Dvar Torah for Parshas Mattos

Due to the eighth day of Pesach falling out on Shabbos, Eretz Yisrael and CHU"L will be one parsha off for this week. (Next week we will be all caught up!) I have been following the schedule in Eretz Yisrael. Click here for a Dvar Torah for this week's parsha in CHUL, Parshas Pinchas.

       Parshas Matos opens with a discussion on Nedarim, vows. I once heard that Matos is the only parsha which contains the entire Torah within it; since I have the ability to make a vow on any aspect of the Torah, the subject of vows contains the entire Torah! Just something to think about.

       While telling over the laws of vows, Moshe uses a unique choice of words. “זֶ֣ה הַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָֽה” “This is the thing that Hashem has commanded” (Bamidbar 30:3). This is the only time we see Moshe using this language to describe his receiving a mitzvah from Hashem. Usually to introduce mitzvos, he would say “’כה אמר ה” “So says Hashem”. The Sifsei Chachamim, based on Rashi, explains that this statement is being used to place Moshe above all other prophets who would also prophesize with the phrase “’כה אמר ה”. When a Navi receives prophecy, he doesn’t get a clear message telling him exactly what to say; he gets clues or has a dream, and determines the proper message he needs to give over. By saying “זֶה הַדָּבָר”, Moshe is declaring that he is giving over the commandment in exactly the way Hashem told it over to him. He wasn’t given clues, he had no dreams; he, unlike any other Navi, was given a clear message of what he was supposed to say.

       Moshe had this unique style of prophecy every time he received one, how come the Torah chose to make this distinction specifically by Nedarim? Reb Yaakov Kaminetzky explains that since every Navi had a different personality and different life experiences, even when they received the same message, they wouldn’t give it over the same way as another Navi. It’s simply impossible for two totally different people to give over a message in the exact same way without rehearsing beforehand. (This was actually one of the methods to determine false prophets. If they used the exact same words to give over the same “prophecy”, you would know it wasn’t true and that they had scripted it on their own.)

       The concept of making a vow is extraordinary. It’s possible to make binding obligations on yourself that have no foundation other than your word. For example, if you vow to either eat or not eat this loaf of bread, you’ve created an obligation where none existed. In essence, you are adding to the Torah as you are adding mitzvos and aveiros on top of what Hashem previously gave us. What an unbelievable concept! (It’s not a great idea to put yourself in this situation, but the idea is that you are able to do so.)

       Now that the Torah is introducing this concept of adding on your own ideas, some people may begin to think this doesn’t start with vows; perhaps those giving over the Torah have been adding things on their own the entire time! Perhaps some of our mitzvos are simply their own ideas that they wanted to obligate us in and have nothing to do with Hashem. Therefore, the Torah makes a point of telling me by this mitzvah that Moshe received the Torah with “זֶה הַדָּבָר”. Even though we can now add on to the Torah through Nedarim, Moshe always received his nevuah with the exact meaning and intention of Hashem and gave it over as such. Nothing was the result of his own thoughts or notions.

Shabbat Shalom!

Click here for last year's Dvar Torah for Parshas Mattos

Click here to learn about the 4th Annual 'Summer of Subscribers'!

Click here to learn about the Themes of Sefer Bamidbar

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Dvar Torah for Parshas Pinchas

Due to the eighth day of Pesach falling out on Shabbos, Eretz Yisrael and CHU"L will be one parsha off for the next few weeks. I will be following the schedule in Eretz Yisrael. Click here for a Dvar Torah for this week's parsha in CHUL, Parshas Balak

       Today, Thursday, is the yartzheit of the Ohr HaChaim, Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar. He is known as one of the most expert commentaries in Jewish History, having authored works on all sections of the Torah, seamlessly weaving Halacha, Kabbalah, and Medrash all together in his comments. In his honor, I decided to give over one of his explanations from this week’s parsha, Parshas Pinchas.

       Ironically, the story of Pinchas is really told in last week’s parsha, Parshas Balak. After Balak failed in his plot to curse the Jews, he conspired to have them sin, thereby causing their own downfall. When the Nasi of Shevet Shimon, Zimri, was about to sin with the Midianite princess, Kuzbi, he approached Moshe and dared Moshe to stop him. Moshe was temporarily stunned, when Pinchas stepped in, conferred with Moshe to make sure he was doing the right thing, and immediately killed Zimri and Kuzbi. This week’s parsha picks up the story from there, with Hashem rewarding Pinchas for this act of faith.

