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1. Rabbi Binyomin Adler Shabbos Taam HaChaim page 2
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Rabbi Binyomin Adler
Shabbos Taam HaChaim
Vayikra 5774
Korbanos is all about coming close to HaShem
Introduction
'
, speak to the Children of Israel and say to them:
when a man among you brings an offering to HaShem: from animals
from the cattle or from the flock shall you bring your offering. (Vayikra
1:2)
Korbanos. Sacrifices. This is the short description of the Book of the Torah
that we commence reading this week. Rav Zalman Sorotzkin, in his classic
work Oznaim LaTorah, writes in his introduction to Vayikra that because
people distance themselves from studying the complex laws of the
sacrifices, he has made it user friendly by incorporating the exegesis of the
Gemara into his commentary. Nonetheless, the laws of sacrifices are
difficult and abstract. What approach can the casual student of Chumash
adopt regarding the intricate and detailed study of the sacrifices?
The Korban Pesach was a sacrifice of oneness and unity
In order to gain an appreciation of the laws regarding the sacrifices, it
would be worthwhile to examine the concept of the Korban Pesach, the
Paschal Lamb that the Jewish People offered when the Bais HaMikdash
was in existence. The Maharal (Gevuros HaShem 60) makes note of the
idea that many of the laws that are said regarding the Korban Pesach are
associated with the concept of oneness. A few examples of this theme is
that the Torah commands that the Korban Pesach be offered within one
group and one is prohibited from breaking a bone of the offering.
Furthermore, the Korban Pesach must be eaten with its head, its legs and
with its innards, as this form of eating demonstrates the idea of unity. This
idea of unity is also reflected in a standard sacrifice. The commentators
write that the word Korban is derived from the word karov, which means
closeness. Essentially, one who offers a sacrifice to HaShem is attempting
to come close to HaShem and to unify HaShem.
Studying the laws of sacrifices is akin to offering them
The study of the laws of sacrifices is unique in that we can be proficient in
the laws and yet we are incapable of practicing them. The obstacle we face
is that there is no Bais HaMikdash and according to most opinions we
have no way of offering sacrifices in modern times. Nonetheless, the
Gemara offers us a solution for this difficulty. The Gemara (Menachos
110a) states that one who studies the laws of the sacrifices is deemed to
have actually offered the sacrifices. One who takes this statement to heart
will surely study the laws in depth, as we certainly all desire to come
closer to HaShem and to His Torah.
The Shabbos Connection
Those who pray Nusach Sefard on Friday evening recite in the prayer of
Kegavna, the words: raza diShabbos ihi Shabbos diisachadas beraza
diechod limishrei alah raza diechod, this is the secret of the Shabbos: She
[Kingship] is called Shabbos when She becomes united in the secret of
Oneness so that G-ds Oneness may rest upon her. The secret of Shabbos
is oneness and unity. The Gemara (Shabbos 118b) tells us that were the
Jewish People to observe two Shabbos, they would immediately be
redeemed. We will soon be approaching the month of Nissan, and the
Gemara (Rosh HaShanah 11a) states that we were redeemed from Egypt in
the month of Nissan and the Ultimate Redemption will also occur in
Nissan. It is worthwhile for us to unite as a nation and unite with HaShem,
His Shabbos and His Torah, and then we will surely be deserving of the
redemption, with the arrival of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, speedily, in our days.
Shabbos in the Zemiros
Koh Ribon
Composed by Rabbi Yisroel ben Moshe of Najera, student of the Arizal in
the sixteenth century and later rabbi of Gaza
, the place where spirits and souls will rejoice. We
normally refer to a persons mood and temperament as his spirit. Perhaps
here we are beseeching HaShem that besides for allowing our souls to
rejoice, He should also console our spirits that have been dejected in the
exile. When HaShem will rebuild the Bais HaMikdash, we will no longer
suffer from despair and anxiety and we will only experience joy and
tranquility.
Shabbos Stories
Every number has meaning
A Jewish intellectual in post-war England approached Rabbi Yechezkel
Abramsky, who headed the London Beth Din, with a cynical question: "In
reviewing our Hagadah service," he sniped, "I was shocked at the insertion
of Who Knows One', a childish nursery rhyme, at the end. Why would the
sages put a silly rhyme - 'One is HaShem, two are the Tablets, three are the
fathers,' and so on, at the end of the solemn, intellectual Seder night
service? It is very unbecoming!"
Rabbi Abramsky was not shaken. "If you really want to understand the
depth of that song, then you must travel north to the town of Gateshead.
There you will find a saintly Jew, Reb Elya Lopian. I want you to discuss
the meaning of every aspect of life with
him. Ask him what the meaning of the sea and fish is; ask him what the
meaning of the sun and the moon is. Then ask him what is the meaning of
one, of six, of eleven and so on."
The philosopher was very intrigued. He traveled to Gateshead and located
the Yeshiva at which Reb Elya served as the Mashgiach (spiritual advisor).
He was led into the room where a saintly looking man greeted him
warmly.
"Rabbi, I have many questions," the skeptical philosopher began. "What is
the meaning of life?" "What is the essence of the stars?"
Rabbi Lopian dealt with each question with patience, depth, and a
remarkable clarity. Then the man threw out the baited question. "What is
the meaning of the number one?"
Rabbi Lopian's face brightened, his eyes widened, and a broad smile
spread across his face. "The meaning of one?" he repeated. "You would
like to know the meaning of one? One is HaShem in the heaven and the
earth!"
The man was shocked. "What about the depth of the numeral five?"
"Five?" repeated the sage. Why five has tremendous symbolism! It
represents the foundation of Judaism - the Five Books of Moses!" The
rabbi then went on to explain the mystical connotations that are
represented by the number five and exactly how each Book of the Torah
symbolize a component of the sum. The man left with a new approach and
attitude toward the most simple of our rituals. (www.Torah.org)
We dont cut reeds so we have time to learn
Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel, ztl, the Av Beis Din of Ohel and a
close student of the Chasam Sofer, ztl, recounted that it was the wont of
his rebbe to apply everything he heard or saw to Torah. He illustrated this
statement with a remarkable story.
Rav Avraham Yehoshua accompanied the Chasam Sofer, ztl, to a distant
town so the latter could have a well deserved summer rest. The two stayed
in a very simple village at the home of a simple villager who worked all
day long in the field. One evening their host returned home in a
despondent mood. He complained to the Chasam Sofer that he had it
worse than all the other field workers who were off during the winter
months. I also know how to cut thin reeds which grow in swamps. Since
this job can only be done during the winter months, when the swamps are
frozen over, I have no rest; not during the summer or even for the duration
of the long winter.
The Chasam Sofer expressed his sympathy and the man left the room. He
then turned to his companion and said, I learned from that simple man a
new explanation in Sanhedrin 33. There we find that Rav Ashi says, Are
we people who cut reeds in swamps? But why did Rav Ashi specifically
choose this livelihood to illustrate a person who is not learned? The
answer may well be as this simple man just explained: a cutter of reeds in
the swamp works during winter and since he is likely to also be
preoccupied with his field during the summer months, he never has time to
":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 3
learn. Rav Ashi was saying: since we are not people who cut reeds in
swamps, we at least have time to learn during the winter months!
(www.Dafdigest.org)
A Holy Toothless Jew
A Russian Jew once struck up a conversation with his seatmate on a bus in
Eretz Yisrael, and in the course of the conversation, described himself as a
Yom Kippur Jew. His seatmate immediately thought that he meant that he
went to shul only once a year on Yom Kippur. However, the Russian Jew
explained to his new friend that he was referring to something else. He was
a soldier in the Russian army following WWII. In order to avoid serving
on Yom Kippur, every year he would feign illness. Each Yom Kippur, he
would show up at the army doctor and moan over his "toothache" and beg
to have his tooth pulled. After his tooth was pulled, he was freed from his
duties for the rest of the day. The Russian Jew flashed a toothless smile to
his seatmate, and said, "I was in the army for six years and I lost six teeth
this way, but at least I never worked on Yom Kippur." (Meoros Daf Yomi)
The Brisker Drasha - Quick & Short, No Time to Nap
The Brisker way was to say short Drashos. As the Brisker Rav would say,
the goal is to reach the truth, which can be done quickly with few words.
At the wedding of the Brisker Ravs son Reb Dovid, the Chosson stood up
and gave a Drasha as was the minhag back then. The son of the great
Brisker Rav gave a Drasha that lasted a whole of seven minutes.
There was an Adam Gadol who was present who expressed surprise to the
Chosson about the brevity of his Drasha. Reb Dovid did not respond and
neither did the Brisker Rav. This Gadol then again commented and said
that it was befitting the son of the Brisker Rav to give a longer Drasha. At
this point the Brisker Rav became a bit agitated in his seat but still
remained quiet.
When this Gadol did not give up and made his third remark about the
length of the Drasha, the Brisker Rav broke his silence. He said, "Does one
need to speak longer? I was at a Chasuna where the Chosson spoke so long
that I had time to fall asleep and even wake up again. Even after I awoke
the Chosson still had nothing to say." (Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro - Zahav
MiShva)
What Is Scarier Than The Russian Army?
Reb Yechezkel Levenstein, a Kelmer and a student of the Chafetz Chaim,
was the Mashgiach of the Mirrer Yeshiva during their flight from the
Nazis through Siberia to Shanghai. Shortly before the war began, the Jews
were apprehensive and uncertain about the times ahead. Furthermore, there
was great uncertainty about which enemy was the worse of two evils, the
Germans or the Russians. A palpable sense of doom was felt everywhere.
The yeshiva students had already heard ominous rumors about the vicious
behavior of the Russians, and their hatred of everything religious.
R' Levenstein gave a shmues shortly before Rosh Hashanah of 1939,
which was also shortly before the official beginning of World War II. R'
Chatzkel was aware that he was facing a Bais Hamidrash filled with binei
Torah with great fear in their hearts, but he was not pleased with the
source of the fear. He said, "It is not because of the Russians that you need
to fear. It is only the Yom HaDin that you need to fear." The absolute
conviction in R' Chatzkel's voice helped instill emunah and bitachon in the
heart of each person present, and fortified them for the difficult times
ahead. (Reb Chatzkel) (www.Revach.net)
Shabbos in Halacha
The Scope of Borer
IV. Circumstances in which one may take waste from food
G. Special Leniency for Piled Mixtures
For mixtures in which large items have been piled together, i.e. a pile of
different plates, there is another leniency that applies. In this situation one
is permitted to remove unwanted items from the top of the pile in order to
reach a desired item that is on bottom. This ruling does not apply to other
mixtures.
New Stories - Vayikra 5774
Singing A Song
As everyone knows, Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov was one of the most
mystical men of all time. Such is seen in the following story.
The Baal Shem Tov raised a boy named Meir (later known as Rav Meir of
Ustrahan) in his home. One Saturday night, right before Purim, the Baal
Shem Tov told Meir to put on warm clothes and get ready. They were
going to go on a carriage ride. But this was no ordinary carriage. Oh no,
my friends. It was almost as if the horses feet werent touching the ground.
This is known as kefitzas haderech (the shortening of the way).
Finally, the next day, they reached a small forest and stopped to daven and
eat. Meir was a little disappointed, for all of those years he had wanted to
go somewhere with the Baal Shem Tov, and this was it?
After a while, the Baal Shem Tov asked Meir to sing. Being that it was
right before Purim, he began to sing in a sweet voice the famous Purim
song, Shoshanas Yaakov.
All of a sudden, three peasant boys named Ivan, Stephan and Gorvan came
out of the forest, approached Meir and said, Hey boy, whats your
name?
My name is Meir, he answered.
Well, we love your voice, and we want to be your friend, said the three
peasant boys.
The Baal Shem Tov came over and said to Meir and the boys, Just like
youre friends now, you should always be friends.
So the boys said in unison, Yes, well always be friends.
The Baal Shem Tov and Meir they got into the carriage and returned
home.
Years went by and the entire incident was forgotten. Meir was a diligent
and studious young man and he eventually became a revered Rav. By that
time the Baal Shem Tov had already passed from the world.
Once Meir traveled to another city to handle a Rabbinical matter. On the
way home, walking through a particularly wild stretch of forest, a group of
highway robbers attacked Meir and stole all of his possessions. He was
then informed that he was going to be killed. He begged the men,
imploring them not to take his life. But they told him they couldnt let him
go. What is your last wish? they asked.
I just want to sing to myself. It was the night before Purim so Meir sat
down and sang Shoshanas Yaakov.
Just then, the robbers burst in laughter. Dont you remember us? they
asked Meir. Were Ivan, Stephan and Gorvan, your old friends!
All of a sudden a memory flashed into Meirs mind. Many years ago,
when he had been singing in the forest..You are the three boys I sang
for! cried Meir.
The three robbers looked pleased. Thats right. We had a grand time that
day.
The men then returned all of Meirs possessions and escorted him out of
the forest. This was all part of a vision that the Baal Shem Tov had
foreseen many years before. Just as on Purim of long ago when everything
suddenly turned around to save the Jews, here also everything
mysteriously turned around to save Meirs life.
And so it was.
Have a wonderful Shabbos
Prepared by Rabbi Binyomin Adler.
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Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein
Beeros
How Bad Does It Get?(1)
A man, when he offers a korban to Hashem from among you...
Beer Yosef: The Tanchuma reflects on the word man in this pasuk.
Rather than employ ish to designate the sinner, the Torah chose adam. The
word was chosen so that we would make the association with Adam/ adam
ha-rishon. We are to understand that when a person sins like Adam
himself, he should bring the appropriate offering. We dont immediately
understand the Tanchumas point. Hashem makes it quite clear that He
commands the sinner to bring his korban. We shouldnt require any more
encouragement than that. What do have to gain by remembering that
Adam as well brought a korban for his misdeed?
We have been taught that it is teshuvah that really makes the korban. The
sense of regret that the sinner feels owes to his recognition of the harm he
has inflicted upon his soul through his misbehavior, and the damage he has
done to himself, his children, and to all of creation.
Adam provides the perfect object lesson in the consequences of sin. In a
single moment of sin, he brought upon himself and all who followed the
horrors of death. As if that were not enough, Adam ruined the quality of
all life before death claims its inevitable victims. What could have been an
idyllic, contemplative life turned in a moment to the eternal rat-race of
seeking a livelihood. The tranquility of life spent in the presence of
Hashem turned into an arduous pursuit of the means to survive.
Such is the power of chet.
A person might object that Adams sin was unlike any other, and therefore
far more serious. He was the first to break away from complete obedience
to Hashems will; his korban was therefore different from all others.
Chazal, however, disagree. The Sifra(2) argues that Adam can teach us
about the great reward awaiting the righteous. We contemplate in shock
and dismay the ruination visited upon the world by Adams single aveirah
his disregarding of the one prohibition that had been given to him. What
we see should give us hope and support, says the Sifra. We constantly
affirm that the consequences of the exercise of Hashems midos of good
far and away exceed the consequences of the operation of His punitive
midah. If Adams sin had such catastrophic effect, continues the Sifra,
imagine the reward waiting for us, who curtail our actions in response to
the plethora of prohibitions He later commanded! Now, implicit in this kal
4 ":\D up trcdk trcd ihc
vchomer is that Adams sin was not a special case! Chazal compare every
opportunity to obey and disobey His mitzvos to that first sin, ignoring the
arguments that make it a special case.
Chazal understood what is not so obvious to us. We see Adams sin as
unique, and satisfy ourselves of the justice in the devastation that ensued
from it. This is a mistake. In truth, every chet that followed Adams shares
in the enormity of its destructiveness. The Torah deals with Adams
transgression at length, not because it was unique, but simply because it
was the first. Every person who violates any transgression should see
himself as causing comparable harm to the very first sin of Adam.
Nefesh ha-Chaim(3) ponders the role of the single individual. Let him not
doubt his own power, thinking what can an undistinguished person like
me do through my lowly and unremarkable actions? Every action, every
word, every thought leaves its mark, says R Chaim Volozhin. Nothing is
lost. All of them are keyed to great processes in the upper worlds, and
affect the Divine lights that emanate from there. Indeed, each simple Jew
should be seized with terror at the thought of the devastation he can wreak
through aveirah! We live in the aftermath of the enormous destruction
wrought by Nevuchadnetzer and Titus, who despoiled the batei mikdash.
Yet there were places that their sins and violence could not reach. It is
only the mitzvah-activity assigned to the Jewish nation that directly
impacts the spiritual worlds. In a sense, we are responsible for levels of
destructiveness that Nevuchadnetzer and Titus could never bring about!
This, then, is the bonus lesson in our pasuk. When a person determines to
repent for some misdeed, he should think of Adam. He should contemplate
the far-reaching effects of a single, isolated aveirah, and realize that he is
guilty of something very similar.
The remorse that he will feel will be a helpful component of his teshuvah
process.
1. Based on Beer Yosef, Vayikra 1:2
2. Cited by Rashi 5:17
3. Nefesh ha-Chaim 1:4
Rabbi Oizer Alport
Parsha Potpourri
Parshas Vayikra Vol. 9, Issue 24
"
This weeks issue of Parsha Potpourri has been dedicated as a merit for a refuah shleimah for Devorah bas Rivka and Eliyahu Yosef
ben Devorah Chana Sara. Please have them in mind when reading and discussing this issue, and the Torah that is learned should be a
merit for them and their entire families. At this point most of the issues in Sefer Vayikra are lacking sponsors. Each issue of Parsha
Potpourri requires a tremendous amount of work, and sponsorships are greatly appreciated. For more information about dedications,
which are $50 per issue, please send me an email. In this ninth cycle of Parsha Potpourri, I would like to work to increase readership
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Divrei Torah and Points to Ponder!
) ' 1:2 (
In the times of the Beis HaMikdash, a person who sinned at least had the
comfort of knowing that he could bring a sacrifice to complete the
atonement process prescribed by the Torah. In the absence of this option,
how can a contemporary person fully repent and cleanse the effects of his
transgressions?
The Mabit (Rav Moshe ben Yosef of Trani) offers us a tremendous
consolation. He writes that in the times of the Temple, when Hashems
presence could be tangibly perceived, the ramifications of sin were
correspondingly greater, thus necessitating the offering of a sacrifice to
fully purify oneself from its spiritual damage. Since its destruction, we
have been living in an era in which Hashems Providence is subtly hidden.
While this makes it more difficult to feel and recognize His constant
presence, it also effected a change in the amount of spiritual destruction
caused by sin. Because a transgression doesnt cause as much damage as it
once did, the bringing of a sacrifice is no longer required to earn complete
forgiveness. Atonement may now be fully accomplished through the other
steps of the repentance process, namely correcting ones ways, confessing
the sin, and accepting upon oneself never to do so again.
'
) 4:27 (
Our verse introduces the laws governing the Korban Chatas (Sin-Offering)
which must be brought by a person who sins unintentionally. Why does
the Torah require a person to receive atonement for an action which was
completely accidental?
An insight into resolving this difficulty may be derived from a story about
Rav Yisroel Salanter. On one of his travels, Rav Yisroel was in need of
money and requested a loan from one of the local townsmen. Because the
man didnt recognize him, he was suspicious of the request and demanded
collateral to avoid being swindled. Some time later, Rav Yisroel
encountered that same man carrying a chicken, seeking somebody to
ritually slaughter it for him. The man approached Rav Yisroel and asked if
he could do so.
Rav Yisroel seized the opportunity to teach the man a lesson in priorities.
He pointed out that with respect to the possibility of losing a small amount
of money, the man suspected him of being a con artist who wouldnt repay
his loan, yet when it came to the risk of eating non-kosher meat if his
animal wasnt properly slaughtered, the man had no problem trusting him.
Based on this story, we can appreciate how Rav Moshe Soloveitchik
answers our original question by comparing it to a person carrying glass
utensils. If they are inexpensive, he wont be very careful, and periodically
some of them may fall and break. On the other hand, if they are made of
fine china, he will take extraordinary precautions to ensure their safe
transport.
Similarly, if a person recognized the true value of mitzvos, he would take
so much care to avoid transgressing them that accidents would be
unthinkable. The Brisker Rav was renowned for what some perceived as a
fanatical approach toward mitzvos, constantly worrying if he had properly
fulfilled his obligations. He explained that just as a person who is
transporting millions of dollars in cash would constantly check his pockets
to make sure that the money is still there, his mitzvos were worth millions
in his eyes and he examined them constantly to make sure that he didnt
lose them.
Although a persons transgression may have been completely devoid of
intent to sin, it was his lack of recognition of the importance of the
mitzvah which allowed him to slip up. It is this mistaken understanding
which the Torah requires him to correct and atone for.
) 43:22 (
The Darkei Mussar writes in Parshas Balak that of the thousands of
parables developed by the legendary Dubno Maggid, there were three
which the Kotzker Rebbe declared were said with Ruach HaKodesh
(Divine Inspiration). One of those three was used to explain this verse
from the Haftorah.
A businessman once returned home from his travels and hired one of the
porters at the train station to carry his luggage to his home. Upon arriving
at the mans house, the porter put down the bags and approached the man
to receive his payment. The traveler took one look at the boy and informed
him that he had mistakenly brought the wrong suitcases.
The surprised porter questioned how the businessman could make this
claim with such certainty when he hadnt even seen the bags, which were
still outside. The man explained that it was clear from the boys
appearance that he had sweated and exerted tremendous effort to transport
the luggage. As the bags which belonged to the businessman were filled
with lightweight items which wouldnt have required such exertion, it
must be that the porter mistakenly brought the wrong suitcases.
Similarly, Yeshaya related that Hashem told the Jewish people,
You havent called Me in your performance of mitzvos. The
Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh writes (Bamidbar 23:21) that the study of Torah
and the performance of mitzvos should be enjoyable and invigorate a
person. Yeshaya teaches elsewhere (40:31), ' Those who
look to and trust in Hashem will be constantly strengthened and refreshed.
Just as the businessman informed the porter of his error, the Navi chastises
the Jews that they must not be learning and doing mitzvos for Hashems
sake. The proof of this claim is that instead of feeling renewed and
energized, You grew weary of Me.
Parsha Points to Ponder (and sources which discuss them):
1) Why may offerings be brought from domesticated animals (1:2) but not
from wild animals? (Daas Zkeinim, Rabbeinu Bechaye, Paneiach Raza)
2) An elevation-offering must be brought by its owner voluntarily (1:3).
Rashi writes that if a person is obligated to bring an offering but refuses to
do so, the court coerces him until he expresses his willingness. The
Gemora in Menachos (73b) rules that if a non-Jew brings an elevation-
offering without its associated libations, they should be offered using
communal funds instead of forcing him to do so. Why isnt a non-Jew also
forced to do what he is supposed to do? (Har Tzvi)
3) The Gemora in Chagigah (27a) teaches that in the absence of the Beis
HaMikdash, the generous opening up of a persons table to serve the poor
and other guests serves in lieu of the Altar. As a persons table is
comparable to the Altar and the food consumed to a sacrifice, the Rema
rules (Orach Chaim 167:5) that just as every offering required salt (2:13),
so too the bread eaten at a meal must be dipped in salt. If a person doesnt
have salt, is there any acceptable substitute that he can use for this
purpose? (Shu"t Halachos Ketanos 218, Kaf HaChaim Orach Chaim
167:37, Shu"t Torah Lishmah 500, Shut Rav Pealim Yoreh Deah 2:4,
Bishvilei HaParsha)
4) Was a blessing recited by a person performing the mitzvah of bringing a
sin-offering (4:2)? (Shut Rashba 1:18, Mishneh LMelech Hilchos
Maasei HaKorbanos 10:1, Ayeles HaShachar)
5) The Torah commands (5:23) a thief to return what he stole. If a person
stole money, may he return it on Shabbos, with the Torah obligation to
":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 5
return it taking precedence over the Rabbinical prohibition against
handling money on Shabbos? (Shut Hisorerus Teshuva Orach Chaim
1:157)
Answers to Points to Ponder:
1) The Daas Zkeinim explains that it would have required significantly
more effort to track down wild animals and capture them for use as
offerings. Instead, Hashem kindly commanded us to bring offerings from
domesticated animals which are readily available to spare us unnecessary
exertion. Rabbeinu Bechaye cites the Gemora (Bava Kamma 93a) which
teaches that it is better to be pursued than to be the one chasing others, and
for this reason, doves are the only species of bird which may be brought as
an offering, as they are the most pursued of all birds. Similarly, wild
animals are disqualified because they typically pursue their prey, while
domesticated animals are more likely to be pursued and may therefore be
brought as offerings. The Paneiach Raza cites Rashi (Bereishis 1:22),
who explains that Hashem blessed the domesticated animals that they
should be fruitful and multiply but not the wild animals because the latter
category includes the serpent, which enticed Adam and Chava to sin.
Because wild animals werent included in Hashems blessing, they may
not be brought as offerings.
2) Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank points out a similar case in the laws of
divorce. The halacha is that a man must divorce his wife of his own
volition, and a divorce which he is forced to grant is invalid. Still, the
Rambam rules (Hilchos Geirushin 2:20) that there are cases in which a
man is legally obligated to divorce his wife, and if he refuses to do so, the
Jewish court physically strikes him until he relents. Even though such a
divorce was granted under physical duress, the Rambam explains that it is
still valid because the true inner desire of every Jew is to perform the
mitzvos, if not for the fact that the evil inclination sometimes interferes.
By hitting him, the court is weakening the power of his evil inclination
until his true desire to perform the mitzvos is able to express himself, and
thus, the divorce that he grants under such circumstances is considered to
be given of his true will. Similarly, a Jew who is unwilling to bring the
elevation-offering that he is required to offer is coerced by the court until
his true "desire" to act properly is able to express itself, but as there is no
such assumption that a non-Jew inherently wishes to do what is right, he
cannot be forced to bring libations with his offering against his will.
3) The Kaf HaChaim quotes an opinion which maintains that in the
absence of salt, one may dip the bread in sugar instead. This was in fact
the practice of the Chasam Sofer to use sugar for this purpose if salt was
unavailable. The Ben Ish Chai notes that the Shut Halachos Ketanos
goes so far as to rule that sugar can even be used for offerings in the
Temple instead of salt, as sugar is chemically similar to salt and is also
long-lasting, and he suggests that this may be the source for those who
have the custom on Rosh Hashana to dip the challah in sugar as an omen
for a sweet year. However, he adds that there is no clear proof for this
opinion. Additionally, the Kaf HaChaim and Ben Ish Chai both note that
there are Kabbalistic reasons to specifically use salt, in which case sugar
would not be an acceptable substitute.
4) Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman cites the Rashba, who writes that no
blessing is made when performing the mitzvah of returning a stolen object
because the opportunity to perform the mitzvah only came about through a
sin, which would seem to imply that no blessing would be said when
bringing a sin-offering. He adds that a blessing would still be said when
bringing an elevation-offering, as even though it also effects atonement, it
isnt classified as resulting from sin. He notes that the Mishneh LMelech
writes that the Kohanim who performed the mitzvah of eating the guilt and
sin offerings did recite blessings, and he suggests that because the
offerings werent brought as a result of the sins of the Kohanim, they were
therefore able to make blessings when eating from them.
5) Rav Shimon Sofer rules that it is permissible to return the money on
Shabbos if one handles it in an unusual manner. Since the entire
prohibition against moving money on Shabbos is only Rabbinical in
nature, and doing any work in Shabbos in an atypical way is also only
Rabbinically forbidden, it is permissible to do an action which is
considered a shvus d'shvus, meaning that it is Rabbinically prohibited on
two different levels, for the sake of the mitzvah of returning the stolen
money. Even though this leniency only applies in a case where the
mitzvah must be done on Shabbos and cannot be delayed, which is not the
case here, he notes that a shvus d'shvus is also permissible to prevent a loss
of money. In this case, if the thief waits until after Shabbos to return the
money, he may change his mind, so to prevent the victim from losing out,
the thief is allowed to return it on Shabbos by handling it in an unusual
way.
2014 by Ozer Alport. To subscribe, send comments, or sponsor an issue, email
oalport@optonline.net

