Parsha with Rabbi David Bibi: Recent Episodes
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The Talmud's Taanit 29a says that Tisha B'Av is a day of mourning because God metaphorically said, 'Since you cried for no reason, I'll give you something to cry about!' . Tisha B'Av commemorates five calamities that the Jewish nation has experienced:
•The sin of the spies Before the Israelites entered the land of Israel, 12 spies explored the land and brought a bad report to Moses, causing the Jews in the desert to refuse to enter.
•Destruction of the First Temple In 586 BCE, the Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed the First Temple built by King Solomon. The Talmud says the destruction began on the Ninth of Av and continued throughout the Tenth of Av.
•Destruction of the Second Temple In 70 CE, the Romans destroyed the Second Temple built by Ezra and Nehemiah.
•Destruction of Beitar In 135 CE, the Romans suppressed the Bar Kokhba revolt and destroyed the city of Beitar, killing over 500,000 Jews.
•Plowing of the Temple Mount Roman general Turnus Rufus plowed the Temple area in Jerusalem, rebuilding the city as a pagan city.
לָכֵן֙ בִּגְלַלְכֶ֔ם צִיּ֖וֹן שָׂדֶ֣ה תֵֽחָרֵ֑שׁ וִירוּשָׁלַ֙͏ִם֙ עִיִּ֣ין תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה וְהַ֥ר הַבַּ֖יִת לְבָמ֥וֹת יָֽעַר׃ {פ}
Assuredly, because of youZion shall be plowed as a field,Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruinsAnd the Temple Mount a shrine in the woods.
Rabbi Yosef Bitton writes: . The least known of these tragedies is also one of the most relevant, as in some way, the relevance of this act is still present.
I refer to the 'plowing of the city' of Jerusalem (חרישת העיר) in the year 130 CE. To understand why the city was plowed—and what this meant at the time—we must review what happened after the Romans destroyed the Second Temple (year 68 CE).
Is There Ever Enough Gold?
We begin the Fifth book of the Torah this week, the
book of Devarim. We have mentioned many times that the Rabbis teach us that
this book made up primarily of Moshe Rabeynu’s final speech and testament was
an optional book to be included at Moses discretion. The first three portions
feature Moses narrating a brief history of the past four decades to those about
to enter the land (see our short class on Deravim, memory and Tisha BeAb).
The opening verse is as follows:
אֵ֣לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר
דִּבֶּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּעֵ֖בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן בַּמִּדְבָּ֡ר
בָּֽעֲרָבָה֩ מ֨וֹל ס֜וּף בֵּֽין־פָּארָ֧ן וּבֵֽין־תֹּ֛פֶל וְלָבָ֥ן וַחֲצֵרֹ֖ת
וְדִ֥י זָהָֽב׃
These are the words that Moses addressed to all
Israel on the other side of the Jordan.—Through the wilderness, in the Arabah
near Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab,
The Rabbis teach us that these words refer to places
and hint at where the Jews sinned in the desert. But then Moses adds one more
place, “Di Zahav.”
Rashi explains: “In the vicinity of Di Zahav”, he
alluded to the affair of the golden calf, that due to Am Yisrael’s excessive
wealth they sinned and fashioned a calf out of gold.
I would like to share a story and a lesson based on
the teachings of Maran Rav Ovadia Yosef ZSL as posted by Halacha Yomit which
should motivate each of us lilmod ulelamed. Not only to learn but to realize
the best path to learn is to give over what I learn, lishma, for the sake of
Heaven.
There was once a gaon, philosopher and kabbalist,
Rebbi Yehudah Aryeh of Modena z”l (1571-1648) who has a book called “Ari Nohem”
and responsa. This gaon was graced by Hashem with a great talent for learning,
his was literally a fulfilment of the passuk, “the words of his palate are
sweet and he is all delight” [Shir HaShirim 5:16]. He lived in Venice and
during his time there was a huge bet knesset in the city which could seat a
thousand men.
One day the gabbaim of the bet knesset came to the
rav and asked him that since they don’t have a rav who can give derashot that
he come on Shabbat to the bet knesset and give them a derashah before Musaph.
The rav replied that since the bet knesset was far from his home and he was
getting old he was unable to come and give them a derashah. The gabbaim greatly
pressured him to head to their request to come just for one Shabbat. Until the
rav was unable to withstand their pressures and he ceded to their request to
come and give them a derashah.
On Shabbat Kodesh before Musaph the rav was honored
to stand before the whole kehillah and he gave a derashah for a full hour about
the Parashah of the week. The rav darshened and his mouth spoke pearls and
gems! The congregation made their ears receptive to hear his sweet words and
they very much enjoyed it. They were literally unaware that a whole hour had
passed!
On Sunday the gabbaim came to the rav’s home. They
said to him, “Kavod harav we have brought you something, not chas veshalom as a
payment, for it is impossible to paid his honor for the words more precious
than gold and fine gold, just a token due to ‘appreciation’, we brought his
honor a gold watch!” The rav saw and accepted the watch. The gabbaim said to
him, “Kavod harav, his honor saw how much the congregation benefitted from his
words on Shabbat, do us a favor for Hashem’s sake and darshen before us also
this coming Shabbat, this is a matter of meriting the many!” The rav responded,
“I cannot! It is difficult for me to make the journey to you on Shabbat!” The
gabbaim said to him, “How hard is it? Since this Shabbat his honor already came
to us, if so, just like on one Shabbat his honor was able to walk, so shall he
do also on this coming Shabbat!” The rav answered them, “Fine, I will come also
this Shabbat! One Shabbat and that will be enough!”
The rav was further honored to darshan and the bet
knesset was packed from wall to wall and all the congregation were listening
most intently to every word that came out of his mouth, “words that come out of
the heart enter the heart!” [The source of this adage is Rav Moshe ibn Ezra z”l
1055-1140 in his Shirat Yisrael.] A whole hour did the rav speak and then he
returned home.
On the next day, Sunday, again the gabbaim arrived
at the rav’s home, they said to him, “Kavod harav the payment which his honor
is entitled to has no bounds, but we have just brought a token gift, they
produced an expensive chandelier and presented it to the rav.” Immediately
afterwards they again pressured the rav that he come again on the next Shabbat
to the bet knesset to darshan for a third time since “a three-ply cord Is not
easily severed” [see Kohelet 4:12] and the rav’s words in a further derashah will
certainly make a tremendous impression!
The rav agreed and again arrived in the bet knesset
, but this Shabbat the rav’s derashah was extraordinary, above anything that
the kehillah had heard. The derashah was full of words of wisdom which were
pleasant for the ear to hear and the congregation rejoiced in it in an
exceptional way.
Again, on Sunday the gabbaim went up to the rav’s
home and presented him with a unique gift, an etrog box of pure silver! And as
they were accustomed to, they again pressured the rav that he continue to give
derashot in their bet knesset. The rav answered, “Enough! I already told you
that I will darshan a third time because ‘a three-ply cord Is not easily
severed’, and is now required ‘a four-ply cord’? What do you want from me?”
They pressured and pressured, and attempted to convince the rav that he present
on a permanent basis in the bet knesset.
Eventually the rav conceded, but he said to them, “I
have a condition! Before I become the permanent darshan in your holy camp, take
with you all the gifts which you gave me, the watch, the chandelier, the etrog
box, take everything with you! Only then will I agree to darshan!”
The gabbaim were astonished. “What’s the connection?
Why is the rav not prepared to accept the gifts?” The rav replied to them, “I
will respond with a parable. A person entered a watch shop. He was interested
in a unique expensive gold watch, he paid the full price and immediately in
front of the seller he took the watch and threw it on the floor smashing it at
his feet! The shop keeper won’t be angry with such a person, since he paid for
the watch, on the contrary perhaps now he will buy another watch!
“In contrast a chatan stood under the chuppah and
one of his loved ones came to him and in their hand was a gold watch which they
purchased as a gift with their money. Suddenly the chatan took the watch and
threw it to the ground and smashed it at his feet! Surely such behaviour will
offend the giver! How dare the chatan despised his precious gift! This is so
offensive!
‘The analogy is as follows. I see that I gave
derashot in the bet knesset three times. Indeed, the congregation were
attentive and very much enjoyed them, but I didn’t notice that the words
influenced them to change their ways, and why is this? Because they know that
the gabbaim took money from the congregation’s funds, and bought gifts from it!
If so, the feeling of the congregation is that they paid me for the derashot!
And now they don’t care to address things in a practical level! In contrast to
this, when I speak for free and the congregation hear the derashah and they
know that I don’t receive payment for it, they won’t be brazened to despise the
matters, the rav stands and makes every effort in his old age to darshan, surely,
they will learn that they must change their ways!”
Likewise with Moshe Rabbeinu a”h he said to Am
Yisrael, “See! I have taught you rules and laws as Hashem my L-rd has commanded
me” (Devarim 4:5), “Just like I taught for free - so shall you teach for free”,
Moshe Rabbeinu didn’t take a penny from Am Yisrael, because then, each person
that influences the community for the sake of heaven, Hashem gives him grace
and kindness that his words be heard.
Each person that has the ability to enthuse others
to fulfil Torah and mitzvot, especially regarding Torah-study, for through the
merit of Torah-study Hashem will send Eliyahu HaNavi because the Bet HaMikdash
was destroyed due to not sufficiently studying Torah. Likewise, the redemption
will be due to the merit of Torah-study, as it states, “Remember the Torah of
Moshe My servant, which I commanded him at Chorev for all of Yisrael – [its]
decrees and [its] statutes”, and immediately after this the prophet said,
“Behold, I send you Eliyahu HaNavi before the coming of the great and awesome
day of Hashem. And he will turn back [to Hashem] the hearts of fathers with
[their] sons and the hearts of sons with their fathers” (Malachi 3:22-4).
Be”Ezrat Hashem we will merit Eliyahu and Mashiach Bimhera Beyameynu Amaen!
I would like to share an alternative answer as well
based on a reading of the Gemara in Berachot which tells us that Moshe, in an effort to defend the Jews, told
Hashem that the Jews were not completely at fault for the sin of the Golden
Calf because “You gave them so much gold, until they said ‘enough.'” The
abundance of gold caused them to sin.
מַאי ״וְדִי זָהָב״? אָמְרִי
דְּבֵי רַבִּי יַנַּאי: כָּךְ אָמַר מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:
רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, בִּשְׁבִיל כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב שֶׁהִשְׁפַּעְתָּ לָהֶם
לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, עַד שֶׁאָמְרוּ ״דַּי״ — הוּא גָּרַם שֶׁעָשׂוּ אֶת הָעֵגֶל.
We must clarify: What is the meaning of and Di
Zahav? The Sages of the school of Rabbi Yannai said that Moses said the
following before the Holy One, Blessed be He, to atone for Israel after the sin
of the Golden Calf: Master of the Universe, because of the gold and silver that
you lavished upon Israel during the exodus from Egypt until they said enough
[dai]; it was this wealth that caused Israel to make the Golden Calf.
Rav Mordechai Kamenetzky asks a question and shares
the following story: There is still a troubling detail. We know the famous
adage of the sages, “One does not die with even half of his desires fulfilled,”
and “One who has one hundred desires two hundred.” How is it that the Jews in
the desert were satisfied with the gold they received? Why did they say,
“Enough”?
A grandson of Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz zt”l,
a Rosh Yeshiva of Ponovezh in Bnei Brak, bought a gift for his grandparents – a
beautiful mirror nameplate for their front door, completely customized with the
Hebrew name “Lefkowitz” engraved – a standard household ornament in Israel.
However, a few weeks went by and the front door remained bare. Rav Lefkowitz
did not put up the nameplate.
He finally approached his grandfather and asked him
why he is not using the nameplate. Rav Lefkowitz hesitated before
finally admitting the truth. “Our apartment is old,” he began, “And the front
door has seen better days. If I put up the nameplate, it is only a matter of
time before someone will suggest that I replace the door. After all, the
nameplate must match the décor of the apartment. Once the door is replaced,
someone will suggest that the interior walls need to be repainted. One thing
will lead to another, and before long, I will be living in a completely
redecorated apartment! I’d rather life a much simpler life with the least
amount of distractions, and serve Hashem with all my abilities.”
He quoted his grandfather, Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky, zt”l offers the
following explanation. Before the evil inclination, yetzer horah, became a part
of man’s inner being, man was pure. He was able to withstand the pressure and
desires for physical pleasure and possessions. But after Adam sinned by eating
from the Tree of Knowledge, the evil inclination became part of him, and the
infamous daily struggle of man began.
When the Jews received the Torah at Mount Sinai, and
Hashem revealed Himself with all his glory, they reached such a lofty spiritual
level, that their impurity ceased (“paska zuhamasan”). The evil inclination
left their bodies, and only affected them externally. When they took the
Egyptians’ gold and riches from the shores of the Sea of Reeds, they were able
to control controlled themselves. They took what they needed and then said,
“Enough!”
The Rabbi concludes: During the time when we mourn
the two Batei Mikdash – both destroyed on Tisha B’av, we too can look around at
the world we live in, and see how fortunate we are to have what we need. At
this point in history, when Hashem in not dwelling in His Beis Hamikdash, do we really need one more
golden nugget? We can also sacrifice for Hashem, and say, “Enough”.
Who is strong enough to say enough? Only great
rabbis? No!
I have told the story of how my friend Abie and I
fretted one evening over yerida hadorot, 'the decline of the
generations', as we looked at ourselves and compared ourselves with our
meritorious fathers and holy grandfathers. In comparison, we were the bottom of
the barrel and what would our children be? And how we breathe a sigh of relief
that we are blessed to live in the age of Mashicach when children will teach
their fathers. We are blessed with special children and we remain the bottom of
that barrel.
I give tremendous credit to our children who
sacrifice much to make Eretz Yisrael their home. In many ways, life is more
luxurious, care free and monetarily richer in the United States, but they and
those who have made Aliyah have in essence said, “di Zahav” – enough. This is
something human beings are rarely capable of doing. They have reached back to
the soul within them which connects to the soul of Adam before the sin. And
this deserves, blessing, protection and the promises of Mashiach. They should
be blessed in happiness as Adam and Chava in Gan Eden. They should be blessed
with parnassa, health, peace and prosperity and through their sacrifice and
example, Hashem should bring Eliyahu as He promised!
Memory means connecting
The disconnect between generations is tragic
The attempt of the rabbis is to remove the disconnect
הִנֵּ֤ה אָנֹכִי֙ שֹׁלֵ֣חַ לָכֶ֔ם אֵ֖ת אֵלִיָּ֣ה הַנָּבִ֑יא לִפְנֵ֗י בּ֚וֹא י֣וֹם יְהֹוָ֔ה הַגָּד֖וֹל וְהַנּוֹרָֽא׃
Lo, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before the coming of the awesome, fearful day of GOD.
https://www.sefaria.org/Malachi.3.23
וְהֵשִׁ֤יב לֵב־אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים וְלֵ֥ב בָּנִ֖ים עַל־אֲבוֹתָ֑ם פֶּן־אָב֕וֹא וְהִכֵּיתִ֥י אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ חֵֽרֶם׃
He shall reconcile parents with children and children with their parents, so that, when I come, I do not strike the whole land with utter destruction.Lo, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before the coming of the awesome, fearful day of GOD.
https://www.sefaria.org/Malachi.3.24
והשיב, והוא ישיב את כל העולם בתשובה, עד שהבנים שהודחו מתורת אבותיהם ישיב לב הבנים אל אבותיהם לחזור אל הדת ותורת אבותם, ועי'כ ישיב לב אבות על בנים, ומבאר הטעם שיקדים לשלוח את אליהו בעת ההיא לישר את העם מפני כי פן אבוא פתאום והכיתי את כל הארץ חרם, ולכן יקדים לשלוח מלאך הברית להשיבם בתשובה ולהיות מוכנים לפני ה' בבואו לשפוט את הארץ והיתה לה' המלוכה:
https://www.sefaria.org/Malbim_on_Malachi.3.24.1
מִיכָּן הָיָה רִבִּי פִינְחָס בֶּן יָאִיר אוֹמֵר. זְרִיזוּת מְבִיאָה לִידֵי נְקִיּוּת. נְקִיּוּת מְבִיאָה לִידֵי טַהֳרָה. טַהֳרָה מְבִיאָה לִידֵי קְדוּשָּׁה. קְדוּשָּׁה לִידֵי עֲנָוָה. עֲנָוָה לִידֵי יִרְאַת חֵטְ. יִרְאַת חֵטְ לִידֵי רוּחַ הַקּוֹדֶשׁ. רוּחַ הַקּוֹדֶשׁ לִידֵי חֲסִידוּת. חֲסִידוּת לִידֵי תְחִיַּית הַמֵּתִים. תְּחִיַּית הַמֵּתִים לִידֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ זָכוּר לַטּוֹב. זְרִיזוּת לִידֵי נְקִיּוּת. וְכִלָּה וְכִיפֵּר. נְקִיּוּת לִידֵי טַהֳרָה. וְכִפֶּ֥ר עָלֶי֛הָ הַכֹּהֵן֭ וְטָהֵֽרָה. טַהֳרָה לִידֵי קְדוּשָּׁה. וְטִֽיהֲרוֹ וְקִידְּשׁוֹ. קְדוּשָּׁה לִידֵי עֲנָוָה. כִּי֩ כֹ֨ה אָמַ֜ר רָ֣ם וְנִישָּׂא שׁוֹכֵן עַד֙ וְקָד֣וֹשׁ שְׁמ֔וֹ מָר֥וֹם וְקָד֖וֹשׁ אֶשְׁכּ֑וֹן וְאֶת־דַּכָּא֙ וּשְׁפַל־ר֔וּחַ. עֲנָוָה לִידֵי יִרְאַת חֵטְ. דִּכְתִיב עֵ֣קֶב עֲ֭נָוָה יִרְאַ֣ת יְי. אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק בַּר אֶלְעָזָר. מַה שֶׁעָשָׂת חָכְמָה עֲטָרָה לְרֹאשָׁהּ עָשָׂת עֲנָוָה עֵקֶב לְסוּלְייָסָהּ. דִּכְתִיב רֵ֘אשִׁ֤ית חָכְמָ֨ה ׀ יִרְאַ֬ת יְי. וּכְתִיב עֵ֣קֶב עֲ֭נָוָה יִרְאַ֣ת יְי. יִרְאַת חֵטְ לִידֵי רוּחַ הַקּוֹדֶשׁ. דִּכְתִיב אָ֗ז תָּ֭בִין יִרְאַ֣ת ה' וְדַ֖עַת אֱלֹקִים תִּמְצָֽא׃ רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ לִידֵי חֲסִידוּת. דִּכְתִיב אָ֤ז דִּבַּ֪רְתָּֽ־בְחָ֡זוֹן לַֽחֲסִידֶ֗יךָ. חֲסִידוּת לִידֵי תְחִיַּית הַמֵּתִים. דִּכְתִיב וְנָֽתַתִּ֨י רוּחִ֤י בָכֶם֙ וִֽחְיִיתֶ֔ם. תְּחִייַת הַמֵּתִים לִידֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ זָכוּר לַטּוֹב. דִּכְתִיב הִנֵּ֤ה אָֽנֹכִי֙ שׁוֹלֵחַ לָכֶ֔ם אֵת֭ אֵלִיָּ֣ה הַנָּבִ֑יא לִפְנֵ֗י בּ֚וֹא י֣וֹם יְי הַגָּד֭וֹל וְהַנּוֹרָֽא וְהֵשִׁ֤יב לֵֽב־אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים וְלֵ֥ב בָּנִי֭ם עַל־אֲבוֹתָ֑ם. תַּנֵּי בְשֵׁם רִבִּי מֵאִיר. כָּל־מִי שֶׁהוּא קָבוּעַ בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאוֹכֵל חוּלָיו בְּטַהֳרָה וּמְדַבֵּר בְּלָשׁוֹן הַקּוֹדֶשׁ וְקוֹרֵא אֶת שְׁמַע בַּבּוֹקֶר וּבָעֶרֶב מוּבְטַח לוֹ שֶׁהוּא מֵחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.
“From here did Rebbi Phineas ben Yair say, promptitude brings to cleanliness, cleanliness brings to purity, purity brings to holiness, holiness to meekness, meekness to fear of sin, fear of sin to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit to piety, piety to the Resurrection of the Dead, the Resurrection of the Dead through Elijah, may his remembrance be a blessing.”“Promptitude to cleanliness,” he finishes, and he atones.“Cleanliness to purity,” the Cohen shall atone for her, then she will be pure.“Purity to holiness,” he shall purify it and sanctify it.“Holiness to meekness,” for so says the High and Elevated One, Who thrones eternally, His name is Holy, in sublimity and holiness I dwell, and the suppressed and of meek spirit.“Meekness to fear of sin,” the consequence of meekness is fear of the Eternal. Rebbi Isaac bar Eleazar said, what wisdom proclaimed as a crown to its head, meekness made a heel for its sandal, for it is written, the head of wisdom is the fear of the Eternal, but it is written, the heel of meekness is fear of the Eternal.“Fear of sin to the Holy Spirit,” as it is written, then you will understand and knowledge of God you will find.“The Holy Spirit to piety,” as it is written, then You spoke in a vision to Your pious.“Piety to the Resurrection of the Dead,” as it is written, I shall give My Spirit into you and you will live.“The Resurrection of the Dead through Elijah, may his remembrance be a blessing,” as it is written, behold I am sending to you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Eternal, that he turn the fathers’ hearts to the sons and the sons’ hearts to their fathers.It was stated in the name of Rebbi Meïr: Anybody permanently in the Land of Israel who eats his profane food in purity, speaks in the holy language, and recites the Shemaˋ mornings and evenings is assured to participate in the life of the World to Come.
https://www.sefaria.org/Jerusalem_Talmud_Shabbat.1.3.11
“Chodesh Av,” the Month of Av, is referred to in the TORAH as the “Fifth Month,” counting from Nisan, the “First Month.” There is a Biblical reference in BaMidbar (33:38), where we find “And Aharon the Priest went up to Hor Hahar at the command of G-d, and he died there in the fortieth year after the Jewish People had left Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first of the month.” (BaMidbar 33:38). This is the only Yahrzeit mentioned in the Torah specifically with a date.
The kavana and permutation of Hashem's name which we have in mind during the blessing of the month on Rosh Hodesh in the Amidah of Musaf is
ה ו י ה
It comes from the pasuk in Devarim
ט) וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ וְהַכֹּהֲנִ֣ים הַלְוִיִּ֔ם אֶ֥ל כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר הַסְכֵּ֤ת ׀ וּשְׁמַע֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַיּ֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙ נִהְיֵ֣יתָֽ לְעָ֔ם לַיהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃
(9) Moses spoke, and the levitical priests, to all Israel, saying: Hasket! Hear, O Israel! This very day you have become the people of your God יה - - וה:
Rav Yisrael Simcha Schorr quotes an Agra d’Kallah (from the Bnei Yissaschar) that cites a Zohar at the end of Parshas Pinchas which states that Yaakov and Esav divided the months between themselves. Yaakov symbolizes the middas harachamim, compassion, while Esav symbolizes the middas hadin, justice. Certain months are connected more to din and others are connected to rachamim. Esav wanted to take all the summer months, Tammuz, Av, and Elul. As we know, Tammuz and Av are difficult months for us, times of din. However, Yaakov would not allow Esav to take the month of Elul, as it would be too hard on Klal Yisrael to come into the din of Rosh Hashanah without the rachamim of Elul. We need Hashem’s compassion for a full month in order to face the great Day of Judgment.
Esav complained that Yaakov has tricked him twice, that he had taken away from him those two months.
Every year during the month of Elul, this struggle between Yaakov and Esav is renewed. Esav wishes to retrieve the month for himself.
Yaakov in seeking ways to sweeten jusgment with lovingkindness, Ya’akov managed to liberate the second portion of Av from Esav. (This took place when he defeated the Sar of Esav in the 'wrestling' match. The result is that now the second half of Av is joined with the entire month of Elul, the month of Teshuvah, the best time for getting back into alignment with the Divine will. Indeed, the Holy Qedushat Levi, Rebbe Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev, noted that Av is an acronym for Arur (cursed) and Barukh (blessed). The blessing part of Av begins with this parashah and reaches its height on the 15th of Av.
What was Pe’or really all about?
Pe’or is based on a Pe’or culture which is the antithesis of the Torah Moses gave us. Pe’or is based on deifying that which comes naturally. If my body wants to defecate, that’s beautiful. If my body feels the need to sleep with that woman although she is someone else’s wife, then I must heed my body. If my body desires someone forbiidden or even an animal, then it must be acceptable. If I hunger for anything, then I must feed that hunger. If today I feel like a man, I am a man and if tomorrow I feel like a woman, I am a woman. The key to Pe’or is shedding any and every aspect of
self-control. It is freedom from responsibility. It is the pursuit of every type of sensual self-indulgence and sensual pleasure as an end in itself. Its apex is in the serving of ones basest inclinations.
Rabbi Abittan would teach that the purpose of the Torah is to take us from slavery to freedom and the highest level of freedom is when one can exercise complete self-control while living in the real world. One is free when one is no longer a slave and there is no master as powerful as our inclination. Moses, the messenger through whom Hashem gave the Torah, taught us that G dliness can and must permeate through all of reality; it must even dictate our approach to physical pleasures.
The danger of Pe’or is real. We live in a Pe’or society. We live in a world of excuses and justifications. We live in a world where we are told to be who we want to be. We live in a world where almost anything goes. We live in a world where we are told not to bridle our passions. We live in a world where we are told to applaud those who are free. But that’s not freedom. That’s slavery. And it’s so dangerous that Moses himself is buried opposite Pe’or, perhaps to always remind us that we as Moses’ people must remain opposite of what Pe’or stands for. Only through control, can we be truly free.
אַל־תְּהִ֤י צַדִּיק֙ הַרְבֵּ֔ה׃
So don’t overdo goodness
https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.7.16
אַל תְּהִי צַדִּיק הַרְבֵּה. כְּשָׁאוּל, שֶׁדִּמָּה לִהְיוֹת צַדִּיק וְרִחֵם עַל הָרְשָׁעִים:
Be not exceedingly righteous. Like Shaul, who tried to display his righteousness and [misdirected] his mercy on the wicked.
https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Ecclesiastes.7.16.1
אל תהי צדיק הרבה. בשאול איירי קרא, שבשעה שאמר לו הקב'ה לך והכיתה את עמלק התחיל מדיין הוא, אם אנשים חטאו, הנשים והטף והצאן והבקר מה חטאו, יצתה בת קול ואמרה אל תצדק הרבה יותר מבוראך .(שם)
https://www.sefaria.org/Torah_Temimah_on_Ecclesiastes.7.16.1
Goal is to Live the Life of the Righteous BALAK
וַיָּ֣שׇׁב אֵלָ֔יו וְהִנֵּ֥ה נִצָּ֖ב עַל־עֹלָת֑וֹ ה֖וּא וְכׇל־שָׂרֵ֥י מוֹאָֽב׃
So he returned to him and found him standing beside his offerings, and all the Moabite dignitaries with him.
וַיִּשָּׂ֥א מְשָׁל֖וֹ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר מִן־אֲ֠רָ֠ם יַנְחֵ֨נִי בָלָ֤ק מֶֽלֶךְ־מוֹאָב֙ מֵֽהַרְרֵי־קֶ֔דֶם לְכָה֙ אָֽרָה־לִּ֣י יַעֲקֹ֔ב וּלְכָ֖ה זֹעֲמָ֥ה יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
He took up his theme, and said:From Aram has Balak brought me,Moab’s king from the hills of the East:Come, curse me Jacob,Come, tell Israel’s doom!
מָ֣ה אֶקֹּ֔ב לֹ֥א קַבֹּ֖ה אֵ֑ל וּמָ֣ה אֶזְעֹ֔ם לֹ֥א זָעַ֖ם יְהֹוָֽה׃
How can I damn whom God has not damned,How doom when יהוה has not doomed?
כִּֽי־מֵרֹ֤אשׁ צֻרִים֙ אֶרְאֶ֔נּוּ וּמִגְּבָע֖וֹת אֲשׁוּרֶ֑נּוּ הֶן־עָם֙ לְבָדָ֣ד יִשְׁכֹּ֔ן וּבַגּוֹיִ֖ם לֹ֥א יִתְחַשָּֽׁב׃
As I see them from the mountain tops,Gaze on them from the heights,There is a people that dwells apart,Not reckoned among the nations,
מִ֤י מָנָה֙ עֲפַ֣ר יַעֲקֹ֔ב וּמִסְפָּ֖ר אֶת־רֹ֣בַע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל תָּמֹ֤ת נַפְשִׁי֙ מ֣וֹת יְשָׁרִ֔ים וּתְהִ֥י אַחֲרִיתִ֖י כָּמֹֽהוּ׃
Who can count the dust of Jacob,Number the dust-cloud of Israel?May I die the death of the upright, May my fate be like theirs!
n the 1930s, a dark joke was told about a rabbi in Germany who was reading the Nazi paper called Der Stürmer. A congregant came up to him, astonished, and said, “Rabbi, how can you be reading that Nazi rag, filled with libels of the worst kind. Are you some kind of masochist, or, God forbid, a self-hating Jew?”
“On the contrary,” the rabbi responded, “When I used to read the Jewish papers, all I learned about were pogroms, riots in Palestine, and assimilation in America. But now that I read Der Stürmer, I see that the Jews control all the banks, we pull all the strings in the art world and cinema, and that we’re on the verge of taking over the entire world. You know – it makes me feel a whole lot better!”
Seeking Heaven on Earth or Turning Earth into Heaven
Having spent a week studying the portion
of the Meraglim, end delving into the additional support given to Joshua and Caleb, and learning that the neshamot of the original Shevatim joined each of the ten other meraglim to boost (although unsuccessfully) their spiritual awareness, I am trying to understand the mindset of the ten. I endeavor to put myself in their shoes and figure out why they did what they did.
We read the various explanations discussing their intent, but something was still missing for me. If we look at Rashi, we see that at first, he praises the Meraglim quoting the Torah’s description of them as anashim - men and telling how important each and every
one of them in fact was. The rabbis tell us that the Torah lists their names in
order of importance, and we don’t find Joshua or Caleb until the middle of the
list. We have to ask, if these guys were so special, how did they mess up?
But then Rashi tells us that they went
in as they came out and with that, he explains that just as they came out with
an evil intention, they went in with an evil intention.
So, when did they go from important,
honorable, righteous people to people who went in with this evil intent?
I think we can also get a feel for where
they went wrong or what the thought process which led to their miscalculation
was by looking at the responses to them by Joshua and Caleb.
I don’t think that anyone goes in with
the intent to derail a mission unless they think that they are totally
justified and righteous in what they are doing. These ten must have thought
that they were doing the most beneficial thing for Benai Yisrael.
Many of our rabbi suggest that the
meraglim thought it best to stay in the desert under the leadership of Moses
where they could eat the maan, drink from the well of Miriam, dwell in the
protection of the divine clouds and study the Torah firsthand within a life of
perfection rather than leaving that Heaven on Earth and connecting themselves
to a land, to a battle and to farming to work, where the torah might be
forgotten.
Caleb tells them that we can surely go
up and inherit the land because Hashem gives us the ability. We explained in
the class based on the Talmud in Sotah that he saying that even if you gave us
ladders, we could climb into heaven provided we have Hashem‘s assistance. When
they are afraid and the strength of those in the land. Joshua tells them:
'Have no fear of the people of the country, for they are our prey: their
protection has departed from them, but the Lord is with us' (14:9).
I
believe we have a reasonable clue as to what was on the minds of the 10 spies.
If we say that they were righteous and
suddenly everything changed when they were ready to go into the land, then
something happens at the time of their appointment. Perhaps until then they
didn’t feel a responsibility for the nation as a whole, but at this point, as
leaders, they became responsible and with that responsibility, tremendous fear
takes hold.
At this point in the story, we are about
a year and a few months after the exodus. In that time, we left Egypt, we came
to Mount Sinai, we heard and were present at the revelation. 40 days later,
Moses returns with the first tablets to find us worshiping a golden calf. 80
days after that, Moses returns with the second set of tablets on Yom Kippur. A
few days later, we begin the construction of the mishkan - tabernacle which is
completed in the winter, but is not dedicated until the first of Nissan. We go
through a second Pesach and the Pesach Sheni. The next step is to go and
conquer the land.
In our class on Shabbat, we quoted a
beautiful thought of the Shvilei Pinchas who suggests that the first luchot -
tablets were associated with the Etz HaChaim – The tree of life in the garden
of Eden. Those tablets were pure and the Torah within them was pure. Those
tables relate to Adam HaRishon before the sin. The Torah relating to the Etz HaChaim is described as the Shivim Panim –
the 70 faces of the Torah.
Just as Adam fell, we fell through the
egel hazah, the golden calf, and the second tablets relate to the tree of
knowledge of good and evil which Adam ate from. Within the second set of luchot
are good and evil. There is a mixture and with that the confusion it brings.
About these tablets, we describe a Torah
where each law is taught by Hashem to Moses in 49 ways to prove something is
pure and 49 ways to prove something is impure. And when Moses asks what the
decision is, Hashem tells him that the decision is up to man below.
After man’s fall through the calf, this
mixture of good and evil requires man to delve through and struggle in the
Torah to bring out the truth relative to us.
These spies now have this job of delving
in and being commissioned in some way at least in their own minds to make a
decision between right and left, good and bad, right and wrong, all relative to
their specific situation.
They could have and should have simply
relied on Moses. Moses sent them as we discussed in the last class and it was
to Moses whom they should’ve reported to and Moses could have shown them the
error of their ways. Moses still had the direct connect. Perhaps their
appointments changed them. We say that power corrupts, and perhaps at the time
of the appointment, pride went to their heads and they felt that they could
independently make decisions without Moses
But what was the thought process which
brought them to a decision which they must have felt was the correct decision
to be made for the people?
There are those that suggest that they
didn’t want to lose their position. But let us not forget, that with their
testimony, they not only quickly lose their position, they also lose their
lives in a most horrendous manner.
Again, I am forced to consider that they
had to believe deep down inside that what they were suggesting was proper.
They understood that in the desert they
lived under a divine light and divine protection. Everything about their
existence, from the moment the first plague descended on the waters of Egypt
through the death of the first born was an entire year of miracles. This
continued in an even greater revelation through the Exodus, the splitting of
the sea and the Revelation at Har Sinai. The entire year in the desert was one
of miracles as we noted, maan, water, clouds, Moses and even defending
themselves from attack.
In contrast to this, they felt that
going into the land would put them in a place where they were subject to
nature. It would put them in a place where they no longer would live a
miraculous life. Let me suggest that they believed that they would have to
physically fight the battle against the 31 kings dependant on their own
manpower, skills and weapons. They believed that it would be totally incumbent
upon them to earn a living subject to the whims of the rains and the earth and
the efforts they made. They believed that upon entering the land, Hashem might
wish the adieu and that the only way they would succeed would would be through
their own strength and the effort of their own hands. They believed that once
they entered the land, Divine intervention would cease.
And I believe this was their fear. They
were afraid that not only would they no longer be living a miraculous life, but
they would be completely on their own
To this Caleb responds that even if we
were told to climb to heaven, we could do so, as long as Hashem is with us. To
their fear that they would have to fight a physical battle with the nations of
the land, who are certainly strong, Joshua tells them you can surely defeat
them provided Hashem is with us
I believe their misunderstanding could
be compared to the misunderstanding of the generation of Enoch. After creation,
man knew Hashem was the Boreh, the creator, but they assumed he stepped back
and did not realize Hashem is also the manhig – the one constantly running the
show. The meraglim appear to have assumed that Hashem would step back once they
crossed the border and they would have to deal with things on their own.
The mistake is part of the illusion that
we all face when we start to believe
kochi VeOsem Yadi, that we are really doing things on our own. We too have to
remember that Hashem promises us that a blessing will be on the work of our
hands. We have to make an effort, we have to turn on the switch below, but we
have to remember that there is no success without Hashem joining us.
Their mistake was in thinking that
Hashem would simply say goodbye and good luck And they were hoping to protect
the people by remaining in the desert within a miraculous existence under
Hashem. They believed that in the desert, they found heaven on earth. And why
should they give that up for what they perceived to be an earth without heaven?
I think the big lesson of the spies is
that Hashem puts us here to work the land as he told Adam and the illusion is
that we are doing things on our own, but the lesson is that without Hashem we
cannot succeed. We must have Emunah and Bitachon and partner with Hashem and
know that if we reach out, Hashem is never abandoning us. We see this all
throughout history. All of our victories are miraculous because Hashem is with
us
Right after the failure of the spies, we
see another tragic mistake. The error of the spies is compounded by those who
respond to the failure by saying, we will go up. They too think they are
righteous, but one cannot go up alone. Without Hashem’s help, we are doomed to
fail.
And this concept of partnership is
expressed throughout the rest of the commandments in the portion as if to
reinforce the concept. The mitsva to separate challah, reminds us again to
elevate the physical with the spiritual; we are planting, we are making flour,
we are baking, but all that is provided Hashem is with us. We learn of a kahal
and an individual who sin with avoda zara by mistake reminding us that when we
think Hashem has rescinded into the background, the next step is placing our
trust in ourselves or in other outside forces. We are taught about the person
who collects wood on Shabbat which reminds that even in a physical world,
Shabbat is a testimony that Hashem is in charge. He is not only the Boreh, the
creator, He is the manhig, the one who keeps the world in motion. Finally, down
to the last paragraph of Shelach, which teaches the misvah of sisit, we are
told to look at them in order to remember always that Hashem is there and
Hashem is with us.
The failure of the spies was not being
able to see that their job was to take the physical and raise it to a
spiritual. When later after entering the land an encountering our first battle,
we circled Jericho, we blew horns, we were dressed for battle, when in fact, it
was Hashem who went in front of us and led us to a miraculous victory.
The meraglim believed that everything
was up to the farmer, and everything was up to the worker. They believed that
success of failure was put completely into our hands. Perhaps when we crossed
the sea and everyone knew G-d was with us, namogu kol yoshvei Canaan, those in
Canaan trembled with fear, but on our own they feared, who will tremble?
They forgot the avot who made the rffort
but realized they were junior partners and it was Hashem who did the real work.
How important this is to us in our own
lives. We live in the physical. We work in the physical. We live in an illusion
that allows some to error and say, “That it’s my own strength. It’s my own
power. It’s my own effort that brings me reward.” But that person is a fool
because everything we have comes from Hashem. We may be driving the car, but
the car we are driving is sitting in on a track on the kiddie rides at Nelly
Bly in Coney Island. We press the gas, we turn the wheel, we hit the brakes,
and we honk the horn, but in essence all of that is an illusion because there’s
really a man standing on the side, pressing the button.
May we all learn the lesson of the
spies. May we remember Lo Yanum VeLo Yishan – Hashem neither slumbers nor
sleeps. Hashem watches over us and is with us. If we believe in hashem, Hashem
will believe in us!
Shabbat Shalom,
David Bibi
Shlach Lecha,
Rashi : שלח לך אנשים. לָמָּה נִסְמְכָה פָרָשַׁת מְרַגְּלִים לְפָרָשַׁת מִרְיָם? לְפִי שֶׁלָּקְתָה עַל עִסְקֵי דִבָּה, שֶׁדִּבְּרָה בְאָחִיהָ, וּרְשָׁעִים הַלָּלוּ רָאוּ וְלֹא לָקְחוּ מוּסָר (תנחומא):
שלח לך אנשים SEND THOU MEN — Why is the section dealing with the spies put in juxtaposition with the section dealing with Miriam’s punishment? To show the grievousness of the spies’ sin: because she (Miriam) was punished on account of the slander which she uttered against her brother, and these sinners witnessed it and yet they did not take a lesson from her (Midrash Tanchuma, Sh'lach 5).
Of these 12 princes, one was Moshe's greatest student, Hoshea. Anticipating the possibility of trouble, Moshe added the letter 'yud' to Hoshea's name giving the now, Yehoshua, an 'injection' of holiness to help protect him from that trouble.
Ohr HaChaim: We already mentioned that our sages said that Moses prayed concerning Joshua. Why did he have to change his name in addition? Perhaps Moses wanted to give Joshua additional power to resist wicked advice seeing that the first three letters of his name now represented the three letters making up the tetragram. The letter י which Moses added to Hoshea's name has a numerical value of 10 and symbolised that he could resist the advice of ten of his colleagues. It would also eventually enable him to inherit the share of ארץ ישראל that the ten wicked spies would forfeit due to their conduct. This is based on a comment in Chagigah 15
R’ Bachya: Our sages in Sotah 34 comment that Moses added the latter י to Hoshea’s name so that the letters י-ה at the beginning of his name represented a prayer that he should be saved from making common cause with the majority of the spies.
Daat Zakenim . When Sarah’s name שרי had been changed to שרה, she had lost a letter, i.e. the letter י. Joshua now received this letter.
Discuss humility. Last week
Sarah
Stand up
Today is Yom Yerushalayim where we celebrate the unification of Jerusalem and the miracles of the Six Day War. Following the War of Independence in 1948 when the Arab countries surrounding Israel rejected the partition plan and sought to annihilate the 600,000 Jewish residents of the new State, the Jewish people won a resounding victory, but Jordan took possession of the Old City of Jerusalem. Those who had been living in the Old City, lost their homes. Synagogues and Yeshivot were destroyed and the area around the Wall was stripped of Jews who had been living there for decades and centuries. We could no longer worship at the Kotel.
19 years later the voice of Motta Gur, commander of the paratrooper’s brigade, rings in our ears and we can all hear his historical announcement: “Har Ha-bayit be-yadeinu!” “The Temple Mount is in our hands!” ... It is this we celebrate with Hallel and praise for Hashem’s miracles.
We read each day in the Amida:
תִּשְׁכּוֹן בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלַֽיִם עִֽירְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּֽרְתָּ, וְכִסֵּא דָוִד עַבְדְּךָ מְהֵרָה בְּתוֹכָהּ תָּכִין, וּבְנֵה אוֹתָהּ בִּנְיַן עוֹלָם בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽינוּ
Dwell within Jerusalem Your city, as You spoke about, & the throne of David, Your servant, speedily prepare it within it, & build it an eternal structure speedily in our days.
We mention the throne of David. Some compare the throne below with the throne above and just as we long for the throne below to be re-established, we realize that in some ways, the throne above is not whole.
We read each Friday morning, Friday afternoon, evening and Shabbat:
נָכ֣וֹן כִּסְאֲךָ֣ מֵאָ֑ז מֵעוֹלָ֣ם אָֽתָּה׃
Your throne stands firm from of old; from eternity You have existed. Again the throne!
When Amalek attacks Benai Yisrael after leaving Egypt, Moshe sends Joshua to fight them. It is there we are commanded never to forget what Amalek does and Moses builds an alter and says
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר כִּֽי־יָד֙ עַל־כֵּ֣ס כַּהּ מִלְחָמָ֥ה לַהֹ’ בַּֽעֲמָלֵ֑ק מִדֹּ֖ר דֹּֽר׃
He said, “It means, ‘Hand upon the throne of Hashem, Hashem will be at war with Amalek throughout the ages.”
Rashi asks: And what is the force of כס — why does it not say as usual (throne or chair) כסא? And the Divine Name, also, is divided into half (Kah is only the half of the Tetragrammaton)! The Holy One, blessed be He, swears that His Name will not be perfect nor His throne perfect until the name of Amalek be entirely blotted out.
And I would venture to put forward based on this that Amalek and the establishment and rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple are diametrically opposed.
Although Jerusalem is mentioned in Tanach in some way between 700 and 800 times, it is not mentioned at all in the Torah itself.
We do have a verse in Devarim which states:
כִּ֠י אִֽם־אֶל־הַמָּק֞וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֨ר הֹ
but look only to the site that Hashem will choose amidst all your tribes as Hashem’s habitation, to establish the divine name there.
There you are to go, Rabbeynu Bachya writes: The place in question is Mount Moriah; it is well known among the Goyim. They know of its spiritual advantages through tradition. There is no need to mention this location by name. The people all had a tradition that this was where their ancestor Yitzchak had lain bound on the altar. Maimonides writes in his Moreh Nevuchim (3,45) that there were three reasons why the location of the future Temple was not spelled out at this point.
1) If the nations of the world had known that in that location prayers are answered positively by G’d and sacrifices are welcome to Him, every nation would have made a supreme effort to take possession of that site. This would have resulted in untold slaughter among the nations and ongoing strife among them.
2) If the Canaanites who dwelled in the land at the time Moses spoke these words had heard of them and they had realized that the Israelites would dispossess them and take over that site they would have utterly destroyed it before the Jewish people had a chance to conquer it.
3) Even the tribes of the Israelites would have argued among themselves in whose territory this site, would be located at the time the land was distributed among the tribes. Such a division among the people would have been even worse than the rebellion of Korach when the people were not prepared to recognize the preferred hereditary status of the Priests.
For all these reasons Moses preferred not to spell out the exact location of where the Temple would be built in the future. If even the Jews did not know the location, it is clear that the Gentiles did not know it either. Although everyone knew of the significance of Mount Moriah in the past, they had no idea of what this meant in terms of its future religious significance, in terms of the place G’d would choose.
We know that even King David did not know that Har HoMoriah was the mount to build the Temple on. He originally selected the tallest mountain in Yehuda and only after learning in detail with Samuel the prophet, did they ascertain that the choice from the sacrifice was the shoulder and thus chose the second highest spot.
If I have not lost you yet, a couple of more facts and then, let’s try to put the pieces together.
Rabbi Ari Kahn writes: The Shulchan Aruch, section 580, reports that on the 28th day of the month of Iyar a fast day is observed, marking the anniversary of the death of Shmuel HaNavi (Samuel the Prophet). In antiquity this day was widely celebrated.
