Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah
Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah
Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah
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<strong>Machshavot</strong> <strong>Ha<strong>Lev</strong></strong><br />
e-book edition<br />
Click to View<br />
Table of Content Ads<br />
Thoughts and Insights on the Parsha<br />
by the Rabbeim and Students of <strong>Yeshivat</strong> <strong>Lev</strong> <strong>HaTorah</strong><br />
2010-2011 • א"עשת
2<br />
In Israel<br />
Tel: 972- 2-992-2617<br />
Fax: 972-2-999-4640<br />
Rechov Nachal Ein Gedi 37<br />
Ramat Beit Shemesh, 99000 Israel<br />
In the US<br />
Mrs. Edna Kwalwasser<br />
Tel: 718-506-9911 (until 3:30 P.M. EST)<br />
Mailing address:<br />
<strong>Yeshivat</strong> <strong>Lev</strong> <strong>HaTorah</strong><br />
c/o Mrs. Beth White<br />
65 Argyll Avenue<br />
New Rochelle, NY 10804<br />
office@levhatorah.org, www.levhatorah.org<br />
Editing: Rav Michael Siev<br />
Technical Arrangement: Rav Mordechai Kaplan<br />
Design: Studio BatAmi<br />
PRINTED AND BOUND IN ISRAEL<br />
בלה תובשחמ
3<br />
Shalom U’v racha!<br />
Preface<br />
We present to you with great pride our latest volume of<br />
<strong>Machshavot</strong> <strong>Ha<strong>Lev</strong></strong>, a compilation of Torah essays on the<br />
parsha written by the Rebbeim and Talmidim of <strong>Yeshivat</strong> <strong>Lev</strong> <strong>HaTorah</strong>.<br />
The goal of the ‘<strong>Machshavot</strong> <strong>Ha<strong>Lev</strong></strong>’ series is to share and spread weekly<br />
Torah with a growing number of alumni, families and friends of the yeshiva.<br />
We hope that the fresh perspectives and profound thoughts contained in<br />
this sefer will provide you inspiration as it has for the many authors who<br />
have shared their ‘<strong>Machshavot</strong>’.<br />
.םירבדה ואצי ונממ בלל םג .בלה לא םיסנכנ ,בלה ןמ םיאצויה םירבד<br />
קצוקמ לדנמ םחנמ יבר<br />
Special thanks, once again, to Rav Michael Siev for the countless hours of<br />
guidance to our talmidim and thorough editing of all the divrei Torah found<br />
in this sefer.<br />
B’vracha,<br />
Rav Boaz Mori<br />
Rosh <strong>Yeshivat</strong> <strong>Lev</strong> <strong>HaTorah</strong>
4<br />
Table of Contents<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
To View click the Parsha you desire<br />
Bereishit<br />
The Greatest Partnership of All Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
Responsibility David Petrover<br />
Noach<br />
Your Own Food Rav Natanel Lebowitz<br />
The Raven and the Dove Orel Neiman<br />
Lech Lecha<br />
For Your Own Good Rav Dudi Winkler<br />
The Avot and Shemoneh Esrei Zev Grushko<br />
Vayera<br />
Tea for Two, Two for Tea Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
The Power of Ten Noam White<br />
Chayei Sarah<br />
Two Titles Rav Daniel Hartstein<br />
Avraham, the Bear and the Child Eytan Goldstein<br />
Toledot<br />
Window to Prayer Rav Jake Vidomlansk<br />
A Tale of Two Brothers David Gleizer<br />
Vayeitzei<br />
Ascending and Descending Rav Hillel Langenauer<br />
Real Beauty Elisha Mlotek<br />
Vayishlach<br />
The Hip and the Yetzer Ha-ra Rav Natanel Lebowitz<br />
And Ya’akov Was Left Alone Barry Mueller
5<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Vayeishev<br />
A Short Diversion Gary Brown<br />
People Say I’m a Dreamer, but I’m Not the Only One Elliot Gerson<br />
Mikeitz<br />
The True Colors of Yoseph’s Dreams Rav Yehoshua Paltiel<br />
Straight to the Top Aaron Wengrofsky<br />
Vayigash<br />
Memory, Emotion and Odor: Yosef ’s Collapse Rav Asher Friedman<br />
A Divine Guarantee Adam Goldberg<br />
Vayechi<br />
So What is so Bad about Artscroll? Rav Dudi Winkler<br />
Ephraim and Menashe – What’s their Deal? Jonathan Tepp<br />
Shemot<br />
Shnayim Mikra Ve-echad Targum Rav Boaz Mori<br />
What it Means to Grow Up Yossi Kashnow<br />
Va’eira<br />
A Divine Wedding Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
Three Steps Yiriel Lis<br />
Bo<br />
Pyramid Scheme Rav Michael Cytrin<br />
Pursuing Perfection Nathan Franco<br />
Beshalach<br />
The Story that Should Have, Could Have, but Wasn’t Rav Mordechai Kaplan<br />
Inspiration and Connection Jeremy Halpern<br />
Yitro<br />
Lifnim Mi-Shurat Ha-Din Rav Hillel Langenauer<br />
Listen to Your Neighbor David Roumani
6<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Mishpatim<br />
Are You Listening? Rav Daniel Hartstein<br />
Commandments and Mishpatim Akiva Maresky<br />
Teruma<br />
Teruma – Join Our Staff(s)! Rav Yehoshua Paltiel<br />
The Poles of the Aron Asriel Agronin<br />
Tetzaveh<br />
Placement and Purpose Rav Michael Siev<br />
Aharon the Kohen Gadol Aaron Schechter<br />
Ki Tisa<br />
Shattered Fragments Rav Asher Friedman<br />
Luchot and Leadership Jonathan Green<br />
Vayakhel<br />
Time and Space Rav Michael Siev<br />
Gracious Giving Jay Cohen<br />
Pekudei<br />
Donations and Atonement Mitchell Perlmutter<br />
Vayikra<br />
Adam the Initiator Rav Natanel Lebowitz<br />
Giving to the Giver Yehuda Stuchins<br />
Shemini<br />
Obedience and Creativity Rav Asher Friedman<br />
Tazria<br />
South Koreans and the Study of Torah She-ba’al Peh Rav Michael Cytrin<br />
Partners with God Noam White
7<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Emor<br />
Sefirat Ha-Omer – Days of Independence Rav Boaz Mori<br />
Berachot: Yetzer Ha-ra Free Adam Shafiyan<br />
Behar<br />
Hashem’s Economic Policy Dr. David Kallus<br />
Behind the Scenes Josh Cohen<br />
Bechukotai<br />
Suffering for Thought Rav Benjy Kwalwasser<br />
Keep Thinking<br />
Friedman<br />
Yonatan Pesach<br />
Bamidbar<br />
Six Thirteen is Only the Beginning Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
Lessons from Camp Michael Bernstein<br />
Naso<br />
Joy and Blessings Rav Dudi Winkler<br />
How to Judge Jews Jeremy Goldner<br />
Beha’alotecha<br />
To Be Sad is Not a Tragedy Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
Mitzvos or Meat? Mendy Weisbrod<br />
The Will to Succeed Leo Katz<br />
Shelach<br />
(Don’t) Follow Your Heart Rav Michael Cytrin<br />
Driving on a Two-Way Street Rav Michael Siev<br />
Korach<br />
Give to Live Rav Natanel Lebowitz<br />
Chukat<br />
Para Aduma: A Model for Understanding Mitzvot? Rav Michael Siev<br />
Growing Up Rav Uri Etigson
8<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Balak<br />
Live as a Jew Rav Eyal Gottlieb<br />
The Numbers Trap Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
Pinchas<br />
Pinchas: A Radical Act of Obedience Rav Asher Friedman<br />
Zealotry for All Rav Michael Siev<br />
Seeing is Possessing Rav Yehoshua Paltiel<br />
Mattot<br />
The Hand and the Arm Rav Michael Siev<br />
Optional Obligations? Dr. David Kallus<br />
Devarim<br />
Words Well Worth the Wait Rav Yehoshua Paltiel<br />
Hashem’s Love Rav Mordechai Kaplan<br />
Eikev<br />
One Moment at a Time Rav Natanel Lebowitz<br />
Re’ei<br />
True Chesed Dr. David Kallus<br />
Shoftim<br />
Seven Habits of Highly Successful Judges Rav Yehoshua Paltiel<br />
Ki Teitzei<br />
Torah Power Rav Natanel Lebowitz<br />
Ki Tavo<br />
The Secret of Happiness Rav Uri Etigson<br />
STOP!!! Noah Cohen<br />
Nitzavim<br />
ללכב דעו דע Rav Dudi Winkler<br />
A Parsha Sandwich Moshe Esquenazi
9<br />
<strong>Machshavot</strong> Mo’adim<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Rosh Hashana<br />
Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
A New Perspective on Teshuva Ben Welkovics<br />
Yom Kippur<br />
Youthful Yearning Rav Binyamin Kwalwasser<br />
Yonah and Yom Kippur Tani Pollak<br />
Parshat Shekalim<br />
Partnerships and Juggernauts Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
Purim<br />
Purim – Receiving Hashem’s Joy Rav Mordechai Kaplan<br />
Is It Ever Enough? Gabe DuBow<br />
Pesach<br />
The Seder Night R’ Gary Brown<br />
Above Nature Yiriel Liss<br />
The Three Weeks<br />
Joyous Mourning? Rav Michael Siev
10<br />
Donated in<br />
loving memory of<br />
Abraham Ainbinder<br />
of blessed memory<br />
Drs. Galina<br />
& Mark<br />
Moerdler
11<br />
With gratitude<br />
and admiration of the<br />
<strong>Lev</strong> <strong>HaTorah</strong> Rebbeim<br />
Marilyn, Moshe, & Jonathan <strong>Lev</strong>i,<br />
and<br />
Jessica & David Ribner
12<br />
We extend our<br />
deep appreciation to the<br />
Rosh Yeshiva,<br />
Rav Boaz Mori<br />
and his entire staff at<br />
<strong>Lev</strong> <strong>HaTorah</strong><br />
for all their teaching, patience,<br />
and guidance of the student<br />
body.<br />
Naomi and Steven Schechter<br />
Providence, Rhode Island
13<br />
In the zechus of a<br />
refuah sheleima for<br />
Rafael Mattisyahu Yaakov<br />
Ben Gittel Rivka.<br />
May Hashem fulfill all of our tefilos<br />
so that he overcomes his illness.<br />
Barbara and Tuvia <strong>Lev</strong>kovich
14<br />
Dr. & Mrs.<br />
David Kallus
15<br />
In honor of<br />
our son<br />
Adam Berman<br />
wonderful graduate of <strong>Yeshivat</strong><br />
<strong>Lev</strong> <strong>HaTorah</strong> and 2011 Yeshiva<br />
College Valedictorian.<br />
We are so proud of you.<br />
Love,<br />
Mom, Dad, Lisa and Jordan<br />
In response to<br />
the recent Boston parlor<br />
meeting and in gratitude<br />
for the love shown to<br />
David Gleizer – you are<br />
an awesome team.<br />
Mrs. Shulamis<br />
Yehudis Gutfreund<br />
In memory of<br />
Eric Wittenberg’s<br />
(2003-2004) grandfather<br />
Tzvi ben Yitzchak Meir Hakohen<br />
and in honor of all the wonderful<br />
Rebbeim at <strong>Lev</strong> <strong>HaTorah</strong> who have<br />
instilled and taught the values of chessed<br />
to Eric and continue to inspire him to<br />
make a difference in this world. We<br />
applaud <strong>Lev</strong> <strong>HaTorah</strong>.<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Wittenberg<br />
In memory of<br />
Moshe ben Yoseph<br />
and<br />
Binyamin Tzvi ben<br />
Avraham Chaim A”H<br />
Mr. Marc Merrill
16<br />
In honor of<br />
Rabbi Mordechai<br />
and Debbie Kaplan<br />
For all that you do<br />
Love you always<br />
Mom and Dad<br />
Ruth and Sam Stern<br />
םידסח תולימג ,הדובע ,הרות<br />
You do it all!!<br />
With deep<br />
appreciation for<br />
what you have given<br />
to Jonathan<br />
Erica Goldman & Jeffrey<br />
Druckman<br />
In Honor of<br />
Avi Staiman<br />
Thanks for all<br />
your help and<br />
selflessness<br />
Anne & Eli Goldner<br />
In honor of our son<br />
Jonathan Friedman<br />
With a big Hakarat Hatov to all the<br />
Rabbeim and staff at <strong>Lev</strong> Hatorah.<br />
A school that combines learning and<br />
chesed which sparked and inspired<br />
our son and enabled him to realize his<br />
potential and all he can be.<br />
We are forever in your debt.<br />
Jonathan, you have made<br />
us all so proud.<br />
Love, Mom and Dad<br />
Susan and Tzvi Friedman
17<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Stuart Adler<br />
Dr. & Mrs. Andrew Becker<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Nathan Berenholz<br />
Rabbi & Mrs. Melvin Burg<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Andy Burton<br />
Dr. Steven Cohen<br />
Dr. & Mrs. Samuel Esterson<br />
Dr. & Mrs. Paul Fishman<br />
Ms. Marion Fishman<br />
Mr. Nesanel Fishman<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Glass<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Shlomo Glowitz<br />
Mr. & Mrs. David Hoffman<br />
Contributors<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Dovid Kashnow<br />
Mr. Fred <strong>Lev</strong>i<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Joshua Linder<br />
Mr. & Mrs. David Morris<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Ephrayim Naiman<br />
Mr. Irwin Niedober<br />
Mrs. Judy Perl<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Smith<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Philip Stein<br />
Mr. Joel Rich<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Rosenfelt<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Steven White
Parshiot
19<br />
Bereishit<br />
The Greatest Partnership of All<br />
Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
W e are conditioned from a young age to assume that anything related to grammar<br />
and detail is by definition boring and uninspiring. However, in this week’s parasha,<br />
if we are willing to suspend our grammar bias the payoff can be great. When God<br />
decides to create the human species the Torah introduces the creation of man with<br />
the following words: “Let us make man” (1:26). In those four words there is a vexing<br />
grammatical question: God is a single entity and He alone is the Creator; the Torah<br />
should have written “I shall make man.” The use of the word “us” seems out of place.<br />
Rashi was sensitive to the seemingly out of place use of the word “us” and suggested<br />
that what we have here is a lesson in humility. Although all of creation was orchestrated<br />
by God and God alone, nevertheless Hashem did not want the angels to feel like they<br />
were unimportant or insignificant. People may draw a wrong conclusion about the<br />
nature of creation and perhaps assume there is more than one creator, Heaven forbid,<br />
but nevertheless Hashem felt sensitivity to others, and the need to avoid hurt feelings<br />
is paramount. He therefore said “Let us make man” even at the risk of giving people<br />
the wrong impression about creation.<br />
There is another explanation brought by the “Yismach Moshe” and quoted by Rav<br />
Baruch Simon in his book (Imrei Baruch) on Bereishis. Generally speaking when an<br />
object is being fashioned one can point to two stages in the evolution of that which<br />
is being created; initial completion and ultimate completion. For example, if I am a<br />
contractor and I build a home, when the construction is over we would regard that
20<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
as initial completion. However, the ultimate completion would only be attained<br />
when someone moves into the house and utilizes it.<br />
Much in the same vein, man has two stages to his creation: there is the initial<br />
completion and ultimate completion. Initial completion happens when one<br />
is brought into the world. Ultimate completion happens when we are able to<br />
employ the traits and talents embedded in us to reach the zenith of living a Torah<br />
life - man becoming a bearer of Godliness. One cannot properly be called “man”<br />
until he reaches his ultimate completion. It is for this reason that God “could not”<br />
pronounce, “I shall make man.” The creation of man is not done by God alone.<br />
Rather, it is done in partnership with us. When we make correct moral, ethical,<br />
and Torah oriented decisions in our lives we are in essence creating ourselves.<br />
On a daily basis we are given opportunities to become human. “Should I wake<br />
up for prayer this morning or sleep late? Should I learn some Torah? Should I<br />
make a blessing on my food or just inhale the food like Esau?” Should I cheat<br />
on my test, plagiarize an essay? The decisions we make at those junctures are<br />
what distinguish us from animals and earn us the title man. Therefore, God said,<br />
“Let us make man.” God is saying to each of us, “Let’s you and I together create<br />
man.” Based on the decisions we make and the paths we carve out for ourselves<br />
we choose whether or not we are interested in partnering with God and being a<br />
creator of man.
21<br />
Bereishit<br />
Responsibility<br />
David Petrover<br />
T his week’s parsha, Parshat Bereishit, speaks several times about responsibility<br />
and accountability. For example, Hashem put Adam and Chava in charge of Gan<br />
Eden, the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately, Adam and Chava did not live up to their<br />
responsibility. When there was a breakdown in their care of the Garden, when they<br />
ate from the Etz Ha-da’at, the Tree of Knowledge, each denied that he or she was<br />
responsible.<br />
We can ask the obvious question: if Hashem knew that the tree was so tempting and<br />
that man would probably fail his duty and responsibility, why not just get rid of the<br />
item of temptation - then the snake, Adam and Chava would have been spared?<br />
The answer to this is fairly simple - sometimes there are challenges in life. Our job<br />
is to overcome these temptations and challenges. They make us stronger and more<br />
responsible. However, we are only human and can often give into temptation. That is<br />
why the rabbis, in their wisdom, set up “fences” that help keep us from situations that<br />
could tempt us.<br />
In the story of Kayin and Hevel, unfortunately there was no fence to stop Kayin from<br />
killing his brother, Hevel. When Hashem turned to him and said “Ay Hevel achicha?”<br />
“Where is Hevel your brother?” (4:9), Kayin responded - “Lo yadati – ha-shomer<br />
achi anochi?” “I don’t know - am I my brother’s keeper?” This claim shows a certain<br />
element of being self-centered and shirking all responsibility; this leads to derogation
22<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
in society and ultimately chaos and disorder.<br />
We should strive to be more like Hashem when it comes to responsibility.<br />
Hashem continued to take responsibility for man. Even after they sinned, He did<br />
not disown Adam and Chava. “Va-ya’as Hashem Elokim le-Adam ul-ishto kotnot<br />
or va-yalbisheim,” “Hashem made garments of skin for man and his wife, and He<br />
clothed them” (3:21). Even though it’s easier to shirk our responsibilities, Hashem<br />
teaches us an important lesson here: take responsibility!
23<br />
Noach<br />
Your Own Food<br />
Rav Natanel Lebowitz<br />
W hen Noach enters the teiva, Hashem instructs him to bring food:<br />
.)6:21) ”לכאמ לכמ ךל חק התאו“<br />
The Kli Yakar notes that instead of just telling Noach to take food into the teiva,<br />
Hashem adds “and you should take for yourself…” The Kli Yakar suggests that the<br />
extra word ךל, “for yourself,” means that Hashem was directing Noach to make sure<br />
that the food he brought into the teiva belonged to him. Hashem was trying to prevent<br />
Noach from making the following assumption: since everyone is going to die soon<br />
and he will be the only one left in the world, everything is already essentially his. He<br />
should therefore be allowed to take anyone’s food with him on the teiva. Hashem<br />
therefore instructs him to make sure all the food that he will take belongs to him.<br />
There are a number of reasons why Noach would have never made the assumption<br />
that the Kli Yakar suggests, which would thereby deem Hashem’s directive of bringing<br />
his own food on the teiva superfluous.<br />
First, the Torah calls Noach a tzaddik tamim. Even according those who argue that<br />
Noach was only a tzaddik compared to others in his generation, we must assume<br />
that Noach would not commit the sin of stealing. Had Noach been prone to theft,<br />
there would not have been a distinction between him and the rest of his generation.<br />
He would have then perished in the flood as well. Taking food from someone on the<br />
assumption that he will soon die is genuine theft.
24<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Furthermore, Noach firmly believed God is merciful and assumed that Hashem<br />
would never destroy the world. He did not even enter the teiva until the Flood<br />
actually started because he believed so deeply in Hashem’s mercy. If it is true that<br />
Noach believed Hashem would not ultimately destroy the world, he would have<br />
never taken other people’s food on the teiva.<br />
Finally, the Flood began with a regular rainfall to give the people one last chance<br />
to repent. Since Noach realized that Hashem could call off His plan of destroying<br />
the world, and he saw that Hashem was still giving the people one last chance, he<br />
could not be sure everyone would soon die. Therefore, he would not have taken<br />
anyone else’s food onto the teiva with him.<br />
Why then did Hashem need to instruct Noach to only bring aboard food that<br />
belonged to him? Did he think Noach would steal?<br />
The Kli Yakar adds another component to his answer. He suggests that there was<br />
no way that Noach had the means to support his family and all the animals on<br />
the teiva for a full year. (He had just spent 120 years building the teiva instead<br />
of bringing in profit.) Hashem instructed Noach to only bring his own food on<br />
the teiva to magnify the neis that was to occur. Noach would bring aboard some<br />
sustenance and Hashem would make it last for the full year. Of course Noach<br />
would never steal food from others but he could possibly have obtained some<br />
with from other people with their permission. Therefore, Hashem instructs him<br />
that there is no need to rely on others because Hashem would provide an added<br />
layer of miracle to the teiva experience. He would provide enough sustenance for<br />
everyone and everything.<br />
This is an important lesson for us. There are times in our lives when it is clear that<br />
the money that we obtain is a gift from Hashem; perhaps a business deal should not<br />
have worked out as well as it did or someone bequeaths us a certain sum of money.<br />
However, there are also many times we go out and work and bring in money. We<br />
pat ourselves on the back for being responsible and being able to support ourselves.<br />
The message here is clear that Hashem is always behind our profit. Sometimes we<br />
see it more clearly than other times but the same way Hashem is there at times<br />
when it is more clearly a miracle, He is also responsible when we think that we did<br />
it on our own. He was responsible for supporting all the living beings on the teiva
25<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
and He alone is responsible for supporting all of us as well.<br />
Perhaps we can also suggest another reason that Noach needed to spend his own<br />
money to feed others on the teiva. We are affected by everything we see. Noach<br />
grew up in a society that did not value anyone but self. Additionally, Noach<br />
witnessed the destruction of everyone around him. It is possible that after living<br />
in that world and witnessing what occurred in the world, Noach would become<br />
desensitized to the value of other people’s lives. In order to balance the potential<br />
indifference to others, Hashem asked Noach to invest his own money for others<br />
well being. In Sha’ar Ahava, the author of the Orchos Tzaddikim suggests that the<br />
way to obtain compassion for someone else is to invest in their good fortune. The<br />
more we do for someone else, the more we will like them. Similarly, Rav Dessler<br />
writes that the root of the Hebrew word for love is hav, which means to give.<br />
This also explains why Hashem forced Noach to feed each animal every day.<br />
There were already so many miracles happening to enable to teiva to survive the<br />
flood; would it have been a big deal for Hashem to miraculously feed the animals?<br />
The answer is that feeding the animals was a crucial part of the development of<br />
Noach’s character. Despite all the destruction to others and living in a generation<br />
in which theft was a normal part of life, Noach was being trained in having<br />
compassion for others. He was forced to perform kind acts everyday to root out<br />
potential indifference that could have sneaked in subconsciously. Noach was<br />
asked to use his own money to support life in the teiva to implant in himself a<br />
sense of responsibility for those around him.<br />
From here we learn another critical lesson. We can’t subject ourselves to certain<br />
environments and think we walk out of that situation unscathed. We are affected<br />
by our surroundings and by what we see and experience even if we only see them<br />
unintentionally. When being part of an experience or habit, we must realize that<br />
these too are having an affect on us.<br />
Yehi ratzon mi-lifnei Avinu she-bashamayim that He open our eyes and hearts<br />
to have the sensitivity to realize that Hashem is constantly doing miracles for us<br />
and to be aware of how our environments are affecting us. He should give us the<br />
wisdom to know how to parlay that into getting closer to Him.
26<br />
Noach<br />
The Raven and the Dove<br />
Orel Neiman<br />
I n this week’s parsha, we learn many lessons from the animals in the ark. Two<br />
animals in particular that we can learn from are the raven and the dove. During the<br />
mabul, Noah sent out the raven (8:7) to see if there was any dry land and the raven<br />
refused to fly away. The Gemara in Sanhedrin (108b) says that the raven argued with<br />
Noah saying, ינתאנש התאו ינאנוש ךבר, “your Master (Hashem) hates me and you hate<br />
me.” The raven thought that Hashem hated him because he was of the impure animals<br />
and Hashem only let two of every impure animal in the ark, while He let seven of<br />
every pure animal in the ark. The raven said Noah hated him because, of all the birds<br />
Noah could choose to send out, he sent him out. If the raven died on this mission,<br />
there would be no more ravens in the world, while if Noah sent out a pure bird, its<br />
species would still be preserved.<br />
The Gemara continues by saying that the raven was so suspicious of Noah, even<br />
though Noah had supported it during the entire time it was on the ark, that it accused<br />
Noah of sending it out in order to have access to the female raven. Before the flood,<br />
there was a lot of perversion and corruption amongst the people and the animals and<br />
many animals crossbred. Although the animals on the ark had not done so, perhaps<br />
the raven was influenced by this corruption, and projected its own corrupt morals on<br />
Noah. That is why it falsely accused Noah. Noah, being a pure person, screamed at the<br />
raven and said that Hashem forbid relations on the ark even between spouses, so such<br />
an accusation would be absurd! Finally the last wicked thing the raven did was, even
27<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
after knowing that relations weren’t allowed on the ark, the raven went against<br />
what God said and had relations with his spouse.<br />
After the raven rebelled and refused to fulfill Noah’s request, Noah sent out the<br />
dove. Noah knew the dove would be the next best option because doves are birds<br />
of faithfulness. So, the dove wouldn’t have to worry about its spouse mating<br />
with other animals. The dove is the epitome of purity when it comes to birds.<br />
The pasuk states “ותאמ הנויה תא חלשיו,” which means that Noah sent out the dove<br />
“from him.” We learn from this that the dove, unlike the raven, was righteous and<br />
it was constantly around Noah because Noah was a tzadik. Finally, the last act of<br />
righteousness we see from the dove is when the dove returned to the ark the first<br />
time with an olive branch in its mouth. During the mabul Noah attended to all<br />
the animals needs and fed all of them. When the dove returned with the olive,<br />
it was a sign to Hashem that although its needs were met by Noah, it preferred<br />
bitter tasting food from Hashem rather than good tasting food from man. This<br />
shows the dove’s true love and emunah in Hashem.<br />
In kashrut we don’t eat non-kosher animals like the raven because we don’t want<br />
to adopt their immorality and impurity. Instead we eat pure animals like the<br />
dove. As the saying goes, “you are what you eat.” Be-ezrat Hashem when we have<br />
the choice to choose between evil (the raven) and purity (the dove), we will make<br />
the right choice and not be corrupt like the people from the time of Noah, but<br />
pure like Noah, so that even if the entire world is corrupt, we should have the will,<br />
the strength, the confidence and the emunah in Hashem to do the right thing. We<br />
shouldn’t be hesitant to do what Hashem asks us like the raven but we should do<br />
it with happiness and show Hashem that in life we prefer to do things His way<br />
and keep our emunah in him even at the seemingly bitter times.
28<br />
Lech Lecha<br />
For Your Own Good<br />
Rav Dudi Winkler<br />
A n English summary will follow the Hebrew<br />
וניתובאל תתל ע”שבר רחב התוא ץראה .לארשי ץראל תולעל ארקנ וניבא םהרבא ונתשרפ תליחתב<br />
.ןטב ירפב םהרבא ךרבתי הב רשא ץרא ,האובנה ץרא .ונלו<br />
םע ונתורכיה בקע רקיעב ,דואמ תוהומת םילימ יתש וירבד תליחתב איבמ ןושארה קוספה לע י”שר<br />
.”ךתאנהלו ךתבוטל :ךל ךל“ .םהרבא<br />
ותמחלמב .ויחרוא ינפ ליבקהל אציו וילוח באכל שח אל הנה ?תואנהלו םהרבאל המ ,הרואכל<br />
םהרבא לש ותבוט .”לענ ךורש דעו טוחמ םא“ םודס ךלממ לבקל הצר אל ,םיכלמה תעברא לומ<br />
םיער ויהש םודס ישנא לע ללפתהל אלש התיה יאדו הפוקת התואב םילילאה ידבוע לומ ותמחלמב<br />
.םרובעב ע”שבר םע חקמתמו ללפתמ םהרבא הנהו דואמ ’הל םיאטחו<br />
?םהרבא לש ”ותאנהו ותבוט“ יהמ ןכ םא<br />
תשרפב םוי לכ םירמוא ונאש ”ךנגד תפסאו“ םילימה תודוא תוכרב תכסמב תמסרופמ תקולחמ הנשי<br />
.”עומש םא היהו“<br />
ךיפמ הזה הרותה רפס שומי אל )ח ,א עשוהי( ’אנש יפל ?ל”ת המ ”ךנגד תפסאו“ :ר”ת<br />
ש”ר .לאעמשי ’ר ירבד ,ץרא ךרד גהנמ ןהב גהנה ”ךנגד תפסאו“ ל”ת ?ןבתככ םירבד לוכי<br />
הריצק תעשב רצוקו העירז תעשב ערוזו השירח תעשב שרוח םדא רשפא :רמוא יחוי ןב<br />
ןישוע לארשיש ןמזב אלא ?הילע אהת המ הרות חורה תעשב הרוזו השיד תעשב שדו<br />
וערו םירז ודמעו )ה ,אס והיעשי( ’אנש םירחא י”ע תישענ ןתכאלמ םוקמ לש ונוצר<br />
’אנש ןמצע י”ע תישענ ןתכאלמ םוקמ לש ונוצר ןישוע לארשי ןיאש ןמזבו ’וגו םכנאצ<br />
):הל ,תוכרב( .ךנגד תפסאו )די ,אי םירבד(
29<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
ל רכשכ םיאב ”ךנגד תפסאו“ םילימה הרואכל .םיקוספה טשפ רואל םיהומת דואמ י”בשר ירבד<br />
תפסאו“ תלועפ תא דימעהל י”בשר חרכומ עודמ ןכ םא .שנוע םניאו ”...ועמשת עומש םא היהו“<br />
?םוקמ לש ונוצר םישוע ןניא לארשי םעש ןמזב ”ךנגד<br />
יתש תא ץרתמש אלפנ רואיב ברה איבמ עובשה תוישרפ לע פ”לרח מ”ירגה לש ויתושרדב<br />
,םוקמ לש ותווצמ השוע שיו םוקמ לש ונוצר השוע שי“ :פ”לרח ברה רמוא .דחי םג תוישוקה<br />
”...םוקמ לש ויתווצמ השועה תגרדממ רתוי הלענ תרחא הגרדמ איה םוקמ לש ונוצרו<br />
ונשיו ”.הדמולמ םישנא תווצמ“ השועו הארימ דבועש םדא .האריב הרוקמש ’ה תדובע הנשי<br />
תויהל שממ ונוצר תא ךופהל – ”ונוצרכ ךנוצר השע“ םייקמו ’הב קבדה .הבהאמ ’ה תא דבועה<br />
.הצור ומצע אוה יכ ’ה תא דבועש ימ שיו ,הצור ’ה יכ םייקמש ימ שי .’ה ןוצרכ לוכיבכ<br />
םא יכ ,י”בשר רמוא ,םרב .”ךנגד תפסאו“ – רכשל הכוז אוה – ויתווצמו ’ה לוקב עמוש םדאשכ<br />
ןגדה ףוסיא - ”םויה םכתא הווצמ יכנא רשא“ – ותווצמ םייקל תנמ לע קר ’ה לוקב עמוש אוה<br />
תא דבוע םדא םא ךא ?הילע אהת המ הרותו ”הלילו םמוי וב תיגהו“ – ןכש הללק ןימ םג וב שי<br />
םניא םירמוחה ותאנהו ותבוט םג זא – שממ ’ה ןוצרכ תויהל ונוצר תא ךופהל הנווכ ךותמ ’ה<br />
.תאש רתיב ’ה תא דובע ןעמל םלוכ לכ אלא ץעורל<br />
תוינחור תואנה םניה ויתואנה לכ – וניבא םהרבא .”ךתבוטו ךתאנהל“ תא פ”לרח ברה ריבסמ ךכ<br />
,ץראל ולש רבעמה ןכל .’ה ןוצר תא אוה םייקמ ךכבש ינפמ םניה תוירמוחה וליפא ויתובוט לכו<br />
אלא ,תימשגה ותאנה תבוטל רבעמ םניה לארשי ץראב וב ךרבתי רשא ןבהו ימשגה ורשוע<br />
הדובע קר וניאש – י”אב המדאה תדובע עבט םג אוה ךכ .’ה ןוצר תא השוע ךכבש תינחור הבוט<br />
.היתווצמ םויקו ץראה בושיב ’ה תווצמ אלא אמלעב<br />
הבהאמ תושעל .יהמ ’ה תדובע םהמ דמלנו וניתובא השעמל ונישעמ ועיגיו הכזנש ןוצר יהי<br />
.םימש םשל ויהי ,וניתואנהו ונישעמ לכ אליממו – הארי ךותמ קר אלו הלודג<br />
At the beginning of this week’s parsha, Avraham is commanded to move to<br />
Eretz Yisrael. Rashi (12:1) explains that the phrase lech lecha implies: “for your<br />
enjoyment and for your benefit.” At first glance, this is difficult to understand.<br />
Why is Avraham being enticed with promises of enjoyment and benefit? This<br />
is the Avraham who ignores his own physical pain in order to welcome guests<br />
and the Avraham who risks his very life in order to rescue Lot. Does he need a<br />
promise of enjoyment and benefit in order to come to Eretz Yisrael?<br />
The Gemara in Berachot (35b) presents a famous dispute regarding the pasuk<br />
ve-asafta deganecha, “you shall gather your grain” (Devarim 11:14), which we say<br />
in the second paragraph of keriat shema. How do we balance this with the pasuk
30<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
in Yehoshua (1:8) which directs us to learn Torah constantly? Rabbi Yishmael<br />
says that one should live in a normal fashion: one should plant and harvest, in<br />
addition to learning Torah. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, however, claims that if we<br />
are serving Hashem properly we will not need to gather our own grain; others<br />
will do it for us. If we are not serving Hashem properly, we will have to gather our<br />
own grain, and we will have less time for learning.<br />
Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai’s opinion seems difficult in light of the simple meaning<br />
of the pesukim. The pasuk that says “you shall gather your grain” presents this<br />
as a reward – עומש םא היהו, if you follow the commands, you will have grain to<br />
gather!<br />
Rav Ya’akov Moshe Charlap suggests an answer which can address both of these<br />
difficulties. There are two types of ovdei Hashem: one who serves Hashem based<br />
upon yirah, fear, and one who serves from ahava, love. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai<br />
refers to one who serves from fear, who keeps mitzvot because he has to. Such<br />
a person will receive material reward, but that reward will come with a price:<br />
he will have less time for avodat Hashem. On the other hand, one who serves<br />
Hashem with love, whose life revolves around avodat Hashem, will use even his<br />
material goods to further his avodat Hashem. For such a person, material benefit<br />
is a pure reward.<br />
Rav Charlop uses this idea to answer our question regarding Avraham as well.<br />
Avraham served Hashem with every fiber of his being. For Avraham, “enjoyment<br />
and benefit,” even of the physical variety, were not at odds with spiritual<br />
achievement but were rather a tool that he could use for spiritual purposes.
31<br />
Lech Lecha<br />
The Avot and Shemoneh Esrei<br />
Zev Grushko<br />
I n Parshat Lech Lecha (12:2), it says “הכרב היהו ךמש הלדגאו ךכרבאו לודג יוגל ךשעאו“<br />
“And I will make of you a great nation; I will bless you, and I will make your name<br />
great, and you will be a blessing.”<br />
Rashi )הכרב היהו ה”ד( there says that this whole pasuk is referring to the fact that we<br />
mention the names of the avot (Avraham, Yitzchak and Yakov) in Shemoneh Esrei.<br />
The three terms that the pasuk uses correspond to the three avot and when the pasuk<br />
says “vehyei beracha” it means that we end the beracha by mentioning Avraham by<br />
himself.<br />
In Shemoneh Esrei, the first bracha is known as Avot. Its purpose is to recall the<br />
greatness of the avot and to use their merit so that Hashem will answer our tefillah.<br />
A reason why we would use their merit to connect to Hashem is due to the fact that<br />
they personify the oneness of Hashem. Rabbi Shimon Ostropoli (quoted in Talelei<br />
Oros) shows us this by using an amazing gematria. Rabbi Shimon says that if you<br />
are to take all the letters of the names of the avot it equals thirteen Hebrew letters.<br />
These letters correspond to the thirteen midot ha-rachamim (13 attributes of mercy).<br />
Perhaps when we are davening this beracha in Shemoneh Esrei we should also have<br />
in mind that along with the merit we have from the avot, we also have the merit of<br />
thirteen midot ha-rachamim to back us up as well.
32<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Furthermore, another amazing point that Rav Shimon Ostropoli brings down<br />
connects these thirteen letters to the imahot and to the oneness of Hashem. If<br />
you were to count up the letters of the imahot (Sarah, Rachal, Rivka and Leah)<br />
it would as well equal thirteen. Now if you take the word echad and calculate its<br />
gematria, you would see that it is thirteen. Putting together the letters of the avot<br />
and imahot you will see that it adds up to twenty six. You may ask what twenty<br />
six has to do with the word echad. Rabbi Shimon explains that it has everything<br />
to do with “one.” Twenty six is the gematria of Name of Hashem. This is exactly<br />
what our avos and imahos taught: that Hashem is one and that there are no others<br />
but Him.<br />
Therefore in the Shemoneh Esrei, when we read the beracha of Avos, we should<br />
have in mind when we mention the names of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov<br />
that in their merit Hashem should answer us, and we should say it having in mind<br />
the oneness of Hashem.<br />
Rashi also added on the pasuk mentioned earlier that the gematria of Avraham<br />
is 248, which correspond to all the organs in a man’s body. This Rashi teaches<br />
us that when you say this beracha, you should have in mind with all your body,<br />
heart, and soul the oneness of Hashem Yisborach.
33<br />
Vayera<br />
Tea for Two, Two for Tea<br />
Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
I t the midst of one of the greatest heat waves to hit the land of Canaan, on a<br />
day when everyone was seeking shelter from the blistering sun, one solitary and lone<br />
figure remained outside his tent – Avraham. It was not just the heat that should have<br />
kept Avraham in the relative comfort of his tent. After all it was just three days after<br />
his circumcision, the day when the pain was most pronounced. And yet, Avraham<br />
was outside looking for travelers who may be in need of some respite from the<br />
burning rays of the sun. What prompted Avraham to act in such a manner? Why<br />
couldn’t Avraham allow himself some time to recover and then return to his routine<br />
of generosity and hospitality?<br />
The Midrash records the conversation that took place between Avraham and God<br />
on that day. Despite the joy of fulfilling the command of God, Avraham had some<br />
residual reservations: “Until my circumcision the wayfarers would come to my tent”<br />
(Bereishit Rabbah 48:9; translation mine). In the wake of his circumcision Avraham<br />
set himself apart from the rest of the world. Avraham feared that as a result of his<br />
circumcision his relationship with mankind outside of his limited sphere would<br />
disintegrate; he feared becoming isolated from his fellow men. This isolation could<br />
be imposed by the outside world or even stem from within his own home. From the<br />
outside world he feared being regarded as arrogant, or worse, to be relegated to the<br />
realm of madman. Within his own home Avraham was apprehensive that his family<br />
would no longer want to associate with the world outside. Perhaps they would feel,
34<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
“We are chosen, we are unique, and it is beneath us to associate with those not<br />
committed to God’s message.” As such, Avraham feared that he may not be able<br />
to continue to serve as the religious exemplar and a paradigm of pure humanity.<br />
It was that prospect of not being able to fulfill his role as a spiritual father and<br />
moral force that haunted him and pushed him to desperately search for guests.<br />
When he sees the three “idolaters” he quickly leaves God’s presence to fulfill his<br />
duty of acting with love and compassion toward one’s fellow man. He makes sure<br />
to involve his entire household in hosting these guests. Doing this would insure<br />
that they too feel a sense of mission and purpose outside of their immediate circle<br />
and do not, heaven forbid, develop a false sense of pride. He prepared fresh food<br />
rather than serve them leftovers and put out a lavish meal to make the world<br />
realize that he was still there to engage with all of humanity.<br />
I would like to end here with a quote from Rav Samson Rafael Hirsch:<br />
Not for naught did Avraham sit before his tent in the heat of that<br />
day; for this spirit of love of one’s fellow men became a legacy that<br />
was bequeathed to his descendents. Throughout the generations,<br />
even the enemies of Israel have not denied that the disparaged Jews<br />
posses this spirit. Wherever open hearts and open hands are sought<br />
for universal humane purposes…even the disparagers of Judaism<br />
turn, first of all, to the Jews. (The Hirsch Chumash, Genesis 18:1)<br />
As a reminder of the immense truth of Rav Hirsch’s poignant words I have<br />
included a clip recapturing Israel’s tireless efforts on behalf of the people in Haiti.<br />
http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2010/01/18/dnt.cohen.haiti.patients.<br />
dying.cnn.html
35<br />
Vayera<br />
The Power of Ten<br />
Noam White<br />
I n this week’s parsha we read about Avraham pleading with Hashem in order to<br />
save Sodom and the other four cities that are included with it. Avraham asks Hashem<br />
if He would save Sodom if there were fifty tzaddikim there. Rashi (18:24) comments<br />
that Avraham asks about fifty because ten people were needed for each city in order<br />
to merit salvation. But Hashem responds that there are not fifty tzaddikim. Avraham<br />
then asks for forty five and Rashi (18:28) comments that this would include nine for<br />
each city plus Hashem, which equals ten per city. But there weren’t forty five people.<br />
He then asks for forty so that only four cities would be saved, then thirty for three<br />
cities, then twenty for two cities, and finally ten, which would be enough to save<br />
one city. In the end there were not even ten tzaddikim. Rashi (18:32) comments that<br />
Avraham did not ask about less than ten because the generation of the flood was not<br />
saved by the eight tzaddikim in Noach’s family (plus God Himself).<br />
Why must there be ten tzaddikim in a city, or in Noach’s case in the world, in order to<br />
merit salvation? What is so significant about the number ten?<br />
We learn from the story of the םילגרמ that a group of ten people, even if they are<br />
wicked, is called an הדע. The significance of an הדע is that it represents an entire<br />
community. In Massechet Berachot (6a) it says:<br />
“יבתיד דע אתלת ,איתאו הניכש המדק הרשע ?איעבמ הרשע ,אתלת ’יפאד רחאמ יכו“;<br />
“If it is so that the Divine presence is with three, why mention that it is with ten?
36<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Because with a gathering of ten the Divine presence comes first but with three<br />
they must first sit.” Here we see that a group of ten people has special status and<br />
the ability to have the Divine presence rest in its midst. Yet, the people of Sodom<br />
did not come together in service of Hashem; they came together in order to<br />
violate His will.<br />
The ארמג just one דומע later may give us further insight. It reads as follows:<br />
יתאב עודמ ’אנש סעוכ אוה דימ הרשע הב אצמ אלו תסנכה תיבב אב ה“בקהש העשב ןנחוי ’ר רמא“<br />
.“הנוע ןיאו יתארק ,שיא ןיאו<br />
“Rabbi Yochanan said: At the time when Hashem enters the תסנכ תיב and doesn’t<br />
find anyone He immediately gets angry, as it says, “Why did I come and there is<br />
no man I called and no one answers” )והיעשי 50:2(.<br />
If Hashem gets angry when nobody is present to acknowledge Him then all<br />
the more so when people do gather together and don’t acknowledge Him. Why<br />
is this so? It is because God created man and placed him in this world so that<br />
man could acknowledge God and attach themselves to Him. So a people, or a<br />
community, who ignore Hashem and sin against Him are disregarding their<br />
purpose. Therefore since Sodom didn’t have an הדע of tzaddikim who recognize<br />
Hashem and strive to attach themselves to His glory, their society was viewed as<br />
having no part in this world and could not possibly be saved.<br />
May we all be blessed with the ability to recognize Hashem’s greatness, attach<br />
ourselves to Him and fulfill our purpose in this world.
37<br />
Chayei Sarah<br />
Two Titles<br />
Rav Daniel Hartstein<br />
A t the beginning of our parsha the Torah relates how Avraham approaches<br />
Ephron and the children of Cheis with the intent of purchasing the Cave of Machpelah<br />
as a burial ground for his wife Sarah and for future generations. We learn that both<br />
Ephron and the children of Cheis offer this property to Avraham for free, saying it<br />
would be an honor to have a ‘prince of God’ among them. In what appears to be an<br />
unwise business move, Avraham refuses the offer and insists on paying for the land.<br />
Avraham further elaborates that he would be willing to pay full price for the Cave of<br />
Machpelah, which Ephron happily values at four hundred shekels of silver. The Talmud<br />
in Bava Metzia (87a) notes that Ephron was not offering the land in the generally<br />
used shekels but the ‘centinaria’ shekel which is worth 100 regular shekels. It seems<br />
perplexing that our forefather Avraham has paid forty thousand standard shekels for<br />
the land that was originally offered to him for free. This difficulty is highlighted by the<br />
fact that Hashem has already promised the entire Eretz Yisrael (including the Cave of<br />
Machpelah) to Avraham and his decedents in the bris bein ha-besarim.<br />
Rav Aharon Soloveichik ZT’L addresses this question by quoting the Talmud in Bava<br />
Metzia (38a). The Mishnah states that if one leaves fruit with his friend, even if the<br />
fruit begins to spoil, the friend may not touch it. This means that even if the friend<br />
wants to be nice and sell it before it rots he may not. The Talmud comments in the<br />
name of Rav Kahana that the reason for this is that a person prefers one measure of<br />
his own rather than nine of his friend’s. Rashi explains that a person’s own produce is
38<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
precious to him because he has toiled over it.<br />
Rav Aharon explains why Rashi comments on a seemingly obvious statement of<br />
Rav Kahana. Rashi is bothered by how it is logical that anyone would prefer his<br />
friend not sell his produce and keep his nearly spoiled product. Rashi emphasizes<br />
that even if this produce is nearly rotten, it is still precious to the one who has<br />
toiled over it. Rashi is telling us that there are two types of titles; a legal title and<br />
a psychological title. It is true that the legal title would allow his friend to sell this<br />
produce for something better or at least for some money, but the psychological<br />
title does not allow him to do so. The psychological title recognizes the great<br />
efforts the owner expended on this produce. The pleasure in the final product of<br />
one’s toil is worth far more than the money one can receive in exchange for that<br />
product.<br />
We can now appreciate why Avraham insisted on purchasing the land for 40,000<br />
regular shekels. It is an undisputed fact that Hashem had legally promised<br />
Avraham the land of Israel and therefore Avraham had a legal title over all parts<br />
of the Holy Land. Avraham realized that with a legal title alone his descendents<br />
might be willing to relinquish parts of the land. However, with a psychological<br />
title attached to this land, forfeiting even a small piece would be more difficult.<br />
We must recognize that Hashem has not only promised us the land of Israel but<br />
our ancestors have toiled over it for generations, which makes it all the more<br />
precious to us.<br />
This message applies not only to the land of Israel but for all areas of Judaism. Our<br />
commitment to Torah and mitzvos must stem from our legal / halachic obligation<br />
to follow these principles and live the life of a Torah Jew, but we must also be<br />
psychologically attached to the holy Torah and its mitzvos. If we realize how<br />
much our ancestors have toiled on our behalf to keep Torah and mitzvos alive we<br />
will surely not forsake it even for a moment.<br />
In the final section of the Talmud Ta’anis (31a) Ulla Bira’ah says in the name of R’<br />
Eliezer that in the end of days the Almightily will form a circle for the tzadikim<br />
with Hashem in the center in Gan Eden. Every one of these tzadikim will lift<br />
up his finger and point to the Creator (reaffirming His sovereignty). The Ben<br />
Ish Chai comments that the pointed finger is lifted and the righteous people
39<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
figuratively give Hashem a ring as one does in marriage. Why must we both circle<br />
Hashem and give Him this ring? We can suggest that at the end of days we will<br />
make the statement that we were given a legal title over the Torah and followed it<br />
to the best of our ability. This is symbolized by the circle made around Hashem.<br />
It is, however, also necessary, and possibly even more important, to show our<br />
psychological title to the Torah. The tzadikim give Hashem a ring to demonstrate<br />
that we are married to Him and that we have not forsaken His Land, His Torah<br />
or His mitzvos. They will declare that they have toiled for each of these gifts and<br />
that they are indeed precious to them and to the entire nation of Israel. May we be<br />
zocheh to soon be part of those who circle Hashem, point to Him and declare His<br />
sovereignty and our commitment His Land, His Torah and His mitzvos!
40<br />
Chayei Sarah<br />
Avraham, the Bear and the Child<br />
Eytan Goldstein<br />
W e see in Shir Ha-ma’alot that one who toils in his work will inevitably appreciate<br />
the outcome more. It says, “Ha-zorim be-dima be-rina yiktzoru”- those who tearfully<br />
sow will reap in glad song” (Tehillim 126:5). When one prepares a beautiful meal on<br />
one’s own, from beginning to end, one will enjoy it more than a meal that one buys.<br />
We can learn this lesson from Avraham Avinu, bears, and children. By observing<br />
these individuals and animals we can learn how toiling in avodat Hashem and in our<br />
everyday lives can lead to true feelings of content.<br />
Avraham is trying to find a wife for Yitzchak so he decides he will send his servant<br />
Eliezer to go find one. He then makes Eliezer swear to certain guidelines regarding<br />
his quest. The pasuk says, “Place now your hand on my thigh, and I will have you<br />
swear by Hashem” (24:2). The obvious question is why Avraham would have Eliezer<br />
swear by putting his hand on Avrahams thigh? Rashi explains that one must swear<br />
on something holy. In this context, the thigh is really a euphemism for the brit milah<br />
and therefore it is something holy to swear upon. If one were to stop reading Rashi at<br />
that point one would now have a basic idea of why Avraham told Eliezer to swear on<br />
his brit. But Rashi continues by explaining that Avraham had Eliezer swear on his brit<br />
milah because it was something that was very special to him, as the result of it coming<br />
to him through much effort and difficulty.<br />
This observation is true in the animal kingdom as well. The last infant animal one<br />
should provoke is a cub. The book Hegyonei Halacha (vol. 1 pp. 116-7) quotes the Radak
41<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
in Hoshea (13:8) about this point. The navi compares Hashem’s anger toward the<br />
rebellious people to the anger of “a bereaved bear.” Why use the analogy of a bear?<br />
The Radak explains that a mother bear is particularly ferocious when protecting<br />
her young. The reason for this is that when a cub is born he remains covered in<br />
a thick layer of placenta. The mother bear must remove this material and the<br />
only way it can do so is by licking it off, a task that is quite cumbersome. This is<br />
precisely why the bear is the animal that is most protective over its children; it’s<br />
because it toils intensely in order to bring its child into this world safely.<br />
Struggling to accomplish something oneself also leads to better results. A child<br />
only learns to walk when his parents are no longer holding him. When he needs<br />
to struggle and work excessively to get from one side of the room to the other is<br />
when he’s really learning how to walk. When the child succeeds because of his<br />
own intense efforts, that success is much greater than if he had received assistance.<br />
Not only is the feeling of success greater, but the actual ability of the child to walk<br />
has improved. The child’s improvement is far greater than it would have been had<br />
he not have had to exert such efforts as the result of being assisted.<br />
Avraham Avinu, the bear, and children all show us how toiling in a task produces<br />
far greater results than if something had been handed to us. Since Avraham went<br />
through so much in his continued dedication to Hashem before and after he<br />
received his brit milah, it was the most precious thing to him. The cub is the most<br />
precious thing to the bear because it’s something she worked so hard to bring<br />
to life. Walking for the baby is achieved at its highest level when he works his<br />
hardest to succeed. The idea we can learn from Avraham Avinu is that when we<br />
toil in a task it will make the outcome precious to us. The bear teaches us that by<br />
toiling in our lives we can make things that are already close to us, like the cub,<br />
even closer. Children can teach us that when we sweat through a hard process,<br />
our actual ability greatly improves. If we can emulate these three ideas than we<br />
can make our avodat Hashem precious to us like Avraham, bring God, who is<br />
never too far from us, even closer like the bear does to her child, and strengthen<br />
ourselves, like the baby does, to serve Hashem with all our ability.
