Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

Transcription

Machshavot HaLev
e-book edition
C l i c k t o Vi e w
Table of Content
Ads
Thoughts and Insights on the Parsha
by the Rabbeim and Students of Yeshivat Lev HaTorah
2010-2011 • ‫תשע"א‬
‫מחשבות הלב‬
In Israel
Tel: 972- 2-992-2617
Fax: 972-2-999-4640
Rechov Nachal Ein Gedi 37
Ramat Beit Shemesh, 99000 Israel
In the US
Mrs. Edna Kwalwasser
Tel: 718-506-9911 (until 3:30 P.M. EST)
Mailing address:
Yeshivat Lev HaTorah
c/o Mrs. Beth White
65 Argyll Avenue
New Rochelle, NY 10804
[email protected], www.levhatorah.org
Editing: Rav Michael Siev
Technical Arrangement: Rav Mordechai Kaplan
Design: Studio BatAmi
PRINTED AND BOUND IN ISRAEL
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Preface
S hal om U ’v racha !
W
e present to you with great pride our latest volume of
Machshavot HaLev, a compilation of Torah essays on the
parsha written by the Rebbeim and Talmidim of Yeshivat Lev HaTorah.
The goal of the ‘Machshavot HaLev’ series is to share and spread weekly
Torah with a growing number of alumni, families and friends of the yeshiva.
We hope that the fresh perspectives and profound thoughts contained in
this sefer will provide you inspiration as it has for the many authors who
have shared their ‘Machshavot’.
.‫ גם ללב ממנו יצאו הדברים‬.‫ נכנסים אל הלב‬,‫דברים היוצאים מן הלב‬
‫רבי מנחם מנדל מקוצק‬
Special thanks, once again, to Rav Michael Siev for the countless hours of
guidance to our talmidim and thorough editing of all the divrei Torah found
in this sefer.
B’vracha,
Rav Boaz Mori
Rosh Yeshivat Lev HaTorah
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Table of Contents
To View click the Parsha you desire
Bereishit
The Greatest Partnership of All Rav Jake Vidomlanski
Responsibility David Petrover
Noach
Your Own Food
Rav Natanel Lebowitz
The Raven and the Dove Orel Neiman
Lech Lecha
For Your Own Good Rav Dudi Winkler
The Avot and Shemoneh Esrei Zev Grushko
Vayera
Tea for Two, Two for Tea Rav Jake Vidomlanski
The Power of Ten Noam White
Chayei Sarah
Two Titles Rav Daniel Hartstein
Avraham, the Bear and the Child Eytan Goldstein
Toledot
Window to Prayer Rav Jake Vidomlansk
A Tale of Two Brothers David Gleizer
Vayeitzei
Ascending and Descending Rav Hillel Langenauer
Real Beauty Elisha Mlotek
Vayishlach
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The Hip and the Yetzer Ha-ra Rav Natanel Lebowitz
And Ya’akov Was Left Alone Barry Mueller
Vayeishev
A Short Diversion Gary Brown People Say I’m a Dreamer, but I’m Not the Only One Elliot Gerson
Mikeitz
The True Colors of Yoseph’s Dreams Rav Yehoshua Paltiel
Straight to the Top Aaron Wengrofsky
Vayigash
Memory, Emotion and Odor: Yosef ’s Collapse Rav Asher Friedman
A Divine Guarantee Adam Goldberg
Vayechi
So What is so Bad about Artscroll? Rav Dudi Winkler
Ephraim and Menashe – What’s their Deal? Jonathan Tepp
Shemot
Shnayim Mikra Ve-echad Targum Rav Boaz Mori
What it Means to Grow Up Yossi Kashnow
Va’eira
A Divine Wedding Rav Jake Vidomlanski
Three Steps Yiriel Lis
Bo
Pyramid Scheme Rav Michael Cytrin
Pursuing Perfection Nathan Franco
Beshalach
The Story that Should Have, Could Have, but Wasn’t Rav Mordechai Kaplan
Inspiration and Connection Jeremy Halpern
Yitro
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Lifnim Mi-Shurat Ha-Din Rav Hillel Langenauer
Listen to Your Neighbor David Roumani
Mishpatim
Are You Listening? Rav Daniel Hartstein
Commandments and Mishpatim Akiva Maresky
Teruma
Teruma – Join Our Staff(s)! Rav Yehoshua Paltiel
The Poles of the Aron Asriel Agronin
Tetzaveh
Placement and Purpose Rav Michael Siev
Aharon the Kohen Gadol Aaron Schechter
Ki Tisa
Shattered Fragments Rav Asher Friedman
Luchot and Leadership Jonathan Green
Vayakhel
Time and Space Rav Michael Siev
Gracious Giving Jay Cohen
Pekudei
Donations and Atonement Mitchell Perlmutter
Vayikra
Adam the Initiator Rav Natanel Lebowitz
Giving to the Giver Yehuda Stuchins
Shemini
Obedience and Creativity Rav Asher Friedman
Tazria
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South Koreans and the Study of Torah She-ba’al Peh Rav Michael Cytrin
Partners with God Noam White
Emor
Sefirat Ha-Omer – Days of Independence Rav Boaz Mori
Berachot: Yetzer Ha-ra Free Adam Shafiyan
Behar
Hashem’s Economic Policy Dr. David Kallus
Behind the Scenes Josh Cohen
Bechukotai
Suffering for Thought Keep Thinking Rav Benjy Kwalwasser
Yonatan
Friedman
Bamidbar
Six Thirteen is Only the Beginning Rav Jake Vidomlanski
Lessons from Camp Michael Bernstein
Naso
Joy and Blessings Rav Dudi Winkler
How to Judge Jews Jeremy Goldner
Beha’alotecha
To Be Sad is Not a Tragedy Rav Jake Vidomlanski
Mitzvos or Meat? Mendy Weisbrod
The Will to Succeed Leo Katz
Shelach
(Don’t) Follow Your Heart Rav Michael Cytrin
Driving on a Two-Way Street Rav Michael Siev
Korach
Give to Live Rav Natanel Lebowitz
Chukat
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Para Aduma: A Model for Understanding Mitzvot? Rav Michael Siev
Growing Up Rav Uri Etigson
Pesach
Balak
Live as a Jew Rav Eyal Gottlieb
The Numbers Trap Rav Jake Vidomlanski
Pinchas
Pinchas: A Radical Act of Obedience Rav Asher Friedman
Zealotry for All Rav Michael Siev
Seeing is Possessing Rav Yehoshua Paltiel
Mattot
The Hand and the Arm Rav Michael Siev
Optional Obligations? Dr. David Kallus
Devarim
Words Well Worth the Wait Rav Yehoshua Paltiel
Hashem’s Love Rav Mordechai Kaplan
Eikev
One Moment at a Time Rav Natanel Lebowitz
Re’ei
True Chesed Dr. David Kallus
Shoftim
Seven Habits of Highly Successful Judges
Rav Yehoshua Paltiel
Ki Teitzei
Torah Power Rav Natanel Lebowitz
Ki Tavo
The Secret of Happiness Rav Uri Etigson
STOP!!! Noah Cohen
Nitzavim
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‫ עד ועד בכלל‬
Rav Dudi Winkler
A Parsha Sandwich Moshe Esquenazi
Machshavot Mo’adim
Rosh Hashana
Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs Rav Jake Vidomlanski
A New Perspective on Teshuva Ben Welkovics
Yom Kippur
Youthful Yearning Rav Binyamin Kwalwasser
Yonah and Yom Kippur Tani Pollak
Parshat Shekalim
Partnerships and Juggernauts Rav Jake Vidomlanski
Purim
Purim – Receiving Hashem’s Joy Rav Mordechai Kaplan
Is It Ever Enough? Gabe DuBow
Pesach
The Seder Night R’ Gary Brown
Above Nature Yiriel Liss
The Three Weeks
Joyous Mourning? 9
Rav Michael Siev
Donated in
loving memory of
Abraham Ainbinder
of blessed memory
Drs. Galina
& Mark
Moerdler
10
With gratitude
and admiration of the
Lev HaTorah Rebbeim
Marilyn, Moshe, & Jonathan Levi,
and
Jessica & David Ribner
11
We extend our
deep appreciation to the
Rosh Yeshiva,
Rav Boaz Mori
and his entire staff at
Lev HaTorah
for all their teaching, patience,
and guidance of the student
body.
Naomi and Steven Schechter
Providence, Rhode Island
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In the zechus of a
refuah sheleima for
Rafael Mattisyahu Yaakov
Ben Gittel Rivka.
May Hashem fulfill all of our tefilos
so that he overcomes his illness.
Barbara and Tuvia Levkovich
13
Dr. & Mrs.
David Kallus
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In honor of
our son
Adam Berman
Eric Wittenberg’s
(2003-2004) grandfather
Tzvi ben Yitzchak Meir Hakohen
We are so proud of you.
and in honor of all the wonderful
Rebbeim at Lev HaTorah who have
instilled and taught the values of chessed
to Eric and continue to inspire him to
make a difference in this world. We
applaud Lev HaTorah.
Love,
Mom, Dad, Lisa and Jordan
Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Wittenberg
wonderful graduate of Yeshivat
Lev HaTorah and 2011 Yeshiva
College Valedictorian.
In response to
the recent Boston parlor
meeting and in gratitude
for the love shown to
David Gleizer – you are
an awesome team.
Mrs. Shulamis
Yehudis Gutfreund
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In memory of
In memory of
Moshe ben Yoseph
and
Binyamin Tzvi ben
Avraham Chaim A”H
Mr. Marc Merrill
In honor of
Rabbi Mordechai
and Debbie Kaplan
For all that you do
In Honor of
Avi Staiman
Thanks for all
your help and
selflessness
Love you always
Mom and Dad
Ruth and Sam Stern
‫ גמילות חסדים‬,‫ עבודה‬,‫תורה‬
You do it all!!
With deep
appreciation for
what you have given
to Jonathan
Erica Goldman & Jeffrey
Druckman
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Anne & Eli Goldner
In honor of our son
Jonathan Friedman
With a big Hakarat Hatov to all the
Rabbeim and staff at Lev Hatorah.
A school that combines learning and
chesed which sparked and inspired
our son and enabled him to realize his
potential and all he can be.
We are forever in your debt.
Jonathan, you have made
us all so proud.
Love, Mom and Dad
Susan and Tzvi Friedman
Contributors
Mr. & Mrs. Stuart Adler
Mr. & Mrs. Dovid Kashnow
Dr. & Mrs. Andrew Becker
Mr. Fred Levi
Mr. & Mrs. Nathan Berenholz
Mr. & Mrs. Joshua Linder
Rabbi & Mrs. Melvin Burg
Mr. & Mrs. David Morris
Mr. & Mrs. Andy Burton
Mr. & Mrs. Ephrayim Naiman
Dr. Steven Cohen
Mr. Irwin Niedober
Dr. & Mrs. Samuel Esterson
Mrs. Judy Perl
Dr. & Mrs. Paul Fishman
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Smith
Ms. Marion Fishman
Mr. & Mrs. Philip Stein
Mr. Nesanel Fishman
Mr. Joel Rich
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Glass
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Rosenfelt
Mr. & Mrs. Shlomo Glowitz
Mr. & Mrs. Steven White
Mr. & Mrs. David Hoffman
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Parshiot
Bereishit
The Greatest Partnership of All
Rav Jake Vidomlanski
W e are conditioned from a young age to assume that anything related to grammar
and detail is by definition boring and uninspiring. However, in this week’s parasha,
if we are willing to suspend our grammar bias the payoff can be great. When God
decides to create the human species the Torah introduces the creation of man with
the following words: “Let us make man” (1:26). In those four words there is a vexing
grammatical question: God is a single entity and He alone is the Creator; the Torah
should have written “I shall make man.” The use of the word “us” seems out of place.
Rashi was sensitive to the seemingly out of place use of the word “us” and suggested
that what we have here is a lesson in humility. Although all of creation was orchestrated
by God and God alone, nevertheless Hashem did not want the angels to feel like they
were unimportant or insignificant. People may draw a wrong conclusion about the
nature of creation and perhaps assume there is more than one creator, Heaven forbid,
but nevertheless Hashem felt sensitivity to others, and the need to avoid hurt feelings
is paramount. He therefore said “Let us make man” even at the risk of giving people
the wrong impression about creation.
There is another explanation brought by the “Yismach Moshe” and quoted by Rav
Baruch Simon in his book (Imrei Baruch) on Bereishis. Generally speaking when an
object is being fashioned one can point to two stages in the evolution of that which
is being created; initial completion and ultimate completion. For example, if I am a
contractor and I build a home, when the construction is over we would regard that
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as initial completion. However, the ultimate completion would only be attained
when someone moves into the house and utilizes it.
Much in the same vein, man has two stages to his creation: there is the initial
completion and ultimate completion. Initial completion happens when one
is brought into the world. Ultimate completion happens when we are able to
employ the traits and talents embedded in us to reach the zenith of living a Torah
life - man becoming a bearer of Godliness. One cannot properly be called “man”
until he reaches his ultimate completion. It is for this reason that God “could not”
pronounce, “I shall make man.” The creation of man is not done by God alone.
Rather, it is done in partnership with us. When we make correct moral, ethical,
and Torah oriented decisions in our lives we are in essence creating ourselves.
On a daily basis we are given opportunities to become human. “Should I wake
up for prayer this morning or sleep late? Should I learn some Torah? Should I
make a blessing on my food or just inhale the food like Esau?” Should I cheat
on my test, plagiarize an essay? The decisions we make at those junctures are
what distinguish us from animals and earn us the title man. Therefore, God said,
“Let us make man.” God is saying to each of us, “Let’s you and I together create
man.” Based on the decisions we make and the paths we carve out for ourselves
we choose whether or not we are interested in partnering with God and being a
creator of man.
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Bereishit
R e s p o n s i bility
David Petrover
T his week’s parsha, Parshat Bereishit, speaks several times about responsibility
and accountability. For example, Hashem put Adam and Chava in charge of Gan
Eden, the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately, Adam and Chava did not live up to their
responsibility. When there was a breakdown in their care of the Garden, when they
ate from the Etz Ha-da’at, the Tree of Knowledge, each denied that he or she was
responsible.
We can ask the obvious question: if Hashem knew that the tree was so tempting and
that man would probably fail his duty and responsibility, why not just get rid of the
item of temptation - then the snake, Adam and Chava would have been spared?
The answer to this is fairly simple - sometimes there are challenges in life. Our job
is to overcome these temptations and challenges. They make us stronger and more
responsible. However, we are only human and can often give into temptation. That is
why the rabbis, in their wisdom, set up “fences” that help keep us from situations that
could tempt us.
In the story of Kayin and Hevel, unfortunately there was no fence to stop Kayin from
killing his brother, Hevel. When Hashem turned to him and said “Ay Hevel achicha?”
“Where is Hevel your brother?” (4:9), Kayin responded - “Lo yadati – ha-shomer
achi anochi?” “I don’t know - am I my brother’s keeper?” This claim shows a certain
element of being self-centered and shirking all responsibility; this leads to derogation
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in society and ultimately chaos and disorder.
We should strive to be more like Hashem when it comes to responsibility.
Hashem continued to take responsibility for man. Even after they sinned, He did
not disown Adam and Chava. “Va-ya’as Hashem Elokim le-Adam ul-ishto kotnot
or va-yalbisheim,” “Hashem made garments of skin for man and his wife, and He
clothed them” (3:21). Even though it’s easier to shirk our responsibilities, Hashem
teaches us an important lesson here: take responsibility!
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Noach
Y o u r O w n Food
W hen Noach enters the teiva, Hashem instructs him to bring food:
.)6:21( ”‫“ואתה קח לך מכל מאכל‬
The Kli Yakar notes that instead of just telling Noach to take food into the teiva,
Hashem adds “and you should take for yourself…” The Kli Yakar suggests that the
extra word ‫לך‬, “for yourself,” means that Hashem was directing Noach to make sure
that the food he brought into the teiva belonged to him. Hashem was trying to prevent
Noach from making the following assumption: since everyone is going to die soon
and he will be the only one left in the world, everything is already essentially his. He
should therefore be allowed to take anyone’s food with him on the teiva. Hashem
therefore instructs him to make sure all the food that he will take belongs to him.
There are a number of reasons why Noach would have never made the assumption
that the Kli Yakar suggests, which would thereby deem Hashem’s directive of bringing
his own food on the teiva superfluous.
First, the Torah calls Noach a tzaddik tamim. Even according those who argue that
Noach was only a tzaddik compared to others in his generation, we must assume
that Noach would not commit the sin of stealing. Had Noach been prone to theft,
there would not have been a distinction between him and the rest of his generation.
He would have then perished in the flood as well. Taking food from someone on the
assumption that he will soon die is genuine theft.
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Furthermore, Noach firmly believed God is merciful and assumed that Hashem
would never destroy the world. He did not even enter the teiva until the Flood
actually started because he believed so deeply in Hashem’s mercy. If it is true that
Noach believed Hashem would not ultimately destroy the world, he would have
never taken other people’s food on the teiva.
Finally, the Flood began with a regular rainfall to give the people one last chance
to repent. Since Noach realized that Hashem could call off His plan of destroying
the world, and he saw that Hashem was still giving the people one last chance, he
could not be sure everyone would soon die. Therefore, he would not have taken
anyone else’s food onto the teiva with him.
Why then did Hashem need to instruct Noach to only bring aboard food that
belonged to him? Did he think Noach would steal?
The Kli Yakar adds another component to his answer. He suggests that there was
no way that Noach had the means to support his family and all the animals on
the teiva for a full year. (He had just spent 120 years building the teiva instead
of bringing in profit.) Hashem instructed Noach to only bring his own food on
the teiva to magnify the neis that was to occur. Noach would bring aboard some
sustenance and Hashem would make it last for the full year. Of course Noach
would never steal food from others but he could possibly have obtained some
with from other people with their permission. Therefore, Hashem instructs him
that there is no need to rely on others because Hashem would provide an added
layer of miracle to the teiva experience. He would provide enough sustenance for
everyone and everything.
This is an important lesson for us. There are times in our lives when it is clear that
the money that we obtain is a gift from Hashem; perhaps a business deal should not
have worked out as well as it did or someone bequeaths us a certain sum of money.
However, there are also many times we go out and work and bring in money. We
pat ourselves on the back for being responsible and being able to support ourselves.
The message here is clear that Hashem is always behind our profit. Sometimes we
see it more clearly than other times but the same way Hashem is there at times
when it is more clearly a miracle, He is also responsible when we think that we did
it on our own. He was responsible for supporting all the living beings on the teiva
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and He alone is responsible for supporting all of us as well.
Perhaps we can also suggest another reason that Noach needed to spend his own
money to feed others on the teiva. We are affected by everything we see. Noach
grew up in a society that did not value anyone but self. Additionally, Noach
witnessed the destruction of everyone around him. It is possible that after living
in that world and witnessing what occurred in the world, Noach would become
desensitized to the value of other people’s lives. In order to balance the potential
indifference to others, Hashem asked Noach to invest his own money for others
well being. In Sha’ar Ahava, the author of the Orchos Tzaddikim suggests that the
way to obtain compassion for someone else is to invest in their good fortune. The
more we do for someone else, the more we will like them. Similarly, Rav Dessler
writes that the root of the Hebrew word for love is hav, which means to give.
This also explains why Hashem forced Noach to feed each animal every day.
There were already so many miracles happening to enable to teiva to survive the
flood; would it have been a big deal for Hashem to miraculously feed the animals?
The answer is that feeding the animals was a crucial part of the development of
Noach’s character. Despite all the destruction to others and living in a generation
in which theft was a normal part of life, Noach was being trained in having
compassion for others. He was forced to perform kind acts everyday to root out
potential indifference that could have sneaked in subconsciously. Noach was
asked to use his own money to support life in the teiva to implant in himself a
sense of responsibility for those around him.
From here we learn another critical lesson. We can’t subject ourselves to certain
environments and think we walk out of that situation unscathed. We are affected
by our surroundings and by what we see and experience even if we only see them
unintentionally. When being part of an experience or habit, we must realize that
these too are having an affect on us.
Yehi ratzon mi-lifnei Avinu she-bashamayim that He open our eyes and hearts
to have the sensitivity to realize that Hashem is constantly doing miracles for us
and to be aware of how our environments are affecting us. He should give us the
wisdom to know how to parlay that into getting closer to Him.
25
Noach
T h e R a v e n a n d the Dove
Orel Neiman
I n this week’s parsha, we learn many lessons from the animals in the ark. Two
animals in particular that we can learn from are the raven and the dove. During the
mabul, Noah sent out the raven (8:7) to see if there was any dry land and the raven
refused to fly away. The Gemara in Sanhedrin (108b) says that the raven argued with
Noah saying, ‫רבך שונאני ואתה שנאתני‬, “your Master (Hashem) hates me and you hate
me.” The raven thought that Hashem hated him because he was of the impure animals
and Hashem only let two of every impure animal in the ark, while He let seven of
every pure animal in the ark. The raven said Noah hated him because, of all the birds
Noah could choose to send out, he sent him out. If the raven died on this mission,
there would be no more ravens in the world, while if Noah sent out a pure bird, its
species would still be preserved.
The Gemara continues by saying that the raven was so suspicious of Noah, even
though Noah had supported it during the entire time it was on the ark, that it accused
Noah of sending it out in order to have access to the female raven. Before the flood,
there was a lot of perversion and corruption amongst the people and the animals and
many animals crossbred. Although the animals on the ark had not done so, perhaps
the raven was influenced by this corruption, and projected its own corrupt morals on
Noah. That is why it falsely accused Noah. Noah, being a pure person, screamed at the
raven and said that Hashem forbid relations on the ark even between spouses, so such
an accusation would be absurd! Finally the last wicked thing the raven did was, even
26
after knowing that relations weren’t allowed on the ark, the raven went against
what God said and had relations with his spouse.
After the raven rebelled and refused to fulfill Noah’s request, Noah sent out the
dove. Noah knew the dove would be the next best option because doves are birds
of faithfulness. So, the dove wouldn’t have to worry about its spouse mating
with other animals. The dove is the epitome of purity when it comes to birds.
The pasuk states “‫וישלח את היונה מאתו‬,” which means that Noah sent out the dove
“from him.” We learn from this that the dove, unlike the raven, was righteous and
it was constantly around Noah because Noah was a tzadik. Finally, the last act of
righteousness we see from the dove is when the dove returned to the ark the first
time with an olive branch in its mouth. During the mabul Noah attended to all
the animals needs and fed all of them. When the dove returned with the olive,
it was a sign to Hashem that although its needs were met by Noah, it preferred
bitter tasting food from Hashem rather than good tasting food from man. This
shows the dove’s true love and emunah in Hashem.
In kashrut we don’t eat non-kosher animals like the raven because we don’t want
to adopt their immorality and impurity. Instead we eat pure animals like the
dove. As the saying goes, “you are what you eat.” Be-ezrat Hashem when we have
the choice to choose between evil (the raven) and purity (the dove), we will make
the right choice and not be corrupt like the people from the time of Noah, but
pure like Noah, so that even if the entire world is corrupt, we should have the will,
the strength, the confidence and the emunah in Hashem to do the right thing. We
shouldn’t be hesitant to do what Hashem asks us like the raven but we should do
it with happiness and show Hashem that in life we prefer to do things His way
and keep our emunah in him even at the seemingly bitter times.
27
‫‪Lech Lecha‬‬
‫‪F o r Y o u r O wn Good‬‬
‫‪Rav Dudi Winkler‬‬
‫‪A n English summary will follow the Hebrew‬‬
‫בתחילת פרשתנו אברהם אבינו נקרא לעלות לארץ ישראל‪ .‬הארץ אותה בחר רבש”ע לתת לאבותינו‬
‫ולנו‪ .‬ארץ הנבואה‪ ,‬ארץ אשר בה יתברך אברהם בפרי בטן‪.‬‬
‫רש”י על הפסוק הראשון מביא בתחילת דבריו שתי מילים תמוהות מאוד‪ ,‬בעיקר עקב היכרותנו עם‬
‫אברהם‪“ .‬לך לך‪ :‬לטובתך ולהנאתך”‪.‬‬
‫לכאורה‪ ,‬מה לאברהם ולהנאות? הנה לא חש לכאב חוליו ויצא להקביל פני אורחיו‪ .‬במלחמתו‬
‫מול ארבעת המלכים‪ ,‬לא רצה לקבל ממלך סדום “אם מחוט ועד שרוך נעל”‪ .‬טובתו של אברהם‬
‫במלחמתו מול עובדי האלילים באותה תקופה ודאי היתה שלא להתפלל על אנשי סדום שהיו רעים‬
‫וחטאים לה’ מאוד והנה אברהם מתפלל ומתמקח עם רבש”ע בעבורם‪.‬‬
‫אם כן מהי “טובתו והנאתו” של אברהם?‬
‫ישנה מחלוקת מפורסמת במסכת ברכות אודות המילים “ואספת דגנך” שאנו אומרים כל יום בפרשת‬
‫“והיה אם שמוע”‪.‬‬
‫ת”ר‪“ :‬ואספת דגנך” מה ת”ל? לפי שנא’ (יהושע א‪ ,‬ח) לא ימוש ספר התורה הזה מפיך‬
‫יכול דברים ככתבן? ת”ל “ואספת דגנך” הנהג בהן מנהג דרך ארץ‪ ,‬דברי ר’ ישמעאל‪ .‬ר”ש‬
‫בן יוחי אומר‪ :‬אפשר אדם חורש בשעת חרישה וזורע בשעת זריעה וקוצר בשעת קצירה‬
‫ודש בשעת דישה וזורה בשעת הרוח תורה מה תהא עליה? אלא בזמן שישראל עושין‬
‫רצונו של מקום מלאכתן נעשית ע”י אחרים שנא’ (ישעיהו סא‪ ,‬ה) ועמדו זרים ורעו‬
‫צאנכם וגו’ ובזמן שאין ישראל עושין רצונו של מקום מלאכתן נעשית ע”י עצמן שנא’‬
‫(דברים יא‪ ,‬יד) ואספת דגנך‪( .‬ברכות‪ ,‬לה‪):‬‬
‫‪28‬‬
‫דברי רשב”י מאוד תמוהים לאור פשט הפסוקים‪ .‬לכאורה המילים “ואספת דגנך” באים כשכר ל‬
‫“והיה אם שמוע תשמעו‪ ”...‬ואינם עונש‪ .‬אם כן מדוע מוכרח רשב”י להעמיד את פעולת “ואספת‬
‫דגנך” בזמן שעם ישראל אינן עושים רצונו של מקום?‬
‫בדרשותיו של הגרי”מ חרל”פ על פרשיות השבוע מביא הרב ביאור נפלא שמתרץ את שתי‬
‫הקושיות גם יחד‪ .‬אומר הרב חרל”פ‪“ :‬יש עושה רצונו של מקום ויש עושה מצוותו של מקום‪,‬‬
‫ורצונו של מקום היא מדרגה אחרת נעלה יותר ממדרגת העושה מצוותיו של מקום‪”...‬‬
‫ישנה עבודת ה’ שמקורה ביראה‪ .‬אדם שעובד מיראה ועושה “מצוות אנשים מלומדה‪ ”.‬וישנו‬
‫העובד את ה’ מאהבה‪ .‬הדבק בה’ ומקיים “עשה רצונך כרצונו” – להפוך את רצונו ממש להיות‬
‫כביכול כרצון ה’‪ .‬יש מי שמקיים כי ה’ רוצה‪ ,‬ויש מי שעובד את ה’ כי הוא עצמו רוצה‪.‬‬
‫כשאדם שומע בקול ה’ ומצוותיו – הוא זוכה לשכר – “ואספת דגנך”‪ .‬ברם‪ ,‬אומר רשב”י‪ ,‬כי אם‬
‫הוא שומע בקול ה’ רק על מנת לקיים מצוותו – “אשר אנכי מצווה אתכם היום” ‪ -‬איסוף הדגן‬
‫יש בו גם מין קללה שכן – “והגית בו יומם ולילה” ותורה מה תהא עליה? אך אם אדם עובד את‬
‫ה’ מתוך כוונה להפוך את רצונו להיות כרצון ה’ ממש – אז גם טובתו והנאתו החומרים אינם‬
‫לרועץ אלא כל כולם למען עבוד את ה’ ביתר שאת‪.‬‬
‫כך מסביר הרב חרל”פ את “להנאתך וטובתך”‪ .‬אברהם אבינו – כל הנאותיו הינם הנאות רוחניות‬
‫וכל טובותיו אפילו החומריות הינם מפני שבכך מקיים הוא את רצון ה’‪ .‬לכן המעבר שלו לארץ‪,‬‬
‫עושרו הגשמי והבן אשר יתברך בו בארץ ישראל הינם מעבר לטובת הנאתו הגשמית‪ ,‬אלא‬
‫טובה רוחנית שבכך עושה את רצון ה’‪ .‬כך הוא גם טבע עבודת האדמה בא”י – שאינו רק עבודה‬
‫בעלמא אלא מצוות ה’ בישוב הארץ וקיום מצוותיה‪.‬‬
‫יהי רצון שנזכה ויגיעו מעשינו למעשה אבותינו ונלמד מהם עבודת ה’ מהי‪ .‬לעשות מאהבה‬
‫גדולה ולא רק מתוך יראה – וממילא כל מעשינו והנאותינו‪ ,‬יהיו לשם שמים‪.‬‬
‫‪At the beginning of this week’s parsha, Avraham is commanded to move to‬‬
‫‪Eretz Yisrael. Rashi (12:1) explains that the phrase lech lecha implies: “for your‬‬
‫‪enjoyment and for your benefit.” At first glance, this is difficult to understand.‬‬
‫‪Why is Avraham being enticed with promises of enjoyment and benefit? This‬‬
‫‪is the Avraham who ignores his own physical pain in order to welcome guests‬‬
‫‪and the Avraham who risks his very life in order to rescue Lot. Does he need a‬‬
‫?‪promise of enjoyment and benefit in order to come to Eretz Yisrael‬‬
‫‪The Gemara in Berachot (35b) presents a famous dispute regarding the pasuk‬‬
‫‪ve-asafta deganecha, “you shall gather your grain” (Devarim 11:14), which we say‬‬
‫‪in the second paragraph of keriat shema. How do we balance this with the pasuk‬‬
‫‪29‬‬
in Yehoshua (1:8) which directs us to learn Torah constantly? Rabbi Yishmael
says that one should live in a normal fashion: one should plant and harvest, in
addition to learning Torah. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, however, claims that if we
are serving Hashem properly we will not need to gather our own grain; others
will do it for us. If we are not serving Hashem properly, we will have to gather our
own grain, and we will have less time for learning.
Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai’s opinion seems difficult in light of the simple meaning
of the pesukim. The pasuk that says “you shall gather your grain” presents this
as a reward – ‫והיה אם שמוע‬, if you follow the commands, you will have grain to
gather!
Rav Ya’akov Moshe Charlap suggests an answer which can address both of these
difficulties. There are two types of ovdei Hashem: one who serves Hashem based
upon yirah, fear, and one who serves from ahava, love. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
refers to one who serves from fear, who keeps mitzvot because he has to. Such
a person will receive material reward, but that reward will come with a price:
he will have less time for avodat Hashem. On the other hand, one who serves
Hashem with love, whose life revolves around avodat Hashem, will use even his
material goods to further his avodat Hashem. For such a person, material benefit
is a pure reward.
Rav Charlop uses this idea to answer our question regarding Avraham as well.
Avraham served Hashem with every fiber of his being. For Avraham, “enjoyment
and benefit,” even of the physical variety, were not at odds with spiritual
achievement but were rather a tool that he could use for spiritual purposes.
30
Lech Lecha
T h e A v o t a n d S h emoneh Esrei
Zev Grushko
I n Parshat Lech Lecha (12:2), it says “‫”ואעשך לגוי גדול ואברכך ואגדלה שמך והיה ברכה‬
“And I will make of you a great nation; I will bless you, and I will make your name
great, and you will be a blessing.”
Rashi (‫ )ד”ה והיה ברכה‬there says that this whole pasuk is referring to the fact that we
mention the names of the avot (Avraham, Yitzchak and Yakov) in Shemoneh Esrei.
The three terms that the pasuk uses correspond to the three avot and when the pasuk
says “vehyei beracha” it means that we end the beracha by mentioning Avraham by
himself.
In Shemoneh Esrei, the first bracha is known as Avot. Its purpose is to recall the
greatness of the avot and to use their merit so that Hashem will answer our tefillah.
A reason why we would use their merit to connect to Hashem is due to the fact that
they personify the oneness of Hashem. Rabbi Shimon Ostropoli (quoted in Talelei
Oros) shows us this by using an amazing gematria. Rabbi Shimon says that if you
are to take all the letters of the names of the avot it equals thirteen Hebrew letters.
These letters correspond to the thirteen midot ha-rachamim (13 attributes of mercy).
Perhaps when we are davening this beracha in Shemoneh Esrei we should also have
in mind that along with the merit we have from the avot, we also have the merit of
thirteen midot ha-rachamim to back us up as well.
31
Furthermore, another amazing point that Rav Shimon Ostropoli brings down
connects these thirteen letters to the imahot and to the oneness of Hashem. If
you were to count up the letters of the imahot (Sarah, Rachal, Rivka and Leah)
it would as well equal thirteen. Now if you take the word echad and calculate its
gematria, you would see that it is thirteen. Putting together the letters of the avot
and imahot you will see that it adds up to twenty six. You may ask what twenty
six has to do with the word echad. Rabbi Shimon explains that it has everything
to do with “one.” Twenty six is the gematria of Name of Hashem. This is exactly
what our avos and imahos taught: that Hashem is one and that there are no others
but Him.
Therefore in the Shemoneh Esrei, when we read the beracha of Avos, we should
have in mind when we mention the names of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov
that in their merit Hashem should answer us, and we should say it having in mind
the oneness of Hashem.
Rashi also added on the pasuk mentioned earlier that the gematria of Avraham
is 248, which correspond to all the organs in a man’s body. This Rashi teaches
us that when you say this beracha, you should have in mind with all your body,
heart, and soul the oneness of Hashem Yisborach.
32
Vayera
T e a f o r T w o , T wo for Tea
I t the midst of one of the greatest heat waves to hit the land of Canaan, on a
day when everyone was seeking shelter from the blistering sun, one solitary and lone
figure remained outside his tent – Avraham. It was not just the heat that should have
kept Avraham in the relative comfort of his tent. After all it was just three days after
his circumcision, the day when the pain was most pronounced. And yet, Avraham
was outside looking for travelers who may be in need of some respite from the
burning rays of the sun. What prompted Avraham to act in such a manner? Why
couldn’t Avraham allow himself some time to recover and then return to his routine
of generosity and hospitality?
The Midrash records the conversation that took place between Avraham and God
on that day. Despite the joy of fulfilling the command of God, Avraham had some
residual reservations: “Until my circumcision the wayfarers would come to my tent”
(Bereishit Rabbah 48:9; translation mine). In the wake of his circumcision Avraham
set himself apart from the rest of the world. Avraham feared that as a result of his
circumcision his relationship with mankind outside of his limited sphere would
disintegrate; he feared becoming isolated from his fellow men. This isolation could
be imposed by the outside world or even stem from within his own home. From the
outside world he feared being regarded as arrogant, or worse, to be relegated to the
realm of madman. Within his own home Avraham was apprehensive that his family
would no longer want to associate with the world outside. Perhaps they would feel,
33
“We are chosen, we are unique, and it is beneath us to associate with those not
committed to God’s message.” As such, Avraham feared that he may not be able
to continue to serve as the religious exemplar and a paradigm of pure humanity.
It was that prospect of not being able to fulfill his role as a spiritual father and
moral force that haunted him and pushed him to desperately search for guests.
When he sees the three “idolaters” he quickly leaves God’s presence to fulfill his
duty of acting with love and compassion toward one’s fellow man. He makes sure
to involve his entire household in hosting these guests. Doing this would insure
that they too feel a sense of mission and purpose outside of their immediate circle
and do not, heaven forbid, develop a false sense of pride. He prepared fresh food
rather than serve them leftovers and put out a lavish meal to make the world
realize that he was still there to engage with all of humanity.
I would like to end here with a quote from Rav Samson Rafael Hirsch:
Not for naught did Avraham sit before his tent in the heat of that
day; for this spirit of love of one’s fellow men became a legacy that
was bequeathed to his descendents. Throughout the generations,
even the enemies of Israel have not denied that the disparaged Jews
posses this spirit. Wherever open hearts and open hands are sought
for universal humane purposes…even the disparagers of Judaism
turn, first of all, to the Jews. (The Hirsch Chumash, Genesis 18:1)
As a reminder of the immense truth of Rav Hirsch’s poignant words I have
included a clip recapturing Israel’s tireless efforts on behalf of the people in Haiti.
http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2010/01/18/dnt.cohen.haiti.patients.
dying.cnn.html
34
Vayera
T h e P o w e r of Ten
Noam White
I n this week’s parsha we read about Avraham pleading with Hashem in order to
save Sodom and the other four cities that are included with it. Avraham asks Hashem
if He would save Sodom if there were fifty tzaddikim there. Rashi (18:24) comments
that Avraham asks about fifty because ten people were needed for each city in order
to merit salvation. But Hashem responds that there are not fifty tzaddikim. Avraham
then asks for forty five and Rashi (18:28) comments that this would include nine for
each city plus Hashem, which equals ten per city. But there weren’t forty five people.
He then asks for forty so that only four cities would be saved, then thirty for three
cities, then twenty for two cities, and finally ten, which would be enough to save
one city. In the end there were not even ten tzaddikim. Rashi (18:32) comments that
Avraham did not ask about less than ten because the generation of the flood was not
saved by the eight tzaddikim in Noach’s family (plus God Himself).
Why must there be ten tzaddikim in a city, or in Noach’s case in the world, in order to
merit salvation? What is so significant about the number ten?
We learn from the story of the ‫ מרגלים‬that a group of ten people, even if they are
wicked, is called an ‫עדה‬. The significance of an ‫ עדה‬is that it represents an entire
community. In Massechet Berachot (6a) it says:
”‫ תלתא עד דיתבי‬,‫ עשרה מבעיא? עשרה קדמה שכינה ואתיא‬,‫;“וכי מאחר דאפי’ תלתא‬
“If it is so that the Divine presence is with three, why mention that it is with ten?
35
Because with a gathering of ten the Divine presence comes first but with three
they must first sit.” Here we see that a group of ten people has special status and
the ability to have the Divine presence rest in its midst. Yet, the people of Sodom
did not come together in service of Hashem; they came together in order to
violate His will.
The ‫ גמרא‬just one ‫ עמוד‬later may give us further insight. It reads as follows:
‫“אמר ר’ יוחנן בשעה שהקב”ה בא בבית הכנסת ולא מצא בה עשרה מיד הוא כועס שנא’ מדוע באתי‬
.”‫ קראתי ואין עונה‬,‫ואין איש‬
“Rabbi Yochanan said: At the time when Hashem enters the ‫ בית כנסת‬and doesn’t
find anyone He immediately gets angry, as it says, “Why did I come and there is
no man I called and no one answers” (‫ ישעיהו‬50:2).
If Hashem gets angry when nobody is present to acknowledge Him then all
the more so when people do gather together and don’t acknowledge Him. Why
is this so? It is because God created man and placed him in this world so that
man could acknowledge God and attach themselves to Him. So a people, or a
community, who ignore Hashem and sin against Him are disregarding their
purpose. Therefore since Sodom didn’t have an ‫ עדה‬of tzaddikim who recognize
Hashem and strive to attach themselves to His glory, their society was viewed as
having no part in this world and could not possibly be saved.
May we all be blessed with the ability to recognize Hashem’s greatness, attach
ourselves to Him and fulfill our purpose in this world.
36
Chayei Sarah
T w o T i t les
Rav Daniel Hartstein
A t the beginning of our parsha the Torah relates how Avraham approaches
Ephron and the children of Cheis with the intent of purchasing the Cave of Machpelah
as a burial ground for his wife Sarah and for future generations. We learn that both
Ephron and the children of Cheis offer this property to Avraham for free, saying it
would be an honor to have a ‘prince of God’ among them. In what appears to be an
unwise business move, Avraham refuses the offer and insists on paying for the land.
Avraham further elaborates that he would be willing to pay full price for the Cave of
Machpelah, which Ephron happily values at four hundred shekels of silver. The Talmud
in Bava Metzia (87a) notes that Ephron was not offering the land in the generally
used shekels but the ‘centinaria’ shekel which is worth 100 regular shekels. It seems
perplexing that our forefather Avraham has paid forty thousand standard shekels for
the land that was originally offered to him for free. This difficulty is highlighted by the
fact that Hashem has already promised the entire Eretz Yisrael (including the Cave of
Machpelah) to Avraham and his decedents in the bris bein ha-besarim.
Rav Aharon Soloveichik ZT’L addresses this question by quoting the Talmud in Bava
Metzia (38a). The Mishnah states that if one leaves fruit with his friend, even if the
fruit begins to spoil, the friend may not touch it. This means that even if the friend
wants to be nice and sell it before it rots he may not. The Talmud comments in the
name of Rav Kahana that the reason for this is that a person prefers one measure of
his own rather than nine of his friend’s. Rashi explains that a person’s own produce is
37
precious to him because he has toiled over it.
Rav Aharon explains why Rashi comments on a seemingly obvious statement of
Rav Kahana. Rashi is bothered by how it is logical that anyone would prefer his
friend not sell his produce and keep his nearly spoiled product. Rashi emphasizes
that even if this produce is nearly rotten, it is still precious to the one who has
toiled over it. Rashi is telling us that there are two types of titles; a legal title and
a psychological title. It is true that the legal title would allow his friend to sell this
produce for something better or at least for some money, but the psychological
title does not allow him to do so. The psychological title recognizes the great
efforts the owner expended on this produce. The pleasure in the final product of
one’s toil is worth far more than the money one can receive in exchange for that
product.
We can now appreciate why Avraham insisted on purchasing the land for 40,000
regular shekels. It is an undisputed fact that Hashem had legally promised
Avraham the land of Israel and therefore Avraham had a legal title over all parts
of the Holy Land. Avraham realized that with a legal title alone his descendents
might be willing to relinquish parts of the land. However, with a psychological
title attached to this land, forfeiting even a small piece would be more difficult.
We must recognize that Hashem has not only promised us the land of Israel but
our ancestors have toiled over it for generations, which makes it all the more
precious to us.
This message applies not only to the land of Israel but for all areas of Judaism. Our
commitment to Torah and mitzvos must stem from our legal / halachic obligation
to follow these principles and live the life of a Torah Jew, but we must also be
psychologically attached to the holy Torah and its mitzvos. If we realize how
much our ancestors have toiled on our behalf to keep Torah and mitzvos alive we
will surely not forsake it even for a moment.
In the final section of the Talmud Ta’anis (31a) Ulla Bira’ah says in the name of R’
Eliezer that in the end of days the Almightily will form a circle for the tzadikim
with Hashem in the center in Gan Eden. Every one of these tzadikim will lift
up his finger and point to the Creator (reaffirming His sovereignty). The Ben
Ish Chai comments that the pointed finger is lifted and the righteous people
38
figuratively give Hashem a ring as one does in marriage. Why must we both circle
Hashem and give Him this ring? We can suggest that at the end of days we will
make the statement that we were given a legal title over the Torah and followed it
to the best of our ability. This is symbolized by the circle made around Hashem.
It is, however, also necessary, and possibly even more important, to show our
psychological title to the Torah. The tzadikim give Hashem a ring to demonstrate
that we are married to Him and that we have not forsaken His Land, His Torah
or His mitzvos. They will declare that they have toiled for each of these gifts and
that they are indeed precious to them and to the entire nation of Israel. May we be
zocheh to soon be part of those who circle Hashem, point to Him and declare His
sovereignty and our commitment His Land, His Torah and His mitzvos!
39
Chayei Sarah
Avraham, the Bear and the Child
Eytan Goldstein
W e see in Shir Ha-ma’alot that one who toils in his work will inevitably appreciate
the outcome more. It says, “Ha-zorim be-dima be-rina yiktzoru”- those who tearfully
sow will reap in glad song” (Tehillim 126:5). When one prepares a beautiful meal on
one’s own, from beginning to end, one will enjoy it more than a meal that one buys.
We can learn this lesson from Avraham Avinu, bears, and children. By observing
these individuals and animals we can learn how toiling in avodat Hashem and in our
everyday lives can lead to true feelings of content.
Avraham is trying to find a wife for Yitzchak so he decides he will send his servant
Eliezer to go find one. He then makes Eliezer swear to certain guidelines regarding
his quest. The pasuk says, “Place now your hand on my thigh, and I will have you
swear by Hashem” (24:2). The obvious question is why Avraham would have Eliezer
swear by putting his hand on Avrahams thigh? Rashi explains that one must swear
on something holy. In this context, the thigh is really a euphemism for the brit milah
and therefore it is something holy to swear upon. If one were to stop reading Rashi at
that point one would now have a basic idea of why Avraham told Eliezer to swear on
his brit. But Rashi continues by explaining that Avraham had Eliezer swear on his brit
milah because it was something that was very special to him, as the result of it coming
to him through much effort and difficulty.
This observation is true in the animal kingdom as well. The last infant animal one
should provoke is a cub. The book Hegyonei Halacha (vol. 1 pp. 116-7) quotes the Radak
40
in Hoshea (13:8) about this point. The navi compares Hashem’s anger toward the
rebellious people to the anger of “a bereaved bear.” Why use the analogy of a bear?
The Radak explains that a mother bear is particularly ferocious when protecting
her young. The reason for this is that when a cub is born he remains covered in
a thick layer of placenta. The mother bear must remove this material and the
only way it can do so is by licking it off, a task that is quite cumbersome. This is
precisely why the bear is the animal that is most protective over its children; it’s
because it toils intensely in order to bring its child into this world safely.
Struggling to accomplish something oneself also leads to better results. A child
only learns to walk when his parents are no longer holding him. When he needs
to struggle and work excessively to get from one side of the room to the other is
when he’s really learning how to walk. When the child succeeds because of his
own intense efforts, that success is much greater than if he had received assistance.
Not only is the feeling of success greater, but the actual ability of the child to walk
has improved. The child’s improvement is far greater than it would have been had
he not have had to exert such efforts as the result of being assisted.
Avraham Avinu, the bear, and children all show us how toiling in a task produces
far greater results than if something had been handed to us. Since Avraham went
through so much in his continued dedication to Hashem before and after he
received his brit milah, it was the most precious thing to him. The cub is the most
precious thing to the bear because it’s something she worked so hard to bring
to life. Walking for the baby is achieved at its highest level when he works his
hardest to succeed. The idea we can learn from Avraham Avinu is that when we
toil in a task it will make the outcome precious to us. The bear teaches us that by
toiling in our lives we can make things that are already close to us, like the cub,
even closer. Children can teach us that when we sweat through a hard process,
our actual ability greatly improves. If we can emulate these three ideas than we
can make our avodat Hashem precious to us like Avraham, bring God, who is
never too far from us, even closer like the bear does to her child, and strengthen
ourselves, like the baby does, to serve Hashem with all our ability.
41
Toledot
W i n d o w T o Prayer
O ne of the greatest trials that a married couple may face is the inability to conceive
children. The pain, the grief, the constant battle against one’s inclination to be jealous
and the struggle to instead be happy for all the other couples that thankfully have
been blessed with children, are unimaginable. It is not for naught that when Rachel
Imeinu was barren she cried to Ya’akov Avinu that without children she would rather
be dead (Gen. 30:1). Yitzchak and Rivka had to face this trial. For twenty years their
home lacked the sound of a child’s laughter or cry; the pain was no doubt unbearable.
