Dvar Torah for Parshas Shemini- Parah

       Parshas Shemini begins on the inauguration day for the Mishkan. For the previous week, Moshe had put up and taken down the Mishkan each day in order to show the Leviim how it was supposed to be done, and had also brought all the korbanos, in order to show Aharon how they were supposed to be done. For all intents and purposes, Moshe was the Kohen during this week. Now, on the eighth day (“Shemini” in Hebrew), he was ready to turn over the authority of the Kehunah to Aharon and his sons.

       The parsha begins with Moshe gathering Aharon and his sons’ to give them instructions on the korbanos that were to be brought to consecrate the Mishkan. It was at this time that he appointed them as the Kohanim. “וַֽיְהִי֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִ֔י קָרָ֣א משֶׁ֔ה לְאַֽהֲרֹ֖ן וּלְבָנָ֑יו וּלְזִקְנֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל” “And it was on the eighth day, Moshe called to Aharon and his children and to the Elders of Yisrael” (Vayikra 9:1). This must have been extremely difficult for Moshe. The office of Kehunah is special; the Kohen represents Bnei Yisrael to Hashem through the korbanos and the various jobs in the Beis Hamikdash. No one else is authorized to do any of it. This opportunity allows them to foster an extra special connection with Hashem. Combined with the fact that Moshe had already been acting in this role for the past week, it must have been hard for him to give over this special position just like that (even though the job was Aharon’s by right).

       The Ohr HaChaim explains that when a person is forced to give over something special against his will, he will do it with three particular conditions. First, he will try to delay the transfer as long as possible. Secondly, when he begins to transfer authority, he will do it in stages; no one wants to give up the perks of their position all in one shot. Lastly, he won’t make a public display of it. He’ll pass it on with little fanfare or attention. This pasuk shows us how Moshe went against all three of these tendencies.

       The pasuk says Moshe called to Aharon “בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִ֔י”. Whenever the pasuk uses this style of phrase to denote which day it is, it means that the described event happened immediately upon the breaking of that day. This disproves the first tendency; Moshe did not hesitate to transfer to Aharon the authority of the Kehunah, giving it to him immediately on the morning of the eighth day.

       The pasuk then tells us that Moshe called to Aharon’s sons at the same time he called to Aharon. While Aharon was to be the Kohen Gadol with all the responsibilities that entailed, his sons also became Kohanim, also with tremendous responsibilities. (Actually, in terms of day-to-day responsibilities, they had more duties than the Kohen Gadol.) Moshe didn’t have to make them Kohanim immediately; he could have served under Aharon himself for a day or two, just to make sure Aharon was completely up to speed on what he needed to do. Surely it would have been easier for Moshe to transfer power in stages, first giving up being the Kohen Gadol and after a few days giving up being a regular Kohen. But he didn’t do that; he happily and immediately gave Aharon’s sons their rightful position as Kohanim, serving under their father in the Mishkan.

       Finally, the pasuk tells us that Moshe called for the Elders to come and be present at this ceremony as well. Moshe could have easily gone to Aharon and his sons and told them, “From now on, you guys are the Kohanim. Let’s get started.” Instead, he called the most respected and honored members of the nation and turned it into a whole ceremony. He did this because he was so excited for his brother and his nephews to have the opportunity to serve as Kohanim in the Mishkan that he wanted to turn it into a celebration! So he called the most important people to be present, automatically turning it into a prominent event. This goes against the third natural tendency.    

       We have spoken numerous times about the greatness of Moshe Rabbeinu and the impact he continues to have on us as a nation. Perhaps the best lesson we can take from this story is that this story could happen to us just as easily as it happened to Moshe. How will we act if it does? The Torah gives us a clear picture of what Moshe did in this same situation; it is our responsibility to take the lesson and turn it into a reality.

Shabbat Shalom!

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Dvar Torah for Purim- 5776

       Once again, the holiday of Purim is upon us. Over the years, we have discussed the mitzvos of the day and the ideas we are supposed to focus on as the message of the day. This year, we will emphasize a different aspect of Purim.

       When Hashem offered the Torah to Bnei Yisrael, He held Har Sinai over their heads and declared, “If you don’t accept the Torah, I will destroy you and the entire world!” Since without Bnei Yisrael accepting the Torah, there was no purpose to creation.[1] The Gemarah in Shabbos (88a) asks that according to this, the Bnei Yisrael never truly accepted the Torah, they only accepted it in order not to be killed! The gemarah answers that even if they hadn’t fully accepted the Torah at that point, they accepted it by the miracle of Purim.[2]

       There is a famous medrash that explains that while the spectacle of Har Sinai was enough to convince the Jews of the authenticity of the Written Torah as it came directly from the ‘mouth’ of Hashem, they still had doubts of the Oral Torah. How could it be that mere man could know the will of God so clearly that he can determine His will in order to establish eternal law! However, by Purim, the Jews were finally completely convinced of the legitimacy of the Oral Torah and the ability of Chazal to know its true intentions.