       The Ohr HaChaim notes that even though the story of Pinchas killing Zimri and Kuzbi appears in Parshas Balak, the Torah doesn’t mention them by name until this week’s parsha. Why would the Torah wait? If the Torah wants to shame them, it should have mentioned their names immediately; and if the Torah doesn’t want to mention them, then don’t mention them at all!

       The Ohr HaChaim explains that while there is a need to publicize certain acts of sinners, Hashem has no desire to publicize the sinners themselves. There is no specific reason to mention who performed the sin. (He proves this from the story of the “Wood- Gatherer” whose name is not mentioned; see Bamidbar 15.) Therefore, the names of Zimri and Kuzbi are not mentioned at the time of the sin in Parshas Balak. However, when it comes to praising the acts of tzaddikim, He pulls out all the stops.

       What Pinchas did was incredibly risky. He was an unimportant, disgraced person who was mocked by the general public (See Rashi on 25:11). Suddenly, he was confronted with a situation involving one of the most important and dignified people in the Jewish Nation as well as a princess of one of the most powerful nations in the world, not to mention the thousands of people they both had backing them up. And still, he didn’t hesitate for an instant; he killed both of them in the name of Hashem, without regard for the physical danger that it posed to him. In order to fully express the significance of Pinchas’ act and why he received such a great reward, the Torah couldn’t just write that he killed a Jew and a Midianite, like it did in Parshas Balak; it had to say who they were. Only then could the greatness of his act be understood.

       The Ohr HaChaim proceeds to give a second explanation. When the Torah tells the story of Pinchas, Zimri and Kuzbi had not yet actually sinned, there was still a chance for Zimri not to sin. As long as that chance existed, even though it was slim that he wouldn’t go through with it, the Torah was not going to embarrass him by writing his name.

       With these two explanations, we see two different aspects of the kindness of Hashem. On one hand, He will make sure that a tzaddik gets his due, even going so far as to embarrass another Jew by name. However, at the same time, He will not give up on any Jew for one second, even when it appears that the result is inevitable. To Him, it isn’t inevitable. Every Jew has the ability to do good, even on the edge of evil.

Shabbat Shalom!  

Click here for a previous Dvar Torah for Parshas Pinchas

Click here to learn about the 4th Annual 'Summer of Subscribers'!

Click here to learn about the Themes of Sefer Bamidbar

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email is at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.

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No New Dvar Torah this Week

We apologize, but there is no new Dvar Torah this week for Parshas Balak (in Eretz Yisrael) or Parshas Chukas (in CHU"L). Click here for last year's Dvar Torah for Balak or Chukas. We will return, b'ezrat Hashem, next week with a brand new Dvar Torah.

Shabbat Shalom!

Click here to learn about the 4th Annual 'Summer of Subscribers'!

Click here to learn about the Themes of Sefer Bamidbar

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email is at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.

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Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com to learn about my book,Reality Check. And Like it on Facebook.

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AIMeM

Dvar Torah for Parshas Chukas

Due to the eighth day of Pesach falling out on Shabbos, Eretz Yisrael and CHU"L will be one parsha off for the next few weeks. I will be following the schedule in Eretz Yisrael. Click here for a Dvar Torah for this week's parsha in CHUL, Parshas Korach

       Parshas Chukas contains a number of the most well-known stories in the entire Torah. Among them, near the end of the parsha, we are told of the death of Miriam. Her death was devastating for Bnei Yisrael on several levels, perhaps most strongly because of the loss of the well.

       While in the desert, the physical support of Bnei Yisrael was provided by three things, the manna, their source of food; the well, their water supply; and the Ananei HaKavod, the Clouds of Glory which protected them from enemy attacks and the harsh desert conditions. Chazal tell us that these three things were given to Bnei Yisrael in the merit of Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam, respectively. While they were alive, the Bnei Yisrael didn’t realize that they only received these things in their merit. When they died, Hashem made sure that changed.

       After mourning Miriam, the Bnei Yisrael continue to travel. The pasuk (Bamidbar 21:16) tells us that they arrived at a well, after which they immediately sang a song of praise and thanks, while giving elegant descriptions of the well and its origins. Chazal explain that after Miriam died, the well which had been a constant during her life disappeared. The reason for this was to show the nation that only reason they had had the well was in Miriam’s merit; now that she was gone, they no longer deserved it. After they had traveled for a bit, they happened upon the well.

