grant a pardon. 

What does   בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִי֒ mean?  Most translators translate as Onkelys and Artscroll “Please my Master”

There is no Rashi here but there is a Rashi in Berseshis 43:20 on בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִי֒ that also tranlates it as  “Please my Master”.    There is a Ramban in Bereshis 43:20 that translates it differently than Rashi and an Ibn Ezra.  

I want to say first bring down the Kotzker and my Chidush.  Then go back to discuss Rashi’s translation in Miketz 43:20.

The Kotzker says on  וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ אֵלָ֜יו יְהוּדָ֗ה that the אֵלָ֜יו is extra. Therefore the Kotzker says that it means שנגש אל עצמו.  Yehuda approached himself, he looked inwards.  I believe the Kotzker means that Yehuda paused for a few seconds, steeled himself and searched for the right argument.  The viceroy who was effectively the most powerful man in the world spoke and said Binyamin is staying here.  No one debates a viceroy. just responding to the viceroy may mean death to Yehuda.  Picture the scene.  Yosef as viceroy was sitting on his throne, around him were his minister, the captains of the army and it was very frightful.  Yehuda had to argue correctly to free Binyamin.  Yehdua had to pause for a few seconds and gather himself for the future depended on what he said..

I want to add to the Kotzker that Yehuda thought or uttered under his breath  the next two words,  בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִי֒.  “In me Hashem”.  Harshem – speak through me the proper words to the viceroy so he may free Binyamin.  I am translating בִּ֣י as “in me”.  Artscoll on verse 43:20m footnote 7 says that the word בִּ֣י normally means in me however, this translation does not work in the Passuk.  I am arguing that this is precisely the definition and the word אֲדֹנִי֒ refers to hashem.  Just like we find in Parshas Vayera that the word אֲדֹנִי֒ can be Chol – referring to man or Kodesh – referring to Hashem.

Perhaps you can say it means both.  He uttered it to himself and also spoke it to Josef as “please my lord”.

I first heard this Kotzker in the late 1980s from Rabbi Mark Dratch at a cousin’s, (Beverly and Eliot Javasky-Lyons), kid’s Bar Mitzvah at the Shaarei Shamayim Shul in Toronto   As I recall Rabbi Dratch said the Kotzker slightly different.   I recall Rabbi Dratch said that Yehuda did an introspection;  he asked  himself, where do I stand, do I have the moral courage to defend Binyomin.  

The Rosh Yeshiva of HTC Skokie Yeshiva, Rabbi Moshe Revah, liked it and shook my hand.  At the Baral wedding on December 28, 2023 I told over my Torah to Rabbi Doivd Zucker, Rabbi Eliyahu Millen and Rabbi Efraim Twerski.  Rabbi Twerski said that he say in two Chassidic Seforim The   אֲדֹנִי֒ of thjis Pasuk is a reference to the opening of the Shemonei Esra words of   אֲדֹנָי שְׂפָתַי תִּפְתָּח וּפִי יַגִּיד תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ.

Boruch hashem that I found my source for my Torah.

Analysis:

Bershis 43:20 says וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִ֑י יָרֹ֥ד יָרַ֛דְנוּ בַּתְּחִלָּ֖ה לִשְׁבׇּר־אֹֽכֶל׃

“If you please, my lord,” they said, “we came down once before to procure food.  Almost all translations use the word Please.

Rashi comments on  בי אדני.

                  – בי אדני. לְשׁוֹן בַּעְיָא וְתַחֲנוּנִים הוּא, בְלָשׁוֹן אֲרַמִּי בַּיָּא בַּיָּא

This is an expression of beseeching and supplication,  In the Aramaic language (we find a related word with the same meaning) בַּיָּא בַּיָּא.   This is Arscroll and they do not translate בַּיָּא בַּיָּא.

 We have three places where the Gemora has the words בייא בייא and all three are translated by Seferia and Artscroll as woe, woe.  Yuma 59B, Sanhedrin 64A and Yevamos 97A,

Yuma 69B and Sanhedrin 64A are the same Gemora and Rashi in each location are slightly different.  The Rashi on  the third Gemora in Yevamos is also slightly different from the other two.  .