Aish.Com - Rabbi Stephen Baars
Brainstorming With Baars
Vayikra - Nobody Wants Your Sacrifices
Why sacrifices?
It's your wife's birthday. Her favorite flower is an orchid. Where you live,
Orchids run at about $15 a stem, so a bouquet is going to set you back
$150 at least.
You have a series of choices:
The florist has some week-old orchids he'll give you for $4 a piece.
Buy some wild flowers - $15 max.
Get her the great wrench set you've always wanted (at least it won't die
after a week).
Buy the $150 orchids.
Give her cash (you decide what amount) and let her make the tough
decisions.
Now for most rational people, isn't #5 the right answer? Didn't we evolve
out of the barter system so that we got what we wanted and didn't end up
with a dozen sheep and two pounds of potatoes when we sold the family
cow?
How is it that this ancient custom of guessing and agonizing over a present
for your Cousin George or your Aunt Bessie, whom you haven't seen in 10
years, still remains. Give them the cash.
Buying your wife a $1,000 pearl necklace may be a great sacrifice on your
part. But it is not going to do the trick if she doesn't like pearls. Nobody
wants your sacrifices!
How To Really Care
If you understand all this, you understand the real meaning of "sacrifice"
as we read in this week's Torah portion.
Actually, sacrifice is a bad translation. When we bring cows, sheep and
goats to the Temple in Jerusalem, the Hebrew word used is "korbon." As
Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch (19th century German leader) points out
it has its roots in the concept of "being close." No word in the English
language approaches a good translation, though conceptually it relates to a
"gift."
When you give your wife a gift, it isn't a sacrifice (at least it shouldn't be).
It isn't even the most effective way of getting her what she wants - give her
the cash.
Don't tell me it's the thought when you bring her the week-old orchids or
even when you have an account with the florist who delivers the same
flowers every year (whether you remember or not).
What she is looking for in a present is evidence that you care. You care
enough to go out of your way. You care enough to think about it.
But do you really care? Does the $150 orchid bouquet prove that you care?
Not really, not always.
Nothing in life counts unless we care. If we don't care, then it doesn't
matter if we lose it or not. The key point here is that the more we care
about important things in our lives (like our spouse), the more meaningful
our lives become.
Do you want to care more for your spouse? Easy. Buy her/him a present -
every week.
The more time and effort we make for this present, then the more we will
think to ourselves, "What would my wife really like?" The more you do
this, the more you will care. That is what your spouse really wants.
Why The Blood And Guts?
Let's start with a key question, "What does God want from us?" At the risk
of being terribly cliche, I will answer with another question. What does
your spouse really want from you on her birthday? And to really push the
envelope, what do you want on your birthday from your spouse?
Is there anything he/she can buy you with your money? Similarly, is there
anything we can give to God with His world?
The only thing we can possibly give another is a piece of ourselves by
becoming closer to them. Anything else they can get on their own. They
really don't need you to buy the flowers or the wrench set. Similarly, God
can sacrifice His own animals. The only thing no one can have, unless I
give it, is me. That's all I have to give.
So how do you give yourself? By caring.
How do you care more?
Let me explain. Take the wristwatch off your arm (don't try this at home)
and unscrew the back, then take out all the parts and lay them out on the
table. Then, put them all back together again. I told you not to try this at
home.
Ok, take them to a watch maker and have them put it all back together
again.
Then take a cow, take it apart (really don't try this at home) and do the
same thing.
Impossible.
How do all the parts of a cow, sheep, goat, even us, all work when it's
impossible for them to work once we take them apart? When you see that,
you realize what a gift of life we have. No engineer can put all the parts
together to make what was once standing and breathing a few minutes ago.
Incredible!
6 ":\D up trcdk trcd ihc
Life is an amazing gift of such magnitude, words do not exist to explain its
true meaning.
When you realize what an amazing gift your spouse is, you will care more.
When you care more, you will give more. When you give more, you will
become closer. It is a wonderful cycle of gratitude, giving and closeness. It
is the complete antidote to the petty selfishness that we often fall victim to.
When you see how amazing life is, that all our parts function and work in
a way that makes human understanding sound like an oxymoron, then you
will realize how much God has given you and you will be free. Free to
give and therefore free to become ever closer to each other. And you won't
feel a hint of sacrifice at all.
It's this realization, in seeing our children emerge from a womb, that frees
us to give to them. Just realize therefore how enslaved we are with
everyone else.
Brainstorming Questions To Ponder
Question 1: Make a list of the 3 things you care about the most.
Question 2: Make a list of the 3 people who have done the most for you?
Question 3: Who are the people you are closest too and why?
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Dr. Avigdor Bonchek
Whats Bothering Rashi?
Parashas Vayikra
This week we begin the third book of the Torah, Vayikra, "the Law of the
Priests" it has also been called. As its name, so its contents, it deals with
the laws of the service in the Tabernacle, and eventually, the Temple. This
is the charge of the Priests. Later on in the book it deals with the laws of
every Jew in his status as a member of the "Kingdom of Priests" . As an
example, in Parashas Kedoshim we are taught how every Jew can attain
holiness though his behavior.
Let us look at one of the laws at the end of the sedra.
A puzzling comment, and one that can give us a clue to interpreting
puzzling Rashi comments.
Verses 5:20 & following tell the laws of a person who is obligated to bring
an guilt offering. One of the cases is the following:
Vayikra 5:24 - "Or anything about which he will swear falsely, he shall
pay its price and add an additional fifth to it to whom it belongs, he shall
give it on the day of his guilt offering."
Rashi: To whom it belongs: Rashi: To whom the money belongs.
A brief comment whose purpose is unclear and which has elicited many
interpretations.
What would you ask?
Questioning Rashi:
A Question: What is Rashi adding that we didn't know before. Of course
he returns the money to its owner! That is what the verse says and that is
what logic would dictate.
What's bothering Rashi that he needed to make this obvious comment?
What Is Bothering Rashi ?
Some Suggested Answers:
Several different answers have been suggested by the super-commentaries.
Let us look at some of them and then see how we can best understand
Rashi.
1) An answer given: "He cannot salve his conscience by donating the sum
to charity or the like but he must return it to the man he defrauded." ( The
Metsudah Rashi)
This answer is difficult to accept. Who would ever think that a person can
acquit himself of robbery by giving the stolen money to charity?! Stealing
from the rich to give to the poor is fine for Robin hood, but not for
Judaism ! Has not the prophet Isaiah (61:8) stated emphatically that G-d
"hates robbery in sacrifices."
2) Another answer suggested : "He should not give it to a friend or a
relative [of the victim]. This law is not as we find in Numbers 5:10 where
it says 'a man's sacred objects shall be his...' From which we derive that the
Israelite, who is obligated to give his tithing to a priest, can choose which
priest to give it to. Here, however, the verse tells us that he must give the
stolen money back to its owner. (Mizarchi)"
This is a strange comparison between the Israelite who is obligated to give
a tithing but may choose the priest and the robber who is obligated to
return the theft to the victim. The Israelite is giving his tithing to a priest,
so the Torah allows him to choose his priest. But in our case, the thief is
giving back the owner's own money. He certainly cannot choose to give it
to someone else.
So we must search elsewhere for an answer.
A More Basic Question
To understand this we must ask a more basic question:
A Question: Why does the Torah itself (not just Rashi) tell us the obvious -
that he must "give the money to whom it belongs"? To whom else would
he return it? So the question we asked of Rashi is an equally valid question
to ask on the Torah verse. Answering this question will help us understand
Rashi. The Torah must have used these words, emphasizing the obvious, to
steer us away from a possible misunderstanding. In our efforts to
understand Rashi we should arrive at a better understand of the Torah's
meaning of these words.
A Rule In Understanding Rashi
When confronted by such a puzzling comment it is wise to see Rashi's
source. (Rashi's sources can be found in Chavel's Rashi or any English
translation of Rashi, Artscroll, Silbermann or Metsudah, for example.) In
this case, Rashi's source can be found both in the mishnah and in the
midrash Toras Cohanim. Let us see what mishnah 9:5 in Baba Kamma
says (also on page 103a of tractate Baba Kamma).
"If a man steals from his neighbor even a prutah's worth and swears (his
innocence ) to him, (and then admits his guilt) he must take the money
even to Medes (a distant land) He shall not give it to his son or his
messenger..."
This last phrase is our clue. "He shall not give it [even] to his son," but
rather to the victim himself. In his commentary to the Talmud, Rashi
explains that this law derives from our verse "he shall give it to whom it
belongs." So we see clearly that Rashi understood the halachic message of
this verse to mean that the thief must return the stolen money to the victim
and not even to his son. Now we can understand why the Torah stresses
the obvious, i.e. that the money must be returned to the victim himself,
because it cannot be returned even to his son, which common sense would
have thought would be sufficient.
But we must understand this law. Why cannot the stolen article be returned
to the man's son or to a messenger?
Can you think of an explanation?
A Deeper Look
An Answer: We must bear in mind that this law of stealing (or keeping an
object given as a safekeeping ) refers to a particular condition: that the
man took an oath denying guilt, and only later did he confess.
The Rambam (Laws of Stealing ch. 7:9) offers an explanation for the
requirement to return the theft personally to the victim and not through a
messenger. He says that once the thief swore that he did not take the stolen
goods, the victim gave up all hope of ever retrieving it. He saw the robber
swear under oath in a court of law, which is certainly no less an awesome
experience than taking a lie detector test, and nevertheless he denied all
guilt. Seeing this, the victim's last thread of hope vanished, thinking that
now he would never get his money back. Therefore, says the Rambam, the
thief must make a special effort to return it to the man personally, to be
100% sure he receives it. Perhaps in order to shorten as much as possible
the latter's distress.
I would suggest another possible answer to the question as to why the
Torah stresses that the thief must personally return the money to the
victim.
We see that the fact that he swore falsely is the crucial ingredient in this
case. As it says at the beginning of this chapter: (5:21)
"If a person will sin and commit a trespass against Hashem and be
deceitful toward his friend regarding a pledge or about a putting a hand or
about robbery; or deprived his comrade. or he found a lost item and denied
it - and he swore falsely about any of all the things, which man does do, to
sin by them - so it shall be that he will sin and become guilty he will return
the robbed item that he robbed or the proceeds of his fraud or the pledge
that was left with him or the lost item that he found, or anything about
which he had sworn falsely - he shall repay its capital and its fifths; he
shall give it to the one to whom it belongs on the day of his guilt-offering.
And he shall bring his guilt-offering to Hashem - an unblemished ram
from the flock, of the value for a guilt-offering - to the priest."
His false oath has caused him to pay the additional fifth and to bring a
guilt-offering. The guilt-offering is atonement for the false oath which is a
sin against G-d. Now notice an unusual phrase in this verse.
"..he shall give it to whom it belongs on the day of his guilt-offering (
)" What is the point of these latter words? Why is the day of his guilt-
offering stressed? Why can't he bring his guilt-offering and then on the
next day "he shall give it to whom it belongs." ?
An explanation may be : The law is that one may not bring a sin-offering
before he has returned the money (tractate Baba Kamma 110a). Only after
returning the money is the Temple offering valid. This coincides with the
general laws of repentance. Man must first be forgiven by his fellowman,
before G-d will forgive him. This, then, may be the reason why the Torah
emphasizes that a man must return to the owner the money and not rely on
someone else - a son or messenger - to do it. He must be certain that he has
made full amends before ( "on the day of his guilt offering " ) he
is allowed to bring his offering.
An Important Lesson In Rashi
An important lesson can be learned from the above analysis. As we have
explained (see "Appreciating Rashi" in the Bereishis volume), one of the
basic types of Rashi-comments is what I have called the Type II comment.
This is the short comment whose purpose is to help us avoid a likely
misunderstanding. The above Rashi-comment is of this kind. In such cases
we don't ask "What is bothering Rashi?" because there is no real difficulty
in the verse. We ask, instead, "What misunderstanding is Rashi helping us
avoid?" In such cases, it is important to keep in mind that the to-be-
avoided interpretation should be truly a reasonable mis-interpretation and
not some far-out possibility that would rarely be occur to anyone.
":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 7
As we saw with some of the suggested answers above, it is hard to imagine
that any student would think, for example, that the stolen money could be
given to charity or to anyone whom the thief chooses. It hard to conceive
that Rashi saw the need to make his comment in order to reject such
unreasonable possibilities. The answer which comes from the Talmud
(Rashi's source) is a likely misunderstanding, to think that the thief could
fulfill his obligation by returning the money to the son of the victim; or to
give it to him to pass on to this father, is a most reasonable way of
repaying his debt. Therefore, Rashi had to clarify that in this particular
case (once the thief had sworn falsely) it is not sufficient to repay the debt
in this way.
In any Rashi-comment of the Type II kind when trying to understand what
interpretation Rashi was rejecting, reasonableness must be our guide. We
have not fully understood Rashi by coming up with just any possible
misinterpretation; we must find a likely one. Only then we can we be
confident that it was this misinterpretation that Rashi is implicitly warning
us about. Rashi's thinking is always straightforward, clear and eminently
reasonable. Ours must be likewise, in order to understand him.
Shabbat Shalom, Avigdor Bonchek
"What's Bothering Rashi?" is a product of the Institute for the Study of Rashi and Early Commentaries. All 5 volumes on What's Bothering Rashi?
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Rabbi Shlomo Caplan
Mishulchan Shlomo
Rabbi Caplan On The Parsha Mishulchan Shlomo
Parshas Vayikra A Perplexing Contradiction
The significance of korbanos - offering sacrifices to Hashem - has
provoked great debate amongst Torah Scholars. The Ramban
(Nachmanides) in this weeks Parsha cites the opinion of the Rambam
(Maimonides) in Moreh Nevuchim (The Guide to the Perplexed): The
reason for sacrifices was because the Egyptians and Chaldeans, amongst
whom Bnai Yisrael dwelled, worshipped cattle and sheep.therefore
[Hashem] commanded us to slaughter these three species (cows, sheep and
goats) to His glorious Name to publicize that the thing which they
considered most sacred is the very thing which we offer to the Creator.
The Ramban proceeds to criticize this opinion in the strongest terms,
noting that the Torah describes a sacrifice as a pleasant smelling offering
to Hashem. This implies that a sacrifice is a metaphysical mechanism of
connecting to Hashem. It was not meant as a repudiation of idolatry.
The Ritva in Sefer Hazikaron comes to the defense of the Rambam. He
writes, It is my opinion that this particular explanation and many other
explanations of Mitzvos are not due to the Rambams belief that these are
the main reasons for the Mitzvah. Rather, he wished to offer some kind of
explanation that the average person could use to respond to heretics with a
rational approach. Indeed, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky in Emes
LeYaakov (Vayikra 1,9) cites the Rambam in Mishneh Torah (Hilchos
Meila 8,8) where he refers to sacrifices as a chok a Mitzvah whose
reason is unknown sublime.
The Rambams true recognition of the depth of spiritual significance of
Korbanos can be discerned from what he wrote in Mishneh Torah (Bais
Habechira 2,2) where he explains the reason for Hashems choice of a very
specific location for the altar in the Bais Hamikdash: There is a widely
known tradition that the place where Dovid and Shlomo built the altar
was the same place where Avraham built the altar upon which he bound
Yitzchak. It was the same place where Noach built [an altar] when he left
the Ark. It was the altar upon which Kayin and Hevel brought their
sacrifices. There Adam brought a sacrifice when he was created. From
that [very spot of ground] he was created. The Sages declared, Adam was
created from the place which would serve as his atonement. Clearly, the
Rambam realized that sacrifices are a primordial concept predating any
notion of idolatry in the world. Their metaphysical implications are
undeniable.
It appears that there were, in a sense, two Rambams, or two sides to the
Rambam. One side was manifest in the Mishneh Torah, a halachic
compendium based on the Mesorah of Chazal in both Halacha and
Hashkafa. In it there is no room for philosophical speculation. The other
side was presented in the Moreh Nevuchim, which sought to address a
widespread skepticism about Torah UMitzvos among Jews living in a
society dominated by Muslim philosophy and theology. This skepticism
was recognized and addressed by the Geonim and many Torah Scholars of
that era. This motivated the Rambam to write The Guide to the
Perplexed a very apt name signifying its intent and purpose. The
Rambam wrote Mishneh Torah in Hebrew as an epic treatise for all
generations and he wrote Moreh Nevuchim in Arabic primarily for his
generation.
All future generations of Poskim and Torah Sages have recognized the
Rambams Mishneh Torah as the penultimate codification of Halacha
validation of the inscription on his tombstone: From Moshe to Moshe no
one arose like Moshe.
To subscribe to this weekly Dvar Torah, email rabbi.caplan@gmail.com
Rabbi Zvi Akiva Fleisher
Chamishoh Mi Yodei'a
5 Questions And Answers On Parshas Vayikra 5774 - Bs"D
Please send your answers and comments to: Sholom613@Rogers.Com
1) Ch. 1, v. 3: "Lirtzono lifnei Hashem" - With his willingness in front
of Hashem - The previous words "yakriv oso" seem to be contra-
indicative, that he MUST bring the sacrifice.
2) Ch. 1, v. 9: "V'kirbo uchro'ov yirchatz" - And its innards and its
legs you shall wash - We do not find this command by chatos, oshom, or
shlomim. Why?
3) Ch. 1, v. 14: "V'im min ho'ofe oloh korbono laShem" - And if an
avian offering is his oloh to Hashem - "LaShem" is mentioned here and
not by the bovine or sheep offerings. Why?
4) Ch. 4, v. 27: "V'im nefesh achas techeto" - And if a single soul will
sin - What it the intention of "achas?" The verse seems to be fine without
this word.
5) Ch. 5, v. 15: "Ayil" - A ram - Rashi says that a ram is in its second
year. Why does Rashi wait until here to give us this information? We find
"ayil" earlier, for example at the end of parshas "ho'akeidoh."
Answers:
#1 Toras Kohanim says that when the Torah mandates bringing a sacrifice
he must do so, and when unwilling, we "make" him willing by forcing
him. Rambam in hilchos ishus explains how coerced action is considered
as being agreeable. A person's inner emotions are to do that which is
correct. His external drives cover his internal ones and this is why he is
reluctant to give a divorce where halacha mandates that he do so, or in our
case, because of the monetary outlay, effort in making a pilgrimage to
Yerusholayim, etc. he says that he will not do so. Once his physical
inclination makes the wise choice of complying rather than undergoing
coercion, his spiritual side is in control and "willingly" advises him to
comply. This is alluded to in the following words "lifnei Hashem." We can
interpret this to mean "lifnei," which is the "nismach" form of "lifnim
shel," in his insides, "Hashem," there is the will to do Hashem's wishes.
(Nirreh li)
#2 This is because these organs of the animal are consumed by the owners.
They obviously will not eat them without first cleansing them. Our verse is
discussing an oloh sacrifice, which is totally consumed on the altar. The
Torah therefore tells us to wash these parts of the animal so that clean
respectable offerings are burned. (Rabbi Yoseif Bchor Shor)
#3 This is because their hides are given to the Kohanim. A bird oloh
offering has absolutely nothing that goes to a person, hence "laShem."
(Rabbi Shmuel Prager)
#4 It is specifically because this person was a loner that he sinned. Had he
been part of a G-d-fearing congregation he would have been guided to
distance himself from sin. (Divrei Avrohom)
#5 Minchoh Vluloh answers that in general the term "ayil" does not
specifically mean a ram that is over one year old, as even a day old male
sheep has the "ayil" appellation. It is only here, were the Torah requires
that a ram of 2 "shiklei kodesh" value be brought that this age requirement
is relevant. A newborn ram is worth much less.
A Gutten Shabbos Kodesh.
Rabbi Zvi Akiva Fleisher
Chasidic Insights
Chasidic Insights Parshas Vayikra From 5765 Bs"D
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Ch. 1, v. 2: "Min hab'heimoh .. takrivu es korbanchem" - Learn from
the animal that you've verbally sanctified. Just as it was a plain animal
until you've sanctified it as an offering to Hashem, and has now become so
sanctified that its blood and organs are placed in the holiest location, so
too, sanctify yourselves for the service of Hashem, "takrivu es
korbanCHEM." (Rabbi Shlomo of Radomsk in Beis Avrohom)
Ch. 1, v. 3: "Yakriv oso lirtzono lifnei Hashem" - One should sacrifice
it, his will to Hashem. "Ba'teil ritzoncho lifnei ritzono" (Pirkei Ovos 2:4).
(Mezeritcher Magid)
Ch. 1, v. 3: "Lirtzono" - Rashi says that we force him until he acquiesces
and says, "I want to do so." How is this considered acting of his own free
will? A person who truly wants to serve Hashem wishes upon himself
circumstances that force him to do the right thing. (Sfas Emes)
Ch. 1, v. 7: "V'nosnu bnei Aharon haKohein aish al hamizbei'ach" -
Rashi writes that even though a heavenly fire descends there is still a
requirement to bring their own fire. People get enthused to spiritual heights
from outside influences, but this might be short-lived or forgotten. Fiery
enthusiasm that is self-ignited has a more lasting effect. (Nirreh li)
Ch. 2, v. 2: "M'lo kumtzo" - The mishnoh in Pirkei Ovos 4:1 says,
"Ei'zehu oshir haso'mei'ach b'chelko," - who is wealthy, he who is happy
with his lot. "M'lo," one feels full, satisfied, when he realized that it is
"kumtzO," His portion, even if it is meager. (Nirreh li)
8 ":\D up trcdk trcd ihc
Ch. 2, v. 13: "Al kol korboncho takriv melach" - All that you offer to
Hashem should be salted, i.e. done with energy, excitement, and
enthusiasm. (Rabbi Uziel of Ritsheval in Tiferes Uziel)
Ch. 4, v. 27: "V'im nefesh achas techeto" - If it is but one soul, that a
person only concerns himself with his own personal spiritual growth, to
the exclusion of others, then "techeto," it has sinned. (Rabbi Avrohom
Chaim Zlotchover Magid)
Ch. 5, v. 17: "V'lo yoda v'o'sheim" - Why is a definite accidental sin
called "cheit," a shortcoming, while a doubtful sin is called "oshom," vast
destruction, "shmomoh"? The fact that a person is aware that he definitely
sinned, albeit accidentally, is a partial atonement, as his heart is already
broken. When one is not sure that he sinned, he easily pushes it to the side,
assuming that he has not sinned. This is devastation. (Rabbeinu Bachyei)
Similarly, this explains why the cost of an "oshom" is double that of a
"chatos." (Admor of Kotzk)
Ch. 5, v. 26: "L'ashmoh voh" - The verse begins with telling us that the
Kohein shall bring atonement through processing one's sacrifice. What is
one to do when Shabbos stands in the way of bringing his offering
immediately? The answer is "l'ashomoh voh," whose letters are an
acronym for "LoKeil asher shovas mikol hamaasim ba'yom Hashvii."
Hashem understands that his heart is broken and he truly wants to
immediately bring his offering. By keeping the laws of Shabbos he stays
any negative affects. The offering can wait until the next day. (Nirreh li)
A Gutten Shabbos Kodesh.
Rabbi Zvi Akiva Fleisher
Oroh V'Simchoh
Oroh V'simchoh - Meshech Chochmoh On Parshas Vayikra - Bs"D
Ch. 1, v. 5: "V'hikrivu bnei Aharon haKohanim es hadom" - Rashi
explains that these words refer to the service of walking the blood after it
is received in a sanctified vessel, from the location of the slaughtering to
the altar in preparation for placing the blood onto the altar in its prescribed
manner. This walking requires a Kohein. The Rambam in hilchos p'su'lei
hamukdoshim 1:22 says that bringing the blood close to the altar
specifically requires having it walked there, i.e. and not by having a
brigade of Kohanim standing in a line and one handing it to the next until
it is next to the altar (my example). The Rambam adds that because of this
ruling if a KOHEIN GODOL received the blood from the neck of the
slaughtered sacrifice and stood in his place and threw the blood onto the
altar, the sacrifice is invalid. This is most puzzling, as this rule applies to a
Kohein Godol and a regular Kohein equally.
The Meshech Chochmoh answers this problem in a most novel way. We
find in the Rambam's commentary on mishnayos Z'vochim that if a
sacrifice was slaughtered right next to the altar and a Kohein received its
blood in a pan and placed the blood onto the altar without walking, that it
is valid. This is not contrary to the ruling mentioned above, because it is
not intrinsically required to have the blood walked to the altar, only if it
was distanced from the altar and normally would be brought close to allow
for it to be placed onto the altar, this must be done by walking and no other
way, as mentioned above. The Rambam in hilchos p'su'lei hamukdoshim is
discussing having the blood a distance from the altar, and the Kohein
threw it onto the altar without walking, where normally one would bring it
closer. If so, how indeed did the Kohein get the blood onto the altar from a
distance without walking? The Rambam gives an example of a LARGE
KOHEIN, meaning that he had long limbs and stretched to bring the blood
close to the altar and threw it after stretching, rather than walking closer,
and this is invalid. KOHEIN GODOL in this context does not mean the
"high priest," but rather a very tall Kohein.
Ch. 4, v. 3: "Im haKohein hamoshiach yecheto l'ashmas ho'om" - The
Meshech Chochmoh explains our verse with the seemingly puzzling words
of Targum Yonoson ben Uziel. He writes that the Kohein Godol sinned
"b'mik'r'vei korban chovas amo d'lo ch'hil'ch'sei," - when he brought the
obligatory sacrifice of the nation against halacha. This is understood with
the words of the M.R. Shmos 8:2. The medrash brings the verse in
Yirmiyohu 23:24, "Im yiso'seir ish b'mistorim va'ani lo er'enu n'um
Hashem?" The medrash interprets these words to mean that if a person will
sin with idol worship in a clandestine manner, Hashem will make his sin
known to the public. Read "er'enu," I will see him, as "ar'enu," I will
display him. Sinning with idol worship in a hidden manner is stated in
Dvorim 27:15, "Orur ho'ish asher yaa'seh fesel uma'seichoh toavas
Hashem maa'sei y'dei chorosh v'som ba'so'ser."
How indeed has the Kohein Godol come to sin accidentally, since he has
at his disposal the "urim v'tumim," a tool for Divine guidance? Add to this
the assurance that "raglei chasidov yishmore" (Shmuel 1:2:9).
The Meshech Chochmoh answers that this is the intention of the Targum
Yonoson ben Uziel. The Kohein Godol sinned by bringing the offering of
Yom Kippur that is processed in the Holy of Holies improperly. This was a
major bone of contention between the Pharisees and the Sadducees to the
point that the Mikdosh court made the Kohein Godol swear that he would
process the incense as per the opinion of the Pharisees (see mishnoh Yoma
chapter 1).
Since no one was allowed to accompany him during the services done in
the Mikdosh (Vayikroh 16:17), if he strayed from the proper service, it
was done clandestinely. This is equated by the medrash with idol worship,
as the whole approach of the Sadducees was one of not believing in the
tradition of our Rabbis, "Torah sheb'al peh." Hashem brings his sin to the
attention of the public by making him come to a wrong ruling
unintentionally. The cause for this is "l'ashmas ho'om," that he processed
their atonement sacrifice improperly, thus invalidating it, and their sin is
still not forgiven.
The Meshech Chochmoh adds that with this we can understand why in
verse 6 it says "es pnei poroches HAKODESH," that the blood is sprinkled
towards the face of the curtain that stands in front of the HOLY chamber,
but by "par he'elem shel tzibur" (4:17) it leaves out HAKODESH. The
word HAKODESH is mentioned here to point out that his original sin
began in the Holy of Holies.
Ch. 5, v. 7: "Echod l'chatos v'echod l'oloh" - For the atonement of
certain unintentional sins, a sin offering must be brought. This is either a
sheep or a goat. If the sinner is so poor that he cannot afford a sheep or
goat, the Torah allows him to bring two birds, one as a sin offering, a
"chatos," which is eaten by the Kohein, and one as an "oloh" offering,
which is totally consumed on the altar.
The Gemara Chulin 22a says that the processing of the bird "oloh" may
not be done at night because it is compared to the "chatos" bird offering
that accompanies it, which may only be done by day. Someone asked the
Rashbo (Tshuvos hoRashbo vol. 1, responsa #276), "How could anyone
even entertain the thought that the "oloh" offering could be processed at
night, since we have a teaching from Vayikra 7:37,38 that ALL sacrifices
must have their blood processing, avodas hadam, done by day?" The
Rashbo wrote that he had no answer for this question, but suggested
another text in the above gemara which totally leaves out the comparison
of "olas ho'ofe" to "chatos ho'ofe."
The Ibn Ezra asks, "Why is there a need for an "oloh" altogether, since the
original sacrifice was only a "chatos?" He answers that since the original
sacrifice was a sheep or goat (5:6), there would have been a portion for the
Kohein and a portion for the altar as well. However, if the poor person
were to only bring a "chatos" offering of a bird, there would be nothing for
the altar. The sole purpose of bringing the "oloh" bird offering is to give
the altar its portion.
The Meshech Chochmoh says that according to this Ibn Ezra we can
understand why there is a need for a special teaching that THIS "olas
ho'ofe" cannot be processed at night. Although no sacrifices may be
processed at night, but since the whole purpose of bringing this "oloh" was
to offer the altar its portion, there is good reason to believe that this would
be an exception. The burning of "olos" may be done at night, as mentioned
in the first Mishneh of Brochos regarding burning of parts of korbonos at
night. Similarly, one might think that the complete processing of this
particular "oloh" may be done at night. Therefore we need a special
comparison to its accompanying offering, the "chatos ho'ofe", that it may
only be done by day.
The Meshech Chochmoh had a visitor on the day that the above Torah
thought came to his mind. The Meshech Chochmoh told his guest that he
had taken a short midday nap that day and had a dream in which the
Rashbo appeared to him and told him that the Meshech Chochmoh had
answered the question posed to the Rashbo in a far superior manner.
(Preface to M'kore Boruch and Meshech Chochmoh on Rambam hilchos
maa'seir sheini v'neta rva'i 7:3)
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Rabbi Zvi Akiva Fleisher
Sedrah Selections
Sedrah Selections Parshas Vayikra 5774 Bs"D
Ch. 1, v. 1: "Vayikra" - And He called - Moshe surely stayed at "ohel
mo'eid" and there would be no need to call him, only to start
communicating with him. "Vayikra" teaches us that although Moshe had
communicated with Hashem "peh el peh" numerous times, he did not
become informal with Hashem. His great modesty is being taught here. He
waited for a clear invitation before entering "ohel mo'eid" to receive
Hashem's communiqu?. (Medrah Hagodol)
Ch. 1, v. 1: "Va'yikra" - The diminutive letter Alef allows for this word
to be read "va'yikor," - He happened. This is the term used when Hashem
appeared to Bilom (Bmidbar 23:4). Moshe, in his great modesty, wrote this
Alef small. Why didn't Moshe do this the first time we find the word
"va'yikra" when Hashem spoke to Moshe, in Shmos 19:20?
The gemara N'dorim 38a says that Hashem only rests His Holy Spirit upon
a person who is wise, strong, wealthy, and modest. Rabbi Chaim of
Volozhin asks why the traits of strength and wealth are required. (The
Rambam in his "shmoneh prokim" says that strong means that he masters
":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 9
over his inclination and wealthy means that he is happy with his lot.) He
answers that if a person is not strong and wealthy his modesty can be
suspect. Perhaps because he lacks these two traits he is timid, but does not
truly have the characteristic of being humble. However, if one is both
strong and wealthy, and still behaves modestly, we realize that his
humbleness is genuine.
When Hashem spoke to Moshe in parshas Yisro it was before he had
financial wealth. Although the bnei Yisroel left Egypt with untold wealth,
Moshe busied himself with the remains of Yoseif. Only after Hashem said
to him "p'sol l'cho" (Shmos 34:1), from which we derive that the "p'so'les,"
the etched out bits of the tablets, a very precious stone called "sanpirin,"
were given to Moshe, was he wealthy. Only after this would Moshe's
modesty be clearly recognized. (Rabbi Shmuel Wolkin)
Ch. 1, v. 1: "Vayikra" - And He called - Rashi (Medrash Tanchuma)
says that this word indicates a calling of love. Rashi also says that we
should not think that Hashem called to Moshe not only when relating more
of the Torah, but also for informing him of leaving paragraph spacing,
blank spaces.
Symbolically there is a very important message here. Moshe, who
embodies the Torah scholar par exellence, is called with a calling of love
when he is to be taught more and more of the Torah. This is the written
part of the Torah. The blank areas symbolize the situations when even the
most diligent Torah scholar must break away from studying or teaching,
i.e. to do a mitzvoh whose time is passing and there is no one else to tend
to it, or to collect charity or the like for a needy cause. Since he is acting
correctly by tearing himself away from Torah learning, we might think
that Hashem's call to him to do this or that is a call of love on the same
level as when he is able to learn. However, this is not the case. The blank
spaces, the times one must attend to other matters, is not a calling of love.
One would have been better off had he not been required to tend to another
matter. (Dorash Moshe)
This is similar to the point raised by the Ta"z. He says that if a situation
arises where one must save another's life, even if he is in the middle of
Torah study, he MUST attempt to save the life. If he doesn't, he has
transgressed a severe Torah prohibition, "Lo saamode al dam rei'acho."
Nevertheless, had he merited, Hashem would not have sent this mitzvoh
his way, and he would have been allowed to continue his Torah study
undisturbed.
N.B. - This interpretation of "breaks," "hafsokos," is not in agreement with
other commentators, such as Divrei Dovid, who explain that it means an
actual parsha, just that it does not have the prelude "va'y'da'beir" or
"va'yomer."
Ch. 1, v. 2: "Da'beir el bnei Yisroel v'omarto a'leihem" - Speak to the
bnei Yisroel and say to them - "Da'beir" means to tell them the general
mitzvoh. "V'omarto" means to then fill in the details and minutiae.
(Rabbeinu Bachyei)
Ch. 1, v. 2: "Odom ki yakriv mikem korbon" - A person from among
you who will bring an offering - A sacrifice is called "korbon," sourced
from "bringing close. Through his sacrifice he elevates himself upwards
and brings a positive influence from above downward. (Holy Shal"oh)
Ch. 1, v. 2: "Odom ki yakriv mikem korbon laShem min habheimoh
min habokor" - A person from among you who will bring an offering
to Hashem from the animals from the cattle - When a person is ready to
bring himself closer to Hashem, "min habheimoh," he has to be ready to be
like an animal, not feeling any embarrassment and he should be ready to
do hard work, "min habokor," from the "morning, at an early age he should
pursue this and not say that he will push it off until he is older and then
repent for his early years. (Sha"ch al haTorah)
Ch. 2, v. 13: "Ba'melach" - The word "melach," salt, is mentioned in this
verse three times. This alludes to the three places that salt was placed in
the Mikdosh. The gemara M'nochos 21b says that salt was placed in the
"lishkas ha'melach" for salting the hides of sacrifices, on the altar ramp for
salting the organs of the sacrifice just before they would be placed into the
altar fire, and at the top of the altar for salting the "kometz," the fistful of
the meal offering that was separated for burning on the altar. (Binyan
Shlomo of Vilna)
The Shulchan Oruch O.Ch. 166:5 says that because our table where we eat
is equated to the altar, we should place salt upon it. The "Bo'eir Hei'teiv"
says in the name of the Kabbalists that when one has made a blessing on
bread he should dip it 3 times into salt. Perhaps the 3 times correspond to
the 3 times "melach" is mentioned in our verse. (Avodas haGershuni)
Ch. 3, v. 2: "Pesach ohel mo'eid" - The opening of the tent of
convocation - The gemara Eiruvin 54 says that the heart of the righteous
of earlier generations are like the opening of the ante-room, "ulom," of the
Beis Hamikdosh, while the hearts of the righteous of recent generations are
like the opening of the "heichol," the "kodesh" room of the Beis
Hamikdosh. Rashi explains that the opening of the ante-room is double
that of the "heichol." Technically, it is four times as large, as the outer
opening is 40x20 cubits and the inner opening is 20x10 cubits. Rashi
obviously means "double" in each dimension.
This seems to indicate that the difference is quantitative, as the size
differences are only quantitative.
The Holy Admor of Satmar zt"l explains the difference in a qualitative
manner. The opening to the "ulom" had no doors; it was always open. The
opening to the "heichol" had doors, and indeed, was closed at night. When
these doors were in a closed position no slaughtering may be done. This
symbolizes a change in sanctity, sometimes more, and sometimes less. The
opening to the "ulom" was always open, symbolic of a continuous level of
sanctity. This is the difference. The hearts of the earlier generation were
always filled with sanctity. It made no difference if they were praying,
doing a mitzvoh, or eating or walking somewhere. They were always at a
high spiritual level, always strongly connected to Hashem with no
fluctuation. The hearts of the recent generations, although on a high level
when involved with prayer or a mitzvoh, when they were doing mundane
things there was a dip in their connection to Hashem. (Olomos Shechorvu)
Ch. 3, v. 16: "Kol cheilev laShem" - All the fat is for Hashem - The
Rambam in hilchos issurei mizbei'ach, based on these words, writes that a
person should subordinate his negative inclination and offer the most
robust of the species of animal he is to bring. This is also true of other
matters. When building a house of prayer, be sure to enhance it beyond
your own home. When feeding a needy person, give him the choicest and
tastiest of foods that are on your table. When you sanctify an object it
should be a most worthy item. A Gutten Shabbos Kodesh.
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Rabbi Yissocher Frand
RavFrand
Parshas Vayikra
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand's
Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: CD #850Taking Medicines on Yom Tov.
Good Shabbos!
Zealotry Is Like Radiation: One Has To Know How To Use It
The Parsha [Vayikra 1:14] contains the Olas haOf [bird burnt offerings],
which can be brought either from the "turtledoves" (torim) or "young
doves" (bnei yona), which are different forms of doves. The Ramban
writes that these birds are easily accessible and it was for this reason the
Torah commanded us to use these species for the Olas haOf. He notes that
chickens are even more common than these types of doves, but since
chickens have "looser morals," the Torah prefers doves.
The Ramban adds that if one has the choice between bringing the mature
turtledoves (torim), as opposed to the younger bnei yona, the torim are
preferable. The reason is that the torim are faithful to their mate for their
entire lives. Once a male turtledove mates with a female, he will never go
to another mate for the rest of his life. Therefore, the Torah views this
species as the optimal choice for a bird burnt offering, symbolic of the
Jewish people's loyalty to the Master of the Univer se.
The Rambam writes that regular doves (yonim), on the other hand, are
very jealous birds. If one dove sees his mate "flirting" with another dove,
he will abandon her immediately. As a result of these jealousies, they often
split up and switch mates. That is why the Almighty does not accept
mature doves as offerings and only accepts "bnei yonah" the immature,
young, doves who have not yet found mates.
Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky writes that we see from this Ramban that
"kanaus" [jealousy / zealotry] is a very dangerous type of attribute to
possess. It must be employed in the right hands by the right people.
Kanaus is positive only if it is done within the narrow strictures of what
halacha and 'Daas Torah' allows and sometimes demands. Zealotry that is
not channeled by the appropriate parameters of Torah guidance is
worthless and even counter-productive (sofo l'kalkel).
Rav Yaakov points out that Ramban highlights the hypocrisy of the
"zealous dove". He thr ows out his wife for her supposed infidelity and
then he switches mates. So now all of a sudden he takes another dove as
his mate who apparently had been another dove's mate previously. So what
happened to his 'kanaus'? "You were so upset about your wife's flirting and
now you take another dove's wife as your own! You hypocrite!" This was
not a zealousness born out of Torah stricture and self-control, it was
simply a zealousness born out of petty jealousy and anger. We never see
positive results from zealotry born of anger and emotion. In the rare
instances where zealotry is positive, it must be born out of intellect
(sechel) and rational thinking.
Rav Yaakov has a lengthy discussion in Parshas Vayechi where the
Ramban points out that both Shimon and Levi possessed the attribute of
kanaus. It was Shimon and Levi who could not tolerate the fact that their
sister Dinah was violated. All the other brothers sort of made peace with it,
but they insisted "Such shall not be done in Israel!" -- This is intolerable.
This will not stand!
10 ":\D up trcdk trcd ihc
They took their zealotry and wiped out an entire city. Yaakov Avinu held
that this was illegitimate, it was wrong, and it violated Torah principles.
He chastised them: "Cursed be their anger for it is violent..." [Bereshis
49:7]. Such kanaus is unacceptable, he told Shimon and Levi.
Kanaus is like radiation. Radiation can cure but radiation can kill. One
must know what they are doing when they start administering radiation
treatments!
What happened with Shimon and Levi? Levi went down to Egypt and
spent the entire time there learning. Members of the tribe became Talmidei
Chachomim. They became the leaders of Israel. Amram, Aharon, and
Moshe were direct descendants of Levi. They learned during that period
how to employ the attribute of zealotry. They became "radiologists," so to
speak. They knew what they were doing.
Therefore, when it came to the sin of the Golden Calf and Moshe Rabbein
u demanded "He who is for G-d, come to me" [Shmos 32:26], it was the
tribe of Levi and no one else who stood up and joined him. The Tribe of
Levi was able to refine the attribute of zealotry-kanaus through the prism
of Torah.
Shimon never had that opportunity, but Shimon remained a zealot. So
what happened in the Wilderness? The Tribe of Shimon challenged the
authority of Moshe Rabbeinu. The kanaus of Zimri, the prince of the Tribe
of Shimon, was born out of emotion and anger rather than a kanaus born
out of Torah.
Who was it who had to put Zimri (from the Tribe of Shimon) in his place?
It was Pinchas (son of Elazar son of Aharon the Kohen) it was the
descendant of Levi, who learned how to properly use zealotry.
Rav Yaakov's final words in Parshas Vayechi: Only the Gedolei Torah in
each and every generation possess the sense and the sensitivity to know
when it is appropriate to be zealous and when it is appropriate to be silent.
Kanaus must be left for people are permeated with Torah values and know
when and how to use it -- when to object and when to be quiet.
This write-up was adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tape series on the weekly Torah
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Aish.Com - Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen
The Guiding Light
Vayikra - Effort vs. Results
Vayikra, 2:1: "When a soul (nefesh) offers a meal-offering to HaShem,
his offering shall be of fine flour; he shall pour oil upon it and place
frankincense upon it."
Rashi, Vayikra, 2:1: sv. When a soul offers: "It does not say 'nefesh' with
regards to any of the gift offerings except the meal offering; for who is it
normal to offer a meal offering? A poor person; HaShem says, I consider
it as if he offered his soul."
Rashi, based on the Gemara, (1) explains the unusual usage of the word,
'nefesh' that means soul. It teaches us that even though the poor man gives
a simple korban (offering) God ascribes great value to it since a great
amount of self-sacrifice was invested by him in order to be able to bring
even this humble offering.
The Midrash tells a number of stories to demonstrate this point.(2) One of
them involves King Agrippas who wanted to offer 1000 birds on one day;
he instructed the Kohen Gadol not to allow anyone else to bring an
offering on that day yet one poor man came with two doves to offer. The
Kohen Gadol told him that he could not do so because of the King's
instructions. The man replied that every day he caught four doves and he
offered two of them and made his livelihood from the other two - he had a
strong Emuna that it was the merit of his daily offering that enabled him to
make his livelihood. Accordingly he argued that he would lose his
livelihood if he was unable to bring this offering. The Kohen Gadol was
could not refuse his supplications and accepted his offering. That night
Aggripas was told in a dream that the poor man's simple offering was
considered greater than his thousand.
One of the important lessons that we learn from here is that HaShem is
more interested in the process that led to a mitzvah than the actual
resultant mitzvah. The effort that a person makes is far more significant
than the results he achieves. This idea has a number of applications in life;
one very important application is in the realm of chinuch (child
development). A number of Torah based mechanchim (3) stress that is
recommended to praise effort as opposed to natural ability. The Midrash
here teaches us that a fundamental reason for this is that natural ability that
leads to good results does not make a person worthy of praise since that is
a G-d given gift, whereas effort is deserving of praise because one does
have free will as to how much effort the exerts.
A number of studies in the academic world show how there are also a
number of practical benefits to praising one's efforts over his
achievements. Researchers found that children reacted very differently
depending on the kinds of praise they received. One surprising result was
that praising innate ability could actually later lead to feelings of
inadequacy: In one study children were given moderately difficult
problems to solve. When each child was finished, he was told, "Wow, you
did really well on these problems. You got a really high score." In
addition, each kid received one of three treatments. He was either praised
for his intelligence ("you must be smart at these problems"), praised for his
effort ("you must have worked hard at these problems") or not given any
additional praise (this was the control group). Then the children were
given a second set of problems which were very difficult. They were asked
to explain why they performed poorly. The children who had been praised
for their intelligence on previous tasks attributed more of their failure to a
lack of intelligence. Whereas those initially praised for their effort (and
those who were not additionally praised) attributed their failure to a lack of
effort. In this way, we see that praising one's ability had a negative effect -
even though initially it could make the recipient feel good about itself, it
ultimately 'sets him up for a fall' in that when the inevitable failure takes
place, his self-image is damaged. In contrast, one who is praised for effort
does not feel unworthy when he fails, rather he sees that he needs to work
harder in the future.
These and similar studies revealed other important lessons: children who
were praised for their intelligence tended to avoid challenges because by
undertaking them they were liable to feeling inadequate were they to fail.
And when they did fail, they were more likely to perform poorly after that
failure. They were also more interested in being better than other children
rather than trying to better themselves. And finally, they were more prone
to cheating or lying in order to attain better grades in order to justify their
reputation of being naturally intelligent. In contrast, the children praised
for their effort displayed the opposite trend. They preferred tasks that were
challenging so that they could improve themselves; and failure did not
have such a damaging effect on their future performance.(4)
We have seen that the humble Mincha offering of the poor person is of
great value in God's eyes because of the effort involved, and how in
general, stress on effort is far more successful in helping educate children
and students, May we all merit to learn and integrate these vital lessons.
Notes
1. Menachot, 94a.
2. Vayikra Rabbahm 3:5. See Ayelet Hashachar, 2:1.
3. People who are well founded in the Torah approaches to teaching and
parenting and may well educate others in these areas.
4. Meuller and Dwek, 2002.
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Rabbi J. Gewirtz
Migdal Ohr
Parshas Vayikra 5774 Volume 16 Issue 24
DEwT B RDA W ARQYW P
A publication dedicated to Harbotzas Torah
(AY:B ARQYW) .HL HwA WNMM WRYUQT AL wBD LKW RAs LK YK JMX HsET
AL...HXNMH LK
All meal offerings do not make them leavened, for all leavening
and fruit honey - you shall not offer from them a sacrifice to G-d.
(Exodus 38:27)
Meal offerings consisted mainly of flour and oil, some salt, and sometimes
frankincense. The Torah prohibits the addition of yeast or other leavening
agents as well as dvash, which Rashi tells us is not bee honey, but honey
from fruit. There are many reasons for this.
The Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim writes that this was a custom among
idolaters. When they brought sacrifices, the dough was leavened and they
also mixed in sweet fruit juice. Therefore, even though it may originally
have been appropriate to use these ingredients, once they were made part
of the worship of Avoda Zara, they lost favor in HaShems eyes.
Others explain that these two items represent the Yetzer Hara that pulls
people away from the service of HaShem. Chometz, something which has
been puffed up with air, represents gaava, arrogance. Just as the haughty
person is full of himself but it is all vanity, so too is the leavened bread
symbolic of being swelled for no purpose. The honey, on the other hand, is
sweet and represents taava, physical urges and desire.
Not only will a person sin because he holds himself to be above the law
due to his arrogance, but he will sin even when he knows he is doing
wrong simply because the urge is too powerful for him to overcome.
Therefore, these two items are forbidden to be added into a meal offering.
The Chinuch offers the insight that one should not be sluggish in his
service of HaShem, as represented by the slow leavening process which
takes some time to happen, nor drawn after physical desires as symbolized
by the sweetness of the honey.
There is an additional aspect to this prohibition that we can infer. Why
would someone add these items to the korban? If he adds a leavening
":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 11
agent, it is likely because he feels that a large, tasty, soft dough would be a
glorification of the offering. Likewise, he feels that adding sweet juice or
fruit would make the loaves tastier and more desirable.
The reason he feels that way is because he is projecting his desires onto
HaShem. As human beings we typically enjoy fluffy bread more than a
dry cracker, and a sweet dough as opposed to a tasteless one. Surely such
enhancements would be appreciated by HaShem just as we appreciate
them!
But, no. We are told not to project our desires and wants onto G-d. For
my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the
L-rd. (Isaiah 55:8) HaShem wanted us to learn that the mitzvos are to be
done as He commanded without regard for our personal opinions. Just
because something feels right to us doesnt mean it is right to G-d.
That is the message of the korban mincha: if you want to get close to
HaShem through your offering, it must be on HaShems terms - not your
own.
A teacher handed out an exam and told the class to read all the questions
before starting the test. When she looked up ten minutes later, most
students were nearly finished writing their answers while a few were
sitting in their seats smiling but had not written anything but their names.
As the hard-working students reached the final question, they groaned and
looked sheepishly around the room.
The final "question" read as follows: "Do not fill in any answers to the
above questions. Write your name on the paper then put your pencil
down." The students who followed the directions and read all the questions
saw that and wrote nothing. The ones who didn't comply began writing
immediately but were working for nothing.
One student approached the teacher asking for at least partial credit since
his answers were right. "I'm sorry, she said, but this test was not about
getting the answers. It was about following directions and at that you
failed completely."
Did You Know?
When bringing the korban Mincha, no honey or yeast could be added to
the mixture. Simply understood, these two additives change the nature of
the dough through leavening or sweetening.
It would appear, then, that we want to keep the original flour and oil
mixture as natural and pure as possible, yet we find that every korban was
required to have salt on it! Why is this different than yeast or honey?
R Mordecai Gifter zl explains that yeast and honey engender external
changes in the meal. The true taste of the flour and oil are hidden and
overtaken.
Not so with salt. Salt preserves and enhances foods natural flavor, and can
itself be unnoticeable.
Similarly, in our service of HaShem, we should not seek to merely copy
what others do and outwardly change ourselves to be like them.
Rather, we must seek a natural expression of our inner selves, of the
person that each of us is, and in that way come closer to the Ribono Shel
Olam.
Yet, simply being natural may not be sufficient, so we are adjured to use
salt, which enhances and magnifies natural flavors on the offerings. In our
service of HaShem, as well, we must seek ways of livening up our Torah
and Mitzvos, so we taste and enjoy their natural sweetness
Thought of the week:
Its impossible to follow G-d so long as you think you know better than
Him.
This weeks issue dedicated in memory of my mother Mrs. Blanche
Gewirtz ah
HE RZEYLA R XH TB IYYRB HQBR
Of Silver Spring, MD, Who would have sponsored this weeks ssue for my
birthday on 9 Adar and added how proud she is of my achievements.
Use as directed. Print, e-mail, and share Migdal Ohr with others. Youll be glad you did. E-mail Subscribe to info@JewishSpeechWriter.com 2014
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HE ISYN LARsY R TB ABYL NEL
LXR TB OYRML HMYLw HAWPR TWKZL UXLDBY W
LDNYYRB TB IYYRB HQBRW HAL IB QYZYYA QXCY