The Radbaz teaches that the tomb of Shmuel HaNavi was a site of pilgrimage. People would take their young sons and travel to the burial place of Shmuel to cut the child's hair for the first time. When it became dangerous to travel to Jerusalem, the custom evolved to travel to meron on the 18th of Iyar and thus we have the custom to go on Lab LaOmer to the Kever of Rashbi (as cutting hair on Lag makes no sense to Sephardim who don’t cut until the 34th).
Still we see that the 28th day of Iyar was, in antiquity, a day of pilgrimage as well as the yearly remembrance of Shmuel HaNavi. On that day, of all the days in the calendar, Jerusalem was the destination. We might even venture to say that the power of the prayers uttered all those years ago on this day by the pilgrims at the end of their arduous journey contributed to Jerusalem's liberation on the very same date, causing it to once again become the day when people venture up to Jerusalem.
But something else occurred on the 28th of Iyar. According to Seder HaOlam. The battle with Amalek took place on the 28th of Iyar.
Rabbi Kahn explains: This association allows us a deeper appreciation of the date and its significance. The battle with Amalek is the archetypical struggle between holiness and depravity. This struggle defines the essence of the 28th of Iyar. It is its nature, its character, its 'personality'. The victory of holiness over depravity was achieved when the prayers of Moshe and the nation were answered. When the Beit Hamikdash was eventually constructed on the holy mountain, symbolizing the possibility of human connection with God and holiness.
On the 28th of Iyar, Amalek tries to destroy the throne. It is up to us to rebuild it. Samuel is born on the 28th. He anoints Saul whose task is to destroy Amalek. Saul fails.
Samuel then anoints David. Together they discern that the place of the Temple to establish the throne on earth corresponding to the throne above is Jerusalem.
Thus, Samuel in anointing the Davidic dynasty through Mashiach and in establishing the “place” as Jerusalem is forever associated with the City. Perhaps in his merit (as he is noted as in a way equal to Moses and Aaron) miraculous victory and celebration came on the 28th of Iyar in our lifetimes.
But I cannot help but think. Did we in 1967 make the same mistake as Saul? Har HaBayit BeYadeynu. And the Mashicach was riding in on his white donkey as Rabbi Abittan would explain. In Jerusalem a banner was unfurled. As they unrolled it we read. Yisral – Israel, a bit more Boteach – puts its faith and trust and then the final word which should have said Hashem read Sahal – the army. We handed the keys to Har HaBayit (and Maarat HaMachpelah) back and Mashiach turned around.
Still though today is a day of tremendous celebration and joy. The geulah begins step by step. We are experiencing it. But we must remember the geulah does not come on its own. The Mikdash does not fall from the sky on its own. Mashiach does not ride in on his own. It is up to each of us to contribute a spiritual brick. To learn, to teach, to watch, to do and to fulfil that which we are asked to and volunteered to do.
In the Omer we are at the day of Chesed shel Malchut, the Kindness of Kingdom. The first step towards reestablishing Hashem’s Kingdom on Earth. And as we arrive at Shavuot at the end of the week, the date of Matan Torah and the birth of King David, let us pray together and see fulfilled BimHerah Beyameynu the words we utter each morning:
תִּשְׁכּוֹן בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלַֽיִם עִֽירְךָ
Dwell within Jerusalem Your city, as You spoke about, & the throne of David, Your servant, speedily prepare it within it, & build it an eternal structure speedily in our days.
Amen
Today is Yom Yerushalayim where we celebrate the
unification of Jerusalem and the miracles of the Six Day War.
Following the War of Independence in 1948 when the Arab
countries surrounding Israel rejected the partition plan and sought to
annihilate the 600,000 Jewish residents of the new State, the Jewish people won
a resounding victory, but Jordan took possession of the Old City of Jerusalem.
Those who had been living in the Old City, lost their homes. Synagogues and
Yeshivot were destroyed and the area around the Wall was stripped of Jews who
had been living there for decades and centuries. We could no longer worship at
the Kotel.
19 years later the voice of Motta Gur, commander of the paratrooper’s
brigade, rings in our ears and we can all hear his historical announcement:
“Har Ha-bayit be-yadeinu!” “The Temple Mount is in our hands!” ... It is this
we celebrate with Hallel and praise for Hashem’s miracles.
We read each day in the Amida:
תִּשְׁכּוֹן בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלַֽיִם עִֽירְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר
דִּבַּֽרְתָּ, וְכִסֵּא דָוִד עַבְדְּךָ מְהֵרָה בְּתוֹכָהּ תָּכִין, וּבְנֵה
אוֹתָהּ בִּנְיַן עוֹלָם בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽינוּ
Dwell within Jerusalem Your city, as You spoke about,
& the throne of David, Your servant, speedily prepare it within it, &
build it an eternal structure speedily in our days.
We mention the throne of David. Some compare the throne
below with the throne above and just as we long for the throne below to be
re-established, we realize that in some ways, the throne above is not whole.
We read each Friday morning, Friday afternoon, evening
and Shabbat:
נָכ֣וֹן כִּסְאֲךָ֣ מֵאָ֑ז מֵעוֹלָ֣ם אָֽתָּה׃
Your throne stands firm from of old; from eternity You
have existed.
Again the throne!
When Amalek attacks Benai Yisrael after leaving Egypt,
Moshe sends Joshua to fight them. It is there we are commanded never to forget
what Amalek does and Moses builds an alter and says
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר כִּֽי־יָד֙ עַל־כֵּ֣ס כַּהּ מִלְחָמָ֥ה לַהֹ’
בַּֽעֲמָלֵ֑ק מִדֹּ֖ר דֹּֽר׃
He said, “It means, ‘Hand upon the throne of Hashem,
Hashem will be at war with Amalek throughout the ages.”
Rashi asks: And what is the force of כס — why does it
not say as usual (throne or chair) כסא?
And the Divine Name, also, is divided into half (Kah is only the half of the
Tetragrammaton)!
The Holy One, blessed be He, swears that His Name will
not be perfect nor His throne perfect until the name of Amalek be entirely
blotted out.
And I would venture to put forward based on this that
Amalek and the establishment and rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple are
diametrically opposed.
Although Jerusalem is mentioned in Tanach in some way
between 700 and 800 times, it is not mentioned at all in the Torah itself.
We do have a verse in Devarim which states:
כִּ֠י אִֽם־אֶל־הַמָּק֞וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֨ר הֹ
but look only to the site that Hashem will choose amidst
all your tribes as Hashem’s habitation, to establish the divine name there.
There you are to go, Rabbeynu Bachya writes: The place
in question is Mount Moriah; it is well known among the Goyim. They know of its
spiritual advantages through tradition. There is no need to mention this
location by name. The people all had a tradition that this was where their
ancestor Yitzchak had lain bound on the altar. Maimonides writes in his Moreh
Nevuchim (3,45) that there were three reasons why the location of the future
Temple was not spelled out at this point.
1) If the nations of the world had known that in that
location prayers are answered positively by G’d and sacrifices are welcome to
Him, every nation would have made a supreme effort to take possession of that
site. This would have resulted in untold slaughter among the nations and
ongoing strife among them.
2) If the Canaanites who dwelled in the land at the time
Moses spoke these words had heard of them and they had realized that the
Israelites would dispossess them and take over that site they would have
utterly destroyed it before the Jewish people had a chance to conquer it.
3) Even the tribes of the Israelites would have argued
among themselves in whose territory this site, would be located at the time the
land was distributed among the tribes. Such a division among the people would
have been even worse than the rebellion of Korach when the people were not
prepared to recognize the preferred hereditary status of the Priests.
For all these reasons Moses preferred not to spell out
the exact location of where the Temple would be built in the future. If even
the Jews did not know the location, it is clear that the Gentiles did not know
it either. Although everyone knew of the significance of Mount Moriah in the
past, they had no idea of what this meant in terms of its future religious
significance, in terms of the place G’d would choose.
We know that even King David did not know that Har
HoMoriah was the mount to build the Temple on. He originally selected the
tallest mountain in Yehuda and only after learning in detail with Samuel the
prophet, did they ascertain that the choice from the sacrifice was the shoulder
and thus chose the second highest spot.
If I have not lost you yet, a couple of more facts and
then, let’s try to put the pieces together.
Rabbi Ari Kahn writes: The Shulchan Aruch, section 580,
reports that on the 28th day of the month of Iyar a fast day is observed,
marking the anniversary of the death of Shmuel HaNavi (Samuel the Prophet). In
antiquity this day was widely celebrated.
The Radbaz teaches that the tomb of Shmuel HaNavi was a
site of pilgrimage. People would take their young sons and travel to the burial
place of Shmuel to cut the child's hair for the first time.
When it became dangerous to travel to Jerusalem, the
custom evolved to travel to meron on the 18th of Iyar and thus we have the
custom to go on Lab LaOmer to the Kever of Rashbi (as cutting hair on Lag makes
no sense to Sephardim who don’t cut until the 34th).
Still we see that the 28th day of Iyar was, in
antiquity, a day of pilgrimage as well as the yearly remembrance of Shmuel
HaNavi.
On that day, of all the days in the calendar, Jerusalem
was the destination. We might even venture to say that the power of the prayers
uttered all those years ago on this day by the pilgrims at the end of their
arduous journey contributed to Jerusalem's liberation on the very same date,
causing it to once again become the day when people venture up to Jerusalem.
But something else occurred on the 28th of Iyar.
According to Seder HaOlam. (although there are other opinions listing it earlier)
The battle with Amalek took place on the 28th of Iyar.
Rabbi Kahn explains: This association allows us a deeper
appreciation of the date and its significance. The battle with Amalek is the
archetypical struggle between holiness and depravity. This struggle defines the
essence of the 28th of Iyar. It is its nature, its character, its
'personality'. The victory of holiness over depravity was achieved
when the prayers of Moshe and the nation were answered. When the Beit Hamikdash
was eventually constructed on the holy mountain, symbolizing the possibility of
human connection with God and holiness.
On the 28th of Iyar, Amalek tries to destroy the throne.
It is up to us to rebuild it. Samuel who dies on the 28th, was also born
on the 28th. He anoints Saul whose task is to destroy Amalek. Saul fails.
Samuel then anoints David. Together they discern that
the place of the Temple to establish the throne on earth corresponding to the
throne above is Jerusalem.
Thus, Samuel in anointing the Davidic dynasty through
Mashiach and in establishing the “place” as Jerusalem is forever associated
with the City. Perhaps in his merit (as he is noted as in a way equal to Moses
and Aaron) miraculous victory and celebration came on the 28th of Iyar in our
lifetimes.
But I cannot help but think. Did we in 1967 make the
same mistake as Saul? Har HaBayit BeYadeynu. And the Mashicach was riding in on
his white donkey as Rabbi Abittan would explain. In Jerusalem a banner was
unfurled. As they unrolled it we read. Yisral – Israel, a bit more Boteach –
puts its faith and trust and then the final word which should have said Hashem
read Sahal – the army. We handed the keys to Har HaBayit (and Maarat
HaMachpelah) back and Mashiach turned around.
Still though today is a day of tremendous celebration
and joy. The geulah begins step by step. We are experiencing it. But we must
remember the geulah does not come on its own. The Mikdash does not fall from
the sky on its own. Mashiach does not ride in on his own. It is up to each of
us to contribute a spiritual brick. To learn, to teach, to watch, to do and to
fulfil that which we are asked to and volunteered to do.
In the Omer we are at the day of Chesed shel Malchut,
the Kindness of Kingdom. The first step towards reestablishing Hashem’s Kingdom
on Earth.
Today we seem to be fighting Amalek again. Bechol Dor
VaDor. They attack women and children and the elderly as they did. They hide in
tunnels like rats. They don’t value the lives of their own children and dedicate
their own existence to ending ours.
When we fought them in the time of Yehoshua, when Moses
lifted his hands we were winning. We were winning because we looked to Heaven.
We must never forget to look to Heaven.
And in Samuel’s time, even he the holy and great prophet
slay their leader with his own hands. Just as Agag was destroyed, so should all
their leaders fall along with all who espouse evil in this world.
And as we arrive at Shavuot at the end of the omer week
of counting, next Tuesday night, the date of Matan Torah and the birth of King
David, let us pray together and see fulfilled BimHerah Beyameynu the words we
utter each morning:
תִּשְׁכּוֹן בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלַֽיִם עִֽירְךָ
Dwell within Jerusalem Your city, as You spoke about,
& the throne of David, Your servant, speedily prepare it within it, &
build it an eternal structure speedily in our days.
Amen
Shabbat Shalom,
David Bibi
אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י
תֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם׃
If you
follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments,
וְנָתַתִּ֥י גִשְׁמֵיכֶ֖ם
בְּעִתָּ֑ם וְנָתְנָ֤ה הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ יְבוּלָ֔הּ וְעֵ֥ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה יִתֵּ֥ן פִּרְיֽוֹ׃
I will grant
your rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce and the
trees of the field their fruit.
וְהִשִּׂ֨יג לָכֶ֥ם
דַּ֙יִשׁ֙ אֶת־בָּצִ֔יר וּבָצִ֖יר יַשִּׂ֣יג אֶת־זָ֑רַע וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֤ם לַחְמְכֶם֙ לָשֹׂ֔בַע
וִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֥ם לָבֶ֖טַח בְּאַרְצְכֶֽם׃
Your
threshing shall overtake the vintage, and your vintage shall overtake the
sowing; you shall eat your fill of bread and dwell securely in your land.
וְנָתַתִּ֤י שָׁלוֹם֙
בָּאָ֔רֶץ וּשְׁכַבְתֶּ֖ם וְאֵ֣ין מַחֲרִ֑יד׃
I will grant
peace in the land, and you shall lie down untroubled by anyone;
One of the most uniquely celebrated days on the Jewish calendar is ל'ג בעמר /Lag BaOmer
(the 33rd day of the Omer-Count), when tens of thousands of Jews descend upon Meiron
in the Galil to celebrate the yartzeit (anniversary of death) of the holy Tanna Rabi
Shimon bar Yochai (known by the acronym Rashbi), the primary author of the teachings
found in the Sefer HaZohar. And ultimately all of Eretz Yisrael is ablaze on Lag BaOmer
with bonfires lit in honor of the day.
Though, as celebrated as this day is, if one delves into the matter, it’s actually not so
straightforward what exactly is being celebrated. That is, most people understand that
Lag BaOmer is a double-rejoicing over the fact that the students of Rabi Akiva ceased to
die after many weeks of them passing away in a plague, together with a celebration in
honor of the yartzeit of Rashbi. But the truth of the matter is that neither of these
explanations for the Lag BaOmer festivities is clear cut. In order to understand why not,
let’s first get the necessary background.
Based on Insights of
HaGaon HaGadol Rav Yaakov Hillel shlit”a
In the פתיחה and first essay of his sefer on Lag BaOmer – Eid HaGal HaZeh
*
Prepared by Chaim Rosenblatt
Also based on the notes of Rav Pinchas Friedman
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בִּזְמַן שֶׁהַחַמָּה לוֹקָה — סִימָן רַע לְכׇל הָעוֹלָם
כּוּלּוֹ. מָשָׁל לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה? לְמֶלֶךְ בָּשָׂר וְדָם שֶׁעָשָׂה
סְעוּדָה לַעֲבָדָיו וְהִנִּיחַ פָּנָס לִפְנֵיהֶם, כָּעַס עֲלֵיהֶם וְאָמַר
לְעַבְדּוֹ: טוֹל פָּנָס מִפְּנֵיהֶם וְהוֹשִׁיבֵם בַּחוֹשֶׁךְ.
Apropos the fact
that rain on Sukkot is an indication of divine rebuke, the Gemara cites
several related topics. The Sages taught: When the sun is eclipsed it is a
bad omen for the entire world. The Gemara tells a parable. To what is
this matter comparable? It is comparable to a king of flesh and blood
who prepared a feast for his servants and placed a lantern [panas]
before them to illuminate the hall. He became angry at them and said to
his servant: Take the lantern from before them and seat them in darkness.
תַּנְיָא רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר: כׇּל זְמַן שֶׁמְּאוֹרוֹת לוֹקִין — סִימָן
רַע לְשׂוֹנְאֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמְּלוּמָּדִין בְּמַכּוֹתֵיהֶן.
מָשָׁל לְסוֹפֵר שֶׁבָּא לְבֵית הַסֵּפֶר וּרְצוּעָה בְּיָדוֹ, מִי דּוֹאֵג — מִי
שֶׁרָגִיל לִלְקוֹת בְּכׇל יוֹם וָיוֹם הוּא דּוֹאֵג.
It is taught in a baraita
that Rabbi Meir says: When the heavenly lights, i.e., the sun and
the moon, are eclipsed, it is a bad omen for the enemies of the Jewish
people, which is a euphemism for the Jewish people, because they are
experienced in their beatings. Based on past experience, they assume that
any calamity that afflicts the world is directed at them. The Gemara suggests a
parable: This is similar to a teacher who comes to the school with a
strap in his hand. Who worries? The child who is accustomed to be beaten
each and every day is the one who worries.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בִּזְמַן שֶׁהַחַמָּה לוֹקָה — סִימָן רַע לַגּוֹיִם.
לְבָנָה לוֹקָה — סִימָן רַע לְשׂוֹנְאֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל. מִפְּנֵי
שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל מוֹנִין לַלְּבָנָה, וְגוֹיִם לַחַמָּה. לוֹקָה בַּמִּזְרָח —
סִימָן רַע לְיוֹשְׁבֵי מִזְרָח. בַּמַּעֲרָב — סִימָן רַע לְיוֹשְׁבֵי מַעֲרָב.
בְּאֶמְצַע הָרָקִיעַ — סִימָן רַע לְכׇל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ.
The Sages taught in another baraita:
When the sun is eclipsed, it is a bad omen for the other nations.
When the moon is eclipsed, it is a bad omen for the enemies of the Jewish
people. This is due to the fact that the Jewish people calculate
their calendar primarily based on the moon, and the other nations
calculate based on the sun. When the sun is eclipsed in the east, it
is a bad omen for the residents of the lands of the east. When it is
eclipsed in the west, it is a bad omen for the residents of the lands of
the west. When it is eclipsed in the middle of the sky, it is a bad
omen for the entire world.
פָּנָיו דּוֹמִין לְדָם — חֶרֶב בָּא לָעוֹלָם. לְשַׂק — חִיצֵּי רָעָב
בָּאִין לָעוֹלָם. לָזוֹ וְלָזוֹ — חֶרֶב וְחִיצֵּי רָעָב בָּאִין לָעוֹלָם. לָקָה
בִּכְנִיסָתוֹ — פּוּרְעָנוּת שׁוֹהָה לָבֹא. בִּיצִיאָתוֹ — מְמַהֶרֶת לָבֹא.
וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים חִילּוּף הַדְּבָרִים.
If, during an
eclipse, the visage of the sun is red like blood, it is an
omen that sword, i.e., war, is coming to the world. If the sun is
black like sackcloth made of dark goat hair, it is an omen that arrows
of hunger are coming to the world, because hunger darkens people’s faces.
When it is similar both to this, to blood, and to that, to
sackcloth, it is a sign that both sword and arrows of hunger are coming to
the world. If it was eclipsed upon its entry, soon after rising, it
is an omen that calamity is tarrying to come. If the sun is eclipsed upon
its departure at the end of the day, it is an omen that calamity is
hastening to come. And some say the matters are reversed: An eclipse in the
early morning is an omen that calamity is hastening, while an eclipse in the
late afternoon is an omen that calamity is tarrying.
וְאֵין לְךָ כׇּל אוּמָּה וְאוּמָּהּ שֶׁלּוֹקָה, שֶׁאֵין אֱלֹהֶיהָ לוֹקֶה
עִמָּהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וּבְכׇל אֱלֹהֵי מִצְרַיִם אֶעֱשֶׂה שְׁפָטִים״. וּבִזְמַן
שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל עוֹשִׂין רְצוֹנוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם אֵין מִתְיָרְאִין מִכׇּל אֵלּוּ,
שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כֹּה אָמַר ה׳ אֶל דֶּרֶךְ הַגּוֹיִם אַל תִּלְמָדוּ וּמֵאוֹתוֹת
הַשָּׁמַיִם אַל תֵּחָתּוּ כִּי יֵחַתּוּ הַגּוֹיִם מֵהֵמָּה״ — גּוֹיִם יֵחַתּוּ,
וְאֵין יִשְׂרָאֵל יֵחַתּוּ.
The Sages said: There
is no nation that is afflicted whose god is not afflicted with it, as it is
stated: “And against all the gods of Egypt I will mete out judgment; I am God”
(Exodus 12:12). The Gemara adds: When the Jewish people perform God’s will,
they need not fear any of these omens, as it is stated: “Thus
says the Lord: Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the
signs of Heaven; for the nations are dismayed at them” (Jeremiah 10:2). The
nations will be dismayed, but the Jewish people will not be dismayed,
provided they do not follow the ways of the nations.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בִּשְׁבִיל אַרְבָּעָה דְּבָרִים חַמָּה לוֹקָה: עַל אָב
בֵּית דִּין שֶׁמֵּת וְאֵינוֹ נִסְפָּד כַּהֲלָכָה, וְעַל נַעֲרָה הַמְאוֹרָסָה
שֶׁצָּעֲקָה בָּעִיר וְאֵין מוֹשִׁיעַ לָהּ, וְעַל מִשְׁכַּב זְכוּר, וְעַל שְׁנֵי
אַחִין שֶׁנִּשְׁפַּךְ דָּמָן כְּאֶחָד.
The Sages taught that on account
of four matters the sun is eclipsed: On account of a president of the
court who dies and is not eulogized appropriately, and the eclipse is a
type of eulogy by Heaven; on account of a betrothed young woman who
screamed in the city that she was being raped and there was no one to
rescue her; on account of homosexuality; and on account of two
brothers whose blood was spilled as one.
בשביל ד' דברים - לא
שמעתי טעם בדבר:
RASHI
Abraham
Zacuto
Rabbi Abraham Zacuto was born in
Salamanca, Spain in 1452. He studied Tora with his father Shemuel Zacuto and
with rabbi Isaac Abohab. He was a great Tora scholar, very well versed in
Talmud, Jewish Law, Philosophy and Mysticism. He also studied astronomy
in the famous university of Salamanca and taught in the universities of
Zaragoza and Cartagena.
In
1492, when the Jews were expelled from Spain he fled to Portugal. The
Portuguese King Joao the 2nd appointed him as the Royal Astronomer and the
Historian of the court. In 1497, upon the arrival of the new King Manuel,
the Jews of Portugal underwent a forced conversion, in other words, they were
declared Christians by Royal decree, and if found practicing Judaism they would
be killed by the Inquisition in the infamous Autos de Fe. He fled to Tunis and
later on managed to arrive to Jerusalem, where he died in 1515 (Other versions
have him living his final days in Damascus, Syria).
Rabbi
Abraham Zacuto engaged in astronomical research, an indispensable knowledge for
navigating the seas. In 1478 he wrote his major astronomical work, Ha-Ḥibbur ha-Gadol. This book along with
other books and treatises on astronomy (e.g., “On the solar and lunar eclipses”) were
translated to Spanish and Latin. In 1496 the King Joao sought his
advice before sending Vasco da Gama on his sea expedition to India, around the
Southern coast of Africa. Rabbi Zacuto prepared the naval-astronomical
calculations. He instructed the expedition to use his newly perfected astrolabe
(an astrolabe capable to determine latitude while at sea) and his
maritime tables and charts, especially the Almanach Perpetuum (or Biur
Luhoth) which revolutionized ocean navigation.
Rabbi
Zacuto wrote many Tora books as well. His most famous book in Hebrew is called
sefer yohasin (ספר יוחסין) “The book of
lineage”, a superb
book of Jewish history since Biblical times until his own days.
Rabbi David Sedley
Christopher Columbus was depressed. This was
his third voyage to the Caribbean, but this time an infestation of shipworm had
left his boats so full of holes that he had no alternative but to beach them
just off the coast of Jamaica.
He sat on the deck, under a palm frond
awning, starving, suffering from gout and awaiting rescue. He wrote angry
letters to Queen Isabella complaining that Nicolás de Ovando, governor of
Hispaniola, had abandoned him (luckily, he had no way of sending the letters to
his benefactor and queen).
He had been marooned on the island since June
25, 1503. Six months later some 50 men — more than half his crew and mainly the
seasoned mariners — led by Francisco and Diego de Porras, mutinied against him.
The mutineers took canoes and forced dozens of the native people to row them
the 600 kilometers (380 miles) to Hispaniola.
Despite several attempts, the current and winds kept forcing them back,
so they set up camp inland. In the process, they murdered, raped, or pillaged
many of the local people.
For the first few months, Chief Huero, leader of one of the biggest
tribes of the Arawak Indians on the island, had been happy to provide food to
the marooned Spanish sailors. But after the mutineers had killed his people, he
stopped sending food, leaving Columbus and his men to starve.
Page from Abraham
Zacuto’s Almanach Perpetuum. (Public Domain/ Wikimedia Commons)
Luckily, Columbus thought of a plan to convince Huero to once again
supply his men with food. Before he left Spain, the great explorer had met with
Rabbi Abraham Zacuto and
received from him his chart of astronomical tables, which he took with him on
all his voyages (these tables are now in the Columbian library in Portugal).
Columbus saw that Zacuto had predicted a lunar eclipse for the night of
February 29, 1504. So he warned Huero that if he didn’t supply provisions for
him and his men, God would publicly display His anger. The tribal chief scoffed
until a few hours later when the moon started to disappear. He ran quickly to
Columbus and begged him to leave the moon alone.
Columbus’s son Ferdinand described what happened:
With great howling and lamentation, they came running from every
direction to the ships, laden with provisions, praying the Admiral to intercede
by all means with God on their behalf; that he might not visit his wrath upon
them.
Columbus used his hourglass to time when the
eclipse was nearly finished (it lasted for 48 minutes), then emerged from his
cabin to say that he had prayed and God would forgive the people.
The Arawak continued to feed Columbus and his
men until the Spaniards were finally rescued on June 29, 1504.
o this is the story of how a rabbi from Salamanca, whose ancestors had
been expelled from France in 1305, indirectly saved the life of the Spanish
discoverer of the New World.
But Zacuto’s tables were much more than a trick to fool the indigenous
people. No seafarer at that time would leave port without his astronomical
charts. For example, Vasco di Gama met with Zacuto before setting off around
the Cape of Good Hope on his voyage to India.
Zacuto also designed a new type of astrolabe,
which mariners used to determine their latitude while at sea. He taught
astronomy at the universities of Zaragoza and then Cartagena and was Royal
Astronomer and Historian to the King of Portugal, until Manuel I expelled the
Jews.
In addition to several invaluable
astronomical works, Zacuto wrote a history book entitled Sefer Yuchasin, and a
kabbalistic book called Matok Lanefesh, in which he discusses the soul, the
afterlife, and the resurrection of the dead.
In Sefer Yuchasin, Zacuto wrote of himself (Section 1, aleph,
Rabbi Eliezer ben Yehuda):
I was in Spain and in other Christian
countries when my books on astronomy were published, and they would call me
‘Rabbi Abraham Zacuto of Salamanca.’ And I am permitted to boast of this,
because the Sages said ‘What is the wisdom through which you will be considered
wise in the eyes of the gentiles? It is calculating the astronomical seasons
and constellations’ (Shabbat 75a).
And I can testify to Heaven that they praised the Jews greatly for this. But my
only intent was to understand the words of our Sages and the laws that they
wrote about this.
So, although Zacuto was praised for his
scientific knowledge, his goal was not primarily to be a scientist, but rather
to understand the words of the rabbis.
Maimonides writes (Hilkhot Yesodei Hatorah
2:1-2)
Which is the path to the love and fear of
Him? When a person contemplates His tremendous wondrous actions and creations,
and sees in them His infinite, unbounded wisdom, immediately he comes to love,
praise, exalt and desire with a great desire to know God… And when he considers
these very same things immediately he recoils and is afraid, and knows that he
is a small, lowly creature standing with weak, superficial knowledge before the
One who has perfect knowledge.
According to Maimonides, both love and fear
of God come from studying God’s creations. Maimondes then spends the next three
chapters explaining physics and metaphysics in detail, so that his readers will
be able to attain love and fear of God. Although his science is taken from
ancient Greek philosophers and appears outdated to us nowadays, his point
remains valid.
For Maimonides, the path to loving God, and
to fearing God, begins with understanding the greatness of God through studying
science.
If it was
good enough to save Columbus’s life, maybe it is good enough for us.
R’ Yonasan
Eybeschutz makes the ingenious suggestion that the Gemara is actually referring
to sunspots (“which have no known cause”), not eclipses.[10] Although “the details of sunspot
formation are still a matter of ongoing research,”[11] and the formation and location of
individual sunspots are not entirely predictable,[12] sunspots are nevertheless considered by
scientists to be just as rooted in the laws of nature as eclipses.
Additionally, our Gemara refers to both the sun and the moon (and the
“luminaries”), and while starspots do exist,[13] to the best of my knowledge there are no
moonspots.
The Rema (Toras Ha-Olah 1:8) asks how
the Sages can attribute reasons to a solar eclipse, which is a natural
occurrence. Whether or not people sin, the solar eclipse will happen. What are
these reasons? He quotes the Akeidas Yitzchak
(Vayechi, ch. 32) and Yesod Olam (3:17) who each
interpret this passage allegorically. The Akeidas Yitzchak explains that
solar eclipse really refers to the death of the righteous, the lights of our
community who are extinguished. Yesod Olam goes in the other direction.
He understands the four reasons for a solar eclipse as allegories for the
movement of the moon. For example, the two brothers who die refer to the sun
and the moon who both lose their light, so to speak, during a solar eclipse.
Rema offers a different allegorical interpretation, connecting the four reasons
to the movements of the astrological signs relating to a solar eclipse.
Centuries later, Rav Chaim Elazar Shapiro (Divrei Torah 6:93) offered an
additional allegorical interpretation. He compares the moon’s receipt of light
from the sun to the Jewish people’s receipt of divine attention or overflow.
When that is blocked in any way, it signifies a distance from God.
Significantly, Rema explains that a solar
eclipse can be a bad omen even though it is a natural phenomenon. The basic
premise of astrology is that there are times of the year that are good for
certain things and bad for other things, which can be understood by examining
the stars. While great rabbis debated the legitimacy of astrology (e.g. Rambam
was against, Ibn Ezra was in favor), Rema explains that a solar eclipse is no
different. It is a natural phenomenon like the movement of the stars, which
those who accept astrology recognize as meaningful to people. Centuries later,
the Aruch La-Ner (Sukkah 29a)
and Ben Yehoyada (Sukkah 29a)
explained the bad omen similarly, as a time when bad things happen naturally.
R’ Yitzchak Arama (the Akeidas Yitzchak) also
interprets the Gemara allegorically. He rejects out of hand its straightforward
reading as preposterous and false, declaring that “it is not a condition of
adherence to the Torah to accept obvious falsehoods.” He approvingly cites the
Muslim philosopher al-Ghazali’s rejection of a similar idea of eclipses
constituting omens apparently held by Muhammad, in the course of which
al-Ghazali states that greater harm is caused to religion by one who takes such
things literally and accepts them than by one who challenges them
Rabbi Yeshayahu
Horowitz (Shelah haKadosh) and Rabbi Chaim
ibn Attar (Or haHayim haKadosh). The former takes the views that God
cannot know which moral choices people will make, but this does not impair His
perfection. The latter considers that God could know the future if He wished,
but deliberately refrains from using this ability in order to avoid the
conflict with free will.[7]
Maharal (Be’er Ha-Golah, ch. 6, p.
106) explains that the Gemara is offering reasons why God established
nature in such a way that there would be solar eclipses. If people did not sin,
we would merit eternal light. However, because God knew people would sin, He
created the world in such a way that solar eclipses would happen. The Gemara is
not offering the reason for a solar eclipse (which is nature) but the reason
behind the reason (why nature is that way). The Shelah (Hagahos to
Bereishis, quoted in Sedeih Tzofim, Sukkah 29a)
explains similarly
The Shelah Hakadosh, in parashas
Noach, addresses a similar question regarding the os of the keshes, which is
also meant to be connected ..
Guy on the roof
You forgot to make the fence
The fallen one will fall
Was supposed to fall
So why am I responsible
Because I am the irresponsible agent
Hashem knew
And arranged pelony guilty
The way I explained
Set up Split Sea, set up Sun would stop
Phenomenon like clock work
Set up now
Free choice
With foreknowledge
לפעמים כי ככר, לרשחי כאשר כך, הוא כאמח אך
מצאו כאשר גלולים, כחמים עצמה כחמה נמצא
כזמנים ככלי הכטה, וכחמים אלו אין להם סכה ילועה,
ומכל שכן זמן ילוע וחשכון, וכאשר יהיו כה כחמים, אין
וא״כ זהו ליקוי כחמים, כמו
כלי מכהיק
כל כך אורה
אפסה אורה, וזהו סיכח עונש, כאמח, כי החמה חמה
וזהו מאורוח לוקין. וכאמח לעכירוח שנוללו כנו אין אנו
אכל מהחמה, אור קצח כהעלר כלום כו מרגישים
קלמונים הרגישו למאול כחסרון אורה כרוכ או כמעט,
אלמה כי
הוא חשכח אור, וכל כך מיעוט שפעח ככני
כמאמר כחוללה, פעולחו וכל וכמחכונחו, כצחצחו
גלול עונש ולכך משמש, אלם אלם
יולילהו הפילוסוף
כמה שקרה כחמים לחמה וקלרוח, כי למאול גכרו, וזהו
חטאים שהזכירו חז״ל, ולפי גולל ככל עון, כן כסיכוח
עול. עיי״ש ע״כ. כמאורוח. והקלרוח הליקוי יקרה
ממונקאטש זצ״ל כלכרי חורה )ח״ו הגה״צ כזה ומ״ש
אות צג-צד(
עיין מ״ש הגה״ק ר׳
צלוק הכהן מלוכלין שם. גמ׳.
כספר קומץ המנחה )חלק א אות יח( וז״ל: לקוח
כשיעמול ירח כינה לארץ. ולקוח לכנה כשיעמול החמה
ארץ כינה לחמה. לכן כשלכנה לוקה סימן רע לישראל כי
הרע המגיע לארץ ממנה עצמה וכן ישראל פרי מעלליהם
יאכלו. אכל חמה לוקה סימן רע לאו״ה שגמול מעשיהם
הם ואין המערכח כפי כעוה״ז המגיע ורע לעוה״כ
גם כלכנה הגורמים
אלא ל״א או יאמר כי ליקוי לכנה
עמו רע
לישראל כמ״ש נעלר
האור. וזהו סימן עצמה
של פמליא נחמעטה כיהמ״ק וכשנחרכ כצרה אנכי
מעלה. אכל ליקוי החמה העלר האור לרואים ולא כחמה.
וחסר כמקומו
כשלימוח שהשפע לאו״ה רע סימן וזה
להם. ע״כ
שכחכ: )בהגהות לספר בראשית( להשל״ה הקלוש וע״ע
מה על שהקשה זו לוגמא קושיא עול וכן
שאמרו רכוחינו ז״ל על ל׳ לכרים מאורוח לוקין, על אכ
נספל כהלכה כו׳, הלא
הליקוי הוא כיח
לין שמח ולא
והכקיאים כחכמה זו יכולים וירח, מצל
חנועוח השמש
לחשוכ כאיזה שעה חהיה הליקוי והוא לכר טכעי. ואני
פרק לאיחא
כמסכח שכח מהא מחורץ אומר
שכל זה
כמה מלליקין )לב ע״א( חנא לכי רכי ישמעאל, כי יפול
הנופל ממנו, ראוי זה ליפול מששח ימי כראשיח, שהרי
לא נפל והכחוכ קראו נופל, אלא שמגלגלים זכוח על ילי
ימי מששח רש״י, ופירש חייכ. ילי על וחוכה זכאי
הלורוח מראש, שנגלו לפניו כל קורא לכחיכ כראשיח,
כשניחנה שהרי פורענוחם, וקנס ומעשיהם הלורוח
חורה עליין לא נפל זה וקראו נופל, עכ״ל. ומאחר שכן
ופורענוחם, מעשיהם וילע מראש הלורוח שקרא הוא
על כן המציא הקכ״ה וכרא זו הטכע להיוח הקשח, כי
אז כעמלו כעח עמלו מימי נח ואילך יורה הכריח הזה
עול יהיה ככריחו
שלא נאמן והקכ״ה חוטאים, שהם
הקכ״ה ומכיט ככל מכול. וכן לענין הליקוי, היה
צופה
כעח לקוי שיהיו השמים צכא מהלך וכרא הלורוח,
שראויים ללקוח מפני חטאים הנ״ל. ואל חכהל אח פיך
הנה ככר גלוי וילוע כל החטאים שיהיו ועל זה לאמר,
נראה לעין וכרא
כריאחו, אם כן מעשה הקכ״ה עשה
הכחירה. איפוא ואיה הכרחיים הם האלה שהחטאים
והקושיא הקלומה של יליעה וכחירה היא קשה כענין זה
כזה הארכחי ככר כי לע לעין. ונראה כחוקף יוחר
יראו שם עיין הכחירה, ככיח אלם חוללוח כהקלמה
עיניך וישמח לכך, על לרך ההם הוא על לרך הפשט
הנ״ל כשם עניינים וישר
ככל טוכ לרך מצאחי עוד
חכם מופלג וזה לשונו, כענין מאורוח לוקין, הגם
כי הליקוי הוא על פי החשכון, מכל מקום לולי החטא
הנכיא שאמר לרך על ומסך, כענן ונעשה המעכה
)ישעיה נט,
ב(, כי אם עונוחיכם היו מכלילים כיניכם לכין
אלהיכם הכלל גופני גשמי, היה הצל כהיר וזך כל כך, לא
יאונה לצליק כל און ולא יעשה רושם והפסק האחל כפני
מאירים והכוככים והלכנה שהשמש כשעה חכירו
כן אורם, מעככים והיסולוח השמים ואין ומזהירים
הלכר הזה. ולהיוח סיכח החטא שכהיוח זה לעומח זה
שנעשה כענן מפסיק, על כן הוא סימן ללכריהם ז״ל. וכן
כענין הקשח נוכל לומר שהגם שהוא לכר טכעי כהיוח
כגכורחו, שכנגלו
השמש וחלק גשומה אחח ארץ חלק
כזכוחם וחחחונים העליונים כח הנוטל החטא אלמלא
וכהירחם, לא היה עושה רושם גשמיי כזה. נמצא עשייח
העליונים כח הנוטל השחנוח סימן גשמיי, רושם
וחחחונים כזכוחם וכהירחם, לא היה עושה רושםגשמיי
גשמיי, 0ימ; השחנוח על
ידי כזה.
נמצא עשייח רושם
גו6ני מקכל שינוי ונעשה כח מעשינו
כח וחיוח עליוני
ככח היה אם היה
כ; מה
שלא ומקריוח, והשחניוח
שינוי יקכלו שלא מעלה של הנכדלים כשאר עליוני
ומקרה. ודכר זה עיקר גדול ואמוניי, שכ; כידינו על ידי
מעשינו ח0 ושלום השמים לא יחנו טלם והארץ יכולה
We begin this week ….
צַ֤ו אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן֙וְאֶת־בָּנָ֣יו לֵאמֹ֔ר זֹ֥את תּוֹרַ֖ת הָעֹלָ֑ה הִ֣וא הָעֹלָ֡ה עַל֩ מוֹקְדָ֨הֿ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֤חַכׇּל־הַלַּ֙יְלָה֙ עַד־הַבֹּ֔קֶר וְאֵ֥שׁ הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ תּ֥וּקַד בּֽוֹ׃
Command Aaron and his sons thus: This is the ritual of the burnt offering: The burnt offering itself shall remain where it is burned upon the altar all night until morning, while the fire on the altar is kept going on it.
וְלָבַ֨שׁ הַכֹּהֵ֜ןמִדּ֣וֹ בַ֗ד וּמִֽכְנְסֵי־בַד֮ יִלְבַּ֣שׁ עַל־בְּשָׂרוֹ֒ וְהֵרִ֣ים אֶת־הַדֶּ֗שֶׁן
אֲשֶׁ֨ר תֹּאכַ֥ל הָאֵ֛שׁ אֶת־הָעֹלָ֖ה עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ וְשָׂמ֕וֹ אֵ֖צֶל הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃
The priest shall dress in linen raiment, with linen breeches next to his body; and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar.
The Keli Yakar Writes: The Torah mentions ashes in this context because the rectification for arrogance is ashes, i.e., one should say, “I am dust and ashes,” like Avraham. This causes that he will be elevated to great heights, for anyone who lowers himself is lifted up by Hashem. Thus, the kohein making the atonement wears these two garments: The linen garment, according to his size, and not too big — to hint that one should not behave in a manner beyond his level. Secondly, the linen pants, which atone for the transgression of illicit relations, which he needs if he was arrogant, as Chazal said (Sotah 4b): Anyone who is arrogant is considered as if he transgressed all the illicit relations. The ashes are placed next to the altar, which represents humility.
Rabbeynu Bachya Writes: ולבש הכהן מדו
בד ומכנסי בד ילבש על בשרו והרים את הדשן, “The Priest shall put on his fitted tunic and he shall put on linen trousers on his flesh; he shall remove the ash.” The Torah here teaches that even such a seemingly inconsequential activity as removing the ash from the altar is considered as part of the sacrificial service. Were this not so it would not be necessary for the Priest to don the garments reserved for performing service in the Temple or Tabernacle.
This Shabbat is Shabbat Parah. It is the third of four special Shabbats begiining with Shekalim, Zachor, this week parah and then HaChodesh. Explain each
Yesterday morning we were discussing the Keli Yakar - R Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz b’1550 - served as the Rabbi of Prague from 1604 to 1619 and is buried next to the Maharal who passed away ten years prior – and his comments on the Red Heifer
Adinah then sent me an article by CBS news and I looked to see who else is reporting on the same. We have all seen stories of Red Heifers – apparently there is a farm in Texas …
In September 2022, five red heifers were flown from the state of Texas to the land of Israel. Farm owned by a Christian who raises Red Angus looking for the Parah Adumah –
Since that time, one of them has been disqualified, but the other four continue to be candidates for a red heifer sacrifice.
As I discussed last week, there was 'a practice run of the purification ceremony' in 2023. But an official ceremony must be conducted before the heifers get too old to be used for such a sacrifice.
So will a red heifer be sacrificed in Israel in 2024? According
to CBS News, a 'massive altar' has already been constructed.
I was absolutely floored when I first saw that. A red heifer sacrifice would need to happen on the Mount of Olives, and the land where the sacrifice would take place is owned by Rabbi Yitshak Mamo.
According to those working on the project, the ceremony of the red heifer needs to be performed on the Mount of Olives, and in a place that would have looked directly into where the Temple stood. The land directly east of the Temple Mount, purchased 12 years ago, meets both of those standards.
Rabbi Yitshak Mamo owns that land on the Mount of Olives. R' Mamo is with Uvne Yerusalim, a group that preserves Israel's history and works to educate future generations.
Concerning the specifics of the land, he told CBN News, 'It had to be exactly at the front of the place that the priest that made this ceremony can see the Holy of the Holy Place.'
But the clock is ticking. If the heifers get too old, they will no longer qualify.
On
Saturday night and Sunday, we will celebrate Purim
Last
week we discussed the power of Adar and more specifically Adar Bet
Someone
asked
Why
is Purim celebrated in Adar Bet ?
By
Sephardim, any yahrzeit or birthday which occurs in a regular year in Adar is
marked in a leap year in Adar bet.
We
learn in Shulchan Aruch under the Laws of Passover Siman 429 Seif 1, we are
commanded to start (re) learning the Passover laws thirty days after Passover
right after Purim. Thus, Purim needs to remain thirty days before Passover and
is pushed to Adar Sheni.
Additionally
we celebrate Purim during Adar II, in order to juxtapose the joy of the Purim
redemption with the redemption from Egypt. We also read the Four Parshiyot
during this month, because Parashat Shekalim, Parashat Para, and Parashat Ha-ĥodesh were instituted as a
preparation for the month of Nisan, and Parashat Zakhor must be read
immediately before Purim, which we celebrate in Adar II ( We read Zachor this
Shabbat – Question if we are commanded to
remember what Amalek did and also not to forget – then why not just unfurl a poster or a sign or simply
get up and say I remember or add it to our prayers which many of us do each day.
Why must we come to the synagogue and hear the Torah? Remind me at the end to
bring it back to this.
Before
we begin
I
want you to image a 100 yard dash
A
race in a straight line
The
starting line and the finish line are the two points furthest from each other
Now
let’s imagine a race in a stadium around
a track
There
we circle the track and the start line becomes the finish line
In
this case the starting line and the finish line are the two points closest to
each other
How
do you look at time? As a straight line or as a circle?
Our
class today is based on the beautiful words of Rav Pinchas Friedman of Belz,
The Shvilei Pinchas
We
have learned in the Gemarah (Taanis 29a): “משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה” — when Adar begins we increase joy. Rashi comments: ” ימי נסים היו לישראל פורים ופסח “ — since this month ushers in the time during which the
great miracles of Purim and Pesach occurred.
The
commentaries wonder: What provoked Rashi
to associate the miracles experienced by the Jewish people on Purim, in the
month of Adar, with the miracles that they experienced on Pesach in the month
of Nissan?
In
fact, the Gemarah’s statement -- ” משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה “ — does not even mention the month of Nissan.