Naturally, Rivka and Yitchak turned to Hashem in prayer. “Yitzchak prayed to God
opposite his wife” (Gen. 25:21). In Hebrew there are no less than thirteen synonyms
for the word to pray. The most commonly employed word is tefilla, but here with
regard to Yitchak’s prayer the Torah does not use the verb “va-yispallel,” but rather
“va-ye’etar;” synonymous but different. The Midrash (Bereishis Rabba 63:5) states that
va-ye’etar implies that Yichak prayed richly (if you replace the taf with a shin the word
becomes va-ye’eshar,” meaning rich). It is possible to understand “richly,” as Rashi
does, connoting often and repeatedly. The Torah is revealing to us that Yitzchak had
an unlimited supply of prayers to offer to Hashem. He was not deterred by the fact
that prayer after prayer did not seem to produce the desired results. He tenaciously
and relentlessly prayed until finally, after twenty years, Hashem answered his prayers.
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In his book on the weekly parasha, Rav Shimon Schwab offers a different
explanation for what it may mean to pray abundantly. Yitchak did not pray only
for himself and his wife Rivka to conceive a child, rather he prayed that all couples
suffering from barrenness should be granted children. That is the definition of a
rich prayer, a prayer that is not only confined to one’s personal needs, but rather
is spread to encompass the needs of others as well. Much like a wealthy man
diversifies his portfolio and does not limit himself to just one source of income,
so too Yitzchak did not restrict his prayer to just his own personal needs. It was
this type of tefilla that Hashem answered.
The Gemarah in Berachos (34b) states that a person should pray only in a house
that has windows. Rav Kook in Ein Ayah explains that for a prayer to attain its
ultimate perfection and make its full impact felt on the person who is praying it
has to be with an eye toward the outside world. Though counterintuitive, a tefilla
that is centered on the individual will not impact that individual. That is why
the Gemarah advises that we pray in a house with windows. To pray in front of
a mirror is against the Halacha. A mirror’s purpose is to enable one to look at
oneself; a window, on the other hand, allows us to look outside of ourselves. That
is why tefilla is performed in a house with windows, to remind us to pray not just
for our own needs but for the world at large.
Let us all become accustomed to look not only at our own needs but at the needs
of the world at large, and may Hashem answer the prayers of all who turn to Him.
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Toledot
A T a l e o f T w o Brothers
David Gleizer
I n this week’s parsha, we see two vastly different personalities arise from
Yitzchak’s household. Esav is a man of the field - he’s animalistic and he thirsts for
blood. Jacob, on the other hand, is reserved, calm, and loves learning. Before their
birth, we get a glimpse of their destiny. Rashi (25:22) says that Esav would struggle
to get out of the womb when his mother passed by a site of idol worship, while Jacob
would try desperately to get out when she would pass a synagogue. Rivka, bewildered
by this strange pregnancy, consults the prophets of the day who inform her that she
is carrying twins. They tell her that the younger brother is going to be chosen by
Hashem, and that – one day – the older one will be subservient to him.
We see two brothers – each born to the same outstanding parents – and yet each going
his separate way. One turns into the third patriarch of the Jewish people and the other
becomes one of the most notorious villains in the Bible. How did this happen? The
Torah tells us that one was a “wholesome man, abiding in tents” (25:27), and the other
was “a man who knows trapping, a man of the field” (ibid.). Each son was destined
to be a great person, and each was given the perfect tools to accomplish this. Our
Rabbis taught us that Yitzchak’s main trait was Gevurah (strength). He passed this
trait to his children, and how they developed it was to be their choice. He hoped that
both would use their phenomenal strength in a cooperative, productive way. But with
Esav’s choice to use his strength for evil, he split the family and caused tremendous
animosity – a war that would endure until Moshiach’s arrival.
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Yaakov followed the ways of his father Yitzchak and grandfather Avraham and
devoted his life to Torah. Rashi (25:27) tells us that at 13-years-old, Yaakov went
to the yeshivas of Shem and Ever, while Esav went off to worship idols. Rashi tells
us that for the first 13 years of their lives, they were alike in their actions. From
13 on, the younger brother went on to realize his G-dly potential, while the older
brother gave up on his potential completely.
Rabbi Avigdor Miller (In the Beginning) has an interesting thought on this topic.
Later in the parsha, we read that Yitzchak intends to bless Esav. Rivka, who
understood better than Yitzchak that Esav would never use the blessing for good,
helps Yaakov dress up in Esav’s clothes and pretend to be Esav and, in this way,
get the coveted blessing. She puts goat hair on the smooth arms and neck of
Yaakov, so that when Yitzchak (who was old and blind) would touch his son, he
would assume it was the hairy Esav. Rabbi Miller says the goat hair is a hint to
the choices that Esav had in life. Had he chosen well, Esav could have been as
bold as a goat in terms of serving Hashem. Just like the goat is ready for battle
and goes ahead of its flock, so too, Esav could have been a defender of Torah
and lived a life full of Torah. But instead, Esav chose to simply behave like an
animal – following its eyes to fulfill its desires. Esav continually chose wrong – he
focused on the now, the material world, what his eyes saw immediately ahead of
him – instead of keeping his eyes on the prize – the birthright. Like an animal, he
followed his lower instincts and gratified his body at the expense of what Hashem
wanted of him. Interestingly, Yaakov had no hair and was smooth – very unlike
an animal. He became our role model because he chose the service of Hashem
over his physical desires.
It’s interesting that, later in the parsha (27:45), Rivka asks Yaakov, “Why should
I be deprived of both of you on the same day?” (She was afraid they would fight
and kill each other). We know that Rivkah knew well the evil path Esav had
chosen for himself. But she also knew that he had greatness within him, and she
knew that his greatness would one day be revealed in some of his descendants.
Rabbi Yitchak Zev Soloveitchik, the Rabbi of Brisk, says that even though Esav
did exactly the opposite of what he was supposed to do, he produced some of
the world’s most illustrious descendants, some of whom converted and became
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Jewish. Esav’s descendents included Ovadiah the prophet, the sons of Haman
who learned in the yeshivas in Bnei Brak and Marcus Aurelius, the Roman leader
who became the loyal friend of Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi, and who let him seal the
Mishna.
When Hashem’s prophets told Rivkah, “the older will serve the younger” (25:23),
they were hinting to her that the divine plan was that they were going to become
one outstanding unit. Jacob was going to be the spiritual leader and Esav was
going to be the material leader. Just because Esav had a difficult nature didn’t
mean he couldn’t have become someone great. The very fact that Hashem gave
him these great challenges meant that he had the power to overcome them, if he
had only chosen to do so.
Life is filled with plenty of challenges, big and small. How we deal with those
challenges is pivotal to our life. The bigger the challenge the more strength we
have to overcome it. Hashem never gives us a challenge we can’t overcome. We
see throughout Jacob’s life that he faces challenges, but time and time again he
overcomes them. As a result, his name was changed to Yisrael (“the one who
struggles with Hashem and succeeds”), and we, the Jewish people, are called
“Bnei Yisrael” – the children of Israel.
Life is a series of choices, day after day. Esav chose poorly and, as a result, he used
the gifts Hashem gave him for terrible things. Later on in life he realized he had
made mistakes, but it was much more difficult to correct.
May Hashem help us maximize our potential and choose to follow in the path of
Yaakov Avinu.
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Vayeitzei
A s c e n d i n g a n d Descending
Rav Hillel Langenauer
A t the beginning of our parsha, Ya’akov Avinu, in fear of his brother’s wrath, flees
his home in Eretz Yisrael and sets out to travel to the land of Charan. As night falls in
the midst of his travels, Ya’akov goes to sleep, and, in the midst of his sleep, Hashem
reassures Ya’akov that, though in his travels at that time he is indeed going into both
physical and spiritual exile, Yaakov has no reason to fear, as Hashem will guard him
in all of his ways. The context of these reassurances is understandable, given the trials
that Ya’akov is going through at this time and the fear he must be experiencing in
their wake. More mysterious, however, is the visual content of the dream, which he
witnesses prior to receiving these assurances.
In pasuk 12 we read, “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth,
and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and
descending on it.” Commentators struggle to understand the meaning of this image,
and its significance to Ya’akov at this time. In particular, what is the significance,
indeed what is the sense, of portraying angels – who presumably reside, in the norm,
in heaven – as first ascending the ladder, and only then descending earthward? We
would expect the very opposite! Commentaries seeking to penetrate this riddle of a
metaphor abound. The Rambam himself, in his numerous writings, records no less
than three interpretations of this visage, two in separate - and seemingly unrelated chapters of his Guide for the Perplexed, and one in the Mishneh Torah. Leaving aside
for the moment the seeming contradiction between these three interpretations, I
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would like to focus on the remarkable, and instructive, peirush that the Rambam
provides at the beginning of Moreh Nevuchim, and to which he hints in numerous
chapters elsewhere in that work.
In Part I, chapter 15 of this work, the Rambam explains that the ladder reaching
from the earth heavenward is symbolic of the path toward attaining knowledge
of Hashem: As we read in pasuk 13, the Torah portrays Hashem as “standing” at
the head of the ladder; the Rambam instructs us that anyone with the will and the
motivation to do so, may climb up this ladder and attain knowledge of Hashem.
In this vein, the Rambam introduces his remarkable peirush that the “Angels of
G-d” portrayed in the dream do not refer to heavenly beings at all; rather, they
“refer to the prophets”. In this light, the Rambam goes on, the seeming curiosity
of the “angels” ascending prior to descending is not, in fact, curious at all:
How suggestive, too, is the expression ‘ascending and descending on
it’! The ascent is mentioned before the descent since the ‘ascending’,
and arriving at the height of the ladder, must necessarily precede the
‘descending’.
True, then, if the “angels” in the image really refer to human beings, who dwell
on earth, it makes sense that they would have to ascend before descending. But
why is it that they descend at all?!! If the ladder symbolizes the path to knowledge
of Hashem, why would someone who has attained the level of prophecy ever
choose to descend the ladder, leaving the heights he has reached in order to
return earthward? In our own pursuit of knowledge of Hashem and His Torah,
would we ever choose willingly to “descend” from the level that we worked so
hard to reach?
The Rambam goes on to explain that this is in fact the central message of Ya’akov’s
dream: “The descent,” explains the Rambam, “refers to the application of the
knowledge which was acquired in the ascent to the training and instruction of
mankind.”
What does this mean? And why does Hashem choose to convey this message to
Yaakov as he travels to Charan to begin his family?
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As we saw, Hashem reassures Ya’akov, as he leaves Eretz Yisrael, that he and the
children he will bear will, in good time, return to the Land and will serve as the
founding roots of the Jewish people. He reassures Yaakov, as well, that He will
protect him during his stay in Charan, where he will encounter both the trickery
of Lavan and a culture that supports such behavior. But before delivering these
assurances, the Rambam is teaching, Hashem illustrates in his dream-image the
mission that Ya’akov and his children will bear as the nation chosen to represent
Hashem in this world.
As the Rambam emphasizes in many places, perhaps most pointedly in his
description of Moshe’s ascent and descent from Har Sinai, the Torah does not
wish for a Jew to stay forever on top of a mountain – or a ladder – touching
the heavens. A Jew who merits to study Torah – certainly one who attains the
heights of prophecy – must not remain in his heavenly perch, but rather descend
back to this world. Here, the Rambam underscores a key message regarding the
distinction between the Torah’s vision of an ideal person and the philosopher
who remains in his ivory tower. From a mere human perspective, someone who
reaches great heights of understanding might imagine it best to remain aloof from
the masses, whose culture could harm the purity of the vision he has attained. But
Hashem instructs Ya’akov – and, with him, all of us reading his story – that the
Torah’s perspective differs: A person who merits to attain knowledge of Hashem
must descend with that knowledge to apply it to this world and to share it with
others.
May it be the will of Hashem that we, like Ya’akov, merit Hashem’s protection
in our own exile. But to earn this blessing, let us first dedicate ourselves to the
mission illustrated for us by the angels ascending and descending the ladder in
Ya’akov’s dream. Let us strive, firstly, to ascend the ladder to its very top, to attain
clear and true knowledge of Hashem and His Torah. And then let us strive, in
our descent from the ladder, to become a nation that can serve as a model of the
application of Divine wisdom to this world. In so doing, we will serve as a beacon
for Hashem’s message to all of humanity, “applying” as the Rambam teaches, “the
knowledge which was acquired in the ascent to the training and instruction of
mankind.”
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Vayeitzei
R e a l B e auty
Elisha Mlotek
I n Parashat Vayeitzei, we meet Rachel Imenu and Leah Imenu for the first time.
“Lavan had two daughters... The eyes of Leah were soft, and Rachel was beautiful of
form and beautiful of appearance” (29:16-17). With this pasuk we come to learn of
a specific trait that each of our four matriarchs shared: beauty. Indeed, back in Lekh
Lekha, Avraham recognizes that Sarah is “‫( ”אשה יפת מראה‬12:11), and Rivka Imenu is
described as a maiden who is “‫ ”טבת מראה מאד‬, of very fair appearance (24:16).
We’re left with the following question: Why is it important that our mothers Sarah,
Rivka, Rachel, and Leah were beautiful? Are a woman’s looks as important as having
a kind and loving personality, good midot and a solid commitment to Torah values?
How should a young Jewish girl who does not see herself as beautiful or attractive
understand these teachings about her Matriarchs, the women whom she is told to
model herself after? Why did Hashem make the imahot so gorgeous?
Perhaps we can find a satisfying solution to these questions by examining the Ibn
Ezra’s commentaries on our initial pasuk about Leah and Rachel, Chapter 29, verse 17.
The Ibn Ezra says that every feature on Rachel’s face was pretty, her eyes, her nose, her
ears and her mouth. Every little thing was a pleasant sight, and the whole combination
was beautiful as well.
What is the concept of beauty? It’s the idea that every piece is placed perfectly.
What is yafeh, beautiful? Something that is complete, shalem, when nothing more
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is needed. Everything is proportionally balanced out. In Tehillim 122, Dovid Ha-
Melekh writes, “‫”שאלו שלום ירושלם‬, Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. The Zohar
Ha-Kadosh1 (3:90b) writes that this pasuk means to strive for the completeness
of Yerushalayim, the peace of the physical Jerusalem and the spiritual Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is a physical land which Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu designated to hold the
Beit Ha-Mikdash, the center of prayer, the center of connecting to God. It is also
the place that is called “perfect in beauty” (Eicha 2:15).
Rav Akiva Tatz writes that beauty, sheleimut (completion), cannot be an external
reality, because that’s only half of the ingredients of the person. The human being
is a guf – a body, and a neshama – a soul. Sheleimut, true beauty, occurs when
there is a balance between one’s physicality and one’s spirituality. “When the
inner reality is perfectly reflected in the outer...” (Living Inspired, p. 118).
We constantly strive for the physical security and serenity of Yerushalayim, but
also for the spiritually serene and welcoming atmosphere that Yerushalayim has
the potential to emit.
When there’s a harmony between what I can be and how I choose to behave, I
am beautiful. I’m reaching my potential, I become a person of integrity. It has
nothing to do with good looks. What does it mean to have beautiful midot,
character traits? It means I’ve refined the way I treat people, things, and myself.
Just like one takes extensive measures to be externally beautiful, one should take
twice as many measures to make sure that he or she is a beautiful human being.
There’s a direct channel from what I feel to how I act. If I tell myself in my soul
that God believes that I can be great and be a wonderful human being, then that’s
exactly what I’ll do. That is beauty, when what’s going on inside my heart is going
out into the world.
But we learn that in order to raise the physical aspects of my life, I have to gain
control of the spiritual, internal, hidden aspects of my life. And the way to do this
is through Torah.
Noach blesses his son Yefet to dwell in the tents of Shem (9:27). Yefet, from lashon
yafeh, beautiful, is the father of Yavan, the father of the Greeks, who excelled in
matters of beauty and wisdom. The Greeks introduced so much wonder to the
1. Cited in Rav Aryeh Kaplan, Jerusalem: The Eye of the Universe, p. 81.
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world that the Talmud (Megillah 9b) tells us that the Torah was only permitted to
be written in one language besides Hebrew, the beautiful language of Greek. But
what do we know about physicality? That when it’s not controlled, it gets out of
control, and it eats us up, and we have no power to say no. So Noach knew that
Yafet had the trait of beauty, and he said you and your family will dwell in Ohalei
Shem, the tents of Shem.
Shem established a yeshiva for learning about God. When you take raw physicality
and you place it in a tent of loving warmth, an atmosphere of kedusha and Torah,
then the beauty becomes tempered, the beauty becomes balanced with sensibility
and control. True beauty is balance.
Rashi (23:1) says that Sarah’s beauty was like that of a seven year old. Why is a seven
year old considered the model of beauty? Because a seven year old is transparent.
A seven year old says what’s on her mind. And if what’s on Sarah Imenu’s mind
is, “Everyone in the world deserves the upmost respect, and everything in this
world is a gift from Hashem,” then when people interact with Sarah, they will see
a woman who treats everyone with respect and relates everything to Hashem.
Rachel and Leah Imenu were beautiful like Yerushalayim. This means that they
had a balance of the spiritual and the physical. They could be the most gorgeous
people in the world, but they had mastered the midot of humility and modesty.
They were given so much money and so many servants and flocks, but they had
mastered the midot of tzedakah and hachnasat orchim.
The beauty of Rachel that Yakov Avinu fell in love with, was the refinement of her
characteristics, her midot, her inner beauty. Why did Yakov need a woman like
this? Because Yakov Avinu experienced the sulam, the ladder, which we all know
was set firm in the ground yet reached so high in Shamayim, in the heavens.
When everything we do in this world is connected to Hashem and kedushat
ha-Torah, the holiness of Torah, then we’re creating a relationship of us sending
angels to Hashem and Hashem sending angels back down to us, creating a loving
and giving relationship which is balanced.
May our neshamos be zocheh to reach the level of true beauty of Rachel and Leah,
Rivka, and Sarah Imenu. And may we strive to build and see a complete and
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beautiful Yerushalayim ir ha-kodesh, bimheira biyameinu. Amen.
Vayishlach
T h e H i p a n d t h e Yetzer Ha-ra
T he Torah (32:25) relates that while Yaakov was returning home, he was intercepted
by an ish who struggled with him all night. Many explain that this ish was actually
an angel and more specifically it was the angel of Esav otherwise known as Sama’el.
During the struggle, the angel was only able to hurt Yaakov at his hip bone. The Torah
tells us that because Yaakov came away from the struggle limping, we are not able to
eat the gid ha-nasheh, the sciatic nerve, of an animal.
Why the hip socket? As Sama’el is associated with the Yetzer Ha-ra, is there something
we can learn about the nature of the Yetzer Ha-ra from Sama’el’s smiting the hip socket?
Toras Shlomo (footnote 129) writes that the reason the angel went for the hip socket
was because it is the most accessible place on a person’s body. Right when Yaakov was
about to achieve absolute victory over Sama’el, out of desperation, Sama’el reached for
whatever he could grab.
Even at the times when we feel comfortable with our avodas Hashem (Yaakov was
clearly victorious in this struggle), the Yetzer Ha-ra will desperately try to nick us
wherever he can find an opening. We must constantly keep up our guard and be
vigilant to protect ourselves from his attack. We cannot settle for being a “mostly eved
Hashem”. We need to make sure that even our most vulnerable points are covered.
Rav Elchanan Wasserman adds that this could easily refer to young children. Since
they are most impressionable, Sama’el attempts to infiltrate their thought process. Rav
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Elchanan argues that we need to be extra careful in their chinuch to protect them
from harmful spiritual elements when they are most vulnerable.
The gid ha-nasheh is not just anatomically connected to Yaakov’s hip socket.
The Gemara in Chullin 99b writes that whereas different foods have the ability to
impart ta’am (taste) into other foods and into pots and dishes, gidin do not impart
ta’am. The Shulchan Aruch holds like this in Yoreh Deah (100:2). He writes that
if non-kosher food accidentally gets mixed with kosher food, we normally need
the kosher food to be 60 times the amount of the non-kosher food to nullify the
taste of the non-kosher food. Only then could the mixture be eaten. This does not
apply to gid ha-nasheh because ein be-gidin be-nosein ta’am. Gid ha-nasheh does
not impart ta’am, taste, to other foods or utensils. Therefore, we do not need 60
times its volume to nullify its presence.
Interestingly enough, the word ta’am has another meaning and that is “reason”.
Perhaps halacha connected the gid ha-nasheh and the hip socket to stress the
point that the Yetzer Ha-ra has the most access to our souls when there is no
ta’am, reason,( ein be-gidin be-nosein ta’am). When there is no ta’am, taste or
reason, for certain things we do, it is harder to perform those mitzvos. We will be
quicker to scrutinize whether it is worth it to perform this mitzvah or not. The
same way that Sama’el found Yaakov’s hip socket to be the most accessible point
on his body, so too the Yetzer Ha-ra finds mitzvos that do not have a ta’am, reason,
to be the most accessible points of our souls.
When Yaakov asked the angel for his identity, the malach responded with a
question of his own: Why are you asking me my name? Most interpret the angel’s
response as a simple inquiry. Perhaps another way to read the pasuk is not as a
question in response but rather as Esav’s malach’s actual name. His name is “Why
are you asking my name?” Why are you searching for my identity? Why are you
trying to figure out what I am all about? Stop asking questions. Life will be much
simpler and enjoyable that way. When we don’t ask what the identity of our weak
points are, then the Satan has us exactly where he wants us.
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As the sun came up, the angel asked Yaakov, who had gained the upper hand in the
struggle, to release him (32:27). Rashi comments that the Angel told Yaakov that
the reason he needed to be released was to sing shira, a song of praise to Hashem.
A slightly different version of this Medrash adds that the angel told Yaakov that he
had waited for so long to be able to say shira to Hashem and today was finally his
turn. The Chasam Sofer asks, what were the chances that specifically on the day
that he was struggling with Yaakov, he would get called to say shira? He answers
that the word malach means messenger. The purpose of malachim is to do one
task. Angels do not have free will but do the mission Hashem sent them on. Upon
completion of the task, when the ratzon Hashem is fulfilled, the angel sings shira
in order to note that the ratzon Hashem was accomplished. It is an angel’s way of
letting Hashem know the job was done. In this case, the angel was telling Hashem
that he struggled with Yaakov and Yaakov came out victorious. It was not that
the angel’s job was to pick a fight with Yaakov, but rather through the struggle, a
victorious Yaakov was to become a better person. The angel helped Yaakov reach
his potential. Yaakov’s name, his identity, was now Yisrael and not Yaakov. The
angel’s job was done and today he could go sing shira to Hashem.
Too often, we view the Yetzer Ha-ra as an absolute enemy. We think that if we
did not have a Yetzer Ha-ra then it would be so much easier for us to do avodas
Hashem. However, the Yetzer Ha-ra provides an important service. It is only
through the Yetzer Ha-ra that we realize how great we could be. When the Yetzer
Ha-ra motivates me to stay up late for a sporting event, he is revealing to me that
my potential is to stay awake until a certain hour. When I am ready to use those
hours for avodas Hashem, I now know how high I can reach. Here the Yetzer Hara’s actual job was to make Yaakov better. Once Yaakov beat the angel, the Satan’s
task of helping Yaakov achieve greatness was accomplished.
As we try to become complete people, the hardest tasks for us to accomplish are
those that don’t have ta’am. The ones that don’t have taste, the ones for which we
do not understand the reasons. By the Yetzer Ha-ra drawing those into our focus
and causing us to struggle with them, it is helping us become more complete.
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It is important to note that it was after Yaakov defeated the malach that he inquired
about the malach’s name. Yaakov knew that even if he was victorious this time,
there would be future struggles and he wanted to be prepared. If he knew the keys
to the Yetzer Ha-ra’s identity, future victories would be easily attained. He did not
bask in the pride of his victory, but rather already began to prepare for the next
inevitable struggle.
Yehi ratzon mi-lifnei Avinu she-bashamayim that we realize how much potential
the Yetzer Ha-ra is drawing to our attention. We should be vigilant about
improving our weakest points in avodas Hashem so that we can be the strongest
ovdei Hashem we can be.
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Vayishlach
A n d Y a ’ a k o v W a s Left Alone
Barry Mueller
T here are very few positive and negative commandments listed in Sefer Bereishit.
In fact it takes 8 parshiyot, until the 33rd pasuk of the 32nd perek, to get to the first
prohibition. In this week’s parsha, Parshat Vayishlach, we learn that, “The Children of
Yisrael are not to eat the displaced sinew on the hip-socket (otherwise known as the
gid ha-nasheh or sciatic nerve) to this day, because he [Eisav’s guardian angel] struck
Yaakov’s hip socket on the displaced sinew.” Rav Machlis this past week presented his
Bein Adam La-chaveiro class with an insight from Da’at Zekeinim Mi-ba’alei ha-Tosfot.
According to Tosafot the simple p’shat on why we are not allowed to eat the gid hanasheh is because the sons of Yisrael (a.k.a. Yaakov) did not eat the gid ha-nasheh in
order to remember the miracle that their father was only injured. We also remember
this miracle by not eating the gid ha-nasheh.
But this is not the only answer that Tosafot give. In perek 32, pasuk 25, it states that,
“Yaakov was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the break of the dawn.”
Tosafot are troubled by the fact that Yaakov was traveling alone. How could Yaakov’s
sons have been so negligent as to leave him alone at such a time? Yaakov is about to
confront his twin brother Eisav, who has promised to kill Yaakov, yet Eisav’s guardian
angel meets Yaakov alone! So really the reason we don’t eat the gid ha-nasheh is to
remind us [we are also referred to as B’nei Yisrael] of the fact that we should not leave
people alone. This is part of the mitzvah of Ve-ahavta le-re’acha kamocha (Parshat
Kedoshim, 19:18); that you are to love your friend as yourself.
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Rav Machlis and his wife were once were invited to an engagement party. In the
middle of the party the chatan got up to make a vow. The vow was that at every
Shabbos meal he will have for the rest of his life at home, there will be a guest at his
table. Three and a half years earlier the chatan had gotten divorced, and between
then and his second marriage he was rarely invited out for Shabbos, so the chatan
had eaten most of his Shabbos meals alone. Alone! I don’t understand how a
respected man of the community would basically be forced to eat by himself.
Clearly the chatan was hurt, and he therefore told himself he would never want
anyone else in his community to feel the way he had felt during those three and
half years.
We find in the Zohar further proof on the importance of keeping someone
company. There are 365 negative commandments in the Torah. According to the
Zohar each mitzvah represents a day of the year. The prohibition of eating the gid
ha-nasheh corresponds to Tisha B’av. Of all the commandments in the Torah why
would this prohibition correspond to one of the saddest days of the year? The
reason is that through our baseless hatred, which came from every person caring
for himself rather than others, the Beit Ha-mikdash was destroyed.
Every time the schochet does not cut off this part of the animal to sell, he and
all of us are reminded that B’nei Yisrael – the children of Yaakov – left Yaakov
alone! We as B’nei Yisrael cannot let this happen again. Rather, when we see that
someone plans on eating a meal by himself, we should reach out to him and
invite him into our house. Or, if there is someone we know is by themselves sick
at home, we should go and visit them. It is up to us not to make the mistake that
the sons of Yaakov made. By improving ourselves and not letting others we know
be alone, we will make the world a better place and therefore get closer to the
rebuilding of the Beit Ha-mikdash.
58
Vayeishev
A S h o r t D i version
Gary Brown
M y Rav, Rav Amos Luban would often say it is a shame how we learn the stories
in Tanach at age 5, and maintain the same perception of them at age 15, 25, 35, etc.
Sometimes, all it takes is a simple reading of the text to see that “something does not
quite fit” which can lead us to new insights into Hashem’s Torah.
At first glance, Parshat Vayeishev is the start of the epic story of Yosef in Egypt,
preparing us for the slavery and redemption that follow in Sefer Shemot. However,
there is a story in this week’s sidrah which seems to have nothing to do with the course
of events.
The parsha begins by telling us about how Yosef is sold, including the events leading
up to the sale. (This is an important and often misunderstood section of the Torah, and
it is important if one can, to look into and understand this section properly. However
I wish to point out one thing here - the brothers were justified halachically [based
on the facts they had and ancestral history] in deeming Yosef a threat and therefore
trying to get rid of him.) Once Yosef is sold, we should be going straight into the story
of Yosef in Egypt. However, the narrative is interrupted with the following story:
Yehudah, after this episode, goes “down from his brothers” (38:1). Rashi says this
means that they demoted him from being their leader. We learn about his marrying
and having three sons. He takes a wife (Tamar) for his firstborn son (Er) who dies
mysteriously. Due to the rule of yibum (marrying the brother of the deceased if no
59
children have been born – a practice not done today), Tamar is given to his
second son (Onan) who also dies. Now, both his sons had died as a result of
doing something they should not have, but Yehudah did not know this. What he
did know was that there was a concept of a “cursed woman” who, if two husbands
of hers die, one does not have to marry her (or marry his children to her) since
she is considered cursed. Yehudah had a third son (Shelah) and he was worried
Tamar was cursed. What Yehudah did was try and delay the marriage, telling her
to stay but wait until Shelah was older and ready to get married.
Now Tamar had received a prophecy that she was to have a child through someone
in Yehudah’s family (and this child is in fact the line of Moshiach ben David).
When Tamar sees after many years that Yehudah does not want her to marry
Shelah, she realizes that she will have to trick Yehudah himself into creating a
child with her. So when Yehudah’s wife has passed away she poses as a harlot and
he consorts with her (not knowing it is her). Having no money to pay her, he
leaves his signet ring and staff with her and goes off.
When Tamar, three months later, is clearly pregnant, Yehudah orders her to be
burnt for adultery. (Though she was not married to Shelah she was considered
betrothed since they had not done yibum and so this would have been considered
an act of adultery if it had been from someone other than Yehudah or Shelah.)
Tamar does not say Yehudah did this (which would have saved her life and from
which we learn (Sotah 10b) that “it is better to engage in a fiery death than to
embarrass someone in public”), but says “By the man to whom these belong I
am with child” (38:25) and she raises the ring and the staff. Yehudah could have
been silent and let her die, but instead exclaims “She is more righteous than
me” (38:26), since she was prepared to die rather than embarrass him. Tamar is
allowed to live, married to Yehudah and they have twins. We then revert back to
the story of Yosef.
That is quite a diversion from a story. So what is it doing here?
At this point in time a fascinating “battle” or “argument” is taking place. You see,
Yehudah (because of what happened in the above story) becomes the archetypal
“Ba’al Teshuvah” because he admitted in public what he did wrong and changed
his behaviour. The story of Yosef continues with how he resisted temptation
60
of Potifar’s wife, and he became known as Yosef Ha-Tzaddik – the archetypal
“Righteous Man” for having withstood temptation. The question being asked is
– who should lead Bnei Yisrael, a tzaddik or a ba’al teshuva? Now we know that
many sources discuss how what will happen is that Moshiach ben Yosef will come
first and then eventually die, and the era of Moshiach will be lead by Moshiach
Ben David (David himself came from Yehudah is also a model of a ba’al teshuva),
and therefore we see that the ultimate leader of the Jewish people is someone who
can maybe understand a bit more why and how people make mistakes in their
avodat Hashem from a practical and not just theoretical perspective. However, at
this point in the development of our nation, this question has not been resolved
and so the Torah is contrasting the fortunes of the two potential bearers of
Moshiach and that is why the story of Yehudah (and Tamar) is told at this point.
61
Vayeishev
People Say I’m a Dreamer, but I’m Not the Only One
Elliot Gerson
Y
osef ’s dream at the beginning of the parsha seems odd: ,‫וְ ִהּנֵ ה ֲאנַ ְחנּו ְמ ַא ְּל ִמים ֲאלֻ ִּמים‬
)‫ז‬:‫ וַ ִּת ְׁש ַּת ֲחוֶ יןָ ַל ֲאלֻ ָּמ ִתי (לז‬,‫נִ ָּצ ָבה; וְ ִהּנֵ ה ְתסֻ ֶּבינָ ה ֲאלֻ ּמ ֵֹת ֶיכם‬-‫ וְ גַ ם‬,‫ וְ ִהּנֵ ה ָק ָמה ֲאלֻ ָּמ ִתי‬,‫ּבתֹוְך ַה ָּש ׂ ֶדה‬.ְ
“Behold! We were binding sheaves in the middle of the field, when, behold – my sheaf
arose and also stood; then behold – your sheaves gathered around and bowed down
to mine” (37:7).
From this pasuk, Yosef ’s brothers begin to get angry at him, eventually resulting in his
kidnapping and sale to the Egyptians. We all grew up taking Yosef ’s side, but honestly,
who would want to be around someone who said this to them? How effective can
telling someone that you’re superior to them actually be? It sounds as though Yosef is
being condescending!
The Shem Mishmuel sites the following pasuk from Tehillim: ‫יָ קּום‬-‫ּומי‬
ִ ;’‫ה‬-‫יַ ֲע ֶלה ְב ַהר‬-‫מי‬ ִ
‫ּב ְמקֹום ָק ְדׁשֹו‬.ִ “Who will go up to the mountain of Hashem, and who will stand in His
holy place?” (24:3).
The Maggid of Kozhnitz divides this verse into two sections: the pasuk refers to one
who toils to be close to Hashem, and one who retains that closeness through times
of struggle. The one who can constantly stay on the same high level is deemed a
tzaddik, who can show everyone else how to overcome their hardships and stay close
to Hashem. This was the meaning of Yosef ’s dream as well: his sheaf stood in the
sense of the pasuk in Tehillim. Yosef ’s dream wasn’t one portraying his arrogance to
62
his brothers, but rather it was a sign for his brothers to see that he was to be an
example of how to progress in avodat Hashem. Therefore, the physical “bowing
down” in the pasuk can be overshadowed by the message that Yosef was supposed
to be a spiritual light unto his brothers, rather than a mere superior.
In Pirkei Avot we are taught, “‫עשה לך רב‬,” “Make for yourself a teacher” (1:6). In
Visions of the Fathers, Rabbi Twerski explains that this phrase doesn’t necessarily
need to refer to somebody older, wiser, or of superior status. As long as you can
learn from them and grow in your closeness to Hashem with them, they can
be a teacher to you. This not only shows us that Yosef ’s brothers should have
looked up to him, but as B’nei Yeshiva, although our Rebbeim are valuable and
irreplaceable, we have to look no further than our classmates for inspiration.
We learn from our Gemara in Berachot (27b), that in Rabban Gamliel’s Beit
Midrash, his students were like warriors, sharpening each other with their Torah.
It is my bracha that we can strive to do the same.
63
Mikeitz
The True Colors of Yoseph’s Dreams
Y oseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamt about them (‫( "…)להם‬42:9)
The above sentence is translated according to Rashi’s explanation, that the word ‫להם‬
means about them. However, Unkelus actually translates it literally: "to them" or "for
them" – meaning on their behalf. Yoseph's dreams had been dreamt for the sake of the
brothers? That would certainly fly in the face of the how the brothers themselves felt
about the dreams and the dreamer, as well how most of us have understood Yoseph
and his dreams. The conventional wisdom is that he was young, spoiled, conceited and
insensitive, and he used his dreams to try to convince his brothers of his superiority.
While this approach is backed up by some statements from our Sages and is found
in some commentators (see Nechama Lebowitz on last week's parasha), one of my
rabbis, Rabbi Sinai Adler shlit”a, presents us with a fresh look at Yoseph Hatzadik
based on the Unkelus we brought above.
One can ask a fundamental question about the dreams and their seeming centrality
to the whole saga of Yoseph and his brothers (the Ramban, famously, greatly stresses
in the beginning of last week’s parasha the centrality of the dreams): who needs
them? If you removed the dreams Yoseph told his brother last week from the story,
nothing would change. The brothers had already hated him, and it was only a matter
of time before he would have said or done something to push them over the limit. At
that point, our story would unfold as it did: Yoseph would be thrown into a pit, sold
64
down to Egypt, rise and fall and rise again. What do Yoseph’s nighttime mental
meanderings add to our story?
Rav Adler explains that there is a principle that when Hashem wants to bring
some event or change into the world, he first brings it as a prophecy to a navi.
As is known from Chazal in Masechet Sanhedrin, a prophecy for bad can change
if those prophesied about repent. But a prophecy for good cannot be recalled
and will come to fruition no matter what. Yoseph’s dreams were a prophecy
of good tidings, and Hashem wanted them to come true, for they meant the
survival of Yaakov Avinu and his household. As Yoseph himself later says in
next week’s parasha, “And G-d sent me before you to enable you to survive upon
the land and to keep you alive… (45:7). Rav Adler concludes, “According to this
(explanation) it becomes clear that the dreams were in fact for the good of the
brothers, and this is the explanation of “that he had dreamt on their behalf (‫)להם‬,”
for them and for their welfare.” Maybe Yoseph understood that his dreams were
given to him as a sign that he would some day help his brothers and his father,
and he shared those dreams in an unsuccessful attempt to end their animosity
towards him.
65
Mikeitz
S t r a i g h t t o the Top
Aaron Wengrofsky
I t seems strange that a seventeen year old boy picked up from a pit would become
a very powerful man in Egypt. Even after being thrown in jail, Yosef still manages
to get taken out of jail by Pharaoh himself. How is Yosef able to climb the ladder of
leadership so quickly?
Rav Soloveitchik1 points out that there are several critical points in which the action
seems to be directed by a mysterious character identified only as an “ish.” Ya’akov
struggles with an ish (32:25) that Chazal identify as the angel of Esav. Later, Yosef ’s
trials and tribulations begin with the help of a mysterious ish in Parshat Vayeishev. The
pasuk (37:15) states, ‫וימצאהו איש והנה תעה בשדה‬, “A man discovered him, and behold!
– he was wandering in the field.” This mysterious man led Yosef to his brothers, who
subsequently started to plot ways to discard of Yosef. We find a similar term again in
our parsha when the brothers tell Ya’akov about their difficulties in Egypt. The pasuk
(42:30) states: ‫דבר האיש אדני הארץ אתנו קשות ויתן אתנו כמרגלים את הארץ‬,
“The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and considered us as if we were
spying out the land.” Again this mysterious man causes trouble for Yaakov’s family, as
he calls the brothers spies, thereby leading them to have to bring Binyamin away from
his father and to Egypt.
1. Quoted in Darosh Darash Yosef, by Rav Avishai David.
66
In all these instances, the mysterious identity of the ish only raises the drama and
even the fear of the unknown. Rav Soloveitchik explains that the Torah hides
the identities of these “men” in order to emphasize that Hashem Himself was
directing history and wanted these particular events to occur.
Moreover, this is not the only time in Parshat Mikeitz where there is evidence
of divine orchestration. Parshat Mikeitz begins with the pasuk, ‫ויהי מקץ שנתים‬
‫ימים ופרעה חלם‬, “It happened at the end of two years to the day that Pharaoh had
a dream.” In this instance, the Torah chooses to refer to the end of the period
of time with the word keitz instead of sof. Typically, the word keitz signifies a
catastrophic end to an era, and is often used with messianic undertones. However,
sof implies termination and closure. In the context of this pasuk, keitz signifies the
end of the period of suffering in Yosef ’s life. This shows that Yosef ’s life didn’t just
happen, but rather was a long, convoluted process that was destined to be that
way from Hashem. Furthermore, the pasuk states ‫שנתים ימים‬, which means exactly
two years, and not ‫שנתים‬, which means approximately two years. This proves
that because Hashem was ready for Yosef to begin his destined role as a great
leader, his redemption needed to begin at that split second that Pharaoh started
his dream. The dream of Pharaoh was the last step Yosef ’s journey to becoming
a leader of a nation. However, according to Rav Soloveitchik, Pharaoh’s dream
wasn’t really just a dream, but it was really a transformation. The pasuk states
‫ופרעה חלם‬, “Pharaoh was dreaming,” and does not say that Pharaoh dreamt. The
fact that the Torah states this in the present tense, thereby describing the person
and not the dream itself, is significant. It shows that Pharaoh became a dreamer,
just like Yosef was a dreamer. Since Pharaoh was a dreamer exactly like Yosef, he
was able to form a connection and level of trust with Yosef, as indicated by the
pasuk (41:38) which states: ‫ויאמר פרעה אל עבדיו הנמצא כזה איש אשר רוח אלהים בו‬,
“Pharaoh said to his servants ‘Could we find another like him-a man in whom is
the spirit of God?’” Hashem’s handiwork made Pharaoh able to see that Yosef was
not only a smart person, but a visionary.
The story of Yosef has a glaring resemblance to the holiday which coincides with
this parsha, Chanukah. The Chashmonaim were able to rise up against the Greeks
67
and against all odds, defeat them. After that, the Jews were able to return to
serve Hashem in the Beit Hamikdash. This miracle could not have been possible
without the helping hand of Hashem. It is Hashem who saw that Bnei Yisrael was
in trouble, and that He needed to help them. Moreover, the famous miracle of the
oil lasting for eight days instead of just one proves to be none other than Hashem’s
handiwork, which shows that Hashem wanted us to resume the proper avodah in
the Beit Hamikdash. Just like Yosef was destined, with Hashem’s help, to become
a great leader, the Jews were destined to return to a state of religious freedom and
serve Hashem in the holy Beit Hamikdash. From these two incredible stories, we
learn about the incredible amount of trust we should have in Hashem, even when
we find ourselves in difficult situations.
68
Vayigash
Memory, Emotion and Odor: Yosef’s Collapse
Rav Asher Friedman
S weet Smells and Chekov’s Gun
The great Russian playwright, Anton Chekov, offered the following advice to an aspiring
writer: “If in Act 1 you have a pistol hanging on the wall, then it must fire in the last act.”
In other words, every detail introduced in a story must eventually play a crucial role in
the plot. If this is true for human writers, all the more so it must be true for the ultimate
Author.
Let’s explore an astounding example of this principle by examining a detail in Yosef ’s story
which on the surface seems almost entirely irrelevant, but in the end will take a central
position in the narrative. In Parshat Vayeshev, Yosef is sold to a band of Yishma’eilim
traveling by caravan to Mitzrayim. The Torah (37:25) goes out of its way to tell us exactly
what these merchants carried with them: nechot u-tzri va-lot – spice mix, balsam and
ladanum – all three of which are used in perfumes due to their intense fragrance. How
does this detail play a role in the larger plot of Yosef ’s life? When does ‘Chekov’s gun’ fire?
We will see that these perfumes do indeed take an important position in the plot. In
order to appreciate this, let’s first explore the central enigma in the story – why does
Yosef ’s self control crumble?
Control and Crisis
Yosef ’s greatness lies in his self-mastery and control. Potiphar’s wife attempts to seduce
him, and he responds with cold, rational thought in this most emotional of circumstances.
69
He sees the famine about to ravage Egypt and the rest of the Near East, and he
immediately contrives an elaborate solution, exerting control over the entire
population. From the moment he recognizes his brothers, he manipulates,
controls, and tests them. Clearly, Yosef has a plan for his brothers, and as we
enter Parshat Vayigash, we expect to discover the destination he has been pushing
them to.
However, at the beginning of our parsha, Yosef ’s plan suddenly unravels. In a
volcanic eruption of emotion, Yosef loses control. First, a torrent of feeling still
unready for words: “His voice went out in weeping, and all of Egypt heard” (45:2).
Then, he manages to funnel his emotion into words: “I am Yosef. Does my father
still live?” (45:3). Yosef is unmasked. Yosef ’s unmasking is not part of the plan – he
intended to continue the manipulations. But something happens as Yehuda and
the brothers confront him that overwhelms even Yosef ’s rational self-mastery.
What happened? What triggered Yosef ’s lapse of control?
The Gun Fires
We reencounter the mysterious spices after decades have passed. Famine has
swept Eretz Yisrael, and Yaakov sends his sons for a second time to fetch food
from Mitzrayim. This time, it is a journey of trepidation, sending Binyamin to an
uncertain fate at the demand of the manipulative viceroy. Yaakov tells his sons
to go, and to appease the Egyptian ruler with a modest gift from the family’s
remaining possessions: “This is what you must do: take of the land’s glory in
your bags, and take a gift to the man – a bit of balsam, a bit of honey, spice mix,
ladanum, pistachios, and almonds” (43:11). Three of the items Yaakov mentions
as gifts to the mysterious ruler are the three fragrances that enveloped Yosef as
he journeyed to his destiny as a slave in Egypt! Clearly, the reappearance of these
fragrances is no coincidence. But what is their significance?
Memory, Emotion, and Odor
Brain science illuminates this mystery. Psychology has revealed a strong
connection between smell, memory, and emotion. For example, the associations
between particular odors and particular experiences, especially emotional
70
ones, do not weaken with time or later experiences (Lawless & Engen, 1977).
So catching a whiff of the scent once worn by a lost loved one can reactivate
intense feelings associated with that person. Odors can also bring back accurate
memories of significant experiences linked with them. (Psychology, Bernstein,
Penner, Clarke-Stewart, Roy)
With this in mind, let us take a deeper look at Yosef. Yosef has, with God’s help,
built himself into a dominant power in Egypt. He has changed his name, his
mode of dress, and his spoken language. More deeply, he has chosen to forget. He
names his first son Menashe, and he explains, “Ki nashani Elohim,” “For God has
made me forget all of my suffering and the entire house of my father” (41:51). In
the face of his success, why remain connected to such a painful past? Of course,
intellectually, he recalls the events that led to his slavery in Egypt, but he has
abandoned his emotional connection to them. And thus he is able to remain in
control. He is able to stare his brothers in the face and maintain his disguise, and
to see his family’s distress and continue to manipulate.
But this time, when Yosef encounters his brothers, something is different. Though
subtle and intangible, something lurks in the very air of the room, plunging him back
into the intense grief, anger, sadness, yearning he had disconnected from so long
ago. The smell of his betrayal, the odor of his terror and confusion as he was handed
over by his brothers to the Ishmaelite merchants envelops him once again. His cold
detachment vanishes and he, the master of control, is overwhelmed by emotion.
This collapse of Yosef ’s control allows God’s control to take over. Instead of an
elaborately constructed, manipulated climax, Yosef reunites with his brothers
in a moment of shared weakness. The brothers’ weakness lies in their terror at
the unpredictable power of this viceroy-turned-their-brother and their own
shame at their long-ago betrayal. And Yosef ’s weakness is his inability to detach
himself from the “amali u’beit avi,” his “suffering and all my father’s house,” that
he thought he had escaped so long ago. It is in this moment of weakness and
joint vulnerability that the reconciliation can begin. While the brothers plotted
and Yosef contrived, God had His own vision of how to bring the brothers’
relationship to equilibrium.
71
Vayigash
A D i v i n e G uarantee
Adam Goldberg
I n Vayigash, this week’s parsha, after the series of events in which Joseph reveals
himself to his brothers (see the Book of Genesis 45:3), he sends them back up from
Egypt to tell their father Jacob that Joseph, whom he thought to have been dead for
twenty-two years, is still alive (ibid. v. 26). Jacob is very excited to hear that his son
was still alive, and immediately resolves to go visit him in Egypt (ibid. v. 28). After his
resolution, he starts his descent to Egypt (ibid. 46:1), and on his way, offers sacrifices
to God. Next (ibid. v. 2), God speaks to Jacob in a night vision (i.e., prophecy) and
comforts him that it is not so bad he will be leaving, because He (God) will establish
him – referring to Jacob/Israel – as a great nation there in Egypt (46:3), and God will
be with him on his descent down to Egypt, and God will bring him up to the Land of
Israel afterwards to be buried. Rashi (v. 4) points out that Jacob was distressed because
he needed to leave the Land of Israel.
This is not the first time that one of our forefathers has received a prophecy about
leaving the Land of Israel. Let us compare Jacob’s prophecy with the prophecy of
Abraham in the “covenant between the parts” (‫ ; ברית בין הבתרים‬Genesis chapter 15).
