Dvar Torah for Parshas Ki Sisa

       After the high of receiving the Torah and instructions to build the Mishkan, everything comes crashing down in this week’s parsha after Bnei Yisrael build the Egel, the Golden Calf. Building this idol and serving it just one month after standing at Har Sinai was such a tremendous sin, that we still pay for it nowadays to a certain degree. Immediately afterwards, Moshe pleads with Hashem to keep His Shechinah present with Bnei Yisrael, and not put them under the responsibility of an administering angel (like all the other nations).

       Hashem responds, “וַיֹּאמַ֑ר פָּנַ֥י יֵלֵ֖כוּ וַֽהֲנִחֹ֥תִי לָֽךְ” “And He (Hashem) said, ‘My presence will go and I will give you rest” (Shemos 33:14). Listening to Moshe’s pleas, Hashem assures him that He will remain with the Bnei Yisrael. But Moshe was not finished. In the very next pasuk, “וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֵלָ֑יו אִם־אֵ֤ין פָּנֶ֨יךָ֙ הֹֽלְכִ֔ים אַל־תַּֽעֲלֵ֖נוּ מִזֶּֽה” “And he (Moshe) said to Him, “If your presence does not go, do not take us up from here” (33:15). What is Moshe afraid of? Hashem just told him that He will continue on with the nation!

       The pasuk uses the word “פנים”, “face” to describe Hashem’s presence, due to the fact that a face shows a person’s emotions, whatever they may be. So too, the mere fact that Hashem is present does not tell us if He is happy or angry with Bnei Yisrael. The commentaries all discuss which aspect of Hashem’s presence the Bnei Yisrael would be getting. The Kli Yakar explains this is how we can understand Moshe’s reaction to Hashem’s response.  

       Moshe pleads with Hashem not to leave the Bnei Yisrael in the hands of someone else, and Hashem replies that He won’t. He will take them through the desert and provide whatever is necessary to get them through the desert. However, He does not say whether He will remain with Bnei Yisrael with פנים of anger or mercy. Therefore, Moshe comes back and tells Hashem that he knows that Hashem will guide them through the desert, otherwise how could they make it through at all! But how would He guide them through, with a face of mercy or anger? Therefore, he says again, if You do not come with us, then don’t take us at all. If You do not guide us with mercy, there is no point in us even leaving here.

Shabbat Shalom!

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Dvar Torah for Parshas Tetzaveh

       The discussion of the construction of the Mishkan continues with Parshas Tetzaveh. While Parshas Terumah dealt with the physical construction of the Mishkan and its utensils, Tetzaveh deals with the clothing of the Kohanim. However, before the parsha gets into that, it opens with one more item which seemingly belongs in last week’s parsha.

        “ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל ויקחו אליך שמן זית זך כתית למאור להעלת נר תמיד. באהל מועד מחוץ לפרכת  אשר על העדת” “And you shall command the children of Israel, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the lamps continuously. In the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain that is in front of the testimony (they shall set up the lights)” (Shemos 27:20-21). These pesukim are discussing the obligation to prepare pure olive oil to be used for the Menorah, which will be continuously lit, twenty-four hours a day. However, the Menorah was discussed in Terumah along with the other utensils. How come the oil wasn’t discussed then as well?

       The Kli Yakar adds several other questions. How come Hashem has to specifically say to Moshe, “And you shall command the children of Israel?” No other command passed through Moshe uses this language; it’s almost as if this commandment was made specifically for Moshe! Also, why does the pasuk use the word נר, in the singular, in the pasuk? (Grammatically, this is good enough to translate into a plural reference.) The Menorah had seven lights! Furthermore, the Menorah was not constantly lit; there was a small time period around nightfall when the lights would go out and the Kohen would relight it then. So why does the pasuk say they were continuously lit?

       In order to answer all of these questions, the Kli Yakar begins with a Ramban (ibid.) who explains that in reality, only one of the lights of the Menorah was constantly lit. Through a miracle, it would remain lit even after the other lights went out. The Kohen would fill up all seven lights with oil, and light the extinguished six lights from the miracle seventh. This is why the pasuk uses the word נר in the singular, because only one light was actually constantly lit.