       But how did Purim solidify this belief? After all the miracles of Yetzias Mitzrayim, Krias Yam Suf, Matan Torah, the Manna, all the different miracles in the desert and throughout the hundreds of years of history, the Bnei Yisrael still were not convinced until the miracle of Purim! The miracles in the desert are the biggest examples of revelations of Hashem in this world; what is so special about what happened on Purim that it was able to change the minds of the nation?

       Let us examine the foundation of the two sections of the Torah. The entire Written Torah was given to Moshe straight from Hashem. Because of its godly origins, there are parts of it that we can’t understand the process behind it.[3] We accept that since we know it’s impossible to completely understand the intentions of Hashem. The Oral Torah is derived from the Written Torah using thirteen methods that were also given to Moshe at Har Sinai. By using these methods, Chazal were able to determine the complete extent of the laws mentioned in the Torah, as well as determine new laws on their own.

       All the miracles that were done for Bnei Yisrael in Mitzrayim and in the desert were clearly supernatural; the only explanation for how they happened was that Hashem intervened in nature and made a miracle. Seeing this tremendous power and control over the world, the Bnei Yisrael knew that they should accept the Torah given to them by Hashem even if they couldn’t understand the origins or purposes of the various laws.

       But after seeing the extent of Hashem’s power, it became even harder for them to accept the Oral Torah. You’re telling me that a human being could reach the same understanding as a God who could split the sea and determine what He meant in His complex and incorporeal Torah? Impossible! So, while they accepted the Oral Torah at Har Sinai, and performed the laws of the Rabbis, there was still a part of them that didn’t understand how it was possible.

       The story of Purim changed all that. One of the biggest exclusions in the Megillah is that Hashem’s name is not mentioned once. But if you examine the entire plot line of the Purim story, it does not appear to need Hashem’s intervention at all. Everything seems to work its way out by coincidence. Esther becomes queen because Vashti was killed. Haman wanted to kill the Jews because Mordechai refused to bow to him. So Esther and Mordechai devised a plan to turn Achashverosh against Haman, and were able to save the Jews that way.

       But the only reason Vashti was killed was because Haman suggested it as punishment! And even though Achashverosh ended up regretting killing Vashti, he made Haman Prime Minister anyway. Esther was picked as queen from thousands of contestants. Mordechai was trusted by the king because he happened to overhear an assassination plot and report. And even though you would think Achashverosh would have learned his lesson about killing people in a moment of anger, he did it again when he agreed to kill Haman! So many coincidences happening all at once.

       This is one of the main ideas of Purim. We see that Hashem does not only act with open miracles, but with natural events as well. But the truth is these events all placed together are a miracle as well. We understand and recognize that all of these ‘coincidences’ may be natural events, but they were orchestrated by Hashem.

       Now we can understand how Purim caused Bnei Yisrael to fully accept upon themselves the Oral Torah. After reviewing all the events that led up to the Purim salvation, Bnei Yisrael realized that Hashem does not always have to split the sea in order to show his control over the world, He can use normal, everyday events as well. And even though they were coordinated by Hashem, these events are easily understood on all levels by human beings.

       Similarly, the Oral Torah may be built on the thoughts of man, but the entire foundation is built on the word of Hashem and is derived entirely from His intentions. After seeing this, קִיְּמוּ” וְקִבְּלֻ הַיְּהוּדִים”, we fully accepted upon ourselves the entire Torah, giving us another great reason to celebrate Purim. Let us continue to follow in our ancestor’s footsteps, and make today a time when we also accept upon ourselves the Oral Torah. This can be done through the study of the Oral Torah, recognition of rabbinic mitzvos while we are performing them (like washing our hands when we wake up and before we eat), and recognition of the greatness of our Rabbis. Even easier, we can do it through the complete and proper celebration of Purim, a rabbinic holiday!

Purim Sameach!

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[1] See my book, Reality Check, for a complete explanation of this episode.

[2] Based on the phrase, “קִיְּמוּ וְקִבְּלֻ הַיְּהוּדִים” “The Jews ordained and accepted upon themselves,” in Esther 9:27.