The Three Gemoras

The Gemara Yuma 69B says:

 ״וַיִּצְעֲקוּ אֶל ה׳ אֱלֹהִים בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל״. מַאי אֲמוּר? אָמַר רַב, וְאִיתֵּימָא רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: בִּיָּיא בִּיָּיא

 The Gemara recounts the event described in the verses: The verse states: And they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God (Nehemiah 9:4). What was said? Rav said, and some say it was Rabbi Yoḥanan who said: Woe, woe.

Rashi in Yuma –   בייא בייא – לשון זעקה וקובלנא:  The word קובלנה in the Hebrew English dictionary is complaint.

The Gemora in Sanhedrin 64A is the same Gemora  but Rashi is slightly different.

ת”ש (נחמיה ט, ד) ויזעקו בקול גדול אל ה’ אלהיהם מאי אמור אמר רב יהודה ואיתימא ר’ יונתן בייא בייא 

The Gemara suggests: Come and hear another proof, from the verse: “And they cried in a loud voice to the Lord their God” (Nehemiah 9:4). What did they say in that prayer? Rav Yehuda says, and some say it is Rav Yonatan who says: Woe, woe [baya, baya],

Rashi in Sanhedrin 64A

בייא בייא – בלשון ארמי הוי לשון גנחה וצעקה כמו אהבה בלשון הקודש:

 אהה means per the dictionary – oh, alas

Gemora in Yevomos 97A – ״בִּיָּיא בִּיָּיא מֵאַח, וְהוּא אַב, וְהוּא בְּעֵל, וְהוּא בַּר בְּעֵל, וְהוּא בַּעְלַהּ דְּאֵם, וַאֲנָא בְּרַתַּהּ דְּאִיתְּתֵיהּ, וְלָא יָהֵיב פִּיתָּא לַאֲחוּהּ יַתְמֵי בְּנֵי בְרַתֵּיה״ 

The Gemara cites another riddle: Woe, woe [baya, baya] for my brother, who is my father, and who is my husband, and who is the son of my husband, and who is the husband of my mother, and I am the daughter of his wife; and he does not provide bread for his brothers, who are orphans, the sons of me, his daughter. 

Rashi in Yevomos – בייא מאח – קובלת אני על אחי שהוא אבי ובעלי ובן בעלי והוא בעלה דאם הולידי מאמי והיינו נמי דהוא אב אלא לאפושי מילי הוא:

Here Rashi translates בייא as קבלת – as a complaint       

The problem is that Rashi in quoting  בַּיָּא בַּיָּא – woe, woe  seems to be more like the Ramban who says that  בי אדני  is an expression of distress and affliction over a tragedy and mishap, similar to the word avoi in Hebrew.  It does not seem that the source of Rashi is the Gemora in Yuma.  The standard Chumash I have does not put in brackets any source of Rashi. Look below for the Rambam and Ibn Ezra.

Continuation of Pasuk 44:18

There are three other Rashi’s in the first Pasuk on VaYigash:

ויגש אליו וגומר … דבר באזני אדני. יִכָּנְסוּ דְּבָרַי בְּאָזְנֶיךָ:

ואל יחר אפך. מִכָּאן אַתָּה לָמֵד שֶׁדִּבֵּר אֵלָיו קָשׁוֹת:

כי כמוך כפרעה. חָשׁוּב אַתָּה בְעֵינַי כְּמֶלֶךְ, זֶהוּ פְשׁוּטוֹ. וּמִדְרָשׁוֹ סוֹפְךָ לִלְקוֹת עָלָיו בְּצָרַעַת כְּמוֹ שֶׁלָּקָה פַרְעֹה עַל יְדֵי זְקֵנָתִי שָׂרָה עַל לַיְלָה אַחַת שֶׁעִכְּבָהּ (בראשית רבה). דָּבָר אַחֵר מַה פַּרְעֹה גוֹזֵר וְאֵינוֹ מְקַיֵּם, מַבְטִיחַ וְאֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה, אַף אַתָּה כֵן; וְכִי זוֹ הִיא שִׂימַת עַיִן שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ לָשׂוּם עֵינְךָ עָלָיו? דָּבָר אַחֵר, כִּי כָּמוֹךָ כְּפַרְעֹה, אִם תַּקְנִיטֵנִי אֶהֱרֹג אוֹתְךָ וְאֶת אֲדוֹנֶךָ (בראשית רבה):