Rabbi Nosson Greenberg
Khal Machzikei Torah
Vayikra 5774- Plan B
In this weeks parsha Hashem calls to Moshe in order to speak with him.
As the passuk says Vayikra el Moshe vayedabair Hashem ailav - And
He called out to Moshe and Hashem spoke to him (Vayikra, 1:1). [Rashi
explains that the calling to Moshe prior to speaking with him is a sign of
love.] If you look at the aleph at the end of the word Vayikra you will find
it is written in a smaller font than the rest of the letters. The Baal Haturim
explains that Moshe, due to his humility, wanted to write the word without
an aleph. It would then be read Vayikar- And He suddenly appeared
which is the way the Torah describes Hashems prophecies to Bilam.
Hashem however did not allow Moshe to omit the aleph. Instead, Moshe
wrote the aleph but made it smaller than the other letters. One has to ask
though, how does a small aleph help Moshe achieve hiding his greatness?
The word is still read Vayikra and not Vayikar. All the small aleph
accomplishes is that we, the reader, now know that not only was Moshe
great but he was humble to boot!
Perhaps we can suggest the following analysis. When does a human have
unfortunate feelings of haughtiness? When does he put himself on a
golden pedestal, with feelings that it is below his dignity to rub shoulders
with the mere mortals down below? It is when he looks at himself and see
greatness, success and perfection. When he says to himself (in the mirror),
I am the best thing since sliced bread. And then he deigns to look around
at his neighbors and acquaintances and he sees flaws and insignificance,
(equating their usefulness with the mother of auto manufacturing blunders,
the Yugo!)
Moshe is not trying to hide his greatness with the small aleph. That would
only work if the aleph is totally missing. To be sure, he tried but Hashem
would not let him. So he does the next best thing: he teaches us a lesson. A
lesson in how we can attain humility. Look at the word Vayikra. A
beautiful word which captures Hashems love for a human being. Each of
its letters play an equal role in describing this love. And even the
diminutive aleph, so small and insignificant is just as vital to this
expression of love as are the other letters. As a matter of fact, this tiny
aleph is the whole difference between Vayikra and Vayikar, between
Moshe and Bilam. This is how we should look at every other human.
They may look small and puny. But perhaps they are holding up their end
of the bargain in the purpose of humanity just as well if not better than are
we.
Rav Yaakov Galinsky ztl asked why Moshe waits until this juncture to
tinker with the aleph of this particular word Vayikra. This is not the first
time that the Torah tells us that Hashem called to Moshe (see Shmos, 3:4,
19:3, 19:9, 26:15) using the word Vayikra. Furthermore, the minhag of klal
Yisrael is to call this weeks parsha Vayikra, (as a matter of fact it is the
name given to the whole third Chumash). Normally such a word does not
garner such prominence. Just take a look at how many parshiyos (at least
15) start with similar words such as Vayomer or Vayedabair and they are
not considered appropriate as the official name. And yet this Vayikra has
soared to fame!
The answer is that the message of the little aleph is crucial. Especially vis
a vis the concept of korbanos. To bring a korban one must be contrite and
recognize ones own flaws, and yes, one must also feel humbled: humbled
by the stain of sin and humbled by the experience of bringing a korban.
But it is also of great import that when leaving the Mishkan with this new
found humility feeling like that little aleph, man must truly believe that his
place in Hashems world is, too, like the little aleph, crucial to the success
of humanity. It may well be that Moshe had tried to lop off the aleph at the
very first time that the Torah used a Vayikra (all the way back in parshas
Shmos at the sneh). But once he was refused and plan B kicked in where
the small aleph is instead a lesson in humility, Moshe waits until the
parsha and book of korbanos to teach it to us where it is so valuably
needed.
Have a great Shabbos,Rabbi Nosson Greenberg
Rav, Khal Machzikei Torah, Far Rockaway N.Y. ravgreenbergkmt@gmail.com

Aish.Com - Rabbi Ari Kahn
M'oray Ha'Aish
Vayikra - Intimacy
The Book of Vayikra opens with a peculiar turn of phrase: "And (He)
called out to Moshe, and God spoke to him. " Apparently, as readers, we
were unaware that the Book of Shmot came to an abrupt end, in mid-
sentence. For that matter, we are not necessarily aware that we are reading
the continuation of the story as we begin the Book of Vayikra. Only when
we consider the Book of Vayikra as the continuation of Shmot and read
them contiguously do we begin to grasp the connection.
To be sure, God calling out to man - especially to Moshe - is not an
unusual occurrence in the Torah; nonetheless, the opening verse of
Vayikra is different. Now, God calls out from within the completed
Temple. To fully understand this difference we need context. Reading
Vayikra in the context of the final verses of Shmot helps us to understand
that Vayikra is not merely the continuation of the Book of Exodus - it is
the culmination of the Exodus itself. A metaphor found in the book of
Jeremiah helps us gain greater insight into the story:
"Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says God: I
remember the kindness of your youth, your love as a bride, how you
followed Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown." (Jeremiah
2:2)
God reminisces fondly about the early days of His relationship with the
Jewish People: In Egypt, the Jews were like a damsel in distress, liberated
by a "knight in shining armor." After He rescues them, they follow their
12 ":\D up trcdk trcd ihc
savior off into the desert "like a love-sick bride," to their rendezvous at
Sinai.
Standing at Sinai, vows are exchanged, and Moshe goes up to bring down
the tablets of stone, a symbol of their unique and exclusive relationship
(analogous to a wedding ring), to complete the marriage ceremony. At that
precise moment, havoc is unleashed. The erstwhile lovesick bride gets cold
feet; she backs away from her commitment and indulges in a fling, seeking
thrills with a cheap imitation of her betrothed. At this point, talk of
marriage seems absurd; the possibility of a life together seems to have
vanished into thin air. Nonetheless Moshe intercedes, and soon the
relationship is back on track. There is regret, repentance, and the
relationship is repaired. Moshe ascends the mountain once again, and
brings a second ring. They build a home, a place in which their love can be
expressed, experienced and nurtured.
The Book of Shmot comes to a close as the building is completed. The
structure stands, ready to embody and facilitate their unique relationship.
Only one thing is missing: intimacy. And that is what the Book of Vayikra
is about: intimacy with God, which may also be called "holiness".
Certainly God has spoken to Moshe many times; Moshe even went up
Mount Sinai and met with God at the summit. But this is different; now,
man has made place for God down on earth. There is now an aspect of
permanence to this relationship. A home has been built for them to share.
Up to this point, the romance has been beautiful and uplifting: It is
certainly an exalted gesture for man to lift himself toward the heavens and
try to connect to the holiness above, but it is quite another matter to bring
the holiness to this world. This new stage of the relationship requires
constancy, commitment of a totally different order. For their relationship
to fully blossom, they must shift from the sensation of being swept away
by a love affair, and begin to nurture and maintain that love in a constant,
ongoing and stable relationship of commitment and attentiveness.
This is what the Book of Vayikra is about, and it is the message of the very
first verse. While the previous book ended with a completed house for
God, Vayikra begins as the voice of God calls out to Moshe from inside
the house. Holiness has been successfully brought down to earth; now, the
world "below" has a chance to be elevated. Now the bride and groom can
start their life together, in the home they have built for their shared future.
Now, intimacy begins.
For a more in-depth analysis see: http://arikahn.blogspot.co.il/2014/03/audio-and-essays-
parashat-vayikra.html
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Rabbi Avraham Kahn
Torah Attitude
Parashas Vayikra: Depression, Its Causes, Its Cures Part 2
March 6, 2014
Summary
Mistaken perceptions and hasty reactions lead to depression. Cain and the
Egyptian son felt rejected. In not waiting one minute, the student of Rabbi
Yehoshua ben Prachia lost everything. Other people panic and react
without thinking, when they feel rejected, or cannot find their place in
society. Even in difficult situations we must never despair. Everything is
Divinely orchestrated. Life is like a school where we have to take different
courses. G-d told Aaron that he had no reason to be upset or depressed
since the particular offering was not part of his mission in life. Instead of
getting depressed, we must try and see what our mission in our new
situation is. At all costs we must do our utmost not to fall into the deep,
black hole of depression. Since the depressed person does not want to face
the world, he will try to escape reality. No prisoner can free himself. We
must constantly show the depressed person that we care about him, and
show him that he is neither rejected by G-d, nor by his fellow human
beings. When it comes to education, one must encourage with the right
hand and chastise with the left one.
Misperceptions And Hasty Reaction
Three weeks ago we discussed how easy it is to fall into depression. We
gave several examples of people who felt lost due to the loss of their
leader, or because they felt rejected by G-d or by the society they wanted
to be part of. The truth is that all of them were mistaken in the perceptions,
and with a bit of patience their hasty reaction could have been avoided.
Jewish People Miscalculation
When the Jewish people approached Aaron to make an idol, they had
made a miscalculation when to expect Moses to return. Instead of
panicking, they should have gone to Aaron to discuss the situation, or at
least have asked him to lead them till they knew for sure what happened.
Cain And Egyptian Son
Cain also made a mistake. He thought G-d had rejected him as a person,
and immediately fell into depression. In truth, G-d did not accept his
offering, but that in no way meant that G-d rejected him. Cain should have
discussed with Hevel what could have been the reason that Hevels
offering was accepted and his was not. Similarly, the son of the Egyptian
felt totally rejected when he was told that he could not camp together with
the members of his mothers tribe. In his desperate situation he reacted in a
very bad way and blasphemed the name of G-d. Instead of acting up, he
should have asked Moses where he should camp and find his place in the
Jewish people. Just because his expectations did not work out, it did not
mean that he was a write-off.
Student of Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Prachia
Finally, the student of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Prachia misunderstood his
teachers intent and thought that he was told to leave. Had he tried to
clarify the great rabbis message, he would have realized that he just had
to wait another minute. In that minute, he lost everything.
Some Panic
In these and similar cases there may be different reasons why people act in
haste. Some people just wait, consciously or subconsciously, for a way
out. Others panic and react without thinking, when they feel rejected, or
cannot find their place in society.
Dont Despair In Difficult Situations
Everyone has their mission in life and place in society, but it takes effort
and toil to get there. It is important to be ambitious, but what happens if
our ambitions do not work out? Does that mean that we give up and
become depressed the rest of our lives? G-d forbid. Even in difficult
situations we must never despair. We must look for new opportunities that
are available in our present situation. There are many situations that can
cause depression. When someone loses a close relative or friend, it can be
very difficult to continue living with this huge void. Sometimes people get
sick and cannot work at the same pace as they were used to. This takes a
major adjustment that some people find insurmountable. Another situation
is if one loses ones job and suddenly finds oneself not needed, or even
worse not wanted. It takes tremendous courage to pick oneself up and look
for another job.
Life Is Like Courses In School
In such situations one must realize that one was not rejected, neither by G-
d nor by others. Ultimately, we must always remember that everything is
Divinely orchestrated and that life is like a school where we have to take
different courses. Therefore, when our situation changes, it is not
necessarily a sign of incompetence or Divine rejection. Rather, it means
that G-d is giving us another course that we have to take and accomplish.
This is how the Chofetz Chaim explained it when a very, righteous,
affluent person suddenly lost his fortune. People could not understand how
this could happen. This person had been most generous and supported
every needy person who had turned to him, as well as many charities and
institutions. Said the Chofetz Chaim, this individual had passed the course
of being well to do and influential with flying colours. Now G-d had
assigned him a course of being needy as part of this particular persons
mission in life.
Not Part Of Aarons Mission In Life
Sometimes we would like to be part of a certain group or association, or
we want our children to go to a specific school, and it just does not work
out as planned. This is comparable to Aaron who would have liked to be
part of the group of leaders of the other tribes when they brought their
offerings at the inauguration of the Tabernacle. Rashi quotes from the
Midrash in the beginning of Parashas Behaaloscha (Bamidbar 8:2) that G-
d told him that he had no reason to be upset or depressed. This was not
part of his mission in life. He had a more important assignment that was
part of his specific mission.
What Is Our Mission In Our New Situation?
This is a lesson for all of us, in all situations we go through in life. If we
can honestly tell ourselves that we did not make a wrong move and mess
up ourselves, we must internalize G-ds message to Aaron. At this
particular point in time, this is not part of our mission in life. Instead of
getting depressed, we must try and see what our mission in our new
situation is. And even if we did take a wrong step and we caused our
downfall ourselves, we also must make sure not to make another wrong
step and get depressed. Rather, we must seek help to rectify our wrongs
and accept the responsibility for our shortcomings.
Depression Is Like A Deep, Black Hole
At all costs we must do our utmost not to fall into depression, for it is like
a deep, black hole that is extremely difficult to emerge from. The Rambam
in his commentary on the Mishnah (Shabbos 29b) writes that a depressed
person separates himself from mankind. He seeks solitude in darkness
away from everyone when depression comes over him.
Escape Reality
Since the depressed person does not want to face the world, he will try to
escape reality. Sometimes he will live in denial of his own situation and
his obligations to himself and those around him. At the same time, he may
try to live in an imaginary world. In some cases, the depressed person will
find refuge in alcohol and other substance abuse. It will put him on a
temporary high but he eventually falls back down in the deep, black hole
":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 13
even further. In this way, he repeats the vicious cycle of highs and lows,
over and over again. Others seek to escape into another world by reading
novels and watching videos. They enter the world of the characters they
read about and watch, blissfully forgetting their own reality. Nowadays,
some people will go online and assume an imaginary personality where
they can pretend to be strong and successful and create their own success
story.
Prison Of Depression
All of these refuges obviously do not help the depressed person to get out
of his depression. The Talmud (Berachos 5b) teaches that no prisoner can
free himself. This is certainly the case when one has fallen into the prison
of depression. Such a person desperately needs help, but will in many
cases be too depressed to seek help. He looks at everything in life with a
negative attitude. Nothing is right and it is not worthwhile to make any
effort. He will therefore claim it is unlikely that any therapy will get him
out of his depression.
Show We Care
When we find someone in such a situation, only if we encourage the
person and try to convince him that his situation is not as hopeless as it
appears, can we attempt to help him. We must constantly show the
depressed person that we care about him, and show him that he is neither
rejected by G-d, nor by his fellow human beings.
Encourage with right hand, chastise with the left
Obviously, the old saying of an ounce of prevention is better than a
pound of cure applies here. We must be careful never to let our
congregants, students, friends and family members feel that they are
rejected. As the Talmud (Sotah 47a) teaches, one must never push
someone away with both hands. When it comes to education, one must
encourage with the right hand and chastise with the left one.
May we all be spared the difficulties of depression, both personally and
socially, and understand that no one should ever feel rejected.
These words were based on notes of Rabbi Avraham Kahn, the Rosh Yeshiva and Founder of Yeshivas Keser Torah in Toronto. Shalom. Michael
Deverett P.S. If you have any questions or enjoyed reading this e-mail, we would appreciate hearing from you. If you know of others who may be
interested in receiving e-mails similar to this please let us know at michael@deverettlaw.com. For previous issues please see
http://www.shemayisrael.com/parsha/kahn/archives/archives.htm.

Rabbi Yosef Kalatzky
Beyond Pshat
LZeicher nishmas avi mori Reb Moshe Ben Yosef Kalatsky zl u lzeicher nishmas emee morasi
Shaindel Bas Reb Chaim Tzvi zl LZeicher nishmas ishtee Yehudis Chanah Kalatsky Bas Reb
Kehas Zl
1. The Sinister Intent of Haman
The Torah tells us that every male from the age of twenty and above was
obligated to give the Machtzis Ha Shekel (the half coin made of silver).
All Communal Offerings (Korbanei Tzibur) that were brought in the
Temple were purchased with each years new half-coin that were given.
These coins were replaced every Nissan. The Mishna tells us that in order
to collect a sufficient amount of the new coins by the first of the month of
Nissan, they would announce at the beginning of the month of Adar, that
one must send his Machtzis Ha Shekel to the Temple. However, if the
communal offerings were purchased with the previous years coins, it is
valid, although it was preferable to be purchased with the new half-coins.
The Gemara in Tractate Megillah tells us that Haman had given 10,000
talents of silver to Achashverosh (King of Persia) to seal the fate of the
Jewish people, to annihilate every Jewish man, woman, and child. In
exchange for the silver, Achashverosh removed his ring to authorize
Haman to issue a royal proclamation throughout the Persian Empire to
establish the date for their destruction. The Gemara tells us that before Gd
brings punishment upon the Jewish people He provides the antidote for
that punishment in advance. Gd therefore gave the Jewish people the
Commandment of giving the Machtzis Ha Shekel, before the decree of
Haman to annihilate the Jewish people. It was the antidote to negate and
counter the talents of silver that were given by Haman.
The Torah tells us that when Eliezer identified Rivka as the appropriate
wife for Yitzchak, he gave her certain gifts of jewelry. The Torah tells us
that he gave Rivka two bracelets, their weight was ten in gold. Chazal tell
us that the two bracelets allude to the two tablets which were identical in
size, and the weight of ten alludes to the Ten Commandments that were
inscribed on the tablets. This jewelry was specifically fashioned by
Avraham to be given to the future Matriarch, in order to establish and
secure the future spirituality of Jewish people.
Rabbeinu Bachya explains that because Haman appreciated and
understood the value and effect of the weight of ten of the two bracelets
that were given to Rivka, he gave the 10,000 talents of silver to
Achashverosh to uproot and negate the effect of the bracelets. Why does
the Torah dictate that only half a coin should be given and not a full silver
coin? It was through the half-coin that was given by the Jewish people that
they were counted. It was only then was there no negative consequence to
the counting.
A half-coin symbolizes and represents something that is not complete. It
does not have its own independent identity. It only assumes a special value
or importance when it is joined with the other half of the coin. Thus, when
a Jew gives a half- coin to be counted it is to indicate that every Jew does
not have his own identity but rather identifies with the entire Jewish
people.
The Torah tells us that when Esav came to attack his brother Yaakov he
came with 400 men. Rabbeinu Bachya explains that the number 400
numerically equivalent of evil eye (Ayin Raah). The evil eye is a
characteristic of Edom (Amalek). It is only when one has his own identity
and is identified as an individual of independent value, will be subject to
the evil eye. If however, one does not stand out as an individual then he is
protected from the evil eye. The Jewish people, being identified with the
half-coin had not identity. They could not be quantified and thus not
subject to his evil eye. This is something we see regarding the blessing that
Yaakov had given to the children of Yosef that they should proliferate like
fish. Since fish are not seen by the human eye because they are under the
water, identically, Yosefs children should not be susceptible to the evil
eye.
The Gemara in Tractate Megillah tells us that Haman, the Amalekite spoke
lashon harah in the most lethal manner. It was because he was able to
focus his attention on individuals and identify their characteristics to
present them in the most negative manner. This was an expression of his
evil eye. The Jewish people being
identified only through the half-coin are not identifiable as individuals.
Since they could not be quantified they were thus protected from the evil
eye of Haman. The characteristic of not being quantified is a spiritual
characteristic, thus not being affected by mortal.
2. Moshe, the Beloved of Gd
The Torah states, He (Gd) called (vayikra) to Moshe, and Hashem spoke
to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying... The verse tells us that Gd
initially called out to Moshe and then He spoke to him. What is the
meaning of this? Rashi cites the Toras Kohanim, In all of the instances in
the Torah where it states that Gd spoke (deebur) said (amira), or
commanded (tzivuoi), Gd first called (vayikra) to Moshe before
speaking to him. Vayikra is an expression of love. As we find regarding
the angels. The prophet writes, And one (angel) will call (vkarah)
another and say Holy, holy, holy is Hashem. There are various
echelons of angels, such as Serafim, Ofanim, and Chaos HaKodesh. Each
classification of angel calls out to the other calls out to sing the praises of
Gd.
The Gemara in Tractate Shabbos tells us that when Gd was going to give
the Torah to the Jewish people the angels in heaven came to Him with a
claim, What is this (unformed) man that is not even worth mentioning?
Leave Your splendor in heaven. The angels did not want Gd to give the
Torah to the Jewish people, because man is fickle and has a propensity to
sin. They wanted the Torah to remain in heaven. Gd said to Moshe,
Answer them (the angels). Moshe said to them, It states in the Ten
Commandments that it is forbidden to covet anothers property, etc.
Angels have no evil inclination and thus cannot covet or have relevance to
envy. Angels have no relevance to coveting or envy because they have no
evil inclination. They are thus able to recognize and appreciate the
dimension of each of their classifications. Since each class is able to
perceive the other class without envy, when they call to one another it is
with love. There is no evil inclination that interferes to obscure each angel
from appreciating his fellow.
When Gd called to Moshe it was an indication that He valued and loved
him for who he was. If every time Gd spoke or commanded Moshe
throughout the Torah it was predicated on Him first calling (vayikra)
Moshe, why does the Torah first reveal in the Portion of Vayikra this fact?
Why did the Torah choose the portion of the sacrifices to reveal this
expression of love?
The Torah tells us that although Gd had promised Avraham that he and
his offspring would inherit the Land and be as numerous as the stars in
heaven, he was concerned that if his offspring were to sin, they would be
destroyed as the generation of the Great Flood and the generation of the
Dispersion. Gd told Avraham to take various species of animals in the
Covenant between the Parts, which allude to the sacrifices that the Jewish
people would be given to atone for their sins. Avraham did not need to be
concerned about the future of the Jewish people because if they should sin
they would be atoned through the the sacrifices.
The Gemara in Tractate Zevachim tells us that if one brings a sacrifice and
it is not predicated on repentance, it is considered to be the sacrifice of the
wicked and it is thus an abomination to Gd. Sacrifices only have the
ability to bring about atonement/reinstatement because of the Attribute of
Mercy. The Torah using the expression Vayikra, which is an expression
of love, is stated particularly in the portion of the sacrifices because it
indicates Gds love for the Jewish people, since He gave them sacrifices.
Although the non-Jew can bring a burnt offering, he has no relevance to
atonement and reinstatement. It is only the Jew who can bring a sacrifice
for atonement. Thus, we are able to appreciate the meaning of the
14 ":\D up trcdk trcd ihc
expression Vayikra in this particular context because it is an expression
of love for the Jewish people.
In addition, in order for a sacrifice to be considered valid as the Gemara
states, it must be predicated on repentance. Rambam states in the Laws of
Repentance, that before one repents, one is considered despised,
disgusting, and abominable before Gd. However, after he repents, he is
considered to be beloved, cherished and precious. It is because sacrifice
only has value if it is valued on repentance, which causes the Jew to be
seen in Gds eyes as special; therefore, the Torah chose to use the
expression of Vayikra in this particular context.
3. The Patriarchs Before Gd
Rambam writes in the Guide for the Perplexed, that because man has an
innate overwhelming need to be subservient to a greater power, it was
necessary for Gd to establish a means for man to express that
subservience through worship in a permitted context. This is the concept of
sacrifices. When one brings a sacrifice, he is expressing that subservience
to Gd. Ramban rejects the position of Rambam and states that the object
of sacrifices is to activate and coalesce spiritual forces that are necessary
for existence and the Jewish people. Sacrifices are unrelated to the need to
be subservient to a greater power. Reb Meir Simcha of Dvinsk explains the
position of Rambam. He explains that Rambam is not referring to the
sacrifices that were brought in the Mishkan or the Temple. But rather, he is
referring to the sacrifices that one is permitted to bring on ones personal
altar(bamah), which was only permitted during certain times in Jewish
history. This was a time when the Mishkan was not classified as
Mishkan but rather Bamah gedola (great altar). It was a time when the
Holy Ark was not located in the Mishkan. When one was not able to bring
a sacrifice in the Mishkan, Gd permitted to bring his own personal altar to
express his subservience to Him. However, when the Mishkan was in place
and the Temple was built, the personal altar was no longer permitted. The
sacrifice that was brought in the Mishkan or Temple, was as Ramban
explains to activate and coalesce spiritual forces that were needed for the
Jewish people. Rambam fully concurs with Ramban. The Mishkan and
Temple were the location of the Divine Presence. Thus, the sacrifices that
were brought in the Mishkan or Temple were brought before Gd, This
was not the case when it was brought on a personal altar.
The Torah tells us that Bilaam was commissioned by Balak to curse the
Jewish people. In order to endear himself to Gd, Bilaam built seven altars
and had Balak bring upon them sacrifices to Gd. Rashi cites Chazal who
explain that the seven altars that Bilaam built were to counter the seven
altars that were built by the three Patriarchs. The Midrash states, Bilaam
said, The seven altars that I built are the equivalent of all the altars built
by their forefathers. Avraham built four.Yitzchak built one and Yaakov
built two Bilaam believed that his altars upon which sacrifices were
brought before Gd were the equivalent of the altars of the Patriarchs. This
however was not so.
The Gemara tells us that a non-Jew is permitted to bring a sacrifice
wherever and whenever he chooses to do so. He is not permitted to serve
idolatry however. What is the difference between a sacrifice brought in the
Temple and outside of the Temple when it is permitted? The Temple was
the location of Gds Presence and is thus considered to be brought
before Gd. However, if one brings a sacrifice outside of the Temple on
a personal altar, it is only an expression of subservience to Gd but it has
no relevance to Gds Presence being associated with it.
Although Bilaam established seven altars and brought sacrifices upon
them, because they were not in the location of the Divine Presence their
value was limited. It is not comparable to any degree to the sacrifice that is
brought before Gd in the location of the Divine Presence. Chazal tell us
that before the Mishkan was built, the holy Patriarchs were the location of
the Divine Presence. As they state, hein hein ha merkava (they are Gds
chariot). Thus, when the Patriarchs brought their sacrifices on the altars
they had built, they were brought before Gd because they were the
location of the Divine Presence. It was the equivalent of their sacrifices
being brought in the Temple and not on a personal altar. In contrast,
Bilaams sacrifices were on personal altars which had no relevance to the
Divine Presence. This was something that Bilaam did not understand or
appreciate.
4. Shedding Light in an Existence of Darkness
The Torah states, He (Gd) called (vayikra) to Moshe The Midrash
explains, The Torah uses the term vayikra (called) to indicate the
greatness of Moshe. We find at the beginning of Creation when Gd
created day the Torah states and Gd called (vayikra) the light
day Just as Gd called (vayikra) the light day so too He called
(vayikra) to Moshe. Who is greater? Is it the captor or the captured? The
captor is greater. The light was called day. There is no true light other
than the Torah. As King Solomon writes in Proverbs, Neir mitzvah
vTorah ohr (the mitzvah is the fuel and the Torah is the
light/illumination). Moshe captured the Torah in its entirety. As it states,
You ascended above and you captured the captured. The Gemara in
Tractate Shabbos tells us Moshe ascended to heaven and took the Torah,
despite the angels who were opposed to man possessing Gds Splendor.
Thus, Moshe was the captor who captured the Torah (the light). Gd said
to Moshe, In this existence you are the leader of the Jewish people. At the
end of time when the righteous come to claim their reward, you shall be
ahead of them all. Thus, Moshe being the captor is even greater than the
Torah itself.
The Prophet Jeremiah states, If not for My covenant, which is in effect
day and night, the statutes of heaven and earth would not be put in place.
The Gemara in Tractate Nidarim explains that the covenant is referring
to the study of Torah, which must be in effect continuously in order to
maintain existence. Ramchal explains that when Gd Willed existence, He
linked every aspect of existence to the Torah. When one engages in Torah
study, it activates various spiritual influences and forces that allow the
world to manifest and generate great blessing. However, if Torah study
were to cease, so too would existence.
The Gemara in Tractate Pesachim as well as other locations tells us that
physical existence is comparable to the nighttime period (darkness) and
the world to come (at the end of time) is comparable to the daytime period
(light). Just as in the nighttime period one perceives his surroundings in a
distorted manner, so too is ones perception of truth in the physical world
distorted and obscured. Gd called the light day. The only way one is
able to see existence in its true light is through the study of Torah, which is
the source of illumination. The study of Torah allows one to have a sense
of his own spirituality, thus removing the conflicts of interest that distort
truth. The world to come will be completely illuminated and free of
distortion because evil will be vanquished. However, Gd gave the Jewish
people a mechanism, which is the Torah, to illuminate the physicality of
the world to have a semblance of the world to come. As the Gemara in
Tractate Kiddushin states, I (Gd) created the evil inclination and the
Torah as its antidote.
Moshe, because of his unique dimension of spirituality was the one who
brought this special light into existence through his acquisition of the
Torah. He will thus be the first to receive reward because it is only because
of his accomplishment that anyone can see truth and thus advance
spiritually. Just as Gd called the light day He called to Moshe who was
the one who brought light into the world, despite the darkness of physical
existence. He was the one who allowed the Jew to have day during the
nighttime period, the physical world.
Rambam writes in the Laws of Torah Study, Although there is a mitzvah
to study Torah during the day and nighttime period, the majority of ones
study should be done in the nighttime period As the Prophet Jeremiah
states (Eicha), Rise and sing out in the night. Rambam explains that the
song of the Jew is the Torah, which is most effective when studied during
the nighttime period. The Prophet wrote these words in Eicha, which was
expressed after the destruction of the Temple. He had witnessed the Jewish
people going into exile and further into darkness. The only way one could
have some semblance of understanding of ones predicament is through
the light of Torah, which is the song of the Jew. One sings when one is
joyous. Similarly, when one is able to achieve clarity through the study of
Torah, despite darkness of the world, when he will come upon
understanding it will give him joy.
5. Choice, the Basis for Trust and Faith
The Torah states, He (Gd) called to Moshe The Midrash cites a verse
from Psalms, Blessed is Gd His angels mighty in strength (geborei
koach) that do His bidding to obey the voice of His word. Who are the
angels? They are Moshe and Aaron. As it states, Gd sent His angel to
take them out (of Egypt) Rav Huna says in the name of Reb Acha,
The angels to which the verse is referring are the Jewish people. They are
mighty in strength like angels because they declared at Sinai Naaseh
Vnishma we will do and we will listen. It seems from the Midrash
that it took enormous strength for the Jewish people to accept the Torah at
Sinai. What is the basis of this strength?
The Gemara in Tractate Shabbos tells us that Rav was so immersed in his
Torah study that he did not realize that his finger was under his heal and it
was bleeding. A heretic came to him and said, I see that you people have
not changed. You are still impulsive. Just as long ago, because of your
impulsiveness, you declared that you would do before you heard the extent
of your obligation, so too you remain impulsive as is clear from your
injury. Rav explained to the heretic that there is a verse that states, The
one who has faith, it will lead him; however, the one who does not have
faith will be cast aside. We have faith and thus we will be led to salvation
whereas your kind will be cast aside. It seems from the Gemara that the
acceptance of Torah at Sinai was based on the Jews trust and faith in Gd
to accept His Word without exception. However, based on the Midrash it
seems that one needs enormous strength to accept the Word of Gd.
Another opinion cited by the Midrash is that the geborei koach are those
who observe the mitzvah of Shmitta (Sabbatical year). The Midrash asks,
Why are they identified as geborei koach (people of enormous
":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 15
strength)? The one who remains silent as he sees his fields being treated
as if they were ownerless, with their fences being breached and the fruits
being eaten by anyone who wishes to do so is a gebor koach. The
individual who remains silent under these circumstances is identified as
one with enormous strength because it requires unusual strength to hold
back the inclination to demonstrate ones ownership rights - and thus
preventing others from partaking of his field. As it is stated in Ethics of
our Fathers, Who is the strong one? The one who subdues his
inclination. One is able to have enormous strength not because he was
endowed with physical strength but rather because he chose to subdue his
inclination. It is by choosing to follow the path of Gd, despite ones
inclination, that establishes him as the strong one. This is the difference
between the Jew and the nations of the world.
Because the Jewish people made many choices to establish their
spirituality, they were able to have enormous faith in Him to reach
unparalleled heights of spiritual advancement. Unlike the heretic who
succumbs to his inclination, and rejected the path of good. Due to the
Jews spiritualization of self, he is able to have greater strength to observe
the Sabbatical year because he appreciates and internalizes the value of
heeding Gds Word.
The Jewish people chose to be straight, while the nations of the world
chose not to be so. As King Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes, Gd had
made man straight, but he sought out many intrigues. The Jewish people
remain straight because they made and continuously make the right
choices which is to subordinate the evil inclination. However, the nations
of the world chose to follow their own inclinations will ultimately be cast
aside.
Rabbi Shlomo Katz
HaMaayan
Parshas Vayikra: The Torah of the Kohanim
R Yitzchak Abarbanel zl (1437-1508; Portugal, Spain and Italy)
introduces the Book of Vayikra as follows: The first book of the Torah of
Elokim writes about the creation of the world; the branching out of the
early generations; and the affairs of the holy Patriarchs, until Yaakov
descended to Egypt. The second book tells how the Egyptians mistreated
our ancestors; how Hashem redeemed them through His agents Moshe and
Aharon; the miracles that He did in Egypt, at the Sea, and in the desert,
until they arrived at Har Sinai, where they all attained the level of prophets
and received the Torah and mitzvot from the Mouth of the All-Powerful
One; how they sinned with the Golden Calf and then were forgiven; and
how they made the Mishkan so that the Divine Shechinah and Hashems
Hashgachah / Providence would rest on them, as they saw on the day when
the Mishkan was assembled (at the end of last weeks parashah), The
cloud covered the Ohel Moed, and the glory of Hashem filled the
Mishkan.
After these, this third book explains the service in the Mikdash; how the
Kohanim will serve their Elokim and atone for Bnei Yisraels sins; how
the Kohanim will toil to study and know the Torah of Hashem--its decrees,
commandments, and ordinances--to direct the nation on a straight path and
to teach them the way in which they should go, as is written (Malachi 2:7),
For the lips of a Kohen shall safeguard knowledge, and they [the Jewish
People] shall seek Torah from his mouth, for he is an agent of Hashem,
Master of Legions. (Peirush Al HaTorah: Hakdamah LVayikra)
He called to Moshe . . . (1:1)
Rashi zl writes: This implies that the Voice was heard by Moshe, and by
no one else.
R Moshe Sofer zl (1762-1839; the Chatam Sofer; rabbi and rosh yeshiva
in Pressburg, Hungary) writes: This suggests an answer to a question asked
by Ramban zl. We will read in two weeks that Aharons sons Nadav and
Avihu entered the Mishkan on their own initiative and were killed by
Hashem. What were they thinking?
The answer, writes Chatam Sofer, is that our parashah is a continuation of
the story begun in last weeks parashah, i.e., Moshe assembled the
Mishkan on the first of Nissan (see Shmot 40:2), and then Hashem called
to him to enter. Thus, the calling to Moshe in our verse took place on the
same day that Nadav and Avihu entered the Mishkan uninvited--the first of
Nissan. No one but Moshe heard the call; therefore, when Nadav and
Avihu saw Moshe enter, they thought that he had entered uninvited, and
they reasoned that doing so was permitted. (Torat Moshe)
Speak to Bnei Yisrael and say to them, When a man among you brings
an offering to Hashem -- from animals, from the cattle or from the flock
shall you bring your offering. (1:2)
Among four-legged animals, only the cow, sheep and goat families are fit
for sacrificial offerings. Why were these species chosen?
R Yitzchak Abarbanel zl (see front page) offers several explanations:
(1) By their natures, temperaments, and diets, these are the finest of all
four-legged animals.
(2) These are the most widely-available of all animals. [The two preceding
explanations are offered by R Abarbanel in the name of R Levi ben
Gershon zl (Ralbag; 1288-1344; Provence, France)].
(3) These three animals allude to the merits of the three Patriarchs. About
Avraham we read (Bereishit 18:7when Avraham fed the three angels),
Avraham ran to the cattle, took a calf, tender and good . . . About
Yitzchak we read (Bereishit 22:13), Avraham went and took the ram and
offered it up as an offering instead of his son [Yitzchak]. Finally, about
Yaakov we read (Bereishit 27:9), Go now to the flock and fetch me from
there two choice young kids of the goats.
(4) The Jewish People are compared to these three species in many verses,
including: For Yisrael has strayed like a wayward cow (Hoshea 4:16);
Yisrael is like scattered sheep (Yirmiyah 50:17); and I will put an end
to the pride of the mighty / azim [same spelling as izim / goats]
(Yechezkel 7:24). When we offer animals of these three species, Hashem
views it as if we have sacrificed ourselves to Him. (Peirush Al HaTorah:
Hakdamah LVayikra)
Elsewhere in the Torah . . .
What does it mean to learn Torah lishmah?
R Moshe ben Maimon zl (Rambam / Maimonides; 1135-1204; Spain and
Egypt) writes: When a child begins to study Torah, his teacher must
promise him sweets as a reward. When he is older, his teacher promises
him a pair of shoes or nice clothes. Still later, his teacher promises him
money. After that, the teacher promises that people will appoint him to be
a rabbi and will honor him.
All of this, writes Rambam, is not praiseworthy--though it is necessary,
due to mans limited intelligence. Such learning is called by our Sages,
Not lishmah. This means that one is not learning Torah or performing
mitzvot as an end in itself, but for a selfish reason. The goal of study
should be to know the subject matter. The goal of pursuing truth should be
to know what the truth is. The Torah is truth, and the purpose of knowing
it is to fulfill it. This also is called, Serving [Hashem] out of love, in
contrast to one who serves Hashem for love of reward or fear of
punishment. (Peirush Hamishnayot: Hakdamah Lperek Chelek)
R Shneur Zalman of Liadi zl (1745-1812; first Lubavitcher Rebbe)
writes: Lishmah means, In order to attach oneself to Hashem. Torah
that is learned not lishmah refers to Torah learned for any other
purpose, including for the purpose of being a talmid chacham. (Tanya,
chapters 5, 39 & 40)
R Chaim of Volozhin zl (1749-1821; one of the leading students of the
Vilna Gaon) writes: Lishmah does not mean achieving attachment to
Hashem, as most people think nowadays. Proof may be found in the
midrash which states that King David asked Hashem that reciting Tehilim
be considered the equivalent of studying the most difficult tractates of
Talmud. If learning Torah lishmah meant attaching oneself to Hashem,
then why was this request necessary? Certainly there is nothing that brings
a person closer to Hashem than heartfelt recitation of Tehilim!
Rather, lishmah means, For the sake of Torah, i.e., to know, to
understand, and to increase Torah knowledge through pilpul / give-and-
take. Of course, a mitzvah must be performed with a sense of attachment
to Hashem and with a holiness of thought, and the same is true for Torah
learning. However, during the actual learning, the focus should be on the
learning and not on attachment to Hashem. (Nefesh HaChaim IV:2-3)
R Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook zl (1865-1935; Ashkenazic Chief
Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael) writes: Lishmah means, For the sake of the
Torah. How so? It is Hashems Will that the wisdom of the Torah be
translated from potential to actual. When we study Torah, when we
elaborate on a Torah topic and cause the light that illuminates us to shine
on another soul as well, we are literally making the Torah bigger. That is
Hashems Will. It follows that one who learns because he loves the light
of Torah is learning lishmah, for it is Hashems desire that that light be
multiplied. (Orot HaTorah 2:1)
Memoirs
R' Yaakov Halevi Lifschutz z"l (1838-1921) was the long-time secretary to
R Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor zl (1817-1896; rabbi of Kovno), who was
one of the leading halachic authorities of the second half of the 19th
century as well as a spokesman and lobbyist for Russian Jewry in the
Czars court. Through his position, R Lifschutz was a witness to, and a
participant in, many important events of that era. His memoirs are entitled
Zichron Yaakov.
[R Lifschutz begins his memoir by discussing the concept of history. He
writes:] The histories of other nations revolve around the development of
their states, the stories of their kings, their wars, and their influence on
world politics; also, on the activities of their wise men in all areas of
wisdom and science.
Jewish history is different from the history of all other nations. Even when
the Jewish People lived in their own land under their own rule, the
foundation of its existence was its religion and its Torah. When Yisrael
went straightforwardly in the way of Hashem and His Torah, they
16 ":\D up trcdk trcd ihc
accomplished great things and succeeded. When they turned away from
Hashems path, their power and strength declined wondrously. [A writer]
observed in [the Hebrew newspaper] Hatzefirah, issue 49, 5644 [1884]:
The Jews suffer their oppressors silently, as if they feel nothing. However,
when the oppressor touches their holy delights, then they are disturbed
from their restfulness and they become strong like lions. Their lives, their
lowly condition, and their lack of political standing are light in their eyes,
but the desecration of the Torah they cannot tolerate. . . The greatest
tragedy that befell them, the loss of their independence and the end of their
status as an independent nation at the hand of the Roman legions, is
referred to as the Destruction of the Bet Hamikdash--that is what serves
as a milestone in their history, whereas the loss of political independence
is not mentioned.
The editors hope these brief 'snippets' will engender further study and discussion of Torah topics ('lehagdil Torah u'leha'adirah'), and your letters are
appreciated. Web archives at Torah.org start with 5758 (1997) and may be retrieved from the Hamaayan page. Hamaayan needs your support! Please
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Rabbi Dov Kramer
Taking A Closer Look
And He (G-d) called to Moshe (Vayikra 1:1). The aleph of and He
called is small because Moshe wanted to write and He happened upon
(which has the same letters as and He called, without the aleph), the
way its said [regarding G-ds communication] with Bilam (Bamidbar 23:4
and 23:16), [to make it seem] as if [G-d] only appeared to [Moshe]
indirectly, [but] G-d told him to write the aleph too, [so] he wrote it
smaller. This explanation, put forth by the Baal HaTurim, raises several
issues, some of which I discussed several years ago
(http://rabbidmk.wordpress.com/2011/03/09/parashas-vayikra-5771/). I
would like to discuss one of those issues further, adding another layer to it.
This is not the first time G-d called to Moshe (see Shmos 3:4, 19:3, 19:20
and 24:16). Why didnt Moshe try to make the aleph of the word and
He called smaller earlier? The source of the Baal HaTurims
explanation, Midrash Rabbi Akiva ben Yosef al Osiyos Ktanos
vTaameihen (Batay Midrashos II, pg. 478), says that the reason Moshe
wanted to drop the aleph (and eventually made it smaller) was to
differentiate between the way the angels are called and the way he was
called. How did Moshe know the manner in which G-d called the angels?
Spending 40 days and 40 nights atop Mt. Sinai, where he ascended to the
heavens (see Shabbos 88b), Moshe was able to witness it first hand. After
seeing that the angels were called by G-d, he didnt want the way G-d
initiated communication with him to be described in the same way.
When explaining what The Book of the Covenant (Shmos 24:7), which
Moshe wrote down and read to the people (24:4) right before (or,
according to Ramban, right after) the public revelation, was, Rashi (on
24:4 and on 24:7) tells us it was the Torah from the beginning (i.e,
creation) until the point where the Torah was given. Since Moshe wrote
this down before he spent 40 days and 40 nights atop Mt. Sinai (see Rashi
on 24:1), he was not yet aware that G-d called the angels, so had no
reason to protest against his communication with G-d being described the
same way. There was much communication between G-d and Moshe
before then, and, if anything, the communication between G-d and Moshe
was on a much lower level then. Yet is still described as and He called,
with a full-size aleph, because when it was written Moshe didn't realize
its implication. Only later, when he understood that his communication
with G-d would be compared to how He communicates with the angels,
did Moshe try to correct that perception.
This explanation works for the earlier instances of and He called.
However, Moshe being called to ascend Mt. Sinai for the public
revelation (19:20), as well as being called to ascend for 40 days and
nights (24:16), werent written down until afterwards (even though they
had occurred before Moshe was aware that the angels were called).
Nevertheless, his level of communication with G-d was certainly not
worse in those two instances than those described earlier, so it would be
inappropriate to differentiate between his earlier communication with G-d
(including the one that had occurred just days earlier) and these two.
However, the first communication that took place in the newly dedicated
Mishkan, which was a prototype for all subsequent communication (see
Rashi on Vayikra 1:1) and is therefore purposely described in the same
way as G-ds communication with the angels (ibid), provided Moshe with
the opportunity to let everyone know that it was not exactly the same as it
is with the angels. Even though G-d didnt let him leave off the aleph
completely (since Moshes level of communication with Him was so far
above that of Bilam), He did allow him to make it a small one, thereby
differentiating between the cherished way he was called and the
cherished way the angels are called.