[3] For example, the mitzvah of Parah Adumah.

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Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayikra- Zachor

       This week, we begin Sefer Vayikra, a sefer dedicated to explaining all things holy. After finishing Sefer Shemos with the discussion of the holy structure, the Mishkan, Vayikra begins with a discussion of what will take place inside the building. Our parsha begins with the laws of korbanos, sacrifices, and the sefer continues with a discussion of the different degrees of holiness found in different physical states, as well as animals and days of the year.

       While discussing the laws of korbanos, the pasuk lists an important requirement. “וְכָל־קָרְבַּ֣ן מִנְחָֽתְךָ֘ בַּמֶּ֣לַח תִּמְלָח֒ וְלֹ֣א תַשְׁבִּ֗ית מֶ֚לַח בְּרִ֣ית אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ מֵעַ֖ל מִנְחָתֶ֑ךָ עַ֥ל כָּל־קָרְבָּֽנְךָ֖ תַּקְרִ֥יב מֶֽלַח” “And you shall salt every one of your meal offering sacrifices with salt… You shall offer salt on all your sacrifices.” (Vayikra 2:13). There is an obligation to salt every single korban that is placed on the Mizbe’ach, even the ones not from meat.

       This obligation began during Creation. Originally, there was no separation between the sky and the sea. In order to create the land, Hashem created the horizon to separate between the waters of the sea and the sky. The sea became upset that it was being separated from the kedushah of the heavens; therefore, Hashem promised that the “lower” waters would have a special kedushah as well. He required every korban to be covered with salt, which comes from the sea. Additionally, on Sukkos, there is a special ceremony called ניסוך המים, where water was poured next to the Mizbe’ach.

       How come the promise was for salt to be placed on the korbanos? Why didn’t Hashem make it that water should be poured on the Mizbe’ach for every korban? There would be no problem of the fire being able to burn a wet korban, the fire on the Mizbe’ach came from heaven, and with the open-aired ceiling of the Mishkan and the Beis Hamikdash, there was always a possibility of rain. Yet, the fire was unaffected by it. So how come the promise was to use salt?

       Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetzky explains that this way actually shows the prominence of the lower waters. Sea salt is made by gathering seawater on the beach, let it evaporate in the sun, and collect the salt crystals that remain behind. Looking at the sea, the salt isn’t visible, but by removing the upper portion (the water) you can then collect the lower portion (the salt).

       This is how Hashem showed the sea that though He may have separated them from His place of Glory, they were still important. Not only did He decree that a portion of the sea should be placed on every korban, but this portion should come from the lowest part of the sea! The lowest of the low became an indispensable piece in the highest place on this world. We can use this in our lives as well. We see that spirituality does not just come from the high places, it can come from even the lowest places if given the chance.

Shabbat Shalom!

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Dvar Torah for Parshas Pekudei

       Parshas Pekudei closes out the parshiyos of the Mishkan as well as Sefer Shemos. For the past month, we have explored different lessons found in the construction of the Mishkan, the utensils, the Kohanim’s clothing, and even in the way Hashem gave over the instructions to Moshe. As the Mishkan is finally put together, there is one more lesson for us to take out.

       As the finishing touches are placed on the Mishkan, the pasuk says, “וַתֵּ֕כֶל כָּל־עֲבֹדַ֕ת מִשְׁכַּ֖ן אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כְּ֠כֹ֠ל אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֧ה יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־משֶׁ֖ה כֵּ֥ן עָשֽׂוּ” “And all the work of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting was finished. And the Children of Yisrael did; like all that Hashem had commanded Moshe, so had they done” (Shemos 39:32). Why does the pasuk give credit to the whole nation for the construction of the Mishkan if only Betzalel and a select few were involved in it? The simple answer is that Betzalel represented the entire nation when he constructed the Mishkan, and when it comes to a mitzvah, a representative can include you in its undertaking, giving you credit as well. However, there is also a deeper idea we can learn from this.

       Hashem commanded us in 613 mitzvos and we have an obligation to perform each one. It is a tremendous chilul Hashem if we decline or give up on performing even one of them. However, it is almost impossible to do every single mitzvah. There are mitzvos which are exclusive to the Beis Hamikdash, which we, tragically, do not have nowadays. But even in the time of the Beis Hamikdash, there are mitzvos just for Kohanim, the Kohen Gadol had his own mitzvos, Levi’im have their own mitzvos, some mitzvos are exclusive to certain professions and circumstances, women have mitzvos that they are not obligated in and some that are exclusive to them, the list goes on and on. So how does Hashem expect us to keep all 613? Furthermore, Chazal tell us the 613 mitzvos correspond to the amount of bones and nerves we have in our bodies; by not performing even just one, we lose the divine influence on that bone!