As
we mentioned last week, concerning Haman’s choice to issue his decree against Yisrael specifically in the month of
Adar, the Gemarah teaches (Megillah 13b): he was extremely
pleased and happy when the lot fell out on the month of Adar; he reasoned that
it was fortuitous that the lot fell out on the month during which Moshe died;
he did not realize, however, that Moshe not only died on the seventh of Adar
but he was also born on the seventh of Adar. The commentaries note that in this
statement from our blessed sages, the day of death is mentioned before the day
of birth. Seemingly, it should have said: “He did not know realize that he was
born on the seventh of Adar and he also died on the seventh of Adar.”
What day did Haman sit and do the lottery?
. The Rabbis explain that it was the 13th Day of Nissan
Lets look at a timeline of the entire Megilah
How many years from the feast until Hamans Decree
How long between Haman’s decree and his hanging?
One would be surprised to learn that although the entire story takes place
over a decade, the bulk of it takes place of three days !
Achashverosh ascends
the throne of Persia
3392 (369 BCE)
Achashverosh's
Feast, lasting 180 days
3395 (366 BCE)
Esther taken
to Achashverosh's Palace
Tevet, 3399 (362 BCE)
Haman casts
lots
Nissan, 3404 (357 BCE)
First
decrees dispatched by Haman
Nissan 13, 3404 (357 BCE)
Three
days' Fast ordered by Esther*
Nissan 14-16, 3404 (357 BCE)
Haman's
downfall and execution by hanging*
Nissan 17, 3404 (357 BCE)
Second
decrees, reversing the first
Sivan 23, 3404 (357 BCE)
Sadness
turned to gladness; Haman's ten sons executed
Adar 13, 3405 (356 BCE)
Purim celebrations
everywhere, except Shushan where a second day of reckoning is added
Adar 14,
3405 (356 BCE)
Purim celebration in
Shushan
Adar 15, 3405 (356 BCE)
The
Megillah recorded; Festival of Purim instituted for all generations
3406 or 355 BCE
Additionally,
let us examine why Queen Esther requested that Mordechai command all of the
Jews living in Shushan to fast for three days — including the first day of Pesach. It is written in
the Megillah (Esther 4, 15):
וַתֹּ֥אמֶר אֶסְתֵּ֖ר לְהָשִׁ֥יב אֶֽל־מׇרְדֳּכָֽי׃
Then Esther sent
back this answer to Mordecai:
לֵךְ֩ כְּנ֨וֹס אֶת־כׇּל־הַיְּהוּדִ֜ים הַֽנִּמְצְאִ֣ים בְּשׁוּשָׁ֗ן
וְצ֣וּמוּ עָ֠לַ֠י וְאַל־תֹּאכְל֨וּ וְאַל־תִּשְׁתּ֜וּ שְׁלֹ֤שֶׁת יָמִים֙
לַ֣יְלָה וָי֔וֹם גַּם־אֲנִ֥י וְנַעֲרֹתַ֖י אָצ֣וּם כֵּ֑ן וּבְכֵ֞ן אָב֤וֹא
אֶל־הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־כַדָּ֔ת וְכַאֲשֶׁ֥ר אָבַ֖דְתִּי אָבָֽדְתִּי׃
“Go, assemble all
the Jews who live in Shushan, and fast in my behalf; do not eat or drink for
three days, night or day. I and my maidens will observe the same fast. Then I
shall go to the king, though it is contrary to the law; and if I am to perish,
I shall perish!”
וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֖ר מׇרְדֳּכָ֑י וַיַּ֕עַשׂ כְּכֹ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־צִוְּתָ֥ה עָלָ֖יו
אֶסְתֵּֽר׃ {ס}
So Mordecai went
about [the city] and did just as Esther had commanded him.
RASHI
וַיַּעֲבֹר מָרְדְּכָי. עַל דָּת, לְהִתְעַנּוֹת בְּיוֹם טוֹב רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל פֶּסַח, שֶׁהִתְעַנָּה
י'ד בְּנִיסָן וְט'ו וְט'ז, שֶׁהֲרֵי בְּיוֹם י'ג נִכְתְּבוּ
הַסְּפָרִים:
Mordechai passed. [I.e., he
transgressed] the law *Otherwise, ויעבר מרדכי is apparently superfluous
because the text further states that he implemented all her instructions.
Alternatively, Mordechai actually went over (=ויעבר) a bridge. What sin did he
commit?
(Masechet Megillah 15a) by fasting on the
first festive day of Pesach, for he fasted on the fourteenth, the fifteenth
*I.e., Pesach. Although the holiday feast is obligatory, Mordechai bypassed the
obligation and ordered the fast, using the special authority of the Sanhedrin
to suspend such obligations in times of extreme need. *
“ויעבר מרדכי, אמר רב שהעביר יום ראשון
של פסח בתענית” —
Rav teaches that this possuk indicates that Mordechai
supplanted the first day of Pesach with a fast. The Midrash (Esther Rabbah 8,
7) explains the matter in greater detail:
Esther
requested that Mordechai gather together all of the Jews living in Shushan and
refrain on her behalf from food and drink for three days — the thirteenth, fourteenth and
fifteenth of Nissan. Mordechai questioned her request on the grounds that one
of those days was the first day of Pesach. She replied, אמרה לו זקן שבישראל למה הוא פסח
“Elder of Yisrael, what is
the point of celebrating Pesach?” Upon hearing her reply, he confessed that she was in the right and proceeded
to carry out all of her demands — including fasting on the first day of Pesach.
We
must endeavor to understand what possessed Esther to set in motion the
miraculous events of Purim specifically in this manner. Why was it necessary to
annul a positive Torah commandment — to eat matzah on the first night of Pesach -- and a
Rabbinical commandment — to drink four cups of wine
on the first night of Pesach?
Furthermore,
what message was she conveying with her statement to Mordechai: “זקן שבישראל למה הוא פסח” — Elder of Yisrael, what is the point of
celebrating Pesach? Surely,
she was not suggesting that it is permissible to annul or ignore Hashem’s mitzvos whenever Yisrael is faced
with an imminent danger.
Rather,
hear this well, she was trying to stir things up in the heavens above. Even so,
why did she specifically choose to annul the mitzvot related to the first night
of Pesach?
Imagine
for a moment the great Rabbi Yisrael of Rozhin’s, zy”a, festive Purim meal. How
can I ask you to imagine if you have no idea who this Rabbi was?
He
was the great grandson of the Magid of Mezerich. He was born in 1796 and passed
at 54 years old in 1850. He was orphaned at 6 and grew up in the home of Rav Menaḥem Naḥum Twersky, whose daughter he married.
Yisra’el’s elder brother, Avraham succeeded his father after the latter’s death and, at the age of 15,
became the first yenuka (child officiating as a tsadik) in Hasidic history.
After
Avraham’s death 10 years later, Yisra’el, himself then only 16, was called
upon to take his place. In 1815, he moved his court to nearby Ruzhin, and his
fame spread quickly. From the very beginning of his “reign” he stood out for his sharp wit, his organizing
abilities, and his original religious approach. Rejecting asceticism and
self-imposed poverty as religious ideals, he adopted a maximalist
interpretation of the idea of “worship through
corporeality” (i.e., the positive religious value
hidden in trivial, earthly life, such as eating or drinking, sexual relations,
making a living) as equivalent to Torah study or prayer.
I
imagine we can say that the test is to find Hashem in everything!
Inspired
by this philosophy, his court was based on an ostentatious display of the
material wealth and luxury in which the tsadik and his family lived. His palace
at Ruzhin—a mecca for admirers of all social
ranks, including Russian aristocrats—was famed not only for its splendor, but also for its carriages, the
thoroughbred horses in its stables, and the klezmer bands that entertained
visitors and accompanied the tsadik on his travels. He amassed a tremendous
fortune, mainly from donations from his admirers. He became wealthy enough to
be registered in the Second Merchants Guild—an official standing that earned him various privileges and stood him in
good stead later, when he was forced to flee Russia.
.
The dramatic events in which he was involved—imprisonment on suspicion of aiding and abetting the violent murder of
informers, flight from Russia to Austria—made him a legend in his own lifetime, revered by his followers but
despised and ridiculed by his opponents, mainly maskilim. Descended from a
distinguished Hasidic family that
claimed descent from King David, and possessing exceptional religious charisma,
sharp natural intelligence, and organizational talents, he was not only one of
the most prominent and impressive Hasidic leaders in the period of the greatest
growth of Hasidism, but also the founder of a new style of Hasidism known as
the “regal way.”
So
now imagine, you are sitting at a table similar to one set by nobility at the
time with as much opulence as you can imagine and at that seudah, the Rabbi presented
divine and enlightening insights encompassing the entire festival of Purim with
incredible clarity.
His
words are cited in the sefer Irin Kadishin. He addresses the issue of why the
wicked Haman specifically chose to carry out his decree in the month of Adar.
Here are a few of his remarks that are quoted:
“והטעם שהוא בחודש אדר, כי יש י”ב צירופי הוי”ה כנגד י”ב חדשי השנה, ובחודש ניסן אזי מאיר שם
הוי”ה כסידורו והיא התגלות החסדים, ואחר כך נעשה צירופים בכל חודש וחודש, וכל חודש
אשר הצירוף מתרחק מן השורש יותר הוא בהסתר, ובחודש אדר שמאיר בו הצירוף האחרון הוא
הצימצום וההסתר יותר מכל חודש. ועל כן טעה המן והפיל פור, וכל זה בכדי לעשות רע לישראל
ח”ו מחמת שהוא צירוף וההסתר האחרון, אך טעה בזה, כי סוף מעשה במחשבה תחילה, ונעוץ
סופו בתחילתו, כמו שמזל יום שבת קודש הוא מזל אחרון ]יום השביעי[, ודוקא יש בו התגלות
הקדושה, וכמו שאנחנו בעיקבתא דמשיחא שהוא ההסתר היותר אחרון, אנו מצפים להתגלות אור
היותר עליון”.
He explains
as we discussed last week that there are twelve permutations of the four lettered
name Havaya corresponding to the twelve months of the year, i.e. the letters of
the four-lettered name can be arranged in twelve different ways.
The
month of Nissan is illuminated by the name Havaya with its letters in their
original order; this permutation signifies the revelation of Hashem’s favors and kindness.
Thereafter,
each subsequent month is influenced by its particular permutation of the holy
four-lettered name. The farther a month and its permutation are from the
original source, the greater the degree of obscurity and concealment. He
suggests that the month of Adar, which is illuminated by the last permutation
of the holy name, reflects the greatest degree of concealment and restriction.
This,
in fact, was Haman’s mistake. He reckoned
that the month of Adar being the farthest away from the source (Nissan and
redemption of Pesach) was the ideal time to harm Yisrael, chas v’chalilah. The truth of the matter,
however, is that the end of the year is intimately connected with the beginning
of the year.
We read
(Shemos 12, 2): “החודש הזה לכם ראש חדשים ראשון הוא לכם לחדשי השנה” — this month shall be for you the
beginning of the months; it shall be for you the first of the months of the
year.
The
Ramban explains that we are commanded to count the month of Nissan as the first
month of the twelve months of the year, since in this month Yisrael went out of
Egypt in a miraculous fashion.
The
Tikunei Zohar (Introduction 9b) explains that the permutation that reigns in
the month of Nissan is the name Havaya in its proper order; this permutation is
derived from the first letters of the possuk (Tehillim 96, 11): י’שמחו ה’שמים ו’תגל ה’ארץ — the heavens will rejoice and the
earth will be glad.
When
the letters of the holy name are in their proper order, the attribute of mercy
prevails in the world; hence, the heavens and the earth rejoice. During the remaining
eleven months of the year, the permutation of the name Havaya changes from
month to month.
The
farther the month is removed from Nissan, the greater the change in that month’s permutation of the holy name. As a
consequence, the greater the degree of concealment in that month — reflecting the fact that attribute
of mercy is less and less evident. This would suggest that Adar, the last of
the twelve months and the farthest removed from Nissan, and the month
associated with the last permutation — the most distant and different from the permutation
of Nissan — would possess the greatest
degree of concealment of any of the twelve months. So, when the lot fell on the
month of Adar, Haman was extremely happy; he felt that this was a good omen and
would allow him to overcome Yisrael, chas v’shalom.
The
great Rabbi of Rozhin, zy”a, reveals to us that
Haman made a serious error. He was ignorant of the fact that in matters of
kedushah an important principle exists:
the
end is intimately associated with the beginning. The source for this principle
comes from the Sefer Yetzirah (Chapter 1, Mishnah “עשר ספירות בלי מה, נעוץ סופן בתחילתן
ותחילתן בסופן :( 7
כשלהבת קשורה בגחלת, שאדון
יחיד ואין לו שני” — Ten Sefiros of Nothingness, their end is imbedded in
their beginning and their beginning in their end — like a flame in a burning coal. For,
the Master is singular; he has not second.
In
other words, the end of something in kedushah is always inherent in the beginning.
It is a continuous circle; the end and the beginning are connected
magnificently and incomparably.
In
this manner, we find that Shabbat Kodesh, on the one hand, is the final day of
the week. On the other hand, however, it is the beginning and source of what
transpires in the week to come. As the Zohar hakadosh teaches (Yisro 88a), Shabbat
provides the blessings for the week to come and influences the week to come
with abundant good: “כל ברכאן דלעילא ותתא ביומא שביעאה תליין” .
Similarly,
the cycle consisting of the twelve months of the year — beginning with Nissan and ending
with Adar — is like a circle where the
end is intimately connected with the beginning.
This,
in fact, was the wicked Haman’s fatal error. He figured
that being the last month of the year, Adar possessed the greatest degree of
concealment. Therefore, he would be able to succeed in executing his diabolical
decree aimed at the people of Yisrael. He was unaware that in matters of
sanctity, kedushah, the end is inherent in the beginning. Thus, Adar, the final
month of the year, is intimately related to Nissan, the first month of the year
— which possesses the
greatest degree of revelation.
Rav
Pinchas Friedman tells us that he was struck with a wonderful idea based on
this enlightening concept. Queen Esther puts her life in danger by entering the
king’s chambers without permission. She
did so with a clear-cut plan to foil and bring down the wicked Haman, oppressor
of the Jews, and to save Yisrael from extermination. With this understanding,
why was the very first thing she said to Achashverosh (Esther 5, 4): “ותאמר אסתר אם על המלך טוב יבוא המלך והמן
היום אל המשתה אשר עשיתי לו” — if it pleases the king, let the king
and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.
Now,
our blessed sages have taught us a very important principle (Esther Rabbah 3,
10): “כל מקום שנאמר במגלה זו למלך אחשורוש, במלך אחשורוש הכתוב מדבר, וכל מקום שנאמר
למלך סתם, משמש קודש וחול” — whenever the Megillah mentions “King Achashverosh,” it is referring to the
actual flesh and blood king with that name; however, whenever the Megillah
employs the generic term “king,” it serves a dual purpose — referring to our heavenly King as
well as to the lowly human king. This is the basis for the following
elucidation of the possuk (Esther 6, 1) found in the Gemarah (Megillah 15b): “בלילה ההוא נדדה שנת המלך, אמר רבי תנחום,
נדדה שנת מלכו של עולם” — “That night the king’s sleep was disturbed.” Rabbi Tanchum says that the possuk
is telling us that the King of the Universe’s sleep was disturbed. Likewise, when Esther says: “if it pleases the king,” employing the nonspecific term “king,” she is also referring to the King of the Universe, HKB”H.
This
coincides beautifully with a teaching of the Arizal’s. He teaches us that with this
statement Esther intended to awaken the King of the Universe’s attribute of mercy on behalf of
the people of Yisrael; mercy emanates from the blessed name Havaya. So she
directs her entreaty to HKB”H with the introduction: ” אם על המלך טוב “ -- if it pleases the king — addressing the King of the Universe;
” “ י’בוא ה’מלך ו’המן ה’יום — note that the first letters of these
four words spells out the name Havaya in its original and ideal order, which
connotes pure mercy.
Now,
let us apply the illuminating concept of the great Rabbi of Rozhin, zy”a, to gain a deeper appreciation of
Esther’s wise intentions. She realized that
Haman’s lot fell on the month of Adar — which pleased him to no end,
thinking that as the final month of the year, it possessed the greatest level
of concealment and was the farthest removed from mercy.
Esther
wisely prayed to HKB”H: ” י’בוא ה’מלך ו’המן ה’יום “ — invoking the ultimate permutation of the name Havaya,
the permutation that reigns during the month of Nissan. By doing so, she established
the connection between the end of the year and the beginning of the year — associating the month of Adar with the
wondrous and miraculous events that took place in Nissan. One might even
suggest that this idea is alluded to by the very name Adar, spelled א-דר . This suggests that the “aleph,” the first month of the year, “dar” — is contained or dwells within the last month of
the year.
Now,
upon closer examination an amazing fact becomes evident. The preparations for
the miracle of Purim already took place eleven months earlier during the month
of Nissan. Firstly, Esther put her life
in jeopardy immediately after Haman issued his decree on the thirteenth of
Nissan. She entered the King Achashverosh’s chambers without an invitation to do so; this was an act punishable by
death under the laws of that regime. Yet, she miraculously found favor in the
king’s eyes and he extended his golden, royal
scepter to her — indicating that she was welcome.
Next,
Achashverosh accepted an invitation to Esther’s first banquet which was held on the first day of
Pesach. These events concluded with her second banquet which took place on the
second day of Pesach. This second banquet resulted in the hanging of Haman on
the tree that Mordechai prepared. This is a clear-cut example of the end being
firmly connected with the beginning. The greatest concealment of HKB”H’s presence associated with the month of Adar — the month designated by Haman for the extermination
of the Jews — was connected with the
incredible revelation of His presence which occurred in the month of Nissan.
The force of this connection led to the downfall of the wicked Haman. Hashem
has now provided us with the tools to decipher our sages’ riddle:
“תנא כיון שנפל פור בחודש אדר שמח שמחה
גדולה, אמר נפל לי פור בירח שמת בו משה, ולא היה יודע שבשבעה באדר מת ובשבעה באדר נולד” .
Based
on the knowledge that Moshe Rabeinu passed away on the seventh of Adar, Haman considered
this fact proof positive that the last month of the year, Adar, is the time of
ultimate concealment; after all, Yisrael’s great leader left this world during the month of Adar.
Nevertheless,
our blessed sages go on to say: “ולא היה יודע שבשבעה באדר מת ובשבעה באדר
נולד” — Haman was unaware that not
only did Moshe pass away on that date, but he was also born on the seventh of
Adar.
HKB”H wished to teach us that concerning
matters of kedushah, the concept of finality and conclusion do not apply.
Instead, the end is always intimately connected to the beginning. Consequently,
the end of a tzaddik’s life, the day of his
death, is related to the day he was born.
This
indicates that their Torah and their life’s work are eternal and continue to live on in this world. This is the
significance of Chazal’s statement: ולא היה יודע שבשבעה באדר מת ובשבעה באדר
נולד” “ — he died and he was born on
the same date, the seventh of Adar, because the end and the beginning are
intimately related in an endless, eternal cycle. This is why Moshe Rabeinu’s kedushah and Torah remain with
Yisrael forever and ever.
The
Shvilei Pinchas now proposes an explanation that is pertinent to all of us with
regards to the great Rabbi of Rozhin’s, zy”a, concept that we have been discussing.
He taught us that the last month of the year, Adar, which possesses the
greatest degree of divine concealment, is nevertheless intimately related and
connected to the first month of the year, Nissan, which possesses the highest
degree of divine revelation. Let us introduce another one of his teachings to
assist us.
David
HaMelech, Yisrael’s sweet psalmist, states
(Tehillim 13, “עד אנה תסתיר את פניך ממני, עד אנה אשית עצות בנפשי” :( 2 — how long will You hide Your countenance from me? How long
will I continue to seek counsel within my own spirit?”
The Rabbi
of Rozhin, zy”a, teaches us a valuable lesson
related to faith in Hashem. When we want to receive salvation from Hashem, we must
first understand that we are totally helpless on our own; our salvation depends
solely on Hashem. As long as we continue to believe that we can save ourselves,
it is impossible to merit Hashem’s salvation.
Therefore,
David HaMelech poses the question to HKB”H: ” “עד אנה תסתיר את פניך ממני -- how long will You hide Your countenance from
me? He then suggests the
definitive answer: ” “עד אנה אשית עצות נפשי
— as long as I delude myself
into thinking that I am capable of resolving dilemmas with my own counsel and
schemes. This was the interpretation of the Rabbi of Rozhin, zy”a.
In
fact, Queen Esther intended to convey this very same message to the people of
Yisrael. We have learned in the Gemarah
(Megillah
15a): “תנו רבנן מה ראתה אסתר שזימנה את המן... כדי שלא יאמרו ישראל אחות יש לנו בבית
המלך ויסיחו דעתן מן הרחמים” — the Rabbis taught in a Baraise: What
was Esther’s reason for inviting Haman? . . . so that the Jews would
not say, “We have a sister in the royal palace,” and neglect praying for divine
mercy.
Esther
endeavored to bring Yisrael to a state of: ” עד אנה אשית עצות בנפשי “ — whereupon they would realize, beyond a shadow of a
doubt, that they were in a desperate, hopeless situation. This knowledge would
force them to rely on Hashem and trust Him; thus, they would merit divine
salvation instantaneously.
Seen
in this light, we can better appreciate the great Rabbi of Rozhin’s, zy”a, idea. So long as HKB”H’s presence is not so concealed,
a person is liable to believe, chas v’shalom, that he is capable of helping himself out of his dilemma. Yet, only
when the situation is desperate, when HKB”H’s presence appears to be so far
removed, does a person wake up to the realization of: עד אנה אשית עצות בנפשי” “. In the merit of this awakening, he
is able to successfully dispel and eliminate the state of HKB”H’s concealed countenance and savor the extraordinary revelations of the
month of Nissan.
Story:
Couple want a child. Come to Rebbe. Asks them for huge amount as pidyon. Go
back. See if they sell everything. Impossible. Come back. Beg. Sorry. Go out.
Only Hashem. Pray. Rebbe comes out to them. Now Hashem will bless you. En Od
MiLevado
This
is precisely what transpired during the time of the Purim saga. Haman’s lot fell on Adar, the last month
of the year; he issued his evil decree to exterminate the Jews during that
inauspicious month. Left to their own devices, they were beyond salvation. They
were left no other option but to trust in Hashem’s salvation — in the merit of Mordechai’s righteousness.
Following
his instructions, all the Jews of Shushan gathered together and fasted for
three days during the month of Nissan. By means of this act of repentance,
they
successfully connected the end of the year with its beginning. Their act of
penitence led to Haman’s being hung in Nissan;
subsequently, in Adar, they defeated their enemies, descendants of Amalek, in
battle.
Continuing
along this exalted path, let us delve even deeper into the intimate
relationship between the months of Adar and Nissan — as we have learned from the great
Rabbi of Rozhin, zy”a. Let us attempt to
explain precisely how the miraculous events that transpired in the month of
Nissan — including all of the
miracles associated with the exodus from Egypt — affected the events of Purim in the month of Adar. Let
us begin by presenting an incredible principle which the Ramban teaches us
towards the end of parshas Bo (Shemos 13, 16) concerning the miracles
associated with the exodus from Egypt.
This
is a principle that is so fundamental and should be reviewed on a daily basis.
He teaches us that the purpose of the supernatural miracles that HKB”H performed on our behalf during the
exodus from Egypt were designed to make us aware of the incredible miracles
that are performed on our behalf daily within the guise of natural occurrences.
Here are his famous words:
“ומן הנסים הגדולים המפורסמים, אדם מודה בנסים הנסתרים שהם יסוד התורה כולה, שאין
לאדם חלק בתורת משה רבינו, עד שנאמין בכל דברינו ומקרינו, שכולם נסים אין בהם טבע ומנהגו
של
עולם, בין ברבים בין ביחיד, אלא אם יעשה המצוות יצליחנו שכרו,ואם יעבור עליהם יכריתנו
ענשו, הכל בגזירת עליון כאשר הזכרתי כבר”.
In
other words, everything we experience is a miracle performed by Hashem; there
is no such thing as laws of nature. This applies both to events experienced by
the general public or by individual. If one observes the mitzvos, he will be
rewarded; if he transgresses them, he will be punished. Everything is governed
from above.
It
is well known that it is not permissible to pray for a miracle. This is
expressed by the Sefer Chassidim as follows ( ואסור להתפלל שיעשה לו הקב”ה נס בשינוי העולם” :( 794 “. He proves his point from the Gemarah (Taanit 26a)
which states that one is prohibited from praying that a tree should bear its fruit
prematurely.
The
reason being that HKB”H created the world to
operate in accord with the laws of nature; yet, it is essential that a person
believes with all of his heart that HKB”H governs nature.
So,
it is prohibited to pray for a miracle, because HKB”H does not want to change nature. At
the time of the exodus from Egypt, however, Yisrael had sunk to the forty-ninth
level of impurity. As a consequence, HKB”H performed supernatural miracles on their behalf in order to instill in
them faith in Hashem. Still, the main purpose for these extraordinary feats was
to bring the people to the realization that even nature is governed by Hashem’s hand — as stated by the Ramban:
“ומן הנסים הגדולים מפורסמים, אדם מודה
בנסים הנסתרים שהם יסוד התורה כולה” — due to the obvious miracles, a
person becomes aware of and grateful for the hidden miracles, which are the basis
for the entire Torah.
With
this, let us present an important principle from the teachings of the Kedushat
Levi (First Kedushah for Purim). He points out that the miraculous feats
surrounding the exodus from Egypt involved an upheaval and departure from the
laws of nature established at the time of creation.
Beginning
with the ten plagues and concluding with the splitting of the sea, the laws of nature
were disregarded.
That
was in stark contrast to the miraculous events that occurred at the time of
Purim — which were disguised
within the framework of nature. Achashverosh got drunk, killed Vashti for not
heeding his command and made Esther the queen in her place. Haman, a descendant
of Amalek, issued a decree to kill all of the Jews. Afterwards, because of
Achashverosh’s love for Queen Esther, Haman was
hung from the tree and the decree was rescinded. On the surface, it does not
appear as if there was any deviation from the laws of nature in this sequence of
events. Nevertheless, it is still quite clear to everyone that
HKB”H orchestrated all of these events
in order to save the people of Yisrael.
Now,
we can begin to appreciate the incredible connection between the holiday of
Pesach and Purim. For, it is only due to the miracles of Pesach that we
recognize and appreciate the miracles of Purim that are concealed within the
guise of nature. Therefore, the main preparation for the miracle of Purim occurred
on Pesach — when Haman was hung.
How
nicely this explains the deeper significance and intent of Esther’s command to fast even on the first
night of Pesach.
According
to the Midrash, we learned that she countered Mordechai’s objection with the words: “זקן שבישראל למה הוא פסח” — Elder of Yisrael, what is the point
of celebrating Pesach under these circumstances. She was suggesting to him that it was necessary
for them to cause a stir in the heavens. After all, as we learned from the
Ramban, the entire reason for celebrating Pesach — on which we celebrate the visible, supernatural
events that surrounded the exodus — is solely so that a person will believe in the
miracles that are concealed within the framework of nature. Hence, if the
miracles of Purim do not occur within the framework of nature, there is no purpose
for the miracles of Pesach.
At
this point, we can revisit Rashi’s poetic comment: “משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה - ימי נסים היו לישראל פורים ופסח” -- when Adar begins, we increase
joy -- since this month ushers in the time during which the great miracles of
Purim and Pesach occurred. He teaches us that we rejoice in Adar in celebration of both the events of
Purim, which appeared to transpire within the natural realm, and the events of
Pesach, which transpired above and beyond the natural realm. After all, it was
only in the merit of the Pesach miracles that we merited the Purim miracle. So,
clearly, Purim and Pesach are intimately connected and inseparable.
We
can now truly appreciate the depth and significance of the great Rabbi of
Rozhin’s, zy”a, illuminating words. Haman cast his lot on the month of
Adar believing that, as the last month of the year, it possessed the greatest
degree of divine concealment. He was unaware of the intimate
relationship that exists between the end of the year and the beginning of the
year — the connection of Adar
with Nissan. Due to the month of Nissan — a month highlighted by supernatural events — we are able to illuminate even the
extreme darkness of Adar — to believe in miracles that
occur within the framework of nature. So we see that the month of Adar, the
last of the twelve months of the year, is firmly connected to the first month
of the year, Nissan.
This
also illustrates the deeper significance and wisdom inherent in Queen Esther’s plea to our Heavenly King, HKB”H: י’בוא ה’מלך ו’המן ה’יום” “ — let the king and Haman come today. As explained, the first letters of
these words constitute the permutation of the holy name Havaya in its ideal and
original order — the permutation associated
with the month of Nissan. She fully intended to solidify the connection between
the last month, Adar, and the first month, Nissan. For, it is impossible to
appreciate the miracles of Purim that were concealed within the realm of nature
if not for the visible, supernatural miracles that took place during the month
of Nissan. She invoked the auspicious permutation of the name Havaya
represented by the possuk: י’שמחו ה’שמים ו’תגל ה’ארץ -- the heavens will rejoice and
the earth will be glad.
The Arizal explains
that when the snake touched Chava, the negativity of the snake entered her and
came out in her first born Kayin. Kayin rebelled against G-d and we wonder
where did he come up with murder. He explains it was the influence of the
nachash. The negative side passes through into Esav and Amalek who stirs doubt
and kills without fear. In attempting to save his own skin, he does his best to
prevent us from getting to the finish line.
I want to conclude
with the words of the Netivos Shalom, as explained by Rabbi Winston and then my
own
Sholom Noach
Berezovsky 1911 - 2000) was the Slonimer rebbe. His teachings were published as
a series of books entitled Netivos Sholom
He explains Amalek
attacked the Jewish people during their 50 day ascension to Mt. Sinai and the
acceptance of Torah. He didn’t stop it from happening, but he was able to
lessen its impact, and hold of the Final Redemption.
The next time Amalek
tries to block such an opportunity for complete redemption, is just as the
Jewish people are entering the land. This time Amalek attacks through Balak and
Bilaam, who, the Zohar explains, were rooted in Amalek. The name Amalek is even
built into their names.
Once again, he didn’t
stop the event, but he lessened it enough to hold off the Final Redemption for
a while longer, once they caused Gad, Reuven, and Menashe to choose to live in
the Diaspora instead of Eretz HaKodesh.
The next potential for
a complete redemption was in Mordechai’s and Esther’s time, which, as the
Talmud says, was really the completion of what began at Har Sinai over a
millennium before. Once again, Amalek showed up, not preventing redemption, but
lessening its impact and its ability to eradicate evil from Creation.
After that, there were
battles with Amalek, but mostly started by the Jewish people, especially in
Shaul HaMelech’s time.
The next war an
Amaleki seems to go out of his way to fight against the Jewish people was in
World War II, which, as Hitler, y”s, himself admitted, was really a war against
the Jews. And, in pure Amaleki style, he sacrificed the war effort, put himself
at risk, just to harm and murder more Jews. He may not have physically
descended from Amalek, but he certainly did spiritually.
And if I can suggest.
We are again at the cusp of history.
Amalek through Hamas
attacks us when? Shemini Aseret – The day set aside for us and Hashem. We are
in the ikvei Meshicha.
Just as Amalek did
when we left Egypt, they attack those who are defenseless and it is up to us fight
them.
And finally why do we
recall Amalek through the reading of the Torah.
Amalek implies doubt
That doubt infects us
The antidote is Torah
The Torah reminds us
that Hashem whether we can “see” or not is always with us.
Its up to us to find Him!
In some ways this class is a follow up to our class on Adar Bet where we compare current events to Amalek attacking on the way to har Sinai, Bilaam and Balak attacking on the way into Eretx Yisrael to Haman attacking before the building of Bayit Sheni to today.
We begin this week 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).
Since this Sefer which we will spend the next three months with deals so much with kohanim, it is worth taking some time to understand who they are and what they mean to the Jewish people. They are more than just priests.
Rabbi Pinchas Winston suggests
A good starting point is the word kohen itself, spelled, in Hebrew, Chof-Heh-Nun. Breaking the three letters into two groups, the first two spell the word koh—s0—the opening of many of the prophets as in, “So says God . . .” This is a reason for this.
We discussed many times that to me koh is a code word for the light of creation.
The gematria of koh is 25, one of the most significant numbers in Judaism. To begin with, it is the gematria of the word yehi, used in the verse with which God made light:
And God said, “Let there be light!” and yehi ohr—there was light. (Bereishis 1:3) light being the 25th word.
This, of course, was not the light of the sun, the moon, and the stars, which did not start working until Day Four of Creation. Besides, as Rashi explains in the next verse, the light that God made on Day One was quickly hidden by God shortly after, for the righteous in the future time.
Why? Because God knew that evil people would come along in history and abuse this light, so therefore, He hid it from them before they could even know about it. Evil people and righteous people alike make use of the light of the sun, the moon, and the stars.
Furthermore, the Talmud writes, with this light, appropriately called the Ohr HaGanuz—the Hidden Light—Adam HaRishon could see from one end of the world until the other end.
Hence, the Shema has 25 letters, because it is the creed of the Jewish people, the nation charged with being a light unto nations. Thus, when the prophets began their words of criticism to awaken the Jewish people to their Divine mission, it was only fitting that they begin with the word koh, and the gematria of 25, as if to say, “Hey! Remember the mandate of 25 and your commitment to live up to it?”
What exactly does that mean, and what does it have to do with the kohanim, especially if the light is hidden from mankind until a future time, assumedly Yemos HaMoshiach?
The Leshem
Shlomo Elyashiv (Eliashov) (January 5, 1841 [12 Tevet 5602] - March 13, 1926 [27 Adar, 5676]) (Hebrew: שלמה בן חיים חייקל אלישיב), also known as the Leshem or Ba'al HaLeshem, was a famous kabbalist, who was born in Šiauliai, Lithuania, and later moved to the Land of Israel.
R’ Eliashiv taught Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook Kabbalah when Rabbi Kook was the young rabbi of the town of Zoimel. Rabbi Kook was granted a month-long leave of absence to study with the famous kabbalist in Shavel.[1]
In 1922, when Rabbi Kook was serving as chief rabbi of Jerusalem, Rabbi Elyashiv asked him for assistance in settling in Eretz Yisrael. Due to Rav Kook's intervention, the great kabbalist, his son-in-law, daughter, and his eleven-year-old grandson (who would grow up to be the great scholar Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv), were allowed to emigrate to the Land of Israel.[2]
'One particularly poignant story tells of a visit the revered Leshem paid to the chief rabbi. It was a bitterly cold winter evening and Rav Kook noted that the Leshem had no coat. Rav Kook immediately took his own fur-lined coat from his closet and gave it to the elderly man as a gift. This coat remained in the Elyashiv family as an heirloom and was periodically worn by Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv on wintry days.'[2]
explains:
He made a separation in the illumination of the light, that it should not flow or give off light except for the righteous, whose actions draw it down and make it shine.
However, the actions of the evil block it, leaving them in darkness, and this itself was the hiding of the Light. (Sefer HaKlallim, Klal 18, Anaf 8, Os 4)
Rabbi Winston suggested that This short insight of the LeShem is perhaps one of the most important in all of Torah, at least in terms of helping the Jewish people understand their mission in life.
It says, simply, that when God set aside the Hidden Light for righteous people in the future time, it meant from that time onward. It became hidden only to evil people, whose actions cause the light to repel them.
This is very important, because this light is as crucial for seeing the truth about life as eyes are for seeing the world around us. Without this Ohr HaGanuz, a person remains blind to the reality of God and truth, and can willingly and happily stumble down the wrong path in life. He may have a blast, but in the end, the blast will have him.
We read: kol yisrael yesh lahem
All of the Jewish people have a portion in the World-to-Come, as it says, “All of Your people are righteous and will forever inherit the land; the branch of My planting, the work of My hands.” (Yeshayahu 60:21)
This is less a compliment than it is a reminder of what the Jewish people are supposed to be. For, to not be righteous means that one is denied access to the Ohr HaGanuz, to a clear vision of the purpose of life, and how best to achieve it.
In fact, since one’s access to the Ohr HaGanuz is primarily through the words of Torah, one’s level of righteousness determines one’s access to the levels of Torah. Anyone can pick up and read a Chumash, and today, even the Talmud. But, only the righteous can draw down through Torah the Ohr HaGanuz, and benefit from it.
This is why non-righteous people, in spite of the fact that they read such sources of Torah knowledge from cover-to-cover, are never impacted by its words. Their physical eyes may be wide open, but their mind’s eye, being blind to higher levels of reality, sees only darkness, even though they are convinced they are seeing what the righteous see, and that it is the latter who are deluded.
However, even for Jews who wish to be righteous, it is not an easy feat, especially in so distracting a world.
To solve this problem, we have kohanim. Kohanim, at least in Temple times, were spared the need to be involved in the outside, in the world of spiritual distraction. They were supported by the community, and allowed to remain in a holy environment most of the time. (The Kohen Gadol himself never left the Bais HaMikdosh while he functioned in this role.)
This is why the kohanim had to live up to a higher standard than the rest of the Jewish people. As the koh indicates at the beginning of the word kohen, they didn’t have the luxury of being a little less righteous.
It was their role to remain in the position of conduits for the Divine light for the rest of the people, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, so that the Jewish people could strive to be such conduits for the rest of the world.
Eretz Yisroel functions in a similar way, as the following reveals:
Rabbi Moshe Cordovero
Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (1522-1570)
'The Ramak'
One of the greatest of all Kabbalists was Rabbi Moshe Cordovero. He was born in 1522 in Safed, the city that was soon to become famed as a center of Kabbalah. At a young age, he already gained a reputation as an extroardinary genius. Besides his knowledge in Kabbalah, he was a Talmudic scholar and philosopher of the highest rank, and was widely respected in these fields. He was even one of the four to receive the special semichah-ordination from Rabbi Yaakov Beirav in 1538, along with Rabbis Yosef Caro (Cordovero's teacher in Jewish Law), Moshe of Trani and Yosef Sagis, all of whom were much older and better known than the young prodigy.
wrote: “Anyone who lives in Eretz Yisroel is considered a righteous person even if it doesn’t appear that way. For, if he wasn’t, then the land would spit him out, as it says, ‘And the land shall spit out its inhabitants’ (Vayikra 18:25).
Therefore, regarding even those who act in evil ways, if the land does not reject them then God calls him “righteous.” This is what is meant by the verse, ‘This is the gate of God; the righteous shall enter through it’ (Tehillim 118:20). The ‘gate of God’ refers to Eretz Yisroel, as we see Ya’akov Avinu calling it ‘the gate of Heaven’ (Bereishis 28:17). The first letters of tzadikim yavo’u vo—the righteous shall enter through it—are Tzaddi -Yud-Bais and can be arranged to spell tzvi—deer—implying that Eretz HaTzvi—the Land of the Deer—is the gateway to God, and that all those that enter it are called “righteous,” for once they enter they do not leave.” (Tuv HaAretz, The Advantage of Living in Eretz Yisroel . . .)
In other words, Eretz Yisroel mystically maintains the spiritual status of Jews living on the land, as long as they fulfill the mitzvos dependent upon the land, like taking tithes and observing the Shmittah year. Hence, it takes less spiritual accomplishment to access the Hidden Light in Eretz Yisroel as it does in the rest of the world, which is why the Talmud says:
Even the air of Eretz Yisroel makes a person wise. (Bava Basra 158b)
Hence, one of the borders of Eretz Yisroel, the one the Jews were made to cross on their initial entry into the land, is the Yarden, or the Jordan River. In English the name may mean very little, by the Hebrew name can be broken into two parts: yarad Nun—the Nun descended. Which Nun? The Nun of the Nun Sha’arei Binah —the Fifty Gates of Understanding, with which God made Creation (Rosh Hashanah 21b).
Kabbalah explains that it is the Nun Sha’arei Binah that the Ohr HaGanuz passes through on its way down into our world. It is the Fifty Gates of Understanding that filter the light, allowing it to result in every aspect of Creation as we know, and don’t know it, above and below.
It is also the light of Torah, for those who merit it, which is why the Midrash also says that there is no Torah like the Torah of Eretz Yisroel. For, even in times when the Temple does not exist, and the kohanim cannot function in the role as they once did, Eretz Yisroel does, making access to the Hidden Light that much easier. Hence, another names for the Jewish people is Mamleches Kohanim—a kingdom of Kohanim— since with the help of Eretz Yisroel, we can also function in the level of kohanim to some degree.
Not only is the Nun Sha’arei Binah the source of the light of the Torah, it is also the source of our souls, which we access on more profound levels by learning Torah, and, of course, by living in Eretz Yisroel. Sometimes we forget this, and it takes our enemies to remind us of who we really are. This is why Haman can also be read: Heh-Mem, Nun, or “they are 50,” referring to the Jewish people that Haman arouses by his attempt at genocide.
This is also why he planned to hang Mordechai on a gallows that was 50 amos high: Haman sensed that there was about to be an influx of the light of the Nun Sha’arei Binah, and wanted to thwart it. It is with the light of the Fifty Gates of Understanding that we use to fully rectify Creation. This is the death note for Amalek.
Therefore, explains the Nesivos Shalom,
Sholom Noach Berezovsky (Hebrew: שלום נח ברזובסקי; August 18, 1911 – August 8, 2000) was the rebbe (hereditary rabbinic leader) of the Slonim dynasty of hasidim from 1981 until his death. His teachings were published as a series of books entitled Nesivos Sholom
Amalek attacked the Jewish people during their 50 day ascension to Mt. Sinai and the acceptance of Torah. He didn’t stop it from happening, but he was able to lessen its impact, and hold of the Final Redemption.
The next time Amalek tries to block such an opportunity for complete redemption, is just as the Jewish people are entering the land. This time Amalek attacks through Balak and Bilaam, who, the Zohar explains, were rooted in Amalek. The name Amalek is even built into their names. Once again, he didn’t stop the event, but he lessened it enough to hold off the Final Redemption for a while longer, once they caused Gad, Reuven, and Menashe to choose to live in the Diaspora instead of Eretz HaKodesh.
The next potential for a complete redemption was in Mordechai’s and Esther’s time, which, as the Talmud says, was really the completion of what began at Har Sinai over a millennium before. Once again, Amalek showed up, not preventing redemption, but lessening its impact and its ability to eradicate evil from Creation.
After that, there were battles with Amalek, but mostly started by the Jewish people, especially in Shaul HaMelech’s time. The next war an Amaleki seems to go out of his way to fight against the Jewish people was in World War II, which, as Hitler, y”s, himself admitted, was really a war against the Jews. And, in pure Amaleki style, he sacrificed the war effort, put himself at risk, just to harm and murder more Jews. He may not have physically descended from Amalek, but he certainly did spiritually.
His arrival on the scene would imply that, at that time, there was a potential for the complete tikun, and he came to stop it. The Holocaust, according to Torah hashkofah, was Amalek’s attempt to prevent the Final Redemption, so that he, and other evil people like him, can remain in history a little longer.
However, as always, Amalek is never able to completely prevent the aspect of redemption that was destined for that time, but he was able to limit its impact, and push off the full tikun a little longer. This is why the formation of the State of Israel has been so confusing for some, and misread by so many, some who see too much in it, and many who see too little in it.
Nevertheless, aside from many other reasons, which are mentioned in my new book, Drowning In Pshat: A Deeper Look At The Final Redemption, the very fact that Amalek showed up when he did makes it clear that what happened in 1948 was certainly part of the Final Redemption. Just how much remains to be seen, but an important part of it, it is hard to say otherwise.
Why should anyone be surprised if they understand the lands connection to the Nun Sha’arei Binah? Like the Jewish people themselves, it is a lens through which the light of Torah is able to shine on the rest of the world:
From Tzion will come Torah. (Yeshayahu 2:3)
From Tzion, the light of the Nun Sha’arei Binah fill go forth to the rest of the world, just as it goes from the kohanim to the Jewish people. Hence, the last letter of the word kohen is, in fact, a Nun, to indicate that which they are supposed to radiate to the rest of the nation, by using the light of 25. They were the microcosm; the Jewish nation, as a whole, is the macrocosm.
Thus, the Kohen Gadol wore the letters of the 12 Tribes on his shoulders, 25 letters on one side, and 25 letters on the other side. How convenient it was that all the names of tribes, the fathers of the entire nation, should total 50. It was an ongoing reminder of the role of the kohanim.
Today is the
second day of Adar Bet
Or the
second Adar
Explain
lunar vs solar
כג וְדָבָ֖ר
בְּעִתּ֣וֹ מַה־טּֽוֹב:
354 vs 365
Chinese New
Year
Ramadan
“We can’t do
that because we’re guided by our Torah, which says Passover must come in the spring
when we plant, and that things need to be growing during the time of Shavuot
and harvested during Sukkot. Hillel realized that, if we stayed strictly lunar,
things would soon get out of kilter, and he put in a system to fix that with
the leap year.”
We are all
familiar with a leap year
This year we
had a February 29th – Every four years we have a leap year with the
exception of the Century year
Tradition
has it that it was the great sage Hillel, head of the Sanhedrin from 320 to 385
C.E. who created the Jewish calendar through some pretty sophisticated
mathematical and astronomical calculations. And without a computer or
calculator. (and although some months can be off by a day, we stick with it)
The result: A 19-year cycle with seven leap years to anchor the holidays in
their rightful place.
Prior
to that time, the Torah told us to DECLARE the New Moon by the Testimony of two
witnesses. In other words, Man declares the New Moon and the moon and sun
adjust their relationship to comply with the consciousness of man. IN OTHER
WORDS this Mitzvah to declare the New Moon is a manifestation of Mind Over
Matter and it is important in the individuals spiritual growth to achieve this
level of consciousness.
In
this calendar, in use today, there are 7 years in a total of 19 years where we
add an additional month for a total of 13 months. In Hebrew the word that is
used (usually translated as leap year) Shanah Me'uberet, has a Shoresh (root)
that means pregnant. The explanation for this is that we need to keep the
Holiday of Pesach in the Spring which is called Aviv in the Torah.