42<br />
Toledot<br />
Window To Prayer<br />
Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
O ne of the greatest trials that a married couple may face is the inability to conceive<br />
children. The pain, the grief, the constant battle against one’s inclination to be jealous<br />
and the struggle to instead be happy for all the other couples that thankfully have<br />
been blessed with children, are unimaginable. It is not for naught that when Rachel<br />
Imeinu was barren she cried to Ya’akov Avinu that without children she would rather<br />
be dead (Gen. 30:1). Yitzchak and Rivka had to face this trial. For twenty years their<br />
home lacked the sound of a child’s laughter or cry; the pain was no doubt unbearable.<br />
Naturally, Rivka and Yitchak turned to Hashem in prayer. “Yitzchak prayed to God<br />
opposite his wife” (Gen. 25:21). In Hebrew there are no less than thirteen synonyms<br />
for the word to pray. The most commonly employed word is tefilla, but here with<br />
regard to Yitchak’s prayer the Torah does not use the verb “va-yispallel,” but rather<br />
“va-ye’etar;” synonymous but different. The Midrash (Bereishis Rabba 63:5) states that<br />
va-ye’etar implies that Yichak prayed richly (if you replace the taf with a shin the word<br />
becomes va-ye’eshar,” meaning rich). It is possible to understand “richly,” as Rashi<br />
does, connoting often and repeatedly. The Torah is revealing to us that Yitzchak had<br />
an unlimited supply of prayers to offer to Hashem. He was not deterred by the fact<br />
that prayer after prayer did not seem to produce the desired results. He tenaciously<br />
and relentlessly prayed until finally, after twenty years, Hashem answered his prayers.
43<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
In his book on the weekly parasha, Rav Shimon Schwab offers a different<br />
explanation for what it may mean to pray abundantly. Yitchak did not pray only<br />
for himself and his wife Rivka to conceive a child, rather he prayed that all couples<br />
suffering from barrenness should be granted children. That is the definition of a<br />
rich prayer, a prayer that is not only confined to one’s personal needs, but rather<br />
is spread to encompass the needs of others as well. Much like a wealthy man<br />
diversifies his portfolio and does not limit himself to just one source of income,<br />
so too Yitzchak did not restrict his prayer to just his own personal needs. It was<br />
this type of tefilla that Hashem answered.<br />
The Gemarah in Berachos (34b) states that a person should pray only in a house<br />
that has windows. Rav Kook in Ein Ayah explains that for a prayer to attain its<br />
ultimate perfection and make its full impact felt on the person who is praying it<br />
has to be with an eye toward the outside world. Though counterintuitive, a tefilla<br />
that is centered on the individual will not impact that individual. That is why<br />
the Gemarah advises that we pray in a house with windows. To pray in front of<br />
a mirror is against the Halacha. A mirror’s purpose is to enable one to look at<br />
oneself; a window, on the other hand, allows us to look outside of ourselves. That<br />
is why tefilla is performed in a house with windows, to remind us to pray not just<br />
for our own needs but for the world at large.<br />
Let us all become accustomed to look not only at our own needs but at the needs<br />
of the world at large, and may Hashem answer the prayers of all who turn to Him.
44<br />
Toledot<br />
A Tale of Two Brothers<br />
David Gleizer<br />
I n this week’s parsha, we see two vastly different personalities arise from<br />
Yitzchak’s household. Esav is a man of the field - he’s animalistic and he thirsts for<br />
blood. Jacob, on the other hand, is reserved, calm, and loves learning. Before their<br />
birth, we get a glimpse of their destiny. Rashi (25:22) says that Esav would struggle<br />
to get out of the womb when his mother passed by a site of idol worship, while Jacob<br />
would try desperately to get out when she would pass a synagogue. Rivka, bewildered<br />
by this strange pregnancy, consults the prophets of the day who inform her that she<br />
is carrying twins. They tell her that the younger brother is going to be chosen by<br />
Hashem, and that – one day – the older one will be subservient to him.<br />
We see two brothers – each born to the same outstanding parents – and yet each going<br />
his separate way. One turns into the third patriarch of the Jewish people and the other<br />
becomes one of the most notorious villains in the Bible. How did this happen? The<br />
Torah tells us that one was a “wholesome man, abiding in tents” (25:27), and the other<br />
was “a man who knows trapping, a man of the field” (ibid.). Each son was destined<br />
to be a great person, and each was given the perfect tools to accomplish this. Our<br />
Rabbis taught us that Yitzchak’s main trait was Gevurah (strength). He passed this<br />
trait to his children, and how they developed it was to be their choice. He hoped that<br />
both would use their phenomenal strength in a cooperative, productive way. But with<br />
Esav’s choice to use his strength for evil, he split the family and caused tremendous<br />
animosity – a war that would endure until Moshiach’s arrival.
45<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Yaakov followed the ways of his father Yitzchak and grandfather Avraham and<br />
devoted his life to Torah. Rashi (25:27) tells us that at 13-years-old, Yaakov went<br />
to the yeshivas of Shem and Ever, while Esav went off to worship idols. Rashi tells<br />
us that for the first 13 years of their lives, they were alike in their actions. From<br />
13 on, the younger brother went on to realize his G-dly potential, while the older<br />
brother gave up on his potential completely.<br />
Rabbi Avigdor Miller (In the Beginning) has an interesting thought on this topic.<br />
Later in the parsha, we read that Yitzchak intends to bless Esav. Rivka, who<br />
understood better than Yitzchak that Esav would never use the blessing for good,<br />
helps Yaakov dress up in Esav’s clothes and pretend to be Esav and, in this way,<br />
get the coveted blessing. She puts goat hair on the smooth arms and neck of<br />
Yaakov, so that when Yitzchak (who was old and blind) would touch his son, he<br />
would assume it was the hairy Esav. Rabbi Miller says the goat hair is a hint to<br />
the choices that Esav had in life. Had he chosen well, Esav could have been as<br />
bold as a goat in terms of serving Hashem. Just like the goat is ready for battle<br />
and goes ahead of its flock, so too, Esav could have been a defender of Torah<br />
and lived a life full of Torah. But instead, Esav chose to simply behave like an<br />
animal – following its eyes to fulfill its desires. Esav continually chose wrong – he<br />
focused on the now, the material world, what his eyes saw immediately ahead of<br />
him – instead of keeping his eyes on the prize – the birthright. Like an animal, he<br />
followed his lower instincts and gratified his body at the expense of what Hashem<br />
wanted of him. Interestingly, Yaakov had no hair and was smooth – very unlike<br />
an animal. He became our role model because he chose the service of Hashem<br />
over his physical desires.<br />
It’s interesting that, later in the parsha (27:45), Rivka asks Yaakov, “Why should<br />
I be deprived of both of you on the same day?” (She was afraid they would fight<br />
and kill each other). We know that Rivkah knew well the evil path Esav had<br />
chosen for himself. But she also knew that he had greatness within him, and she<br />
knew that his greatness would one day be revealed in some of his descendants.<br />
Rabbi Yitchak Zev Soloveitchik, the Rabbi of Brisk, says that even though Esav<br />
did exactly the opposite of what he was supposed to do, he produced some of<br />
the world’s most illustrious descendants, some of whom converted and became
46<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Jewish. Esav’s descendents included Ovadiah the prophet, the sons of Haman<br />
who learned in the yeshivas in Bnei Brak and Marcus Aurelius, the Roman leader<br />
who became the loyal friend of Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi, and who let him seal the<br />
Mishna.<br />
When Hashem’s prophets told Rivkah, “the older will serve the younger” (25:23),<br />
they were hinting to her that the divine plan was that they were going to become<br />
one outstanding unit. Jacob was going to be the spiritual leader and Esav was<br />
going to be the material leader. Just because Esav had a difficult nature didn’t<br />
mean he couldn’t have become someone great. The very fact that Hashem gave<br />
him these great challenges meant that he had the power to overcome them, if he<br />
had only chosen to do so.<br />
Life is filled with plenty of challenges, big and small. How we deal with those<br />
challenges is pivotal to our life. The bigger the challenge the more strength we<br />
have to overcome it. Hashem never gives us a challenge we can’t overcome. We<br />
see throughout Jacob’s life that he faces challenges, but time and time again he<br />
overcomes them. As a result, his name was changed to Yisrael (“the one who<br />
struggles with Hashem and succeeds”), and we, the Jewish people, are called<br />
“Bnei Yisrael” – the children of Israel.<br />
Life is a series of choices, day after day. Esav chose poorly and, as a result, he used<br />
the gifts Hashem gave him for terrible things. Later on in life he realized he had<br />
made mistakes, but it was much more difficult to correct.<br />
May Hashem help us maximize our potential and choose to follow in the path of<br />
Yaakov Avinu.
47<br />
Vayeitzei<br />
Ascending and Descending<br />
Rav Hillel Langenauer<br />
A t the beginning of our parsha, Ya’akov Avinu, in fear of his brother’s wrath, flees<br />
his home in Eretz Yisrael and sets out to travel to the land of Charan. As night falls in<br />
the midst of his travels, Ya’akov goes to sleep, and, in the midst of his sleep, Hashem<br />
reassures Ya’akov that, though in his travels at that time he is indeed going into both<br />
physical and spiritual exile, Yaakov has no reason to fear, as Hashem will guard him<br />
in all of his ways. The context of these reassurances is understandable, given the trials<br />
that Ya’akov is going through at this time and the fear he must be experiencing in<br />
their wake. More mysterious, however, is the visual content of the dream, which he<br />
witnesses prior to receiving these assurances.<br />
In pasuk 12 we read, “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth,<br />
and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and<br />
descending on it.” Commentators struggle to understand the meaning of this image,<br />
and its significance to Ya’akov at this time. In particular, what is the significance,<br />
indeed what is the sense, of portraying angels – who presumably reside, in the norm,<br />
in heaven – as first ascending the ladder, and only then descending earthward? We<br />
would expect the very opposite! Commentaries seeking to penetrate this riddle of a<br />
metaphor abound. The Rambam himself, in his numerous writings, records no less<br />
than three interpretations of this visage, two in separate - and seemingly unrelated -<br />
chapters of his Guide for the Perplexed, and one in the Mishneh Torah. Leaving aside<br />
for the moment the seeming contradiction between these three interpretations, I
48<br />
would like to focus on the remarkable, and instructive, peirush that the Rambam<br />
provides at the beginning of Moreh Nevuchim, and to which he hints in numerous<br />
chapters elsewhere in that work.<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
In Part I, chapter 15 of this work, the Rambam explains that the ladder reaching<br />
from the earth heavenward is symbolic of the path toward attaining knowledge<br />
of Hashem: As we read in pasuk 13, the Torah portrays Hashem as “standing” at<br />
the head of the ladder; the Rambam instructs us that anyone with the will and the<br />
motivation to do so, may climb up this ladder and attain knowledge of Hashem.<br />
In this vein, the Rambam introduces his remarkable peirush that the “Angels of<br />
G-d” portrayed in the dream do not refer to heavenly beings at all; rather, they<br />
“refer to the prophets”. In this light, the Rambam goes on, the seeming curiosity<br />
of the “angels” ascending prior to descending is not, in fact, curious at all:<br />
How suggestive, too, is the expression ‘ascending and descending on<br />
it’! The ascent is mentioned before the descent since the ‘ascending’,<br />
and arriving at the height of the ladder, must necessarily precede the<br />
‘descending’.<br />
True, then, if the “angels” in the image really refer to human beings, who dwell<br />
on earth, it makes sense that they would have to ascend before descending. But<br />
why is it that they descend at all?!! If the ladder symbolizes the path to knowledge<br />
of Hashem, why would someone who has attained the level of prophecy ever<br />
choose to descend the ladder, leaving the heights he has reached in order to<br />
return earthward? In our own pursuit of knowledge of Hashem and His Torah,<br />
would we ever choose willingly to “descend” from the level that we worked so<br />
hard to reach?<br />
The Rambam goes on to explain that this is in fact the central message of Ya’akov’s<br />
dream: “The descent,” explains the Rambam, “refers to the application of the<br />
knowledge which was acquired in the ascent to the training and instruction of<br />
mankind.”<br />
What does this mean? And why does Hashem choose to convey this message to<br />
Yaakov as he travels to Charan to begin his family?
49<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
As we saw, Hashem reassures Ya’akov, as he leaves Eretz Yisrael, that he and the<br />
children he will bear will, in good time, return to the Land and will serve as the<br />
founding roots of the Jewish people. He reassures Yaakov, as well, that He will<br />
protect him during his stay in Charan, where he will encounter both the trickery<br />
of Lavan and a culture that supports such behavior. But before delivering these<br />
assurances, the Rambam is teaching, Hashem illustrates in his dream-image the<br />
mission that Ya’akov and his children will bear as the nation chosen to represent<br />
Hashem in this world.<br />
As the Rambam emphasizes in many places, perhaps most pointedly in his<br />
description of Moshe’s ascent and descent from Har Sinai, the Torah does not<br />
wish for a Jew to stay forever on top of a mountain – or a ladder – touching<br />
the heavens. A Jew who merits to study Torah – certainly one who attains the<br />
heights of prophecy – must not remain in his heavenly perch, but rather descend<br />
back to this world. Here, the Rambam underscores a key message regarding the<br />
distinction between the Torah’s vision of an ideal person and the philosopher<br />
who remains in his ivory tower. From a mere human perspective, someone who<br />
reaches great heights of understanding might imagine it best to remain aloof from<br />
the masses, whose culture could harm the purity of the vision he has attained. But<br />
Hashem instructs Ya’akov – and, with him, all of us reading his story – that the<br />
Torah’s perspective differs: A person who merits to attain knowledge of Hashem<br />
must descend with that knowledge to apply it to this world and to share it with<br />
others.<br />
May it be the will of Hashem that we, like Ya’akov, merit Hashem’s protection<br />
in our own exile. But to earn this blessing, let us first dedicate ourselves to the<br />
mission illustrated for us by the angels ascending and descending the ladder in<br />
Ya’akov’s dream. Let us strive, firstly, to ascend the ladder to its very top, to attain<br />
clear and true knowledge of Hashem and His Torah. And then let us strive, in<br />
our descent from the ladder, to become a nation that can serve as a model of the<br />
application of Divine wisdom to this world. In so doing, we will serve as a beacon<br />
for Hashem’s message to all of humanity, “applying” as the Rambam teaches, “the<br />
knowledge which was acquired in the ascent to the training and instruction of<br />
mankind.”
50<br />
Vayeitzei<br />
Real Beauty<br />
Elisha Mlotek<br />
I n Parashat Vayeitzei, we meet Rachel Imenu and Leah Imenu for the first time.<br />
“Lavan had two daughters... The eyes of Leah were soft, and Rachel was beautiful of<br />
form and beautiful of appearance” (29:16-17). With this pasuk we come to learn of<br />
a specific trait that each of our four matriarchs shared: beauty. Indeed, back in Lekh<br />
Lekha, Avraham recognizes that Sarah is “הארמ תפי השא“ (12:11), and Rivka Imenu is<br />
described as a maiden who is “דאמ הארמ תבט“ , of very fair appearance (24:16).<br />
We’re left with the following question: Why is it important that our mothers Sarah,<br />
Rivka, Rachel, and Leah were beautiful? Are a woman’s looks as important as having<br />
a kind and loving personality, good midot and a solid commitment to Torah values?<br />
How should a young Jewish girl who does not see herself as beautiful or attractive<br />
understand these teachings about her Matriarchs, the women whom she is told to<br />
model herself after? Why did Hashem make the imahot so gorgeous?<br />
Perhaps we can find a satisfying solution to these questions by examining the Ibn<br />
Ezra’s commentaries on our initial pasuk about Leah and Rachel, Chapter 29, verse 17.<br />
The Ibn Ezra says that every feature on Rachel’s face was pretty, her eyes, her nose, her<br />
ears and her mouth. Every little thing was a pleasant sight, and the whole combination<br />
was beautiful as well.<br />
What is the concept of beauty? It’s the idea that every piece is placed perfectly.<br />
What is yafeh, beautiful? Something that is complete, shalem, when nothing more<br />
is needed. Everything is proportionally balanced out. In Tehillim 122, Dovid Ha-
51<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Melekh writes, “םלשורי םולש ולאש“, Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. The Zohar<br />
Ha-Kadosh 1 (3:90b) writes that this pasuk means to strive for the completeness<br />
of Yerushalayim, the peace of the physical Jerusalem and the spiritual Jerusalem.<br />
Jerusalem is a physical land which Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu designated to hold the<br />
Beit Ha-Mikdash, the center of prayer, the center of connecting to God. It is also<br />
the place that is called “perfect in beauty” (Eicha 2:15).<br />
Rav Akiva Tatz writes that beauty, sheleimut (completion), cannot be an external<br />
reality, because that’s only half of the ingredients of the person. The human being<br />
is a guf – a body, and a neshama – a soul. Sheleimut, true beauty, occurs when<br />
there is a balance between one’s physicality and one’s spirituality. “When the<br />
inner reality is perfectly reflected in the outer...” (Living Inspired, p. 118).<br />
We constantly strive for the physical security and serenity of Yerushalayim, but<br />
also for the spiritually serene and welcoming atmosphere that Yerushalayim has<br />
the potential to emit.<br />
When there’s a harmony between what I can be and how I choose to behave, I<br />
am beautiful. I’m reaching my potential, I become a person of integrity. It has<br />
nothing to do with good looks. What does it mean to have beautiful midot,<br />
character traits? It means I’ve refined the way I treat people, things, and myself.<br />
Just like one takes extensive measures to be externally beautiful, one should take<br />
twice as many measures to make sure that he or she is a beautiful human being.<br />
There’s a direct channel from what I feel to how I act. If I tell myself in my soul<br />
that God believes that I can be great and be a wonderful human being, then that’s<br />
exactly what I’ll do. That is beauty, when what’s going on inside my heart is going<br />
out into the world.<br />
But we learn that in order to raise the physical aspects of my life, I have to gain<br />
control of the spiritual, internal, hidden aspects of my life. And the way to do this<br />
is through Torah.<br />
Noach blesses his son Yefet to dwell in the tents of Shem (9:27). Yefet, from lashon<br />
yafeh, beautiful, is the father of Yavan, the father of the Greeks, who excelled in<br />
matters of beauty and wisdom. The Greeks introduced so much wonder to the<br />
1. Cited in Rav Aryeh Kaplan, Jerusalem: The Eye of the Universe, p. 81.
52<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
world that the Talmud (Megillah 9b) tells us that the Torah was only permitted to<br />
be written in one language besides Hebrew, the beautiful language of Greek. But<br />
what do we know about physicality? That when it’s not controlled, it gets out of<br />
control, and it eats us up, and we have no power to say no. So Noach knew that<br />
Yafet had the trait of beauty, and he said you and your family will dwell in Ohalei<br />
Shem, the tents of Shem.<br />
Shem established a yeshiva for learning about God. When you take raw physicality<br />
and you place it in a tent of loving warmth, an atmosphere of kedusha and Torah,<br />
then the beauty becomes tempered, the beauty becomes balanced with sensibility<br />
and control. True beauty is balance.<br />
Rashi (23:1) says that Sarah’s beauty was like that of a seven year old. Why is a seven<br />
year old considered the model of beauty? Because a seven year old is transparent.<br />
A seven year old says what’s on her mind. And if what’s on Sarah Imenu’s mind<br />
is, “Everyone in the world deserves the upmost respect, and everything in this<br />
world is a gift from Hashem,” then when people interact with Sarah, they will see<br />
a woman who treats everyone with respect and relates everything to Hashem.<br />
Rachel and Leah Imenu were beautiful like Yerushalayim. This means that they<br />
had a balance of the spiritual and the physical. They could be the most gorgeous<br />
people in the world, but they had mastered the midot of humility and modesty.<br />
They were given so much money and so many servants and flocks, but they had<br />
mastered the midot of tzedakah and hachnasat orchim.<br />
The beauty of Rachel that Yakov Avinu fell in love with, was the refinement of her<br />
characteristics, her midot, her inner beauty. Why did Yakov need a woman like<br />
this? Because Yakov Avinu experienced the sulam, the ladder, which we all know<br />
was set firm in the ground yet reached so high in Shamayim, in the heavens.<br />
When everything we do in this world is connected to Hashem and kedushat<br />
ha-Torah, the holiness of Torah, then we’re creating a relationship of us sending<br />
angels to Hashem and Hashem sending angels back down to us, creating a loving<br />
and giving relationship which is balanced.<br />
May our neshamos be zocheh to reach the level of true beauty of Rachel and Leah,<br />
Rivka, and Sarah Imenu. And may we strive to build and see a complete and<br />
beautiful Yerushalayim ir ha-kodesh, bimheira biyameinu. Amen.
53<br />
Vayishlach<br />
The Hip and the Yetzer Ha-ra<br />
Rav Natanel Lebowitz<br />
T he Torah (32:25) relates that while Yaakov was returning home, he was intercepted<br />
by an ish who struggled with him all night. Many explain that this ish was actually<br />
an angel and more specifically it was the angel of Esav otherwise known as Sama’el.<br />
During the struggle, the angel was only able to hurt Yaakov at his hip bone. The Torah<br />
tells us that because Yaakov came away from the struggle limping, we are not able to<br />
eat the gid ha-nasheh, the sciatic nerve, of an animal.<br />
Why the hip socket? As Sama’el is associated with the Yetzer Ha-ra, is there something<br />
we can learn about the nature of the Yetzer Ha-ra from Sama’el’s smiting the hip socket?<br />
Toras Shlomo (footnote 129) writes that the reason the angel went for the hip socket<br />
was because it is the most accessible place on a person’s body. Right when Yaakov was<br />
about to achieve absolute victory over Sama’el, out of desperation, Sama’el reached for<br />
whatever he could grab.<br />
Even at the times when we feel comfortable with our avodas Hashem (Yaakov was<br />
clearly victorious in this struggle), the Yetzer Ha-ra will desperately try to nick us<br />
wherever he can find an opening. We must constantly keep up our guard and be<br />
vigilant to protect ourselves from his attack. We cannot settle for being a “mostly eved<br />
Hashem”. We need to make sure that even our most vulnerable points are covered.<br />
Rav Elchanan Wasserman adds that this could easily refer to young children. Since<br />
they are most impressionable, Sama’el attempts to infiltrate their thought process. Rav
54<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Elchanan argues that we need to be extra careful in their chinuch to protect them<br />
from harmful spiritual elements when they are most vulnerable.<br />
The gid ha-nasheh is not just anatomically connected to Yaakov’s hip socket.<br />
The Gemara in Chullin 99b writes that whereas different foods have the ability to<br />
impart ta’am (taste) into other foods and into pots and dishes, gidin do not impart<br />
ta’am. The Shulchan Aruch holds like this in Yoreh Deah (100:2). He writes that<br />
if non-kosher food accidentally gets mixed with kosher food, we normally need<br />
the kosher food to be 60 times the amount of the non-kosher food to nullify the<br />
taste of the non-kosher food. Only then could the mixture be eaten. This does not<br />
apply to gid ha-nasheh because ein be-gidin be-nosein ta’am. Gid ha-nasheh does<br />
not impart ta’am, taste, to other foods or utensils. Therefore, we do not need 60<br />
times its volume to nullify its presence.<br />
Interestingly enough, the word ta’am has another meaning and that is “reason”.<br />
Perhaps halacha connected the gid ha-nasheh and the hip socket to stress the<br />
point that the Yetzer Ha-ra has the most access to our souls when there is no<br />
ta’am, reason,( ein be-gidin be-nosein ta’am). When there is no ta’am, taste or<br />
reason, for certain things we do, it is harder to perform those mitzvos. We will be<br />
quicker to scrutinize whether it is worth it to perform this mitzvah or not. The<br />
same way that Sama’el found Yaakov’s hip socket to be the most accessible point<br />
on his body, so too the Yetzer Ha-ra finds mitzvos that do not have a ta’am, reason,<br />
to be the most accessible points of our souls.<br />
When Yaakov asked the angel for his identity, the malach responded with a<br />
question of his own: Why are you asking me my name? Most interpret the angel’s<br />
response as a simple inquiry. Perhaps another way to read the pasuk is not as a<br />
question in response but rather as Esav’s malach’s actual name. His name is “Why<br />
are you asking my name?” Why are you searching for my identity? Why are you<br />
trying to figure out what I am all about? Stop asking questions. Life will be much<br />
simpler and enjoyable that way. When we don’t ask what the identity of our weak<br />
points are, then the Satan has us exactly where he wants us.
55<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
As the sun came up, the angel asked Yaakov, who had gained the upper hand in the<br />
struggle, to release him (32:27). Rashi comments that the Angel told Yaakov that<br />
the reason he needed to be released was to sing shira, a song of praise to Hashem.<br />
A slightly different version of this Medrash adds that the angel told Yaakov that he<br />
had waited for so long to be able to say shira to Hashem and today was finally his<br />
turn. The Chasam Sofer asks, what were the chances that specifically on the day<br />
that he was struggling with Yaakov, he would get called to say shira? He answers<br />
that the word malach means messenger. The purpose of malachim is to do one<br />
task. Angels do not have free will but do the mission Hashem sent them on. Upon<br />
completion of the task, when the ratzon Hashem is fulfilled, the angel sings shira<br />
in order to note that the ratzon Hashem was accomplished. It is an angel’s way of<br />
letting Hashem know the job was done. In this case, the angel was telling Hashem<br />
that he struggled with Yaakov and Yaakov came out victorious. It was not that<br />
the angel’s job was to pick a fight with Yaakov, but rather through the struggle, a<br />
victorious Yaakov was to become a better person. The angel helped Yaakov reach<br />
his potential. Yaakov’s name, his identity, was now Yisrael and not Yaakov. The<br />
angel’s job was done and today he could go sing shira to Hashem.<br />
Too often, we view the Yetzer Ha-ra as an absolute enemy. We think that if we<br />
did not have a Yetzer Ha-ra then it would be so much easier for us to do avodas<br />
Hashem. However, the Yetzer Ha-ra provides an important service. It is only<br />
through the Yetzer Ha-ra that we realize how great we could be. When the Yetzer<br />
Ha-ra motivates me to stay up late for a sporting event, he is revealing to me that<br />
my potential is to stay awake until a certain hour. When I am ready to use those<br />
hours for avodas Hashem, I now know how high I can reach. Here the Yetzer Hara’s<br />
actual job was to make Yaakov better. Once Yaakov beat the angel, the Satan’s<br />
task of helping Yaakov achieve greatness was accomplished.<br />
As we try to become complete people, the hardest tasks for us to accomplish are<br />
those that don’t have ta’am. The ones that don’t have taste, the ones for which we<br />
do not understand the reasons. By the Yetzer Ha-ra drawing those into our focus<br />
and causing us to struggle with them, it is helping us become more complete.
56<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
It is important to note that it was after Yaakov defeated the malach that he inquired<br />
about the malach’s name. Yaakov knew that even if he was victorious this time,<br />
there would be future struggles and he wanted to be prepared. If he knew the keys<br />
to the Yetzer Ha-ra’s identity, future victories would be easily attained. He did not<br />
bask in the pride of his victory, but rather already began to prepare for the next<br />
inevitable struggle.<br />
Yehi ratzon mi-lifnei Avinu she-bashamayim that we realize how much potential<br />
the Yetzer Ha-ra is drawing to our attention. We should be vigilant about<br />
improving our weakest points in avodas Hashem so that we can be the strongest<br />
ovdei Hashem we can be.
57<br />
Vayishlach<br />
And Ya’akov Was Left Alone<br />
Barry Mueller<br />
T here are very few positive and negative commandments listed in Sefer Bereishit.<br />
In fact it takes 8 parshiyot, until the 33 rd pasuk of the 32 nd perek, to get to the first<br />
prohibition. In this week’s parsha, Parshat Vayishlach, we learn that, “The Children of<br />
Yisrael are not to eat the displaced sinew on the hip-socket (otherwise known as the<br />
gid ha-nasheh or sciatic nerve) to this day, because he [Eisav’s guardian angel] struck<br />
Yaakov’s hip socket on the displaced sinew.” Rav Machlis this past week presented his<br />
Bein Adam La-chaveiro class with an insight from Da’at Zekeinim Mi-ba’alei ha-Tosfot.<br />
According to Tosafot the simple p’shat on why we are not allowed to eat the gid hanasheh<br />
is because the sons of Yisrael (a.k.a. Yaakov) did not eat the gid ha-nasheh in<br />
order to remember the miracle that their father was only injured. We also remember<br />
this miracle by not eating the gid ha-nasheh.<br />
But this is not the only answer that Tosafot give. In perek 32, pasuk 25, it states that,<br />
“Yaakov was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the break of the dawn.”<br />
Tosafot are troubled by the fact that Yaakov was traveling alone. How could Yaakov’s<br />
sons have been so negligent as to leave him alone at such a time? Yaakov is about to<br />
confront his twin brother Eisav, who has promised to kill Yaakov, yet Eisav’s guardian<br />
angel meets Yaakov alone! So really the reason we don’t eat the gid ha-nasheh is to<br />
remind us [we are also referred to as B’nei Yisrael] of the fact that we should not leave<br />
people alone. This is part of the mitzvah of Ve-ahavta le-re’acha kamocha (Parshat<br />
Kedoshim, 19:18); that you are to love your friend as yourself.
58<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Rav Machlis and his wife were once were invited to an engagement party. In the<br />
middle of the party the chatan got up to make a vow. The vow was that at every<br />
Shabbos meal he will have for the rest of his life at home, there will be a guest at his<br />
table. Three and a half years earlier the chatan had gotten divorced, and between<br />
then and his second marriage he was rarely invited out for Shabbos, so the chatan<br />
had eaten most of his Shabbos meals alone. Alone! I don’t understand how a<br />
respected man of the community would basically be forced to eat by himself.<br />
Clearly the chatan was hurt, and he therefore told himself he would never want<br />
anyone else in his community to feel the way he had felt during those three and<br />
half years.<br />
We find in the Zohar further proof on the importance of keeping someone<br />
company. There are 365 negative commandments in the Torah. According to the<br />
Zohar each mitzvah represents a day of the year. The prohibition of eating the gid<br />
ha-nasheh corresponds to Tisha B’av. Of all the commandments in the Torah why<br />
would this prohibition correspond to one of the saddest days of the year? The<br />
reason is that through our baseless hatred, which came from every person caring<br />
for himself rather than others, the Beit Ha-mikdash was destroyed.<br />
Every time the schochet does not cut off this part of the animal to sell, he and<br />
all of us are reminded that B’nei Yisrael – the children of Yaakov – left Yaakov<br />
alone! We as B’nei Yisrael cannot let this happen again. Rather, when we see that<br />
someone plans on eating a meal by himself, we should reach out to him and<br />
invite him into our house. Or, if there is someone we know is by themselves sick<br />
at home, we should go and visit them. It is up to us not to make the mistake that<br />
the sons of Yaakov made. By improving ourselves and not letting others we know<br />
be alone, we will make the world a better place and therefore get closer to the<br />
rebuilding of the Beit Ha-mikdash.
59<br />
Vayeishev<br />
A Short Diversion<br />
Gary Brown<br />
M y Rav, Rav Amos Luban would often say it is a shame how we learn the stories<br />
in Tanach at age 5, and maintain the same perception of them at age 15, 25, 35, etc.<br />
Sometimes, all it takes is a simple reading of the text to see that “something does not<br />
quite fit” which can lead us to new insights into Hashem’s Torah.<br />
At first glance, Parshat Vayeishev is the start of the epic story of Yosef in Egypt,<br />
preparing us for the slavery and redemption that follow in Sefer Shemot. However,<br />
there is a story in this week’s sidrah which seems to have nothing to do with the course<br />
of events.<br />
The parsha begins by telling us about how Yosef is sold, including the events leading<br />
up to the sale. (This is an important and often misunderstood section of the Torah, and<br />
it is important if one can, to look into and understand this section properly. However<br />
I wish to point out one thing here - the brothers were justified halachically [based<br />
on the facts they had and ancestral history] in deeming Yosef a threat and therefore<br />
trying to get rid of him.) Once Yosef is sold, we should be going straight into the story<br />
of Yosef in Egypt. However, the narrative is interrupted with the following story:<br />
Yehudah, after this episode, goes “down from his brothers” (38:1). Rashi says this<br />
means that they demoted him from being their leader. We learn about his marrying<br />
and having three sons. He takes a wife (Tamar) for his firstborn son (Er) who dies<br />
mysteriously. Due to the rule of yibum (marrying the brother of the deceased if no
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
children have been born – a practice not done today), Tamar is given to his<br />
second son (Onan) who also dies. Now, both his sons had died as a result of<br />
doing something they should not have, but Yehudah did not know this. What he<br />
did know was that there was a concept of a “cursed woman” who, if two husbands<br />
of hers die, one does not have to marry her (or marry his children to her) since<br />
she is considered cursed. Yehudah had a third son (Shelah) and he was worried<br />
Tamar was cursed. What Yehudah did was try and delay the marriage, telling her<br />
to stay but wait until Shelah was older and ready to get married.<br />
Now Tamar had received a prophecy that she was to have a child through someone<br />
in Yehudah’s family (and this child is in fact the line of Moshiach ben David).<br />
When Tamar sees after many years that Yehudah does not want her to marry<br />
Shelah, she realizes that she will have to trick Yehudah himself into creating a<br />
child with her. So when Yehudah’s wife has passed away she poses as a harlot and<br />
he consorts with her (not knowing it is her). Having no money to pay her, he<br />
leaves his signet ring and staff with her and goes off.<br />
When Tamar, three months later, is clearly pregnant, Yehudah orders her to be<br />
burnt for adultery. (Though she was not married to Shelah she was considered<br />
betrothed since they had not done yibum and so this would have been considered<br />
an act of adultery if it had been from someone other than Yehudah or Shelah.)<br />
Tamar does not say Yehudah did this (which would have saved her life and from<br />
which we learn (Sotah 10b) that “it is better to engage in a fiery death than to<br />
embarrass someone in public”), but says “By the man to whom these belong I<br />
am with child” (38:25) and she raises the ring and the staff. Yehudah could have<br />
been silent and let her die, but instead exclaims “She is more righteous than<br />
me” (38:26), since she was prepared to die rather than embarrass him. Tamar is<br />
allowed to live, married to Yehudah and they have twins. We then revert back to<br />
the story of Yosef.<br />
That is quite a diversion from a story. So what is it doing here?<br />
At this point in time a fascinating “battle” or “argument” is taking place. You see,<br />
Yehudah (because of what happened in the above story) becomes the archetypal<br />
“Ba’al Teshuvah” because he admitted in public what he did wrong and changed<br />
his behaviour. The story of Yosef continues with how he resisted temptation
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
of Potifar’s wife, and he became known as Yosef Ha-Tzaddik – the archetypal<br />
“Righteous Man” for having withstood temptation. The question being asked is<br />
– who should lead Bnei Yisrael, a tzaddik or a ba’al teshuva? Now we know that<br />
many sources discuss how what will happen is that Moshiach ben Yosef will come<br />
first and then eventually die, and the era of Moshiach will be lead by Moshiach<br />
Ben David (David himself came from Yehudah is also a model of a ba’al teshuva),<br />
and therefore we see that the ultimate leader of the Jewish people is someone who<br />
can maybe understand a bit more why and how people make mistakes in their<br />
avodat Hashem from a practical and not just theoretical perspective. However, at<br />
this point in the development of our nation, this question has not been resolved<br />
and so the Torah is contrasting the fortunes of the two potential bearers of<br />
Moshiach and that is why the story of Yehudah (and Tamar) is told at this point.
62<br />
Vayeishev<br />
People Say I’m a Dreamer, but I’m Not the Only One<br />
Elliot Gerson<br />
Y osef ’s dream at the beginning of the parsha seems odd: ,םי ִמּ ֻל ֲא םי ִמ ְלּ ַא ְמ וּנ ְח ַנ ֲא ה ֵנּ ִה ְו<br />
)ז:זל( יתִ ָמּ ֻל ֲא ַל ָןי ֶו ֲח תַּ ְשׁ תִּ ַו ,ם ֶכי ֵתֹמּ ֻל ֲא ה ָני ֶבּ ֻס ְת ה ֵנּ ִה ְו ;ה ָב ָצּ ִנ-ם ַג ְו ,י ִת ָמּ ֻל ֲא ה ָמ ָק ה ֵנּ ִה ְו ,ה ֶד ׂשָּ ַה ךְוֹת ְבּ.<br />
“Behold! We were binding sheaves in the middle of the field, when, behold – my sheaf<br />
arose and also stood; then behold – your sheaves gathered around and bowed down<br />
to mine” (37:7).<br />
From this pasuk, Yosef ’s brothers begin to get angry at him, eventually resulting in his<br />
kidnapping and sale to the Egyptians. We all grew up taking Yosef ’s side, but honestly,<br />
who would want to be around someone who said this to them? How effective can<br />
telling someone that you’re superior to them actually be? It sounds as though Yosef is<br />
being condescending!<br />
The Shem Mishmuel sites the following pasuk from Tehillim: םוּק ָי-י ִמוּ ;’ה-ר ַה ְב ה ֶל ֲע ַי-י ִמ<br />
וֹשׁ ְד ָק םוֹק ְמ ִבּ. “Who will go up to the mountain of Hashem, and who will stand in His<br />
holy place?” (24:3).<br />
The Maggid of Kozhnitz divides this verse into two sections: the pasuk refers to one<br />
who toils to be close to Hashem, and one who retains that closeness through times<br />
of struggle. The one who can constantly stay on the same high level is deemed a<br />
tzaddik, who can show everyone else how to overcome their hardships and stay close<br />
to Hashem. This was the meaning of Yosef ’s dream as well: his sheaf stood in the<br />
sense of the pasuk in Tehillim. Yosef ’s dream wasn’t one portraying his arrogance to
63<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
his brothers, but rather it was a sign for his brothers to see that he was to be an<br />
example of how to progress in avodat Hashem. Therefore, the physical “bowing<br />
down” in the pasuk can be overshadowed by the message that Yosef was supposed<br />
to be a spiritual light unto his brothers, rather than a mere superior.<br />
In Pirkei Avot we are taught, “בר ךל השע,“ “Make for yourself a teacher” (1:6). In<br />
Visions of the Fathers, Rabbi Twerski explains that this phrase doesn’t necessarily<br />
need to refer to somebody older, wiser, or of superior status. As long as you can<br />
learn from them and grow in your closeness to Hashem with them, they can<br />
be a teacher to you. This not only shows us that Yosef ’s brothers should have<br />
looked up to him, but as B’nei Yeshiva, although our Rebbeim are valuable and<br />
irreplaceable, we have to look no further than our classmates for inspiration.<br />
We learn from our Gemara in Berachot (27b), that in Rabban Gamliel’s Beit<br />
Midrash, his students were like warriors, sharpening each other with their Torah.<br />
It is my bracha that we can strive to do the same.
64<br />
Mikeitz<br />
The True Colors of Yoseph’s Dreams<br />
Rav Yehoshua Paltiel<br />
Y oseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamt about them )םהל(…" (42:9)<br />
The above sentence is translated according to Rashi’s explanation, that the word םהל<br />
means about them. However, Unkelus actually translates it literally: "to them" or "for<br />
them" – meaning on their behalf. Yoseph's dreams had been dreamt for the sake of the<br />
brothers? That would certainly fly in the face of the how the brothers themselves felt<br />
about the dreams and the dreamer, as well how most of us have understood Yoseph<br />
and his dreams. The conventional wisdom is that he was young, spoiled, conceited and<br />
insensitive, and he used his dreams to try to convince his brothers of his superiority.<br />
While this approach is backed up by some statements from our Sages and is found<br />
in some commentators (see Nechama Lebowitz on last week's parasha), one of my<br />
rabbis, Rabbi Sinai Adler shlit”a, presents us with a fresh look at Yoseph Hatzadik<br />
based on the Unkelus we brought above.<br />
One can ask a fundamental question about the dreams and their seeming centrality<br />
to the whole saga of Yoseph and his brothers (the Ramban, famously, greatly stresses<br />
in the beginning of last week’s parasha the centrality of the dreams): who needs<br />
them? If you removed the dreams Yoseph told his brother last week from the story,<br />
nothing would change. The brothers had already hated him, and it was only a matter<br />
of time before he would have said or done something to push them over the limit. At<br />
that point, our story would unfold as it did: Yoseph would be thrown into a pit, sold
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
down to Egypt, rise and fall and rise again. What do Yoseph’s nighttime mental<br />
meanderings add to our story?<br />
Rav Adler explains that there is a principle that when Hashem wants to bring<br />
some event or change into the world, he first brings it as a prophecy to a navi.<br />
As is known from Chazal in Masechet Sanhedrin, a prophecy for bad can change<br />
if those prophesied about repent. But a prophecy for good cannot be recalled<br />
and will come to fruition no matter what. Yoseph’s dreams were a prophecy<br />
of good tidings, and Hashem wanted them to come true, for they meant the<br />
survival of Yaakov Avinu and his household. As Yoseph himself later says in<br />
next week’s parasha, “And G-d sent me before you to enable you to survive upon<br />
the land and to keep you alive… (45:7). Rav Adler concludes, “According to this<br />
(explanation) it becomes clear that the dreams were in fact for the good of the<br />
brothers, and this is the explanation of “that he had dreamt on their behalf )םהל(,“<br />
for them and for their welfare.” Maybe Yoseph understood that his dreams were<br />
given to him as a sign that he would some day help his brothers and his father,<br />
and he shared those dreams in an unsuccessful attempt to end their animosity<br />
towards him.
66<br />
Mikeitz<br />
Straight to the Top<br />
Aaron Wengrofsky<br />
I t seems strange that a seventeen year old boy picked up from a pit would become<br />
a very powerful man in Egypt. Even after being thrown in jail, Yosef still manages<br />
to get taken out of jail by Pharaoh himself. How is Yosef able to climb the ladder of<br />
leadership so quickly?<br />
Rav Soloveitchik1 points out that there are several critical points in which the action<br />
seems to be directed by a mysterious character identified only as an “ish.” Ya’akov<br />
struggles with an ish (32:25) that Chazal identify as the angel of Esav. Later, Yosef ’s<br />
trials and tribulations begin with the help of a mysterious ish in Parshat Vayeishev. The<br />
pasuk (37:15) states, הדשב העת הנהו שיא והאצמיו, “A man discovered him, and behold!<br />
– he was wandering in the field.” This mysterious man led Yosef to his brothers, who<br />
subsequently started to plot ways to discard of Yosef. We find a similar term again in<br />
our parsha when the brothers tell Ya’akov about their difficulties in Egypt. The pasuk<br />
(42:30) states: ץראה תא םילגרמכ ונתא ןתיו תושק ונתא ץראה ינדא שיאה רבד,<br />
“The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and considered us as if we were<br />
spying out the land.” Again this mysterious man causes trouble for Yaakov’s family, as<br />
he calls the brothers spies, thereby leading them to have to bring Binyamin away from<br />
his father and to Egypt.<br />
1. Quoted in Darosh Darash Yosef, by Rav Avishai David.
67<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
In all these instances, the mysterious identity of the ish only raises the drama and<br />
even the fear of the unknown. Rav Soloveitchik explains that the Torah hides<br />
the identities of these “men” in order to emphasize that Hashem Himself was<br />
directing history and wanted these particular events to occur.<br />
Moreover, this is not the only time in Parshat Mikeitz where there is evidence<br />
of divine orchestration. Parshat Mikeitz begins with the pasuk, םיתנש ץקמ יהיו<br />
םלח הערפו םימי, “It happened at the end of two years to the day that Pharaoh had<br />
a dream.” In this instance, the Torah chooses to refer to the end of the period<br />
of time with the word keitz instead of sof. Typically, the word keitz signifies a<br />
catastrophic end to an era, and is often used with messianic undertones. However,<br />
sof implies termination and closure. In the context of this pasuk, keitz signifies the<br />
end of the period of suffering in Yosef ’s life. This shows that Yosef ’s life didn’t just<br />
happen, but rather was a long, convoluted process that was destined to be that<br />
way from Hashem. Furthermore, the pasuk states םימי םיתנש, which means exactly<br />
two years, and not םיתנש, which means approximately two years. This proves<br />
that because Hashem was ready for Yosef to begin his destined role as a great<br />
leader, his redemption needed to begin at that split second that Pharaoh started<br />
his dream. The dream of Pharaoh was the last step Yosef ’s journey to becoming<br />
a leader of a nation. However, according to Rav Soloveitchik, Pharaoh’s dream<br />
wasn’t really just a dream, but it was really a transformation. The pasuk states<br />
םלח הערפו, “Pharaoh was dreaming,” and does not say that Pharaoh dreamt. The<br />
fact that the Torah states this in the present tense, thereby describing the person<br />
and not the dream itself, is significant. It shows that Pharaoh became a dreamer,<br />
just like Yosef was a dreamer. Since Pharaoh was a dreamer exactly like Yosef, he<br />
was able to form a connection and level of trust with Yosef, as indicated by the<br />
pasuk (41:38) which states: וב םיהלא חור רשא שיא הזכ אצמנה וידבע לא הערפ רמאיו,<br />
“Pharaoh said to his servants ‘Could we find another like him-a man in whom is<br />
the spirit of God?’” Hashem’s handiwork made Pharaoh able to see that Yosef was<br />
not only a smart person, but a visionary.<br />
The story of Yosef has a glaring resemblance to the holiday which coincides with<br />
this parsha, Chanukah. The Chashmonaim were able to rise up against the Greeks
68<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
and against all odds, defeat them. After that, the Jews were able to return to<br />
serve Hashem in the Beit Hamikdash. This miracle could not have been possible<br />
without the helping hand of Hashem. It is Hashem who saw that Bnei Yisrael was<br />
in trouble, and that He needed to help them. Moreover, the famous miracle of the<br />
oil lasting for eight days instead of just one proves to be none other than Hashem’s<br />
handiwork, which shows that Hashem wanted us to resume the proper avodah in<br />
the Beit Hamikdash. Just like Yosef was destined, with Hashem’s help, to become<br />
a great leader, the Jews were destined to return to a state of religious freedom and<br />
serve Hashem in the holy Beit Hamikdash. From these two incredible stories, we<br />
learn about the incredible amount of trust we should have in Hashem, even when<br />
we find ourselves in difficult situations.
69<br />
Vayigash<br />
Memory, Emotion and Odor: Yosef’s Collapse<br />
S weet Smells and Chekov’s Gun<br />
The great Russian playwright, Anton Chekov, offered the following advice to an aspiring<br />
writer: “If in Act 1 you have a pistol hanging on the wall, then it must fire in the last act.”<br />
In other words, every detail introduced in a story must eventually play a crucial role in<br />
the plot. If this is true for human writers, all the more so it must be true for the ultimate<br />
Author.<br />
Let’s explore an astounding example of this principle by examining a detail in Yosef ’s story<br />
which on the surface seems almost entirely irrelevant, but in the end will take a central<br />
position in the narrative. In Parshat Vayeshev, Yosef is sold to a band of Yishma’eilim<br />
traveling by caravan to Mitzrayim. The Torah (37:25) goes out of its way to tell us exactly<br />
what these merchants carried with them: nechot u-tzri va-lot – spice mix, balsam and<br />
ladanum – all three of which are used in perfumes due to their intense fragrance. How<br />
does this detail play a role in the larger plot of Yosef ’s life? When does ‘Chekov’s gun’ fire?<br />
We will see that these perfumes do indeed take an important position in the plot. In<br />
order to appreciate this, let’s first explore the central enigma in the story – why does<br />
Yosef ’s self control crumble?<br />
Control and Crisis<br />
Rav Asher Friedman<br />
Yosef ’s greatness lies in his self-mastery and control. Potiphar’s wife attempts to seduce<br />
him, and he responds with cold, rational thought in this most emotional of circumstances.
70<br />
He sees the famine about to ravage Egypt and the rest of the Near East, and he<br />
immediately contrives an elaborate solution, exerting control over the entire<br />
population. From the moment he recognizes his brothers, he manipulates,<br />
controls, and tests them. Clearly, Yosef has a plan for his brothers, and as we<br />
enter Parshat Vayigash, we expect to discover the destination he has been pushing<br />
them to.<br />
However, at the beginning of our parsha, Yosef ’s plan suddenly unravels. In a<br />
volcanic eruption of emotion, Yosef loses control. First, a torrent of feeling still<br />
unready for words: “His voice went out in weeping, and all of Egypt heard” (45:2).<br />
Then, he manages to funnel his emotion into words: “I am Yosef. Does my father<br />
still live?” (45:3). Yosef is unmasked. Yosef ’s unmasking is not part of the plan – he<br />
intended to continue the manipulations. But something happens as Yehuda and<br />
the brothers confront him that overwhelms even Yosef ’s rational self-mastery.<br />
What happened? What triggered Yosef ’s lapse of control?<br />
The Gun Fires<br />
We reencounter the mysterious spices after decades have passed. Famine has<br />
swept Eretz Yisrael, and Yaakov sends his sons for a second time to fetch food<br />
from Mitzrayim. This time, it is a journey of trepidation, sending Binyamin to an<br />
uncertain fate at the demand of the manipulative viceroy. Yaakov tells his sons<br />
to go, and to appease the Egyptian ruler with a modest gift from the family’s<br />
remaining possessions: “This is what you must do: take of the land’s glory in<br />
your bags, and take a gift to the man – a bit of balsam, a bit of honey, spice mix,<br />
ladanum, pistachios, and almonds” (43:11). Three of the items Yaakov mentions<br />
as gifts to the mysterious ruler are the three fragrances that enveloped Yosef as<br />
he journeyed to his destiny as a slave in Egypt! Clearly, the reappearance of these<br />
fragrances is no coincidence. But what is their significance?<br />
Memory, Emotion, and Odor<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Brain science illuminates this mystery. Psychology has revealed a strong<br />
connection between smell, memory, and emotion. For example, the associations<br />
between particular odors and particular experiences, especially emotional
71<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
ones, do not weaken with time or later experiences (Lawless & Engen, 1977).<br />
So catching a whiff of the scent once worn by a lost loved one can reactivate<br />
intense feelings associated with that person. Odors can also bring back accurate<br />
memories of significant experiences linked with them. (Psychology, Bernstein,<br />
Penner, Clarke-Stewart, Roy)<br />
With this in mind, let us take a deeper look at Yosef. Yosef has, with God’s help,<br />
built himself into a dominant power in Egypt. He has changed his name, his<br />
mode of dress, and his spoken language. More deeply, he has chosen to forget. He<br />
names his first son Menashe, and he explains, “Ki nashani Elohim,” “For God has<br />
made me forget all of my suffering and the entire house of my father” (41:51). In<br />
the face of his success, why remain connected to such a painful past? Of course,<br />
intellectually, he recalls the events that led to his slavery in Egypt, but he has<br />
abandoned his emotional connection to them. And thus he is able to remain in<br />
control. He is able to stare his brothers in the face and maintain his disguise, and<br />
to see his family’s distress and continue to manipulate.<br />
But this time, when Yosef encounters his brothers, something is different. Though<br />
subtle and intangible, something lurks in the very air of the room, plunging him back<br />
into the intense grief, anger, sadness, yearning he had disconnected from so long<br />
ago. The smell of his betrayal, the odor of his terror and confusion as he was handed<br />
over by his brothers to the Ishmaelite merchants envelops him once again. His cold<br />
detachment vanishes and he, the master of control, is overwhelmed by emotion.<br />
This collapse of Yosef ’s control allows God’s control to take over. Instead of an<br />
elaborately constructed, manipulated climax, Yosef reunites with his brothers<br />
in a moment of shared weakness. The brothers’ weakness lies in their terror at<br />
the unpredictable power of this viceroy-turned-their-brother and their own<br />
shame at their long-ago betrayal. And Yosef ’s weakness is his inability to detach<br />
himself from the “amali u’beit avi,” his “suffering and all my father’s house,” that<br />
he thought he had escaped so long ago. It is in this moment of weakness and<br />
joint vulnerability that the reconciliation can begin. While the brothers plotted<br />
and Yosef contrived, God had His own vision of how to bring the brothers’<br />
relationship to equilibrium.
