Dvar Torah for Parshas Chukas

     Parshas Chukas is literally packed to the brim with some of the most famous stories in the Torah. From the laws of the Parah Adumah (Red Heifer) to Moshe hitting the rock to the deaths of Aharon and Miriam to the beginning of the end of the journey to Eretz Yisrael, this week’s parshah has no shortage of topics to write about. If only we could spend time on all of them, but sadly, we must only choose one.

     The Torah explains that when someone becomes spiritually impure through coming into contact with a dead body, he becomes pure again by being sprinkled with the ashes of the Parah Adumah. When explaining the topic of the Parah Adumah, Rashi first explains technically how the whole process works along with all the laws and procedures. Afterwards, he brings the midrashic explanation. The question that everyone asks, and rightly so, about Parah Adumah is what is the significance of this red cow that it is used to make a tamei (spiritually impure) person tahor (spiritually pure)? The medrash explains that the first time Bnei Yisrael became tamei after receiving the Torah was from the Egel Hazahav (Golden Calf), the medrash says that the Parah Adumah, the “mother cow”, should come and clean up the mess of the “baby cow”, the Egel. The same way that the Egel made Bnei Yisrael tamei, the Parah Adumah will make everyone tahor.

     The Sifsei Chachamim asks on this medrash that we have a concept called אין קטגור נעשה סנגור, the prosecutor cannot become the defendant. How can the cow which caused the Jewish People to sin in the first place, come back and act as the tool to reach spiritual purity and connect us with Hashem? Similarly, when the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) went into the Kodesh Hakedoshim (Holy of Holies) on Yom Kippur, he did not wear any gold material on his clothing since the Egel was made of gold and it is no longer a material which can be used to facilitate forgiveness. Predictably, the question is answered with another question. If using gold clothing would remind Hashem of the sin of the Golden Calf, why would the Kohen Gadol ever be able to wear gold clothing? The answer is that we are strict about the use of gold clothing pertaining to any service done in the Kodesh Hakedoshim, however for every other part of the Beis Hamikdash service, we are not. The same applies to the Parah Adumah, since it isn’t connected in any way to the Kodesh Hakedoshim, we don’t say אין קטגור נעשה סנגור.

     This rule of אין קטגור נעשה סנגור brings up another question in a later Rashi. The pasuk says, “וּנְתַתֶּם אֹתָהּ אֶל אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן” “And you shall give it (the Parah Adumah) to Elazar the Kohen” (19:3). Rashi asks how come Elazar was in charge of preparing the Parah Adumah and not Aharon the Kohen Gadol? He answers, “…ולפי שאהרן עשה את העגל לא נעשית עבודה זו על ידו, שאין קטיגור נעשה סניגור” “…Because Aharon made the calf, this service was not given to him, for a prosecutor does not become a defense counselor” (19:22)! How can Rashi use אין קטגור נעשה סנגור to explain why Aharon couldn’t work with the Parah Adumah when we just explained that this only applies to the Kodesh Hakedoshim? The Sifsei Chachamim answers that since Aharon himself was the one who made the Egel, he could not be directly involved with the process that would help exonerate Bnei Yisrael of this sin. Therefore, אין קטגור נעשה סנגור still applies.

     Nowadays, we no longer have the Parah Adumah and cannot purify ourselves from our impure state. As we approach the time period of The Three Weeks when we commemorate the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, this should be another thing we daven for with its return, the opportunity to become completely tahor and be able to bring korbanos in the Beis Hamikdash together with all of Klal Yisrael.

Shabbat Shalom!    

AIMeM

Dvar Torah for Parshas Korach

     After the whole story of the spies and the subsequent punishment for the entire nation in last week’s parshah, you would figure that Bnei Yisrael would stay away from a little controversy. Not so. Parshas Korach follows this week with the story of Korach’s direct challenge that Moshe was not really a Navi of Hashem and thus undeserving of leading the nation. The result is the well-known story of Korach and his followers being swallowed up into the ground. As far as tragedies go, this was one of the worst. Before this episode, Korach was one of the greatest and most respected men in the entire nation. In fact, Shmuel Hanavi, who was on the same level of Moshe and Aharon, was one of his descendants. For him to fall this far and to have this ending must have had a hugh impact on Bnei Yisrael at the time.