Two parallels can be noticed:
72
Firstly, God tells Abraham:
--‫ וְ ִעּנּו א ָֹתם‬,‫ וַ ֲע ָבדּום‬,‫גֵ ר יִ ְהיֶ ה זַ ְר ֲעָך ְּב ֶא ֶרץ ֹלא ָל ֶהם‬-‫ יָ ד ַֹע ֵּת ַדע ִּכי‬,‫ֹאמר ְל ַא ְב ָרם‬
ֶ ‫וַ ּי‬
.‫ ִּב ְרכֻ ׁש ּגָ דֹול‬,‫כן יֵ ְצאּו‬-‫י‬
ֵ ‫ ָּדן ָאנ ִֹכי; וְ ַא ֲח ֵר‬,‫הּגֹוי ֲא ֶׁשר יַ ֲעבֹדּו‬-‫ת‬
ַ ‫ וְ גַ ם ֶא‬ .‫ ָׁשנָ ה‬,‫ַא ְר ַּבע ֵמאֹות‬
And He said to Abram, “Know with certainty that your offspring
shall be sojourners in a land not their own, they will enslave them,
and they will oppress them four hundred years. And also the nation
that will enslave them, I shall punish, and afterwards they shall leave
with great possessions.” (Gen. 15:13-14)
Similarly, in our parsha, Jacob is told: ‫ּת ָירא ֵמ ְר ָדה‬-‫ל‬
ִ ‫ֹלהי ָא ִביָך; ַא‬
ֵ ‫ ָאנ ִֹכי ָה ֵאל ֱא‬,‫ֹאמר‬
ֶ ‫וַ ּי‬
.‫ימָך ָׁשם‬
ְ ‫לגֹוי ּגָ דֹול ֲא ִׂש‬-‫י‬
ְ ‫ ִּכ‬,‫“ ִמ ְצ ַריְ ָמה‬And He said, “I am the God – God of your father.
Do you not be afraid of descending to Egypt, for I shall establish you as a great
nation there (Gen. 46:3). In both cases, God comforts the forefathers by promising
that, at the end, the nation would end up benefiting from the experience, and
would not stay in Egypt forever.
Secondly, God tells Abraham: ‫טֹובה‬
ָ ‫ ְּב ֵׂש ָיבה‬,‫ ִּת ָּק ֵבר‬ :‫ ְּב ָׁשלֹום‬,‫אב ֶֹתיָך‬-‫ל‬
ֲ ‫“ ;וְ ַא ָּתה ָּתבֹוא ֶא‬And
you shall come to your ancestors in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age
(Gen. 15:15).” We read similarly in our parsha: ‫ ַא ַע ְלָך‬,‫ וְ ָאנ ִֹכי‬,‫ ֵא ֵרד ִע ְּמָך ִמ ְצ ַריְ ָמה‬,‫ָאנ ִֹכי‬
.‫עינֶ יָך‬-‫ל‬
ֵ ‫ יָ ִׁשית יָ דֹו ַע‬,‫יֹוסף‬
ֵ ְ‫עֹלה; ו‬-‫ם‬
ָ ַ‫“ ;ג‬I shall descend with you to Egypt, and I shall also
surely bring you up; and Joseph shall place his hand on your eyes” (Gen. 46:4.
On a personal level, the forefathers were promised that their lives would end
peacefully.
We can learn a lesson from here. The idea is that Hashem promised Abraham
our forefather, that there would be tzoros in the beginning, but at the end, things
worked out very well because everything else came true, and the same for Jacob.
Therefore, whenever things are not going so well for us, we should look forward
to the end and always stay happy, because if we are doing the right thing, Hashem
will reward us in the end for the hard work. Therefore, ‫יהי רצון מלפני אבינו שבשמים‬
that we should all see the good in things and always be content and happy with
what we have, to notice all the miracles that Hashem does for us every single
second and that we are Jewish – ‫ּש ֵתנו‬
ׁ ָ ֻ‫ ַמה ּיָ ָפה יְ ר‬,‫ּגֹור ֵלנּו‬
ָ ‫ ַמה ּנָ ִעים‬,‫ ַמה ּטֹוב ֶח ְל ֵקנּו‬,‫– ַא ְׁש ֵרינּו‬
“We are fortunate, how good is our portion, how pleasant our lot, how beautiful
73
our heritage!”
‫‪Vayechi‬‬
‫‪So What is So Bad About Artscroll‬‬
‫‪A n English summary will follow the Hebrew‬‬
‫אחד המאורעות הקשים שאירעו לעם ישראל‪ ,‬שבעקבותם נגזרה תענית י’ בטבת – הוא‪ ,‬תרגום התורה‬
‫ליוונית‪.‬‬
‫השו”ע בסימן תקב’‪ ,‬ב’ מתאר את המאורע במילים אלו‪“ :‬בשמונה בטבת נכתבה התורה יונית בימי‬
‫תלמי המלך והיה חשך בעולם שלשה ימים”‪.‬‬
‫הגמרא במסכת מגילה מתארת את הנס שבמאורע‪“ :‬דתניא‪ ,‬מעשה בתלמי המלך שכינס שבעים‬
‫ושנים זקנים‪ ,‬והכניסן בשבעים ושנים בתים ‪ ,‬ולא גילה להם על מה כינסן ונכנס אצל כל אחד ואחד‬
‫ואמר להם‪ :‬כתבו לי תורת משה רבכם‪ .‬נתן הקב”ה בלב כל אחד ואחד עצה‪ .‬והסכימו כולן לדעת‬
‫אחת”‪.‬‬
‫הגמרא מספרת על יג› שינויים שערכו החכמים‪ .‬כולם יחד כיונו לאותם שינויים והוציאו נוסח‬
‫יווני אחיד לתורה‪ ,‬אע»פ שכל אחד ישב לבדו‪ .‬כולם זכו לנס שכיוונו לדעה אחת ושינו בתורה את‬
‫המקומות שעלולים להטעות באמונה או שעלולים היו לפגוע בתלמי‪.‬‬
‫‪ ‬והדברים מופלאים‪ :‬הלא אנו מתענים על תרגום התורה ליוונית‪ ,‬בעוד שלדעת החת"ס והבא"ח חז"ל‬
‫אפשרו לתרגם את התורה ליוונית‪ ,‬דוקא בגלל המאורע המופלא והניסי שאירע בתרגום הזקנים‬
‫לתלמי המלך‪.‬‬
‫‪ ‬מהי אם כן הבעיה בתרגום התורה שבגללה אנו צמים? שמעתי רעיון יפה מאחד מרבותי‪ :‬אין‬
‫בעיה בתרגום עצמו‪" .‬יפת אלוקים ליפת וישכון באהלי שם"‪ .‬יש ענין להרבות תורה‪ ,‬לפרש‪ ,‬לתרגם‪,‬‬
‫להנגיש את התורה לכל דורש‪ .‬הבעיה היא‪ ,‬כאשר התרגום נובע מתוך כפיה! כאשר החכמים מבארים‬
‫את התורה בשבעים פנים שונות‪ ,‬אין בכך בעיה‪ ,‬אך כאשר הם נתבעים לפרש את התורה בכפייה‪ ,‬כל‬
‫‪74‬‬
‫ שמא התרגום יפגע במלך – כאן מתחילה‬,‫ שמא התרגום לא יישמע יפה‬,‫ מתוך פחד‬,‫אחד בחדרו‬
.‫הבעיה הגדולה ביותר‬
‫ אבל בכך‬,‫חכמים זכו לנס שכיוונו ושינו כולם את אותו השינוי וכך ניצלו ממיתה על ידי תלמי‬ ‫ התורה נאנסה על ידי האדם ומחשבתו האנושית במקום לעשות‬.‫גם פגעו פגיעה חמורה בתורה‬
.‫ להשפיע ולרומם את האדם‬,‫את ההפך – להאציל‬
‫ דרש וסוד‬,‫ רמז‬,‫אם יש לנו קושיה על פשט התורה – ישנם שבעים פנים וארבעה רבדים – פשט‬ ‫ אך אל לנו לחשוב כי אולי אנחנו חכמים יותר ואולי‬,‫על מנת לבאר ולענות מתוך כבוד לתורה‬
."‫יותר נכון לומר "אלוקים ברא בראשית‬
‫ מתוך אמונת חכמים ואל לנו לחשוב שמתוך‬,‫הגישה שלנו לתורה צריכה להיות מתוך ענווה‬
‫ שינוי שכזה – הוא‬.‫הצורך להתייפות בעיני הגוים – צריכים אנו לשנות ולו פרט קטן בתורה‬
‫ שכן אם העולם כולו עומד בזכות התורה – הפיכת‬,‫הפתח לחורבן המקדש והחשכת העולם‬
.‫הסדר והכפפת התורה לעולם – זהו ראשית חורבנו‬
‫ יתוקן החטא הקדמון ויבנה בית מקדשנו במהרה‬,‫ שמתוך לימוד תורה בענווה ואמונה‬,‫יהי רצון‬
.‫בימינו‬
One of the tragedies that we fast about on Asara Be-Tevet is the translation of
the Torah into Greek. The Gemara relates that Talmai Ha-melech forced 72
Chachamim to independently translate the entire Torah. Miraculously, they all
provided identical translations, despite the fact that they incorporated 13 changes
from the original text in order to preclude the possibility that the Torah would be
misinterpreted or that Talmai would be offended.
Why should this be a reason to fast? What was so bad about this incident? In fact,
some poskim write that the miraculous Divine assistance that the Chachamim
merited in this story is proof that it is permitted to translate the Torah into other
languages! I heard the following idea from one of my rabbis: There is no inherent problem
with translating the Torah into Greek or any other language. In fact, translating the
Torah can be helpful in making it more accessible to as many people as possible.
75
The problem is when we are forced to translate the Torah, and to translate it to
someone else’s liking. The Chachamim merited a miracle which possibly saved
them from death, but the honor of Torah was greatly damaged.
There are many legitimate ways to interpret Torah, but the fundamental attitude
with which we approach Torah must be one of humility. Human beings should
not think that they know better, and tailor the Torah to match their sensitivities;
rather, they should tailor their own sensitivities to the values of the Torah, and
thereby allow the Torah to purify and uplift them. The Torah’s values stand on
their own merit and we have no need to alter them in order to look good in the
eyes of other people.
76
Vayechi
Ephraim and Menashe – What’s Their Deal?
Jonathan Tepp
I n this week’s parsha, we are told the famous story of Ephraim and Menashe
and Yaakov’s crisscrossing hands when he blessed them, putting his right hand on
Ephraim and his left hand on Menashe. One level of understanding this episode is
Rashi’s famous explanation, that Ephraim was destined to be the greater one because
Yehoshua was destined to come from him, whereas Menashe would produce Gideon,
who was one of the great Judges of Israel but who was not as great as Yehoshua (Rashi
to 48:19).
The Netziv, in his famous commentary Ha’amek Davar (48:14), asks why Yaakov
could not simply have switched around the boys and had Ephraim on his right and
Menashe on his left and thus would not have needed to crisscross his hands. Surely
crisscrossing his hands was unnecessary? The Netziv further points out that in Parshat
Bamidbar in the first census of the Jewish people in the desert, Ephraim appears first,
just like in our parsha (48:20); however, in Parshat Pinchas, in the second census of the
Jews in the desert, Menashe appears first!
The Netziv gives a very interesting answer. He says that Ephraim excelled at Torah
learning and spiritual matters, whereas Menashe excelled in the ways of the world
(“halichot olam”) by being actively involved in the world, such as involving himself
with the needs of the Jewish community. With this understanding, we can now
understand the censuses in Sefer Bamidbar. The first census was during the era when
the Mishkan was established and the Jewish people lived a supernatural existence, so
77
it made sense that Ephraim, who was great in Torah and spiritual matters, should
come first. The census in Parshat Pinchas was right before the Jews would enter
the Land of Israel where they would have to live a day-to-day existence without
miracles, so it made sense that Menashe should be listed first since he specialized
in day-to-day existence by being the “do-ers” and actively involving themselves
with the needs of the community and the world.
The Netziv also brings this understanding of Ephraim and Menashe back to the
crisscrossed b’racha of Yaakov. The head represents knowledge and spirituality,
so by Yaakov putting his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it symbolized Ephraim’s
superiority in Torah knowledge and spirituality. On the other hand, Yaakov
specifically wanted Menashe on his right side by his right leg, because the
leg symbolizes the halichot olam, the day-to-day involvement in the world by
involving oneself with the needs of the community and thereby making the world
a better place.
It is interesting that the Netziv (48:20) actually derives which of these praiseworthy
traits is more important according to the Torah; this would be Ephraim’s trait
of Torah and spirituality, because as the pasuk says, “‫וישם את אפרים לפני מנשה‬, ”
Yaakov put Ephraim before Menashe. This indicates that Torah and spirituality
come before being a “do-er”. Nonetheless, Ephraim and Menashe teach us that
both qualities are very important to possess, and thus both merited the b’racha
that Yaakov gave them. May it be Hashem’s will that we and our children possess
these noble qualities of Ephraim and Menashe, and will thus truly fulfill the
b’racha of ‫ישמך אלהים כאפרים וכמנשה‬.
78
Shemot
‫שנים מקרא ואחד תרגום‬
Rav Boaz Mori
In honor of Mr. Ephrayim Naiman’s 50th birthday
May you be zocheh to a long life filled with the kedusha of Torah and Ma’asim Tovim!
Ad Meah v’Esrim!
‫ ספר שמות‬affords us a new opportunity to re-dedicate ourselves to an age old Jewish
tradition of ”‫“שמו”ת‬, ‫שנים מקרא ואחד תרגום‬.
A number of commentators point out various remazim found in our first pasuk that
allude to the fulfillment of this important halacha. One example is: ”‫וחייב אדם ללמוד הפרשה שניים מקרא ואחד תרגום – “ואלה שמות‬
Rav Chaim Yosef David Azulai, known as the “Chida” adds the word ”‫“בני‬
.‫נגוניה יקראנה‬ ‫בטעמיה‬ ,‫תרגום‬ ‫ואחד‬ ‫מקרא‬ ‫שנים‬ ,‫הפרשה‬ ‫לקרא‬ ‫אדם‬ ‫וחייב‬ ,
The Ba’al HaTurim includes even more of the pasuk, ”‫“ואלה שמות בני ישראל‬:
‫מקרא ואחד תרגום בקול נעים ישיר יחיה שנים רבות ארוכים לעולם‬ ‫שנים‬ ,‫הדר‬ ‫לומד‬ ‫אשר‬ ‫ואדם‬
The source for this weekly obligation is found in Masechet Berachot 8(a,b):
‫אמר רב הונא בר יהודה אמר רבי אמי לעולם ישלים אדם פרשיותיו עם הצבור שנים‬
‫ ג) שכל המשלים פרשיותיו עם‬,‫מקרא ואחד תרגום ואפילו עטרות ודיבון (במדבר לב‬
.‫הצבור מאריכין לו ימיו ושנותיו‬
79
… a person should always complete his (own) parsha (learning)
together with the tzibbur reading the pesukim twice and the Targum
(Aramaic translation) once – even (the words) Atarot and Divon
(names of cities)… for anyone who completes the parsha with the
tzibbur ‘will merit a long life’.
The statement of the Gemara has two parts: a) The scope of the obligation and,
b) The reward for its fulfillment.
Regarding its scope – one must even include ‫!עטרות ודיבון‬ The mefarshim argue
why these two words were chosen: According to Rashi, even though there is no
Targum, one must read the words a third time in Hebrew. Tosefot argue that if Rashi is correct, the Gemara should have simply chosen
Reuven and Shimon as examples of words without a Targum. Rather, Atarot and
Divon were chosen since there is a lesser known Targum (Yerushlami) that exists
and should be used instead of our Targum. (In fact, it appears that in our version
of Onkelos, the Targum Yerushalmi has already been substituted…)
The Aruch Ha-Shulchan quotes Rabbeinu Bachya that the original names of
the cities are names of avoda zara. Therefore, we may have thought not to read
the Targum at all, so the Gemara tells us that, nevertheless, their translation must
be read as well.
The Torah Temima returns to the text of the Gemara and asks on everyone else –
why assume that the Gemara is focusing on the ’‫ ‘אחד תרגום‬of Atarot and Divon? The chiddush is that we need to do ’‫!‘שנים מקרא‬ The entire pasuk beginning
with the words ‫ עטרות ודיבון‬is not at all necessary to understand the flow of the
narrative, and therefore it must be taught that the pasuk is in included in ‫שמו”ת‬.
Regarding the Gemara’s ‘segula’ for a long life the Kaf HaChaim writes (265/4):
A person should not read ‫ שמו”ת‬in order to receive a long life. Rather, to fulfill a
mitzvah, read ‫ שמו”ת‬as it says
80
”‫”למען תהיה תורת ה’ בפיך‬, that the Torah should be in your mouth, and ‫“בפיך ובלבבך‬
“ ’‫ לעשותו וכו‬in your mouths and heart to do, and ”‫“ולמדה את בני ישראל שימה בפיהם‬,
teach it to Bnei Yisrael – place it in their mouths! Do this and Hashem will grant
you a long life in any event!
It is quoted in the name of Rav Mordechai Eliyahu that it is a mistake for bnei
Torah to belittle ‫ שמו”ת‬thinking that reading through the parsha is a waste of
valuable time that can be spent learning the depths of Torah. Firstly, it is an
obligation codified in the Rambam and Shulchan Aruch. And with regard to the
amount of time ‘wasted’, Chazal promise a long life in return…
Why, indeed, is the mitzvah of ”‫ “שמו”ת‬connected to the parsha of ‘‫?’שמות‬
Perhaps the secret lies in the eternal connection of the Jewish people to lashon
ha-kodesh. When Bnei Yisrael lived in Eretz Yisrael their spoken language was Hebrew. The beginning of Sefer Shemot marks a new era for the Nation of Israel away
from their homeland and immersed in a very different culture with a foreign
language… Chazal understood that the galut could threaten our eternal bond
with the language of our forefathers and therefore stressed that, in all places and
for all-time, to fulfill the weekly obligation of completing the parsha we must
read mikra twice and Targum only once, highlighting the importance of lashon
ha-kodesh!
Moshe Rabbeinu makes a dramatic return to Mitzraim with the words, ‫“פקד‬
”‫ פקדתי‬uttered in lashon ha-kodesh, revealing him as redeemer of Israel. In the
same vein, Chazal reveal to us that the Jewish people merited leaving Egypt
because we did not change our names, our dress or… our language.
81
Shemot
W h a t I t M e a n s To Grow Up
Yossi Kashnow
I n the second perek of ‫פרשת שמות‬, we read about the birth of Moshe Rabbeinu.
The Torah describes how Moshe was put into a basket in the river, how he was drawn
from the water by ‫’פרעה‬s daughter, and how he then became a prince of Egypt.
The Torah talks about Moshe being nursed by a Jew, and then being brought to ‫בת‬
‫פרעה‬. There the Torah says, ”‫( “ויגדל הילד‬2:10). In the next pasuk, The Torah goes on
to say, “‫”ויגדל משה‬, and Moshe grew up. This is the first time in the Torah where ‫ויגדל‬
is followed by a name. The previous two times, it talks about ‫’יצחק‬s bris, and then
when ‫ יצחק‬became rich and famous. Why wasn’t ‫’יצחק‬s name included in the phrase
and what did Moshe do that made the pasuk say ‫ויגדל משה‬, instead of ‫?הילד‬
When the Torah talks about ‫יצחק‬, it was not the work of ‫ יצחק‬that caused ”‫“ויגדל‬, it
was all the work of Hashem and Avraham. So what did Moshe do here that shows his
own work? The answer to this question becomes clear when one reads the rest of the
‫פסוק‬. The ‫ פסוק‬reads, ‫ויגדל משה‬, and Moshe grew up, ‫ויצא אל אחיו‬, and he went out to
his brothers, ‫וירא בסבלתם‬, and he saw their burden.
Moshe Rabbeinu, the prince of Egypt, who had no reason to get involved with the
Jewish slaves, left his world, the world of comfort that he enjoyed as a prince in ‫’פרעה‬s
82
palace. He went out to the fields, where the Jewish people were working as slaves,
and he identified with their burdens. He felt what they were feeling. And as the
‫ פסוק‬goes on to tell us, he immediately jumped into action to protect one of his
brothers.
From this explanation, we see what it really means to grow up. A child feels that
the whole world revolves around only him and no one else. A true sign of really
growing up is when one recognizes that they are not just an individual on a
remote island. We have to realize that each one of us is part of a great community.
‫כל ישראל עריבים זה לזה‬, all Jews are responsible for each other.
A boy once visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe together with his parents to get a bracha
before the boy’s upcoming bar mitzvah. After the Rebbe had blessed and advised
the boy and his parents, they were getting ready to leave when the Rebbe asked
the boy a very surprising question.
“Are you a sports fan?” asked the Rebbe.
“Yes,” answered the boy, “I am a baseball fan.”
“Tell me about baseball,” said the Rebbe. “Well,” responded the boy, “My father
and I went to a professional baseball game. It was great. But our team was
losing by a lot of runs late in the game, so we left before it was over.”
“Did the players leave as well?” asked the Rebbe.
The boy answered with a smile, “Of course not. The players would never leave
before the game is over. They always finish the game no matter what the score
is. If the players leave early, the team must forfeit the entire game.”
The boy continued, “We left because we are not players. We are fans and fans,
can leave whenever they want.”
“Interesting,” observed the Rebbe, “fans can leave, but players must stay.”
We can learn a very important lesson about Avodas Hashem from this story.
We can approach our G-d given mission in life, to make this world a dwelling
place for holiness, like a fan, or like a player.
If you approach it as a fan, then you give up and leave when the going gets tough.
83
But a player never gives up. A player knows that he can never quit, no matter how
bad he may feel he is doing.
By applying this baseball analogy, we could say that every Jew is a team member,
and has to give it their all. No one can leave the work undone. But there is one
major difference. In baseball, there is always one team that comes out a loser.
In Judaism, there are only winners.
84
Va’eira
A D i v i n e W edding
T he Gemara in Eruvin (54a) records a bit of sagely advice that Shmuel offered
to Rav Yehuda: “Chatof ve’ekhol, chatof ve’ishti d’alma d’azlinan minei kehilula dami.”
Quickly grab and eat, quickly grab and drink for the world we are departing is like a
wedding. The statement is curious and odd. What does it mean that “the world is like
a wedding”? Rashi explains that Shmuel was advising Rav Yehuda to enjoy this world.
Life goes by quickly like a wedding which can hastily pass you by. At weddings, before
you know it the smorgasbord is taken away, your plate is cleared, the dancing is over,
and you find yourself hard pressed to account for the past four to five hours of your
life. All you think about is, “How did I miss the carved meat station?” Some of us put
off sampling life’s bounties, we save for the rainy day but as a result we fail to enjoy
today’s sunshine… before we know it, it is too late. This is the lesson the Gemara
was imparting to us – that which the Torah permits us to enjoy ought to be received
willingly and gladly.
There is another explanation I once saw from Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm (based upon
a hasidic interpretation) that helps elucidate this obscure passage as well as shed much
light on our travels through life. He wrote:
85
At a wedding there is much going on: food is eaten, drink is
imbibed… there is dancing to music and camaraderie and posing
for photographers and admiring floral arrangements… a great deal
of motion and activity. All of it is enjoyable and exciting. However,
all of this is meaningful only if there is a groom and a bride and if he
says to her harai at mekudeshet li. If there should be no harai at, if
there should be no act of marriage, then all the rest makes no sense;
it is a matter of going through grotesque, empty emotions. Then the
guests have come in vain, the eating is gluttony, the comradeship
is irrelevant, the toasting is a meaningless gesture, the dancing is
weird. With the harai at everything makes sense; without it nothing
does.
So it is with life itself. It is filled with all kinds of diverse activities
of every description. We work, make money, spend it, socialize,
build families, join groups, experience joy and sadness. Does all
this make sense? Does it have any meaning? The answer is the world
is kehilula dami, like a wedding. If we are conscious throughout
all of these activities of the ultimate purpose, of the goal, then
that purpose unifies all our deeds and gives them meaning and
inspiration. Without that purpose, we merely go through motions
that are incoherent, dull, and utterly insignificant.
What is that ultimate purpose? Rav Shlomo Ephrayim of Prague, better know as
the Kli Yakar, explained that the fourth description of redemption (lashon geula),
“velakakhti etkhem li,” is the culmination and ultimate purpose of the three
previous descriptions of redemption.
With that statement of velekakhti God
made His intention known to the Jewish nation: “I am interested in marrying
you.” And, marry us He did. Much like when the groom says to the bride “harai
at mekudeshet li,” he betroths her, so too Hashem has betrothed the Jewish people
when he declared, “v’erastikh li le’olam (Hosea chap. II).” It is this wedding of God
and the Jewish people, an intensely close and loyal relationship that is realized
through talmud Torah and adherence to mitzvot, that suffuses life with its ultimate
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purpose. If that purpose, our engagement to God, dominates our psyche and is
paramount in our consciousness then all else fits into the picture of a meaningful
life. Without it, our life is like a wedding party without the groom and bride,
without the wedding - just a party. A life completely and utterly distorted.
Our pursuits, achievements, and accomplishments are meaningful and enduring
only if they are calibrated towards that ultimate purpose of dedication to Torah
and the engagement of God to the people of Israel. We are invited to partake in
and enjoy life’s legitimate pleasures but it will serve us well to remember that we
are at a wedding.
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Va’eira
T h r e e S teps
Yiriel Liss
T he Netivot Shalom quotes the Maharal (Gevurot Hashem 52) who teaches that in
taking us out of Mitzrayim thousands of years ago, Hashem was looking to the future.
He was eyeing each and every one of us; the ge’ula was not just for the generation
that Chazal say fell to the lowest level of tum’ah. Hashem did it for them, but for us
too. He did it for all of the people that He saw would be the future of Am Yisrael.
However, why did Hashem need to seemingly torture the Mitzrim so much? Why was
it necessary for all of the ten plagues; wouldn’t Makkat Bechorot have sufficed?
There’s a quote in the Haggada for Pesach in which Rabbi Yehuda breaks down the
plagues into categories : ‫ דצ”ך עד”ש באח”ב‬:‫רבי יהודה היה נותן להם סימנים‬. Why does Rabbi
Yehuda feel the need to put the makkot into categories? The Netivot Shalom explains
that there is an inherent significance to each and every one of the plagues, and that
there is also a reason for the categorization. There are three different aspects of life
that the makkot were affecting. One section of plagues affected the Egyptians from
beneath the ground (‫ כינים‬,‫ צפרדע‬,‫)דם‬, one on the ground’s surface (‫ שחין‬,‫ דבר‬,‫)ערוב‬, and
one affected the Egyptians from above the ground, from the heavens (,‫ חשך‬,‫ ארבה‬,‫ברד‬
‫)בכורות‬.
Hashem shows His might over all of the domains, to prove Pharaoh (who said ‫לא‬
’‫ )ידעתי את ה‬wrong. Pharaoh denies not only Hashem’s sovereignty over the world, but
he simply denies any existence of God. Therefore, the first makka of each category
comes to prove to the entire world that Hashem indeed exists. Regarding ‫דם‬, the first
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plague of the first set, Hashem says “‫( ”בזאת תדע כי אני ה‬7:17), that through this
plague, everyone will know who Hashem is. Through this plague, Hashem proves
His might over everything beneath the earth’s surface. Regarding ‫ ערוב‬, the first
plague in the second set, Hashem says, “‫( ”למען תדע כי אני ה’ בקרב הארץ‬8:18), that
through this plague Hashem will be proven to exist throughout the land. Hashem,
in this set of plagues, proves His might over everything upon this earth. Finally,
when the Torah speaks about ‫ברד‬, we see Hashem say, “‫בעבור תדע כי אין כמני בכל‬
‫( ”הארץ‬9:14), that not only does Hashem rule over the land, but there is no one
like Him anywhere. Throughout this final, severe, group of plagues, Hashem
shows His sovereignty over everything in the atmosphere, and high above.
In serving Hashem, we understand that there are three basic types of faith that
we can have in Him. There is the faith in the brain, where we think that it makes
sense, so we believe in God. There is faith in one’s heart, where we truly believe
that Hashem exists, regardless of anything that doesn’t make sense. The third
and highest level is where not only do you believe it in your heart, but you feel
it within each and every bone in your body. Your whole being resonates with
avodat Hashem, and living out the segula that is inherently inside of you through
serving God.
This is comparable to the three sets of plagues. One could have tried to explain
the first se as nature or as tricks of a great magician. Therefore, since the plagues
can be understood by the human brain, this would not convince anyone of God.
The second set, which started to make people feel that maybe God did exist, could
make them feel some fear in their hearts, but nothing that would make their
insides wither. However, the third and final set of plagues, convinced everyone
around that Hashem was the real deal, that He was the Almighty who rules over
everything.
After reaching the 49th level of tum’ah in Mitzrayim, through all of Hashem’s
miracles, Bnei Yisrael finally reached the highest level of faith in Hashem. They felt
it throughout their whole bodies, and this culminated in Yam Suf, and the Song
that the Jews sang to Hashem, proclaiming His greatness. They had actualized
their potential and became as close to God as they could get.
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When the Netziv finished his work called Ha’amek She’ala, he made a big siyyum
at which he told a story about himself as a young boy. The young Netziv wasn’t
learning so well, and one night he heard his parents speaking about what would
happen to him. His father said, “Maybe we should just take Naftali out of school,
and he will make himself a living.” Naftali burst into tears and ran down the steps,
saying, “Tatte! Tatte! I promise I’ll learn well.” Of course, the rest is history. Now,
if this had never happened, he would have been a great Jew. But when he went
to Shamayim, he would have been asked where about all of the sefarim that he
was supposed to write. He would have had no answer, and he would have been
confused. “What sefarim?” Hashem doesn’t hold us to the standard of being a
great person. He holds us to being the best person that we can be, and fulfilling
our potential to the ultimate. When we get to Shamayim, we will be asked if we
fulfilled our true potential. Without a moment’s hesitation, we should be able
to say yes. We should have lived our lives to the fullest, with the highest level of
emuna in Hashem.
May we be zocheh to reach this highest level of faith in Hashem, and not only
believe, but act upon our beliefs. May we act on the segula, the unbridled
potential, that is bursting forth from each one of us, and through this be worthy
of Mashiach, and ‫עם ישראל בארץ ישראל עם תורת ישראל‬.
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Bo
P y r a m i d S cheme
Rav Michael Cytrin
P arshat Bo presents the dramatic climax of the epic struggle between Moshe
and his arch-nemesis, Pharoah. We are first introduced to Moshe at the beginning
of Shemot, and week after week, as we learn the Chumash, we watch him grow from
infancy, to young adulthood as an “ish Mitzri” (Shemot 2:19) until he perfects himself
and becomes the prototype of an “eved Hashem” (see Devarim 34:5).
But who is Pharaoh? What motivates him to subjugate an entire nation?
Perhaps we can gain a clue into his essence if we better understand why the Egyptians
call their dictator by the name “Pharaoh.” What does this word mean?
When Moshe and Aharon first approach Pharaoh about releasing Am Yisrael from
bondage, Pharaoh says: “‫( ”למה משה ואהרן תפריעו את העם ממעשיו‬Shemot 5:4), “Why,
Moshe and Aharon, do you disturb the people from its work?” The word “tafriyu”
has the same consonants as the word “Pharaoh.” In explaining Pharaoh’s statement,
Rashi says: “...‫תבדילו ותרחיקו אותם ממלאכתם‬,” “You separate and distance them from
their labor.”
In other words, the root pei-reish-ayin means “to distance,” “to separate,” or “to push
far away.”
I would like to suggest that this encapsulates Pharaoh’s essence. In Egyptian society,
Pharaoh claimed that he was a god. Before the plague of turning the Nile into blood,
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Hashem tells Moshe to go at the beginning of the day to the Nile and speak to
Pharaoh. Why meet him there and not in the palace? Rashi (Shemot 7:15) tells us
that Pharaoh would go to the Nile in the morning to take care of his bodily needs
but wanted to conceal this fact from his subjects because “‫ה‬-‫עשה עצמו אלו‬,” he
portrayed himself as a deity.
The pyramid is an appropriate symbol of Egyptian society. Pharaoh is perched
at the pinnacle with a small layer of privileged aristocracy underneath him. And
the entire structure rests on the backs of the lowly masses, who in turn sit on
the lowest level of slaves. Imagine a slave engaging the mighty Pharaoh in civic
conversation—impossible to conceive! For Pharaoh, the masses of people were
his personal chattel, property to be used as he pleased and to be discarded when
no longer useful. All of Egyptian society was geared to ensuring the comfort and
pleasure of the Pharaoh and his family and those whom he favored. There is an
unbridgeable gap between Pharaoh and the subjects he rules. How appropriate
then, that Pharoah’s name means “distance” or “separation.”
Contrast this modality of tyrannical rule with the servant-leadership displayed
by Moshe. Rather than cynically using his position to rule others, Moshe made
the incredible claim that he never personally benefited from his role as leader: “‫לא‬
‫( ”חמור אחד מהם נשאתי‬Bamidbar 16:15), “I have not taken even a single donkey
from them!”
Moreover, Moshe saw his own destiny as being intimately tied to the future of
his people. When threatened with annihilation, Moshe not only courageously
defends them, he is willing to die to protect them! “’‫( ”ויחל משה את פני ה‬Shemot
32:11). The Gemara in Berachot 32b gives six different interpretations of this
phrase. One of them is Shmuel’s statement that “‫ שנאמר ואם‬,‫מסר עצמו למיתה עליהם‬
‫ – ”אין מחני נא מספרך‬Moshe was willing to die defending them, as the verse says: “if
not, then wipe me out from your book” (Shemot 32:32).
Significantly, Hashem also sees Moshe’s leadership as being intrinsically connected
with the destiny of Am Yisrael. When faced with the Chet Ha-egel, Hashem says
to Moshe— “‫“ – ”לך רד‬go and descend” (Shemot 32:7). The Gemara in Berachot
32a explains: Hashem said to Moshe: Descend from your position of leadership.
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
destruction and even give his life for them, was totally unheard of in the ancient
world. The norm then, and even today in many societies, is of a “Pharaoh” –
privileged, inaccessible and all-powerful.
May we merit to have leaders like Moshe Rabbeinu – selflessly dedicating
themselves to the betterment of their nation.
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Bo
P u r s u i n g P erfection
Nathan Franco
R av Kook writes that “He (Moshe) was worthy by his elevated nature, but he
added total completion…” (Ein Ayah, Berachot, chapter 1, note 144). What did Rav
Kook mean by “elevated nature”? In Shemot 2:2, it states that when Moshe was born,
his mother saw “ki tov hu,” that he was good. But what’s good? According to the
Gemara, Moshe was born circumcised which indicates that he was inherently perfect
(Sotah 12a). So if Moshe was born perfect and added total completion, the level he was
on is indescribable. He surpassed perfection. What was it that made Moshe so great?
Is it even possible to surpass perfection? What characteristics must one have in order
to be a “perfect” leader?
The most popular answer is Moshe’s humility. The Torah tells us “Ve-ha’ish Moshe
anav me’od” – “Now the man Moses was exceedingly humble” (Bamidbar 12:3). I
looked up the meaning of the word anav on my iPhone and found that it means both
“humble” and “Moses.” Apparently Moshe is the same as humility. It is well known
that Moshe was a man who never put himself above anyone else. His greatest attribute
was humility. But there must have been more than just that that made him so great.
When Bnei Yisrael were suffering, Moshe “observed their burdens” (Shemot 2:11). Rashi
explains that he didn’t just see them. Moshe grieved with them as well. God once
said, “I’m with him (Israel) in suffering” (Tehilim 91:15). So too, Moshe was with Bnei
Yisrael in their suffering. Moshe was the prince of Egypt, and therefore not affected by
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.
In my opinion though, the most important characteristic of a perfect leader is
his devotion and dedication. In Bamidbar, Bnei Yisrael complained to Moshe
about a consuming fire at the edge of the camp. As in the past, Moshe could’ve
given up and started over but the text says “va-yitpallel Moshe el Hashem”- Moses
prayed to Hashem (Bamidbar 11:2). A Gemara in Berachot (32a) explains that the
word “el” should be understood as “al”. “El” made sense so what’s the need for
a change? Rav Cytrin answered that “al” has a confrontational and challenging
connotation. It comes to teach us that Moshe was actually arguing with God. Rav
Cytrin further explained that the word is changed because Moshe is cementing
himself as a leader by standing up to Hashem to bat for Am Yisrael on the brink
of destruction.
In the aftermath of the Golden Calf as well, Moshe was willing to sacrifice himself
in order to save his people. In both cases Moshe went to great lengths to challenge
the wrath of God. Instead of rejecting his people and starting anew, which is the
easiest solution, Moshe was so dedicated to his nation that he had a special place
in his heart for them.
The qualities that made Mosh special were his humility, care, and devotion. When
Moshe insisted that Aharon be the leader, he demonstrated that he wouldn’t put
himself above anyone else. When Bnei Yisrael were suffering through slavery,
even though Moshe was considered an “ish Mitzri”- an Egyptian man (see Shemot
2:19), he still shared their pain. And often times it’s appealing to give up and start
over with a clean slate. But a good leader would do anything to save his people.
Moshe accepted the job to develop the nation, so as a whole, Bnei Yisrael could
grow in their spirituality and eventually come as close to Hashem as possible.
The simple lesson is to be like Moshe. But “We’re inherently flawed, so how can
there be perfection?” (Tiger Woods). “Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase
perfection we can catch excellence” (Vince Lombardi). How does one achieve that
excellence? Follow the characteristics of Moshe Rabbeinu.
Often times in Yeshiva we’ll have a situation when we’re doing very well and a
friend is struggling. We can learn from Moshe to not flaunt oneself because “no
95
degree of greatness transcends humility” (Akiva Tatz, Worldmask). We must feel
the friend’s pain and help him grow. These two characteristics, humility and care,
are essential to being a good Jew.
But most importantly, when we are thinking about our future, we must realize
what is most important in our lives. We are one nation and we must be devoted
members. Just as it was easy for Moshe to start with a clean slate, it’s easy for us
to spend the rest of our lives in chutz la-aretz, in luxury. But we must learn from
Moshe, and fight for our nation. My beracha is that we should all develop the
traits of Moshe Rabbeinu. Just as he brought Bnei Yisrael toward ge’ula in Eretz
Yisrael, we should follow in his footsteps; we should be willing to fight for our
nation and make Aliyah, and hopefully then can we bring Mashiach.
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Beshalach
The Story that Should Have, Could Have, but Wasn’t
Rav Mordechai Kaplan
A s we have all experienced in our lifetimes, despite our great efforts to plan the
perfect plan, often times, for one reason or another, we have to divert to “Plan B.” Although God is the Almighty and nothing stands in front of His will, God created
man who has free will to choose and make good decisions and bad decisions. Many
times throughout history, man has brought the world to God’s “Plan B.” Examples of
this are seen throughout the Tanach: for instance, the sin of Adam Ha-Rishon, the
Mabul, the sin of the Golden Calf, the sin of the spies, and the destruction of the two
Temples, just to name a few.
Another more discreet example of this is the events of Yetziat Mitzrayim. Based on
the teachings of Rav Menachem Leibtag we can reveal that the manner in which the
Jews were taken out of Mitzrayim was not God’s “Plan A” (keviachol); rather, due to
man’s free choice, God had to divert to “Plan B.”
Plan “A” is expressed in Parshat Va’era (6:5-8) where God says He will remember
the brit with Avraham and free the Jewish people in order that they will recognize
that “I am God.” Within these three pesukim of the “leshonot of Geula” we find “Ani
Hashem” mentioned three times, giving the clear message that Yetziat Mitzrayim will
occur in order to gain freedom and recognize the existence of God. Unfortunately, the
response of the Jewish people is, “‫ולא שמעו אל משה מקצר רוח ומעבודה קשה‬,” “they did
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
Hashem.”
This failure of Am Yisrael’s acknowledgement of God is also found in the Book of
Yechezkel. “And I told them … I am God. But they rebelled against me and they
did not want to listen to Me – for no one rid of himself from the detestable ways,
nor did anyone give up the fetishes of Egypt, and I resolved to pour out My anger
upon them” (20: 7-8). Hashem then continues and says, “I took them out and
brought them into the desert” (20:10).
The Midbar, which was never mentioned as part of the brit of Yetziat Mitzrayim,
becomes the new plan, “Plan B,” so that Hashem can teach the Jewish people the
message of “Ani Hashem” which they were not able to learn in Mitzrayim. The
first five events in the Midbar are all to convey the message of “Ani Hashem”:
(1) Kriyat Yam Suf – In order to break the slave mentality that prevented the
people from hearing the message of “Ani Hashem,” God needed to confront them
with a traumatic experience that would break the shackles of slavery from the
people. Kriyat Yam Suf was this event, and Moshe tells the people, “Do not fear,
stand upright, and watch God’s salvation … for the manner in which you see
Mitzrayim today – you will never see them again” (14:13).
(2) Mara – The Jews, after traveling for three days, do not have water. Moshe
screams out to Hashem and through the miracle of the tree sweetening the
water, Hashem captures the attention of the people: “Should you listen to the
voice of Hashem, your God, and do what is proper in His eyes, and listen to His
commandments … the afflictions that I placed on the Egyptians I will not put on
you, for I am God your healer” (15:26). (3) The Man – The people complain to Moshe over the lack of bread. Hashem
uses this as a lesson in dependence on God on a daily level: “Behold I will rain
down bread for you from the heavens, and the people shall go out to gather each
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
of the man as being “in order to teach that man does not live on bread alone,
rather, man lives by whatever God commands” (Devarim 8:3).
(4) Refidim – once again the Jewish nation runs out of water and the complaints
come piling in to Moshe. Moshe is told to go to Chorev and hit the rock that will
bring forth water. Am Yisrael are forced to travel from Refidim to Chorev, which
is the future site of Har Sinai and Matan Torah. Matan Torah becomes not only
the source for spiritual sustenance but the source of even the most basic physical
existence.
(5) The War with Amalek – The young, battered, tired nation is attacked by
the mighty nation of Amalek. Moshe Rabbeinu is commanded to ascend the
“hill” (according to Ibn Ezra this hill is Har Sinai) and to raise his hands. The
Jewish people learn from this: when they look up at the hands of Moshe they have
salvation and when they look down they are defeated (17:11). As the Gemara in
Rosh Hashana (29a) teaches, when we look up to God for salvation it will come,
but when we look to man for salvation there will not be salvation. This is the final
lesson in the Midbar regarding “Ani Hashem,” the lesson that we could not learn
in Mitzrayim itself.
We should all be zocheh to see through the smallness and shackles of slavery and
to obey and live with the message of “Ani Hashem!”
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Beshalach
I n s p i r a t i o n a n d Connection
Jeremy Halpern
T his week’s parsha marks the culmination of ‫יציאת מצרים‬, an escape from the
physical and spiritual oppression with which the Egyptians burdened us. After the
splitting of the sea, the Torah says, “‫( ”ויאמינו בה’ ובמשה עבדו‬14:31). After witnessing all
ten plagues, culminating in the extraordinarily theatrical splitting of the ‫ים סוף‬, Bnei
Yisrael “had faith in Hashem and in Moshe, His servant.” It seems that they now have
complete emunah in Hashem.
This being the case, a troubling question can be asked about Bnei Yisrael regarding
the events following the splitting of the sea. Why is it that after the splitting of the sea
there are a series of complaints that Bnei Yisrael make that seem to show a lack of
emunah? Just three days after leaving the ‫ים סוף‬, the people are already complaining
: “‫וילנו העם על משה לאמור מה נשתה‬, ” “The people complained against Moshe, saying,
‘What shall we drink?’” (15:24). Hashem responds by sweetening the water of Marah,
demonstrating that He is not forsaking Bnei Yisrael. A few pesukim later, when Bnei
Yisrael arrive at Midbar Sin, they feel threatened by hunger, and complain: “If only
we had died by the hand of Hashem in the land of Egypt, as we sat by the pot of meat,
when we ate bread to satiety, for you have taken us out to this wilderness to kill this
entire congregation by famine” (16:3). Hashem responds by providing them with the
Manna, another proof that not even the desert can hinder G-d’s infinite capacity to
provide for His children.
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Why do Bnei Yisrael have a sudden lack of emunah? Why do they keep on
complaining as Hashem keeps giving them what they need?
Rabbi Akiva Tatz (Living Inspired, pp. 21-28) talks about how the natural pathway
of all life experiences begins with inspiration and soon fades into disappointment.
Human consciousness and human senses are tuned to an initial burst of
sensitivity and then rapidly decay into dullness. In the events surrounding the
exodus from Egypt, the source for this idea becomes apparent. Bnei Yisrael was
at its lowest point in history during our slavery in Egypt. We had fallen to the
49th level of tumah, and were at the point of spiritual annihilation, when Hashem
miraculously uplifted us. At the splitting of the sea, the lowliest of the Jewish
people experienced more than the highest prophet subsequently. Once through
the sea, we now had 49 days until the receiving of the Torah, corresponding to
the 49 levels of tumah that Hashem had uplifted us from. Hashem elevated us
spiritually, although we did not deserve it, since we had not yet earned it. Once
we were saved, inspired, and had become aware of our higher reality, we were
required to earn our spiritual level genuinely.
Inspiration is a gift from Hashem, and unfortunately, it doesn’t last. The idea of
inspiration is that it gives us a glimpse and taste of what it could be like, but
then He takes it away. It is almost impossible to maintain inspiration and one
must fight back to the point of inspiration and permanently build it into one’s
character. When the first stage of inspiration fades, the challenge of the second
phase is to remember the first stage we experienced, remain inspired by that
memory, and use it as fuel for our constant growth. The Rambam describes life
as a dark, stormy, cold, and rainy night, where one is lost and faced with despair.
Suddenly, there is a flash of lightning and for a split second, it becomes clear as
day and one is able to see which direction to go. You can use the memory of that
flash of lightning as guidance and inspiration to help you on your way. That flash
of lightning or inspiration, is chesed from Hashem to help us, to remind ourselves
of our goals, and to show us the direction to take toward our destination.
Before we have earned our spiritual level, though, when Hashem raises us up to
higher levels that we have not worked for, there is no ground to stand on and we
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,
and Bnei Yisrael receiving prophetic abilities, one wonders how they could go
back to a low level again. The answer is that when Hashem just brings us up to a
high level that we have not earned, we can easily fall. We need to build up towards
it so we have something to stand on. Bnei Yisrael’s challenge in the desert was to
struggle through a difficult 49 days and to earn the right to finally stand at Har
Sinai, experience prophecy, and receive the Torah.
Life is full of spurts of inspiration, but unfortunately the truth is, it doesn’t last.
It is only there to remind us of what could be if we work for it. The ultimate goal
is a long lasting connection that far surpasses the mere spark of inspiration. We
are working toward the goal of a deep connection to ‫ הקדוש ברוך הוא‬that comes
through a connection to Torah and mitzvot.
My bracha for us all is to utilize the wonderful gift of inspiration, and achieve not
just a spark, but a connection with the everlasting light of Hashem.
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Mishpatim
A r e Y o u L i s tening?
Rav Daniel Hartstein
I n the beginning of our parsha (21:5-6) the Torah speaks of a Jewish slave who
does not want to leave his master after six years of working for him. The Torah allows
him to stay with his master for longer than the six years as long as the Beis Din pierces
his ear. There is significant information as to who this slave was. Our Rabbis teach us
that the slave under discussion was a thief and unable to repay what he had stolen, so
the Beis Din sentenced him to become a slave in order to make restitution. Rashi (21:6) questions the selection of the ear as the organ to be pierced in lieu of
other body parts that the Torah could have chosen. Chazal explain that since the ear
heard at Har Sinai ‘Do not steal’ and the person nevertheless stole, it is precisely the
ear that should be pieced. Why should the ear be ‘punished‘ in this instance and not the legs which ran to commit
the crime? What is the lesson the Torah is teaching us by using the ear? Furthermore,
why is the slave pierced only after he decides he wants to stay with his master and not
when he commits his transgression six years earlier? Has he not done teshuva for his
actions year earlier? The Talmud in Kiddushin 20-b (also quoted in Rashi, 21:6) provides another
explanation of why we pierce the slave’s ear. The Talmud elaborates that the slave who
heard at Har Sinai that we are only servants to Hashem and not to anyone else should
not want to stay a slave when he is given the choice to leave his physical master. Again
we must ask why this act of defiance warrants such a harsh reminder whereas we do
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not find this by other transgressions.
Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank zt”l explains that when one listens to the word of Hashem,
it should permeate one’s entire body. This type of inspiration only happens when
one listens properly. If it is a cursory listening it will literally go in one ear and
out the other. The piercing of this slave’s ear is a constant reminder that the word
of Hashem did not pervade his entire being and all of his organs. In order to be a
true servant of Hashem we must listen to the entire Torah and do the mitzvos with
all of our organs as a true slave who listens to His master out of love, knowing that
this will only deepen his relationship with his Master.
Rav Asher Weiss shlit”a explains that after six years this former thief should
be rehabilitated and should want to return to serving Hashem in the proper
way. However, the slave has become complacent with his living conditions and
does not want to grow both spiritually and physically and therefore he must be
reminded that this is not the ideal. Rav Asher further points out that the slave uses
the language, “I love my master.” It is this love that should have been channeled
towards loving Hashem and wanting to be solely a servant to Him and His Torah!
This is precisely the reason that the Torah admonishes this slave and castigates
him with a reminder to the same ear that heard on Har Sinai to love only Hashem
as your Master and no other being. This slave has clearly not been rehabilitated
and has not learned from his mistakes. We can also understand why the piercing
is done after six year and not when he commits his original sin. The Beis Din and
Klal Yisrael had high hopes that the slave would learn his lesson and not want
to serve another human being. We should take this lesson to heart and serve
Hashem out of love, knowing that we are His servants and that by following the
Torah we can become closer to our Master. May we reach this closeness soon in
our days!
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Mishpatim
Co m m a n d m e n t s a nd Mishpatim
Akiva Maresky
”‫“ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם‬
This week’s parsha teaches us all about the ‫ – משפטים‬the laws governing interpersonal
relationships. This comes right after last week’s parsha, which ends with the Ten
Commandments. Rashi (21:1) teaches that the word “‫ ”ואלה‬comes to add on to what
was mentioned previously. Just like the Ten Commandments were given at Har Sinai,
so too were the ‫משפטים‬. But the Chizkuni has a problem with this. In ‫( פרשת בהר‬Vayikra
25:1), Rashi tells us that all of the commandments were given at Har Sinai. If so, what
is so special about the ‫?! משפטים‬
When children are first introduced to Talmud Study, there is a minhag to teach them
the laws of damages, monetary issues, slaves etc; all that is taught in this week’s parsha.
Rav Yisrael Salanter zt’l, whose yartzheit is ‫ערב שבת פרשת משפטים‬, gives an explanation
why this is done. He explains that these laws are not instinctively ingrained in the
human conscience, and it is therefore necessary to teach them to children at a young
age, before they become accustomed to other modes of thought.
The Ramban teaches that the ‫ משפטים‬come to elaborate on the Ten Commandments.
We now know the commandments, but we would not know how to apply them
without the ‫משפטים‬. The Ramban explains that ‫ ואלה המשפטים‬corresponds to the last
commandment; “‫( ”לא תחמוד‬thou shall not covet). If one does not know the laws of
possessions or fields, he will surely covet them and think that he could just take them.
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So therefore the ‫ משפטים‬come to safeguard us from breaking the commandment
of not to covet that which does not belong to us.
At the start of the parsha (21:1-6), we also learn the laws of a Jewish slave who
works for six years. If at the end of his term he wishes to remain a servant to his
master, he must go through the process in which his master pierces his ear at the
door. In ‫ פרשת ראה‬it says that the reason a slave would ever want to stay a slave
is “‫כי טוב לו עמך‬,” “because it has been good for him with you” (Devarim 15:16).
What does this mean that it has been good for the slave with his master? The
Talmud (Kidushin 22a) answers that from the word “‫( ”עמך‬with you) we learn
the laws of how to treat a Jewish slave. It teaches that if one eats good bread, his
slave should also eat good bread. If one has good wine, so should his slave. It
even goes to the extent that if there is a case, for example, in which the master
only has one pillow for himself and his slave, it must go to his slave! This is why
is the Talmud goes on to say that anyone who buys a Jewish servant has virtually
bought a master for himself!
This unbelievable law is just one the many ‫ משפטים‬that teach us how to act with
one another. However, one would not instinctively treat his slave in this manner
and one would not know how to deal with everyday cases of ‫בין אדם לחבירו‬
without the ‫משפטים‬.This is why, Rav Yisrael Salanter explains, we make a point
to introduce the laws of ‫ פרשת משפטים‬to children as early as possible, so that
these laws and values will be in our blood as we grow up. We should grow up
with a strong sense of ‫ בין אדם לחבירו‬, and this is why the ‫ משפטים‬are taught right
after the Ten Commandments. Similarly it is taught in the Talmud (Bava Kama
30a), “One who wishes to be a chasid (devout), should fulfill the words of Nezikin
(the tractates dealing with the laws that are taught in Mishpatim).” God willing
through this parsha, we should all grow in becoming true Chasidim.
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Teruma
T e r u m a – J o i n Our Staff(s)!
T he construction of the Mishkan begins with its most prominent feature: the aron
ha-eidut. The aron ha-eidut was unique in many ways, one of which is the following
injunction: “In the rings the staves shall remain and they shall not be removed from
it.” This pasuk is mentioned in Masechet Makkot (22a) as a full-fledged lav, and is
listed by the Rambam in his Sefer Hamitzvot under lo-ta’asei #86. Why did Hashem
want the staves to remain attached to the aron ha-eidut at all times? Were they not for
the practical purpose of carrying the aron ha-eidut when the Jewish People traveled?
And why do we not find a similar prohibition for the staves of the two altars and the
table for the lechem ha-panim?
R. Yehuda Nachshoni cites the Midrash Lekach Tov (quoted in Torah Sheleima), which
explains that the staves symbolize those who support the study and teaching of Torah.
The Torah Sheleima also quotes Rav Yosef bar Yosef Nechemias, who explains that
those who support the Torah steadfastly in this world will be in the same place in the
Next World as those they supported, and will not depart from them forever. The Tzror
Ha-mor similarly states that the lesson of the staves is that those who support Torah
study safeguard and maintain the Torah like those who actually study it. That is why
Hashem commands that we build the aron ha-eidut with the word “ve-asu,” meaning
you – in the plural – shall build it, whereas by the other elements of the Mishkan He
says “ve-asita” – in the singular. Safeguarding the Torah and passing it on to the next
generation is a mission of all of Am Yisrael, both those who teach it and those who
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support the teachers and their yeshivot.
One of the teachers of the Chatam Sofer, Rav Pinchas Horowitz, writes in the
introduction to his Sefer Hafla’ah, that as much as those who donate money
support the study of Torah, their recipients support the donors through the merit
of their Torah study. This is learned from the midrash that explains that while the
staves were there to carry the aron ha-eidut, in actuality – “Ha-aron nosei et nosav”
– the aron carried those who came to carry it. The Chofetz Chaim writes that the
staves, once they were inserted in their rings, became sanctified and consecrated
by the holiness of the aron to the point that they became considered a part of the
aron itself! So too is it with those who learn Torah and their supporters.
Let us remember that every Jew has an obligation to learn Torah and cannot
exempt himself through supporting others. At the same time, we all have an
obligation to support Torah, even those who are in kollel. May Hashem bless each
of us to be active participants both in the study and support of our holy Torah.
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Teruma
T h e P o l e s o f the Aron
Asriel Agronin
T he Torah says in this week’s parsha (Shemot 25:13-15):
‫ והבאת את הבדים בטבעות על צלעת הארן‬.‫ועשית בדי עצי שטים וצפית אתם זהב‬
.‫ בטבעות הארון יהיו הבדים לא יסורו ממנו‬.‫לשאת את הארן בהם‬
You shall make staves of shitim wood and cover them with gold; and
insert the staves into the rings on the sides of the aron; the staves shall
remain in the rings of the aron; they shall not be removed from it.
What is the importance of the ‫( בדים‬poles) to the aron? Why is it forbidden to remove
the ‫ בדים‬from the aron? One might have thought that when the aron is not being
carried, the poles can be removed; but Rashi (25:15) says that you cannot remove
them forever. This is so important that the ‫ גמרא‬in ‫( מסכת יומא‬72a) states “‫והמסיר‬
‫בדי ארון – לוקה‬,” one who removes the ‫ בדים‬from the rings gets lashes. Why is it so
important that the poles not be removed when the aron was not being transported?
It seems that the ‫ בדים‬were not just there in order to carry the aron. In fact, the kohanim
did not really even need to carry the aron at all! The ‫ גמרא‬in ‫ מסכת סוטה‬quotes Sefer
Yehoshua (4:11-18) about this. It says that when the Jews were crossing the Jordan
River the aron and the kohanim carrying the aron ended up on the opposite side
of the river than that of the entire nation. At this point, the river had gone back to
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normal. The ‫ גמרא‬asks how the aron got to the other side of the river. It answers
“‫ ”נשא ארון את נושאיו ועבר‬- the aron carried the kohanim across the Jordan River.”
From here, one can see that the ‫ בדים‬are obviously not for the transportation of
the aron.
If the ‫ בדים‬are not for the transportation of the aron, what are they used for and
why must they remain in place? In ‫( מלכים א‬8:8) it says, “‫אׁשי‬
ֵ ‫וּיַ ֲא ִרכּו ַה ַּב ִּדים וַ ּיֵ ָראּו ָר‬
‫חּוצה וַ ּיִ ְהיּו ָׁשם ַעד ַהּיֹום ַהּזֶ ה‬
ָ ‫ה ַּב ִּדים ִמן ַהּק ֶֹדׁש ַעל ְּפנֵ י ַה ְּד ִביר וְ ֹלא יֵ ָראּו ַה‬.”
ַ
“The poles of the aron projected so that the ends of the poles were visible in the
sanctuary in front of the holy (place), but they could not be seen outside; and they
remain there until this day.” The ‫ בדים‬stuck out of the “holy (place)” but were still
covered by the curtain. This was the sole visible evidence to the nation that the
aron remained behind the curtain.
Rav Hirsch adds his own explanation of the importance of the ‫בדים‬. He says that
the ‫ בדים‬testify that the ‫ תורה‬is not bound or dependant on any particular place.
From this, one learns that wherever Jews go, ‫ תורה‬goes with, since the means of
its transport are always attached.
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Tetzaveh
P l a c e m e n t a n d Purpose
Rav Michael Siev
P arshat Tetzaveh concludes with the command the build the mizbach ha-ketoret,
the mizbe’ach upon which the ketoret (incense) was to be offered each day in the
mishkan. The placement of this command seems quite surprising. The Torah has
already recorded the commands to build the other keilim of the mishkan in Parshat
Teruma; why does it wait until the end of Tetzaveh to command the construction of
the mizbach ha-ketoret?
Upon closer examination of the structure of Parshiot Teruma and Tetzaveh, the
parshiot that record Hashem’s commands regarding the building of the mishkan,
our confusion only intensifies. The commands begin with the aron and kapporet,
continues with the shulchan and menorah, and moves on to the physical structure of
the mishkan itself. This is followed by the mizbach ha-olah, the mizbe’ach upon which
the korbanot were offered, and the command to construct the courtyard around the
mishkan. The commands follow a clear order; they start from the kodesh ha-kodashim
(the aron and kapporet), continue with the keilim of the mishkan itself (the shulchan
and menorah) and move on to the structure of the mishkan; the parsha then concludes
with the mizbach ha-olah, which was in the courtyard, and the construction of the
fence around the courtyard. There is a clear progression from the innermost keilim
to the outermost reaches of the mishkan compound. And yet, the Torah skips the
mizbach ha-ketoret, which was located in the mishkan itself. Only after detailing the
clothing of the kohanim, their consecration ceremony and the mitzva of korban tamid
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does the Torah return to command the construction of the mizbach ha-olah. The
placement of this command just does not seem to fit!
It is interesting to note that the actual construction of the mishkan and its vessels,
described in Parshiot Vayakhel and Pekudei, did not follow the order in which
the commands to build them were given. The physical structure of the mishkan
was built before the keilim, such that there would be a place for the keilim to go
immediately upon their construction (see Rashi to Parshat Pekudei, 38:22). But
if that was Hashem’s intent, why did He command the stages of construction in
a different order?
It seems likely that the commands to build the mishkan and its keilim were given
in a particular order so as to communicate the purpose and function of those
items. The Ramban (introduction to Parshat Teruma), for example, famously
writes that the purpose of the mishkan was to serve as a center for hashra’at haShechina, for Hashem’s Presence to dwell in the midst of the Jewish people. It is
for this reason that the aron and kapporet were commanded first, since Hashem
actually rested His Presence above the kapporet (see Parshat Teruma, 25:22).
With this in mind, we can return to our original question, the placement of
the command to construct the mizbach ha-ketoret. The mizbach ha-ketoret was
actually built right after the shulchan and menorah, as we would have expected
(see Parshat Vayakhel, 37:24-29). It is just the command to build it that was delayed
until after the commands to build the rest of the mishkan and to inaugurate
the kohanim. Perhaps this indicates that the mizbach ha-ketoret was meant to
function in a different way than the other keilim of the mishkan.
What was the unique function of the mizbach ha-ketoret and the ketoret service
itself and why should that function necessitate delaying the command to build
this mizbe’ach? Various approaches to this question have been suggested by the
commentators.1 Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch (30:1) explains that the commands
regarding the ketoret and its mizbe’ach were delayed until the end because they
1. See Rav Elchanan Samet’s article, available online at http://www.vbm-torah.org/parsha.60/20tetzav.htm. Rav
Samet summarizes three distinct approaches and presents his own fascinating suggestion as to the function
of the ketoret. The approach we will mention here is related to one of the approaches cited in this article, but
developed a bit differently.
112
represent the ultimate fulfillment of the aims of the mishkan (or mikdash) and the
avoda that was done there. This can be understood by contrasting the mizbach
ha-ketoret to the mizbach ha’ola.
The korbanot offered on the mizbach ha-ola represent the physical world, and the
avoda done to them is meant to signify the actions that one can and must take in
order to tame the physical world and channel it toward spiritual accomplishment.
The end goal, however, is that the physical world becomes so suffused with
spirituality that it itself becomes holy, and no special efforts are needed to channel
it toward spirituality. This is signified by the ketoret. The ketoret does not have any
of the attendant avodot that are done to a korban. It is simply offered directly on
the mizbe’ach because it is already pure. Similarly, its mizbe’ach is made from pure
gold rather than the copper, symbolizing the most refined aspects of the physical
world.
With this in mind, we can answer our original question. The mizbach ha-ketoret
is mentioned last because all of the avoda performed by the kohanim in the
mishkan is meant to lead to that which symbolized by the ketoret; a physical,
this-worldly life that is completely saturated with holiness.
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Tetzaveh
A h a r o n t h e K o hen Gadol
Aaron Schechter
I n this week’s parsha, Hashem tells Moshe to appoint Aharon, his older brother,
as the kohen gadol. I will now focus on the question: Why did Hashem choose Aharon
to serve as the kohen gadol?
The Or Hachaim (28:1), based on Shemot Rabba (3:17), writes that Hashem’s original
plan was to appoint Moshe Rabbeinu as the kohen gadol. But, because Moshe Rabbeinu
repeatedly refused to accept the role of leading the Jewish people, Hashem decided to
pick Aharon, his brother, to become the kohen gadol instead of Moshe Rabbeinu. To
top it all off, Moshe Rabbeinu had to appoint Aharon himself, so it would not seem
like Moshe Rabbeinu was upset at Aharon for becoming the kohen gadol instead of
him.
Aharon was willing to do what Hashem wanted no matter what it was. It was because
of this trait of ahavat Hashem, listening to Hashem and doing everything He said
without protest, that Aharon merited to become the kohen gadol. Appointing Aharon
was an instrumental part of Moshe Rabbeinu’s tikkun for originally refusing to become
the leader of the Jewish people. The tikkun was accepting what Hashem wanted by
appointing the the kohen gadol Hashem wanted.
The Or Hachaim explains further: when man opposes Hashem, one of the branches
from his soul becomes detached from its holy root. When Hashem asked Moshe
Rabbeinu to lead Bnei Yisrael, Moshe Rabbeinu repeatedly refused to lead for various
114
reasons. Since Moshe Rabbeinu opposed what Hashem said, one of the branches
from Moshe Rabbeinu’s soul became detached from its holy root. So when the
pasuk says “Ve-ata hakreiv eilecha” (Tetzaveh 28:1), we can understand it as “and
you shall bring the ‘estranged’ part of your soul close to me.”
I will now tell a story that exemplifies this midda of ahavat Hashem (based on
Touched by a Story 2, by Rabbi Yechiel Spero, “A Bris and a Dream”):
Among the many reasons doctors see patients; there is one particular cause that
brings Dr. Jakabovits (physician and certified mohel) much happiness: that is the
privilege of performing a brit mila (circumcision) on older Russian teenagers and
adults.
These Jews, who have come from far away both in terms of their physical as
well as religious journeys, often find their way to D. Jakabovits’s office. On one
typical mundane morning, Vladimir Voshofsky, a lively 12 year old boy with an
infectious smile, strolled into the office with his parents. They had been referred
to Dr. Jakabovits for Vladimir’s brit mila, which is much more complicated on a
12 year old than on an 8 day old.
Vladimir was so excited that his mother could hardly control him. “Are you also
going to give me a name at the bris?” Asked Vladimir. Dr. Jakabovits confirmed
that Vladimir would be given a Jewish name at the bris. Vladimir smiled and
asked if some people are given two names at a bris, the thrill and expectation
present in his voice. Although he was somewhat confused as to what exactly
Vladimir meant, Dr. Jakabovits assured him that it was an accepted custom to
give two names as well. This time Vladimir giggled in glee. Dr. Jakabovits heard
the laugh, but was unable to understand why exactly Vladimir, a novice at his
religion, would be so overjoyed about the fact that he could have two names.
“I know what I want my name to be.” Vladimir’s declaration caused both his
mother to sit forward attentively and Dr. Jakabovits to stop what he was doing
that second and wait to find out what this boy meant. “Really? What names have
you chosen?” For the first time since he had walked in, Vladimir had an air of
seriousness and maturity about him. “I want to be named – Moshe Rabbeinu.”
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Dr. Jakabovits was stunned. This boy knew almost nothing about Torah and
Judaism. But he did know one thing - that he aspired to be just like the great
leader of the Jewish people.
And who would dare tell him that he couldn’t?
It’s about what is going on in the lev. Aharon was happy to accept that Hashem
chose Moshe Rabbeinu (his little brother) to lead the Jewish nation. After finally
convincing Moshe to accept the leadership of the Jewish people, Hashem informs
him that Aharon would be going out to meet Moshe, “ve-ra’acha ve-samach belibo” – “and he will see you (Moshe) and he will rejoice in his heart.” It says in
Shemot Rabba (3:17) that the same heart that was glad with Moshe’s greatness will
wear the urim ve-tumim.
From this we can truly see that when you accept everything that Hashem says in
your heart, only good things will come from it.
116
Ki Tisa
S h a t t e r e d F r agments
Rav Asher Friedman
W hat happened to the first luchot ha-brit, the tablets fashioned by God and
smashed by Moshe? One would expect that, like any unusable holy object, they would
be buried honorably. But Rashi in Bamidbar (10:33,35) and Devarim (10:1) paints a
far more complex picture. He claims that two separate ‘aronot ha-brit’ travelled with
Am Yisrael in the desert. One, crafted of wood by Moshe, contained within it the
shattered fragments of the first luchot. According to Rashi, this aron traveled three
days’ journey ahead of Am Yisrael, clearing a path for their journey. The other aron,
constructed of gold by Betzalel, contained within it the Sefer Torah and the luchot
shniyot, and traveled at the center of the camp, with the other components of the
mishkan.
What was the point of carrying around the powdered remains of the first luchot?
Aside from their practical uselessness, they were a reminder of the lowest point in
Am Yisrael’s relationship with God. What could be gained by retaining a memento of
that horrible time? And if there was a value in preserving the first luchot, why did the
two sets of luchot travel separately?
To understand the role of the two aronot, let’s take a close look at Moshe’s negotiations
with God after the sin of the golden calf. We’ll see that there are two distinct stages
to the negotiations, each of which has lasting significance to our relationship with
Hashem, and each of which clearly corresponds to one of the sets of luchot.
117
Immediately after hearing of the chet ha-eigel, Moshe begins to plead with God.
He offers a number of arguments: a) It is the nation that You took out of Mitzrayim – Hashem has already
invested too much in the nation to abandon it now.
b) It will undo the moral message that yetziat mitzrayim has revealed to the
world. Instead of Redeemer of the oppressed, You will be viewed as a sadistic
murderer in the eyes of the world.
c) You promised Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov to give them countless
descendents and inheritance of Eretz Yisrael.
God doesn’t respond to the first two arguments. After the third, He immediately
relents and agrees not to destroy the nation. Apparently, Hashem’s promise to the
avot was Moshe’s only successful negotiating point.
One would expect that from this point, the story of the chet ha-eigel would be
fundamentally over: “Wow, that was close! God almost decided to wipe us out!
Good thing we have His promise to the avot to save us.” But the story is far from
over – it seems that Moshe’s work has only just begun:
On the next day, Moshe said to the nation, “You have sinned greatly. Now I will go
up to Hashem. Perhaps I will be able to atone for your sin.” (32:30)
Perhaps? Hasn’t God already relented? What is Moshe unsure of? What does he
intend to accomplish in this second conversation that he did not attain already?
Clearly, Moshe is anxious, for he expresses his uncertainty to God: “If You will
tolerate their sin…” (32:32)
God responds in a way that on surface seems to be meant to reassure – He says to
Moshe – “Go. Arise from here, you and the nation… to the land that I promised
to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov…”(33:1). God reaffirms His commitment
to the avot, and tells Moshe that the time has come to fulfill the promise. This
sounds like a wonderful turn of events.
But the nation views this as a tragedy: “The nation heard this horrible thing, and
they mourned” (33:4). What was so horrible about God’s intention to fulfill His
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contract with the avot?
While God will fulfill His contractual obligation, He makes it clear that He has no
intention of maintaining His relationship with Am Yisrael. “My angel will travel
before you…” (32:34), “I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the
Canaanite… but I will not travel in your midst, for you are a stubborn nation –
lest I destroy you on the way.” (33:2-3)
It is this that causes the nation to mourn. They realize that God will not back out
of his contract with the avot, but He will fulfill His technical obligations and no
more. He will ensure that Am Yisrael arrives safely in Eretz Yisrael and that we
prosper there, but that’s all. No more relationship.
Moshe then challenges God: “You have told me to bring this nation [to Canaan]
but You haven’t told me whom You will send with me…” (33:12). Fascinatingly,
Moshe refuses to accept God’s last declaration. Hashem had said clearly, “My angel
will travel before you…” and Moshe acts as if those words had been struck from
the record. God agrees to this new challenge: “My Presence will travel…”(33:14).
Moshe reiterates his challenge: “If Your Presence will not travel, do not cause us
to travel from here” (33:15).
We must reflect on the intensity of Moshe’s challenge: He knows that God is, as
it were, in a bind. He is committed to fulfilling his contractual obligations to the
avot, so He must lead Am Yisrael to Eretz Yisrael. But He wants nothing more
to do with them. But Moshe now insists that they will not leave Har Sinai, and
therefore will not cooperate in fulfilling Hashem’s promise to the avot, unless He
agrees to return to their relationship. It is this ultimatum that Hashem concedes
to, and that facilitates the reconciliation. It is this return to relationship that is
symbolized, according to Rashi, in the building of the mishkan.
The result of Moshe’s challenge is that God’s relationship to Am Yisrael rests
on two separate covenants – a) brit avot—His irrevocable promise to Avraham,
Yitzchak, and Yaakov that we would be numerous and inherit Eretz Yisrael
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And, b) A new commitment that Hashem will not permanently remove His
Shechina from our midst --- that our relationship will be, while at times rocky,
ultimately everlasting.
With this insight into Moshe’s negotiations with Hashem, we can understand
the role of the two aronot. The golden aron (containing the luchot shniyot) that
traveled at the center of the camp represented the presence of Hashem in our
midst – a commitment to our spiritual destiny. The wooden aron (containing
the shivrei luchot) that cleared a path ahead of the camp represented God’s brit
with the avot – a commitment to our physical success.
In our own lives, we tend to swing from one form of relationship with Hashem
to another. At times, we feel the warm, nurturing embrace of Hashem’s
closeness. And at times we feel distance and yearning for Hashem from afar.
Both of these modes of spirituality have their roots in the two aronot and the
two stages in Moshe’s negotiations with Hashem.
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Ki Tisa
L u c h o t a n d L eadership
Jonathan Green
O ne of the defining moments in the leadership of Moshe can be found in this
week’s parasha: the event of the eigel ha-zahav and the shattering of the Luchot. As
Moshe went up the mountain to speak with Hashem, he left his brother Aharon to
tend to the nation. However, the people became distraught without their leader and
on Moshe’s descent he was hit hard with an all-too clear visual: a nationwide betrayal
of Hashem in the creation and worship of the eigel ha-zahav. In response, Moshe
smashed the Luchot, having seemingly succumbed to his uncontrolled emotions. Yet,
there are some crucial questions to ask about this event: had Moshe acted rashly, or
was he in full control of his actions? Perhaps this depends on how one might judge the
severity of the Jewish nation’s sin. Furthermore, how does his behavior reflect upon
his leadership?
Moshe faced a mob-scene at his descent. And in some respects, who could blame
the people, for they thought Moshe was dead! Nonetheless, Bnei Yisrael broke a
fundamental rule against worshipping idols; so could Moshe have just slapped them
on the wrist? Interestingly, there were times when Hashem did get angry with Moshe
but this was not one of them. One could suggest that Hashem did reprimand Moshe
by requiring him to carve out a new set of Tablets. However the Gemara in several
mashechtot (such as Shabbat 87a) quotes a midrash that Hashem said to Moshe,
“yeshar koach!” after the smashing of the tablets, clearly implying that Moshe was
right in his actions.
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R’ Yehuda Ha-Levi in The Kuzari, and the Ramban, in separate yet similar
accounts, both seem to try to justify Bnei Yisrael’s actions. The Rabbi is quoted
as saying in the Kuzari, “The severity of their sin was magnified because of their
greatness” (Essay 1, 93). He goes on to explain that the golden calf was, in their
minds, their means of retaining some intermediary physical “connection.” It was
not a replacement for God but a temporary substitute for Moshe, and in that way
the nation was just, for they believed, like other nations at the time, that “divinity
attaches itself to the image, and that it is unique in some supernatural way. Some
would attribute this uniqueness directly to God” (Essay 1, 97:1). Ramban offers
an explanation along the same lines in his commentary to this week’s parasha
(32:1).
Based on both of these sources, it may be concluded that Moshe’s actions were
extreme. He should have been more understanding and realized that Bnei Yisrael
still fully recognized Hashem and accepted His authority and the important role
of Moshe himself; after all, it is only for these reasons that they did not interfere
when Moshe proceeded to burn the idol they created (Ramban, 32:1).
Another unique interpretation of the pesukim can be seen in the Rambam‘s Moreh
Nevuchim (The Guide to the Perplexed). He says that when a leader is mad at his
people, he should behave like a parent to his child. A parent should not actually
become angry, but should display himself as angry. Otherwise, the parent would
be out of control. Thus, perhaps Moshe was deliberate in his smashing of the
tablets. He appeared angrier than he really was, in order to make an impression on
the nation. He was not genuinely infuriated; rather, “his anger flared up” (32:20)
as seen from the perspective of Bnei Yisrael. Moshe saw that he could be a human
mirror for the nation. The Luchot in a sense had already been broken through
cheit ha-eigel, and he merely reenacted and dramatized that which the nation
itself had already done. This approach seems to allow more room to recognize
the severity of the Jewish nation’s actions, and to arrive at a deeper understanding
of Moshe as a leader. It would have been naïve to think that he could have dealt
with them otherwise; they were not a nation of philosophers that he could have
rationalized with. Also, Aharon who was left with the nation is a man described
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
acted in his natural role as Israel’s av beit din, emphasizing the harsher need for
justice in order to appropriately balance Aharon‘s milder approach to the nation.
Of course, it is essential to strike the appropriate balance between pursuing
peace, and acting with courage and righteousness. Yet there are times when one
approach is more effective than the other, and as this parashah shows, Moshe’s
leadership was such that he seemed to understand exactly what was needed at
this crucial turning point in the history of the nation.
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Vayakhel
T i m e a n d Space
Rav Michael Siev
A fter B’nei Yisrael demonstrate an overwhelming response to Moshe’s call for
contributions to the mishkan, Moshe sends word that people should refrain from
making any further donations. Interestingly, the Gemara in Shabbat (96b) considers
this pasuk (36:6) an allusion to the melacha of hotza’ah, carrying an object from one
type of domain to another on Shabbat. According to this Gemara, it seems as though
our parsha is the source for the melacha of hotza’ah.
However, as Rav Ya’akov Kamenetsky (Emet Le-Ya’akov, 36:6) notes, this is quite
difficult to understand. B’nei Yisrael have already been commanded to keep Shabbat
by refraining from melacha. This command was issued as part of the Aseret Hadibrot, and the Gemara (Sanhedrin 56b) says that it even preceded Matan Torah;
when Hashem gave us “chok u-mishpat” at Mara, one of those mitzvot was Shabbat
(see Shemot 15:25 with Rashi). Why wouldn’t hotza’ah be included in the original
command to keep Shabbat?
Rav Ya’akov explains that the gradual introduction of the laws of Shabbat were part
of a gradual process of educating the Jewish people. At Mara, Hashem sweetened the
bitter waters in a miraculous way, demonstrating that He controls nature, created the
world and continues to create new realities. That was the perfect time to introduce
the melachot of Shabbat, which call for man to take a timeout from his own creative
activity in this world in order to focus on spiritual creativity and to remind himself
that it is God who actually creates worlds.
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Hotza’ah, however, is different than other melachot. Whereas all other melachot
actually change the physical properties of the object upon which the melacha is
performed, hotza’ah makes no such adjustment; it merely changes the placement
of the object. This does not seem to create a new reality, and hotza’ah was therefore
originally left out of the command to refrain from melacha on Shabbat.
In our parsha, however, the people have already taken significant steps toward
constructing a mishkan, which is to serve as the focal point of God’s Presence
in the world. The idea that Hashem’s Presence can be more concentrated in a
single, confined area than it is anywhere else introduces the concept of kedushat
ha-makom and emphasizes the significance of spatial location. At this point, B’nei
Yisrael were ready to receive the command of the melacha of hotza’ah, which
posits that changing the location of an object actually does affect a significant
change in the object itself.
The status of mishkan as kedushat ha-makom and its relationship to Shabbat may
help us understand another question about our parsha that has caught the attention
of many commentators. Parshat Vayakhel is the parsha of Moshe’s transmission
of Hashem’s commands to build the mishkan, as well as the beginning of the
mishkan’s construction. Yet the parsha begins with three pesukim that reiterate
the halachot of Shabbat, including the consequences of performing melacha on
Shabbat. In context, these pesukim seem out of place. They don’t seem to have
anything to do with the construction of the mishkan and don’t really teach us
anything new about Shabbat, a topic we have already learned about several times
in Sefer Shemot.
Rashi (35:2) famously explains that the command to keep Shabbat is reiterated
in order to clarify that the mishkan may not be built on Shabbat. On a deeper
level, though, it is possible to suggest that the Torah is emphasizing the unique
connection between Shabbat and mishkan.1 While the mishkan is kedushat hamakom, Shabbat is kedushat ha-zman. Shabbat is in the realm of time what
mishkan or mikdash is in the realm of space. Essentially, through Shabbat, we
have a “day of mikdash” each week.
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
sense to violate the terms of kedushat ha-zman, Hashem’s concentrated Presence
in the realm of time, in order to lay the groundwork for kedushat ha-makom. On
the other hand, once the mishkan was completed and Hashem’s Presence actually
rested there, avoda in the mishkan did justify and even require doing melacha on
Shabbat; at that point, involvement in the mishkan meant that one was engaging
the Presence of God in space, and not just ignoring it in the realm of time.
May we fully appreciate the kedusha of Shabbat and the possibility of creating
holiness in time and space, and may we successfully extend the kedusha of Shabbat
to the entire week and the kedusha of mikdash to our homes and the entire world.
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Vayakhel
G r a c i o u s Giving
Jay Cohen
P arshat Vayakhel focuses mostly on the construction and dedication of the
mishkan. Hashem’s instructions regarding the dimensions and keilim of the mishkan
had already been given in the Parshiot Terumah and Tetzaveh. Moshe starts off this
parsha by gathering the entire Jewish nation and initiating what must be the most
successful building campaign in our history.
After Moshe’s appeal, the people grasped the purpose of the mishkan and B’nei
Yisrael did all they could to contribute, donating both material and actual labor.
The architects of the mishkan had to tell Moshe to stop the people from bringing
contributions because of the great response to Moshe’s appeal: “And they said to
Moshe, as follows, ‘the people exceeded in bringing more than the labor of the work
that Hashem has commanded to perform.’ Moshe commanded, and they proclaimed
in the camp saying, ‘Man and woman shall not do more work toward the gift of the
Sanctuary’” (36:5-6). Nechama Leibowitz comments that all classes and sections of
the people, men, women, the leaders and wisehearted, were united in “bringing” – a
word which is repeated nine times in the seven pesukim (35:21-27) that describe what
the congregation brought (New Studies in Shemot, p. 663).
Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch notes that the language used to describe the gifts to
the mishkan also show how generous B’nei Yisrael’s donations were. Moshe says that
anyone who is ‫ נדיב לבו‬, “whose heart moves him” (35:5), should contribute to the
mishkan. The word ‫ נדיב‬is related to the similar root ‫נטף‬, which means to drip out
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from within. Someone who is moved by his heart is dictated by his own inner
self and is unaffected by any form of coercion and even every external influence
that could direct the donor’s actions. The people responded (see 35:21), showing
that everyone wanted to create the mishkan for not for a selfish reason but truly
to glorify Hashem.
We are taught that the princes of the tribes thought that the B’nei Yisrael wouldn’t
have such a great response to the demands of the mishkan. Rashi (35:27) asks,
what made the princes donate first to the mizbe’ach when they did not contribute
first to the mishkan? It was because the princes said the following: “Let the public
donate whatever they donate, and what they don’t contribute we will complete.”
Even the princes of the tribes did not realize how great the resolve of the people
was to build the mishkan.
The dedication of the mishkan shows such a contrast to last week’s parsha when
B’nei Yisrael built the eigel ha-zahav. This week they are showing such motivation
and determination to do everything possible to take part in the building of
Hashem’s mishkan. This is unlike last week where the B’nei Yisrael sinned against
Hashem and put their entire future in jeopardy. This is why the mishkan is called
“‫ ”משכן העדת‬or The Tabernacle of Testimony (38:21). It shows that Hashem
overlooked the incident of the eigel ha-zahav for He had rested his Shechinah
among the Bnei Yisrael. (Rashi 38:21)
We can see how one action which is totally unselfish and for the right reasons
can overturn the harshest decree. In our lives, we can also find one way to serve
Hashem and totally wrap our mind around that one action in a true resolution for
Hashem. In this way, we can build our own mishkan.
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Pekudei
D o n a t i o n s a n d Atonement
Mitchell Perlmutter
P arshat Pekudei begins with Moshe’s meticulous counting of all the gold, silver,
and copper that B’nei Yisrael brought forth for the building of the Mishkan. Even
though Moshe entrusted Betzalel with the task of carrying out the Mishkan’s building,
Moshe felt that it was necessary for him to count everything himself. There are perhaps
two reasons for him doing this. Firstly, Moshe would not rely on assumptions when
it came to something as precious as building the Mishkan. Secondly, in case anyone
should accuse him of stealing any of the precious metals, Moshe could cover his bases.
(Rav Moshe Feinstein)
As the Or Hachaim (38:24) points out, the Torah makes a special point in telling us
that all of the precious materials that were brought as donations to the Mishkan were
used: “All the gold that was used for the work--for all the holy work...” Even though
the second part of the statement seems superfluous, according to the Or Hachaim, it
is coming to highlight the fact that the usage of all the materials was a great miracle. It
would be logical to assume, for example, that when the cherubim were carved out there
would be some gold shavings left over. However, we see here that not even a scrap was
put to waste. All of the surplus material was incorporated into the Mishkan without
making individual parts any bigger than their original required measurements.
Based on the understanding that all of the gold, silver, and copper that B’nei Yisrael
was ordered to hand over (originally, back in Parshat Trumah) was done as a form of
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
show B’nei Yisrael that Hashem accepted each individual’s atonement offering.
Psychologically and practically speaking, this miracle was crucial in order for
B’nei Yisrael to be able move forward in their avodat Hashem.
Even though Hashem may have forgiven B’nei Yisrael for cheit ha-egel, He still
didn’t “forget,” which is why B’nei Yisrael had to carry both the intact and the
broken luchot. (Rewinding back to Parshat Ki Tisa, when Moshe saw B’nei Yisrael
worshipping the molten calf, “Moshe’s anger flared up” (32:19), causing him to
throw down the luchot amidst his rage.) Rashi (Bamidbar 10:33) maintains that
there were actually two separate aronot, one containing the intact luchot and the
other containing the broken luchot. The first aron contained the whole luchot
and traveled with B’nei Yisrael everywhere they went. The second aron contained
the broken luchot and shot ahead a three days journey to ensure the safety of
B’nei Yisrael. According to Rashi’s understanding, these two separate aronot were
symbolic of two different covenants that are crucial in defining the relationship
between Hashem and B’nei Yisrael. So what is Rashi’s chiddush coming to teach
us? In their striving to attain closeness with Hashem, B’nei Yisrael first needed to
come to terms with cheit ha-egel. (Rav Asher Freidman)
What is true in Parshat Ki Tisa is also true in this week’s parsha, Parshat Pekudei.
Hashem first needed to accept all of B’nei Yisrael’s atonement offerings before the
Kohen Gadol could perform his avodah in the Mishkan on their behalf.
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Vayikra
A d a m t h e I nitiator
W hen introducing mitzvos, the Torah uses various nouns to inform us who is
responsible to keep a particular law. Sometimes the Torah uses “ish” (man), other
times it uses “ish ish,” and yet at others, the Torah states “ish oh isha” (man or woman).
When introducing the concept of korbanos, the Torah chooses to use the word adam:
“Adam ki yakriv mi-kem korban la-Shem” (1:2). If ish and adam translate to mean the
same thing, why would the Torah choose the less used term of adam when introducing
korbanos? Is there a deeper meaning to why the Torah chooses to use adam here?
Many meforshim write that Hashem is referencing Adam Ha-rishon. The Torah states,
“Adam ki yakriv mikem.” If I want to get closer to Hashem then I need to approach
avoda as Adam Ha-rishon. For example, Rashi says that the Torah is teaching us a law
about what kind of animal I may not bring as a korban. Being the only person living
at the time, Adam Ha-rishon could not have brought a stolen animal. Everything
belonged to him. Similarly, we may not bring a stolen animal as a korban.
The Midrash Tanchuma explains that there is another connection between korbanos
and Adam Ha-rishon. One of the primary reasons to bring a korban is to gain
forgiveness for a sin that we committed. All sin has its source from Adam Ha-rishon’s
original sin. Perhaps the midrash is telling us that in some way, every time we bring a
korban, we gain a small amount of forgiveness for Adam’s original sin.
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The Kli Yakar brings a different interpretation. In commenting on the story of
Kayin and Hevel, we generally assume that Hevel is the hero and Kayin is the
villain. However, the Kli Yakar says that while this is mostly true, it is not the
whole story. There is an element of Hevel’s korban that was undesirable. The
Torah states “V’Hevel heivi gam hu” (Bereishis 4:4), “and Hevel also brought.”
It is true that Hevel brought the best of his flock as a korban, which was very
commendable, but he only brought the korban after seeing Kayin’s initiative. The
Kli Yakar says that the Torah uses the word Adam to introduce korbanos to teach
that when doing avodas Hashem we need to be like Adam. Adam had nobody
else to look to for inspiration in doing avodas Hashem. Whatever avoda he would
do had to come from his own heart. The Torah is imploring us to take initiative.
Gaining inspiration from others to be closer to Hashem is fine, but it does not
compare to one who reflects on his own life and experiences and decides based
solely on that what he needs to do to be closer to his Creator.
Hashem created everyone in the world with their own unique gifts and strengths.
Ideally, we should use those in defining how deep our relationship with Hashem
will be. Someone else’s avoda may be based on what their kochos are. If I only
do avoda that everyone else is doing then I am withholding from the world the
avoda that only I can uniquely contribute.
Yehi ratzon mi-lifnei Avinu she-bashamayim that Hashem help me see what is
special about the way He created me and that we should have the confidence,
courage, and the initiative to use the tools He gave us to get closer to Him.
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Vayikra
G i v i n g t o t h e Giver
Yehuda Stuchins
T his week’s parsha introduces us to the concept of korbanot: the different types,
the procedures, and the laws pertaining to them. The obvious question is what is the
point of korbanot?
Rav Hirsch provides an explanation. He says that the root of the word ‫ קרבן‬is ‫קרב‬,
which means, “to come close.” He writes that the point of korbanot is to bring us closer
to Hashem. The main purpose of korbanot cannot be to provide for God because God
does not need anything from us. The purpose must be to allow us the opportunity
to give something of ours to Hashem. A strong support for this explanation is the
fact that throughout the entire parsha of korbanot the Torah only uses the name ‫יקוק‬,
which represents Hashem’s attribute of mercy, while the name ‫אלוקים‬, which represents
Hashem’s attribute of judgment, is not found.
In Relationship with Hashem, Chaim Rosenblatt discusses the basics of Jewish
philosophy. He writes that the way to get closer to God is to act similar to Him and
since God is the ultimate giver, we must also be giving. This could help explain the
idea behind korbanot. By providing us with the opportunity to bring korbanot, both
God and we are giving. We give our material wealth to Hashem and He gives us the
opportunity to do so.
In Masechet Brachot, the gemara (26b) says that tefillot were at least partly based on
korbanot. Based on the explanation of korbanot above we must explain how tefilla
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can be based on korbanot. By commanding us in korbanot, Hashem gave us a
way to give physically to Him. We have since lost this ability. However, we still
give whatever we can. Through tefilla we are able to give to Hashem mentally and
emotionally. A major part of tefilla is ‫ כוונה‬and without it one has not fulfilled
one’s obligation. Thought and feeling are a vital part of tefilla and through it, we
are able to give Hashem our complete mind and total focus three times day.
Ramban looks at korbanot in a very different way. He says that the whole purpose
of korbanot is for atonement. There are three different ways in which one can sin:
speech, action, and thought. The different parts of the sacrifice atone for each of
the types of sins. When one would lean their hands on the animal, it would atone
for sins through action. When one would confess what he did, it would atone for
sins through speech. Lastly, when the animal’s innards would be offered up on
the altar, it would atone for sins through thoughts because the inside is the seat
of thought.
After korbanot were lost, we had to replace them with three different things,
which we say on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur: ‫ וצדקה‬,‫ תפילה‬,‫תשובה‬. ‫תשובה‬
atones for sins through thought, ‫ תפילה‬atones for sins through speech, and ‫צדקה‬
atones for sins through action.
Although these two opinions seem very different, they can actually work together.
Rav Hirsch’s explanation explains why we sacrifice korbanot but it does not
explain why we have all the strict procedures and mandatory sacrifices. Ramban’s
opinion explains why the rules and requirements but does not explain why it has
to be done through animal sacrifices. Using the two explanations together, we can
come to a conclusion about the entire idea of korbanot. This seemingly strange
ritual, and its modern replacements, give us a way, to not only make up for the
sins of our past but also to build a connection with God for the future.
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Shemini
O b e d i e n c e a n d Creativity
Rav Asher Friedman
I n the moment of joy, disaster strikes. Am Yisrael has toiled for almost six months
to build the mishkan, the sign of God’s forgiveness after the golden calf. While the
structure of the mishkan is beautiful in itself, the building is a means to an end – the
return of the Shechina, God’s Presence, to the midst of Am Yisrael, a healing of the
rift formed in the aftermath of our treachery. And after sanctifying the structure, the
vessels, and the kohanim, all is ready. God’s Glory descends upon the mishkan in a
blaze of fire, consuming the korbanot from the altar. And then, disaster strikes.
Nadav and Avihu, two of Aharon’s four sons, deviate from God’s instructions and
bring an “alien fire”, an offering “that God had not commanded” (10:1). Immediately,
a flame shoots out and consumes the two kohanim.
In searching for a reason for their punishment, one need not look far. The Torah’s
constant refrain throughout the description of the inauguration of the mishkan has
been, “As God commanded.” Every aspect of the mishkan and the korbanot is precisely
detailed. In contrast, the Torah stresses that Nadav and Avihu innovated their own
form of worship, in response to their own intuitions as opposed to the instructions of
God.
If this “spiritual creativity” explains God’s fearsome response, then the lesson for us
should be clear. Creativity and individuality have no place in avodat Hashem, and we
are meant to follow God’s orders precisely with no addition or subtraction.
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However.
The story is far more complex than that.
A close look at other sections of the parsha leads to the exact opposite conclusion.
In fact, there are two other episodes of “deviation from God’s command,” and in
each the “innovator” was clearly correct. Let’s explore the first of these deviations
(the second, Aharon’s refusal to eat his korban chatat is complex and deserves its
own treatment).
As the parsha begins, Moshe commands the final procedures Aharon must
perform to facilitate the Shechina’s descent to the mishkan. He precedes these
commands with the explanation, “This is what God has commanded that you
shall do, so that God’s Glory will appear to you” (9:6). The Torah then describes
Aharon diligently fulfilling the commands, and yet … nothing happens. Rashi
(9:23) describes Aharon’s panic as he realizes that his effort has not achieved the
desired results. What could be missing? Aharon has followed his instructions
precisely!
Aharon responds to this moment of crisis without guidance (see Ramban,
9:22). He turns to the nation and blesses them. He and Moshe then bless the
nation together, and immediately, God’s Shechina descends, and the Divine fire
consumes the korbanot. It seems that God deliberately neglected to command
the final, crucial step in readying the mishkan for His Shechina, and waited for
Aharon to intuit it on his own! The message implicit in this episode seems to be
that God wants us to be creative in our avodat Hashem, and leaves room for us to
“figure things out”. If so, these two episodes, that of Nadav and Avihu and that of
Aharon’s blessing of the nation, directly contradict each other!
The resolution to this mystery lies in the fundamental differences between these
two cases of innovation. Nadav and Avihu “made up” a new ritual as an act of
avodat Hashem, in the realm of bein adam la-Makom. Aharon, however, innovated
his spiritual act in response to sensitivities regarding his fellow Jews – bein adam
la-chaveiro. This distinction between relying on one’s own intuition and creativity
in a mitzvah bein adam la-Makom versus in a mitzvah bein adam la-chaveiro is
reflected in a fascinating halachic pattern. Rav Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg points
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
tzedaka, kibud av va-eim, and mishloach manot are actions that do not have any
blessing beforehand. Why the difference? Rav Weinberg explains that the role of a
birkat ha-mitzva is to focus our consciousness on the fact that the act we are about
to perform is an expression of our obedience to God’s command. This is well and
good when it comes to lulav and tzitzit. But when it comes to tzedaka or kibud av
va-eim, the experience of obedience actually detracts from the mitzvah. The ideal
performance of bikur cholim is not an act focused on punctiliously conforming
to halachic norms but rather an expression of spontaneous, natural sensitivity
to the needs of a fellow human being. Filling our minds with pious thoughts of
submission to God undermines the goal. Ideally we should cultivate personalities
that naturally lead to acts of bikur cholim, kibud av va-eim and tzedaka without
ever having to think of what the halacha requires of us.