72<br />
Vayigash<br />
A Divine Guarantee<br />
Adam Goldberg<br />
I n Vayigash, this week’s parsha, after the series of events in which Joseph reveals<br />
himself to his brothers (see the Book of Genesis 45:3), he sends them back up from<br />
Egypt to tell their father Jacob that Joseph, whom he thought to have been dead for<br />
twenty-two years, is still alive (ibid. v. 26). Jacob is very excited to hear that his son<br />
was still alive, and immediately resolves to go visit him in Egypt (ibid. v. 28). After his<br />
resolution, he starts his descent to Egypt (ibid. 46:1), and on his way, offers sacrifices<br />
to God. Next (ibid. v. 2), God speaks to Jacob in a night vision (i.e., prophecy) and<br />
comforts him that it is not so bad he will be leaving, because He (God) will establish<br />
him – referring to Jacob/Israel – as a great nation there in Egypt (46:3), and God will<br />
be with him on his descent down to Egypt, and God will bring him up to the Land of<br />
Israel afterwards to be buried. Rashi (v. 4) points out that Jacob was distressed because<br />
he needed to leave the Land of Israel.<br />
This is not the first time that one of our forefathers has received a prophecy about<br />
leaving the Land of Israel. Let us compare Jacob’s prophecy with the prophecy of<br />
Abraham in the “covenant between the parts” )םירתבה ןיב תירב ; Genesis chapter 15).<br />
Two parallels can be noticed:
73<br />
Firstly, God tells Abraham:<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
--ם ָתֹא וּנּ ִע ְו ,םוּד ָב ֲע ַו ,ם ֶה ָל אלֹ ץ ֶר ֶא ְבּ ךָ ֲע ְר ַז ה ֶי ְה ִי ר ֵג-י ִכּ ע ַד ֵתּ ַעֹד ָי ,ם ָר ְב ַא ְל ר ֶמאֹיּ ַו<br />
.לוֹד ָגּ שׁ ֻכ ְר ִבּ ,וּא ְצ ֵי ן ֵכ-י ֵר ֲח ַא ְו ;י ִכֹנ ָא ן ָדּ ,וּדֹב ֲע ַי ר ֶשׁ ֲא יוֹגּ ַה-ת ֶא ם ַג ְו .ה ָנ ָשׁ ,תוֹא ֵמ ע ַבּ ְר ַא<br />
And He said to Abram, “Know with certainty that your offspring<br />
shall be sojourners in a land not their own, they will enslave them,<br />
and they will oppress them four hundred years. And also the nation<br />
that will enslave them, I shall punish, and afterwards they shall leave<br />
with great possessions.” (Gen. 15:13-14)<br />
Similarly, in our parsha, Jacob is told: ה ָד ְר ֵמ א ָרי ִתּ-ל ַא ;ךָי ִב ָא י ֵהלֹ ֱא ל ֵא ָה י ִכֹנ ָא ,ר ֶמאֹיּ ַו<br />
.ם ָשׁ ךָ ְמי ִשׂ ֲא לוֹד ָגּ יוֹג ְל-י ִכּ ,ה ָמ ְי ַר ְצ ִמ “And He said, “I am the God – God of your father.<br />
Do you not be afraid of descending to Egypt, for I shall establish you as a great<br />
nation there (Gen. 46:3). In both cases, God comforts the forefathers by promising<br />
that, at the end, the nation would end up benefiting from the experience, and<br />
would not stay in Egypt forever.<br />
Secondly, God tells Abraham: ה ָבוֹט ה ָבי ֵשׂ ְבּ ,ר ֵב ָקּ ִתּ :םוֹל ָשׁ ְבּ ,ךָי ֶתֹב ֲא-ל ֶא אוֹב ָתּ ה ָתּ ַא ְו; “And<br />
you shall come to your ancestors in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age<br />
(Gen. 15:15).” We read similarly in our parsha: ךָ ְל ַע ַא ,י ִכֹנ ָא ְו ,ה ָמ ְי ַר ְצ ִמ ךָ ְמּ ִע ד ֵר ֵא ,י ִכֹנ ָא<br />
.ךָי ֶני ֵע-ל ַע וֹד ָי תי ִשׁ ָי ,ף ֵסוֹי ְו ;הלֹ ָע-ם ַג; “I shall descend with you to Egypt, and I shall also<br />
surely bring you up; and Joseph shall place his hand on your eyes” (Gen. 46:4.<br />
On a personal level, the forefathers were promised that their lives would end<br />
peacefully.<br />
We can learn a lesson from here. The idea is that Hashem promised Abraham<br />
our forefather, that there would be tzoros in the beginning, but at the end, things<br />
worked out very well because everything else came true, and the same for Jacob.<br />
Therefore, whenever things are not going so well for us, we should look forward<br />
to the end and always stay happy, because if we are doing the right thing, Hashem<br />
will reward us in the end for the hard work. Therefore, םימשבש וניבא ינפלמ ןוצר יהי<br />
that we should all see the good in things and always be content and happy with<br />
what we have, to notice all the miracles that Hashem does for us every single<br />
second and that we are Jewish – ונ ֵת ׁשָּ ֻר ְי ה ָפ ָיּ ה ַמ ,וּנ ֵל ָרוֹגּ םי ִע ָנּ ה ַמ ,וּנ ֵק ְל ֶח בוֹטּ ה ַמ ,וּני ֵר ְשׁ ַא –<br />
“We are fortunate, how good is our portion, how pleasant our lot, how beautiful<br />
our heritage!”
74<br />
Vayechi<br />
So What is So Bad About Artscroll<br />
Rav Dudi Winkler<br />
A n English summary will follow the Hebrew<br />
הרותה םוגרת ,אוה – תבטב ’י תינעת הרזגנ םתובקעבש ,לארשי םעל ועריאש םישקה תוערואמה דחא<br />
.תינוויל<br />
ימיב תינוי הרותה הבתכנ תבטב הנומשב“ :ולא םילימב ערואמה תא ראתמ ’ב ,’בקת ןמיסב ע”ושה<br />
.”םימי השלש םלועב ךשח היהו ךלמה ימלת<br />
םיעבש סניכש ךלמה ימלתב השעמ ,אינתד“ :ערואמבש סנה תא תראתמ הליגמ תכסמב ארמגה<br />
דחאו דחא לכ לצא סנכנו ןסניכ המ לע םהל הליג אלו , םיתב םינשו םיעבשב ןסינכהו ,םינקז םינשו<br />
תעדל ןלוכ ומיכסהו .הצע דחאו דחא לכ בלב ה”בקה ןתנ .םכבר השמ תרות יל ובתכ :םהל רמאו<br />
.”תחא<br />
חסונ ואיצוהו םייוניש םתואל ונויכ דחי םלוכ .םימכחה וכרעש םייוניש ›גי לע תרפסמ ארמגה<br />
תא הרותב ונישו תחא העדל ונוויכש סנל וכז םלוכ .ודבל בשי דחא לכש פ»עא ,הרותל דיחא ינווי<br />
.ימלתב עוגפל ויה םילולעש וא הנומאב תועטהל םילולעש תומוקמה<br />
ל"זח ח"אבהו ס"תחה תעדלש דועב ,תינוויל הרותה םוגרת לע םינעתמ ונא אלה :םיאלפומ םירבדהו<br />
םינקזה םוגרתב עריאש יסינהו אלפומה ערואמה ללגב אקוד ,תינוויל הרותה תא םגרתל ורשפא<br />
.ךלמה ימלתל<br />
ןיא :יתוברמ דחאמ הפי ןויער יתעמש ?םימצ ונא הללגבש הרותה םוגרתב היעבה ןכ םא יהמ<br />
,םגרתל ,שרפל ,הרות תוברהל ןינע שי ."םש ילהאב ןוכשיו תפיל םיקולא תפי" .ומצע םוגרתב היעב<br />
םיראבמ םימכחה רשאכ !היפכ ךותמ עבונ םוגרתה רשאכ ,איה היעבה .שרוד לכל הרותה תא שיגנהל<br />
לכ ,הייפכב הרותה תא שרפל םיעבתנ םה רשאכ ךא ,היעב ךכב ןיא ,תונוש םינפ םיעבשב הרותה תא
75<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
הליחתמ ןאכ – ךלמב עגפי םוגרתה אמש ,הפי עמשיי אל םוגרתה אמש ,דחפ ךותמ ,ורדחב דחא<br />
.רתויב הלודגה היעבה<br />
ךכב לבא ,ימלת ידי לע התיממ ולצינ ךכו יונישה ותוא תא םלוכ ונישו ונוויכש סנל וכז םימכח<br />
תושעל םוקמב תישונאה ותבשחמו םדאה ידי לע הסנאנ הרותה .הרותב הרומח העיגפ ועגפ םג<br />
.םדאה תא םמורלו עיפשהל ,ליצאהל – ךפהה תא<br />
דוסו שרד ,זמר ,טשפ – םידבר העבראו םינפ םיעבש םנשי – הרותה טשפ לע הישוק ונל שי םא<br />
ילואו רתוי םימכח ונחנא ילוא יכ בושחל ונל לא ךא ,הרותל דובכ ךותמ תונעלו ראבל תנמ לע<br />
."תישארב ארב םיקולא" רמול ןוכנ רתוי<br />
ךותמש בושחל ונל לאו םימכח תנומא ךותמ ,הוונע ךותמ תויהל הכירצ הרותל ונלש השיגה<br />
אוה – הזכש יוניש .הרותב ןטק טרפ ולו תונשל ונא םיכירצ – םיוגה יניעב תופייתהל ךרוצה<br />
תכיפה – הרותה תוכזב דמוע ולוכ םלועה םא ןכש ,םלועה תכשחהו שדקמה ןברוחל חתפה<br />
.ונברוח תישאר והז – םלועל הרותה תפפכהו רדסה<br />
הרהמב ונשדקמ תיב הנביו ןומדקה אטחה ןקותי ,הנומאו הוונעב הרות דומיל ךותמש ,ןוצר יהי<br />
.ונימיב<br />
One of the tragedies that we fast about on Asara Be-Tevet is the translation of<br />
the Torah into Greek. The Gemara relates that Talmai Ha-melech forced 72<br />
Chachamim to independently translate the entire Torah. Miraculously, they all<br />
provided identical translations, despite the fact that they incorporated 13 changes<br />
from the original text in order to preclude the possibility that the Torah would be<br />
misinterpreted or that Talmai would be offended.<br />
Why should this be a reason to fast? What was so bad about this incident? In fact,<br />
some poskim write that the miraculous Divine assistance that the Chachamim<br />
merited in this story is proof that it is permitted to translate the Torah into other<br />
languages!<br />
I heard the following idea from one of my rabbis: There is no inherent problem<br />
with translating the Torah into Greek or any other language. In fact, translating the<br />
Torah can be helpful in making it more accessible to as many people as possible.
76<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
The problem is when we are forced to translate the Torah, and to translate it to<br />
someone else’s liking. The Chachamim merited a miracle which possibly saved<br />
them from death, but the honor of Torah was greatly damaged.<br />
There are many legitimate ways to interpret Torah, but the fundamental attitude<br />
with which we approach Torah must be one of humility. Human beings should<br />
not think that they know better, and tailor the Torah to match their sensitivities;<br />
rather, they should tailor their own sensitivities to the values of the Torah, and<br />
thereby allow the Torah to purify and uplift them. The Torah’s values stand on<br />
their own merit and we have no need to alter them in order to look good in the<br />
eyes of other people.
77<br />
Vayechi<br />
Ephraim and Menashe – What’s Their Deal?<br />
Jonathan Tepp<br />
I n this week’s parsha, we are told the famous story of Ephraim and Menashe<br />
and Yaakov’s crisscrossing hands when he blessed them, putting his right hand on<br />
Ephraim and his left hand on Menashe. One level of understanding this episode is<br />
Rashi’s famous explanation, that Ephraim was destined to be the greater one because<br />
Yehoshua was destined to come from him, whereas Menashe would produce Gideon,<br />
who was one of the great Judges of Israel but who was not as great as Yehoshua (Rashi<br />
to 48:19).<br />
The Netziv, in his famous commentary Ha’amek Davar (48:14), asks why Yaakov<br />
could not simply have switched around the boys and had Ephraim on his right and<br />
Menashe on his left and thus would not have needed to crisscross his hands. Surely<br />
crisscrossing his hands was unnecessary? The Netziv further points out that in Parshat<br />
Bamidbar in the first census of the Jewish people in the desert, Ephraim appears first,<br />
just like in our parsha (48:20); however, in Parshat Pinchas, in the second census of the<br />
Jews in the desert, Menashe appears first!<br />
The Netziv gives a very interesting answer. He says that Ephraim excelled at Torah<br />
learning and spiritual matters, whereas Menashe excelled in the ways of the world<br />
(“halichot olam”) by being actively involved in the world, such as involving himself<br />
with the needs of the Jewish community. With this understanding, we can now<br />
understand the censuses in Sefer Bamidbar. The first census was during the era when<br />
the Mishkan was established and the Jewish people lived a supernatural existence, so
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
it made sense that Ephraim, who was great in Torah and spiritual matters, should<br />
come first. The census in Parshat Pinchas was right before the Jews would enter<br />
the Land of Israel where they would have to live a day-to-day existence without<br />
miracles, so it made sense that Menashe should be listed first since he specialized<br />
in day-to-day existence by being the “do-ers” and actively involving themselves<br />
with the needs of the community and the world.<br />
The Netziv also brings this understanding of Ephraim and Menashe back to the<br />
crisscrossed b’racha of Yaakov. The head represents knowledge and spirituality,<br />
so by Yaakov putting his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it symbolized Ephraim’s<br />
superiority in Torah knowledge and spirituality. On the other hand, Yaakov<br />
specifically wanted Menashe on his right side by his right leg, because the<br />
leg symbolizes the halichot olam, the day-to-day involvement in the world by<br />
involving oneself with the needs of the community and thereby making the world<br />
a better place.<br />
It is interesting that the Netziv (48:20) actually derives which of these praiseworthy<br />
traits is more important according to the Torah; this would be Ephraim’s trait<br />
of Torah and spirituality, because as the pasuk says, “השנמ ינפל םירפא תא םשיו, ”<br />
Yaakov put Ephraim before Menashe. This indicates that Torah and spirituality<br />
come before being a “do-er”. Nonetheless, Ephraim and Menashe teach us that<br />
both qualities are very important to possess, and thus both merited the b’racha<br />
that Yaakov gave them. May it be Hashem’s will that we and our children possess<br />
these noble qualities of Ephraim and Menashe, and will thus truly fulfill the<br />
b’racha of השנמכו םירפאכ םיהלא ךמשי.
79<br />
Shemot<br />
םוגרת דחאו ארקמ םינש<br />
In honor of Mr. Ephrayim Naiman’s 50 th birthday<br />
May you be zocheh to a long life filled with the kedusha of Torah and Ma’asim Tovim!<br />
Ad Meah v’Esrim!<br />
תומש רפס affords us a new opportunity to re-dedicate ourselves to an age old Jewish<br />
tradition of “ת“ומש“, םוגרת דחאו ארקמ םינש.<br />
Rav Boaz Mori<br />
A number of commentators point out various remazim found in our first pasuk that<br />
allude to the fulfillment of this important halacha.<br />
One example is: ”תומש הלאו“ – םוגרת דחאו ארקמ םיינש השרפה דומלל םדא בייחו<br />
Rav Chaim Yosef David Azulai, known as the “Chida” adds the word “ינב“<br />
.הנארקי הינוגנ הימעטב ,םוגרת דחאו ארקמ םינש ,השרפה ארקל םדא בייחו ,<br />
The Ba’al HaTurim includes even more of the pasuk, ”לארשי ינב תומש הלאו“:<br />
םלועל םיכורא תובר םינש היחי רישי םיענ לוקב םוגרת דחאו ארקמ םינש ,רדה דמול רשא םדאו<br />
The source for this weekly obligation is found in Masechet Berachot 8(a,b):<br />
םינש רובצה םע ויתוישרפ םדא םילשי םלועל ימא יבר רמא הדוהי רב אנוה בר רמא<br />
םע ויתוישרפ םילשמה לכש )ג ,בל רבדמב( ןובידו תורטע וליפאו םוגרת דחאו ארקמ<br />
.ויתונשו וימי ול ןיכיראמ רובצה
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
… a person should always complete his (own) parsha (learning)<br />
together with the tzibbur reading the pesukim twice and the Targum<br />
(Aramaic translation) once – even (the words) Atarot and Divon<br />
(names of cities)… for anyone who completes the parsha with the<br />
tzibbur ‘will merit a long life’.<br />
The statement of the Gemara has two parts: a) The scope of the obligation and,<br />
b) The reward for its fulfillment.<br />
Regarding its scope – one must even include ןובידו תורטע! The mefarshim argue<br />
why these two words were chosen: According to Rashi, even though there is no<br />
Targum, one must read the words a third time in Hebrew.<br />
Tosefot argue that if Rashi is correct, the Gemara should have simply chosen<br />
Reuven and Shimon as examples of words without a Targum. Rather, Atarot and<br />
Divon were chosen since there is a lesser known Targum (Yerushlami) that exists<br />
and should be used instead of our Targum. (In fact, it appears that in our version<br />
of Onkelos, the Targum Yerushalmi has already been substituted…)<br />
The Aruch Ha-Shulchan quotes Rabbeinu Bachya that the original names of<br />
the cities are names of avoda zara. Therefore, we may have thought not to read<br />
the Targum at all, so the Gemara tells us that, nevertheless, their translation must<br />
be read as well.<br />
The Torah Temima returns to the text of the Gemara and asks on everyone else –<br />
why assume that the Gemara is focusing on the ’םוגרת דחא‘ of Atarot and Divon?<br />
The chiddush is that we need to do ’ארקמ םינש‘! The entire pasuk beginning<br />
with the words ןובידו תורטע is not at all necessary to understand the flow of the<br />
narrative, and therefore it must be taught that the pasuk is in included in ת“ומש.<br />
Regarding the Gemara’s ‘segula’ for a long life the Kaf HaChaim writes (265/4):<br />
A person should not read ת“ומש in order to receive a long life. Rather, to fulfill a<br />
mitzvah, read ת“ומש as it says
81<br />
”ךיפב ’ה תרות היהת ןעמל”, that the Torah should be in your mouth, and ךבבלבו ךיפב“<br />
“ ’וכו ותושעל in your mouths and heart to do, and “םהיפב המיש לארשי ינב תא הדמלו“,<br />
teach it to Bnei Yisrael – place it in their mouths! Do this and Hashem will grant<br />
you a long life in any event!<br />
It is quoted in the name of Rav Mordechai Eliyahu that it is a mistake for bnei<br />
Torah to belittle ת“ומש thinking that reading through the parsha is a waste of<br />
valuable time that can be spent learning the depths of Torah. Firstly, it is an<br />
obligation codified in the Rambam and Shulchan Aruch. And with regard to the<br />
amount of time ‘wasted’, Chazal promise a long life in return…<br />
Why, indeed, is the mitzvah of “ת“ומש“ connected to the parsha of ’תומש’?<br />
Perhaps the secret lies in the eternal connection of the Jewish people to lashon<br />
ha-kodesh.<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
When Bnei Yisrael lived in Eretz Yisrael their spoken language was Hebrew.<br />
The beginning of Sefer Shemot marks a new era for the Nation of Israel away<br />
from their homeland and immersed in a very different culture with a foreign<br />
language… Chazal understood that the galut could threaten our eternal bond<br />
with the language of our forefathers and therefore stressed that, in all places and<br />
for all-time, to fulfill the weekly obligation of completing the parsha we must<br />
read mikra twice and Targum only once, highlighting the importance of lashon<br />
ha-kodesh!<br />
Moshe Rabbeinu makes a dramatic return to Mitzraim with the words, דקפ“<br />
“יתדקפ uttered in lashon ha-kodesh, revealing him as redeemer of Israel. In the<br />
same vein, Chazal reveal to us that the Jewish people merited leaving Egypt<br />
because we did not change our names, our dress or… our language.
82<br />
Shemot<br />
What It Means To Grow Up<br />
Yossi Kashnow<br />
I n the second perek of תומש תשרפ, we read about the birth of Moshe Rabbeinu.<br />
The Torah describes how Moshe was put into a basket in the river, how he was drawn<br />
from the water by הערפ‘s daughter, and how he then became a prince of Egypt.<br />
The Torah talks about Moshe being nursed by a Jew, and then being brought to תב<br />
הערפ. There the Torah says, ”דליה לדגיו“ (2:10). In the next pasuk, The Torah goes on<br />
to say, “השמ לדגיו“, and Moshe grew up. This is the first time in the Torah where לדגיו<br />
is followed by a name. The previous two times, it talks about קחצי‘s bris, and then<br />
when קחצי became rich and famous. Why wasn’t קחצי‘s name included in the phrase<br />
and what did Moshe do that made the pasuk say השמ לדגיו, instead of דליה?<br />
When the Torah talks about קחצי, it was not the work of קחצי that caused ”לדגיו“, it<br />
was all the work of Hashem and Avraham. So what did Moshe do here that shows his<br />
own work? The answer to this question becomes clear when one reads the rest of the<br />
קוספ. The קוספ reads, השמ לדגיו, and Moshe grew up, ויחא לא אציו, and he went out to<br />
his brothers, םתלבסב אריו, and he saw their burden.<br />
Moshe Rabbeinu, the prince of Egypt, who had no reason to get involved with the<br />
Jewish slaves, left his world, the world of comfort that he enjoyed as a prince in הערפ‘s
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palace. He went out to the fields, where the Jewish people were working as slaves,<br />
and he identified with their burdens. He felt what they were feeling. And as the<br />
קוספ goes on to tell us, he immediately jumped into action to protect one of his<br />
brothers.<br />
From this explanation, we see what it really means to grow up. A child feels that<br />
the whole world revolves around only him and no one else. A true sign of really<br />
growing up is when one recognizes that they are not just an individual on a<br />
remote island. We have to realize that each one of us is part of a great community.<br />
הזל הז םיבירע לארשי לכ, all Jews are responsible for each other.<br />
A boy once visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe together with his parents to get a bracha<br />
before the boy’s upcoming bar mitzvah. After the Rebbe had blessed and advised<br />
the boy and his parents, they were getting ready to leave when the Rebbe asked<br />
the boy a very surprising question.<br />
“Are you a sports fan?” asked the Rebbe.<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
“Yes,” answered the boy, “I am a baseball fan.”<br />
“Tell me about baseball,” said the Rebbe. “Well,” responded the boy, “My father<br />
and I went to a professional baseball game. It was great. But our team was<br />
losing by a lot of runs late in the game, so we left before it was over.”<br />
“Did the players leave as well?” asked the Rebbe.<br />
The boy answered with a smile, “Of course not. The players would never leave<br />
before the game is over. They always finish the game no matter what the score<br />
is. If the players leave early, the team must forfeit the entire game.”<br />
The boy continued, “We left because we are not players. We are fans and fans,<br />
can leave whenever they want.”<br />
“Interesting,” observed the Rebbe, “fans can leave, but players must stay.”<br />
We can learn a very important lesson about Avodas Hashem from this story.<br />
We can approach our G-d given mission in life, to make this world a dwelling<br />
place for holiness, like a fan, or like a player.<br />
If you approach it as a fan, then you give up and leave when the going gets tough.
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But a player never gives up. A player knows that he can never quit, no matter how<br />
bad he may feel he is doing.<br />
By applying this baseball analogy, we could say that every Jew is a team member,<br />
and has to give it their all. No one can leave the work undone. But there is one<br />
major difference. In baseball, there is always one team that comes out a loser.<br />
In Judaism, there are only winners.<br />
בלה תובשחמ
85<br />
Va’eira<br />
A Divine Wedding<br />
Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
T he Gemara in Eruvin (54a) records a bit of sagely advice that Shmuel offered<br />
to Rav Yehuda: “Chatof ve’ekhol, chatof ve’ishti d’alma d’azlinan minei kehilula dami.”<br />
Quickly grab and eat, quickly grab and drink for the world we are departing is like a<br />
wedding. The statement is curious and odd. What does it mean that “the world is like<br />
a wedding”? Rashi explains that Shmuel was advising Rav Yehuda to enjoy this world.<br />
Life goes by quickly like a wedding which can hastily pass you by. At weddings, before<br />
you know it the smorgasbord is taken away, your plate is cleared, the dancing is over,<br />
and you find yourself hard pressed to account for the past four to five hours of your<br />
life. All you think about is, “How did I miss the carved meat station?” Some of us put<br />
off sampling life’s bounties, we save for the rainy day but as a result we fail to enjoy<br />
today’s sunshine… before we know it, it is too late. This is the lesson the Gemara<br />
was imparting to us – that which the Torah permits us to enjoy ought to be received<br />
willingly and gladly.<br />
There is another explanation I once saw from Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm (based upon<br />
a hasidic interpretation) that helps elucidate this obscure passage as well as shed much<br />
light on our travels through life. He wrote:
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
At a wedding there is much going on: food is eaten, drink is<br />
imbibed… there is dancing to music and camaraderie and posing<br />
for photographers and admiring floral arrangements… a great deal<br />
of motion and activity. All of it is enjoyable and exciting. However,<br />
all of this is meaningful only if there is a groom and a bride and if he<br />
says to her harai at mekudeshet li. If there should be no harai at, if<br />
there should be no act of marriage, then all the rest makes no sense;<br />
it is a matter of going through grotesque, empty emotions. Then the<br />
guests have come in vain, the eating is gluttony, the comradeship<br />
is irrelevant, the toasting is a meaningless gesture, the dancing is<br />
weird. With the harai at everything makes sense; without it nothing<br />
does.<br />
So it is with life itself. It is filled with all kinds of diverse activities<br />
of every description. We work, make money, spend it, socialize,<br />
build families, join groups, experience joy and sadness. Does all<br />
this make sense? Does it have any meaning? The answer is the world<br />
is kehilula dami, like a wedding. If we are conscious throughout<br />
all of these activities of the ultimate purpose, of the goal, then<br />
that purpose unifies all our deeds and gives them meaning and<br />
inspiration. Without that purpose, we merely go through motions<br />
that are incoherent, dull, and utterly insignificant.<br />
What is that ultimate purpose? Rav Shlomo Ephrayim of Prague, better know as<br />
the Kli Yakar, explained that the fourth description of redemption (lashon geula),<br />
“velakakhti etkhem li,” is the culmination and ultimate purpose of the three<br />
previous descriptions of redemption. With that statement of velekakhti God<br />
made His intention known to the Jewish nation: “I am interested in marrying<br />
you.” And, marry us He did. Much like when the groom says to the bride “harai<br />
at mekudeshet li,” he betroths her, so too Hashem has betrothed the Jewish people<br />
when he declared, “v’erastikh li le’olam (Hosea chap. II).” It is this wedding of God<br />
and the Jewish people, an intensely close and loyal relationship that is realized<br />
through talmud Torah and adherence to mitzvot, that suffuses life with its ultimate
87<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
purpose. If that purpose, our engagement to God, dominates our psyche and is<br />
paramount in our consciousness then all else fits into the picture of a meaningful<br />
life. Without it, our life is like a wedding party without the groom and bride,<br />
without the wedding - just a party. A life completely and utterly distorted.<br />
Our pursuits, achievements, and accomplishments are meaningful and enduring<br />
only if they are calibrated towards that ultimate purpose of dedication to Torah<br />
and the engagement of God to the people of Israel. We are invited to partake in<br />
and enjoy life’s legitimate pleasures but it will serve us well to remember that we<br />
are at a wedding.
88<br />
Va’eira<br />
Three Steps<br />
Yiriel Liss<br />
T he Netivot Shalom quotes the Maharal (Gevurot Hashem 52) who teaches that in<br />
taking us out of Mitzrayim thousands of years ago, Hashem was looking to the future.<br />
He was eyeing each and every one of us; the ge’ula was not just for the generation<br />
that Chazal say fell to the lowest level of tum’ah. Hashem did it for them, but for us<br />
too. He did it for all of the people that He saw would be the future of Am Yisrael.<br />
However, why did Hashem need to seemingly torture the Mitzrim so much? Why was<br />
it necessary for all of the ten plagues; wouldn’t Makkat Bechorot have sufficed?<br />
There’s a quote in the Haggada for Pesach in which Rabbi Yehuda breaks down the<br />
plagues into categories : ב”חאב ש”דע ך”צד :םינמיס םהל ןתונ היה הדוהי יבר. Why does Rabbi<br />
Yehuda feel the need to put the makkot into categories? The Netivot Shalom explains<br />
that there is an inherent significance to each and every one of the plagues, and that<br />
there is also a reason for the categorization. There are three different aspects of life<br />
that the makkot were affecting. One section of plagues affected the Egyptians from<br />
beneath the ground )םיניכ ,עדרפצ ,םד(, one on the ground’s surface )ןיחש ,רבד ,בורע(, and<br />
one affected the Egyptians from above the ground, from the heavens ),ךשח ,הברא ,דרב<br />
תורוכב(.<br />
Hashem shows His might over all of the domains, to prove Pharaoh (who said אל<br />
’ה תא יתעדי( wrong. Pharaoh denies not only Hashem’s sovereignty over the world, but<br />
he simply denies any existence of God. Therefore, the first makka of each category<br />
comes to prove to the entire world that Hashem indeed exists. Regarding םד, the first
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
plague of the first set, Hashem says “ה ינא יכ עדת תאזב“ (7:17), that through this<br />
plague, everyone will know who Hashem is. Through this plague, Hashem proves<br />
His might over everything beneath the earth’s surface. Regarding בורע , the first<br />
plague in the second set, Hashem says, “ץראה ברקב ’ה ינא יכ עדת ןעמל“ (8:18), that<br />
through this plague Hashem will be proven to exist throughout the land. Hashem,<br />
in this set of plagues, proves His might over everything upon this earth. Finally,<br />
when the Torah speaks about דרב, we see Hashem say, “לכב ינמכ ןיא יכ עדת רובעב<br />
ץראה“ (9:14), that not only does Hashem rule over the land, but there is no one<br />
like Him anywhere. Throughout this final, severe, group of plagues, Hashem<br />
shows His sovereignty over everything in the atmosphere, and high above.<br />
In serving Hashem, we understand that there are three basic types of faith that<br />
we can have in Him. There is the faith in the brain, where we think that it makes<br />
sense, so we believe in God. There is faith in one’s heart, where we truly believe<br />
that Hashem exists, regardless of anything that doesn’t make sense. The third<br />
and highest level is where not only do you believe it in your heart, but you feel<br />
it within each and every bone in your body. Your whole being resonates with<br />
avodat Hashem, and living out the segula that is inherently inside of you through<br />
serving God.<br />
This is comparable to the three sets of plagues. One could have tried to explain<br />
the first se as nature or as tricks of a great magician. Therefore, since the plagues<br />
can be understood by the human brain, this would not convince anyone of God.<br />
The second set, which started to make people feel that maybe God did exist, could<br />
make them feel some fear in their hearts, but nothing that would make their<br />
insides wither. However, the third and final set of plagues, convinced everyone<br />
around that Hashem was the real deal, that He was the Almighty who rules over<br />
everything.<br />
After reaching the 49th level of tum’ah in Mitzrayim, through all of Hashem’s<br />
miracles, Bnei Yisrael finally reached the highest level of faith in Hashem. They felt<br />
it throughout their whole bodies, and this culminated in Yam Suf, and the Song<br />
that the Jews sang to Hashem, proclaiming His greatness. They had actualized<br />
their potential and became as close to God as they could get.
90<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
When the Netziv finished his work called Ha’amek She’ala, he made a big siyyum<br />
at which he told a story about himself as a young boy. The young Netziv wasn’t<br />
learning so well, and one night he heard his parents speaking about what would<br />
happen to him. His father said, “Maybe we should just take Naftali out of school,<br />
and he will make himself a living.” Naftali burst into tears and ran down the steps,<br />
saying, “Tatte! Tatte! I promise I’ll learn well.” Of course, the rest is history. Now,<br />
if this had never happened, he would have been a great Jew. But when he went<br />
to Shamayim, he would have been asked where about all of the sefarim that he<br />
was supposed to write. He would have had no answer, and he would have been<br />
confused. “What sefarim?” Hashem doesn’t hold us to the standard of being a<br />
great person. He holds us to being the best person that we can be, and fulfilling<br />
our potential to the ultimate. When we get to Shamayim, we will be asked if we<br />
fulfilled our true potential. Without a moment’s hesitation, we should be able<br />
to say yes. We should have lived our lives to the fullest, with the highest level of<br />
emuna in Hashem.<br />
May we be zocheh to reach this highest level of faith in Hashem, and not only<br />
believe, but act upon our beliefs. May we act on the segula, the unbridled<br />
potential, that is bursting forth from each one of us, and through this be worthy<br />
of Mashiach, and לארשי תרות םע לארשי ץראב לארשי םע.
91<br />
Bo<br />
Pyramid Scheme<br />
Rav Michael Cytrin<br />
P arshat Bo presents the dramatic climax of the epic struggle between Moshe<br />
and his arch-nemesis, Pharoah. We are first introduced to Moshe at the beginning<br />
of Shemot, and week after week, as we learn the Chumash, we watch him grow from<br />
infancy, to young adulthood as an “ish Mitzri” (Shemot 2:19) until he perfects himself<br />
and becomes the prototype of an “eved Hashem” (see Devarim 34:5).<br />
But who is Pharaoh? What motivates him to subjugate an entire nation?<br />
Perhaps we can gain a clue into his essence if we better understand why the Egyptians<br />
call their dictator by the name “Pharaoh.” What does this word mean?<br />
When Moshe and Aharon first approach Pharaoh about releasing Am Yisrael from<br />
bondage, Pharaoh says: “וישעממ םעה תא ועירפת ןרהאו השמ המל“ (Shemot 5:4), “Why,<br />
Moshe and Aharon, do you disturb the people from its work?” The word “tafriyu”<br />
has the same consonants as the word “Pharaoh.” In explaining Pharaoh’s statement,<br />
Rashi says: “...םתכאלממ םתוא וקיחרתו ולידבת,“ “You separate and distance them from<br />
their labor.”<br />
In other words, the root pei-reish-ayin means “to distance,” “to separate,” or “to push<br />
far away.”<br />
I would like to suggest that this encapsulates Pharaoh’s essence. In Egyptian society,<br />
Pharaoh claimed that he was a god. Before the plague of turning the Nile into blood,
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
Hashem tells Moshe to go at the beginning of the day to the Nile and speak to<br />
Pharaoh. Why meet him there and not in the palace? Rashi (Shemot 7:15) tells us<br />
that Pharaoh would go to the Nile in the morning to take care of his bodily needs<br />
but wanted to conceal this fact from his subjects because “ה-ולא ומצע השע,“ he<br />
portrayed himself as a deity.<br />
The pyramid is an appropriate symbol of Egyptian society. Pharaoh is perched<br />
at the pinnacle with a small layer of privileged aristocracy underneath him. And<br />
the entire structure rests on the backs of the lowly masses, who in turn sit on<br />
the lowest level of slaves. Imagine a slave engaging the mighty Pharaoh in civic<br />
conversation—impossible to conceive! For Pharaoh, the masses of people were<br />
his personal chattel, property to be used as he pleased and to be discarded when<br />
no longer useful. All of Egyptian society was geared to ensuring the comfort and<br />
pleasure of the Pharaoh and his family and those whom he favored. There is an<br />
unbridgeable gap between Pharaoh and the subjects he rules. How appropriate<br />
then, that Pharoah’s name means “distance” or “separation.”<br />
Contrast this modality of tyrannical rule with the servant-leadership displayed<br />
by Moshe. Rather than cynically using his position to rule others, Moshe made<br />
the incredible claim that he never personally benefited from his role as leader: “אל<br />
יתאשנ םהמ דחא רומח“ (Bamidbar 16:15), “I have not taken even a single donkey<br />
from them!”<br />
Moreover, Moshe saw his own destiny as being intimately tied to the future of<br />
his people. When threatened with annihilation, Moshe not only courageously<br />
defends them, he is willing to die to protect them! “’ה ינפ תא השמ לחיו“ (Shemot<br />
32:11). The Gemara in Berachot 32b gives six different interpretations of this<br />
phrase. One of them is Shmuel’s statement that “םאו רמאנש ,םהילע התימל ומצע רסמ<br />
ךרפסמ אנ ינחמ ןיא“ – Moshe was willing to die defending them, as the verse says: “if<br />
not, then wipe me out from your book” (Shemot 32:32).<br />
Significantly, Hashem also sees Moshe’s leadership as being intrinsically connected<br />
with the destiny of Am Yisrael. When faced with the Chet Ha-egel, Hashem says<br />
to Moshe— “דר ךל“ – “go and descend” (Shemot 32:7). The Gemara in Berachot<br />
32a explains: Hashem said to Moshe: Descend from your position of leadership.<br />
I only gave you greatness in order to better serve Am Yisrael.
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This concept of a servant-leader, one who is willing to defend his people from<br />
destruction and even give his life for them, was totally unheard of in the ancient<br />
world. The norm then, and even today in many societies, is of a “Pharaoh” –<br />
privileged, inaccessible and all-powerful.<br />
May we merit to have leaders like Moshe Rabbeinu – selflessly dedicating<br />
themselves to the betterment of their nation.
94<br />
Bo<br />
Pursuing Perfection<br />
Nathan Franco<br />
R av Kook writes that “He (Moshe) was worthy by his elevated nature, but he<br />
added total completion…” (Ein Ayah, Berachot, chapter 1, note 144). What did Rav<br />
Kook mean by “elevated nature”? In Shemot 2:2, it states that when Moshe was born,<br />
his mother saw “ki tov hu,” that he was good. But what’s good? According to the<br />
Gemara, Moshe was born circumcised which indicates that he was inherently perfect<br />
(Sotah 12a). So if Moshe was born perfect and added total completion, the level he was<br />
on is indescribable. He surpassed perfection. What was it that made Moshe so great?<br />
Is it even possible to surpass perfection? What characteristics must one have in order<br />
to be a “perfect” leader?<br />
The most popular answer is Moshe’s humility. The Torah tells us “Ve-ha’ish Moshe<br />
anav me’od” – “Now the man Moses was exceedingly humble” (Bamidbar 12:3). I<br />
looked up the meaning of the word anav on my iPhone and found that it means both<br />
“humble” and “Moses.” Apparently Moshe is the same as humility. It is well known<br />
that Moshe was a man who never put himself above anyone else. His greatest attribute<br />
was humility. But there must have been more than just that that made him so great.<br />
When Bnei Yisrael were suffering, Moshe “observed their burdens” (Shemot 2:11). Rashi<br />
explains that he didn’t just see them. Moshe grieved with them as well. God once<br />
said, “I’m with him (Israel) in suffering” (Tehilim 91:15). So too, Moshe was with Bnei<br />
Yisrael in their suffering. Moshe was the prince of Egypt, and therefore not affected by<br />
the evil decrees, but he still expressed empathy with his people and felt their pain. He
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cared about them so much that he was able to suffer with them.<br />
In my opinion though, the most important characteristic of a perfect leader is<br />
his devotion and dedication. In Bamidbar, Bnei Yisrael complained to Moshe<br />
about a consuming fire at the edge of the camp. As in the past, Moshe could’ve<br />
given up and started over but the text says “va-yitpallel Moshe el Hashem”- Moses<br />
prayed to Hashem (Bamidbar 11:2). A Gemara in Berachot (32a) explains that the<br />
word “el” should be understood as “al”. “El” made sense so what’s the need for<br />
a change? Rav Cytrin answered that “al” has a confrontational and challenging<br />
connotation. It comes to teach us that Moshe was actually arguing with God. Rav<br />
Cytrin further explained that the word is changed because Moshe is cementing<br />
himself as a leader by standing up to Hashem to bat for Am Yisrael on the brink<br />
of destruction.<br />
In the aftermath of the Golden Calf as well, Moshe was willing to sacrifice himself<br />
in order to save his people. In both cases Moshe went to great lengths to challenge<br />
the wrath of God. Instead of rejecting his people and starting anew, which is the<br />
easiest solution, Moshe was so dedicated to his nation that he had a special place<br />
in his heart for them.<br />
The qualities that made Mosh special were his humility, care, and devotion. When<br />
Moshe insisted that Aharon be the leader, he demonstrated that he wouldn’t put<br />
himself above anyone else. When Bnei Yisrael were suffering through slavery,<br />
even though Moshe was considered an “ish Mitzri”- an Egyptian man (see Shemot<br />
2:19), he still shared their pain. And often times it’s appealing to give up and start<br />
over with a clean slate. But a good leader would do anything to save his people.<br />
Moshe accepted the job to develop the nation, so as a whole, Bnei Yisrael could<br />
grow in their spirituality and eventually come as close to Hashem as possible.<br />
The simple lesson is to be like Moshe. But “We’re inherently flawed, so how can<br />
there be perfection?” (Tiger Woods). “Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase<br />
perfection we can catch excellence” (Vince Lombardi). How does one achieve that<br />
excellence? Follow the characteristics of Moshe Rabbeinu.<br />
Often times in Yeshiva we’ll have a situation when we’re doing very well and a<br />
friend is struggling. We can learn from Moshe to not flaunt oneself because “no
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
degree of greatness transcends humility” (Akiva Tatz, Worldmask). We must feel<br />
the friend’s pain and help him grow. These two characteristics, humility and care,<br />
are essential to being a good Jew.<br />
But most importantly, when we are thinking about our future, we must realize<br />
what is most important in our lives. We are one nation and we must be devoted<br />
members. Just as it was easy for Moshe to start with a clean slate, it’s easy for us<br />
to spend the rest of our lives in chutz la-aretz, in luxury. But we must learn from<br />
Moshe, and fight for our nation. My beracha is that we should all develop the<br />
traits of Moshe Rabbeinu. Just as he brought Bnei Yisrael toward ge’ula in Eretz<br />
Yisrael, we should follow in his footsteps; we should be willing to fight for our<br />
nation and make Aliyah, and hopefully then can we bring Mashiach.
97<br />
Beshalach<br />
The Story that Should Have, Could Have, but Wasn’t<br />
Rav Mordechai Kaplan<br />
A s we have all experienced in our lifetimes, despite our great efforts to plan the<br />
perfect plan, often times, for one reason or another, we have to divert to “Plan B.”<br />
Although God is the Almighty and nothing stands in front of His will, God created<br />
man who has free will to choose and make good decisions and bad decisions. Many<br />
times throughout history, man has brought the world to God’s “Plan B.” Examples of<br />
this are seen throughout the Tanach: for instance, the sin of Adam Ha-Rishon, the<br />
Mabul, the sin of the Golden Calf, the sin of the spies, and the destruction of the two<br />
Temples, just to name a few.<br />
Another more discreet example of this is the events of Yetziat Mitzrayim. Based on<br />
the teachings of Rav Menachem Leibtag we can reveal that the manner in which the<br />
Jews were taken out of Mitzrayim was not God’s “Plan A” (keviachol); rather, due to<br />
man’s free choice, God had to divert to “Plan B.”<br />
Plan “A” is expressed in Parshat Va’era (6:5-8) where God says He will remember<br />
the brit with Avraham and free the Jewish people in order that they will recognize<br />
that “I am God.” Within these three pesukim of the “leshonot of Geula” we find “Ani<br />
Hashem” mentioned three times, giving the clear message that Yetziat Mitzrayim will<br />
occur in order to gain freedom and recognize the existence of God. Unfortunately, the<br />
response of the Jewish people is, “השק הדובעמו חור רצקמ השמ לא ועמש אלו,“ “they did<br />
not listen to Moshe because of shortness of breath and hard work” (6:9). The Jewish
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people, due to the shackles of slavery, were not able to accept the message of “Ani<br />
Hashem.”<br />
This failure of Am Yisrael’s acknowledgement of God is also found in the Book of<br />
Yechezkel. “And I told them … I am God. But they rebelled against me and they<br />
did not want to listen to Me – for no one rid of himself from the detestable ways,<br />
nor did anyone give up the fetishes of Egypt, and I resolved to pour out My anger<br />
upon them” (20: 7-8). Hashem then continues and says, “I took them out and<br />
brought them into the desert” (20:10).<br />
The Midbar, which was never mentioned as part of the brit of Yetziat Mitzrayim,<br />
becomes the new plan, “Plan B,” so that Hashem can teach the Jewish people the<br />
message of “Ani Hashem” which they were not able to learn in Mitzrayim. The<br />
first five events in the Midbar are all to convey the message of “Ani Hashem”:<br />
(1) Kriyat Yam Suf – In order to break the slave mentality that prevented the<br />
people from hearing the message of “Ani Hashem,” God needed to confront them<br />
with a traumatic experience that would break the shackles of slavery from the<br />
people. Kriyat Yam Suf was this event, and Moshe tells the people, “Do not fear,<br />
stand upright, and watch God’s salvation … for the manner in which you see<br />
Mitzrayim today – you will never see them again” (14:13).<br />
(2) Mara – The Jews, after traveling for three days, do not have water. Moshe<br />
screams out to Hashem and through the miracle of the tree sweetening the<br />
water, Hashem captures the attention of the people: “Should you listen to the<br />
voice of Hashem, your God, and do what is proper in His eyes, and listen to His<br />
commandments … the afflictions that I placed on the Egyptians I will not put on<br />
you, for I am God your healer” (15:26).<br />
(3) The Man – The people complain to Moshe over the lack of bread. Hashem<br />
uses this as a lesson in dependence on God on a daily level: “Behold I will rain<br />
down bread for you from the heavens, and the people shall go out to gather each<br />
day the day’s portion – in order that I may test them, to see whether or not they
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will follow my instructions” (16:4). Similarly in Devarim it refers to the purpose<br />
of the man as being “in order to teach that man does not live on bread alone,<br />
rather, man lives by whatever God commands” (Devarim 8:3).<br />
(4) Refidim – once again the Jewish nation runs out of water and the complaints<br />
come piling in to Moshe. Moshe is told to go to Chorev and hit the rock that will<br />
bring forth water. Am Yisrael are forced to travel from Refidim to Chorev, which<br />
is the future site of Har Sinai and Matan Torah. Matan Torah becomes not only<br />
the source for spiritual sustenance but the source of even the most basic physical<br />
existence.<br />
(5) The War with Amalek – The young, battered, tired nation is attacked by<br />
the mighty nation of Amalek. Moshe Rabbeinu is commanded to ascend the<br />
“hill” (according to Ibn Ezra this hill is Har Sinai) and to raise his hands. The<br />
Jewish people learn from this: when they look up at the hands of Moshe they have<br />
salvation and when they look down they are defeated (17:11). As the Gemara in<br />
Rosh Hashana (29a) teaches, when we look up to God for salvation it will come,<br />
but when we look to man for salvation there will not be salvation. This is the final<br />
lesson in the Midbar regarding “Ani Hashem,” the lesson that we could not learn<br />
in Mitzrayim itself.<br />
We should all be zocheh to see through the smallness and shackles of slavery and<br />
to obey and live with the message of “Ani Hashem!”
100<br />
Beshalach<br />
Inspiration and Connection<br />
Jeremy Halpern<br />
T his week’s parsha marks the culmination of םירצמ תאיצי, an escape from the<br />
physical and spiritual oppression with which the Egyptians burdened us. After the<br />
splitting of the sea, the Torah says, “ודבע השמבו ’הב ונימאיו“ (14:31). After witnessing all<br />
ten plagues, culminating in the extraordinarily theatrical splitting of the ףוס םי, Bnei<br />
Yisrael “had faith in Hashem and in Moshe, His servant.” It seems that they now have<br />
complete emunah in Hashem.<br />
This being the case, a troubling question can be asked about Bnei Yisrael regarding<br />
the events following the splitting of the sea. Why is it that after the splitting of the sea<br />
there are a series of complaints that Bnei Yisrael make that seem to show a lack of<br />
emunah? Just three days after leaving the ףוס םי, the people are already complaining<br />
: “התשנ המ רומאל השמ לע םעה ונליו, ” “The people complained against Moshe, saying,<br />
‘What shall we drink?’” (15:24). Hashem responds by sweetening the water of Marah,<br />
demonstrating that He is not forsaking Bnei Yisrael. A few pesukim later, when Bnei<br />
Yisrael arrive at Midbar Sin, they feel threatened by hunger, and complain: “If only<br />
we had died by the hand of Hashem in the land of Egypt, as we sat by the pot of meat,<br />
when we ate bread to satiety, for you have taken us out to this wilderness to kill this<br />
entire congregation by famine” (16:3). Hashem responds by providing them with the<br />
Manna, another proof that not even the desert can hinder G-d’s infinite capacity to<br />
provide for His children.
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
Why do Bnei Yisrael have a sudden lack of emunah? Why do they keep on<br />
complaining as Hashem keeps giving them what they need?<br />
Rabbi Akiva Tatz (Living Inspired, pp. 21-28) talks about how the natural pathway<br />
of all life experiences begins with inspiration and soon fades into disappointment.<br />
Human consciousness and human senses are tuned to an initial burst of<br />
sensitivity and then rapidly decay into dullness. In the events surrounding the<br />
exodus from Egypt, the source for this idea becomes apparent. Bnei Yisrael was<br />
at its lowest point in history during our slavery in Egypt. We had fallen to the<br />
49th level of tumah, and were at the point of spiritual annihilation, when Hashem<br />
miraculously uplifted us. At the splitting of the sea, the lowliest of the Jewish<br />
people experienced more than the highest prophet subsequently. Once through<br />
the sea, we now had 49 days until the receiving of the Torah, corresponding to<br />
the 49 levels of tumah that Hashem had uplifted us from. Hashem elevated us<br />
spiritually, although we did not deserve it, since we had not yet earned it. Once<br />
we were saved, inspired, and had become aware of our higher reality, we were<br />
required to earn our spiritual level genuinely.<br />
Inspiration is a gift from Hashem, and unfortunately, it doesn’t last. The idea of<br />
inspiration is that it gives us a glimpse and taste of what it could be like, but<br />
then He takes it away. It is almost impossible to maintain inspiration and one<br />
must fight back to the point of inspiration and permanently build it into one’s<br />
character. When the first stage of inspiration fades, the challenge of the second<br />
phase is to remember the first stage we experienced, remain inspired by that<br />
memory, and use it as fuel for our constant growth. The Rambam describes life<br />
as a dark, stormy, cold, and rainy night, where one is lost and faced with despair.<br />
Suddenly, there is a flash of lightning and for a split second, it becomes clear as<br />
day and one is able to see which direction to go. You can use the memory of that<br />
flash of lightning as guidance and inspiration to help you on your way. That flash<br />
of lightning or inspiration, is chesed from Hashem to help us, to remind ourselves<br />
of our goals, and to show us the direction to take toward our destination.<br />
Before we have earned our spiritual level, though, when Hashem raises us up to<br />
higher levels that we have not worked for, there is no ground to stand on and we<br />
fall. The idea is for us to work towards and achieve that level, resulting in a longer
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lasting connection with Hashem. In this parsha, with all the plagues, miracles,<br />
and Bnei Yisrael receiving prophetic abilities, one wonders how they could go<br />
back to a low level again. The answer is that when Hashem just brings us up to a<br />
high level that we have not earned, we can easily fall. We need to build up towards<br />
it so we have something to stand on. Bnei Yisrael’s challenge in the desert was to<br />
struggle through a difficult 49 days and to earn the right to finally stand at Har<br />
Sinai, experience prophecy, and receive the Torah.<br />
Life is full of spurts of inspiration, but unfortunately the truth is, it doesn’t last.<br />
It is only there to remind us of what could be if we work for it. The ultimate goal<br />
is a long lasting connection that far surpasses the mere spark of inspiration. We<br />
are working toward the goal of a deep connection to אוה ךורב שודקה that comes<br />
through a connection to Torah and mitzvot.<br />
My bracha for us all is to utilize the wonderful gift of inspiration, and achieve not<br />
just a spark, but a connection with the everlasting light of Hashem.
103<br />
Mishpatim<br />
Are You Listening?<br />
Rav Daniel Hartstein<br />
I n the beginning of our parsha (21:5-6) the Torah speaks of a Jewish slave who<br />
does not want to leave his master after six years of working for him. The Torah allows<br />
him to stay with his master for longer than the six years as long as the Beis Din pierces<br />
his ear. There is significant information as to who this slave was. Our Rabbis teach us<br />
that the slave under discussion was a thief and unable to repay what he had stolen, so<br />
the Beis Din sentenced him to become a slave in order to make restitution.<br />
Rashi (21:6) questions the selection of the ear as the organ to be pierced in lieu of<br />
other body parts that the Torah could have chosen. Chazal explain that since the ear<br />
heard at Har Sinai ‘Do not steal’ and the person nevertheless stole, it is precisely the<br />
ear that should be pieced.<br />
Why should the ear be ‘punished‘ in this instance and not the legs which ran to commit<br />
the crime? What is the lesson the Torah is teaching us by using the ear? Furthermore,<br />
why is the slave pierced only after he decides he wants to stay with his master and not<br />
when he commits his transgression six years earlier? Has he not done teshuva for his<br />
actions year earlier?<br />
The Talmud in Kiddushin 20-b (also quoted in Rashi, 21:6) provides another<br />
explanation of why we pierce the slave’s ear. The Talmud elaborates that the slave who<br />
heard at Har Sinai that we are only servants to Hashem and not to anyone else should<br />
not want to stay a slave when he is given the choice to leave his physical master. Again<br />
we must ask why this act of defiance warrants such a harsh reminder whereas we do
104<br />
not find this by other transgressions.<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank zt”l explains that when one listens to the word of Hashem,<br />
it should permeate one’s entire body. This type of inspiration only happens when<br />
one listens properly. If it is a cursory listening it will literally go in one ear and<br />
out the other. The piercing of this slave’s ear is a constant reminder that the word<br />
of Hashem did not pervade his entire being and all of his organs. In order to be a<br />
true servant of Hashem we must listen to the entire Torah and do the mitzvos with<br />
all of our organs as a true slave who listens to His master out of love, knowing that<br />
this will only deepen his relationship with his Master.<br />
Rav Asher Weiss shlit”a explains that after six years this former thief should<br />
be rehabilitated and should want to return to serving Hashem in the proper<br />
way. However, the slave has become complacent with his living conditions and<br />
does not want to grow both spiritually and physically and therefore he must be<br />
reminded that this is not the ideal. Rav Asher further points out that the slave uses<br />
the language, “I love my master.” It is this love that should have been channeled<br />
towards loving Hashem and wanting to be solely a servant to Him and His Torah!<br />
This is precisely the reason that the Torah admonishes this slave and castigates<br />
him with a reminder to the same ear that heard on Har Sinai to love only Hashem<br />
as your Master and no other being. This slave has clearly not been rehabilitated<br />
and has not learned from his mistakes. We can also understand why the piercing<br />
is done after six year and not when he commits his original sin. The Beis Din and<br />
Klal Yisrael had high hopes that the slave would learn his lesson and not want<br />
to serve another human being. We should take this lesson to heart and serve<br />
Hashem out of love, knowing that we are His servants and that by following the<br />
Torah we can become closer to our Master. May we reach this closeness soon in<br />
our days!