Rabbi Moshe Krieger
Bircas HaTorah Parsha Sheet
Parshas Vayikra
In this week's sidra, the passuk (4:27) states that the perpetrators of certain
severe sins require a korban chata'as (sacrifice atoning for inadvertent
wrongdoing) in order to absolve themselves of guilt.
There is a basic difficulty regarding the logic and fairness of this
obligation. Why would Hashem hold people accountable for unintentional
sins? Take, for instance, a person awoken in the middle of the night by a
branch rustling loudly outside his bedroom window; for a single moment,
as he groggily turns over his pillow and attempts to fall back asleep, he
forgets it's Shabbos and unthinkingly bites down on his lip to peel off a
tiny piece of chapped skin. Can such a person be considered to actually
bear guilt for violating the halacha prohibiting cutting an object from its
life-source on Shabbos? He didn't purposely try to desecrate the laws of
Shabbos he simply forgot that it was Shabbos for one second! What is so
truly terrible about that?
In his sefer, Mishneh Torah (Hilchos Shegagos 5:6), the Rambam
addresses this issue.
He explains that one is obligated to offer a korban chata'as because the
performance of unintentional aveiros reveals a lack of caution regarding
one's Torah obligations and is viewed by Hakadosh Baruch Hu as almost
an indifference to the strictures of halacha.
Rav Eliyahu Dessler, zt'l, presumably attempting to clarify the Rambam's
answer, points out that one does not make a mistake about something
which is truly a part of him. A Jewish person, Rav Dessler writes, is
obligated to instill the reality of G-d's existence into every fiber of his
being. Just as one would never forget his child's name, a Jewish person
cannot be excused for unintentionally transgressing G-d's will. One who
truly internalizes the fact that there is a G-d in the world, will acquire a
mental block against transgression and never come to perform even
unintentional aveiros.
The Maharil Diskin once forgot to recite Ya'aleh V'Yavoh. His wife
expressed surprise that her saintly husband could have skipped the prayer
and began to suspect that the Maharil had taken ill indeed, it was soon
discovered that he was running a fever. Incredibly, when Rav Shalom
Schwadron attempted to relate this story to the Brisker Rav, he was not
even permitted to continue past the first few words the moment that the
Brisker Rav heard the assertion that the Maharil had forgotten to recite
Ya'aleh V'Yavoh, he protested that the story could not possibly be true.
The Brisker Rav understood that someone like the Maharil Diskin, who
kept Hakadosh Baruch Hu so deeply ingrained upon his being, could never
have erred in his prayers.
Delving further into the question with which we began, however, the
Ramban in our parsha (4:2), presses that it still appears unjustifiably
severe to obligate accidental sinners in a korban.
The Ramban therefore adds another concept which further demonstrates
the severity of aveiros. He writes that aveiros are inherently bad. One who
sins, even inadvertently, has nevertheless physically performed an aveirah.
Without the atonement of a korban, such acts attach themselves to one's
soul and remain a black stain blocking any attempt to draw closer to the
Creator.
We must try to internalize the message of this Ramban and realize that
every sinful action which we perform whether purposefully or
accidentally becomes indelibly branded upon us. If one truly recognizes
the horror which physical acts of sin command, the very concept of sin
will become entirely foreign to him and he will be able to more strongly
guard himself from even unintentional aveiros.
The following story about the Vilna Gaon demonstrates the fear of sin
which a person can attain. When he was still young, the Gaon once
accidentally moved a crumb during the Shabbos meal. Although most
authorities do not regard a crumb as muktzeh and we indeed pasken that
it is not he immediately fainted at the thought of having performed even
such an inadvertent sin.
May we all be zoche to truly distance ourselves from aveiros.
Rabbi Label Lam
Dvar Torah
Purim - The Reality of the Day
Where is Esther in the Torah? The Talmud asks. I will doubly hide,
(hoster, oster) my face on that day! (Devarim 31:18)
The name Esther means hidden. Purim is a time of the hiding of the face.
Megilla means to reveal, literally. Megillas Esther is a revelation of that
which is hidden. It is not for no reason that masks have played a prominent
role on Purim for these many years, because that is the essence of the story
of Purim.
Heres a piece of history, recent history, Im sure some youngish elders, of
my age, might just remember or maybe not. Almost twenty-two years ago
":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 17
the world was engulfed in the first "Gulf War". Israel was being fired upon
by Iraq with scud missiles, which were reputed to be carrying noxious
chemicals. Many important safety issues were being debated. Gas masks
were widely distributed but their effectiveness, it was found, would
necessarily be compromised by facial hair.
A greatly important question was directed repeatedly to Reb Chaim
Kanievsky, the greatest Talmud Scholar on the planet who was sitting in
Bnei Brak, in the proverbial line of fire. The ultra-serious question was,
"Do we shave off our beards to fit the masks?" This is a question of
Pikuach Nefesh, saving a life, which should take precedence over all other
considerations. Matters of life and death push away even Shabbos
observance. Having a beard is not nearly as weighty as the holy Shabbos.
Growing a beard is an old time custom- Minhag, but protecting life is
paramount.
I remember having heard from my teachers that he gave the same
seemingly cavalier answer to all that came and asked, "On Purim you'll
wear your masks!" To many it was then obvious that danger was not as
significant or as imminent as was commonly perceived but also it was later
discovered that the masks were proven ineffectual.
After months of bombing by the allied forces it looked like Sadam Hussein
was indestructible. Then a ground war was started four days before Purim.
Fellows who were playing basketball in the Bronx six months earlier were
now crawling on their elbows in the sand, for Project Desert Storm. Then
the surprising announcement was made of the Iraqi concession on the Fast
of Esther, the day immediately preceding Purim. That day people began to
dismantle their sealed rooms. That night was Purim and Jews filled the
streets to celebrate after the reading of the Megilla, which spells out in
living color the amazing salvation of the Jewish people via hidden
miracles. People did not have a chance nor were their minds focused upon
buying handsome new Mordechai or Esther or clown costumes or
charming masks for the festive day. Nope, everyone had been cowering in
fear up until that time.
Guess which costume was most on display that Purim night. It was worn
with a perfect sense of joy and relief. It was none other than the ubiquitous
gas mask. Those words of the Tzadik now had the ring of profound truth
and deep insight, "On Purim you'll wear your masks!" Imagine for a
moment please, that in order to preserve the memory of that great day of
salvation a new Jewish holiday would have been declared commemorating
the end of the war. To honor the occasion it was decided that we are to put
on gas masks and dance in the streets as had occurred.
After the fact a few scholars who have had their finger on the pulse of
Jewish History do a little anthropological survey and discover that for
thousands of years Jews have had the custom to wear masks on this day in
particular. How odd it would seem, that the theme of the mask would
intersect the same day for apparently independent reasons or is there
perhaps some deeper hidden implication? No doubt masks are an essential
part of the reality of the day.
DvarTorah, Copyright 2007 by Rabbi Label Lam and Torah.org.

Rabbi Eli Mansour
Weekly Perasha Insights
Parashat Vayikra: The Small Alef
The Book of Vayikra receives its name from the first word in the Sefer
Vayikra (He called). The Sefer begins with G-d calling Moshe and
summoning him into the newly-constructed Mishkan, to issue the
commands relevant to the Korbanot (sacrifices).
Anyone who looks at the way this word Vayikra is written in the
Torah will immediately notice something peculiar: the final letter, Alef,
is written considerably smaller than the other letters of the Torah. This in
itself requires explanation, but the significance of this small letter might be
even more far-reaching than it at first appears. Although the numerical
value of the letter Alef is 1, if we spell the word Alef (Alef,
Lamed, Peh), and combine the values of its letters, we arrive at 111
the number of verses in Parashat Vayikra. This might allude to the fact that
the message of this small Alef is the essential message of this Parasha. If
we understand the small Alef, then we can understand the fundamental
concept underlying all of Parashat Vayikra.
The construction of the Mishkan served to rectify the sin of the golden
calf. Anytime a Jew commits a sin, he drives the divine Presence from his
soul; he banishes the spark of Kedusha, the piece of G-d within him, and
sends it away to exile. Teshuba (repentance) means making ourselves
worthy of once again receiving that spark, and being a repository for the
Shechina. And thus after the sin of the golden calf, Gods presence left
Beneh Yisrael, and they needed to build the Mishkan in order to bring Him
back. But this process needed to unfold gradually, step by step. Beneh
Yisrael could not receive the divine presence all at once. After falling so
low after the sin of the golden calf, the process of the Shechinas return
had to proceed slowly. A person leaving a dark room needs time to adjust
to light. He cannot have the lights turned on all at once instantaneously.
His eyes are simply unable to handle the drastic transition.
The Tasher Rebbe of Montreal, in his Abodat Aboda, explained that this is
the symbolism underlying the small Alef at the beginning of Sefer
Vayikra. Moshe Rabbenu was at the 50th level of Kedusha, the highest
stature attainable by a human being. God instructed Moshe that in order to
bring Beneh Yisrael back to where they needed to be, he would have to
lower himself so the spiritual light he radiated would be smaller. After the
darkness of the golden calf, Beneh Yisrael could not immediately receive
the brightest spiritual light. And thus God appeared to Moshe on a lower
level of prophecy, symbolized by the small letter Alef.
This explains the comments of Rashi to the first verse of Sefer Vayikra,
where he writes that the word Vayikra is a Lashon Hiba a term that
connotes love and affection. The Tasher Rebbe explained that the entire
concept of Parashat Vayikra, G-ds willingness to restore His Shechina
among Beneh Yisrael in the Mishkan, is a great act of love. Beneh Yisrael
betrayed Him in the worst way, worshipping a foreign deity just weeks
after receiving the Torah, and yet He was still prepared to return to them.
He always gives us the opportunity to return and repair our relationship
with Him. And He even ensures that the process will unfold at the right
pace, step by step, so that it will be effective.
This is why the small Alef embodies the essence of the Parashat
Vayikra. The concept underlying Korbanot is that we have the ability to
restore our relationship with Hashem after falling. This entire book is a
Lashon Hiba, an expression of great love by G-d, who is always
prepared to welcome us back in Teshuba, and is always prepared to help
us along this process.
Aish.Com - Rabbi Kalman Packouz
Shabbat Shalom
Vayikra 5774
GOOD MORNING! Purim is coming up next week Saturday night,
March 15th, through all day Sunday. Purim is the holiday that reminds us
that God runs the world behind the scenes. Coincidence is God's way of
staying anonymous! Nowhere in the Megillas Esther is the name of God
mentioned, though there is a tradition that every time the words "the King"
are used it also refers to the Almighty.
Megillas Esther is a book full of suspense and intrigue with a very
satisfying ending the Jewish people are saved from destruction! I highly
recommend Turnabout it has an English translation of the Megillah
(literally: scroll) as well as a rendition of the Purim story incorporating the
commentary of the Malbim.
Usually the Fast of Esther immediately precedes Purim. However, this
year the day before Purim is Shabbat. Since we only fast on Shabbat for
Yom Kippur, the fast is moved up to Thursday, March 13th. The fast
commemorates the three day Fast of Esther and the Jewish people before
she approached King Ahashverosh with her request. Named in her honor,
it is also in memory of the Jews' fast before going to battle the anti-
Semites in the Purim story.
A great book about Purim is Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf's The One Hour
Purim Primer Everything a family needs to understand, celebrate and
enjoy Purim (it and other books on Purim are available at your local
Jewish bookstore). Writes Rabbi Apisdorf: If a family is a "twice a year to
synagogue" family, then those days should at least be Purim and Simchas
Torah (when everyone dances around celebrating the completion and
beginning of reading the Torah). Our kids should see and be a part of the
joy of being Jewish!
Purim comes from the word "pur" in Persian which means "lots" as in,
"Haman cast lots for the most 'auspicious' date to kill the Jews." The date
fell on the 13th of Adar. The events of that date were turned around from a
day of destruction to a day of victory and joy. We celebrate Purim on the
14th of Adar for "they gained relief on the fourteenth, which they made a
day of feasting and gladness" (Megillas Esther 9:17).
In very few places most notably in Jerusalem Purim is celebrated the
following day, the 15th day of Adar. The Sages declared that all cities
which were walled cities at the time of Joshua should celebrate Purim the
following day. This is to commemorate the extra day which King
Ahashverosh granted Esther to allow the Jews of Shushan (the capital of
Persia, which was a walled city) to deal with their enemies. In Shushan
they gained relief on the fifteenth. The holiday celebrated on the 15th of
Adar is called Shushan Purim.
There are two ways in which to try to destroy the Jewish people
physically and spiritually. Our enemies have attempted both. Chanukah is
the celebration over those who have tried and failed to culturally assimilate
us (the Greeks and Western Culture); Purim is the celebration over those
18 ":\D up trcdk trcd ihc
who have tried and failed to physically destroy us (from the Amalekites to
the Persians, ad nauseam).
Why do we masquerade with costumes and masks on Purim? As
mentioned above, nowhere in the Megillas Esther does God's name appear.
If one so desires, he can see the whole Purim story as a chain of
coincidences totally devoid of Divine Providence. Just as we hide behind
masks, but our essence is still there, so too God has "hidden His face"
behind the forces of history, but is still there guiding history.
Why do we make noise every time Haman's name is mentioned in the
Megillah? The answer: By blotting out Haman's name we are symbolically
obliterating evil.
The holiday is celebrated by hearing the Megillah Saturday night and
Sunday morning. During the day only, we fulfill three mitzvot: 1) Matanot
L'evyonim giving gifts or money to at least two poor people. (While it is
good to give locally, one can fulfill the mitzvot by giving at
http://www.kerenyehoshuavyisroel.com for the poor Jews of Jerusalem) 2)
Mishloach Manot, the "sending of portions," giving at least two ready-to-
eat foods to a minimum of one person. One should send via a messenger.
(You can order Kosher Purim baskets from: Rabbi Chaim Casper's Surf
Florist of Miami Beach 305-865-0433 or SurfFlorist@juno.com) and 3)
Seudah, a festive meal. During the meal we are commanded to drink wine
until we don't know the difference between "Blessed is Mordechai" and
"Cursed is Haman." (It is best fulfilled by drinking a little and taking a nap
one doesn't know the difference between them while sleeping!) One
should NOT drink to excess. The mitzvah is about connecting to the
Almighty and sloppy drunks are lousy at spirituality. Drinking can be
dangerous. The mitzvah is only at the meal with wine and should be well-
controlled and minimized.
Why are we instructed to drink this amount? In a certain sense, Purim is
greater than Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur we fast and it is easy for our
soul to have dominance over the body. Purim is the epitome of integrating
the physical and the spiritual towards realizing that the Almighty loves us.
The only thing that stands between you and the Almighty is you. The
wine and the spirit of the day help us get beyond the barrier to realize
that everything comes from the Almighty for our good! We may perceive
things that happen to us as "bad" though ultimately they benefit us either
physically and/or spiritually.
The mitzvot of Mishloach Manot and giving gifts to the poor were
prescribed to generate brotherly love between all Jews. When there is love
and unity amongst us, our enemies cannot harm us!
For more on Purim, go to: http://www.aish.com/holidays/purim/. Enjoy
"Lego Purim" a short aish.com film unique retelling of the Purim story.
Also, "Purim and Spain's Hidden Jews", Rabbi Ken Spiro's "Purim in
Persia" from his Crash Course in Jewish History and Rabbi Shraga
Simmons' "The ABC's of Purim."
Torah Portion of the week: Vayikra
The book of Vayikra (Leviticus) primarily deals with what are commonly
called "sacrifices" or "offerings." According to Rabbi Samson Raphael
Hirsch: a "sacrifice" implies giving up something that is of value to oneself
for the benefit of another. An "offering" implies a gift which satisfies the
receiver. The Almighty does not need our gifts. He has no needs or
desires. The Hebrew word is korban, which is best translated as a means of
bringing oneself into a closer relationship with the Almighty. The offering
of korbanot was only for our benefit to come close to the Almighty.
Ramban, one of the essential commentaries on Torah, explains that
through the vicarious experience of what happened to the animal korbanot,
the transgressor realized the seriousness of his transgression. This aided
him in the process of teshuva correcting his erring ways.
This week's portion includes the details of various types of korbanot: burnt
offering, flour offering (proof that one does not need to offer "blood" to
gain atonement), the first grain offering, peace offering, unintentional sin
offering (private and communal), guilt (for an intentional sin) offerings
varied upon one's ability to pay, and an offering for personal use of
something designated or belonging to the Tabernacle or the Temple.
Dvar Torah
based on Growth Through Torah by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin
The Torah states:
"Every meal offering that you offer to the Almighty do not make it
chometz (leavened); for you shall burn no yeast, nor any honey, in any
offering of the Almighty made by fire. With all your offerings you shall
offer salt" (Leviticus 2:11-13).
Yeast and honey were not permitted in the offering on the altar. Yeast
makes the dough rise higher, but it is an external additive. Honey makes
things taste sweet, but it is also an external additive. Salt, on the other
hand, brings out the flavor of the food, but only the flavor that is already
there. This, says Rabbi Mordechai Gifter, symbolizes a basic principle in
spiritual matters.
When serving the Almighty you should follow the model of salt. That is,
utilize all the abilities and talents that you have to serve Him. Do not be
like yeast that causes distortion of what is there. Do not be like honey that
is very sweet, but is something borrowed from the outside. Be yourself,
but make every effort to be all that you can be.
Quote of the Week
Happiness is joy digesting
In Loving Memory of Rabbi Meir Schuster
With Deep Appreciation to George Feldenkreis
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Rabbi Eliezer Parkoff
Weekly Chizuk
Vayikra: Three Wonderful Gifts
HaKadosh Baruch Hu gave three wonderful gifts to Yisrael, but each of
them is acquired only through suffering: Torah, Eretz Yisrael, and Olam
Haba (Berachos 5a).
Moreinu HaGaon HaRav Avraham Ya'akov (Zeidel) Epstein, ztzuk"l
(mashgiach ruchani of Yeshiva Torah Ore), in his book Me'Imrei Shlomo,
vol. 1, says that this statement of Chazal is very perplexing. For we know
that when one gives a gift, he gives benevolently, with a deep desire to
benefit the recipient.
How is it possible then that God, the source of goodness, should give three
wonderful gifts and yet force the receiver to suffer?!
The Maharal (in the Introduction to Derush al HaTorah v'HaMitzvos)
treats the topic thoroughly: Chazal have taught us here the deep meaning
of Eretz Yisrael for the people of Israel. Eretz Yisrael is not simply the
ideal that is commonly pictured, of everyone sitting under his grapevine or
fig tree, in a land flowing with milk and honey, where one can enjoy all
the possible pleasures of the world; a land where there is no toil or burden
of making a living; a land where there is no subservience to any other
government or foreign nation. This is not the real essence of Eretz Yisrael
for Klal Yisrael.
Everybody understands that Olam Haba is a spiritual situation completely
divorced and separate from all physical pleasures and notions. The Gemara
in Berachos 17a states: "In Olam Haba there is no eating or drinking, but
the tzaddikim sit with their crowns on their heads enjoying the radiance of
the Shechinah." The Torah, also, is something holy and pure, the opposite
of physical desires and lusts. The deep desire of the Jew, especially a ben
Torah, is to cling to the "Giver of the Torah," to make every effort to enter
into the realm of the Shechinah and enjoy the great radiance. As the Zohar
says (Vayikra, p. 3), "There are three levels which unite one with the
other: HaKadosh Baruch Hu, Torah, and Yisrael."
So, too, the very essence of Eretz Yisrael is a special spiritual one,
specifically for Klal Yisrael. It is a place of gaining attachment to the
Shechinah. Therefore, these three wonderful gifts are impossible to attain
without first purifying oneself and completely abandoning the physical as
much as is possible. If there remains some residue of attachment to the
material, some sort of connection to this world, this is a contradiction to
acquiring Olam Haba. The way to attain Olam Haba is only through
suffering. This is what breaks and annuls the pleasures of this world.
Suffering is something in opposition to the pleasures of the world, which
cleanses one from the material. So, too, Torah perceptions are acquired
specifically through suffering, which brings about separation from this
world and annulment of one's attachment to desires and lusts.
Chazal revealed to us that it is very possible to make a mistake and think
that Eretz Yisrael is only a physical attainment: our figs and grapes, our
fruit, our Land. Do not make this mistake - Eretz Yisrael provides one of
the greatest connections to Hashem Yisborach. It requires a complete
separation from the material. Lack of cleansing oneself from the material
interferes with attainment of the advantages of the Land. Therefore, it was
given, and can be acquired only through suffering, and the abandonment
and cleansing of the material.
Therefore, Chazal said (Pesachim 113a) that among those who inherit
Olam Haba is one who lives in Eretz Yisrael. One who lives in the Holy
Land with no interference or disturbance, meriting to connect himself to
the significance and very essence of Eretz Yisrael, becomes automatically
united and attached to HaKadosh Baruch Hu and Olam Haba. Therefore,
our forefathers, whose purity from the material was the epitome of
perfection, so desired Eretz Yisrael, the same way that one who is pure and
free of the material desires Torah and Olam Haba.
How mistaken are the individuals who desire Eretz Yisrael merely for the
material benefits of the Land. This is a total contradiction to the very
essence of Eretz Yisrael.
Gut Shabbos!
":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 19
Rabbi Eliezer Parkoff 4 Panim Meirot, Jerusalem 94423 Israel Tel: 732-858-1257 Rabbi Parkoff is author of "Chizuk!" and "Trust Me!" (Feldheim
Publishers), and "Mission Possible!" (Israel Book Shop Lakewood). If you would like to correspond with Rabbi Parkoff, or change your subscription,
please contact: rabbi.e.parkoff@gmail.com Shema Yisrael Torah Network info@shemayisrael.co.il http://www.shemayisrael.co.il Jerusalem, Israel
732-370-3344