Why would God want us to be spontaneous and creative when it comes to our
relationship to our fellow man, but not with Himself? Philosophically, this makes
tremendous sense. When it comes to our fellow human being, empathy alone
often enables us to intuit what he or she needs from us. I can imagine what it must
feel like to be a sick person, a bereaved person, a homeless person, and therefore
I can and should respond to their needs without requiring instruction.
But when it comes to God, He Himself explains to Yeshayahu, “My thoughts are
not like your thoughts” (55:8). To presume that we can intuit what God wants of
us, what will suit His purposes without Him telling us reflects the most intense
form of arrogance. Do I dare to claim knowledge of God’s mind and goals? To
invent a form of spiritual connectedness to God is to either humanize God or
deify oneself. Neither option is acceptable.
Thus, we see that avodat Hashem always involves a balance between submission
and intuition, between obedience and creativity. May we always be zocheh to have
the inner strength to accept Hashem’s will when we approach Him, and to trust
ourselves and our own inner intuitions when others need us.
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Tazria
South Koreans and the Study of Torah She-ba’al Peh
Rav Michael Cytrin
T he following story is so utterly implausible that it might actually be true. On
March 27, 2011, an article appeared on Y-Net, an Israeli e-paper, stating that South
Korea has adopted the study of Talmud as part of its national curriculum of study for
students. Why would this East Asian country be interested in the study of Talmud?
The South Koreans noted that there is an extraordinarily high percentage of Jews
who have received the Nobel Prize in a wide variety of fields, and have attributed this
“Jewish genius” to the study of Talmud.
Extraordinary! The South Koreans used a simple formula to reach their conclusion:
1) Jews have contributed to the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, economics,
literature, etc. disproportionately to their representation in the overall population. Or,
simply put, “Jews are geniuses.”
2) The source of their success is the study of Talmud.
3) Therefore, we South Koreans, in order to replicate their success, should also adopt
the study of Talmud.
The problem is that only a “goyishe kop” could conclude that the learning of Talmud
will give one a “yiddishe kop!”
Is the learning of Talmud merely the amassing of data or collecting legal factoids? “If
your ox which caused damage is a “tam” then you will pay only half-damages, but if
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your ox is a perpetual offender, then you will have to pay full damages…” This
hardly seems the fertile ground upon which genius is cultivated.
The truth is that Talmud study for South Koreans is ludicrous. In order to
understand this, we must introduce a critical distinction between the Torah shebichtav and the Torah she-ba’al peh.
When Am Yisrael entered into Eretz Yisrael, we were commanded to write the
Torah
on large stones “ba’er heiteiv” (Devarim 27:8). Rashi explains: “in all 70 languages”.
The Siftei Chachamim adds: “In order for each and every nation to read and
understand.”
The Written Law is in the public arena. It is open to all the nations of the world,
and indeed the Bible is the most widely published book in the history of the
world.
When Sir Walter Raleigh lay on his death bed, he asked for someone sitting at his
side to read him a book. When his friend asked him which book he wanted to
hear, Sir Walter Raleigh said, “There is but one.”
In fact, the Bible has become so part and parcel of the Western world that other
groups have mistakenly concluded that they, in fact, are the real Jews! The Roman
Catholic Church has specifically made the claim that the Church is the “New
Israel”. Protestant “Replacement Theology” says much the same thing. This week,
when we visited the Samaritan community on Har Grizim, this is in effect what
they said.
The Written Law, the “Bible” has been translated into every language on the
planet. This is the aspect of the Torah that is “universal” and can be shared with
the nations. The Bible provides the basic moral code of ethical Monotheism for
the world.
But the Oral Law has never been translated and can never be translated for the
nations. It is the unique possession of Am Yisrael. And this is what the South
Koreans do not understand —the Talmud, the Oral Law, is the unique property
of Am Yisrael!
139
The Gemara in Gittin (60b) says: “Rav Yochanan says: HKBH only created a brit
with Am Yisrael because of the Oral Law, as the verse says: “‫כי על פי הדברים האלה‬
‫( כרתי אתך ברית ואת ישראל‬Shemot 34:27).”
The Written Law is Hashem’s direct word to us. Our job is to listen and receive.
The Oral Law is Hashem’s invitation to us to enter into a dialogue with Him. Our
job is to debate and to discuss.
The Gemara (Kiddushin 30b) says that when two people learn together, at first
they are enemies, but eventually “‫נעשים אוהבים זה את זה‬,” they become lovers.
If this is true for chavrutas, how much more so is it true that the continuous
learning of the Torah she-ba’al peh for the last 3300 years has created a love affair
between Am Yisrael and Hashem. As the Midrash Tanchuma (Parshat Noah) says:
“Only one who loves HKBH learns the Oral Law.”
Many talmidim enter the yeshiva at the beginning of the year with the question:
Why is it important to learn Gemara? My hope is that by the end of this long
Winter Z’man, many are now beginning to realize that the learning of Gemara
is not merely a good way to hone your mind, but it is the way by which we enter
into a covenant with HKBH.
140
Tazria
P a r t n e r s w ith God
Noam White
T he first place in the Torah where we see the concept of brit mila is regarding
Avraham Avinu. God said to Avraham, “‫ּונְ ַמ ְל ֶּתם ֵאת ְּב ַׂשר ָע ְר ַל ְתכֶ ם וְ ָהיָ ה ְלאֹות ְּב ִרית ֵּבינִ י‬
‫”ּובינֵ יכֶ ם‬
ֵ – “And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and that shall be a
sign between me and you” (Bereishit 17:11). Then God comes and commands us in
our parsha to do the same, as it says: “‫”ּובּיֹום ַה ְּשׁ ִמינִ י יִ ּמֹול ְּב ַׂשר ָע ְר ָלתֹו‬
ַ – “and on the
eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised” (Vayikra 12:3). The Rambam
famously says in his commentary on the mishna (Chullin 7:6) that we only keep the
mitzvot because they were commanded to Moshe on Har Sinia and not because of any
previous commandment. So if we only keep this commandment because it was given
at Har Sinai, and not because of Hashem’s command to Avraham, how does Hashem’s
command to Avraham color our understanding of the mitzvah of brit mila?
To add to our question, in the pesukim preceding God’s command to Avraham the
Torah (Bereishit 17:1-11) describes the covenant between that is being established
between God and Avraham. Avraham’s name is changed to reflect the fact that he
is gaining a new level of prominence as the “father of a multitude of nations,” God
promises that Avraham will have many offspring who will inherit Eretz Yisrael and
have a special relationship with God. The sign of all of this is the brit mila. What does
brit mila have to do with all of these grand promises?
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‫‪Perhaps the keys to these questions lie in a Midrash Agada (Tazria, 4) which‬‬
‫‪recounts as follows:‬‬
‫שאל טורנוסרופוס את ר’ עקיבא אמר לו איזו יותר מעולה מעשה הבורא או‬
‫מעשה האדם‪ .‬ר’ עקיבא הבין מיד‪ ,‬אמר בלבו זה הארור שואל תחבולות בעבור‬
‫המילה‪ ,‬אם אשיב לו מעשה האדם יותר נכבד הוא יהרגני‪ ,‬ואם אשיב לו מעשה‬
‫הבורא יותר נכבד גם הוא יהרגני ויאמר למה אתם מוסיפין על מה שרצה הבורא‪.‬‬
‫אמר ר’ עקיבא אדוני המלך המתן לי שתי שעות עד שאלך לבית ואבוא‪ .‬אמר‬
‫לו לך‪ .‬הלך ר’ עקיבא לביתו‪ ,‬אמר לאשתו אני חפץ ממך עתה שתעשה לי חלה‬
‫אחת טובה למאד נקייה מן המורסן‪ ,‬עם מעט שמן ושומשמין וקצח‪ .‬מיד עשתה‬
‫לו אשתו יותר ממה שצוה‪ .‬לקח החלה ולקח מעט חטה‪ ,‬ובא לפני המלך אמר‬
‫לו אדוני המלך בחיי ראשך השיבני בזה השאלה עד שאשיבך בשאילה ששאלת‬
‫ממני‪ .‬אמר לו מה רצית‪ .‬אמר לו אדוני המלך איזה יותר נאה תחלה החלה הזו‪ ,‬אם‬
‫החטים האלו‪ .‬אמר לו המלך החלה הזו‪ .‬אמר ר’ עקיבא אדוני המלך אתה שאלתך‬
‫ששאלת ממני‪ ,‬אתה השבתה כי אמרת מעשה האדם יותר נכבד‪ ,‬לפי שמעשה‬
‫הבורא היא החטה ומעשה האדם היא החלה‪ ,‬ואתה שאלת לי בעבור המילה‪,‬‬
‫והיית מבקש ממני תחבולה‪ ,‬כדי שתפילני‪ ,‬ועתה אתה השבת ופיך ענה בך‪ .‬אמר‬
‫לו ר’ עקיבא בטוב השבתה‪ ,‬אם כן למה לא ברא הקב”ה האדם מהול? אמר לו אם‬
‫כן למה לא ברא הקב”ה את השרר חתוך‪ ,‬אלא שצריך האדם לחתוך אותו‪ ,‬אלא‬
‫הבורא עשה זה הענין כדי לצרף בהם בריותיו‪ ,‬שנאמר כל אמרת אלוה צרופה‬
‫(משלי ל ה(‪.‬‬
‫‪Turnosrufus asked of Rabbi Akiva: “Tell me which are greater‬‬
‫‪the deeds of the Creator or of Man?” Rabbi Akiva understood‬‬
‫‪immediately and said in his heart, “The cursed one asked slyly‬‬
‫‪about circumcision, if I answer him that the deeds of man are‬‬
‫‪more honorable he will kill me and if I answer that the deeds of the‬‬
‫‪Creator are greater then he will also kill me and say, ‘Why do you‬‬
‫‪add upon that which the Creator desires?!’” Rabbi Akiva replied,‬‬
‫‪“My master the king, wait for me for two hours while I travel to‬‬
‫‪my house and then return.” He replied, “Go.” Rabbi Akiva went to‬‬
‫‪his house and said to his wife “I desire from you now that you will‬‬
‫‪make me a beautiful loaf of bread, free of coarse grain with a little‬‬
‫‪bit of oil, sesame and fennel. Immediately his wife did even more‬‬
‫‪142‬‬
then he commanded. He took the bread a little bit of wheat and
went before the king and said to him “My master the king, answer
me truthfully one question before I answer the question you asked
me.” He replied to him, “What do you want?” Rabbi Akiva asked,
“My master the king, which is greater, this bread or this grain?” The
king said to him, “This bread.” Rabbi Akiva responded, “My master
the king, you asked a question of me and you yourself answered
that man’s creations are greater. The wheat is the Creator’s work and
the bread is man’s work. The question you asked me was regarding
circumcision and you were trying to trick me in order to make me
stumble, and now you answered your own question!” The king
replied, “Rabbi Akiva you have answered well, but if so why did the
Holy One Blessed Be He not create man circumcised?” Rabbi Akiva
replied, “If so why did Holy One Blessed Be He not create man with
his umbilical cord already cut, rather man needs to cut it? Because
the Creator did this in order to refine man, as it says, ‘Every word of
God is refined’” (Proverbs 30:5).
This Midrash shows that brit mila is a display of man’s partnership with God in
the process of creation and that in a way, man’s creations are greater then those of
God Himself. However, how can it be that our creations are greater then those of
God? Perhaps it’s because we finish and perfect that which God created. Regarding
wheat, we perfect it by turning it into bread and regarding man himself, we
perfect him through circumcision. God created the raw materials with the intent
that man partner with Him in creating the finished product.
What does this have to do with the covenant that Hashem made with Avraham
that He is going to make him into a great nation? How is circumcision a fulfillment
of the covenant that God made with Avraham and how is it a sign? I would like to
suggest that since circumcision is a physical act of creation, carved into the flesh
of man, there could be no greater reminder of man’s potential greatness promised
by God to Avraham. Perhaps that is why circumcision is done on the eighth day.
Eight represents the concept of me’al ha-teva (above nature). Animals are part of
143
nature and do not have any creative ability but man can create and perfect things
and therefore he is above nature. Since brit mila signifies this ability, it is proper
that brit mila take place specifically on the eighth day.
The commandment of circumcision given by God to Avraham teaches us the
value of the brit mila. It shows us that man has enormous potential, he is able
to do thing that no other creatures can do. We all can perfect creation. May it
be God’s will that we all realize that each and every one of us has abilities only
surpassed by God Himself, and may He give us the wisdom to tap into it.
144
Emor
Sefirat Ha-Omer – Days of Independence
Rav Boaz Mori
P arshat Emor is most famous for its presentation of the moadim, the holidays of
the Torah. Each mo’ed has its own unique quality and is an ‘appointed time’ imbued
with a specific avoda appropriate for that time. Almost hidden among the moadim is
a section which uncharacteristically highlights an entire period of time, seven weeks
from Pesach to Shavuot, the period in which we count the Omer, known tersely as
‘sefira’.
What is the nature of this period of time that we call Sefirat Ha-Omer?
Today, when people think about ‘sefira’, thoughts of sefira beards, no music and
anticipation for a Lag Ba-Omer hiatus after a long abstention from celebration may
come to mind. These minhagei aveilut are codified in the Shulchan Aruch (OC 493)
and attributed to the death of Rabbi Akiva’s talmidim who died during this period
between Pesach and Shavuot (Yevamot 62b).
However, the Ramban in his commentary on Parshat Emor views the whole sefira
period as one long chol ha-mo’ed. The weeks are ‘yemei simcha,’ days of great celebration
linking two of the shalosh regalim together!
So what is ‘sefira’, a time of joy or a period of mourning?
Perhaps the answer can be found in defining Pesach and Shavuot, the two moadim
which contain the seven weeks. Both holidays embody cherut, freedom.
145
Pesach commemorates our freedom from Mitzrayim and Shavuot celebrates the
spiritual liberation that we achieved at Sinai (Avot 6:2 – “Ein lecha ben chorin ela
mi she-osek ba-Torah”). Sefirat Ha-Omer, therefore, in its essence is a period of
cherut which connects our physical and spiritual redemptions.
The tragedy of this time period is when that great potential for cherut is lost.
According to the Talmud Yerushalmi and Iggeret Rav Sherira Gaon, Rabbi
Akiva’s students were killed in the Bar Kochva revolt. At that time, there was a
real possibility to achieve liberty from our Roman oppressors but due to sinat
chinam thousands lost their lives and the dream of freedom was no more
In our own day two new days of celebration have been added to the calendar
during the period of cherut; Yom Ha-Atzma’ut and Yom Yerushalayim. Israel’s
Independence Day celebrates Jewish autonomy in our own land and Yom
Yerushalayim the liberation of the holy city with the makom ha-Mikdash in our
hands. Although the redemption is not yet complete, it is imperative that we
thank Hashem for the blessings he has showered on us, counting each day of
cherut with a beracha!
The holidays are also called ‫מקראי קודש‬. The Ramban (23:2) elaborately defines
these words as days on which we are to gather together publicly to sanctify the
day in the house of Hashem through tefilla and hallel, with festive attire, and to
make it a day of feasting!
For the last two thousand years we have been unable to celebrate the days of
cherut properly as we have been riddled with tragedy and with much suffering.
Today we live in a reality in which we are the masters of our own national destiny,
autonomous with freedoms and liberties that our parents and grandparents did
not know. We are so fortunate to be born into a reality of a Jewish State with
Jerusalem as its capital.
During these Days of Independence let us gather proudly in our shuls and batei
midrash dressed in festive garb and publicly give thanks to Hashem in tefilla and
hallel, sanctifying these days as yemei cherut v’simcha!
146
Emor
B e r a c h o t : Y e t z e r Ha-ra Free
Adam Shafiyan
P arshat Emor ends with the story of the blasphemer. The blasphemer, who was
the son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian father, fought with another man in the
camp and during the fight he cursed Hashem. Hashem decided to make an example
of him and had him stoned, showing that whoever blasphemes the Name of Hashem
will be put to death.
Rabbeinu Bachya (24:10) asks a very intriguing question about this episode: why did
this incident have to be recorded in the Torah? Wouldn’t it have been more appropriate
to cover up this incident and to simply state that one who curses Hashem will be
killed? He explains that there are two reasons for mentioning this event in the Torah.
Firstly, the Torah tells this story in order to show that only a total rasha, someone
flawed to his core, is capable of doing such an act. A person who descends from a
proper Jewish family could never commit such a heinous crime.
The second reason is to teach us how to properly bless Hashem. When the blasphemer
cursed Hashem, he first uttered Name of Hashem and then he cursed. We too are to
bless God by first saying the Name of Hashem with the proper level of concentration
and understanding, and only afterwards proceeding with the rest of the beracha.
While the blasphemer was put to death for his crime, if we use this formula to praise
God we will merit eternal life.
In Sefer Yeshayahu Hashem tells Yeshayahu Ha-Navi that B’nei Yisrael honor Him with
their words but their actions are performed without any meaning. Sefer Chassidim
147
explains that this pasuk refers to how we often recite berachot without the proper
kavana. Despite it being a mitzvah to recite a beracha, we can sometimes turn
the mitzvah into a sin if we don’t properly conquer our yetzer ha-ra and say the
beracha without improper thoughts.
One of the biggest problems the yetzer ha-ra brings us is our lack of concentration
on the correct things in life. Unfortunately, most of us have no problem focusing
on a ninety minute football game but when it comes to davening, a million things
are flying into our minds, each and every one of them something other than
tefillah. There is a story told that one day a student told a rav that he was walking
in a marketplace when someone walked right up to him and smacked him in the
chest. Before he could react, the person smacked him again. Right then he realized
he was actually in the middle of the beracha of s’lach lanu in the Shemoneh Esrei
and he was imagining himself shopping for groceries.
Rav Spier teaches that there are two ways to conquer our yetzer ha-ra. First, we
must use our yetzer ha-ra for the positive. We must recognize the areas in which
it attacks us the most and realize that these are the areas where we have the most
potential. In war, the enemy will attack the areas most potent and useful to the
other side. So too the yetzer ha-ra will attack each person’s own strengths and
areas of potential growth. The other way to conquer it is simple. Once we have
figured out the areas in which it attacks us the most, we must see what types of
temptations and enticements are placed in front of us and stay well away from
them. We must learn from the yetzer ha-ra’s tactics and when possible use it for
positive, but at the same time stay away from the bad it brings us.
In Masechet Menachot (43b) we learn that Hashem wants us to recite one hundred
berachot a day. The commentators teach that by fulfilling this request we can
increase our yirat Hashem as well as recognize that we are always in His presence
Hashem blessed us with the amazing tool to continuously become closer to him
daily and to increase our awareness of His presence. May we all learn to properly
keep our yetzer ha-ra out of our berachot and take advantage of the opportunity
presented to us by using berachot as a means to further connect to Hashem.
Shabbat Shalom!
148
Behar
H a s h e m ’ s E c o nomic Policy
Dr. David Kallus
P arshas Behar appears to be Hashem laying out His economic system for B’nei
Yisrael. If one analyzes the segments in the parsha one can’t help but notice that
this system works against common sense in business practice. At the beginning of
the parsha the Torah describes the year of shemita. It is a year in which we may not
work the earth; planting, pruning and plowing are all forbidden. All work in the field
stops and the largest segment of the ancient economic sector comes grinding to a halt.
Besides that unproductive year, the Torah describes a year of yovel every 50 years that
immediately follows the shemita year. That makes a second year in a row that the
earth remains un-worked.
It would be reasonable for a person to conclude he should go into business; this way
he can avoid the bad shemita years by being continuously productive. But the Torah
continues by describing the laws of purchases, where there too maximal productivity
is restricted by rules that limit our options. We should prefer to do business with
fellow Jews over gentiles (Rashi, 25:14). Additionally, we have to be careful to have a
fair sale price and there are price ceilings above which it is forbidden to profit (ona’ah).
Well what if we could build wealth in real estate? After all, the rules of ona’ah don’t
apply to land. And there is great wealth that can be built by investing in real estate.
That’s when we learn that if we should choose to sell property there cannot be a sale
that’s permanent. All property sales expire at the yovel year. Even houses in a nonwalled city are considered to be fields and the sale is overturned at the yovel.
149
Finally, you may conclude that the real way to make money isn’t in agriculture,
business or real estate, the key to financial success lies in investment banking. Let
my money make money for me by earning interest! It is only fair that I should be
able to charge money for the right to tie up my cash. In fact the laws of interest
aren’t even found in Choshen Mishpat – because charging interest is fair. But the
Torah goes on to forbid interest (it is found in the realm of issur – Yoreh De’ah).
The Torah states, “ve-yareita me-Elokecha” (25:36) in the parsha of interest. Rashi
says that a man’s mind is attracted to interest; it is difficult for him to separate
from it and he permits himself to charge interest because of his funds which are
unproductive while in the hands of the borrower. Understanding this temptation,
the Torah adds the words “ve-yareita me-Elokecha” – you should fear G-d, to
underscore that Hashem understands our natural inclination toward usury.
It would appear that an economic policy such as the one outlined in the parsha
is fiscally untenable, even irresponsible. To require the economy to shut down
for a year and sometimes two would shut a country down and make recovery
impossible. Further rules forbidding profiteering and limiting land sales would
make any country’s economy unviable.
But the next pasuk states, “I am Hashem, your G-d, who took you out of the
Land of Egypt, to give you the Land of Canaan, to be a G-d to you” (25:38). Rashi
comments, “I took you out of Egypt on the condition that you keep my mitzvos
even though they are difficult for you (k’veidos aleichem).” It is certainly hard for
a man to put aside his work and have bitachon in Hashem. But Hashem was able
to take us out of Mitzrayim and we were able to beat all odds against our success
at that time. That was also a test to us. How could a nation of two million slaves
survive in a desert with no provisions in place? Just as Hashem took care of us
when we were in the desert He can take care of us when we are settled in our land.
The tests of the desert didn’t end upon entering Eretz Yisrael. Hashem requires of
us that we never rely fully on the work of our hands or our ingenuity.
This could be an alternative reason why the parsha starts with a mention of Har
Sinai. From the very outset of the Jews’ sojourn in the desert, at the moment they
became a goy kadosh, they were informed that there wouldn’t be any change in
their reliance on Hashem when they entered the land. Just as they needed to rely
150
on Hashem for sustenance in the desert, so too they would never be able to rely
on themselves even when they would be in their own land, each man under his
vine and under his fig.
To encourage us, Hashem addresses our concerns for the “reality” of such an
economic system (25:18-23). Such a system would naturally fall apart, but
bitachon in Hashem is the great correction for the gaps in this system. If you
“shall perform my decrees, and observe my ordinances and perform them; then
you will live securely in the land. The land will give its fruit and you will eat your
fill … And if you will say; ‘what will we eat in the seventh year? Behold we will
not sow and gather our crops!’ I will ordain my blessing for you in the sixth year
and it will yield a crop sufficient for a three year period…” The system, Hashem
says, works when we work within the rules of the system. It’s not capitalism,
socialism or communism. But because of Hashem’s intervention the system will
succeed. And the great advantage in this is, “I will be for you a G-d” (25:38).
We will develop a close relationship with Hashem and see that He is constantly
involved in our lives.
One possible solution to bypass Hashem’s system is to simply leave Eretz Yisrael.
In chutz la-aretz there are no shemitos or yovelos. There are gentiles everywhere.
We could charge interest, inflate prices and sell lands and houses without any
restrictions. Instead of relying on Hashem we could be successful directly in
proportion to our labor. But Rashi (25:38) says, “whoever lives in Eretz Yisrael I
am a G-d for him, and whoever leaves is like an idol worshipper.” At first glance this
comment seems completely out of context. There is no place in the pesukim here
that discusses leaving Eretz Yisrael. Furthermore, the Gemara in Kesuvos (110b)
says that whoever lives in chutz la-aretz is like an idol worshipper, not whoever
leaves Eretz Yisrael. According to the analysis that was presented here, Rashi is
showing that it might be a natural conclusion that we should want to leave Eretz
Yisrael because of the difficulty of the economic system. But choosing to bypass
the system for an alternative system by leaving the land and ultimately relying on
ourselves is akin to idol worship. We would be rejecting an opportunity to come
close to Hashem in favor of wealth. (See Rav Elchanan in Kovetz Ma’amarim
where he writes that relying on the various systems, communism, socialism,
151
liberalism etc., is the modern day equivalent of idol worship).
Behar
B e h i n d t h e Scenes
Josh Cohen
I n the beginning of Parshas Behar we learn about the mitzvos of shemita and
yovel. The Torah says (25:3-4):
‫יעת ַׁש ַּבת ַׁש ָּבתֹון‬
ִ ‫ּוב ָּשׁנָ ה ַה ְּשׁ ִב‬
ַ .‫בּוא ָתּה‬
ָ ‫ֵׁשׁש ָׁשנִ ים ִּתזְ ַרע ָׂש ֶדָך וְ ֵׁשׁש ָׁשנִ ים ִּתזְ מֹר ּכַ ְר ֶמָך וְ ָא ַס ְפ ָּת ֶאת ְּת‬
‫יִ ְהיֶ ה ָל ָא ֶרץ ַׁש ָּבת ַלה’ ָׂש ְדָך ֹלא ִתזְ ָרע וְ כַ ְר ְמָך ֹלא ִתזְ מֹר‬
“Six years you may plant your field and six years you may prune your vineyard and
gather its crop. And in the seventh year there shall be a complete rest for the land,
a Shabbos for Hashem; you shall not plant your field and you may not prune your
vineyard.”
Later in the parsha we learn (25:35):
‫תֹוׁשב וָ ַחי ִע ָּמְך‬
ָ ְ‫ּומ ָטה יָ דֹו ִע ָּמְך וְ ֶה ֱחזַ ְק ָּת ּבֹו ּגֵ ר ו‬
ָ ‫וְ כִ י יָ מּוְך ָא ִחיָך‬
when a fellow Jew is impoverished it is our responsibility to help him get back to
where he was. The pesukim continue and teach that we cannot take interest on
.money that we loan out to a Jew
At first glance it would seem that these two sets of mitzvos have nothing in common,
but if we focus out a little bit and into the big picture we can see a great message.
Both these mitzvos show that everything comes from Hashem. For six years, a farmer
works long and hard to produce the best product he is able, but in the seventh year
152
he is required to stop. If he was able work straight through he would think, ‘Look
at what I have done. All those long hours of work – I put in the effort for these
fruits and they are all mine.’ But comes the seventh year and he isn’t working and
he remembers where everything is really coming from. Also, during this time
his field becomes hefker, meaning that anybody can come and take the fruit that
grew on their own; this shows the owner even more that the field isn’t his.
The law of helping a friend shows the same. When a friend is in need people can
easily come and argue that this is my money, I worked hard to earn it, why do you
deserve it? This law shows us that the money isn’t ours, it’s a gift from Hashem
and we have the responsibility to help out a fellow Jew. This is emphasized by
the Torah’s usage of the word ‫ע ָּמְך‬,ִ which is singular, while the previous verses
are in plural. The Alshich says that this is to show that it is every single person’s
responsibility to help and not to just hope that the person will get money from
another source.
Both these mitzvos not only show that everything comes from Hashem but also
that we must have complete trust in Hashem. A farmer not being able to work
his field for a year could have devastating results. Without the field being worked
his family will have nothing to eat, and if he is not able to sell his produce he will
have no income for the year. Therefore, farmers who keep shemita are putting
total trust in Hashem that He really will give them enough in the sixth year to
last until the middle of the eighth year (as promised in 25:21). The Torah even
thinks we should know this by using the term ‫ֹאמרּו‬
ְ ‫( וְ כִ י ת‬25:20) , “And if you will
say...” This implies that we should all know to trust in Hashem but if we need to
ask, here is a response.
We all also know that a person needs money to survive, and giving some of it up
might be a struggle for some. The Halacha advises that we give at least 10% of our
income to charity, which is no small amount. A person may think that he needs
every penny he earns for him and his family but in this parsha we see what’s true.
May we all get to the level where we see the reality of the world, that it is Hashem
who provides for our needs. Our needs may be great but when we accept Hashem’s
mitzvos we are rewarded in an incredible way.
153
Bechukotai
S u f f e r i n g f o r Thought
Rav Benjy Kwalwasser
P arshat Bechukotai delineates for us two paths that lie before us, the path of
remarkable and plentiful blessings and the alternate route, one filled with horrific and
unrelenting curses. God emphasizes the point that He has empowered us to decide
which way the course of history flows, as the determinant depends solely on our
actions. If we choose to ignore God’s ways, the tragic course will perforce be carried
out (God forbid). However, interestingly enough, God promises at the conclusion
of such an ordeal to remember us and bring redemption. If both paths lead to the
same conclusion, that of liberation and glory, then what incentive exists to choose
good over bad? The obvious difference is the amount of suffering to be endured until
complete ge’ula (redemption) arrives. Are we to have a glorious end of galut (exile) or
a heart wrenching and bitter one? That is the focal point of our parsha. We choose our
own destiny.
Two fundamental questions must be addressed in relation to such a topic, neither of
which will be resolved in this brief discussion. First and foremost, which life are we
experiencing today? Are we suffering or living life blissfully? One talmid theorized
that perhaps we are currently in a transition stage from option B, the path of suffering,
to option A, the path of blessings. “We cannot expect to suddenly end suffering and
lunge instantly into an alternate fate; overall, we are heading in the right direction,” he
posited. This approach is rather questionable. I am certain that during other lulls in
oppression afforded to the Jews throughout history, our ancestors may have arrived
154
at such conclusions as well. In between World War I and World War II, Jews
had pivoted themselves seemingly securely in politics and economics. Torah
learning and observance had been growing and ge’ula seemed to be nearing. Of
course, the tragic turn of events has taught us that our gauge of testing where we
stand may be faulty. It is imperative that our diagnostic testing be accurate. In the
financial world it is well understood that a dip in the market can be nothing but
a temporary anomaly and a sudden upswing can be nothing more than a hiccup.
If Hashem has informed us that we remain responsible for two vastly different
approaches, it stands to reason that we should sharpen our measuring tools in
order to remain keenly aware of our status.
Secondly, in the event that we find ourselves entrenched in path B, how are we
to depart from it and enter the elevated and desirable path A? Many individuals
arrive at the depressing conclusion that while we might currently be undergoing
prophecies of the cursed path, there is nothing we can do to change that. We
can only pray that Hashem assume responsibility for the length of galut and
the severity of its harshness. Unfortunately for the surrealists, Hashem has told
us that we determine our fate and not Him. He taught us in this week’s parsha
the ingredients needed in order to secure our places in path A. Many different
perspectives exist as to the single most pressing crisis of our time. However, the
most important question, I believe, is the first one. Where are we? Maybe if we
contemplate our reality, resolutions will be drawn. For an individual to resort
to the conclusion that he feels unqualified and incapable of effecting change on
a mass level is justifiable; but, remaining oblivious to the situation is not. Let us
all hope that we individually and nationally awaken from our slumber and bring
about the desired approach, the golden path.
155
Bechukotai
K e e p T h i nking
Yonatan Pesach Friedman
I m bechukosai teileichu ve-es mitzvosai tishmiru va-asisem osam.” (Vayikra 26:3)
“
I would like to share with you an idea that we learn from this verse that maybe we
can incorporate into our everyday lives in order to strengthen our connection to the
Creator. The verse literally means, “If you follow (“walk in”) My statutes and observe
My commandments and perform them.” Rashi explains “If you follow My statutes” to
mean that we must be laboring in the Torah. ‘Talaichu,’ you walk, denotes a laborious
activity, so we learn from here that we must be ameilim be-Torah, literally laboring in
Torah. Rashi adds that the phrase “ve-es mitzvosai tishmiru” means that our learning
must be in order to apply the Torah to our lives through mitzva observance.
Rav Netanel Lebowitz, shlita, told me a fascinating insight that might add another
layer of interpretation to our verse. What does “and observe My commandments”
mean? If we look back at Parshat Vayeishev, it says that Yosef told his brothers the
dream he had dreamt, that the sun, the moon and eleven stars would bow down
to him. Then he related the dream to his brothers and his father. What was their
response? “So his brothers were jealous of him, but his father waited (“shamar”) for
the matter” (37:11). Rashi explains that Yosef ’s father, Ya’akov, was sitting and looking
forward to when it would come true! What does it mean that someone is “shomer”
Shabbos? It doesn’t mean that he sits around and guards the Shabbos. It means that
you are anticipating the opportunities to be shomer Shabbos! So maybe the verse in
our parsha is teaching us of the great importance of machshava, thought. Through
156
thought alone we can attain great levels of closeness to Hashem and enhance our
performance of mitzvot.
Given that, I would like to pose the following question. Is there any way that I can
be involved in the mitzvah of honoring my parents if my parents are 6000 miles
away from me!?
The Gemara in Berachos 6a asks, “What does ‘and for those who contemplate
His Name’ (Malachi 3:16) mean? Rav Ashi said: Even if a person contemplated
a mitzvah and was unavoidably prevented from performing it, Scripture credits
him as if he fulfilled it.”
The Gemara in Menachos 110a asks, what is the meaning of the verses, “This is
the law of the chatas” (Vayikra 6:18), “This is the law of the asham” (Vayikra 7:1)?
The Gemara answers that whoever is engaged in the study of the Torah of chatas
and asham is regarded as if he offered the chatas and asham.
So I would like to suggest that maybe one way we can be involved in the mitzvah of
honoring one’s parents is through thought. By thinking of ways of performing the
mitzvah of honoring one’s parents, by reading the laws, by thinking of how much
you love your parents, we can participate in this great mitzvah! By anticipating
opportunities, by thinking of ways to perform the commandments, i.e. a chesed
for someone, charity, honoring one’s parents, settling the land of Israel and so on,
we can be involved in the mitzvah even when we are not able to completely fulfill
it, and when we do have the opportunity to perform the mitzvah, the performance
will be enhanced to greater levels.
157
Bamidbar
Six T h i r t e e n i s O n l y the Beginning
T he haftara of Parashat Bamidbar opens with God’s promise to Hoshea, “And
the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be
measured or numbered (Hoshea 2:1).” At face value it seems like a promise that the
numbers of the children of Israel will be large, indeed innumerable. However, upon
deeper probing, the Gemara in Yoma (22b) identifies in this promise an apparent
contradiction. Initially God promises that the members of Israel shall be like the sand
of the sea; to be sure a massive number but not infinite. In the latter part of the pasuk
however, Hashem speaks of Klal Yisrael as being so massive it will be impossible to
count; this implies an even larger number.
The Gemara answers by distinguishing between when B’nei Yisrael are “osin retzono
shel makom,” performing God’s will, and when they are “ein osin retzono shel makom,”
not acting in accordance with God’s will. This distinction, though, is hard to accept.
When looking at the words of Hoshea one gets the overall impression that God is
speaking of a people who are deserving of a divine reward. If that is indeed the case,
how can the Gemara sustain the notion that the eminent promise that we shall be as
many as the sand of the sea refers to a time when we are not acting in accordance with
God’s will?
Rabbi Norman Lamm, in a sermon he delivered as rabbi of the West Side Jewish
Center (May 21, 1966), suggested an answer that penetrates to the core of the Jewish
view on the relationship of God and man. Quoting Reb Zadok Ha-Kohen of Lublin,
158
he differentiates between two terms: retzono shel makom and mitzvato shel
makom. The former means the desire of God, the latter is the commandment
of God. The 613 biblical obligations as well as all of the rabbinic ordinances
and decrees manifest God’s commandments and the demands He makes of us
(mitzvot). Rabbi Lamm writes, “His mitzvot do not exhaust the relation of God
and man. There … [are] whole worlds that transcend the idea of mitzvah or
commandment. This is the area of retzono shel makom, the will of God.” The
mitzvah is something that every person with sufficient effort can accomplish
entirely. Ratzon far exceeds that. Ratzon is what we must invest in the mitzvah
and achieve based on our capabilities.
An obvious, but important to be stated, example of this is in the study of Torah.
Strictly speaking one can discharge his daily obligation of Torah study by reciting
the “Shema” once in the morning and once in the nighttime. Thus one has fulfilled
“mitzvato shel makom.” However, our task is to go beyond that and attempt to
live up to God’s “ratzon.” The pasuk in Yehoshua speaks of consistent study, day
and night. While the mitzvah can be confined to those six minutes (at best) a day,
the ratzon is that we engage in Torah constantly every free moment that we have.
Keeping every last detail in Shulchan Aruch – crossing your T’s, dotting your I’s –
is the bear minimum as far as Judaism is concerned.
With this distinction between mitzvato shel makom and retzono shel makom
we can understand the Gemara’s explanation of the opening pasuk of Hoshea’s
prophecy. Both halves of the pasuk are in the context of B’nei Yisrael following
God’s commandments. In both the Children of Israel accept God’s mitzvah. The
difference between the first half and the second is this: the first part of the pasuk
that speaks of Israel being like the sand of the sea, a finite entity, is spoken at a
time when we are keeping only God’s commandments. The second half of the
pasuk, which promises an even larger population, is speaking of a time where we
are not merely keeping to His mitzvot but also to His infinite Divine will.
159
Bamidbar
L e s s o n s f r o m Camp
Michael Bernstein
I n the beginning of this week’s parsha, Hashem tells Moshe to count all the men
ages twenty and up according to their tribe (1:2-3). The only group that Hashem told
Moshe not to count was the Levi’im (1:49). Rashi comments that Hashem did not
want to count them because all the men ages twenty and up would end up dying in
the midbar. The Levi’im were spared because they did not take part in the golden calf.
With the counting complete, Hashem commands Moshe to set up the camp with
three tribes per section (2:2). In the front, on the eastern side, were Yehuda, Issachar,
and Zevulun. To the south were Reuven, Shimon, and Gad. Ephraim, Menashe, and
Binyamin were to the west and Dan, Naftali and Asher were to the north.
The Kli Yakar (2:3) explains that every camp had its own attribute. Yehuda’s camp was
known for their success in Torah. The leaders of the Sanhedrin would come from the
tribe of Yehuda. Also Issachar would go and learn Torah while Zevulan would work to
support him. The camp of Reuven had the characteristic of humility. Humility means
that you are able to admit your flaws or anything wrong that you might have done.
The Gemara in Sota (daf 7b) says that Reuven admitted to his sin of switching Bilha’s
bed. He did this because he didn’t want his brothers to be blamed for the sin that he
did. The main characteristic of the camp of Ephraim was gevura and for the camp of
Dan was wealth.
If you would ask a general what the basic key to arranging his soldiers he would tell
160
you that the most elite soldiers would be in the front lines. However, Hashem
was trying to show us that the way to win the war is by Bnei Yisrael learning
Torah and doing acts of kindness. Another point about the arrangement of the
order is that there are two sets of opposites. There is Torah in the front and
strength in the back. This teaches us that there has to be a balance between Torah
and the physical world. The second set is humility and wealth. If Hashem gives
you money, you have to know how to deal with it and not use it as a way of
showing that you are better than everyone else.
In conclusion, the setting of the camps was done for a specific purpose. Each
camp symbolized a different personality trait. These are four different qualities
that a person can possess in his life and the key is to know how to use them in
the proper way.
161
‫‪Naso‬‬
‫‪J o y a n d B l essings‬‬
‫‪A n Enlish summary will appear after the Hebrew‬‬
‫בפרשת נשא מתברכים אנו ב”ברכת כהנים‪ ”.‬ישנה מחלוקת במדרש תנחומא (ויחי‪ ,‬ז’) מאימתי זכו‬
‫הכהנים לפריבילגיה זו של העברת הברכה לבני ישראל‪ .‬הדרשה מבוססת על המילה “כה” שבפסוק‬
‫– “כה תברכו את בני ישראל‪ ,‬אמור להם” (נשא‪ ,‬ו‪ ,‬כג)‪.‬‬
‫אמר הקב”ה‪ :‬לשעבר הייתי צריך לברך את בריותי ‪ ...‬מכאן ואילך יהיו הכהנים‬
‫וצדיקים מברכין אתכם‪ .‬מנין זכו הכהנים לברכות שיהיו מברכין את ישראל? אמר ר’‬
‫אלעזר בן עזריה – מיצחק שכתוב בו נלכה עד כה (בראשית כב)‪ ,‬ואין כה אלא ברכת‬
‫כהנים שנאמר כה תברכו (במדבר ו)‪ .‬ורבנן אמרי – ממתן תורה שנאמר כה תאמר‬
‫לבית יעקב ותגד לבני ישראל (שמות יט)‪.‬‬
‫תוקף העברת הברכות לבני ישראל ע”י הכהנים והצדיקים הוא איפה‪ ,‬או מכוחן של האבות – מכח‬
‫מסירות הנפש של אברהם ויצחק‪ ,‬או מכוחה של האומה‪ ,‬ע”י קבלת התורה‪ ,‬ויכולים הם להתברך‬
‫מחד ולברך מאידך‪.‬‬
‫מהי אותה ברכה? מחד – “כה תברכו” – אתם תברכו‪ ,‬אך מאידך – “ואני אברכם‪ ”.‬אם כן מיהו המברך‬
‫– הכהנים או ה’?‬
‫ננסה לעמוד על ענין זה מתוך בחינה של הבדל רעיוני הלכתי שבין ארץ ישראל וחו”ל לעניין ברכת‬
‫כהנים‪ :‬השו”ע באו”ח סימן קכ”ח מביא את הלכות ברכת כהנים‪ .‬הלכות ברכת כהנים מסודרות בסדר‬
‫ההלכות של יום יום ולא בהלכות יום טוב‪ .‬מכאן נהגו ברוב הקהילות בארץ ישראל לשאת כפים בכל‬
‫יום והיא מצוה מן התורה (“שדי חמד”‪“ ,‬פתח הדביר”)‪ .‬ברם‪ ,‬הרמ”א (סע’ מד) כתב‪“ :‬נהגו בכל מדינות‬
‫אלו שאין נושאין כפים אלא ביום טוב‪ ”.‬הרמ”א סמך דבריו על הפסוק במשלי (כב‪,‬ט)‪“ :‬טוב עין הוא‬
‫‪162‬‬
‫יבורך‪ ”.‬בדרכי משה נוקט הרמ”א לשון מעט שונה‪“ :‬נשתרבב המנהג”‪.‬‬
‫נשאלת השאלה – אם אמנם ברכת כהנים היא מצוה מן התורה‪ ,‬כיצד יכול לבא מנהג ולבטלה?‬
‫האם ניתן לומר כדוגמת זה‪“ :‬נהגו לא להניח תפילין?” “נהגו לא לומר קריאת שמע שחרית‬
‫וערבית”?‬
‫הרב צבי יהודה הביא בשיחותיו בשם אביו שמהות מצוות נשיאת כפיים היא השמחה‪ .‬בגדר‬
‫המצוה מברר הרב צבי יהודה‪ ,‬שגדר המצוה איננה “אמירה” כמצוות אחרות כדוגמת מקרא‬
‫ביכורים‪ ,‬אלא עניינה הוא בגדר “ברכה‪ ”.‬המילה ברכה משמעותה – צינור‪ ,‬כלי להעברת השפע‬
‫מרבונו של עולם אלינו‪( .‬כשם שכשרוצים להרבות גפנים בכרם‪“ ,‬מבריכים” גפן אל תוך האדמה‬
‫ותהליך זה מהווה הכנה ליצירת שפע של גפנים חדשות‪).‬‬
‫ממילא מובן כיצד המנהג פוטר את המצוה‪ .‬הרמ”א ציין כי הסיבה שאין נושאים כפיים בחו”ל‬
‫היא‪“ :‬שאז שרויים בשמחת יו”ט‪ ,‬וטוב לב הוא יברך‪ ,‬מה שאין כן בשאר ימים‪ ,‬אפילו בשבתות‬
‫השנה שטרודים בהרהורים על מחייתם ועל ביטול מלאכתם‪ ,‬ואפילו ביו”ט אין נושאין כפים‬
‫אלא בתפילת מוסף‪ ,‬שיוצאים אז מבית הכנסת וישמחו בשמחת יו”ט”‪ .‬כיוון שהברכה היא‬
‫צינור להעברת שפע – צריך שהצינור יהיה נקי ופתוח על מנת לאפשר את מעבר השפע דרכו‪.‬‬
‫טרדת החיים היומיומיים אינה מאפשרת שמחה‪ .‬כדי שהברכה תימשך בכח המצווה‪“ ,‬יש צורך‬
‫בהרגשה נפשית וגופנית טובה‪ ,‬בשמחה‪ ,‬במצב רוח טוב‪ ”.‬הרב צבי יהודה מבאר שהקיום‬
‫בגלות – בחו”ל איננו מצב בריא‪ .‬במצב של חולי וטרדה נוצר מעין אונס במציאות שמעכב‬
‫מלומר את הברכה‪ .‬אילו החיוב היה לומר את הברכה – לא היה יכול המנהג לבטל את החיוב‪ ,‬אך‬
‫מפני שהדבר תלוי דווקא בבריאות נפשית‪ ,‬בשמחת הלב ובפניות המחשבה‪ ,‬בחו”ל נוצר “מקום‬
‫פטור” מצד מציאות החיים שאיננה בריאה‪.‬‬
‫במתן תורה נתברכנו וזכינו לברך ולהתברך‪ .‬את הברכה הזו‪ ,‬את השפע של הטוב האלוקי‪ ,‬אנו‬
‫שואפים להוריד אל תוך זה העולם בשלמות‪ ,‬ואין שלמות אלא בארץ ישראל‪ ,‬בירושלים עיר‬
‫הקודש‪ ,‬מקום של יראה שלמה‪ .‬יהי רצון שנזכה כולנו יחד לעלות במהרה אל בניין אריאל‬
‫שיבנה במהרה‪ .‬בבניינו נשמח וכל טרדות החיים יתהפכו מיגון לשמחה ונוכל להיות כלים‬
‫להביא אל העולם את ברכת השם במלואה ובשמחה‪.‬‬
‫‪In Parshat Naso we learn about birkat kohanim. The Midrash (Tanchuma, Vayechi‬‬
‫‪7) quotes two opinions regarding why it is that people are able to bless other‬‬
‫‪people. One view says that this power to bless and be blessed was given to the‬‬
‫‪, the‬נלכה עד כה ‪Jewish people in light of akeidat Yitzchak (the pasuk there states:‬‬
‫‪).‬כה תברכו את בני ישראל ‪same language used regarding birkat kohanim:‬‬
‫‪The other opinion explains that this power was achieved through Matan Torah,‬‬
‫‪. Thus, it is either through the‬כה תאמר לבית יעקב ‪where the pasuk similarly states,‬‬
‫‪163‬‬
mesirut nefesh of the avot or through the holiness of the nation as a whole, that
human beings can bless each other.
How do these berachot work? On the one hand, the pasuk states, “Thus shall you
bless B’nei Yisrael” (6:23) implying that it is indeed the kohanim who bless the
people. On the other hand, the pasuk states, “and I [God] will bless them” (6:27),
implying that it is God who blesses!
We shall explore this matter through a different discussion – that of birkat
kohanim in chutz la-aretz. The Shulchan Aruch (OC 128) discusses the halachot
of birkat kohanim together with all the other halachot that apply on a daily basis,
rather than in Hilchot Yom Tov. In fact, most communities in Eretz Yisrael do
birkat kohanim every day, and this is understood to be a mitzva d’oraita. However,
the Rama (128:44) writes that the minhag in chutz la-aretz is to do birkat kohanim
only during mussaf on yom tov, when people are in an especially good frame of
mind. The rest of the year, even on Shabbat, people are preoccupied with the
pressures of making a living and daily life, and cannot perform birkat kohanim.