105<br />
Mishpatim<br />
Commandments and Mishpatim<br />
”םהינפל םישת רשא םיטפשמה הלאו“<br />
Akiva Maresky<br />
This week’s parsha teaches us all about the םיטפשמ – the laws governing interpersonal<br />
relationships. This comes right after last week’s parsha, which ends with the Ten<br />
Commandments. Rashi (21:1) teaches that the word “הלאו“ comes to add on to what<br />
was mentioned previously. Just like the Ten Commandments were given at Har Sinai,<br />
so too were the םיטפשמ. But the Chizkuni has a problem with this. In רהב תשרפ (Vayikra<br />
25:1), Rashi tells us that all of the commandments were given at Har Sinai. If so, what<br />
is so special about the םיטפשמ !?<br />
When children are first introduced to Talmud Study, there is a minhag to teach them<br />
the laws of damages, monetary issues, slaves etc; all that is taught in this week’s parsha.<br />
Rav Yisrael Salanter zt’l, whose yartzheit is םיטפשמ תשרפ תבש ברע, gives an explanation<br />
why this is done. He explains that these laws are not instinctively ingrained in the<br />
human conscience, and it is therefore necessary to teach them to children at a young<br />
age, before they become accustomed to other modes of thought.<br />
The Ramban teaches that the םיטפשמ come to elaborate on the Ten Commandments.<br />
We now know the commandments, but we would not know how to apply them<br />
without the םיטפשמ. The Ramban explains that םיטפשמה הלאו corresponds to the last<br />
commandment; “דומחת אל“ (thou shall not covet). If one does not know the laws of<br />
possessions or fields, he will surely covet them and think that he could just take them.
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So therefore the םיטפשמ come to safeguard us from breaking the commandment<br />
of not to covet that which does not belong to us.<br />
At the start of the parsha (21:1-6), we also learn the laws of a Jewish slave who<br />
works for six years. If at the end of his term he wishes to remain a servant to his<br />
master, he must go through the process in which his master pierces his ear at the<br />
door. In האר תשרפ it says that the reason a slave would ever want to stay a slave<br />
is “ךמע ול בוט יכ,“ “because it has been good for him with you” (Devarim 15:16).<br />
What does this mean that it has been good for the slave with his master? The<br />
Talmud (Kidushin 22a) answers that from the word “ךמע“ (with you) we learn<br />
the laws of how to treat a Jewish slave. It teaches that if one eats good bread, his<br />
slave should also eat good bread. If one has good wine, so should his slave. It<br />
even goes to the extent that if there is a case, for example, in which the master<br />
only has one pillow for himself and his slave, it must go to his slave! This is why<br />
is the Talmud goes on to say that anyone who buys a Jewish servant has virtually<br />
bought a master for himself!<br />
This unbelievable law is just one the many םיטפשמ that teach us how to act with<br />
one another. However, one would not instinctively treat his slave in this manner<br />
and one would not know how to deal with everyday cases of וריבחל םדא ןיב<br />
without the םיטפשמ.This is why, Rav Yisrael Salanter explains, we make a point<br />
to introduce the laws of םיטפשמ תשרפ to children as early as possible, so that<br />
these laws and values will be in our blood as we grow up. We should grow up<br />
with a strong sense of וריבחל םדא ןיב , and this is why the םיטפשמ are taught right<br />
after the Ten Commandments. Similarly it is taught in the Talmud (Bava Kama<br />
30a), “One who wishes to be a chasid (devout), should fulfill the words of Nezikin<br />
(the tractates dealing with the laws that are taught in Mishpatim).” God willing<br />
through this parsha, we should all grow in becoming true Chasidim.
107<br />
Teruma<br />
Teruma – Join Our Staff(s)!<br />
Rav Yehoshua Paltiel<br />
T he construction of the Mishkan begins with its most prominent feature: the aron<br />
ha-eidut. The aron ha-eidut was unique in many ways, one of which is the following<br />
injunction: “In the rings the staves shall remain and they shall not be removed from<br />
it.” This pasuk is mentioned in Masechet Makkot (22a) as a full-fledged lav, and is<br />
listed by the Rambam in his Sefer Hamitzvot under lo-ta’asei #86. Why did Hashem<br />
want the staves to remain attached to the aron ha-eidut at all times? Were they not for<br />
the practical purpose of carrying the aron ha-eidut when the Jewish People traveled?<br />
And why do we not find a similar prohibition for the staves of the two altars and the<br />
table for the lechem ha-panim?<br />
R. Yehuda Nachshoni cites the Midrash Lekach Tov (quoted in Torah Sheleima), which<br />
explains that the staves symbolize those who support the study and teaching of Torah.<br />
The Torah Sheleima also quotes Rav Yosef bar Yosef Nechemias, who explains that<br />
those who support the Torah steadfastly in this world will be in the same place in the<br />
Next World as those they supported, and will not depart from them forever. The Tzror<br />
Ha-mor similarly states that the lesson of the staves is that those who support Torah<br />
study safeguard and maintain the Torah like those who actually study it. That is why<br />
Hashem commands that we build the aron ha-eidut with the word “ve-asu,” meaning<br />
you – in the plural – shall build it, whereas by the other elements of the Mishkan He<br />
says “ve-asita” – in the singular. Safeguarding the Torah and passing it on to the next<br />
generation is a mission of all of Am Yisrael, both those who teach it and those who
108<br />
support the teachers and their yeshivot.<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
One of the teachers of the Chatam Sofer, Rav Pinchas Horowitz, writes in the<br />
introduction to his Sefer Hafla’ah, that as much as those who donate money<br />
support the study of Torah, their recipients support the donors through the merit<br />
of their Torah study. This is learned from the midrash that explains that while the<br />
staves were there to carry the aron ha-eidut, in actuality – “Ha-aron nosei et nosav”<br />
– the aron carried those who came to carry it. The Chofetz Chaim writes that the<br />
staves, once they were inserted in their rings, became sanctified and consecrated<br />
by the holiness of the aron to the point that they became considered a part of the<br />
aron itself! So too is it with those who learn Torah and their supporters.<br />
Let us remember that every Jew has an obligation to learn Torah and cannot<br />
exempt himself through supporting others. At the same time, we all have an<br />
obligation to support Torah, even those who are in kollel. May Hashem bless each<br />
of us to be active participants both in the study and support of our holy Torah.
109<br />
Teruma<br />
The Poles of the Aron<br />
Asriel Agronin<br />
T he Torah says in this week’s parsha (Shemot 25:13-15):<br />
ןראה תעלצ לע תועבטב םידבה תא תאבהו .בהז םתא תיפצו םיטש יצע ידב תישעו<br />
.ונממ ורוסי אל םידבה ויהי ןוראה תועבטב .םהב ןראה תא תאשל<br />
You shall make staves of shitim wood and cover them with gold; and<br />
insert the staves into the rings on the sides of the aron; the staves shall<br />
remain in the rings of the aron; they shall not be removed from it.<br />
What is the importance of the םידב (poles) to the aron? Why is it forbidden to remove<br />
the םידב from the aron? One might have thought that when the aron is not being<br />
carried, the poles can be removed; but Rashi (25:15) says that you cannot remove<br />
them forever. This is so important that the ארמג in אמוי תכסמ (72a) states “ריסמהו<br />
הקול – ןורא ידב,“ one who removes the םידב from the rings gets lashes. Why is it so<br />
important that the poles not be removed when the aron was not being transported?<br />
It seems that the םידב were not just there in order to carry the aron. In fact, the kohanim<br />
did not really even need to carry the aron at all! The ארמג in הטוס תכסמ quotes Sefer<br />
Yehoshua (4:11-18) about this. It says that when the Jews were crossing the Jordan<br />
River the aron and the kohanim carrying the aron ended up on the opposite side<br />
of the river than that of the entire nation. At this point, the river had gone back to
110<br />
normal. The ארמג asks how the aron got to the other side of the river. It answers<br />
“רבעו ויאשונ תא ןורא אשנ“ - the aron carried the kohanim across the Jordan River.”<br />
From here, one can see that the םידב are obviously not for the transportation of<br />
the aron.<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
If the םידב are not for the transportation of the aron, what are they used for and<br />
why must they remain in place? In א םיכלמ (8:8) it says, “י ֵשׁא ָר וּא ָר ֵיּ ַו םי ִדּ ַבּ ַה וּכ ִר ֲא ַיּו<br />
ה ֶזּ ַה םוֹיּ ַה ד ַע ם ָשׁ וּי ְה ִיּ ַו ה ָצוּח ַה וּא ָר ֵי אלֹ ְו רי ִב ְדּ ַה י ֵנ ְפּ ל ַע שׁ ֶדֹקּ ַה ן ִמ םי ִדּ ַבּ ַה.“<br />
“The poles of the aron projected so that the ends of the poles were visible in the<br />
sanctuary in front of the holy (place), but they could not be seen outside; and they<br />
remain there until this day.” The םידב stuck out of the “holy (place)” but were still<br />
covered by the curtain. This was the sole visible evidence to the nation that the<br />
aron remained behind the curtain.<br />
Rav Hirsch adds his own explanation of the importance of the םידב. He says that<br />
the םידב testify that the הרות is not bound or dependant on any particular place.<br />
From this, one learns that wherever Jews go, הרות goes with, since the means of<br />
its transport are always attached.
111<br />
Tetzaveh<br />
Placement and Purpose<br />
Rav Michael Siev<br />
P arshat Tetzaveh concludes with the command the build the mizbach ha-ketoret,<br />
the mizbe’ach upon which the ketoret (incense) was to be offered each day in the<br />
mishkan. The placement of this command seems quite surprising. The Torah has<br />
already recorded the commands to build the other keilim of the mishkan in Parshat<br />
Teruma; why does it wait until the end of Tetzaveh to command the construction of<br />
the mizbach ha-ketoret?<br />
Upon closer examination of the structure of Parshiot Teruma and Tetzaveh, the<br />
parshiot that record Hashem’s commands regarding the building of the mishkan,<br />
our confusion only intensifies. The commands begin with the aron and kapporet,<br />
continues with the shulchan and menorah, and moves on to the physical structure of<br />
the mishkan itself. This is followed by the mizbach ha-olah, the mizbe’ach upon which<br />
the korbanot were offered, and the command to construct the courtyard around the<br />
mishkan. The commands follow a clear order; they start from the kodesh ha-kodashim<br />
(the aron and kapporet), continue with the keilim of the mishkan itself (the shulchan<br />
and menorah) and move on to the structure of the mishkan; the parsha then concludes<br />
with the mizbach ha-olah, which was in the courtyard, and the construction of the<br />
fence around the courtyard. There is a clear progression from the innermost keilim<br />
to the outermost reaches of the mishkan compound. And yet, the Torah skips the<br />
mizbach ha-ketoret, which was located in the mishkan itself. Only after detailing the<br />
clothing of the kohanim, their consecration ceremony and the mitzva of korban tamid
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
does the Torah return to command the construction of the mizbach ha-olah. The<br />
placement of this command just does not seem to fit!<br />
It is interesting to note that the actual construction of the mishkan and its vessels,<br />
described in Parshiot Vayakhel and Pekudei, did not follow the order in which<br />
the commands to build them were given. The physical structure of the mishkan<br />
was built before the keilim, such that there would be a place for the keilim to go<br />
immediately upon their construction (see Rashi to Parshat Pekudei, 38:22). But<br />
if that was Hashem’s intent, why did He command the stages of construction in<br />
a different order?<br />
It seems likely that the commands to build the mishkan and its keilim were given<br />
in a particular order so as to communicate the purpose and function of those<br />
items. The Ramban (introduction to Parshat Teruma), for example, famously<br />
writes that the purpose of the mishkan was to serve as a center for hashra’at ha-<br />
Shechina, for Hashem’s Presence to dwell in the midst of the Jewish people. It is<br />
for this reason that the aron and kapporet were commanded first, since Hashem<br />
actually rested His Presence above the kapporet (see Parshat Teruma, 25:22).<br />
With this in mind, we can return to our original question, the placement of<br />
the command to construct the mizbach ha-ketoret. The mizbach ha-ketoret was<br />
actually built right after the shulchan and menorah, as we would have expected<br />
(see Parshat Vayakhel, 37:24-29). It is just the command to build it that was delayed<br />
until after the commands to build the rest of the mishkan and to inaugurate<br />
the kohanim. Perhaps this indicates that the mizbach ha-ketoret was meant to<br />
function in a different way than the other keilim of the mishkan.<br />
What was the unique function of the mizbach ha-ketoret and the ketoret service<br />
itself and why should that function necessitate delaying the command to build<br />
this mizbe’ach? Various approaches to this question have been suggested by the<br />
commentators. 1 Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch (30:1) explains that the commands<br />
regarding the ketoret and its mizbe’ach were delayed until the end because they<br />
1. See Rav Elchanan Samet’s article, available online at http://www.vbm-torah.org/parsha.60/20tetzav.htm. Rav<br />
Samet summarizes three distinct approaches and presents his own fascinating suggestion as to the function<br />
of the ketoret. The approach we will mention here is related to one of the approaches cited in this article, but<br />
developed a bit differently.
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
represent the ultimate fulfillment of the aims of the mishkan (or mikdash) and the<br />
avoda that was done there. This can be understood by contrasting the mizbach<br />
ha-ketoret to the mizbach ha’ola.<br />
The korbanot offered on the mizbach ha-ola represent the physical world, and the<br />
avoda done to them is meant to signify the actions that one can and must take in<br />
order to tame the physical world and channel it toward spiritual accomplishment.<br />
The end goal, however, is that the physical world becomes so suffused with<br />
spirituality that it itself becomes holy, and no special efforts are needed to channel<br />
it toward spirituality. This is signified by the ketoret. The ketoret does not have any<br />
of the attendant avodot that are done to a korban. It is simply offered directly on<br />
the mizbe’ach because it is already pure. Similarly, its mizbe’ach is made from pure<br />
gold rather than the copper, symbolizing the most refined aspects of the physical<br />
world.<br />
With this in mind, we can answer our original question. The mizbach ha-ketoret<br />
is mentioned last because all of the avoda performed by the kohanim in the<br />
mishkan is meant to lead to that which symbolized by the ketoret; a physical,<br />
this-worldly life that is completely saturated with holiness.
114<br />
Tetzaveh<br />
Aharon the Kohen Gadol<br />
Aaron Schechter<br />
I n this week’s parsha, Hashem tells Moshe to appoint Aharon, his older brother,<br />
as the kohen gadol. I will now focus on the question: Why did Hashem choose Aharon<br />
to serve as the kohen gadol?<br />
The Or Hachaim (28:1), based on Shemot Rabba (3:17), writes that Hashem’s original<br />
plan was to appoint Moshe Rabbeinu as the kohen gadol. But, because Moshe Rabbeinu<br />
repeatedly refused to accept the role of leading the Jewish people, Hashem decided to<br />
pick Aharon, his brother, to become the kohen gadol instead of Moshe Rabbeinu. To<br />
top it all off, Moshe Rabbeinu had to appoint Aharon himself, so it would not seem<br />
like Moshe Rabbeinu was upset at Aharon for becoming the kohen gadol instead of<br />
him.<br />
Aharon was willing to do what Hashem wanted no matter what it was. It was because<br />
of this trait of ahavat Hashem, listening to Hashem and doing everything He said<br />
without protest, that Aharon merited to become the kohen gadol. Appointing Aharon<br />
was an instrumental part of Moshe Rabbeinu’s tikkun for originally refusing to become<br />
the leader of the Jewish people. The tikkun was accepting what Hashem wanted by<br />
appointing the the kohen gadol Hashem wanted.<br />
The Or Hachaim explains further: when man opposes Hashem, one of the branches<br />
from his soul becomes detached from its holy root. When Hashem asked Moshe<br />
Rabbeinu to lead Bnei Yisrael, Moshe Rabbeinu repeatedly refused to lead for various
115<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
reasons. Since Moshe Rabbeinu opposed what Hashem said, one of the branches<br />
from Moshe Rabbeinu’s soul became detached from its holy root. So when the<br />
pasuk says “Ve-ata hakreiv eilecha” (Tetzaveh 28:1), we can understand it as “and<br />
you shall bring the ‘estranged’ part of your soul close to me.”<br />
I will now tell a story that exemplifies this midda of ahavat Hashem (based on<br />
Touched by a Story 2, by Rabbi Yechiel Spero, “A Bris and a Dream”):<br />
Among the many reasons doctors see patients; there is one particular cause that<br />
brings Dr. Jakabovits (physician and certified mohel) much happiness: that is the<br />
privilege of performing a brit mila (circumcision) on older Russian teenagers and<br />
adults.<br />
These Jews, who have come from far away both in terms of their physical as<br />
well as religious journeys, often find their way to D. Jakabovits’s office. On one<br />
typical mundane morning, Vladimir Voshofsky, a lively 12 year old boy with an<br />
infectious smile, strolled into the office with his parents. They had been referred<br />
to Dr. Jakabovits for Vladimir’s brit mila, which is much more complicated on a<br />
12 year old than on an 8 day old.<br />
Vladimir was so excited that his mother could hardly control him. “Are you also<br />
going to give me a name at the bris?” Asked Vladimir. Dr. Jakabovits confirmed<br />
that Vladimir would be given a Jewish name at the bris. Vladimir smiled and<br />
asked if some people are given two names at a bris, the thrill and expectation<br />
present in his voice. Although he was somewhat confused as to what exactly<br />
Vladimir meant, Dr. Jakabovits assured him that it was an accepted custom to<br />
give two names as well. This time Vladimir giggled in glee. Dr. Jakabovits heard<br />
the laugh, but was unable to understand why exactly Vladimir, a novice at his<br />
religion, would be so overjoyed about the fact that he could have two names.<br />
“I know what I want my name to be.” Vladimir’s declaration caused both his<br />
mother to sit forward attentively and Dr. Jakabovits to stop what he was doing<br />
that second and wait to find out what this boy meant. “Really? What names have<br />
you chosen?” For the first time since he had walked in, Vladimir had an air of<br />
seriousness and maturity about him. “I want to be named – Moshe Rabbeinu.”
116<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Dr. Jakabovits was stunned. This boy knew almost nothing about Torah and<br />
Judaism. But he did know one thing - that he aspired to be just like the great<br />
leader of the Jewish people.<br />
And who would dare tell him that he couldn’t?<br />
It’s about what is going on in the lev. Aharon was happy to accept that Hashem<br />
chose Moshe Rabbeinu (his little brother) to lead the Jewish nation. After finally<br />
convincing Moshe to accept the leadership of the Jewish people, Hashem informs<br />
him that Aharon would be going out to meet Moshe, “ve-ra’acha ve-samach belibo”<br />
– “and he will see you (Moshe) and he will rejoice in his heart.” It says in<br />
Shemot Rabba (3:17) that the same heart that was glad with Moshe’s greatness will<br />
wear the urim ve-tumim.<br />
From this we can truly see that when you accept everything that Hashem says in<br />
your heart, only good things will come from it.
117<br />
Ki Tisa<br />
Shattered Fragments<br />
Rav Asher Friedman<br />
W hat happened to the first luchot ha-brit, the tablets fashioned by God and<br />
smashed by Moshe? One would expect that, like any unusable holy object, they would<br />
be buried honorably. But Rashi in Bamidbar (10:33,35) and Devarim (10:1) paints a<br />
far more complex picture. He claims that two separate ‘aronot ha-brit’ travelled with<br />
Am Yisrael in the desert. One, crafted of wood by Moshe, contained within it the<br />
shattered fragments of the first luchot. According to Rashi, this aron traveled three<br />
days’ journey ahead of Am Yisrael, clearing a path for their journey. The other aron,<br />
constructed of gold by Betzalel, contained within it the Sefer Torah and the luchot<br />
shniyot, and traveled at the center of the camp, with the other components of the<br />
mishkan.<br />
What was the point of carrying around the powdered remains of the first luchot?<br />
Aside from their practical uselessness, they were a reminder of the lowest point in<br />
Am Yisrael’s relationship with God. What could be gained by retaining a memento of<br />
that horrible time? And if there was a value in preserving the first luchot, why did the<br />
two sets of luchot travel separately?<br />
To understand the role of the two aronot, let’s take a close look at Moshe’s negotiations<br />
with God after the sin of the golden calf. We’ll see that there are two distinct stages<br />
to the negotiations, each of which has lasting significance to our relationship with<br />
Hashem, and each of which clearly corresponds to one of the sets of luchot.
118<br />
Immediately after hearing of the chet ha-eigel, Moshe begins to plead with God.<br />
He offers a number of arguments:<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
a) It is the nation that You took out of Mitzrayim – Hashem has already<br />
invested too much in the nation to abandon it now.<br />
b) It will undo the moral message that yetziat mitzrayim has revealed to the<br />
world. Instead of Redeemer of the oppressed, You will be viewed as a sadistic<br />
murderer in the eyes of the world.<br />
c) You promised Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov to give them countless<br />
descendents and inheritance of Eretz Yisrael.<br />
God doesn’t respond to the first two arguments. After the third, He immediately<br />
relents and agrees not to destroy the nation. Apparently, Hashem’s promise to the<br />
avot was Moshe’s only successful negotiating point.<br />
One would expect that from this point, the story of the chet ha-eigel would be<br />
fundamentally over: “Wow, that was close! God almost decided to wipe us out!<br />
Good thing we have His promise to the avot to save us.” But the story is far from<br />
over – it seems that Moshe’s work has only just begun:<br />
On the next day, Moshe said to the nation, “You have sinned greatly. Now I will go<br />
up to Hashem. Perhaps I will be able to atone for your sin.” (32:30)<br />
Perhaps? Hasn’t God already relented? What is Moshe unsure of? What does he<br />
intend to accomplish in this second conversation that he did not attain already?<br />
Clearly, Moshe is anxious, for he expresses his uncertainty to God: “If You will<br />
tolerate their sin…” (32:32)<br />
God responds in a way that on surface seems to be meant to reassure – He says to<br />
Moshe – “Go. Arise from here, you and the nation… to the land that I promised<br />
to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov…”(33:1). God reaffirms His commitment<br />
to the avot, and tells Moshe that the time has come to fulfill the promise. This<br />
sounds like a wonderful turn of events.<br />
But the nation views this as a tragedy: “The nation heard this horrible thing, and<br />
they mourned” (33:4). What was so horrible about God’s intention to fulfill His
119<br />
contract with the avot?<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
While God will fulfill His contractual obligation, He makes it clear that He has no<br />
intention of maintaining His relationship with Am Yisrael. “My angel will travel<br />
before you…” (32:34), “I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the<br />
Canaanite… but I will not travel in your midst, for you are a stubborn nation –<br />
lest I destroy you on the way.” (33:2-3)<br />
It is this that causes the nation to mourn. They realize that God will not back out<br />
of his contract with the avot, but He will fulfill His technical obligations and no<br />
more. He will ensure that Am Yisrael arrives safely in Eretz Yisrael and that we<br />
prosper there, but that’s all. No more relationship.<br />
Moshe then challenges God: “You have told me to bring this nation [to Canaan]<br />
but You haven’t told me whom You will send with me…” (33:12). Fascinatingly,<br />
Moshe refuses to accept God’s last declaration. Hashem had said clearly, “My angel<br />
will travel before you…” and Moshe acts as if those words had been struck from<br />
the record. God agrees to this new challenge: “My Presence will travel…”(33:14).<br />
Moshe reiterates his challenge: “If Your Presence will not travel, do not cause us<br />
to travel from here” (33:15).<br />
We must reflect on the intensity of Moshe’s challenge: He knows that God is, as<br />
it were, in a bind. He is committed to fulfilling his contractual obligations to the<br />
avot, so He must lead Am Yisrael to Eretz Yisrael. But He wants nothing more<br />
to do with them. But Moshe now insists that they will not leave Har Sinai, and<br />
therefore will not cooperate in fulfilling Hashem’s promise to the avot, unless He<br />
agrees to return to their relationship. It is this ultimatum that Hashem concedes<br />
to, and that facilitates the reconciliation. It is this return to relationship that is<br />
symbolized, according to Rashi, in the building of the mishkan.<br />
The result of Moshe’s challenge is that God’s relationship to Am Yisrael rests<br />
on two separate covenants – a) brit avot—His irrevocable promise to Avraham,<br />
Yitzchak, and Yaakov that we would be numerous and inherit Eretz Yisrael
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
And, b) A new commitment that Hashem will not permanently remove His<br />
Shechina from our midst --- that our relationship will be, while at times rocky,<br />
ultimately everlasting.<br />
With this insight into Moshe’s negotiations with Hashem, we can understand<br />
the role of the two aronot. The golden aron (containing the luchot shniyot) that<br />
traveled at the center of the camp represented the presence of Hashem in our<br />
midst – a commitment to our spiritual destiny. The wooden aron (containing<br />
the shivrei luchot) that cleared a path ahead of the camp represented God’s brit<br />
with the avot – a commitment to our physical success.<br />
In our own lives, we tend to swing from one form of relationship with Hashem<br />
to another. At times, we feel the warm, nurturing embrace of Hashem’s<br />
closeness. And at times we feel distance and yearning for Hashem from afar.<br />
Both of these modes of spirituality have their roots in the two aronot and the<br />
two stages in Moshe’s negotiations with Hashem.
121<br />
Ki Tisa<br />
Luchot and Leadership<br />
Jonathan Green<br />
O ne of the defining moments in the leadership of Moshe can be found in this<br />
week’s parasha: the event of the eigel ha-zahav and the shattering of the Luchot. As<br />
Moshe went up the mountain to speak with Hashem, he left his brother Aharon to<br />
tend to the nation. However, the people became distraught without their leader and<br />
on Moshe’s descent he was hit hard with an all-too clear visual: a nationwide betrayal<br />
of Hashem in the creation and worship of the eigel ha-zahav. In response, Moshe<br />
smashed the Luchot, having seemingly succumbed to his uncontrolled emotions. Yet,<br />
there are some crucial questions to ask about this event: had Moshe acted rashly, or<br />
was he in full control of his actions? Perhaps this depends on how one might judge the<br />
severity of the Jewish nation’s sin. Furthermore, how does his behavior reflect upon<br />
his leadership?<br />
Moshe faced a mob-scene at his descent. And in some respects, who could blame<br />
the people, for they thought Moshe was dead! Nonetheless, Bnei Yisrael broke a<br />
fundamental rule against worshipping idols; so could Moshe have just slapped them<br />
on the wrist? Interestingly, there were times when Hashem did get angry with Moshe<br />
but this was not one of them. One could suggest that Hashem did reprimand Moshe<br />
by requiring him to carve out a new set of Tablets. However the Gemara in several<br />
mashechtot (such as Shabbat 87a) quotes a midrash that Hashem said to Moshe,<br />
“yeshar koach!” after the smashing of the tablets, clearly implying that Moshe was<br />
right in his actions.
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
R’ Yehuda Ha-<strong>Lev</strong>i in The Kuzari, and the Ramban, in separate yet similar<br />
accounts, both seem to try to justify Bnei Yisrael’s actions. The Rabbi is quoted<br />
as saying in the Kuzari, “The severity of their sin was magnified because of their<br />
greatness” (Essay 1, 93). He goes on to explain that the golden calf was, in their<br />
minds, their means of retaining some intermediary physical “connection.” It was<br />
not a replacement for God but a temporary substitute for Moshe, and in that way<br />
the nation was just, for they believed, like other nations at the time, that “divinity<br />
attaches itself to the image, and that it is unique in some supernatural way. Some<br />
would attribute this uniqueness directly to God” (Essay 1, 97:1). Ramban offers<br />
an explanation along the same lines in his commentary to this week’s parasha<br />
(32:1).<br />
Based on both of these sources, it may be concluded that Moshe’s actions were<br />
extreme. He should have been more understanding and realized that Bnei Yisrael<br />
still fully recognized Hashem and accepted His authority and the important role<br />
of Moshe himself; after all, it is only for these reasons that they did not interfere<br />
when Moshe proceeded to burn the idol they created (Ramban, 32:1).<br />
Another unique interpretation of the pesukim can be seen in the Rambam‘s Moreh<br />
Nevuchim (The Guide to the Perplexed). He says that when a leader is mad at his<br />
people, he should behave like a parent to his child. A parent should not actually<br />
become angry, but should display himself as angry. Otherwise, the parent would<br />
be out of control. Thus, perhaps Moshe was deliberate in his smashing of the<br />
tablets. He appeared angrier than he really was, in order to make an impression on<br />
the nation. He was not genuinely infuriated; rather, “his anger flared up” (32:20)<br />
as seen from the perspective of Bnei Yisrael. Moshe saw that he could be a human<br />
mirror for the nation. The Luchot in a sense had already been broken through<br />
cheit ha-eigel, and he merely reenacted and dramatized that which the nation<br />
itself had already done. This approach seems to allow more room to recognize<br />
the severity of the Jewish nation’s actions, and to arrive at a deeper understanding<br />
of Moshe as a leader. It would have been naïve to think that he could have dealt<br />
with them otherwise; they were not a nation of philosophers that he could have<br />
rationalized with. Also, Aharon who was left with the nation is a man described<br />
as rodef shalom, a pursuer of peace. He represents midat ha’rachamim, mercy.
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Since Moshe saw that Aharon’s method in subduing Israel was ineffective, he<br />
acted in his natural role as Israel’s av beit din, emphasizing the harsher need for<br />
justice in order to appropriately balance Aharon‘s milder approach to the nation.<br />
Of course, it is essential to strike the appropriate balance between pursuing<br />
peace, and acting with courage and righteousness. Yet there are times when one<br />
approach is more effective than the other, and as this parashah shows, Moshe’s<br />
leadership was such that he seemed to understand exactly what was needed at<br />
this crucial turning point in the history of the nation.
124<br />
Vayakhel<br />
Time and Space<br />
Rav Michael Siev<br />
A fter B’nei Yisrael demonstrate an overwhelming response to Moshe’s call for<br />
contributions to the mishkan, Moshe sends word that people should refrain from<br />
making any further donations. Interestingly, the Gemara in Shabbat (96b) considers<br />
this pasuk (36:6) an allusion to the melacha of hotza’ah, carrying an object from one<br />
type of domain to another on Shabbat. According to this Gemara, it seems as though<br />
our parsha is the source for the melacha of hotza’ah.<br />
However, as Rav Ya’akov Kamenetsky (Emet Le-Ya’akov, 36:6) notes, this is quite<br />
difficult to understand. B’nei Yisrael have already been commanded to keep Shabbat<br />
by refraining from melacha. This command was issued as part of the Aseret Hadibrot,<br />
and the Gemara (Sanhedrin 56b) says that it even preceded Matan Torah;<br />
when Hashem gave us “chok u-mishpat” at Mara, one of those mitzvot was Shabbat<br />
(see Shemot 15:25 with Rashi). Why wouldn’t hotza’ah be included in the original<br />
command to keep Shabbat?<br />
Rav Ya’akov explains that the gradual introduction of the laws of Shabbat were part<br />
of a gradual process of educating the Jewish people. At Mara, Hashem sweetened the<br />
bitter waters in a miraculous way, demonstrating that He controls nature, created the<br />
world and continues to create new realities. That was the perfect time to introduce<br />
the melachot of Shabbat, which call for man to take a timeout from his own creative<br />
activity in this world in order to focus on spiritual creativity and to remind himself<br />
that it is God who actually creates worlds.
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Hotza’ah, however, is different than other melachot. Whereas all other melachot<br />
actually change the physical properties of the object upon which the melacha is<br />
performed, hotza’ah makes no such adjustment; it merely changes the placement<br />
of the object. This does not seem to create a new reality, and hotza’ah was therefore<br />
originally left out of the command to refrain from melacha on Shabbat.<br />
In our parsha, however, the people have already taken significant steps toward<br />
constructing a mishkan, which is to serve as the focal point of God’s Presence<br />
in the world. The idea that Hashem’s Presence can be more concentrated in a<br />
single, confined area than it is anywhere else introduces the concept of kedushat<br />
ha-makom and emphasizes the significance of spatial location. At this point, B’nei<br />
Yisrael were ready to receive the command of the melacha of hotza’ah, which<br />
posits that changing the location of an object actually does affect a significant<br />
change in the object itself.<br />
The status of mishkan as kedushat ha-makom and its relationship to Shabbat may<br />
help us understand another question about our parsha that has caught the attention<br />
of many commentators. Parshat Vayakhel is the parsha of Moshe’s transmission<br />
of Hashem’s commands to build the mishkan, as well as the beginning of the<br />
mishkan’s construction. Yet the parsha begins with three pesukim that reiterate<br />
the halachot of Shabbat, including the consequences of performing melacha on<br />
Shabbat. In context, these pesukim seem out of place. They don’t seem to have<br />
anything to do with the construction of the mishkan and don’t really teach us<br />
anything new about Shabbat, a topic we have already learned about several times<br />
in Sefer Shemot.<br />
Rashi (35:2) famously explains that the command to keep Shabbat is reiterated<br />
in order to clarify that the mishkan may not be built on Shabbat. On a deeper<br />
level, though, it is possible to suggest that the Torah is emphasizing the unique<br />
connection between Shabbat and mishkan. 1 While the mishkan is kedushat hamakom,<br />
Shabbat is kedushat ha-zman. Shabbat is in the realm of time what<br />
mishkan or mikdash is in the realm of space. Essentially, through Shabbat, we<br />
have a “day of mikdash” each week.<br />
1. See Rav Ezra Bick’s shiur, “Mishkan and Shabbat,” at: http://vbm-torah.org/archive/parsha70/22-70vayakpekud.htm.
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This may even explain the halacha quoted by Rashi as well: it does not make<br />
sense to violate the terms of kedushat ha-zman, Hashem’s concentrated Presence<br />
in the realm of time, in order to lay the groundwork for kedushat ha-makom. On<br />
the other hand, once the mishkan was completed and Hashem’s Presence actually<br />
rested there, avoda in the mishkan did justify and even require doing melacha on<br />
Shabbat; at that point, involvement in the mishkan meant that one was engaging<br />
the Presence of God in space, and not just ignoring it in the realm of time.<br />
May we fully appreciate the kedusha of Shabbat and the possibility of creating<br />
holiness in time and space, and may we successfully extend the kedusha of Shabbat<br />
to the entire week and the kedusha of mikdash to our homes and the entire world.
127<br />
Vayakhel<br />
Gracious Giving<br />
Jay Cohen<br />
P arshat Vayakhel focuses mostly on the construction and dedication of the<br />
mishkan. Hashem’s instructions regarding the dimensions and keilim of the mishkan<br />
had already been given in the Parshiot Terumah and Tetzaveh. Moshe starts off this<br />
parsha by gathering the entire Jewish nation and initiating what must be the most<br />
successful building campaign in our history.<br />
After Moshe’s appeal, the people grasped the purpose of the mishkan and B’nei<br />
Yisrael did all they could to contribute, donating both material and actual labor.<br />
The architects of the mishkan had to tell Moshe to stop the people from bringing<br />
contributions because of the great response to Moshe’s appeal: “And they said to<br />
Moshe, as follows, ‘the people exceeded in bringing more than the labor of the work<br />
that Hashem has commanded to perform.’ Moshe commanded, and they proclaimed<br />
in the camp saying, ‘Man and woman shall not do more work toward the gift of the<br />
Sanctuary’” (36:5-6). Nechama Leibowitz comments that all classes and sections of<br />
the people, men, women, the leaders and wisehearted, were united in “bringing” – a<br />
word which is repeated nine times in the seven pesukim (35:21-27) that describe what<br />
the congregation brought (New Studies in Shemot, p. 663).<br />
Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch notes that the language used to describe the gifts to<br />
the mishkan also show how generous B’nei Yisrael’s donations were. Moshe says that<br />
anyone who is ובל בידנ , “whose heart moves him” (35:5), should contribute to the<br />
mishkan. The word בידנ is related to the similar root ףטנ, which means to drip out
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from within. Someone who is moved by his heart is dictated by his own inner<br />
self and is unaffected by any form of coercion and even every external influence<br />
that could direct the donor’s actions. The people responded (see 35:21), showing<br />
that everyone wanted to create the mishkan for not for a selfish reason but truly<br />
to glorify Hashem.<br />
We are taught that the princes of the tribes thought that the B’nei Yisrael wouldn’t<br />
have such a great response to the demands of the mishkan. Rashi (35:27) asks,<br />
what made the princes donate first to the mizbe’ach when they did not contribute<br />
first to the mishkan? It was because the princes said the following: “Let the public<br />
donate whatever they donate, and what they don’t contribute we will complete.”<br />
Even the princes of the tribes did not realize how great the resolve of the people<br />
was to build the mishkan.<br />
The dedication of the mishkan shows such a contrast to last week’s parsha when<br />
B’nei Yisrael built the eigel ha-zahav. This week they are showing such motivation<br />
and determination to do everything possible to take part in the building of<br />
Hashem’s mishkan. This is unlike last week where the B’nei Yisrael sinned against<br />
Hashem and put their entire future in jeopardy. This is why the mishkan is called<br />
“תדעה ןכשמ“ or The Tabernacle of Testimony (38:21). It shows that Hashem<br />
overlooked the incident of the eigel ha-zahav for He had rested his Shechinah<br />
among the Bnei Yisrael. (Rashi 38:21)<br />
We can see how one action which is totally unselfish and for the right reasons<br />
can overturn the harshest decree. In our lives, we can also find one way to serve<br />
Hashem and totally wrap our mind around that one action in a true resolution for<br />
Hashem. In this way, we can build our own mishkan.
129<br />
Pekudei<br />
Donations and Atonement<br />
Mitchell Perlmutter<br />
P arshat Pekudei begins with Moshe’s meticulous counting of all the gold, silver,<br />
and copper that B’nei Yisrael brought forth for the building of the Mishkan. Even<br />
though Moshe entrusted Betzalel with the task of carrying out the Mishkan’s building,<br />
Moshe felt that it was necessary for him to count everything himself. There are perhaps<br />
two reasons for him doing this. Firstly, Moshe would not rely on assumptions when<br />
it came to something as precious as building the Mishkan. Secondly, in case anyone<br />
should accuse him of stealing any of the precious metals, Moshe could cover his bases.<br />
(Rav Moshe Feinstein)<br />
As the Or Hachaim (38:24) points out, the Torah makes a special point in telling us<br />
that all of the precious materials that were brought as donations to the Mishkan were<br />
used: “All the gold that was used for the work--for all the holy work...” Even though<br />
the second part of the statement seems superfluous, according to the Or Hachaim, it<br />
is coming to highlight the fact that the usage of all the materials was a great miracle. It<br />
would be logical to assume, for example, that when the cherubim were carved out there<br />
would be some gold shavings left over. However, we see here that not even a scrap was<br />
put to waste. All of the surplus material was incorporated into the Mishkan without<br />
making individual parts any bigger than their original required measurements.<br />
Based on the understanding that all of the gold, silver, and copper that B’nei Yisrael<br />
was ordered to hand over (originally, back in Parshat Trumah) was done as a form of<br />
atonement for cheit ha-egel, we can understand why this miracle was so important
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for B’nei Yisrael. The fact that none of the materials were left out was coming to<br />
show B’nei Yisrael that Hashem accepted each individual’s atonement offering.<br />
Psychologically and practically speaking, this miracle was crucial in order for<br />
B’nei Yisrael to be able move forward in their avodat Hashem.<br />
Even though Hashem may have forgiven B’nei Yisrael for cheit ha-egel, He still<br />
didn’t “forget,” which is why B’nei Yisrael had to carry both the intact and the<br />
broken luchot. (Rewinding back to Parshat Ki Tisa, when Moshe saw B’nei Yisrael<br />
worshipping the molten calf, “Moshe’s anger flared up” (32:19), causing him to<br />
throw down the luchot amidst his rage.) Rashi (Bamidbar 10:33) maintains that<br />
there were actually two separate aronot, one containing the intact luchot and the<br />
other containing the broken luchot. The first aron contained the whole luchot<br />
and traveled with B’nei Yisrael everywhere they went. The second aron contained<br />
the broken luchot and shot ahead a three days journey to ensure the safety of<br />
B’nei Yisrael. According to Rashi’s understanding, these two separate aronot were<br />
symbolic of two different covenants that are crucial in defining the relationship<br />
between Hashem and B’nei Yisrael. So what is Rashi’s chiddush coming to teach<br />
us? In their striving to attain closeness with Hashem, B’nei Yisrael first needed to<br />
come to terms with cheit ha-egel. (Rav Asher Freidman)<br />
What is true in Parshat Ki Tisa is also true in this week’s parsha, Parshat Pekudei.<br />
Hashem first needed to accept all of B’nei Yisrael’s atonement offerings before the<br />
Kohen Gadol could perform his avodah in the Mishkan on their behalf.
131<br />
Vayikra<br />
Adam the Initiator<br />
Rav Natanel Lebowitz<br />
W hen introducing mitzvos, the Torah uses various nouns to inform us who is<br />
responsible to keep a particular law. Sometimes the Torah uses “ish” (man), other<br />
times it uses “ish ish,” and yet at others, the Torah states “ish oh isha” (man or woman).<br />
When introducing the concept of korbanos, the Torah chooses to use the word adam:<br />
“Adam ki yakriv mi-kem korban la-Shem” (1:2). If ish and adam translate to mean the<br />
same thing, why would the Torah choose the less used term of adam when introducing<br />
korbanos? Is there a deeper meaning to why the Torah chooses to use adam here?<br />
Many meforshim write that Hashem is referencing Adam Ha-rishon. The Torah states,<br />
“Adam ki yakriv mikem.” If I want to get closer to Hashem then I need to approach<br />
avoda as Adam Ha-rishon. For example, Rashi says that the Torah is teaching us a law<br />
about what kind of animal I may not bring as a korban. Being the only person living<br />
at the time, Adam Ha-rishon could not have brought a stolen animal. Everything<br />
belonged to him. Similarly, we may not bring a stolen animal as a korban.<br />
The Midrash Tanchuma explains that there is another connection between korbanos<br />
and Adam Ha-rishon. One of the primary reasons to bring a korban is to gain<br />
forgiveness for a sin that we committed. All sin has its source from Adam Ha-rishon’s<br />
original sin. Perhaps the midrash is telling us that in some way, every time we bring a<br />
korban, we gain a small amount of forgiveness for Adam’s original sin.
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
The Kli Yakar brings a different interpretation. In commenting on the story of<br />
Kayin and Hevel, we generally assume that Hevel is the hero and Kayin is the<br />
villain. However, the Kli Yakar says that while this is mostly true, it is not the<br />
whole story. There is an element of Hevel’s korban that was undesirable. The<br />
Torah states “V’Hevel heivi gam hu” (Bereishis 4:4), “and Hevel also brought.”<br />
It is true that Hevel brought the best of his flock as a korban, which was very<br />
commendable, but he only brought the korban after seeing Kayin’s initiative. The<br />
Kli Yakar says that the Torah uses the word Adam to introduce korbanos to teach<br />
that when doing avodas Hashem we need to be like Adam. Adam had nobody<br />
else to look to for inspiration in doing avodas Hashem. Whatever avoda he would<br />
do had to come from his own heart. The Torah is imploring us to take initiative.<br />
Gaining inspiration from others to be closer to Hashem is fine, but it does not<br />
compare to one who reflects on his own life and experiences and decides based<br />
solely on that what he needs to do to be closer to his Creator.<br />
Hashem created everyone in the world with their own unique gifts and strengths.<br />
Ideally, we should use those in defining how deep our relationship with Hashem<br />
will be. Someone else’s avoda may be based on what their kochos are. If I only<br />
do avoda that everyone else is doing then I am withholding from the world the<br />
avoda that only I can uniquely contribute.<br />
Yehi ratzon mi-lifnei Avinu she-bashamayim that Hashem help me see what is<br />
special about the way He created me and that we should have the confidence,<br />
courage, and the initiative to use the tools He gave us to get closer to Him.
133<br />
Vayikra<br />
Giving to the Giver<br />
Yehuda Stuchins<br />
T his week’s parsha introduces us to the concept of korbanot: the different types,<br />
the procedures, and the laws pertaining to them. The obvious question is what is the<br />
point of korbanot?<br />
Rav Hirsch provides an explanation. He says that the root of the word ןברק is ברק,<br />
which means, “to come close.” He writes that the point of korbanot is to bring us closer<br />
to Hashem. The main purpose of korbanot cannot be to provide for God because God<br />
does not need anything from us. The purpose must be to allow us the opportunity<br />
to give something of ours to Hashem. A strong support for this explanation is the<br />
fact that throughout the entire parsha of korbanot the Torah only uses the name קוקי,<br />
which represents Hashem’s attribute of mercy, while the name םיקולא, which represents<br />
Hashem’s attribute of judgment, is not found.<br />
In Relationship with Hashem, Chaim Rosenblatt discusses the basics of Jewish<br />
philosophy. He writes that the way to get closer to God is to act similar to Him and<br />
since God is the ultimate giver, we must also be giving. This could help explain the<br />
idea behind korbanot. By providing us with the opportunity to bring korbanot, both<br />
God and we are giving. We give our material wealth to Hashem and He gives us the<br />
opportunity to do so.<br />
In Masechet Brachot, the gemara (26b) says that tefillot were at least partly based on<br />
korbanot. Based on the explanation of korbanot above we must explain how tefilla
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
can be based on korbanot. By commanding us in korbanot, Hashem gave us a<br />
way to give physically to Him. We have since lost this ability. However, we still<br />
give whatever we can. Through tefilla we are able to give to Hashem mentally and<br />
emotionally. A major part of tefilla is הנווכ and without it one has not fulfilled<br />
one’s obligation. Thought and feeling are a vital part of tefilla and through it, we<br />
are able to give Hashem our complete mind and total focus three times day.<br />
Ramban looks at korbanot in a very different way. He says that the whole purpose<br />
of korbanot is for atonement. There are three different ways in which one can sin:<br />
speech, action, and thought. The different parts of the sacrifice atone for each of<br />
the types of sins. When one would lean their hands on the animal, it would atone<br />
for sins through action. When one would confess what he did, it would atone for<br />
sins through speech. Lastly, when the animal’s innards would be offered up on<br />
the altar, it would atone for sins through thoughts because the inside is the seat<br />
of thought.<br />
After korbanot were lost, we had to replace them with three different things,<br />
which we say on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur: הקדצו ,הליפת ,הבושת. הבושת<br />
atones for sins through thought, הליפת atones for sins through speech, and הקדצ<br />
atones for sins through action.<br />
Although these two opinions seem very different, they can actually work together.<br />
Rav Hirsch’s explanation explains why we sacrifice korbanot but it does not<br />
explain why we have all the strict procedures and mandatory sacrifices. Ramban’s<br />
opinion explains why the rules and requirements but does not explain why it has<br />
to be done through animal sacrifices. Using the two explanations together, we can<br />
come to a conclusion about the entire idea of korbanot. This seemingly strange<br />
ritual, and its modern replacements, give us a way, to not only make up for the<br />
sins of our past but also to build a connection with God for the future.
135<br />
Shemini<br />
Obedience and Creativity<br />
Rav Asher Friedman<br />
I n the moment of joy, disaster strikes. Am Yisrael has toiled for almost six months<br />
to build the mishkan, the sign of God’s forgiveness after the golden calf. While the<br />
structure of the mishkan is beautiful in itself, the building is a means to an end – the<br />
return of the Shechina, God’s Presence, to the midst of Am Yisrael, a healing of the<br />
rift formed in the aftermath of our treachery. And after sanctifying the structure, the<br />
vessels, and the kohanim, all is ready. God’s Glory descends upon the mishkan in a<br />
blaze of fire, consuming the korbanot from the altar. And then, disaster strikes.<br />
Nadav and Avihu, two of Aharon’s four sons, deviate from God’s instructions and<br />
bring an “alien fire”, an offering “that God had not commanded” (10:1). Immediately,<br />
a flame shoots out and consumes the two kohanim.<br />
In searching for a reason for their punishment, one need not look far. The Torah’s<br />
constant refrain throughout the description of the inauguration of the mishkan has<br />
been, “As God commanded.” Every aspect of the mishkan and the korbanot is precisely<br />
detailed. In contrast, the Torah stresses that Nadav and Avihu innovated their own<br />
form of worship, in response to their own intuitions as opposed to the instructions of<br />
God.<br />
If this “spiritual creativity” explains God’s fearsome response, then the lesson for us<br />
should be clear. Creativity and individuality have no place in avodat Hashem, and we<br />
are meant to follow God’s orders precisely with no addition or subtraction.
136<br />
However.<br />
The story is far more complex than that.<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
A close look at other sections of the parsha leads to the exact opposite conclusion.<br />
In fact, there are two other episodes of “deviation from God’s command,” and in<br />
each the “innovator” was clearly correct. Let’s explore the first of these deviations<br />
(the second, Aharon’s refusal to eat his korban chatat is complex and deserves its<br />
own treatment).<br />
As the parsha begins, Moshe commands the final procedures Aharon must<br />
perform to facilitate the Shechina’s descent to the mishkan. He precedes these<br />
commands with the explanation, “This is what God has commanded that you<br />
shall do, so that God’s Glory will appear to you” (9:6). The Torah then describes<br />
Aharon diligently fulfilling the commands, and yet … nothing happens. Rashi<br />
(9:23) describes Aharon’s panic as he realizes that his effort has not achieved the<br />
desired results. What could be missing? Aharon has followed his instructions<br />
precisely!<br />
Aharon responds to this moment of crisis without guidance (see Ramban,<br />
9:22). He turns to the nation and blesses them. He and Moshe then bless the<br />
nation together, and immediately, God’s Shechina descends, and the Divine fire<br />
consumes the korbanot. It seems that God deliberately neglected to command<br />
the final, crucial step in readying the mishkan for His Shechina, and waited for<br />
Aharon to intuit it on his own! The message implicit in this episode seems to be<br />
that God wants us to be creative in our avodat Hashem, and leaves room for us to<br />
“figure things out”. If so, these two episodes, that of Nadav and Avihu and that of<br />
Aharon’s blessing of the nation, directly contradict each other!<br />
The resolution to this mystery lies in the fundamental differences between these<br />
two cases of innovation. Nadav and Avihu “made up” a new ritual as an act of<br />
avodat Hashem, in the realm of bein adam la-Makom. Aharon, however, innovated<br />
his spiritual act in response to sensitivities regarding his fellow Jews – bein adam<br />
la-chaveiro. This distinction between relying on one’s own intuition and creativity<br />
in a mitzvah bein adam la-Makom versus in a mitzvah bein adam la-chaveiro is<br />
reflected in a fascinating halachic pattern. Rav Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg points<br />
out that some mitzvot mysteriously lack a birkat ha-mitzva. While lulav, tzitzit,
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achilat matza, and countless other mitzvot are preceded by a beracha, mitzvot like<br />
tzedaka, kibud av va-eim, and mishloach manot are actions that do not have any<br />
blessing beforehand. Why the difference? Rav Weinberg explains that the role of a<br />
birkat ha-mitzva is to focus our consciousness on the fact that the act we are about<br />
to perform is an expression of our obedience to God’s command. This is well and<br />
good when it comes to lulav and tzitzit. But when it comes to tzedaka or kibud av<br />
va-eim, the experience of obedience actually detracts from the mitzvah. The ideal<br />
performance of bikur cholim is not an act focused on punctiliously conforming<br />
to halachic norms but rather an expression of spontaneous, natural sensitivity<br />
to the needs of a fellow human being. Filling our minds with pious thoughts of<br />
submission to God undermines the goal. Ideally we should cultivate personalities<br />
that naturally lead to acts of bikur cholim, kibud av va-eim and tzedaka without<br />
ever having to think of what the halacha requires of us.<br />
Why would God want us to be spontaneous and creative when it comes to our<br />
relationship to our fellow man, but not with Himself? Philosophically, this makes<br />
tremendous sense. When it comes to our fellow human being, empathy alone<br />
often enables us to intuit what he or she needs from us. I can imagine what it must<br />
feel like to be a sick person, a bereaved person, a homeless person, and therefore<br />
I can and should respond to their needs without requiring instruction.<br />
But when it comes to God, He Himself explains to Yeshayahu, “My thoughts are<br />
not like your thoughts” (55:8). To presume that we can intuit what God wants of<br />
us, what will suit His purposes without Him telling us reflects the most intense<br />
form of arrogance. Do I dare to claim knowledge of God’s mind and goals? To<br />
invent a form of spiritual connectedness to God is to either humanize God or<br />
deify oneself. Neither option is acceptable.<br />
Thus, we see that avodat Hashem always involves a balance between submission<br />
and intuition, between obedience and creativity. May we always be zocheh to have<br />
the inner strength to accept Hashem’s will when we approach Him, and to trust<br />
ourselves and our own inner intuitions when others need us.