     I would like to focus on the later part of the parshah where after the whole fiasco is settled, Hashem tells Moshe to warn Bnei Yisrael not to follow in Korach’s path. “וְלֹא יִהְיֶה כְקֹרַח וְכַעֲדָתוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְ־הֹוָ־ה בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה לוֹ” “…and he shall not be like Korach and his followers, as Hashem spoke about him through Moshe” (17:5). Rashi asks why the pasuk uses the word “בְּיַד”, literally meaning “in the hand” to refer to Hashem’s talking to Moshe instead of simply writing the word “אל”, meaning “to (Moshe)”? He brings down a midrash to explain. In Parshas Shemos, Hashem punishes Moshe temporarily with tzara’as (leprosy) on his hand because he claims Bnei Yisrael will not believe that he is a messenger from Hashem (See Shemos 4:6). Korach’s main claim against Moshe was that Aharon and his sons should not be the only Kohanim, after all, the entire nation was holy! Through this, he claimed that Moshe did not really receive the instructions to make Aharon a Kohain from Hashem, he just wanted his brother to be an important person. The midrash explains that the reference to a hand in the pasuk refers to the hand of Moshe and that anyone who disputes to right of Aharon and his descendants to be Kohanim will also be punished with tzara’as like Moshe.

     The Kli Yakar here asks the simple question of what is the connection between disputing the Kehunah and Moshe not trusting the Bnei Yisrael in Shemos that they both deserve the same punishment. And why is tzara’as, the punishment for speaking lashon hara, the punishment for these sins?

     He starts his explanation with a gemarah is Shabbos (97a) which says that someone who accuses an innocent person of doing an aveirah is punished with a physical ailment. Our story of Moshe in Shemos is used as a proof for this. Now we know that Hashem works מידה כנגד מידה, whatever you do to someone else will be paid back in kind to you. So whatever the accuser is punished with is the punishment that he was trying to give the accused. Moshe accused Bnei Yisrael of not believing in his prophecy, as it says in the pasuk, “וְהֵן לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ לִי וְלֹא יִשְׁמְעוּ בְּקֹלִי כִּי יֹאמְרוּ לֹא נִרְאָה אֵלֶיךָ יְ־הֹוָ־ה” “…they will not believe me…they will say, ‘Hashem has not appeared to you’” (Shemos 4:1). Korach denied the prophecy of Moshe as we see Moshe defending himself in the pasuk, “וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה בְּזֹאת תֵּדְעוּן כִּי יְ־הֹוָ־ה שְׁלָחַנִי לַעֲשׂוֹת אֵת כָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים הָאֵלֶּה כִּי לֹא מִלִּבִּי” “Moshe said, ‘Through this shall you know that Hashem sent me to perform all these acts, for it was not from my heart (my own idea)” (Bamidbar 16:28). The fact that family of Aharon was the sole Kohain line was a Nevuah (prophecy) of Moshe, therefore, anyone who disputed that would be denying that Moshe was a Navi of Hashem. So both Moshe and Korach were doing the same Aveirah of denying prophecy! (Though in Moshe’s case, he was accusing someone else of it, not performing it himself.) Furthermore, from the fact that Moshe was given tzara’as, we see that if his accusation had been true and Bnei Yisrael would not have believed him, they would have received tzara’as as punishment. Therefore, someone who denies Aharon’s right to the Kehunah will also receive tzara’as. The punishment was tzara’as because in both of these cases, Moshe and Korach were saying lashon hara that Hashem did not really speak to Moshe.    

     Over history, we have had many people try to make believe that they are messengers of Hashem and we should listen to what they say. Most of the time they have been complete fakers and have been in it for their own honor and egos. But one thing is for certain, Moshe was real. He was the greatest Navi of all time and the Torah tells us there will never be another Navi like him ever. Whatever we have from Moshe is true and told over with only the best intentions, that it comes from straight from Hashem. Even more importantly, we must be careful to always assume the best of all Jews. All Jews regardless of background and knowledge have that Jewish spark inside of them which knows what truth is. We must trust them that when they hear the call, they will respond.

Shabbat Shalom!

P.s.It's great to be back after a few weeks break! Hope you continue to enjoy! 

Yosef

AIMeM

No Dvar Torah This Week

I know, it's been three weeks since I posted my last Dvar Torah. It's been a little crazy the past few weeks and I just haven't had time on a Thursday night to write one up. This week's excuse is the 2-day DEC year finale Golan Tiyul followed up with the last shabbos of the zman this week. So starting next week, I will be on partial summer vacation and should have plenty of time to post a Dvar Torah. Till then, Shabbat Shalom!



AIMeM

No Dvar Torah This Week

Sorry, but due to unforeseen circumstances there is no Dvar Torah this week. We will return next week b'ezrat hashem.
Shabbat Shalom!  




AIMeM