       Based on this, we can answer our other questions. The Mishkan was divided into three sections, the Kodesh HaKedoshim, where the Aron was kept; the Kodesh, where the Menorah, Shulchan, and Golden Mizbe’ach were kept; and the outer courtyard, where the Copper Mizbe’ach stood. Even though the Kodesh HaKedoshim had a higher level of holiness than the other two sections, each section had something within it that showed that Hashem’s presence could be found in each section of the Mishkan. It was important that there was a show of the Shechinah in each section of the Mishkan since almost everyone could not enter the majority of the building.

       In the Kodesh, the miracle of this everlasting light showed that Hashem was present. The reason why the mitzvah of the oil was listed immediately after the different utensils of the Mishkan, and specifically after discussing the courtyard structure, was to make this point; no matter which section of the Mishkan, Hashem’s Shechinah could be found there.  

       There is still one more question to be answered, why was this command specified for Moshe to tell it to the Bnei Yisrael?

       Moshe was the greatest Navi who ever lived. His prophecy was so great, Chazal tell us that every prophet who followed him received their prophecy only through him! This is similar to a flame, as many lights as you light from it, it does not lose even a bit of strength. Furthermore, this miracle light of the Menorah got its’ power from Moshe! When Moshe was born, the house was filled with light. This light came straight from the supreme light of Hashem and represents Hashem’s presence in this world. The fact that it came into this world through Moshe showed that he was the conduit of this light’s transfer into this world. So any sign of Hashem through light in this world, including the light of the Menorah, was a result of Moshe.

       So, we see that in fact, this commandment was specifically written for Moshe. In recognition of his greatness and his ability to bring the light to us, Hashem gave the commandment to him, that Bnei Yisrael should bring the oil that caused the miracle light to Moshe, the cause of this miracle that showed Bnei Yisrael that Hashem rested in every part of the Mishkan. May we merit soon seeing this great light among us once again!

Shabbat Shalom!      

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Dvar Torah for Parshas Terumah

       Parshas Terumah begins a four-parsha discussion about the building of the Mishkan. Terumah begins with a discussion of the different utensils used in the Mishkan, along with the unique significance behind each one. The parsha continues with a description of the actual structure of the Mishkan and the surrounding courtyard. Further parshiyos discuss the clothing of the Kohanim, and the subsequent gathering of the necessary materials and construction of the Mishkan.

       At the beginning of the parsha, the Ramban does something he rarely does, he provides an introduction for the parsha (usually, he only provides introductions for seforim, not individual parshiyos). In it, he explains the purpose and importance of having a Mishkan. The following is his explanation.

       Only a few weeks prior, Hashem had appeared on Har Sinai in front of the entire Jewish People and spoken the Aseres Hadibros. He then gave over to Moshe the rest of the Torah privately, with instructions to give it over to the People. At that point, seeing how eager and excited Bnei Yisrael were to receive the Torah, Hashem officially made a Bris, a treaty with them that they would become His nation. The significance of this can’t be exaggerated. For Hashem, Ruler and Creator of the entire world, to choose one nation among all the people on the Earth to be considered and cared for as His is incomparable to any event in history.

       One of the promises Hashem made to Bnei Yisrael was, “וְאַתֶּ֧ם תִּֽהְיוּ־לִ֛י מַמְלֶ֥כֶת כֹּֽהֲנִ֖ים וְג֣וֹי קָד֑וֹשׁ” “And you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy Nation” (Shemos 19:6). And because they were holy, they were worthy of having real holiness dwell among them. Therefore, while Moshe was still on Har Sinai, Hashem gave him the instructions on how to build the Mishkan, in order that He would be able to dwell among the nation. The most important part of the Mishkan was the utensil from where Hashem would “speak” from, the Aron (Ark) since that was the fulfillment of the Mishkan’s main purpose. Therefore, the Aron is the first utensil mentioned in the parsha.   

       The Shechinah that rested in the Mishkan was not just a sample size amount. When Hashem appeared in the Mishkan, it was exactly the same as when he appeared on Har Sinai! Matan Torah is the only time in history (so far) that Hashem appeared in His full Glory in this world; but this revelation existed every day inside the Mishkan, and subsequently, the Beis Hamikdash! What a person would see if he would go into the Kodesh Hakedoshim, where the Aron was housed, was the exact same thing he had seen on Har Sinai. The fire that came down and ate the korbanos that were brought on the mizbe’ach in the courtyard was the same fire. And the voice Moshe heard coming from between the Keruvim on top of the Aron when he spoke to Hashem was the same one he heard while he was on the mountain! (This voice however, stopped once it hit the curtain so no one else could hear. No one besides Moshe was worthy to speak directly with Hashem.) This was true as well in the Beis Hamikdash. Any expression of Hashem in either of these structures was equal to that expression when it was seen on Har Sinai.