Prior
to this current calendar, other criteria was used to determine which years had
an additional month. An additional month was added when 2 of the following 3
criteria were met. The 3 Criteria are
1) The
state of the barley crop at the end of the 12th month;
2) the
fruits of the Trees; and
3)
the equinox.
As
we can see from the Talmud and Baraita below, the main issue is the state of
the barley crop. The teaching is that the state of the barley crop must reach a
level called Aviv, such that in 2 to 3 weeks the barley can be brought to the
Temple as a wave offering. If the barley does not reach this level of growth by
the end of the 12th month then the Bringing of the Omer on the second day of
Pesach cannot be done with the new crop.
Why Adar
Tosafot
Sanhedrin 12
Only Adar
Based on
Esther
12th month
is Adar
Adar must be
12
Add one
afterwards
If you add
another month before, than Adar wouldn’t be 12
Increase joy
Adar
If choice to
double joy
Adar
Lubavitcher Rebbe
Batel
beshishim
All have
troubles
60 days of
joy
Nullify
trouble
Why
is the word in Hebrew that means leap year using the Shoresh that means
Pregnant. Pregnancy is a state of development manifesting potential. What does
this mean? When a child is born he is beginning the manifestation of all of the
light that he will reveal in his life. At the moment of birth he is starting to
reveal his potential. Will he achieve all that he can be? No one knows at that
moment but his potential is beginning its manifestation. Therefore, the
pregnancy is actually the manifestation of what that child can achieve in
potential.
The
13th month represents a state of potential relating to unity.
We’ll
come back to unity relating to 13, but if I forget remind me.
In less than
two weeks, we celebrate Purim
Why call it Purim
?
Purim is the name of the holiday that is
explained in the Megillah as being al shem haPur, hu hagoral.
Isn’t that
bad day ?
Lottery
against us.
Maybe name the
day Yom Hafucha – The Day of reversal? Or day of salvation
Also why Pruim which is plural
Come back to that !
Halachot
Ketanot - Rabbi yisrael yaakov Hagiz
Jacob Hagiz (1620–1674) (Hebrew: יעקב חגיז Fes, Morocco.
1646, Ḥagiz went to Italy for the purpose of publishing his books,
and remained there until after 1656, supporting himself by teaching.
Samuel di Pam, rabbi
at Livorno, calls himself a pupil of Ḥagiz.
About 1657, Ḥagiz left Livorno for Jerusalem,
where the Vega brothers of Livorno had founded a beit
midrash for him,[2] and where he became a member of the
rabbinical college.
Many
students
R. Chizkiyah
da Silva author of Pri Chadash
Well known
story
Two brothers
Reuben born
first
Shimon
second
Shimon bar
mitzvah first
How
Born leap
year
Reuben 29 of
aleph
Shimon 1
Adar bet
Bar mitzvah
non leap
Shimon first
He goes on,
and he states that when it comes to brothers respecting one, another, the older
brother based on birth has to respect the younger brother based on months
He also
brings this with regard to Yibum
He suggests
the possibility that this situation occurred between Jacob and his brother Esav
Esav was
born last day Adar 1, while Jacob came out first day Adar 2
Although
this is puzzling based on the verse holding his brothers heel
And even that is puzzling as same amniotic sack?
A single placenta normally supports a single fetus. When the situation
arises in which two fetuses have to share a single placenta, complications may
sometimes develop. Identical twins that share a single placenta are called
monochorionic twins (MC). “Chorion” is the Latin root that refers to the
placenta, while the word “amnion” refers to the sac, or “membranes” that
surround each fetus. While fraternal twins (2 eggs and 2 sperm) are always
surrounded in their own sacs and have their own individual placentas, 70% of
identical twins may end up sharing a single placenta. Only 1% of identical
twins share both a single placenta and a single sac, and this poses significant
risk.
Were they identical ?
Rabbi suggest yes, other than red and ruddy.
twins with identical DNA can also show variations by the time
they are born, which may result in different hair.
They get equal amounts of nuclear DNA(comes from both parents) but not
neccessarily equal amounts of mitochondiral DNA (different DNA only from the
mother). This can appear as minor differences in how they look. They still have
identical DNA but not always the same amount of mitochondiral DNA.
But lets
stick with the Rabbi’s suggestion
Rabbi
Mansour asks
Why Goyim
have so many Gezerot against declaring month
I would
suggest they don’t want us to control time
But perhaps
it has to do with declaring a leap year
Maybe relating
to the birthright of Jacob vs Esau
Gemarah of Yevamot
tells of two rabbis sabotaged by edomi
Maharsha
goes so far to suggest there is a Military advantage here
Shmuel Eidels (1555 – 1631) (Hebrew: שמואל אליעזר הלוי איידלס Shmuel Eliezer HaLevi Eidels) was a
renowned rabbi and Talmudist famous
for his commentary on the Talmud, Chiddushei Halachot. Eidels is
also known as Maharsha (מהרש'א,[1] a Hebrew acronym for 'Our Teacher, the Rabbi Shmuel
Eidels').
his mother Gitel was a
cousin of Rabbi Yehuda
Loew, the Maharal of
Prague, and his father 'was a direct descendant of Rabbi Yehuda HaChasid.'
Our Rabbi, Haham Ezra
Attieh, 31 January 1885 – 25 May 1970) who was the head of Porat Yosef
stated that of all the commentaries written on the Torah, that of the Maharsha
was the favorite
Just to keep in mind: His
students included: Ovadia Yosef and Mordechai Eliyahu, future Sephardic Chief
Rabbis of
Israel; Yitzchak
Kaduri, renowned
kabbalist; Yehuda
Tzadka, who succeeded
him as rosh yeshiva of Porat Yosef; Ben Zion Abba Shaul; Baruch Ben Haim,
who became a leader of the Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York; Eliyahu
Ben Haim, rabbi of the
Mashadi community in Great Neck, New York; and Zion Levy,
Chief Rabbi of Panama.
Yishmael
Esav
Normally
hate each other
Except when
it comes to us. That is unfortunately when they can get together it is
extremely dangerous
We
mentioned: Esau took Mahalath from the
house of Ishmael to be his wife, after seeing that Canaanite wives displeased
his father, Isaac (Genesis 28:6–9). We also had a class on how Yaakov counters
this.
After Esau saw that his
father Isaac had ordered Jacob not to take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,
he abandoned his evil ways and married Mahalath, the daughter of his uncle Ishmael. By merit
of this marriage, the Holy One, blessed be He, forgave Esau all his sins
(Jerusalem Talmud Bikkurim 3:3,
65c–d). Mahalath’s name indicates that God pardoned (mahal) Esau.
However, according to
another view, Esau did not mend his ways and Mahalath was as evil as his
first two wives (Midrash Aggadah). This
later marriage was also the result of negative motives: Esau plotted together
with Ishmael to kill Isaac and Jacob, to marry the daughter of Ishmael, and to
inherit both families.
Accordingly, his marriage to
Mahalath was ke-mahalah (as
an affliction) and only increased the pain his parents had suffered upon his
first marriages Gen. Rabbah
The Rabbi
brings that Esav is associated with 12
Yishmael 12
families
Yisrael seem
12
How?
· Twelve tribes of Israel - שנים עשר שיבטיא - Sons of Jacob
· Ritual items frequently came in twelves to represent the
role of each tribe. The high priest's breastplate (hoshen) had twelve precious stones embedded
within them, representing the 12 tribes. Elijah built his altar with 12 stones
to represent the tribes,[11] Moses
built 12 pillars at Sinai representing the tribes,[12] and
Joshua erected twelve memorial stones at the Jordan River representing the
tribes.[13]
· 'All of God's creations are equal in number to the 12
tribes: 12 astrological signs, 12 months, 12 hours of
the day, 12 hours of the night, 12 stones that Aaron [the high priest] would
wear.'[14]
· The Temple
Mount could be accessed through twelve gates
· There were twelve loaves of show-bread on the shulchan (table)
in the Beit
Hamikdash
· Number of springs of water Elim
But Yaakov
gives double to Yosef
12 plus one
When does
the 13th take affect?
It takes
affect during the leap year when we have the 13th month and that’s why in the
leap year when we have the 13th month, we are more tuned to overcome our
enemies because 13 will overcome the 12.
(I think
also that the 13 in many ways corresponds to the Levi’s and the question of
Bringing the scholars in to fight is an interesting one as it relates to this.)
Maharsha says
that each of the 12 months is broken down to one of the tribes and the 12th
month relates to JOSEPH and I’m guessing this is part of the idea behind the
Pisces fish.
And when
there’s a 13th month it relates to the additional tribe of JOSEPH.
It’s
interesting to guess – is the world afraid of the number 13 and does the world
associate 13 with black magic, because just as Moses is depicted with horns by
Michael Angelo in his misunderstanding of Keren Or, the devil is depicted with
similar horns, do they associate the negativity of 13 with us?
There are
Jews still alive who can remember being told that they could not possibly be
Jews because they had no horns on their heads. I am one of them. Until recently
this belief was fairly common in backward rural areas both in Europe and in the
United States—areas where normally no Jews were to be seen. It may well persist
in remote corners even today.
I was
perhaps 17 and met a girl in the Electronics store where I worked on Fifth
Avenue. She had just arrived in the states from Northern parts of Norway.
In a similar
way : Researchers estimate that as many as 10 percent of the U.S. population
has a huge fear of the number 13, and each year the even more specific fear of
Friday the 13th, known as paraskevidekatriaphobia, results in financial losses
in excess of a billion dollars annually, as people avoid marrying, traveling or
in the most severe cases, even working. But what’s so unlucky about the number
13, and how did this numerical superstition get started?
An early
myth surrounding the origin of the fear involved one of the world’s oldest
legal documents, the Code of Hammurabi, which reportedly omitted a 13th law
from its list of legal rules.
Mathematicians
and scientists, meanwhile, point to preeminence of the number 12, often
considered a “perfect” number, in the ancient world. The ancient Sumerians
developed numeral system based on the use of 12 that is still used for
measuring time today. Most calendars have 12 months; a single day is comprised
of two 12-hour half days, etc. Following so closely on the heels of a “perfect”
number, some argue, that 13 was sure to be found lacking and unusual.
This fear of
the unknown would seem to play into two other popular theories for the number’s
unlucky connotation, both of which revolve around the appearance of a 13th
guest at two ancient events:
ancient
Norse lore holds that evil and turmoil were first introduced in the world by
the appearance of the treacherous and mischievous god Loki at a dinner party in
Valhalla. He was the 13th guest, upsetting the balance of the 12 gods already
in attendance.
But more
relative to us, Christians hold that Judas was the 13th guest to arrive at the
Last Supper, is the person who betrays Yeshu – and obviously relates to their
hatred of us and accusations of Deicide finaly refuted by the Church in 1965
According to
the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina,
more than 80 percent of hi-rise buildings in the United States do not have a
13th floor, and the vast majority of hotels, hospitals and airports avoid using
the number for rooms and gates as well.
Returning to
Yosef who relates to both number 12 and 13 through Ephraim and Menashe
Additionally,
we know that Joseph was blessed to multiply like the fish below the sea, and we
also relate the fish below the sea to those beyond the evil eye, and not
susceptible to the evil eye,
Additionally,
the only sign of the horoscope, which is a two distinct individual Images is
the sign of Pisces which is fish. Gemini may relate to twins, but they are Siamese
twins, who are one and connected.
Pisces
relates to this month which can be two or one
There is no
13th astrological sign
And perhaps
this relates to the idea of En Mazal
Each Rosh
Hodesh
Count words
of blessings
חַדֵּשׁ עָלֵינוּ אֶת
הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לְטוֹבָה וְלִבְרָכָה, לְשָׂשׂוֹן וּלְשִׂמְחָה, לִישׁוּעָה
וּלְנֶחָמָה, לְפַרְנָסָה וּלְכַלְכָּלָה, לְחַיִּים טוֹבִים וּלְשָׁלוֹם,
לִמְחִילַת חֵטְא, וְלִסְלִיחַת עָוֹן, בשנה מעוברת אומרים: וּלְכַפָּרַת פֶּשַׁע.
וְיִהְיֶה רֹאשׁ הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה סוֹף וָקֵץ לכָל צָרוֹתֵינוּ, תְּחִלָּה וָרֹאשׁ
לְפִדְיוֹן נַפְשֵׁנוּ, כִּי בְעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִכָּל הָאֻמּוֹת בָּחַרְתָּ,
וְחֻקֵּי רָאשֵׁי חֳדָשִׁים לָהֶם קָבָעְתָּ: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה , מְקַדֵּשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְרָאשֵׁי חֳדָשִׁים:
12
Relates to
each per month
Leap year we
change
Kapara pesha
Pesha
criminal committing sins continually
This month
End
suffering
Beginning
our redemption
Baruch Atah
Hashem
Seruf of
Havaya
Relate to
verse
Adar Bet
Think all
Carries
blessing of all 12
In the
blessing of the month there is a kavana – a thought when saying Hashems name we
imagine it in one of 12 combinations
Also found
it interesting that the thought during the blessing of the month for this 13th
month is to take all of the names and combine them.
So the power
for the children of Israel is compounded when there is a leap year relating to
the 13.
We mentioned
in the class on Sunday the words of Rabbeynu Bachya when it comes to the war
with AMALEK
בחר לנו אנשים,
“choose men for us!” The Amalekites were expert astrologers (compare Rashi; our
edition מכשפים, sorcerers). Moses meant that Joshua should select men who
according to their horoscopes would not die during the current year, something
Moses was aware of due to his own knowledge of astrology. The two armies facing
each other would all consist of soldiers who according to their respective
horoscopes would not die during that year.
The Rabbi
suggested that Amalek chose warriors who’s birthday was that day and Joshua
chose those born in Adar Bet who whold not be subject to the sorcery of Amalek
As a result
of these considerations neither army inflicted fatal casualties on the other
during this encounter. This is what is meant when the Torah reports the outcome
of the battle as: “Joshua weakened Amalek and his people by the sword.” The
Torah carefully refrained from mentioning that the Israelites actually killed
any of the Amalekites.
Returning to
Purim:
We had
mentioned the previous years that the rabbi suggested that how did Mordechai
mess up Herman‘s plans? He declared the year a leap year, thus realigning
astrological impact.
We need to
ask: Did Purim fall in First or Second Adar?
some say
(based on the Talmud Yerushalmi) that the miracle of Purim happened on a leap
year in the first Adar, (that makes sense to me as the Megillah speaks of the
12th month) nevertheless, the commentaries on the Yerushalmi (Korban HaEdah is a running commentary on the Jerusalem Talmud
by Rabbi David ben Naphtali Frankel, chief rabbi of Berlin in the mid-18th
century. And The Penei
Moshe (“The Face of Moses”) is the
earliest known commentary on the entire Jerusalem Talmud, composed in the 18th
century by Rabbi Moshe Margalit.) explain that the miracle of Purim actually occurred in the
second Adar.
Thus, we too
shall begin to increase our joy beginning from Rosh Chodesh Adar II. !
Benai
Issachar
But the
Benai Issachar says that when we look at the verses in the book of Esther,
בַּחֹ֤דֶשׁ
הָרִאשׁוֹן֙ הוּא־חֹ֣דֶשׁ נִיסָ֔ן בִּשְׁנַת֙ שְׁתֵּ֣ים עֶשְׂרֵ֔ה לַמֶּ֖לֶךְ
אֲחַשְׁוֵר֑וֹשׁ הִפִּ֣יל פּוּר֩ ה֨וּא הַגּוֹרָ֜ל לִפְנֵ֣י הָמָ֗ן
מִיּ֧וֹם ׀ לְי֛וֹם וּמֵחֹ֛דֶשׁ לְחֹ֥דֶשׁ שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֖ר הוּא־חֹ֥דֶשׁ אֲדָֽר
which tells
us about he set up a drawing, we don’t define he, but it was set up in front of
Haman.
Considering
that it was in front of Heyman that it must’ve been someone else who set this
up
Even Rashi: Whoever cast, cast, and the verse does not specify who [cast the pur].
This is an abbreviated verse.
and he
suggests that someone else, the He, is none other than God, who set this up
With Haman thinking that it was him so he should fall into a trap.
Now some
might suggest that due to his blind hatred, he didn’t realize that this was in
fact, a trap and dangerous as this month had negative ramifications for his
ancestor piece of, and also for his ancestor Who fought in the war.
But I would
like to suggest that he believed otherwise.
The
mazal[1] of the month of Adar, as is well-known, is dagim – fish.
There
is a well-known Gemara: When Haman cast lots (purim) in order to decide which
month to destroy the Jewish people, it landed on the month of Adar, the month
where Moshe Rabbeinu left the world, and therefore he grew very happy, taking
this is a sign that it will be a month of bad mazal for the Jewish people.[2]
Elsewhere,
Chazal state a different reason of why Haman rejoiced. In the words of the
Midrash in Esther Rabbah, Haman was happy that the lot fell on Adar because the
mazal of Adar is fish, and fish can be swallowed.[3]
The
Gemara elsewhere says that “Just as big fish swallow the smaller fish, so would
people swallow each other, if not for fear of the government”. Amalek did not
fear Hashem when they attacked the Jewish people in the desert. They were
missing fear of a higher authority, so they did not care to swallow others.
Haman, who descended from Amalek - the nation that does not fear Hashem – was
ready to ‘swallow’ the Jewish people, for his lot landed on the month of Adar,
the mazal of fish, which can get swallowed alive. Thus, we can now better
understand why Haman rejoiced when the lot that he cast fell on the month Adar.
What was Haman’s downfall? Chazal
say that Haman overlooked the fact that “Just as fish can swallow, so can they
be swallowed.”[4]
Additionally, The
Gemara says that “the fish do not meet the sunlight, because they are always
covered by the water. There is also a Gemara that says that “The face of Moshe
is like the face of the sun.”[5] In other words, the spiritual light of Moshe
Rabbeinu, which is compared to the sunlight, cannot reach where the fish are.
Thus,
the depth of why Haman rejoiced was not simply because it was the month where
Moshe expired (as is well-known, Moshe expired on the 7th of Adar, and the
number 7 in Hebrew is ז, which is equal in gematria to the word דג\fish).
Rather, it is because the spiritual power of Moshe is compared to the sun’s
light, which does not reach the fish.
That
is the depth of why Haman rejoiced: since the mazal of Adar is fish, he thought
that Moshe Rabbeinu’s merits would not be able to protect the Jews in the month
of Adar, because the light of the “sun” cannot reach the “fish”. So it wasn’t
simply because Adar was the month where Moshe left the world; it was because
even if Moshe were to have remained alive in the month of Adar, his light
cannot reach the “fish”. This insight made Haman confident that in the month of
Adar, he will be able to destroy all the Jews.
Returning to
Benai Issachar says
He is
suggesting that he knew it would be a leap year and I guess sometimes you can
know based on Passover needing to come out in the spring and he was happy
selecting the 13th day of the 13th month. To him that might’ve been the most
unlucky day.
Returning to
the question: We asked why we call it Purim
God picked
pur
G-d set
everything in motion
And although
there was a Pur below, it was governed by the Pur above
Perhaps this
is the plural Purim.
Deciding on
leap year
Midrash
Vayikra
29/4
R Yehoshua
Discusses
what occurs when the leap year is reviewed.
The Rabbis
meet to review the parameters, and it says that God basically leaves his
business of heaven and constricts Himself so that his presence is fully bound with
them because they are deciding the calendar and whether they are mistaken or
correct He Agrees with whatever decision they make and blesses it
So this 13th
month is something that is imbued with an extra blessing from above
So in
essence, Haman made all of these calculations and thought he was right, but was
subject to something completely beyond nature.
It’s
impossible for us not to think, even though we can never try to imagine, we
understand heaven‘s thoughts, that this month, and this year, With our month
coinciding with the Muslim month of Ramadan, and even the Christian where they will
celebrate Easter, which normally coincides with Passover but not this year
and where Sinwar
Y’S who we can call Amalek, is justifying not having a cease-fire, because he
thinks that the power of this month of Ramadan is with him to lead him to force
the Jewish people because of the Muslim holiday,
that’s the
month that he should fall.
At the same
time we’ve come so far because we’ve shown unity and I shudder, and I’m so
afraid that this whole discussion of conscripting, the students will not
backfire. Because the only way that we can have success is when we have unity.
Explain 13
Unity
Finally
relating to Friday the 13th
Each day we
say the Mizmor of the day
Hayom yom echad,
sheni or shelishi
But on
Friday Not You shishi
Yom hashishi
We add the
Heh
Rabbis
suggest
Ha/5
Shishi/ 6
Letters / 3
365
We can say
Shesah Gidey
But I heard
from Rabbi Galimidi
Third month
Sivan
Sixth day of
month
Five books
Yom Hashishi
vayechilu hashamayim
The entire
world for based on Torah
This is
Friday
And what
about 13
13 bar
mitzvah
Yag midot
Rules
learning
In
Yishtabach - . א שִׁיר, ב וּשְׁבָחָה, ג הַלֵּל, ד וְזִמְרָה, ה עֹז,
ו וּמֶמְשָׁלָה, ז נֶֽצַח, ח גְּדֻלָּה, ט גְּבוּרָה, י תְּהִלָּה, יא
וְתִפְאֶֽרֶת, יב קְדֻשָּׁה, יג וּמַלְכוּת.
Vehu rachum
Love ahava
One echad
Avot
Imahot
13 beyond
nature
13 reminds
us we are beyond nature
Everything
in Judaism is to go beyond nature
Our
existence is beyond nature
7 is nature
But we
relate to 8 – Brit Milah, Hanukkah
49 Nature,
we strive for 50
Same way 12
is nature
World Happy
with that
This 13th
month is truly a month beyond natural limitations of 12
Everything
in Judaism is to go beyond nature
Our
existence is beyond nature
This is a
month without limitations
Without
blockages
Where
anything is possible
Lets take
advantage and connect
The Mishkan was finally complete. The nation looked at the magnificent work with great joy, and Moshe was proud. So proud, in fact, that he did something that he only did once more– just before his death: he blessed the entire nation.
Actually, the erection of a Mishkan was the greatest blessing in itself. Hashem had promised the Jewish nation in Parshas Terumah, “Build me a Mishkan— and I will dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). But Moshe felt that he, too, would add a blessing.
וַיַּ֨רְא מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶת־כׇּל־הַמְּלָאכָ֗ה וְהִנֵּה֙ עָשׂ֣וּ אֹתָ֔הּ כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה כֵּ֣ן עָשׂ֑וּ וַיְבָ֥רֶךְ אֹתָ֖ם מֹשֶֽׁה׃ {פ}
And when Moses saw that they had performed all the tasks—as יהוה had commanded, so they had done—Moses blessed them.
https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.39.43
והנה עשו…כן עשו, and behold they had done it…so they had done. The additional word והנה in this verse alludes to the speed with which the Tabernacle was built, something that was very pleasing to Moses when he looked at the components the people presented him with.
https://www.sefaria.org/Or_HaChaim_on_Exodus.39.43.1
עוד ירצה באומרו עשו אותה לשון תיקון שתקנו אותה כמצטרך, ועוד מודיע שהשכיל בה שעשאוה כאשר צוה ה' בפרטי המשפט, והוא אומרו כאשר וגו' כן עשו.
The addition of the word אותה in the line עשו אותה, testifies to the quality of the work. The artisans had put to use all their intelligence in constructing these parts and the result had proved successful.
https://www.sefaria.org/Or_HaChaim_on_Exodus.39.43.2
עוד ירצה על פי דבריהם ז'ל (זבחים ס'ב.) כי יש פרטי המצות שאינם לעיכוב אלא למצוה ומנו חכמים דברים המעכבים זה את זה, והודיע הכתוב בכפל המעשה לומר שעשו כל אשר צוה אפילו דברים שאינם אלא למצוה מן המובחר:
If we follow the approach of the Talmud Zevachim 62 that every commandment contains details which are not mandatory but which are desirable, the Torah tells us that the artisans performed even all those details which were not mandatory. This explains why the Torah repeated the word עשו, they did, i.e. the artisans did both what was mandatory and what was in effect optional.
https://www.sefaria.org/Or_HaChaim_on_Exodus.39.43.3
ויברך אותם משה. טעם שהוצרך לומר משה ולא סמך על זכרונו בסמוך, לומר לא תהיה ברכה זו קלה בעיניך כי משה איש האלהים ברכם ודבר גדול הודיע הכתוב בדבר זה, ולטעם זה הוא שהודיע הכתוב ואמר ויברך אותם וזולת היות משה אין התורה מגדת אם יברך אדם לחבירו:
ויברך אותם משה, Moses blessed them. The reason the Torah wrote the name Moses instead of simply 'he blessed them,' (seeing that his name was mentioned at the beginning of our verse) is to teach us not to take this blessing lightly. It is something very special to be blessed by a man of G'd such as Moses. If the people had been blessed by someone of lesser stature the Torah would not have recorded this as something we have to know so many thousands of years later. Normally, the Torah could have written משה ברך אותם, or: הוא ברך אותם. By placing the name Moses at the end of the line the Torah taught us the significance of being blessed by someone of Moses' standing.
https://www.sefaria.org/Or_HaChaim_on_Exodus.39.43.4
ויברך אתם משה. אָמַר לָהֶם יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁתִּשְׁרֶה שְׁכִינָה בְמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיכֶם, וִיהִי נֹעַם ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ עָלֵינוּ וְגוֹ', וְהוּא אֶחָד מִי'א מִזְמוֹרִים שֶׁבִּתְפִלָּה לְמֹשֶׁה (ספרא):
ויברך אתם משה AND MOSES BLESSED THEM — He said to them “May it be the will of God that His Shechinah rest upon the work of your hands; ‘and let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish Thou the work of our hands upon us’” (Psalms 90:17.) (Sifra, Shemini, Mechilta d'Miluim 2 15) This (from ויהי נועם onward) is part of one of the eleven Psalms (90—100) that are in the section beginning with, תפלה למשה; (Numbers Rabbah 12:9).
https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Exodus.39.43.1
וִיהִ֤י ׀ נֹ֤עַם אֲדֹנָ֥י אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ עָ֫לֵ֥ינוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂ֣ה יָ֭דֵינוּ כּוֹנְנָ֥ה עָלֵ֑ינוּ וּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָ֝דֵ֗ינוּ כּוֹנְנֵֽהוּ׃
May the favor of the Lord, our God, be upon us;let the work of our hands prosper,O prosper the work of our hands!
https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.90.17
כוננהו. כונן אותו, ושני פעמים ומעשה ידינו כוננהו א' על מלאכת המשכן שבירכן לישראל והתפלל שתשרה שכינה במעשה ידיהם במשכן ואחת שתהא ברכה במעשה ידיהם:
establish it Establish it. The two times “and the work of our hands establish” [are mentioned are for the following purposes]: One is for the work of the Tabernacle, when he blessed Israel and prayed that the Shechinah should rest on the work of their hands in the Tabernacle, and one is that there should be a blessing in the work of their hands.
https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Psalms.90.17.3
And
Beautiful thought by
Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky
At first it seems that Moshe is reiterating the promise that Hashem Himself made. Hashem had promised to dwell in the midst of the Sanctuary that the Jewish nation would build.
Why, then did Moshe repeat G-d’s promise as a blessing? Is he blessing them that Hashem should keep His word? Or is he perhaps bestowing a more powerful message?
A man once approached Rabbi Yehuda Assad for advice. “There is an old, run-down store in the downtown area of the city. I can get it a very reasonable price. I think that with my marketing skills I may be able to turn that location into a profitable venture. Do you think I should buy it?”
Rav Assad made a face. “I don’t think that it would be prudent to enter that part of the city for a business venture.” The man left somewhat dejected.
A few days later another man entered the Rabbi’s study with the identical question about the same property. “There is an old, run-down store in the downtown area of the city. I can get it a very reasonable price. I think that with my marketing skills, and of course with Hashem’s help, I may be able to turn that location into a profitable venture.
Do you think I should buy it?”
This time Rabbi Assad nodded in approval. “I think you should make a go of it. I have no doubts that it will be a success.”
When word got out that the Rabbi was behind this new endeavor, the first man stormed into his study quite upset. “Why did the you tell me not to buy the property and then tell my friend just the opposite?” he demanded.
“My dear student,” answered the Rabbi, “there is a great difference. Your friend took in a partner. He said that with the help of Hashem he could make a go of it. When someone includes Hashem in his plans, I am sure that he will succeed!”
For the first time since the exodus the Jews had become accomplished craftsman, artisans, tailors, and contractors. They built a magnificent edifice in the wilderness. Moshe knew that a feeling of self-gratification might accompany their accomplishments.
Perhaps they may begin to think that it was their wisdom, their skills and only their abilities that made this beautifulMishkanpossible. So he blessed them with words that were meant to dissuade any such delusion.
“May Hashem’s presence rest in your handiwork.”
Of course Hashem promised that he would dwell in theMishkan. Moshe’s question was, “would the Jews let him in?” Would they make him a partner? Would they recognizeHashemas a significant factor even in the physical handiwork that they themselves had wrought?
To that end, Moshe’s blessing incorporated the standard for every action, accomplishment, and success that anyone achieves. May Hashem be a part of your success. May the Shechina rest upon your handiwork.
ובמדרש וירא משה את כל המלאכה זו מלאכת בראשית, את כל מלאכת המשכן לא נאמר אלא להודיעך ששקולה מלאכת המשכן כנגד מעשה בראשית, מיד ויברך אותם משה, מה ברכה ברכן אמר יהי רצון שתשרה שכינה במעשה ידיכם מיד אמר (תהילים צ׳:י״ז) ויהי נועם ה' אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו מפני שתחלתו (שם) תפלה למשה איש האלהים. וטעם מעשה ידינו נשיאות כפים שעשה אהרן ביום ההקמה שזה לשון עלינו, ומעשה ידינו כוננהו על ההצלחה במעשה ידיהם ולא כדעת רבי דוד קמחי ז'ל שפי' שהוא לשון כפול.
A Midrashic approach (Tanchuma Pekudey 11): The words “Moses saw all the work,” refers to the מעשה בראשית, the creation of the universe; the Torah deliberately omitted adding the words מלאכת המשכן, “the work of the Tabernacle,” in order to teach us that this construction of the Tabernacle was equivalent in a sense to the construction of the universe itself. Immediately after Moses observed this he blessed the people saying: “may the Presence of the Lord, the Shechinah, come to rest on the work of your hands.” He continued immediately with the words of Psalm 90,17: “may the favor of the Lord, our G’d, be upon us; let the work of your hands prosper, O prosper the work of our hands.” The reason these words were appropriate is that the Psalm commences with the words “a prayer of Moses, the man of G’d.” The meaning of the words: “the work of our hands” is a reference to the priestly blessing bestowed upon the people by Aaron on the day the Tabernacle was put up. This is why the word עלינו “upon us,” Moses including himself, was appropriate. Finally, the last words in this blessing, the words ומעשה ידינו כוננהו, refer to the enduring success of the work the people had accomplished. This does not agree with the opinion of R' David Kimchi (רד'ק) who views these words as a repetition of what Moses had said before in order to reinforce his wish.
https://www.sefaria.org/Rabbeinu_Bahya,_Shemot_39.43.2
בשבת אנו זוכים לתוספת קדושה בכל תחומי החיים, ברוח ובחומר, בתפילה ובסעודות, והמגמה להמשיך את הארת השבת לימות החול. ובאר האר'י ז'ל, שעל ידי אמירת 'ויהי נועם' (תהלים צ, יז – צא, טז) בתפילת ערבית של מוצאי שבת, הננו ממשיכים את תוספת הקדושה הרוחנית של השבת לימות החול, ומבקשים, שנועם ה' ישרה על מעשה ידינו. ועל ידי סעודת 'מלווה מלכה', אנו ממשיכים את הארת הקדושה לאכילה של כל השבוע.
On Shabbat we are blessed with additional holiness in all areas of life, material and spiritual, as expressed through prayer and meals. Our goal is to extend the light of Shabbat to the weekdays. Arizal explains that by saying Vi-yhi No’am (Tehilim 90:17–91:16) in Ma’ariv on Saturday night, we extend the additional spiritual holiness of Shabbat to the weekdays, and ask that God’s grace rest upon all our endeavors. Through melaveh malka we extend the light of holiness to our eating all week.
https://www.sefaria.org/Peninei_Halakhah,_Shabbat.7.7.3
פסוק 'ויהי נועם', יש בו כונות עמוקות ונשגבות, וצריך שתכוין לפחות בפשוטן של דברים, דכונתו על פי הזוהר הוא: אף על פי שאין אנחנו יודעים לכוין בסוד המצוות והתפילות, השם יתברך הוא ישלים כונתינו, ויעלה עלינו כאילו כונו בכל הכונות הראויות לכוין, ועל ידי כן מעשינו במצוות ועקימת שפתינו בתפילות, תהיה כוננה לעלות למעלה לעשות פעולתה, ובסידור רבינו הרש'ש ז'ל מבואר, שצריך לכוין בפסוק זה, שאם חטאנו וגרמנו לסלק אור הקדושה שנמשכה עלינו על ידי מעשים טובים, הנה אתה האל ברחמיך תכונן ותתקן לאותם מעשים טובים, ותחזור להמשיך עלינו אור אותה הקדושה, שתי כונות פשוטות אלו יכוין האדם בכל פעם שיאמר פסוק זה קודם כל מצוה ועסק התורה, ויש מדקדקים לכפול בכל פעם פסוק זה, כדי לכוין כונה אחת באמירה ראשונה, וכונה אחת באמירה שניה, והוא מנהג יפה, משום דבלאו הכי יש טעם בפעמיים, ובכל קהילות ישראל נוהגים להוסיף ביום טוב מזמור של אותו יום טוב, אך החסידים בבית אל לא נהגו לאומרו:
https://www.sefaria.org/Ben_Ish_Hai,_Halachot_1st_Year,_Vayigash_6.1
Moshe said to Yehoshua, “Choose people for us and go do battle with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill”. (17:9)
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֤ה אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ בְּחַר־לָ֣נוּ אֲנָשִׁ֔ים וְצֵ֖א הִלָּחֵ֣ם בַּעֲמָלֵ֑ק מָחָ֗ר אָנֹכִ֤י נִצָּב֙ עַל־רֹ֣אשׁ הַגִּבְעָ֔ה וּמַטֵּ֥ה הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים בְּיָדִֽי׃
בחר לנו אנשים. היה עמלק גדול בחכמת האצטגנינות ובחר אנשי מלחמתו אנשים שלא יוכלו למות בשנה ההיא כי הוא ידע זה בחכמת הכוכבים והמזלות ועל כן אמר משה ליהושע בחר לנו אנשים כיוצא בהם שלא יוכל להתחכם עלינו שיהרוג הוא מישראל וישראל לא יהרוג אחד מהם וזהו שכתוב ויחלש יהושע ולא אמר ויהרוג, ומה שאמר בחר לנו שהשוה אותו לעצמו ולא אמר בחר לי דרשו רז'ל מכאן יהי כבוד תלמידך חביב עליך כשלך.
בחר לנו אנשים, “choose men for us!” The Amalekites were expert astrologers (compare Rashi; our edition מכשפים, sorcerers). Moses meant that Joshua should select men who according to their horoscopes would not die during the current year, something Moses was aware of due to his own knowledge of astrology. The two armies facing each other would all consist of soldiers who according to their respective horoscopes would not die during that year. As a result of these considerations neither army inflicted fatal casualties on the other during this encounter. This is what is meant when the Torah reports the outcome of the battle as: “Joshua weakened Amalek and his people by the sword.” The Torah carefully refrained from mentioning that the Israelites actually killed any of the Amalekites. When Moses said to Joshua “choose for us,” he compared Joshua to himself and did not say: “choose for me!” Mechilta Amalek section 1 uses this phrase to teach: “the honor of your student should be as dear to you as your own honor.”
https://www.sefaria.org/Rabbeinu_Bahya,_Shemot_17.9.1
https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.17.9
In the Talmud Yoma 52b, Chazal say that the word machar, tomorrow, which is found in the above pasuk, can be interpreted as belonging to the previous phrase: “Choose people for us and go to do battle with
Amalek tomorrow.” Alternatively, it can refer to the second half of the pasuk: “Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill.” We wonder what is the significance of the word, “tomorrow”? What message regarding the war with Amalek is being taught to us via the word “tomorrow”?
Horav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, z.l., explains that the concept of “tomorrow” plays a crucial role in Amalek’s fight against Klal Yisrael. Amalek denotes evil. He represents the forces of evil within a human being – the yetzer hara, evil inclination, whose function it is to ensnare a person and lead him to sin. Outright incitement does not work. The yetzer hara has to use guile to convince a person that the sin is really not so bad; in fact, it might even be the right thing to do. It is very sinister in its methods to convince a person to renege against the Torah, to abrogate mitzvah observance and to perform outright transgressions.
In order for the yetzer hara to convince an observant Jew to act against the Torah, it must apply patience and discretion. One of its most potent tools is that of “tomorrow.” It assures its victim, “Yes, of course, you should act appropriately. Very definitely, you must perform this mitzvah. Do not do it today, however, start tomorrow. Study Torah – tomorrow. Give tzedakah – tomorrow. Do whatever good you plan on doing, but do it tomorrow. Thus, the yetzer hara grabs hold of a person and leads him to neglect the mitzvos and eventually to become a full-fledged baal aveirah, sinner.
This is the disease called “Amaleikism” that the Torah instructs us to expunge from our midst. When the opportunity to perform a mitzvah presents itself, one should not dawdle, but he should take immediate action and carry out his responsibility. One who slacks off in the area of positive mitzvah performance, will soon end up taking the initiative in a sinful manner.
This, says Rav Yosef Chaim, is the idea behind Moshe Rabbeinu’s “lifting his hands,” an action that catalyzed Klal Yisrael’s victory, as opposed to his lowering his hands, which gave strength to Amalek. Raising his hands symbolizes action, our way of defeating the yetzer hara and its personification in this world – Amalek. Allowing our hands to drop sustains the evil of Amalek, who takes his strength from our weakness.
Hashem’s name is hidden throughout Megillat Esther. Yet, the Rabbis of Kabbalah found the acronym of His name in the pasuk “yavo hamelech v'haman hayom- the king and Haman shall come today” (ibid. 5:4). Through the last word of the phrase, hayom (today), Esther stressed the proper use of the antidote to Haman’s machar (ibid.:12). Indeed, the battle against Amalek starts with the desire to serve Hashem with enthusiasm and without delay.
Parashat Zachor, the section that appears at the conclusion of our parasha, and which presents the obligation to remember Amalek’s attack against Benei Yisrael, is among the most important sections in the entire Torah. It is of such importance that there rests upon each and every one of us an obligation to hear the reading of this parasha once a year, thereby fulfilling the obligation to eradicate the nation of Amalek.
The question arises in this context, why did the Torah view Amalek as the eternal enemy of the Jewish people? After all, we find throughout the Torah many other nations that also waged war against Am Yisrael, peoples who sought to destroy us and deny us our existence.
In order to answer this question, we must, in my humble opinion, carefully examine two terms that appear in virtually every instance in Tanach where we find mention of Amalek. I refer to the term “mikreh” (happenstance, coincidence), which comes up repeatedly in the context of Amalek, and the word “machar” (tomorrow), which we often find in reference to the Jewish people.
Let us survey these instances and then assess their significance:
-
In the first battle against Amalek, Moshe asks Yehoshua, “Moshe said to Yehoshua… go fight against Amalek tomorrow…“ (Shemot 16:9).
-
At the end of our parasha, Hashem commands us never to forget what Amalek did: “… that they chanced upon you along the way” (Rashi explains the word “karcha” as a derivative of the word “mikreh”).
-
King David battled against the Amalekites who plundered his city of Tziklag: “David smote them from morning until evening on the following day“ (Shemuel I 30:17).
-
A young Amalekite informs David that he killed Shaul on MountGilboa: “The youngster who informed him said to him: ‘Ihappened to have been on MountGilboa…”(Shemuel II 1:6).
-
In Megillat Ester we meet the descendant of the Amalekite king, Aggag – Haman. Ester invites Haman to her feast and says: “If it pleases the king… the king and Haman shall come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king requests.”
-
Mordechai, dressed in sackcloth, sends the royal messenger Hatach to tell Ester of the edict against the Jews: “Mordechai told him all that happened to him… “
We thus find numerous sources related to Amalek, and they all make reference to one of these concepts – “machar” or “mikreh.” I believe that these two concepts can help us answer the question with which we began.
The Torah affords great importance to the perpetuation of the memory of Amalek’s attack because Amalek, by its very essence, expresses the notion of “mikreh” – happenstance. “Mikreh” in effect means the absence of Hashem’s providence in the world. Amalek represents coincidence – the lack of faith in hashgacha peratit – divine providence, the belief that no being oversees world affairs, everything happens here purely by coincidence. Of this the Torah wishes to remind us every year; it is forbidden for us to allow “Amalekism,” the theology of “mikreh,” to take hold.
In contradistinction to the Amalekite “mikreh” is the Jewish “machar.”
“Tomorrow” expresses the hope, the hashgacha, the idea that there is Someone in the heavens who looks after each and every one of His creatures on earth. “Machar” is the notion that there is something for which to wake up in the morning, the world does not progress at random, without a guiding hand. Everything is foreseen from the outset, and we are granted the power to act as we wish. “Machar” is about our free will to decide what to achieve, what to make of our lives.
In Hebrew, the letters of the word “Machar,” tomorrow, are the same as the letters for Rechem, or womb. The word for mercy, Rachamim, is also from the same word. The womb is always about mercy, about nurturing hope for another day, about pushing further toward continuation and reaching a goal. Amalek cannot abide that.
Rav Hutner writes that Machar refers to the ultimate Tomorrow, that off Olam HaBa. We Klal Yisroel do not exist for the today of Olam HaZeh. We delay our gratification for the tomorrow of Olam HaBa. Amalek exists in in this world only of today. They exist for the simple today, the immediate gratification, and they deny the ultimate tomorrow. Their existence in the world obscures the ability to see the next world. So long as Amalek exists, we cannot see the tomorrow. So long as there are people in the world who claim there is not Olam HaBa and live like that and seem to exist with no problems, they obscure Olam HaBa for the rest of the world. We can overcome them on the day of Tomorrow. When we live our lives with an eye on Tomorrow then we are victorious.
we read Zachor on Shabbat.
r Rave Rudman
Shabbos is a day of tomorrow, of Olam HaBa. This world is, “Today to work”. Olam HaBa is the tomorrow to receive the reward.” Shabbos is one-sixtieth of Olam HaBa . Erev Shabbos is the ‘today’ to work. Shabbos is the ‘tomorrow’ to receive the reward.
One has to read the Parsha of Amalek on Shabbos. Only on Shabbos can one truly eradicate Amalek. It is the antithesis of Amalek. It is the day of Tomorrow.
But you can only see that if you realize that the entire world is directed and guided by HaShem. If in this world you can see the hidden hand of HKB”H.
Only on Shabbos, and only in Olam HaBa can we see that all of this world is truly one. Only on Shabbos can we see that HaShem is the King. Therefore, on Shabbos, we read Parshas Zachor.
This is to prepare for Purim when we read the Megillah where all of this came true. Purim also has within it a day of Machar. When Esther asks the king for one more day for the Jews of Shushan, she asks that let tomorrow be like today.
The king is the King, as is well known in the Megilah. And the tomorrow is the Tomorrow of Olam HaBa.
Maybe that is the connection between the walled cities specifically from the time of Yehoshua. We want to mention his merit in the connection to the Machar. Yehoshua was the one who had the first battle of Machar against Amalek. We ask that in his merit let us be able to have another Machar, and be able to complete his battle. And we daven for all of this to once again be seen speedily in our times!
'ושמתי פדות בין עמי ובין עמך למחר יהיה האות הזה' (שמות ח, יט), נראה לי בסיעתא דשמיא 'מחר' אותיות רמ'ח ואותיות 'רחם', והענין הוא כי ישראל כל אחד מהם צריך לקיים רמ'ח מצות, וזה אי אפשר שיעשה כל אחד רמ'ח מצוות עשה אך ע'י אהבה שיש בישראל בין זה לזה כל אחד יהיה נשלם ברמ'ח ממעשה חבירו, ולכן רמ'ח הם אותיות 'רחם' כי 'רחם' הוא תרגום של אהבה לרמוז רמ'ח מצות נשלמין אצל כל אחד ואחד על ידי 'רחם' שהוא אהבה שיש בין זה לזה, וידוע כי שלימות קיום רמ'ח עשה מסוגלים לגאולה כי רמ'ח עשה הם בסוד החסדים, והם בסוד ו'ה שבשם, ושס'ה לא תעשה הם סוד הגבורות והם בסוד י'ה שבשם, והגאולה תהיה מתגבורת החסדים ועל ידי שלימות תיקון ו'ה שבשם, גם ידוע על ידי מדת האהבה שתהיה שלימה בישראל תהיה הגאולה, לזה אמר 'ושמתי פדות בין עמי ובין עמך למחר' אותיות 'לרמ'ח' ואותיות 'לרחם' רוצה לומר על ידי זכות רמ'ח עשה שעתידין לקבל בסיני ועל ידי זכות רחם שיש בינהם יהיה האות הזה של הפדות: או יובן בסיעתא דשמיא ידוע דקריאת שמע יש בה רמ'ח תיבות מפני כי כוחה גדול להכרית את אויבי ישראל הקליפות והתחתונים שברשותם והיא תהיה להם כמו רומח לדקור וכמו חרב להרוג כמו שכתוב' רוממות אל בגרונם' (תהלים קמט, ו) זו קראית שמע ועל ידי כן יהיה 'חרב פיפיות בידם' להרוג את אויביהם, ולכן גבי פנחס כתיב 'ויקח רמ'ח בידו' ואמרו רבותינו ז'ל זכות רמ'ח תיבות דקריאת שמע וגבר בזה על הסטרא אחרא, וזהו דשאמר 'ושמתי פדות בין עמי ובין עמך למחר יהיה האות הזה' לרמ'ח הלמד משמש במקום בעבור כלומר בעבור זכות רמ'ח תיבין דקריאת שמע יהיה האות הזה של פדות עמי מיד אויביהם וגבר ישראל, ולכן אנחנו אומרים בסוף הברכה של הקריאת שמע 'הבוחר בעמו ישראל באהבה' דתרגום 'אהבה' 'רחם' ואז אנחנו מתחילין לומר רמ'ח תיבות דקריאת שמע דזכינו לרמ'ח תיבות דקריאת שמע שתהיה רומ'ח וחרב בידינו נגד אויבינו על ידי 'רחם' שהוא אהבה שיש לנו זה על זה:
https://www.sefaria.org/Ben_Ish_Hai,_Halachot_1st_Year,_Vaera,_Introduction.1
May these words of Torah be liuly nishmat Regina Bat Alice
Although I am speaking to all of you, I am directing thse words primarily
to the grandchildren and great grandchildren
A shiva for a gransparent is something we always remember . The cousins
come together for a week and remember their grandparents.
