Dvar Torah for Parshas Kedoshim

     At the beginning of this week’s parshah, Hashem tells Moshe, “דַּבֵּר אֶל כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם” “Speak to the entire congregation of Yisrael and say to them, You shall be holy, since I, Hashem, your God, am holy” (19:2). So begins Parshas Kedoshim with a statement which controls every decision that we make over the course of our lives. Hashem tells us that we must be holy, meaning that whatever we do, it must be with the thought, “Is this something which makes me a holy person or not” behind it. But what exactly does this mean? What and how must we live our lives and go through the day as a holy person?

     It is difficult to understand how we can be holy spiritually when we live in a physical world. Our first thought in what it means to be holy would be someone who could cut themselves off completely from the physical. The perfect example of this would be a Nazir. A Nazir is someone who for a 30 day period does not cut his hair, drink wine, or become tamei (spiritually impure). The Torah gives an option for someone to accept upon themselves to be a Nazir, the point of which is to separate yourself form the pleasures of this world. However, interestingly enough, when the Nazir finishes his month, he must bring a קרבן חטאת, sin-offering. Obviously, though the Nazir is on an extremely high spiritual level by the time he finishes, there is something wrong with what he is doing. So what are we supposed to do? How do we achieve this status of being holy?

     The Ramban says an intriguing idea which solves this quandary. He explains that the Torah gives us mitzvos where we have to indulge in physical pleasures. For example, we have a mitzvah to eat and drink on Yom Tov. How do we justify indulging on the holiest days of the year? Think of the potential outcomes of this practice! The Ramban explains that Hashem wants us to take these purely physical activities and change them into something spiritual. Being holy doesn’t mean having to turn into something not from this world, though if you can you are truly an amazing person, it means to take what you have here in this world and change it into something spiritual.

     So that’s it, that is the secret of קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ. We all have the power to make this world a very holy place and we all have the power to make ourselves just as holy. And this is not just something which you look at and say that’s nice, this is a mitzvah in the Torah which we are required to keep! Now, during this time before Shavous when we accepted the Torah, now is the time to put this into practice. To change this world into one ready to accept the Torah, a world which is completely holy, made possible by the Holy Nation.

Shabbat Shalom!

AIMeM

Dvar Torah for Pesach 5771

Even though this week is Shabbat Hagadol, since Pesach is on Monday night, I figured I would post the Pesach Dvar Torah early.

Out of all the chagim, Pesach is the one which means the most to us as a nation for this is the time we commemorate Hashem taking us out of Mitzrayim (Egypt) and making us his Chosen People. The Seder night is when we fully commemorate this great event. We have specific mitzvos which we don’t have at any other time, such as Matzah and Maror, which fully enhance the commemorative experience. Another mitzvah we have on the Seder night is the mitzvah to tell over the story of Yetzias Mitzrayim (Exodus). This is different from the commandment we have every day to mention the story but we don’t have to go through the whole thing. The Seder specifically is the time to expound upon the great miracles in Mitzrayim.

Fittingly, one of the most important obligations we have on Seder night is to picture ourselves as if we were the ones who left Mitzrayim. As it says in the Mishnah is Pesachim as well as in the Magid section of the Hagadah, “בכל דור ודור חיב אדם לראות את עצמו כאלו הוא יצא ממצרים” “In every generation, each person is obligated to see himself as if he left Egypt” (10:5). How is this possible? How could we possibly imagine ourselves in a position of slavery since birth, where babies were slaughtered brutally and back-breaking labor was a way of life and then being freed with the greatest display of Hashem’s presence ever seen by man (up to that point)?

The word “סדר” means “order” and as we say in gemarah, “כשמו כך הוה” “like its name, so it is”. The Seder has fifteen steps that must be followed exactly as they are given and the nusach (style) we have in the Hagadah is pretty consistent for all the different cultures as well, meaning that everyone’s Seder should go pretty much the same. But, as anyone who has been to a Seder at more than one location, or heard about a different Seder or even at your own Seder from year to year could tell you, they are NEVER exactly the same! Everyone has different activities at the Seder to make it enjoyable and meaningful. Some people play games, some act out parts of the story of Egypt, and some go into depth of the different parts of the Hagadah. How does this happen? That an event so carefully planned that everyone should be able to celebrate in the same way ends up being completely different depending on where you are!