       By studying the words of the song, we can determine the reason for the well’s reappearance. First, the pasuk only mentions Bnei Yisrael singing the song, but there is no mention of Moshe. Secondly, why wouldn’t Bnei Yisrael have sung a song about the well forty years earlier when they first entered the desert? They needed water then too! Therefore, explains the Kli Yakar, we can determine that the well disappeared in order that Bnei Yisrael should appreciate Miriam, and the reason it returned was in the merit of Moshe. Since they were singing to Moshe, he didn’t sing with them; and since they hadn’t realized earlier that the well was only in Miriam’s merit, they hadn’t sung anything before.

       He brings another proof to this from the words of the song itself. “בְּאֵ֞ר חֲפָר֣וּהָ שָׂרִ֗ים כָּר֨וּהָ֙ נְדִיבֵ֣י הָעָ֔ם בִּמְחֹקֵ֖ק בְּמִשְׁעֲנֹתָ֑ם וּמִמִּדְבָּ֖ר מַתָּנָֽה” “A well dug by the princes, carved by the nobles of the people, through the lawgiver and his staff…” (Ibid 18). As we see from other places, the “lawgiver” refers to Moshe. This song was from Bnei Yisrael to Moshe, thanking him, appreciating him, for providing the merit from which they now received water.

       What merit did Moshe have that allowed the well to finally return? Moshe was the one who brought the Torah to Bnei Yisrael; in was in the merit of his teaching the Torah that the manna was given to Bnei Yisrael, it was that same merit that allowed the well to return. However, at the same time, the origins of the well are mentioned in the song as well. “כָּר֨וּהָ֙ נְדִיבֵ֣י הָעָ֔ם” “Carved by the nobles of the people”, the Kli Yakar explains that this refers to those who are גומלי חסדים, purveyors of kindness. These were the people who truly dug the well. It may have been forty years late, but Miriam finally received the thanks and appreciation she always deserved.

Shabbat Shalom!   

Click here for a previous Dvar Torah for Parshas Chukas

Click here to learn about the 4th Annual 'Summer of Subscribers'!

Click here to learn about the Themes of Sefer Bamidbar

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email is at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.

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Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com to learn about my book,Reality Check. And Like it on Facebook.

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AIMeM

It's Time for the 4th Annual Summer of Subscribers!

Dear Subscribers,

The 6th year of AIMeM has been a huge success all thanks to you, our wonderful readers! Along with the publication of "Reality Check", our weekly reach is now approaching 200 people! Thank you so much for helping us reach this stage.

Summer has begun and we are once again running our annual Summer of Subscribers (SOS) project. For those of you who don't remember from last year, or are new subscribers, here is how SOS works: Every year during the summertime, we set aside a few weeks for subscribers to submit their own Divrei Torah. Between now and Elul, contact us with your Dvar Torah and we will post it to the AIMeM blog. This is your chance to have your Dvar Torah sent out and read by almost 200 people! Divrei Torah can be written in someone's memory or honor, or just to share your Torah thoughts with the world.

A list of the available weeks will be shown at the end of this email. If you are interested, please let us know anytime between now and the week you are interested in. (The earlier the better! Latest time to reserve a spot is the Wednesday morning of that week.) You don't need to worry about editing, posting, or any of the technical stuff, that will all be taken care of. For more information, please ask.

We hope that everyone will get involved in this project. We enjoy it because it helps us get a better idea of the style of Divrei Torah our readers prefer, while also allowing our readers to share their thoughts with the general readership. Not to mention the Summer vacation we receive!

We are very excited to offer you the same zchus we have each week, the opportunity to share words of Torah with people all over the world.

Thank you for your continued support and have a wonderful summer!

Available Parshiyos (CHUL parshiyos in parentheses): (and the Tuesday date of that week- Wednesday morning is the latest time to reserve)

Parshas Chukas (Korach)          (July 5)

Parshas Balak    (Chukas)         (July 12)

Parshas Pinchas (Balak)           (July 19)

Parshas Mattos   (Pinchas)        (July 26)

Parshas Masei   (Mattos-Masei)  (August 2)

Parshas Devarim                      (August 9)

Tisha Bav                                (August 9)   

Parshas Vaeschanan                (August 16)

Parshas Eikev                         (August 23)

Parshas Re'eh                         (August 30)

Parshas Shoftim                     (September 6)

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email is at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.