I would like all of you to walk away with something which I not only hope
you will never forget, but I hope you will pass it to your own children and
grandchildren.
WHAT IS YOUR SUPER POWER
We read yesterday in the Perasha where Hashem tells Moshe with regard to
the person who will be the architecht, master craftsman and foreman of the
Mishkan
כשיגיע למלת
'באהבה' יכוין למסור נפשו על קדוש השם כנזכר בכונות רבינו האר'י
ז'ל(א), ולכן מנהג החסידים שיאריך החזן בחזרה בתיבת 'באהבה' כדי
לעורר הכונה הנזכרת, וכל אדם יזהר בזה בכל תפלות בלחש למסור עצמו על קדוש השם
בתיבת 'באהבה', וכשאומר 'ומושיע ומגן' יכוין בתיבת
'מגן' שהוא מספר שלוש פעמים א'ל:
When one
says the word 'be ahavah, one should have in mind to offer up one's life to
sanctify G-d's Name, as mentioned in the kawwânôth of our teacher the Ari
z'%.
The
kabbalists are accustomed to require the hazzân to pronounce this word slowly
when he repeats the ' midhâh, in order to give them time to meditate on
it, everybody should meditate on it during the silent 'amidhâh.
(There should be a total of two hundred and forty-eight
words in the three paragraphs of geriath shema.] The number is calculated as
follows: the first verse has six words, and so does the verse which begins
• bâruch shêm...; the first paragraph has forty-two words;
the second has seventy-two words, up to 'nôthên lâchem'; from 'wesamtem'
to the end of the paragraph there are fifty words; the third paragraph contains
sixty-nine words. All together, there are thus two hundred and forty-five
words. In order to complete the two hundred and forty-eight words, it is
customary to repeat ' Ha-Shêm E-lôgêchem meth? shoupe has in mens abalisi in
here, and thus ero
According to the kabbalistic concepts underlying this
number, it is customary that the shâliah zibbûr repeats those words aloud, and
those praying with him have in mind to be included with him. Thus, when one
prays with a minyân, one need not repeat the words oneself, but rather hear
them from the shâliah zibbûr.
In my work Megabbezi'êl, I conclude that, if one has not
finished reciting geriath shma when the shliah zibbûr repeats the words
'Ha-Shêm E-lôgêchem 'meth,' one must repeat them oneself
when one finishes gert'ath sh'ma', since they must be either heard, or recited,
at the end of geri'ath shema', not in the middle. {This ruling applies also to
geriath shema of 'arvith, as well as to ger'ath shema she al ha-mittâh, which
is never recited with a minyân.}
['Odh Yôsêf Hai (pârâshath Sh môth § 11) After the hazzân
repeats the three words, the congregation must continue from the following
word,
'we' munah' at 'arvith, and 'weyaziv' at shah rith, and
not repeat the word meth' which the hazzân has just said, since one may not
repeat any word of geri'ath shema'.]
מספר הרמ'ח
תיבות דקריאת שמע הוא כך ששה ד'שמע ישראל' וששה ד'ברוך שם כבוד
מלכותו לעולם ועד', ומ'ב ד'ואהבת', וע'ב של 'והיה
אם שמוע' עד 'ושמתם', ונו'ן ד'ושמתם' עד
'ויאמר', וס'ט ד'ויאמר' הרי סך הכל רמ'ה ועם ג'
תיבות שכופל השליח ציבור נשלמים רמ'ח תיבות, וידוע כי במספר הרמ'ח הנזכר
יש כונות עמוקות בכל הפרטים ואי אפשר להיות נחסר אצל כל אחד ואחד ממספר הרמ'ח
כלום, ולכן גם היחיד הקורא קריאת שמע בין דשחרית בין דערבית בין קריאת שמע שעל
ההמטה צריך לכפול שלוש תיבות 'ה' אלהיכם אמת' כדי להשלים הרמ'ח,
מיהו השליח ציבור מצד בחינתו יש לו כח יותר
בהשלמה זו של כפל שלוש תיבות הנזכרות ולכן אם האדם מתפלל עם צבור שיש שם שליח
ציבור עומד ישמע הכפל מן השליח ציבור והוא אינו צריך לכפול אלא רק יכוין להשלים
רמ'ח שלו מן שמיעתו הכפל מהשליח ציבור
ובספרי הק'
'מקבציאל' העלתי בסיעתא דשמיא דאם המתפלל עם ההצבור עודנו באמצע קריאת
שמע והשליח ציבור השלים הקריאת שמע וכפל שלוש תיבות הנזכרות לא מהני להשלים לעצמו
מכח שמיעה מהשליח ציבור,
כי סודן של דברים
צריך להיות מספר זה של הכפל באחרונה בגמר הקריאת שמע ואם ישלימו באמצע הרי זה מערב
הסדר להיות תחתונים למעלה, לכך בכהאי גוונא עדיף טפי שהוא עצמו יכפול וישלים
החסרון ורק אם הוא גומר הקריאת שמע עם השליח ציבור עדיף טפי לשמוע הכפל משליח
ציבור:
Go back to introduction
' וְשַׂמְתִּ֣י פְדֻ֔ת
בֵּ֥ין עַמִּ֖י וּבֵ֣ין עַמֶּ֑ךָ לְמָחָ֥ר יִהְיֶ֖ה הָאֹ֥ת הַזֶּֽה׃
And I will make a
distinction between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall come to
pass.’” (שמות ח, יט), נראה לי בסיעתא דשמיא 'מחר' אותיות רמ'ח
ואותיות 'רחם'
והענין הוא כי ישראל
כל אחד מהם צריך לקיים רמ'ח מצות, וזה אי אפשר שיעשה כל אחד רמ'ח מצוות
עשה אך ע'י אהבה שיש בישראל בין זה לזה כל אחד יהיה נשלם ברמ'ח ממעשה
חבירו,
ולכן רמ'ח הם
אותיות 'רחם' כי 'רחם' הוא תרגום של אהבה לרמוז רמ'ח
מצות נשלמין אצל כל אחד ואחד על ידי 'רחם' שהוא אהבה שיש בין זה לזה,
וידוע כי שלימות קיום רמ'ח עשה מסוגלים לגאולה
כי רמ'ח עשה הם
בסוד החסדים, והם בסוד ו'ה שבשם,
ושס'ה לא תעשה הם סוד הגבורות והם בסוד
י'ה שבשם, והגאולה תהיה מתגבורת החסדים ועל ידי שלימות תיקון ו'ה שבשם,
גם ידוע על ידי מדת האהבה שתהיה שלימה בישראל
תהיה הגאולה, לזה אמר 'ושמתי פדות בין עמי ובין עמך למחר' אותיות
'לרמ'ח' ואותיות 'לרחם'
רוצה לומר על ידי
זכות רמ'ח עשה שעתידין לקבל בסיני ועל ידי זכות רחם שיש בינהם יהיה האות הזה
של הפדות: או יובן בסיעתא דשמיא ידוע דקריאת שמע יש בה רמ'ח תיבות מפני כי
כוחה גדול להכרית את אויבי ישראל הקליפות והתחתונים שברשותם
והיא תהיה להם כמו רומח לדקור וכמו חרב להרוג
כמו שכתוב' רוממות אל בגרונם' (תהלים קמט, ו) זו קראית שמע ועל ידי כן
יהיה 'חרב פיפיות בידם' להרוג את אויביהם,
ולכן גבי פנחס כתיב
'ויקח רמ'ח בידו' ואמרו רבותינו ז'ל זכות רמ'ח תיבות
דקריאת שמע וגבר בזה על הסטרא אחרא, וזהו דשאמר 'ושמתי פדות בין עמי ובין עמך
למחר יהיה האות הזה' לרמ'ח
הלמד משמש במקום
בעבור כלומר בעבור זכות רמ'ח תיבין דקריאת שמע יהיה האות הזה של פדות עמי מיד
אויביהם וגבר ישראל,
ולכן אנחנו אומרים בסוף הברכה של הקריאת שמע
'הבוחר בעמו ישראל באהבה' דתרגום 'אהבה' 'רחם' ואז
אנחנו מתחילין לומר רמ'ח תיבות דקריאת שמע דזכינו לרמ'ח תיבות דקריאת
שמע שתהיה רומ'ח וחרב בידינו נגד אויבינו על ידי 'רחם' שהוא אהבה
שיש לנו זה על זה:
Ki Tissa 5784 Aaron and Haran
In this week’s perasha we on the sin of the Golden Calf
Before we get into the text
Questions: Who collected the gold to build the egel?
Who built the egel?
Who built the alter in front of it?
How is that possible ?
We have all heard that there are three cardinal sins which one is required to give their life for
What are they?
Lets first look at Halachot of
Maimonidies - Rambam Yesodei HaTorah 5:7
What is the source that idolatry, sexual immorality and murder should not be committed even to save a life?
Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us, “You shall love Hashem, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might.” “Your soul” means even at the cost of one’s soul. This precludes idolatry.
Regarding murder to save a third party or to save one’s self from another who is coercing him, it is logical that one person’s life cannot be sacrificed for another’s.
Regarding sexual immorality, the Torah compares forbidden sexual relations to murder in Deuteronomy 22:26, where it says regarding rape that “this is just like a case where one person rises up against another to kill him.”
Each day when we pray, we must remind ourselves of this in the Shema and again in the Amidah. In fact the Ben Ish Chair Rav Yosef Chaim writes when a person is saying the amidah and he comes to the last word of the first paragrah:
וּמֵבִיא
גוֹאֵל לִבְנֵי בְנֵיהֶם לְמַֽעַן שְׁמוֹ בְּאַֽהֲבָה:
כשיגיע
למלת 'באהבה' יכוין למסור נפשו על קדוש השם כנזכר בכונות רבינו האר'י
ז'ל(א), ולכן מנהג החסידים שיאריך החזן בחזרה בתיבת 'באהבה' כדי לעורר
הכונה הנזכרת, וכל אדם יזהר בזה בכל תפלות בלחש למסור עצמו על קדוש השם בתיבת
'באהבה'
So
how can we begin to understand Aaron’s behavior and his reward.
We
hear the story of the Golden Calf
Maybe
images from the movie
Charleston
Heston throwing the tablets and the ground swallowing everyone
But
important to see inside
Lets
look at Chumash and Rashi
You
can follow along if you like – Chapter 32
וַיַּ֣רְא הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי בשֵׁ֥שׁ
משֶׁ֖ה לָרֶ֣דֶת מִן־הָהָ֑ר וַיִּקָּהֵ֨ל הָעָ֜ם עַל־אַֽהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּֽאמְר֤וּ אֵלָיו֙
ק֣וּם | עֲשֵׂה־לָ֣נוּ אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֵֽלְכוּ֙ לְפָנֵ֔ינוּ כִּי־זֶ֣ה |
משֶׁ֣ה הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֶֽעֱלָ֨נוּ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְנוּ מֶה־הָ֥יָה
לֽוֹ
Its 11AM Thursday morning and I am
driving back to Manhattan. I came to Brooklyn this morning to make three
condolence calls, but since I left my house early this morning, I have had no
cell service. I have no Waze, so I am not sure how long the drive will be and I
can’t listen to any classes, so I am hoping with the help of Siri, to get a
jump on this week’s article.
This lack of connection and how, in
these few short hours, I have been
dealing with the loss of my phone reminded me of the words of the Ohr HaChaim
HaKadosh on the opening verse of this week’s portion.
“Shemot Rabbah 52,2 relates that the
scoffers amongst the Jews ridiculed the idea that Hashem would take up
residence in a structure made by Moses. From this we see that not only did the
Gentiles not credit the idea that the G-d of the Heavens had come down to
earth, but even some of the Jews could not believe this. Accordingly, even
though it was evident that Hashem's presence was indeed in the Tabernacle on
the first day of Nissan, the day the Tabernacle had been erected, they did not
consider this as evidence that Hashem's presence would remain there on a
permanent basis.
“Once they observed the ongoing miracle
of the Western Lamp, (need to pause here to explain)
The Gemara (Shabbat 22b) says that the
Ner Tamid spoken of in the Torah, is referring to the ner ma’aravi — the
western lamp — of the Menorah. It served as a testimony for all mankind that
the Divine Presence dwells among the Jewish people.
The uniqueness of the western lamp was
that the Kohen always put into it half a lug of oil, the same amount of oil as
was put into each of the other six lamps (half a lug = 5 ½ oz.). This was
sufficient to last for the longest nights of Tevet, and yet it outburned all
the candles.
They all burned the entire night and
would extinguish in the early morning. In the summer, when the nights are
shorter, they would burn into the morning hours. After they went out in the
morning, the lamps would be cleaned out and fresh oil and new wicks would be
placed in them. This service was known as “hatavat haMenorah” — “making good” —
i.e. preparing the Menorah for kindling. The candles would not be lit again
until the late afternoon. The western candle, however, continued burning the
entire day until it was time to kindle the Menorah again in the evening.
This miraculous uninterrupted burning of
the western lamp went on all the years of the first Beit Hamikdash, and served
as a testimony for Hashem’s presence in Israel. The western light continued to
remain lit during the forty years that Shimon HaTzaddik was Kohen Gadol during
the early years of the second Beit Hamikdash.
The Ohr HaChaim continues … “this served
as testimony that Hashem's presence was there to stay.
“The Torah impressed upon Moses that the
oil for the Menorah in the Tabernacle would become the vehicle by means of
which Hahsem’s presence in the Mishkan/Mikdash would be demonstrated when the
'eternal flame' would be lit.”
I thought to myself, we have bars on the
phone to indicate connection, while they had this flame on the menorah to
indicate connection with Heaven above. So, what went through their minds when
the flame went out?
Must be a mistake! Must be something I
did wrong? Maybe we need a reset?
When I got in the car, in the wee hours
while it was still dark outside and entered the address in Waze, I noticed the phone
had no service. Sometimes this happens, so I put the phone into airplane mode
and then back to standard mode, causing it to search for a signal. It searched
but found nothing. Instead of any reception lines, there was simply an SOS in
the upper right-hand corner.
So, I decided to reboot the phone, and
when I turned it back on, fully expected to see that I had service, but I
didn’t. Still sitting in that upper right-hand corner was SOS. (The universal
signal of distress!)
I went into settings and tried to see if
anything was amiss and then I wondered if perhaps AT&T was down. I thought
that was unlikely as all the other cars were driving and I noticed Waze running
on their screens within their windshield holders.
Heaven doesn’t break the connection. It
must be me. Perhaps AT&T could be down in Atlantic Beach, but over the
bridge it would re-connect. That’s what I thought and it didn’t.
As it was very early, I decided to stop
at the Keli Mikveh as I had some things in the trunk to dip. I turned the phone
off again while my hand froze as I dipped a frying pan, some glasses, and
whatever else Chantelle packed into the bag. And I wondered if when I got back
in the car, the phone would work. Maybe the zechut of dipping the dishes would
fix things.
It didn’t and so I accepted that most
probably it was either a virus infecting the phone, a messed-up setting or an
issue with my internal antenna. I needed an AT&T store to help.
When you first find that you’re
disconnected, you panic. Is it me? Is it them? What if someone wants to reach
me? I am expected to be connected always. Now I am not! Is there a pay phone. I
actually looked for one on street corners, in the gas stations, and on the Belt
Parkway. I had a quarter! And I was hoping to at least call someone and have
them text the groups to tell them that my phone was out and I was unavailable
so that no one would worry. But there are no payphones anymore.
Later on, driving on Coney Island
Avenue, I spotted a cell phone store and pulled in front. Maybe they open at
8AM? No, they don’t open until 10 AM.
At the second house, I thought to borrow
a phone. But it was pretty much me and the family in mourning. So, I didn’t
bother. As I got back in the car, not having removed the phone from its
holster, I thought about how at first, I panicked, and I felt so lost without a
connected phone and without Waze, and without being able to look up where I was
going, or to let anyone know where I was in a day and age when people worry if
they are out of touch for even a moment. That initial panic gradually led to a
feeling of being anxious which lessened to a feeling of concern, and finally acceptance.
I said that Hashem disconnected me. It is what it is.
Sitting in the car, I said to myself,
one more stop, one more misvah, (and at each visit, I realized that without a
phone, I was more focused and felt that the person or people I came to visit
did more for me than I did for them) and I’ll be in the city by noon and I’ll
stop into the office and then I’ll go around the corner to AT&T and they
will fix it.
I wondered if this is what happened with
benai Yisrael. The candle goes out. The line is dead. Is it a mistake? Can we
reboot? Can we light it again. And between the end of the First Temple and the beginning
of the second, we did. Maybe there weren’t as many bars in the second temple,
but there was steady connection for forty years and then not so steady a
connection.
And then the Greeks came and the light
went out again. At first, we went through the steps. It must be something on
our end. Reboot! Relight. Do something. But all we got was SOS. Until the
Macabees showed up. But then the Romans came and poof!
I imagine that as we turned off our
connection whenever we felt like it, Hashem finally reacted in kind and shut
down the system. The light of the Menorah went out. The bars went out. It was
SOS,
And maybe we, as a people, went from
panic, to being anxious, to being concerned and finally acceptance. And the
tragedy I thought, is that with acceptance, we steadily forget what we lost. We
don’t even realize what it was to have the phone. We go back to the pay phone,
to the maps, to the messages, to the answering services, the beepers, the
operators, the telex machine, and the messengers. (If you are sharing this with
family, you’ll have some explaining to do). We don’t even remember what it was like to
have that always open, clear and direct connect.
And as I finished dictating this to Siri,
the strangest thing happened as I was moving from the Prospect Expressway up
the ramp onto the Gowanus leading to the tunnel, bars lit up, messages started
coming in and service was back. What happened, I wondered?
I made a call to the office, but became
disconnected after a few seconds. I tried texting, but then the phone went back
to SOS. Was it really my phone or was it AT&T? Do I need to go to the phone
store. And with the service out again, I couldn’t figure anything out. Strange
puzzle!
There was a connection, however brief,
reminding me that potentially the system worked. Was that like the little
miracles we see in life? Was that like the reminders Hashem sends us, telling
us, “I am here, I am with you!”? Do we too easily forget those reminders?
Coming out of the tunnel and heading
onto the FDR, service returned. I noticed on the family chat, a note explaining
that AT&T was down all across the country and was gradually coming back.
What happened? No one knew yet. And what
would happen if everyone disconnected? Today the Greeks and the Romans are not
the tools, would it be the Russians or the Chinese? Scary!
But for a brief moment I understood what
the light of the menorah meant. When it was on, we were connected and when it
shut off, we were in a panic of SOS.
The verse ends with the words, Ner
Tamid, everlasting light, and I as I made my way towards the office with
service going on and off, I prayed that we would be zocheh to all see that Ner
Tamid, lit speedily in our days, in the Bet HaMikdash, Bimherah BeYameynu,
Amen!
Shabbat Shalom
David Bibi
Even though Noach was a tzaddik; nevertheless, he resembled the olive that keeps its oil trapped inside. He did not make an effort to venture out and teach his generation the ways of the Torah and its mitzvot. In contrast, Moshe Rabeinu resembled olive oil; he taught Torah to all of Yisrael. Thus, in his gilgul, he rectified Noach’s flaw.
HKB”H wanted them to light the menorah with olive oil, so that we would understand that the purpose of studying Torah is to enlighten other people—like olive oil that emerges from the olive and promotes memory.
Hence, HKB”H explains that the reason for the mitzvah of taking olive oil is “to keep the lamp burning continuously”—because
it is a wonderful device for ensuring the perpetuation of the Torah.
We can now comprehend the great significance of the dove’s deed after the mabul: “The dove returned to him in the evening, and—behold—an olive leaf was in her mouth.”
After the dove saw that the water had receded from the surface of the earth, she wanted to alert Noach to the necessary tikun he was obliged to perform. Therefore, she brought him an olive leaf, hinting to him that he resembled an olive; he was keeping his oil
confined and trapped within himself.
Furthermore, she was indicating to him that he would have to reincarnate as Moshe; Moshe would make amends for him by
kindling the menorah with the oil of the olive—allowing the oil to emerge for the benefit and enlightenment of others.
At this point, we can finally appreciate the cryptic wisdom of our sages in the Midrash: HKB”H said, “Just as the dove brought light to the world, so, too, you, who are compared to the dove, brought olive oil and lit the lamp before Me, as it states: “And you shall command . . . that they shall bring you oil.”
One
who disregards the truth of Midrash is a heretic; one who regards Midrash as
literally true is a fool!
Thinking in
Rosh Hodesh Shabbat prayers
שֶׁתַּעֲלֵנוּ בְשִׂמְחָה
לְאַרְצֵנוּ וְתִטָּעֵנוּ בִּגְבוּלֵנוּ, וְשָׁם נַעֲשֶׂה לפָנֶיךָ אֶת
קָרְבְּנוֹת חוֹבוֹתֵינוּ, תְּמִידִים כְּסִדְרָם וּמוּסָפִים כְּהִלְכָתָם. אֶת
מוּסְפֵי יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת הַזֶּה, וְיוֹם רֹאשׁ הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה, נַעֲשֶׂה
וְנַקְרִיב לְפָנֶיךָ בְּאַהֲבָה כְּמִצְוַת רְצוֹנָךְ
Look at two
concepts
Mishkan . Mikdash
We mourn loss
But do we
understand what we lost ?
I would like to
discuss two concepts
Access
Balance
And, Do I make
a difference
And one other
idea, I would like you to think about in light of current events and what the
Mikdash and even the remnant the Kotel HaMaarivi means
The Beis Hamikdash was meant to
serve Goyim as well as Jews, as the pasuk states, ki beti bet tefila yikarei
lechol ha’amim; My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations
(Yeshaya 56:7).
This sentiment was expressed by
Shlomoh Hamelech in his public prayer whereby he dedicated the Beis Hamikdash,
'…and also to the gentile who is not from Your people Israel and who comes
for the sake of Your Name from a distant land. When they will hear of Your
great Name, Your powerful hand and Your outstretched arm and come to pray in
this house,
You will hear from Heaven, the
place of Your abode, and do whatever the gentile requests of You, so that all
the nations of the Earth will know Your Name and fear You (Melachim I 8:41-
43).
I learned from my Rabbi that
based on this when B’Y come to pray, sometimes the answer is no, but because of
King Solomon’s prayer when a goy comes and cries out to Hashem, then Heavens
heeds his plea.
We’ll come back to this at the
end
Also noted I
would like to speak about
Unicorns
Chantelle very
into unicorns
Ketuba Unicorn
and Lion
40 some odd
years ago
Wrote Short
story in Rhyme
Chantelle
illustrated it
A couple of
years ago, our youngest Mariyah edited it and turned it into a small book
Little Kids all
into unicorns
This week we
read
ב דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְיִקְחוּ-לִי
תְּרוּמָה: מֵאֵת כָּל-אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִדְּבֶנּוּ לִבּוֹ, תִּקְחוּ
אֶת-תְּרוּמָתִי.
- 'Speak to the children of Israel, and
have them take for Me an offering; from every person whose heart inspires him
to generosity, you shall take My offering.
Among the various items used to
build the Mishkan were the tachash skins that were used as the outer covering
of the Mishkan as well as a slipcover for the vessels of the Mishkan while
traveling through the desert.
How do we
define Tachash?
The Gemara offers three
answers:
-
Rav Yehuda says: “It was taynin,
(a violet color) and named for its dye.” -
Rav Nechemiah said: “It was galaktinin.
-
The Rabbi's said: “It was a
clean [kosher] animal, and it lived in the wilderness.”
This third explanation fits
with that which Rav Eleazar bar Yose stated, R. Abbahu in the name of Rav
Shimon ben Lakish in the name of Rav Meir: The Holy One, blessed be He, created
a clean animal for Moses in the wilderness. Once [Moses] had constructed the mishkan
with it, it was hidden away.
Rav Avon said it was called a Keresh.
R. Hoshaya taught, It had [only] one horn.
There is a parallel discussion in the Bavli (Shabbos 28a,b)
regarding the nature of the Tachash.
There the Gemara quotes Rav Nechemiah who explains that that
the Tachash was a Kosher animal that had a skin with many colors.
Rav Yosef explains that the
Targum (traditional Aramaic translation of the Torah) of the word Tachash is
Sasgona which is a conjunction of the words sas (rejoice) and gevanim (colors).
The Tachash is an animal that rejoices in its many colors.
Like the Yerushalmi, the Bavli maintains that the Tachash had
a single horn on its forehead and it only existed in the times of Moshe so that
it could be used to serve as a covering for the Mishkan. After it had served
its purpose the Tachash was hidden away.
Similarly, the Medrash Tanchuma (Terumah 6) tells us that the
Tachash was a large wild kosher animal that had a single horn, its skin was
made up of six colors (The Radak explains that sasgonna can be read as sheish
gavnim six colors), and its length was 30 amot
(nearly 50 feet long!). The Medrash also quotes Rav Nechemiah who says that the
Tachash was a miraculous creation, created specifically for the Mishkan and
then hidden away.
The Gemara in Shabbos (28b) connects the single horn of the
Tachash to another animal that had a single horn. Upon being expelled from Gan
Eden (see Targum Yonasan ben Uziel Bereishis 8:20) Adam brought a sacrifice of
an animal with a single horn – some suggest that the skin was preserved for the
Mishkan.
We’ll come back to this later
to try to understand the connection with balance
(Yalkut Shimoni II,
688) records a fascinating story in which the majestic re’em possibly unicorn
lifts David up into the clouds:
David was once walking in the
wilderness and climbed upon a hill—which turned out to be, not a hill, but the
back of the massive re’em. The re’em raised David up to the clouds (either
because it was so big when it stood up, or perhaps because it had wings and
took off). David prayed to God to save him
The Alshich HaKadosh (Toras
Moshe, Shemos 26:14) connects the Tachash to the coming of Mashiach. There are
two ways Mashiach can arrive; in the proper time (in the normal process of the
world) or אחישנה, swiftly (see Yeshaya 60:22, Sanhedrin 98b). The word אחישנה
shares the same root as the word Tachash.
The Arizal (Eitz Chaim 49:3)
says that the Tachash is the spark of holiness in Kellipas Noga. With this in
mind we can see that the Mishkan itself was inherently Kadosh (like the
Mitzvos) whereas the covering of the Mishkan represents the Kedusha that in
unleashed when we elevate the physical world (Kellipas Noga).
דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְיִקְחוּ־לִ֖י תְּרוּמָ֑ה
Eben Ezra The words ve-yikchu
li (that they take for Me) is similar to the form surah elai (turn
in to me) (Jud. 4:18). Surah elai means turn from your place and come to
me. Ve-yikchu li has a similar connotation. It means let him take from
what he owns and give it to me. The same is true of Fetch me (kechi li),
I pray thee, a little water (I Kings 17:10).
But if we look at the words
Vyikchu Li
They should take me
וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ
וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃
That I may dwell among
(within) them: It does not say
'within it,' which means that the place that God will sanctify to
dwell there is within the children of Israel that encircle the Tabernacle with
four banners.
The
Difference Between The Gentile and Jewish View of The Cherubim
The
Talmud quotes in the name of Rav Katina that when the Jews came up for the
pilgrimage festivals, the priests would pull back the curtain in the Beis
HaMikdash and show them that the Cherubim (one of which had masculine features
and one of which had feminine features) were embracing one another. The priests
would say: “See how beloved you are before the Almighty, like the love of a
male and female.” [Yoma 54a]
The
Gemara continues [Yoma. 54b], Reish Lakish stated that when the Gentiles
invaded and entered the Holy of Holies, they saw the Cherubim embracing like
man and wife and they brought them out to the street and mocked. “These Jews
whose blessing is a blessing and whose curse is a curse, look at what they
occupy themselves with in their Holy of Holies.” They debased Klal Yisrael and
ridiculed them for this perceived impropriety. This, Chazal interpret, is the
meaning of the pasuk: “All who once respected her, disparage her, for they have
seen her disgrace (ervasah, literally ‘her nakedness’)” [Eicha 1:8].
[The
Rishonim in tractate Yoma ask a very interesting question: The Cherubim were
not always embracing. They were only embracing when the Jews 'did the Will
of the Almighty”. Their embrace mirrored how G-d felt toward His people. When
He loved them, they embraced; when G-d was angry with His people, they were
separate. The Rishonim ask that when the Gentiles came into the Beis HaMikdash
to destroy it, the last thing we would expect to find was the Cherubim
embracing. They should have not even have been looking at one another! Why were
they apparently mirroring G-d’s Love for us at that moment?
The
Rishonim answer — at that point the destruction (Churban) had happened already.
G-d’s Wrath was already spent. The Temple had already been destroyed. 'Now
let’s make up.” Thus, even while the walls were still burning, the Cherubim
were embracing again. They were back in love.]
Why,
in fact, do we have in our Holy of Holies the image of a husband and a wife
engaging in an embrace? This is something that the Gentiles could not
understand. They mocked it. They used it to make us a laughing-stock.
How
do WE understand this? The interpretation is that the Cherubim are like the
famous Rorschach inkblot test. Psychologists and psychiatrists take blotches of
ink that come out in random form and ask patients to tell them what they see.
What a person “sees” says everything about what he is, where his thoughts are,
where his values are, where his mind is.
The
Cherubim were Rorschach tests. They were a man and a woman embracing in a
loving and adoring fashion. What is that? Is that pure or impure? Is it holy or
profane? The answer is — it is all in the eyes of the beholder. A Gentile looks
at that and has impure thoughts. There is only one thing that happens when a
man and a woman are in such an embrace and it is very far from being holy.
Therefore, to the Gentiles it was the biggest demonstration of an incongruity.
“How incongruous!” they mocked, “to have such imagery in the Holy of Holies.”
But
to Klal Yisrael, the embrace between a husband and wife does not have to be
impure and profane. It can be the holiest of acts. The mitzvah of onah (having
conjugal relations with one’s wife) of a Torah scholar is specifically on the
night of the Sabbath, the holiest day of the week. If one would ask an
untutored mind “On the holiest day of the week in what activities should a
Talmid Chochom engage?” the secular or non-Jewish perspective would be that
marital relations would be the last thing one should do on such a day.
This
is the difference between Jews and the nations of the world who destroyed our
Beis HaMikdash. To us, the embrace of the Cherubim represented exactly what the
Holy of Holies is all about — holy intimacy. This is what Kedusha
[hol[holiness]all about: There is no aspect of human existence that can’t be
elevated a nd can’t be made holy. This is symbolic of everything else in life.
Rabbi
Akiva states: “All Biblical writings are holy, but the Songs of Songs
(portraying the love of a male for a female) is holy of holies.” [Yal[Yalkut
Shimoni] unlettered person reads Shir HaShirim with a snicker. The sensual
descriptions seem far from holy writings. Rabbi Akiva states that not only is
it holy, it is holy of holies. It symbolizes our relationship with the
Almighty. Holiness or lack of it is all in the eyes of the beholder.
Dancing with You - The Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Chassidic
movement, was once sitting on Friday night at his Shabbos table with his family
and close disciples. Suddenly at the end of the Kiddush, the Baal Shem Tov
began to laugh. The disciples were startled, but out of respect for their holy
master, they remained silent. They began the Shabbos dinner and recited
Hamotzi, tasting the fish, until the Baal Shem Tov let out another laugh. The
disciples again were astounded. Maybe there's some humor in the fish, they
reasoned, but there was nothing funny about the fish. As the meal progressed
and they began singing the Shabbos songs, the Baal Shem Tov began to laugh for
the third time. It was an absolute mystery.
After Shabbos, one of the students asked his master, “What was
your laughing all about?” The Baal Shem Tov asked him to summon the bookbinder
of town. He was a fine, poor, simple, and G-d-fearing Jew named Shabsi. When
Shabsi arrived, the Baal Shem Tov gathered his students and asked the
bookbinder to share with them what had transpired at his home during the Friday
night meal. Shabsi blushed, feeling very uncomfortable, but the Baal Shem Tov
reassured him.
For years shops Shabsi was struggling to earn a livelihood. Life
in 18th century Ukraine was not easy. But he always saved up some extra rubles
to be able to afford a beautiful and festive Shabbos dinner for the holy day.
Shabbos, an island in time, a transcendental oasis, was his cherished day, and
he wanted to celebrate it with full tranquility and joy. But that past week,
due to the heavy snow, there was no business. Nobody came to buy any books.
Friday morning, he realized he didn't even have a single ruble to give to his
wife to purchase food for Shabbos. There would be no candles burning, no wine,
no Challah, no vegetables, no fish, meat, fruits or dessert. Sadness set into
his heart. So he went to the synagogue and stayed there all Friday day, reciting
psalms and studying the weekly Torah portion.
Friday night after the services, he came home expecting to find
it empty and dark. To his amazement, the house was lit up with glowing candles.
The table was decorated with the most exquisite of foods. His wife explained
that when she saw the pain in his eyes, that he would not be able to celebrate
the holy day as he always did, she felt she had to find a solution. So she
searched and searched, and discovered an old coat of hers that had golden
buttons. She sold them and purchased all of this beautiful Shabbos food so they
would have an amazing Shabbat together. Shabsi continues telling the story. “I made the Kaddish, and my heart
swelled with gratitude to G-d for giving us the opportunity to celebrate this
special, exquisite day, the day of rest, the day of oneness, the day of ecstasy
and serenity. The day in which we can connect to our spiritual core. I was so
grateful and so moved by what my wife had done. I could not contain my joy, and
I asked my wife if she would dance with me. She agreed. So I joined my wife for
a dance around the candlelit Shabbos table.
We continued our Shabbos dinner. I finished the fish and again
my wife and I were overwhelmed with so much gratitude. We couldn’t thank G-d
enough for allowing us to enjoy this beautiful day of exquisite rest and inner
tranquility, a day saturated with so much holiness, peacefulness, intimacy,
love and serenity. I asked my wife, “Would you dance with me again?” And she
said, “Of course.” So my wife and I, for the second time, went for a fiery
dance around the Shabbos table. We danced with all our heart and mind and soul.
Then we sat down and began to sing the Shabbos songs, both melting in delight.
We felt so privileged to have each other in our lives, and to have our G-d, and
to have the gift of Shabbos. I felt so grateful for all my years with my
amazing wife at my side. We both could not hold back the limitless joy. I asked
my wife if she would dance again with me and she said absolutely. So for the
third time, we joined hands and hearts and we began to dance and dance around
the table until the end of evening. “This,” Shabsi said, “is what happened in
our home on Friday night.” The Baal Shem Tov looked at Shabsi, the bookbinder,
and said, “Shabsi, I want you to know that as you danced with your wife, Heaven
was dancing with you. As the two of you joined hands and hearts and sang and
danced, the angels themselves were dancing in the Heavens. The eternal heart
itself heard your music and it was warmed. G-d Himself was dancing and
celebrating with you. And I too,” the Baal Shem Tov said, “participated in your
joy. On a Shabbos of such perfect, transcendent happiness, who wouldn't laugh?
Each time you both got up to dance, I could not contain my laughter and joy.”
The Baal Shem Tov looked at Shabsi and said, “And now I want to
bless you. What do you want? What do you need?” Shabsi said, “My dear Rebbe. We
have been blessed with so much, but my wife and I never had a child. We would
love to be blessed with a child.” The Baal Shem Tov said, “I bless you that G-d
should grant you and your spouse a child.” Indeed, a year later, a young boy
was born. They named him with the same name as the Baal Shem Tov, Yisrael. He
grew up to become one of the greatest spiritual luminaries of Polish Jewry,
known as the Kozhnitzer Maggid, one of the great Chassidic masters, the author
of a work called Avodas Yisrael. And he brought so much wisdom, depth, love and
light to Polish Jewry.
Sometimes you're sitting alone with your spouse or with another
loved one or with yourself, enjoying a moment of holiness, of purity, of love,
a moment of Shabbos. You're doing a mitzvah or you're engaged in Torah study.
And you might think, “I’m just a simple man, a simple woman, unimportant,
invisible, inconsequential. Who knows? Who cares?” But as you kindle your flame
of holiness in this world, and you dance with your blazing heart, remember,
Heaven is dancing with you. And the Tzaddik laughs along.
Please email or whatsapp for a copy of the
Tu Bishvat Booklet of Yehi Ratzons and Prayers 5784
In Memory of צבי מנחם בן דבורה Howard Silverman Z'L
Rabbi Asher Abittan - Asher Haham ben Meir Haham ZS'L
David Mizrahi - David Ben Sarah Z'L
Uncle Hymie Gindi - Haim Ben Victoria Z'L
וּלְכֹ֣ל ׀ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לֹ֤א יֶֽחֱרַץ־כֶּ֙לֶב֙ לְשֹׁנ֔וֹ לְמֵאִ֖ישׁ וְעַד־בְּהֵמָ֑ה לְמַ֙עַן֙ תֵּֽדְע֔וּן אֲשֶׁר֙ יַפְלֶ֣ה יְהֹוָ֔ה בֵּ֥ין מִצְרַ֖יִם וּבֵ֥ין יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
but not a dog shall snarl at any of the Israelites, at human or beast—in order that you may know that יהוה makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel./Exodus.11.7
וְאַנְשֵׁי־קֹ֖דֶשׁ תִּהְי֣וּן לִ֑י וּבָשָׂ֨ר בַּשָּׂדֶ֤ה טְרֵפָה֙ לֹ֣א תֹאכֵ֔לוּ לַכֶּ֖לֶב תַּשְׁלִכ֥וּן אֹתֽוֹ׃ {ס}
You shall be holy people to Me: you must not eat flesh torn by beasts in the field; you shall cast it to the dogs.
It is
nearly impossible to understand what the Torah is trying to teach us by simply
reading an English translation. There’s so much nuance and detail within the
selection of each Hebrew word which include the intrinsic properties of the word chosen.
While in English, a word has a meaning, which we can look up in the dictionary,
in Hebrew, using Lashon HaKodesh, each word is a combination of the building
blocks of creation made up of the Hebrew alphabet where even the letters chosen
for the words convey a message.
Although
Hashem is one, and never changing, our perception of G-d varies on our end, and
although in English, we might see the translation of God as the Lord or the Creator,
in Hebrew, the specific name conveys much more than a synonym for Hashem.
We
see this in the opening verse of this week’s portion where we translate to” and
God said, and he says to Moses I am God”. But without looking at the word the
Torah uses denoting speech, and without looking at the word or the name used
for G-d, we really miss so much.
Until
this point the Torah has told us that G-d spoke to Moses, I believe, 18 times
And each of those times it uses the verb, AMAR.
The
opening verb use this portion is in the form DABER,. What’s the difference
between these two forms? The former (AMAR) denotes, a soft language, while the
latter (DABER) denotes a harsh language. if one pays attention to this
throughout the Torah, examining which form of the verb is used to denote
speech, one can then understand so much more of the context, And of the deep
message being conveyed to us by the Torah.
Even
more than the differences in the verb, ‘to speak’, is what we learn based on
the name of God, which is used in the verse. The opening words denote a harsh
speech and G-d is called ELOKIM. This is the name of God which denotes an
aspect of judgment. Contrast this with the latter part of the first verse which
denotes soft speech and uses the name HAVAYA, which denotes mercy.
There
are many more names that are used and things change when letters are added to
one of the names, for example HAELOKIM modified ELOKIM in many ways.
This
class explores the names, the numerical values of the names and the message
from the Torah to us in a single verse, which can help us at least on an
intellectual level deal with many of the difficulties we face in life. We say
on an intellectual level because it is very difficult often on an emotional
level to override emotions with intellect even though it’s probably something
we should try to do.
Many
lessons come to us through the fulfillment of the commandments, as ordered by
the Torah. We can always say that we are doing this, or we are fulfilling that
commandment, because we were simply told to do so, but on a practical level
there is tremendous value in trying to understand what lies below the command
to perform a specific action. Every action has a purpose that extends beyond
the commandment itself, often to inspire us, to teach us, and then to allow an
action below to cause a reaction above. We have to realize that God infused
within each of us a tremendous power; where our actions below impact the Cosmos
above.
We
see this also, in the stories that the Torah brings to us. Heaven forbid, we
should ever look at the Torah as a storybook, or a history book. These stories
also have tremendous and deep underlying concepts and messages, and all of the
actions that our forefathers did, which are described in these stories cause
reaction which we would feel many years later. This is part of the secret of
when the rabbis tell us that Ma’aseh Avot, Siman Labanim - the actions of the
forefathers are a sign for their children. The most famous is Abraham going to
Egypt because of the famine and arriving there with nothing, Sara is attacked and
protected and a short time later, Abraham and Sarah joined by Lot depart with tremendous
wealth. In the same manner, his descendants will eventually leave Egypt with
tremendous wealth, and just as Sara was protected, the women will be protected
even during the difficult years of the Egyptian enslavement.
In
this class we see how the actions of Joseph Impacted the family hundreds of
years later and how the stories we hear are so much deeper when we begin to
peel away the layers.
We
also explore the five negative forces released into the world, which gave power
to the primordial snake, which are represented by the five final letters of the
Hebrew alphabet which we refer to as MANSAPACH. Negative forces represent the
initial failures from Adam to the age of the flood to the generation of the tower
of Babel and, and the veil which led to the destruction of Sodom and finally culminating
into the descent into the crucible of Egypt.
In
other classes, we explore how each of the forefathers tried and mitigated some
of the negative power of each of the letters. This was done by Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, and Joseph. The fifth remains to be corrected by, the Mashiach, may he
come speedily in our days.
Rabbi Frand quotes The Sanzer Rebbe, zt”l, so once said that this is
the meaning of a universally practiced custom.
The Gemara in Brochos says that Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi put his hands over his eyes when he read Krias Shema. That is the way everyone reads Shema Yisrael. Why do we do it that way? The Sanzer Rebbe explains it is for this very reason. It symbolizes our inability to perceive the fact that the Midas HaDin and the Midas HaRachamim all come from the same source.
We can’t see the Attribute of Mercy being the ultimate source of bad things that happen to us. Therefore, we cover our eyes: I can’t see how this could possibly be good. I can’t see it – but I believe it!
If we look back at Jewish history, this is even harder to believe than personal life experiences which may trouble us.
On the national scale, the things thatKlal Yisraelhave endured are
mind-boggling. They are hard for the human mind to understand.
Therefore, when we recite Krias Shema, we need to cover our eyes, because many times in this world, we simply cannot see the unification to which we are testifying – thatHashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad, that it all stems from the same Midas HaRachamim.
This then was the resume of Moshe Rabbeinu. He qualified for Jewish leadership because he had the preeminent quality required of a Jewish leader – the ability to empathize with the suffering of the Jewish people. RABBI FRAND
Rav Simcha Zissel
Rav Yonosan Eibeshutz,
The Shela”h HaKadosh
Rav Matisyahu Solomon z’sl who passed away last week after serving 25 years as mashgiach ruchani (spiritual supervisor) of Beth Medrash Govoha, in Lakewood, and who was a close student of Rav Simcha Zissel.
ידאֵ֖לֶּה רָאשֵׁ֣י בֵית־אֲבֹתָ֑ם בְּנֵ֨י רְאוּבֵ֜ןבְּכֹ֣ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל חֲנ֤וֹךְ וּפַלּוּא֙ חֶצְרֹ֣ןוְכַרְמִ֔י אֵ֖לֶּה מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת רְאוּבֵֽן:
טווּבְנֵ֣י שִׁמְע֗וֹן יְמוּאֵ֨ל וְיָמִ֤ין וְאֹ֨הַד֙וְיָכִ֣ין וְצֹ֔חַר וְשָׁא֖וּל בֶּן־הַֽכְּנַֽעֲנִ֑יתאֵ֖לֶּה מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת שִׁמְעֽוֹן:
טזוְאֵ֨לֶּה שְׁמ֤וֹת בְּנֵֽי־לֵוִי֙ לְתֹ֣לְדֹתָ֔ם גֵּֽרְשׁ֕וֹןוּקְהָ֖ת וּמְרָרִ֑י וּשְׁנֵי֙ חַיֵּ֣י לֵוִ֔ישֶׁ֧בַע וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֛ים וּמְאַ֖ת שָׁנָֽה:
יזבְּנֵ֥י גֵֽרְשׁ֛וֹן לִבְנִ֥י וְשִׁמְעִ֖י לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָֽם:
יחוּבְנֵ֣י קְהָ֔ת עַמְרָ֣ם וְיִצְהָ֔ר וְחֶבְר֖וֹןוְעֻזִּיאֵ֑ל וּשְׁנֵי֙ חַיֵּ֣י קְהָ֔ת שָׁלֹ֧שׁוּשְׁלֹשִׁ֛ים וּמְאַ֖ת שָׁנָֽה:
יטוּבְנֵ֥י מְרָרִ֖י מַחְלִ֣י וּמוּשִׁ֑י אֵ֛לֶּהמִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הַלֵּוִ֖י לְתֹֽלְדֹתָֽם:
To 25
כהוְאֶלְעָזָ֨ר בֶּן־אַֽהֲרֹ֜ן לָֽקַח־ל֨וֹ מִבְּנ֤וֹת פּֽוּטִיאֵל֙ל֣וֹ לְאִשָּׁ֔ה וַתֵּ֥לֶד ל֖וֹ אֶת־פִּֽינְחָ֑סאֵ֗לֶּה רָאשֵׁ֛י אֲב֥וֹת הַֽלְוִיִּ֖ם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָֽם:
. ואםהוא משבט לוי, מה טוב ומה נעים שיאמרבשעת הזיווג פרשת בתי אבות הלוים המוזכריםבריש פרשת וארא (שמות ו, טז) מןואלה שמות בני לוי כל הפרשה, עד
(שם כה) אלה ראשי אבות הלוים למשפחותם.
