Dvar Torah for Parshas Bamidbar

       A new sefer begins this week with Parshas Bamidbar. Chazal refer to this sefer as Sefer Hapekudim, the Book of Countings, in reference to the two separate censuses of Bnei Yisrael that take place in this sefer. The first one takes place right at the beginning of this week’s parsha.

       The census in this week’s parsha had two purposes. Besides for counting the members of the nation, it also informed each tribe that they would now be traveling and camping in specific formation, and where each tribe would be placed. This would encourage feelings of pride among the individual tribes and also present the entire nation in a prominent and dignified fashion. Chazal tell us that each tribe had a flag with their own color and symbol, which they would place above their encampment for all to see. (See Bamidbar 1:52.)

       Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetzky asks a very simple question. At this point, it had been a year since the Bnei Yisrael left Mitzrayim, and they had already done some traveling in the desert. Furthermore, Bnei Yisrael left Mitzrayim as a mighty force, not slinking away in the night like thieves, so they were already a dignified group. So how come Hashem waited an entire year to place Bnei Yisrael in this formation? He could have done this before they even left Mitzrayim!

       He explains that with the increase in tribal pride, there would be a natural drop in national brotherhood. Until this point in time, the Bnei Yisrael had considered themselves a large family, all descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. Each tribe’s flag, with their different color and symbol, represented different qualities and highlighted the different strengths and experiences of each tribe. Suddenly, for the first time, marked differences were emphasized among Bnei Yisrael. They realized that they had the ability to emphasize different ideas within their families. They each had their own pursuits they could now prioritize. By encouraging this message of tribal unity, they moved away from being a large family and instead became a nation of twelve separate tribes. While this division was only for positive reasons, it was a division nonetheless.

       While Hashem wanted this separation of the tribes, He wanted to maintain that sense of national unity as well. Therefore, at this time of separation, there needed to be a new idea to unite the nation too. That idea was the Mishkan. The Mishkan was located in the center of the encampment, with the tribes split into sets of three on each of the four sides. Having a central focus for the nation, where each tribe had equal access, which they could all place as the primary point of emphasis in their lives, was the common denominator needed to maintain a national spirit of togetherness while still expanding tribal pride. Therefore, Bnei Yisrael could not be given the flags right when they left Mitzrayim; they did not yet have that common idea that could keep them together as a nation. Once the Mishkan was complete, the time was right for tribal growth to begin.

Shabbat Shalom! 

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

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Dvar Torah for Parshas Behar & Bechukosai

       This week, we come to the end of Sefer Vayikra with the reading of a double parsha, Behar-Bechukosai. Parshas Behar deals mainly with property law and the mitzvah of Shemittah, the obligation to let the land lay fallow every seventh year. The majority of Parshas Bechukosai is a list of curses known as the Tochachah, a warning for the Bnei Yisrael if they don’t keep the Torah. On the surface, there does not seem to be a strong connection between these two parshiyos other than the fact that they are written one after the other.

       At the end of the Tochachah, a connection emerges. After listing all the terrible things that will happen to the nation concluding with that they will be driven out of a destroyed Eretz Yisrael, the Torah tells us why this exile is necessary. “אָז֩ תִּרְצֶ֨ה הָאָ֜רֶץ אֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתֶ֗יהָ כֹּ֚ל יְמֵ֣י הָשַּׁמָּ֔ה וְאַתֶּ֖ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ אֹֽיְבֵיכֶ֑ם” “Then the land will appease its Shemittah years during all the years of its desolation, while you are in the land of your foes” (Vayikra 26:34). Rashi explains that the exile will be a direct result of the nation not keeping Shemittah (and Yovel, the 50^th year of a Shemittah cycle where the same laws apply). The land will receive its rest one way or another, if the people wouldn’t do it themselves, the land would demand it by throwing them out. He explains further that from the time the Bnei Yisrael entered the land until the destruction of the first Beis Hamikdash, there were 70 shemittahs which they failed to observe; therefore, they were forced into exile for 70 years, comeuppance for the missed years of rest.