Rabbi Yehudah Prero
Who was Achashverosh?
Guest Contributor: Rabbi Yehudah Steinberg
1. It happened in the days of Achashverosh - he is [the same]
Achashverosh who ruled over a hundred and twenty-seven countries from
Hodu to Kush.
It happened in the days of Achashverosh - he is [the same] Achashverosh.
The verse is seemingly repetitive. Isnt obvious that Achashverosh is
Achashverosh? Rashi answers that the verse is telling us that
Achashverosh remained the same wicked Achashverosh from the
beginning of this story until the end. (1) Therefore, the verse says, It is
the same Achashverosh from beginning to end. These few words contain
one of the most important keys to understanding the story of the Megillah.
While reading the Megillah, we seem to see two completely different
Achashveroshes. The first Achashverosh agrees - without even the
smallest justification or provocation - to have the entire Klal Yisrael
annihilated. He even refuses remuneration for this because he is overjoyed
with the proposition. Toward the end of the Megillah, however, a second
kind of Achashverosh surfaces. This one sends official letters to help save
Klal Yisrael and gives them permission to retaliate against their enemies.
He appoints Mordechai his deputy and has Haman and his sons hung. One
may mistakenly conclude that Achashverosh really changed and that it was
as if there were two Achashveroshes - that is, he started out as an evil king
and later repented and became righteous. Even though it is very rare that
such a wicked king would repent, it is not impossible. Would this idea of
two kings be true, it would actually minimize the marvel of the miracle,
for then the entire story hinges upon the repentance of one wicked king.
The Megillah therefore tells us - in the very first verse - that Achashverosh
is the same Achashverosh from beginning to the end - an evil king and
Jew-hater he started out, and so he remained. The channel for Klal
Yisraels salvation was far more complicated and far more wondrous. A
chain of what originally seemed random events, but later became clear as
the hand of HaShem, forced this extremely powerful and evil king into
becoming a protector of a nation he truly hated. This is both the depth and
beauty of this miracle. It must be clear that since the Megillah was written
during Achashveroshs reign, while he was pretending to love Klal
Yisrael, his wickedness could not be stated clearly. Chazal, who came
much later and were able to tell us the unvarnished truth about
Achashverosh, relate that he hated Klal Yisrael as much as Haman did and
was just as happy to annihilate them. The Megillahs subtle wording made
the facts accessible to Klal Yisrael without Achashverosh realizing.
Achashveroshs own name bespeaks his wickedness, explain Chazal.
Achashverosh () means the brother of the one referred to as
rosh, (2) i.e., Nevuchadnetzar. Both were equally wicked. (3)
Nevuchadnetzar destroyed the Beis HaMikdash and Achashverosh stopped
the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash (as explained later on this verse);
Nevuchadnetzar killed a large part of Klal Yisrael and Achashverosh
wished to exterminate the entire nation. Chazal, who knew the truth, saw
that Achashverosh was as evil and wicked as the evil Nevuchadnetzar.
Rabbi Shlomo Brevda ztl explains, based on the Vilna Gaons
commentary, that this is the meaning of the verse,(4) Atzas HaShem hi
sokum - The scheme of HaShem will prevail. When HaShem
synchronizes events so that a person - of his own volition - should act
against his own will without even realizing what he is doing, this is the
greatness of HaShems plan. Indeed, only HaShems plans prevail, while
all human beings plans are constantly undergoing changes - due to their
own actions - and they remain utterly unaware of their part in the
changes.(5)
Sources:
1. Based on the Gemara in Megillah 11a.
The Mishkanos Yaakov explains that Achashverosh first invites the Jewish
nation to a banquet and then orders their annihilation. As explained later
(1:5), the purpose of the banquet was to cause the Jewish nation to sin. The
verse teaches us that he remained as wicked from the beginning until the
end. Meaning, we should view his initial friendliness, his invitation to the
banquet which was his way of prompting us to sin with the same
horror and shock as we view his desire to annihilate us. The danger of
those who cause us to sin should be no less horrifying than the threat of
those who desire our annihilation. The two are equally terrible evils.
2.The word Achashverosh () can be read brother [of],
head. In Nevuchadnetzars famous dream, he saw an idol being smashed
into pieces. (See Daniel, Chapter 2.) Daniel explained to him that the idol
represented many nations that Klal Yisrael would ultimately conquer. The
idols head represented Nevuchadnetzars kingdom of Bavel. This is why
Nevuchadnetzar is referred to as , the head.
3. Megillah 11a.
4. Yeshayahu 5:19.
5. An interesting example of this happened in recent history. About 70
years ago, the notorious Stalin ymsh was the evil ruler of the Soviet
Union. He despised the Jewish people and sent many of them to Siberia at
the beginning of World War II. Had these Jews been spared the Siberian
exile, they would have likely been killed by the Nazis ymsh. The
Germans methodical extermination of our Jewish brethren killed many
more than those who perished in the Siberian camps. And so, many of the
Jews that Stalin sent to Siberia at the beginning of World War II were
saved from the Nazis through his evil schemes. An example of this
salvation can be found in the wonderful book Behind the Ice Curtain by
Dina Gabel. It is interesting that HaShem effected a salvation for some
Jews even through the actions of such a wicked person.
Yom Tov, Copyright 2014 by Rabbi Yehudah Prero and Torah.org. The author has Rabbinic ordination from Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem, NY.
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Rabbi Ben-Zion Rand
Likutei Peshatim
trehu Volume 28 Number 22
March 8, 2014 s"ga, wc rst wu
d"k vfux :hnuhv ;s
Leaven And Honey Are Banned
No meal-offering which you shall bring to God shall be made leavened,
for you shall make no leaven, nor any honey, smoke as an offering made
by fire to God. Vayikra 2:11
Honey is a general name for the usual kind of honey, as well as honey
from dates, which is generally the honey mentioned in the Torah. It is
also used for the juice that runs from all sweet fruits. The admonition not
to burn it includes a ban not to put any of it into the compounding of the
incense. The apothecaries say that honey would be fine for the incense, but
the Torah forbade it. - Chinuch, Mitzvah 117
Sefer HaChinuch explains that the purpose of giving reasons for the
mitzvos is to educate the young and make them realize, as they begin to
learn sacred texts, that the words of the Torah have reasons and purposes,
and let them accept them in their way of learning, according to the
limitations of their intelligence. The mitzvos should not be for them, at the
beginning, like the words of a sealed book (Yeshayahu 29:11), lest they
consequently rebel against them in their youth, and then leave them
forever and go off to worthless pursuits.
The basic reasons for this particular mitzvah are too hidden to find even a
small hint of them. Yet, let us present an approach. Everything to do with
an offering is in order to bestir the thought of the person who brings it; in
accord with that deed he will acquire his conceptions in his soul.
Therefore, by keeping chametz, which is made in a long interval of time,
far removed from his offering, a person will attain the idea of acquiring the
quality of alertness, lightness and swiftness in the service of God. As
Chazal said (Avos 5:20): Be light as an eagle, swift as a deer, and strong
as a lion, to do the will of your Father in heaven.
We should explain to the children, in order to discipline them, that the
reason for the rejection of honey is to influence ones concepts so that a
person will minimize his craving for foods that are sweet to his taste, and
that one should set his heart only on foods that are beneficial to his body
and necessary to his sustenance and that uphold the health of his limbs.
Another reason for the ban on leaven and honey is that leaven rises, and
honey similarly rises greatly when it is boiling. Hence they were rejected,
to imply that an abomination to God is everyone who is high and proud in
heart. (Mishlei 16:5) Moreover, the Ramban wrote that because the
offerings are for the good will of God, those things that have a strong
power to change states of nature are not to be brought. So, also, should
utterly sweet things, such as honey, not be brought. Rather, only tempered,
balanced substances should be brought, as Chazal said, In the creation of
the world, God joined the quality of mercy with the quality of justice.
(Bereshis Rabba 12:15)
Of The Finest And Of The Best
And the Kohen shall cause them to go up in smoke on the Altar - the
food of the fire for a satisfying aroma, all the choice parts for God.
Vayikra 3:16
If all kinds of oil were valid for meal-offerings, why did the Sages rank
their quality? It was so that one would know which was the very best,
which were intermediate in value, and which was the least valuable, so
that he who wished to earn merit for himself might bend his greedy
inclination and broaden his generosity and bring an offering from the
finest, from the very best of the species that he was bringing. Behold, it is
said in the Torah: And Hevel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock
and of the fat thereof. And Hashem had respect for Hevel and for his
offering. (Bereshis 4:4)
The same principle applies to everything which is done for the sake of
Hashem; namely, that it should be of the finest and of the best. If one
20 ":\D up trcdk trcd ihc
builds a house of prayer, it should be finer than his private dwelling. If he
feeds the hungry, he should give him of the best and of the sweetest of his
table. If he clothes the naked, he should give him of the finest of his
garments. Hence, if he consecrated something to Hashem, he ought to give
of the best of his possessions. Thus, the Torah states: All the choice parts
for God. -- Rambam Hilchos Isurei HaMizbeach 7:11
Sefer Likutei Yehudah relates the following story, where we see an
example of how a mitzvah can be completed with a full heart and in the
best way. Once, in conversing with Rabbi Avrohom Mordechai Alter,
ztl, the Gerer Rebbe, a chassid mentioned that someone had apparently
stolen his tefillin, and that he was temporarily unable to do the mitzvah.
The Rebbe offered his Rashi tefillin to the man to use, but he asked him to
be extremely careful with them, for they were the pair which he had
received from his father, the Sfas Emes. This was his inheritance, since he
was the first-born. The Rebbe also pointed out that he only had one pair of
Rabbeinu Tam tefillin, but when he would get another, he would furnish
the chassid with a second pair as well.
The chassid was flabbergasted, and although he thanked the Rebbe, he
admitted that he felt unworthy to don such a holy pair of tefillin. The
Rebbe, noticing his reluctance, then referred the chassid to another of his
attendants, and a different pair of tefillin was furnished for the man to
wear.
The Rebbe was later asked how he was willing to offer his precious pair of
tefillin to the chassid. He certainly could have helped out the unfortunate
man by providing a simple pair, rather than the most rare and the holiest
ones he owned. The Rebbe responded with the words of Rambam cited
above. There is no question that in performing a chessed, one should be
prepared to provide the finest and the best of his possessions to
accomplish the mitzvah for the sake of Hashem.
The Sin Of The Kohen Gadol
When a leader sins. Vayikra 4:22
In Verse 3, the Torah says: If the annointed Kohen will sin, bringing guilt
upon the people. Rashi explains that when the Kohen Gadol sins, the
whole nation has sinned, for they rely on him to daven for them, and now
he has sinned and his davening on their behalf will not be as potent. What
is the difference between the Kohen Gadol and the king?
Sefer Meged Yosef suggests that perhaps the answer lies in a Gemara in
Brachos (34b). Rabbi Yochanan ben Zackai had a son who was ill. He
asked Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa to daven for his son. He explained that the
prayers of Rabbi Chanina would be more effective than his own, for Rabbi
Chanina was like a servant before the king and that he (Rabbi Yochanan)
is like an officer. This means that although the officer is more important
and more esteemed, the servant spends more time with the King (in this
parable, this refers to Hashem), and he comes and goes as he pleases. The
officer, however, must knock before entering the kings chambers.
Ultimately, the prayers of the servant are more effective that those of the
officer. The nature of Rabbi Chaninas relationship with Hashem was
different from that of Rabbi Yochanan.
Likewise, the king was greater in Torah than the Kohen Gadol. He
therefore was more honorable. For him to admit his sins and offer
korbanos was a great accomplishment. Furthermore, his prayers were not
so much for himself as for the nation. Therefore, a king who sinned and
publicly acknowledged it was a credit to his generation.
The Kohen Gadon was like a servant before the king. He ultimately had a
more intimate relationship with Hashem. His prayers were very potent and
the nation relied upon them. Furthermore, the Kohen Gadol was not so
esteemed as the king, so for him to admit to any wrongdoing was not such
a bold action. Hence his sin was a detriment to the people.
Teshuvah Is All-Encompassing
And it shall be that he will sin and become guilty, and he will return the
robbed item that he robbed. Vayikra 5:23
The rule is that one who violates a negative commandment is administered
lashes as a punishment. This rule actually applies in 207 out of 365
negative commandments. Among the exceptions are sins in a category
where the negative commandment is directly associated with a positive
commandment which should be fulfilled to correct the situation. For
example, stealing is a negative commandment. However, if one steals, the
Torah prescribes a mitzvah to return the stolen object. Therefore, a robber
is not dealt lashes, for he now is presented the mitzvah to return the object.
Rambam learns that the mitzvah of teshuvah is a positive commandment
that must be done whenever a sin is committed. Accordingly, Chida
points out that every negative commandment is therefore associated with a
positive mitzvah - to do teshuva - and there should never be a case where
lashes are appropriate. The explanation is based upon another rule.
Whenever a verse which teaches a negative commandment is written
generally, in that we learn many laws from one phrase (,IkkfCJutk), no
lashes are meted out for any of those particular sins. Because many laws
are all derived from one verse, no one of those sins is severe enough to
earn lashes. Here also, teshuvah is a general and all-encompassing
mitzvah. However, this very strength is the reason why it is not considered
the type of positive commandment to release any particular negative
commandment from receiving lashes.
Halachic Corner
When discussing the mitzvah of Mishloach Manos, the Mishna Brura
brings an opinion which debates whether one must appoint a shaliach in
order to perform the mitzvah. The doubt stems from the fact that the
Megilla uses the term "jIkJn" when discussing the mitzvah. This term
usually denotes sending with an agent. Rav Yisrael Pesach Feinhandler, in
his vpJh hbct rpx, gives several reasons why one would not have to appoint
an agent to perform the mitzvah. First of all, it is not logical that there
should be a mitzvah that can only be performed by an agent, and not by
the person himself. Furthermore, the mitzvah of ohbIhctk ,IbTn - giving
tzeddakah to the poor on Purim - can be done without an agent even
though the highest form of charity is giving with an agent so that the
receiver does not know the source of the tzeddakah. Therefore, in the case
of Mishloach Manos, where giving with an agent does not enhance the
mitzvah, it should not be a requirement.
The Chasam Sofer says that the reason for this mitzvah is to bring people
together through the giving of presents to each other. This is accomplished
when everyone goes to the homes of their friends to deliver the goods
personally. However, if one wants to use a shaliach he may do so. Some
poskim say that one can even fulfill the mitzvah by using a minor or a non-
Jew as his agent.
Questions for Thought and Study
1. Why does the Torah discuss the bringing of cattle ("vnvCv in") in Pasuk
1:2, when later other types of offerings are discussed as well? See Ramban
1:2
2. How was the preparation of large animals different from the preparation
of small animals? Which word indicates this? See Chizkuni 1:8
3. Why specifically are the rT (turtledove) and the vbIh (dove) used for bird
sacrifices? See Ramban 1:14
4. Why when discussing a Korban Olah is the term "Jpb" (soul) used only
regarding a vjbn sacrifice? See Rashi 2:1
5. Why is the term "Jpb" (soul) used specifically regarding the ,tyj (sin
offering)? See Ramban 4:2
6. Why in connection with the Kohen Gadol is the burnt incense called
ohnxv ,rye" (incense of the spices), yet in the next section it is only
called the ",rye" ? See Baal HaTurim 4:7
Answers:
1. This extra mention of vnvC is to exclude wild animals (vhj) and other
types of animals from a flock that are not mentioned here as well.
2. Regarding vnvC (large animals) the word "Ufrgu" (and they should
prepare) is used, indicating that the preparation was done by more than
one person. Regarding itm (sheep), the word "Qrgu" is used, indicating that
it was small enough for an individual to take care of it.
3. Both of these species are common and easy to catch. The adult
turtledoves are used as they are chaste and dedicated to their mate. So, too,
Bnei Yisrael should be dedicated and remain attached to Hashem. Doves
are very jealous. So they are sacrificed when they are young, before their
heavy jealousy (and destruction) kicks in.
4. A vjbn has the hbg ,jbn - the poor persons sacrifice. Hashem considers
that when someone gives even if he is poor it is as if he is sacrificing his
own soul.
5. Ramban explains that a person sins from evil thoughts. A persons
thoughts all begin in the Jpb - the soul. Therefore, a person brings a ,tyj
to help cleanse his soul from these impure thoughts.
6. The Kohen Gadol became wealthy (See Yoma 26a) by bringing the
,rye , so he could afford a ,rye of ohnx (spices). Everyone else brought a
regular ,rye.
Likutei Peshatim is endowed by Les & Ethel Sutker in loving memory of Max and Mary Sutker and Louis and Lillian Klein, v"g. May their memory
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Respectfully

Rabbi Mordechai Rhine
Rabbi's Message
G-d's Secret
Parshas Vayikra describes the system of sacrificial offerings, including the
offerings of atonement. The Torah describes how a person may sometimes
fail in his service of G-d and how he can rise up once again to restore his
relationship. There are many lessons to be learned from the mitzvah of
atonement. One of the most important lessons is that it is indeed possible
for a person to make a mistake.
From the earliest times the human condition was a confusing one. When
G-d was about to create mankind He courteously asked the angels their
opinion. The angels looked at the destiny of mankind and said, Dont
bother creating man. His story is one full of error.
Yet, G-d did create mankind despite mans tendency to make mistakes. G-
d understood clearly that in mankind He was not creating angels. He knew
":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 21
that He was creating human beings. Free choice, and the potential for
human error, is what makes success in life so treasureable.
The system of atonement is based on the awareness that human beings
sometimes make mistakes. G-d knows that secret. We would do well to
remember that secret as well.
There is a humorous story told of a woman who came to a Rabbi with a
problem. She said, Rabbi, help me. My son is crazy.
After declaring repeatedly how her son was a meshugeneh, she finally
explained. My son is truly crazy. He eats pig meat and dances with non-
Jewish women.
The Rabbi responded, Your son is not crazy. If he would eat non-Jewish
women and dance with pigs, that would be crazy. But what he is doing is a
human failing. We have much experience in helping people out of such
behavior.
Too often we dont take the human component into account when we
assess ourselves. I admire people who strive for perfection. Yet, there are
people who not only strive for perfection, but truly expect everything to be
perfect. One wonders if they have not forgotten that they are human.
I recall, for example, reading an article in a Jewish periodical which I felt
was very well written. I was so touched that I obtained the authors phone
number and called him to thank him for writing the article. His response
shocked me. He said, Yes, it was a nice article. But did you see the typo
in the second paragraph. It really ticked me off that they printed it like
that.
I paused. I wondered. Can a person strive for perfection so badly that he
forgets that he is human?
Sometimes we dont allow ourselves the luxury of being human.
Sometimes we dont even allow others the luxury of being human.
I once attended a Bar Mitzvah at which the Bar Mitzvah boy read
beautifully from the Torah, but he made two mistakes. The mistakes were
noticed immediately, and he corrected them.
When the president got up to wish Mazal Tov he said, and I would like to
compliment Micheal on that perfect, or, well, almost perfect reading of the
Torah. I cringed. To my way of thinking, it was a perfect reading. As a
human being, all of thirteen years old, if he reads beautifully, and corrects
his two mistakes smoothly and professionally, then it is a perfect reading.
The angels looked at the human being through angel eyes. They saw
human failings and said to G-d, Mankind isnt worth your trouble.
But G-d had a secret. G-d knew that human beings were created as human
beings, not as angels. Life allows for atonement. Life is a growing process.
Too often we forget G-ds secret: that human beings are human.
So the next time you set out to do good, dont give up as the angels did at
the first sight of imperfection. Treasure goodness, even if it is imperfect
goodness. Remember G-ds secret. Allow yourself the luxury of being
human.
With best wishes for a wonderful Shabbos!
Rabbi Mordechai Rhine is the Rav of Southeast Hebrew Congregation- Knesset Yehoshua in Silver Spring, MD. He is also the Director of
TEACH613, which promotes Torah and mitzvah education through classes and virtual media. Rabbi Rhine has received semicha from Rabbi Berel
Wein, and Rabbi Shmuel Meir Katz, and holds a Masters in Educational Leadership from Bellevue University. Rabbi Rhine's "Take Ten for Talmud"
ten minute audio program based on Daf Hayomi is available by free e-mail subscription. His book, "The Magic of Shabbos," and the Perek Shirah
Collection CD Series are available in Judaica stores, and through www.teach613.org. He can be contacted at RMRhine@teach613.org 2014, Rabbi
Mordechai Rhine and TEACH613TM

Rabbi Elyakim Rosenblatt
Yeshiva Kesser Torah
A Commentary Published by Yeshiva Kesser Torah of Queens
Vayikra - It Is Worthwhile To Deny Ourselves Precious Spiritual
Growth In Order Not To Cause Pain Even To An Animal.
"If any man of you bring an offering to the Lord..." (Vayikra 1:2)"
The Ramban (VaYikra 1:9) explains that one of the reasons that sacrifices are
brought, is that they serve as a visual aid to enhance a person's ability to do
Teshuvah. Every aspect of bringing the Korban has deep significance. When
the Semicha, the pressing of hands on the animal's forehead is performed, this
corresponds to the sins of the individuals actions. The Vidui, verbal
confession, corresponds to his evil speech, and the burning of the innards and
kidneys of the animal - the instruments of thought and desire in the human
being - correspond to his inner thoughts and temptations. The burning of the
legs of the offering corresponds to the hands and feet that do the evil deeds.
The blood that is sprinkled upon the altar is compared to the blood in his own
body. All these acts are done so that the person who brought the korban should
realize that he has sinned with his entire body and soul. In reality, it is his
blood that should have been spilled, and it is his body that should have been
burned, if not for the loving kindness of Hashem who granted him a substitute.
This offering is his replacement. Its blood is in place of his blood. It's life is in
exchange for his life. The Ramban later explains that the very word Korban
comes from Karov- connoting the act of coming closer to G-D.
Similarly, the Sephorno explains that this posuk, "Odom Ki Yakriv Michem..."
actually means sacrificing of yourself, with vidui, confession, and submission
to the will of Hashem. Thus we see from both the Ramban and the Sephorno
that when one brought a Korban, it was a veritable "Yom Kippur" for him.
It was a time for Teshuvah and Cheshbon HaNefesh, introspective calculation.
It was a time for intense thinking and earnest spiritual elevation. It was a
time for achieving Dvaikus Bashem, fusing oneself entirely with G-D.
Yet in the midst of being utterly absorbed and engrossed in this great spiritual
ascension, we find that the Torah makes certain demands of him. The Baal
HaTurim (VaYikra 2:3) says that VeSamach Yado, the requirement of
pressing hands on the head of the animal with all one's strength, is only
applicable to a large animal. In contrast, when, the offering is a smaller,
weaker animal, the Torah states, "VeSamach Es Yado," to push down with
less pressure, in order not to cause pain to these animals. Thus, the Torah
demands that in the midst of this monumental elevation of kedusha, climbing
ever so close to Hashem through the strongest feelings of Teshuvah, the
individual must push down only moderately upon the head of this animal, in
order not to cause it pain.
The is mystifying. Is a person, then, capable of concentrating on both of these
acts simultaneously? Can a person so thoroughly engrossed in devoting
himself wholeheartedly to the spiritual elevation he is currently experiencing
take special care to avoid causing pain to the animal while pressing his hands
lightly on the animal's head? Is a person capable of "being up in the
heavens" and down on earth at the same time?
Furthermore, is it worthwhile for the Torah to demand of a person in the
midst of this great spiritual ascension to interrupt this greatest and holiest of
experiences, simply to avoid causing pain to this animal? Especially since
momentarily this animal will be slaughtered anyway! Isn't the act of
specifically avoiding hurt to the animal rather trivial in light of the
significance of every precious second of spiritual growth and Teshuvah that
would be lost in breaking this momentum?
Clearly, we see from here that since the Torah does demand of a person so
enraptured in this great spiritual ascension to take care not to hurt this animal
by pressing too hard upon him, that a person does indeed have the capability
of focusing his attention on both of these very important yet diverse acts. If
this were not so, the Torah would never have required it.
We also see that the Torah teaches us that it is worthwhile to interrupt this
holiest of acts, and deny ourselves precious spiritual growth in order not to
cause tzaar even to an animal... even to an animal that will be slaughtered,
momentarily.
If this principle is true even for an animal, how much more so must we be
concerned not to cause pain to a human being, no matter how preoccupied
we are; as can be illustrated with a story about Rabbi Yisroel Salanter. Once,
during the days approaching Yom Kippur, Reb Yisroel while walking in the
streets of the city, greeted a very pious individual, only to be ignored by him.
The pious man was so deep in thought concentrating on the impending Yom
HaDin, that he was oblivious to the trivialities of greeting, and acknowledging
the presence of another human being. Reb Yisroel remarked, "Because he is
concerned with theYom HaDin, am I at fault?" The fact is that causing
someone else pain can never be trivial.
May Hashem grant us the wisdom and understanding to realize the
tremendous importance of never ever causing pain to another human being.
Amen
These weekly Parsha sheets are based on Shmuessin delivered at Yeshiva Kesser Torah by HaRav ElyakimG. Rosenblatt, Shlita, Rosh HaYeshiva. This Shmuess is
adapted from a Shmuess of Maran HaGaon HaRav Henach Leibowitz, ZTL. Yeshiva Kesser Torah, 72-11 Vleigh Place, Flushing, NY 11367. (718) 793-2890.
YeshivaKesserTorah@gmail.com. For other Shiurimby Harav Rosenblatt Shlita, login to YeshivaKesserTorah.org For telephone shiurimcall Kol Halashon at 718-
395-2440. press 1 1 30 for Shiruimand 1 4 32 for Chassidic Gems

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
Covenant & Conversation
Vayikra - The Sins of a Leader
8 March, 2014 / 6 Adar Sheini, 5774
Leaders make mistakes. That is inevitable. So, strikingly, our parsha
implies. The real issue is how he or she responds to those mistakes.
The point is made by the Torah in a very subtle way. Our parsha deals
with sin offerings to be brought when people have made mistakes. The
technical term for this is shegagah, meaning inadvertent wrongdoing.(1)
You did something, not knowing it was forbidden, either because you
forgot or did not know the law, or because you were unaware of certain
facts. You may, for instance, have carried something in a public place on
Shabbat, either because you did not know it was forbidden to carry, or
because you forgot it was Shabbat.
The Torah prescribes different sin offerings, depending on who made the
mistake. It enumerates four categories. First is the High Priest, second is
the whole community (understood to mean the great Sanhedrin, the
Supreme Court), a third is the leader (nasi), and the fourth is an ordinary
individual.
In three of the four cases, the law is introduced by the word im, if if
such a person commits a sin. In the case of the leader, however, the law is
prefaced by the word asher, when. It is possible that a High Priest, the
Supreme Court or an individual may err. But in the case of a leader, it is
probable or even certain. Leaders make mistakes. It is the occupational
hazard of their role. Talking about the sin of a nasi, the Torah uses the
word when, not if.
Nasi is the generic word for a leader: a ruler, king, judge, elder or prince.
Usually it refers to the holder of political power. In Mishnaic times, the
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Nasi, the most famous of whom were leaders from the family of Hillel,
had a quasi-governmental role as representative of the Jewish people to the
Roman government. Rabbi Moses Sofer (Bratislava, 1762-1839) in one of
his responsa(2) examines the question of why, when positions of Torah
leadership are never dynastic, passed from father to son, the role of Nasi
was an exception. Often it did pass from father to son. The answer he
gives, and it is historically insightful, is that with the decline of monarchy
in the Second Temple period and thereafter, the Nasi took on many of the
roles of a king. His role, internally and externally, was as much political
and diplomatic as religious. That in general is what is meant by the word
Nasi.
Why does the Torah consider this type of leadership particularly prone to
error? The commentators offer three possible explanations. R. Ovadiah
Sforno cites the phrase But Yeshurun waxed fat, and kicked (Deut. 32:
15). Those who have advantages over others, whether of wealth or power,
can lose their moral sense. Rabbenu Bachya agrees, suggesting that rulers
tend to become arrogant and haughty. Implicit in these commentators it
is in fact a major theme of Tenakh as a whole is the idea later stated by
Lord Acton in the aphorism, Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power
corrupts absolutely.(3)
R. Elie Munk, citing the Zohar, offers a second explanation. The High
Priest and the Sanhedrin were in constant contact with the holy. They lived
in a world of ideals. The king or political ruler, by contrast, was involved
in secular affairs: war and peace, the administration of government, and
international relations. He was more likely to sin because his day to day
concerns were not religious but pragmatic.(4)
R. Meir Simcha ha-Cohen of Dvinsk(5) points out that a king was
especially vulnerable to being led astray by popular sentiment. Neither a
priest nor a judge in the Sanhedrin were answerable to the people. The
king, however, relied on popular support. Without that he could be
deposed. But this is laden with risk. Doing what the people want is not
always doing what God wants. That, R. Meir Simcha argues, is what led
David to order a census (2 Samuel 24), and Zedekiah to ignore the advice
of Jeremiah and rebel against the king of Babylon (2 Chronicles 36). Thus,
for a whole series of reasons, a political leader is more exposed to
temptation and error than a priest or judge.
There are further reasons.(6) One is that politics is an arena of conflict. It
deals in matters specifically wealth and power that are in the short term
zero-sum games. The more I have, the less you have. Seeking to maximise
the benefits to myself or my group, I come into conflict with others who
seek to maximise benefits to themselves or their group. The politics of free
societies is always conflict-ridden. The only societies where there is no
conflict are tyrannical or totalitarian ones in which dissenting voices are
suppressed and Judaism is a standing protest against tyranny. So in a free
society, whatever course a politician takes, it will please some and anger
others. From this, there is no escape.
Politics involves difficult judgements. A leader must balance competing
claims, and will sometimes get it wrong. One example one of the most
fateful in Jewish history occurred after the death of King Solomon.
People came to his son and successor, Rehoboam, complaining that
Solomon had imposed unsustainable burdens on the population,
particularly during the building of the Temple. Led by Jeroboam, they
asked the new king to reduce the burden. Rehoboam asked his fathers
counsellors for advice. They told him to concede to the peoples demand.
Serve them, they said, and they will serve you. Rehoboam however turned
to his own friends, who told him the opposite. Reject the request. Show the
people you are a strong leader who cannot be intimidated.(7)
It was disastrous advice, and the result was tragic. The kingdom split in
two, the ten northern tribes following Jeroboam, leaving only the southern
tribes, generically known as Judah, loyal to the king. For Israel as a
people in its own land, it was the beginning of the end. Always a small
people surrounded by large and powerful empires, it needed unity, high
morale and a strong sense of destiny to survive. Divided, it was only a
matter of time before both nations, Israel in the north, Judah in the south,
fell to other powers.
The reason leaders as opposed to judges and priests cannot avoid
making mistakes is that there is no textbook that infallibly teaches you
how to lead. Priests and judges follow laws. For leadership there are no
laws because every situation is unique. As Isaiah Berlin put it in his essay,
Political Judgement,(8) in the realm of political action, there are few
laws and what is needed instead is skill in reading a situation. Successful
statesmen do not think in general terms. Instead they grasp the unique
combination of characteristics that constitute this particular situation this
and no other. Berlin compares this to the gift possessed by great novelists
like Tolstoy and Proust.(9) Applying inflexible rules to a constantly
shifting political landscape destroys societies. Communism was like that.
In free societies, people change, culture changes, the world beyond a
nations borders does not stand still. So a politician will find that what
worked a decade or a century ago does not work now. In politics it is easy
to get it wrong, hard to get it right.
There is one more reason why leadership is so challenging. It is alluded to
by the mishnaic sage, R. Nehemiah, commenting on the verse, My son, if
you have put up security for your neighbour, if you have struck your hand
in pledge for another (Proverbs 6:1):
So long as a man is an associate [i.e. concerned only with personal piety],
he need not be concerned with the community and is not punished on
account of it. But once a man has been placed at the head and has donned
the cloak of office, he may not say: I have to look after my welfare, I am
not concerned with the community. Instead, the whole burden of
communal affairs rests on him. If he sees a man doing violence to his
fellow, or committing a transgression, and does not seek to prevent him, he
is punished on account of him, and the holy spirit cries out: My son, if
you have put up security for your neighbour meaning, you are
responsible for him . . You have entered the gladiatorial arena, and he who
enters the arena is either conquered or conquers.(10)
A private individual is responsible only for his own sins. A leader is held
responsible for the sins of the people he leads: at least those he might have
prevented.(11) With power comes responsibility: the greater the power, the
greater the responsibility.
There are no universal rules, there is no failsafe textbook, for leadership.
Every situation is different and each age brings its own challenges. A
ruler, in the best interests of his or her people, may sometimes have to take
decisions that a conscientious individual would shrink from doing in
private life. He may have to decide to wage a war, knowing that some will
die. He may have to levy taxes, knowing that this will leave some
impoverished. Only after the event will the leader know whether the
decision was justified, and it may depend on factors beyond his control.
The Jewish approach to leadership is thus an unusual combination of
realism and idealism realism in its acknowledgement that leaders
inevitably make mistakes, idealism in its constant subordination of politics
to ethics, power to responsibility, pragmatism to the demands of
conscience. What matters is not that leaders never get it wrong that is
inevitable, given the nature of leadership but that they are always
exposed to prophetic critique and that they constantly study Torah to
remind themselves of transcendent standards and ultimate aims. The most
important thing from a Torah perspective is that a leader is sufficiently
honest to admit his mistakes. Hence the significance of the sin offering.
Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai summed it up with a brilliant double-
entendre on the word asher, When a leader sins. He relates it to the word
ashrei, happy, and says:
Happy is the generation whose leader is willing to bring a sin offering for
his mistakes.(12)
Leadership demands two kinds of courage: the strength to take a risk, and
the humility to admit when a risk fails.
1. Lev. 4: 1-35.
2. Responsa Chatam Sofer, Orach Chayyim, 12.
3. This famous phrase comes from a letter written by Lord Acton in 1887.
See Martin H. Manser, and Rosalind Fergusson, The Facts on File
Dictionary of Proverbs, New York, Facts on File, 2002, 225.
4. Elie Munk, The Call of the Torah, Vayikra, New York, Mesorah, 1992,
33.
5. Meshekh Chokhmah to Lev. 4: 21-22.
6. This, needless to say, is not the plain sense of the text. The sins for
which leaders brought an offering were spiritual offences, not errors of
political judgment.
7. 1 Kings 12: 1-15.
8. Isaiah Berlin, The Sense of Reality, Chatto and Windus, 1996, 40-53.
9. Incidentally, this answers the point made by political philosopher
Michael Walzer in his book on the politics of the Bible, In God's Shadow.
He is undeniably right to point out that political theory, so significant in
ancient Greece, is almost completely absent from the Hebrew Bible. I
would argue, and so surely would Isaiah Berlin, that there is a reason for
this. In politics there are few general laws, and the Hebrew Bible is
interested in laws. But when it comes to politics to Israels kings for
example it does not give laws but instead tells stories.
10. Exodus Rabbah, 27: 9.
11. Whoever can prevent the members of his household from sinning and
does not, is seized for the sins of his household. If he can prevent his
fellow citizens and does not, he is seized for the sins of his fellow citizens.
If he can prevent the whole world from sinning, and does not, he is seized
for the sins of the whole world (Shabbat 54b).
12. Tosefta Baba Kamma, 7: 5.
About Rabbi Sacks: Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks is a global religious leader, philosopher, the
author of more than 25 books, and moral voice for our time. Until 1st September 2013 he
served as Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, having held
the position for 22 years. Copyright 2013 The Office of Rabbi Sacks, All rights reserved. The
Office of Rabbi Sacks is supported by The Covenant & Conversation Trust The Office of Rabbi
Sacks PO Box 72007 London, NW6 6RW United Kingdom