וצריך ללמוד זה הפרשה בעל פה, כיאז אין לו נר. ויראו שניהם שיהיוידיהם נקיות, כי תמיד צריך להיות כלישל מים עומד לפני המטה, ויטלו ידיהםקודם תשמיש בשביל לקדש, וכן צריך ליטולאחר התשמיש כמבואר בבית יוסף ובשלחן ערוךסימן ד' (ח):
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְקוָק, אֱלֹקינוּ וֵֽאלֹקי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ, אֱלֹקי אַבְרָהָם, אֱלֹקי
יִצְחָק, וֵֽאלֹקי יַעֲקֹב. הָקל הַגָּדוֹל הַגִּבּוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָא, אֵל עֶלְיוֹן,
גּוֹמֵל חֲסָדִים טוֹבִים, קוֹנֵה הַכֹּל, וְזוֹכֵר חַסְדֵּי אָבוֹת, וּמֵבִיא
גוֹאֵל לִבְנֵי בְנֵיהֶם לְמַֽעַן שְׁמוֹ בְּאַֽהֲבָה:Love 13
Echad One and Names
13+13 = 26 Havaya
Colors
מֶֽלֶךְ
עוֹזֵר
וּמוֹשִֽׁיעַ
וּמָגֵן:
Instead of paraphrasing Rabbi Kaplan, I thought it important
to quote him directly as this is such an incredible lesson, I doubt there is a
single person who would not benefit tremendously,
He writes: The first paragraph in the Amidah concludes with
four words that are designated to bring Hashem closer to the worshiper. These four
words are 'Melech - King, Ozer - Helper, Moshia - Rescuer, and Magen -
Shield,'
Whereas in the first part of this paragraph we relate to
Hashem in a general manner, here we develop our personal relationship with Him.
These four words are the key to the entire Amidah. If one says them correctly,
one is left in a perfect spiritual space for the rest of the service. Even if
one has said the first parts of this paragraph without proper concentration, if
these four words are said properly, they will bring the worshiper to such a
closeness to Hashem that the rest of the Amidah will be perfect. Let us look at
these four words in detail.
The first word is 'King' (Melekh). We begin by
looking at Hashem as our king and at our relationship to Him as that of a
subject to a king. A king is far away, in his capital city, in his palace. If
you want something from the king, you must send him a formal request, and it
goes through his staff, his ministers, his secretary. Then, if you are lucky,
after a few months you may get a reply. Therefore, when we address Hashem as
King, we see Him as majestic but distant. Help is available from him, but not
closely available.
In the next word, we address Hashem as 'Helper'
(Ozer). Now we see him as much closer than a king. A 'helper' is
someone whom we can readily approach. He is a friend whom we know we can
always call on and who always will make himself available.
Therefore, when we call Hashem 'Helper,' we realize that we can call
on Him at any time and He will be there for us. This is a relationship
much closer than that to a king. In saying this word, we are
beginning the process through which we draw closer to Hashem. Third, we
address Hashem as 'Rescuer' (Moshia). Again, a rescuer is much closer
than a helper. A rescuer is someone who is available to save you when you are
drowning in a river; he is right there to jump in and pull you out. A helper
may have the best intentions in the world, but if he is not close to you at all
times, he cannot save you when you are in danger. Therefore, when we speak to
Hashem as our 'Rescuer,' we see Him as being available whenever we
need Him, ready to rescue us in an instant. We recognize that Hashem is always
close enough to help us, even when we are in imminent danger. Thus, the
relationship of Rescuer is much closer than that of Helper. This word brings us
yet a step closer to Hashem.
Finally, we speak to Hashem as our 'Shield'
(Magen). A shield is even closer than a rescuer. A shield can help even when an
arrow is flying at me and there is nothing else that can stop it. When the arrow
is flying, there is no time for even the rescuer to intercept it. The shield
must be there in place—right in front of me. Thus, when I address Hashem as my
'Shield,' I can feel Him right in front of me. Hashem is all around
me, surrounding me like a suit of divine armor. I am totally aware of Hashem's
protective power, surrounding me on all sides. I feel that I am being protected
by Hashem, so that nothing in the world can harm me.
Thus, in the four words 'Melech - King, Ozer -
Helper, Moshia - Rescuer, and Magen - Shield,' we become more and more
aware of Hashem's closeness. First we see Him as a benevolent but distant king,
then as a willing helper, then as a nearby rescuer, and finally, as an immanent
shield. In these four words, we make the transition from viewing Hashem as a
remote transcendental force to seeing Him as a protector who is closer than the
air around us.
The one person who reached the level where he could
constantly see Hashem as his shield was Abraham. Hashem had told him, 'Do
not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you' (Gen. 15:1). From that time on,
Abraham had a constant perception of Hashem as his shield. He was always aware
of Hashem being very close to him, surrounding him and protecting him on a most
immanent and direct level…. Of all the levels of relationship to Hashem, the
level of shield is the closest. Here we see Hashem close enough to us to stop even
a flying bullet. This was the level attained by Abraham, and at this point in
the Amidah, we aspire to it.
Even unaware of the danger and oblivious to even call
out for help, Hashem is there protecting us.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוּדָ֗ה
מַה־נֹּאמַר֙ לַֽאדֹנִ֔י מַה־נְּדַבֵּ֖ר וּמַה־נִּצְטַדָּ֑ק הָאֱלֹקים מָצָא֙
אֶת־עֲוֺ֣ן עֲבָדֶ֔יךָ הִנֶּ֤נּוּ עֲבָדִים֙ לַֽאדֹנִ֔י גַּם־אֲנַ֕חְנוּ גַּ֛ם
אֲשֶׁר־נִמְצָ֥א הַגָּבִ֖יעַ בְּיָדֽוֹ׃
The word גם may be
understood as הגם, i.e. 'even though the goblet has not been found in our
pouches.' Inasmuch as the sin the brothers had been guilty of did not
include Benjamin at all, seeing he had been far too young to participate in the
sale of Joseph, they said: 'as well as the one in whose pouch the goblet
has been found;' they attributed Benjamin's having been found with the
goblet in his pouch as a misfortune that had befallen Benjamin only because he
had travelled with sinners such as they. We find a similar use of two
apparently not only unrelated but completely contradictory phenomena when the
Talmud in Sanhedrin 93 compares 'two dried out trees and one moist
one,' saying that when the dry trees go up in flames even the green tree
is burnt up together with them.
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר חָלִ֣ילָה
לִּ֔י מֵעֲשׂ֖וֹת זֹ֑את הָאִ֡ישׁ אֲשֶׁר֩ נִמְצָ֨א הַגָּבִ֜יעַ בְּיָד֗וֹ ה֚וּא
יִהְיֶה־לִּ֣י עָ֔בֶד וְאַתֶּ֕ם עֲל֥וּ לְשָׁל֖וֹם אֶל־אֲבִיכֶֽם׃ {ס}
According to our
view Yehudah reasoned with Joseph as long as he felt that they were all being
punished for something they had done in the past. When he realised that
innocent Benjamin was being singled out for punishment whereas they, the guilty
ones, were allowed to go free, he realised that he did not confront divine
judgment in the person of Joseph, but that Joseph was a capricious ruler who
had framed Benjamin for reasons of his own. There was therefore no cause for
the brothers to submit to what they had previously considered as divine
retribution.
וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ אֵלָ֜יו
יְהוּדָ֗ה וַיֹּ֘אמֶר֮ בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִי֒ יְדַבֶּר־נָ֨א עַבְדְּךָ֤ דָבָר֙
בְּאׇזְנֵ֣י אֲדֹנִ֔י וְאַל־יִ֥חַר אַפְּךָ֖ בְּעַבְדֶּ֑ךָ כִּ֥י כָמ֖וֹךָ
כְּפַרְעֹֽה׃
The word אליו may
have been inserted in order to deflect an accusation against Yehudah who had
previously offered that all the brothers including Benjamin would be slaves to
Joseph whereas now he wanted Benjamin released. How could he dare reverse
himself? The Torah therefore explains that the word אליו refers to Joseph who
wanted to keep only Benjamin.
Jacob then made a vow, saying, “If God remains with me, protecting me on this journey that I am making, and giving me bread to eat and clothing to wear, Genesis.28.20
Ohr HaChaim The proper explanation of what Jacob said is that he was prepared to conduct himself in such a way that G'd would consent to associate His name with him even during his lifetime.
R' Bachya Yaakov wanted to teach his future offspring that the time to make vows is when one finds oneself in difficulties one does not know how to extricate himself from. Although, as a general rule, the Torah frowns on the making of vows, when a person vows due to finding himself in distress this is perfectly permissible.
וַיְהִ֕י כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר יָלְדָ֥ה רָחֵ֖ל אֶת־יוֹסֵ֑ף וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יַעֲקֹב֙
אֶל־לָבָ֔ן שַׁלְּחֵ֙נִי֙ וְאֵ֣לְכָ֔ה אֶל־מְקוֹמִ֖י וּלְאַרְצִֽי׃
After Rachel had
borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Give me leave to go back to my own
homeland.
כאשר ילדה רחל את
יוסף WHEN RACHEL HAD BORN JOSEPH — after the birth of him who was to become
Esau’s adversary (Genesis Rabbah 73:7) — as it is said (Obadiah 1:18) “And the
house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame and the house
of Esau for stubble“. Fire (Jacob) that has no flame (Joseph) has no effect at
a distance. Therefore, when Joseph was born Jacob put his trust in the Holy
One, blessed be He, and wished to return home (Obadiah 1:18).
Rashi explains
that Rikvah had sent Devorah to get Ya’akov to tell him it was safe to come
back as she had promised. And Yishak sent two servants
Rashi explains that she was there
because Rebecca was fulfilling a promise she made to Jacob 36 years earlier. As
her son was departing to Charan,
she told him, “I will send for you and bring you from there [and bring you
home].”5 Sending Deborah to her son was her way of keeping
her promise to send for him and bring him home.
The Medrash (Esther Rabba 7:9) tells us that it is a
reference to a conversation that occurred between Mordechai and the servants of
the King. The King’s servants asked Mordechai, why do you refuse to bow down to
Haman especially in light of the fact that your ancestors bowed down before the
ancestors of Haman? Mordechai asked, 'Which of my ancestors bowed down
before the ancestors of Haman?' The King's servants replied, 'Did not
your ancestor Yaakov bow down before Eisav his brother, who was Haman’s ancestor?'Mordechai
answered, 'I am descended from Binaymin and when Yaakov bowed down before
Eisav, Binyamin was not yet born and he did not bow down before any human all
his days... Just as my forefather did not bow to Eisav, I who hail from the
tribe Binyamin ('ish yemini') will not bow to his descendant
either.'
The
Gemara in Megilla (17a) teaches that Yosef disappeared from his father for
twenty-two years 'mida k'neged mida,' corresponding to the twenty-two
years that Yaakov did not honor his parents while he was in Lavan's house. (The Gemara in Megillah 16b teaches that
Yaakov was not punished for the fourteen years he spent learning in Yeshivas
Shem V'Ever as Rabba said in the name of Rav Shmuel Bar Marta 'The study
of Torah is greater than honoring parents' - see also Shulchan Aruch Yoreh
Deah 240:13)
And Hashem said to Avram, “Go (to) (for) yourself, from your land, from your birth place, from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. (Breishit 12:1)
Go,yourself,' A hint to him, 'When you will be 100 years old (30+20+30+20), then I will make you a great nation.' For then Isaac will be born. Baal HaTurim
G'd did not tell Abraham if he was meant to set out on his journey immediately or if he should wait till He would specify the exact location He wanted Abraham to move to. This ambiguity was part of the test to which G'd subjected Abraham. G'd also hinted
that He would show Abraham the whole of the land of Israel by broadening his field of vision, etc, as we know from 13,14: 'lift your eyes from where you are and look northward, southward,
eastward, and westward. Or_HaChaim
Tonight, we begin shemini aseret which in Israel is a single
day. For us in Galut, we divide the two days of chutz la aretz into the two
parts of the holiday. We come to think of tomorrow as the day of tikun hageshem
where we praise Hashem for bringing rain and Sunday, Simcha Torah, as
celebrating the Torah. But in reality,
it’s a single 8th day of the holiday. And the question was asked, what’s it all
about?
We always attempt to connect the holidays of this month,
which begin with Rosh Hashana and conclude with Simcha Torah.
Rosh Hashana relates to Adam. It is the day Adam was created.
It is the day, he was commanded not to eat from the tree, It was the day he
sinned and that was the day G-d mercifully pushed aside or forward the punishment,
setting a precedent as a day of judgment where Hashem will hopefully, treat us
with mercy.
Now we always connect the Rosh Hashana with Yom Kippur as bookends
of Aseret Yemey Teshuba, but Yom Kippur follows Rosh Hashana 2449 years and 10
days later. We left Egypt in Nisan or April and we sinned with a golden the
golden calf in Tammuz or July. Moses went back up a few more times begging for
forgiveness. And it is on Yom Kippur that Moses returns and again we have some
level of forgiveness or pushing off the punishment. We can suggest even though
there was no Yom Kippur in the beginning, Hashem created the world based on the
blue print presented in the Torah. And what appears to be coincidence, is
really part of the big plan.
Now let’s look at Sukkot which falls five days after Yom
Kippur with four intermediary days between the two. We can suggest that that
holiday should have fallen in April or Nissan, but the rabbis explain that the
reason why it’s not as April because it would be natural to go camping or move
to an outdoor area when the sun comes out in the weather gets warm, and here
we’re doing it when the weather starts to change and people are returning back
inside to their homes.
A possible answer is that when the people sinned with the
golden calf, they deserve to lose everything, Hashem mercifully refused to withhold
food and water, because they couldn’t survive without either of those, but Hashem
could take away the clouds. So, after they sin with the golden calf in Tammuz
or July, the clouds are removed which must’ve been a rough time of year to
remove the clouds and then what happens?
Moses returns on Yom Kippur with the second set of luchot or
tablets and the next day he begins the fundraising campaign for the Mishkan. Moses
collects all he asks for and more over the next few days because the people
want to feel the presence of Hashem among them again to the point where he has
to tell them enough. And so they begin building the Mishkan on the first day of
Sukkot and with that the clouds return. With that in mind, it makes sense to
celebrate this holiday, on the day that the clouds returned because Sukkot celebrates
the clouds of glory.
The essence of a suhhah is its shade. If there is more sun than shadow, it is invalid.
'In His shadow, I delighted there and there I sat, and the fruit of His Torah was sweet to my palate.' (2:3) בְּצִלּוֹ֙ חִמַּ֣דְתִּי וְיָשַׁ֔בְתִּי וּפִרְי֖וֹ מָת֥וֹק לְחִכִּֽי
אֲוַז הַבָּר הַמְּשׁוֹטֶטֶתבַּמִּדְבָּר. כְּשֶׁרוֹאֵה אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹסְקִיםבַּתּוֹרָה אוֹמֶרֶת. קוֹל קוֹרֵא בַּמִּדְבָּר,
פָּנוּ דֶּרֶךְ יי, יַשְׁרוּ בַּעֲרָבָה מְסִלָּהלֶאֱלֹהֵינוּ, וְעַל מְצִיאוּת מְזוֹנוֹתֶיהָ בַּמִּדְבָּראוֹמֶרֶת. אָרוּר הַגֶּבֶר אַשֵּׁר יִבְטַח בָּאָדָם,
בָּרוּךְ הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר יִבְטַח בְּיי וְהָיָהיי מִבְטָחוֹ:
The Wild Goose flying in the wilderness, when it sees Yisra’el busy with Torah, is saying “A voice cries, Prepare in the wilderness the way of YHVH, make straight in the desert a path for our elo’ah. And upon finding its food in the wilderness, it says, “Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings…” Blessed is the man who trusts in YHVH, and YHVH shall be his assurance.”
Extremely powerful class discussing reincarnation of entire generations, the tikun olam, tragedy of unfilfilled potential, the flood, the tower, the beauty of Sedom and the Torah of Olam HaBah.
Ki
Tavo El HaAretz - When you come to the land and celebrate the first fruits.
Our
newlywed children Mariyah and Moshe moved into their apartment this week and
were busy building plant racks for the balcony and arranging things. Mariyah
sent me a picture after shopping at Machaneh Yehuda of her new refrigerator
stocked with fruits and vegetables and it was so apropos considering the
opening topic of this week’s portion. Moving from America with the luxuries we
get used to including immediate food deliveries through Instacart and setting
up a home in Jerusalem with lots of red tape and bureaucracy, presents its
challenges. But they view it as returning home.
And
today was our granddaughter Orly Adele’s third birthday. She celebrated at home
with her siblings and parents in the Holy Land while her oldest sister Choux
Choux brought home her homework to do, all in her native tongue, Hebrew.
Before
there was the internet and podcasts, before there were CD’s and learning via
zoom, there were Rabbi Beryl Wein’s cassette tapes. And spending an hour or so
with the Rabbi each day going through each of his history series was a part of
my daily study curriculum. Rabbi Abittan would explain that understanding
Jewish history, and where and when each of our great leaders and poskim lived
and the socio economic conditions they lived under is crucial in understanding
Torah and halacha,
Rabbi
Wein points out to what we refer to as exaggerated stories or fairy tales
brought by the great sage Rabba Bar bar Hana in Baba Batra 73B and clarifies
that the Talmud’s fairy tales often reflect the realities of life in a very
prophetic way.
“And
Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: Once we were traveling on a ship and we saw a certain
fish upon which sand had settled, and grass grew on it. We assumed that it was
dry land and went up (onto this island) and baked and cooked on the back of the
fish, but when its back grew hot (because of the fire from the cooking), it
turned over. And were it not for the fact that the ship was close by, we would
have drowned.
Rabbi
Wein tells us to look at this story and ponder how it reflects on the history
of the Jewish people. Often, and throughout time, we think that we are on solid
ground; what we call terra firma, but in reality, we’ve settled on a floating
fish, and when things get hot, the fish turns and we get thrown into the sea.
He
recalled when he was the rabbi in Monsey, New York, they were building a new
study hall and synagogue where certain huge ceiling beams were required. He
found a company in Canada that made these beams and they guaranteed them for 80
years. One of the members of the synagogue asked why he purchased these beams
from Canada when there was a company in Finland which charged a few dollars
more, but would give a guarantee for 300 years.
Rabbi
Wein asked: are we planning for 300 years to have a building in exile? Are we
not considering returning home? Are we thinking about building a building for
the people who will take over our synagogue.
As
he told the story, I remembered the stories he would tell about his
father-in-law in Detroit, and how they built a Synagogue and years later when
the neighborhood changed, they all moved away. They built a new synagogue, in
the new neighborhood, while selling the first synagogue to a black minister and
his flock.
And
then years later, when they were going to move again, and they were selling
their synagogue to the same group a second time and building a third synagogue,
the minister told them he wanted to be on the building committee for the third
synagogue because he figured eventually he would buy that too, once the Jews
moved away.
Rabbi
Wein in his special way pointed out that the pity is that we think that we’re
living on dryland, and that nothing is going to move us. We are sure there is
bedrock below us and we have a stable and perfect foundation, but the reality
is everything in Jewish history, from the Torah to the prophets and all through
the last two millennia tells us that we are really living on that fish, and
once the fish gets hot, we get tossed.
In
his synagogue in Jerusalem, there was a certain men who, for the last 16 years,
was the chazan on the eve of Rosh Hashanah for selichot. And this past year,
this man who is a diabetic, must’ve taken an incorrect dosage of insulin, or
had some reaction and there was some imbalance. Towards the end of the prayer,
he was unable to continue, and almost passed out. The words just didn’t come
out and they sat him down and gave him some orange juice and someone else took
over. And it occurred to the Rabbi that this is us. One small imbalance and we
can’t continue.
All
of life is like this, but too often we blind ourselves from realizing it. We
have people who build fortunes, and they think those fortunes will last forever
and a generation or two later, and sometimes not even that long, the fortunes
disappear.
We
have to remember the words of Rabbi Bar Bar Chana when he admits that if not
for the boat, he and they would’ve all drowned. The only way that we don’t
drown in this world is to stay in the boat. The boat is Torah, the boat is
mitzvot, the boat is morality, the boat is kindness, the boat is Hashem’s boat.
The
boat is everything that the world mocks, and the Creator of the world proves
this to us.
And
as I think of the opening words of the perasha, when you will come to the land
and consider that we have one little piece of dryland in the world, a fraction
of a fraction of the world. If you ask anybody on the planet, they’ll swear to
you that this piece of land we’ve returned too after two thousand years is the
prime example of sitting on the back of a fish waiting to be thrown off.
But
this piece of land is in fact a protected boat, just as the boat is our
synagogue and the boat is our family.
Many
people arrive with a long list on Rosh Hashanah, but stop for a second and ask
yourself, what if you could only have one item on your list? What if you could
only ask for one thing? What would that be?
Perhaps
to be on that boat with our children and grandchildren and settled in the land
that was given to us, whether shopping at machane Yehuda to fill the new fridge
in Jerusalem or celebrating a birthday with a three year old sabra in Tel Aviv.
“Then
you will rejoice in all the good things that the Lord your God has given you
and your family, along with the Levites and the stranger in your midst.” Amen
A couple of years ago, I was out shopping in the days before Rosh Hashana when I noticed two yeshiva boys in their suits and white
shirts with their mom. The mother pulled a set of small bowls off a shelf into her wagon and one boy asked why they would need such small bowls. The mother responded that they would be good for the simanim - the special foods we serve on the night of Rosh Hashana.
The other boy laughed and asked, 'Ma, what do you think? That this is Pesach? Ma, it’s not the Seder! Why such a big deal over some foods that we don't want to eat anyway? Do you really think it matters?'
I couldn't mind my own business. The mother was a bit aggravated. She went one way and the boys went the other way.
So I went over to speak with them.
The truth is that their question is very valid. Just imagine for a second getting a speeding ticket in some small town in upstate New York or New Jersey. You arrive at this small town court.
The cop who wrote you the ticket is there and the judge asks you how you plead. You try some guilty with explanation excuse and then the judge cuts you short, asks the cop a few questions and tells you if you're done he will decide the verdict.
Try telling it to the Judge
You tell him to wait one more minute. You pull out from your bag a jar of honey and some sliced apple and as you dip the apple into the honey you state aloud, may it be the will of your honor the judge to sweeten my verdict just like this honey sweetens the apple and you eat the apple, relishing each bite in front of the court. Odds are that the judge will either throw you into a cell for a few hours charging you with contempt or ask that you be taken to the local hospital for observation.
Rosh Hashana is supposed to be the day of judgment. And as we learned in school as children, G-d takes out the scale. On one side go our sins and on the other go our merits. If we are worthy, we are judged positively and if not then we're in for some trouble.
How can eating a pomegranate or some blacked eyed peas increase our merits? How can eating a gourd or some dates
help destroy our enemies? How can an apple in honey sweeten out judgments? How is it possible through these foods to change sins into merits? What's going on here?
Is There Such a Thing as a Good Omen?
Is there such a thing as a good omen? And on Rosh Hashana is it the food or the prayer? And if it's the prayer then why do we need the food? The Talmud tells us about omens. If someone wants to know if they will be judged for life then on the days between
Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur he should light a candle in a draft free room. If the candles burns then fine, if the candle goes out, he better get some more life insurance quickly.
If he wants to know if he will merit a good parnasa or livelihood, he should take a chicken. He should feed it and if after a while it gains weight than all is good. But if it loses weight, he should get on the phone and call the bankruptcy attorney because tough times are ahead. And there are more.
The Talmud then warns not to try any of these at home. “Perhaps he will not see it and worry and as a result he will experience misfortune”.
A Reason to Be More Confused
Then Abaye goes on to say that what does work is eating pumpkin, fenugreek, leeks, beets and dates. These are good omens. He doesn't mention any yehi ratzons, nor prayers. Eat those foods he suggests. And if you were confused when we started, you should be even more puzzled now. How can we begin to understand what is going on here? The Arizal suggests that the person who lit the candle and sees the candle go out goes into depression. Perhaps the “Satan” blew it out just to mess with your mind. Sadness is a tool of the other side as it disconnects us from Hashem. Recall our forefather Jacob who in mourning for the loss of Joseph for 22 years lost his Ruach HaKodesh – his connection with G-d. Abaye in his brilliance suggests that if depression can
disconnect us and damage our Mazal then joy can do the opposite. And these special foods should bring us joy.
In Parashat Ki Tavo we read of 98
chilling curses. Why are we subject to curses? The Torah tells us it's because
we didn't serve Hashem with joy and a good heart. We are commanded again and
again to be happy and to serve Hashem with joy.
These foods which make up the
simanim of Rosh Hashana can be sweet but sometimes sour. If we taste them and
appreciate them; If we taste the sweetness and forget the tart; If we are
thankful of the world G-d gave us and are happy with Hashem then Hashem is
happy with us. If we are satisfied and happy then there is no place for
sadness, anger or jealousy. Satisfaction and joy have the power to change us
and change our lives.
The
Benefits of Regarding Hashem as Our Father
If we are happy with Hashem and look
at him as a father then Hashem will look at us as his children. A child who
does something wrong and comes to his parent admitting his sin, feeling bad not
only for doing something wrong but for embarrassing his parent and truly tries
to never do the same wrong again in essence converts the sin into a merit. The
father cherishes the child and the entire act becomes part of a victory tale.
On Rosh Hashana, Hashem's behavior
towards us mirrors our own behavior. If we are happy with the world and
satisfied; If we share and care; If we look towards G-d as a parent, then he
looks at us as a child.
The
Power to Change Our Mazal
Eating those foods, appreciating
them, being satisfied with them and enjoying them really has the power to
change our Mazal. We really can turn a sin into a merit. They have the power to
change the scale by literally converting the sins on the left side of the scale
into merits on the right side.
The key lies in our own hands. The
key lies in our own attitudes. On this Rosh Hashana as you sit with your family
and taste these foods stop and smell the proverbial roses. Go around the table
and ask everyone to focus on what they have to be thankful for. Focus on the
glass half full. Commit to being satisfied and fighting jealousy and anger.
Don't forget that what we project
finds its way back to us. May we project love and unity, satisfaction and
appreciation, and may we be blessed with a year of health, happiness, peace and
prosperity. Amen!
Tizku LeShanim Rabot
David Bibi
How do we understand the concept of serving Hashem with joy?
Is there really a misvah gedola lihiyot besimcha tamid?
How do we define simcha ?
David corrected Michal his wife, daughter of Shaul's misconception concerning the meaning of simchah in the service of Hashem. He
emphasized that this type of simchah must be expressed physically
and outwardly—even if it means that one must seemingly act beneath one’s dignity for the sake of Hashem— and display his simchah like a commoner.
Zohar hakadosh (Toldos 138a): “אצטריך יצר הרע לעולם —כמטרא לעולם, דאלמלא יצר הרע חדוותא דשמעתא לא ליהוי” the world requires the yetzer Hara just like it requires rain; if not
for the yetzer Hara, simchah related to Torah study would not
exist. What a powerful and incredible idea!
Based on the Shvilei Pinchas: The yetzer Hara yearns to be transformed into a force for good, so that it, too, can participate in the service of Hashem. Yet, when people do not serve Hashem with simchah, it remains in its original evil state. In fact, it is angry
with man for not having rectified it and transformed it. As
revenge, it prevents man, as well, from elevating himself in the
service of Hashem; it rallies all of its forces to bring man down
spiritually by means of its various traps. These are the very
same forces that man, had he been wiser, could have transformed
into instruments for good by simply performing misvot
with simchah.
“When you go out to the war against your enemies, and the
L-RD your G-d delivers HIM into your hand and you capture HIS captive
And you see among the captives a beautiful woman and you
desire her and would take her to wife,
How can the Torah permit soldiers raping and capturing
women in battle and keeping them against their will? It seems so inconsistent with so much else the Torah teaches us about marriage – and about waging war?
The Status of Those Defeated in War in the Past: In ancient
times, the victors of wars would do whatever they pleased with those they vanquished. Any type of abuse was considered acceptable, both legally, and morally. Those who fell in captivity were considered the property of the victors. Many of them were killed and publicly abused (for that reason, King Saul asked to be killed with his own the sword, rather than be captured by the
Philistines). Some were slaughtered as sacrifices on the altars of their gods, while others were taken for murderous games and used as gladiators in wars against wild beasts or between one another, until death.
Rashi
to Avot 3:15'Freewill is given': It is given into the hands of each human
being, as it says, 'See, I have set before you this day life and
good...'
הַמַּֽאֲכִ֨לְךָ֥ מָן֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יָדְע֖וּן אֲבֹתֶ֑יךָלְמַ֣עַן עַנֹּֽתְךָ֗ וּלְמַ֙עַן֙ נַסֹּתֶ֔ךָלְהֵיטִֽבְךָ֖ בְּאַחֲרִיתֶֽךָ׃
Manna From Heaven The One Who feeds you manna in the desert…in order to test you. (Devarim 8:16)
Rabbeynu Bachya , ” All the tedium the people experienced during their trek in the desert was designed to subject them to a test to get them used to deal with such phenomena and to strengthen their faith when they would emerge from these tests each time. Faith in the Lord had to be instilled in them until it became their second nature (actually “first” nature). David asked for G’d’s assistance in training him to do His will until it would become
his nature to do so, until it required little effort. We find
the same wish expressed in Deut. 14,23 where the commandments of tithing and making pilgrimages to Jerusalem annually are used as prime examples of getting the Jewish people to “learn” to revere the Lord our G’d. The reason why the Torah describes a people being fed manna from heaven as suffering, enduring an “affliction” in doing so is to teach that when someone does not have a food supply for a number of days ahead he is considered as enduring an “affliction.” The fact that the supply of manna was only sufficient for one day at a time and the people had to depend on G’d’s goodwill on a daily basis was an ענוי, a serious discomfort. Even
the eating of such a limited food supply makes one conscious that there is nothing left when one has concluded one’s meal, a fact which lessens’ one’s enjoyment.
Based on Shvilei Pinchas
WithHis 515 Entreaties Moshe Rabeinu Broke through Every Barrier Thereby Paving the Way for All of Yisrael’s Tefilos to Reach the Kisei HaKavod
The Keli Yakar explains: We have found that
sometimes Hashem compares Israel to the stars and sometimes to the sand on the shore of the sea …. As in times of tranquility and success, He compares them to the stars. That is an expression of greatness, as Rashi explains in this weeks Perasha. And the comparison of the sand indicates the time when the nations rise up against Israel to destroy them, but they cannot [defeat] them. This is like the waves that go up as if they wanted to flood the whole world. But immediately when they reach the sand, they are
broken. So too are the nations.
Rabbeynu Bachya takes a Midrashic approach, found in Devarim as a reference to the encampment of the Jewish people, and are similar to when G’d showed Avraham that all the zodiac signs in heaven surrounded the Shechinah. Similarly, the flag of the Jewish people, three tribes and their flag in each direction is perceived with the Shechinah in the center of the camp. Hashem had told Moses: “just as the zodiac signs surround Me and I am in the center, so your children will multiply and encamp according to their respective flags while My Presence will dwell in their midst.
For me the most interesting comment is from the Shnai Luchot HaBrit where Rabbi Horowitz comments 'You are today as numerous as the stars in the sky,' he immediately added a blessing, i.e. 'May the Lord the G–d of your fathers increase your numbers a thousand fold, and bless you as He promised you.' This verse contains two blessings: Moses blessed G–d, Moses asking G–d to bless Israel.'
RASHI: וימסרו SO THERE WERE HANDED OVER … [A
THOUSAND OF EVERY TRIBE] — This serves to tell you in what high esteem the shepherds of Israel meaning the Leaders-
were really held — how dear they were to Israel.
Up until they had heard of his approaching
death what does it state? That Moses felt constrained to exclaim about them, “They are almost ready to stone me”! (Exodus 17:14). But when they heard that Moses’ death was associated with the execution of vengeance upon Midian (cf. v. 2), they refused
to go to war until they were “handed over” against their own will (Sifrei Bamidbar 157:3).
Rabbeynu Bachya
ו
וימסרו מאלפי ישראל, “they were
handed over from amongst the thousands of Israelites, etc.”
Rabbeynu Bachya: Our sages in Sifri Mattot 157 comment on this
that these men had not volunteered but had been drafted against their will due to their love of Moses; they knew that Moses’ death would result from their waging this war and they did not want to contribute to Moses’ death
A Segulah for Protection
The
portion of Pinchas includes the readings of all of the holidays of the year.
The renown Gaon and MeKubal , Rabbi Chaim Palagi in his sefer Refuah VeChaim
12/46 – (Healing and Life) brings an incredible segulah. The Rabbi explains
that the reading of these perekin 28 and 29 is a protection against judgment, and
specifically with regard to court and legal cases especially from the nations
of the world.
Who
was this great Rabbi: Rabbi Chaim Palagi was a prolific author. Seventy-two of
his works are known, but it also is known that some of his manuscripts were destroyed
in the great fire which struck Izmir in 1841. Every time R' Palaji published a
new book, he made a festive meal and ate a new fruit, on which he would recite
the blessing of 'She'he'cheyanu
In
one of his works, R' Palagi describes his own life as follows: I call heaven
and earth to testify that from the age when I could control my faculties until
I was 20, I used to devote myself single-mindedly to Torah study, day and
night, with no wasted time. I had no involvement with worldly matters. From age
20 to age 40, when my children were dependent on me, I dealt with worldly
matters as a broker. Nevertheless, whenever I had no work, I did not turn to
frivolity and wasteful things, but rather I returned to my studies. From age
40, when I was appointed to be a rabbinical judge and teacher and to handle
matters of concern to the public, until this day, there is not a minute when I
am not surrounded by litigants or by public affairs. These matters come both
from this city and its environs, and also various decrees of the government
keep me busy with matters affecting the public. Therefore my heart worries
within me that I do not spend sufficient time studying. I, therefore, force
myself to use the limited time that I have for studying, and may others see me
and do the same; may they learn from me that when distractions come along,
whether they come from public or private matters -- for one's eyes and heart
search for a spare moment -- that spare time, when it comes, should not be
wasted. If one lives thus, his Torah studies will be blessed.
R' Palagi's son wrote of him: His behavior
with his family and the excellence of his character traits in dealing with them
was unique in the world. He never became upset about any household issue; to
the contrary, he always made peace overtures. He never became upset at the
children's noise. He used to call them to him each morning to recite the
morning blessings, and they prayed out loud. Very patiently, every day, he
performed the mitzvah of 'You shall teach them to your children.' He
would instruct his children in fearing Hashem . . . and never to make fun of
any person. Once, a member of his household offended another person, and he
[i.e., R' Palagi] did not rest until that person had been appeased. A number of
times, he even gave money to a person who had been offended.
A
couple of weeks ago, a friend who is dealing with issues exaggerated against
him by seemingly overzealous government employees asked about a Kameyah written
and segulot which might come to assist in his defense against these malevolent
forces. As these subjects are way above my rabbinical paygrade, I spoke with
some rabbis who frequent these worlds to understand the power behind the
kameyah and suggested some tefilot and actions to add. I also employed my
brother Victor who I can depend on to always explain to me difficult to
understand kabbalistic concepts and he too gave me some tools. Earlier this
week Victor was excited to share the words of Rabbi Chaim Palagi as recalled by
Rabbi Daniel Gladstein from the Sefer quoted above.
It
is our custom every day to begin Mincha with Lamnaseyach and before the ketoret
to recite the first 8 verses from Bamidbar Chapter 28 recalling the dailing
Tamid offerings. In another sefer, Moed LeKol Chai, Rav Palagi mentions that it
was his own custom to not stop at 8 pesukim but to continue at mincha gedolah
to read these two chapters in full beginning with Shabbat through the 21 days
of holidays culminating with the sacrifices brought each day of sukkot, the 70
offerings brought on behalf of the 70 nations. Rabbi Palagi who dealt with
government entities each day explained that through the reading of these
offerings, there is a reduction in spiritual power against us for those
nations. He continues and he elucidates that anyone who has a claim against
them from the nations of the world, whether a government or court should employ
this method as a segulah to protect themselves.
The
Rabbi brings a story of a man would been incarcerated on an inflated charge in
Izmir, and he suggested to the man to read every single day in the afternoon
prayer these two chapters.
This
occurred during the month of Elul and miraculously and without explanation, the
man was released on Sukkot.
The
power of these verses is not limited to Sukkot and in fact during our period of
ben hametzrim they can be a very commanding protection activating the
incredible power hidden within this portion of Pinchas. Reading of a portion
influences the time of the year, especially now when we go into this difficult
period of the three weeks when we caution against court cases against
adversaries. Hashem brings this to assist us.
Continuing
on this path, if we examine the reading in this portion where we see the
listing of all of the holidays, we see in the chumash that between all of the
holidays, there is the letter samach. For example between Passover and
Shevauot, there is a samach and between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur and Yom
Kippur and Sukkoth through each day of the festival, but between the new year
and the day of atonement there is a letter S and then another one before the
festival of booths . But between Shavuot and Rosh Hashana there is only a Peh,
take a look and ask why? What could be
the significance of this?
The
Apter Rav suggests that this period of Ben HaMesarim which we call the three
weeks is comprised of 21 days, relating to the 21 holidays we mention in these
chapters of Pinchas. They are Shabbat, Rosh Hodesh, Pesach(7), Shavuot, Rosh
Hashana (2), Yom Kippur and Sukkot (8). And there is a reason in reading about
them at the start of this period. The
hint in the word ACH, we say Ach Tov – just good. The good for Yisrael is in
the Ach, which has the numerical equivlent Aleph and Chaf of 21. Tov of good
can be found in these 21. And these 21 holidays are rooted in the 21 days of
the Three Weeks.
So
one must ask a question, why would all our holidays all be rooted in the 21
days of Ben HaMesarim?
We
must remind ourselves of what Rabbi Abittan taught. These 21 days should’ve
been a very special period. We recall that the day Moses came down with the
luchot was the 17th of Tammuz. That should have been an incredible holiday. And
the day the spies returned and we could’ve made the decision to go marching
into the land was the ninth of Av. We reversed the dynamic of these days. We
cut the wires holding incredible power and turned the great spiritual energy
into great spiritual danger. But the potential remains.
Rabbi
Gladstein also suggested that all of the fast days represent the root of the
Davidic dynasty. We are taught that the Mashiach was born on the ninth of Av.
And the 17th of Tammuz is the wedding night of Ruth and Boaz when the
conception of Oved occurred. We also have the 10th of Tevet, 9 months prior to
the 9th of Av, as the conception date of the Mashiach.
These
21 days are really festive days at a higher plane, but because of our actions,
we have dimmed them and we await the reconnection of the wires, the restoration
of that energy and light that will transform these 21 days of mourning to 21
days of a festival of joy. And the greatest holiday will be the one on the ninth
of Av.
Therefore,
as we begin these 21 days, it is important to read about the 21 days of
holiness.
The
Benai Yissaschar asked, why do we (other than in a leap year) always double up
the last two portions Matot and Masei of the book of Numbers? Why not double up
the two portions of Chukat and Balak as we read last week in order to catch up
with Israel? He answers that it’s important for us to read the portions of
Pinchas, Matot and Masei now as they discuss the distribution of the land of
Israel especially during this time when we read about or we live through the
aspect of exile.
And
as we explained in the class we posted earlier this week, “Incapacitating the
Angel of Death”, we have to remember that Pinchas as explained by Rabbi Pinchas
Friedman, is Eliyahu and Eliyahu will announce the coming of the messiah. This
was also the claim Moses made against Hashem at the burning bush, shelach beyad
tishlach, when he told Hashem to send instead, Eliyahu, who would usher in the
final redemption as Moses did not want to be the guy to bring in a half
redemption.
Hashem
always gives us the cure before bringing the malady. We can suggest that
Pinchas is the cure being Eliyahu, which we read at the outset of the three
weeks in order to show us as we go into the three weeks that the cure is
already there, and Eliyahu is waiting for us, and we just need to bring the
cure.
Then
we have the distribution of the land, showing us that, even though we are in a
period where we recall the exile, and we are living within this very long
exile, just as the land was distributed for us back then, the land is for us
even now, and into the future.
And
finally, we can allude to the 21 days of holidays that are mentioned as the 21
days of holidays we have, and the source for those 21 holidays and the fact
that these 21 days Ben HaMEsarim, will be transformed into a great holiday
culminating with, the great festivity of The new Tisha BeAv
Returning
to our original question where we asked why there is a Samach between all of
the holidays with the exception of between Shavuot and Rosh Hashana, we can
that Hashem reserved for us another holiday to fit into that time slot between
June and September, and that is the 21 day holiday to be re-introduced into the
system, leatid lavoh. We’ve mentioned often that the original plan was to have
a holiday each month and when we messed it up with the Golden Calf and with the
Spies, everything got pushed. But we are hoping that with the imminent arrival
of Mashiach we will be blessed to celebrate these 21 days in joy together with
the rebuilding of the Mikdash speedily in our days.
Shabbat
Shalom
David
Bibi
The SHVILEI PINCHAS: Let us begin our path to enlightenment with the fascinating words of the holy Zohar (Pinchas 237.) regarding the difficult battle Pinchas waged with the angel
of death, the Malach HaMavet, in order to save Yisrael from annihilation.
— Pinchas the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon HaKohen
saw, and he rose from the midst of the assembly.
This possuk suggests that he saw something that prompted him to act zealously to avenge Hashem.
The Zohar explains that while Yisrael were engaged in their transgression — which came as a consequence of Bilam’s counsel and was led by Zimri ben Saloo — Pinchas saw the letter “mem,” full of blood, suspended above the heads of Yisrael.
He perceived, wisely, that this was the sign of the Malach HaMavet — attempting to unite the letter “mem” with the letters “vov-tov” to form the Hebrew word מו”ת (death), in order to bring widespread death to the people of Yisrael.
Pinchas reacted by uttering the shem HaMeforrash and capturing the letter “mem.” Upon realizing that Pinchas had snatched the letter “mem” away from him, he immediately backed away. Pinchas joined the “mem” with the numerical value of his own name 208 ) פינח”ס ) — represented by the letters ר”ח
(“reish” equals 200; “ches” equals 8) — to form the word רמ”ח .
Describing this event, the possuk states (Bamidbor 25, 7): “ויקח — and he took a רמח (a spear) in his hand — in other words, he used the letter “mem” which he snatched away from the Malach HaMavet to kill those involved in the transgression. As a result: “ותעצר המגפה מעל בני ישראל” — the plague was halted.
This, then, is the interpretation of the possuk: ”פינחס בן אלעזר בן אהרן הכהן השיב את חמתי מעל בני ישראל”
-- Pinchas the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon HaKohen, turned back My wrath from upon Bnei Yisrael, when he zealously avenged Me among them — he deflected the wrath of the letter “mem,” which hung, full of blood, above the heads of Yisrael; בקנאו את קנאתי בתוכם' “ — he zealously avenged Hashem ” בתוך
ם
“, by capturing the letter “mem,” thus, sparing the lives of the people of Yisrael:
As we concluded the story of Bilaam, we saw how this
prophet of the nations was looking to curse Benai Yisrael, but was unsuccessful in three attempts. Each time instead of a curse, he gave us a blessing frustrating his hosts and employers.
And as if all that wasn’t aggravating enough to the Moabites
and Midianites, he adds to his words with a long and fourth blessing. They are obviously very upset with him as not only did he not preform the service he was hired to do, but he in fact did the opposite. The assassin had taken on the role of defender.
Feeling guilty, Bilaam exits but leaves his hosts with a gift
and weapon suggesting an alternative method of success in their war with the Children of Israel. He reminds them that their God hates promiscuity and suggests that they set up a market place where the men will come to purchase textiles and fabrics. This is all a pretext to draw the shoppers into their tents. While perusing product at the roadside stands the men are beckoned in to see the supposed superior merchandise which can only be seen inside.
There they meet the young Midianite women who are selling
much more than garments. An indecent proposal follows and the exchange requested is to simply defecate in front of their idol. Driven by lust, it’s easy justifying this disgusting act, not as worship but as ridicule of the strange idol these women worship. But the philosophy of Baal Peor is more than a disgusting act, it is eliminating all aspects of self-control and self-respect. What appears to be the ultimate in freedom is actually the path
to the ultimate slavery to our taavot – our It’s animalistic desires and with that, many of the people fall into the trap laid out by Bilaam.
The unbelievable and unbecoming behavior extends all the
way up the ladder to Zimri Ben Salu, prince and leader of the tribe of Shimon. He is a very old and distinguished man among the people. He takes Kozbi bat Sur, who our rabbis suggest is the daughter of Balak. She came with the intent to seduce Moses but Zimri submits that Moses merely leads the third of the
tribes as a Levite, while he leads the second of the tribes from Shimon. He
too, seeks to justify his act as a necessary pre-messianic act to bring the
nations under the canopy of G-d.