I believe I can answer both questions with one answer. When B’nei Yisrael left Mitzrayim, over 3 million strong, do you think any two people had the same exact experience? Of course not! Everyone was coming from a different perspective based on their age, status, experiences, and even their position in line probably affected their Yetzias Mitzrayim experience. Based on this, it’s easy to understand why everyone has a different Seder. Since everyone experiences the Exodus in a different way, your Seder, the meal where you should experience personally the coming out of Mitzrayim, will obviously be different from everybody else’s. In fact, it would be more improbable for two people to have the same Seder than to have two different ones! And that explains how every person has an obligation to see himself as if he came out of Mitzrayim, it’s not that you have to put yourself in the situation that the Jews had in Mitzrayim, everyone has their own “Mitzrayim” which they must leave on Pesach. Whatever it may be, we all are slaves to something to which we shouldn’t be. That is what we are obligated to do on Pesach, look back at what happened to our forefathers in Mitzrayim, learn from the story, and apply it to our Mitzrayims nowadays which we must leave.

So this Pesach when we sit around the Seder table with our family and friends let us think of the lesson of the Seder, we must take the experience of our forefathers in Mitzrayim, see how they overcame all their obstacles, stayed on the right path and eventually were worthy of being redeemed and to become the Chosen Nation. We should follow in that same path and leave the Mitzrayims of our lives and hopefully merit this year to the coming of Mashiach and to eat the Korban Pesach together with the entire Jewish Nation in Yerushalayim.

Chag Sameach!

I wish everyone a wonderful Yom Tov and a Chag Kosher V'Sameach. The next Dvar Torah will hopefully be Shvi'i Shel Pesach or after Yom Tov.




AIMeM

No Dvar Torah This Week

It was a real crazy week between vacation starting, Pesach cleaning, and pulling an all-nighter at the Kotel Wednesday night, so there is no Dvar Torah this week. B'ezrat Hashem, next week will be the dvar torah for Pesach. In the meantime, have a great shabbos!
Yosef


AIMeM

Dvar Torah for Parshas Tazria/ Hachodesh

      The week before Rosh Chodesh Nissan, we read the last of the four special parshahs, Parshas Hachodesh. In it is discussed the first mitzvah given to the B’nei Yisrael as a nation, the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh, Sanctifying the New Moon. This mitzvah is followed in the parshah by the mitzvah of Korban Pesach (Passover lamb offering) and other laws of Pesach.

      It makes sense logically that Hashem would give the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh together with the laws of Pesach since sanctifying the moon would determine what day the holidays would begin. When Bais Din (Jewish Court) would determine based on the testimony of two witnesses that it was Rosh Chodesh, they would declare that day the first of the month and start counting the days of the month from there, therefore determining the starting day for Pesach and the other holidays. However, perhaps we can find a deeper connection between the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh and Korban Pesach. 

      Chazal tell us that in ancient times, the god of Egypt was the sheep. It is for this reason Yosef tells his brothers in Parshas Vayigash that the Egyptians hated all shepherds, for someone to lead their god and not have the god lead itself was the highest form of degradation. Furthermore, the constellation for the month of Nissan, the current month during our Parshah’s events, is Aries, the lamb. Hashem specifically commanded the Jewish People to slaughter a lamb as the Pesach offering in order to show that he was ruler of all the land including up in the sky by the constellations and down on the ground with the sheep. Additionally, Aries is the “first-born” of the constellations as it comes first in line, Hashem wanted to destroy not only the first-born of the Egyptians down on the ground but also the first-born of the sky.

      Hashem commanded the Jews to designate the lamb that they were going to use for the Korban Pesach on the Tenth of Nissan, five days before they actually sacrificed it. One of the reasons Hashem had them separate it so early was to show that even early in the month, when the constellation is still “powerful”, Hashem is still more powerful than it.