       The Ohr HaChaim explains that we are not all expected to perform all 613 mitzvos, but rather, as a nation, we are supposed to perform as many as we can as a collective. We should all strive to do as many as we are capable of, we can’t allow a mitzvah to slide by us or expect someone else to pick up our slack, but there will be different opportunities for different people to perform certain mitzvos more than others. We expect the Kohen Gadol to perform his special mitzvos for all of us. The people who live in towns will take care of the mitzvah of bikur cholim for the person living in the middle of nowhere; the farmers will perform the mitzvos related to the fields while the businessmen will perform the ones relevant to money. There are many other circumstances that present themselves in the most interesting of ways. We may not all be able to perform each mitzvah, but together, with each of us doing what we can, we can keep all 613.

       For the most part, however, the majority of us have the same mitzvah opportunities as everyone else. But even if there may be thousands of other people doing the same mitzvah as us, we must look at ourselves as the one responsible for it. Since I have a unique ability to perform the mitzvah, it is my responsibility to fulfill that ability by doing it myself.

       The same was true by the Mishkan. There were people who donated gold and those who donated silver, there were those who built the walls and those who spun the clothing, some built the Shulchan and some built the Mizbe’ach. Betzalel was the only one who worked on the Aron. But the pasuk gives the credit to everyone for all parts of the construction. Since everyone was working together to accomplish the directive set to them by Hashem, regardless of the person’s contribution or ability to contribute, they all receive equal credit in the Torah.

       As we mentioned above, a similar directive still exists nowadays. We all have a goal of working together to accomplish all 613 mitzvos. For now, we can accomplish what we can, each of us adding in our unique abilities. In the near future, we will hopefully have the Beis Hamikdash and all that comes with it, so we can accomplish all the rest of the mitzvos.

Shabbat Shalom!

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Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayakhel-Shekalim

       In Parshas Vayakhel, the construction of the Mishkan finally begins. The parsha begins with Moshe telling Bnei Yisrael everything that is needed for building the Mishkan. They end up bringing so much that Moshe is forced to tell them to stop! After the sin of the Golden Calf, this was a tremendous show of love and dedication to Hashem.

       Among the materials needed for the Mishkan were various types of dyed wools and other materials, used for the making of the Kohanim’s clothing. The pasuk uses an interesting way of describing the donations of these materials. “כָל־אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־נִמְצָ֣א אִתּוֹ” “Any man with whom was found with him (these dyed wools)” (Shemos 35:23). It seems to imply that people conveniently had dyed wool lying around and were able to quickly bring it to Moshe. It also seems to say that there was no need for the dying process to have been done לשמה, with the intention of being used in the Mishkan. There are many mitzvos and preparatory stages for mitzvos that must be done לשמה, but this doesn’t seem to be one of them.

       Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetzky, in his Sefer, Emes L’Yaakov, wants to say differently. The structure of the Mishkan was built with Shittim (Acacia) wood. How did they obtain these huge trees in the middle of the desert? The medrash explains that when Yaakov Avinu went down to Mitzrayim, he took Shittim trees with him to be planted specifically for the purpose that Bnei Yisrael should take them when they left Mitzrayim to be used for the Mishkan. He did this in order to implant within his children the belief that Hashem would eventually bring them out of Mitzrayim; and when He did, they would need these trees, which were unavailable anywhere outside of Eretz Yisrael.

       Reb Yaakov says that the same thing was true with this wool. When Bnei Yisrael left Mitzrayim, they saw the trees being carried out and remembered the story their parents had told them, that they would be used to build a special place for Hashem to rest His Shechinah. They then realized that there would probably be other things that would be needed for the construction of this building. While most of the materials used were raw, there were some things they could prepare in advance. Therefore, at their first opportunity, they dyed wool in various shades on the chance that Hashem would request them. So by the time Moshe came around asking for wool, they had it all prepared.

       This story gives us a tremendous insight. Even if we don’t know exactly what Hashem wants from us, we should constantly think in terms of what He might need. In that case, we will be ahead of the game when the time comes. This goes for our interpersonal relationships as well. We should always try to be aware of what we are doing and what more can be done to improve our relationships with those around us.

       This is truly the attitude of “Na’aseh V’Nishma” that we cried out at Har Sinai. This is the inherent attitude of the Jewish People through the ages!

Shabbat Shalom!

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