138<br />
Tazria<br />
South Koreans and the Study of Torah She-ba’al Peh<br />
Rav Michael Cytrin<br />
T he following story is so utterly implausible that it might actually be true. On<br />
March 27, 2011, an article appeared on Y-Net, an Israeli e-paper, stating that South<br />
Korea has adopted the study of Talmud as part of its national curriculum of study for<br />
students. Why would this East Asian country be interested in the study of Talmud?<br />
The South Koreans noted that there is an extraordinarily high percentage of Jews<br />
who have received the Nobel Prize in a wide variety of fields, and have attributed this<br />
“Jewish genius” to the study of Talmud.<br />
Extraordinary! The South Koreans used a simple formula to reach their conclusion:<br />
1) Jews have contributed to the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, economics,<br />
literature, etc. disproportionately to their representation in the overall population. Or,<br />
simply put, “Jews are geniuses.”<br />
2) The source of their success is the study of Talmud.<br />
3) Therefore, we South Koreans, in order to replicate their success, should also adopt<br />
the study of Talmud.<br />
The problem is that only a “goyishe kop” could conclude that the learning of Talmud<br />
will give one a “yiddishe kop!”<br />
Is the learning of Talmud merely the amassing of data or collecting legal factoids? “If<br />
your ox which caused damage is a “tam” then you will pay only half-damages, but if
139<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
your ox is a perpetual offender, then you will have to pay full damages…” This<br />
hardly seems the fertile ground upon which genius is cultivated.<br />
The truth is that Talmud study for South Koreans is ludicrous. In order to<br />
understand this, we must introduce a critical distinction between the Torah shebichtav<br />
and the Torah she-ba’al peh.<br />
When Am Yisrael entered into Eretz Yisrael, we were commanded to write the<br />
Torah<br />
on large stones “ba’er heiteiv” (Devarim 27:8). Rashi explains: “in all 70 languages”.<br />
The Siftei Chachamim adds: “In order for each and every nation to read and<br />
understand.”<br />
The Written Law is in the public arena. It is open to all the nations of the world,<br />
and indeed the Bible is the most widely published book in the history of the<br />
world.<br />
When Sir Walter Raleigh lay on his death bed, he asked for someone sitting at his<br />
side to read him a book. When his friend asked him which book he wanted to<br />
hear, Sir Walter Raleigh said, “There is but one.”<br />
In fact, the Bible has become so part and parcel of the Western world that other<br />
groups have mistakenly concluded that they, in fact, are the real Jews! The Roman<br />
Catholic Church has specifically made the claim that the Church is the “New<br />
Israel”. Protestant “Replacement Theology” says much the same thing. This week,<br />
when we visited the Samaritan community on Har Grizim, this is in effect what<br />
they said.<br />
The Written Law, the “Bible” has been translated into every language on the<br />
planet. This is the aspect of the Torah that is “universal” and can be shared with<br />
the nations. The Bible provides the basic moral code of ethical Monotheism for<br />
the world.<br />
But the Oral Law has never been translated and can never be translated for the<br />
nations. It is the unique possession of Am Yisrael. And this is what the South<br />
Koreans do not understand —the Talmud, the Oral Law, is the unique property<br />
of Am Yisrael!
140<br />
The Gemara in Gittin (60b) says: “Rav Yochanan says: HKBH only created a brit<br />
with Am Yisrael because of the Oral Law, as the verse says: “הלאה םירבדה יפ לע יכ<br />
לארשי תאו תירב ךתא יתרכ (Shemot 34:27).”<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
The Written Law is Hashem’s direct word to us. Our job is to listen and receive.<br />
The Oral Law is Hashem’s invitation to us to enter into a dialogue with Him. Our<br />
job is to debate and to discuss.<br />
The Gemara (Kiddushin 30b) says that when two people learn together, at first<br />
they are enemies, but eventually “הז תא הז םיבהוא םישענ,“ they become lovers.<br />
If this is true for chavrutas, how much more so is it true that the continuous<br />
learning of the Torah she-ba’al peh for the last 3300 years has created a love affair<br />
between Am Yisrael and Hashem. As the Midrash Tanchuma (Parshat Noah) says:<br />
“Only one who loves HKBH learns the Oral Law.”<br />
Many talmidim enter the yeshiva at the beginning of the year with the question:<br />
Why is it important to learn Gemara? My hope is that by the end of this long<br />
Winter Z’man, many are now beginning to realize that the learning of Gemara<br />
is not merely a good way to hone your mind, but it is the way by which we enter<br />
into a covenant with HKBH.
141<br />
Tazria<br />
Partners with God<br />
Noam White<br />
T he first place in the Torah where we see the concept of brit mila is regarding<br />
Avraham Avinu. God said to Avraham, “י ִניבּ ֵ תירִ בּ ְ תוֹא ְל היָ הָ ו ְ ם ֶכ תְ ַל רְ ע ָ רשַׂ בּ ְ תא ֵ םתֶּ ְל מַ ְנוּ<br />
ם ֶכי ֵני ֵבוּ“ – “And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and that shall be a<br />
sign between me and you” (Bereishit 17:11). Then God comes and commands us in<br />
our parsha to do the same, as it says: “וֹת ָל רְ ע ָ רשַׂ בּ ְ לוֹמּי ִ י ִנימִ ׁשְּ ה ַ םוֹיּ ַבוּ“ – “and on the<br />
eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised” (Vayikra 12:3). The Rambam<br />
famously says in his commentary on the mishna (Chullin 7:6) that we only keep the<br />
mitzvot because they were commanded to Moshe on Har Sinia and not because of any<br />
previous commandment. So if we only keep this commandment because it was given<br />
at Har Sinai, and not because of Hashem’s command to Avraham, how does Hashem’s<br />
command to Avraham color our understanding of the mitzvah of brit mila?<br />
To add to our question, in the pesukim preceding God’s command to Avraham the<br />
Torah (Bereishit 17:1-11) describes the covenant between that is being established<br />
between God and Avraham. Avraham’s name is changed to reflect the fact that he<br />
is gaining a new level of prominence as the “father of a multitude of nations,” God<br />
promises that Avraham will have many offspring who will inherit Eretz Yisrael and<br />
have a special relationship with God. The sign of all of this is the brit mila. What does<br />
brit mila have to do with all of these grand promises?
142<br />
Perhaps the keys to these questions lie in a Midrash Agada (Tazria, 4) which<br />
recounts as follows:<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
וא ארובה השעמ הלועמ רתוי וזיא ול רמא אביקע ’ר תא סופורסונרוט לאש<br />
רובעב תולובחת לאוש רוראה הז ובלב רמא ,דימ ןיבה אביקע ’ר .םדאה השעמ<br />
השעמ ול בישא םאו ,ינגרהי אוה דבכנ רתוי םדאה השעמ ול בישא םא ,הלימה<br />
.ארובה הצרש המ לע ןיפיסומ םתא המל רמאיו ינגרהי אוה םג דבכנ רתוי ארובה<br />
רמא .אובאו תיבל ךלאש דע תועש יתש יל ןתמה ךלמה ינודא אביקע ’ר רמא<br />
הלח יל השעתש התע ךממ ץפח ינא ותשאל רמא ,ותיבל אביקע ’ר ךלה .ךל ול<br />
התשע דימ .חצקו ןימשמושו ןמש טעמ םע ,ןסרומה ןמ הייקנ דאמל הבוט תחא<br />
רמא ךלמה ינפל אבו ,הטח טעמ חקלו הלחה חקל .הוצש הממ רתוי ותשא ול<br />
תלאשש הליאשב ךבישאש דע הלאשה הזב ינבישה ךשאר ייחב ךלמה ינודא ול<br />
םא ,וזה הלחה הלחת האנ רתוי הזיא ךלמה ינודא ול רמא .תיצר המ ול רמא .ינממ<br />
ךתלאש התא ךלמה ינודא אביקע ’ר רמא .וזה הלחה ךלמה ול רמא .ולאה םיטחה<br />
השעמש יפל ,דבכנ רתוי םדאה השעמ תרמא יכ התבשה התא ,ינממ תלאשש<br />
,הלימה רובעב יל תלאש התאו ,הלחה איה םדאה השעמו הטחה איה ארובה<br />
רמא .ךב הנע ךיפו תבשה התא התעו ,ינליפתש ידכ ,הלובחת ינממ שקבמ תייהו<br />
םא ול רמא ?לוהמ םדאה ה”בקה ארב אל המל ןכ םא ,התבשה בוטב אביקע ’ר ול<br />
אלא ,ותוא ךותחל םדאה ךירצש אלא ,ךותח ררשה תא ה”בקה ארב אל המל ןכ<br />
הפורצ הולא תרמא לכ רמאנש ,ויתוירב םהב ףרצל ידכ ןינעה הז השע ארובה<br />
.)ה ל ילשמ(<br />
Turnosrufus asked of Rabbi Akiva: “Tell me which are greater<br />
the deeds of the Creator or of Man?” Rabbi Akiva understood<br />
immediately and said in his heart, “The cursed one asked slyly<br />
about circumcision, if I answer him that the deeds of man are<br />
more honorable he will kill me and if I answer that the deeds of the<br />
Creator are greater then he will also kill me and say, ‘Why do you<br />
add upon that which the Creator desires?!’” Rabbi Akiva replied,<br />
“My master the king, wait for me for two hours while I travel to<br />
my house and then return.” He replied, “Go.” Rabbi Akiva went to<br />
his house and said to his wife “I desire from you now that you will<br />
make me a beautiful loaf of bread, free of coarse grain with a little<br />
bit of oil, sesame and fennel. Immediately his wife did even more
143<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
then he commanded. He took the bread a little bit of wheat and<br />
went before the king and said to him “My master the king, answer<br />
me truthfully one question before I answer the question you asked<br />
me.” He replied to him, “What do you want?” Rabbi Akiva asked,<br />
“My master the king, which is greater, this bread or this grain?” The<br />
king said to him, “This bread.” Rabbi Akiva responded, “My master<br />
the king, you asked a question of me and you yourself answered<br />
that man’s creations are greater. The wheat is the Creator’s work and<br />
the bread is man’s work. The question you asked me was regarding<br />
circumcision and you were trying to trick me in order to make me<br />
stumble, and now you answered your own question!” The king<br />
replied, “Rabbi Akiva you have answered well, but if so why did the<br />
Holy One Blessed Be He not create man circumcised?” Rabbi Akiva<br />
replied, “If so why did Holy One Blessed Be He not create man with<br />
his umbilical cord already cut, rather man needs to cut it? Because<br />
the Creator did this in order to refine man, as it says, ‘Every word of<br />
God is refined’” (Proverbs 30:5).<br />
This Midrash shows that brit mila is a display of man’s partnership with God in<br />
the process of creation and that in a way, man’s creations are greater then those of<br />
God Himself. However, how can it be that our creations are greater then those of<br />
God? Perhaps it’s because we finish and perfect that which God created. Regarding<br />
wheat, we perfect it by turning it into bread and regarding man himself, we<br />
perfect him through circumcision. God created the raw materials with the intent<br />
that man partner with Him in creating the finished product.<br />
What does this have to do with the covenant that Hashem made with Avraham<br />
that He is going to make him into a great nation? How is circumcision a fulfillment<br />
of the covenant that God made with Avraham and how is it a sign? I would like to<br />
suggest that since circumcision is a physical act of creation, carved into the flesh<br />
of man, there could be no greater reminder of man’s potential greatness promised<br />
by God to Avraham. Perhaps that is why circumcision is done on the eighth day.<br />
Eight represents the concept of me’al ha-teva (above nature). Animals are part of
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
nature and do not have any creative ability but man can create and perfect things<br />
and therefore he is above nature. Since brit mila signifies this ability, it is proper<br />
that brit mila take place specifically on the eighth day.<br />
The commandment of circumcision given by God to Avraham teaches us the<br />
value of the brit mila. It shows us that man has enormous potential, he is able<br />
to do thing that no other creatures can do. We all can perfect creation. May it<br />
be God’s will that we all realize that each and every one of us has abilities only<br />
surpassed by God Himself, and may He give us the wisdom to tap into it.
145<br />
Emor<br />
Sefirat Ha-Omer – Days of Independence<br />
Rav Boaz Mori<br />
P arshat Emor is most famous for its presentation of the moadim, the holidays of<br />
the Torah. Each mo’ed has its own unique quality and is an ‘appointed time’ imbued<br />
with a specific avoda appropriate for that time. Almost hidden among the moadim is<br />
a section which uncharacteristically highlights an entire period of time, seven weeks<br />
from Pesach to Shavuot, the period in which we count the Omer, known tersely as<br />
‘sefira’.<br />
What is the nature of this period of time that we call Sefirat Ha-Omer?<br />
Today, when people think about ‘sefira’, thoughts of sefira beards, no music and<br />
anticipation for a Lag Ba-Omer hiatus after a long abstention from celebration may<br />
come to mind. These minhagei aveilut are codified in the Shulchan Aruch (OC 493)<br />
and attributed to the death of Rabbi Akiva’s talmidim who died during this period<br />
between Pesach and Shavuot (Yevamot 62b).<br />
However, the Ramban in his commentary on Parshat Emor views the whole sefira<br />
period as one long chol ha-mo’ed. The weeks are ‘yemei simcha,’ days of great celebration<br />
linking two of the shalosh regalim together!<br />
So what is ‘sefira’, a time of joy or a period of mourning?<br />
Perhaps the answer can be found in defining Pesach and Shavuot, the two moadim<br />
which contain the seven weeks. Both holidays embody cherut, freedom.
146<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Pesach commemorates our freedom from Mitzrayim and Shavuot celebrates the<br />
spiritual liberation that we achieved at Sinai (Avot 6:2 – “Ein lecha ben chorin ela<br />
mi she-osek ba-Torah”). Sefirat Ha-Omer, therefore, in its essence is a period of<br />
cherut which connects our physical and spiritual redemptions.<br />
The tragedy of this time period is when that great potential for cherut is lost.<br />
According to the Talmud Yerushalmi and Iggeret Rav Sherira Gaon, Rabbi<br />
Akiva’s students were killed in the Bar Kochva revolt. At that time, there was a<br />
real possibility to achieve liberty from our Roman oppressors but due to sinat<br />
chinam thousands lost their lives and the dream of freedom was no more<br />
In our own day two new days of celebration have been added to the calendar<br />
during the period of cherut; Yom Ha-Atzma’ut and Yom Yerushalayim. Israel’s<br />
Independence Day celebrates Jewish autonomy in our own land and Yom<br />
Yerushalayim the liberation of the holy city with the makom ha-Mikdash in our<br />
hands. Although the redemption is not yet complete, it is imperative that we<br />
thank Hashem for the blessings he has showered on us, counting each day of<br />
cherut with a beracha!<br />
The holidays are also called שדוק יארקמ. The Ramban (23:2) elaborately defines<br />
these words as days on which we are to gather together publicly to sanctify the<br />
day in the house of Hashem through tefilla and hallel, with festive attire, and to<br />
make it a day of feasting!<br />
For the last two thousand years we have been unable to celebrate the days of<br />
cherut properly as we have been riddled with tragedy and with much suffering.<br />
Today we live in a reality in which we are the masters of our own national destiny,<br />
autonomous with freedoms and liberties that our parents and grandparents did<br />
not know. We are so fortunate to be born into a reality of a Jewish State with<br />
Jerusalem as its capital.<br />
During these Days of Independence let us gather proudly in our shuls and batei<br />
midrash dressed in festive garb and publicly give thanks to Hashem in tefilla and<br />
hallel, sanctifying these days as yemei cherut v’simcha!
147<br />
Emor<br />
Berachot: Yetzer Ha-ra Free<br />
Adam Shafiyan<br />
P arshat Emor ends with the story of the blasphemer. The blasphemer, who was<br />
the son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian father, fought with another man in the<br />
camp and during the fight he cursed Hashem. Hashem decided to make an example<br />
of him and had him stoned, showing that whoever blasphemes the Name of Hashem<br />
will be put to death.<br />
Rabbeinu Bachya (24:10) asks a very intriguing question about this episode: why did<br />
this incident have to be recorded in the Torah? Wouldn’t it have been more appropriate<br />
to cover up this incident and to simply state that one who curses Hashem will be<br />
killed? He explains that there are two reasons for mentioning this event in the Torah.<br />
Firstly, the Torah tells this story in order to show that only a total rasha, someone<br />
flawed to his core, is capable of doing such an act. A person who descends from a<br />
proper Jewish family could never commit such a heinous crime.<br />
The second reason is to teach us how to properly bless Hashem. When the blasphemer<br />
cursed Hashem, he first uttered Name of Hashem and then he cursed. We too are to<br />
bless God by first saying the Name of Hashem with the proper level of concentration<br />
and understanding, and only afterwards proceeding with the rest of the beracha.<br />
While the blasphemer was put to death for his crime, if we use this formula to praise<br />
God we will merit eternal life.<br />
In Sefer Yeshayahu Hashem tells Yeshayahu Ha-Navi that B’nei Yisrael honor Him with<br />
their words but their actions are performed without any meaning. Sefer Chassidim
148<br />
explains that this pasuk refers to how we often recite berachot without the proper<br />
kavana. Despite it being a mitzvah to recite a beracha, we can sometimes turn<br />
the mitzvah into a sin if we don’t properly conquer our yetzer ha-ra and say the<br />
beracha without improper thoughts.<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
One of the biggest problems the yetzer ha-ra brings us is our lack of concentration<br />
on the correct things in life. Unfortunately, most of us have no problem focusing<br />
on a ninety minute football game but when it comes to davening, a million things<br />
are flying into our minds, each and every one of them something other than<br />
tefillah. There is a story told that one day a student told a rav that he was walking<br />
in a marketplace when someone walked right up to him and smacked him in the<br />
chest. Before he could react, the person smacked him again. Right then he realized<br />
he was actually in the middle of the beracha of s’lach lanu in the Shemoneh Esrei<br />
and he was imagining himself shopping for groceries.<br />
Rav Spier teaches that there are two ways to conquer our yetzer ha-ra. First, we<br />
must use our yetzer ha-ra for the positive. We must recognize the areas in which<br />
it attacks us the most and realize that these are the areas where we have the most<br />
potential. In war, the enemy will attack the areas most potent and useful to the<br />
other side. So too the yetzer ha-ra will attack each person’s own strengths and<br />
areas of potential growth. The other way to conquer it is simple. Once we have<br />
figured out the areas in which it attacks us the most, we must see what types of<br />
temptations and enticements are placed in front of us and stay well away from<br />
them. We must learn from the yetzer ha-ra’s tactics and when possible use it for<br />
positive, but at the same time stay away from the bad it brings us.<br />
In Masechet Menachot (43b) we learn that Hashem wants us to recite one hundred<br />
berachot a day. The commentators teach that by fulfilling this request we can<br />
increase our yirat Hashem as well as recognize that we are always in His presence<br />
Hashem blessed us with the amazing tool to continuously become closer to him<br />
daily and to increase our awareness of His presence. May we all learn to properly<br />
keep our yetzer ha-ra out of our berachot and take advantage of the opportunity<br />
presented to us by using berachot as a means to further connect to Hashem.<br />
Shabbat Shalom!
149<br />
Behar<br />
Hashem’s Economic Policy<br />
Dr. David Kallus<br />
P arshas Behar appears to be Hashem laying out His economic system for B’nei<br />
Yisrael. If one analyzes the segments in the parsha one can’t help but notice that<br />
this system works against common sense in business practice. At the beginning of<br />
the parsha the Torah describes the year of shemita. It is a year in which we may not<br />
work the earth; planting, pruning and plowing are all forbidden. All work in the field<br />
stops and the largest segment of the ancient economic sector comes grinding to a halt.<br />
Besides that unproductive year, the Torah describes a year of yovel every 50 years that<br />
immediately follows the shemita year. That makes a second year in a row that the<br />
earth remains un-worked.<br />
It would be reasonable for a person to conclude he should go into business; this way<br />
he can avoid the bad shemita years by being continuously productive. But the Torah<br />
continues by describing the laws of purchases, where there too maximal productivity<br />
is restricted by rules that limit our options. We should prefer to do business with<br />
fellow Jews over gentiles (Rashi, 25:14). Additionally, we have to be careful to have a<br />
fair sale price and there are price ceilings above which it is forbidden to profit (ona’ah).<br />
Well what if we could build wealth in real estate? After all, the rules of ona’ah don’t<br />
apply to land. And there is great wealth that can be built by investing in real estate.<br />
That’s when we learn that if we should choose to sell property there cannot be a sale<br />
that’s permanent. All property sales expire at the yovel year. Even houses in a nonwalled<br />
city are considered to be fields and the sale is overturned at the yovel.
150<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Finally, you may conclude that the real way to make money isn’t in agriculture,<br />
business or real estate, the key to financial success lies in investment banking. Let<br />
my money make money for me by earning interest! It is only fair that I should be<br />
able to charge money for the right to tie up my cash. In fact the laws of interest<br />
aren’t even found in Choshen Mishpat – because charging interest is fair. But the<br />
Torah goes on to forbid interest (it is found in the realm of issur – Yoreh De’ah).<br />
The Torah states, “ve-yareita me-Elokecha” (25:36) in the parsha of interest. Rashi<br />
says that a man’s mind is attracted to interest; it is difficult for him to separate<br />
from it and he permits himself to charge interest because of his funds which are<br />
unproductive while in the hands of the borrower. Understanding this temptation,<br />
the Torah adds the words “ve-yareita me-Elokecha” – you should fear G-d, to<br />
underscore that Hashem understands our natural inclination toward usury.<br />
It would appear that an economic policy such as the one outlined in the parsha<br />
is fiscally untenable, even irresponsible. To require the economy to shut down<br />
for a year and sometimes two would shut a country down and make recovery<br />
impossible. Further rules forbidding profiteering and limiting land sales would<br />
make any country’s economy unviable.<br />
But the next pasuk states, “I am Hashem, your G-d, who took you out of the<br />
Land of Egypt, to give you the Land of Canaan, to be a G-d to you” (25:38). Rashi<br />
comments, “I took you out of Egypt on the condition that you keep my mitzvos<br />
even though they are difficult for you (k’veidos aleichem).” It is certainly hard for<br />
a man to put aside his work and have bitachon in Hashem. But Hashem was able<br />
to take us out of Mitzrayim and we were able to beat all odds against our success<br />
at that time. That was also a test to us. How could a nation of two million slaves<br />
survive in a desert with no provisions in place? Just as Hashem took care of us<br />
when we were in the desert He can take care of us when we are settled in our land.<br />
The tests of the desert didn’t end upon entering Eretz Yisrael. Hashem requires of<br />
us that we never rely fully on the work of our hands or our ingenuity.<br />
This could be an alternative reason why the parsha starts with a mention of Har<br />
Sinai. From the very outset of the Jews’ sojourn in the desert, at the moment they<br />
became a goy kadosh, they were informed that there wouldn’t be any change in<br />
their reliance on Hashem when they entered the land. Just as they needed to rely
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on Hashem for sustenance in the desert, so too they would never be able to rely<br />
on themselves even when they would be in their own land, each man under his<br />
vine and under his fig.<br />
To encourage us, Hashem addresses our concerns for the “reality” of such an<br />
economic system (25:18-23). Such a system would naturally fall apart, but<br />
bitachon in Hashem is the great correction for the gaps in this system. If you<br />
“shall perform my decrees, and observe my ordinances and perform them; then<br />
you will live securely in the land. The land will give its fruit and you will eat your<br />
fill … And if you will say; ‘what will we eat in the seventh year? Behold we will<br />
not sow and gather our crops!’ I will ordain my blessing for you in the sixth year<br />
and it will yield a crop sufficient for a three year period…” The system, Hashem<br />
says, works when we work within the rules of the system. It’s not capitalism,<br />
socialism or communism. But because of Hashem’s intervention the system will<br />
succeed. And the great advantage in this is, “I will be for you a G-d” (25:38).<br />
We will develop a close relationship with Hashem and see that He is constantly<br />
involved in our lives.<br />
One possible solution to bypass Hashem’s system is to simply leave Eretz Yisrael.<br />
In chutz la-aretz there are no shemitos or yovelos. There are gentiles everywhere.<br />
We could charge interest, inflate prices and sell lands and houses without any<br />
restrictions. Instead of relying on Hashem we could be successful directly in<br />
proportion to our labor. But Rashi (25:38) says, “whoever lives in Eretz Yisrael I<br />
am a G-d for him, and whoever leaves is like an idol worshipper.” At first glance this<br />
comment seems completely out of context. There is no place in the pesukim here<br />
that discusses leaving Eretz Yisrael. Furthermore, the Gemara in Kesuvos (110b)<br />
says that whoever lives in chutz la-aretz is like an idol worshipper, not whoever<br />
leaves Eretz Yisrael. According to the analysis that was presented here, Rashi is<br />
showing that it might be a natural conclusion that we should want to leave Eretz<br />
Yisrael because of the difficulty of the economic system. But choosing to bypass<br />
the system for an alternative system by leaving the land and ultimately relying on<br />
ourselves is akin to idol worship. We would be rejecting an opportunity to come<br />
close to Hashem in favor of wealth. (See Rav Elchanan in Kovetz Ma’amarim<br />
where he writes that relying on the various systems, communism, socialism,<br />
liberalism etc., is the modern day equivalent of idol worship).
152<br />
Behar<br />
Behind the Scenes<br />
Josh Cohen<br />
I n the beginning of Parshas Behar we learn about the mitzvos of shemita and<br />
yovel. The Torah says (25:3-4):<br />
ןוֹתבָּ שׁ ַ תבַּ שׁ ַ תעי ִ ִב ׁשְּ ה ַ ה ָנׁשָּ ַבוּ .הּתָ אוּב ָ תּ ְ תא ֶ תָּ פְ סַ אָ ו ְ ךָמֶ רְ ַכּ רֹמ ְזתּ ִ םי ִנשׁ ָ שׁשֵׁ ו ְ ךָדֶ שׂ ָ ערַ ְזתּ ִ םי ִנשׁ ָ שׁשׁ ֵ<br />
רֹמ ְזת ִ אלֹ ךָמְ רְ ַכ ו ְ ערָ ְזת ִ אלֹ ךָדְ שׂ ָ ’ה ַל תבָּ שׁ ַ ץרֶ אָ ָל היֶ הְ י ִ<br />
“Six years you may plant your field and six years you may prune your vineyard and<br />
gather its crop. And in the seventh year there shall be a complete rest for the land,<br />
a Shabbos for Hashem; you shall not plant your field and you may not prune your<br />
vineyard.”<br />
Later in the parsha we learn (25:35):<br />
ךְמָּ ע ִ יחַ ו ָ בשׁוֹת ָ ו ְ רגּ ֵ וֹבּ תָּ קְ ַזחֱ הֶ ו ְ ךְמָּ ע ִ וֹדי ָ הטָ מוּ ָ ךָיחִ א ָ ךְוּמי ָ י ִכ ו ְ<br />
when a fellow Jew is impoverished it is our responsibility to help him get back to<br />
where he was. The pesukim continue and teach that we cannot take interest on<br />
.money that we loan out to a Jew<br />
At first glance it would seem that these two sets of mitzvos have nothing in common,<br />
but if we focus out a little bit and into the big picture we can see a great message.<br />
Both these mitzvos show that everything comes from Hashem. For six years, a farmer<br />
works long and hard to produce the best product he is able, but in the seventh year
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
he is required to stop. If he was able work straight through he would think, ‘Look<br />
at what I have done. All those long hours of work – I put in the effort for these<br />
fruits and they are all mine.’ But comes the seventh year and he isn’t working and<br />
he remembers where everything is really coming from. Also, during this time<br />
his field becomes hefker, meaning that anybody can come and take the fruit that<br />
grew on their own; this shows the owner even more that the field isn’t his.<br />
The law of helping a friend shows the same. When a friend is in need people can<br />
easily come and argue that this is my money, I worked hard to earn it, why do you<br />
deserve it? This law shows us that the money isn’t ours, it’s a gift from Hashem<br />
and we have the responsibility to help out a fellow Jew. This is emphasized by<br />
the Torah’s usage of the word ךְמָּ ע, ִ which is singular, while the previous verses<br />
are in plural. The Alshich says that this is to show that it is every single person’s<br />
responsibility to help and not to just hope that the person will get money from<br />
another source.<br />
Both these mitzvos not only show that everything comes from Hashem but also<br />
that we must have complete trust in Hashem. A farmer not being able to work<br />
his field for a year could have devastating results. Without the field being worked<br />
his family will have nothing to eat, and if he is not able to sell his produce he will<br />
have no income for the year. Therefore, farmers who keep shemita are putting<br />
total trust in Hashem that He really will give them enough in the sixth year to<br />
last until the middle of the eighth year (as promised in 25:21). The Torah even<br />
thinks we should know this by using the term וּרמאֹת ְ י ִכ ו ְ )25:20( , “And if you will<br />
say...” This implies that we should all know to trust in Hashem but if we need to<br />
ask, here is a response.<br />
We all also know that a person needs money to survive, and giving some of it up<br />
might be a struggle for some. The Halacha advises that we give at least 10% of our<br />
income to charity, which is no small amount. A person may think that he needs<br />
every penny he earns for him and his family but in this parsha we see what’s true.<br />
May we all get to the level where we see the reality of the world, that it is Hashem<br />
who provides for our needs. Our needs may be great but when we accept Hashem’s<br />
mitzvos we are rewarded in an incredible way.
154<br />
Bechukotai<br />
Suffering for Thought<br />
Rav Benjy Kwalwasser<br />
P arshat Bechukotai delineates for us two paths that lie before us, the path of<br />
remarkable and plentiful blessings and the alternate route, one filled with horrific and<br />
unrelenting curses. God emphasizes the point that He has empowered us to decide<br />
which way the course of history flows, as the determinant depends solely on our<br />
actions. If we choose to ignore God’s ways, the tragic course will perforce be carried<br />
out (God forbid). However, interestingly enough, God promises at the conclusion<br />
of such an ordeal to remember us and bring redemption. If both paths lead to the<br />
same conclusion, that of liberation and glory, then what incentive exists to choose<br />
good over bad? The obvious difference is the amount of suffering to be endured until<br />
complete ge’ula (redemption) arrives. Are we to have a glorious end of galut (exile) or<br />
a heart wrenching and bitter one? That is the focal point of our parsha. We choose our<br />
own destiny.<br />
Two fundamental questions must be addressed in relation to such a topic, neither of<br />
which will be resolved in this brief discussion. First and foremost, which life are we<br />
experiencing today? Are we suffering or living life blissfully? One talmid theorized<br />
that perhaps we are currently in a transition stage from option B, the path of suffering,<br />
to option A, the path of blessings. “We cannot expect to suddenly end suffering and<br />
lunge instantly into an alternate fate; overall, we are heading in the right direction,” he<br />
posited. This approach is rather questionable. I am certain that during other lulls in<br />
oppression afforded to the Jews throughout history, our ancestors may have arrived
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at such conclusions as well. In between World War I and World War II, Jews<br />
had pivoted themselves seemingly securely in politics and economics. Torah<br />
learning and observance had been growing and ge’ula seemed to be nearing. Of<br />
course, the tragic turn of events has taught us that our gauge of testing where we<br />
stand may be faulty. It is imperative that our diagnostic testing be accurate. In the<br />
financial world it is well understood that a dip in the market can be nothing but<br />
a temporary anomaly and a sudden upswing can be nothing more than a hiccup.<br />
If Hashem has informed us that we remain responsible for two vastly different<br />
approaches, it stands to reason that we should sharpen our measuring tools in<br />
order to remain keenly aware of our status.<br />
Secondly, in the event that we find ourselves entrenched in path B, how are we<br />
to depart from it and enter the elevated and desirable path A? Many individuals<br />
arrive at the depressing conclusion that while we might currently be undergoing<br />
prophecies of the cursed path, there is nothing we can do to change that. We<br />
can only pray that Hashem assume responsibility for the length of galut and<br />
the severity of its harshness. Unfortunately for the surrealists, Hashem has told<br />
us that we determine our fate and not Him. He taught us in this week’s parsha<br />
the ingredients needed in order to secure our places in path A. Many different<br />
perspectives exist as to the single most pressing crisis of our time. However, the<br />
most important question, I believe, is the first one. Where are we? Maybe if we<br />
contemplate our reality, resolutions will be drawn. For an individual to resort<br />
to the conclusion that he feels unqualified and incapable of effecting change on<br />
a mass level is justifiable; but, remaining oblivious to the situation is not. Let us<br />
all hope that we individually and nationally awaken from our slumber and bring<br />
about the desired approach, the golden path.
156<br />
Bechukotai<br />
Keep Thinking<br />
Yonatan Pesach Friedman<br />
“I m bechukosai teileichu ve-es mitzvosai tishmiru va-asisem osam.” (Vayikra 26:3)<br />
I would like to share with you an idea that we learn from this verse that maybe we<br />
can incorporate into our everyday lives in order to strengthen our connection to the<br />
Creator. The verse literally means, “If you follow (“walk in”) My statutes and observe<br />
My commandments and perform them.” Rashi explains “If you follow My statutes” to<br />
mean that we must be laboring in the Torah. ‘Talaichu,’ you walk, denotes a laborious<br />
activity, so we learn from here that we must be ameilim be-Torah, literally laboring in<br />
Torah. Rashi adds that the phrase “ve-es mitzvosai tishmiru” means that our learning<br />
must be in order to apply the Torah to our lives through mitzva observance.<br />
Rav Netanel Lebowitz, shlita, told me a fascinating insight that might add another<br />
layer of interpretation to our verse. What does “and observe My commandments”<br />
mean? If we look back at Parshat Vayeishev, it says that Yosef told his brothers the<br />
dream he had dreamt, that the sun, the moon and eleven stars would bow down<br />
to him. Then he related the dream to his brothers and his father. What was their<br />
response? “So his brothers were jealous of him, but his father waited (“shamar”) for<br />
the matter” (37:11). Rashi explains that Yosef ’s father, Ya’akov, was sitting and looking<br />
forward to when it would come true! What does it mean that someone is “shomer”<br />
Shabbos? It doesn’t mean that he sits around and guards the Shabbos. It means that<br />
you are anticipating the opportunities to be shomer Shabbos! So maybe the verse in<br />
our parsha is teaching us of the great importance of machshava, thought. Through
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thought alone we can attain great levels of closeness to Hashem and enhance our<br />
performance of mitzvot.<br />
Given that, I would like to pose the following question. Is there any way that I can<br />
be involved in the mitzvah of honoring my parents if my parents are 6000 miles<br />
away from me!?<br />
The Gemara in Berachos 6a asks, “What does ‘and for those who contemplate<br />
His Name’ (Malachi 3:16) mean? Rav Ashi said: Even if a person contemplated<br />
a mitzvah and was unavoidably prevented from performing it, Scripture credits<br />
him as if he fulfilled it.”<br />
The Gemara in Menachos 110a asks, what is the meaning of the verses, “This is<br />
the law of the chatas” (Vayikra 6:18), “This is the law of the asham” (Vayikra 7:1)?<br />
The Gemara answers that whoever is engaged in the study of the Torah of chatas<br />
and asham is regarded as if he offered the chatas and asham.<br />
So I would like to suggest that maybe one way we can be involved in the mitzvah of<br />
honoring one’s parents is through thought. By thinking of ways of performing the<br />
mitzvah of honoring one’s parents, by reading the laws, by thinking of how much<br />
you love your parents, we can participate in this great mitzvah! By anticipating<br />
opportunities, by thinking of ways to perform the commandments, i.e. a chesed<br />
for someone, charity, honoring one’s parents, settling the land of Israel and so on,<br />
we can be involved in the mitzvah even when we are not able to completely fulfill<br />
it, and when we do have the opportunity to perform the mitzvah, the performance<br />
will be enhanced to greater levels.
158<br />
Bamidbar<br />
Six Thirteen is Only the Beginning<br />
Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
T he haftara of Parashat Bamidbar opens with God’s promise to Hoshea, “And<br />
the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be<br />
measured or numbered (Hoshea 2:1).” At face value it seems like a promise that the<br />
numbers of the children of Israel will be large, indeed innumerable. However, upon<br />
deeper probing, the Gemara in Yoma (22b) identifies in this promise an apparent<br />
contradiction. Initially God promises that the members of Israel shall be like the sand<br />
of the sea; to be sure a massive number but not infinite. In the latter part of the pasuk<br />
however, Hashem speaks of Klal Yisrael as being so massive it will be impossible to<br />
count; this implies an even larger number.<br />
The Gemara answers by distinguishing between when B’nei Yisrael are “osin retzono<br />
shel makom,” performing God’s will, and when they are “ein osin retzono shel makom,”<br />
not acting in accordance with God’s will. This distinction, though, is hard to accept.<br />
When looking at the words of Hoshea one gets the overall impression that God is<br />
speaking of a people who are deserving of a divine reward. If that is indeed the case,<br />
how can the Gemara sustain the notion that the eminent promise that we shall be as<br />
many as the sand of the sea refers to a time when we are not acting in accordance with<br />
God’s will?<br />
Rabbi Norman Lamm, in a sermon he delivered as rabbi of the West Side Jewish<br />
Center (May 21, 1966), suggested an answer that penetrates to the core of the Jewish<br />
view on the relationship of God and man. Quoting Reb Zadok Ha-Kohen of Lublin,
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
he differentiates between two terms: retzono shel makom and mitzvato shel<br />
makom. The former means the desire of God, the latter is the commandment<br />
of God. The 613 biblical obligations as well as all of the rabbinic ordinances<br />
and decrees manifest God’s commandments and the demands He makes of us<br />
(mitzvot). Rabbi Lamm writes, “His mitzvot do not exhaust the relation of God<br />
and man. There … [are] whole worlds that transcend the idea of mitzvah or<br />
commandment. This is the area of retzono shel makom, the will of God.” The<br />
mitzvah is something that every person with sufficient effort can accomplish<br />
entirely. Ratzon far exceeds that. Ratzon is what we must invest in the mitzvah<br />
and achieve based on our capabilities.<br />
An obvious, but important to be stated, example of this is in the study of Torah.<br />
Strictly speaking one can discharge his daily obligation of Torah study by reciting<br />
the “Shema” once in the morning and once in the nighttime. Thus one has fulfilled<br />
“mitzvato shel makom.” However, our task is to go beyond that and attempt to<br />
live up to God’s “ratzon.” The pasuk in Yehoshua speaks of consistent study, day<br />
and night. While the mitzvah can be confined to those six minutes (at best) a day,<br />
the ratzon is that we engage in Torah constantly every free moment that we have.<br />
Keeping every last detail in Shulchan Aruch – crossing your T’s, dotting your I’s –<br />
is the bear minimum as far as Judaism is concerned.<br />
With this distinction between mitzvato shel makom and retzono shel makom<br />
we can understand the Gemara’s explanation of the opening pasuk of Hoshea’s<br />
prophecy. Both halves of the pasuk are in the context of B’nei Yisrael following<br />
God’s commandments. In both the Children of Israel accept God’s mitzvah. The<br />
difference between the first half and the second is this: the first part of the pasuk<br />
that speaks of Israel being like the sand of the sea, a finite entity, is spoken at a<br />
time when we are keeping only God’s commandments. The second half of the<br />
pasuk, which promises an even larger population, is speaking of a time where we<br />
are not merely keeping to His mitzvot but also to His infinite Divine will.
160<br />
Bamidbar<br />
Lessons from Camp<br />
Michael Bernstein<br />
I n the beginning of this week’s parsha, Hashem tells Moshe to count all the men<br />
ages twenty and up according to their tribe (1:2-3). The only group that Hashem told<br />
Moshe not to count was the <strong>Lev</strong>i’im (1:49). Rashi comments that Hashem did not<br />
want to count them because all the men ages twenty and up would end up dying in<br />
the midbar. The <strong>Lev</strong>i’im were spared because they did not take part in the golden calf.<br />
With the counting complete, Hashem commands Moshe to set up the camp with<br />
three tribes per section (2:2). In the front, on the eastern side, were Yehuda, Issachar,<br />
and Zevulun. To the south were Reuven, Shimon, and Gad. Ephraim, Menashe, and<br />
Binyamin were to the west and Dan, Naftali and Asher were to the north.<br />
The Kli Yakar (2:3) explains that every camp had its own attribute. Yehuda’s camp was<br />
known for their success in Torah. The leaders of the Sanhedrin would come from the<br />
tribe of Yehuda. Also Issachar would go and learn Torah while Zevulan would work to<br />
support him. The camp of Reuven had the characteristic of humility. Humility means<br />
that you are able to admit your flaws or anything wrong that you might have done.<br />
The Gemara in Sota (daf 7b) says that Reuven admitted to his sin of switching Bilha’s<br />
bed. He did this because he didn’t want his brothers to be blamed for the sin that he<br />
did. The main characteristic of the camp of Ephraim was gevura and for the camp of<br />
Dan was wealth.<br />
If you would ask a general what the basic key to arranging his soldiers he would tell
161<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
you that the most elite soldiers would be in the front lines. However, Hashem<br />
was trying to show us that the way to win the war is by Bnei Yisrael learning<br />
Torah and doing acts of kindness. Another point about the arrangement of the<br />
order is that there are two sets of opposites. There is Torah in the front and<br />
strength in the back. This teaches us that there has to be a balance between Torah<br />
and the physical world. The second set is humility and wealth. If Hashem gives<br />
you money, you have to know how to deal with it and not use it as a way of<br />
showing that you are better than everyone else.<br />
In conclusion, the setting of the camps was done for a specific purpose. Each<br />
camp symbolized a different personality trait. These are four different qualities<br />
that a person can possess in his life and the key is to know how to use them in<br />
the proper way.
162<br />
Naso<br />
Joy and Blessings<br />
Rav Dudi Winkler<br />
A n Enlish summary will appear after the Hebrew<br />
וכז יתמיאמ )’ז ,יחיו( אמוחנת שרדמב תקולחמ הנשי ”.םינהכ תכרב”ב ונא םיכרבתמ אשנ תשרפב<br />
קוספבש ”הכ“ הלימה לע תססובמ השרדה .לארשי ינבל הכרבה תרבעה לש וז היגליבירפל םינהכה<br />
.)גכ ,ו ,אשנ( ”םהל רומא ,לארשי ינב תא וכרבת הכ“ –<br />
םינהכה ויהי ךליאו ןאכמ ... יתוירב תא ךרבל ךירצ יתייה רבעשל :ה”בקה רמא<br />
’ר רמא ?לארשי תא ןיכרבמ ויהיש תוכרבל םינהכה וכז ןינמ .םכתא ןיכרבמ םיקידצו<br />
תכרב אלא הכ ןיאו ,)בכ תישארב( הכ דע הכלנ וב בותכש קחצימ – הירזע ןב רזעלא<br />
רמאת הכ רמאנש הרות ןתממ – ירמא ןנברו .)ו רבדמב( וכרבת הכ רמאנש םינהכ<br />
.)טי תומש( לארשי ינבל דגתו בקעי תיבל<br />
חכמ – תובאה לש ןחוכמ וא ,הפיא אוה םיקידצהו םינהכה י”ע לארשי ינבל תוכרבה תרבעה ףקות<br />
ךרבתהל םה םילוכיו ,הרותה תלבק י”ע ,המואה לש החוכמ וא ,קחציו םהרבא לש שפנה תוריסמ<br />
.ךדיאמ ךרבלו דחמ<br />
ךרבמה והימ ןכ םא ”.םכרבא ינאו“ – ךדיאמ ךא ,וכרבת םתא – ”וכרבת הכ“ – דחמ ?הכרב התוא יהמ<br />
?’ה וא םינהכה –<br />
תכרב ןיינעל ל”וחו לארשי ץרא ןיבש יתכלה ינויער לדבה לש הניחב ךותמ הז ןינע לע דומעל הסננ<br />
רדסב תורדוסמ םינהכ תכרב תוכלה .םינהכ תכרב תוכלה תא איבמ ח”כק ןמיס ח”ואב ע”ושה :םינהכ<br />
לכב םיפכ תאשל לארשי ץראב תוליהקה בורב וגהנ ןאכמ .בוט םוי תוכלהב אלו םוי םוי לש תוכלהה<br />
תונידמ לכב וגהנ“ :בתכ )דמ ’עס( א”מרה ,םרב .)”ריבדה חתפ“ ,”דמח ידש“( הרותה ןמ הוצמ איהו םוי<br />
אוה ןיע בוט“ :)ט,בכ( ילשמב קוספה לע וירבד ךמס א”מרה ”.בוט םויב אלא םיפכ ןיאשונ ןיאש ולא
163<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
.”גהנמה בברתשנ“ :הנוש טעמ ןושל א”מרה טקונ השמ יכרדב ”.ךרובי<br />
?הלטבלו גהנמ אבל לוכי דציכ ,הרותה ןמ הוצמ איה םינהכ תכרב םנמא םא – הלאשה תלאשנ<br />
תירחש עמש תאירק רמול אל וגהנ“ ”?ןיליפת חינהל אל וגהנ“ :הז תמגודכ רמול ןתינ םאה<br />
?”תיברעו<br />
רדגב .החמשה איה םייפכ תאישנ תווצמ תוהמש ויבא םשב ויתוחישב איבה הדוהי יבצ ברה<br />
ארקמ תמגודכ תורחא תווצמכ ”הרימא“ הנניא הוצמה רדגש ,הדוהי יבצ ברה ררבמ הוצמה<br />
עפשה תרבעהל ילכ ,רוניצ – התועמשמ הכרב הלימה ”.הכרב“ רדגב אוה הניינע אלא ,םירוכיב<br />
המדאה ךות לא ןפג ”םיכירבמ“ ,םרכב םינפג תוברהל םיצורשכש םשכ( .ונילא םלוע לש ונוברמ<br />
).תושדח םינפג לש עפש תריציל הנכה הווהמ הז ךילהתו<br />
ל”וחב םייפכ םיאשונ ןיאש הביסה יכ ןייצ א”מרה .הוצמה תא רטופ גהנמה דציכ ןבומ אליממ<br />
תותבשב וליפא ,םימי ראשב ןכ ןיאש המ ,ךרבי אוה בל בוטו ,ט”וי תחמשב םייורש זאש“ :איה<br />
םיפכ ןיאשונ ןיא ט”ויב וליפאו ,םתכאלמ לוטיב לעו םתייחמ לע םירוהרהב םידורטש הנשה<br />
איה הכרבהש ןוויכ .”ט”וי תחמשב וחמשיו תסנכה תיבמ זא םיאצויש ,ףסומ תליפתב אלא<br />
.וכרד עפשה רבעמ תא רשפאל תנמ לע חותפו יקנ היהי רוניצהש ךירצ – עפש תרבעהל רוניצ<br />
ךרוצ שי“ ,הווצמה חכב ךשמית הכרבהש ידכ .החמש תרשפאמ הניא םיימוימויה םייחה תדרט<br />
םויקהש ראבמ הדוהי יבצ ברה ”.בוט חור בצמב ,החמשב ,הבוט תינפוגו תישפנ השגרהב<br />
בכעמש תואיצמב סנוא ןיעמ רצונ הדרטו ילוח לש בצמב .אירב בצמ ונניא ל”וחב – תולגב<br />
ךא ,בויחה תא לטבל גהנמה לוכי היה אל – הכרבה תא רמול היה בויחה וליא .הכרבה תא רמולמ<br />
םוקמ“ רצונ ל”וחב ,הבשחמה תוינפבו בלה תחמשב ,תישפנ תואירבב אקווד יולת רבדהש ינפמ<br />
.האירב הנניאש םייחה תואיצמ דצמ ”רוטפ<br />
ונא ,יקולאה בוטה לש עפשה תא ,וזה הכרבה תא .ךרבתהלו ךרבל וניכזו ונכרבתנ הרות ןתמב<br />
ריע םילשוריב ,לארשי ץראב אלא תומלש ןיאו ,תומלשב םלועה הז ךות לא דירוהל םיפאוש<br />
לאירא ןיינב לא הרהמב תולעל דחי ונלוכ הכזנש ןוצר יהי .המלש הארי לש םוקמ ,שדוקה<br />
םילכ תויהל לכונו החמשל ןוגימ וכפהתי םייחה תודרט לכו חמשנ וניינבב .הרהמב הנביש<br />
.החמשבו האולמב םשה תכרב תא םלועה לא איבהל<br />
In Parshat Naso we learn about birkat kohanim. The Midrash (Tanchuma, Vayechi<br />
7) quotes two opinions regarding why it is that people are able to bless other<br />
people. One view says that this power to bless and be blessed was given to the<br />
Jewish people in light of akeidat Yitzchak (the pasuk there states: הכ דע הכלנ, the<br />
same language used regarding birkat kohanim: לארשי ינב תא וכרבת הכ(.<br />
The other opinion explains that this power was achieved through Matan Torah,<br />
where the pasuk similarly states, בקעי תיבל רמאת הכ. Thus, it is either through the
164<br />
mesirut nefesh of the avot or through the holiness of the nation as a whole, that<br />
human beings can bless each other.<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
How do these berachot work? On the one hand, the pasuk states, “Thus shall you<br />
bless B’nei Yisrael” (6:23) implying that it is indeed the kohanim who bless the<br />
people. On the other hand, the pasuk states, “and I [God] will bless them” (6:27),<br />
implying that it is God who blesses!<br />
We shall explore this matter through a different discussion – that of birkat<br />
kohanim in chutz la-aretz. The Shulchan Aruch (OC 128) discusses the halachot<br />
of birkat kohanim together with all the other halachot that apply on a daily basis,<br />
rather than in Hilchot Yom Tov. In fact, most communities in Eretz Yisrael do<br />
birkat kohanim every day, and this is understood to be a mitzva d’oraita. However,<br />
the Rama (128:44) writes that the minhag in chutz la-aretz is to do birkat kohanim<br />
only during mussaf on yom tov, when people are in an especially good frame of<br />
mind. The rest of the year, even on Shabbat, people are preoccupied with the<br />
pressures of making a living and daily life, and cannot perform birkat kohanim.<br />
How do we understand such a minhag? Can a minhag cancel a mitzva d’oraita?<br />
Would it be possible to say that the minhag developed not to say keri’at shema or<br />
not to put on tefillin?<br />
Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook explains in the name of his father that birkat kohanim is<br />
not simply a mitzva of saying a particular formula. The mitvza is not “amira” but<br />
rather “beracha,” which indicates that man becomes a pipeline, a conduit through<br />
which God bestows His blessings to the world. In order to serve as a proper<br />
conduit, a pipe must be sufficiently wide and free from obstructions. When man<br />
is pressured rather than being happy, he is simply not able to serve as a conduit<br />
for Divine blessing. It is not that the minhag has overridden a mitzva; under the<br />
unhealthy conditions of life in chutz la-aretz, it is simply not possible to perform<br />
birkat kohanim on a regular basis.<br />
At Matan Torah, we obtained the ability to serve as conduits for God’s blessing in<br />
the world. We aim to bring that blessing to the world with sheleimut – and this is<br />
possible only in Eretz Yisrael, in Yerushalayim, the place of joy and yirah. May we<br />
merit to see the pressures of life disappear, paving the way for us to joyfully serve<br />
as conduits of God’s blessing to the world.