          However, this goes against a different Rashi we see at the beginning of Parshas Bechukosai. The parsha begins, “אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י תֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְו‍ֹתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַֽעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם” “If you will go in My statutes and observe My commandments and perform them” (ibid:3). The pesukim then go on to list a series of blessings Bnei Yisrael would receive for doing so. Since the performance of mitzvos is already listed in the pasuk, Rashi proves that “If you will go in My statutes” must refer to diligence in the study of Torah. In Pasuk 15, the curses begin with the same wording of “statutes” and “commandments”, and say that the failure in these ideas will lead to the curses. This Rashi clearly states that the reason for the curses and eventual exile is for failing to study Torah properly, not for the failure to observe shemittah! So which is the real reason for the exile, failing to observe shemittah or failing to study Torah?

       This, explains Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetzky, is the connection between Behar and Bechukosai. Parshas Behar opens with the mitzvah of shemittah, and the laws that connect to it continue until the end of Bechukosai. Following the basic laws of shemittah, the pesukim continue with the laws of selling land in Eretz Yisrael. Certain restrictions were placed on the sale of land in Eretz Yisrael, one of which was that every sale was essentially a lease until the next Yovel. Then, the end of the Parsha discusses the purchase of Jews as servants. The longest they could be purchased for was until Yovel, with some being released by the next shemittah. So, in essence the entire Parshas Behar deals with shemittah.

       At the beginning of Parshas Bechukosai, the Torah encourages us to study Torah, this is connected to shemittah as well. In those days, the Jewish People were almost all farmers; keeping shemittah taught them to have faith in Hashem that really the success of their crops was dependent on Him. However, if you gave them an entire year off for shemittah, what were they supposed to do? Chazal tell us that during shemittah, they were all supposed to be totally engrossed in learning Torah. Farming is a busy job that keeps you busy from dawn until dusk, leaving very little time for Torah study; a full year free of farming responsibilities provided the nation with an opportunity to commit themselves to studying Torah, giving them a connection to Hashem through His precious gift said from His own mouth. Failure to do so is a failure to keep shemittah. One of reasons we were given shemittah was in order to make time to learn, and if we don’t, then we are not keeping the mitzvah as it should be kept.

       So shemittah was the reason for the first exile from Eretz Yisrael, or more specifically, the fact that they didn’t take advantage of the time like they were supposed to. However, it wasn’t because they didn’t keep the applicable farming laws, it was because they didn’t keep another of the primary purposes of shemittah, engrossing themselves in the study of Torah. Let us strive to make this connection to Hashem on a constant basis, and commit a little more time to study Torah whenever we can.

Chazak Chazak V’Nischazek!

Shabbat Shalom!

Click here for last year's Dvar Torah for Parshas Behar & Bechukosai

Click here to listen this this week's Podcast (Also available on Apple Podcasts)

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Dvar Torah for Parshas Emor

       As we count the days of the Omer and prepare for the upcoming holiday of Shavuos, Parshas Emor conveniently comes up on the weekly parsha schedule. I say conveniently since it discusses all the holidays and special times of the year, including Sefiras Haomer and Shavuos. This gives us the opportunity to study the laws of current events and prepare for the upcoming holiday.    

       When discussing Shavuos, the Torah writes, “וּקְרָאתֶ֞ם בְּעֶ֣צֶם | הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֗ה מִקְרָא־קֹ֨דֶשׁ֙ יִֽהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם כָּל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת עֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַֽעֲשׂ֑וּ” “You shall convoke on this very day—there shall be a calling of holiness for yourselves—you shall do no work of labor” (Vayikra 23:21). This pasuk is different than every other instance of describing the holidays. By the other holidays, the pasuk uses a variation of the phrase “מִקְרָא־קֹדֶש֙” “a calling of holiness”, while by Shavuos we add in the phrase “בְּעֶ֣צֶם הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֗ה” “on this very day”; what is different about Shavuos that the pasuk uses this phrasing?

       As we have explained several times previously, a significant difference between Shabbos and Yom Tov is that we celebrate Shabbos on the seventh day of a predetermined week; it has nothing to do with the month or year. Since Creation, Shabbos has always been celebrated every seventh day. Yom Tov is different, it is celebrated on a specific day of the month. Before we developed a set calendar, witnesses would come to Beis Din in Yerushalayim to testify that they had seen the New Moon; at that point, the new month would be declared. So while the days of the week were determined by Hashem, when the days fall out is entirely up to us, the Jewish People.