How do you read  the above Pasuk?  Do you read it that Yehuda was meek and asking in a begging tone change his mind as the Malbim seems to says or was he speaking harshly, demanding in his words, but still telling Yosef that he – Yehuda – will become a servant to Yosef like Rashi suggests

Ibn Ezra –   בי. לשון בקשה. ולפי דעתי שהוא דרך קצרה. כמו בי אדני העון. והטעם עון במקום הזה כטעם גדול עוני מנשוא והטעם עשה בי מה שתרצה ותשמעני:

      OH. Bi adoni (Oh, my lord) is a supplicatory expression. I believe it is an abridged statement. It is like, bi ani adoni he-avon (upon me, my lord, upon me be the iniquity) (I Sam. 25:24). Avon (iniquity) here has the same meaning as avon in My iniquity (avoni) is greater than I can bear (Gen. 4:13). The meaning of bi adoni he-avon is, do to me as you wish but first listen to me.

Ramban: 

בי אדוני לשון בעיא ותחנונים הוא ובלשון ארמית בייא בייא לשון רש”י (רש”י על בראשית מ״ג:כ׳) וזה דבר זר מאד לסמכו אל מלת לשון טורסי ואינה דומה אליה כי בייא כולה מלה לא תשתנה ולא יאמר ממנה בי ועוד שהמלה ההיא אינה לשון בעיא ותחנונים כמו שאמר הרב אבל היא לשון צעקה ותרעומת על שבר ועל עוות דבר כגון מלת אבוי בלשון קדש והיא ידועה בלשון ערב ירגילו אותה בקינותיהם כולן בפתחות הבי”ת ובלשון יון בייא הבי”ת רפא בשו”א יאמרו אותה על הדוחק והצער ובבראשית רבה סדר בראשית (יב ו) מהו סלו לרוכב בערבות ביה שמו (תהלים סח ה) אין לך כל מקום ומקום שאין לו ממונה על בייא שלו אגריקוס במדינה ממונה על בייא שלו אגרטוס במדינה ממונה על בייא שלו כך מי ממונה על בייא של עולמו הקב”ה רוצה לומר שבכל מקום יש איש ממונה על הצעקה ועל העוות והקב”ה ממונה על צעקת העשוקים בעולם הצועקים בייא ועוד לפנינו בפרשת ויגש אליו (ב”ר צג ו) אמר לו יהודה בייא אתה מעביר עלינו שכך אמרת לנו ואשימה עיני עליו זו היא השמת עין ובפרשת ויהי בשלח (כ י) שמא אני מעביר בייא על בריה ובפרשת וישמע יתרו (כז ט) נתמנה אדם ונטל טלית כל טורח ציבור עליו אם ראה אדם מעביר בייא על חברו או עובר עבירה ולא מיחה בו הוא נענש עליו ובפרשת אשה כי תזריע (עיין ערוך ערך ביאה) צווח אנא בייא עליכון וכן במקומות הרבה ואונקלוס (תרגום אונקלוס על בראשית מ״ג:כ׳) שתרגם בי אדני בבעו רבוני לא שהוציא מלת בי מן בעו אבל רדף הענין שהוא בא בכל מקום בענין הבקשה ורבי אברהם אמר כי בי אדני דרך קצרה בלשון הקדש והוא כמו בי אני אדני העון והטעם עשה בי מה שתרצה ותשמעני ואם כן נכון הוא שיאמר אדם בי אחי או בי שמעני ולא מצאתי שתבא מלת בי רק עם אדני או עם השם הנכבד הנכתב באל”ף דלי”ת שגם הוא לשון אדון ולכן אני אומר שפירושו בי בעצמי אתה אדון ומושל ובאו שני כנויים לחזוק כמו ולי אני עבדך (מלכים א א כו) בי אני אדני (שמואל א כה כד) ודומה לזה כי בי בעזרך (הושע יג ט) בי עזרך בעזרך אני:

‘BI ADONI’ (O, MY LORD). The word bi is an expression of entreaty and supplication. In Aramaic, we have bai bai. Thus the language of Rashi.