Confronted by Moses and the leaders, he asks if she is permitted
or forbidden. Moses replies that she is obviously forbidden. The response is
ridiculed with a question, Moses are you permitted a Midianite woman as a wife
and I am not?
Zimri very publicly brings her into his tent surrounded by
his tribesmen and guards while Moses, Elazar the Kohen Gadol and the leaders
stand astonished. It’s almost as if they have no idea what to do. Pinchas, the
son of Elazar witnesses the spectacle sees what is going on and approaches
Moses. He reminds his great uncle and teacher of a halacha that Moshe himself
had taught that one of our people who publicly and callously shows disregard
for the Torah by publicly cohabitating with a goya is liable for the death
penalty without trial. Moshe directs Pinchas to act upon the halacha
Pinchas approaches the tent as if he wishes to join in the
act as part of the rebellion against Moses. Entering the tent, he takes a spear
and plunges it through the two of them while they’re in the act and comes out
of the tent raising the spear before they die. Twenty-four thousand die at Baal
Peor.
In taking vengeance for G-d, Pinchas risks his life
completely. Zimri could have legally defended himself and slain his attacker.
The tribe of Shimon could’ve torn Pinchas to pieces. He miraculously completes
his mission,
Pinchas’ act saves the people from complete and total
annihilation, but the people are not so convinced and express their anger and
disdain with him. They call him the grandson of Yitro the pagan priest who fattened
calves for sacrificial worship of idols. They murmur, how dare he strike a
prince of Israel? It is then that G-d speaks to Moses and says that he offers
his covenant of peace to Pinchas.
The
Mekubalim tell us that when Pinchas went to strike Zimri and Kozbi, the soul of
Pinchas left his body in fear and the souls of his uncles Nadav and Avihu
entered into him. This pairing of souls is called an “Ibur” which we have
discussed a number of times.
Eliyahu
HaTishbi joined the souls of Nadav and Avihu within Pinchas
Hundreds of years later Pinchas is still alive
After the incident of Yiftach’s Daughter (Pinchas was
supposed to nullify the vow), Pinchas was punished.
This is one of the explanations for the broken “vav” ו in the word Shalom in the
Torah; בריתי שלום.
We have
gone forward, but let’s go backwards to the time before Egypt when Yaakov
returns from laban and dwells in the city of Shechem.
We are
told that Dinah went out
Shechem raped Dinah and subsequently Levi and Shimon killed
the 24,000 inhabitants of Shechem in retribution. We had 24,000 die because of
Baal peor and 24,000 die in Shechem. They are the same. But lets got get too
far ahead.
Later on, Dinah gave birth to her child from Shechem and she
named her Osnat. This child, was sent by Yakov to Mitzrayim and was adopted by
Potifar. Eventually, Osnat married Yosef and became the mother of Mashiach ben
Yosef. Mashiach thus has roots from
Shechem himself.
Maybe this was the reason that Yaakov was upset at Shimon and
Levi for annihilating the town of Shechem; he was concerned that they may kill
the father of Moshiach. This is very similar to Hashem no letting Moshe attack
the nations of Ammon and Moav. Because, in the future Dovid HaMelech will come
from Rus of Moav and King Rehavam would come from Naama of Ammon.
Asara Mamarot p. 93a, brought in Yalkut Reuveini ibid
writes as
follows: Shechem felt a tremendous love and passion for Dina, and this feeling
came due to an inner soul connection which he had with Dina.
Now, how
does a gentile share a soul connection with a daughter of Jacob? This is
because often there is Kedusha hidden within Kelipa, and this Kedusha that was
hidden in Shechem had an inner soul connection with Dina and desired to be
elevated and purified.
[We find
similarly regarding conversion, that a gentile who converts is said to have
already had a G-dly soul designated for him even prior to conversion, and it is
precisely because of this connection with his G-dly soul that he was driven to
conversion. See Or Hachaim Hakadosh beginning of Parshas Ki Teitzei
Acting on his passion, he violated Dina and
wished to take her as a wife. Dina also felt this connection after her initial
violation, and hence Chazal state that she did not want to leave her
companionship with Shechem until Shimon promised to marry her. Shimon
eventually married Dina, and they had a child who they called Shaul Ben
Hakenanis. This person was none other than Zimri.
This child
was born with the reincarnated soul of Shechem, who Shimon had earlier killed.
In revenge of the acts of Shechem, Shimon had also killed 24000 inhabitants of
the city. Hashem planned to set up these two individuals, Dina and Shechem, as
well as the 24000 men of Shechem, a second time, and place them to a challenge
of forbidden relations, and see if they would overcome their previous mistakes.
I always
imagined them getting to Heaven and saying, Hey – Is this the reward for Brit
Milah?
[Although a soul connection did exist between
Dina and Shechem, this did not warrant permission for them to be together, as
the time of purification for Shechem had not yet arrived. See Mei Shiloach
Pinchas
After Dina’s
death, her soul became reincarnated into Kozbi, and Hashem then arranged for
her to meet Zimri, which was in truth the soul of Shechem. The 24000 men of
Shechem were reincarnated into the 24000 men of the tribe of Shimon who
encouraged Zimri to sin.
When Zimri
and Kozbi met, they once again had a tremendous passion for each other and were
driven to be together by some unexplainable force. Unfortunately, they did not
surpass the test, and succumbed to their inclination, in sin, causing them and
the 24000 men of Shimon to die. Now, what led Zimri, a righteous leader, to
give into such an inclination? The Mei Shiloach explains that this was because Zimri had
prophetic vision, seeing that Kozbi shared a soul connection with him,
contained holiness and would eventually receive a portion in the world to come.
That in fact
this was very similar to the reason for the marriage of Moshe and Tzipora.
Tzipora was also a Midinite woman. Why then did Moshe agree to marry her? This
is because he saw in prophecy that she had Holiness within her and would
receive a portion in the world to come. Moshe therefore decided to attach to
this holiness by marrying her, after conversion – whatever that means in pre-matan
Torah world.
Zimri
however, jumped the gun, and became intimate with Kozbi prior to her
conversion, before her sublimation to holiness. The Asara Mamaort does not
elaborate further on the journey of these two souls, although it is further
discussed in the writings of the Arizal.
Rav Chaim
Vital in Sefer Hagilgulim 66; explains that the souls of Dina and Shechem,
and Zimri and Kozbi, were later reincarnated into the famous sage, Rebbe Akiva,
and the wife of a Roman Aristocrat by the name of Tunisrufus. The Talmud - [8] Avoda Zara 20a
writes that
the wife of Tunisrufus, who was a most beautiful woman,
To get even
for her husband who hated Rabbi Akiva and with the goal to bring him down
through the sin, she decided with her
husbands permission to seduce Rebbe Akiva and make him fall into sin. She
explained to her husband that the G-d of the Jews hates promiscuity. No one can
resist me and in this way I will destroy him for you.
Rebbe Akiva
in response to her gestures spat, laughed and cried. He laughed because he saw
in prophetic vision that he would eventually convert her and marry her. This is
precisely what occurred. After Rebbe Akiva’s refusal to succumb to her wishes,
the wife of Tunisrufus confused at the control and the respect for women, decided
to learn and eventually convert, and Rebbe
Akiva married her.
The journey
of the two souls finally came to a proper ending, in which the soul of Dina and
Shechem finally completed the test of self control and became united through
the marriage of Rebbe Akiva and the wife of Tunisrufus, after her conversion,
thus elevating the holiness Shechem back to its holy root.
A further
connection we find between Rebbe Akiva and Shechem, is that Rebbe Akiva had
24000 students who died, which corresponds to the 24000 men of Shechem and of
the tribe of Shimon who also died.
One was
killed by the steel of the sword, another by the steel of the spear and Rabbi
Akiva by the steel combs
Divine
Shield of Protection
This
week we read the portion of Balak. Balak, the king of Moab, summons the prophet
Biaam to curse the people of Israel. Three times, from three different vantage
points, Bilaam attempts to pronounce his curses; each time, blessings issue
forth instead. Bilaam also prophesies on the end of the days and the coming of
Mashiach.
From
the eser zechirot
10
remembrances
Hashem’s
foiling of Balak and Bilaam’s plot against our ancestors, so that we may know
His righteousness
– Clearly, we must remember G-d’s loving-kindness and goodness; how He protects
us from our enemies’ plots minute by minute, even without our awareness. Balak
and Bilaam circled the Camp of Israel, looking for a way to carry out their
evil plot, while the Nation of Israel did not even know the great danger that
it was facing.
Rabbi
Abittan in a class on Bitachon (Trust in G-d) once taught us that this week’s
portion is unique in that it lacks any witnesses from Benai Yisrael. We were
all ostensibly oblivious of the menace we faced nor the extent of divine
protection we enjoyed in those moments. None of us were present to record
the events as they unfolded and the only reason that we discovered what
happened was because Hashem had Moshe include the story in the Torah. See
Baba Batra where we are told Moses wrote his book (the Torah) and the portion
of Bilaam.
The
perasha we read this week is a lesson and reminder to have faith and trust in
Hashem. And that Hashem is there to help and assist even when we are unaware
and don’t ask. It could be for this alone that the rabbis would suggest adding
it to our daily prayers. It’s a way to remember always that not only are we not
alone, but Hashem is taking care of us always. I think the rabbi’s favorite
sefer was chovot HaLevavot, Duties of the Heart and the chapter on trust was
one he told us to review again and again.
Years
ago when I read Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan’s book on Jewish meditation, I walked away
with one key idea incorporated in my daily Amidah which in some way
incorporates this reminder. At least I know that 4 words in my Amidah each day
have some bit of kavanah, thought and intent.
Instead
of paraphrasing Rabbi Kaplan, I thought it important to quote him directly as
this is such an incredible lesson, I doubt there is a single person who would
not benefit tremendously, ( See link to his book).
He
writes: The first paragraph in the Amidah concludes with four words that are
designated to bring Hashem closer to the worshiper. These
four
words are 'Melech - King, Ozer - Helper, Moshia - Rescuer, and Magen -
Shield,'
Whereas
in the first part of this paragraph we relate to Hashem in a general manner,
here we develop our personal relationship with Him.
These
four words are the key to the entire Amidah. If one says them correctly, one is
left in a perfect spiritual space for the rest of the service. Even if one has
said the first parts of this paragraph without proper concentration, if these
four words are said properly, they will bring the worshiper to such a closeness
to Hashem that the rest of the Amidah will be perfect.
Let
us look at these four words in detail.
The
first word is 'King' (Melekh). We begin by looking at Hashem as our
king and at our relationship to Him as that of a subject to a king. A king is
far away, in his capital city, in his palace. If you want something from the
king, you must send him a formal request, and it goes through his staff, his
ministers, his secretary. Then, if you are lucky, after a few months you may
get a reply. Therefore, when we address Hashem as King, we see Him as majestic
but distant. Help is available
from
him, but not closely available.
In
the next word, we address Hashem as 'Helper' (Ozer). Now we see him
as much closer than a king. A 'helper' is someone whom we can readily
approach. He is a friend whom we know we can
always
call on and who always will make himself available. Therefore, when we call
Hashem 'Helper,' we realize that we can call on Him at any time and
He will be there for us. This is a relationship
much
closer than that to a king. In saying this word, we are beginning the process
through which we draw closer to Hashem.
Third,
we address Hashem as 'Rescuer' (Moshia). Again, a rescuer is much
closer than a helper. A rescuer is someone who is available to save you when
you are drowning in a river; he is right
there
to jump in and pull you out. A helper may have the best intentions in the
world, but if he is not close to you at all times, he cannot save you when you
are in danger. Therefore, when we
speak
to Hashem as our 'Rescuer,' we see Him as being available whenever we
need Him, ready to rescue us in an instant. We recognize that Hashem is always
close enough to help us, even when
we
are in imminent danger. Thus, the relationship of Rescuer is much closer than
that of Helper. This word brings us yet a step closer to Hashem.
Finally,
we speak to Hashem as our 'Shield' (Magen). A shield is even closer
than a rescuer. A shield can help even when an arrow is flying at me and there
is nothing else that can stop it. When the
arrow
is flying, there is no time for even the rescuer to intercept it. The shield
must be there in place—right in front of me. Thus, when I address Hashem as my
'Shield,' I can feel Him right in front
of
me. Hashem is all around me, surrounding me like a suit of divine armor. I am
totally aware of Hashem's protective power, surrounding me on all sides. I feel
that I am being protected by Hashem, so that
nothing
in the world can harm me.
Thus,
in the four words 'Melech - King, Ozer - Helper, Moshia - Rescuer, and
Magen - Shield,' we become more and more aware of Hashem's closeness.
First we see Him as a benevolent but distant king, then as a willing helper,
then as a nearby rescuer, and finally, as an immanent shield. In these four
words, we make the transition from viewing Hashem as a remote transcendental
force to seeing Him as a protector
who
is closer than the air around us.
The
one person who reached the level where he could constantly see Hashem as his
shield was Abraham. Hashem had told him, 'Do not fear, Abram, I am a
shield to you' (Gen. 15:1). From that time on, Abraham had a constant
perception of Hashem as his shield. He was always aware of Hashem being very
close to him, surrounding him and protecting him on a most immanent and direct
level…. Of all the levels of relationship to Hashem, the level of shield is the
closest. Here we see Hashem close enough to us to stop even a flying bullet.
This was the level attained by Abraham, and at this point in the Amidah, we
aspire to it.
Even
unaware of the danger and oblivious to even call out for help, Hashem is there
protecting us.
The
theme of protecting us even when we are unaware that we see in this week’s
portion begins in last week’s portion which we discussed in our Sunday morning
class. After the passing of Aaron and victory against Amalekites disguised as
Canaanites, we complain about our food, claiming that we are
'disgusted' by the manna. The verse states
וַיְשַׁלַּח ה ’בָּעָם אֵתהַנְּחָשִׁים הַשְּׂרָפִים
Many
wrongly translate the verse as Hashem sends serpents into the Israelite
encampment.
But
there is a difference between VaYishlach which we see a number of other times
in the portion and this word which is actually, VaYehShallach. One means to
send and the second one means to release or unleash as Rabbi Yosef Bitton so
beautifully explains.
This
verse teaches us that Hashem “released” and “unleashed” these snakes. Our Sages
explained that in the desert Bore Olam protected us from our enemies and the natural
elements, the dangerous climate, the desert animals, the sand storms, with the
“‘anane kabod”, a virtual cloud, like a “firewall.” Divine punishment then,
does not consist in Hashem “sending” the poisonous snakes, but rather in
Hashem’s “suspending” His special protection, and thus the poisonous snakes act
according to their nature and instinct.
The
proper translation helps us to understand that Hashem constantly protects
Israel, and not only in the desert.… Israel –the Prophets and the Sages said–is
like a little lamb among the nations, surrounded by enemies who want to destroy
us. Israel is protected by Bore Olam through an invisible Divine firewall that
“keeps our enemies away”, thwarting their plans, deflecting their missiles,
confusing their ideas, etc.
This
helps to answer Mark Twains question: He has made a marvelous fight in this
world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He
could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian,
and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to
dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast
noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch
high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have
vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was,
exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no
slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All
things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is
the secret of his immortality?
Our
Divine protection is the secret!
When
our behavior is not correct, somehow the Divine firewall is deactivated. And
when HaShem “suspends” His special protection, the enemies of Israel do their
thing.… This idea is mentioned in a very explicit way in Debarim 31:18, ואנכיהסתר אסתיר פני ביום ההוא: when the Jewish
people abandon their covenant with Hashem, the most severe punishment Israel
might get is that Hashem “hides His presence”, that is, “suspends His special
protection” from us.
A
beautiful aspect of this idea of VAYEH -SHAL-LACH, is what we can learn from
this verse indirectly about the way the Creator protects us, as a nation and
also as individuals, without us even realizing it.
The
Perasha continues with this idea in the 6th aliyah, as we journey on, making
our way towards the eastern bank of the Jordan River. Encrypted in this section
is a great miracle which occurred when we passed through the Arnon valley. Tall
cliffs rose from both sides of this narrow valley, and in the clefts of these
cliffs the Emorites, armed with arrows and rocks, were waiting to ambush us.
Miraculously, the mountains moved towards each other, crushing the guerrilla
forces. This section ends with a song of praise for the well which sustained us
throughout our desert stay — and whose now-bloodied waters made us aware of the
great miracle which G‑d wrought on our behalf.
I
believe these ideas expressed as we are about to enter the land are so
important. They are meant to give us strength as we leave the miraculous world
of the clouds, the maan and the well along with the leadership of Moses behind.
We
are about to embark on a new chapter. This new time will see us needing to do
things, planting our fields, defending our cities, growing wealthier and stronger.
As a
consequence of success we gradually begin to believe that I am responsible for
my own success and my own defense. As the Torah warns, we will say Kochi VeOsem
Yadi …. To overcome this danger, we must remember that the revealed miracles of
the dessert will not disappear. They will simply be replaced by hidden
miracles.
The
revealed protection of the holy clouds encircling us will be replaced by a
hidden protection, and the latter in both cases may be more important than the
former, because the latter requires faith and a realization that Hashem is
taking care of us even when we don’t know and we can’t ask.
The
message of this portion is a message of faith. We are never alone. We are as a
child in the womb or on his father’s shoulders. There is a secret to our
immortality and that is, Hashem is truly our Magen – our shield.
Let’s
remind ourselves of this each day and in reminding ourselves, we will
appreciate and be blessed to always be protected.
Every dispute that is for the sake of Heaven, will in the end endure; But one that is not for the sake of Heaven, will not endure. Which is the controversy that is for the sake of Heaven? Such was the
controversy of Hillel and Shammai. And which is the controversy
that is not for the sake of Heaven? Such was the controversy of Korah and all his congregation
Menahem Meiri (Catalonia, 1249–1306) explains this teaching in the following terms: The argument between Hillel and Shammai: In their debates, one of them would render a decision and
the other would argue against it, out of a desire to discover the truth, not out of cantankerousness or a wish to prevail over his fellow.
An argument not for the sake of Heaven was that of Korach and his company, for they came to undermine Moses, our master, may he rest in peace, and his position, out of envy and contentiousness and ambition for victory.
Bartenura : [with] the argument which is for the sake of Heaven, the purpose and aim that is sought from that argument is to arrive at the truth, and this endures; like that which they said, 'From a dispute the truth will be clarified,' and as it became elucidated from
the argument between Hillel and Shammai - that the law was like the school of Hillel.
One might ask why it was necessary for them to wander for forty years.
Rabbi Abittan would tell us time and again that the test of this generation is bitahon.
Many things have happened in the latter part of the twentieth century, continue to happen in this century and will happen in the world that will challenge us to see if we fully and unconditionally rely only on Hashem and on nothing else, and our level of bitahon will play a major role in determining how soon we will be redeemed.
Some of you will remember 4:11 P.M. on August 14, 2003. I do. On that notoriously hot and muggy day, more than fifty million people in the northeast of the United States were left without power in a huge blackout that abruptly halted the subway system and darkened homes, offices and businesses.
A shopper walking down the frozen food aisle of any kosher supermarket will see Klein’s and Mehadrin ice cream displayed side by side. One might think the two companies are rivals, unless, of course, he knows the rest of the story…(For Goodness’ Sake)
Ibur Neshama
The brothers return in the Meraglim
Different Perspectives
Moshe's fears for Joshua
Chesed and Din
The Earth is Din
Lifting the Levites to Purify them
Torah SheBichtav and Torah Shel Baal Peh
וַיְהִ֤י הָעָם֙ כְּמִתְאֹ֣נְנִ֔ים רַ֖ע בְּאׇזְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע יְהֹוָה֙ וַיִּ֣חַר אַפּ֔וֹ וַתִּבְעַר־בָּם֙ אֵ֣שׁ יְהֹוָ֔ה וַתֹּ֖אכַל בִּקְצֵ֥ה הַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃
וַיִּצְעַ֥ק הָעָ֖ם אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֤ל מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־יְהֹוָ֔ה וַתִּשְׁקַ֖ע הָאֵֽשׁ׃
וַיִּקְרָ֛א שֵֽׁם־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא תַּבְעֵרָ֑ה כִּֽי־בָעֲרָ֥ה בָ֖ם אֵ֥שׁ יְהֹוָֽה׃
וְהָֽאסַפְסֻף֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּקִרְבּ֔וֹ הִתְאַוּ֖וּ תַּאֲוָ֑ה וַיָּשֻׁ֣בוּ וַיִּבְכּ֗וּ גַּ֚ם בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ מִ֥י יַאֲכִלֵ֖נוּ בָּשָֽׂר׃
זָכַ֙רְנוּ֙ אֶת־הַדָּגָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־נֹאכַ֥ל בְּמִצְרַ֖יִם חִנָּ֑ם אֵ֣ת הַקִּשֻּׁאִ֗ים וְאֵת֙ הָֽאֲבַטִּחִ֔ים וְאֶת־הֶחָצִ֥יר וְאֶת־הַבְּצָלִ֖ים וְאֶת־הַשּׁוּמִֽים׃
וְעַתָּ֛ה נַפְשֵׁ֥נוּ יְבֵשָׁ֖ה אֵ֣ין כֹּ֑ל בִּלְתִּ֖י אֶל־הַמָּ֥ן עֵינֵֽינוּ׃
Based on Rav Dessler, Rabbeynu HaAri and The Sefat Emet as elucidated by Rabbi Mansour,
It’s interesting that we read these portions when we come to the summer. Generally in the summer we hgo on vacation and when we are on vacation, we often go to different places to experience new things. It’s only natural to let down our guard, we sometimes purposely do so as we have a desire to experience things. But when we open the door to desire, then we open the door
possibly to much more. There’s a concept of being a glutton with the permission of the Torah. And we can often use the excuse that the expensive scotch, the rare wine, the rare Wagyu Tomahawk steak and fries with white truffle shavings are for a seudah mitzvah or they are set aside for Shabbat. But are those excuses to indulge all the time? Do we really need to plan a siyum and barbecue for every night of the 9 days? Rav Dessler in essence warns, if we start
to focus too much on the wine and the meats and the dips and the perfect olive oil and truffle, we venture onto a mountain with a potentially very slippery downward road.
This week’s portion ends with a disheartening story, one that Jews are reminded to recount every day of their lives. The great prophetess, Miriam, sister of Moshe and heroine to a nation, spoke lashon horah (gossip) about her brother Moshe, “regarding the Cushite woman he had married. And Hashem heard.” (Numbers 12:3) She was upset at Moshe’s righteous reaction to his omnipresent Divine communication, which had him separate from an intimatematrimonial life. “(Miriam) said (to Ahron), ‘Was it only to Moshe that Hashem spoke? Did He not speak to us, as well?” Some problems in the text of our Parshah. 1) Why do Miriam and Aaron discuss Moses' wife precisely at this point of the wanderings of the Jewish people? Why did they reinforce their argument by saying 'did G'd not speak to us also?' 2) Why did G'd list four separate instances in which Moses
Was superior, whereas concerning Miriam and Aaron only two such instances are listed? What is the difference between mar-eh and mar-ah? Why was Aaron not afflicted with skin disease,
tzora-at? 3) Aaron's plea to his brother Moses seems puzzling. (Chapter 12,11) How can he say 'please lay not sin upon us, for we have done foolishly and we have sinned?' It is obviously justified to consider Miriam and Aaron as having sinned? 4) Why do we need to be told that the people waited for Miriam to recover before continuing their journey?
BASED ON: Rabbi Pinches Friedman - Aharon: Your Contribution Is Superior to Theirs - By Lighting the Menorah Aharon HaKohen Was Tasked with Restoring the Light of Hashem— the Neshamah —to the Body of a Sinner
At the time of the transgression, the sinner is
categorized as a “beheimah” rather than an “adam.” After
performing teshuvah, he returns to the status of “adam.”
Therefore, he no longer deserves to be sacrificed as a korban;
instead, he is permitted to substitute an animal as a korban.
Regarding the question as to what sin did the animal commit,
we refer to the words of the Arizal. Within the sacrificial
animal is the gilgul of a “rasha,” who requires tikun for the very same transgression as the person offering the korban. Furthermore, we learned from the Yismach Moshe that when he sacrifices the animal, he is actually sacrificing a part of himself, because his tainted soul actually becomes part of the korban.
LaMenatzeach BeSurat hamenorah ... Imagine lighting below - Imagine being lit above by the angeal Michael. Each of us potential to rise up. Action below causes recation above.
We were guests of Lazer Scheiner who two years ago put up thirty million dollars and encouraged other wealthy donors to join in order to triple the Kollel check from $334 to $1,000 per month, plus a $750 yomtov bonus for Sukkos and Pesach. This campaign led to almost 4,000 kollel students receiving the large raise and the BMG Kollel budget increasing by almost $40 million to $57 million
a year.
The Waiter: We celebrate sports heroes and rcok stars. You
celebrate the fact that these guys excelled in studies. We
have graduation top celebrate study, but who comes? Graduates
and family, You have 20,000 people here tonight to celebrate, support and encourage scholarship.
Apologies as the recording goes in and out - Turn up Volume
Rabbi Yishak Arama - Akeydat Yishak
The Golden Age of Spain
The difficult years in Spain
There is a verse in this week’s portion which seems to have a misplaced possesive. But on closer analysis every noun and pronoun lend powerful meaning.
ט וכל-תרומה לכל-קדשי בני-ישראל אשר-יקריבו לכהן לו יהיה:
“And every portion of Holies that the Children of Israel bring to a Kohen shal be his
י ואיש את-קדשיו לו יהיו איש אשר-יתן לכהן לו יהיה:
. A man’s holies shall be his, and what he gives to a kohen shall be his” (Numbers 5:9-10). The question is obvious: if the holies shall be his then why are they the Kohen’s; and if they are the Kohen’s, as the Torah tells us, then why are they his?
Shemuel HaNavi wrote the Megillah
Period of the Judges
Why does Elimelech Leave?
What does it mean to be a judge? Must have mercy
Today
is Yom Yerushalayim where we celebrate the unification of Jerusalem and the
miracles of the Six Day War. Following the War of Independence in 1948 when the
Arab countries surrounding Israel rejected the partition plan and sought to
annihilate the 600,000 Jewish residents of the new State, the Jewish people won
a resounding victory, but Jordan took possession of the Old City of Jerusalem.
Those who had been living in the Old City, lost their homes. Synagogues and
Yeshivot were destroyed and the area around the Wall was stripped of Jews who
had been living there for decades and centuries. We could no longer worship at
the Kotel.
19
years later the voice of Motta Gur, commander of the paratrooper’s brigade,
rings in our ears and we can all hear his historical announcement: “Har Ha-bayit
be-yadeinu!” “The Temple Mount is in our hands!” ... It is this we celebrate
with Hallel and praise for Hashem’s miracles.
We
read each day in the Amida:
תִּשְׁכּוֹן בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלַֽיִם עִֽירְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר
דִּבַּֽרְתָּ, וְכִסֵּא דָוִד עַבְדְּךָ מְהֵרָה בְּתוֹכָהּ תָּכִין, וּבְנֵה
אוֹתָהּ בִּנְיַן עוֹלָם בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽינוּ
Dwell
within Jerusalem Your city, as You spoke about, & the throne of David, Your
servant, speedily prepare it within it, & build it an eternal structure
speedily in our days.
We
mention the throne of David. Some compare the throne below with the throne
above and just as we long for the throne below to be re-established, we realize
that in some ways, the throne above is not whole.
We
read each Friday morning, Friday afternoon, evening and Shabbat:
נָכ֣וֹן כִּסְאֲךָ֣ מֵאָ֑ז מֵעוֹלָ֣ם אָֽתָּה׃
Your
throne stands firm from of old; from eternity You have existed. Again the
throne!
When
Amalek attacks Benai Yisrael after leaving Egypt, Moshe sends Joshua to fight
them. It is there we are commanded never to forget what Amalek does and Moses
builds an alter and says
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר כִּֽי־יָד֙ עַל־כֵּ֣ס כַּהּ מִלְחָמָ֥ה לַהֹ’
בַּֽעֲמָלֵ֑ק מִדֹּ֖ר דֹּֽר׃
He
said, “It means, ‘Hand upon the throne of Hashem, Hashem will be at war with
Amalek throughout the ages.”
Rashi
asks: And what is the force of כס —
why does it not say as usual (throne or
chair) כסא? And the Divine Name, also, is divided into
half (Kah is only the half of the Tetragrammaton)! The Holy One, blessed be He,
swears that His Name will not be perfect nor His throne perfect until the name
of Amalek be entirely blotted out.
And
I would venture to put forward based on this that Amalek and the establishment
and rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple are diametrically opposed.
Although
Jerusalem is mentioned in Tanach in some way between 700 and 800 times, it is
not mentioned at all in the Torah itself.
We
do have a verse in Devarim which states:
כִּ֠י אִֽם־אֶל־הַמָּק֞וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֨ר הֹ
but
look only to the site that Hashem will choose amidst all your tribes as
Hashem’s habitation, to establish the divine name there.
There
you are to go, Rabbeynu Bachya writes: The place in question is Mount Moriah;
it is well known among the Goyim. They know of its spiritual advantages through
tradition. There is no need to mention this location by name. The people all
had a tradition that this was where their ancestor Yitzchak had lain bound on the
altar. Maimonides writes in his Moreh Nevuchim (3,45) that there were three
reasons why the location of the future Temple was not spelled out at this
point.
1)
If the nations of the world had known that in that location prayers are
answered positively by G’d and sacrifices are welcome to Him, every nation
would have made a supreme effort to take possession of that site. This would
have resulted in untold slaughter among the nations and ongoing strife among
them.
2)
If the Canaanites who dwelled in the land at the time Moses spoke these words
had heard of them and they had realized that the Israelites would dispossess
them and take over that site they would have utterly destroyed it before the
Jewish people had a chance to conquer it.
3)
Even the tribes of the Israelites would have argued among themselves in whose
territory this site, would be located at the time the land was distributed
among the tribes. Such a division among the people would have been even worse
than the rebellion of Korach when the people were not prepared to recognize the
preferred hereditary status of the Priests.
For
all these reasons Moses preferred not to spell out the exact location of where
the Temple would be built in the future. If even the Jews did not know the
location, it is clear that the Gentiles did not know it either. Although
everyone knew of the significance of Mount Moriah in the past, they had no idea
of what this meant in terms of its future religious significance, in terms of
the place G’d would choose.
We
know that even King David did not know that Har HoMoriah was the mount to build
the Temple on. He originally selected the tallest mountain in Yehuda and only
after learning in detail with Samuel the prophet, did they ascertain that the
choice from the sacrifice was the shoulder and thus chose the second highest
spot.
If I
have not lost you yet, a couple of more facts and then, let’s try to put the
pieces together.
Rabbi
Ari Kahn writes: The Shulchan Aruch, section 580, reports that on the 28th day
of the month of Iyar a fast day is observed, marking the anniversary of the
death of Shmuel HaNavi (Samuel the Prophet). In antiquity this day was widely
celebrated.
The
Radbaz teaches that the tomb of Shmuel HaNavi was a site of pilgrimage. People
would take their young sons and travel to the burial place of Shmuel to cut the
child's hair for the first time. When it became dangerous to travel to
Jerusalem, the custom evolved to travel to meron on the 18th of Iyar and thus
we have the custom to go on Lab LaOmer to the Kever of Rashbi (as cutting hair
on Lag makes no sense to Sephardim who don’t cut until the 34th).
Still
we see that the 28th day of Iyar was, in antiquity, a day of pilgrimage as well
as the yearly remembrance of Shmuel HaNavi. On that day, of all the days in the
calendar, Jerusalem was the destination. We might even venture to say that the
power of the prayers uttered all those years ago on this day by the pilgrims at
the end of their arduous journey contributed to Jerusalem's liberation on the
very same date, causing it to once again become the day when people venture up
to Jerusalem.
But
something else occurred on the 28th of Iyar. According to Seder HaOlam. The
battle with Amalek took place on the 28th of Iyar.
Rabbi
Kahn explains: This association allows us a deeper appreciation of the date and
its significance. The battle with Amalek is the archetypical struggle between
holiness and depravity. This struggle defines the essence of the 28th of Iyar.
It is its nature, its character, its 'personality'. The victory of
holiness over depravity was achieved when the prayers of Moshe and the nation
were answered. When the Beit Hamikdash was eventually constructed on the holy
mountain, symbolizing the possibility of human connection with God and
holiness.
On
the 28th of Iyar, Amalek tries to destroy the throne. It is up to us to rebuild
it. Samuel is born on the 28th. He anoints Saul whose task is to destroy
Amalek. Saul fails.
Samuel
then anoints David. Together they discern that the place of the Temple to
establish the throne on earth corresponding to the throne above is Jerusalem.
Thus,
Samuel in anointing the Davidic dynasty through Mashiach and in establishing
the “place” as Jerusalem is forever associated with the City. Perhaps in his
merit (as he is noted as in a way equal to Moses and Aaron) miraculous victory
and celebration came on the 28th of Iyar in our lifetimes.
But
I cannot help but think. Did we in 1967 make the same mistake as Saul? Har
HaBayit BeYadeynu. And the Mashicach was riding in on his white donkey as Rabbi
Abittan would explain. In Jerusalem a banner was unfurled. As they unrolled it
we read. Yisral – Israel, a bit more Boteach – puts its faith and trust and
then the final word which should have said Hashem read Sahal – the army. We
handed the keys to Har HaBayit (and Maarat HaMachpelah) back and Mashiach
turned around.
Still
though today is a day of tremendous celebration and joy. The geulah begins step
by step. We are experiencing it. But we must remember the geulah does not come
on its own. The Mikdash does not fall from the sky on its own. Mashiach does
not ride in on his own. It is up to each of us to contribute a spiritual brick.
To learn, to teach, to watch, to do and to fulfil that which we are asked to
and volunteered to do.
In
the Omer we are at the day of Chesed shel Malchut, the Kindness of Kingdom. The
first step towards reestablishing Hashem’s Kingdom on Earth. And as we arrive
at Shavuot at the end of the week, the date of Matan Torah and the birth of
King David, let us pray together and see fulfilled BimHerah Beyameynu the words
we utter each morning:
תִּשְׁכּוֹן בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלַֽיִם עִֽירְךָ
Dwell
within Jerusalem Your city, as You spoke about, & the throne of David, Your
servant, speedily prepare it within it, & build it an eternal structure
speedily in our days.
Amen
Shabbat
Shalom,
David
Bibi
Each of us has a role to play - 600,000 must join together
Raise each soul to be able to fulfill their destiny
Shavuot Return to Adam before the sin
49 Days - Are they enough?
The transformation through Midbar
Abraham and our DNA of Mesirut Nefesh
Fire Ur Kasdim
Water - Crossing Sea
Midbar - following Hashem into Desert
Zot HaTorah - push yourself
Legacy - Sefer Yischus
וְאֵ֛לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֥ת אַהֲרֹ֖ן וּמֹשֶׁ֑ה בְּי֗וֹם דִּבֶּ֧ר הֹ' אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֖ה בְּהַ֥ר סִינָֽי׃
Rabbeynu Bachya: The reason the Torah mentions the name of Moses here although it does not tell us anything about his sons is that the person who teaches someone else Torah is considered as if he had fathered him. Seeing that Moses taught the sons of Aaron Torah he was included in the people considered as their progenitors. This is also why our verse mentions Mount Sinai, as the Torah had been given at Mount Sinai.
ביום דבר ה' את משה בהר סיני, “on the day the Lord had spoken to Moses at Mount Sinai.” Seeing that the Talmud Sanhedrin 19 makes the point we just made that anyone who teaches the son of his friend Torah is considered as if he had fathered him, the Torah here repeats: “these are the sons of Aaron,” to make sure we understand that biologically speaking the sons now enumerated were fathered only by Aaron.
Ohr HaChaim: Curiously, the Torah enumerates only Aaron's descendants. This is to tell us that they were considered as if they had been Moses' descendants seeing he had prayed on their behalf as we know from Deuteronomy 9,20 where G'd is reported as having been angry at Aaron, ready to exterminate him. This would have resulted in his remaining two sons dying. Our sages in Vayikra Rabbah 7,1 say that Moses' prayer helped to keep Eleazar and Ittamar alive.
Searching and finding ones internal greatness. להודיע לבני האדם גבורתיו Asher 0RCHONOVICH
Mordecai of LEKOVITCH who is called the MAGGID of LEKOVITCH.
God puts people in your path every single day. You should do your best to remember not to pass up that meeting without letting that other person know their strength, their glory, their godliness, their inner Selem Elokim .
Based pm Rabbi Frand and Rabbi Kaminezky - The Ramban suggests an answer to this question. He says this corroborates Chazal’s teaching on the pasuk “As they (the Egyptians) persecuted them (the Jews), so did they multiply and so did they expand…” [Shemos 1:12]. The more the Egyptians tried to minimize us through their bondage and persecution, the moreHashemblessed us and allowed the Jewish women to have multiple births, creating a population explosion amongst the Children of
Israel. Chazal teach that the Tribe of Levi was not subjected to
the bondage of slavery. They were free from the work and the persecution suffered by the other tribes. Therefore, since they were not part of the persecution, they also were not part of the blessing of the population explosion, and consequently their total population at the end of the period of Egyptian slavery was much smaller than that of the other tribes.
The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh quotes this Ramban and is not happy with his suggestion. He offers his own unique—and in a sense, startling—answer: The Gemara says that Amram divorced his wife (after having only two children—Miriam and Aharon). His
rationale for doing so was that given the grim situation of the Jews in Egypt (Jewish male children being thrown at birth into the Nile, at that time), he did not want to bring any more children into the world. Amram was the gadol ha’dor (the leader of the generation). He was also the head of the Tribe of Levi. When the rest of his tribesmen saw that Amram divorced his wife, they all got up and divorced their wives as well. Even though the Gemara says
that Amram had second thoughts about the matter and remarried his wife Yocheved, the Ohr HaChaim suggests (this is speculation on his part) that the other Levites did not follow his lead in that action, and they remained separated from their wives. ...........
....... The Baal HaTurim points out that there are only two places in all of Tanach where we find the expression “va’yelech ish“. One is the aforementioned pasuk “va’yelech ish m’Beis Levi va’yikach es bas Levi,” and the other is in the Book of Rus; “va’yelech ish m’Beis Lechem Yehudah…” (And a man went from Bethlehem in Judea to dwell in the fields of Moab) [Ruth 1:1].
“In the seventh year, you might ask, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year? We have not planted nor have we harvested crops!’ I will direct My blessing to you in the sixth year, and [the land] will produce enough crops for three years”.
It states, “…you might ask, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year? We have not planted nor have we harvested crops!’” Only then Hashem responds with, “I will direct My blessing to you in the sixth year, and [the land] will produce enough crops for three years”. It appears that [only] if a person will ask what will be eat, then
Hashem will activate His berachah. But what will happen if a person trusts in Hashem, fulfils all the mitzvot with a pure heart? He won’t ask what will we eat! He is trusted to fulfil what the Torah commands him! Will such a person not have the assurance of, “I will direct My blessing”? Surely this cannot be the case! If so, why does the Torah relate the berachah specifically after the person asks, what shall we eat?
An amazing story from Rabbi Zev Leff which makes us rethink what is important in life after reading the Ohr HaChaim on
אֶ֨ת־כַּסְפְּךָ֔ לֹֽא־תִתֵּ֥ן ל֖וֹ בְּנֶ֑שֶׁךְ וּבְמַרְבִּ֖ית לֹא־תִתֵּ֥ן אׇכְלֶֽךָ׃
Do not lend your money at advance interest, nor give your food at accrued interest.
The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh: 'You shall not give him your money upon interest;' Here the Torah explains what the words נשך ומרבית are all about; they darken the divine light G'd provides. The word את כספך refers to the material things man yearns for in this world believing them to be of real value though their value is totally illusory. לא תתן לו בנשך When man fulfils his animalistic instincts and thereby tries to gratify his spiritual needs his spirit is actually 'bitten,' נשוך and the poison of sin is absorbed by that person's רוח. The Torah continues: ובמרבית לא תתן אכלך, 'and you must not give him your food in return for increase.' The Torah means that even your food, i.e. something that it is certainly permissible for you to eat you must not consume to excess, i.e. מרבית. When a person follows the needs of his palate he gradually increases his appetite for more food than is needed to sustain him. This is turn also leads to the divine light G'd has granted us by means of our pure soul being gradually more and more 'blacked out.' The stronger the physical in man the weaker his spiritual capacity. Encouraging the body to grow stronger through gratifying its appetites therefore is sinful.
The Hida, explains that Rabbi Akiba after the death of his 24,000 students refused to give up and simply retire to Miami Beach and on Lag BaOmer, he began teaching his five new students.
The gemara then states that the world was subsequently desolate, until Rabi Akiva came to the rabbis in the south and taught them, these being Rabi Meir, Rabi Yehudah, Rabi Yossi, Rabi Shimon [bar Yochai], and Rabi Nechemyah. It was through these five that the Torah would continue and flourish.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava was a third generation Tana and a friend of Rabbi Akiva. He sacrificed his life at age 70 to ordain five of his students and continue the Smicha tradition. Rabbi Yehuda ben Baba is considered one of the Asara Hargay Malchus.
Following
the Bar Kochva revolt, the Hedrianic Roman government issued many cruel,
ruthless decrees against the Jews. Realizing the continuity of the Jewish
Nation was depended on the chain of Smicha, they decreed that any individual that
ordains or is ordained will be executed and the entire city that housed the
ceremony will be demolished. Despite the grave danger, Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava
then age 70, went ahead and ordained the leading elders of the forthcoming
generation; Rabbi
Yehuda bar Ilai, Rabbi
Shimon bar Yochai, Rabbi
Meir, Rabbi
Yossi ben Chalafta, Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua and possibly Rabbi
Nichemya.
In order to prevent the destruction of the hosting city, the Smicha was performed in between two large cities Usha and Shafram but outside their city limits. Ordaining the students was a lengthy
process that required handing down various mysteries as well as Halachic rules and conclusion. In middle of the ceremony, they were discovered by a legion of Roman soldiers. Despite his students protests, Rabbi Yehuda ben Baba chose to remain and block the enemy so the newly ordained Rabbis could flee and continue the chain of Jewish survival. Using intense Kabbalistic meditations he wedged himself with stone like force in the narrow pathway, preventing the Roman soldiers from budging him although they pierced his body with 300 spears, giving his students a chance to escape.
Significantly, it was Rabbi Shimon who affirmed the immortality of the chain of transmission of the Oral Torah. In a discussion recorded in the Talmud (Shabbat 138b), some sages voiced the opinion that the Torah was destined to be forgotten. Rabbi Shimon said, “God forbid that the Torah shall ever be forgotten!” He buttressed his view with a verse from the Torah, “For it (the Torah) will not be forgotten from the mouth of progeny of the Jews.”
(Although the Arizal clarifies the day as a transformation from an aspect of din to an aspect of mercy still rooted in Din – a bit heavy and for another time), perhaps we can suggest that an aspect of celebration on Lag BaOmer is the transformation from death to rebirth. Perhaps the lesson lies in that although we suffered a tragedy, we must have faith that out of the ashes of that tragedy came the strength to build a future. We are told the 24,000 were not worthy of carrying the torch of Torah and transmitting it to the future. Although we mourn their deaths, we
celebrate that there were those who came after them or because of them who could transfer the light of Torah in those darkest of times of the Hadrian persecutions and still ensure it would not only survive, but blossom even within millennia of darkness
I had a note scribbled in my margins at that time, most likely from Rabbi Abittan. I wrote: “We may not understand tragedy, but we must understand that within what we perceive as bad, within what we can only say baruch dayan emet to, there is a seed of resurrection and hope for the future – a phoenix.”
The Shulchan Aruch, section 580, reports that on the 28th day of the month of Iyar a fast day is observed, marking the anniversary of the death of Shmuel HaNavi (Samuel the Prophet).(3) Because this is considered a so-called 'minor fast' many Jews are unaware of the significance of this commemoration. However, in antiquity this day was widely celebrated. RABBI ARI KAHN
We learn that in that same period, Jews began to travel to Meron on the 18th of Iyar (better known as Lag Ba'Omer), where they would give their sons their first haircut. It is possible that this custom, practiced first in the outskirts of Jerusalem on the 28th of Iyar, was transported to the outskirts of Zefat on the 18th of Iyar when the tomb of Shmuel became off-limits for Jews.(5) Shmuel was a nazir, and as such never cut his hair, which would make his tomb an excellent place for a child to have his hair cut for the first
time. Furthermore, the 28th day of Iyar, which falls after the 33rd day of the Omer, is a far less problematic date on which to cut hair: Sephardi minhag prohibits cutting hair until the 34th day of the
Omer.(6) This, too, seems to support the theory that the custom was transported to the less-desirable, less-logical date of Lag BaOmer when conditions made the original custom untenable.
The history of this minhag being as it may, we have a clear testimony that the 28th day of Iyar was, in antiquity, a day of pilgrimage as well as the yearly remembrance of Shmuel HaNavi. On that day, of all the days in the calendar, Jerusalem was the destination. We might even venture to say that the power of
the prayers uttered all those years ago on this day by the pilgrims at the end of their arduous journey contributed to Jerusalem's liberation on the very same date, causing it to once again become the day when people venture up to Jerusalem. Yet there are other, deeper aspects of Shmuel's connection with Jerusalem that shed light on this special date.
BASED ON SHVILEI PINCHAS: HKB”H Rests His Shechinah upon a Gathering of Ten Members of Yisrael Transforming Them into a New Entity
In this week's portion of Emor, we read (Vayikra 22, —“ולא תחללו את שם קדשי ונקדשתי בתוך בני ישראל אני ה’ מקדשכם” :( 32
you shall not defile My holy name, and I shall be sanctified amidst Bnei Yisrael; I am Hashem Who sanctifies you.