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Rabbi A. Leib Scheinbaum
Peninim on the Torah
Parshas Vayikra
He called to Moshe. (1:1)
The summons to Moshe Rabbeinu, Vayikra, is spelled with a diminutive
aleph, which allows the word to be read as Vayikar, which means "and he
chanced upon." Chazal give the background for the alternate spelling.
When Hashem called Moshe, it was not a subtle sound which only he
could hear. The sound of Hashem calling Moshe was resounding, traveling
all the way from within the Holy of Holies to the outside of the Tent. Yet,
no one else heard - not even Aharon HaKohen. It was the same sound that
Klal Yisrael heard at Har Sinai when Hashem gave the Torah. This time,
however, no one but Moshe heard. Not wanting to call attention to himself,
Moshe asked Hashem to use the word, Vayikar, which would indicate
subtlety and a chance meeting. Hashem disagreed, since this is the word
which the Torah uses to describe His meeting with the evil Bilaam. Moshe
begged Hashem to recant, "Please indicate that I found it difficult to write
Vayikra and that I obeyed solely because it was Your command." Hashem
acquiesced - partially - by having Moshe write Vayikra with a miniature
aleph, to imply a dual meaning.
Is this the only place in the Torah in which Hashem called to Moshe? We
find earlier, in Sefer Shemos (19:20, 24:116), that Hashem called Moshe
during the Revelation at Har Sinai, and the aleph appears to be unaltered.
Horav Yitzchak, zl, m'Varkah, explains that, at Har Sinai, all of the Jewish
People heard Hashem's voice. When others also heard, and Moshe asked to
be humbly diminished - it did not demonstrate humility. On the contrary,
when everyone is watching, it reflects subtle arrogance to call attention to
one's desire to be minimized. There is a time and place for humility.
Misplaced humility suggests subtle arrogance.
In an alternative exposition concerning the diminution of the aleph of
Vayikra to create Vayikar, the Likutei Basar Likutei explains that Hashem
is constantly calling out to us via the medium of Vayikar, incidents, which
should catch our attention. At first, Hashem begins with a simple incident.
If we are spiritually cognizant that life has purpose and that absolutely
nothing "just happens," we will immediately take the matter to heart and
change whatever needs to be corrected in our life. If, however, our
spiritual cognition is more on the obtuse level, we will require less subtle
and more blatant occurrences to awaken us. The bottom line is that we
may not look at any occurrence - regardless of how small - as being a
chance incident. A great person takes notes from the most simple Vayikar;
he understands that this Vayikar is actually a Vayikra.
The Yalkut Meam Loez, quoted by Horav Shlomo Levinstein, Shlita,
offers a powerful analogy that underscores this idea. A group of hunters
were successful in surrounding their intended target: a fox. A cunning
animal, the fox understood that it was over. He had essentially been
caught. His head would soon adorn someone's fireplace. He felt that the
only way to avoid certain death was to feign death. The hunters might
believe that they had succeeded, so that they would continue on about their
business and seek out some other hapless animal.
All was going well until one of the hunters declared that he would like the
fox's tail as a souvenir. Hearing this, the fox knew that the process of
obtaining his tail would incur excruciating pain, during which the fox
could not reveal that he was alive. He suffered immense pain - in silence -
as the hunter separated him from his tail. Better to be a tailless fox than a
dead fox. Another hunter wanted the fox's tooth as a good-luck souvenir.
Removing the tooth without novocaine was difficult for the fox, but he
was not going to let the hunters know that he was still alive. He would
suffer in silence. Even this was better than death. Little by little, each
hunter wanted a "piece" of the fox. Each time, the broken and torn fox kept
his silence and feigned death. Finally, one of the hunters said that he
wanted the fox's head for his mantle. This was going too far. This meant
death.
The fox decided to jump up and frighten the hunters. During the initial
moments of fear, he would escape. His plan worked, and he escaped - a
broken, blind, limping, bloodied fox - but he was alive. The fox now
realized that had he taken the offensive right from the beginning, he might
have circumvented all of the pain.
This is the story of life. Hashem sends us subtle messages in the guise of
various incidents, which take their toll on us financially, emotionally and
physically. If we would wake up early enough and realize that these are
not simply isolated occurrences, but rather, messages from Hashem, we
would spare ourselves much pain and anguish.
When a man among you brings an offering to Hashem. (1:2)
The service of offering Korbanos, sacrifices to Hashem, was given to Klal
Yisrael. It is a holy service designated for a holy people. Korbanos,
however, are not designated solely for the Jewish People. Anyone -
regardless of faith - may bring a korban. Indeed, we read in Parashas Emor
(Vayikra 22:18), "Speak to Aharon and his sons and to all of Bnei Yisrael
and say to them: Any man of the House of Yisrael and of the geirim,
proselytes among Yisrael, who will bring his offering for any of their vows
or their free-will offerings that they will bring to Hashem for an elevation
offering." The Talmud Menachos 73b derives from the redundancy of the
word ish, man (ish ish), which we translate as "any man," that a gentile
may also bring a korban to the Bais Hamikdash.
There is, however, a fundamental difference between the korban that a Jew
brings and that which a gentile brings: the korban of a non-Jew is locked
into the Korban Olah, Burnt-offering/Elevation-offering category. Even if
the gentile articulates his clear intention to offer a Korban Shelamim,
Peace-offering, it remains an Olah - a korban which is completely burnt.
No one partakes of a Korban Olah. The reason for this is that we "say" the
gentile's intention was for Hashem; he wanted to contribute a sacrifice
totally for Hashem. When a Jew, however, states that the korban is a
Shelamim, it will become a Shelamim. This is problematic, since Chazal
seem to imply that a gentile's intention is more likely to be for Hashem
than that of a Jew, whose intention might be for a Shelamim - which
allows him to eat of the korban's flesh. This is inconsistent with a number
of statements which Chazal make in which they say that a gentile's
intention is not necessarily for Hashem. An ulterior motive seems to
underlie their overt intentions l'shem Shomayim, for the sake of Heaven.
Horav Aryeh Leib Bakst, zl, explains the disparity and teaches us an
important principle concerning Jewish dogma in contradistinction to that
of other religions. Religion and spirituality can certainly be found in the
non-Jewish world. In fact, it is one of the non-Jewish world's greatest areas
of commerce. A basic principle distinguishes the two: Spirituality and
physicality; holy and mundane do not mix - ever! When a gentile is
involved in spiritual discourse, he has no room to include anything
physical/material. Like water and oil, the two do not mix together. They
are opposites; hence, they must each retain their own individuality. To mix
the mundane with the sacred is to profane the sacred. Likewise, when they
are immersed in their physical dimension - it is all physical, all material -
with no room for anything sacred to integrate. They drink for pleasure.
Nothing is sacred about drinking; is it any wonder that in all areas of
physicality, they can descend to the nadir of depravity to carry out their
base desires?
Jewish dogma is in total contradistinction to this line of thinking. Every
moment of a Jewish person's life is devoted to Hashem. How is this?
Considering our occupation with the worldly, material and physical
aspects of life - how can we say that we are always engaged in avodas
Hashem, service to the Almighty? It is because we do not believe in a
dichotomy between the physical and spiritual. Our entire physical
dimension is governed by halachah. From the moment we arise in the
morning, until we retire to bed at night, halachah is our spiritual/moral
compass. Everything that we do must pass muster in accordance with
halachic guidelines. Everything we do is focused on kavod Shomayim,
enhancing the glory of Heaven.
Therefore, the concept of a Korban Shelamim, which might be viewed as a
spiritual hybrid - with the owner partaking of its flesh, and the Sanctuary
receiving its due when the Kohanim consume their portion - suggests that
their eating effects atonement from the owner. It is all based on one's
intention. With the proper kavanah, intention, one is able to sanctify the
mundane, elevate the physical and transform it into a completely different
entity. By elevating the mundane objects and activities in life to a higher
spiritual purpose, we are sanctifying them.
This is the incredible power of a Jew. We can take something which is
chullin, secular, and, through a simple declaration, make it Terumah,
Maaser, a korban - something so holy that it is no longer permissible to be
eaten by just anyone. When one ponders this awesome power, he should
be invested with a feeling of great pride.
In a number of his Maamarim, Horav Yitzchak Hutner, zl, discusses the
performance of multiple activities - some secular, some spiritual - and their
place in a unified vision of life. The Rosh Yeshivah quotes a question
posed to him by a student who felt that his choice of a secular career
bespoke that he was living a double life. It seems from the letter that the
student, having recently left the walls of the bais hamedrash, was having
difficulty reconciling himself with his "new life." Rav Hutner explains that
he is against leading a double life, but asserts that a secular life does not,
by definition, necessarily imply a dual life. We can consider the concept of
a broad life, which is different from a double life.
One who rents a room in a hotel, yet owns a house, switching off between
both domiciles, leads a double life. One who rents multiple rooms in one
hotel, however, is living a broad life. Engaging in various activities does
not, in and of itself, indicate a duality. As long as all of the activities are
components within one unified vision, the varied elements are consistent
in conforming to one direction in life, or approach to life, the person lives
a broad - rather than double - life.
Rav Hutner relates that he once witnessed Dr. Wallach, the German
immigrant physician who played a leading role in the establishment of
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Shaarei Tzedek Hospital, shortly before surgery. The doctor asked the
patient for his Hebrew name and that of his mother, so that he could recite
Tehillim on his behalf. Dr. Wallach was not leading a double life. The
human effort of reciting Tehillim and medical intervention are not
incongruous with one another. They both allude to the belief that the end
result is up to Hashem. They are two varied approaches with one common
vision - to achieve a successful outcome for the patient. The sacred
sanctifies the secular, if they share one vision united by belief in Divine
Providence. Thus, we are able to sanctify the mundane aspects of our lives.
And if a Korban Shelamim is his offering. (3:1)
The Korban Shelamim is defined as a Peace-offering. The word shelamim
is derived from shalem, implying a state of completeness, of perfection,
when used in connection with a human being. Shalem denotes that the
person is in such a state that he does not feel a flaw in any part of his life.
He feels complete. He lacks for nothing. Understandably, shalem is a
relative concept, since it primarily describes an object in relation to all of
its parts, or a person in relation to the circumstances and surroundings in
which he lives.
Horav S. R. Hirsch, zl, observes that shalem is that state of affairs in which
no component of a person or thing detracts from any of the others, but
rather, in which each component is complemented in and through all of the
others. Shalom is not merely superficial coexistence, but an organic
agreement and interaction among all of the parts of the whole. Therefore,
the Korban Shelamim is an offering that emanates from the feelings that
one is in a state of peace. I think in Yiddish we would refer to such a
person as a tzufridener mench, an individual who has achieved inner joy.
In his inimitable manner, Rav Hirsch so beautifully explains the meaning
of a Korban Shelamim as symbolizing an aspect of a person's quest for the
nearness of Hashem. This is based on the fact that the individual who
makes the offering feels completely at peace. Indeed, he feels that nothing
is lacking in his life - other than the nearness of G-d. This is the crowning
point in his life. The Korban Shelamim symbolizes the Jewish philosophy
of life. The bridge to Hashem is established through joy - not grief. The
highest form of service to the Divine is to enjoy one's existence on earth
before the countenance of G-d. The shelamim is based on this premise:
one seeks out Hashem for no other reason - not even to pay gratitude - just
to be in His proximity.
Rav Hirsch applies this principle to explain why one who is in a state of
aninus, during the day on which one has lost a close relative (prior to the
burial), may not offer korbanos. The Sanctuary is off limits. This law was
set forth primarily in connection to a Shelamim, but is applicable across
the board to all other korbanos. This is because the Shelamim is to reflect a
state of mind in which the person who offers them feels neither hurt nor
bereft. One offers the Shelamim when he feels at peace with himself, not
when he is in deep mourning. We are taught Shelamim korbano, "His
offering shall be a Shelamim": All of the offerings that he brings, he shall
bring when he is whole" (Zevachim 99b). One must not cross the threshold
of Hashem's Sanctuary while his heart is torn in grief. Only one who is at
peace and reconciled with his present lot in life can find his way to
Hashem's nearness.
This idea is just one more area in which we, as adherents to the Torah,
differ from other religions. The gentile world views it as their greatest
triumph if they can use religion as a method for overcoming grief, if their
temple of worship can soothe the sorrow, ease the pain, and give comfort
to its adherents during their moment of bereavement. Judaism, however,
categorically rejects this notion. We are taught that sorrow must be
overcome prior to entering the Sanctuary. This is, in fact, a precondition
for the impact of the Sanctuary on the Jew. The Sanctuary is not a place
where one goes to seek therapy. The purpose of the Bais Hamikdash is not
to comfort us in our sorrow, to relieve us of the pain, but rather, to give us
the strength and tenacity to serve G-d through practical action, out of a
sense of calm, courage, and a willful determination to confront life's
vicissitudes. It is this powerful emotion that permeates the halls of the
sanctuary. Indeed, Hashem's Sanctuary is His Hall of Justice.
I would like to take advantage of my writer's license to elaborate on this
subject. It has been noted by leading psychologists and grief experts that
there are five stages of grief: denial - refusing to believe what has
happened; anger - accusing "others" of allowing it to occur. "How dare
you permit this to happen!"; bargaining - asking for a deal. Begging for a
little time to get things in order, to celebrate one more milestone event;
depression - experiencing feelings of listlessness, a sense of guilt, a lack of
interest in living, essentially throwing in the towel; and acceptance -
confronting the loss and deciding it is time to move on. Wallowing in
depression will only destroy whatever is left. It is best to make closure and
look forward to the future.
People grieve differently. No "one size fits all" when it comes to grief.
Grieving is a complex process, and each individual makes the journey at
his or her own speed. While some take "shortcuts," one thing is for certain
- everyone must reach the final stage, acceptance. No matter how one
reaches this goal, one needs to accept the situation if he is once again to be
a healthy person, mentally, emotionally, physically. Acceptance by no
means indicates that one has forgotten the trauma or has erased it from his
mind. It means that one remembers the loss, but has reconciled himself
with life, and it is now time to move on.
With this in mind, we understand that the Bais Hamikdash represents the
opposite of the first four stages. The Sanctuary is a place of hope, a place
of holiness, a place of action where we serve the Almighty. We do not go
there for therapy. Likewise, the Gemorah is not the place where we drown
our sorrows. We must study Torah b'simchah, with joy. It is not a happy
pill. Those great Torah leaders who claimed that the Torah they studied
had the ability to assuage their grief meant that, prior to studying Torah,
they knew that they must put aside whatever issues they had - or they
would not be able to learn. In other words, the learning was not their
therapy, but they had to be in a proper frame of mind in order to learn.
Horav Nachman Breslover, zl, was wont to say, "Sadness is not a sin, but
its effect on the person is much worse than that of any sin." The soul was
sent to this world not merely to exist, but to do, to act, to achieve. When
one is overcome with sadness, the soul contracts and becomes concealed,
essentially reversing the flow of life. While there are times in which
sadness is appropriate, such as Tishah B'Av, our national day of mourning,
it is a sort of "positive sadness," active form of sadness, without which we
could not truly experience joy. One who is always happy and never senses
sadness has a disjointed sense of joy. It is a false joy because it lacks
balance. The word used by the Breslover to describe sadness is atzvus,
which is a derivative of the word matzav, atzav, standing still or mute,
blank depression, having no will to live, to fight, simply not caring what
happens. This form of depression can be deadly.
I f a person will sin: if he accepted a demand for an oath, and he is a
witness - either he saw or he knew. (5:1)
I recently came across a story related by a father, telling about a traumatic
experience that he and his family had undergone with one of their teenage
sons. A young boy, fifteen years old, had slowly begun to drift away from
his attachment to Torah. At first, it was gravitation to the frivolities of the
outside world. He continued with his usual good middos, character traits,
never offending another student, always showing respect for his rebbeim,
his good natured smile always manifest on his face. Yet, this was not
enough to maintain his tenure in the yeshivah where he was a student. He
would either adhere to Torah and mitzvos, or else, regrettably, if he was
not prepared to accept these conditions, he would be asked to leave. The
latter occurred.
When a yeshivah is compelled to ask a student to go elsewhere, it does not
only leave a mark on the boy - it destroys his entire family! The
ramifications inherent in such a decision are often devastating; thus, no
decent yeshivah takes this decision lightly. Sometimes, however, it must
be done. The boy's father could not handle it. He asked himself, "I have
taught hundreds of students and have had an influence on many more. Yet,
I could not reach my own son!" At one point, he decided that the
dereliction of commitment to Torah had gone too far. He asked his son to
leave their home. In addition, the father quit his job. How could he serve
as an example to others, if, in fact, he had "failed" at home?
This attitude is, of course, the reaction of one who is depressed. The
greatest and most successful educators have had issues at home. It does not
impugn their integrity as educators. The son had a problem. The father
must address it - end of subject. This father, however, could not deal with
it. Luckily, his friends and colleagues did not allow him to follow through
with his intentions. They convinced him to stay. This did not, however,
resolve the conundrum that was eating away at him. "Why me? What did I
do to deserve this?" He presented his case to Hashem, praying fervently
for an answer: "Hashem! Please, why?"
The father customarily read from the Sipurei Chasidim, Chassidic Tales, to
his younger children, during Seudah Shlishis. He came across an episode
related by the Vorkover, Horav Yitzchak, zl. The Rebbe suffered greatly
from his wife, who went out of her way to make his life miserable. He
suffered in silence. When he saw, however, that he was not the only one
who was on the receiving end of his wife's abuse (apparently, the servants
were also being traumatized), he reacted. He traveled to his Rebbe, the
holy Horav David zl, m'Lelov, and poured out his painful story. The
Rebbe listened carefully, then said, "What do you think? Why do you not
determine on your own the correct response to this problem?"
The Vorkovar was in a quandary. Apparently, his Rebbe felt that he should
arrive at the correct understanding of what was transpiring in his life - on
his own. After a while, he came across a commentary which cited the Baal
Shem Tov: "One who causes a spiritual blemish in the dimension of action
will suffer in his material assets of animals and slaves. One who causes a
taint in the dimension of speech will suffer from his wife or other people
who will make his life miserable. One who causes a flaw in the dimension
of thought will undergo suffering as a result of his children. If one
succeeds in correcting the flaws in these three areas: action, speech and
":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 25
thought - everything will transform into good." The Vorkover now
understood what his Rebbe meant when he said that it was dependent upon
him. He had erred in his service to Hashem. As a result, he was
undergoing this form of penance.
This is what is meant by the pasuk cited at the beginning of this thesis: "If
a person will sin: if he accepted a demand for an oath." If a man sins - he
will hear kol alah, which may loosely be translated as, "The sounds of
cursing/imprecation" from his wife. The Vorkover took the hint. The holy
Vorkover was not a sinner, but, relative to his exalted spiritual level, he
was being called to task.
Getting back to our educator and his challenging son. He now realized that
he - the father - was at fault. His son was not the symptom of a disjointed
relationship between father and son. No. It had nothing to do with that. It
was Hashem's message to the father that something was lacking in his
personal behavior. If he would clear it up, his son would be fine. Thus, the
father's distancing his son from him was counterproductive. It would
produce negative results and hardly serve as a solution to the problem. The
father's relationship vis-?-vis his son changed drastically. He pulled him as
close as possible - without stifling him. Over a period of time, it worked,
as the boy realized that he was loved, he had a place at home, at school,
and within the Jewish community.
Interestingly, when the boy saw that his family and the Jewish community
still accepted him, when he realized that he was not a pariah, he slowly
began to gravitate back. At first, it was a return to his old social
relationships. Then, his return became more profound; he began observing
Torah and mitzvos - once again. The father realized that the only way to
deal with a child that has turned away is with an overabundance of love
and understanding, never giving up hope and always keeping the "light on"
for him or her to find the way back.
Va'ani Tefillah
V'hayah im shamoa tishmeu el mitzvosai
Hishamru lachem pen yifteh levavchem v'sartem.
I t will be that if you listen to My commandments Beware for
yourselves, lest your head be seduced and you turn astray.
The Torah admonishes the Jew to be on guard lest he defer to his heart's
desire and stray from the path which he is instructed to follow. It seems
almost unreal that the Torah is making such an admonishment to a person
who fulfills v'hayah im shamoa, who listens to the Torah, follows its
precepts, and guards its mitzvos. Yet, the Torah is telling us that even such
a person can go "off," turn astray and follow the strange winds that
ultimately blow him off course. No one is safe. Regardless of a person's
spiritual plateau, he can fall off his perch if he is not careful, if he lets his
guard down - even for a moment.
The Chiddushei HaRim supports this idea, citing Hashem's warning to
Yehoshua, Moshe Rabbeinu's primary student and successor. Rak chazak
v'ameitz meod lishmor laasos k'chol haTorah asher tzivcha Moshe avdi - al
tassur mimenu yemin u'semol. "O' that you will strengthen yourself and
persevere very much in order to observe, to do according to all of the
Torah that Moshe, My servant, has commanded you. Do not deviate from
it to the right or to the left" (Yehoshua 1:7). Why should someone of
Yehoshua's spiritual stature require support, encouragement and
strengthening? The Rebbe explains that the greater one's spiritual stature,
so, too, is his yetzer hora, evil-inclination. When one has distinguished
himself in his spiritual dimension, he must be wary of the slightest
deviation of even a hairsbreadth. Likewise, one who has achieved v'hayah
im shamoa, who listens to Hashem's mitzvos, must be acutely aware of the
possibility of deviation. The higher one is - the greater is his potential fall.
Our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents R' Naphtali Michoel
ben Nesanel z"l Maras Sara Riva bas R' Yaakov Meir Hacoehn a"h, The
Rothner Family
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Rabbi Dovid Seigel
Haftorah
Parshas Vayikra - Yeshaya 43:21
This week's haftorah displays Hashem's unbelievable compassion for the
Jewish people. The prophet Yeshaya begins by characterizing the Jewish
people as the nation created to sing the praises of Hashem. Yeshaya
continues and says in the name of Hashem, (43:22) "And you didn't even
include Me for you were too tired for My service." The Yalkut Shimoni
(as loc) explains this passage to refer to our inappropriate attitude towards
the service of Hashem.
Chazal (our Sages) say that one exerts enormous energies throughout the
dayin pursuit of self advancement and yet he is unwilling to exert even
minimalenergy for the sake of Hashem. One returns home after a long
tiresome dayat work and neglects attending davening with the "valid"
excuse that he'stoo tired. Hashem says that I wasn't even included in your
plans. Energieswere available for everything besides My service, the
purpose for which you were created.
The prophet continues to reprimand the Jewish people, and says, "You did
not bring Me your sheep for burnt offerings and you didn't honor Me with
your sacrifices. I didn't overwork you with a meal offering and didn't
exhaust you with frankincense spice." Chazal (ibid) elaborated on this
passage and explained that all Hashem ever demanded from the Jewish
people on a daily basis was the Tamid sacrifice consisting of two sheep. In
fact, even the easiest of all offerings, the meal offering was not an
obligation but rather a special opportunity to serve Hashem if one so
desired. And yet the Jewish people refused to participate in these services.
The Radak (ad loc) notes that in the days of King Achaz there were altars
in every corner of Yerushalayim for the purpose of idolatry. But the Bais
Hamikdash doors were intentionally closed and Hashem was totally
excluded from the Jewish services. The Jews were just too tired to serve
Hashem although energy was available for every othe r form of service.
The prophet suddenly shifts gears and begins to address the Jewish people
with love and affection. He says, (42:1) "And listen now, My servant
Yaakov whom I chose as Yisroel...for as I pour water on the thirsty and
flowing waters on the dry land so will I pour My spirit on your children
and My blessing on your offspring." Radak (ad loc) explains that the
prophet is now speaking to the Jewish people in Babylonia. They had
already suffered severe pains of exile and rejection by Hashem and had
now reconsidered their previous ways. They thirsted to drink from the long
lost waters of prophecy which had ended many years before. Hashem told
them that they would once again merit the word of Hashem. Although they
had turned their back to Hashem and totally rejected His service Hashem
did not forsake His people. The Jewish people would always remain His
chosen nation and Hashem would patiently await their return. Our eternal
relationship with Hashem can never be severed or even aff ected and when
the proper moment will arrive Hashem will reestablish direct contact with
His beloved people. Even words of prophecy coming directly from
Hashem will become a daily experience. Hashem's love for His people
extends all bounds. Even after all we have done against Hashem He
remains right there waiting for us.
Yeshaya concludes and says (44:22) "As the wind blows away the clouds
so will I erase your rebellious acts and unintentional sins, return to me for I
have redeemed you." The Malbim (ad loc) shares with us a beautiful
insight and explains that as far as Hashem is concerned our redemption
already happened. From His perspective everything has been set in
motion; all that remains is for us to repent and return. May we merit in this
month, the month of redemption, the fulfillment of these beautiful visions.
To Support Project Genesis- Torah.org Haftorah, Copyright &copy 2014 by Rabbi Dovid Siegel and Torah.org. The author is Rosh Kollel of Kollel
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Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair
Ohr Somayach Torah Weekly
Overview
The Book of Vayikra (Leviticus), also known as Torat Kohanim the
Laws of the Priests deals largely with the korbanot (offerings) brought
in the Mishkan (Tent of Meeting). The first group of offerings is called
korban olah, a burnt offering. The animal is brought to the Mishkan's
entrance. For cattle, the one bringing the offering sets his hands on the
animal. Afterwards it is slaughtered and the kohen sprinkles its blood on
the altar. The animal is skinned and cut into pieces. The pieces are
arranged, washed and burned on the altar. A similar process is described
involving burnt offerings of other animals and birds. The various meal
offerings are described. Part of the meal offering is burned on the altar,
and the remaining part eaten by the kohanim. Mixing leaven or honey into
the offerings is prohibited. The peace offering, part of which is burnt on
the altar and part is eaten, can be either from cattle, sheep or goats. The
Torah prohibits eating blood or chelev (certain fats in animals). The
offerings that atone for inadvertent sins committed by the Kohen Gadol,
by the entire community, by the prince and by the average citizen are
detailed. Laws of the guilt-offering, which atones for certain verbal
transgressions and for transgressing laws of ritual purity, are listed. The
meal offering for those who cannot afford the normal guilt offering, the
offering to atone for misusing sanctified property, laws of the
"questionable guilt" offering, and offerings for dishonesty are detailed.
Insights
Go Ogle!
...the salt of your G-d's covenant (2:13)
Overheard conversation:
"Shlomie, you know the Ploni family, don't you? Someone suggested their
son Motti for my daughter. What can you tell me about them?
"I don't know them well, but did you google the father?"
26 ":\D up trcdk trcd ihc
Nowadays just about everything about you is floating around somewhere
out there in cyberspace. The true along with the apocryphal and the
downright libelous. (Please don't google the present writer...)
The Chafetz Chaim once remarked that in every generation G-d gives us
'parables' to help us understand the connection of physical realities to their
spiritual counterparts. In his day the transatlantic phone came into
common usage. He remarked that he now had a concrete example of how
one can say something in this world and it is heard at a great 'distance' - in
Heaven. As it says in Pirkei Avot (2:1), "Consider three things and you
will not come into the grip of sin: Know what is above you - an Eye that
sees, an Ear that hears, and all your deeds in a Book are written."
Had he lived so see the television he might have also remarked that the
television was a parable for "an Eye that sees," and today he might have
observed that Google was an allegory for "all you deeds are written in a
Book."
Maybe Google is a contraction of "Go Ogle!"
During the second day of Creation G-d divided the waters above the
firmament and those below. The waters of this world complained that
they too wanted to be close to G-d. Thus He decreed during the daily
services in the Beit HaMikdash, salt - which comes from sea water - is
placed on the Altar, and fresh water is poured on the Altar at the time of
Succot.
The question remains, however, why weren't the sea waters also poured on
the Altar? Why just the salt?
When you make salt, you boil the water. The water ascends up to heaven
and the salt remains here in this world. G-d always leaves us a parable, an
allegory in this physical world, so that we can grasp ideas that reach to the
Heavens.
Go Ogle!
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Rabbi Ben Zion Sobel
Torah MiTzion
Vayikra
I once saw a beautiful allegory in the writings of the Holy Reb Nachman
of Breslov ztl (Im quite sure that subsequently I found it in a Midrash,
but I dont recall where, right now).
A group of men were hired to bring water from the river to the home of a
rich man who promised to pay them handsomely. Enthusiastically, they all
took the barrels which he gave them and hurried to the stream. Although it
entailed a lot of work, and it was very difficult to carry the heavy
containers so far, the men worked with gusto, anticipating the generous
salary they would soon be receiving and contemplating how they would
spend it.
To their surprise, they found that their burdens were getting lighter as they
went along. First they thought it was their imagination, attributing their
feelings to their eagerness to finish the job and get their reward. But then
they realized that the casks were actually getting lighter and lighter. They
inspected the matter more closely and found, to their horror, that every
single barrel had a hole in it; some smaller, some bigger and some really
big. They began to run, as fast as they could, to get to their bosss home as
soon as possible and with as much water as was possible under the
situation. But there was little more they could do and by the time they saw
his house, most of the water was gone from most of the vessels.
They realized that their employer would be very upset and would most
probably refuse to pay them. In their minds they imagined debating with
him; they would blame him for giving them blemished barrels, and he
would argue that they should have inspected them before they took them.
They knew that he was right, although they never imagined that a person
in his stature would have imperfect vessels to give them, and therefore
they didnt bother to check. They discussed the matter among themselves
and decided that they would beg him to at least give them something for
the time they exerted for him, with good intentions, even though very little
came out of it.
They knocked on his door and stood shamefacedly as he open it and
greeted them with a broad smile. Tongue-tied, they couldnt explain what
had happened, but it didnt take long for the gentleman to see for himself.
The little water that was left in some of the barrels was spilling out of the
holes right before their eyes. To their amazement, he uttered not a word of
chastisement, but took out his wallet and paid everyone what he had
promised him. Even more incredible was that he asked them all to return
tomorrow and repeat the feat, at the same rate of compensation. As a mater
of fact, he said, he would like to hire them to work for him daily; doing
the same thing they did today!
Now, among this group there were wise men and fools. The fools said,
What does he think we are? Fools? Why should we come and work so
hard, when at the end there is nothing to show for it? Well never return
here and repeat this feat again. And, indeed, they never came back to this
job again but undertook to do other things which were harder and paid
much less.
The wise men, on the other hand, said, What do we care if anything
remains of our work or not? The only reason we took this job in the first
place is because the pay was excellent. If this fellow, for whatever reason,
is willing to pay us even though, at the end of the day, his barrels are
almost empty, why shouldnt we work for him full-time? And so they
continued to come back every single day, and were handsomely rewarded,
for the rest of their lives.
Reb Nachman explains that the same applies to those who were born with
a lack of memory with holes in their head. After learning Torah, even
if they studied well, they cannot retain much of what they learned. Many
get frustrated and think that it would be foolish of them to continue
learning if almost nothing is left of all of their efforts anyway. But the
wise ones say, Hashem gave me this blemished tool; its not my fault.
And if He is willing to pay me for learning, even though I cannot
remember, why should I refuse? And so they continue to learn, as much
as they can, all of their lives, and will be rewarded for it superbly, in this
world and in the world-to-come.
And some have even been amazed to find that, apparently as part of the
reward, Hashem eventually granted them an improved memory and they
were suddenly able to preserve their studies like never before.
The above metaphor is truly beautiful, but this week, Joey Willig, one of
the first students and founders of Neveh Yehoshua, sent me a vort on this
weeks parashah which was submitted by Amy Sharp to ShulWeek of
Congregation Kehillas Torah, San Diego, California. I am copying it here
as it appeared there, with minor changes.
If a man or woman wished to express his/her closeness to Hashem, (s)he
could bring a korban oleh to the Temple as an offering. The sacrifice could
consist of an ox, lamb, goat, bird or flour; depending on the giver's
financial ability. Rashi brings the comments of the Sages that the pauper's
flour is just as precious to Hashem as the wealthy man's ox if it is given
with dedication and sincerity.
Sometimes, we compare ourselves to others and think that we have
shortcomings. It is important that we realize that we all have different
talents and characteristics. We must strive to utilize our unique qualities
just as the pauper used his flour in serving Hashem. If we learn to make
the most use out of what we have, we can accomplish great things, as the
following story illustrates:
A water bearer had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which
he carried across his neck. One of these pots had a crack in it. While the
other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the
end of a long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot
always arrived only half-full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer only delivering one
and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was
proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made.
The poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable
that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the
water bearer one day by the stream. I am ashamed of myself, and I want
to apologize to you. Why? asked the bearer. What are you ashamed
of?
I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half of my load
because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to
your house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you
don't get full value from your efforts, the pot said.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion
he said, As we return to the house, I want you to notice all of the
beautiful flowers along the path.
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun
warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this
cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had
leaked out half of its load, and so again the pot apologized to the bearer for
its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, Did you notice that there were flowers only on
your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have
always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower
seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the
stream, you've watered them. For two years, I have been able to pick these
beautiful flowers to decorate my table. Without you being just the way you
are, I would not have this beauty to grace my house!
Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots in some
respect. But if we allow ourselves to take advantage of our flaws, nothing
goes to waste. Don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, embrace
them, and utilize them. In our weaknesses we can find our strengths.
I would like to add that this moving thought is extremely important for
parents and educators who find that their children and students are not up
to par. Rather than reject them, chas veshalom, it is their obligation to help
them find how they can be extremely successful with the tools the
Almighty gave them. Every one of us has a unique job to do here, for
which he and she will be rewarded profusely. Hashem gave us the tools to
do our job properly. Its our duty to find what He wants us to do with what
He gave us, and then we will be eternally blissful, in this world and the
next.
Shema Yisrael Torah Network info@shemayisrael.com http://www.shemayisrael.com Jerusalem, Israel 732-370-3344