How do we understand such a minhag? Can a minhag cancel a mitzva d’oraita?
Would it be possible to say that the minhag developed not to say keri’at shema or
not to put on tefillin?
Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook explains in the name of his father that birkat kohanim is
not simply a mitzva of saying a particular formula. The mitvza is not “amira” but
rather “beracha,” which indicates that man becomes a pipeline, a conduit through
which God bestows His blessings to the world. In order to serve as a proper
conduit, a pipe must be sufficiently wide and free from obstructions. When man
is pressured rather than being happy, he is simply not able to serve as a conduit
for Divine blessing. It is not that the minhag has overridden a mitzva; under the
unhealthy conditions of life in chutz la-aretz, it is simply not possible to perform
birkat kohanim on a regular basis.
At Matan Torah, we obtained the ability to serve as conduits for God’s blessing in
the world. We aim to bring that blessing to the world with sheleimut – and this is
possible only in Eretz Yisrael, in Yerushalayim, the place of joy and yirah. May we
merit to see the pressures of life disappear, paving the way for us to joyfully serve
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as conduits of God’s blessing to the world.
Naso
H o w t o J u dge Jews
Jeremy Goldner
T his week’s parsha discusses the laws regarding a sota, or a woman suspected of
infidelity to her husband. In the last pasuk that deals with this topic, it says, “ve-nika
ha-ish me-avon, ve-ha’isha ha-he tisa et avonah,” “And the man [her husband] shall be
free from sin, but the woman will bear her sin” (5:31). From what sin, exactly, is the
husband free?
Rashi answers that if his wife is found to not be a sota, the husband is halakhically
allowed to live with her afterwards. That’s fine, but then what about the rest of the
pasuk that says, “the woman will bear her sin”? This seems to imply that the woman
isn’t off the hook, even though Rashi is saying that she is innocent.
Rav Aryeh Brueckheimer expounds beautifully. While she is indeed innocent of
adultery, she is still guilty of the sin of maris ayin. She was obviously being immodest
in the way she was interacting with other men, or else she would not have become a
sota in the first place.
There is a very powerful lesson we can learn from this point. For a Jew, it is important
to embody our values both outwardly as well as inwardly. Our goal is to give people a
positive message of Hashem and Judaism, and maris ayin runs counter to that goal, so
we should be especially careful about how we act in front of others.
Lehavdil, let’s use a more modern example of maris ayin. Say you notice someone
you know, a fellow Jew, walk into a McDonalds. (For all intents and purposes, we’re
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talking about a totally non-Kosher McDonalds in chutz la-aretz.) Now, whether
he went in to eat a treif burger or to use the bathroom, he wasn’t sensitive to
the impression he was making on onlookers by going into the restaurant in the
first place. This is a classic example which has the potential to generate maris
ayin problems. Now, as a Jew yourself, it’s also important to do something called
dan le-chaf z’chus, or to judge someone favorably. Sure, you can focus on all the
negative aspects of the situation, but to be dan le-chaf z’chus, which is ideal, you
should view your friend favorably and assume he went in to use the bathroom or
to buy a drink.
To tie this in to current events, it seems to be no coincidence that Yom Yerushalayim
falls out on the week that we learn the lessons of maris ayin and dan le-chaf z’chus.
There seems to be an unfortunate problem in Israeli society where different sects
of Judaism look down upon each other and openly show disrespect towards one
another. If they would only put aside their differences for once, be dan le-chaf
z’chus, and realize that every Jew is special and is made b’tzelem Elokim, maybe
their attitudes would change.
Yom Yerushalayim commemorates the day our holy capital became reunited.
Maybe on a personal level, too, we should be trying to bridge the gaps in our
society and unify all the Jews from all spectrums of Judaism. If we try to internalize
dan le-chaf z’chus and apply it to our daily lives, we can change our outlook on
life, how we relate to one another, and most importantly, build unity among Klal
Yisrael which will hopefully bring us one step closer to seeing Mashiach, bimheira
bi-yameinu.
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Beha’alotecha
T o B e S a d i s N ot a Tragedy
R ashi, in his opening commentary to this week’s parasha, endeavors to explain
why the Torah repeats the details of the lighting of the menorah and its construction.
Citing the Midrash, he explains that after the ministers from each tribe offered their
sacrifices Aharon felt a wave of despondency overcome him. He too was a minister;
why was he not privileged to bring a sacrifice and represent his tribe? As solace, God
reminded him that he was accorded the daily privilege of kindling and preparing
the lamps. Therefore, immediately following the story of the ministers’ sacrifices, we
encounter the laws of the menorah again.
It is interesting to note the language the Midrash uses. Sensing Aharon’s gloominess,
Hashem tells him, “I swear by your life, yours is greater than theirs.” Rav Moshe
Wolfson, in his work Emunat Itecha, quotes from two Hassidic masters who interpret
the term “yours” as meaning “your sense of disappointment and depression,” which
was “greater than theirs,” meaning greater than their actual sacrifices.
There are times in life when a person is coasting in his devotion and service to God.
Waking up for prayers is effortless, blessings before and after food roll of the tongue
with meaning and purpose, Torah study is pleasurable and sweet, all cylinders are a
go. Yet, there are times when a person struggles mightily in his devotion and service
to God. Waking up for prayers is all but impossible, blessings before and after food are
at best forced, at worst forgotten, the mere idea of Torah study is painful, all cylinders
are at a standstill. Unfortunately, it is not all that uncommon for a person in the latter
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stage to find himself feeling estranged. But if at the point of weakness a person
wishes he could be accomplishing more, if gloom overtakes him because of his
religious infirmity, that too is appreciated by Hashem, sometimes more so than
actual ceremony.
Let us be clear, we are not advocating a life filled with religious longing and devoid
of any practice. Nor are we suggesting brooding and dwelling on our depression.
What we are suggesting is that a deeply rooted and sincere feeling of spiritual
craving can prod a person to accomplish religiously. Melancholy can be turned
into burning desire to fuel our service of God. It can push us to heights hitherto
uncharted. It is for this reason that Aharon’s depression was greater than the
sacrifices of the tribal ministers, for in his depression lay potential for a service of
God that none of the ministers could hope to achieve.
Let all of us who have ever tasted the sour taste of defeat in our avodat Hashem
not become paralyzed and allow ourselves to slouch towards religious apathy.
Let us use the sense of shame and defeat as a catalyst to cultivate concrete and
significant growth in our religious practice and bring us closer to Hashem.
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Beha’alotecha
M i t z v o s o r Meat?
Mendy Weisbrod
I t’s interesting how we usually associate certain verbs as having positive or
negative connotations. For example, we usually think of the word “create” as being a
positive thing, which it usually it is. However one can also create havoc, create distress,
or create mayhem. One can also: love…. to hate, or destroy…. evil, etc.
Parshas Beha’aloscha is a parsha about lust, plain and simple. However, as we now
know, lust can be a positive thing or a negative thing, a kiddush Hashem, or a chilul
Hashem (chas ve-shalom), depending on what one lusts towards.
We learn from Rashi at the beginning of our parsha, that following the chanukas habayis of the mishkan in last week’s parsha, Aharon had felt bad about the proceedings,
because he (as the nasi of Levi) and his tribe did not donate anything or participate
in the inauguration. In response to this, Hashem tells Aharon that he will have the
beloved job of preparing and kindling the lamps of the Menorah.
The Ramban raises a question in his commentary to Sefer Bamidbar: why was Aharon
satisfied with the simple task of lighting the Menorah but not by any of the other
essential services such as the daily korbanot, the Yom Kippur services (including
entering the kodesh ha-kodashim), and the blessing of Bnei Yisrael, among many
others?
The Shem Mishmuel (Rabbi Shmuel Bornstein) explains in the name of his father
(the first Sochatchover Rebbe, Rabbi Avrohom Bornstein) that we can gain insight
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into this question by understanding the fundamental difference between the
Kohanim and the Levi’im. He writes:
The task of the Levi is to connect earth to heaven. Through his
beautiful melodies he inspires the people to turn heavenwards,
lifting them from their physical limitations to the spiritual world.
The Kohen, on the other hand, connects heaven to earth. He draws
the presence of God into the Beis Ha-Midkash, the fire onto the
altar, and infuses the world with the Divine. (Likutei Misefer Shem
Mishmuel)
He then explains that even though Aharon had been promoted to the role of
Kohen, as the leader of shevet Levi he wanted to also to take part in the Levitical
style of worship. It now becomes clear that Aharon was the type of individual that
we can all learn from. He was one with a strong passion to serve his creator, who
lusted after mitzvos and jumped at the opportunity for avodas Hashem.
Contrarily, there is a major incident later on in the parsha where Bnei Yisrael
complain to Moshe, begging for meat. Not satisfied with the heavenly mon that
Hashem had been supplying them with, the people complain to whoever would
listen and recall the fish, melons and other foods that they had eaten in Egypt.
Not only did their complaining show a complete lack of emuna in Hashem, it
was also a big insult because of the amazing miracles Hashem had done for them
throughout the desert. Bnei Yisrael lusted after something physical, which is the
source of all negative ta’avot. If one is not satisfied with what Hashem has given
him, he will focus on what he doesn’t have and try to acquire more. As he tries to
acquire more, he will realize that he is trying to fill a spiritual void with material
pleasantries as opposed to being shalem and content with his lot.
We learn from the resolution of the story what happens to those who lust after
their most base physical pleasures.
The meat was still between their teeth, not yet gone, when the
wrath of Hashem flared against the people, and Hashem struck a
very mighty blow against the people. He names the place Kibroth-
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hattavah, because there they buried the people who had been
craving. (Bamidbar 11:33-34)
Another key event of this week’s parsha is the appeal by anonymous members of
Bnei Yisroel to be included in the mitzvah of korban Pesach. Because of their tamei
status (some say they were carrying the bones of Yosef [a truly noble cause]), they
were completely exempt from having to carry out the mitzva of korban Pesach.
However, because of their great lust for mitzvos, specifically this one, they were
zocheh to have brought a new mitzva down into this world, benefitting not only
themselves, but other people for many generations to come as well. From this we
can see that a desire to fulfill as many mitzvos as possible and to create a strong
kesher with the creator can only have positive results.
With Hashem’s help, may we all be zocheh to avoid a lust for physical pleasures
and instead to seek out as many mitzvos as possible, and to prove to ourselves that
while we are all lusting after the right things, each and every one of us can each
become a true eved Hashem.
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Beha’alotecha
T h e W i l l t o Succeed
Leo Katz
T his week’s parasha, Parashat Beha’alotcha, can be divided into two parts. The first
half of the parasha details the final preparations for the mishkan, Pesach in the desert,
Pesach Sheni, a meticulous account of B’nei Yisrael’s camp-breaking procedure, and
the divine signs of B’nei Yisrael’s travels. All the events recorded have positive or, at
the very least, neutral connotation. However, as soon as B’nei Yisrael leave Har Sinai,
their sinful nature manifests itself. They antagonize Hashem and engage in repeated
sins, culminating in Miriam and Aharon speaking lashon hara about Moshe. In fact,
according to the Ramban, even B’nei Yisrael’s departure from Har Sinai was a sin.
The Ramban (10:35) quotes a midrash that states that the nation ran from Har Sinai
with the same zeal as schoolchildren running from school, since they were so eager
to avoid the stifling burden of even more commandments. The Torah even includes
a small portion of text situated in between two inverted nuns, which Chazal call a
separate book of Torah. Its purpose, according to Rashi (10:35), is to avoid recording
three Jewish sins in succession.
The interesting thing is that right between these two halves of the parasha is an
unobtrusive passage involving Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law. In it, Moshe asks Yitro to
join B’nei Yisrael in their travels, Yitro declines, and then Moshe requests a second time.
This time, Moshe includes a number of reasons Yitro cannot abandon the people. As
well, both times Moshe gives him some incentive to remain with them by promising
him blessings from Hashem and, according to many commentators, a portion of the
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land of Israel. The Torah does not give us Yitro’s response. Most commentators
believe that Yitro acquiesced to Moshe’s request, and almost all agree that at the
very least Yitro’s children stayed with the people. Regardless, there is a subtle
question. Why is this passage placed at this point? The Torah has just given us a
comprehensive panorama of B’nei Yisrael’s travel formation. The logical sequence
would be for this description to flow into their departure from Har Sinai. Instead,
however, the Torah records this seemingly incongruous passage. Why is this
event the bridge between the episodes of the compliant behavior of the people
and the instances of their rebellion?
As well, Moshe seems to be begging Yitro to stay with the people. He asks Yitro
twice to remain, and the reasons for this desperate plead vary. Moshe says, “Please
do not forsake us, inasmuch as you know our encampments in the wilderness, and
you have been as eyes for us” (10:31). There are many interpretations of the exact
meaning of this pasuk, but Moshe is apparently concerned about Yitro leaving
because he may give away the nation’s position in the desert. He has also had an
enlightening effect on the people, as evinced by his previous advice to Moshe
(Shemot chapter 18). Alternatively he has been as ‘eyes’ in that he has seen the
majesty and glory of Hashem and if he were to leave it would be tantamount to
denying Hashem’s revelation to the Jews. Either way, Moshe seems to be placing
unduly critical significance on Yitro’s decision. It should not matter so much if
Yitro leaves because Hashem will protect the people regardless of who is privy
to the location of their encampment. Admittedly, Yitro is a great individual, but
Moshe should have the faith in Hashem that He will supply the people with all
that they need and will guide them through the desert to the cusp of the Holy
Land.
It is possible that this story is placed here to exemplify the national sentiment at
the time immediately prior to the people’s journey from Har Sinai. For whatever
reason, the nation lacked confidence in Hashem and were looking for any pretext
to shirk the newfound responsibility they had been given. If a man of Yitro’s
eminence would leave, it would prompt the people to consider leaving as well.
Yitro had experienced Hashem’s sublime presence along with the people; if this
was not enough to compel him to stay, why should the rest of the people be any
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different? Maybe Moshe was not concerned about the other nations’ opinion,
but that of his own people. Since the nation was not confident in Hashem, if
Yitro would leave maybe they would begin to worry that he would betray their
whereabouts, and they would panic. In addition, Yitro was familiar with the
wilderness and could guide the people. He was also a prominent leader who
could be relied upon to improve the condition of the camp and was therefore a
great morale booster for the nation. If he were to leave, it would cause anxiety and
dissent amongst B’nei Yisrael. Yitro was a stabilizing presence for the nation, and
in their current state, it would be catastrophic to lose him.
This also explains why the passage is placed at this point in the Torah. The Torah
wishes to emphasize the underlying negative current pulsating throughout the
Jewish camp by showing Moshe’s surprising desperation in trying to enlist Yitro
to join the people. Therefore, the people’s sudden penchant for sin is no surprise;
the national disposition foreshadowed their actions. It is possible that this gives
another angle on why the separate ‘book’ of Torah is placed almost adjacent
to the verses about Yitro. The book is comprised of two famous verses: “And it
came to pass when the ark set forward that Moshe said ‘rise up Lord and let Your
enemies be scattered and let those who hate You flee before You’/ And when it
rested he said ‘return Lord to the ten thousand thousands of Israel’” (10:35-6).
According to Rav Hirsch, these verses epitomize Moshe’s complete identification
with Hashem’s will. This passage is placed right after the passage about Yitro to
show the contrast between Moshe’s desires and those of B’nei Yisrael. The Torah
illustrates the flawed attitude and choices of the people and then promptly
demonstrates the ideal form of behavior through Moshe.
As the year finishes and we set off on our respective paths, the most important
thing to remember is that our will has an unparalleled effect on our actions. If
we do not have a strong desire to continue on the path upon which we have
embarked, then there is little chance that we will. B’nei Yisrael’s failure stemmed
from their lack of faith and their exasperation with the commandments. If we
follow their example success will be difficult to attain. Thankfully, the Torah
supplies us with a better model. If we strive to follow Moshe, who is the paragon
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of proper faith, and make an effort to merge all our actions with Hashem’s will
then we cannot fail.
I would like to wish everyone the best of luck in the summer and in the following
year. May we all have the ability to internalize Moshe’s example and follow
Hashem’s path wholeheartedly and to the best of our abilities. Thank you everyone
for a fantastic year.
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Shelach
( D on ’ t ) F o l l o w Your Heart
Rav Michael Cytrin
T he Torah seemingly confronts us with contradictory advice. On the one hand,
the verse in our parsha exhorts us not to follow the whims and fancies of our heart:
“‫ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם‬,” “Do not go astray after the desires of your heart” (Bamidbar
15:39). The Torah provides a framework of laws and duties incumbent on each Jew.
We are not free to follow every whimsy, nor should we be seduced into following
every desire.
On the other hand, Shlomo HaMelech tells us: “Rejoice young man in your youth; go
after the ways of your heart” (Kohelet 11:9). Seemingly, Shlomo is telling us the very
opposite—follow your heart!
Rebbe Yishmael notes this contradiction in the Sifri (Shelach 115):
‫ר’ ישמעאל אומר ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם למה נאמר לפי שהוא אומר שמח בחור‬
.‫בילדותך והלך בדרכי לבך (קהלת יא ט) בדרך ישרה או בדרך שתרצה ת”ל ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם‬
Based upon the pasuk in Kohelet, one may think that it is permissible (or even
commendable) to follow one’s heart and do as he pleases. Therefore the Torah needs to
teach us the verse from our parsha—“Do not go astray after the desires of your heart.”
If so, what is Shlomo teaching us when he advises us to “go after your heart”?
The Netziv answers: “The verse “v’halech b’darchei libecha” teaches us that not every
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
the sake of Heaven.”
The Netziv goes on to explain that even within the world of Torah, each Torah
scholar specializes in an area that is especially close to his heart – some love
the mind-numbing complexity of a sugya b’iyun; others enjoy mastering large
chunks of Gemara; there are individuals who labor to understand the minute
details of practical halacha; some students focus on the Torah’s view on life’s most
important philosophical questions.
The Netziv says that the same idea is true when it comes to performing mitzvot,
and he quotes numerous cases of Tannaim and Amoraim who had their own
“favorite” mitzvot: Shabbat and tzitzit; tefillin and sha’atnez.
Similarly, each person performs gemilut chesed in unique ways. One of our
staff members is renowned for his Shabbat hospitality; I have chosen to focus
on funding young Ethiopian Torah scholars; many of the Lev HaTorah students
are associated with HASC, a summer camp where handicapped youngsters are
showered with love and affection.
The Netziv’s point is clear – each of us is encouraged to “follow his heart” when it
comes to his own unique avodat Hashem.
This is one of the educational qualities that has defined Lev HaTorah since the
yeshiva’s founding. Each student is exposed to the entire gamut of Torah study
and practice during his year, and encouraged to find his own “niche” in Torah.
The academic year has ended and these students are now outside the walls of
the yeshiva for the first time since the middle of Elul. For them, and for all of us,
now is an opportune time to ask ourselves – what is it about Torah that we love?
What do we feel passionate about? Where do I want to focus my unique talents
and gifts? In this way, we fulfill Shlomo HaMelech’s dictate: “follow the ways of
your heart.”
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Shelach
D r i v i n g o n a T wo-Way Street
Rav Michael Siev
T his week’s parsha famously contains the episode of the meraglim and the
devastating impact of their sin on the Jewish people. As a result of their report, the
people cry and complain, Hashem gets angry with them, and the entire nation spends
an extra forty years in the desert. A whole generation loses its right to enter Eretz
Yisrael with the exception of Yehoshua and Kalev, and, according to the midrash,
Tisha B’av is established as a yom bechiya le-dorot (See Gemara Ta’anit 29a).
There is one famous personality whose fate is not explicitly discussed in our parsha:
Moshe Rabbeinu. It seems quite clear that he did not participate in the sin of the
meraglim and in fact it is Moshe who pleads with Hashem for mercy, invoking the
middot ha-rachamim (see 14:18) to fend off the complete destruction of the nation.
And yet, in Sefer Devarim (1:37-38) when Moshe reminisces about the historical
process of traveling through the desert and the sin of the meraglim, he seems to
indicate that Hashem became angry with him because of the incident of the spies! In
fact, Moshe claims that it is because of this event that it is Yehoshua, and not Moshe
himself, who would lead B’nei Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael. How could this be? Don’t we
know that it was the incident of bringing water from the rock at Mei Meriva (Chukat,
20:1-13) that prevented Moshe from entering Eretz Yisrael?
To amplify the question further, what exactly was Moshe’s role in the story of the
meraglim? Clearly he disapproved of their report, yet he was the one who sent the
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
meraglim; this seems to indicate that Moshe suspected that the mission might not
go well. And yet, Moshe himself admits (Devarim 1:23) that the idea of sending
meraglim was “good in my eyes.” What was Moshe’s attitude toward this initiative?
The Netziv1 explains that the story of the meraglim marked a major turning point
for Am Yisrael. Until now, the nation had been living a supernatural existence
with God’s presence in its midst. However, a high concentration of Shechina
requires maintaining very high standards of conduct. When the nation steps
out of line in Parshat Beha’alotecha, the results are immediate and devastating.
These events lead the people to conclude that they cannot handle the pressure
of such high doses of Shechina. They request a change in status; they want to live
with a lower level of Shechina, which they know comes along with a lower level
of hashgacha. Given their new status, they will live a more normal, this-worldly
lifestyle – “al pi derech ha-teva.” Am Yisrael requests this change, fully cognizant
of its implications.
The request itself was not inappropriate. In fact, Moshe recognizes that the people
really aren’t up to living a supernatural lifestyle. The derech ha-teva approach
really is more suitable for them. That being the case, the conquest of Cana’an will
happen through natural means, and there is a legitimate need to send spies to scout
out the area. This is the reason that Moshe approves the mission even though he
is aware of the possibility that it would fail. This historical change, however, is the
reason that Moshe is not able to lead B’nei Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael. Moshe was
not fully successful in transitioning into a leader who could guide B’nei Yisrael in
a natural lifestyle.2 He was still living the supernatural lifestyle of the desert and
was not the right leader for B’nei Yisrael as they moved forward to a new stage of
life.
One of the many important points that emerge from this parsha is the nature of
the relationship between God and the Jewish people. As the Ramban writes in
Parshat Bechukotai,3 the level of Hashem’s interaction with us mirrors our loyalty
1 Ha’amek Davar, Devarim 1:37. See also Ha’amek Davar in our parsha and in Parshat Chukat.
2 See Ha’amek Davar, Chukat, 20:8,12, where the Netziv explains the story of Mei Meriva in this light.
3 As part of his famous discussion of hashgacha and the use of doctors (26:11). This is quoted in the beginning
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
of contact with the Shechina, that meant that their level of hashgacha was to drop
as well. When they displayed their lack of bitachon in light of the spies’ report,
Hashem announced that they were not loyal enough to enter Eretz Yisrael.
It would serve us well to internalize the fact that our relationship with God is a
two-way street, and often we are the ones who dictate the pace of that relationship.
We are all eager to ask, and even expect, God to come to our aid in times of need
and every day. We should similarly ask ourselves on a daily basis if we are living
up to our responsibilities in that relationship and if there is a way for us to do
even more.
1 Although most Rishonim dispute the Ramban’s practical conclusions in that piece, his basic premise about
how the relationship works is more widely accepted.
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Korach
G i v e t o Live
W hen Hashem put Adam and Chava in Gan Eden, Hashem gave them one mitzva
to observe. They were not to eat from the Eitz Ha-da’as,the Tree of Knowledge. Hashem
warned them that the day that they would eat from the tree, “mos tamus,” they would
surely die (Bereishis2:17). The double language seems to stress that violation would
bring certain death.
Chazal ask that it seems that the Torah lied. Not only did Adam not die but he lived
for another 930 years. How can we explain Hashem’s threat?
The Ramban answers that Hashem did not mean that Adam would die on the spot
as if he ingested a strong poison. Rather it means that the human being would now
become mortal. Until that point, the design of the world was that Adam would live
forever. Now that he ate from the forbidden fruit, Adam introduced the concept of
death to the world.
Rav Schwartz, in Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh, offers an alternative explanation. Sometimes
someone passes away from this world but they are not really dead. Although they are
no longer physically here, their legacy and the impact they had on the world lives on.
When the principles they embodied and taught continue to exist, it is as if the person
is still alive.
There are other circumstances however, in which a person can physically be alive but
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
abilities along with the understanding of how to utilize those talents. He presents
us with any tool that may aid us in achieving what we were put on the world
to accomplish and at the same time live the happiest life we could want. Elokai
neshama she-nasata bi… we have infinite inside of us. We don’t really need
anything else.
Rav Schwartz writes that while it is true that Adam was removed from Gan Eden,
he had already removed Gan Eden from inside himself. Gan Eden is a place of
total inner peace. It is happiness with who I am and what I have. There could
not have been a state of jealousy for what someone else had because there was
nobody else.
The Torah relates that Chava saw that the fruit of the tree were attractive. She
was drawn. She desired something she was not entitled to. She was no longer
happy with what she had but wanted to partake of something forbidden. She had
a ratzon for something outside of her Gan Eden. Adam and Chava created tayva,
desire, and it is this desire that Hashem refers to as mos tamus.
When we want something we can’t have, that is the beginning of death. We have
the ability to live with what we have and develop and foster our sense of self.
When we ignore our self for something outside our self then we begin to kill our
self. The Torah is telling us mos tamus. If we desire something then we will “die”.
Once we submit to temptation we will no longer be able to live in the peace of
Eden. We will make ourselves crazy always wanting and seeking something else.
The beginning of death is no longer feeling the Gan Eden, serenity of satisfaction,
in my 4 amos because every time we look at what we can’t have, we have trouble
living. We will hope for a different life which we will never achieve.
Parshas Korach opens with the words, “Vayikach Korach…v’Dasan v’Aviram ...
v’On ben Peles” (16:1). Most translations interpret the verse to mean that Korach
took Dasan, Aviram, and On. Rashi comments that he convinced them, he took
them, with words.
However, if we look at the pasuk, it literally translates as Korach, Dasan, and
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
event that took place but rather defining the character of the people who created
this week’s turmoil. Vayikach: their identity was taking. They by nature felt a sense
of entitlement. They felt they deserved something they were not awarded. Like
Chava, they wanted something not designated for them.
This is telling in their punishment as well. Moshe asked Hashem to eliminate
Korach in a supernatural manner. Why was Moshe so vindictive? Perhaps Moshe
did not make the request out of vengeance but rather, as he often did, was trying
to send a message. Had Korach died a natural or common death, everyone would
have walked away saying that Korach sinned and was punished. The message
would have been do not rebel.
Now that something from the world order changed, the message was clear that
not only did Korach do something that was wrong, he acted in an unnatural way.
When Hashem created the world He did not intend on people defining themselves
as takers. To contribute is in line with the intended nature of the world. To take
is unnatural.
And Korach was specifically punished by the earth. The ground is the ultimate
giver. It produces virtually everything we have. Even what we put into the ground
is turned around to produce better products for us. The ground, the ultimate
giver, the natural giver, was called to punish the one who violated the message of
giving.
Every day, we encounter circumstances that allow us to give and enable us to take.
How do we want to define ourselves? What are we going to do to “live”? Are we
going to spend our time developing our sense of self or kill our time dreaming of
what is not meant for us? It is up to us to realize the gifts Hashem gave us, and to
use the talents that we already naturally have inside of us. We need to realize the
greatness of what we do have and not kill ourselves trying to acquire an identity
that does not belong to us.
Yehi ratzon mi-lifnei avinu she-bashamayim that we should be confident enough
to know we have everything we need and realize that there is no need to desire
something we do not have. Hashem should help us live in line with the nature He
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created, and may we live a real life full of contribution.
Chukat
Para Aduma: A Model for Understanding Mitzvot?
Rav Michael Siev
P arshat Chukat opens with the mitzva of para aduma, introduced by the famous
phrase zot chukat ha-Torah (19:2). Rashi explains that the term chok refers to mitzvot
that human beings have a difficult time comprehending, the ones that the Satan
(yetzer ha-ra) and the nations of the world chide us about keeping. Why does it make
sense that sprinkling ashes of a para aduma mixed with water should make someone
tahor? And it is even more difficult to understand how it could be that the people
who prepare the para aduma solution become tamei while the people who are already
tamei and are sprinkled with the solution become tahor. The Torah uses the term chok
to imply that this is a gezeirat melech, a royal decree, and we have no right to question
it.
This idea seems to call into question the enterprise of explaining ta’amei ha-mitzvot,
the reasons for mitzvot. Many rishonim, including the Rambam and Sefer Ha-Chinuch,
consistently explain what they consider to be the underlying reasons for various
mitzvot, especially chukim; after all, mitzvot like the prohibitions against murder
and stealing don’t require much explanation. Why is this is a valid exercise? Haven’t
we pointed out that chukim are gezeirot melech that are beyond our understanding?
Even from a logical perspective, isn’t it presumptuous to assume that human beings
can comprehend the intentions of God, who created our intellects and is necessarily
beyond human systems of thought? And to make matters worse, even Rashi, who
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
beginning to end, the symbolic meaning of this mitzva and all its details! Didn’t
he already point out that we cannot comprehend this enigmatic mitzva?
We may be able to glean insight into this question based upon a mishna that
appears in Berachot (33b) and Megilla (25a). The mishna discusses a shaliach
tzibbur who inserts the phrase, “Your mercy extends to birds’ nests” into the tefilla
in the modim section, where we praise various aspects of God’s involvement with
the world. The reference is to the mitzva of kan tzippor, which is that one must
send away a mother bird before taking her eggs (Devarim 22:6-7).
What is wrong with adding this extra praise? One opinion in the Gemara explains
that this formula assumes that the reason for this mitzva is mercy, while it is but
a Divine decree. What does this mean? The Tosafot Yom Tov explains that it is
not a problem to give a reason for the mitzva of kan tzippor, but to express that
reason as part of tefilla. When one praises God for His mercy toward birds as
manifested by the mitzva of kan tzippor, and inserts that praise into tefilla, that
is an expression of the person’s confidence that this is definitely the correct and
comprehensive reason for the mitzva. Searching for ta’amei ha-mitzvot is entirely
valid (see Pesachim 119a), but only when it is done with the right perspective. We
must recognize our human limitations and realize that we may not comprehend
the entirety of what God had in mind when He commanded a particular mitzva.
Once we have that perspective, we are encouraged to delve into the meaning of
mitzvot, a process which can enhance our mitzva observance.
This perspective on the search for ta’amei ha-mitzvot has an important
ramification which can help us understand the beginning of our parsha. When
we approach ta’amei ha-mitzvot with the understanding that all we can offer
are suggestions that do not necessarily encompass the full significance of the
mitzvot, it is obvious that our observance of a mitzva cannot be dependent upon
the reason for the mitzva (as Rambam points out explicitly in Hilchot Me’ila 8:8
and in other places). Since we can never be entirely sure that we have properly or
fully understood the mitzva, it would be ludicrous to base our observance upon
those questionable understandings. Furthermore, this approach is based upon a
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,
this fundamental point may be what makes the phrase “na’aseh ve-nishma” such
an appropriate way to accept the Torah; “we will do” precedes and is independent
of the “hearing,” which implies understanding.
Now we can go back and understand the Rashi we started with. At the beginning
of the parsha, Rashi is talking about our response to the nations of the world and
to our own yetzer ha-ra, who pressure us to stop observing mitzvot altogether.
Our response to that attack must be that the mitzvot are gezeirot melech, and we
are loyal to them simply because God commanded them. Nothing else, including
ta’amei ha-mitzvot, are necessary or relevant in explaining our dedication to
mitzvot. Once that dedication is established, we can seek to understand the
deeper meaning of the mitzvot, which can only serve to enhance our religious
experience.
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Chukat
G r o w i n g Up
Rav Uri Etigson
S efer Bamidbar is primarily a book of stories. However, interspersed throughout
the stories are a sprinkling of halachot, and whenever one appears, we must ask
ourselves why this halacha was placed here. Our parsha begins with the halachot of
para aduma which discuss the very esoteric ritual through which a person is purified
from the impurity of contact with a dead body. However, ironically, the purifying
kohen must defile himself in this process in order to purify others. I would like to
suggest that this halacha introduces the theme of the entire parsha. Our parsha is
about death, the deaths of the leaders of Am Yisrael: Miriam, Aharon, and the decree
of death upon Moshe. Thus, the leaders of Am Yisrael become “tamei met” (through
their own deaths), parallel to the purifying kohen who uses the para aduma, and
himself becomes tamei. Yet, Chazal (quoted in Rashi, 20:1) teach us that “mitat
tzadikim mechaperet” – “the death of the righteous atones.” Just as the purifying kohen
atones for and purifies others through his own tumah, so too when the great leaders
of Am Yisrael pass on they also atone for and purify Am Yisrael. But how?!
When the sun sets, the stars come out. During the day the stars are all still in the sky,
they are just eclipsed by the intense light of the sun. However, when the sun sets,
each star finally shines its own unique light. Similarly, during their lifetime, the great
leaders inspire us with their intense and overwhelming light, such that there may be
no need for any other light. When they pass on, there is a vacuum of darkness left in
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
the sun with their own unique and enchanting lights, which were “ignited” by the
inspiration of the “sun”. Thus, the death of the righteous atones and purifies, and
forces the people to grow to their fullest to fulfill their own potential.
After forty years in the desert and countless complaints and rebellions it is
finally time for Am Yisrael as a whole to “grow up” and for the people to assume
responsibility for themselves. On the surface, this parsha may just seem like more
of the same complaining and rebelling. In fact, though, this is finally the stunning
turning point that we have all been waiting for.
First Miriam passes on, and her fountain of living waters disappears with her.
Thus, the people thirst for water, and complain, and rebel. However, this time,
Hashem says that things will be different. Forty years ago, Moshe had to strike
the rock in order to bring forth water. Similarly, Am Yisrael had stubborn hearts
of stone that had to be struck with the awe and fear of God at Har Sinai in order to
allow the waters of Torah to start flowing. Now, Hashem says, “Speak to the rock”
(20:8). Rashi explains that the people were meant to see the rock obey the word
of Hashem because even the rock “loves” and “wants” to be close to Hashem.
Hashem is saying that He believes in Am Yisrael! They are ready to “grow up”
and truly listen out of love and a desire to come close to Hashem. However,
Moshe does not allow them that opportunity, and thus, can no longer lead the
new generation.
Then Aharon passes on and with him disappear the clouds of glory that protected
Am Yisrael, exposing them to the attack of Melech Arad. After an initial setback,
Am Yisrael, for the first time ever, does not complain or shift the responsibility
to Moshe. Rather, for the first time ever, they take the initiative themselves and
declare a neder, recognizing their dependence on Hashem, and making a serious
commitment. Once they commit themselves, Hashem immediately responds by
granting them victory.
Lastly, the people reject the taste of the sublime mann, which they receive daily in
the merit of Moshe, thereby in some sense rejecting Moshe himself. Once again
their complaining is met with punishment from Hashem, this time in the form
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
“chatanu,” “we have sinned!” Once they recognize their own culpability they
become worthy of forgiveness.
This is a proud moment for Am Yisrael; they are finally prepared to leave behind
the immature nursing grounds of the desert and to enter the stage of independent
living in Eretz Yisrael, taking full responsibility for themselves and initiating their
own serious commitments.
Dearest talmidim, at every stage in our life we must be prepared to “grow up” a
little bit more (believe me, it continues to be scary and hard for me too). We must
take the inspiration of the “setting sun” of yesterday and shine our own unique
and enchanting “starlight” into the world, to light up the night. BeHatzlacha!
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Balak
L i v e a s a Jew
Rav Eyal Gottlieb
I n this week’s sedra we encounter Bilam, a man of great spiritual powers, but
one that continuously desires to use his spiritual powers to harm and damage others.
Instead of trying to use his skills to teach and to educate, to speak up for holiness
and for goodness, he tries to use his powers to curse and thereby to help annihilate
Klal Yisrael. Naturally, the question arises, why would Hashem grant such great
spiritual power to such an evil and ruthless individual? Our Sages (Sifri, end of Sefer
Devarim) teach us that Hashem actually wished to show the nations that indeed, you
had prophets of your own, but instead of using them to advance spiritually, even your
prophet(s) were wicked and used their power in a negative manner.
As we know, Hashem transformed Bilam’s words to be words of respect and love
toward Am Yisrael in general, and specifically toward Am Yisrael’s Godly values of
purity, holiness, tznius, goodness etc., as he expressed, “How goodly are your tents, O
Jacob, your dwelling places O Israel….” (24:5), and “May my soul die the death of the
upright, and may my end be like his” (23:10).
The Chofetz Chaim expounded that although Bilam wished to die as a Jew, he wasn’t
willing to make the effort necessary to live like a Jew. He wanted to attain the madreiga
(level) of a Jew and to benefit from it in the World to Come without earning it naturally
through toil and effort in this world; but it is the toil and effort that produce spiritual
growth.
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In Yeshivat Lev Hatorah we try to teach and to exemplify to all the wonderful
talmidim how we must toil in order to grow spiritually: to seriously study Torah
without shortcuts and to be careful in observing every mitzvah and halacha in
all their detail. Only after we make the proper effort to live as a holy people, close
to God in our world, only then we will have the complete merit to become even
closer to Hashem in the World to Come.
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Balak
T h e N u m b e rs Trap
A t the opening of the parasha we are told of the catalyst that prompted Balak
to hire Balaam: “Moab became very frightened of the people [Israel] because it was
numerous” (22:3). In the first parable that Balaam offers he addresses himself to this
fear of Balak. Balaam notes an important concept that all too often we fall short of
appreciating. “Who would count the dust of Ya’akov, and the number of the animallike births of Israel?” (23:10). Rav Hirsch explains that Balaam clarifies to Balak that
he is making a mistake to asses the greatness of the Jewish people by its sheer number.
Balak wrongfully assumed that the might of the Jews rests in their considerable
numbers. If he were to succeed in stunting the Jewish nation’s physical growth the
Jewish nation could be defeated. However, “Who would count the dust of Ya’akov,
and the number of the animal-like births of Israel?” Unlike other nations we are not
dependent upon our numbers; that has never been our strength. The Torah stresses,
“Not because you are more numerous than all the peoples did God choose you, for
you are the smallest of all the peoples” (Devarim 7:7). Whether we are few like Ya’akov
or many like Yisrael does not determine our vitality. Our potency is determined by
our undeviating commitment to our ultimate purpose of serving God and spreading
His will and desire.
The Gemara in Yoma (22b) as well as the Rambam (Hilchot Temidin u-Musafin 4:4)
prohibit counting Jews. This prohibition applies even when counting individuals for a
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
(most commonly, “Hoshia et amecha…”). There are many explanations given for
the reason behind this prohibition. Some commentaries say that counting Jews
directly can bring judgment upon the individuals who, if not deemed worthy, may
be punished. Others propose that when we count individuals we are emphasizing
the parts rather than the whole, thus demonstrating a lack of unity in Klal Yisrael.
Perhaps we can suggest yet another reason why we may not count the Jewish
people. If we were to count the Jewish people we may fall prey to that same trap
that Balak fell prey to; the assumption that our strength depends on our numbers.
Our strength stems not from our sum total; numbers are irrelevant. Rather our
might is derived from the quality of our service of Hashem.
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Pinchas
Pinchas: A Radical Act of Obedience
Rav Asher Friedman
P inchas’ stunning act of violent protest at Kozby and Zimri’s public immorality is
rewarded at the beginning of our parasha. “I hereby grant you My covenant of peace,”
God proclaims (25:12). Originally outside the lineage of the kohanim, Pinchas is
reassigned and receives a share of the priestly duties.
On the one hand, the justice of this reward is clear. In a moment of crisis, as all
structures of spiritual commitment and morality in the Jewish camp crumbled, and
as God’s punishment, the plague, reared its terrifying head, Pinchas stepped into the
breach and in one brief act put an end to the chaos. Of course his moral clarity and
courage deserve reward.
But from another perspective, Pinchas’ act and its subsequent reward are deeply
troubling. Both the pesukim and the elaboration on the part of Chazal indicate that
his act was not required or perhaps even fully permitted by the normal rubric of
halacha. Normally, a person committing a consensual act of sexual immorality is
brought to trial and only then punished. Pinchas’ violence was an expression of the
halachic concept of kana’in pogin bo, which by definition involves an act outside the
jurisdiction of law. Rashi explains that in a situation of public betrayal of God like that
of Kozby and Zimri, if one asks a court for permission to stop them with violence, the
court may not permit it. But if one acts out of a passionate desire to defend the honor
of God, without asking for halachic permission, it is viewed as an act of greatness.
In other words, in the case of kana’in pogin bo, the validity of the act depends on the
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fact that is a personal, subjective decision, independent of the normal framework
of halacha! How can we, so dedicated to halacha as the ultimate expression of
service to God, come to terms with this concept of kana’in pogin bo?
Rav Kook grapples with this question in Orot HaKodesh (end of the 2nd chapter
of Chochmat Ha-kodesh). He poses the question by pointing out the similarity
between Pinchas’s act and that of Nadav and Avihu, the two sons of Aharon who
were punished with death for their innovations in the service in the Mishkan. If
the lesson derived from Nadav and Avihu is that personal innovations are never
acceptable, how can we understand what Pinchas did?
The answer that Rav Kook offers is crucial for a deep understanding of the
purpose of halacha. He claims that Nadav and Avihu assumed that the highest
level of worship would be one that expresses their individual uniqueness. They
sought a way of serving God that reflected their own personalities. In contrast,
Pinchas’ act was what is referred to by Chazal as hora’at sha’ah. Usually translated
as ‘a temporary injunction’, this concept allows a prophet or the Sanhedrin to
temporarily suspend a Torah law, for the sake of the preservation of the halachic
system as a whole. On the surface, it would seem that hora’at sha’ah is a case of the
lesser of two evils – it’s obviously wrong to abrogate a single halacha, but it’s better
than losing the entire system.
Rav Kook understands hora’at sha’ah differently. He defines the term based on
its literal meaning – ‘the teaching of the moment’. He suggests that prophets and
chachamim can attain an understanding of God’s will so nuanced that they can
discern God’s will at any given moment. Almost always, the broad strokes of
halacha paint the precise picture of God’s will. Occasionally, though, a situation
will arise where God’s will in the moment does not correspond to the general
thrust of the halacha’s demands. For most of us, we have no way of accessing that
kind of nuanced knowledge of God, and we are fully justified and obligated in
adhering to the formal halacha, which reflects God’s will in broad strokes. But a
person privy to such detailed understanding of God’s will, aware that for a brief
moment God’s will demands an act different from the general thrust of halacha,
is obligated to obey the hora’at sha’ah, the ‘command of the moment’ instead of
the general teaching of halacha. This is why a court cannot instruct a kanai in a
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situation of kana’in pogin bo – his situation by definition does not relate to the
domain of the court – the general framework of halacha.
This definition of hora’at sha’ah helps Rav Kook explain the difference between
Pinchas and Nadav and Avihu. Nadav and Avihu assumed that expressing their
uniqueness and individuality was more ideal than serving God through the
uniform instructions of halacha. From their perspective, halacha is for people too
lazy to express themselves. They were wrong. Halacha is always about subjecting
one’s individuality and uniqueness to the demands of the will of God. Pinchas’
act was the ultimate expression of this value. His awareness of the will of God,
and not his own personal perspective, guided his radical act. Pinchas represents
our commitment to a life lived in service to God, directed by God’s will, as best
we understand it.
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Pinchas
Z e a l o t r y for All
Rav Michael Siev
P arshat Pinchas opens with Hashem rewarding Pinchas for his famously zealous
act of killing Zimri and Kosbi, which stopped a deadly plague that had struck B’nei
Yisrael. The reward has two components: Pinchas joins the ranks of the kohanim and
he receives b’riti shalom, “My covenant of peace” (25:12). What exactly is a covenant
of peace and why was it an appropriate reward for Pinchas?
The Netziv here explains that when one performs a violent act, the very act itself
makes an impact on one’s personality. It is natural that a person who stabs two people
to death would become somewhat desensitized to violence and a bit more aggressive.
Hashem therefore promises Pinchas a b’rit shalom; because Pinchas’s act was so crucial
and was done with the right intentions, he was guaranteed that it would not have a
corrosive impact upon his personality.1
The idea that one’s actions impact one’s essential character finds expression in
numerous places in the Sefer Ha-Chinuch (for example, mitzva 16) and other sefarim.
It has ramifications regarding actions and environments that one must stay away from
and it can also be harnessed to inculcate desirable character traits. But it is generally
assumed that real change of one’s character requires consistent involvement in a
particular activity. Could Pinchas’s one act really have made that much of a difference?
I think that the answer to this question is clear: there are different types of experiences.
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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Regular experiences have a small impact on a person, and it is only through
repetition that such experiences can leave a lasting impression. On the other
hand, experiences that are very intense have a much greater impact upon one’s
inner world. People who suffer a traumatic experience can never forget it and
their personalites may be shaped by it; similarly, one who achieves something
significant for which he has been hoping and yearning for a long time also never
forgets the experience. Pinchas’s act was extreme, intense and violent. Such an
act would naturally replay itself in his mind over and over, and would have a
significant impact on him even though it happened only once.
The Steipler Gaon (Birkat Peretz, Lech Lecha) points out that this provides food
for thought regarding our involvement in talmud Torah. Often, students are
frustrated by their failure to remember what they have learned. A child may
remember every statistic of every player on his favorite sports team, yet have
trouble remembering anything of the Torah he has studied. As we have seen,
that which a person is excited about makes an impact upon him. The more a
person recognizes the infinite value of Torah and yearns to connect with it and
to master it, the more stimulating the learning experience will be and the greater
the likelihood that one will remember what one has learned.
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Pinchas
S e e i n g i s P ossessing
:‫ויאמר ה’ אל משה עלה אל הר העברים הזה וראה את הארץ אשר נתתי לבני ישראל‬
)‫יג‬-‫יב‬:‫ (במדבר כז‬:‫וראיתה אתה ונאספת אל עמיך גם אתה כאשר נאסף אהרן אחיך‬
And Hashem said to Moshe, “Ascend this Mount Ivrim and see the land
that I have given to the Children of Israel. You shall see it and then be
gathered unto your people as well, just as your brother Aharon was
gathered.” (Bamidbar 27:12-13)
Rav Sinai Adler of Mevasaret Tzion in his sefer Dvar Sinai asks why the idea of Moshe
Rabbeinu seeing the land is mentioned twice. And why is the first verb of seeing in
the command form whereas the second is in the future? And why is it necessary for
Hashem to add the obvious words ‘that I have given to the Children of Israel’?
Rav Sinai answers that the two ‘seeings’ served two different purposes and were
therefore worded differently. The first was a command to Moshe to see the land,
and this was necessary to enable B’nei Yisrael to conquer and acquire the Land of
Israel. The next verse describes the future history, what is about to happen; that after
performing this last act on behalf of his beloved flock, Moshe would then be gathered
to his people.
The question remains, however, what about Moshe Rabbeinu’s seeing the land enables
the Jewish People to take possession of it? This Rav Sinai answers in his comments to
Devarim (3:25), Parashat Va’etchanan, on the verses:
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‫אעברה נא ואראה את הארץ הטובה אשר בעבר הירדן ההר הטוב הזה והלבנן‬
‫ עלה ראש הפסגה ושא עיניך ימה וצפנה ותימנה ומזרחה וראה בעיניך כי לא‬...