Now it is a very strange thing to associate the Hebrew word bi with a word from the Tarsian language, which is unlike it, for the word bai is all one root; it cannot be changed, nor can you obtain the form of the word bi from this Aramaic root.

Moreover, this word bai does not connote entreaty and supplication, as the Rabbi [Rashi] states. Rather it is an expression of distress and affliction over a tragedy and mishap, similar to the word avoir in the Sacred Language. This is well known in the Arabic language, where the poets customarily use it in their elegies, always with a patach under the beth: bai. In the Greek language the word is bia — the beth having a shva — and is used to express distress and grief. Thus you find in Bereshith Rabbah, Seder Bereshith, that the Sages say: “What is the meaning of the verse, Extol Him that rideth upon the skies, the Eternal (‘bayah’) is His Name? There is no place whatever that does not have an officer in charge of its grievances. Agricus is in charge of grievances in his state; Agratus is in charge of grievances in his state. In the same way, who is in charge of the grievances (baya) in His world? [It is] the Holy One, blessed be He.” That is to say, every place has someone in charge of hearing complaints of distress and injustice, and the Holy One, blessed be He, is in charge of the cries of the oppressed, who cry, baya.

Again, before us in the Midrash Bereshith Rabbah of the Parshath (section of) Vayigash Eilav: “Judah said to Joseph, ‘You do baya (violence) against us. You had said to us thus: That I May set mine eyes upon him. Is this “casting an eye” upon him?’”

And in the Parshath Vay’hi B’shalach, you find in Shmoth Rabbah: “Do I ever baya (wrong) any creature?” And in the Parshath Vayishma Yitro, we find in Shmoth Rabbah: “Once a man has been appointed and he has put on the mantle of leadership, all communal burdens are upon him. If he sees a man doing baya against his fellow, or committing some transgression, and he fails to protest it, he is punished on account thereof.” And in the Parshath Isha Ki Thazria we find: “I raise a cry of violence (baya) against you.” And so also in many places.

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Now Onkelos, who translated Bi Adoni here as b’va’u riboni (O please, my lord), did not intend to suggest that the Hebrew word bi is a derivative of the Aramaic ba’u, but he merely translated it in accordance with its context, for the word bi is always found as an expression of supplication.

Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra says that bi adoni is a shortened form in the Sacred Language, and its meaning is as in the verse, Upon me, my lord, upon me be the iniquity, thus meaning, “do to me whatever you wish, but listen to me.” But if this interpretation of Ibn Ezra is correct, it should follow that a person should also be able to say in Hebrew, “‘bi’ my brother,” or “‘bi,’ listen to me.” And yet nowhere do we find the word bi except in conjunction with the word adoni (my lord), or with the Honored Name of G-d when it is written with the letters aleph, daleth, which is also an expression of lordship. It is for this reason that I say that the meaning of the word bi is “by myself”: “By my life! you are lord and ruler.” The two pronouns serve for the purpose of emphasis, just as: But me, even me thy servant; Upon me, my lord, upon me. Similar to this is the verse, That thou art against Me, against thy help, meaning “I serve as your help.”

Sefaria’s English translation of this Rashi is  — The word בי is an expression of entreaty (בעיא) and supplication. In Aramaic we have בייא בייא “woe, woe!” (Yoma 69b).

Their Hebrew version says  ( בי אדני. לְשׁוֹן בַּעְיָא וְתַחֲנוּנִים הוּא, בְלָשׁוֹן אֲרַמִּי בַּיָּא בַּיָּא (יבמות צ”ז, סנהדרין ס”ד:

Rashi starts by saying that  בי means please and then uses the Aramaic words of בִּיָּיא בִּיָּיא.  Seemingly everyone translates this as woe, woe.  Aren’t please and woe two different expressions.  

Artscroll, Oz Vehadar and Gutnick put in brackets in this Rashi that Rashi’s source for the Aramaic meaning is the Gemora on Yuma 69B.  Seferia also links it to the Gemara in Sanhedrin 64A and Yevomos 97B.