       Perhaps this idea is better suited for Tisha B’av when we mourn the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, but we are reading these parshiyos now, in the middle of the winter. Plus, it is always necessary to mourn our greatest loss. But perhaps we can now better understand what we have lost. In some ways it’s impossible to picture what happened at Har Sinai, but in some ways it is very easy. We have heard about how Bnei Yisrael saw sights and heard sounds that had never before been experienced. They watched as Hashem’s Cloud of Glory descended on the mountain and Moshe walked up to meet Him. They stood and shook as the Voice of Hashem surrounded them, teaching them the Torah they were so excited to receive. One thing we can understand from this description, this experience was larger than life.

       But what if it wasn’t? What if it could fit inside a building. What if every time someone brought a korban, that same fire appeared. What if every time the Menorah was lit, that same light shone through. And what if on Yom Kippur when the Kohen Gadol went into the Kodesh Hakedoshim, that same voice was being spoken (even if no one could hear it). Well, it did happen, in the Beis Hamikdash. That’s what we lost, and that’s what we hope to gain. The experience of Har Sinai every day. May we see it speedily in our days.

Shabbat Shalom!

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Dvar Torah for Parshas Mishpatim

       After all the exciting moments we’ve read since the beginning of Sefer Shemos, Parshas Mishpatim brings us back to the more nitty-gritty discussions of Torah Law and everyday life. The majority of the parsha deals with cases of contractual obligations, liability, and property law, and begins with the case of a Jewish man who is sold as a slave.

       The pasuk reads as follows, “כִּ֤י תִקְנֶה֙ עֶ֣בֶד עִבְרִ֔י שֵׁ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים יַֽעֲבֹ֑ד וּבַ֨שְּׁבִעִ֔ת יֵצֵ֥א לַֽחָפְשִׁ֖י חִנָּֽם” “When you purchase a Hebrew slave, he shall work for six years. And in the seventh year, he shall go to freedom for free.” (Shemos 21:2). Nowadays, slavery is illegal in most countries, and the countries that still have it are frowned upon. However, in Judaism, slavery was not the same as in other cultures. First, a Jew could choose to sell himself in order to provide for his family or pay back a loan; under no circumstances could a Jew kidnap someone to sell them into slavery. Furthermore, a Jewish slave had to be treated with the utmost respect, to the degree that the buyer had to provide the slave with equal if not better accommodations than what he himself was used to! (Kind of makes you wonder who owned who!) Additionally, the term of his slavery could only be up to six years long.

       Why does Hashem choose to begin the discussion of Jewish Law with the laws of a slave? What is the significance of this situation? The Kli Yakar explains that just like the first of the Aseres Hadibros is that Hashem took us out of slavery, the first item discussed following the giving of the Torah is how you should send your own slaves free. Hashem is telling us that just like He let us out of slavery, so too should we be careful to free our slaves at the proper time.

       The Kli Yakar also explains several other ideas having to do with Jewish slaves. He asks, how come the pasuk refers to this man as a “Ivri” instead of as a brother or as part of Bnei Yisrael? He answer that the term Ivri was applied to Avraham’s family when they crossed the river away from everyone else, since Ivri comes from the Hebrew root “עבר”, meaning to pass over. However, Avraham’s family was not good people, sticking to lives of sin while ignoring Avraham’s lessons about Hashem. One reason why a person sells himself as a slave is when he steals and can’t pay it back. This person has therefore attached himself to the evil ways of Avraham’s ancestors, and therefore, he is called by their title.

       Finally, he explains why the term of service for a slave is six years. In Jewish Law, when a person steals, he must pay back double the amount he stole. Based on different pesukim, there is an opinion that in the times of TaNach, the standard time of service was three years. Therefore, a slave would be sold for six years, double the normal amount.

Shabbat Shalom! 

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