‫ וצו את יהושע וחזקהו ואמצהו כי הוא יעבר לפני העם‬.‫תעבר את הירדן הזה‬
)‫כח‬-‫כה‬:‫ (דברים ג‬.‫הזה והוא ינחיל אותם את הארץ אשר תראה‬
In verse 25 Moshe asks to both pass through and to see Eretz Yisrael. In verse
27 Hashem says that Moshe can ascend the summit of the mountain and view
the land from a distance but not enter it. And in verse 28 Hashem tells Moshe
to encourage Yehoshua for he will bring the people into the land. Here too
we see that the preface, even prerequisite for Yehoshua conquering the land is
Moshe seeing the land. But why? Two gifts we have received from Hashem are
called ‘morasha’ – an inheritance, or birthright: the Torah and Eretz Yisrael (see
Devarim 33:4 and Shemot 6:8). Just like Moshe gave us the Torah, so too he asked
to give us the Land of Israel. Knowing he would not actually be allowed to lead the
Jewish People into Israel, Moshe asked if he could grant them possession through
seeing the land. The Gemara in Bava Metzia (118a) records one opinion that it
is possible to gain possession of hefker – ownerless property – through seeing it.
Since Eretz Yisrael had been promised to the Jews, and they now stood poised to
take possession of it from the nations who dwelled there, those nations’ time to
rule the land had come to an end. The land was therefore technically ownerless.
Moshe felt he could initiate the possession of the land by viewing it, and he felt
that to do that properly he had to see it up close, as Avraham himself did in Lech
Lecha: “For all of the land that you see I have given it to you and your descendants
forever”(Bereishit 13:15; see the Meshech Chochma there). We thus see that in
our parasha Hashem commanded Moshe to view Eretz Yisrael, and through this
last gesture of the loyal shepherd, enable Yehoshua bin Nun and the Jewish People
to take possession of the land Hashem had promised to His beloved Avraham.
I encourage all of our readers residing outside the Holy Land to come and see for
yourselves, and take possession of your corner of Eretz Yisrael. Shabbat shalom!
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Mattot
T h e H a n d a nd the Arm
Rav Michael Siev
P arshat Mattot describes the war that B’nei Yisrael waged against Midian in
response to the unprovoked campaign that Midian instigated through Bilam and by
tempting B’nei Yisrael to sin. The war was successful to the point that not even one
Jewish soldier was killed (31:49), a fact that Rabbenu Bechayei calls one of the most
amazing miracles that happened to B’nei Yisrael in the desert.
Who were these soldiers that were selected for this purpose and merited such an
incredible miracle? Halacha generally requires that soldiers be of a high spiritual level,
but the Midrash (Shir Ha-shirim Rabba 4:3) gives an interesting detail regarding the
credentials of these particular soldiers; not one of them made the mistake of putting
on tefillin shel rosh before tefillin shel yad. Why is this the one detail through which the
Midrash saw fit to establish the spiritual fitness of these warriors? What is the big deal
about putting on the two parts of the tefillin in the correct order?
Interestingly, the Gemara (Menachot 36a) makes another statement about tefillin and
Jewish soldiers: one who speaks between putting on the tefillin shel yad and the tefillin
shel rosh is not fit to join the army. Rishonim debate whether the problem with such
a hefsek would be because of the new beracha one would have to make on the shel
rosh or because there is an inherent problem with interrupting between the two (see
Mishna Berura 25:28, who incorporates both reasons). Why would there be a problem
to interrupt between the shel yad and shel rosh? After all, the two parts of the tefillin
are two mitzvot that are not even interdependent; one can fulfill one mitzva even if the
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other part of the tefillin is not available at all!
Rav Soloveitchik explains that this halacha reflects the themes of these two parts
of the tefillin. Tefillin shel yad reflects the active element of a person’s avodat
Hashem, as the arm represents action. Tefillin shel rosh corresponds to the belief
system, the emuna and bitachon that form the foundation of one’s avodat Hashem.
There must not be any interruption between these two parts of the tefillin because
one must be consistent in one’s avodat Hashem, committed both to the beliefs and
actions that are required.
Perhaps this can help us answer our question in a similar vein. One who puts the
tefillin shel rosh before the tefillin shel yad implies that he is only committed to act
upon that which his mind can comprehend. A Jew’s commitment to God’s word,
however, must be total and not dependent upon his own understanding. When
we said “na’aseh ve-nishma,” we indicated our total commitment to acting upon
God’s commands even before we are able to fully understand the importance of
any particular mitzva. It is because the soldiers possessed such a high level of
confidence in Hashem’s guidance and our mesora that they merited such a high
level of Divine protection.
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Mattot
O p t i o n a l O b ligations?
Dr. David Kallus
T he Gemara in Nedarim (8a) asks: How do we know that we are allowed to take
a sh’vua (oath) in order to keep a mitzvah? Rav Gidal quotes a pasuk in Tehillim,
“I have sworn and I will keep (the oath) to guard your righteous laws.” We see that
Dovid Hamelech would swear to keep a mitzvah. The Gemara then asks the famous
question, but all the Jews as a nation already swore to keep the Torah at ma’amad
Har Sinai, and the rule is that a person can’t make a sh’vua on a sh’vua! The Gemara
answers that true, the sh’vua is not effective, but the point Rav Gidel is teaching is
that a person is allowed to push himself (l’zareiz et atzmo) by making a sh’vua. The
commitment that a sh’vua establishes will encourage him to perform the mitzvah.
Interestingly, the Ran understands that the rule that a sh’vua can’t take effect on a
sh’vua is only insofar as there is no requirement to bring a korban sh’vua when failing
to perform the mitzvah but he still holds that one would incur lashes for violating the
sh’vua. On the other hand, the Ramban in this week’s parsha holds that a sh’vua on a
mitzvah does not take effect at all. Therefore, if one would fail to perform the mitzvah,
he would be patur both from a korban and from lashes as well.
The Ketzos Hachoshen asks a rather obvious question. According to the Ramban
who holds that there is no punishment for violating a sh’vua to keep a mitzvah, how is
this person going to push himself with this sh’vua? After all, it is ineffective. Imagine
someone who can’t seem to wake up to say shema on time. The alarm doesn’t work
and his madrich has given up hope. Then our struggling student comes up with a great
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idea! “I swear in the name of Hashem (he dosen’t say bli neder) that tomorrow I
will wake up on time to say shema.” If he happens to be learning Nedarim (shout
out to Marc Merrill - who always wakes up on time) then our oath taker is fully
aware that his words will have no consequences according to the Ramban. After
all, this is a sh’vua on a mitzvah, which is not chal (effective)! So when the alarm
goes off in the morning, since thoughts of his masechta are going through his
dreamy head, he will hit snooze until the princes wake up. If so what is the point
of the sh’vua?
In his youth the Steipler, Rav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky zt”l, answered this
question in a rather clever way with an important insight into human behavior.
He points out that it is natural for a person to try to make life easier for himself.
When there is a challenging mitzvah, a person will seek a heter to avoid doing the
mitzvah. He will come up with all sorts of reasons to justify why it’s okay for him
to slack off. We are all good people and would never blatantly cast off the yolk of
Torah and mitzvos. But what we are willing to do is to fool ourselves that we are
patur from the mitzvah for some reason or other.
The Steipler explains that if one views mitzvos as optional and not as an obligation,
as far as Hilchos Sh’vuos are concerned the mitzvah becomes a devar reshus, an
optional act. And while the Ramban says that a sh’vua cannot apply to a mitzvah,
neither to obligate him to bring a korban nor to receive lashes, in this man’s
views the mitzvah is only a reshus, an optional act. Accordingly, a sh’vua will be
binding on this mitzvah much as it is binding on any non-mitzvah. Going back
to our example, even though a sh’vua to say kerias shema cannot work because
it is a sh’vua on a mitzvah, since our bachur holds that saying shema on time
doesn’t apply to himself, it becomes a devar reshus and his statement, “I swear in
the name of Hashem that tomorrow I will wake up on time to say shema,” will in
fact be a binding oath! (For further discussion see the Kehillos Ya’akov, Nedarim
siman 10.)
This important insight of the Steipler Gaon is relevant to many decisions we make
on a daily basis. If we are confronted with the need to find significant time to
learn Torah we hold that we are patur from learning because we are involved in
earning a parnasa. If we don’t want to feel obligated to help a poor man we will
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say we are patur because tzedaka doesn’t apply to this particular person. We
are even patur from tefilla when we receive a text message because we behave
as if the mitzvah of tefilla does not apply when our hip vibrates, telling us that
someone wants to get in touch with us. When we honestly reflect on our role in
this world and our priorities in life, deep down we know what Hashem want from
us. All too often we allow ourselves to be fooled into giving ourselves unmerited
exemptions and baseless dispensations.
205
Devarim
W o r d s W e l l W o rth the Wait
‫ּובין ּת ֶֹפל‬
ֵ ‫ארן‬
ָ ‫"א ֶּלה ַה ְּד ָב ִרים ֲא ֶׁשר ִּד ֶּבר מ ֶֹׁשה ֶאל ּכָ ל יִ ְׂש ָר ֵאל ְּב ֵע ֶבר ַהּיַ ְר ֵּדן ַּב ִּמ ְד ָּבר ָּב ֲע ָר ָבה מֹול סּוף ֵּבין ָּפ‬
ֵ
"‫וְ ָל ָבן וַ ֲח ֵצרֹת וְ ִדי זָ ָהב‬
The above verse, which opens Sefer Devarim, is explained by the midrash in Yalkut
Shimoni with the following pasuk (Devarim 32:15): “‫ – ”וישמן ישורון ויבעט‬Yeshurun will
grow fat and kick (rebel).” What is the connection between the two verses?
The Ketav Sofer explains using a principle of effective communication contained in
this comment from Rashi (Devarim 1:3):
‫"וַ יְ ִהי ְּב ַא ְר ָּב ִעים ָׁשנָ ה ְּב ַע ְׁש ֵּתי ָע ָׂשר ח ֶֹדׁש ְּב ֶא ָחד ַלח ֶֹדׁש ִּד ֶּבר מ ֶֹׁשה ֶאל ְּבנֵ י יִ ְׂש ָר ֵאל ּכְ כֹל ֲא ֶׁשר ִצּוָה ה’ אֹתֹו‬
"‫ֲא ֵל ֶהם‬
.‫ מלמד שלא הוכיחן אלא סמוך למיתה‬- ‫ ויהי בארבעים שנה בעשתי עשר חדש באחד לחדש‬:‫רש”י‬
.‫ כדי שלא יהא מוכיחו וחוזר ומוכיחו‬...‫ שלא הוכיח את בניו אלא סמוך למיתה‬,‫ממי למד? מיעקב‬
And it was in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month on the first of
the month” – This teaches that Moshe didn’t rebuke them until shortly
before his death. From whom did he learn this? From Yaakov, who didn’t
rebuke his sons until shortly before his death… in order that he not
rebuke them and then need to rebuke them again.
The Ketav Sofer asks on this midrash that Rashi brings, what is wrong with giving
rebuke multiple times? If it’s needed, then it should be given. Another question:
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,
what good would it do to give the rebuke shortly before his passing – then his first
and only rebuke would fall on deaf ears and he would not even have the option
of following up!
The Ketav Sofer answers that Moshe had learned from Yaakov Avinu that proper
timing when rebuking someone is of paramount importance. If the recipient of
the rebuke is enjoying a state of calm and success in his life, he will have little
impetus to internalize the rebuke and it will slide off of him like water off a duck’s
back. If, however, the recipient is confronted with upheaval or even the possibility
of something that threatens his security, the rebuke he receives is absorbed. That is
why Yaakov Avinu waited for his last day to rebuke his sons: the great impending
loss of their revered father and the transition into a new and unknown status
quo opened their hearts and minds to his words. So too, Moshe Rabbeinu knew
that the Jewish People had been enjoying such a level of comfort and security
under the clouds of glory that they would hardly be open to his rebuke. At the
plains of Moav, with the magnificent era of Moshe Rabbeinu’s leadership about
to end, and the imminent wars of conquest waiting for B’nei Yisrael just across
the Jordan River, the time was ripe to lay their faults and shortcomings at their
feet and beseech them to examine their ways. This, the Ketav Sofer concludes, is
the Yalkut’s point when it cites here the verse “Yeshurun will grow fat and kick.”
During their journey in the desert, Yeshurun had been too comfortable and
rebelled at being rebuked. Moshe understood that now, as their world was about
to be overturned, the time was ripe for them to take stock and raise themselves to
the standard Hashem held for them.
As we remember the travails that we as a people have experienced in our history
leading up to Tisha B’Av, let us too take stock and open our hearts to the loving
rebuke of Moshe Rabbeinu and the other prophets who believed in our ability to
strive for the standards of conduct Hashem has for us.
207
Devarim
T h e H a s h e m ’ s Love of Eight
A s Tisha B’Av approaches it is appropriate that we read Parshat Devarim, in
which Moshe Rabbeinu recounts the events that occurred in the desert, specifically
the sin of the meraglim. Chazal tell us that the fact that Am Yisrael cried for no
reason at the report of the meraglim caused the eventual destruction of both Temples,
along with other tragedies throughout the generations which occurred on Tisha B’Av. To attempt to understand the connection between the sin of the meraglim and the
destruction of the Beit HaMikdash we look into the words of this week’s parsha of the
meraglim. The meraglim reveal the reason they were not able to see the greatness of Eretz Yisrael:
“With great hatred God took us out of Mitzrayim to bring us into the hand of the
Amorites to destroy us” (1:27). The meraglim did not see the love of Hashem for His
people in yetziat Mitzrayim. They felt hated and rejected by God, and it was because
of this that they were not able to see Hashem’s love through Eretz Yisrael. The Ba’al Shem Tov taught that when we say the birchot keri’at Shema, specifically the
beracha of “Ahava Rabba,” which is talking about Hashem’s great love and care for Am
Yisrael, this brings ge’ula closer. Based on the meraglim, we can understand that the
root cause of rejecting Eretz Yisrael is the feeling of being “hated” by Hashem. Saying
“Ahava Rabba” with great kavana deepens our relationship with Hashem and our
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
shined His love onto the Jewish people; by rejecting that love we reject this place,
the Beit Hamikdash.
The first step to rebuilding the Beit Hamikdash is to feel the “Ahava Rabba,”
Hashem’s great love for us. With this perspective Am Yisrael will overcome all
obstacles, challenges and difficult times.
209
Eikev
O n e M o m e n t at a Time
T he pasuk in this week’s parsha (Eikev 10:12) states, “And now, Yisrael, what is
Hashem asking from you but to just to fear Him, follow all His ways, love Him and
serve Him with all our heart.” It is not such a big request. We should easily be able to
achieve the instructions the Torah gives.
The Gemara in Berachos (33b) asks, are the commands of the pasuk a small thing?
Loving and fearing Hashem are extremely difficult and the Torah is even asking us to
do it with all our heart. Why does the Torah make it sound like it should be so simple?
The Gemara answers that for Moshe it was a small thing. After everything that Moshe
witnessed and experienced, it was easy for him to attain this high level of complete
commitment. Moshe saw with his own eyes how indescribably awesome Hashem’s
infiniteness was and for him there was no other option but to fulfill the charges of the
pasuk.
However, where does this leave me? The Torah was not just speaking to Moshe and it
even introduces the pasuk with, “And now, Yisrael,” which directs the commands that
follow to everyone! Furthermore, we believe that Moshe was the ultimate teacher. As
the ultimate teacher, he should know better than anyone else that what is easy for me
may not be as easy for my students. When presenting an idea to an audience, we need
to present the idea in a manner that speaks to those we are instructing.
To address this idea, perhaps we should focus on the first word of the pasuk. If the
210
overall message of the pasuk is to tell us that we should love Hashem and fear
Hashem, why does it start with “And now”? Is it like Madison Square Garden
where they announce, “And now, here are your New York Knicks”?
Maybe the first words are the key to attaining the seemingly impossible levels that
the Torah delineates. If we view love and fear of Hashem as a life task then I can
easily become overwhelmed. Life is a very long period of time. Can I realistically
expect myself to love and fear Hashem every moment for the rest of my life? The
key is “and now”. Don’t think about what will happen next year or next week or
even tomorrow. I just need to focus on right now. Right now, I need to make
one decision. I need to have yiras shamayim for just one moment. I need to love
Hashem with all my heart for one moment. I need to follow all of Hashem’s ways
only right now. I need to decide what I must do for only one moment. It is just
one decision and yes, one decision is not such a big deal. It is a small thing. The
introduction of the pasuk is necessary to understand how the rest of the pasuk
can easily be accomplished.
If I worry about how I will be able to live up to Hashem’s expectations for a
lifetime then I may feel overwhelmed. If I focus just on what Hashem wants me
to do right now then there is a fighting chance that I can love Hashem with all my
heart. After all, I only need to do it right now.
The pasuk adds, “and now”. Now that I worried about this moment and this
decision, I can move on to face the next moment’s challenges, which will then
develop the definition of who I am into the ideals that the Torah is looking for.
A number of times throughout Talmud Bavli we see the refrain of “yesh koneh
olamo besha’ah achas – there are those who acquire a portion to the World to
Come in just one moment.” The Talmud generally uses the phrase to describe
someone who did not act in line with Hashem’s will his whole life but has a
moment of inspiration and repents. He can acquire his portion in the World to
Come with that one moment of repentance.
Perhaps we can now add another idea to the concept of acquiring one’s portion
in a moment. Not only is it referring to a moment of teshuva, it is telling is that if
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
principle of sha’ah achas: not to worry about how I will maintain a level of perfect
performance my whole life but just to focus on what is Hashem asking of me in
this one moment.
Yehi ratzon milifnei avinu shebashamayim that Hashem gives us the vision and
the strength to excel in what He wants from us right now and to use that to build
ourselves into ovdei Hashem, servants of Hashem, who “fear Him, follow all His
ways, love Him and serve Him with all our heart”!!
212
Re’ei
T r u e C h esed
Dr. David Kallus
Y ou shall surely open your hand to him; you shall lend him his requirement,
“
whatever is lacking to him” (dei machsoro asher yechsar lo) (Devarim 15:8).
Rashi states that dei machsoro asher yechsar lo implies that the obligation of tzedakah
goes so far as to require us to give the poor person a horse to ride upon and a slave to
run in front of him.
This is a very difficult Rashi. Rashi one line earlier explains that one would not be
required to make the poor man rich. We can understand that a poor man should
be given support to help him cover his basic needs. But to give someone charity to
support a lavish lifestyle is untenable!
Rav Wolbe in Alei Shur (page 93) explains that in this pasuk and especially in the
words “dei machsoro” is the yesod, the foundation, of chesed. A person who is focused
primarily on himself is hopelessly unable to see that which another person is lacking.
While he may be able to appreciate that another person could miss something that he
himself does not have, the same person cannot appreciate that another person can be
missing something even though in his own view it may be excessive or unimportant.
While we may not identify with the lifestyle of a man with a horse and slave runner, if
tzedakah is about chesed we would be able to understand that this particular person’s
need for these so called excesses could be the same as another pauper’s need for very
basic necessities.
213
When I was first married I lived in an apartment for a number of years. There
was a tzedakah organization in my neighborhood that often helped people who
couldn’t pay their mortgage and were about to be foreclosed (this was even before
the sub-prime mortgage days). My initial reaction to giving to such a tzadakah
was to think that I live in an apartment and it’s not so bad, let these people learn
to live smaller and not have the luxury of a house. Why should the tzibbur be
asked to give when the people can be told to downsize their unaffordable lifestyle?
Why should I shell out money to support something that I can’t even afford for
myself? Thankfully I soon realized that my thoughts went against the notion
of dei machsoro as stated above. A person who scraped together money for a
down payment on an affordable house to fulfill the “American dream” of owning
a house and was now suddenly without a job or had unexpected expenses come
up truly has a need for this house. Imagine how he would be destroyed if he lost
his home and had to start all over again.
The results of chesed performed in a manner that accounts for the needs of the
particular poor person is that the giver will usually end up giving even more
than what was requested. For example if the poor man requests money but the
particular giver is a ba’al chesed, he won’t be satisfied with merely fulfilling the
request and writing him a check, he will determine that he doesn’t need other
help or he will ensure that he is helped in a way that improves his self confidence,
etc.
When Eliezer is looking for a wife for Yitzchak he states that the wife will be the
one whom, when I ask for water, will draw me and my camels as well – “that is
the girl that Hashem has proven is for Yitzchak and through this (test) I will
know that Hashem has done kindness to my master”(Bereishis 24:14). Rashi says
that this test proves that she is a gomel chesed and is worthy to enter the house of
Avraham. Rav Wolbe explains that her status as a gomel chesed was proven by not
merely agreeing to Eliezer’s personal request for water but seeing that there was a
further need for water for the camels.
214
The story is told of the Beis Haleivi that once a woman asked if it was permissible
to be fulfill the obligation of the four cups of wine on Pesach with milk. The Rav
answered no and gave her a significant amount of money. When asked why he
gave so much money he explained that from her question it was clear that not
only does she lack wine for Pesach, but if she is asking about milk, clearly she
lacks meat for the yom tov meal as well. This is the perspective of a man of chesed;
it’s not just about the request, it is a responsibility to fulfill a need.
215
Shoftim
Seven Habits of Highly Successful Judges
O ur parasha begins with the mitzvah to establish courts and appoint judges –
“‫( ”שופטים ושוטרים תתן לך בכל שעריך‬16:18). This is a command incumbent upon the
Jewish people and each community. However, there is a well-known drush quoted
by Rav Chaim Vital and the Shla Ha-kadosh on this verse – that it also implies that
each and every Jew should be a judge over the gateways to his head: eyes, ears, nose
and mouth. According to this interpretation, the verse is teaching us that we must
carefully judge what comes in to our minds and bodies, since what we see, hear, and
even smell has an effect on our thoughts. Similarly, the kashrut and quantity of what
we eat influences our ability to concentrate and our spirituality. Likewise, we must
constantly judge the words and looks which we use to communicate with others.
Judging, however, is a tricky business, and demands clarity of mind and strength
of character. The Rambam in his Hilchot Sanhedrin (2:7) lists seven attributes that
a judge must embody to become appointed to even the lowest court of three (the
requirements to sit on a court of 23 are much more stringent). Taking our drush to its
logical conclusion, we’d be wise to cultivate these characteristics to enable ourselves
to honestly judge our actions, speech and thoughts. While I leave it to the reader to
consider all the Rambam’s words and their applications in his or her own life, let’s take
a couple of examples to see how it might be done.
216
The first prerequisite is ‫ – חכמה‬wisdom – which simply means knowing the
Torah, what’s right and wrong in the eyes of Hashem. So, learning Halacha is
the starting point for determining if our deeds are pleasing to Hashem. Studying
the lives of our Avot and Imahot, as well as our sages, will also ingrain in us a
strong sense of the right path to choose. Another attribute is a love for truth. Falsehood, even in shades, should bother us. Even a small sarcastic comment
like, “That was smart!” (while, in fact, it was a big mistake) is a lie and must be
avoided. A great way to develop a love for truth is to learn ‫ בחברותא‬and to readily
admit when your partner is right and you’re wrong. This will also fortify you in
another of the seven attributes, humility.
The Rambam (Ibid. 2:10) also teaches that while the Torah permits a competent
judge to judge alone, the sages forbade it, compelling him to consult with two
other wise people, forming a court. This is invaluable advice in our own personal
courts. In other words, when making decisions and improving ourselves, don’t
go it alone; speak to wise and trusted people and ask for their counsel. In this
way, you will merit the blessing: “Any court that is fitting, the Shechina rests upon
it” (Ibid. 3:7).
May Hashem guide us in all we do. 217
Ki Teitzei
T o r a h P ower
O n Rosh Hashana, the very first Torah reading of the year relates what happened
when Sarah Imeinu compelled Avraham Avinu to chase Hagar and Yishmael out of
the house (Bereishit 21:9-21). Yishmael was close to death and Hashem created a well
in order to save him. The Midrash (quoted by Rashi, 21:17) tells us that the malachim
rushed to Hashem to point out how much future Jewish pain and suffering would be
spared if Yishmael would die here. Hashem responds that although they were correct
about the impact Yishmael’s descendants would have on the Jewish people, right now
Yishmael does not merit death. Hashem judges a person “ba’asher hu sham” (21:17),
as he is now, and not based on what will happen in the future. Perhaps one of the
reasons we read this portion on Rosh Hashana is that this notion is comforting for us.
As we are getting judged, we need not focus on whether we will be able to maintain
our commitments over the course of the rest of the year. If we are fully committed to
Hashem on Rosh Hashana itself, we will get judged based on that commitment.
Seeing how important this idea of ba’asher hu sham is to Hashem, to the point that
He allowed future Jewish generations much pain to uphold its integrity, we find
something very curious in Parshat Ki Teitzei. The ben sorer u’moreh is sentenced to
death, not for what he already violated but rather to prevent him from his inevitable
future sins. Rashi (21:18) says that Hashem looks into the future and decides that
better he die innocent rather than die guilty. Why in this case does Hashem not give
the recalcitrant son the benefit of “ba’asher hu sham”?
218
The Yerushalmi in Sanhedrin (8:7) tries to explain why the rebellious son is judged
differently than any other criminal in our religion. In explaining this difference,
the Yerushalmi writes that Hashem anticipates that this child will eventually waste
his parents’ resources, steal from wayfarers, murder, and forget his Torah. For
those instances which will inevitably happen, the Torah advises us to kill this son
now so that he can die innocent rather than having him put to death full of sin.
Perhaps we can argue that whereas Yishmael’s future indiscretions are not
inevitable, the ben sorer u’moreh is doomed to the fate that he triggered. Why is
the ben sorer u’moreh’s path irreversible?
The order of the sins that the rebellious son will commit is interesting. It seems
from the Yerushalmi that it is only after he forgets his Torah that he becomes
hopeless. Even after he stole and murdered, his fate is not sealed until he forgets
his Torah. It is only when he forgets his Torah that we view him as someone who
cannot be rehabilitated.
Through this we see tremendous insight into the power of Torah. Even when a
Jew strays just about as far as he can go, there is still the possibility of return as
long as there is Torah. He is not hopeless as long as he has Torah. When we say
that Torah is a life giving force for a Jew, it means that it can even be life saving.
If we take a good look at the Yerushalmi, we can see two further relevant lessons.
First, it is not enough to learn Torah, it is vital to also remember what we are
learning. Spending our time learning Torah is important but it does not compare
to the experience of acquiring Torah: learning things so thoroughly and clearly
that we can recall what it was that we learned at any point of the day. It was only
after the ben sorer u’moreh forgot what he learned that he was doomed. Once
there was no recall anymore, it was if the Torah was not his.
The second message should resonate with us as we head toward Rosh Hashana.
Some may feel very far from the resolutions we made a year ago when we felt
close to Hashem. When deciding what we should be focusing on during Elul
to prepare for Yom Ha-din, perhaps we should start a new chavrusa or study of
a new Torah subject. Maybe I can pick up a new gemara or at least thoroughly
go through an aliya of the parsha every day during the week so that I complete
219
the weekly portion every week. Whatever we choose to study, strengthening our
commitment to Torah study will be an advantageous weapon to bring with us
into Rosh Hashana. It may tip the scales on our judgment for the year.
Through this commitment, we should merit a kesiva va-chasima tova and promise
for a healthy and successful year.
220
Ki Tavo
T h e S e c r e t o f Happiness…
Rav Uri Etigson
P arshat Ki Tavo, with its vast amount of curses, often feels frightening and
overwhelming. However, the great Chassidic masters tried to demonstrate that every
curse can really be seen as a blessing-in-disguise if it is understood as a teaching, or
as a way of guiding us to reach a higher level of closeness to Hashem. Thus, many of
the verses of the curses have been interpreted as teachings about living a holier life.
Perhaps one of the most central and important lessons in Chassidic thought has been
derived from the following pesukim: “All these curses shall befall you, and pursue you
… Since you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, be-simchah uv-tuv levav – in joy and with
gladness of heart,” (28: 45,47). The ARI z”l explained that this is a fundamental lesson
in the service of G-d. It is not enough to serve G-d, or even to perform all the mitzvot
and adhere to all the halachot. This is not true avodat Hashem, unless it is performed
with a sense of joy and gladness of heart. The Zohar says that mitzvot performed and
tefilot recited without emotions of awe, and joy and love are “dead” – they are like
birds without wings that attempt to ascend heavenward and fall flat back to the earth.
The ARI z”l said of himself that he attained his great level of ruach ha-kodesh, because
he focused every moment of his life on an awareness of G-d’s awesome presence, and
upon feeling a tremendous sense of joy at having the opportunity to serve Hashem
through Torah and mitzvot. The Rambam even codifies this in the Mishneh Torah, at
the end of Hilchot Lulav (8:15): “The joy that a person must feel in the performance
of mitzvot and in the love of G-d, is a great service! Whoever withholds from this joy
221
deserves to be punished as it says, ‘Since you have not served Hashem your G-d
in joy’ … True greatness is attained only through rejoicing before G-d.”
Everyone wants to feel this joy, yet it remains elusive. What is the secret to feeling
this happiness? Perhaps some of the answers can be found in this very parasha.
The first key is appreciation. The parasha opens with the mitzvah of bikkurim.
Every year, every farmer must bring his first fruits to the Temple and declare
before G-d that he recognizes that all his fruits and even the very land which
he lives on and which he inherited from his ancestors – is not really his! It is all
a gift from G-d! What other nation tries to keep alive the notion that they are
strangers in their own land?! Yet the Torah directs us to constantly remember
that we were a slave nation in Egypt and that G-d gave us the land of Israel as a
gift. The more we internalize this awareness – the more authentic joy we will feel
when partaking even of the simple joys often taken for granted, such as walking
into our own home in the land of Israel.
The second key to happiness suggested in our parasha is to try to feel chosen and
special and loved by Hashem. Before the warning of curses, this parasha also
promises blessings if Am Yisrael follows the Torah. However, many commentators
ask why the Torah does not promise any spiritual rewards of Olam Ha-ba or the
like, but rather only promises physical rewards such as rain, plenty and security
in the land of Israel. Rebbi Yehudah HaLevi and the Abarbanel answer that the
greatest ‘spiritual’ reward that the Torah can offer is to live a ‘physical’ life in the
land of Israel in which the presence of G-d is clearly manifest. It seems that the
central beracha in our parasha is, “The nations of the earth will see that the name
of G-d is called upon you” (28:10). If we can truly feel that we are chosen by
Hashem to represent His name in the world, and that the Torah and mitzvot are a
gift and an opportunity to fulfill our calling and to feel a unique connection with
Hashem, there is no greater beracha and secret to happiness than this!
222
Ki Tavo
S T O P !!!
Noah Cohen
W hile his mom was watching from the top floor of an apartment building, Yoni
was running around on the sidewalk below. Yoni ran this way and that way with a big
smile on his face. His mom could tell he was having a blast.
In this week’s parsha, Ki Savo, the pasuk states: “And it will come to pass that even as
Hashem rejoiced over you to benefit you and to multiply you, so will Hashem rejoice
over you to make you perish and to destroy you” (28:63).
Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch comments on the pasuk and says that it is coming to
teach us that “just as He rejoiced for your sake to cause you to prosper, so will He
rejoice for your sake to cause you to perish.” Rav Hirsch says this is coming to teach us
that just like it is for our benefit when Hashem gives us a beracha, so too it is for our
benefit when He brings upon us seeming misfortune. The bad things that seemingly
happen to us are always out of love.
While running on the sidewalk approaching an intersection, Yoni heard screaming
and yelling coming from his mom in the apartment above. To his shock and anger, it
was his mom screaming, “STOP!!! STOP!!! Get back here right now!” Yoni, extremely
frustrated at his mom for interrupting his playtime on the sidewalk, walked slowly
back up to his apartment at the top of the building.
Why did Yoni’s mom suddenly get so angry and punish him by taking away his
playtime? Yoni’s mom had a better view of the streets below. She was higher up and
223
therefore able to see the danger the little boy could not. What she saw that Yoni
couldn’t was that there was a racing car avoiding the stop sign, flying down the
road headed directly towards the corner intersection little Yoni was ready to run
into. Due to the fact that little Yoni was unable to see the racing car, she knew she
needed to take initiative at all costs to save his life. His mom’s reaction was out of
pure love and concern for the safety for her child.
Sometimes we feel that Hashem is punishing us and we have no idea why.
However, if we are patient and can look deeper into the situation we will find
it is only because we cannot see the speeding car racing down the street to the
intersection. Like Yoni, who was clearly frustrated at his mom for taking his
sidewalk playtime away from him, sometimes we do not know why bad things
happen to us. Together we need to know that Hashem sees it all. Hashem is Yoni’s
mom on the top of the building. He sees the potential danger toward the corner
of the intersection. Yoni, and Am Yisrael as well, just need to be willing to listen
and accept the voice screaming, “STOP!!! STOP!!!”
224
‫‪Nitzavim‬‬
‫עד‪ ,‬וע ד ב כ ל ל ! ! !‬
‫‪A short English summary will follow the Hebrew‬‬
‫“ושבת עד ה’ אלוקיך ושמעת בקולו‪( ”...‬דברים‪ ,‬ל‪,‬ב)‬
‫“‪...‬כי תשוב אל ה’ אלוקיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך” (דברים‪ ,‬ל‪,‬י)‬
‫“ר’ יהודה אומר עד ארבע שעות‪...‬עד ועד בכלל או דלמא עד ולא עד בכלל‪( ”..‬ברכות כו‪).‬‬
‫במהלך הלימוד בישיבה ובמהלך חיינו‪ ,‬אנחנו נדרשים לא פעם ולא פעמיים לשים לעצמנו גבולות‪.‬‬
‫אנחנו שואפים לקדושה – לקדש ולרומם את חיינו – ואנחנו יודעים שהגבול הדק שבין קדושה‬
‫וטומאה‪ ,‬בין קודש לחול עובר במקום בו אנו חוצים גבולות ונותנים דרור וחופש לרצונות שלנו‪.‬‬
‫גם בלימוד הגמרא במסכת ברכות נשאלת השאלה‪ :‬כאשר אומר לנו התנא זמן מסוים – “עד”‪ ,‬האם‬
‫עד ועד בכלל או לא‪ .‬עבודת ה’ היא עבודה מסודרת ומדויקת‪ .‬אם עברנו את השעה – אותה תפילה‪,‬‬
‫עם אותה כוונה‪ ,‬כבר לא תהיה אותה תפילה‪ .‬השכר שנקבל לא יהיה של תפילה בזמנה‪ ,‬ומי יודע אם‬
‫בכלל‪.‬‬
‫לעומת זאת נראה שלא כך פני הדברים כשבאים לדבר על מצוות התשובה‪ .‬במצוות התשובה אף‬
‫השמיים אינם הגבול‪ .‬כשם שישנם סוגים שונים של יראה; יראת העונש – יראה תתאה (נמוכה)‪ ,‬יראת‬
‫הרוממות – מתוקף גדולתו וכבודו של ה’ ויראת חטא – אדם הירא מלחטוא‪ ,‬שומר נפשו מלפגום‬
‫בקדושתה‪ ,‬כך ישנם סוגים שונים של תשובה‪ .‬הרב קוק ב”אורות התשובה” מונה עשרות רבות של‬
‫סוגים וגוונים שונים של תשובה‪ :‬תשובה טבעית‪ ,‬אמונית‪ ,‬שכלית‪ ,‬כללית‪ ,‬פרטית ועוד ועוד‪...‬‬
‫בתחילת פרשתנו נפגשים אנו עם הברית שכרת ה’ עם עם ישראל‪ ,‬גם עם “אשר איננו פה עמנו היום”‬
‫(כט‪ ,‬יד)‪ .‬ישנה ברית כללית בין ה’ לעם ישראל ש”נצח ישראל לא ישקר‪ ”.‬ה’ בחר בנו מכל העמים ולא‬
‫‪225‬‬
‫יחליפנו באומה אחרת‪ .‬ברם‪ ,‬היחיד יכול לבחור לו דרך משלו – “בשרירות לבי אלך” (שם יח);‬
‫וה’ “לא יאבה סלוח לו” (שם יט) ויעניש אותו בעונש המגיע לו‪ .‬הבחירה האלוקית בעם ישראל‬
‫– איננה מסירה את האחריות מכל יחיד ויחיד לעשות את הטוב והישר בעיני ה’‪.‬‬
‫לאחר שהתורה מתארת את העונשים שיבואו על החוטאים – באה הנחמה בדמותה של תשובת‬
‫החוטא‪“ :‬והיה כי יבואו עליך כל הדברים האלה‪ ,‬הברכה והקללה‪ ...‬והשבות אל לבבך‪ ...‬ושבת עד‬
‫ה’ אלוקיך ושמעת בקולו‪( ”...‬ל‪ ,‬א‪-‬ב)‪.‬‬
‫אע”פ שתשובה זו איננה תשובה במדרגה גבוהה ‪ -‬זו תשובה שאדם עושה רק לאחר שלמד את‬
‫הלקח מהעונש שקיבל‪ ,‬בכ”ז ה’ א‪-‬ל רחום וחנון‪ ,‬ובמידת הרחמים “שב ה’ את שבותך ורחמך‪”...‬‬
‫(שם ג)‪ .‬ה’ סולח לעמו ישראל ומחזירם לארצם מכל ארצות פזוריהם‪ ,‬גם אם תשובתם איננה‬
‫שלמה‪ .‬כאן בארץ‪ ,‬ה’ “מל” את “ערלת” לבבנו ומכשירנו לקבל על עצמנו תשובה מאהבה‪,‬‬
‫תשובה אמיתית שמגיעה מעומק הקשר והאהבה אל ה’ (ולא מתוך יראת העונש)‪“ :‬כי תשוב‪,‬‬
‫“אל ה’ אלקיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך” (שם י)‪.‬‬
‫ישנה תשובה “עד” ה’‪ ,‬וישנה תשובה “אל” ה’‪ .‬התשובה “עד” ה’ היא תשובה מיראה (ע”פ הגמרא‬
‫ביומא פו) – עד ולא עד בכלל‪ .‬כשאדם שם לו למטרה לשוב בגלל דבר מסוים או בגלל יסורים‬
‫שבאו עליו – כיון שאין התשובה לשם תשובה בלבד אלא לשם ביטול הייסורים – גם התוצאה‬
‫שלה איננה ברמה הגבוהה ביותר שניתן להשיג וזדונות נהפכים לשגגות‪.‬‬
‫ברם‪ ,‬כאשר התשובה היא “אל” ה’‪ ,‬ולא אל יעד ופניה אחרת אלא אך ורק אל ה’‪ ,‬שיבה אל‬
‫העצמיות‪ ,‬שיבה אל המצב המקורי והאמיתי של האדם‪ ,‬שלא מתוך יראה‪ ,‬אלא מאהבה‪ ,‬תשובה‬
‫ללא גדרים וגבולות‪ ,‬ללא פניות וללא מטרות מוגבלות‪ ,‬אלא תשובה ללא מיצרים – זוכה האדם‬
‫על ידה להתרומם ולרומם איתו אף את החטא עצמו – וזדונות נהפכים לזכויות‪ .‬גם הזדונות‬
‫הופכים לנדבך בסדר עלייתו של האדם מעלה מעלה‪.‬‬
‫בפרוש עלינו ימי הרחמים והסליחות‪ ,‬יהי רצון שנזכה להתרומם מתוך אמונה ויראה ומתוך‬
‫אהבה גדולה לה’ – ולהתקדש במצוות התשובה מאהבה‪ .‬אהבה ללא גבול וסייג‪ .‬אהבה ללא‬
‫מיצרים – ומתוך כך תתקיים בנו נחמת ציון ובניין ירושלים – “ששון ושמחה ימצא בה‪ ,‬תודה‬
‫וקול זמרה” (ישעיהו נא‪ ,‬ג)‪.‬‬
‫‪There are many different levels of teshuva. Our parsha (30:1-10) describes the‬‬
‫‪teshuva process in more than one way. After detailing the punishments that await‬‬
‫‪ (to) Hashem.‬עד ‪the Jewish people if we sin, the Torah predicts that we will return‬‬
‫‪This is teshuva and has great value, but it is a limited teshuva, as indicated by the‬‬
‫‪.‬עד ‪word‬‬
‫‪It is a teshuva that is undertaken only because of the suffering we will have‬‬
‫‪226‬‬
experienced and its goal will be to end the suffering. This is yira (fear) based
teshuva, and it has the effect of turning purposeful sin into accidental ones.
However, there is another level of teshuva that is described at the end of this
section, the teshuva of returning ‫( אל‬to) Hashem. The word ‫ אל‬implies that there
are no boundaries, we are going all the way in reconnecting to Hashem. Teshuva
that is performed with no boundaries and no ulterior motives is ‫תשובה מאהבה‬,
teshuva from love, and it has the power to transform sin into merit; even a person’s
sins end up becoming another step in the process of his spiritual ascent.
As the time of selichot and rachamim begin, may we be successful in experiencing
teshuva from yira but also teshuva from ahava, without any boundaries or limits;
and through that may we merit the final ge’ula as well.
227
Nitzavim
A P a r s h a S andwich
Moshe Esquenazi
P arshat Nitzavim (29:28) states:
‫הנסתרות לה’ אלקנו והנגלות לנו ולבנינו עד עולם לעשות את כל דברי התורה הזאת‬.
“The Hidden things are for Hashem our God, and the revealed things are for us and
our children forever, to do the words of this Torah.”
Let us begin by putting this pasuk in context. The segment prior to this pasuk speaks
of the wrathful actions of Hashem and of how He will in anger remove the Jewish
people from the land if we serve other gods. The segment after our pasuk describes
how Hashem is willing to accept our return from sin and return us to the land after
we have been cast out.
In between these two segments is the pasuk of ‫הנסתרות‬.
Rashi explains that in this pasuk, Hashem is telling us that God does not and will not
punish the entire community for the hidden thoughts of the individual. However,
it is the responsibility of us and our children to ensure that justice is preserved, and
that the covenant is maintained with Hashem. If the community fails to preserve
balance in regards to an individual’s revealed acts (‫ )נגלות‬, then Hashem will curse the
community and the land.
228
There is a sandwiching of concepts here.
The idea of people being cast out of ‫ארץ ישראל‬
for worshipping idols is followed by the idea of responsibility, which then leads
into the concept of the return of these people to God and to the land. The public
will suffer the fate illustrated in the first segment, if they fail to ensure that public
individual acts are not brought to justice. Even if they do suffer this fate, Hashem
in His infinite mercy allows the community and the individual to reconnect and
return to the land.
However, our responsibility does not end with punishing those who openly
transgress commandments. The pasuk that describes our return to Hashem states,
“‫ה’ אלקיך‬-‫ושבת עד‬, you shall return to Hashem your God” (30:2). The pasuk uses
the word ‫( עד‬until) rather than ‫( אל‬to), and Rav Samson Rafael Hirsch explains
that this particular wording means that it is not enough to come close to fulfilling
our potential of connection with God. Rather we have a responsibility to strive to
actually reach our fullest potential, so that we may connect to Hashem, and show
His light in the world.
Hinting to Elul, 30:6 states: “Hashem your God will circumcise your heart and
the heart of your offspring, to love Hashem your God. The initials of ‫את לבבך ואת‬
‫ לבב‬spell out ‫אלול‬. Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l explains that in the current month,
‫ כלל ישראל‬has an obligation to return to God and also to ensure that our children
are also spiritually prepared to better themselves and to repent.
Perhaps as an extension of this, all of ‫ כלל ישראל‬has a responsibility to reach
their highest possible level of connection to Hashem and to a lso reach out to
any other member of our community who has not yet reached his or her fullest
potential. Furthermore, the responsibility to nurture a connection with Hashem
is forever. If a Jew has an obligation to be ‫קרוב לתורה‬, and by not being in this
state he is openly not fulfilling the covenant, then it is within the obligation of the
community of ‫ כלל ישראל‬to ensure that a person who has strayed returns to serve
God. It is our duty to justice and balance to bring in those who are openly distant
from Hashem. Any Jew that is not pushing to reach their highest potential is not
serving justice, and it is the obligation of the community to aid any individual
229
who is not ‫ קרוב לתורה‬and connected to Hashem.
Moadim
Rosh Hashana
S i g n s , S i g n s , E v e rywhere Signs
T he Shulchan Aruch in siman (chapter) 583 codifies the custom to eat an apple
dipped in honey, dates, gourd, carrots and various other foods. The reason for
consuming these foods is to symbolize our yearning for certain positive outcomes in
the coming year. For example, we dip the apple in the honey and say “may we have
a sweet new year.” We eat a tamar (date) and say “yitamu soneinu (may our enemies
disappear).” Although it is a beautiful custom it seems somewhat peculiar. Why don’t
we simply petition God for a sweet new year without the honey? Why not list off all
of our hopes without eating the leek and head of an animal?
Rav Avraham Schorr, in his commentary to the haggadah, suggests a beautiful
explanation of this custom. However, in order to understand the simanim on Rosh
Hashana, we must fast-forward to Pesach. At the end of the seder we sing, “Who
knows one?” Outside of this being a good family song, what is the idea behind the
song? Rav Avraham Schorr suggests that it is a type of exit exam, a word association
test. Throughout the year if I were to ask you what the number one means to you, you
may reply that it is the number of basketball hall of famer Oscar Robertson or football
great Warren Moon. The number two may be your favorite meal at kosher delight,
etc… However after going through the seder - an entire night devoted to teaching
the story of yetziat Mitzrayim, a night dedicated to strengthening our emuna – your
orientation should be changed. If I were to ask you what does the number one mean
to you the answer should be Hashem, the number two of course reminds me of the
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luchos, etc… When we sing “Who knows one?” it is an exit exam to see if we were
successful in placing G-d and Torah at the forefront of our consciousness.
In a similar vein we have the simanim at the start of Rosh Hashana. The foods we
eat are not just a visual aid to help us in our prayer and focus us. The simanim
are there to help me see and show others what is on my mind. As we approach
the Days of Awe we should be totally consumed by the significance of the time.
Everything we do should remind us that we are in a special time period. When
a couple is seriously dating, everything they see naturally reminds them of one
another no matter how far-fetched the association may seem to a person standing
on the outside. A boy and girl who are seriously in love may look at a water
bottle in the fridge and associate that bottle with a date they once had when they
were caught in the rain. So too with us on Rosh Hashana and the Aseres Yemei
Teshuva; everything we do, everything we eat, we should naturally associate with
the Days of Awe. When I look at a carrot (gezer) how can I help but think of
the upcoming gezar din (judgment)? When I look at honey how can I think of
anything else save for the deep desire I have for a sweet new year?
There are many families that have unconventional simanim as well. Some
families eat raisins and celery as an expression of hopes for a raise in the family
income. Some yeshiva students make sure to have ketchup up on the table as
an expression of their hope to catch up with their chazara (review of material
learned). Those “unconventional simanim” are absolutely consistent with the idea
mentioned above. The foods are less important than the mindset. If we are in
the right frame of mind, almost everything on the table should in one way or
another remind us of the awesomeness of this particular time of year. We should
encourage everyone at the meal to come up with simanim for everything at the
table. The simanim can help us orient ourselves properly, put us in the correct
state of mind, and demonstrate to G-d that we grasp the full magnitude of the
days that lay ahead.
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Rosh Hashana
A N e w P e r s p e c t i ve on Teshuva
Ben Welkovics
I would like to dedicate this Dvar Torah in honour of my late grandfather, Usher
Zalki Schusheim z”l, who’s Yarhtzeit will be commemorated on the first day of Rosh
Hashanah.
As Rosh Hashanah draws nearer the perennial theme of teshuva begins to occupy
more of our thoughts. As we contemplate and reflect on the vicissitudes of the
previous year we ask ourselves how we can repent for our misdoings in an attempt
to ask for and be granted forgiveness from God. Each morning in shul, after being
both physically and spiritually awoken by the blast of the shofar, we recite Psalm 27,
Le-David Hashem ori. The body of Psalm 27 discusses having faith and trust in God.