165<br />
Naso<br />
How to Judge Jews<br />
Jeremy Goldner<br />
T his week’s parsha discusses the laws regarding a sota, or a woman suspected of<br />
infidelity to her husband. In the last pasuk that deals with this topic, it says, “ve-nika<br />
ha-ish me-avon, ve-ha’isha ha-he tisa et avonah,” “And the man [her husband] shall be<br />
free from sin, but the woman will bear her sin” (5:31). From what sin, exactly, is the<br />
husband free?<br />
Rashi answers that if his wife is found to not be a sota, the husband is halakhically<br />
allowed to live with her afterwards. That’s fine, but then what about the rest of the<br />
pasuk that says, “the woman will bear her sin”? This seems to imply that the woman<br />
isn’t off the hook, even though Rashi is saying that she is innocent.<br />
Rav Aryeh Brueckheimer expounds beautifully. While she is indeed innocent of<br />
adultery, she is still guilty of the sin of maris ayin. She was obviously being immodest<br />
in the way she was interacting with other men, or else she would not have become a<br />
sota in the first place.<br />
There is a very powerful lesson we can learn from this point. For a Jew, it is important<br />
to embody our values both outwardly as well as inwardly. Our goal is to give people a<br />
positive message of Hashem and Judaism, and maris ayin runs counter to that goal, so<br />
we should be especially careful about how we act in front of others.<br />
Lehavdil, let’s use a more modern example of maris ayin. Say you notice someone<br />
you know, a fellow Jew, walk into a McDonalds. (For all intents and purposes, we’re
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
talking about a totally non-Kosher McDonalds in chutz la-aretz.) Now, whether<br />
he went in to eat a treif burger or to use the bathroom, he wasn’t sensitive to<br />
the impression he was making on onlookers by going into the restaurant in the<br />
first place. This is a classic example which has the potential to generate maris<br />
ayin problems. Now, as a Jew yourself, it’s also important to do something called<br />
dan le-chaf z’chus, or to judge someone favorably. Sure, you can focus on all the<br />
negative aspects of the situation, but to be dan le-chaf z’chus, which is ideal, you<br />
should view your friend favorably and assume he went in to use the bathroom or<br />
to buy a drink.<br />
To tie this in to current events, it seems to be no coincidence that Yom Yerushalayim<br />
falls out on the week that we learn the lessons of maris ayin and dan le-chaf z’chus.<br />
There seems to be an unfortunate problem in Israeli society where different sects<br />
of Judaism look down upon each other and openly show disrespect towards one<br />
another. If they would only put aside their differences for once, be dan le-chaf<br />
z’chus, and realize that every Jew is special and is made b’tzelem Elokim, maybe<br />
their attitudes would change.<br />
Yom Yerushalayim commemorates the day our holy capital became reunited.<br />
Maybe on a personal level, too, we should be trying to bridge the gaps in our<br />
society and unify all the Jews from all spectrums of Judaism. If we try to internalize<br />
dan le-chaf z’chus and apply it to our daily lives, we can change our outlook on<br />
life, how we relate to one another, and most importantly, build unity among Klal<br />
Yisrael which will hopefully bring us one step closer to seeing Mashiach, bimheira<br />
bi-yameinu.
167<br />
Beha’alotecha<br />
To Be Sad is Not a Tragedy<br />
Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
R ashi, in his opening commentary to this week’s parasha, endeavors to explain<br />
why the Torah repeats the details of the lighting of the menorah and its construction.<br />
Citing the Midrash, he explains that after the ministers from each tribe offered their<br />
sacrifices Aharon felt a wave of despondency overcome him. He too was a minister;<br />
why was he not privileged to bring a sacrifice and represent his tribe? As solace, God<br />
reminded him that he was accorded the daily privilege of kindling and preparing<br />
the lamps. Therefore, immediately following the story of the ministers’ sacrifices, we<br />
encounter the laws of the menorah again.<br />
It is interesting to note the language the Midrash uses. Sensing Aharon’s gloominess,<br />
Hashem tells him, “I swear by your life, yours is greater than theirs.” Rav Moshe<br />
Wolfson, in his work Emunat Itecha, quotes from two Hassidic masters who interpret<br />
the term “yours” as meaning “your sense of disappointment and depression,” which<br />
was “greater than theirs,” meaning greater than their actual sacrifices.<br />
There are times in life when a person is coasting in his devotion and service to God.<br />
Waking up for prayers is effortless, blessings before and after food roll of the tongue<br />
with meaning and purpose, Torah study is pleasurable and sweet, all cylinders are a<br />
go. Yet, there are times when a person struggles mightily in his devotion and service<br />
to God. Waking up for prayers is all but impossible, blessings before and after food are<br />
at best forced, at worst forgotten, the mere idea of Torah study is painful, all cylinders<br />
are at a standstill. Unfortunately, it is not all that uncommon for a person in the latter
168<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
stage to find himself feeling estranged. But if at the point of weakness a person<br />
wishes he could be accomplishing more, if gloom overtakes him because of his<br />
religious infirmity, that too is appreciated by Hashem, sometimes more so than<br />
actual ceremony.<br />
Let us be clear, we are not advocating a life filled with religious longing and devoid<br />
of any practice. Nor are we suggesting brooding and dwelling on our depression.<br />
What we are suggesting is that a deeply rooted and sincere feeling of spiritual<br />
craving can prod a person to accomplish religiously. Melancholy can be turned<br />
into burning desire to fuel our service of God. It can push us to heights hitherto<br />
uncharted. It is for this reason that Aharon’s depression was greater than the<br />
sacrifices of the tribal ministers, for in his depression lay potential for a service of<br />
God that none of the ministers could hope to achieve.<br />
Let all of us who have ever tasted the sour taste of defeat in our avodat Hashem<br />
not become paralyzed and allow ourselves to slouch towards religious apathy.<br />
Let us use the sense of shame and defeat as a catalyst to cultivate concrete and<br />
significant growth in our religious practice and bring us closer to Hashem.
169<br />
Beha’alotecha<br />
Mitzvos or Meat?<br />
Mendy Weisbrod<br />
I t’s interesting how we usually associate certain verbs as having positive or<br />
negative connotations. For example, we usually think of the word “create” as being a<br />
positive thing, which it usually it is. However one can also create havoc, create distress,<br />
or create mayhem. One can also: love…. to hate, or destroy…. evil, etc.<br />
Parshas Beha’aloscha is a parsha about lust, plain and simple. However, as we now<br />
know, lust can be a positive thing or a negative thing, a kiddush Hashem, or a chilul<br />
Hashem (chas ve-shalom), depending on what one lusts towards.<br />
We learn from Rashi at the beginning of our parsha, that following the chanukas habayis<br />
of the mishkan in last week’s parsha, Aharon had felt bad about the proceedings,<br />
because he (as the nasi of <strong>Lev</strong>i) and his tribe did not donate anything or participate<br />
in the inauguration. In response to this, Hashem tells Aharon that he will have the<br />
beloved job of preparing and kindling the lamps of the Menorah.<br />
The Ramban raises a question in his commentary to Sefer Bamidbar: why was Aharon<br />
satisfied with the simple task of lighting the Menorah but not by any of the other<br />
essential services such as the daily korbanot, the Yom Kippur services (including<br />
entering the kodesh ha-kodashim), and the blessing of Bnei Yisrael, among many<br />
others?<br />
The Shem Mishmuel (Rabbi Shmuel Bornstein) explains in the name of his father<br />
(the first Sochatchover Rebbe, Rabbi Avrohom Bornstein) that we can gain insight
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
into this question by understanding the fundamental difference between the<br />
Kohanim and the <strong>Lev</strong>i’im. He writes:<br />
The task of the <strong>Lev</strong>i is to connect earth to heaven. Through his<br />
beautiful melodies he inspires the people to turn heavenwards,<br />
lifting them from their physical limitations to the spiritual world.<br />
The Kohen, on the other hand, connects heaven to earth. He draws<br />
the presence of God into the Beis Ha-Midkash, the fire onto the<br />
altar, and infuses the world with the Divine. (Likutei Misefer Shem<br />
Mishmuel)<br />
He then explains that even though Aharon had been promoted to the role of<br />
Kohen, as the leader of shevet <strong>Lev</strong>i he wanted to also to take part in the <strong>Lev</strong>itical<br />
style of worship. It now becomes clear that Aharon was the type of individual that<br />
we can all learn from. He was one with a strong passion to serve his creator, who<br />
lusted after mitzvos and jumped at the opportunity for avodas Hashem.<br />
Contrarily, there is a major incident later on in the parsha where Bnei Yisrael<br />
complain to Moshe, begging for meat. Not satisfied with the heavenly mon that<br />
Hashem had been supplying them with, the people complain to whoever would<br />
listen and recall the fish, melons and other foods that they had eaten in Egypt.<br />
Not only did their complaining show a complete lack of emuna in Hashem, it<br />
was also a big insult because of the amazing miracles Hashem had done for them<br />
throughout the desert. Bnei Yisrael lusted after something physical, which is the<br />
source of all negative ta’avot. If one is not satisfied with what Hashem has given<br />
him, he will focus on what he doesn’t have and try to acquire more. As he tries to<br />
acquire more, he will realize that he is trying to fill a spiritual void with material<br />
pleasantries as opposed to being shalem and content with his lot.<br />
We learn from the resolution of the story what happens to those who lust after<br />
their most base physical pleasures.<br />
The meat was still between their teeth, not yet gone, when the<br />
wrath of Hashem flared against the people, and Hashem struck a<br />
very mighty blow against the people. He names the place Kibroth-
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
hattavah, because there they buried the people who had been<br />
craving. (Bamidbar 11:33-34)<br />
Another key event of this week’s parsha is the appeal by anonymous members of<br />
Bnei Yisroel to be included in the mitzvah of korban Pesach. Because of their tamei<br />
status (some say they were carrying the bones of Yosef [a truly noble cause]), they<br />
were completely exempt from having to carry out the mitzva of korban Pesach.<br />
However, because of their great lust for mitzvos, specifically this one, they were<br />
zocheh to have brought a new mitzva down into this world, benefitting not only<br />
themselves, but other people for many generations to come as well. From this we<br />
can see that a desire to fulfill as many mitzvos as possible and to create a strong<br />
kesher with the creator can only have positive results.<br />
With Hashem’s help, may we all be zocheh to avoid a lust for physical pleasures<br />
and instead to seek out as many mitzvos as possible, and to prove to ourselves that<br />
while we are all lusting after the right things, each and every one of us can each<br />
become a true eved Hashem.
172<br />
Beha’alotecha<br />
The Will to Succeed<br />
Leo Katz<br />
T his week’s parasha, Parashat Beha’alotcha, can be divided into two parts. The first<br />
half of the parasha details the final preparations for the mishkan, Pesach in the desert,<br />
Pesach Sheni, a meticulous account of B’nei Yisrael’s camp-breaking procedure, and<br />
the divine signs of B’nei Yisrael’s travels. All the events recorded have positive or, at<br />
the very least, neutral connotation. However, as soon as B’nei Yisrael leave Har Sinai,<br />
their sinful nature manifests itself. They antagonize Hashem and engage in repeated<br />
sins, culminating in Miriam and Aharon speaking lashon hara about Moshe. In fact,<br />
according to the Ramban, even B’nei Yisrael’s departure from Har Sinai was a sin.<br />
The Ramban (10:35) quotes a midrash that states that the nation ran from Har Sinai<br />
with the same zeal as schoolchildren running from school, since they were so eager<br />
to avoid the stifling burden of even more commandments. The Torah even includes<br />
a small portion of text situated in between two inverted nuns, which Chazal call a<br />
separate book of Torah. Its purpose, according to Rashi (10:35), is to avoid recording<br />
three Jewish sins in succession.<br />
The interesting thing is that right between these two halves of the parasha is an<br />
unobtrusive passage involving Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law. In it, Moshe asks Yitro to<br />
join B’nei Yisrael in their travels, Yitro declines, and then Moshe requests a second time.<br />
This time, Moshe includes a number of reasons Yitro cannot abandon the people. As<br />
well, both times Moshe gives him some incentive to remain with them by promising<br />
him blessings from Hashem and, according to many commentators, a portion of the
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
land of Israel. The Torah does not give us Yitro’s response. Most commentators<br />
believe that Yitro acquiesced to Moshe’s request, and almost all agree that at the<br />
very least Yitro’s children stayed with the people. Regardless, there is a subtle<br />
question. Why is this passage placed at this point? The Torah has just given us a<br />
comprehensive panorama of B’nei Yisrael’s travel formation. The logical sequence<br />
would be for this description to flow into their departure from Har Sinai. Instead,<br />
however, the Torah records this seemingly incongruous passage. Why is this<br />
event the bridge between the episodes of the compliant behavior of the people<br />
and the instances of their rebellion?<br />
As well, Moshe seems to be begging Yitro to stay with the people. He asks Yitro<br />
twice to remain, and the reasons for this desperate plead vary. Moshe says, “Please<br />
do not forsake us, inasmuch as you know our encampments in the wilderness, and<br />
you have been as eyes for us” (10:31). There are many interpretations of the exact<br />
meaning of this pasuk, but Moshe is apparently concerned about Yitro leaving<br />
because he may give away the nation’s position in the desert. He has also had an<br />
enlightening effect on the people, as evinced by his previous advice to Moshe<br />
(Shemot chapter 18). Alternatively he has been as ‘eyes’ in that he has seen the<br />
majesty and glory of Hashem and if he were to leave it would be tantamount to<br />
denying Hashem’s revelation to the Jews. Either way, Moshe seems to be placing<br />
unduly critical significance on Yitro’s decision. It should not matter so much if<br />
Yitro leaves because Hashem will protect the people regardless of who is privy<br />
to the location of their encampment. Admittedly, Yitro is a great individual, but<br />
Moshe should have the faith in Hashem that He will supply the people with all<br />
that they need and will guide them through the desert to the cusp of the Holy<br />
Land.<br />
It is possible that this story is placed here to exemplify the national sentiment at<br />
the time immediately prior to the people’s journey from Har Sinai. For whatever<br />
reason, the nation lacked confidence in Hashem and were looking for any pretext<br />
to shirk the newfound responsibility they had been given. If a man of Yitro’s<br />
eminence would leave, it would prompt the people to consider leaving as well.<br />
Yitro had experienced Hashem’s sublime presence along with the people; if this<br />
was not enough to compel him to stay, why should the rest of the people be any
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
different? Maybe Moshe was not concerned about the other nations’ opinion,<br />
but that of his own people. Since the nation was not confident in Hashem, if<br />
Yitro would leave maybe they would begin to worry that he would betray their<br />
whereabouts, and they would panic. In addition, Yitro was familiar with the<br />
wilderness and could guide the people. He was also a prominent leader who<br />
could be relied upon to improve the condition of the camp and was therefore a<br />
great morale booster for the nation. If he were to leave, it would cause anxiety and<br />
dissent amongst B’nei Yisrael. Yitro was a stabilizing presence for the nation, and<br />
in their current state, it would be catastrophic to lose him.<br />
This also explains why the passage is placed at this point in the Torah. The Torah<br />
wishes to emphasize the underlying negative current pulsating throughout the<br />
Jewish camp by showing Moshe’s surprising desperation in trying to enlist Yitro<br />
to join the people. Therefore, the people’s sudden penchant for sin is no surprise;<br />
the national disposition foreshadowed their actions. It is possible that this gives<br />
another angle on why the separate ‘book’ of Torah is placed almost adjacent<br />
to the verses about Yitro. The book is comprised of two famous verses: “And it<br />
came to pass when the ark set forward that Moshe said ‘rise up Lord and let Your<br />
enemies be scattered and let those who hate You flee before You’/ And when it<br />
rested he said ‘return Lord to the ten thousand thousands of Israel’” (10:35-6).<br />
According to Rav Hirsch, these verses epitomize Moshe’s complete identification<br />
with Hashem’s will. This passage is placed right after the passage about Yitro to<br />
show the contrast between Moshe’s desires and those of B’nei Yisrael. The Torah<br />
illustrates the flawed attitude and choices of the people and then promptly<br />
demonstrates the ideal form of behavior through Moshe.<br />
As the year finishes and we set off on our respective paths, the most important<br />
thing to remember is that our will has an unparalleled effect on our actions. If<br />
we do not have a strong desire to continue on the path upon which we have<br />
embarked, then there is little chance that we will. B’nei Yisrael’s failure stemmed<br />
from their lack of faith and their exasperation with the commandments. If we<br />
follow their example success will be difficult to attain. Thankfully, the Torah<br />
supplies us with a better model. If we strive to follow Moshe, who is the paragon
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
of proper faith, and make an effort to merge all our actions with Hashem’s will<br />
then we cannot fail.<br />
I would like to wish everyone the best of luck in the summer and in the following<br />
year. May we all have the ability to internalize Moshe’s example and follow<br />
Hashem’s path wholeheartedly and to the best of our abilities. Thank you everyone<br />
for a fantastic year.
176<br />
Shelach<br />
(Don’t) Follow Your Heart<br />
Rav Michael Cytrin<br />
T he Torah seemingly confronts us with contradictory advice. On the one hand,<br />
the verse in our parsha exhorts us not to follow the whims and fancies of our heart:<br />
“םכבבל ירחא ורותת אלו,“ “Do not go astray after the desires of your heart” (Bamidbar<br />
15:39). The Torah provides a framework of laws and duties incumbent on each Jew.<br />
We are not free to follow every whimsy, nor should we be seduced into following<br />
every desire.<br />
On the other hand, Shlomo HaMelech tells us: “Rejoice young man in your youth; go<br />
after the ways of your heart” (Kohelet 11:9). Seemingly, Shlomo is telling us the very<br />
opposite—follow your heart!<br />
Rebbe Yishmael notes this contradiction in the Sifri (Shelach 115):<br />
רוחב חמש רמוא אוהש יפל רמאנ המל םכיניע ירחאו םכבבל ירחא ורותת אלו רמוא לאעמשי ’ר<br />
.םכבבל ירחא ורותת אלו ל”ת הצרתש ךרדב וא הרשי ךרדב )ט אי תלהק( ךבל יכרדב ךלהו ךתודליב<br />
Based upon the pasuk in Kohelet, one may think that it is permissible (or even<br />
commendable) to follow one’s heart and do as he pleases. Therefore the Torah needs to<br />
teach us the verse from our parsha—“Do not go astray after the desires of your heart.”<br />
If so, what is Shlomo teaching us when he advises us to “go after your heart”?<br />
The Netziv answers: “The verse “v’halech b’darchei libecha” teaches us that not every<br />
person’s avodat Hashem is equal. One engages in intensive Torah study all day,
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another goes to work and a third labors in acts of kindness, and all are acting for<br />
the sake of Heaven.”<br />
The Netziv goes on to explain that even within the world of Torah, each Torah<br />
scholar specializes in an area that is especially close to his heart – some love<br />
the mind-numbing complexity of a sugya b’iyun; others enjoy mastering large<br />
chunks of Gemara; there are individuals who labor to understand the minute<br />
details of practical halacha; some students focus on the Torah’s view on life’s most<br />
important philosophical questions.<br />
The Netziv says that the same idea is true when it comes to performing mitzvot,<br />
and he quotes numerous cases of Tannaim and Amoraim who had their own<br />
“favorite” mitzvot: Shabbat and tzitzit; tefillin and sha’atnez.<br />
Similarly, each person performs gemilut chesed in unique ways. One of our<br />
staff members is renowned for his Shabbat hospitality; I have chosen to focus<br />
on funding young Ethiopian Torah scholars; many of the <strong>Lev</strong> <strong>HaTorah</strong> students<br />
are associated with HASC, a summer camp where handicapped youngsters are<br />
showered with love and affection.<br />
The Netziv’s point is clear – each of us is encouraged to “follow his heart” when it<br />
comes to his own unique avodat Hashem.<br />
This is one of the educational qualities that has defined <strong>Lev</strong> <strong>HaTorah</strong> since the<br />
yeshiva’s founding. Each student is exposed to the entire gamut of Torah study<br />
and practice during his year, and encouraged to find his own “niche” in Torah.<br />
The academic year has ended and these students are now outside the walls of<br />
the yeshiva for the first time since the middle of Elul. For them, and for all of us,<br />
now is an opportune time to ask ourselves – what is it about Torah that we love?<br />
What do we feel passionate about? Where do I want to focus my unique talents<br />
and gifts? In this way, we fulfill Shlomo HaMelech’s dictate: “follow the ways of<br />
your heart.”
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Shelach<br />
Driving on a Two-Way Street<br />
Rav Michael Siev<br />
T his week’s parsha famously contains the episode of the meraglim and the<br />
devastating impact of their sin on the Jewish people. As a result of their report, the<br />
people cry and complain, Hashem gets angry with them, and the entire nation spends<br />
an extra forty years in the desert. A whole generation loses its right to enter Eretz<br />
Yisrael with the exception of Yehoshua and Kalev, and, according to the midrash,<br />
Tisha B’av is established as a yom bechiya le-dorot (See Gemara Ta’anit 29a).<br />
There is one famous personality whose fate is not explicitly discussed in our parsha:<br />
Moshe Rabbeinu. It seems quite clear that he did not participate in the sin of the<br />
meraglim and in fact it is Moshe who pleads with Hashem for mercy, invoking the<br />
middot ha-rachamim (see 14:18) to fend off the complete destruction of the nation.<br />
And yet, in Sefer Devarim (1:37-38) when Moshe reminisces about the historical<br />
process of traveling through the desert and the sin of the meraglim, he seems to<br />
indicate that Hashem became angry with him because of the incident of the spies! In<br />
fact, Moshe claims that it is because of this event that it is Yehoshua, and not Moshe<br />
himself, who would lead B’nei Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael. How could this be? Don’t we<br />
know that it was the incident of bringing water from the rock at Mei Meriva (Chukat,<br />
20:1-13) that prevented Moshe from entering Eretz Yisrael?<br />
To amplify the question further, what exactly was Moshe’s role in the story of the<br />
meraglim? Clearly he disapproved of their report, yet he was the one who sent the<br />
spies on their ill-fated mission. The midrash (quoted by Rashi, 13:16) relates that
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Moshe prayed for Yehoshua so that he would not be negatively influenced by the<br />
meraglim; this seems to indicate that Moshe suspected that the mission might not<br />
go well. And yet, Moshe himself admits (Devarim 1:23) that the idea of sending<br />
meraglim was “good in my eyes.” What was Moshe’s attitude toward this initiative?<br />
The Netziv1 explains that the story of the meraglim marked a major turning point<br />
for Am Yisrael. Until now, the nation had been living a supernatural existence<br />
with God’s presence in its midst. However, a high concentration of Shechina<br />
requires maintaining very high standards of conduct. When the nation steps<br />
out of line in Parshat Beha’alotecha, the results are immediate and devastating.<br />
These events lead the people to conclude that they cannot handle the pressure<br />
of such high doses of Shechina. They request a change in status; they want to live<br />
with a lower level of Shechina, which they know comes along with a lower level<br />
of hashgacha. Given their new status, they will live a more normal, this-worldly<br />
lifestyle – “al pi derech ha-teva.” Am Yisrael requests this change, fully cognizant<br />
of its implications.<br />
The request itself was not inappropriate. In fact, Moshe recognizes that the people<br />
really aren’t up to living a supernatural lifestyle. The derech ha-teva approach<br />
really is more suitable for them. That being the case, the conquest of Cana’an will<br />
happen through natural means, and there is a legitimate need to send spies to scout<br />
out the area. This is the reason that Moshe approves the mission even though he<br />
is aware of the possibility that it would fail. This historical change, however, is the<br />
reason that Moshe is not able to lead B’nei Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael. Moshe was<br />
not fully successful in transitioning into a leader who could guide B’nei Yisrael in<br />
a natural lifestyle. 2 He was still living the supernatural lifestyle of the desert and<br />
was not the right leader for B’nei Yisrael as they moved forward to a new stage of<br />
life.<br />
One of the many important points that emerge from this parsha is the nature of<br />
the relationship between God and the Jewish people. As the Ramban writes in<br />
Parshat Bechukotai, 3 the level of Hashem’s interaction with us mirrors our loyalty<br />
1 Ha’amek Davar, Devarim 1:37. See also Ha’amek Davar in our parsha and in Parshat Chukat.<br />
2 See Ha’amek Davar, Chukat, 20:8,12, where the Netziv explains the story of Mei Meriva in this light.<br />
3 As part of his famous discussion of hashgacha and the use of doctors (26:11). This is quoted in the beginning<br />
of our parsha in Emet Le-Ya’akov (13:3).
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and reliance on Him. 1 When B’nei Yisrael decided to drop down to a lower level<br />
of contact with the Shechina, that meant that their level of hashgacha was to drop<br />
as well. When they displayed their lack of bitachon in light of the spies’ report,<br />
Hashem announced that they were not loyal enough to enter Eretz Yisrael.<br />
It would serve us well to internalize the fact that our relationship with God is a<br />
two-way street, and often we are the ones who dictate the pace of that relationship.<br />
We are all eager to ask, and even expect, God to come to our aid in times of need<br />
and every day. We should similarly ask ourselves on a daily basis if we are living<br />
up to our responsibilities in that relationship and if there is a way for us to do<br />
even more.<br />
1 Although most Rishonim dispute the Ramban’s practical conclusions in that piece, his basic premise about<br />
how the relationship works is more widely accepted.
181<br />
Korach<br />
Give to Live<br />
Rav Natanel Lebowitz<br />
W hen Hashem put Adam and Chava in Gan Eden, Hashem gave them one mitzva<br />
to observe. They were not to eat from the Eitz Ha-da’as,the Tree of Knowledge. Hashem<br />
warned them that the day that they would eat from the tree, “mos tamus,” they would<br />
surely die (Bereishis2:17). The double language seems to stress that violation would<br />
bring certain death.<br />
Chazal ask that it seems that the Torah lied. Not only did Adam not die but he lived<br />
for another 930 years. How can we explain Hashem’s threat?<br />
The Ramban answers that Hashem did not mean that Adam would die on the spot<br />
as if he ingested a strong poison. Rather it means that the human being would now<br />
become mortal. Until that point, the design of the world was that Adam would live<br />
forever. Now that he ate from the forbidden fruit, Adam introduced the concept of<br />
death to the world.<br />
Rav Schwartz, in Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh, offers an alternative explanation. Sometimes<br />
someone passes away from this world but they are not really dead. Although they are<br />
no longer physically here, their legacy and the impact they had on the world lives on.<br />
When the principles they embodied and taught continue to exist, it is as if the person<br />
is still alive.<br />
There are other circumstances however, in which a person can physically be alive but<br />
really be dead at the same time. For example, when Hashem created us, He created us
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with everything we need to live the best life that is possible. He gave us talents and<br />
abilities along with the understanding of how to utilize those talents. He presents<br />
us with any tool that may aid us in achieving what we were put on the world<br />
to accomplish and at the same time live the happiest life we could want. Elokai<br />
neshama she-nasata bi… we have infinite inside of us. We don’t really need<br />
anything else.<br />
Rav Schwartz writes that while it is true that Adam was removed from Gan Eden,<br />
he had already removed Gan Eden from inside himself. Gan Eden is a place of<br />
total inner peace. It is happiness with who I am and what I have. There could<br />
not have been a state of jealousy for what someone else had because there was<br />
nobody else.<br />
The Torah relates that Chava saw that the fruit of the tree were attractive. She<br />
was drawn. She desired something she was not entitled to. She was no longer<br />
happy with what she had but wanted to partake of something forbidden. She had<br />
a ratzon for something outside of her Gan Eden. Adam and Chava created tayva,<br />
desire, and it is this desire that Hashem refers to as mos tamus.<br />
When we want something we can’t have, that is the beginning of death. We have<br />
the ability to live with what we have and develop and foster our sense of self.<br />
When we ignore our self for something outside our self then we begin to kill our<br />
self. The Torah is telling us mos tamus. If we desire something then we will “die”.<br />
Once we submit to temptation we will no longer be able to live in the peace of<br />
Eden. We will make ourselves crazy always wanting and seeking something else.<br />
The beginning of death is no longer feeling the Gan Eden, serenity of satisfaction,<br />
in my 4 amos because every time we look at what we can’t have, we have trouble<br />
living. We will hope for a different life which we will never achieve.<br />
Parshas Korach opens with the words, “Vayikach Korach…v’Dasan v’Aviram ...<br />
v’On ben Peles” (16:1). Most translations interpret the verse to mean that Korach<br />
took Dasan, Aviram, and On. Rashi comments that he convinced them, he took<br />
them, with words.<br />
However, if we look at the pasuk, it literally translates as Korach, Dasan, and<br />
Aviram took. The problem with the literal reading is that thepasuk doesn’t tell us
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what they took. Perhaps we can suggest that the first pasuk is not recording an<br />
event that took place but rather defining the character of the people who created<br />
this week’s turmoil. Vayikach: their identity was taking. They by nature felt a sense<br />
of entitlement. They felt they deserved something they were not awarded. Like<br />
Chava, they wanted something not designated for them.<br />
This is telling in their punishment as well. Moshe asked Hashem to eliminate<br />
Korach in a supernatural manner. Why was Moshe so vindictive? Perhaps Moshe<br />
did not make the request out of vengeance but rather, as he often did, was trying<br />
to send a message. Had Korach died a natural or common death, everyone would<br />
have walked away saying that Korach sinned and was punished. The message<br />
would have been do not rebel.<br />
Now that something from the world order changed, the message was clear that<br />
not only did Korach do something that was wrong, he acted in an unnatural way.<br />
When Hashem created the world He did not intend on people defining themselves<br />
as takers. To contribute is in line with the intended nature of the world. To take<br />
is unnatural.<br />
And Korach was specifically punished by the earth. The ground is the ultimate<br />
giver. It produces virtually everything we have. Even what we put into the ground<br />
is turned around to produce better products for us. The ground, the ultimate<br />
giver, the natural giver, was called to punish the one who violated the message of<br />
giving.<br />
Every day, we encounter circumstances that allow us to give and enable us to take.<br />
How do we want to define ourselves? What are we going to do to “live”? Are we<br />
going to spend our time developing our sense of self or kill our time dreaming of<br />
what is not meant for us? It is up to us to realize the gifts Hashem gave us, and to<br />
use the talents that we already naturally have inside of us. We need to realize the<br />
greatness of what we do have and not kill ourselves trying to acquire an identity<br />
that does not belong to us.<br />
Yehi ratzon mi-lifnei avinu she-bashamayim that we should be confident enough<br />
to know we have everything we need and realize that there is no need to desire<br />
something we do not have. Hashem should help us live in line with the nature He<br />
created, and may we live a real life full of contribution.
184<br />
Chukat<br />
Para Aduma: A Model for Understanding Mitzvot?<br />
Rav Michael Siev<br />
P arshat Chukat opens with the mitzva of para aduma, introduced by the famous<br />
phrase zot chukat ha-Torah (19:2). Rashi explains that the term chok refers to mitzvot<br />
that human beings have a difficult time comprehending, the ones that the Satan<br />
(yetzer ha-ra) and the nations of the world chide us about keeping. Why does it make<br />
sense that sprinkling ashes of a para aduma mixed with water should make someone<br />
tahor? And it is even more difficult to understand how it could be that the people<br />
who prepare the para aduma solution become tamei while the people who are already<br />
tamei and are sprinkled with the solution become tahor. The Torah uses the term chok<br />
to imply that this is a gezeirat melech, a royal decree, and we have no right to question<br />
it.<br />
This idea seems to call into question the enterprise of explaining ta’amei ha-mitzvot,<br />
the reasons for mitzvot. Many rishonim, including the Rambam and Sefer Ha-Chinuch,<br />
consistently explain what they consider to be the underlying reasons for various<br />
mitzvot, especially chukim; after all, mitzvot like the prohibitions against murder<br />
and stealing don’t require much explanation. Why is this is a valid exercise? Haven’t<br />
we pointed out that chukim are gezeirot melech that are beyond our understanding?<br />
Even from a logical perspective, isn’t it presumptuous to assume that human beings<br />
can comprehend the intentions of God, who created our intellects and is necessarily<br />
beyond human systems of thought? And to make matters worse, even Rashi, who<br />
begins the parsha by telling us that the mitzva of para aduma is beyond human
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understanding, returns at the end of the section of para aduma to explain, from<br />
beginning to end, the symbolic meaning of this mitzva and all its details! Didn’t<br />
he already point out that we cannot comprehend this enigmatic mitzva?<br />
We may be able to glean insight into this question based upon a mishna that<br />
appears in Berachot (33b) and Megilla (25a). The mishna discusses a shaliach<br />
tzibbur who inserts the phrase, “Your mercy extends to birds’ nests” into the tefilla<br />
in the modim section, where we praise various aspects of God’s involvement with<br />
the world. The reference is to the mitzva of kan tzippor, which is that one must<br />
send away a mother bird before taking her eggs (Devarim 22:6-7).<br />
What is wrong with adding this extra praise? One opinion in the Gemara explains<br />
that this formula assumes that the reason for this mitzva is mercy, while it is but<br />
a Divine decree. What does this mean? The Tosafot Yom Tov explains that it is<br />
not a problem to give a reason for the mitzva of kan tzippor, but to express that<br />
reason as part of tefilla. When one praises God for His mercy toward birds as<br />
manifested by the mitzva of kan tzippor, and inserts that praise into tefilla, that<br />
is an expression of the person’s confidence that this is definitely the correct and<br />
comprehensive reason for the mitzva. Searching for ta’amei ha-mitzvot is entirely<br />
valid (see Pesachim 119a), but only when it is done with the right perspective. We<br />
must recognize our human limitations and realize that we may not comprehend<br />
the entirety of what God had in mind when He commanded a particular mitzva.<br />
Once we have that perspective, we are encouraged to delve into the meaning of<br />
mitzvot, a process which can enhance our mitzva observance.<br />
This perspective on the search for ta’amei ha-mitzvot has an important<br />
ramification which can help us understand the beginning of our parsha. When<br />
we approach ta’amei ha-mitzvot with the understanding that all we can offer<br />
are suggestions that do not necessarily encompass the full significance of the<br />
mitzvot, it is obvious that our observance of a mitzva cannot be dependent upon<br />
the reason for the mitzva (as Rambam points out explicitly in Hilchot Me’ila 8:8<br />
and in other places). Since we can never be entirely sure that we have properly or<br />
fully understood the mitzva, it would be ludicrous to base our observance upon<br />
those questionable understandings. Furthermore, this approach is based upon a<br />
measure of humility which also would make it ludicrous to question the viability
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of a mitzva based upon what we perceive the reason of the mitzva to be. In fact,<br />
this fundamental point may be what makes the phrase “na’aseh ve-nishma” such<br />
an appropriate way to accept the Torah; “we will do” precedes and is independent<br />
of the “hearing,” which implies understanding.<br />
Now we can go back and understand the Rashi we started with. At the beginning<br />
of the parsha, Rashi is talking about our response to the nations of the world and<br />
to our own yetzer ha-ra, who pressure us to stop observing mitzvot altogether.<br />
Our response to that attack must be that the mitzvot are gezeirot melech, and we<br />
are loyal to them simply because God commanded them. Nothing else, including<br />
ta’amei ha-mitzvot, are necessary or relevant in explaining our dedication to<br />
mitzvot. Once that dedication is established, we can seek to understand the<br />
deeper meaning of the mitzvot, which can only serve to enhance our religious<br />
experience.
187<br />
Chukat<br />
Growing Up<br />
Rav Uri Etigson<br />
S efer Bamidbar is primarily a book of stories. However, interspersed throughout<br />
the stories are a sprinkling of halachot, and whenever one appears, we must ask<br />
ourselves why this halacha was placed here. Our parsha begins with the halachot of<br />
para aduma which discuss the very esoteric ritual through which a person is purified<br />
from the impurity of contact with a dead body. However, ironically, the purifying<br />
kohen must defile himself in this process in order to purify others. I would like to<br />
suggest that this halacha introduces the theme of the entire parsha. Our parsha is<br />
about death, the deaths of the leaders of Am Yisrael: Miriam, Aharon, and the decree<br />
of death upon Moshe. Thus, the leaders of Am Yisrael become “tamei met” (through<br />
their own deaths), parallel to the purifying kohen who uses the para aduma, and<br />
himself becomes tamei. Yet, Chazal (quoted in Rashi, 20:1) teach us that “mitat<br />
tzadikim mechaperet” – “the death of the righteous atones.” Just as the purifying kohen<br />
atones for and purifies others through his own tumah, so too when the great leaders<br />
of Am Yisrael pass on they also atone for and purify Am Yisrael. But how?!<br />
When the sun sets, the stars come out. During the day the stars are all still in the sky,<br />
they are just eclipsed by the intense light of the sun. However, when the sun sets,<br />
each star finally shines its own unique light. Similarly, during their lifetime, the great<br />
leaders inspire us with their intense and overwhelming light, such that there may be<br />
no need for any other light. When they pass on, there is a vacuum of darkness left in<br />
their wake which may seem irreplaceable. However, then the little “stars” that soaked
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up the light of the sun are forced to rise to the challenge to redouble the light of<br />
the sun with their own unique and enchanting lights, which were “ignited” by the<br />
inspiration of the “sun”. Thus, the death of the righteous atones and purifies, and<br />
forces the people to grow to their fullest to fulfill their own potential.<br />
After forty years in the desert and countless complaints and rebellions it is<br />
finally time for Am Yisrael as a whole to “grow up” and for the people to assume<br />
responsibility for themselves. On the surface, this parsha may just seem like more<br />
of the same complaining and rebelling. In fact, though, this is finally the stunning<br />
turning point that we have all been waiting for.<br />
First Miriam passes on, and her fountain of living waters disappears with her.<br />
Thus, the people thirst for water, and complain, and rebel. However, this time,<br />
Hashem says that things will be different. Forty years ago, Moshe had to strike<br />
the rock in order to bring forth water. Similarly, Am Yisrael had stubborn hearts<br />
of stone that had to be struck with the awe and fear of God at Har Sinai in order to<br />
allow the waters of Torah to start flowing. Now, Hashem says, “Speak to the rock”<br />
(20:8). Rashi explains that the people were meant to see the rock obey the word<br />
of Hashem because even the rock “loves” and “wants” to be close to Hashem.<br />
Hashem is saying that He believes in Am Yisrael! They are ready to “grow up”<br />
and truly listen out of love and a desire to come close to Hashem. However,<br />
Moshe does not allow them that opportunity, and thus, can no longer lead the<br />
new generation.<br />
Then Aharon passes on and with him disappear the clouds of glory that protected<br />
Am Yisrael, exposing them to the attack of Melech Arad. After an initial setback,<br />
Am Yisrael, for the first time ever, does not complain or shift the responsibility<br />
to Moshe. Rather, for the first time ever, they take the initiative themselves and<br />
declare a neder, recognizing their dependence on Hashem, and making a serious<br />
commitment. Once they commit themselves, Hashem immediately responds by<br />
granting them victory.<br />
Lastly, the people reject the taste of the sublime mann, which they receive daily in<br />
the merit of Moshe, thereby in some sense rejecting Moshe himself. Once again<br />
their complaining is met with punishment from Hashem, this time in the form<br />
of snakes. However, stunningly, for the first time ever, Am Yisrael of their own
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accord turn around and immediately take full responsibility and utter the words<br />
“chatanu,” “we have sinned!” Once they recognize their own culpability they<br />
become worthy of forgiveness.<br />
This is a proud moment for Am Yisrael; they are finally prepared to leave behind<br />
the immature nursing grounds of the desert and to enter the stage of independent<br />
living in Eretz Yisrael, taking full responsibility for themselves and initiating their<br />
own serious commitments.<br />
Dearest talmidim, at every stage in our life we must be prepared to “grow up” a<br />
little bit more (believe me, it continues to be scary and hard for me too). We must<br />
take the inspiration of the “setting sun” of yesterday and shine our own unique<br />
and enchanting “starlight” into the world, to light up the night. BeHatzlacha!
190<br />
Balak<br />
Live as a Jew<br />
Rav Eyal Gottlieb<br />
I n this week’s sedra we encounter Bilam, a man of great spiritual powers, but<br />
one that continuously desires to use his spiritual powers to harm and damage others.<br />
Instead of trying to use his skills to teach and to educate, to speak up for holiness<br />
and for goodness, he tries to use his powers to curse and thereby to help annihilate<br />
Klal Yisrael. Naturally, the question arises, why would Hashem grant such great<br />
spiritual power to such an evil and ruthless individual? Our Sages (Sifri, end of Sefer<br />
Devarim) teach us that Hashem actually wished to show the nations that indeed, you<br />
had prophets of your own, but instead of using them to advance spiritually, even your<br />
prophet(s) were wicked and used their power in a negative manner.<br />
As we know, Hashem transformed Bilam’s words to be words of respect and love<br />
toward Am Yisrael in general, and specifically toward Am Yisrael’s Godly values of<br />
purity, holiness, tznius, goodness etc., as he expressed, “How goodly are your tents, O<br />
Jacob, your dwelling places O Israel….” (24:5), and “May my soul die the death of the<br />
upright, and may my end be like his” (23:10).<br />
The Chofetz Chaim expounded that although Bilam wished to die as a Jew, he wasn’t<br />
willing to make the effort necessary to live like a Jew. He wanted to attain the madreiga<br />
(level) of a Jew and to benefit from it in the World to Come without earning it naturally<br />
through toil and effort in this world; but it is the toil and effort that produce spiritual<br />
growth.
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
In <strong>Yeshivat</strong> <strong>Lev</strong> Hatorah we try to teach and to exemplify to all the wonderful<br />
talmidim how we must toil in order to grow spiritually: to seriously study Torah<br />
without shortcuts and to be careful in observing every mitzvah and halacha in<br />
all their detail. Only after we make the proper effort to live as a holy people, close<br />
to God in our world, only then we will have the complete merit to become even<br />
closer to Hashem in the World to Come.
192<br />
Balak<br />
The Numbers Trap<br />
Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
A t the opening of the parasha we are told of the catalyst that prompted Balak<br />
to hire Balaam: “Moab became very frightened of the people [Israel] because it was<br />
numerous” (22:3). In the first parable that Balaam offers he addresses himself to this<br />
fear of Balak. Balaam notes an important concept that all too often we fall short of<br />
appreciating. “Who would count the dust of Ya’akov, and the number of the animallike<br />
births of Israel?” (23:10). Rav Hirsch explains that Balaam clarifies to Balak that<br />
he is making a mistake to asses the greatness of the Jewish people by its sheer number.<br />
Balak wrongfully assumed that the might of the Jews rests in their considerable<br />
numbers. If he were to succeed in stunting the Jewish nation’s physical growth the<br />
Jewish nation could be defeated. However, “Who would count the dust of Ya’akov,<br />
and the number of the animal-like births of Israel?” Unlike other nations we are not<br />
dependent upon our numbers; that has never been our strength. The Torah stresses,<br />
“Not because you are more numerous than all the peoples did God choose you, for<br />
you are the smallest of all the peoples” (Devarim 7:7). Whether we are few like Ya’akov<br />
or many like Yisrael does not determine our vitality. Our potency is determined by<br />
our undeviating commitment to our ultimate purpose of serving God and spreading<br />
His will and desire.<br />
The Gemara in Yoma (22b) as well as the Rambam (Hilchot Temidin u-Musafin 4:4)<br />
prohibit counting Jews. This prohibition applies even when counting individuals for a<br />
devar mitzvah. Therefore, for example, when we gather ten men for a minyan we don’t
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count them numerically, rather we use a verse from Tanach that contains ten words<br />
(most commonly, “Hoshia et amecha…”). There are many explanations given for<br />
the reason behind this prohibition. Some commentaries say that counting Jews<br />
directly can bring judgment upon the individuals who, if not deemed worthy, may<br />
be punished. Others propose that when we count individuals we are emphasizing<br />
the parts rather than the whole, thus demonstrating a lack of unity in Klal Yisrael.<br />
Perhaps we can suggest yet another reason why we may not count the Jewish<br />
people. If we were to count the Jewish people we may fall prey to that same trap<br />
that Balak fell prey to; the assumption that our strength depends on our numbers.<br />
Our strength stems not from our sum total; numbers are irrelevant. Rather our<br />
might is derived from the quality of our service of Hashem.
194<br />
Pinchas<br />
Pinchas: A Radical Act of Obedience<br />
Rav Asher Friedman<br />
P inchas’ stunning act of violent protest at Kozby and Zimri’s public immorality is<br />
rewarded at the beginning of our parasha. “I hereby grant you My covenant of peace,”<br />
God proclaims (25:12). Originally outside the lineage of the kohanim, Pinchas is<br />
reassigned and receives a share of the priestly duties.<br />
On the one hand, the justice of this reward is clear. In a moment of crisis, as all<br />
structures of spiritual commitment and morality in the Jewish camp crumbled, and<br />
as God’s punishment, the plague, reared its terrifying head, Pinchas stepped into the<br />
breach and in one brief act put an end to the chaos. Of course his moral clarity and<br />
courage deserve reward.<br />
But from another perspective, Pinchas’ act and its subsequent reward are deeply<br />
troubling. Both the pesukim and the elaboration on the part of Chazal indicate that<br />
his act was not required or perhaps even fully permitted by the normal rubric of<br />
halacha. Normally, a person committing a consensual act of sexual immorality is<br />
brought to trial and only then punished. Pinchas’ violence was an expression of the<br />
halachic concept of kana’in pogin bo, which by definition involves an act outside the<br />
jurisdiction of law. Rashi explains that in a situation of public betrayal of God like that<br />
of Kozby and Zimri, if one asks a court for permission to stop them with violence, the<br />
court may not permit it. But if one acts out of a passionate desire to defend the honor<br />
of God, without asking for halachic permission, it is viewed as an act of greatness.<br />
In other words, in the case of kana’in pogin bo, the validity of the act depends on the
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
fact that is a personal, subjective decision, independent of the normal framework<br />
of halacha! How can we, so dedicated to halacha as the ultimate expression of<br />
service to God, come to terms with this concept of kana’in pogin bo?<br />
Rav Kook grapples with this question in Orot HaKodesh (end of the 2nd chapter<br />
of Chochmat Ha-kodesh). He poses the question by pointing out the similarity<br />
between Pinchas’s act and that of Nadav and Avihu, the two sons of Aharon who<br />
were punished with death for their innovations in the service in the Mishkan. If<br />
the lesson derived from Nadav and Avihu is that personal innovations are never<br />
acceptable, how can we understand what Pinchas did?<br />
The answer that Rav Kook offers is crucial for a deep understanding of the<br />
purpose of halacha. He claims that Nadav and Avihu assumed that the highest<br />
level of worship would be one that expresses their individual uniqueness. They<br />
sought a way of serving God that reflected their own personalities. In contrast,<br />
Pinchas’ act was what is referred to by Chazal as hora’at sha’ah. Usually translated<br />
as ‘a temporary injunction’, this concept allows a prophet or the Sanhedrin to<br />
temporarily suspend a Torah law, for the sake of the preservation of the halachic<br />
system as a whole. On the surface, it would seem that hora’at sha’ah is a case of the<br />
lesser of two evils – it’s obviously wrong to abrogate a single halacha, but it’s better<br />
than losing the entire system.<br />
Rav Kook understands hora’at sha’ah differently. He defines the term based on<br />
its literal meaning – ‘the teaching of the moment’. He suggests that prophets and<br />
chachamim can attain an understanding of God’s will so nuanced that they can<br />
discern God’s will at any given moment. Almost always, the broad strokes of<br />
halacha paint the precise picture of God’s will. Occasionally, though, a situation<br />
will arise where God’s will in the moment does not correspond to the general<br />
thrust of the halacha’s demands. For most of us, we have no way of accessing that<br />
kind of nuanced knowledge of God, and we are fully justified and obligated in<br />
adhering to the formal halacha, which reflects God’s will in broad strokes. But a<br />
person privy to such detailed understanding of God’s will, aware that for a brief<br />
moment God’s will demands an act different from the general thrust of halacha,<br />
is obligated to obey the hora’at sha’ah, the ‘command of the moment’ instead of<br />
the general teaching of halacha. This is why a court cannot instruct a kanai in a
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
situation of kana’in pogin bo – his situation by definition does not relate to the<br />
domain of the court – the general framework of halacha.<br />
This definition of hora’at sha’ah helps Rav Kook explain the difference between<br />
Pinchas and Nadav and Avihu. Nadav and Avihu assumed that expressing their<br />
uniqueness and individuality was more ideal than serving God through the<br />
uniform instructions of halacha. From their perspective, halacha is for people too<br />
lazy to express themselves. They were wrong. Halacha is always about subjecting<br />
one’s individuality and uniqueness to the demands of the will of God. Pinchas’<br />
act was the ultimate expression of this value. His awareness of the will of God,<br />
and not his own personal perspective, guided his radical act. Pinchas represents<br />
our commitment to a life lived in service to God, directed by God’s will, as best<br />
we understand it.
197<br />
Pinchas<br />
Zealotry for All<br />
Rav Michael Siev<br />
P arshat Pinchas opens with Hashem rewarding Pinchas for his famously zealous<br />
act of killing Zimri and Kosbi, which stopped a deadly plague that had struck B’nei<br />
Yisrael. The reward has two components: Pinchas joins the ranks of the kohanim and<br />
he receives b’riti shalom, “My covenant of peace” (25:12). What exactly is a covenant<br />
of peace and why was it an appropriate reward for Pinchas?<br />
The Netziv here explains that when one performs a violent act, the very act itself<br />
makes an impact on one’s personality. It is natural that a person who stabs two people<br />
to death would become somewhat desensitized to violence and a bit more aggressive.<br />
Hashem therefore promises Pinchas a b’rit shalom; because Pinchas’s act was so crucial<br />
and was done with the right intentions, he was guaranteed that it would not have a<br />
corrosive impact upon his personality. 1<br />
The idea that one’s actions impact one’s essential character finds expression in<br />
numerous places in the Sefer Ha-Chinuch (for example, mitzva 16) and other sefarim.<br />
It has ramifications regarding actions and environments that one must stay away from<br />
and it can also be harnessed to inculcate desirable character traits. But it is generally<br />
assumed that real change of one’s character requires consistent involvement in a<br />
particular activity. Could Pinchas’s one act really have made that much of a difference?<br />
I think that the answer to this question is clear: there are different types of experiences.<br />
1 See the Or Ha-Chaim and Netziv to Devarim 13:18 for a similar reading of the pesukim regarding ir ha-nidachat.
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
Regular experiences have a small impact on a person, and it is only through<br />
repetition that such experiences can leave a lasting impression. On the other<br />
hand, experiences that are very intense have a much greater impact upon one’s<br />
inner world. People who suffer a traumatic experience can never forget it and<br />
their personalites may be shaped by it; similarly, one who achieves something<br />
significant for which he has been hoping and yearning for a long time also never<br />
forgets the experience. Pinchas’s act was extreme, intense and violent. Such an<br />
act would naturally replay itself in his mind over and over, and would have a<br />
significant impact on him even though it happened only once.<br />
The Steipler Gaon (Birkat Peretz, Lech Lecha) points out that this provides food<br />
for thought regarding our involvement in talmud Torah. Often, students are<br />
frustrated by their failure to remember what they have learned. A child may<br />
remember every statistic of every player on his favorite sports team, yet have<br />
trouble remembering anything of the Torah he has studied. As we have seen,<br />
that which a person is excited about makes an impact upon him. The more a<br />
person recognizes the infinite value of Torah and yearns to connect with it and<br />
to master it, the more stimulating the learning experience will be and the greater<br />
the likelihood that one will remember what one has learned.