Abba Binyamin says: A person’s tefilah is only heard in a “bet-kenesset”
MAHARAL: there is no prosecutor for the “tzibbur”
Joseph's second Chance - Adam's first wife and Pesach Sheni
Moshe and Aaron Studying
Rabbi Shimon and Lag Ba'Omer
Rabbi Meir Ba'al HaNes
Adam's second marriage
The world depends on Yosef
King Saul and the CIty of Nob
King Saul and Mercy of Agag
Et HaKeves Echad Baboker
The Test of Consistency
After the sin - Adam makes a belt
In Egypt we were commanded to eat the Pesach sacrafice wearing a belt
The Kohen must wear a belt 32 amot long
We make a special blessing each morning Ozer Yisrael Bigvurah relating to our belt
Shulchan Aruch: One needs to gird oneself with a girdle at the time of prayer; even if one wears a sash, such that one's heart does not 'see' one's nakedness, because of concentration. But for the rest of the blessings it is permitted to bless them without a belt, so long as one is wearing trousers
Why the Kohen Gadol needs a wife
Can mashiach come on Shavuot?
Why did Adam request a wife?
How do I learn what love means?
Do I love Hashem?
The Heavenly Hall of Love
Kol Sasson veKol Simcha
“When you come to the Land and plant any food tree, you shall treat its fruit as orlah; for three years it shall be orlah to you, they shall not be eaten.”
[Vayikra 19:23] The halacha is that if one plants a tree and the tree produces fruit during the first three years of its growth, those fruits are forbidden to be eaten. They are known as “orlah”.
Adam could not wait. It was for the best of reasons, but he did not wait. He ate from the tree prematurely and unfortunately, the world changed forever for the worse. the
Brisker Rav once officiated at a wedding during which the ring fell into the grass as it was about to be slipped onto the bride’s finger, completing the marriage ceremony.
Leave that crown in the garage
Indra Nooyi, Pepsi’s CEO of 12 years
Link to Interview: https://youtu.be/dphK7K9zwOA
וְהַצָּר֜וּעַ אֲשֶׁר־בּ֣וֹ הַנֶּ֗גַע בְּגָדָ֞יו יִהְי֤וּ פְרֻמִים֙
וְרֹאשׁוֹ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה פָר֔וּעַ וְעַל־שָׂפָ֖ם יַעְטֶ֑ה וְטָמֵ֥א ׀ טָמֵ֖א יִקְרָֽא׃
As for the person with a leprous affection: the clothes shall be rent, the head shall be left bare, and the upper lip shall be covered over; and that person shall call out, “Impure! Impure!”
You can email us at RabbiDavidBibi@gmail.com with questions or commenst or to subscribe to our weekly newsletter
This is why you were created
Kol Yisrael Arevim
Kosher foor at the Superbowl
Paying a worker
How did we get here in the first place
Generation of Exodus is Genertaion of Mashiach
Noah, The Tower of Bavel and the people of Sedom
וַיַּ֥עַשׂ אַהֲרֹ֖ן וּבָנָ֑יו אֵ֚ת כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֔יםאֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה הֹ בְּיַד־מֹשֶֽׁה׃ {ס}
And Aaron and his sons did all the things that ה had commanded through Moses.
Siftei Hahamim asks Would a righteous man such as
he not do, Heaven forbid, as he was commanded by Hashem?
He teaches us that when unity exists within the realm of kedushah, it causes division among the reshaim. On the other hand, if, chas v’shalom, there is a lack of unity within the realm of kedushah, it creates unity among the reshaim.
At the beginning of the Passover Seder, we announce that whoever is hungry, let him come and eat, and it’s sort of an
opening announcement to invite strangers into the Seder with us. But the problem is ....
Story heard from Rabbi Chaim Rosenfeld from Ari
Rosenberg regarding a Charitable organization in Chicago
Rabbi Abittan would often quote the Baal Haturim on the
opening word of this week’s portion. “The aleph of Vayikra is written as a small letter because Moshe wanted to write Vayikar (and it happened), the way it is written (when Hashem appears to) Bilaam, which implies Hashem appeared to him only as a chance occurrence. Hashem, however, told Moshe to write the aleph
which indicates His love. Moshe compromised and made the aleph small.”
To illustrate let me share a story told by Dr. Alan Morinis, Founder of The Mussar Institute, who is a leading figure in the contemporary revival of the Mussar movement
When we come to the synagogue and look upon the hechal, and
we see the words above which may vary from Synagogue to Synagogue, But the words we face are meant to remind us to recognize who we are standing in front of or remind us that we should place Hashem in front of us always - this helps us to temper the run-away ego.
I want to share a story I heard yesterday from Rabbi Shlomo
Landau. He heard the story directly from the protagonist Rav Chaim, a well know Kiruv speaker in Eretz Yisrael for Arechim – an outreach organization. As you listen to the story, I want you to
think about what you would’ve done along the way
Better to Cause others than to do
Based on Midrash and Zerah Shimshon
Moshe's reward for the Mishkan
Menashe Influence lives on
“And you shall be clear before the Lord and before Israel” (Numbers
32:22).
Meaning that we can say God knows what I’m all about and do things that
look wrong. We have to do the right thing in the eyes of the people.
But what about a case where I have a constant critic. Do I have to adjust
my life for that person? And it seems not because Moses does his debts best
with Datan but everyone knows that no matter what he does Datan is going to
criticize him.
G-d called Moshe 'trustworthy' (Bamidbar 12:7). Why then did
Moshe need to make a public accounting in front of all the people?
Moshe had overheard remarks such as 'Ben Amram’s (Moshe’s) neck is
getting pretty fat lately.' 'No wonder. He’s in charge of all that
money for the Mishkan!'
Certainly, these remarks were only made by lowlifes. The Jewish People as
a whole trusted Moshe but they were puzzled about Moshe’s sudden wealth. They
didn’t know that G-d had let Moshe keep the fragments of sapphire left over
from the hewing of the second Tablets. These splinters of sapphire made Moshe
extremely wealthy.
Moshe was scrupulous to a ‘T’ with the donations he received for the
Mishkan, but nevertheless he gave an accounting because he didn’t want to be
suspected falsely of doing a little laundering on the side.
From Moshe, our Teacher, we can learn that it’s not enough for us to do
the right thing, but we must also be seen to do the right thing.
DIVINE FORCES OF 42 AND 72 - THE URIM AND TUMIM - THE HOSHEN AND EPHOD
THE INSERTING OF THE DIVINE NAMES BY THE HEART AND THE SHEMA
THE SILENT AMIDA AND THE HAZARA PARALLEL THE PETITIONER AND THE RESPONSE
Why a half shekel
Shalom Alechem and Alechem Shalom
Yoser HaAdam
The two electricians - A story of chesed boomerang
aaron is a gilgul of Haran
The fire of Ur Kasdim and the Golden Calf
For the sake of the one
Mesirut Nefesh
Rabbi Wein, Rabbi Herzog Pope Pius Xii, Chicago, 1946
Wounded Soldiers
Use your gift
Megilah Esther
“Do not imagine that you, of all the Jews, will escape with your life by being in the king’s palace. On the contrary, if you keep silent in this crisis, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another quarter, while you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows, perhaps you have attained to royal position for just such a crisis.”
Rabbi Isaac Farhi croosing the border from Syria to Turkey
Hashgachat Perati
Hashem hides in coincidence
Purim Fest 1946
The Nuremberg Trials
Let them be hung tomorrow
Why the Megillah needs to be read in order
Impossible to understand the full picture from within
Moshe achieved a tikun for the neshamah of Noach, who did not do as he did.
Nechoshet VeAtath
Noach Shet and You
Moshe was a gilgul of Noach, who was a gilgul of Shet.
HKB”H does not mention Moshe’s name in this parsha, because of his act of self-sacrifice, praying on behalf of his generation:
Thus, he rectified the neshamah of Noach, as alluded to by the word Mecheni
As pointed out, the word shemen is an acronym for the three gilgulim—which were purified completely in the person of Moshe.
Olive oil, that is extracted from the olive with great effort, alludes to Torah-study that a person does not keep to himself; he releases it and shares it with others. Therefore, it is capable of restoring Torah that has been forgotten for seventy years.
This, in fact, accurately describes the difference between Noach and his gilgul—Moshe Rabeinu. Even though Noach was a tzaddik; nevertheless, he resembled the olive that keeps its oil trapped inside. He did not make an effort to venture out and teach his generation the ways of the Torah and its mitzvot. In contrast, Moshe Rabeinu resembled olive oil; he taught Torah to all of Yisrael. Thus, in his gilgul, he rectified Noach’s flaw.
Crushing the Olive for the Oil
Oil does not mix with other liquids 'Benai Yisrael are likedned to the pure oil
Sometimes we require pressure to reveal our true and holy selves '
Keruvim My Cherubs
Represent our CHildren
Represent Two learning and bringing Shechina
The Month of Adar
What are we trying to do? Put Hashem in a box? So
strange as we quote the angels every day - Kadosh
kadosh kadosh hashem sevaot - Maleh
kol haaretz kevodoh
Nevuchadnetzar, king of Babylon, who destroyed the first Bet Hamikdash, took all the 5,400 gold, silver and precious stone utensils and 180 treasure houses.
whose heart inspires him to generosity Heb. יִדְּבֶנּוּלִבּוֹ, an expression of נְדָבָה, which is an expression of good
will, present in French, [a] gift.
you shall take My offering Our Rabbis said: [The word ךְתְּרוּמָה, mentioned three times, denotes that] three offerings are mentioned here. One is the offering of a beka [half-shekel] per head, from which they made the sockets, Another
is the offering of a beka per head for the [community] coffers, from which to purchase the communal sacrifices,
And another is the offering for the Mishkan, each one’s [Israelite’s] donation (Talmud Yerushalmi, Shekalim 1:1;
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר
הַ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥הלֵּאמֹֽר
דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל
וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה.
זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּבכִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם
Is This Painting a Raphael or Not? A fortune Rides on the Answer Once a passenger aboard a ship, on which many
were traveling, was asked by them: “What kind of merchandise do you possess?”
He answered: “My merchandise is superior to yours.”
The gematria of mem is
forty. Forty is the number of days it rained upon the earth during the Flood.
Forty is also the number of days Moses spent on Mount Sinai.
When giving means taking, and you get much more than you bargained for
Repairing man's justice system
Three strikes and you are out
Setting us up for success
Making the next round easier
Understanding Gildulim
The four elements of creation
מֶ֗לֶךְ בְּ֭מִשְׁפָּט יַעֲמִ֣יד אָ֑רֶץ וְאִ֖ישׁ תְּרוּמ֣וֹת יֶהֶרְסֶֽנָּה
Through justice a king establishes a land, but the man of Terumos will destroy it.” [Mishlei 29:4]
The
Medrash tanchuma elaborates:
אִם מֵשִׁים אָדָם עַצְמוֹכַּתְּרוּמָה הַזּוֹ שֶׁמֻּשְׁלֶכֶת בְּזָוִית הַבַּיתוְאוֹמֵר מַה לִּי בְּטֹרַח הַצִּבּוּר, מַהלִּי בְּדִינֵיהֶם, מַה לִּי לִשְׁמֹעַ קוֹלָם,
שָׁלוֹם עָלַיִךְ נַפְשִׁי, הֲרֵי זֶה מַחֲרִיבאֶת הָעוֹלָם. הֱוֵי וְאִישׁ תְּרוּמוֹת יֶהֶרְסֶנָּה.
This implies that if a man acts as though he were a terumah (the portion separated, or set aside, for the priests) by secluding himself in the corner of his home and declaring: “What concern are the problems of the community to me? What does their judgment mean to me? Why should I listen to them? I will do well (without them),” he helps to destroy the world. Hence the man of separation (terumah) overthroweth it.
Rabbi Frand on Rav Assi
Your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground!
The Shenei Luchot HaBrit by Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz - Kayin had to undergo three gilgulim, one each for his Nefesh, his Ruach, and his Neshama.
What did yitro hear? Splitting of the sea and the war with amalek
Baruch hashem
- מה תצעק אלי
- WHEREFORE CRIEST THOU UNTO ME?
- Nachshon
- Gilda Radner Club
- Gene Wilder
- To want to live means to face, the perfection of
perceived imperfection within our lives
Why is the command for Amalek given in writing and in verbal form
The Torah lessons in communication
BeShalach - Who were the Erev Rav and who sent them? Short Class
Why do we begin the portion with Vayhi or woe
How do we cantrast the last verse of Bo with the first verse of BeShalach?
If only 20% of the Israelites were willing to leave, where did all the Egyptian and foreign erev Rav come from?
What was there to be afraid of along the coastal route?
Va'Era Savlanut Bitachon & Hishtadlut - Patience, Trust and Effort
Sovel and Savlanut - Suffering and Patience
Kol Mishalot Libecha LeTova
Stories of Bitachon
Moshe complains
The Pasuk this week being Vaydaber Hashem the Vayomer Elav
Harsh language followed by soft language
The opinions of the Ohr HaChaim
The Ohr Hachaim and the lion
Moshe Tikun Noah
The Shechina goes into exile with us
The Shechina waits for us
We pray for the Shechina's return
But what are we doing about it?
Getting a leg in the land
Shemot - The Secret of Success through the Three Alephs based on the Shvilei Pinchas
The Chida, zy”a, writes in Avodat Kodesh (7), “concerning the appellation: ” אהיה אשר אהיה . Heexplains that this name employed in tefilah is capable of affecting salvation for everything in the world: I found in the manuscripts of the kabbalists that it is “ appropriate for a person to pray to the appellation אהיה אשר אהיה ” for any problem in this world — for sickness, for children, for wisdom, to be remembered, for monetary matters, to be saved from a storm at sea, for danger on the roads. It is essential, however, that he be pure, and that he utter sincerely: “Let it be the will of the esteemed name אהיה אשר אהיה ” “ that You have mercy on me and act on my behalf.” He should state his request clearly, and should repeat it three times.
יהי רצון מלפניך השם הגדול אהיה ,
אשר אהיה שתרחם עלי ותעשה, וישאל
בקשתו בלשון ברור, וכן יאמר ג’ פעמים
But how does this work?
Additionally, it is worth examining the statement in the Tikunei
Zohar (144b) that with the words: ” — “ אהיה אשר אהיה HKB”H alludes to tefillin shel yad and tefillin shel rosh. For, in the
four passages contained in the tefillin shel rosh, the name Havaya
appears twenty-one times — the numerical value of the
name אהי”ה ; this is alluded to by the first אהי”ה . Similarly, in
the four passages contained in the tefillin shel yad, the name
Havaya appears twenty-one times — accounting for the
second mention of the name אהי”ה . Thus, the two tefillin together are alluded to by the phrase: ” אהיה אשר אהיה “.
What is the meaning behing the name, I shall be what I shall be
How do we influence above from below
VaYechi- the legs of Yaakov - 5783 short class
What is Chesed Shel Emet
Why did the angel, when it realized it could not overcome Yaakov, try to damage Yaakov's thigh?
Why does Eliezer used Chesed Shel Emet when seeking a wife for Yishak?
VaYechi - the secret to long life - short breakfast class - 5783
Is it the gym
Is it the blessing
Rabbeynu Bachya suggests it's serving our parents
Adele Bibi Levaya S[eeches David Bibi and Victor Bibi December 29 2022
Thoughts on Yosfe crying on his fathers neck
And understanding the meeting of the hearts of Yosef and Yehuda
Hanukah Joseph Miracles Reuben and Reincarnation
What is the real miracle
Why were the snakes and scorpians helpful for Yosef
Did Reuben know about the snakes
Why did Reuben lose his Bechor rights
What is special about Reuben and sight
Who was Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol ? And why is he so harsh on Reuben?
Based on the SHvilei Pinchas
Black Fire on White Fire
We were reincarnated as the sheep of Yaakov
The White Light is the source of the Torah in The Heavens before it has been distilled into letters
The white wood represenst the 600,000 neshamot
Why does it seem that Yishak throws Yaakov under the bus?
The story behind the blessings. Whats the story beneath the story?
8 From Isaac, 7 to Jacob, one to spare?
Avraham Avinu has gone through this gut-wrenching test of
the Akeyda and he returns home to his life long partner Sarah Imeynu and discovers that in his absence, she has passed away. Although Hashem promised him the entire land, at this moment, he does not even have a 20 square foot plot to bury his wife. He approaches the locals and asks for permission to
purchase the cave of Machpela.
Midrashim tell us that he discovered earlier that this
was the burial place of Adam and Chava and had some spiritual portal connecting
the worlds.
Efron makes an empty offer of giving it to Abraham at no
charge and then continues, 'My Lord, heed me! Land worth four hundred silver
shekels, between me and you - what is it? Bury your dead.' Our rabbis explain
that this was an exorbitant price. Still the pasuk continues ….
וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע אַבְרָהָם֮ אֶל־עֶפְרוֹן֒ וַיִּשְׁקֹ֤ל
אַבְרָהָם֙ לְעֶפְרֹ֔ן אֶת־הַכֶּ֕סֶף אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֶּ֖ר בְּאׇזְנֵ֣י בְנֵי־חֵ֑ת
אַרְבַּ֤ע מֵאוֹת֙ שֶׁ֣קֶל כֶּ֔סֶף עֹבֵ֖ר לַסֹּחֵֽר׃
Abraham accepted Ephron’s terms. Abraham paid out to
Ephron the money that he had named in the ears of the Hittites—four hundred
shekels of silver at the going merchants’ rate.
Baal HaTurim: לעפרן חסר בגימטריא עין רע.
Kli Yakar
The name עפרן is missing a 'ו'. The Ba'al Haturim explains
that he had an evil eye, and the name of עפרן without a 'ו' adds in gematria to
ר״ע עי״ן (evil eye). The reason for this comes from a statement in Bava Batra (9B) which states that
whoever gives a coin to a poor person is blessed with 6 blessings, and whoever
is stingy with the poor is not blessed with these 6 blessings. It is for this
reason that Efron lost his 'ו' (which has the numerical value of 6) - as he was
stingy, he lost 6 blessings.
Our sages also tell us (Sotah
36B) that we give the glass of blessing to a generous spirit, as the verse
states טוב עין הוא יבורך (with a 'ו') - Don't read 'he is blessed', but rather
'he will bless'.
Both the literal reading and the way it is read are true -
someone who blesses others generously will be blessed with the six blessings
(as depicted by the 'ו' in יבורך).
Furthermore, know that the numerical value of רע עין = 400.
We find 400 in 4 different places specifically with regards
to stingy people. The first is Efron who was stingy and therefore took 400
Silver shekels.
The second place relates to the brothers of Joseph had a bad
view of Josef the righteous and they were jealous of him because of the coat of
many colours. The result of this was that the Jewish people were exiled for 400
years as strangers, affliction and servitude.
The third place relates to Esau who had a bad view of his
brothers, and he was jealous of him because of the blessings which Isaac
blessed Jacob. It is for this reason that Jacob placed a space between each
flock to fill the eyes of that evil man (that was to be given to Esau), because
he came with 400 men.
The fourth place relates to Naval, because he was a stingy
man. It was for this reason that David approached him with 400 men.
The Akeyda- what really happened - the story they never wanted you to know. The R rated version!
I first discovered this alternate version about 30 years ago. The Eben Ezra comments on the verse: “And Abraham returned”: He questions that it does not mention Issac … and then he quotes a source … “And the one that says that he slaughtered him and left him, and he came back to life later”.
And I said to myself what? What is he talking about? Someone says he didn’t stop? Someone says Abraham killed Isaac? I asked Rabbi Abittan for an explanation and began delving into the opinion carried not just by one, but we saw, by many and
buried for various reasons which later became very obvious.
But it soon became apparent that this other opinion was not very well hidden. It was more about being ignored as it was simply impossible to comprehend and we preferred to stick with the kindergarten version.
For example, in the Meam Loez, a commentary on the Torah written specifically for the religiously uneducated masses in 1730, Rav Yaakov Culi comments on this same verse. “There is another opinion that Abraham did begin to slit Isaac’s throat and actually perforated his windpipe. When Abraham looked up and saw the
ram, the angels swooped Isaac away, brought him to the Garden of Eden and left him there until he was completely healed.”
Sources
Initially with the rabbi as I mentioned based on Eben Ezra comment. Then Rabbi Aderet provided more details. Then
Rabbi Wagensberg in yerushalayim put it all together. And
the sources? Zohar, Rabbeynu bachya, Rashi, Yalkut Reuveni. Megaleh Amukot, Hagahot vehaarot on the tur and bet yosef, Shibolet haleket, Ben ish chai ...
But
really the bottom line is a simple re-reading of Chumash with Rashi setting
aside some of the preconceptions
Understanding Lech Lecha through Sod and Gilgul - Adam, Chava and the Snake return. 5781
Bereshit Understanding and beginning to access the layers of Torah
Introduction Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh
5 levels of understanding Torah
Letters, Crowns, Vowels, Taamim and the Spirit of the Text
Acess Supernatural blessing - Another Chance Isru Chag 5783
VeZot HaBeracha
Simchat Torah
Shemini Aseret
The Power of 8
The Angels cannot stop me
· Ki Tabo Appreciation, The Simanim
and Rosh Hashana
· Overcoming the 98 curses
· Bringing the Bikurim and hearing a
Bat Kol
· Why the Simanim on Rosh Hashana?
· Day of Judgment is very serious.
· How can an apple dipped in honey get
me a sweet year?
· Can I change my Mazal?
Ki Tesse LaMilchama - The different ways of understanding Eshet Yefat Toar - The Beautiful captured Woman
The Various opinions that differe between the Yerushalmi and The Bavli, the difference between Rambam and Ramban.
How is it possible for a soldier who is sinless and pure to fall prey to the desire for a battlefield captive?
Re'eh Hearing - Personal Responsibility and Delegating to Others
Hear with your heart and let it enter your heart
Somebody get a sponge!
Eikev: The afflictions we experience are to test us in order that Hashem can give us good in the end
Matot Masai - The Other Side of The Jordan
How the physical world impacts the spiritual world.
Remaining with Moses
Pinchas Gilgulim Eliyahu and Rabbi Akiva 5780
Shechem, Zimri and Rabbi Akiva
Pinchas ELiyah and the Battle with the Malach HaMavet
Korach - The Ultimate Test - TheUltimate Reward - Return to Kayin and Hevel - Based on Shvilei Pinchas
Ruth - From Apathy to Kindness - A Journey
Judges who Judged - What does that mean?
How do we understand Boaz?
Why a famine?
Who is the hero?
Kedoshim - VeAhavta LeReyacha KaMocha
Each of us is a letter in the Sefer Torah
Each of us has a path
But we are on the same circle
In unison towards receiving the Torah
ACHAREI - The Sacrifice of the Son's of Aaron - A different perspective
Based on the Shvilei Pinchas and the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh
Why do our ancestors pray for us in heaven particularly during Nissan?
We understand why we eat Matzah, but does Hashem care if we eat chametz?
Bread of Shame and earning the light?
The Dark Side wants revenge for an unfair fight.
Don't wave a fistful of cash in the street.
Growth through earning.
Every Rosh Hodesh
Connection to faith
Imbues special power which lasts the month
Rosh Hodesh Nissan permeates through the year
Change and overcome luck, fate and gezerot
Please be sure to listen to PART 2
Tomorrow is the fourth Sabbath in the cycle of special Sabbatot that come in the spring time before Purim and Passover.
It is also a triple header. The rare case of when we open the Hechal and we take out, not, one and not two, but three Sifrei Torah to read from as we do on Simcha Torah.
In addition to Simcha Torah, a triple header comes when Shabbat falls on Rosh Hodesh Tevet during Chanukah, Rosh Hodesh Adar and as tomorrow Rosh Hodesh Nissan.
Moses and Rabbi Eliezer
King Solomon and his question
Abraham and dust and ashes
Vaccine and the Red Heifer
The secret to Humility
Rav Kanievsky Z'SL and the sons of Aaron, Short Class
Protocol and Guidance
Connecting one generation with another
Vayika Zachor Wiping Out Amalek
The Little Aleph in Vayikra
The failure of King Saul
The Nachash
The throne of Haman
Hanging from a tree
The source of Amalek's power
Wiping out Amalek
Vayakhel / Shekalim - Little Effort Big Reward - Based on the teachings of HaGaon HaGadol Rav Moshe Wolfson shlit”a 5779
Do 600,000 half shekels add up to Haman's bribe?
The essence of berachah is multiplication; when something is blessed, it becomes quantitatively more.
The angel of Chodesh Adar is called אברכיא'ל – which includes in it the word ברך , a term of blessing.
The Golden Calf
The assasination of Hur
Why was Aharon HaKohen subjected to the devastating ordeal of making the egel ?
And Haran died in the lifetime of his father Terah
Aharon accepted upon himself the blame for making the egel in order to save Yisrael from extermination
The secret to two Adars
The battle with Amalek
Born in a leap year
Why do we need a Mikdash
Is it limiting?
The Embassy
How was Besalele's vision different from Moshe's
Rabbi Chiya responded to Rabbi Chanina, “How do you dare argue with me? For I make sure the Torah is not forgotten from Yisrael to begin with. What do I do? I go and sow flax; then I weave nets from the flax. I trap deer with them, and I feed their meat to orphans. Then I prepare scrolls of parchment (with their skins),
and I write the five chumashim (of the Torah on them). I go
to the village (where there is no one to teach the children), I
teach five children the five chumashim (each one a different chumash), and I teach another six children the six orders of the
Mishnah (by heart—each child a different order). Then
I say to them, ‘Until I come back, teach each other Torah and teach each other Mishnah.’ Thus, I ensure that the Torah will never be forgotten from Yisrael.”
Taking into account all that we have discussed, we learn a fundamental principle. The Bet HaMikdash above in the heavens represents the letters י”ה , which stand for ;י’שמחו ה’שמים whereas the Bet HaMikdash down below on earth represents the letters ו”ה
, which stand for ו’תגל ה’ארץ .
MISHPATIM 5779 Netivot Shalom – 4 ways Our Yeser tries to damage us
The four legged dining table
The four elements
Rectification
Mishpatim and Reincarnation – Short Class Based on Shvilei Pinchas
Three or Four Strikes and you're out!
'And these are the laws that you shall place before them,' which Onkelos translates: 'And these are the laws that you should order before them,' which means, these are the orders of reincarnation, the laws of the souls, that each one is judged to receive its punishment.
HKB”H created man out of four basic elements: fire, wind, water and earth—aish, ruach mayim, afar. These four elements
correspond to the four letters of the name Havaya. Had man, not sinned with the Tree of Knowledge, his body and soul would
have existed in perfect harmony with regards to the four elements;
and he would have lived forever.
The purpose of offering a korban is to make amends for the damage one’s transgressions have caused to the four basic elements: “aish,” “ruach,” “mayim,” and “afar.”
Resurrection and being born again every day!
Learning to see the world through new eyes.
The Dew of Torah
Déjà vu all over again
Yitro – Eliminating Evil 5780 The Secret of overcoming Raah
Rashi comments: There is a star whose name is ' רעה ' (Ra’ah). Pharaoh said to them, “I see through my astrological predictions that star ascending to meet you in the midbar; and it is an omen of blood and killing.”
'What did Yitro hear that made him come? He heard about the splitting of the sea and the war against Amalek.'
Yes, we are the chosen people. Yes, we stood at Sinai and heard the words of the Creator Himself. Yes, G-d is involved in each of our lives moment by moment. We see it in the miracles of our own day; the miracles of the six day war and the miracles of building a land. A generation ago the death knell was heard, the tolling of the bell was impossible to miss, both Jews and non-Jews predicted the demise of a Torah observant people. Yet today we see more people learning than at any other point since the destruction of the Temple 2000 years ago. We see more acts of kindness and charity. This is a G-d’s miracle. But we have seen up close what Amalek can do. And still today there is Amalek in the world.
Naaseh VeNishma Thought and Action Joe R Bibi A'H 5782
Connection to BeShalach: We are told that Amalek was able to attack only because we weren’t studying properly.
LOH HAMIDRASH Ikar ELEH HAMaaseh
Tefilin shel yad and tefilin shel rosh
We see that NACHSHON is granted that his children will become kings when he jumps into the sea.
This teaches us that the sea split for Yisrael in the merit of their “emunah.” Therefore, those tzaddikim who believed in Hashem and his loyal servant Moshe, and jumped into the raging waters without fear for their lives, deserved to have the sea split on their behalf.
The Sea Split a Second Time Specifically for Datan and Aviram
The Sea Was Enraged by Datan and Aviram
BeShalach 5780 Shvilei Pinchas Galut Daat
HKB”H said to Moshe “Those dear to me are drowning in the sea, and you linger before Me in prayer?” Moshe responded: “What am I to do?” HKB”H replied: “Speak to Bnei Yisrael and let them journey. And you, lift up your staff and stretch out your arm over the sea.”
It is man’s task to ensure that the three intellectual aspects in the brain control the seven-character traits of the heart — not allowing them to satisfy his heart’s desires.
This is the modus operandi of the yetzer. It introduces doubt and uncertainty into a person’s heart and mind: Why are you learning this subject instead of another subject? Why are you serving Hashem in this way and not in that way? In this manner, it
confuses man to the point that he is uncertain as to how to act and proceed.
Three plagues of Darkness
Borrowing the dishes
The promise to Abraham
Why dishes?
Why borrow?
Killing the gods of Egypt
Moses in a state of shock and embarrassment runs back to G-d and complains. “Why did you do evil to these people? Why did you send me? From the moment I arrived at Pharaoh to speak in your name, only more evil befell the nation. And obviously I did not do anything to save your nation.”
Hashem assures Moses that he will now see what will be done to Pharaoh and how Pharaoh will set the people free. But Hashem doesn’t seem to answer Moses question, or does He?
The rabbis point out that the strange combination found in the opening words of this week’s portion are in essence an answer from G-d to Moses. We begin with the words, Vaydaber Elokim – as we have explained in the past this verb for speaking denotes a harsh tone from the aspect of Elokim or strict justice and the same verse concludes, Vayomer Elav Ani Hashem. Again as we noted this
verb denotes a soft loving tone and concludes with the name Hashem or Havaya denoting the aspect of loving kindness. Hashem in essence is telling Moses, although you perceive Me coming to you and the people with harshness, judgment and
cruelty, in reality I am coming to you with kindness as Ani Hashem.
The joy of Chodesh Shevat
The secret of the month Shevat and the kavana for sanctifying it.
Understanding the waves of Shovevim
Punishment for Substituting pledges even with something better.
Changing minds. Yitro, Pharaoh and Moses. Why can’t we stick to our guns.
Moshe’s grandson becomes a priest of avoda Zara. How can that be?
Overcoming the snake's doubt.
What’s our lesson?
How can we fix things ?
Based on the teachings or Rabbi Abittan and Rabbi Aderet as recorded January 2021
VaEra - HaKarat HaTov - SHort Story - A Silver lIning in Jerusalem
How far is a Jew required to go to give Hakarat HaTov?
We read last week, “A new king arose over Egypt who did not know of Joseph' . Our Sages ask: can it be that he did not know of Joseph?
Rav Ovadia showed tremendous hakarat hatov and appreciation.
You need to try to picture this ragtag group as the clock struck midnight, in front of an alley bar with the music playing. Black hats, baseball hats, army caps, crochet knit Nachman caps and plain old yalmakahs, all together.
Shemot - I want to be your neighbor!
Who chased whom out of the Garden of Eden?
Why not send baby Moses away or come up with some other way to hide him; why risk killing him by putting him into a basket by the water?
Why did Yocheved choose this specific day to place Moses by the water; what was so special about that day which gave her confidence?
Who did the daughter of Pharaoh see in the basket with Moses?
How can one refuse a personal and direct request from Hashem?
What’s was the basis of such a refusal by Moses at the burning bush and later by Yirmiyahu as we see in the Haftara?
What does Pharaoh know that makes him wonder why Moses would want to take Benai Yisrael into the desert?
What do we learn about appreciation and recognition of good in this perasha?
How do we make sense of the sign which doesn’t seem like a sign that Hashem gives to Moses?
Why would man need to pray for Hashem‘s salvation?
Why didn’t the brothers return at the the time of Jacob’s funeral to stay in Canaan? Were they forced to keep their family and cattle in Egypt or was it a decision? And if they were forced why not gradually sneak out over the next 50 years that Joseph was in
power?
What does it mean when we learn that someone living outside of Israel is like an idol worshiper?
The Nile River was an Egyptian deity and Pharoh intended to drown the Jewish children in the impurity of the Egyptian deity.
If Yocheved realized that Moshe had the power to negate the klipeh of the Nile, why did she hide him for three months. What was so special about the day she placed him in the water?
By extending her arm to rescue Moshe, she rescued herself from the decree of death, allowing her to enter Gan Eden alive.
What was the power of the Tevah ?
Based on the teachings of Rabbi Pinches Friedman
The umbrella of protection based on the teachings of Rabbi Abittan and Rabbi Aderet
The attempts at a tikun of Kayin in the book of Bereshit and our continuing job.
Daf Yomi helps a driver get out of a traffic ticket.
Does slavery truly begin with the death of Jacob or is it 80 years later?
Decoding Jacob’s blessings to his grandchildren and to his children.
The origin of the Vulcan nerve pinch by Spock
Finding refuge within the tent of the study hall.
Vayechi - Jacob Never Died - What does that mean to Us?
Jacob the Paradigm of Truth
Emet and immortality
Children are the legs of their parents
The world was created with three separate alphabets of 22 letters relating to the 66 who went down to Egypt
Adam Man and Dam Blood
Emet Truth and Met Death
Amonay - G-d and Din - Judgement
Achieving Immortality
Today we fast in commemoration of Nebuchadnezzar’s seige of Jerusalem which resulted in the destruction of the First Bet HaMikdash. The fast day is simply called Asara BaTevet. strange thing about the Tenth of Tevet is that when it falls out on a Friday, we don’t push it off or push it back, We fast on Friday unlike other fasts. And Avudraham suggests that were it to fall out on Shabbat, we would even fast on Shabbat and we only do that when Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat. Why? We commemorate the siege only while on other days we remember the more difficult anniversaries of the breaking of the walls and the destruction itself. What makes the Tenth of Tevet different?
This fast almost always falls during the week we read Vayechi. Vayechi Yaakov which translates as Jacob lived seems to be more about Jacob dying rather than living.
The weekly portions always are demarcated; they begin either on a new line, or on the same line as the end of the previous portion but after a space large enough to have nine letters written in it. Vayechi is an exception, in that there is no space at all between the end of last week's parsha, Vayigash, and the beginning of Vayechi - the last word of Vayigash is followed immediately by the first word of Vayechi.
Rashi quotes two explanations of this unique phenomenon. 'Why is this parsha 'stumah' [closed, or sealed, i.e., written immediately after the end of the preceding parsha with no space in between]? Because once Jacob died, the eyes and hearts of the Israelites were closed by the oppression of their subjugation, for it was then that they [the Egyptians] began to subjugate them. Another explanation is that Jacob wanted to reveal the “end” to his sons, but it was closed to him.'
VaYigash We cannot live in a world of only Chesed 5781
Yehudah Crashed into Yosef
Understanding Elokim vs Havaya
Who will be chosen King?
Mechilah and Kappara
Recovering from mistakes makes the king.
Being drawn upwards with the flame!
Are we celebrating a victory or a miracle?
The eight day holidays celebrated by Adam and the origin of pagan winter celebrations.
The Hellenists are alive and well in our generation and the challenge of Hannukah remains.
Joseph to Pharaoh: Interpretation or advice?
Qualifications to run the country.
Connecting Yesod with Binah
How do we do that?
Yosef Prepared a Chanukah Feast and Gave Binyamin Five Portions Corresponding to the Five Reasons Binyamin Merited Having the Chanukah Miracle Occur in His Territory based on the Shvilei Pinchas
VaYesheb - Yosef was a Gilgul of Chanoch who transformed alive into the angel Matat. Based on the teachings of the Shvilei Pinchas
If Chanoch went to heaven alive, what tikun was to be accomplished through Joseph?
Chanoch’s Shortcoming Was that He Failed to Rebuke the People of His Generation
Yisrael in Mitzrayim neshamos that had corrupted their ways in the generation of the flood
The Connection between Chanoch and the Passuk: “חנוך לנער על פי דרכו”
Yosef Possesses the Same Numerical Value as Melech Yavan
The Preferred Mitzvah Is to Place the Chanukah Candles outside one’s door
The Ten Dreams of Bereshit
Dream Interpretation
Asking through a Dream
BE Careful who you tell a dream to
Dreams are 1/60th of prophecy
“Yaakov was left alone and a man wrestled with him!” Who Fought with Yaakov and what was at stake?
Based on Rav Pinchas Friedman
Esav’s Guardian Angel Fought with Yaakov Avinu on Account of the Third Bet HaMikdash
Why does the gemara write an obvious grammatical mistake
when it writes: “Rabbi Yaakov Pays Half-Damages”?
Why does Yaakov not take in Timna and how does that relate
the the Two Letters “Samech-Mem” of סמא'ל?
Yaakov Avinu Was the Tikun of Adam HaRishon Who Brought
Death to the World!
What does the midrash mean when it tells us that HKB”H minimized
the Stature of Adam HaRishon to One Hundred Cubits?
The battle continues
Little jars and shattered vessels.
Putting me to work in the mines
Is my brother a vampire?
The butterfly in the cocoon
Two men living inside one body.
The process may be painful but it produces
A peaceful reunion in Petra
A short class exploring why Yaakov after spending a lifetime studying Torah is privileged only to see angels in a dream, then after working as a shepherd for 20 years sees them up close and can even command them. And how we can understand this idea of Yaakov being Tiferet, beauty and the balance in our world through overcoming real life challenges and inspiring us that we can do the same.
jacob is penniless, where will his ezri – help or perhaps his “Eliezer” come from?
Esav bound his son Eliphaz with an oath to slay Jacob
Eliphaz overcame his nature
the Rama of Pano explains: Onkelos was an “ibur” of Eliphaz.
If one’s income and one’s health and everything
else has already been decided, how can one hoe hope to change things through daily prayer?
The rabbis explain although we are taught, ein Mazal LeYisrael, there in fact is mazal and it’s difficult for an individual person to change their Mazal, so again what are we hoping for?
This week our forefather Isaac gives us a lesson in rising above or tunneling through and changing what was predicted to be to what can be.
Reaching a place called MAZALA.
Rivka on the Camel subjugating the Nachash
Did Rivka fall or as Onkelus suggests gracefully dismount?
How does Rivka continue the Tikkun of Chava?
“The splendor of Yaakov was a semblance of the splendor of Adam.”
Eisav had a mark resembling a nachash on his thigh; this alluded to the fact that Eisav was a representative of the nachash.
Rav Yehuda HaNasi and Antoninos שני גויים בבטנך TWO NATIONS ARE IN THY WOMB —
The True role of Eisav in this world.
Chaye Sara - Eliezer and Transforming a curse into a blessing 5782
He is blessed and you are cursed and the two cannot be joined.
How is Avraham so harsh with Eliezer?
What is the secret that changes Eliezer to blessed?
Why is the first letter of the Torah a Bet while the first letter of the commandments an Aleph?
A holy soul interferes with the dark side
Hashem sends his angels to accompany us
Menashe explains the challenges of Avoda Zara
Abraham and the Mazalot and astrological influence
Ein Mazal LeYisrael
Our personal test and tikun in this world
Is there anything to a red string?
How does one prevent ayin haRah?
What is the lesson of Rachel?
Why are her cries heard above all other by Hashem?
Why is Kever Rachel on the road?
The Tree of Life of the secrets of Torah is very hidden and difficult to truly attain due to the revolving sword which bars entry to Gan Eden D’ei Chochmah L’nafshechah – Rav Yitzchak Meir Morgenstern
Shvilei Pinchas - Hashem instructs the neshameh to leave its heavenly abode and to enter a particular body.
These four words -- “אל הארץ אשר אראך” -- to the land that I will show you — are the key!
Each moment of our lives, at each encounter we face we have two choices: To be mediocre or to be great.
Lech Lecha Abraham & Sarah - Tikun Adam & Chava
Listening to your wife, good or bad?
Adam and Chava - Take Two
The snake will come to support you
Overcoming Mansapach
The reward for silence.
Your money or your life !
Death and life are in the hand of the tongue
Sometimes one must speak, but sometimes one must be silent
The strength of Noah was in his ability to control his speech
This word Siach is interesting as it has a numerical value of 318
Eliezer is 318
Tameh, the torah replaces it with multiple words asher loh Tehorah
A 'תיבה' is also a WORD
The entirety of creation is divided into four realms
Feathers in a pillow
Good morning, Herr Rabbiner
What was the Dor Haflaga trying to accomplish ?
Bereshit Birkat HaLevana and neshama yetera 5782
The moon complains
The moon representing the Shechina
A desire to nourish directly
The seven levels of teh shechina depend on us
The text of Birkat HaLevana
Expanding our three levels of souls on Friday Night
Vezot Haberacha - The number 8 and Going Beyond Nature 5782
15 Moadim or 16 Holiday days
53 parshiot or 54 parshiot
VeZot HaBeracha
7/49 representing nature
8/50 representing the supernatural or beyond nature
Understanding based on the Hebrew Slave Eved Ivri
Reshit is Moshe and the 1st generation
Connecting the lowest to the greatest
our opportunity on shemini aseret and simchat torah
Whoever fulfills the mitzvah of Succah in this world - Olam HaZeh – will be zocheh that Hashem will give him a portion in the future in the succah. What does that mean?
Three strikes - The generation of the Flood, the generation of dispersion and the generation of Sedom
Three types of Torah. The written Torah. The oral Torah of this world. The oral Torah of Olam Habbah.
Reversing the wires. Causing a short circuit. The greatest potential can be the worst tragedy.
We are them and we can fix it!
The Trojan Horse and opening for Teshuva
A lesson from Yonah and the Kikayon tree
Rabbi Yisroel Meir Lau and the burn victims of the Yom Kippur War
The Ramban and R' Avner who converted to Catholicism
My Dad is the Pilot
Hashem is our father who loves us
Make a small opening and let him in
Shabbat Shuva Returning the Heh through Balance and Admission. The lower Heh of Malchut expanding into the upper Heh of Binah. The wake up call of the shofar. Hayom harat Olam Today the world was conceived. Adam's sin and the mixture of good and evil. Bringing balance to the world. Modeh VeOzev Yerucham. Admitting is the hardest thing to do.
Ben Ish Chai – Rabbi Yosef Chaim Baghdad
Im KeBanim Im KeAvadim
Rav Elya Lopian
What is the difference between a loyal son and a
dutiful servant?
The greatest praise of Moses is that he was
called Eved Hashem
Rabban Gamliel summed it up when he said to two sages whom he wanted to appoint to office: “Do you imagine I am offering you rulership? I am offering you avdut, the chance to serve.”
When was the 1st day of Creation?
What does Rosh Hashana Recall?
Why celebrate New Years on the 6th Day?
The promise to Adam and Chava
Hashem is my shadow !
Nisavim 5781 Short Class Moving Beyond the curses to blessings
But the Klausenberger Rebbe
Rabbi Riskin's first lesson in modern zionism
Ki Tabo - The nations will fear you - Tefilin and Tefilah
First Fruits - Blessings and Curses
Tonight we will explore the blessing that The nations will
fear you.
How this blessing relates to the power of tefillin and the
power of prayer especially this time of Selichot.
The mystery of the double shin on the tefillin shel Rosh. A
three headed and four headed version
Defeating the seven headed demon in the study hall as Jacob
defeated the angel of Esav.
Suppressing the evil inclination.
Retrieving the holy sparks and bringing about
redemption.
Ki Tabo Appreciation, The SImanim and Rosh Hashana
Overcoming the 98 curses
Bringing the Bikurim and hearing a Bat Kol
Why the Simanim on Rosh Hashana?
Day of Judgment is very serious.
How can an apple dipped in honey get me a sweet year?
Can I change my Mazal?
Ki Tabo - Learning Simcha from the Yeser HaRah
Is it a misvah gedola lihiyot besimcha
The zohar on joy
The difference between joy and happiness
Emotion vs intellect
Recognizing Hashem with joy and humility
How the evil inclination teaches joy
Serving Hashem with my two hearts
This week we explore Tefila- prayer. Why does
the same prayer said by two people have different results? What activates prayer? How do we go beyond prayer? Why does Moses resort to falling in his face ? Can we take advantage of Moses’ lesson?
Shoftim: It’s all about connecting.
What is it that bonds having a just court system to our meriting to inherit and possess the land?
And once we get to the land we are told to appoint a king. What of the kings role do we learn from here?
Then the kohanim are to be given from each animal: the cheeks, the shoulder and the maw. Why those specific parts? And why tell this to us now? Things set aside for the priest seems out of place here.
The portion continues with drafting soldiers for war and then gives a litany of excuses permitting the soldier to tear up his draft card. what makes the perfect soldier ?
The meaning of Shalom
Shalom as a connection
The Haftara link to Eliyahu and Shalom
Shalom
- Hidden within the Kaddish and really at it’s core.
Shalom
as the ultimate answer.
Ki Tesse, the captive woman is our own soul we must free. The battle between Jacob and Esav for the months of the year. Understanding Elul and taking advantage of Jacob's effort.
The zodiac sign of Virgo and bringing the bride to the King.
The dream with King
Solomon, Why so many wives? Why no fear of returning to Egypt? Why marry the
daughter of Pharoah on the same night you were consecrating the new Bet
HaMikdash?
Parasha Re’eh 5781 - What does it mean to see
? Choose between - Blessing and and curse? Life and death ? Good and evil ? Would anyone choose the latter? Define blessing and curse? Protection from the dark side ! The problem with resting. The secret of my כפי palms ! Success in Elul !