       The Torah gives a specific start date for every holiday besides for Shavuos. Pesach is on the fifteenth of Nissan, Rosh Hashanah is the first of Tishrei, and so on and so forth. After Beis Din declared the month, we would count the appropriate number of days and begin the holiday. Not as predetermined as Shabbos, but still a bit so. Shavuos, however, is even less predetermined than that.

       We are not told a specific date when to celebrate Shavuos, only that it falls out fifty days after Pesach begins. With our modern-day set calendar, this always occurs on the sixth of Sivan; but in the times of Beis Din, depending on whether Nissan and Iyar were 29 or 30 each, Shavuos could fall out anywhere from the fifth to the seventh of Sivan! Therefore, we can’t even count the days of the month until Shavuos begins, all we can do is count the days of the Omer. The only time Shavuos is declared is when we begin the Tefillah for it or recite Kiddush. For this reason, it is only declared a holiday “on that very day”, unlike all the other holidays.

Shabbat Shalom! 

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

 Click here to listen this this week's Podcast (Also available on Apple Podcasts)

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Dvar Torah for Parshas Acharei Mos- Kedoshim

       This week we have another double parsha of Acharei Mos-Kedoshim. Both parshiyos deal with the kedushah of the Jewish People, the responsibility we hold as the nation of Hashem to maintain a high standard of character and morality. Both parshiyos discuss different mitzvos that center around this idea and help us achieve this high standard. Parshas Kedoshim even says it out right at the very beginning of the parsha. “קְדשִׁ֣ים תִּֽהְי֑וּ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֖י יְהוָֹ֥ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶֽם” “You shall be holy, for holy am I, Hashem, your God” (Vayikra 19:2).

       Rashi explains that this statement is following off the end of Acharei Mos where we discussed immoral relationships. The pesukim are telling us that once you separate yourself from immorality and sin, holiness immediately fills the empty space. When Hashem tells us to be holy, all we need to do is follow the instructions He has laid out for us and we are on our way to holiness!

       The Ramban asks a strong question on this Rashi. Simply separating from sin does not immediately translate into holiness. Even if we would not sin and only keep to the mitzvos, there are still many ways to not maintain a standard of  holiness. For example, we are commanded to celebrate the holidays by eating meat and drinking wine. Just because the food is kosher doesn’t mean that we are automatically dignified in our consumption of it! What if we stuff ourselves sick or drink ourselves silly, where is the holiness in that? The same could be said for many mitzvos in the Torah, even by keeping to the letter of the law a person can be an immoral and inappropriate individual.

       Rather, the Ramban explains that there are two stages, first a separation from immorality and then using the mitzvos to raise ourselves up morally and spiritually. At the end of Parshas Acharei Mos, the Torah gives us different laws in an effort to separate us from sin. At the beginning of Kedoshim, we are told to be holy and then given mitzvos that teach us how to achieve that holiness. The first step to holiness is “קְדשִׁ֣ים תִּֽהיוּ”, which means to restrain yourself even from that which is allowed. While it is certainly permissible to drink wine, there are instances where limiting yourself makes you holy, such as by a nazir. We are certainly allowed to talk, but even if don’t speak lashon hara, there is still a benefit and dignity in not speaking idly.

       But why must holiness come specifically through limitations and restraint? Many people may look at the mitzvos in the Torah and decide that they are able to keep it, however, they keep it while maintaining a lifestyle of, ethical, but inappropriate and undignified behavior. Obviously, the fact that they can indulge in whatever they want, even on a Torah level, doesn’t keep them on a level we would consider holy. We must practice restraint even on things that are actually allowed by the Torah.

       What I have described here may sound to some people as overly restrictive, perhaps controlling and unnecessary. But if we look at the world, we know ourselves that what we consider to be moral, upright people, are those who maintain not just these levels of decency, but of dignity as well. Let us all work to be truly holy, and fulfill our destiny as the Chosen Nation, the Jewish People.

Shabbat Shalom! 

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

 Click here to listen this this week's Podcast (Also available on Apple Podcasts)

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