":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 27
Rabbi Yaakov Solomon
Between the Fish and the Soup
Parashat Vayikra 5774: D'var Torah
G-d spoke to Moses, saying: "If a person sins and swears dishonestly,
denying having stolen an article he shall return the stolen article plus an
additional fifth of its value and bring a guilt offering Then he will be
forgiven" (5:20-26).
The Torah states that a korban chatat - a sin offering - was to be brought
for accidentally transgressing things forbidden by the Torah. After the
offering was completed, the sin would "be forgiven". The sin offering was
not to be brought, however, if the person had intentionally done wrong.
However, there are exceptional cases in the Torah where an offering could
be brought for a transgression done on purpose. Included is the above:
where a person falsely denies under oath having stolen property. A person
has stolen an article and lied under oath. He then changes his mind and
decides to own up. The Torah gives him a chance to repent by returning
the articles or their value, adding an extra fifth to the value, and bringing a
guilt offering. And the Torah declares that afterwards that he will be
forgiven.
It comes out that despite theft being the eighth of the Ten Commandments,
the Torah treats it much more leniently than what was the norm of
contemporary civilizations. In ancient Babylonian society theft was
punishable by death, whereas the Torah invites the thief to correct the
wrong by compensating the owner and bringing an offering to the Temple.
This contrasts with the different attitudes to adultery - the seventh
commandment - which is the prohibition of a man sleeping with a woman
married to someone else. In contemporary societies, adultery could
sometimes be corrected by paying due compensation to the woman's
husband. The Torah, however, treats it as a capital offence, with no
provision for putting things right after the act.
This may be explained in the following way. The Torah gets to the bottom
of human nature. Objects are replaceable, family integrity is not. Life
continues after objects go missing or are destroyed. The world contains
enough resources for their material replacement. They are, after all,
objects.
Adultery by its very nature cannot be erased. Once the deed is done, it is
done. It is not merely a physical act, but a deeply emotional act. And
paying compensation does not erase that the sacred bond holding together
the husband and wife, and family, has been broken
Parashat Vayikra (Haftara) 5774
The Nation (I srael) I formed for Myself, that they may declare My praise
(I saiah 43:21).
Guided Tour
The Haftara is taken from later chapters of the Book of Isaiah. Isaiah was a
navi: an individual who personally received the word of G-d, and
conveyed it to the people. Isaiah himself lived at around 720 BCE. That
was when both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were going through
spiritual and moral decline. In consequence, his earlier prophesies -
messages directly from G-d - foresaw the exiles of both the northern
Kingdom of Israel (which took place in his lifetime), and ultimately the
southern Kingdom of Judah.
The Book of Isaiah also contains deeply inspiring words of
encouragement, applying to both the Israelites and the world at large. It
repeatedly stresses, as seen in this Haftara, that the Israelite exiles and
Divine punishments suffered will be temporary, and that G-d will
eventually redeem His people and settle them permanently in His land.
This Haftara is a continuation the section commencing with that read on
Shabbat Nachamu (Haftara of Parashat Va-etchanan) - which together are
words of comfort to Israel for the trauma of the Babylonian exile (from
before 586 BCE) that was about to come to an end with its defeat by
Cyrus, King of Persia. During this period of turmoil in the latter part of the
exile, the Jews would have been caught in a most dangerous position
between the Babylonians and their Persian attackers - each one likely to
accuse them of being an ally of the other. This section of Isaiah
encourages the Jews to maintain their optimistic spirit and faith even in the
face of their own trauma of being on foreign soil during such a dangerous
period. 'He gives strength to the weary, He gives abundant might to the
powerless.' (40:29)
In fact Cyrus did become the great power of the region after defeating the
Babylonian Empire in 539 BCE, and he allowed to Jews to return to the
Holy Land (Chronicles II 36:23). Historians point out that this also applied
to other captured nations, and some contend that Cyrus' declaration was
not so much humanitarian as pragmatic: by letting the disaffected
foreigners return to their lands of origin, he would turn them into useful
friends and informers keeping him in touch with events in his far-flung
empire.
Different time contexts are given for the text of the Haftara, and the above
explanation would fit in with Ibn Ezra. The Prophet is addressing the
people towards the end of their enforced exile in Babylon after the fall of
the First Temple - when the whole system of Temple offerings was no
longer in practice. G-d did not impose heavy offerings on Israel, and thus
they had fewer duties. But they still did not come any closer to Him; they
still did not call upon His Name. In the absence of sacrifices they should
have focused their minds and hearts to the true service of G-d and acted in
the spirit of the times when the Israelites came close to G-d through the
rites of Temple offerings.
Rashi, however, relates the Haftara to an earlier period - understanding
that the Prophet was rebuking Israel for acting in the deed, rather than just
in the spirit, of bringing offerings to idols rather than to the Almighty. The
Radak states that the Book of Isaiah is referring to an early period in
Isaiah's career - namely when King Ahaz closed off the entrances to the
Temple and instead set up altars to idols. That would be around 730 BCE -
in the First Temple Period, just before the fall of the Northern Kingdom of
Israel.
Common to both contexts is the notion that - whether before or during
Exile - Israel did not fulfill its role in the Creation: as a people 'formed by
G-d, that they might declare His Praise' in thought and deed. The Prophet
grieves that Israel did not live up to its position within the Creation. G-d
once again promises that those who heed Him will be blessed, just as He
nourishes the thirsty land. He ridicules those who their trust in metal and
wood - in idols made by the very same artisans that worship them. He
illustrates by telling of the fool who cuts down a tree, uses half of it as fuel
so he can get warm by the fire and roast his meal - and use the rest to carve
an idol that he believes has the power to save him.
Thus the Prophet calls on the people to find their allotted destiny at the
pinnacle of the Creation - within the greatness and supremacy of G-d. In
spite of past iniquities, G-d will give them a clean slate - He will forgive
them and redeem them.
D'var Torah
The Haftara implies a very clear set of priorities within Torah teaching.
Temple offerings are deemed to be important - the Prophet castigates the
Jews for applying the emotions and energies designated by G-d for His
worship to paganism instead. However, he did not select the full
restoration of the Temple offerings as the emblem of the ideal, positively
reformed society. His vision was total repentance: 'Return to Me, for I
have redeemed you' (44:22). That was in the same spirit of Samuel's
rebuke to Saul: 'Does G-d desire burnt offerings and peace offerings as
much as the obeying of His voice?' (Samuel I 15:22) Indeed, Amos
stressed in the name of G-d the worthlessness of offerings when they were
not part of moral, G-d-fearing society: 'If you offer Me burnt offerings or
your meal offerings, I will not accept them! I will pay no heed to your gifts
of fattened cattle! Spare Me the sounds of your hymns, and let me not hear
the music of your lutes. But let justice rise up as water and righteousness
like an unfailing stream.' (Amos 5:22-24)
This true position of offerings is framed within the human need. Parashat
Vayikra shows how individual offerings are expressions of gratitude, or a
desire to put things right after past misconduct. However the Torah
stresses that 'If his means do not suffice for a sheep, he shall bring two
turtle-doves or two pigeons and if this means do not suffice for two
turtle-doves or two pigeons, he shall bring as his offering a tenth of an
ephah of choice flour.' (Lev. 5:7-10) As the Talmud puts it - whether he
brings much or whether he brings little, what counts is that he directs his
heart to Heaven (Menachot 110a).
These ideas may be illustrated by the following story:
A member of a small Beth Hamidrash was shown around a magnificent
large 'modern' synagogue in pre-war Berlin. The proud warden of that
beautiful edifice put particular emphasis on the exquisite, splendid Holy
Ark with its many Torah scrolls clothed in majestic silver ornaments. To
the warden's great consternation, the visitor was not impressed. When
asked for his reasons, the guest told him the following story: Two sisters
got married, one to a very wealthy husband, and the other to a poor man,
and they lived in different towns. When they met, years later, the poor
sister looked very happy, whilst the poor one was sad. "Why are you so
unhappy?" asked the poor sister? She received a surprising reply. "My
husband treats me like a piece of furniture. He decorates me with
fashionable clothes to act as a hostess at his home and his parties, but he
does not pay any attention to my opinions. Your husband may not have
money to give you, but he regards you like a queen. Every word you say is
his command"
"In your palatial synagogue the Scrolls of the Torah may have beautiful
mantles and decorations, but your congregants do not take notice of their
Divine content in their daily lives. They violate every precept. Only the
lions of top of your Holy Ark keep the Ten Commandments! In our Beth
Hamidrash, the Sifrei Torah may not have silver ornaments, but their
Divine teachings are being practiced, studied, and honored very diligently
by our members every single day. Judge for yourself: is the Torah not
28 ":\D up trcdk trcd ihc
much happier in these simple surroundings?" (R. Chaim Wilschanski: For
the Shabbat Table (1999) pp. 103-4)
This discussion brings us to an opening comment of R. Samson Raphael
Hirsch on the Haftara: 'You have not brought for Me the young sheep of
your burnt offerings.' Hirsch understands the verse as follows. G-d, unlike
the idols does not need our offerings. He can manage quite well without
donations in animals, grain, wine, oil, or incense. The prophet is criticizing
the people for thinking they are showing Him some special favor in
making the sacrifice to bring the offering. No - the purpose is not for G-d,
but for Man - it is a means to come close to G-d: which cannot be done
unless they are accompanied by full commitment to serve G-d though all
His precepts - between Man and G-d, and between Man and Man.
By extension, the same idea applies to prayer. As the Talmud (Avot 2)
states, a person should be meticulous in prayer, and not regard it as
something as a fixed duty: G-d does not need our prayer, but we need as
an opportunity of 'signing on' with Him thrice or more daily, committing
ourselves to observe His will, and placing our needs before Him. This it
should not be a fixed activity, but a privilege to come close to Him.
That is what should underlie our prayers for redemption and Temple
restoration - that He should grant us the means to come closer and
experience Him more fully
For those looking for more comprehensive material, questions and answers on the Parasha may be found at
http://www.shemayisrael.com/parsha/solomon/questions/ and on the material on the Haftara at http://www.shemayisrael.com/parsha/solomon/haftara/
. Written by Jacob Solomon. Tel 02 673 7998. E-mail: jacobsol@netvision.net.il for any points you wish to raise and/or to join those that receive this
Parasha sheet every week. Parashiot from the First, Second, and Third Series may be viewed on the Shema Yisrael web-site:
http://www.shemayisrael.com/parsha/solomon/archives/archives.htm Also by Jacob Solomon: From the Prophets on the Haftara Test Yourself -
Questions and Answers e-mail: jacobsol@netvision.net.il Shema Yisrael Home Page This article is provided as part of Shema Yisrael Torah Network
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Rabbi Doniel Staum
Stam Torah
Parshas Vayikra 5774 - An Offering Of Love
Rabbi Yosef Wallis is the director of Arachim. He related to Project
Witness the following story about his father, Judah Wallis, who was raised
in Pavenitz, Poland.
While my father, Judah Wallis, was in Dachau, a Jew who was being taken
to his death suddenly flung a small bag at him. My father caught it,
thinking it might contain a piece of bread. Upon opening it, however, he
was stunned to discover a pair of tefillin. My father was very frightened
because he knew that if he was caught carrying tefillin, he would be put to
death instantly. So he hid the tefillin under his shirt and headed for his
bunkhouse.
In the morning, while still in his bunkhouse just before the roll call, my
father donned the tefillin. Unexpectedly, a German officer appeared. He
ordered my father to remove the tefillin, noted the number on his arm, and
ordered him to go to roll call.
There, in front of thousands of fellow Jewish inmates, the officer called
out Judahs number. He had no choice but to step forward. The German
officer waved the tefillin in the air and screeched, Jewish pig! For daring
to wear these, I sentence you to death by public hanging.
My father was placed on a stool and a noose was placed around his neck.
Before he was hanged, the officer mockingly asked him what his death
wish was. My father defiantly replied that he wished to wear the tefillin
one last time.
The officer was dumbfounded, but he handed my father the tefillin. As my
father put them on, he loudly recited the verses customarily recited while
the tefillin are being wound around the fingers: I will betroth you to me
forever and I will betroth you to me with righteousness and with justice
and with kindness and with mercy and I will betroth you to me with
fidelity, and you shall know Hashem.(1)
The women from the adjoining camp were also lined up at the barbed wire
fence that separated them from the mens camp, forced to watch the
horrible sight.
As my father looked at the silent crowd, he saw tears in many peoples
eyes. He called out in Yiddish: Yidden, dont cry. If I am wearing tefillin
than I am the victor!
The German officer understood the Yiddish and was infuriated. He replied
to my father jeeringly You think you are the winner? Hanging is too good
for you. You are going to get a far worse death.
My father was taken from the stool and the noose was removed from his
neck. He was forced into a squatting position and two huge rocks were
placed under his arms. He was told he would receive 25 lashes to his head
on which he had dared to wear tefillin.
The officer told him that if he dropped even one of the rocks, he would be
shot immediately. The officer advised him, Drop the rocks now. You will
never survive the 25 lashes to the head. Nobody ever does.
My father replied that he refused to give the Nazi that pleasure.
After the 25th lash, my father lost consciousness and was left for dead. He
was about to be dragged to a pile of corpses, after which he would have
been burned in a ditch, when another Jew saw him, shoved him to the side,
and covered his head with a rag, so people wouldnt realize that he was
alive. Eventually, he recovered consciousness and crawled to the nearest
bunkhouse that was on raised piles. He hid under it until he was strong
enough to come out again. Two months later he was liberated.
During the hanging and beating episode, a 17-year-old girl had been
watching the events from the womens side of the fence. After liberation,
she made her way to the mens camp and found my father. She walked
over to him and said, Ive lost everyone. I dont want to be alone
anymore. I saw what you did that day when the officer wanted to hang
you. Will you marry me?
He agreed. The couple approached the holy Klausenberger Rebbe, Rav
Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam ztl, and requested that he perform the
marriage ceremony. The Klausenberger Rebbe, who was himself a
survivor, wrote out a kesubah from memory and married the couple. That
was how Rabbi Yosef Wallis parents met and married. Rabbi Wallis still
has the handwritten kesubah in his possession.
They will slaughter the cattle before Hashem and they will bring close
the blood and they will sprinkle the blood around the altar(2)
Ben Ish Chai related a parable about a businessman who set out to the Bais
Medrash one morning to immerse himself in Torah study for a few hours.
While he was learning a wealthy merchant arrived at his home to conduct
a lucrative business deal with him. Not being familiar with commerce, his
wife replied that her husband was unavailable and sent the merchant on his
way.
When the man arrived home and heard what happened he became angry
with his wife. He told her that if such a thing were to occur again she
should immediately call him.
A few days later the tax collector arrived at the businessmans home
demanding payment of their taxes. Remembering her husbands
instruction, the wife immediately summoned her husband to meet with the
man at the door who came for money. When the businessman arrived
home and saw who was waiting for him he became incensed. When it
came to making money you didnt summon me, and now when someone
arrives to solicit money you do call me?
Ben Ish Chai explains that the same is true in regards to Torah and
mitzvos. When one has an opportunity to perform a mitzvah, he should do
so immediately with zeal, passion, and excitement. When it comes to sin
however, he should become lazy and sluggish until the opportunity to sin
has passed. The problem is that in our foolishness we often confuse our
emotions, performing mitzvos indolently and haphazardly, while
passionately jumping at opportunity to sin.
Therefore, the Torah instructs the Kohain to sprinkle the blood, which
symbolizes ones inner passion and excitement on the altar, and to burn the
fat on the altar, which symbolizes laziness and slothfulness. It was
specifically these two parts which were brought on the altar to symbolize
their particular need for atonement, because of how we confuse the
necessity of each function.
How can one breed within himself feelings of excitement and passion for
Avodas Hashem?
Rashi(3) notes that the beginning of Parshas Vayikra discusses the
Korbanos (offerings) that were donated to the Bais Hamikdash, as opposed
to obligatory korbanos which are discussed later in the parsha.
The Steipler Gaon ztl(4) notes that there are many concepts and mitzvos
in the Torah which were offered or performed voluntarily. This includes
the donation of materials used for the Mishkan, one who accepts upon
himself the added rigid status of Nezirus, and the mitzvos mentioned(5)
which although obligatory, have no defined amount.
What is the purpose of these mitzvos? Why doesnt the Torah simply state
the expected amounts for each?
The Steipler explains that every Jew is obligated to love Hashem. How can
one force themselves to feel an emotion? What should a person do if he
simply doesnt feel that love?
Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzato(6) explains that external actions awaken inner
emotions. If one performs an action with diligence, dedication, and
alacrity, even if internally he is unexcited by it, it will awaken within him
an emotional connection with what he has done.
This is also true in regards to attaining Ahavas Hashem(7). If one acts as if
he loves Hashem, and his actions reflect a deep desire to achieve that
closeness, he will eventually be successful.
To that end, Hashem grants us certain leeway in our Avodas Hashem. In
regards to certain things we have prerogative to decide how much we will
invest in that particular mitzvah, law, or custom. This allows a person to
give extra which can awaken within him dormant feelings of love for his
Creator.
The entire narrative of the Korbanos thus begins with the laws of
voluntary offerings, for it is such donations that lead a person to his
":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 29
ultimate goal of feeling dveykus - a deep and passionate connection with
G-d.
A man when he will bring from you and offering to Hashem
They will bring close and sprinkle the blood
1. Hoshea 2:19-20
2. Vayikra 1:5
3. Vayikra 1:2
4. Birchas Peretz, Parshas Vayikra
5. the first Mishna in Peah
6. Mesillas Yesharim, perek 7
7. Love of G-d
Parsha Growth Spurts
Parshas Vayikra 5774
He called to Moshe when a man from among you brings a Korbon
to Hashem: from animals. (Vayikra 1:1-2)
On this pasuk Zohar states: When a man among you Not the first man,
and not the last man.
Ateres Mordechai explains that the Korbanos brought by Adam Harishon
were not as great as the korbanos brought later. Adam was in Gan Eden
where the voice of Hashem traversed the garden (Bereishis 3:8). It was not
a challenge for Adam to offer a korbon to Hashem, when he merited a
clear revelation of Hashem.
The final man who witnesses the ingathering of the exiles will also not
have an inner struggle when offering a korbon. He will have been privy to
seeing the final justice, when all of the myriad unanswered painful
questions of generations of exile will be resolved.
The korbon that is most precious to Hashem is the korbon brought by the
person who doesnt see the beginning or the end. The events surrounding
his life often seem incomprehensible, and the Divine Hand often seems
obscure. Yet despite it all, he believes in Hashem and awaits His salvation,
offering a Korbon before Hashem, with contrition and devotion.
This is the message of the Zohar. Moshe was to convey to the nation that
specifically they not Adam Harishon, and not the Adam living during the
Messianic era should offer a Korbon to Hashem. A korbon brought out
of deep-rooted simple faith achieves the greatest favor in Heaven.
If ones offering to Hashem is an Olah-offering of birds, he shall
bring his offering from turtledoves or young doves. (Vayikra 1:14)
Rashi notes that the pasuk says of birds, implying that some, but not all,
birds can be used. A bird that is missing an entire limb may not be offered
as a korbon. If the bird has all of its limbs however, even if it is blemished
it may be offered. This is in contrast with an animal which is invalid as a
korbon if it has any blemish.
Rabbi Avrohom Filaji ztl explained that when an animal develops a
blemish it is likely that it was the result of a scuffle or squabble, such as an
ox goring a cow, or a cow ramming into an ox. Hashem despises
controversy and enmity, and therefore a blemished animal cannot be used
as a korbon.
Birds that can be used for an Olah however, are not fighters, and therefore
if they develop a blemish it is more conceivably the result of a cut from a
branch or tree.
It is not necessary a blemish that invalidates an animal to be offered on the
Mizbeiach. Rather, it is the cause of the blemish. For the ways of Torah
are ways of pleasantness, and all of its pathways are peaceful. (Mishlei
4:2)
Any Mincha-offering that you offer to Hashem shall not be prepared
leavened, for any sourdough or honey, you shall not burn from it as a
fire-offering to Hashem. (Vayikra 2:11)
Divrei Shaul quotes Rambam (Hilchos Deos) who writes that in regards to
middos one should never behave in an extreme fashion. As a general rule
one should always strive for the golden medium -neither too thrifty nor too
giving; neither too tempestuous nor too passive; neither cruel nor
recklessly compassionate.
Sourdough causes foods to sour and leaven, while honey overly sweetens
foods it comes into contact with. The Torah states that sourdough or honey
may not be offered with a Mincha, because these foods cause extremes in
taste. The Korbon represents our own path in Avodas Hashem, which is
achieved by seeking a balance that is pleasant for everyone.
Rambam writes that the only exception is one who naturally possesses an
extreme character trait. Such a person will only be able to achieve the
proper balance if he forces himself to conduct himself in the opposite
extreme. For example, one who is naturally cruel must act with excessive
compassion in all situations, until he has sufficiently trained himself and
can then act with a proper balance.
Divrei Shaul adds that this too is alluded to in the pasuk. The following
pasuk states The Korbon of the first (fruits), you shall bring it to Hashem
(Vayikra 2:12). In other words, if one is commencing a process of growth
in his middos, then it is proper to bring from it - i.e. the extreme middos
represented by honey and sourdough as the process of emulating the
middos of Hashem.
Sources: Rav Avrohom Filaji quoted in Umasok Haohr
Rabbis Musings (& Amusings)
Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Vayikra
5 Adar II 5774/March 7, 2014
Many of the readers of this brilliant column are aware of our luggage
woes. When our family went to Eretz Yisroel in December for my
brothers wedding, only ten of the eleven pieces of luggage we checked in
came around the carousel at Ben Gurion airport. Thus began an arduous,
frustrating, and fruitless search for that one piece of luggage which
contained all of Chanis clothing, as well as our sons suits for the
wedding. [By the grace of G-d, at the last minute Chani had packed her
gown and our daughters gowns in a different suitcase.]
When we returned home, the next step was to try to get reimbursed by
Turkish Air, and the insurance company. Chani spent numerous hours over
the course of a few weeks fulfilling all of their requirements via lengthy
email correspondence, until they finally sent us a check. It was not easy
especially considering the language barrier. [There was a language barrier
despite the fact that they spoke English.]
We were sure the annoying luggage saga had finally come to an end. But
then this past Thursday morning, a friend called Chani and related that she
had just seen the following ad in that weeks Yated classified section:
FOUND: Suitcase. In November, right before Chanukah, someone lost a
suitcase by airport and JFK sent it to It contained children and adult
clothing. Please contact.
Chani was quite skeptical but she called the number and identified the
contents of the luggage. Wouldnt you know it, by Thursday afternoon her
long lost luggage was home! The son of the woman who had placed the ad
had lost a piece of luggage and JFK had mistakenly delivered our luggage
to her. It seems that after we checked it in, that piece of luggage never
made it out of New York, although it was somehow inspected by Air
France, who left a tag in the luggage reassuring us that they had done their
best to keep everything in order.
What are the chances that our luggage would end up in the home of a frum
person, in Monsey, who fulfilled the mitzvah of hashavas aveida, and
didnt just send it back to the airport? For over three months we were
wondering where the luggage could be, when in reality it was in Monsey
virtually the entire time!
We often feel that the key to our happiness lies in achieving that one thing
in our lives that keeps eluding us an extension to our home, a new car,
different neighbors, a new job, more nachas from our children, a shidduch,
better health, etc. While one has every right to hope and yearn for the
fulfillment of his dreams and hopes, he shouldnt detain his own efforts to
grow and achieve until his other dreams have come to fruition.
When Hashem appeared to Moshe from the burning bush, He told Moshe,
Do not come closer to here; remove your shoes from your feet, for the
place upon which you stand is holy ground. (Shemos 2:5)
The Chofetz Chaim explained that a person must realize that every
situation and predicament of life that he finds himself in is potentially holy
ground, if he consecrates it. One cannot wait for the ideal time to learn
more, to perform more mitzvos, or to work on davening better. The
challenge of life is to realize that the place upon which you stand at this
very moment, is holy ground.
We cannot wait for all of our luggage to arrive, because Hashem may want
us to strive for greatness despite the fact that we dont have all of our
stuff. And who knows, if at the moment we least expect it, Hashem will
allow us to see that the luggage we thought we were missing and therefore
couldnt accomplish, was really with us the whole time.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R Dani and Chani Staum
720 Union Road New Hempstead, NY 10977 (845) 362-2425
Rabbi Berel Wein
Ukraine And Us
Ukraine occupies a very tortured and bloody place in the history of Eastern
Europe. Sandwiched between Poland, Austro-Hungary and Russia and
being neither Polish nor Russian in language, faith and ethnic culture, it
always found itself in a very bad neighborhood.
Stalin and Khruschev starved five million Ukrainians to death in the 1920s
to enforce their agricultural collectivization program. Much of Ukraine
served as the battlefield between the German and Russian armies during
World War II and its landscape remains scarred by those battles even
today, seventy years later.
Unspeakable atrocities occurred daily in Ukraine in World War II with
both German and Russian armies being guilty of inhuman behavior on a
vast scale. Ukrainian nationalism was squashed by the heavy hand of the
Soviet Union until the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Ukraine declared its
independence then and has been searching for a way to build for itself a
30 ":\D up trcdk trcd ihc
form of democratic government, a working economy and a better life for
its citizenry.
Over the last twenty years it has had its ups and downs and never really
achieved for itself the blessings that it hoped independence from the Soviet
Union would achieve. The Russian bear has now reappeared on its eastern
border and once again threatens Ukrainian independence and territory.
Putin, in his inimitable fashion, mocks the impotence of the United States
and the West and things look fairly bleak for the future of Ukrainian
independence. There is no one in the Ukraine, I believe, that thinks that the
United States or the European Union is prepared to ride to Ukraine's
rescue. And so, like many other countries, ours included, Ukraine has the
bad fortune of having to live in a very bad neighborhood.
The history of Ukraine and the treatment of its Jewish population is also a
sad and bloody one. The great pogroms of 1648 and 1649 that killed
hundreds of thousands of Jews were led by the Ukrainian nationalist
Bogdan Chmeilitzki. There is a statue in his honor in the main square of
the city of Kiev. To Ukrainians he is a national hero. To the Jews he is
recorded in our history as a villain first-class, a murderer of women and
children and is listed together with Haman and Hitler in the unsavory
pantheon of Jew haters and anti-Semites.
In World War II and the ensuing Holocaust, a substantial number of
Ukrainians served in the SS, were camp guards in the concentration and
killing camps and were willing collaborators with the Nazis in rounding up
the local Jewish population for deportation and murder. Now naturally the
Ukrainians were no different than most of the populations of Europe in the
1940s.
France and Holland, Belgium and Poland were also countries rife with
collaborators who helped the Nazis eradicate their Jewish populations.
Much of this has been smoothed over by the West, though to me it
explains the almost knee-jerk reaction of enmity of the European Union to
the State of Israel and to the Jewish people, its faith and religious rituals.
The current spate of banning ritual kosher slaughter and the opposition to
circumcision represents only the tip of the iceberg, underlying the true
feelings and policies of Europe towards the Jews a legacy of fifteen-
hundred years of persecution and hatred. Still Ukraine holds a very
prominent place in this sad and unreasonable story of the oppression of the
Jews.
We are told that there are still approximately two-hundred-thousand Jews
living in Ukraine as of today. There has already been a call by smaller
Jewish communities in Ukraine asking Israel to send security forces to
their communities to help protect them from the ongoing anti-Semitic acts
and expected violence. It will be interesting to see what if anything Israel
can or will do to defend those Jews who still live in Ukraine. After all, if
Israel is not a Jewish state but just a state where Jews live then why should
it be more concerned over the fate of people living in Ukraine than are any
of the other countries of the world.
A great deal of Jewish money and effort has been invested over the last
twenty years in attempting to revive Jewish life in Ukraine. The results are
murky and mixed. What is pretty clear though is that most Ukrainians
would prefer their country to be judenrein.
I cannot judge other Jews for their motives and behavior, their actions and
inaction. Nevertheless, it seems to me that those Jews living in Ukraine
and who somehow have not previously absorbed the lessons of Jewish
history regarding Ukraine and the Jews would do well now to think again
about remaining there.
Whatever the future of the Ukraine will be, it should be obvious that there
really is no Jewish future possible there. It is perplexing and fascinating at
one and the same time to witness how the Lord is staging this drama for us
in this season of the year. Shabat shalom, Berel Wei
U.S. Office 386 Route 59 Monsey, NY 10952 845-368-1425 | 800-499-WEIN (9346) Fax: 845-368-1528 Questions? info@jewishdestiny.com Israel
Office P.O. Box 23671 Jerusalem, Israel 91236 052-833-9560 Fax: 02-586-8536 Questions? scubac@netvision.net.il RabbiWein.com 2009 The
Destiny Foundation

Rabbi Berel Wein
Weekly Parsha
Vayikra
Though this parsha, like much of the rest of the book of Vayikra, is replete
with difficult detail regarding very esoteric, spiritual and even mystical
topics of Temple service and animal sacrifices, there is a basic and
important message that the Torah wishes to communicate to us amidst this
welter of detail. And, I feel that this message is the recognition that sin is a
constant part of human life.
We are taught: that there is no righteous person who lives on this earth
without sin. It is one of the weaknesses that we inherited from Adam and
Eve and therefore is part of the DNA of human existence. In recognizing
this fact, the Torah, as is its usual wont, deals with the reality of human
existence and not with an imagined perfection of human behavior that has
never existed in human history and will never exist.
Unlike other monotheistic faiths, Judaism does not allow for pie-in-the-
sky, super angelic portrayals of human life. As King Solomon states:
What was is what will be, and there is really nothing new as far as human
behavior is concerned under the sun. So the Torah in this week's parsha
takes it as a given that people will sin and do so pretty regularly.
Therefore an antidote to sin must be created so that people will eventually
improve and find forgiveness for their sins from a benevolent Creator.
I think that the entire Temple service as described for us in the book of
Vayikra is meant to emphasize to human beings our innate weakness and
to the omnipresence of sin in our lives. Knowing that we have sinned is the
beginning of redemption and holiness.
I believe that this is part of the great message of Yom Kippur and why this
holy day retains its vibrancy and relevance even to Jews who are otherwise
far distant from Torah observance and meaningful Jewish life. Deep down
within us we are all aware that as human beings, not only are we prone to
sin but, again in the words of the Torah: Sin crouches at our doorstep.
The Temple building itself, the priesthood and the Temple service of
animal sacrifices, all combine to make the realization of sin a constant
factor in Jewish life. In order for this to be effective, the Jewish people had
to be aware of what lay behind the edifice, pomp, ritual, meat and wine
that was generated by the Temple and its services.
It is this point that the prophets of Israel stress in their condemnation of the
shallowness of understanding regarding the Temple service that so
characterized the kingdom of Judah in First Temple times. Being unaware
of the underlying message regarding the constant vulnerability to sin and
the necessity to counteract it, and merely concentrating on the antidote of
forgiveness, which the Temple represented, was shortsighted and
eventually led to the disappearance of the Temple itself. The Torah wanted
us to attempt to eradicate the source of pain and not merely become
addicted to pain killers. I believe this to be the subtle message of this
week's parsha and of the entire book of Vayikra.
Shabat shalom, Rabbi Berel Wein
U.S. Office 386 Route 59 Monsey, NY 10952 845-368-1425 | 800-499-WEIN (9346) Fax: 845-368-1528 Questions? info@jewishdestiny.com Israel
Office P.O. Box 23671 Jerusalem, Israel 91236 052-833-9560 Fax: 02-586-8536 Questions? scubac@netvision.net.il RabbiWein.com 2009 The
Destiny Foundation

Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb-OU
Person in the Parsha
Parshas Vayikra: Courtesy and Confidentiality
There is no such thing as privacy anymore.
There are no secrets anymore.
These are two complaints that are heard frequently nowadays.
We live in a world of cell phones and e-mails, blogs, Facebook and
Twitter. We have no privacy, for almost anyone can reach us wherever we
are, whatever we happen to be doing, at all times of the day. And we can
have no secrets, because anyone who knows anything about us can spread
it to the entire world in a matter of seconds.
How often have I sat down for a moment of private time, for study or
contemplation, or just to chill out, only to have the silence disrupted by
some total stranger who managed to obtain my cell phone number? How
many dozens of e-mails and blogs fill up the space of my inbox with
communications that, at best, are of no interest to me and often are
offensive and obnoxious?
We once felt entitled to privacy and courtesy, but they no longer seem
achievable.
Often, we write a confidential note to a trusted friend, sharing a message
that we would rather others not know, only to discover that the note is now
circulating in cyberspace, accessible to literally everyone. Sometimes, it is
the friends betrayal that has made our secret public. Often, it is simply
misjudgment or carelessness on his part. But more frequently, it is an
unwanted error, a mistaken pressing of send instead of delete.
We once expected confidentiality and discretion, but they too no longer
seem possible.
Our contemporary society has lost what once was among its primary
values. A mans home is his castle once meant that decent citizens
respected the fences around another individuals personal space and
would not casually trespass those boundaries.
The value of trusting in the discretion of another, once a cornerstone of
human interaction, is now in danger of being relegated, along with other
once-cherished values, to the oblivion of old-fashionedness.
The right to privacy and the ability to assume confidentiality are universal
human values. It is important to know that they are primary Jewish values
as well. Sources for these values in our tradition include this weeks Torah
portion, Vayikra.
This might come as a surprise to you, dear reader, because you know that
this weeks portion is the introduction to Leviticus, the biblical book
which focuses upon sacrifices and Temple ritual. This weeks portion
especially seems limited to the comprehensive and complex details of
sacrificial offerings. Where is there even a hint of these contemporary
concerns, courtesy and confidentiality?
Chapter one, verses one and two, say it all, albeit between the lines:
":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 31
The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting,
saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them
The rabbis of the Talmud saw in these simple and direct phrases two subtle
messages.
First of all, the Lord called to Moses first and then spoke to him. He didnt
surprise Moses. He didnt intrude on Moses privacy and autonomy. First,
He called to him. He knocked on Moses door, as it were, ringing the bell
first, asking to be invited in. No unwanted intrusion, even from the Lord
Almighty, to his favorite prophet!
This observation is made by the rabbis in the Talmudic tractate Yoma. In a
less well-known Talmudic source, the Tractate Derech Eretz, the rabbis
find that the Almightys courteous concern for the privacy of his lowly
creatures did not begin with Moses. It goes back to the way He treated the
very first man, Adam. Genesis chapter three, verse nine: The Lord God
called to Adam and said to him: Where are you? Here too, even when
the Lord wishes to rebuke Adam, He first calls to him, signaling the
uncomfortable conversation which is about to ensue.
God respects Adams privacy, and He doesnt just barge in on Moses.
Surely a lesson in human values.
The rabbis on the same page in Tractate Yoma find another message in the
deceptively simple opening verses of our Parsha. saying: Speak to the
people and say to them From the redundancy here, say, and
speak, and say, the rabbis derive the lesson that when someone tells
you something, you are forbidden to share it with another unless you are
given explicit permission to do so.
Moses was not permitted to re-tell even the divine message that he heard
until God Himself told him that it was okay to say it over.
The medieval Rabbi Moses of Coucy actually enumerates this admonition
for utter confidentiality as one of the prohibitions comprising the 613
commandments of the Torah.
As I have reflected upon these specific teachings over the years of my
personal Parsha study, I have come away with several conclusions: Firstly,
there is much that is implicit in the Torah; much that lies beneath the
surface. The long and complicated ritual laws that confront us as we read
this weeks Parsha are contained in a context that teaches us more than the
surface lessons. Our Rabbis of old were particularly expert at digging out
these unexpected but precious nuggets.
Secondly, these nuggets are often of astounding relevance for our
contemporary condition. What can be more relevant than a reminder about
the values of courtesy and confidentiality?
Finally, these lessons are not merely abstract teachings or bits of wisdom
for us to ruminate upon as we relax in our armchairs. Rather, they are calls
to arms. They are challenges.
It is difficult indeed to combat the value system that is foisted upon us by
the technology which pervades the world in which we now live. Very
difficult. But very necessary. If we lazily submit to the pernicious
influence of modern convenience, we risk the ultimate loss of our very
humanity.
A culture devoid of courtesy can turn into a culture of callousness and
cruelty. A world where one cannot trust his confidante is a world where
authentic friendship is impossible.
Troubling thoughts? Yes, indeed. But they are thoughts which we ignore at
our own peril.
How fortunate are we that these thoughts are available to us, subtly
embedded in the opening verses of this weeks Torah portion!
Rabbi Pinchas Winston
Perceptions
Parshas Vayikra - The Importance of Ahavas Hashem
And He called to Moshe . (Vayikra 1:1)
We left off at the end of last weeks parshah with the Divine Presence
descending to dwell upon the Mishkan. The Jewish people had done all
they could to make the Mishkan work, executing every last command of
God and construction detail with enhanced human accuracy. After a
careful inspection of all the work by Moshe Rabbeinu all of it was
approved and blessed.
All that remained, at that point, was to breathe the soul into the
Mishkan, something only God could do by allowing His Presence to
descend and give the Mishkan the spark of life for which it was built to
be a home. Like a newborn baby that, after gasping its first breath of air,
cries to confirm it has been successfully born, the Mishkan breathed its
first breath and transformed into a spiritual living threshold between the
world of God and the world of man.
One could, and many do, look at the Mishkan as merely a physical
structure in which we brought sacrifices to God, just as in other religions.
Even if they believe in God, Torah, and that the Mishkan was really
commanded by Him, they dont see anything magical about it. There was a
mitzvah to build it, there were mitzvos concerning it, and making God
happy is merely a function of technically fulfilling both.
They would be rightfor them. For, just as giving birth to a baby is
merely an initial step along its path to fulfillment, going as far as the
Divine Presence dwelling on the Mishkan was only an initial stage of its
development. It turns out that, just like with respect to a person the soul
God puts into him is not the end of the story, just the beginning of it,
likewise does the Mishkan also require the same additional element that
God cannot provide to allow it to flourishour love.
In other words, just as the birth of a child provides the parent with a new
opportunity to feel and express his or her love, likewise did the Mishkan
provide the Jewish people with an enhanced opportunity to feel and
express their love for God. The service that occurred within it on behalf of
the Jewish nation, as technical as it was, was really the Jewish people
reaching out to God from their depths of their heart.
Or at least that is what it was supposed to have been. To think that it was
only the Divine Presence that infused the Mishkan with life was a mistake,
just as it is to assume that a baby can grow into a fulfilled adult left alone
and without any emotional support. The Talmud, discussing the impending
destruction of the First Temple by Nebuchadnetzars approaching army,
sums it up like this:
He hewed down [the Jews] as he proceeded until he reached the Sanctary.
Upon setting fire to it, it wanted to ascend but it was pushed down from
Heaven . . . He was elated [with his triumph] when a voice came forth
from Heaven saying to him, You have killed a dead people, you have
burned a Temple already burned; you have ground already ground flour.
(Sanhedrin 96b)
For a building that was already burned it still looked quite good.
Physically, yes, but just as an atheist can look like the paradigm of good
health on the outside, though spiritually he is dying, likewise the Temple
building looked strong to the eye, but it had already been destroyed
spiritually. A Temple, or Mishkan for that matter, without love of God is
like a human without a soul, and neither can last very long like that.
Sefer Vayikra, therefore, is not merely about which sacrifices to bring, and
how. It is not only about being holy, especially as a kohen, and avoiding
illicit relationships. It is not only about the holidays and Shmittah. It is
about how to go about developing a greater appreciation of our
relationship to God and a deeper love for Him, and how to infuse the
Mishkan with that love.
Not just the Mishkan, and later the Temple, but every aspect of our service
of God, beginning with our prayer. As we know our prayer is the stand-in
for the sacrifices that we cannot bring again until the Temple returns. And
though sacrifices could be something as simple as a meal offering, they
were usually some kind of animal, something as small as a turtledove or as
big as an ox.
Without question, the bringing up of an animal to the Temple and then
watching it get slaughtered on our behalf was a far more involving
experience than walking into a shul to be part of a minyan. People are
sensitive to what their birds are feeling or what their dogs and cats undergo
at the vet so it was certainly emotionally involving to be in the Temple and
watch animals be killed, dismembered, and then burned on the altar.
As it should be. As the verse says:
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. (Tehillim 51:17)
On a simple level this means that a person can only serve God with
humility. The essence of our serving God is a sense of gratitude which
decreases as our sense of entitlement increases. The more we feel we have
coming to us the more we resent what we dont have, which does not put
us in the proper frame of mind to serve God. It certainly makes it hard for
us to infuse our prayer with love.
Even human relationships work this way. The more a person loves himself
the less he is able to love others. You have to like being who you are and
have a sense of self-respect, otherwise you cant love others either. But the
moment a person feels too strongly about himself the less he can feel for
others, and that destroys relationships.
Rashis first explanation on the entire Book of Vayikra, on the very first
word of the book, is about the relationship between God and man, and
specifically with the Jewish people. Throughout the Torah, when God
speaks to Moshe Rabbeinu, it uses the Hebrew vaydabehr, or
vayomer, both of which mean and He said. Why all of a sudden did
the Torah switch to the word vayikra, which means and He called?
Rashi answers by explaining that vayikra is a language of endearment,
which is why the angels use it with respect to God. At the very beginning
of the parshah we learn that the book is about loving God, about how to
infuse our service of God with a deep love. It is that which breathes life
into our service of God.
To look at the way many of us pray, one might thing that rigor mortis has
already set in. The love just isnt there. People feel an obligation to pray,
so they come to minyan. But, once there, it is often business as usual: get
the Tefillin on, get through the service, and then be out in the real world
as soon as possible.
Service it is. Service of the heart it is not.
32 ":\D up trcdk trcd ihc
Then we wonder where God is, why we cant feel His Presence in our
daily lives. We cant understand why miracles do not happen for us, and
why things occur to us and the Torah world in general that seem to be so
counter to what we think God wants for us. We believe in Him, that He is
there and watching everything, but are baffled as to why He remains so
silent at times when we wish He would speak up.
If, however, we examined our approach to our service of God, whether it is
our learning of Torah, our tefillah, or even making Shabbos, wed
probably see that all of it lacks ahavas Hashemlove of God. We are
obedient in action, some more than others, and tow the party line, but we
fail to fully go the next level, and that is infusing life in all that we do by
breathing the breath of love and gratitude into our service of God.
Which spouse is supports the other when the love has been drained from
the marriage? How many friends remain friendly when the love seems to
have left the relationship? Even employers, if they want true loyalty, have
to become beloved by their staff. You cannot compare the quality of the
output of employees who love their bosses to that of workers who are
indifferent to their employers, or worse, despise them.
When it comes to human relationships, you have to earn the love of
another person. That usually amounts to doing virtuous things, like being
selfless and caring more about others than for yourself. We like virtue in
other people because it reveals their souls to us, the true source of chayn.
However, as the Rambam points out, God has already done more than
enough to earn our love. If we dont love Him, as he points out, it is
because we have yet to focus on His incredible virtue:
What is the path to loving Him and fearing Him? When a person
contemplates His works and His awesome and mighty creations, and sees
in them incomparable and endless wisdom, IMMEDIATELY he will love,
praise, glorify, and greatly desire to know his Great Name, as Dovid
wrote, My soul thirsts for God, the Living Almighty (Tehillim 42:3).
(Yad, Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah, 2:1)
Its worth it, for a number of reasons. Love of God is one of the Six
Constant Mitzvos, so we have to do it anyhow. But even more than that, it
is the life force of our service of God, especially our prayer. Like with
respect to any act of love it is almost as pleasurable, if not more so, to give
it than it is to receive it. Prayer goes beyond the simple fulfillment of a
technical obligation. It becomes an otherworldly experience that has the
power to elevate us in everything else we do. It breathes life into our lives
as well.
Text Copyright 2014 by Rabbi Pinchas Winston and Torah.org.

HaRav Shlomo Wolbe Ztl
Bais Hamussar
Vayikra
This week's Dvar Torah is dedicated in memory of a young girl Faiga
Zissel bas Mordechai who passed away this week. May Hashem comfort
her dear parents upon this terrible loss.
How would one describe an oveid Hashem? The Gemara in Chagiga (9b)
answers this question: "Said Bar Hei Hei to Hillel, 'How can we
understand the [redundancy of the] pasuk, 'And you will return and discern
the difference between a tzaddik and a rasha and one who serves Hashem
and one who does not serve Him.' Is a tzaddik not one and the same as he
who serves Hashem, and is a rasha not one and the same as he who does
not serve Hashem?' Hillel responded, 'Both he who serves Hashem and he
who does not serve Hashem [mentioned in the pasuk] refer to completely
righteous individuals. Yet, one cannot compare someone who reviews his
learning [only] one hundred times to one who reviews his learning one
hundred and one times.'"
Rav Wolbe (Alei Shur vol I pg. 63) points out that the Gemara did not give
an example of a person who learns one hundred pages as opposed to a
person who learns one hundred and one pages. The reason is that Chazal
(cited in Rashi to Vayikra 1, 17) tell us regarding quantity "[it makes no
difference] whether [one gives or accomplishes] a lot or a little, as long as
his heart is directed toward Heaven." Rather, the Gemara defines "one who
serves Hashem" with regard to the quality of learning. He, who after
reaching the awesome plateau of reviewing his learning one hundred
times, decides to review his learning yet one more time, has demonstrated
that he strives for even greater level of clarity and profundity in his
learning. It is this attempt for greater quality that places him in the
category of an "oveid Hashem."
Throughout the generations all Jews, from the greatest to the simplest,
have performed the same mitzvos. They all put on tefillin and tzitzis, they
all davened and learned, and they all kept Shabbos. In the spiritual arena,
what set one apart from another was the quality of their mitzvos: The level
of clarity they had in their learning, the amount of kavana they had during
their davening, and the sincerity they felt regarding love and fear of
Hashem.
Baruch Hashem, we are all full of mitzvos "like a pomegranate is full of
seeds." Yet, our avodas Hashem is not defined so much quantitatively as it
is qualitatively. For example, although starting a new learning session to
study the Yomim Tovim is definitely praiseworthy, it might be even more
worthwhile to start a learning session to gain a greater understanding of the
Shema and Shemoneh Esrei that we say on a daily basis. Striving for
greater clarity is the manifestation of true avodas Hashem!
Maaseh Rav
A Rebbi in the Mashgiach's Yeshiva recalls that one morning the
Mashgiach told him that he didn't sleep the whole night. He said that he
was worried about a specific Bochur, what will become of him after he
leaves the Yeshiva.
(The Mashgiach always viewed situations with foresight, looking beyond
what meets the eye. It bothered him less to see a Bochur going through a
rough period than a Bochur who may have appeared fine, but had an
underlying issue inside which was not being dealt with.)
Please share with us your personal experiences with the Mashgiach Rabbi Wolbe z"l, Thank
you.