199<br />
Pinchas<br />
Seeing is Possessing<br />
Rav Yehoshua Paltiel<br />
:לארשי ינבל יתתנ רשא ץראה תא הארו הזה םירבעה רה לא הלע השמ לא ’ה רמאיו<br />
)גי-בי:זכ רבדמב( :ךיחא ןרהא ףסאנ רשאכ התא םג ךימע לא תפסאנו התא התיארו<br />
And Hashem said to Moshe, “Ascend this Mount Ivrim and see the land<br />
that I have given to the Children of Israel. You shall see it and then be<br />
gathered unto your people as well, just as your brother Aharon was<br />
gathered.” (Bamidbar 27:12-13)<br />
Rav Sinai Adler of Mevasaret Tzion in his sefer Dvar Sinai asks why the idea of Moshe<br />
Rabbeinu seeing the land is mentioned twice. And why is the first verb of seeing in<br />
the command form whereas the second is in the future? And why is it necessary for<br />
Hashem to add the obvious words ‘that I have given to the Children of Israel’?<br />
Rav Sinai answers that the two ‘seeings’ served two different purposes and were<br />
therefore worded differently. The first was a command to Moshe to see the land,<br />
and this was necessary to enable B’nei Yisrael to conquer and acquire the Land of<br />
Israel. The next verse describes the future history, what is about to happen; that after<br />
performing this last act on behalf of his beloved flock, Moshe would then be gathered<br />
to his people.<br />
The question remains, however, what about Moshe Rabbeinu’s seeing the land enables<br />
the Jewish People to take possession of it? This Rav Sinai answers in his comments to<br />
Devarim (3:25), Parashat Va’etchanan, on the verses:
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
ןנבלהו הזה בוטה רהה ןדריה רבעב רשא הבוטה ץראה תא האראו אנ הרבעא<br />
אל יכ ךיניעב הארו החרזמו הנמיתו הנפצו המי ךיניע אשו הגספה שאר הלע ...<br />
םעה ינפל רבעי אוה יכ והצמאו והקזחו עשוהי תא וצו .הזה ןדריה תא רבעת<br />
)חכ-הכ:ג םירבד( .הארת רשא ץראה תא םתוא ליחני אוהו הזה<br />
In verse 25 Moshe asks to both pass through and to see Eretz Yisrael. In verse<br />
27 Hashem says that Moshe can ascend the summit of the mountain and view<br />
the land from a distance but not enter it. And in verse 28 Hashem tells Moshe<br />
to encourage Yehoshua for he will bring the people into the land. Here too<br />
we see that the preface, even prerequisite for Yehoshua conquering the land is<br />
Moshe seeing the land. But why? Two gifts we have received from Hashem are<br />
called ‘morasha’ – an inheritance, or birthright: the Torah and Eretz Yisrael (see<br />
Devarim 33:4 and Shemot 6:8). Just like Moshe gave us the Torah, so too he asked<br />
to give us the Land of Israel. Knowing he would not actually be allowed to lead the<br />
Jewish People into Israel, Moshe asked if he could grant them possession through<br />
seeing the land. The Gemara in Bava Metzia (118a) records one opinion that it<br />
is possible to gain possession of hefker – ownerless property – through seeing it.<br />
Since Eretz Yisrael had been promised to the Jews, and they now stood poised to<br />
take possession of it from the nations who dwelled there, those nations’ time to<br />
rule the land had come to an end. The land was therefore technically ownerless.<br />
Moshe felt he could initiate the possession of the land by viewing it, and he felt<br />
that to do that properly he had to see it up close, as Avraham himself did in Lech<br />
Lecha: “For all of the land that you see I have given it to you and your descendants<br />
forever”(Bereishit 13:15; see the Meshech Chochma there). We thus see that in<br />
our parasha Hashem commanded Moshe to view Eretz Yisrael, and through this<br />
last gesture of the loyal shepherd, enable Yehoshua bin Nun and the Jewish People<br />
to take possession of the land Hashem had promised to His beloved Avraham.<br />
I encourage all of our readers residing outside the Holy Land to come and see for<br />
yourselves, and take possession of your corner of Eretz Yisrael. Shabbat shalom!
201<br />
Mattot<br />
The Hand and the Arm<br />
Rav Michael Siev<br />
P arshat Mattot describes the war that B’nei Yisrael waged against Midian in<br />
response to the unprovoked campaign that Midian instigated through Bilam and by<br />
tempting B’nei Yisrael to sin. The war was successful to the point that not even one<br />
Jewish soldier was killed (31:49), a fact that Rabbenu Bechayei calls one of the most<br />
amazing miracles that happened to B’nei Yisrael in the desert.<br />
Who were these soldiers that were selected for this purpose and merited such an<br />
incredible miracle? Halacha generally requires that soldiers be of a high spiritual level,<br />
but the Midrash (Shir Ha-shirim Rabba 4:3) gives an interesting detail regarding the<br />
credentials of these particular soldiers; not one of them made the mistake of putting<br />
on tefillin shel rosh before tefillin shel yad. Why is this the one detail through which the<br />
Midrash saw fit to establish the spiritual fitness of these warriors? What is the big deal<br />
about putting on the two parts of the tefillin in the correct order?<br />
Interestingly, the Gemara (Menachot 36a) makes another statement about tefillin and<br />
Jewish soldiers: one who speaks between putting on the tefillin shel yad and the tefillin<br />
shel rosh is not fit to join the army. Rishonim debate whether the problem with such<br />
a hefsek would be because of the new beracha one would have to make on the shel<br />
rosh or because there is an inherent problem with interrupting between the two (see<br />
Mishna Berura 25:28, who incorporates both reasons). Why would there be a problem<br />
to interrupt between the shel yad and shel rosh? After all, the two parts of the tefillin<br />
are two mitzvot that are not even interdependent; one can fulfill one mitzva even if the
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
other part of the tefillin is not available at all!<br />
Rav Soloveitchik explains that this halacha reflects the themes of these two parts<br />
of the tefillin. Tefillin shel yad reflects the active element of a person’s avodat<br />
Hashem, as the arm represents action. Tefillin shel rosh corresponds to the belief<br />
system, the emuna and bitachon that form the foundation of one’s avodat Hashem.<br />
There must not be any interruption between these two parts of the tefillin because<br />
one must be consistent in one’s avodat Hashem, committed both to the beliefs and<br />
actions that are required.<br />
Perhaps this can help us answer our question in a similar vein. One who puts the<br />
tefillin shel rosh before the tefillin shel yad implies that he is only committed to act<br />
upon that which his mind can comprehend. A Jew’s commitment to God’s word,<br />
however, must be total and not dependent upon his own understanding. When<br />
we said “na’aseh ve-nishma,” we indicated our total commitment to acting upon<br />
God’s commands even before we are able to fully understand the importance of<br />
any particular mitzva. It is because the soldiers possessed such a high level of<br />
confidence in Hashem’s guidance and our mesora that they merited such a high<br />
level of Divine protection.
203<br />
Mattot<br />
Optional Obligations?<br />
Dr. David Kallus<br />
T he Gemara in Nedarim (8a) asks: How do we know that we are allowed to take<br />
a sh’vua (oath) in order to keep a mitzvah? Rav Gidal quotes a pasuk in Tehillim,<br />
“I have sworn and I will keep (the oath) to guard your righteous laws.” We see that<br />
Dovid Hamelech would swear to keep a mitzvah. The Gemara then asks the famous<br />
question, but all the Jews as a nation already swore to keep the Torah at ma’amad<br />
Har Sinai, and the rule is that a person can’t make a sh’vua on a sh’vua! The Gemara<br />
answers that true, the sh’vua is not effective, but the point Rav Gidel is teaching is<br />
that a person is allowed to push himself (l’zareiz et atzmo) by making a sh’vua. The<br />
commitment that a sh’vua establishes will encourage him to perform the mitzvah.<br />
Interestingly, the Ran understands that the rule that a sh’vua can’t take effect on a<br />
sh’vua is only insofar as there is no requirement to bring a korban sh’vua when failing<br />
to perform the mitzvah but he still holds that one would incur lashes for violating the<br />
sh’vua. On the other hand, the Ramban in this week’s parsha holds that a sh’vua on a<br />
mitzvah does not take effect at all. Therefore, if one would fail to perform the mitzvah,<br />
he would be patur both from a korban and from lashes as well.<br />
The Ketzos Hachoshen asks a rather obvious question. According to the Ramban<br />
who holds that there is no punishment for violating a sh’vua to keep a mitzvah, how is<br />
this person going to push himself with this sh’vua? After all, it is ineffective. Imagine<br />
someone who can’t seem to wake up to say shema on time. The alarm doesn’t work<br />
and his madrich has given up hope. Then our struggling student comes up with a great
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
idea! “I swear in the name of Hashem (he dosen’t say bli neder) that tomorrow I<br />
will wake up on time to say shema.” If he happens to be learning Nedarim (shout<br />
out to Marc Merrill - who always wakes up on time) then our oath taker is fully<br />
aware that his words will have no consequences according to the Ramban. After<br />
all, this is a sh’vua on a mitzvah, which is not chal (effective)! So when the alarm<br />
goes off in the morning, since thoughts of his masechta are going through his<br />
dreamy head, he will hit snooze until the princes wake up. If so what is the point<br />
of the sh’vua?<br />
In his youth the Steipler, Rav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky zt”l, answered this<br />
question in a rather clever way with an important insight into human behavior.<br />
He points out that it is natural for a person to try to make life easier for himself.<br />
When there is a challenging mitzvah, a person will seek a heter to avoid doing the<br />
mitzvah. He will come up with all sorts of reasons to justify why it’s okay for him<br />
to slack off. We are all good people and would never blatantly cast off the yolk of<br />
Torah and mitzvos. But what we are willing to do is to fool ourselves that we are<br />
patur from the mitzvah for some reason or other.<br />
The Steipler explains that if one views mitzvos as optional and not as an obligation,<br />
as far as Hilchos Sh’vuos are concerned the mitzvah becomes a devar reshus, an<br />
optional act. And while the Ramban says that a sh’vua cannot apply to a mitzvah,<br />
neither to obligate him to bring a korban nor to receive lashes, in this man’s<br />
views the mitzvah is only a reshus, an optional act. Accordingly, a sh’vua will be<br />
binding on this mitzvah much as it is binding on any non-mitzvah. Going back<br />
to our example, even though a sh’vua to say kerias shema cannot work because<br />
it is a sh’vua on a mitzvah, since our bachur holds that saying shema on time<br />
doesn’t apply to himself, it becomes a devar reshus and his statement, “I swear in<br />
the name of Hashem that tomorrow I will wake up on time to say shema,” will in<br />
fact be a binding oath! (For further discussion see the Kehillos Ya’akov, Nedarim<br />
siman 10.)<br />
This important insight of the Steipler Gaon is relevant to many decisions we make<br />
on a daily basis. If we are confronted with the need to find significant time to<br />
learn Torah we hold that we are patur from learning because we are involved in<br />
earning a parnasa. If we don’t want to feel obligated to help a poor man we will
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
say we are patur because tzedaka doesn’t apply to this particular person. We<br />
are even patur from tefilla when we receive a text message because we behave<br />
as if the mitzvah of tefilla does not apply when our hip vibrates, telling us that<br />
someone wants to get in touch with us. When we honestly reflect on our role in<br />
this world and our priorities in life, deep down we know what Hashem want from<br />
us. All too often we allow ourselves to be fooled into giving ourselves unmerited<br />
exemptions and baseless dispensations.
206<br />
Devarim<br />
Words Well Worth the Wait<br />
Rav Yehoshua Paltiel<br />
לפֹתּ ֶ ןי ֵבוּ ןרא ָ פּ ָ ןיבּ ֵ ףוּס לוֹמ ה ָב רָ עֲ בּ ָ רבָּ דְ מִּ בּ ַ ןדֵּ רְ יַּ ה ַ ר ֶב עֵ בּ ְ לאֵ רָ שְׂ י ִ ל ָכּ לא ֶ השֹׁמ ֶ רבֶּ דּ ִ רשֶׁ א ֲ םירִ ָב דְּ ה ַ ה ֶלּ א" ֵ<br />
"בהָ ָז ידִ ו ְ תֹר ֵצ חֲ ו ַ ן ָב ָל וְ<br />
The above verse, which opens Sefer Devarim, is explained by the midrash in Yalkut<br />
Shimoni with the following pasuk (Devarim 32:15): “טעביו ןורושי ןמשיו“ – Yeshurun will<br />
grow fat and kick (rebel).” What is the connection between the two verses?<br />
The Ketav Sofer explains using a principle of effective communication contained in<br />
this comment from Rashi (Devarim 1:3):<br />
וֹתֹא ’ה הָוּ ִצ רשֶׁ א ֲ לֹכ ְכּ לאֵ רָ שְׂ י ִ י ֵנבּ ְ לא ֶ השֹׁמ ֶ רבֶּ דּ ִ שׁדֹח ֶ ַל דחָ אֶ בּ ְ שׁדֹח ֶ רשָׂ ע ָ יתֵּ שְׁ עַ בּ ְ ה ָנשׁ ָ םיעִ בָּ רְ אַ בּ ְ יהִ יְ ו" ַ<br />
"םהֶ ֵל אֲ<br />
.התימל ךומס אלא ןחיכוה אלש דמלמ - שדחל דחאב שדח רשע יתשעב הנש םיעבראב יהיו :י”שר<br />
.וחיכומו רזוחו וחיכומ אהי אלש ידכ ...התימל ךומס אלא וינב תא חיכוה אלש ,בקעימ ?דמל יממ<br />
And it was in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month on the first of<br />
the month” – This teaches that Moshe didn’t rebuke them until shortly<br />
before his death. From whom did he learn this? From Yaakov, who didn’t<br />
rebuke his sons until shortly before his death… in order that he not<br />
rebuke them and then need to rebuke them again.<br />
The Ketav Sofer asks on this midrash that Rashi brings, what is wrong with giving<br />
rebuke multiple times? If it’s needed, then it should be given. Another question:<br />
clearly Moshe was concerned that the first time he were to rebuke the Jewish People it
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would not be effective and he would need to repeat the lesson. If that is the case,<br />
what good would it do to give the rebuke shortly before his passing – then his first<br />
and only rebuke would fall on deaf ears and he would not even have the option<br />
of following up!<br />
The Ketav Sofer answers that Moshe had learned from Yaakov Avinu that proper<br />
timing when rebuking someone is of paramount importance. If the recipient of<br />
the rebuke is enjoying a state of calm and success in his life, he will have little<br />
impetus to internalize the rebuke and it will slide off of him like water off a duck’s<br />
back. If, however, the recipient is confronted with upheaval or even the possibility<br />
of something that threatens his security, the rebuke he receives is absorbed. That is<br />
why Yaakov Avinu waited for his last day to rebuke his sons: the great impending<br />
loss of their revered father and the transition into a new and unknown status<br />
quo opened their hearts and minds to his words. So too, Moshe Rabbeinu knew<br />
that the Jewish People had been enjoying such a level of comfort and security<br />
under the clouds of glory that they would hardly be open to his rebuke. At the<br />
plains of Moav, with the magnificent era of Moshe Rabbeinu’s leadership about<br />
to end, and the imminent wars of conquest waiting for B’nei Yisrael just across<br />
the Jordan River, the time was ripe to lay their faults and shortcomings at their<br />
feet and beseech them to examine their ways. This, the Ketav Sofer concludes, is<br />
the Yalkut’s point when it cites here the verse “Yeshurun will grow fat and kick.”<br />
During their journey in the desert, Yeshurun had been too comfortable and<br />
rebelled at being rebuked. Moshe understood that now, as their world was about<br />
to be overturned, the time was ripe for them to take stock and raise themselves to<br />
the standard Hashem held for them.<br />
As we remember the travails that we as a people have experienced in our history<br />
leading up to Tisha B’Av, let us too take stock and open our hearts to the loving<br />
rebuke of Moshe Rabbeinu and the other prophets who believed in our ability to<br />
strive for the standards of conduct Hashem has for us.
208<br />
Devarim<br />
The Hashem’s Love of Eight<br />
Rav Mordechai Kaplan<br />
A s Tisha B’Av approaches it is appropriate that we read Parshat Devarim, in<br />
which Moshe Rabbeinu recounts the events that occurred in the desert, specifically<br />
the sin of the meraglim. Chazal tell us that the fact that Am Yisrael cried for no<br />
reason at the report of the meraglim caused the eventual destruction of both Temples,<br />
along with other tragedies throughout the generations which occurred on Tisha B’Av.<br />
To attempt to understand the connection between the sin of the meraglim and the<br />
destruction of the Beit HaMikdash we look into the words of this week’s parsha of the<br />
meraglim.<br />
The meraglim reveal the reason they were not able to see the greatness of Eretz Yisrael:<br />
“With great hatred God took us out of Mitzrayim to bring us into the hand of the<br />
Amorites to destroy us” (1:27). The meraglim did not see the love of Hashem for His<br />
people in yetziat Mitzrayim. They felt hated and rejected by God, and it was because<br />
of this that they were not able to see Hashem’s love through Eretz Yisrael.<br />
The Ba’al Shem Tov taught that when we say the birchot keri’at Shema, specifically the<br />
beracha of “Ahava Rabba,” which is talking about Hashem’s great love and care for Am<br />
Yisrael, this brings ge’ula closer. Based on the meraglim, we can understand that the<br />
root cause of rejecting Eretz Yisrael is the feeling of being “hated” by Hashem. Saying<br />
“Ahava Rabba” with great kavana deepens our relationship with Hashem and our<br />
awareness of how much He loves His people, and only then can we see the greatness
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of Eretz Yisrael. Tisha B’Av marks the destruction of the place where Hashem<br />
shined His love onto the Jewish people; by rejecting that love we reject this place,<br />
the Beit Hamikdash.<br />
The first step to rebuilding the Beit Hamikdash is to feel the “Ahava Rabba,”<br />
Hashem’s great love for us. With this perspective Am Yisrael will overcome all<br />
obstacles, challenges and difficult times.
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Eikev<br />
One Moment at a Time<br />
Rav Natanel Lebowitz<br />
T he pasuk in this week’s parsha (Eikev 10:12) states, “And now, Yisrael, what is<br />
Hashem asking from you but to just to fear Him, follow all His ways, love Him and<br />
serve Him with all our heart.” It is not such a big request. We should easily be able to<br />
achieve the instructions the Torah gives.<br />
The Gemara in Berachos (33b) asks, are the commands of the pasuk a small thing?<br />
Loving and fearing Hashem are extremely difficult and the Torah is even asking us to<br />
do it with all our heart. Why does the Torah make it sound like it should be so simple?<br />
The Gemara answers that for Moshe it was a small thing. After everything that Moshe<br />
witnessed and experienced, it was easy for him to attain this high level of complete<br />
commitment. Moshe saw with his own eyes how indescribably awesome Hashem’s<br />
infiniteness was and for him there was no other option but to fulfill the charges of the<br />
pasuk.<br />
However, where does this leave me? The Torah was not just speaking to Moshe and it<br />
even introduces the pasuk with, “And now, Yisrael,” which directs the commands that<br />
follow to everyone! Furthermore, we believe that Moshe was the ultimate teacher. As<br />
the ultimate teacher, he should know better than anyone else that what is easy for me<br />
may not be as easy for my students. When presenting an idea to an audience, we need<br />
to present the idea in a manner that speaks to those we are instructing.<br />
To address this idea, perhaps we should focus on the first word of the pasuk. If the
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overall message of the pasuk is to tell us that we should love Hashem and fear<br />
Hashem, why does it start with “And now”? Is it like Madison Square Garden<br />
where they announce, “And now, here are your New York Knicks”?<br />
Maybe the first words are the key to attaining the seemingly impossible levels that<br />
the Torah delineates. If we view love and fear of Hashem as a life task then I can<br />
easily become overwhelmed. Life is a very long period of time. Can I realistically<br />
expect myself to love and fear Hashem every moment for the rest of my life? The<br />
key is “and now”. Don’t think about what will happen next year or next week or<br />
even tomorrow. I just need to focus on right now. Right now, I need to make<br />
one decision. I need to have yiras shamayim for just one moment. I need to love<br />
Hashem with all my heart for one moment. I need to follow all of Hashem’s ways<br />
only right now. I need to decide what I must do for only one moment. It is just<br />
one decision and yes, one decision is not such a big deal. It is a small thing. The<br />
introduction of the pasuk is necessary to understand how the rest of the pasuk<br />
can easily be accomplished.<br />
If I worry about how I will be able to live up to Hashem’s expectations for a<br />
lifetime then I may feel overwhelmed. If I focus just on what Hashem wants me<br />
to do right now then there is a fighting chance that I can love Hashem with all my<br />
heart. After all, I only need to do it right now.<br />
The pasuk adds, “and now”. Now that I worried about this moment and this<br />
decision, I can move on to face the next moment’s challenges, which will then<br />
develop the definition of who I am into the ideals that the Torah is looking for.<br />
A number of times throughout Talmud Bavli we see the refrain of “yesh koneh<br />
olamo besha’ah achas – there are those who acquire a portion to the World to<br />
Come in just one moment.” The Talmud generally uses the phrase to describe<br />
someone who did not act in line with Hashem’s will his whole life but has a<br />
moment of inspiration and repents. He can acquire his portion in the World to<br />
Come with that one moment of repentance.<br />
Perhaps we can now add another idea to the concept of acquiring one’s portion<br />
in a moment. Not only is it referring to a moment of teshuva, it is telling is that if<br />
we focus on just sha’ah achas, one moment, then that may also be the ticket to a
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portion to Olam Haba. If we want to acquire Olam Haba, we should live by the<br />
principle of sha’ah achas: not to worry about how I will maintain a level of perfect<br />
performance my whole life but just to focus on what is Hashem asking of me in<br />
this one moment.<br />
Yehi ratzon milifnei avinu shebashamayim that Hashem gives us the vision and<br />
the strength to excel in what He wants from us right now and to use that to build<br />
ourselves into ovdei Hashem, servants of Hashem, who “fear Him, follow all His<br />
ways, love Him and serve Him with all our heart”!!
213<br />
Re’ei<br />
True Chesed<br />
Dr. David Kallus<br />
“Y ou shall surely open your hand to him; you shall lend him his requirement,<br />
whatever is lacking to him” (dei machsoro asher yechsar lo) (Devarim 15:8).<br />
Rashi states that dei machsoro asher yechsar lo implies that the obligation of tzedakah<br />
goes so far as to require us to give the poor person a horse to ride upon and a slave to<br />
run in front of him.<br />
This is a very difficult Rashi. Rashi one line earlier explains that one would not be<br />
required to make the poor man rich. We can understand that a poor man should<br />
be given support to help him cover his basic needs. But to give someone charity to<br />
support a lavish lifestyle is untenable!<br />
Rav Wolbe in Alei Shur (page 93) explains that in this pasuk and especially in the<br />
words “dei machsoro” is the yesod, the foundation, of chesed. A person who is focused<br />
primarily on himself is hopelessly unable to see that which another person is lacking.<br />
While he may be able to appreciate that another person could miss something that he<br />
himself does not have, the same person cannot appreciate that another person can be<br />
missing something even though in his own view it may be excessive or unimportant.<br />
While we may not identify with the lifestyle of a man with a horse and slave runner, if<br />
tzedakah is about chesed we would be able to understand that this particular person’s<br />
need for these so called excesses could be the same as another pauper’s need for very<br />
basic necessities.
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
When I was first married I lived in an apartment for a number of years. There<br />
was a tzedakah organization in my neighborhood that often helped people who<br />
couldn’t pay their mortgage and were about to be foreclosed (this was even before<br />
the sub-prime mortgage days). My initial reaction to giving to such a tzadakah<br />
was to think that I live in an apartment and it’s not so bad, let these people learn<br />
to live smaller and not have the luxury of a house. Why should the tzibbur be<br />
asked to give when the people can be told to downsize their unaffordable lifestyle?<br />
Why should I shell out money to support something that I can’t even afford for<br />
myself? Thankfully I soon realized that my thoughts went against the notion<br />
of dei machsoro as stated above. A person who scraped together money for a<br />
down payment on an affordable house to fulfill the “American dream” of owning<br />
a house and was now suddenly without a job or had unexpected expenses come<br />
up truly has a need for this house. Imagine how he would be destroyed if he lost<br />
his home and had to start all over again.<br />
The results of chesed performed in a manner that accounts for the needs of the<br />
particular poor person is that the giver will usually end up giving even more<br />
than what was requested. For example if the poor man requests money but the<br />
particular giver is a ba’al chesed, he won’t be satisfied with merely fulfilling the<br />
request and writing him a check, he will determine that he doesn’t need other<br />
help or he will ensure that he is helped in a way that improves his self confidence,<br />
etc.<br />
When Eliezer is looking for a wife for Yitzchak he states that the wife will be the<br />
one whom, when I ask for water, will draw me and my camels as well – “that is<br />
the girl that Hashem has proven is for Yitzchak and through this (test) I will<br />
know that Hashem has done kindness to my master”(Bereishis 24:14). Rashi says<br />
that this test proves that she is a gomel chesed and is worthy to enter the house of<br />
Avraham. Rav Wolbe explains that her status as a gomel chesed was proven by not<br />
merely agreeing to Eliezer’s personal request for water but seeing that there was a<br />
further need for water for the camels.
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The story is told of the Beis Haleivi that once a woman asked if it was permissible<br />
to be fulfill the obligation of the four cups of wine on Pesach with milk. The Rav<br />
answered no and gave her a significant amount of money. When asked why he<br />
gave so much money he explained that from her question it was clear that not<br />
only does she lack wine for Pesach, but if she is asking about milk, clearly she<br />
lacks meat for the yom tov meal as well. This is the perspective of a man of chesed;<br />
it’s not just about the request, it is a responsibility to fulfill a need.
216<br />
Shoftim<br />
Seven Habits of Highly Successful Judges<br />
Rav Yehoshua Paltiel<br />
O ur parasha begins with the mitzvah to establish courts and appoint judges –<br />
“ךירעש לכב ךל ןתת םירטושו םיטפוש“ (16:18). This is a command incumbent upon the<br />
Jewish people and each community. However, there is a well-known drush quoted<br />
by Rav Chaim Vital and the Shla Ha-kadosh on this verse – that it also implies that<br />
each and every Jew should be a judge over the gateways to his head: eyes, ears, nose<br />
and mouth. According to this interpretation, the verse is teaching us that we must<br />
carefully judge what comes in to our minds and bodies, since what we see, hear, and<br />
even smell has an effect on our thoughts. Similarly, the kashrut and quantity of what<br />
we eat influences our ability to concentrate and our spirituality. Likewise, we must<br />
constantly judge the words and looks which we use to communicate with others.<br />
Judging, however, is a tricky business, and demands clarity of mind and strength<br />
of character. The Rambam in his Hilchot Sanhedrin (2:7) lists seven attributes that<br />
a judge must embody to become appointed to even the lowest court of three (the<br />
requirements to sit on a court of 23 are much more stringent). Taking our drush to its<br />
logical conclusion, we’d be wise to cultivate these characteristics to enable ourselves<br />
to honestly judge our actions, speech and thoughts. While I leave it to the reader to<br />
consider all the Rambam’s words and their applications in his or her own life, let’s take<br />
a couple of examples to see how it might be done.
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The first prerequisite is המכח – wisdom – which simply means knowing the<br />
Torah, what’s right and wrong in the eyes of Hashem. So, learning Halacha is<br />
the starting point for determining if our deeds are pleasing to Hashem. Studying<br />
the lives of our Avot and Imahot, as well as our sages, will also ingrain in us a<br />
strong sense of the right path to choose. Another attribute is a love for truth.<br />
Falsehood, even in shades, should bother us. Even a small sarcastic comment<br />
like, “That was smart!” (while, in fact, it was a big mistake) is a lie and must be<br />
avoided. A great way to develop a love for truth is to learn אתורבחב and to readily<br />
admit when your partner is right and you’re wrong. This will also fortify you in<br />
another of the seven attributes, humility.<br />
The Rambam (Ibid. 2:10) also teaches that while the Torah permits a competent<br />
judge to judge alone, the sages forbade it, compelling him to consult with two<br />
other wise people, forming a court. This is invaluable advice in our own personal<br />
courts. In other words, when making decisions and improving ourselves, don’t<br />
go it alone; speak to wise and trusted people and ask for their counsel. In this<br />
way, you will merit the blessing: “Any court that is fitting, the Shechina rests upon<br />
it” (Ibid. 3:7).<br />
May Hashem guide us in all we do.<br />
בלה תובשחמ
218<br />
Ki Teitzei<br />
Torah Power<br />
Rav Natanel Lebowitz<br />
O n Rosh Hashana, the very first Torah reading of the year relates what happened<br />
when Sarah Imeinu compelled Avraham Avinu to chase Hagar and Yishmael out of<br />
the house (Bereishit 21:9-21). Yishmael was close to death and Hashem created a well<br />
in order to save him. The Midrash (quoted by Rashi, 21:17) tells us that the malachim<br />
rushed to Hashem to point out how much future Jewish pain and suffering would be<br />
spared if Yishmael would die here. Hashem responds that although they were correct<br />
about the impact Yishmael’s descendants would have on the Jewish people, right now<br />
Yishmael does not merit death. Hashem judges a person “ba’asher hu sham” (21:17),<br />
as he is now, and not based on what will happen in the future. Perhaps one of the<br />
reasons we read this portion on Rosh Hashana is that this notion is comforting for us.<br />
As we are getting judged, we need not focus on whether we will be able to maintain<br />
our commitments over the course of the rest of the year. If we are fully committed to<br />
Hashem on Rosh Hashana itself, we will get judged based on that commitment.<br />
Seeing how important this idea of ba’asher hu sham is to Hashem, to the point that<br />
He allowed future Jewish generations much pain to uphold its integrity, we find<br />
something very curious in Parshat Ki Teitzei. The ben sorer u’moreh is sentenced to<br />
death, not for what he already violated but rather to prevent him from his inevitable<br />
future sins. Rashi (21:18) says that Hashem looks into the future and decides that<br />
better he die innocent rather than die guilty. Why in this case does Hashem not give<br />
the recalcitrant son the benefit of “ba’asher hu sham”?
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
The Yerushalmi in Sanhedrin (8:7) tries to explain why the rebellious son is judged<br />
differently than any other criminal in our religion. In explaining this difference,<br />
the Yerushalmi writes that Hashem anticipates that this child will eventually waste<br />
his parents’ resources, steal from wayfarers, murder, and forget his Torah. For<br />
those instances which will inevitably happen, the Torah advises us to kill this son<br />
now so that he can die innocent rather than having him put to death full of sin.<br />
Perhaps we can argue that whereas Yishmael’s future indiscretions are not<br />
inevitable, the ben sorer u’moreh is doomed to the fate that he triggered. Why is<br />
the ben sorer u’moreh’s path irreversible?<br />
The order of the sins that the rebellious son will commit is interesting. It seems<br />
from the Yerushalmi that it is only after he forgets his Torah that he becomes<br />
hopeless. Even after he stole and murdered, his fate is not sealed until he forgets<br />
his Torah. It is only when he forgets his Torah that we view him as someone who<br />
cannot be rehabilitated.<br />
Through this we see tremendous insight into the power of Torah. Even when a<br />
Jew strays just about as far as he can go, there is still the possibility of return as<br />
long as there is Torah. He is not hopeless as long as he has Torah. When we say<br />
that Torah is a life giving force for a Jew, it means that it can even be life saving.<br />
If we take a good look at the Yerushalmi, we can see two further relevant lessons.<br />
First, it is not enough to learn Torah, it is vital to also remember what we are<br />
learning. Spending our time learning Torah is important but it does not compare<br />
to the experience of acquiring Torah: learning things so thoroughly and clearly<br />
that we can recall what it was that we learned at any point of the day. It was only<br />
after the ben sorer u’moreh forgot what he learned that he was doomed. Once<br />
there was no recall anymore, it was if the Torah was not his.<br />
The second message should resonate with us as we head toward Rosh Hashana.<br />
Some may feel very far from the resolutions we made a year ago when we felt<br />
close to Hashem. When deciding what we should be focusing on during Elul<br />
to prepare for Yom Ha-din, perhaps we should start a new chavrusa or study of<br />
a new Torah subject. Maybe I can pick up a new gemara or at least thoroughly<br />
go through an aliya of the parsha every day during the week so that I complete
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the weekly portion every week. Whatever we choose to study, strengthening our<br />
commitment to Torah study will be an advantageous weapon to bring with us<br />
into Rosh Hashana. It may tip the scales on our judgment for the year.<br />
Through this commitment, we should merit a kesiva va-chasima tova and promise<br />
for a healthy and successful year.
221<br />
Ki Tavo<br />
The Secret of Happiness…<br />
Rav Uri Etigson<br />
P arshat Ki Tavo, with its vast amount of curses, often feels frightening and<br />
overwhelming. However, the great Chassidic masters tried to demonstrate that every<br />
curse can really be seen as a blessing-in-disguise if it is understood as a teaching, or<br />
as a way of guiding us to reach a higher level of closeness to Hashem. Thus, many of<br />
the verses of the curses have been interpreted as teachings about living a holier life.<br />
Perhaps one of the most central and important lessons in Chassidic thought has been<br />
derived from the following pesukim: “All these curses shall befall you, and pursue you<br />
… Since you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, be-simchah uv-tuv levav – in joy and with<br />
gladness of heart,” (28: 45,47). The ARI z”l explained that this is a fundamental lesson<br />
in the service of G-d. It is not enough to serve G-d, or even to perform all the mitzvot<br />
and adhere to all the halachot. This is not true avodat Hashem, unless it is performed<br />
with a sense of joy and gladness of heart. The Zohar says that mitzvot performed and<br />
tefilot recited without emotions of awe, and joy and love are “dead” – they are like<br />
birds without wings that attempt to ascend heavenward and fall flat back to the earth.<br />
The ARI z”l said of himself that he attained his great level of ruach ha-kodesh, because<br />
he focused every moment of his life on an awareness of G-d’s awesome presence, and<br />
upon feeling a tremendous sense of joy at having the opportunity to serve Hashem<br />
through Torah and mitzvot. The Rambam even codifies this in the Mishneh Torah, at<br />
the end of Hilchot Lulav (8:15): “The joy that a person must feel in the performance<br />
of mitzvot and in the love of G-d, is a great service! Whoever withholds from this joy
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
deserves to be punished as it says, ‘Since you have not served Hashem your G-d<br />
in joy’ … True greatness is attained only through rejoicing before G-d.”<br />
Everyone wants to feel this joy, yet it remains elusive. What is the secret to feeling<br />
this happiness? Perhaps some of the answers can be found in this very parasha.<br />
The first key is appreciation. The parasha opens with the mitzvah of bikkurim.<br />
Every year, every farmer must bring his first fruits to the Temple and declare<br />
before G-d that he recognizes that all his fruits and even the very land which<br />
he lives on and which he inherited from his ancestors – is not really his! It is all<br />
a gift from G-d! What other nation tries to keep alive the notion that they are<br />
strangers in their own land?! Yet the Torah directs us to constantly remember<br />
that we were a slave nation in Egypt and that G-d gave us the land of Israel as a<br />
gift. The more we internalize this awareness – the more authentic joy we will feel<br />
when partaking even of the simple joys often taken for granted, such as walking<br />
into our own home in the land of Israel.<br />
The second key to happiness suggested in our parasha is to try to feel chosen and<br />
special and loved by Hashem. Before the warning of curses, this parasha also<br />
promises blessings if Am Yisrael follows the Torah. However, many commentators<br />
ask why the Torah does not promise any spiritual rewards of Olam Ha-ba or the<br />
like, but rather only promises physical rewards such as rain, plenty and security<br />
in the land of Israel. Rebbi Yehudah <strong>Ha<strong>Lev</strong></strong>i and the Abarbanel answer that the<br />
greatest ‘spiritual’ reward that the Torah can offer is to live a ‘physical’ life in the<br />
land of Israel in which the presence of G-d is clearly manifest. It seems that the<br />
central beracha in our parasha is, “The nations of the earth will see that the name<br />
of G-d is called upon you” (28:10). If we can truly feel that we are chosen by<br />
Hashem to represent His name in the world, and that the Torah and mitzvot are a<br />
gift and an opportunity to fulfill our calling and to feel a unique connection with<br />
Hashem, there is no greater beracha and secret to happiness than this!
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Ki Tavo<br />
STOP!!!<br />
Noah Cohen<br />
W hile his mom was watching from the top floor of an apartment building, Yoni<br />
was running around on the sidewalk below. Yoni ran this way and that way with a big<br />
smile on his face. His mom could tell he was having a blast.<br />
In this week’s parsha, Ki Savo, the pasuk states: “And it will come to pass that even as<br />
Hashem rejoiced over you to benefit you and to multiply you, so will Hashem rejoice<br />
over you to make you perish and to destroy you” (28:63).<br />
Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch comments on the pasuk and says that it is coming to<br />
teach us that “just as He rejoiced for your sake to cause you to prosper, so will He<br />
rejoice for your sake to cause you to perish.” Rav Hirsch says this is coming to teach us<br />
that just like it is for our benefit when Hashem gives us a beracha, so too it is for our<br />
benefit when He brings upon us seeming misfortune. The bad things that seemingly<br />
happen to us are always out of love.<br />
While running on the sidewalk approaching an intersection, Yoni heard screaming<br />
and yelling coming from his mom in the apartment above. To his shock and anger, it<br />
was his mom screaming, “STOP!!! STOP!!! Get back here right now!” Yoni, extremely<br />
frustrated at his mom for interrupting his playtime on the sidewalk, walked slowly<br />
back up to his apartment at the top of the building.<br />
Why did Yoni’s mom suddenly get so angry and punish him by taking away his<br />
playtime? Yoni’s mom had a better view of the streets below. She was higher up and
224<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
therefore able to see the danger the little boy could not. What she saw that Yoni<br />
couldn’t was that there was a racing car avoiding the stop sign, flying down the<br />
road headed directly towards the corner intersection little Yoni was ready to run<br />
into. Due to the fact that little Yoni was unable to see the racing car, she knew she<br />
needed to take initiative at all costs to save his life. His mom’s reaction was out of<br />
pure love and concern for the safety for her child.<br />
Sometimes we feel that Hashem is punishing us and we have no idea why.<br />
However, if we are patient and can look deeper into the situation we will find<br />
it is only because we cannot see the speeding car racing down the street to the<br />
intersection. Like Yoni, who was clearly frustrated at his mom for taking his<br />
sidewalk playtime away from him, sometimes we do not know why bad things<br />
happen to us. Together we need to know that Hashem sees it all. Hashem is Yoni’s<br />
mom on the top of the building. He sees the potential danger toward the corner<br />
of the intersection. Yoni, and Am Yisrael as well, just need to be willing to listen<br />
and accept the voice screaming, “STOP!!! STOP!!!”
225<br />
Nitzavim<br />
! ! ! ל ל כ ב ד ע ו , ד ע<br />
Rav Dudi Winkler<br />
A short English summary will follow the Hebrew<br />
)ב,ל ,םירבד( ”...ולוקב תעמשו ךיקולא ’ה דע תבשו“<br />
)י,ל ,םירבד( ”ךשפנ לכבו ךבבל לכב ךיקולא ’ה לא בושת יכ...“<br />
).וכ תוכרב( ”..ללכב דע אלו דע אמלד וא ללכב דעו דע...תועש עברא דע רמוא הדוהי ’ר“<br />
.תולובג ונמצעל םישל םיימעפ אלו םעפ אל םישרדנ ונחנא ,ונייח ךלהמבו הבישיב דומילה ךלהמב<br />
השודק ןיבש קדה לובגהש םיעדוי ונחנאו – ונייח תא םמורלו שדקל – השודקל םיפאוש ונחנא<br />
.ונלש תונוצרל שפוחו רורד םינתונו תולובג םיצוח ונא וב םוקמב רבוע לוחל שדוק ןיב ,האמוטו<br />
םאה ,”דע“ – םיוסמ ןמז אנתה ונל רמוא רשאכ :הלאשה תלאשנ תוכרב תכסמב ארמגה דומילב םג<br />
,הליפת התוא – העשה תא ונרבע םא .תקיודמו תרדוסמ הדובע איה ’ה תדובע .אל וא ללכב דעו דע<br />
םא עדוי ימו ,הנמזב הליפת לש היהי אל לבקנש רכשה .הליפת התוא היהת אל רבכ ,הנווכ התוא םע<br />
.ללכב<br />
ףא הבושתה תווצמב .הבושתה תווצמ לע רבדל םיאבשכ םירבדה ינפ ךכ אלש הארנ תאז תמועל<br />
תארי ,)הכומנ( האתת הארי – שנועה תארי ;הארי לש םינוש םיגוס םנשיש םשכ .לובגה םניא םיימשה<br />
םוגפלמ ושפנ רמוש ,אוטחלמ אריה םדא – אטח תאריו ’ה לש ודובכו ותלודג ףקותמ – תוממורה<br />
לש תובר תורשע הנומ ”הבושתה תורוא”ב קוק ברה .הבושת לש םינוש םיגוס םנשי ךכ ,התשודקב<br />
...דועו דועו תיטרפ ,תיללכ ,תילכש ,תינומא ,תיעבט הבושת :הבושת לש םינוש םינווגו םיגוס<br />
”םויה ונמע הפ ונניא רשא“ םע םג ,לארשי םע םע ’ה תרכש תירבה םע ונא םישגפנ ונתשרפ תליחתב<br />
אלו םימעה לכמ ונב רחב ’ה ”.רקשי אל לארשי חצנ”ש לארשי םעל ’ה ןיב תיללכ תירב הנשי .)די ,טכ(
226<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
;)חי םש( ”ךלא יבל תורירשב“ – ולשמ ךרד ול רוחבל לוכי דיחיה ,םרב .תרחא המואב ונפילחי<br />
לארשי םעב תיקולאה הריחבה .ול עיגמה שנועב ותוא שינעיו )טי םש( ”ול חולס הבאי אל“ ’הו<br />
.’ה יניעב רשיהו בוטה תא תושעל דיחיו דיחי לכמ תוירחאה תא הריסמ הנניא –<br />
תבושת לש התומדב המחנה האב – םיאטוחה לע ואוביש םישנועה תא תראתמ הרותהש רחאל<br />
דע תבשו ...ךבבל לא תובשהו ...הללקהו הכרבה ,הלאה םירבדה לכ ךילע ואובי יכ היהו“ :אטוחה<br />
.)ב-א ,ל( ”...ולוקב תעמשו ךיקולא ’ה<br />
תא דמלש רחאל קר השוע םדאש הבושת וז - ההובג הגרדמב הבושת הנניא וז הבושתש פ”עא<br />
”...ךמחרו ךתובש תא ’ה בש“ םימחרה תדימבו ,ןונחו םוחר ל-א ’ה ז”כב ,לביקש שנועהמ חקלה<br />
הנניא םתבושת םא םג ,םהירוזפ תוצרא לכמ םצראל םריזחמו לארשי ומעל חלוס ’ה .)ג םש(<br />
,הבהאמ הבושת ונמצע לע לבקל ונרישכמו ונבבל ”תלרע“ תא ”למ“ ’ה ,ץראב ןאכ .המלש<br />
,בושת יכ“ :)שנועה תארי ךותמ אלו( ’ה לא הבהאהו רשקה קמועמ העיגמש תיתימא הבושת<br />
.)י םש( ”ךשפנ לכבו ךבבל לכב ךיקלא ’ה לא“<br />
ארמגה פ”ע( הארימ הבושת איה ’ה ”דע“ הבושתה .’ה ”לא“ הבושת הנשיו ,’ה ”דע“ הבושת הנשי<br />
םירוסי ללגב וא םיוסמ רבד ללגב בושל הרטמל ול םש םדאשכ .ללכב דע אלו דע – )ופ אמויב<br />
האצותה םג – םירוסייה לוטיב םשל אלא דבלב הבושת םשל הבושתה ןיאש ןויכ – וילע ואבש<br />
.תוגגשל םיכפהנ תונודזו גישהל ןתינש רתויב ההובגה המרב הנניא הלש<br />
לא הביש ,’ה לא קרו ךא אלא תרחא הינפו דעי לא אלו ,’ה ”לא“ איה הבושתה רשאכ ,םרב<br />
הבושת ,הבהאמ אלא ,הארי ךותמ אלש ,םדאה לש יתימאהו ירוקמה בצמה לא הביש ,תוימצעה<br />
םדאה הכוז – םירצימ אלל הבושת אלא ,תולבגומ תורטמ אללו תוינפ אלל ,תולובגו םירדג אלל<br />
תונודזה םג .תויוכזל םיכפהנ תונודזו – ומצע אטחה תא ףא ותיא םמורלו םמורתהל הדי לע<br />
.הלעמ הלעמ םדאה לש ותיילע רדסב ךבדנל םיכפוה<br />
ךותמו האריו הנומא ךותמ םמורתהל הכזנש ןוצר יהי ,תוחילסהו םימחרה ימי ונילע שורפב<br />
אלל הבהא .גייסו לובג אלל הבהא .הבהאמ הבושתה תווצמב שדקתהלו – ’הל הלודג הבהא<br />
הדות ,הב אצמי החמשו ןושש“ – םילשורי ןיינבו ןויצ תמחנ ונב םייקתת ךכ ךותמו – םירצימ<br />
.)ג ,אנ והיעשי( ”הרמז לוקו<br />
There are many different levels of teshuva. Our parsha (30:1-10) describes the<br />
teshuva process in more than one way. After detailing the punishments that await<br />
the Jewish people if we sin, the Torah predicts that we will return דע (to) Hashem.<br />
This is teshuva and has great value, but it is a limited teshuva, as indicated by the<br />
word דע.<br />
It is a teshuva that is undertaken only because of the suffering we will have
227<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
experienced and its goal will be to end the suffering. This is yira (fear) based<br />
teshuva, and it has the effect of turning purposeful sin into accidental ones.<br />
However, there is another level of teshuva that is described at the end of this<br />
section, the teshuva of returning לא (to) Hashem. The word לא implies that there<br />
are no boundaries, we are going all the way in reconnecting to Hashem. Teshuva<br />
that is performed with no boundaries and no ulterior motives is הבהאמ הבושת,<br />
teshuva from love, and it has the power to transform sin into merit; even a person’s<br />
sins end up becoming another step in the process of his spiritual ascent.<br />
As the time of selichot and rachamim begin, may we be successful in experiencing<br />
teshuva from yira but also teshuva from ahava, without any boundaries or limits;<br />
and through that may we merit the final ge’ula as well.
228<br />
P arshat Nitzavim (29:28) states:<br />
Nitzavim<br />
A Parsha Sandwich<br />
Moshe Esquenazi<br />
תאזה הרותה ירבד לכ תא תושעל םלוע דע ונינבלו ונל תולגנהו ונקלא ’הל תורתסנה.<br />
“The Hidden things are for Hashem our God, and the revealed things are for us and<br />
our children forever, to do the words of this Torah.”<br />
Let us begin by putting this pasuk in context. The segment prior to this pasuk speaks<br />
of the wrathful actions of Hashem and of how He will in anger remove the Jewish<br />
people from the land if we serve other gods. The segment after our pasuk describes<br />
how Hashem is willing to accept our return from sin and return us to the land after<br />
we have been cast out.<br />
In between these two segments is the pasuk of תורתסנה.<br />
Rashi explains that in this pasuk, Hashem is telling us that God does not and will not<br />
punish the entire community for the hidden thoughts of the individual. However,<br />
it is the responsibility of us and our children to ensure that justice is preserved, and<br />
that the covenant is maintained with Hashem. If the community fails to preserve<br />
balance in regards to an individual’s revealed acts (תולגנ( , then Hashem will curse the<br />
community and the land.
229<br />
There is a sandwiching of concepts here.<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
The idea of people being cast out of לארשי ץרא<br />
for worshipping idols is followed by the idea of responsibility, which then leads<br />
into the concept of the return of these people to God and to the land. The public<br />
will suffer the fate illustrated in the first segment, if they fail to ensure that public<br />
individual acts are not brought to justice. Even if they do suffer this fate, Hashem<br />
in His infinite mercy allows the community and the individual to reconnect and<br />
return to the land.<br />
However, our responsibility does not end with punishing those who openly<br />
transgress commandments. The pasuk that describes our return to Hashem states,<br />
“ךיקלא ’ה-דע תבשו, you shall return to Hashem your God” (30:2). The pasuk uses<br />
the word דע (until) rather than לא (to), and Rav Samson Rafael Hirsch explains<br />
that this particular wording means that it is not enough to come close to fulfilling<br />
our potential of connection with God. Rather we have a responsibility to strive to<br />
actually reach our fullest potential, so that we may connect to Hashem, and show<br />
His light in the world.<br />
Hinting to Elul, 30:6 states: “Hashem your God will circumcise your heart and<br />
the heart of your offspring, to love Hashem your God. The initials of תאו ךבבל תא<br />
בבל spell out לולא. Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l explains that in the current month,<br />
לארשי ללכ has an obligation to return to God and also to ensure that our children<br />
are also spiritually prepared to better themselves and to repent.<br />
Perhaps as an extension of this, all of לארשי ללכ has a responsibility to reach<br />
their highest possible level of connection to Hashem and to a lso reach out to<br />
any other member of our community who has not yet reached his or her fullest<br />
potential. Furthermore, the responsibility to nurture a connection with Hashem<br />
is forever. If a Jew has an obligation to be הרותל בורק, and by not being in this<br />
state he is openly not fulfilling the covenant, then it is within the obligation of the<br />
community of לארשי ללכ to ensure that a person who has strayed returns to serve<br />
God. It is our duty to justice and balance to bring in those who are openly distant<br />
from Hashem. Any Jew that is not pushing to reach their highest potential is not<br />
serving justice, and it is the obligation of the community to aid any individual<br />
who is not הרותל בורק and connected to Hashem.
Moadim
231<br />
Rosh Hashana<br />
Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs<br />
Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
T he Shulchan Aruch in siman (chapter) 583 codifies the custom to eat an apple<br />
dipped in honey, dates, gourd, carrots and various other foods. The reason for<br />
consuming these foods is to symbolize our yearning for certain positive outcomes in<br />
the coming year. For example, we dip the apple in the honey and say “may we have<br />
a sweet new year.” We eat a tamar (date) and say “yitamu soneinu (may our enemies<br />
disappear).” Although it is a beautiful custom it seems somewhat peculiar. Why don’t<br />
we simply petition God for a sweet new year without the honey? Why not list off all<br />
of our hopes without eating the leek and head of an animal?<br />
Rav Avraham Schorr, in his commentary to the haggadah, suggests a beautiful<br />
explanation of this custom. However, in order to understand the simanim on Rosh<br />
Hashana, we must fast-forward to Pesach. At the end of the seder we sing, “Who<br />
knows one?” Outside of this being a good family song, what is the idea behind the<br />
song? Rav Avraham Schorr suggests that it is a type of exit exam, a word association<br />
test. Throughout the year if I were to ask you what the number one means to you, you<br />
may reply that it is the number of basketball hall of famer Oscar Robertson or football<br />
great Warren Moon. The number two may be your favorite meal at kosher delight,<br />
etc… However after going through the seder - an entire night devoted to teaching<br />
the story of yetziat Mitzrayim, a night dedicated to strengthening our emuna – your<br />
orientation should be changed. If I were to ask you what does the number one mean<br />
to you the answer should be Hashem, the number two of course reminds me of the
232<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
luchos, etc… When we sing “Who knows one?” it is an exit exam to see if we were<br />
successful in placing G-d and Torah at the forefront of our consciousness.<br />
In a similar vein we have the simanim at the start of Rosh Hashana. The foods we<br />
eat are not just a visual aid to help us in our prayer and focus us. The simanim<br />
are there to help me see and show others what is on my mind. As we approach<br />
the Days of Awe we should be totally consumed by the significance of the time.<br />
Everything we do should remind us that we are in a special time period. When<br />
a couple is seriously dating, everything they see naturally reminds them of one<br />
another no matter how far-fetched the association may seem to a person standing<br />
on the outside. A boy and girl who are seriously in love may look at a water<br />
bottle in the fridge and associate that bottle with a date they once had when they<br />
were caught in the rain. So too with us on Rosh Hashana and the Aseres Yemei<br />
Teshuva; everything we do, everything we eat, we should naturally associate with<br />
the Days of Awe. When I look at a carrot (gezer) how can I help but think of<br />
the upcoming gezar din (judgment)? When I look at honey how can I think of<br />
anything else save for the deep desire I have for a sweet new year?<br />
There are many families that have unconventional simanim as well. Some<br />
families eat raisins and celery as an expression of hopes for a raise in the family<br />
income. Some yeshiva students make sure to have ketchup up on the table as<br />
an expression of their hope to catch up with their chazara (review of material<br />
learned). Those “unconventional simanim” are absolutely consistent with the idea<br />
mentioned above. The foods are less important than the mindset. If we are in<br />
the right frame of mind, almost everything on the table should in one way or<br />
another remind us of the awesomeness of this particular time of year. We should<br />
encourage everyone at the meal to come up with simanim for everything at the<br />
table. The simanim can help us orient ourselves properly, put us in the correct<br />
state of mind, and demonstrate to G-d that we grasp the full magnitude of the<br />
days that lay ahead.