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AIMeM

  

Dvar Torah for Parshas Korach

       

Due to the eighth day of Pesach falling out on Shabbos, Eretz Yisrael and CHU"L will be one parsha off for the next few weeks. I will be following the schedule in Eretz Yisrael. Click here for a Dvar Torah for this week's parsha in CHUL, Parshas Shelach.

       Even after the episode of the Meraglim, the trouble for Bnei Yisrael was only just beginning. This week’s parsha, Parshas Korach, discusses another sad affair of our time in the desert. After watching Moshe make his brother the Kohen Gadol, and his cousin the Nasi for the family of Kehas, Korach determined that Moshe was not acting under Hashem’s instructions and was simply handing out appointments to his closest allies. He felt that as a prominent member of the family of Kehas, he deserved to be the Nasi. So he launched an attack against Moshe and Aharon.

       After Korach brought Shevet Reuven into the disagreement and spread his false message throughout the entire nation, Moshe was forced to confront him and his followers face to face. We all know the end of the story, Hashem made a miracle and the ground opened up and swallowed Korach, his followers, their entire families, and all their possessions. This put a swift end to what could have been an even more disastrous incident for Bnei Yisrael, where the people could have been swayed to turn against Moshe and subsequently, Hashem.

       The Mishna in Avos (5:6) tells us that this hole in the ground was not a new invention; in fact, it was created during the first week of creation! However, the reason why it was used now was not simply because Hashem had prepared it before.

       When he faces Korach’s horde, Moshe declares that he has a way to test who is ultimately correct. If Korach and his followers would die normal deaths, then they were correct and Moshe was a faker. However, “וְאִם־בְּרִיאָ֞ה יִבְרָ֣א יְהֹוָ֗ה וּפָֽצְתָ֨ה הָֽאֲדָמָ֤ה אֶת־פִּ֨יהָ֙ וּבָֽלְעָ֤ה אֹתָם֙ וְאֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר לָהֶ֔ם וְיָֽרְד֥וּ חַיִּ֖ים שְׁאֹ֑לָה וִֽידַעְתֶּ֕ם כִּ֧י נִֽאֲצ֛וּ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה” “But if Hashem creates a creation and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that is theirs, and they descend alive into the grave, you will know that these men have provoked Hashem” (Bamidbar 16:28). Nowhere prior to this declaration do we see Hashem promising Moshe that He would provide him with a miracle, and yet, Moshe promises that one will occur. What chutzpah! The entire future of the Jewish People hangs in the balance of what happens with this argument and Moshe decides he can force Hashem into providing a miracle, something which He usually prefers not to do! What gave Moshe the right to do this?

       Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetzky explains that Moshe was stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Moshe knew that while Korach was only the first to challenge his leadership and his relationship with Hashem, there would eventually be others; and as long as others could challenge him, the Torah would hang in the middle. Since his trustworthiness was unproven, no one would be motivated to keep the Torah since maybe it wasn’t really what they should be following! In order to prevent this from happening, his position had to be determined now. So he promised a miracle.

       The advantage of a miracle was simple: Moshe was not proving the truth of the Torah as much as he was proving his right to pass it on to the nation. If he didn’t ask for a miracle, then even if he defeated Korach, there was no proof he was the true leader. If he did ask for one and Hashem didn’t provide it, then even he would admit that he wasn’t the one to lead Bnei Yisrael and teach them the Torah. However, if Hashem did provide a miracle, that would show beyond a shadow of a doubt that Moshe was the true leader and mouthpiece of Hashem; something that no one could doubt for all time. Therefore, in order to make sure Bnei Yisrael would fully accept him as their leader, and trust that the Torah he had brought them was exactly what Hashem desires, he acted with chutzpah and demanded a miracle.

Shabbat Shalom!

Click here for last year's Dvar Torah for Parshas Korach

Stay tuned for info for this year's Summer of Subscribers!

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email is at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.

Please Like us on Facebook.

Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com to learn about my book,Reality Check. And Like it on Facebook.

Check out our other AIMeMTorah project, Nation's Wisdom!

AIMeM