Aish.Com - Rabbi Ken Spiro
Jewish History Crash Course
Crash Course in Jewish History Part 20 - A Divided Nation
by Rabbi Ken Spiro
Although when Shlomo HaMelech dies in 796 BCE Israel is still a united
country, there is some tension between the north and the south.
Ten tribes occupy the north and two (Yehudah and Binyamin) occupy the
south. Jerusalem is middle ground -- it is considered a different place
geographically, and a different place spiritually.
Following the death of Shlomo, his son Rechavam becomes king, and, in
response to the political situation, goes up north to Shechem to have
himself crowned. At this time, the northern tribes send a delegation to tell
the king their complaints.
Chief of these is the toll that Shlomo HaMelech's building projects -- the
Temple in Jerusalem, his palaces, etc. -- had taken on the people in terms
of taxes and forced labor. The northern tribes, in effect, ask the new king
for a tax cut.
Rechavam consults his advisors. The elders who had served under Shlomo
tell him to ease up on the people: "Speak to them gently, and they will be
your servants forever." (1 Melachim 12:7) But the young upstarts advise
him to show the people who is boss.
Rechavam takes the latter advice and announces, "If you think my father
was tough on you, just watch me! I'm going to be even tougher."
Big mistake.
Rechavam forgot that even HaShem had called the Jews stiff-necked
people. Jews are stubborn. In response to Rechavam's arrogance, in the
year 796 BCE, the northern tribes secede, creating a new kingdom called
Israel. Rechavam is left with two tribes and Jerusalem; his kingdom is
called Yehudah.
At first he considers waging war on the north, but the prophet Shemaiah
warns him against it, telling him that he cannot possibly win as this
rending of the nation had been brought about by HaShem. (For an
explanation why, see Part 19.)
The split is clearly bad news -- it is a disaster for many reasons, both
spiritual and geopolitical. The once strong, unified nation is now a weak,
divided nation, and it is going to fall prey to the re-emerging empires of
Egypt and Assyria.
The Schemes Of King Yeravam
The king of the northern country of Israel is Yeravam ben Nevat. He is a
great man -- a scholar who was capable of debating Shlomo HaMelech --
and a great leader.
But unfortunately, the old saying -- "power corrupts and absolute power
corrupts absolutely" -- proves true. Pretty soon, Yeravam is worrying less
about leading the people and more about hanging on to his throne.
Yeravam sees that the Jewish people in the north are still very strongly
connected to Jerusalem -- after all, that is where the Temple stands with its
Holy of Holies and the Ark of the Covenant, that is where the presence of
HaShem is most strongly felt. On the three big festivals -- Pesach, Shavuos
and Succos -- the people continue to stream to Jerusalem. He sees that this
commonality with the south could bring about a re-unification, in which
case he will no longer be king.
So Yeravam hatches a scheme. What does he do? He decides to set up an
alternative place of worship in the north. He builds two other temples --
one in Beis El and one in Dan (where Tel Dan stands today).
That's bad enough in itself. But then he sets up golden calves in these
temples. Now he doesn't tell people that these images are gods, per se, but
he clearly violates the commandment against graven images. Furthermore,
once you open the door to idolatry by introducing alternative sites and
alternative modes of worship, it means trouble.
Thus, a terrible period begins in Jewish history. In the next 240 years,
there are 19 different kings of the northern kingdom of Israel -- one worse
":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 33
than the next. They are idolaters, corrupt and evil, and they lead the Jewish
people into idolatry.
Some of these kings are potentially great leaders, but spiritually they are
off. And one thing we know -- if the Jews don't get their act together
spiritually, they're not going to have their act together physically either.
So, we see a time period of great political instability and "palace" intrigue,
when kings come and go and the succession is usually very bloody.
King Achav And Ezevel
Of all the bad kings of Israel, one who stands out on the worst list is King
Achav. Of him the Bible says:
Achav son of Omri did what was evil in the eyes of HaShem, more than all
who had preceded him. (1 Melachim 16:30)
He marries the infamous Ezevel, and built a Temple to the Canaanite deity
Baal, popularizing this form of idolatry among the Jewish people.
It's important to understand when you're reading the Books of Melachim
and looking at what the Jewish people were doing then, that the ancient
people of the world were very religious and were always looking for ways
to heighten their spirituality, which is why they stumbled onto false gods
so often. This may be hard to fathom, because today we don't have the
same mentality. The false gods of today's Jewish world are money and
humanist secularism. These Jews who went over and worshipped Baal
were still keeping kosher and observing other Jewish laws, but they
wanted "to have their cake and eat it too" -- they wanted both HaShem and
the spiritual high of idolatry.
The prophet of note at this time is Eliyahu. Eliyahu yearns to have the
Jewish people repent. To this end, he decides to have a "show down" with
the priests of Baal and to physically demonstrate the lie of idolatry to the
Jewish people.
Eliyahu goes up north to Mount Carmel. Now if you go today to Mount
Carmel, you will see a big mountain range. On one end of this range is
Haifa, on the other is a place called Mukhraka, where there is a monastery.
In front of the monastery, there stands a statue of Eliyahu. This is almost
certainly the place where Eliyahu took on the priests of Baal because the
geographic description matches perfectly.
Eliyahu wants the Jewish people to see that idolatry is nonsense and that
there's only one G-d. So he challenges 450 priests of Baal to a contest. He
proposes that each side offer a sacrificial bull to their deity and whichever
deity sent a fire from heaven to consume the offering in full sight of the
people would be accepted as the true G-d.
The priests of Baal really get into it. They've got their bull on the altar and
they are beseeching Baal, shouting to the skies. But after nearly a full day
of trying, nothing is happening and the animal carcass is only attracting
flies. Meanwhile, Eliyahu mocks them:
"Shout louder! After all, he is a god, but he may be in conversation, he
may be detained, or he may be on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and
will wake up."(1 Melachim 18:27)
They shout louder, but still nothing. So they start slashing their heads with
knives. It's an ancient form of worship, which still continues in the
Moslem world, incidentally. Still nothing.
It's really embarrassing now, and all the Jewish people are watching.
Toward the end of the day, Eliyahu finally gives order for the preparation
of his own offering. He has it doused with water three times so it would be
even more difficult to set aflame. He even has a water-filled ditch built
around the altar. He then says one short prayer:
"L-rd G-d of Avraham, Yitzchak, and of Yisrael, let it be known this day
that you are G-d in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done
all these things at your word. Hear me, O L-rd, hear me, that this people
may know that you are the L-rd HaShem, and that you have turned their
heart back again." (1 Melachim 18:36-37)
With that a fire comes down from the heaven consumes the sacrifice, the
wood pile, the stones, the dust, and licks up the water in the ditch.
The gathered multitude responds in awe: "The L-rd He is G-d, the L-rd He
is G-d!" (This is the very phrase we shout out during the Yom Kippur
liturgy every year; this is where it comes from.)
The priests of Baal are put to death. But the story does not end there.
Hearing of what had happened, Ezevel sends a message to Eliyahu.
"Tomorrow I will kill you." She knows that the memory of miracles does
not last long. Today, the Jews are shouting "The L-rd He is G-d," but
tomorrow is another day.
Sure enough. Idol worship resumes soon enough and Eliyahu has to flee
for his life; and the northern kingdom sinks even further down spiritually.
Eventually, HaShem is going to get tired of this. There is a covenant after
all, and the Jews are not keeping their part of the bargain. The covenant
clearly specifies that the Land of Israel, along with its bounty, is given to
the Jewish people on certain conditions. When they violate those
conditions, they will be expelled from the land. And this is about to
happen to the northern kingdom, though not yet to the southern kingdom.
The people who are just waiting to take over are the Assyrians, inhabitants
of today's Syria.
This article can also be read at: http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/Crash_Course_in_Jewish_History_Part_20_-_A_Divided_Nation.asp
Copyright 2001 Aish.com - http://www.aish.com 2001 Aish.com - http://www.aish.com Author Biography: Rabbi Ken Spiro is originally from
New Rochelle,NY. He graduated from Vasser College with a BA in Russian Language and Literature and did graduate studies at the Pushkin Institute
in Moscow. He has Rabbinical ordination from Yeshiva Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem and a Masters Degree in History from The Vermont College of
Norwich University. Rabbi Spiro is also a licensed tour guide by the Israel Ministry of Tourism. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife and five children
where he works as a senior lecturer and researcher on Aish HaTorah outreach programs.

Aish.Com - Rabbi Noach Weinberg ZTL
48 Ways to Wisdom
Way #20 The Art of Conversation
Joe is walking down a darkened alley, when suddenly a man jumps out,
brandishing a pistol.
"Don't shoot," Joe pleads, "I'll give you all my money."
"I don't want your money," says the man with the gun. "My whole life I've
been trying to get someone to sit down and talk with me. Now I'm going to
make you listen for one hour."
This story reflects a sorry aspect of the human condition. People today are
busier than ever -- commuting, flying, buying. All in all, conversation time
is diminishing. Who has time to talk?
Reflect back to yourself. You want to be understood. But is anyone
listening?
B'miyut sichah literally means "minimize conversation." In other words,
use conversation effectively. Conversation is our tool to be in contact with
other human beings. Unless we communicate, we're all alone.
Building Connections
The Torah says that HaShem created man as a "speaking creature" (see
Targum Onkelos -- Bereishis 2:7). Speech is therefore what distinguishes
human beings from other creatures. We can be self-centered and closed up.
Conversation is a way out of that self-absorption.
Too many friendships never get beyond the superficial stage. It's possible
to talk endlessly about recipes, football and fashion. But that's not enough.
We need people with whom we can share our innermost thoughts.
Even family members can live in communicative isolation. Living room
furniture used to be designed so that people sat facing one another. Today,
living rooms are set up so that everyone faces the TV. You watch a
football game and mutter in between munches, "That was a good play."
What conversation can compete with the "raza-a-ma-tazz" of multi-
media?!
Today, everyone is in his own little corner and struggles by himself. We
need to be with others, not to watch television, but to be together and
communicate. Without it, you are stifling in your own self-contained
envelope. Isolated in your own opinion. Isolated in your own home.
Set aside time specifically for talking. Schedule a block of time to talk to
your spouse, your child, your parents, your friends. Speech conveys the
deepest soul-thoughts. Words that emit from the heart, enter the heart.
Something the other person says may touch a deep chord in us.
Conversations build deep connections and expand our world. Without it,
we emotionally whither and die.
Great conversation is your chance to explore entire worlds. Unlike a
movie, this world is real, not imagined. And the resulting relationship is
infinitely more rewarding.
Practice The Art
As accustomed as people are to "speaking," very few actually
"communicate." Speaking is natural and automatic. But communication is
an art which must be learned and practiced.
Start by changing your attitude. Did you ever sit for hours on an airplane?
You've read all the magazines, and watched the in-flight movie. There is
nothing else to do. Try speaking to the person next to you.
You have to warm up. Begin by asking simple, non-threatening questions:
"Where are you from? What is your name?" This is just credential
exchange. No harm, no weapons. Say "hello."
Yes, it is painful, because you don't know where it will go from there. But
what are you worried about -- that he'll stand up and announce to all the
passengers: "I'm seated next to a boring person!"
It's a shame to sit silently through the entire flight, and then "accidentally"
get into a fascinating conversation just as you're parting ways.
Don't be afraid of being rejected or that you won't have anything
intelligent to say. It won't kill you. You will learn how. Good
conversations have to be cultivated and produced.
Don't Mistake "Discussion" For "Conversation"
A "discussion" is an issue of right or wrong, a cerebral exchange of facts
and opinions.
A "conversation" is a personal exploration of another person. The point of
conversation is not to impress others or to enhance your popularity, but to
learn about others.
That is our most common mistake. When you talk to the guy in the plane,
don't let him know by the end of the trip how many trophies you won and
what investments you made. You are not interested in information like
who won the ball game and what is the price of gold on the market. That is
not conversation. That is the information shop.
The point of conversation is to connect with someone and explore his
experiences, thoughts, feelings, and inner appreciations. What does he
think about life, about love, about meaning? For example, while a
"discussion" might focus on the question, "Is the president effectively
dealing with the economy?", a "conversation" would ask, "How is the
economic situation affecting you personally?"
34 ":\D up trcdk trcd ihc
Aim to bring the topic around to a more emotional realm. Ask the other
person how he is dealing with issues that bother him. Just like when you
talk to your spouse after a long day, the conversation should be: "How are
you feeling, what upset you about the day, what gave you joy?"
If you're having difficulty getting the other person to talk, build trust by
talking about your own experiences and feelings. Don't be "Mr. Know-It-
All." When presenting an idea, say, "Balancing career and family has been
difficult for me. I look at the situation this way. I would really like to
know your experience and how you feel about it." When you report your
reaction, he will report his reaction.
The Fascinating World Of A Human Being
How do you maintain an interesting conversation? Be fascinated. If you
have an eager curiosity about life and people, you'll be an excellent
conversationalist. People will talk to you freely, because your interest will
draw them like a magnet.
If you find that "fascination" does not come easily to you, do some self-
analysis. Figure out why. Often the problem is basic indifference -- i.e.
"Why should I care about this person?"
To get focused, realize that every human being is a wonderful mystery,
created in the image of HaShem. We might make mistakes, but each
person is unique and holy, full of ideas, experiences, and special wisdom.
Don't be misled. Most people don't immediately reveal what is especially
interesting and significant about themselves.
To discover the wonderful person behind the facade, try interviewing them
as a journalist pursuing an important story. "Wow! You're from Buffalo?
How do you deal with all that snow?!"
Everybody wants to get to know themselves, but introspection is too
painful. So realize when you ask questions, you are helping the other
person learn about himself. Imagine someone asking you, "What do you
think about life? Is life beautiful? Is it boring, a struggle?" The
conversation prompts you to reach inside, examine, and engage in self-
discovery. The same questions you'd like to be asked about yourself, ask
someone else.
Especially when planning a major step in life -- like marriage, career,
spirituality -- use conversation as a tool. Interview others: What was your
experience? Was it interesting? What are the problems? What are the
pleasures? How did you overcome your fears? What did you gain? What
are the possibilities?
When you are fascinated, people will start talking and they won't stop.
Explore life. Talk! See this is a tool for living -- it is ridiculous not to use
it!
What's Your Name?
A primary way to connect with someone's uniqueness is to learn his name.
A name is an intrinsic aspect of human identity. By using his name, you
establish a connection and communicate an interest in who he is. And you
can't have a good conversation with someone to whom you are indifferent.
A human being is only real when you know his name. Frequently we lose
a name in the introduction and then we are talking to someone faceless.
We feel uncomfortable. The vibes are no good and it ruins the whole
conversation.
Do you tend to forget names? The key is to pay attention at the time of the
introduction, and repeat the name to yourself a few times after. One
memory technique is to conjure up a mental association. For instance, if
the person's name is George Brown, imagine George Washington wearing
a big brown suit. (The more silly the image, the easier it is to remember.)
Be A Good Listener
A good friend is a good listener.
In dealing with others, the Torah says: "Do not harden your heart or close
your hand" (Dev. 15:7). "Closing your hand" refers to be being generous
with money, while "harden your heart" refers to giving to others
emotionally. Don't underestimate the value of this. Patiently listening to
someone tell his troubles is often worth more than giving money.
In conversation, never interrupt. Don't anxiously anticipate the end of a
sentence so you can jump back with your own opinion. If someone makes
a statement you disagree with, bite your tongue and keep on listening. A
sharp reply is likely to make the other person defensive, in which case he'll
either get angry or end the conversation completely. Just calm down and
give your undivided attention. Don't look around. Don't think of other
things. Pay attention.
Ask for points of clarification. Really try to understand. You will build an
atmosphere of trust -- which will enable you to voice your own opinion
later.
Don't fight with people. No criticism. No confrontation. Just discuss.
Exchange feelings. That's conversation.
Constantly emit "listening signals" to demonstrate interest. Use eye contact
or add a nod of acknowledgement. Use simple words of feedback, like,
"Yes, interesting," or "That must have felt incredible." A skilled
conversationalist can say few words ... and build a deep bond.
Make Your Words Count
Sometimes we get bored with living. So we make a phone call and chatter
to pass the time.
Don't use conversation as an escape from reality. It's a waste of energy and
words. And when the conversation is over, we feel empty.
Make every word count. Consider your words as precious jewels, to be
used sparingly. Speak to the point, with clarity and purpose. Think before
you speak. Make sure to say what you intended to say, in the best way you
could say it. Frame your words. Connect your words with your mind rather
than let your mouth run away and then try to catch up with your mouth.
Unnecessary talk dulls your mind. Efficient use of words puts you in
control of your mind.
There's an old saying: "Small people speak about people. Medium people
speak about places and things. Big people speak about ideas." The words
you choose determine the type of person you'll be.
Don't talk without a purpose. In any conversation, ask yourself: "Is there a
point to this conversation? Am I learning anything about life? Am I
growing? Are we making contact?" If you can't identify the point, there
probably is none.
There is an ancient Jewish tradition called ta'anis dibur -- a "speech fast."
When people find themselves talking too much, they refrain from all
conversation except for Torah study. Likewise, in the House of Prayer,
there should be no outside conversations -- just HaShem and yourself.
Try experimenting for one hour without talking. It's a healthy exercise in
self-control, and can help you focus on your inner self. Don't worry,
people will just figure you've got laryngitis.
Avoid Negative Talk
The Torah says that HaShem used the medium of speech to create the
world. ("And HaShem said: Let there be light.")
For us as well, speech is a tool of creation -- through it we can build the
world, or destroy it. A word of praise will encourage others and build
confidence. Making someone feel important is to say, "Your existence is
necessary." This is life-giving and life-affirming.
On the other hand, speech can also be used to destroy. Words like "You're
worthless, that's terrible," wipe out a person's self-esteem. It is untrue to
believe that "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never
hurt me."
Did you ever find yourself in the middle of gossip or a distasteful joke? It's
insidious. All of a sudden you find yourself dragged into a discussion that's
taken a turn for the worse.
Never say anything negative or derogatory about another person -- even if
it's true. Gossip causes quarrel and tears apart relationships, families, even
entire communities. As Shlomo HaMelech said: "Life and death are in the
hands of the tongue" (Mishlei 18:21).
Learn to switch tracks. Monitor your conversation, and when you notice it
slipping off track, pull it back, gently and subtly.
If this doesn't work, bow out of the conversation. Have some graceful exit
lines ready to go. Of course, don't ever embarrass another person ... but
don't hang around and sully yourself either!
Why Is "Artful Conversation" A Way To Wisdom?
Be fascinated with human beings and you'll be an excellent
conversationalist.
Talk to people in the office, neighbors, even strangers.
Human beings have wisdom. Get them to share it.
Negative speech will make you a negative person.
Use speech wisely. It's one of the greatest gifts we have.
Have a conversation, not a confrontation.
Conversation is a tool of creation; it pulls us out of isolation, builds
connections and expands our world.
Fulfilling our needs depends on how well we communicate those
needs to others.
Author Biography: Rabbi Noach Weinberg was the dean and founder of Aish HaTorah International. Over
the last 40 years, his visionary educational programs have brought hundreds of thousands of Jews closer to
their heritage. Copyright 2003 Aish.com - "The 48 Ways to Wisdom" is culled from the Talmud (Pirkei Avos 6:6),
which states that "the crown of Torah is acquired by 48 Ways." Each of these is a special tool to help us sharpen our
personal skills and get the most out of life.

.
The following column on last weeks parsha was received after publication
1. Rabbi Jacob Solomon Between the Fish and the Soup page 34



Rabbi Yaakov Solomon
Between the Fish and the Soup
Parashat Pekudei 5774: D'var Torah
The Parasha, the long description of the building of the Tabernacle, and
the entire Book of Exodus finish with:
The cloud (of G-d's Presence) covered the Tent of Meeting. The Glory of
G-d filled the Tabernacle The Israelites would travel when the cloud
was raised up from the Tabernacle But they would not depart until
the day it rose up (40:34-37).
Later on (Num. 9:15-23), the Torah narrates at length the procedure
through which G-d communicated His Marching Orders to the Israelites in
the desert - by means of the cloud by day, and the fire by night.
What place do the travel arrangements of the Israelites have here, as
conclusion material to the building of the Tabernacle and indeed, to the
entire Book of Exodus?
":\D up trcdk trcd ihc 35
As a response, the Ramban (in his introduction to the Book of Exodus)
observes that the entire Book is the story of the first Divinely-ordained
national exile, and redemption from it. Even after departing from Egypt,
they were still in foreign territory in the wilderness. But when they
reached Mount Sinai, and built the Tabernacle, G-d returned and rested
His Presence among them. They became close to Him, as had been their
patriarchal forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was at that point that
the Israelites were indeed a redeemed nation. Indeed, the Book of Exodus
is sometimes referred to as Sefer Geula - the Book of Redemption.
What is significantly important is that these events took place outside the
Promised Land. It was not the Promised Land that redeemed them, but the
reverse. The reality was that they arrived there as a redeemed people.
This observation is vital, as it constitutes a very important link in the
chain of the spiritual development of the Israelite, and later the Jewish
People. It has been pointed out that there were four great formative
'watershed' periods: under Abraham, under Moses, during the century
following the Destruction of the First Temple, and in the exile from
Jerusalem to Yavneh and then beyond, following the Destruction of the
Second Temple. None of the shaping events took place when the Israel
were in the Holy Land under their own rule Indeed, the Rabbis place a
much greater emphasis on the reconstruction of the work of Sanhedrin on
its exile from Jerusalem to Yavneh, than the Zealots' last stand against the
Romans at Masada taking place at the same time.
That teaches us that Israel has a vital, but not exclusive part in the sacred
traditions and directions for life for the Jewish People. For it is not just the
place that contains the holiness, but it is the people bring holiness with
them wherever they are. 'Wherever I let My Name be mentioned, I will
come to you and bless you' (Ex. 20:21).
Parashat Pekudei (Haftara:Shekalim) 5774
King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest, and the priests, and he said
to them: "Why are you not carrying out the essential Temple repairs?
From now on, do not take for yourselves money from the people who
know you, but give it [to skilled workers] for Temple repairs." And the
priests accepted (the proposal) (Kings II:12 8-9)
Guided Tour
The setting of the Haftara is in a bright interval of stability between two
very dark periods of Israelite history. The Holy Land had already been
split into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of
Judea since the death of King Solomon, about a century beforehand.
The events in the Haftara must be seen in the context of the preceding
coups, intrigues, assassinations, and purges within both Israel and Judah.
Jehu put an end to the House of Omri - the extremely powerful ruling
dynasty of Israel whose members included King Ahab and his wife,
Jezebel. Jehu's first actions in ridding Israel of Baal worship included the
spectacular murder of that royal family. Jehu did not only dispose of all
Ahab's descendants, but his activities crossed the frontier into Judea,
where he managed to liquidate Ahaziah -
the King of Judah - who is recorded to have allied himself with Ahab's
successors. Thus the purges of Jehu, King of Israel, extended to Judea as
well. The murder of Ahaziah left the throne of Judea open to rivals within
the royal family. His mother, Athalia, had plans of her own, and she
brought them to fruition. She killed off all possible rivals within her own
family, succeeded to the throne in 842 BCE, and made herself the only
queen the Holy Land ever had during the First Temple Period. One of the
royal babies - Jehoash - was spirited away into safety, and hidden for six
years from certain death at the hands of his grandmother, Queen Athalia.
Her seven-year reign saw the worship of Baal flourish in Judea, with the
queen leading the way.
The High Priest of the Temple, Jehoiada, waited six years to restore
Jehoash, the son of the murdered King Ahaziah, to the throne. He then
made a pact with the royal bodyguard, overthrowing and putting to death
the now powerless Athalia. Then, to the great delight of the people of
Judea, Jehoiada installed the seven-year-old Jehoash on the throne.
That is the point where the Haftara starts. Jehoiada, who led the popular
uprising against Queen Athalia, brought into effect a new constitution:
'Jehoiada made a covenant between G-d and the king and the people, that
they should be G-d's people, and also loyal to the king' (Kings II 11-17).
As long as Jehoiada was alive, the young king remained righteous and
brought about profound improvements in the lives of the people. Among
his great achievements was to restore the dignity and beauty of the
Temple by instituting a system of collecting funds for its upkeep. After
the long-term failure of an ill-conceived and improper plan that, in effect
turned the priests into traveling schnorrers (appeal-makers) for the
Temple, the king began a new system. Together with Johiada, he
established the practice whereby the universally obligatory regularly paid
contributions to Temple funds should not go into the hands of the priests.
Instead, they should be directly placed into wooden chests with suitable
slots cut into the lid. All the money was then paid to builders and
craftsmen for essential maintenance. The text records that the system
became a great success. The work was done so well and thoroughly that
there was neither the need for an elaborate system of accounting, nor the
necessity to check the workmen's records. Indeed this period has the
unusual great virtue of the priesthood, monarchy, and people working in
harmony within the stated framework of the Torah - G-d's revealed laws.
However that stable and spiritually period was short lived. In the Northern
Kingdom, Jehu was soon following the idolatrous traditions of its earlier
kings, which led to spiritual decline culminating in its exile from the Holy
Land under Shalmenezzer V of Assyria in 722-1 BCE. And Jehoash
became less concerned in following the Law after Jehoiada's death -
eventually meeting his assassination at the hands of his own courtiers for
failing to prevent Aram (Syria) plundering Jerusalem (Chronicles II
24:23-5).
D'var Torah
The reform of Jehoiada and King Jehoash mentioned in detail by the text
is in the method used to finance the running of the Temple. At the
beginning of their administration, priests collected funds for the Temple.
Yet even after many years, the Temple still appeared neglected. Whereby
Jehoiada and Jehoash instituted an improved system. It required a new
method of allocating funds raised for the Temple by the individual priests.
Those priests would no longer decide how to spend their individually
collected funds, but instead all the money would go into a centralized
structure, which would direct the allocation of the total fund. The new
arrangement, which was conducted with the utmost integrity, was a great
success. The Temple was repaired, and kept in optimum condition.
The function of the priests was to perform and lead the spiritual life of the
Torah Nation. Since Temple times, that duty is taken over to a great
degree by those studying Torah full time, Heads of Yeshivot, Torah
teachers, and others involved with the needs of the community. Their
services, of course, must be financed. That includes the buildings in which
they serve the community, and the necessary stipends and salaries to
ensure for them an acceptable and appropriate standard of living.
The need for the principle of Johiada's and King Jehoash's reform might
well apply today. Three days before drafting this, I received the following
letter. It is from a learned and kindly Chavruta (learning partner), who is
currently living with his wife and children in Canada. He planned to learn
full-time in Kollel with view to becoming a Torah teacher. With an
excellent presence, clear and succinct pedagogic skills, and the highest
integrity, he undoubtedly has what it takes to serve our people as an ideal
Torah promoter and role model. He wrote:
Despite my dream of being involved with Harbotzas Torah (teaching and
promoting Torah), I am actually working full time in my father's
company For nearly two years after returning to (Canada) I tried to find
a position in a Kollel or in Chinuch (Torah education), but it turns out that
I did not have that merit. In each case something did not work out. After
much frustration and heartache, I was forced by financial necessity to
make the decision to work full time with my father Sometimes I wonder
if I would have left Eretz Yisrael if I had known I would have landed up
working full time where I am. I felt I had what to offer the Jewish world in
the Diaspora At this point family and wage earning prospects make it
difficult to make Aliyah.
I responded with:
I think it is sad that funds are available for certain Avreichim, but not
others - especially when the latter intend to go into full time teaching.
Sadly, the teaching profession does not have a surplus of talent. On the
contrary - there are many mediocre pedagogues around who teach
indifferently or even badly for years, and generations of children suffer
under them.
The above helps us to understand the reform of the King and Priest. At the
beginning of their reign, the priests themselves decided where to apply the
funds they collected. They undoubtedly spent it with integrity. They very
likely brought vessels and other items to which they could personally
relate. A priest might well point out a golden jug and think, or even say: "I
provided the cash for that! That jug is there in the merit of my fund raising
skills."
But the essential day-to-day running and basic repairs of the Temple did
not come high on the list of priorities. The priest would not feel so happy
when he sees the fruits of his hard Temple fund-raising disappearing into
the pockets of maintenance men.
Yet in it was precisely the payment of such workers, not the extra golden
jug, that made the difference between a Temple that was disheveled and
run down, and one that was a Kiddush Hashem - a place that visitors
would say is worthy of His most intense Divine Presence.
As in the Haftara, our people today need to accumulate large funds
directed by individuals with deep integrity, and an intelligent and
imaginative overview of the needs of the community. These resources
may be effectively applied towards those who will contribute the greatest
good in promoting Torah understanding, values, and observance. We can
learn from the Haftara that Torah should not only be financed by wealthy
fathers in laws, but that wealthy donors should join forces to a greater
extent. They could finance open scholarships and training schemes
making it possible for the truly worthy to spend the necessary years in
productive and effective Torah study, so they may serve the Jewish people
as Torah personalities, role models, and effective guides to communities
and individuals.
For those looking for more comprehensive material, questions and answers on the Parasha may be found at
http://www.shemayisrael.com/parsha/solomon/questions/ and on the material on the Haftara at http://www.shemayisrael.com/parsha/solomon/haftara/
. Written by Jacob Solomon. Tel 02 673 7998. E-mail: jacobsol@netvision.net.il for any points you wish to raise and/or to join those that receive this
Parasha sheet every week. Parashiot from the First, Second, and Third Series may be viewed on the Shema Yisrael web-site:
http://www.shemayisrael.com/parsha/solomon/archives/archives.htm Also by Jacob Solomon: From the Prophets on the Haftara Test Yourself -
Questions and Answers e-mail: jacobsol@netvision.net.il Shema Yisrael Home Page This article is provided as part of Shema Yisrael Torah Network
Permission is granted to redistribute electronically or on paper, provided that this notice is included intact. For information on subscriptions,
archives, and other Shema Yisrael Classes, send mail to parsha@shemayisrael.co.il http://www.shemayisrael.co.il Jerusalem, Israel 732-370-3344


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(c) 1990-2014 Rabbi Leibie Sternberg (Monsey/Spring Valley Zmanim) trehu :,arp
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This issue is dedicated:
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As this contains Divrei Torah and partial Pesukim, it should be treated with proper respect, both during and after use
ohhj cegh rc ovrct bzku hukv ejmh rc krgp bzku

IMPORTANCE OF ....
The Gemara (Sotah 32b) states that we say Shemona Esrei quietly
so as not to embarrass sinners who confess their sins in it, just as
we see that the Torah designated the same place in the Beis
HaMikdash for both the Korban Olah and Korban Chatas, to
disguise the fact that one might be offering a Chatas for having
sinned. The Gemara goes on to suggest other signs that ones
Korban might be a Chatas, such as using a female goat for the
Korban, which cannot be used for an Olah, and is thus a clear
indication that it is a Chatas. The Gemara answers that a Chatas
may be brought with a female sheep or female goat. The sheep is
not easily identified as a Chatas, though the goat is. Thus, if one
brought the female goat, it is his own doing, since he could have
brought the sheep instead. The Chochmas Shlomo (jut 607)
asks: the Gemara (Yoma 86b) states that one may not publicize
his sins against Heaven, as it demeans ohna sucf. As such, why is
a sinner even permitted to offer a female goat where it will be
obvious to all that he has sinned, and is offering a Chatas ? The
Haaros of R Elyashiv ZTL suggest that perhaps there is nothing
wrong with publicizing a sin committed dduac (unintentionally),
which is what a Chatas is offered for. However, the Magen
Avrohom (jut 607:2) notes that the Torah still sought to disguise
the Chatas, which is always brought for ddua. Obviously, there is
reason to suppress even sins dduac. The Eliyahu Rabba (ibid)
points out that when bringing a Korban Chatas, one is merely
publicizing off-hand that he sinned, but is not informing anyone
what that sin was. As such, he is not publicizing his sin, only that
he had sinned in some way. This is coded in the Rambam (vcua,
2:5) who states that one must confess his individual sins before
Hashem, privately, and in public he should simply say he sinned
without revealing the sin. As such, there should be no problem
using a female goat for ones Chatas.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
If a boy becomes 13 on the Friday before a Sunday Purim, must
he fast on the Thursday Taanis Esther ?
ANSWER TO LAST WEEK:
(Must a litigant withdraw if he knows his opponent will swear falsely ?)
The Radvaz (1223) ruled that one need not withdraw to avoid his
opponents false oath because of the rule: ,unhu gark uvyhgkv
serve the wicked and let him die. Since the litigant believes his
opponent to be wicked, it is permitted for him to treat him as such,
and need not be concerned over further wicked acts he does.
DIN'S CORNER:
If 2 people enter willingly into a fight (e.g. boxing, wrestling) and
one knocks the other down injuring him, he is not liable because
each ones goal was simply to knock the other down, and both
knew from the start that injury was probable. (Shulchan Aruch
nuj 421:5 see SMA)
DID YOU KNOW THAT ....
The Gemara (Menachos 104b) asks why the Torah uniquely ties a
Korban Minchah to the word apb (vjbn chre, hf apbu). R
Yitzchak says that it is because a Minchah is brought by a poor
person, and Hashem considers it as if he offered his soul. R
Yitzchak adds that for this reason, a Minchah may be prepared in
one of several ways (fried, baked, in various shaped pans) as the
variety will garner favor. (The MaHarsha notes that apb is used
for a Korban Chatas as well) The Gemara (Shabbos 118a) quotes
R Akiva who says: ,uhrck lrym, ktu kuj l,ca vag make your
Shabbos [non-special] as a weekday, rather than seek charity [for
it] from others. The Chasam Sofer asks why this is so. Surely, if
we are obligated to honor the Shabbos, we should use all means to
do so, without worrying about our pride. Also, why did R Akiva
state this only regarding Shabbos ? Shouldnt we do the same on
Succos (do without an Esrog) or on Pesach (do without wine or
matzos) if the alternative is to seek charity to finance them ? He
answers, citing the Mordechai (Megilah 780) who quotes
Rabbeinu Tams opinion that women are also obligated in Sholosh
Seudos because they too benefited from the miracle of the Mon
(about which the Torah refers to Shabbos with the word ouhv 3
times). The Mechilta explains that remembering Mon is intended
to ingrain within us a strong sense of Bitachon in Hashems
sustenance. As such, to prepare for Shabbos with charity belies
that Bitachon, and one should therefore forgo the enjoyment of
Shabbos. However, with regard to other mitzvos, there is no such
theme and therefore no restriction, so one should seek charity if
necessary to buy an Esrog or Matzos, but for Shabbos, one should
be frugal. J ust as a poor man would put away what he can all
week, saving for Shabbos, so too would a poor man give of the
vtpu vjfa yek that he survives on, to provide the ingredients of a
Korban Minchah. This is hinted to in the refrain of a Shabbos
song: ,cjn kg vjbnf umrh kek ,cv og icv ,ca rnuav. Why is it
,cjn kg vjbnf (aside from the rhyme) ? Perhaps because ,cu ic
imply those who are dependent on others, and their sacrifice for
Shabbos puts them also in the category of offering their soul.
A Lesson Can Be Learned From:
A woman in Bnei Brak suffered from certain complications following the
birth of her eleventh child, and as her condition was serious, many of
her familys neighbors and relatives were busy saying Tehilim for her
recovery. A 12-year old boy told the Rav that he was positive she would
recover. When asked why he said that, the boy related that he had just
taken his Bechinah (test) in applying for Yeshiva and had done very well.
Beforehand, he had made a deal with Hashem, asking that the decision
on his application, expected to be immediate, should nevertheless be
delayed, and the Yisurim (pains) that he would suffer as a result should
be for the womans benefit. As requested, his acceptance was
inexplicably delayed 3 days, during which time the woman recovered.
P.S. Sholosh Seudos sponsored by the Schmerhold family.