      It is for these reasons, says the Kli Yakar, that Hashem gave us the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh right before the mitzvah of Korban Pesach. By knowing the exact date and how far into the Month of the Lamb we were, Hashem’s authority was shown that much more to everyone. So when we read Parshas Hachodesh this week and say Hallel on Rosh Chodesh next week (and in a few weeks when we celebrate Pesach), realize that this is not any old parshah and this month is not any old month, when we celebrate the sanctification of this month, we are celebrating the complete rule and authority Hashem has over the world. May we merit that this month, this realization will be spread throughout the entire world with the coming of mashiach. And may the pasuk “ביום ההוא יהיה ה אחד ושמו אחד” “On that day, Hashem will be one and his name will be one”, be fulfilled.

Shabbat Shalom!

     

        

AIMeM

No Dvar Torah This Week

Due to the short week caused by Purim, there will be no Dvar Torah this week, Parshas Shmini. We will return b'ezrat hashem next week.

Shabbat Shalom!


AIMeM

Dvar Torah for Purim- Shabbos Zachor

There are many different ideas to be learned from the story of Purim. What better proof is there that Hashem protects us in any and every situation? Or a more specific example, the hidden miracles that are done for us each day. There are many other ideas and themes which are seen in the megillah, but all of these examples have to do with what we see written clearly in the story. The point of every story in Tanach is for us to take something from it that makes us better people that might not be so obvious. Let’s explore Purim to find this lesson.

There are four mitzvos which we do on Purim: reading the megillah, mishloach manos (food gifts to friends), matanos l’evyonim (gifts to the poor), and seudas Purim (festive meal). All of these mitzvos have one thing in common, they all promote achdus, unity. It is obvious how the last three promote achdus, the megillah also falls into this category because there is an extra mitzvah to read the megillah with a large crowd. It seems strange that this would be the theme of Purim as for all intents and purposes it seems that the Jews in Shushan were united? What is it about Purim that the Chachamim decided to make it a day promoting unity?

Two weeks ago, we read Parshas Shekalim, which talks about B’nei Yisrael each paying a silver half-shekel to help pay for certain parts of the Mishkan’s construction. (This practice was continued in the time of the Beis Hamikdash with the money going to pay for the public korbanos.) There was plenty of money donated for the Mishkan, why did Hashem require B’nei Yisrael to pay an extra half-shekel? The answer is so that everyone could say they had an equal share in the building of the Mishkan. When Haman went to Achashverosh to ask him for permission to kill the Jews, he offered him a bribe of 10,000 silver coins. The midrash asks how come that specific amount and how come the coins were silver and not gold, the more precious metal? The answer is that Haman calculated that the amount of half-shekels that the B’nei Yisrael in the desert would have given in their lifetimes combined would equal 10,000. Haman recognized this power that the giving of the Machatzis Ha-shekel had to bring B’nei Yisrael together. In order to counteract the power of the Jewish unity, Haman promised the same amount of money and in the same currency, as the Jewish donations to Hashem.

Another example is from that same conversation between Haman and Achashverosh. It’s based on how Haman describes the Jews. Before he actually names which nation he wants to kill out, Haman says to Achashverosh, “יֶשְׁנוֹ עַם-אֶחָד מְפֻזָּר וּמְפֹרָד בֵּין הָעַמִּים” “There is a nation which is separate and spread out amongst the other nations…” (Esther 3:8). The midrash explains that Haman didn’t mean that they were physically spread out, rather that they remain separate from the rest of the nations as a group. The specific example the midrash brings is that Jewish stores were closed on Jewish holidays but remained open on Non-Jewish holidays. Is there a more obvious separation than that!

From our own enemy, we learn a very important lesson. We are different than all the other nations and we always will be. We are lucky to be the Chosen Nation and we must embrace this status in all aspects of our life. If our most hated enemy can recognize this power, how much we must take advantage of it! This holiday of Purim, let us all work on our achdus in order that we can continue to serve Hashem in the best way possible, as a group.       