The psalm, however, ends with the powerful words of ’‫קוה אל ה’ חזק ויאמץ לבך וקוה אל ה‬,
“Hope to God, strengthen yourself and He will give you courage, and hope to God”.
The wording of the concluding sentence seems to make the sentence somewhat of
an anomaly within the context of the psalm, however, upon closer examination we
can learn a very significant lesson about teshuva. Throughout most of the psalm we
read about putting our trust and faith in God, yet we conclude the paragraph with the
words, ‫“ ”;חזק ויאמץ לבך‬strengthen yourself and God will give you courage.” Why must
we strengthen ourselves in order to do teshuva? Aren’t we supposed to do teshuva in
order to become better people and to strengthen our spiritual muscles? Isn’t the result
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of teshuva a strengthening of one’s neshama? Or is there perhaps an additional
component to teshuva that Psalm 27 is trying to suggest?
During the holocaust my grandfather, my Opa, was faced with a unique challenge
- the challenge of getting up from the comfort of his home and forcing his family
to leave Nazi Germany with him. The decision my Opa made, which in hindsight
saved the lives of his family members, was a decision which many Jews across
Europe could not make themselves. The fear of leaving home was far too great for
many Jews to undertake, and they chose to clasp onto the hope that things under
the tyrannical Nazis would not get worse. My Opa, however, was not satisfied
with only saving the lives of his family, he wanted to help save other Jews. As a
result of this desire he helped facilitate the escape of hundreds, if not thousands of
Jews from Germany. Unfortunately, my Opa was captured by the Nazis and was
sent to Auschwitz. Fortunately, he survived Auschwitz and the war.
Unlike many who remained passive and fearful, my grandfather was proactive. He
stood up, strengthened himself and participated in the salvation of many Jewish
lives. He viewed the plight which the Nazis brought upon the Jews as a challenge
to overcome the oppression and as an opportunity to grow as an individual and
as a Jew. He did not just passively rely on his faith. He took initiative and God
gave him courage. My Opa took the famous teaching of Rabbi Tarfon (Avot 2:16)
to heart and recognized that although he could not save every Jew, he was not
free from doing his part in saving as many Jewish lives as he could. Furthermore,
when my grandfather was captured and sent to Auschwitz, where he stared death
in the face every day, he remained strong, determined and resilient and God
gave him the courage to survive. It is through these actions that my grandfather
empowered himself and was elevated to an entirely new level whereby he became
recognized as a tzaddik by his family members and others.
I believe that the concluding sentence in Psalm 27 is trying to teach us that
we should view our teshuva ‘actively’. We must first strengthen ourselves and
then God will help us succeed. As such, when we set out do teshuva we must
not only view teshuva as vehicle through which we can attain forgiveness from
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God. Additionally, we should view teshuva as a challenge that will enable us to
grow through the experience of its performance. It is my hope that we will all
be able to actively strengthen ourselves during these days of teshuva in order to
confront our teshuva more meaningfully. Furthermore, I hope that through the
accomplishment of our teshuva we will elevate ourselves to higher levels with the
help of God.
Shana tova and ketiva va-chatima tova.
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Yom Kippur
Y o u t h f u l Y earning
Rav Binyamin Kwalwasser
T he four pesukim of Shema Koleinu recited responsively numerous times
throughout Yom Kippur are met with a certain exuberance and intensity in most
kehillot. “Listen to our prayers, please do not leave us empty handed, and please do not
reject us,” comprise the themes of three of them and accurately express the emotions
many of us are feeling throughout the day. However, one of them, “Please do not cast
us away in our old age,” seemingly does not fit with the desperate plea for attentiveness
and closeness. Why is this idea included in this prayer? What is its relationship to the
other pesukim?
The Rambam in Hilchos Teshuva (2:1) quotes a pasuk from Kohelet (12:1):
”‫“ – “זכור את בוראך בימי בחורותיך‬Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,”
to demonstrate the importance of repenting when young and full of vigor. During
our early childhood years we are not yet tempted by life’s opportunities to sin and
thus remaining clean of errors does not exhibit greatness. Similarly, during our senior
years when we have lost our desires or physical capabilities of pursuing most sinful
activities, doing teshuva also does not signify the most righteous behavior. The highest
level of teshuva applies to the individual who is mentally and physically developed,
laden with strong passions for acting inappropriately and yet withdraws heroically in
subjugation to the will of Hashem.
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This point can be further illustrated with a famous story about Reb Shalom
Schwadron, the Maggid of Yerushalayim. A man had informed Reb Shalom of his
intended absence in shiur due to the upcoming soccer championship. Feigning
ignorance of the sport, Reb Shalom insisted the man explain to him the rules of
the game. When the man explained that the main point is to kick a ball into a net,
Reb Shalom masterfully probed deeper and questioned why we cannot kick the
ball into the net when the goalie goes home for the night or early in the morning
before he arrives. The man exasperatingly called out that there is no point if there
is no challenge, to which Reb Shalom replied in full agreement, “There is no
point if there is no challenge. Don’t you see what you are saying,” continued Reb
Shalom. “Go to shiur when the championship is playing; then you are fighting a
battle when there’s a challenge. That’s when it matters the most.” In our old age the
battle dissipates, the challenge is over. The time to play the game, when it matters
the most, is in our youth.
Perhaps this can help us comprehend the pasuk at hand:
”‫ ככלות כוחנו אל תעזבנו‬,‫“אל תשליכנו לעת זקנה‬. This is usually translated as, “Do not
cast us away in our old age, when our strength weakens do not abandon us.”
However, perhaps we can offer an alternate approach to the first half of the pasuk:
“Do not throw us into old age,” referring to the plea not to end up physically
or conceptually old prematurely, which would permanently inhibit us from
accomplishing the fullest teshuva. Any handicap would put our potential teshuva
opportunities into peril, akin to being old. The pasuk now clearly fits into the
theme of Shema Koleinu. We request that primarily we should remain with our
full capabilities intact and that Hashem should be patient with us. On the other
hand, if nonetheless we end up in our old age prior to having done a full teshuva,
then we emphasize the second half of the pasuk, “Please do not abandon us even
when we have lost our potency, and please fully accept the teshuva done at that
time.” While it is human to not feel the pressure of time, our relationship with
Hashem is undeniably dependent upon the zeal we demonstrate to repair our
ways. May we all merit the highest level of teshuva, speedily in our youthful days.
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Yom Kippur
Y o n a h a n d Y om Kippur
Tani Pollak
W e are approaching the Yamin Nora’im, the Days of Awe, with not much fear.
How are we able to harness our emotional energy to get us onto a better path for this
coming year? Well, here are two ideas that can help us do it.
One may wonder why the Torah reading for mincha of Yom Kippur lists forbidden
relationships. What is the connection to the Day of Atonement? Rashi (Devarim
12:25) notes that these are all sins that are hard to leave. It can be extremely painful
to break off a forbidden relationship or marriage. The hope is that on Yom Kippur
the focus of the day will help us change direction in our lives even if that is a great
challenge.
The haftarah of Yonah, read at mincha of Yom Kippur, follows that same theme. Yonah
runs away from God, away from his mission, onto a ship to Tarshish. A storm erupts
and Yonah goes to sleep to escape from reality. When the sailors force him to confess
the storm is his fault, he advises them to throw him off the boat, hoping to drown.
God frustrates his plan and Yonah realizes then that he wants to live and repents.
Sometimes, we are so set on our direction in life that it takes extreme conditions to
convince us to change. When our direction is wrong, may God help us like he helped
Yonah in the belly of the fish.
We can also come up with another thought over these unique readings on Yom Kippur.
When one looks at all those forbidden liaisons, we can see that we actually kept many
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mitzvot during the year. Our sages want us to remember on Yom Kippur that
however far from God we may feel ourselves to be, we have kept many, many of
His commandments. When we contemplate all our good deeds over the last year,
we are amazed by how much we did. Then we can find the self-confidence to
resolve to keep even more in the year to come.
The Book of Yonah also demonstrates this theme. Yonah looks at the sins of the
people of Ninveh and wants God to destroy the city. Yonah does not accept the
immediate, sincere repentance of the entire population. Sometimes we judge
ourselves that way, too. We can only see our sins and feel guilty about how distant
we are from God. But, that is not the way God sees things, as He always gives us
a second chance. All we need to do is repent. God looks at the good that is in
us and we should do the same. When we realize our own goodness, we can give
ourselves a second chance. We can think about changing and believe that we can
do it. We can look at our past and find a better direction for the future and follow
it.
239
Parshat Shekalim
P a r t ne r s h i p s a n d Juggernauts
T he mishna in Megilla (29a) writes that on the Shabbat prior to Rosh Chodesh
Adar we read Parashat Shekalim - the first of the four parshiot (Shekalim, Zachor,
Parah, Hachodesh). Hence this week in shuls around the world we will take out two
sifrei Torah (assuming there are two); in the first we will read the weekly portion of
Pikudei and in the second we’ll read from Parashat Ki Tisa (Shemot 30:11-16). In the
time of the Beit Hamikdash there was a yearly obligation incumbent upon all members
of Klal Yisrael to contribute a half shekel towards the purchasing of korbanot tzibbur
(public sacrifices; daily offerings as well as the korbanot mussaf). Starting with Rosh
Chodesh Nissan, korbanot tzibbur had to be financed from the newly collected funds.
As such, large collection points were set up during the month of Adar to gather the
funds. Therefore, prior to Rosh Chodesh Adar, Parashat Shekalim, which details the
obligation to contribute a half shekel, was read. This would serve as a reminder to the
people to contribute their share. Today, sadly, we lack the Beit Hamikdash; nevertheless
we continue to read Parashat Shekalim as a zecher la-mikdash.
Parashat Shekalim opens with the words “Ki-tisa et rosh B’nei Yisrael.” The common
and indeed intended translation is “when you take the census of the people of Israel.”
However we cannot ignore the language invoked, “ki-tisa.” The word “tisa” in Hebrew
means to lift up. Chazal in the Gemara (Bava Batra 10b), sensitive to the precise
language of the text, state that this mitzvah has the ability to elevate the Jewish people.
One must wonder what about this particular mitzvah has the ability to elevate the
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Jewish people more than other mitzvot.
One of the sacrifices brought from the machatzit ha-shekel was the korban tamid.
The Gemara in Masechet Menachot (65b) writes that from the start of Nissan
until the eighth of the month it is not permissible to fast or to make a eulogy.
The Gemara elaborates that the reason for this holiday of sorts is due to the fact
that during that time the “daily sacrifice was properly established.” There raged
a debate between the Sadducees and the Sages. The Sadducees, who relied on
a literal reading of the Torah, believed that individuals can sponsor the korban
tamid. They based their opinion on the fact that the Torah states, “The one
lamb shall you (singular) make in the morning and the second lamb shall you
(singular) make in the afternoon” (Bamidbar 28:4). The Sages insisted that the
sacrifice has to be sponsored by the public pot. They quoted as their support
the verse, “my offering, my food for my fire shall you (plural) be scrupulous to
offer to Me in its appointed time” (Bamidbar 28:2). After eight days of debating,
the Sadducees finally acquiesced to the opinion of the Sages. This insured that
the daily sacrifice would be able to be brought without interference from the
Sadducees. To commemorate this even, those days were designated as a festival.
It is clear if the Sages deemed it proper to establish a festival there is much more
to the argument than singular and plural and the individual’s ability to subsidize
the korban tamid. Rav Kook (Mishpat Kohen 144, and Igrot Hara’ayah) explains
that the argument centered on the concept of tzibbur. The Sadducees believed
the tzibbur (congregation) is comprised of the many individuals that make it up.
In other words, tzibbur is a partnership. The sum total is no greater than the
parts – perhaps true but only superficially. The Sages wished to offer a more
expansive view of tzibbur. Tzibbur within B’nei Yisrael is a lot deeper. When
individuals band together it creates a new entity greater that the sum of its parts.
The tzibbur juggernaut presses forward independent of any particular individual.
The tzibbur does not rely on any individual to keep it alive. No individual can
be seen as upholding or potentially detracting from the tzibbur. That is why no
individual can donate the korban tamid. Shall you (singular) was not speaking to
the individual but to the tzibbur that comes together as one.
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This is the message imbedded in the machatzit ha-shekel. This is what elevates
the Jewish people. Most communities’ ultimate purpose in joining together is
in order to benefit the individuals of those communities. It is a somewhat self
serving and selfish belief. Our joining together is not a partnership in order to
ultimately benefit me as an individual; our joining together is in recognition that
we are all from the same source. Without the tzibbur I am incomplete - I cannot
be elevated - I am only “machatzit.”
242
Purim
P u r i m – R e c e i v i n g Hashem’s Joy
T his year entering the joyous day of Purim will take on a new challenge, which is
unfortunately not so new for the Jewish people. As we approach Purim ahead of us,
we come with pain and mourning from the week behind us. With the horrific visions
of the brutal death of the Fogel Family Hy”d and the horrific scenes of the tsunami
sweeping across Japan, how can one find the strength to celebrate a holiday who’s
most integral element is boundless joy on all levels?
In Adar 1940 the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto faced a similar struggle as death and
destruction surrounded them. One great light rose above the pain and suffering to give
strength to the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto. This light was Rav Kalonomous Kalman
Shapira, the Rebbe of Piacezna and author of the “Aish Kodesh,” a sefer written by
the tears of his soul. On erev Purim, 1940, Rav Shapira addressed the struggle of
celebrating with joy in times of pain.
The “Aish Kodesh” quotes the famous Tikkunei Zohar that the name Purim alludes to
Yom Ha-kippurim. Although this is commonly quoted, a deeper connection between
Yom Kippur and Purim needs to be understood. Rav Shapira explains the Yom
Kippur-Purim comparison: “This could be hinting to us that just as on Yom Kippur
a person must fast and repent whether he wants to or not, because he is fulfilling a
commandment of God, so also the joy of Purim is not dependent on whether or not
a person feels happy himself or whether he is an a situation that facilitates happiness.
Even if he is at the lowest level of broken-heartedness and his whole mind and spirit
243
have been trampled, it is nevertheless a statute on Purim that one must bring into
his heart at least some spark of joy.”
The Aish Kodesh goes on to explain that just like we are commanded to find the joy
on Purim below, God brings joy and salvation from above. We learn regarding
Yom Kippur (Yoma 85b): “Rebbi stated: Whether one has repented fully or not,
the Day of Atonement procures atonement for all transgression.” Similarly on
Purim, “even if a Jewish person has not really felt joy, as he is commanded to
do, and for this reason his worship on Purim was not whole, nevertheless, the
salvation and joy that Purim itself achieves for the Jewish people will also work
now.”
With these words from the tzaddik Rav Kalonomous Kalman Shapira, Hy”d, zt”l,
we can understand that simcha is not always created below, but Hashem on Purim
brings down simcha from above, a simcha that leads to salvation. Our avoda on
Purim is merely to make ourselves into a vessel to receive God’s joy from above.
Hashem should wipe the fresh tears off our eyes and may we see the day of the
ultimate salvation.
244
Purim
I s I t E v e r Enough?
Gabe DuBow
)‫יג‬:‫“וכל זה איננו שוה לי בכל עת אשר אני רואה את מרדכי היהודי יושב בשער המלך” (אסתר ה‬
H ow could it be that ‫המן‬, who was second in command to ‫ אחשורוש‬and
worshipped by everyone else in the kingdom, would care, or even notice, that one Jew
didn’t bow down to him? If someone was engaged in a huge feast, would he claim that
he couldn’t enjoy it because one dish was missing? There’s a vital difference between
desire for honor and desire for something physical. Someone who craves food, which
is a physical pleasure, will be satiated once he starts eating and enjoying the food, and
he won’t care about the missing dish. But honor is not something physical, it’s just a
figment of the imagination.
This is like the case of ‫אדם הראשון‬, who had everything except the ‫עץ הדעת‬. In the cases
of ‫ המן‬and ‫אדם‬, they had a big character flaw in that they would only be satisfied if
they had everything they wanted, but if they were missing just one thing, their desires
would never be satisfied, and life could not move on without it.
There’s a story quoted in Gittin (57b) in which a king said to a young boy, “I will toss
my signet ring before you, and you will bend down to pick it up so that the people will
say ‘He has accepted the king’s rule.’” The boy responded, “Woe to you Caesar, woe to
you Caesar; if your own honor is so important, how much more so the honor of the
Holy One.” The mighty Roman emperor was so obsessed with honor that he couldn’t
even do without the honor of a small child. The child’s response could have been, “No
245
matter how much honor you will receive, you will not succeed in satisfying your
obsession with it.
There’s a mishna in Pirkei Avos (4:21) that reads:
“‫”הקנאה והתאוה והכבוד מוציאין את האדם מן העולם‬. The need for honor is never
filled. The craving for honor always expands, so eventually you’ll end up being a
prisoner to honor. Very often a person will develop a desire for something that
he doesn’t really need, but rather for something that’s self induced so therefore
they make themselves believe that they really need it. This desire applies to other
things besides honor, for example money. It says in Koheles (5:9), “One who loves
money will never be satisfied with money.” Every time someone acquires a certain
amount of money, he then needs to acquire more money and more money.
The process works in reverse also. Someone who restricts his desires will soon
realize that he will have fewer necessities. There’s a mishna in Avos (6:4) that says
that if a person’s food ration consists of bread with salt and water in order to learn
Torah, he is praiseworthy in this world, and all will be well for him in the next
world. What does it mean that he is praiseworthy in this world? If a person lives
this kind of lifestyle, he will actually be happier in this world. If a person restricts
his demands, he’ll crave less and need less for sustenance, resulting in a happier
life, because he will not make himself believe that he needs all those luxuries.
Perhaps this is the meaning behind Yaakov’s request that Hashem provide him
“bread to eat and clothes to wear” (Bereishis 28:20). Yaakov requested just the
bare necessities and was content because he was able to sustain himself without
all the lusts and desires.
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Pesach
T h e S e d e r Night
R’ Gary Brown
1. The Shalosh Regalim
Too often we see the chagim as random commemorations, without links. We see a
Pesach for Egypt, a Shavuot for Torah and a Succot for the wilderness years. Rav
Pincus explains that the Shalosh Regalim represent our life cycle. First is Pesach which
is like our birth as we were born as a nation on Pesach. Then comes Shavuot, which is
like our Bar or Bat Mitzvah, when we receive and accept the Torah and are obliated in
its commandments. Last comes Succot, which represents our Sheva Brachot – we sit
in a tent with G-d for seven days like a bridegroom and a bride.
2. Kadesh – Cup 1 – “Vehotzeti”
Based on Rav Hirsch – The cups can be compared to a tree, “the tree of life,” with each
cup representing a different part - roots, a trunk, braches and fruit. The first cup is
parallel to the pasuk, “I shall bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt” (Shemot
6:6).
Says Rav Hirsch – If a person is always working and toiling without a break then
mentally and spiritually he becomes subservient to his body and will never contemplate
his purpose in life or listen to what his neshama is telling him as it says, “and they
did not listen to Moshe because of hard labour” (6:9). Relief from burdens is not a
RESULT of freedom – it is a prerequisite for freedom. Only when we have done our
physical work and duty and raised ourselves to a point where material wants and
247
needs are not our number one priority can a person start to look for happiness,
meaning and who they are. This is why Hashem gave us Shabbat and chagim –
days of contemplation and rest without work. One cannot change things business
related or monetarily on these days – and we get the freedom we spend all week
working for. This is the first cup of the seder – a toast of thanks to Hashem for
freeing us from the toil of Egypt then and a weekly freedom from the rat-race
of today. Remember - relief from burdens is not a RESULT of freedom – it is a
prerequisite for freedom.
3. Karpas – Why do we eat a bit of vegetable now?
The Torah often describes vegetables as an accompaniment for bread or other
food. Indeed, the Torah says we are to take the Korban Pesach and “together with
matzot and maror you shall eat it” (Bamidbar 9:11).
Usually some vegetable is eaten with bread or soon before the main course to
stimulate the appetite and avoid overtaxing the digestive system. In fact the
Rambam advises, “One should always eat the light food before the heavy food.”
We would usually refer to such food as hors d’oeuvres. Generally, though, there is
never a long gap between eating the vegetable and eating the rest of the meal. It
is counterproductive – the appetite is stimulated but no food follows. But this is
exactly what we do now at the seder – there may be at least an hour if not more
between karpas and the rest of the meal.
The idea behind this, says the Shem Mishmuel, is to help us understand and
relate to the circumstances we were in, in Egypt. Moshe appeared with Aaron
promising redemption and it was at least six months (and according to some a
year) later before we left. So too at the start of the seder we whet our appetites
for what is to come, but not having our desire satiated straight away allows us to
comprehend the longing for redemption we experienced after Moshe and Aaron
came to Egypt.
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4. Ma Nishtana.
The Vilna Gaon asks – when do we answer the four questions asked by the child?
He explains that the real questions being asked are not why matza or why maror,
rather what the child is asking is why we are behaving in contradictory ways, like
royalty (by leaning and dipping) and slaves (by eating matza and maror) in one
night? And we answer him straight away – “We were slaves to Pharoah in Egypt”
(hence we eat matza and maror) “but Hashem took us out” and so we act as free
men. So there is no contradiction – just two parts of the same story.
5. The four sons.
Chacham (Based on Rav Hirsch) – The wise son asks, “What are the “eidot –
testimonies”, “chukim – statutes” and “mishpatim – social laws” that Hashem our
G-d has commanded you.” Rav Hirsch points out that this question contains no
reference to Pesach!!! The chacham just wants to learn Torah. This makes the
answer we give even more perplexing. The answer we are told to give in the
Torah (Devarim 6:20-25) is that we were slaves to Pharoah in Egypt and Hashem
brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand [this raises the question of why if the
Torah gave this answer to the question, the Hagaddah puts this part of the answer
in the answer for the tam but we won’t deal with that now].
The Torah is teaching us that there is no point of studying laws, testimonies,
statutes, social laws, Gemara, Misha, etc. – no point in learning Torah if one does
not accept the basic premise that G-d took us out of Egypt in order to give us the
Torah and serve Him. As the mishna in Pirkei Avot says, “Fear of G-d proceeds
wisdom” (3:9). The child here is being taught that intellectual curiosity and
learning, whilst good, is only valid if built upon Yirat Shamayim and devotion
to G-d, a devotion which springs from Yetziat Mitzrayim. Yetziat Mitzrayim led
to na’aseh ve-nishma and when na’aseh comes before nishma it means that doing
what G-d wants comes before human understanding.
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6. The ten plagues – what you didn’t know.
Frogs – The Yalkut says that Egypt at the time was at war with a nation called
Kush over their borders. The frogs which appeared in Egypt stopped exactly on
the borders and therefore solved the issue. Even when the Egyptian sorcerers
made their own frogs, they didn’t o over the borders either – solving the war.
Hail – By hail the people of Egypt had changed. How so? The Meshech Chochmah
says that Moshe warned the Egyptians about hail and told them to take their
belongings inside. Pharoah sent messengers telling people to leave things outside
– but people took their things in anyway, showing they believed G-d and Moshe
more than Pharoah.
Killing of the firstborn – there were ten plagues, so why is only this one called
makkah – plague? Birkat Chaim says that when the firstborns heard about the
plague they rebelled against Pharoah. Many people were killed in this rebellion
and this is the makkah we refer to in this plague.
7. Cup 2 - Vehitzalti
This cup is parallel to the phrase, “And I shall deliver you from their bondage”
(Shemot 6:6).
Based on Rav Hirsch - To have a heavy workload is not the worst form of
oppression. The removal of back-breaking labour is as we said above, just stage 1
(the root) of the road towards freedom. A person might have a heavy load, but if
they have taken it upon themselves of their own free will, or if it has been decreed
in Heaven by their Father in Heaven that this is their fate in order to train, test
and improve them, then even though in both cases (taken on freely or given by
G-d) a person might complain or moan about their burden, they still remain a
free person as this burden is either freely chosen or bestowed by a loving Father.
Conversely – if a person is given everything by another person and relies on
them completely, they become a slave to that person, however externally or
materialistically free they seem.
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Take away the idea of a just, compassionate, free and powerful G-d who reveals
Himself in nature and history and gives guidance to human life and substitute it
with blind forces controlling the world and human destiny according to a predetermined and unchangeable pattern, then no one, however free from physical
labour they are, is free. This is how it was in Egypt. We don’t just say avadim
hayinu be-Mitzyrayim – we were slaves in Egypt, but le-Pharaoh, we were slaves
in Egypt to Pharaoh – with no free will and dependant on man. In fact all of
Egyptian society was enslaved to Pharaoh with even the taskmasters having
people above them who could beat them. Yes, they had it easier than us, but they
were still enslaved. Greatness is what you were born into and so was slavery, you
could not change things in Egyptian society and your role in life was an accident
of birth.
Since that time we have had nations try and convert us by force or assimilate with
them. Our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents went to the stake and
the gas chambers singing AM YISRAEL CHAI and SHEMA YISRAEL – dying as
free men and women unafraid of mortal man.
This is why we drink the second cup – in honour and praise of the One who
delivered us from THEIR bondage, freeing us form relying on man or fear of
nature, reminding us that their exists within each of us a G-dly spark that can
never be extinguished.
8. Cup 3 – Ve-ga’alti (after bircat ha-mazon before hallel).
This cup is parallel to the phrase, “I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm
and with great punishing judgment” (Shemot 6:6).
Based on Rav Hirsch - Relief from burdens and suffering is, as we said, the “root”
of freedom. Deliverance from slavery, reliance on man and fear of nature is the
trunk, but redemption alone is the branch from on which the fruit completing
the “tree of life” can ripen.
A liberation which merely removes hard labour and the enforcers of that labour
is a negative attainment at best. It removes the blocks preventing a person from
finding their true purpose in life, and allows G-d to enter into them as their mind
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is now free to contemplate such things, but man must become aware of the source
of his freedom in order to appreciate it. We must understand that our freedom was
given to us so we can serve G-d. Denying this means losing freedom and returning
once more to reliance on man, fear of nature or predetermination of life.
In fact if one removes G-d from his or her heart, then they will eventually
become enslaved to their baser animal nature that is part of the make-up of a
human being. This is clearly evident from today’s society. Today’s society’s values,
morals and heroes show what low levels an unG-dly society or people can sink
to. Marriages are ended quickly because there are problems and everyone has
a fast-food approach to life: “I want it and I want it now and if not now then
NEVER.” They are not free, for they are bound to the same desires and drives that
a monkey, pig or cow are. They have lost their “Tzelem Elokim.”
But those of us who realise our freedom is from G-d in order to serve Him are
truly free. We live by laws that show we are in control of our animal side. Each
year for two days a year we fast for 25 hours straight even if we want to eat or
drink. This is alien to the western way of thinking, but it is precisely these things
that keep us human being in the image of G-d.
And so the third cup is raised in thanks to G-d, not just for removing our physical
burdens, or from servitude to man, but for elevating us into a “kingdom of priests”
into His service – allowing us to live as “Tzelem Elokim.”
9. Cup 4 – Velakachti (after hallel).
This is parallel to the phrase, “I shall take you to Me for a people” (Shemot 6:7).
Based on Rav Hirsch - The first three cups were raised to give praise and thanks for
deliverance from burdens, liberation from man and nature, and for redemption
and spiritual freedom, true freedom.
The whole point of Egypt was for G-d to make us His nation and give us the Torah.
Egypt was like an incredibly hot fire that purifies gold to make it totally pure, and
we as a nation were being purified through the intense suffering and hard labour.
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
we have been rebuilt! Hitler yemach shemo is gone but we are here, our nation in
its land once more with Torah study thriving and communities growing. Only a
G-dly, protected people can be secure that they will endure. As Mark Twain said:
The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet
with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed
away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise,
and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch
high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or
have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what
he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no
weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his
alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other
forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?
The answer is what we raise our fourth cup to – G-d took us as His nation, into
His protection – guaranteeing our eternal survival, something not granted to any
other nation.
There’s a story – all armies study wars to learn military strategy. A Jewish Soldier
in the American army once asked why they never studied Israeli wars. The general
ignored his question and finished his talk on a war they were learning. At the end
of the class he called the soldier to the side and said, “we don’t study Israel’s wars
because no one can understand how they win from a military perspective.” Let
us raise our cups for a final time tonight - VELAKACHTI – and I will take you
to be for Me a people.
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Pesach
A b o v e N ature
Yiriel Liss
‫ נפטר י”ז ניסן‬,‫לעילוי נשמת מרדכי בן משה זאב‬
W hen we praise Hashem for all of the miracles that He did for us we say the
paragraph‫בצאת ישראל ממצרים‬, which especially deals with the way that we were taken
out of Mitzrayim. The Netivot Shalom explains that when Hashem chose us to be
His chosen nation, to be His children, He decided that all of His interactions with us
would be above nature. This explains why we needed so many miracles to get out of
Egypt. Hashem could have easily fulfilled His promises to Avraham and still brought
us out of Egypt in a natural way. After our enslavement to Mitzrayim for centuries,
we could have finally found favor in their eyes. They could have decided that for our
work, we deserve massive amounts of gold and silver, and they could have sent us out
laden down with priceless treasures. Yet, Hashem destroyed all the laws of nature in
taking us out of Mitzrayim and bringing us wealth.
All of our interactions with Hashem were supernatural; whether it be the birth of
Yitzchak, the plagues in Egypt, leaving Egypt, the ‫ מן‬and ‫ ענני הכבוד‬in the desert, the
water pouring forth from the rock, or countless other miracles that have happened in
the millennia since. It is comparable to a king who interacts with all of his constituents
in a normal fashion, yet with his favorite son he acts in a completely different way.
Hashem did this to show us how special we are to Him. We always have that spark
of Judaism in us and we are the son of the king. Rav Kook explains that we are the ‫עם‬
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‫סגולה‬, the chosen people, and nothing that we do can change that. No matter what
level we might ‫ ח”ו‬sink to, even if it is the 49th level of impurity (as Chazal explain
happened before we left Egypt), we are still Jews.
In ‫ בצאת ישראל‬we do not immediately jump to the miracles that Hashem did for
us. First we establish that ‫היתה יהודה לקדשו ישראל ממשלותיו‬, Yehuda became the
holy one and Yisrael its own kingdom. Once we have established this, that we
are the chosen people, then we can recognize the miracles that Hashem did for
us to demonstrate this special status. Then we can go on to mention the splitting
of the sea, the mountains that dance, and the rock that turns into a pool of water.
Once we acknowledge that we are the sons of Hashem, anything is possible, even
a miraculous redemption from Egypt against all odds.
That is the whole point of Pesach, and leil ha-seder. We are supposed to
commemorate the redemption from Egypt. The Maharal explains that this is the
essence behind the four cups of wine that we drink at the seder. They are each
corresponding to one of the ‫לשונות הגאולה‬, the terms the Torah uses to describe
our redemption. There is a peculiar rule regarding the four cups that needs some
explaining. We are allowed to drink between the 1st and 2nd, and between the
2nd and the 3rd cups, but we cannot drink between the 3rd and the 4th cups.
The Maharal explains that this is for a very simple reason. The first three cups
represent the physical redemption from Egypt, and the 4th cup (and phrase of
redemption) represents the spiritual one. Just like we could not have a complete
redemption if there was a break between the physical and spiritual redemptions,
so too we cannot have a break between the spiritual and physical manifestations of
such at the seder. May we be zocheh to experience both the spiritual and physical
redemptions, and experience the coming of Mashiach and the Beit Hamikdash,
bimheira bi-yameinu.
‫!לשנה הבאה בירושלים הבנויה‬
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Three Weeks
J o y o u s M o urning?
Rav Michael Siev
T he Gemara (Ta’anit 30b) teaches: “‫כל המתאבל על ירושלים זוכה ורואה בשמחתה‬,
anyone who mourns for Yerushalayim merits and sees its rejoicing.” The phraseology
employed here seems rather surprising: one would have expected the Gemara to say
that one who mourns for Yerushalayim will merit to see its rejoicing in the future.
How can it be that one who mourns for Yerushalayim merits to join in its happiness
even now, in the present tense? Is that not an inherent contradiction?
In order to begin to answer this question, we must start with a story that raises yet
another question. The Gemara (Bava Kamma 59a-b) relates that Rabbi Eliezer Ze’ira
was once walking in Neharda’a with black sandal laces, which was not the normal
mode of dress. He was apprehended by the Jewish authorities of the town, who
demanded to know the reason for his departure from accepted fashion norms, and he
explained that his black laces were a sign of mourning for Yerushalayim. The security
forces responded: “Are you important enough to mourn for Yerushalayim?!” Rabbi
Eliezer Ze’ira was promptly arrested until he could demonstrate that he was, indeed, a
scholar of note, whereupon he was released.
This story certainly demonstrates the severity of yuhara, of prideful demonstrations
of piety that do not truly reflect a person’s religious stature; essentially, such a person
hijacks Jewish ritual as a tool for his own social advancement. Utilizing halacha as
a tool for propping up one’s own social status is certainly a great sign of disrespect.
However, it is clear from the conversation that the Gemara records that the authorities
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challenged not just Rabbi Eliezer’s public display of mourning but the very
experience of mourning: “Are you important enough to mourn for Yerushalayim”
implies that only people who are important due to their level of piety can
mourn for Yerushalayim. How can this be? Aren’t we all supposed to mourn for
Yerushalayim? Isn’t that, in fact, the whole essence of Tisha B’av, the “nine days”
and the “three weeks”?
Rav Chaim Friedlander (Siftei Chaim) notes that in order to understand this
story, we must understand what it means to mourn for Yerushalayim. What is
there to mourn about? What is it that we are missing in the absence of the Beit
Ha-mikdash? The Beit Ha-mikdash is meant to be the point where Hashem rests
His Presence in this world, among human beings: “ve-shachanti be-tocham, I
shall dwell among them” (Shemot 25:8). It is the meeting point between heaven
and earth. With this in mind, we can understand the story in Bava Kamma.
Not just anyone can truly mourn for Yerushalayim. Only someone whose life
is oriented toward making this world a place in which the Shechina can dwell, a
place of holiness, can truly mourn the absence of the Shechina. Someone who is
not concerned enough with bringing Hashem’s Presence into the world to make
it a focal point of his life cannot possibly mourn the absence of that presence;
doing so would be artificial and would constitute yuhara. The fact that we have
institutionalized mourning for Yerushalayim is in order to remind us of the
general orientation that our life should have.
Perhaps we can now come back to our original question, but it will take one more
story. Rav Yisrael Meir Lau, former Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel, writes1 about
his experiences as a very young survivor of the horrors of Buchenwald. He and
hundreds of other young survivors were taken to a recovery camp in France, where
they could begin to put their lives back together in an aesthetically pleasing and
safe environment. One day the Jewish organizations that sponsored the facility
held a ceremony at the camp, which was attended by the survivors. The survivors,
however, harbored tremendous resentment toward the “establishment” Jewish
organizations of Western Europe for not having done enough to save Eastern
European Jewry, including the families of virtually every resident of this facility;
.pp. 88-89 ,‫ אל תשלח ידך אל הנער‬1
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as such, they refused to make eye contact with the speakers and only grudgingly
appeared at all. The final speaker was someone who had lost his own family, and
as he described his own traumatic experiences and losses, the survivors began to
feel that, finally, this was someone who could relate to them. When the speaker
broke down and started crying, some of the survivors started crying too, and
soon the entire crowd was loudly crying bitter tears.
At the conclusion of the speech, one of the leaders of the group of survivors
took the podium and this is what he said to the final speaker: “I owe you a great
debt of gratitude. You see, it has been years since I have cried or laughed. The
suffering we experienced and witnessed was just too much, and we had to detach
ourselves emotionally in order not to go crazy. You have allowed me to cry for
the first time in four years. And now that I have cried, I know that someday I will
also be able to laugh again, too.”
That may be the answer to our initial question. A person who can mourn for
Yerushalayim in a real way has broken through the barriers and reconnected
with what is really important in life: making the world a place of hashra’at haShechina. That involvement with God Himself is the very essence of life, and the
most meaningful and joyous endeavor in which man can participate. It is the
very essence of simchat Yerushalayim. In a very real way, someone who cries
over Yerushalayim is, in the inner recesses of his soul, already laughing.
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Yitro
L i f n i m M i - S h u rat Ha-Din
Rav Hillel Langenauer
A t the beginning of our parsha, the Torah describes the arrival to the camp of
Yitro, an outsider who is impressed by the remarkable events of the nascent history
of the Jewish people. Yitro arrives from Midyan, reunites Moshe with his wife and
two sons, and proceeds, without further ado, to offer criticism of Moshe’s manner in
judging the people. He suggests a method for organizing a tiered system of courts to
assist Moshe in his role as chief of the justice system, advice which Moshe adopts and
which then serves as the underpinnings of the Torah’s provision for a judiciary that
will rule on Torah law in disputes amongst the people.
This is a well-known story, which we may tend to read through quickly in anticipation
of the more dramatic event of Matan Torah that follows. However, as commentators
from Chazal onwards underscore, the order of events in our parsha’s description of
the founding of the Jewish court system – as well as the identity of its main character
– are, upon some contemplation, strikingly surprising. Why is it that the setting up of
a court system, intended to serve as the arena for adjudicating disputes of Torah law,
precedes the revelation of the very law that these courts will judge? Moreover, how
are we to understand the fact that the chief architect of this system is a non-Jew, an
outsider to the covenant between Hashem and His people and unbound by the Torah
that serves as its law?
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At the exact narrative center of this story we find a pasuk that may, in fact, reveal
the central message of this story and of its introduction to us as an antecedent to
Matan Torah. The story of Yitro’s observations of, advice about, and influence
over the Jewish people’s judicial system spans a total of 15 pesukim (Shemot 18:13
- 27). These pesukim are, upon examination, easily recognized as constituting
three distinct parts. The first part, consisting of four pesukim, tells us what Yitro
observed Moshe doing, how he asked Moshe about his practice, and what Moshe
replied. The last part, also consisting of four pesukim, parallels the first part,
telling us that Moshe accepted the input of Yitro, portraying what the court system
looked like after that adaptation, and then closes the story with the departure of
Yitro. These parts, of equal size and of parallel content, serve as bookends that
frame, and so bring us to focus on, the centerpiece of the parsha, Yitro’s advice to
Moshe, which is recorded in the seven pesukim from pasuk 17 to pasuk 23.
At the epicenter of this speech – at the epicenter, therefore, of our entire section
– we find a seemingly unnecessary elaboration of what Moshe will relate to the
Jewish people in his role of providing a mouthpiece for the expression of the will
of Hashem. The vast majority of this speech, like the vast majority of the section,
relates to the activities of Moshe – first as Yitro observed them, and then as Yitro
prescribes for Moshe to do differently. Yitro explains the problems he sees in the
solitary manner in which Moshe has taken responsibility for judging the Jewish
people, and articulates his vision for a different system of judging, one which
would distribute this responsibility among more leaders, leaving Moshe with the
role of chief of the system who would arbitrate directly only the greatest and most
difficult matters. However, when it details how Moshe will bring these perplexing
cases before Hashem for counsel, the Torah does not merely relate that Hashem
will tell Moshe how to deal with these cases. Instead, pasuk 20 – which is the
middle pasuk of this seven-verse section, and thus the middle pasuk of the entire
fifteen-verse story – elaborates, in what seems an overly broad and unnecessary
manner in this context, what Moshe will relate to the people: “And thou shall
instruct them regarding the chukim and the torot, and shall make understand the
way that they must walk in, and the deed that they must do.”
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What is the importance, here, of such a lengthy and detailed description? In
the next section of the parsha, describing the revelation at Har Sinai, the Torah
describes in full the role that Moshe plays as teacher of the will of Hashem. In
our story, which speaks of the formation of a system of courts, would it not have
been sufficient to relate Moshe’s role in bringing difficult cases before Hashem
for His guidance? Why speak here in such broad terms about Moshe’s role in
educating the Jewish people about the way of Hashem? Perhaps understanding
the significance of this pasuk, which is placed at the exact center of this story, will
help in understanding the significance of this story in its entirety, and its curious
placement in the narrative as an antecedent to Matan Torah.
Chazal, in Bava Metzia 30b, reveal the deeper meaning of this verse according to
derash:
“The way” — This refers to acts of kindness. “That they must walk” — this means
checking on those who are sick. “In” — this refers to burial. “And the deed” this refers
to law (din); “that they must do” — this refers to going beyond the requirements of
the law (lifnim mi-shurat ha-din).
Chazal explain to us here that the key to understanding our pasuk’s apparent
verbosity about Moshe’s instruction of the law lies in understanding that our
pasuk is not, in its entirety, referring to the law! Rather, after describing how
Moshe will instruct the people regarding the chukim and the torot, the second
half of the pasuk teaches us that Moshe has another responsibility as well – to
teach basic loving-kindness, and to teach of the significance of going beyond the
requirements of the law. What a strange thing for the Torah to elaborate on here,
at the very center of the Torah’s description of the founding of the system of courts
that will judge the law and immediately preceding the description of the giving of
the law! In this context, we would expect the Torah to refer exclusively to rules
that must be followed, not to morals that must be inculcated, to norms that must
be obeyed universally, not to concerns for kindness that must be weighed on an
individual basis.
But perhaps this is exactly the point that the Torah wishes us to reconsider.
Ironic though it may be, there is a danger that accompanies the great gift of
Matan Torah. Of course, in giving us the Torah, Hashem privileges us to make
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our society one whose law is none other than the law of G-d, and privileges us
each individually to strive to live in accordance with the requirements of His law.
But receiving the law of G-d is a thunderous experience for a human being, an
experience described in our parsha in all of its overwhelming, supernatural glory.
The danger of receiving so fiery a law is that we may be overwhelmed by this
experience to the point of making the law the only standard for our behavior. As
the Gemara in Bava Metzia continues:
R. Yochanan said: “Jerusalem was destroyed only because they gave judgments in
it in accordance with the law of the Torah.”
Were they then to have judged in accordance with untrained arbitrators?
Rather, I will explain (the intention of R. Yochanan’s statement) in this way:
“Because they sufficed in their judgments with (the requirements of) the law of
the Torah, and they did not go beyond the requirements of the law.”
The Torah does not wish for us to build a society that suffices its moral urge
merely by upholding its norms. Perhaps this is the wisdom of referring here – at
the core of the very story about the foundation of the Torah’s courts of law – to
the need to go beyond the requirements of the law. Leadership in Klal Yisrael,
here epitomized by Moshe Rabbeinu, is obligated not only to transmit the chukim
and the torot, but also to educate toward right living, which may at times require
action beyond the requirement of mere law.
With this understanding of our passage’s message about the appropriate nature
of Torah leadership, we may also understand the seemingly unusual placement
of our section here, prior to the giving of the Torah, as well as the unusual choice
of a non-Jew as a mouthpiece for the transmission of details for how Torah law
is to be judged. Of course, the Jewish rule of law as judged in our courts must
be Torah law, and of course this law was received first only at Har Sinai. And of
course Torah law belongs uniquely to the Jewish people, and gentiles neither have
the obligation nor the privilege of building a society whose courts rule according
to the law of the Torah. The Torah’s placement of this section before Matan Torah,
and in the mouth of a non-Jew, is not meant to undermine these obvious facts,
but may serve to underscore for us the frame of mind that we must bring to the
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parsha - and the experience - of receiving the Torah. The thunderous experience
of receiving the law of G-d occurred once in our national history, but, hopefully,
occurs every day and every evening for each of us as we fulfill the mitzvah, and
the privilege, of learning Torah. But the Torah does not wish us to surrender
ourselves before this law in such a manner that we render ourselves mindless
automatons. As R. Yochanan emphasizes when he attributes the downfall of
Yerushalayim not to violation of din, but to failure to act lifnim mi-shurat ha-din,
Torah law must not be embraced out of a desire to abnegate our responsibility
for our own decisions or out of a desire to take life easily and follow the rulebook
without thinking about what is right.
Torah describes to us the minimum required of us, and educates us to develop
our internal moral compass so that it reflects the will of Hashem. However, The
Torah’s wish is that we may integrate into our personalities the will of Hashem, as
taught to us in halacha, such that we may act in accord with His will throughout
our lives, even in those cases in which His will is for us to transcend the minimum
requirements of the halachik norm. In short, our integration of, and identification
with, the will of Hashem must be so complete that our knowledge of His will is as
natural for us – and as deep-rooted – as the legal mind of a non-Jew prior to the
giving of the Torah.
107
Yitro
L i s t e n t o Y o u r Neighbor
David Roumani
It’s written in Mishlei (27:10) that “better a neighbor who is near than a far off brother.”
The Me’am Lo’ez uses this quote to help emphasize the important role of Yitro in the
foundation of Bnei Israel. In Parashat Yitro, we are witness to a few major events that
help Bnei Israel become a nation. Three months after being taken out of Egypt, the
Jews arrive at Har Sinai. As Moshe sits with his people day to night, teaching them the
laws and commandments and adjudicating their disputes, Yitro wonders why Moshe
is doing this. Moshe explains that the people came to him to seek Hashem (18:15).
He further explains that he would judge between a man and his fellow, and explain to
them the laws of Hashem (18:16).
Yitro, a Midianite priest, then did something worth looking into. He told Moshe to
make a few changes in dealing with the people. He suggests that Moshe appoint God
fearing people as judges to deal with the minor issues between man and his fellow, and
the judges would come to Moshe regarding the more major issues that they couldn’t
resolve. Appointing judges would lessen the burden on Moshe, letting other members
of the nation learn how to judge and make decisions (18:21).
Here we have Yitro, a mere friend of the nation, telling the leader of Bnei Israel how to
run ‘his’ nation. Being the father-in-law of Moshe, among other reasons, tells us that he
had no ulterior motives. He simply cared about the nation. But why did it take Yitro, an
‘outsider’, to suggest that Moshe wouldn’t be able to handle a position as judge over the
entire people? It should have been immediately apparent to Moshe, Aharon, and the
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elders of Israel to appoint many judges over a certain number of people.
The Me’am Lo’ez suggests the following: If Moshe had gone to seek out help in the
task of judging the people, they may have begun to wonder whether Moshe was
ready for the task of being the leader of the Jewish people. Aside from this, it’s
suggested that with Yitro’s idea, Moshe would have the responsibility to judge the
most important cases, and with the great humility that he had, he may have had
difficulty saying on his own that other judges should turn to him with these cases.
There is another opinion that is brought down in the Me’am Lo’ez. Let’s first keep
in mind that Moshe was told to go ‘look’ for judges with several character traits,
and not to simply ‘choose’ (18:21). The word ‘look’ refers to the difficulty in simply
choosing people based on their inner qualities. It was impossible to do this and
find all the traits that Yitro recommended. Therefore Moshe just looked for men
who had the potential to be good leaders. With the characteristic of being a good
leader, they could channel their energies to becoming good judges of Bnei Israel.
Perhaps another reason why no one else gave this advice is that Hashem wanted
Moshe to take the advice from Yitro. He wanted Moshe to take advice from his
‘neighbor.’ Looking back to the quote from Mishlei we see a connection that we
can all apply to our daily lives.
A brother is someone who has a responsibility to us, he is expected to look after
his family members. When he is far away, that responsibility is very hard to keep.
A neighbor has no clear responsibilities, he has no direct connection with us.
Here we see Yitro, a close neighbor of Am Yisrael, who decides to use his wisdom
to help this up and coming nation.
The midrash (Eicha Rabba 2:13) states that whereas there is no Torah among
the non-Jews, there is wisdom. There is a feeling sometimes that people who are
seemingly on a lower level (madreiga) have less to give to Am Yisrael as well as
society. We see from the suggestions of Yitro that he had wisdom as well as the
unique desire to help out his neighbor. May we all take advantages of opportunities
to learn from others like Yitro, regardless of their learning level, or spiritual level,
or religion, and apply their wisdom to our daily lives to help us become better
people.
Shabbat Shalom!
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Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

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