233<br />
Rosh Hashana<br />
A New Perspective on Teshuva<br />
Ben Welkovics<br />
I would like to dedicate this Dvar Torah in honour of my late grandfather, Usher<br />
Zalki Schusheim z”l, who’s Yarhtzeit will be commemorated on the first day of Rosh<br />
Hashanah.<br />
As Rosh Hashanah draws nearer the perennial theme of teshuva begins to occupy<br />
more of our thoughts. As we contemplate and reflect on the vicissitudes of the<br />
previous year we ask ourselves how we can repent for our misdoings in an attempt<br />
to ask for and be granted forgiveness from God. Each morning in shul, after being<br />
both physically and spiritually awoken by the blast of the shofar, we recite Psalm 27,<br />
Le-David Hashem ori. The body of Psalm 27 discusses having faith and trust in God.<br />
The psalm, however, ends with the powerful words of ’ה לא הוקו ךבל ץמאיו קזח ’ה לא הוק,<br />
“Hope to God, strengthen yourself and He will give you courage, and hope to God”.<br />
The wording of the concluding sentence seems to make the sentence somewhat of<br />
an anomaly within the context of the psalm, however, upon closer examination we<br />
can learn a very significant lesson about teshuva. Throughout most of the psalm we<br />
read about putting our trust and faith in God, yet we conclude the paragraph with the<br />
words, ךבל ץמאיו קזח;“ “strengthen yourself and God will give you courage.” Why must<br />
we strengthen ourselves in order to do teshuva? Aren’t we supposed to do teshuva in<br />
order to become better people and to strengthen our spiritual muscles? Isn’t the result
234<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
of teshuva a strengthening of one’s neshama? Or is there perhaps an additional<br />
component to teshuva that Psalm 27 is trying to suggest?<br />
During the holocaust my grandfather, my Opa, was faced with a unique challenge<br />
- the challenge of getting up from the comfort of his home and forcing his family<br />
to leave Nazi Germany with him. The decision my Opa made, which in hindsight<br />
saved the lives of his family members, was a decision which many Jews across<br />
Europe could not make themselves. The fear of leaving home was far too great for<br />
many Jews to undertake, and they chose to clasp onto the hope that things under<br />
the tyrannical Nazis would not get worse. My Opa, however, was not satisfied<br />
with only saving the lives of his family, he wanted to help save other Jews. As a<br />
result of this desire he helped facilitate the escape of hundreds, if not thousands of<br />
Jews from Germany. Unfortunately, my Opa was captured by the Nazis and was<br />
sent to Auschwitz. Fortunately, he survived Auschwitz and the war.<br />
Unlike many who remained passive and fearful, my grandfather was proactive. He<br />
stood up, strengthened himself and participated in the salvation of many Jewish<br />
lives. He viewed the plight which the Nazis brought upon the Jews as a challenge<br />
to overcome the oppression and as an opportunity to grow as an individual and<br />
as a Jew. He did not just passively rely on his faith. He took initiative and God<br />
gave him courage. My Opa took the famous teaching of Rabbi Tarfon (Avot 2:16)<br />
to heart and recognized that although he could not save every Jew, he was not<br />
free from doing his part in saving as many Jewish lives as he could. Furthermore,<br />
when my grandfather was captured and sent to Auschwitz, where he stared death<br />
in the face every day, he remained strong, determined and resilient and God<br />
gave him the courage to survive. It is through these actions that my grandfather<br />
empowered himself and was elevated to an entirely new level whereby he became<br />
recognized as a tzaddik by his family members and others.<br />
I believe that the concluding sentence in Psalm 27 is trying to teach us that<br />
we should view our teshuva ‘actively’. We must first strengthen ourselves and<br />
then God will help us succeed. As such, when we set out do teshuva we must<br />
not only view teshuva as vehicle through which we can attain forgiveness from
235<br />
God. Additionally, we should view teshuva as a challenge that will enable us to<br />
grow through the experience of its performance. It is my hope that we will all<br />
be able to actively strengthen ourselves during these days of teshuva in order to<br />
confront our teshuva more meaningfully. Furthermore, I hope that through the<br />
accomplishment of our teshuva we will elevate ourselves to higher levels with the<br />
help of God.<br />
Shana tova and ketiva va-chatima tova.<br />
בלה תובשחמ
236<br />
Yom Kippur<br />
Youthful Yearning<br />
Rav Binyamin Kwalwasser<br />
T he four pesukim of Shema Koleinu recited responsively numerous times<br />
throughout Yom Kippur are met with a certain exuberance and intensity in most<br />
kehillot. “Listen to our prayers, please do not leave us empty handed, and please do not<br />
reject us,” comprise the themes of three of them and accurately express the emotions<br />
many of us are feeling throughout the day. However, one of them, “Please do not cast<br />
us away in our old age,” seemingly does not fit with the desperate plea for attentiveness<br />
and closeness. Why is this idea included in this prayer? What is its relationship to the<br />
other pesukim?<br />
The Rambam in Hilchos Teshuva (2:1) quotes a pasuk from Kohelet (12:1):<br />
“ךיתורוחב ימיב ךארוב תא רוכז“ – “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,”<br />
to demonstrate the importance of repenting when young and full of vigor. During<br />
our early childhood years we are not yet tempted by life’s opportunities to sin and<br />
thus remaining clean of errors does not exhibit greatness. Similarly, during our senior<br />
years when we have lost our desires or physical capabilities of pursuing most sinful<br />
activities, doing teshuva also does not signify the most righteous behavior. The highest<br />
level of teshuva applies to the individual who is mentally and physically developed,<br />
laden with strong passions for acting inappropriately and yet withdraws heroically in<br />
subjugation to the will of Hashem.
237<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
This point can be further illustrated with a famous story about Reb Shalom<br />
Schwadron, the Maggid of Yerushalayim. A man had informed Reb Shalom of his<br />
intended absence in shiur due to the upcoming soccer championship. Feigning<br />
ignorance of the sport, Reb Shalom insisted the man explain to him the rules of<br />
the game. When the man explained that the main point is to kick a ball into a net,<br />
Reb Shalom masterfully probed deeper and questioned why we cannot kick the<br />
ball into the net when the goalie goes home for the night or early in the morning<br />
before he arrives. The man exasperatingly called out that there is no point if there<br />
is no challenge, to which Reb Shalom replied in full agreement, “There is no<br />
point if there is no challenge. Don’t you see what you are saying,” continued Reb<br />
Shalom. “Go to shiur when the championship is playing; then you are fighting a<br />
battle when there’s a challenge. That’s when it matters the most.” In our old age the<br />
battle dissipates, the challenge is over. The time to play the game, when it matters<br />
the most, is in our youth.<br />
Perhaps this can help us comprehend the pasuk at hand:<br />
”ונבזעת לא ונחוכ תולככ ,הנקז תעל ונכילשת לא“. This is usually translated as, “Do not<br />
cast us away in our old age, when our strength weakens do not abandon us.”<br />
However, perhaps we can offer an alternate approach to the first half of the pasuk:<br />
“Do not throw us into old age,” referring to the plea not to end up physically<br />
or conceptually old prematurely, which would permanently inhibit us from<br />
accomplishing the fullest teshuva. Any handicap would put our potential teshuva<br />
opportunities into peril, akin to being old. The pasuk now clearly fits into the<br />
theme of Shema Koleinu. We request that primarily we should remain with our<br />
full capabilities intact and that Hashem should be patient with us. On the other<br />
hand, if nonetheless we end up in our old age prior to having done a full teshuva,<br />
then we emphasize the second half of the pasuk, “Please do not abandon us even<br />
when we have lost our potency, and please fully accept the teshuva done at that<br />
time.” While it is human to not feel the pressure of time, our relationship with<br />
Hashem is undeniably dependent upon the zeal we demonstrate to repair our<br />
ways. May we all merit the highest level of teshuva, speedily in our youthful days.
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Yom Kippur<br />
Yonah and Yom Kippur<br />
Tani Pollak<br />
W e are approaching the Yamin Nora’im, the Days of Awe, with not much fear.<br />
How are we able to harness our emotional energy to get us onto a better path for this<br />
coming year? Well, here are two ideas that can help us do it.<br />
One may wonder why the Torah reading for mincha of Yom Kippur lists forbidden<br />
relationships. What is the connection to the Day of Atonement? Rashi (Devarim<br />
12:25) notes that these are all sins that are hard to leave. It can be extremely painful<br />
to break off a forbidden relationship or marriage. The hope is that on Yom Kippur<br />
the focus of the day will help us change direction in our lives even if that is a great<br />
challenge.<br />
The haftarah of Yonah, read at mincha of Yom Kippur, follows that same theme. Yonah<br />
runs away from God, away from his mission, onto a ship to Tarshish. A storm erupts<br />
and Yonah goes to sleep to escape from reality. When the sailors force him to confess<br />
the storm is his fault, he advises them to throw him off the boat, hoping to drown.<br />
God frustrates his plan and Yonah realizes then that he wants to live and repents.<br />
Sometimes, we are so set on our direction in life that it takes extreme conditions to<br />
convince us to change. When our direction is wrong, may God help us like he helped<br />
Yonah in the belly of the fish.<br />
We can also come up with another thought over these unique readings on Yom Kippur.<br />
When one looks at all those forbidden liaisons, we can see that we actually kept many
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
mitzvot during the year. Our sages want us to remember on Yom Kippur that<br />
however far from God we may feel ourselves to be, we have kept many, many of<br />
His commandments. When we contemplate all our good deeds over the last year,<br />
we are amazed by how much we did. Then we can find the self-confidence to<br />
resolve to keep even more in the year to come.<br />
The Book of Yonah also demonstrates this theme. Yonah looks at the sins of the<br />
people of Ninveh and wants God to destroy the city. Yonah does not accept the<br />
immediate, sincere repentance of the entire population. Sometimes we judge<br />
ourselves that way, too. We can only see our sins and feel guilty about how distant<br />
we are from God. But, that is not the way God sees things, as He always gives us<br />
a second chance. All we need to do is repent. God looks at the good that is in<br />
us and we should do the same. When we realize our own goodness, we can give<br />
ourselves a second chance. We can think about changing and believe that we can<br />
do it. We can look at our past and find a better direction for the future and follow<br />
it.
240<br />
Parshat Shekalim<br />
Partnerships and Juggernauts<br />
Rav Jake Vidomlanski<br />
T he mishna in Megilla (29a) writes that on the Shabbat prior to Rosh Chodesh<br />
Adar we read Parashat Shekalim - the first of the four parshiot (Shekalim, Zachor,<br />
Parah, Hachodesh). Hence this week in shuls around the world we will take out two<br />
sifrei Torah (assuming there are two); in the first we will read the weekly portion of<br />
Pikudei and in the second we’ll read from Parashat Ki Tisa (Shemot 30:11-16). In the<br />
time of the Beit Hamikdash there was a yearly obligation incumbent upon all members<br />
of Klal Yisrael to contribute a half shekel towards the purchasing of korbanot tzibbur<br />
(public sacrifices; daily offerings as well as the korbanot mussaf). Starting with Rosh<br />
Chodesh Nissan, korbanot tzibbur had to be financed from the newly collected funds.<br />
As such, large collection points were set up during the month of Adar to gather the<br />
funds. Therefore, prior to Rosh Chodesh Adar, Parashat Shekalim, which details the<br />
obligation to contribute a half shekel, was read. This would serve as a reminder to the<br />
people to contribute their share. Today, sadly, we lack the Beit Hamikdash; nevertheless<br />
we continue to read Parashat Shekalim as a zecher la-mikdash.<br />
Parashat Shekalim opens with the words “Ki-tisa et rosh B’nei Yisrael.” The common<br />
and indeed intended translation is “when you take the census of the people of Israel.”<br />
However we cannot ignore the language invoked, “ki-tisa.” The word “tisa” in Hebrew<br />
means to lift up. Chazal in the Gemara (Bava Batra 10b), sensitive to the precise<br />
language of the text, state that this mitzvah has the ability to elevate the Jewish people.<br />
One must wonder what about this particular mitzvah has the ability to elevate the
241<br />
Jewish people more than other mitzvot.<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
One of the sacrifices brought from the machatzit ha-shekel was the korban tamid.<br />
The Gemara in Masechet Menachot (65b) writes that from the start of Nissan<br />
until the eighth of the month it is not permissible to fast or to make a eulogy.<br />
The Gemara elaborates that the reason for this holiday of sorts is due to the fact<br />
that during that time the “daily sacrifice was properly established.” There raged<br />
a debate between the Sadducees and the Sages. The Sadducees, who relied on<br />
a literal reading of the Torah, believed that individuals can sponsor the korban<br />
tamid. They based their opinion on the fact that the Torah states, “The one<br />
lamb shall you (singular) make in the morning and the second lamb shall you<br />
(singular) make in the afternoon” (Bamidbar 28:4). The Sages insisted that the<br />
sacrifice has to be sponsored by the public pot. They quoted as their support<br />
the verse, “my offering, my food for my fire shall you (plural) be scrupulous to<br />
offer to Me in its appointed time” (Bamidbar 28:2). After eight days of debating,<br />
the Sadducees finally acquiesced to the opinion of the Sages. This insured that<br />
the daily sacrifice would be able to be brought without interference from the<br />
Sadducees. To commemorate this even, those days were designated as a festival.<br />
It is clear if the Sages deemed it proper to establish a festival there is much more<br />
to the argument than singular and plural and the individual’s ability to subsidize<br />
the korban tamid. Rav Kook (Mishpat Kohen 144, and Igrot Hara’ayah) explains<br />
that the argument centered on the concept of tzibbur. The Sadducees believed<br />
the tzibbur (congregation) is comprised of the many individuals that make it up.<br />
In other words, tzibbur is a partnership. The sum total is no greater than the<br />
parts – perhaps true but only superficially. The Sages wished to offer a more<br />
expansive view of tzibbur. Tzibbur within B’nei Yisrael is a lot deeper. When<br />
individuals band together it creates a new entity greater that the sum of its parts.<br />
The tzibbur juggernaut presses forward independent of any particular individual.<br />
The tzibbur does not rely on any individual to keep it alive. No individual can<br />
be seen as upholding or potentially detracting from the tzibbur. That is why no<br />
individual can donate the korban tamid. Shall you (singular) was not speaking to<br />
the individual but to the tzibbur that comes together as one.
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
This is the message imbedded in the machatzit ha-shekel. This is what elevates<br />
the Jewish people. Most communities’ ultimate purpose in joining together is<br />
in order to benefit the individuals of those communities. It is a somewhat self<br />
serving and selfish belief. Our joining together is not a partnership in order to<br />
ultimately benefit me as an individual; our joining together is in recognition that<br />
we are all from the same source. Without the tzibbur I am incomplete - I cannot<br />
be elevated - I am only “machatzit.”
243<br />
Purim<br />
Purim – Receiving Hashem’s Joy<br />
Rav Mordechai Kaplan<br />
T his year entering the joyous day of Purim will take on a new challenge, which is<br />
unfortunately not so new for the Jewish people. As we approach Purim ahead of us,<br />
we come with pain and mourning from the week behind us. With the horrific visions<br />
of the brutal death of the Fogel Family Hy”d and the horrific scenes of the tsunami<br />
sweeping across Japan, how can one find the strength to celebrate a holiday who’s<br />
most integral element is boundless joy on all levels?<br />
In Adar 1940 the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto faced a similar struggle as death and<br />
destruction surrounded them. One great light rose above the pain and suffering to give<br />
strength to the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto. This light was Rav Kalonomous Kalman<br />
Shapira, the Rebbe of Piacezna and author of the “Aish Kodesh,” a sefer written by<br />
the tears of his soul. On erev Purim, 1940, Rav Shapira addressed the struggle of<br />
celebrating with joy in times of pain.<br />
The “Aish Kodesh” quotes the famous Tikkunei Zohar that the name Purim alludes to<br />
Yom Ha-kippurim. Although this is commonly quoted, a deeper connection between<br />
Yom Kippur and Purim needs to be understood. Rav Shapira explains the Yom<br />
Kippur-Purim comparison: “This could be hinting to us that just as on Yom Kippur<br />
a person must fast and repent whether he wants to or not, because he is fulfilling a<br />
commandment of God, so also the joy of Purim is not dependent on whether or not<br />
a person feels happy himself or whether he is an a situation that facilitates happiness.<br />
Even if he is at the lowest level of broken-heartedness and his whole mind and spirit
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
have been trampled, it is nevertheless a statute on Purim that one must bring into<br />
his heart at least some spark of joy.”<br />
The Aish Kodesh goes on to explain that just like we are commanded to find the joy<br />
on Purim below, God brings joy and salvation from above. We learn regarding<br />
Yom Kippur (Yoma 85b): “Rebbi stated: Whether one has repented fully or not,<br />
the Day of Atonement procures atonement for all transgression.” Similarly on<br />
Purim, “even if a Jewish person has not really felt joy, as he is commanded to<br />
do, and for this reason his worship on Purim was not whole, nevertheless, the<br />
salvation and joy that Purim itself achieves for the Jewish people will also work<br />
now.”<br />
With these words from the tzaddik Rav Kalonomous Kalman Shapira, Hy”d, zt”l,<br />
we can understand that simcha is not always created below, but Hashem on Purim<br />
brings down simcha from above, a simcha that leads to salvation. Our avoda on<br />
Purim is merely to make ourselves into a vessel to receive God’s joy from above.<br />
Hashem should wipe the fresh tears off our eyes and may we see the day of the<br />
ultimate salvation.
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Purim<br />
Is It Ever Enough?<br />
Gabe DuBow<br />
)גי:ה רתסא( ”ךלמה רעשב בשוי ידוהיה יכדרמ תא האור ינא רשא תע לכב יל הוש ונניא הז לכו“<br />
H ow could it be that ןמה, who was second in command to שורושחא and<br />
worshipped by everyone else in the kingdom, would care, or even notice, that one Jew<br />
didn’t bow down to him? If someone was engaged in a huge feast, would he claim that<br />
he couldn’t enjoy it because one dish was missing? There’s a vital difference between<br />
desire for honor and desire for something physical. Someone who craves food, which<br />
is a physical pleasure, will be satiated once he starts eating and enjoying the food, and<br />
he won’t care about the missing dish. But honor is not something physical, it’s just a<br />
figment of the imagination.<br />
This is like the case of ןושארה םדא, who had everything except the תעדה ץע. In the cases<br />
of ןמה and םדא, they had a big character flaw in that they would only be satisfied if<br />
they had everything they wanted, but if they were missing just one thing, their desires<br />
would never be satisfied, and life could not move on without it.<br />
There’s a story quoted in Gittin (57b) in which a king said to a young boy, “I will toss<br />
my signet ring before you, and you will bend down to pick it up so that the people will<br />
say ‘He has accepted the king’s rule.’” The boy responded, “Woe to you Caesar, woe to<br />
you Caesar; if your own honor is so important, how much more so the honor of the<br />
Holy One.” The mighty Roman emperor was so obsessed with honor that he couldn’t<br />
even do without the honor of a small child. The child’s response could have been, “No
246<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
matter how much honor you will receive, you will not succeed in satisfying your<br />
obsession with it.<br />
There’s a mishna in Pirkei Avos (4:21) that reads:<br />
“םלועה ןמ םדאה תא ןיאיצומ דובכהו הואתהו האנקה“. The need for honor is never<br />
filled. The craving for honor always expands, so eventually you’ll end up being a<br />
prisoner to honor. Very often a person will develop a desire for something that<br />
he doesn’t really need, but rather for something that’s self induced so therefore<br />
they make themselves believe that they really need it. This desire applies to other<br />
things besides honor, for example money. It says in Koheles (5:9), “One who loves<br />
money will never be satisfied with money.” Every time someone acquires a certain<br />
amount of money, he then needs to acquire more money and more money.<br />
The process works in reverse also. Someone who restricts his desires will soon<br />
realize that he will have fewer necessities. There’s a mishna in Avos (6:4) that says<br />
that if a person’s food ration consists of bread with salt and water in order to learn<br />
Torah, he is praiseworthy in this world, and all will be well for him in the next<br />
world. What does it mean that he is praiseworthy in this world? If a person lives<br />
this kind of lifestyle, he will actually be happier in this world. If a person restricts<br />
his demands, he’ll crave less and need less for sustenance, resulting in a happier<br />
life, because he will not make himself believe that he needs all those luxuries.<br />
Perhaps this is the meaning behind Yaakov’s request that Hashem provide him<br />
“bread to eat and clothes to wear” (Bereishis 28:20). Yaakov requested just the<br />
bare necessities and was content because he was able to sustain himself without<br />
all the lusts and desires.
247<br />
Pesach<br />
The Seder Night<br />
R’ Gary Brown<br />
1. The Shalosh Regalim<br />
Too often we see the chagim as random commemorations, without links. We see a<br />
Pesach for Egypt, a Shavuot for Torah and a Succot for the wilderness years. Rav<br />
Pincus explains that the Shalosh Regalim represent our life cycle. First is Pesach which<br />
is like our birth as we were born as a nation on Pesach. Then comes Shavuot, which is<br />
like our Bar or Bat Mitzvah, when we receive and accept the Torah and are obliated in<br />
its commandments. Last comes Succot, which represents our Sheva Brachot – we sit<br />
in a tent with G-d for seven days like a bridegroom and a bride.<br />
2. Kadesh – Cup 1 – “Vehotzeti”<br />
Based on Rav Hirsch – The cups can be compared to a tree, “the tree of life,” with each<br />
cup representing a different part - roots, a trunk, braches and fruit. The first cup is<br />
parallel to the pasuk, “I shall bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt” (Shemot<br />
6:6).<br />
Says Rav Hirsch – If a person is always working and toiling without a break then<br />
mentally and spiritually he becomes subservient to his body and will never contemplate<br />
his purpose in life or listen to what his neshama is telling him as it says, “and they<br />
did not listen to Moshe because of hard labour” (6:9). Relief from burdens is not a<br />
RESULT of freedom – it is a prerequisite for freedom. Only when we have done our<br />
physical work and duty and raised ourselves to a point where material wants and
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
needs are not our number one priority can a person start to look for happiness,<br />
meaning and who they are. This is why Hashem gave us Shabbat and chagim –<br />
days of contemplation and rest without work. One cannot change things business<br />
related or monetarily on these days – and we get the freedom we spend all week<br />
working for. This is the first cup of the seder – a toast of thanks to Hashem for<br />
freeing us from the toil of Egypt then and a weekly freedom from the rat-race<br />
of today. Remember - relief from burdens is not a RESULT of freedom – it is a<br />
prerequisite for freedom.<br />
3. Karpas – Why do we eat a bit of vegetable now?<br />
The Torah often describes vegetables as an accompaniment for bread or other<br />
food. Indeed, the Torah says we are to take the Korban Pesach and “together with<br />
matzot and maror you shall eat it” (Bamidbar 9:11).<br />
Usually some vegetable is eaten with bread or soon before the main course to<br />
stimulate the appetite and avoid overtaxing the digestive system. In fact the<br />
Rambam advises, “One should always eat the light food before the heavy food.”<br />
We would usually refer to such food as hors d’oeuvres. Generally, though, there is<br />
never a long gap between eating the vegetable and eating the rest of the meal. It<br />
is counterproductive – the appetite is stimulated but no food follows. But this is<br />
exactly what we do now at the seder – there may be at least an hour if not more<br />
between karpas and the rest of the meal.<br />
The idea behind this, says the Shem Mishmuel, is to help us understand and<br />
relate to the circumstances we were in, in Egypt. Moshe appeared with Aaron<br />
promising redemption and it was at least six months (and according to some a<br />
year) later before we left. So too at the start of the seder we whet our appetites<br />
for what is to come, but not having our desire satiated straight away allows us to<br />
comprehend the longing for redemption we experienced after Moshe and Aaron<br />
came to Egypt.
249<br />
4. Ma Nishtana.<br />
The Vilna Gaon asks – when do we answer the four questions asked by the child?<br />
He explains that the real questions being asked are not why matza or why maror,<br />
rather what the child is asking is why we are behaving in contradictory ways, like<br />
royalty (by leaning and dipping) and slaves (by eating matza and maror) in one<br />
night? And we answer him straight away – “We were slaves to Pharoah in Egypt”<br />
(hence we eat matza and maror) “but Hashem took us out” and so we act as free<br />
men. So there is no contradiction – just two parts of the same story.<br />
5. The four sons.<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
Chacham (Based on Rav Hirsch) – The wise son asks, “What are the “eidot –<br />
testimonies”, “chukim – statutes” and “mishpatim – social laws” that Hashem our<br />
G-d has commanded you.” Rav Hirsch points out that this question contains no<br />
reference to Pesach!!! The chacham just wants to learn Torah. This makes the<br />
answer we give even more perplexing. The answer we are told to give in the<br />
Torah (Devarim 6:20-25) is that we were slaves to Pharoah in Egypt and Hashem<br />
brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand [this raises the question of why if the<br />
Torah gave this answer to the question, the Hagaddah puts this part of the answer<br />
in the answer for the tam but we won’t deal with that now].<br />
The Torah is teaching us that there is no point of studying laws, testimonies,<br />
statutes, social laws, Gemara, Misha, etc. – no point in learning Torah if one does<br />
not accept the basic premise that G-d took us out of Egypt in order to give us the<br />
Torah and serve Him. As the mishna in Pirkei Avot says, “Fear of G-d proceeds<br />
wisdom” (3:9). The child here is being taught that intellectual curiosity and<br />
learning, whilst good, is only valid if built upon Yirat Shamayim and devotion<br />
to G-d, a devotion which springs from Yetziat Mitzrayim. Yetziat Mitzrayim led<br />
to na’aseh ve-nishma and when na’aseh comes before nishma it means that doing<br />
what G-d wants comes before human understanding.
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6. The ten plagues – what you didn’t know.<br />
Frogs – The Yalkut says that Egypt at the time was at war with a nation called<br />
Kush over their borders. The frogs which appeared in Egypt stopped exactly on<br />
the borders and therefore solved the issue. Even when the Egyptian sorcerers<br />
made their own frogs, they didn’t o over the borders either – solving the war.<br />
Hail – By hail the people of Egypt had changed. How so? The Meshech Chochmah<br />
says that Moshe warned the Egyptians about hail and told them to take their<br />
belongings inside. Pharoah sent messengers telling people to leave things outside<br />
– but people took their things in anyway, showing they believed G-d and Moshe<br />
more than Pharoah.<br />
Killing of the firstborn – there were ten plagues, so why is only this one called<br />
makkah – plague? Birkat Chaim says that when the firstborns heard about the<br />
plague they rebelled against Pharoah. Many people were killed in this rebellion<br />
and this is the makkah we refer to in this plague.<br />
7. Cup 2 - Vehitzalti<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
This cup is parallel to the phrase, “And I shall deliver you from their bondage”<br />
(Shemot 6:6).<br />
Based on Rav Hirsch - To have a heavy workload is not the worst form of<br />
oppression. The removal of back-breaking labour is as we said above, just stage 1<br />
(the root) of the road towards freedom. A person might have a heavy load, but if<br />
they have taken it upon themselves of their own free will, or if it has been decreed<br />
in Heaven by their Father in Heaven that this is their fate in order to train, test<br />
and improve them, then even though in both cases (taken on freely or given by<br />
G-d) a person might complain or moan about their burden, they still remain a<br />
free person as this burden is either freely chosen or bestowed by a loving Father.<br />
Conversely – if a person is given everything by another person and relies on<br />
them completely, they become a slave to that person, however externally or<br />
materialistically free they seem.
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
Take away the idea of a just, compassionate, free and powerful G-d who reveals<br />
Himself in nature and history and gives guidance to human life and substitute it<br />
with blind forces controlling the world and human destiny according to a predetermined<br />
and unchangeable pattern, then no one, however free from physical<br />
labour they are, is free. This is how it was in Egypt. We don’t just say avadim<br />
hayinu be-Mitzyrayim – we were slaves in Egypt, but le-Pharaoh, we were slaves<br />
in Egypt to Pharaoh – with no free will and dependant on man. In fact all of<br />
Egyptian society was enslaved to Pharaoh with even the taskmasters having<br />
people above them who could beat them. Yes, they had it easier than us, but they<br />
were still enslaved. Greatness is what you were born into and so was slavery, you<br />
could not change things in Egyptian society and your role in life was an accident<br />
of birth.<br />
Since that time we have had nations try and convert us by force or assimilate with<br />
them. Our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents went to the stake and<br />
the gas chambers singing AM YISRAEL CHAI and SHEMA YISRAEL – dying as<br />
free men and women unafraid of mortal man.<br />
This is why we drink the second cup – in honour and praise of the One who<br />
delivered us from THEIR bondage, freeing us form relying on man or fear of<br />
nature, reminding us that their exists within each of us a G-dly spark that can<br />
never be extinguished.<br />
8. Cup 3 – Ve-ga’alti (after bircat ha-mazon before hallel).<br />
This cup is parallel to the phrase, “I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm<br />
and with great punishing judgment” (Shemot 6:6).<br />
Based on Rav Hirsch - Relief from burdens and suffering is, as we said, the “root”<br />
of freedom. Deliverance from slavery, reliance on man and fear of nature is the<br />
trunk, but redemption alone is the branch from on which the fruit completing<br />
the “tree of life” can ripen.<br />
A liberation which merely removes hard labour and the enforcers of that labour<br />
is a negative attainment at best. It removes the blocks preventing a person from<br />
finding their true purpose in life, and allows G-d to enter into them as their mind
252<br />
is now free to contemplate such things, but man must become aware of the source<br />
of his freedom in order to appreciate it. We must understand that our freedom was<br />
given to us so we can serve G-d. Denying this means losing freedom and returning<br />
once more to reliance on man, fear of nature or predetermination of life.<br />
In fact if one removes G-d from his or her heart, then they will eventually<br />
become enslaved to their baser animal nature that is part of the make-up of a<br />
human being. This is clearly evident from today’s society. Today’s society’s values,<br />
morals and heroes show what low levels an unG-dly society or people can sink<br />
to. Marriages are ended quickly because there are problems and everyone has<br />
a fast-food approach to life: “I want it and I want it now and if not now then<br />
NEVER.” They are not free, for they are bound to the same desires and drives that<br />
a monkey, pig or cow are. They have lost their “Tzelem Elokim.”<br />
But those of us who realise our freedom is from G-d in order to serve Him are<br />
truly free. We live by laws that show we are in control of our animal side. Each<br />
year for two days a year we fast for 25 hours straight even if we want to eat or<br />
drink. This is alien to the western way of thinking, but it is precisely these things<br />
that keep us human being in the image of G-d.<br />
And so the third cup is raised in thanks to G-d, not just for removing our physical<br />
burdens, or from servitude to man, but for elevating us into a “kingdom of priests”<br />
into His service – allowing us to live as “Tzelem Elokim.”<br />
9. Cup 4 – Velakachti (after hallel).<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
This is parallel to the phrase, “I shall take you to Me for a people” (Shemot 6:7).<br />
Based on Rav Hirsch - The first three cups were raised to give praise and thanks for<br />
deliverance from burdens, liberation from man and nature, and for redemption<br />
and spiritual freedom, true freedom.<br />
The whole point of Egypt was for G-d to make us His nation and give us the Torah.<br />
Egypt was like an incredibly hot fire that purifies gold to make it totally pure, and<br />
we as a nation were being purified through the intense suffering and hard labour.<br />
Once G-d took us as His nation, we have been assured of His protection ever
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since. Even in the horrors of the camps He protected us as a nation – look at how<br />
we have been rebuilt! Hitler yemach shemo is gone but we are here, our nation in<br />
its land once more with Torah study thriving and communities growing. Only a<br />
G-dly, protected people can be secure that they will endure. As Mark Twain said:<br />
The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet<br />
with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed<br />
away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise,<br />
and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch<br />
high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or<br />
have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what<br />
he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no<br />
weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his<br />
alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other<br />
forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?<br />
The answer is what we raise our fourth cup to – G-d took us as His nation, into<br />
His protection – guaranteeing our eternal survival, something not granted to any<br />
other nation.<br />
There’s a story – all armies study wars to learn military strategy. A Jewish Soldier<br />
in the American army once asked why they never studied Israeli wars. The general<br />
ignored his question and finished his talk on a war they were learning. At the end<br />
of the class he called the soldier to the side and said, “we don’t study Israel’s wars<br />
because no one can understand how they win from a military perspective.” Let<br />
us raise our cups for a final time tonight - VELAKACHTI – and I will take you<br />
to be for Me a people.
254<br />
Pesach<br />
Above Nature<br />
Yiriel Liss<br />
ןסינ ז”י רטפנ ,באז השמ ןב יכדרמ תמשנ יוליעל<br />
W hen we praise Hashem for all of the miracles that He did for us we say the<br />
paragraphםירצממ לארשי תאצב, which especially deals with the way that we were taken<br />
out of Mitzrayim. The Netivot Shalom explains that when Hashem chose us to be<br />
His chosen nation, to be His children, He decided that all of His interactions with us<br />
would be above nature. This explains why we needed so many miracles to get out of<br />
Egypt. Hashem could have easily fulfilled His promises to Avraham and still brought<br />
us out of Egypt in a natural way. After our enslavement to Mitzrayim for centuries,<br />
we could have finally found favor in their eyes. They could have decided that for our<br />
work, we deserve massive amounts of gold and silver, and they could have sent us out<br />
laden down with priceless treasures. Yet, Hashem destroyed all the laws of nature in<br />
taking us out of Mitzrayim and bringing us wealth.<br />
All of our interactions with Hashem were supernatural; whether it be the birth of<br />
Yitzchak, the plagues in Egypt, leaving Egypt, the ןמ and דובכה יננע in the desert, the<br />
water pouring forth from the rock, or countless other miracles that have happened in<br />
the millennia since. It is comparable to a king who interacts with all of his constituents<br />
in a normal fashion, yet with his favorite son he acts in a completely different way.<br />
Hashem did this to show us how special we are to Him. We always have that spark<br />
of Judaism in us and we are the son of the king. Rav Kook explains that we are the םע
255<br />
הלוגס, the chosen people, and nothing that we do can change that. No matter what<br />
level we might ו”ח sink to, even if it is the 49th level of impurity (as Chazal explain<br />
happened before we left Egypt), we are still Jews.<br />
In לארשי תאצב we do not immediately jump to the miracles that Hashem did for<br />
us. First we establish that ויתולשממ לארשי ושדקל הדוהי התיה, Yehuda became the<br />
holy one and Yisrael its own kingdom. Once we have established this, that we<br />
are the chosen people, then we can recognize the miracles that Hashem did for<br />
us to demonstrate this special status. Then we can go on to mention the splitting<br />
of the sea, the mountains that dance, and the rock that turns into a pool of water.<br />
Once we acknowledge that we are the sons of Hashem, anything is possible, even<br />
a miraculous redemption from Egypt against all odds.<br />
That is the whole point of Pesach, and leil ha-seder. We are supposed to<br />
commemorate the redemption from Egypt. The Maharal explains that this is the<br />
essence behind the four cups of wine that we drink at the seder. They are each<br />
corresponding to one of the הלואגה תונושל, the terms the Torah uses to describe<br />
our redemption. There is a peculiar rule regarding the four cups that needs some<br />
explaining. We are allowed to drink between the 1st and 2nd, and between the<br />
2nd and the 3rd cups, but we cannot drink between the 3rd and the 4th cups.<br />
The Maharal explains that this is for a very simple reason. The first three cups<br />
represent the physical redemption from Egypt, and the 4th cup (and phrase of<br />
redemption) represents the spiritual one. Just like we could not have a complete<br />
redemption if there was a break between the physical and spiritual redemptions,<br />
so too we cannot have a break between the spiritual and physical manifestations of<br />
such at the seder. May we be zocheh to experience both the spiritual and physical<br />
redemptions, and experience the coming of Mashiach and the Beit Hamikdash,<br />
bimheira bi-yameinu.<br />
היונבה םילשוריב האבה הנשל!<br />
בלה תובשחמ
256<br />
Three Weeks<br />
Joyous Mourning?<br />
Rav Michael Siev<br />
T he Gemara (Ta’anit 30b) teaches: “התחמשב האורו הכוז םילשורי לע לבאתמה לכ,<br />
anyone who mourns for Yerushalayim merits and sees its rejoicing.” The phraseology<br />
employed here seems rather surprising: one would have expected the Gemara to say<br />
that one who mourns for Yerushalayim will merit to see its rejoicing in the future.<br />
How can it be that one who mourns for Yerushalayim merits to join in its happiness<br />
even now, in the present tense? Is that not an inherent contradiction?<br />
In order to begin to answer this question, we must start with a story that raises yet<br />
another question. The Gemara (Bava Kamma 59a-b) relates that Rabbi Eliezer Ze’ira<br />
was once walking in Neharda’a with black sandal laces, which was not the normal<br />
mode of dress. He was apprehended by the Jewish authorities of the town, who<br />
demanded to know the reason for his departure from accepted fashion norms, and he<br />
explained that his black laces were a sign of mourning for Yerushalayim. The security<br />
forces responded: “Are you important enough to mourn for Yerushalayim?!” Rabbi<br />
Eliezer Ze’ira was promptly arrested until he could demonstrate that he was, indeed, a<br />
scholar of note, whereupon he was released.<br />
This story certainly demonstrates the severity of yuhara, of prideful demonstrations<br />
of piety that do not truly reflect a person’s religious stature; essentially, such a person<br />
hijacks Jewish ritual as a tool for his own social advancement. Utilizing halacha as<br />
a tool for propping up one’s own social status is certainly a great sign of disrespect.<br />
However, it is clear from the conversation that the Gemara records that the authorities
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בלה תובשחמ<br />
challenged not just Rabbi Eliezer’s public display of mourning but the very<br />
experience of mourning: “Are you important enough to mourn for Yerushalayim”<br />
implies that only people who are important due to their level of piety can<br />
mourn for Yerushalayim. How can this be? Aren’t we all supposed to mourn for<br />
Yerushalayim? Isn’t that, in fact, the whole essence of Tisha B’av, the “nine days”<br />
and the “three weeks”?<br />
Rav Chaim Friedlander (Siftei Chaim) notes that in order to understand this<br />
story, we must understand what it means to mourn for Yerushalayim. What is<br />
there to mourn about? What is it that we are missing in the absence of the Beit<br />
Ha-mikdash? The Beit Ha-mikdash is meant to be the point where Hashem rests<br />
His Presence in this world, among human beings: “ve-shachanti be-tocham, I<br />
shall dwell among them” (Shemot 25:8). It is the meeting point between heaven<br />
and earth. With this in mind, we can understand the story in Bava Kamma.<br />
Not just anyone can truly mourn for Yerushalayim. Only someone whose life<br />
is oriented toward making this world a place in which the Shechina can dwell, a<br />
place of holiness, can truly mourn the absence of the Shechina. Someone who is<br />
not concerned enough with bringing Hashem’s Presence into the world to make<br />
it a focal point of his life cannot possibly mourn the absence of that presence;<br />
doing so would be artificial and would constitute yuhara. The fact that we have<br />
institutionalized mourning for Yerushalayim is in order to remind us of the<br />
general orientation that our life should have.<br />
Perhaps we can now come back to our original question, but it will take one more<br />
story. Rav Yisrael Meir Lau, former Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel, writes1 about<br />
his experiences as a very young survivor of the horrors of Buchenwald. He and<br />
hundreds of other young survivors were taken to a recovery camp in France, where<br />
they could begin to put their lives back together in an aesthetically pleasing and<br />
safe environment. One day the Jewish organizations that sponsored the facility<br />
held a ceremony at the camp, which was attended by the survivors. The survivors,<br />
however, harbored tremendous resentment toward the “establishment” Jewish<br />
organizations of Western Europe for not having done enough to save Eastern<br />
European Jewry, including the families of virtually every resident of this facility;<br />
.pp. 88-89 ,רענה לא ךדי חלשת לא 1
258<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
as such, they refused to make eye contact with the speakers and only grudgingly<br />
appeared at all. The final speaker was someone who had lost his own family, and<br />
as he described his own traumatic experiences and losses, the survivors began to<br />
feel that, finally, this was someone who could relate to them. When the speaker<br />
broke down and started crying, some of the survivors started crying too, and<br />
soon the entire crowd was loudly crying bitter tears.<br />
At the conclusion of the speech, one of the leaders of the group of survivors<br />
took the podium and this is what he said to the final speaker: “I owe you a great<br />
debt of gratitude. You see, it has been years since I have cried or laughed. The<br />
suffering we experienced and witnessed was just too much, and we had to detach<br />
ourselves emotionally in order not to go crazy. You have allowed me to cry for<br />
the first time in four years. And now that I have cried, I know that someday I will<br />
also be able to laugh again, too.”<br />
That may be the answer to our initial question. A person who can mourn for<br />
Yerushalayim in a real way has broken through the barriers and reconnected<br />
with what is really important in life: making the world a place of hashra’at ha-<br />
Shechina. That involvement with God Himself is the very essence of life, and the<br />
most meaningful and joyous endeavor in which man can participate. It is the<br />
very essence of simchat Yerushalayim. In a very real way, someone who cries<br />
over Yerushalayim is, in the inner recesses of his soul, already laughing.
103<br />
Yitro<br />
Lifnim Mi-Shurat Ha-Din<br />
Rav Hillel Langenauer<br />
A t the beginning of our parsha, the Torah describes the arrival to the camp of<br />
Yitro, an outsider who is impressed by the remarkable events of the nascent history<br />
of the Jewish people. Yitro arrives from Midyan, reunites Moshe with his wife and<br />
two sons, and proceeds, without further ado, to offer criticism of Moshe’s manner in<br />
judging the people. He suggests a method for organizing a tiered system of courts to<br />
assist Moshe in his role as chief of the justice system, advice which Moshe adopts and<br />
which then serves as the underpinnings of the Torah’s provision for a judiciary that<br />
will rule on Torah law in disputes amongst the people.<br />
This is a well-known story, which we may tend to read through quickly in anticipation<br />
of the more dramatic event of Matan Torah that follows. However, as commentators<br />
from Chazal onwards underscore, the order of events in our parsha’s description of<br />
the founding of the Jewish court system – as well as the identity of its main character<br />
– are, upon some contemplation, strikingly surprising. Why is it that the setting up of<br />
a court system, intended to serve as the arena for adjudicating disputes of Torah law,<br />
precedes the revelation of the very law that these courts will judge? Moreover, how<br />
are we to understand the fact that the chief architect of this system is a non-Jew, an<br />
outsider to the covenant between Hashem and His people and unbound by the Torah<br />
that serves as its law?
104<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
At the exact narrative center of this story we find a pasuk that may, in fact, reveal<br />
the central message of this story and of its introduction to us as an antecedent to<br />
Matan Torah. The story of Yitro’s observations of, advice about, and influence<br />
over the Jewish people’s judicial system spans a total of 15 pesukim (Shemot 18:13<br />
- 27). These pesukim are, upon examination, easily recognized as constituting<br />
three distinct parts. The first part, consisting of four pesukim, tells us what Yitro<br />
observed Moshe doing, how he asked Moshe about his practice, and what Moshe<br />
replied. The last part, also consisting of four pesukim, parallels the first part,<br />
telling us that Moshe accepted the input of Yitro, portraying what the court system<br />
looked like after that adaptation, and then closes the story with the departure of<br />
Yitro. These parts, of equal size and of parallel content, serve as bookends that<br />
frame, and so bring us to focus on, the centerpiece of the parsha, Yitro’s advice to<br />
Moshe, which is recorded in the seven pesukim from pasuk 17 to pasuk 23.<br />
At the epicenter of this speech – at the epicenter, therefore, of our entire section<br />
– we find a seemingly unnecessary elaboration of what Moshe will relate to the<br />
Jewish people in his role of providing a mouthpiece for the expression of the will<br />
of Hashem. The vast majority of this speech, like the vast majority of the section,<br />
relates to the activities of Moshe – first as Yitro observed them, and then as Yitro<br />
prescribes for Moshe to do differently. Yitro explains the problems he sees in the<br />
solitary manner in which Moshe has taken responsibility for judging the Jewish<br />
people, and articulates his vision for a different system of judging, one which<br />
would distribute this responsibility among more leaders, leaving Moshe with the<br />
role of chief of the system who would arbitrate directly only the greatest and most<br />
difficult matters. However, when it details how Moshe will bring these perplexing<br />
cases before Hashem for counsel, the Torah does not merely relate that Hashem<br />
will tell Moshe how to deal with these cases. Instead, pasuk 20 – which is the<br />
middle pasuk of this seven-verse section, and thus the middle pasuk of the entire<br />
fifteen-verse story – elaborates, in what seems an overly broad and unnecessary<br />
manner in this context, what Moshe will relate to the people: “And thou shall<br />
instruct them regarding the chukim and the torot, and shall make understand the<br />
way that they must walk in, and the deed that they must do.”
105<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
What is the importance, here, of such a lengthy and detailed description? In<br />
the next section of the parsha, describing the revelation at Har Sinai, the Torah<br />
describes in full the role that Moshe plays as teacher of the will of Hashem. In<br />
our story, which speaks of the formation of a system of courts, would it not have<br />
been sufficient to relate Moshe’s role in bringing difficult cases before Hashem<br />
for His guidance? Why speak here in such broad terms about Moshe’s role in<br />
educating the Jewish people about the way of Hashem? Perhaps understanding<br />
the significance of this pasuk, which is placed at the exact center of this story, will<br />
help in understanding the significance of this story in its entirety, and its curious<br />
placement in the narrative as an antecedent to Matan Torah.<br />
Chazal, in Bava Metzia 30b, reveal the deeper meaning of this verse according to<br />
derash:<br />
“The way” — This refers to acts of kindness. “That they must walk” — this means<br />
checking on those who are sick. “In” — this refers to burial. “And the deed” this refers<br />
to law (din); “that they must do” — this refers to going beyond the requirements of<br />
the law (lifnim mi-shurat ha-din).<br />
Chazal explain to us here that the key to understanding our pasuk’s apparent<br />
verbosity about Moshe’s instruction of the law lies in understanding that our<br />
pasuk is not, in its entirety, referring to the law! Rather, after describing how<br />
Moshe will instruct the people regarding the chukim and the torot, the second<br />
half of the pasuk teaches us that Moshe has another responsibility as well – to<br />
teach basic loving-kindness, and to teach of the significance of going beyond the<br />
requirements of the law. What a strange thing for the Torah to elaborate on here,<br />
at the very center of the Torah’s description of the founding of the system of courts<br />
that will judge the law and immediately preceding the description of the giving of<br />
the law! In this context, we would expect the Torah to refer exclusively to rules<br />
that must be followed, not to morals that must be inculcated, to norms that must<br />
be obeyed universally, not to concerns for kindness that must be weighed on an<br />
individual basis.<br />
But perhaps this is exactly the point that the Torah wishes us to reconsider.<br />
Ironic though it may be, there is a danger that accompanies the great gift of<br />
Matan Torah. Of course, in giving us the Torah, Hashem privileges us to make
106<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
our society one whose law is none other than the law of G-d, and privileges us<br />
each individually to strive to live in accordance with the requirements of His law.<br />
But receiving the law of G-d is a thunderous experience for a human being, an<br />
experience described in our parsha in all of its overwhelming, supernatural glory.<br />
The danger of receiving so fiery a law is that we may be overwhelmed by this<br />
experience to the point of making the law the only standard for our behavior. As<br />
the Gemara in Bava Metzia continues:<br />
R. Yochanan said: “Jerusalem was destroyed only because they gave judgments in<br />
it in accordance with the law of the Torah.”<br />
Were they then to have judged in accordance with untrained arbitrators?<br />
Rather, I will explain (the intention of R. Yochanan’s statement) in this way:<br />
“Because they sufficed in their judgments with (the requirements of) the law of<br />
the Torah, and they did not go beyond the requirements of the law.”<br />
The Torah does not wish for us to build a society that suffices its moral urge<br />
merely by upholding its norms. Perhaps this is the wisdom of referring here – at<br />
the core of the very story about the foundation of the Torah’s courts of law – to<br />
the need to go beyond the requirements of the law. Leadership in Klal Yisrael,<br />
here epitomized by Moshe Rabbeinu, is obligated not only to transmit the chukim<br />
and the torot, but also to educate toward right living, which may at times require<br />
action beyond the requirement of mere law.<br />
With this understanding of our passage’s message about the appropriate nature<br />
of Torah leadership, we may also understand the seemingly unusual placement<br />
of our section here, prior to the giving of the Torah, as well as the unusual choice<br />
of a non-Jew as a mouthpiece for the transmission of details for how Torah law<br />
is to be judged. Of course, the Jewish rule of law as judged in our courts must<br />
be Torah law, and of course this law was received first only at Har Sinai. And of<br />
course Torah law belongs uniquely to the Jewish people, and gentiles neither have<br />
the obligation nor the privilege of building a society whose courts rule according<br />
to the law of the Torah. The Torah’s placement of this section before Matan Torah,<br />
and in the mouth of a non-Jew, is not meant to undermine these obvious facts,<br />
but may serve to underscore for us the frame of mind that we must bring to the
107<br />
בלה תובשחמ<br />
parsha - and the experience - of receiving the Torah. The thunderous experience<br />
of receiving the law of G-d occurred once in our national history, but, hopefully,<br />
occurs every day and every evening for each of us as we fulfill the mitzvah, and<br />
the privilege, of learning Torah. But the Torah does not wish us to surrender<br />
ourselves before this law in such a manner that we render ourselves mindless<br />
automatons. As R. Yochanan emphasizes when he attributes the downfall of<br />
Yerushalayim not to violation of din, but to failure to act lifnim mi-shurat ha-din,<br />
Torah law must not be embraced out of a desire to abnegate our responsibility<br />
for our own decisions or out of a desire to take life easily and follow the rulebook<br />
without thinking about what is right.<br />
Torah describes to us the minimum required of us, and educates us to develop<br />
our internal moral compass so that it reflects the will of Hashem. However, The<br />
Torah’s wish is that we may integrate into our personalities the will of Hashem, as<br />
taught to us in halacha, such that we may act in accord with His will throughout<br />
our lives, even in those cases in which His will is for us to transcend the minimum<br />
requirements of the halachik norm. In short, our integration of, and identification<br />
with, the will of Hashem must be so complete that our knowledge of His will is as<br />
natural for us – and as deep-rooted – as the legal mind of a non-Jew prior to the<br />
giving of the Torah.
108<br />
Yitro<br />
Listen to Your Neighbor<br />
David Roumani<br />
It’s written in Mishlei (27:10) that “better a neighbor who is near than a far off brother.”<br />
The Me’am Lo’ez uses this quote to help emphasize the important role of Yitro in the<br />
foundation of Bnei Israel. In Parashat Yitro, we are witness to a few major events that<br />
help Bnei Israel become a nation. Three months after being taken out of Egypt, the<br />
Jews arrive at Har Sinai. As Moshe sits with his people day to night, teaching them the<br />
laws and commandments and adjudicating their disputes, Yitro wonders why Moshe<br />
is doing this. Moshe explains that the people came to him to seek Hashem (18:15).<br />
He further explains that he would judge between a man and his fellow, and explain to<br />
them the laws of Hashem (18:16).<br />
Yitro, a Midianite priest, then did something worth looking into. He told Moshe to<br />
make a few changes in dealing with the people. He suggests that Moshe appoint God<br />
fearing people as judges to deal with the minor issues between man and his fellow, and<br />
the judges would come to Moshe regarding the more major issues that they couldn’t<br />
resolve. Appointing judges would lessen the burden on Moshe, letting other members<br />
of the nation learn how to judge and make decisions (18:21).<br />
Here we have Yitro, a mere friend of the nation, telling the leader of Bnei Israel how to<br />
run ‘his’ nation. Being the father-in-law of Moshe, among other reasons, tells us that he<br />
had no ulterior motives. He simply cared about the nation. But why did it take Yitro, an<br />
‘outsider’, to suggest that Moshe wouldn’t be able to handle a position as judge over the<br />
entire people? It should have been immediately apparent to Moshe, Aharon, and the<br />
elders of Israel to appoint many judges over a certain number of people.
109<br />
The Me’am Lo’ez suggests the following: If Moshe had gone to seek out help in the<br />
task of judging the people, they may have begun to wonder whether Moshe was<br />
ready for the task of being the leader of the Jewish people. Aside from this, it’s<br />
suggested that with Yitro’s idea, Moshe would have the responsibility to judge the<br />
most important cases, and with the great humility that he had, he may have had<br />
difficulty saying on his own that other judges should turn to him with these cases.<br />
There is another opinion that is brought down in the Me’am Lo’ez. Let’s first keep<br />
in mind that Moshe was told to go ‘look’ for judges with several character traits,<br />
and not to simply ‘choose’ (18:21). The word ‘look’ refers to the difficulty in simply<br />
choosing people based on their inner qualities. It was impossible to do this and<br />
find all the traits that Yitro recommended. Therefore Moshe just looked for men<br />
who had the potential to be good leaders. With the characteristic of being a good<br />
leader, they could channel their energies to becoming good judges of Bnei Israel.<br />
Perhaps another reason why no one else gave this advice is that Hashem wanted<br />
Moshe to take the advice from Yitro. He wanted Moshe to take advice from his<br />
‘neighbor.’ Looking back to the quote from Mishlei we see a connection that we<br />
can all apply to our daily lives.<br />
A brother is someone who has a responsibility to us, he is expected to look after<br />
his family members. When he is far away, that responsibility is very hard to keep.<br />
A neighbor has no clear responsibilities, he has no direct connection with us.<br />
Here we see Yitro, a close neighbor of Am Yisrael, who decides to use his wisdom<br />
to help this up and coming nation.<br />
The midrash (Eicha Rabba 2:13) states that whereas there is no Torah among<br />
the non-Jews, there is wisdom. There is a feeling sometimes that people who are<br />
seemingly on a lower level (madreiga) have less to give to Am Yisrael as well as<br />
society. We see from the suggestions of Yitro that he had wisdom as well as the<br />
unique desire to help out his neighbor. May we all take advantages of opportunities<br />
to learn from others like Yitro, regardless of their learning level, or spiritual level,<br />
or religion, and apply their wisdom to our daily lives to help us become better<br />
people.<br />
Shabbat Shalom!<br />
בלה תובשחמ