Shabbat Shalom and Purim Sameach!


AIMeM

Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayikra

      Sefer Vayikra is also known as Toras Kohanim, the Torah of the Kohanim. This is because the entire sefer deals primarily with the laws of korbanos (sacrifices), which are brought by the Kohanim, and the laws of Kohanim, i.e. how they must act, live, what benefits they receive. This week’s parshah deals with the laws of korbanos.

      The pasuk says, “וְכָל קָרְבַּן מִנְחָתְךָ בַּמֶּלַח תִּמְלָח וְלֹא תַשְׁבִּית מֶלַח בְּרִית אֱלֹהֶיךָ מֵעַל מִנְחָתֶךָ עַל כָּל קָרְבָּנְךָ תַּקְרִיב מֶלַח” “You shall salt your every meal-offering with salt; you may not discontinue the salt of your God’s covenant from upon your meal-offering, on all your offerings shall you offer salt.”(2:13) There is a mitzvah that every korban must be brought with salt. What is the purpose of this mitzvah? Why is it so important to have salt on every korban, so much so that if salt is not used, the bringer of the korban is over an aveirah?

      Rabbeinu Bachaya explains this mitzvah on three different levels. First, on the pshat (simple explanation) level he gives two reasons. The first is that we learn how to treat a korban, which is Hashem’s “food”, from how we treat a human king’s food. The same way you wouldn’t serve a human king his food without salt, so too a korban should not be brought without salt out of respect for Hashem. The second reason he learns out from the Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim (Guide to the Perplexed) who explains that a sacrifice for Avodah Zarah was never brought with salt since they wanted the sacrifice to be as bloody as possible and salt would soak up the blood. In order to stay as far away from Avodah Zarah as possible, we put salt on our korbanos.

      He next explains it on a midrashic level. He brings a series of midrashim which describe the scene at the time of creation. At first there was just water over everything, then Hashem created the horizon which separated the waters form each other with some becoming the sky above the horizon and some staying below as the ocean. The ocean began to cry to Hashem that it was no longer close to his shechinah. (Maybe this is why the ocean is salty!) Because of its pain, hugh tsunamis started to form around the world with water shooting up to the heavens. In order to appease the ocean, Hashem promised it three things: 1. The sky would not be allowed to say shirah to Hashem every day until the ocean gave it permission. 2. Every Succos there was a special ceremony as part of the prayer for rain where water would be poured in the Beis Hamikdash. 3. Salt, which comes from the ocean, would be put on every single korban brought for Hashem. The ocean then came back and said, “Hashem, a third of the world is desert, which merited having the Torah given in it. A third of the world is civilized land, on which the Beis Hamikdash was built. A third of the world is water, what do we get?” Because of this complaint, Hashem promised the ocean that salt would be brought on every korban.

      The third way the Rabbeinu Bachaya explains this idea is on a kabbalistic level. Salt is formed by the sun heating up water until the water is completely evaporated and only the salt from the water is left. Ironically, it is these two elements of water and fire which normally cannot function in the same environment which form the chemical compound of salt. So too was the creation of the world. Hashem first wanted to create the world using only the מדת הדין, the middah of judgment. Once he saw that the world could not survive like that, he included in the creation מדת הרחמים, the middah of mercy in order to balance it out. The same irony by salt is repeated here. How is it possible for judgment and mercy to co-exist, they are by definition opposites! The lesson we learn from salt is that just how the conflicting ingredients in salt give it the power to both maintain and destroy the world, so too the way the world was created. Salt maintains the world as it can be used as a preservative and it destroys since it sucks the nutrients out of the soil rendering it unfit for planting. So too if the world was run only on judgment could be both good and bad and the same thing if the world was run only on mercy. This is why salt is referred to in the pasuk as “מֶלַח בְּרִית אֱלֹהֶיךָ” “the salt of your God’s covenant”, salt symbolizes the foundation of the creation of the world. And that is why it is brought along with every korban.

Shabbat Shalom!

AIMeM