Category: Food for Thought

זכרון ציפה תרצה – The Food for Thought Archives in blessed memory of Celia Rosenberg a”h

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Ki Sisa – Why the Oral Torah Originally Was Not Written Down

If the Torah, inclusive of the Witten and Oral Law, is the Blueprints of Creation, and therefore the Handbook for all mankind, why isn’t it more accessible for both Jews and non-Jews alike?

There is a fascinating medrish which discusses why the Oral Law was not originally written down, in this week’s Torah portion of Ki Sisa, based on the pasuk, “Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Write these words for yourself, for according to these words have I sealed a covenant with you and Israel,'” (Shemos 34:27). There are in fact a few versions of this medrish. This dvar Torah focuses on the Medrish Rabba (Ki Sisa 47:1 & Naso 14:22).

The medrish in Shemos Rabba writes, “‘Write these words for yourself.’ Similarly, ‘I will write for them most of My Torah but they would be considered as something alien’ (Hoshea 8:12). When Hashem revealed Himself to the Jews on Har Sinai to give them the Torah, Hashem said it over to Moshe in the order of pasuk, mishna, talmud, and aggadic text, as it says, ‘Hashem spoke all these statements’ (Shemos 20:1), even the questions asked from student to rebbe. [The Etz Yosef explains that for each parsha Hashem told over the pesukim, then the mishna related to them, then the halachos related to them, and finally the aggadta related to them, even the questions that were asked pilpul style, meaning even the questions that were asked by the experienced and sharp students towards the rebbe, were all given over to Moshe Rabbeinu by Hashem.] At that time, after he learned directly from Hashem, [Hashem] told [Moshe] to teach it to the Jews. He said back, ‘Master Of The World, I will write it down for them.’ He responded, ‘I did not ask for it to be given written down because it is revealed before Me that the nations of the world will control you in the future and will take it (the Torah) from you and you will be disgraced amongst the nation. [The Etz Yosef adds the reason why is because when the Torah would get into the hands of everybody equally, then the gentiles will haughtily say they are the Jews.] Rather the Chumash I am giving to you written down and mishna and talmud and aggadta I will give you orally. For if the nations of the world will come and subjugate you, you will be different from them. He [Hashem] said to the prophet [Hoshea] [If] I will write to them most of My Torah [Which the Etz Yosef says refers to the Mishna which is bigger than the chumash as it says in Bamidbar Rabba 14:22,] they will be considered alien, [The Etz Yosef says because the gentiles will view themselves as equal to the Jews,] so what shall I do for them? I will write down the chumash and the mishna, talmud and aggadta will be Oral. ‘Write for you these pesukim’ because by word of mouth, which refers to the mishna and talmud, that will differentiate between the Jews and the gentiles.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)

In a similar vein the Medrish [Bamidbar] Rabba 14:22 adds, “Hashem gave us ‘two Torahs’, the Written Torah and Oral Torah. He gave the Written Torah which has 613 mitzvos in order to fill them with mitzvos so they accrue merits as it says in Yeshaya 42:21, ‘Hashem desired for the sake of [Israel’s] righteousness that the Torah be made great and glorious.’ He gave to them the Oral Torah in order to set them apart from the other nations and that is why it was given to be written, so that the nations of the world would not plagiarize as they did with the Written Torah, and say they are the Jews. About this the pasuk in Hoshea 8:12 said ‘I will write for them most of the Torah but they will be regarded as something alien.’ Hashem said if I will write down most of My Torah which is the mishna, which is more than the chumash, then they would be considered as something alien.” The Etz Yosef elaborates what the medrish means that the gentiles would claim they are the Jews, “The intention being that which they haughtily say that Hashem chose them and took them in place of the Jews and gave them their Torah. They took all the good mussar (positive moral lessons) that was in Moshe’s Torah and put it into their books. If they would have gotten ahold of the Oral Torah they would have taken everything. There would then be room to mistakenly follow them because Hashem gave His Torah to them. But now that the truth of the matter is not in their hands which is known through the Oral Torah, then it’s known that they are undoubtedly liars, and their explanations [of the Written Torah] are lies because the true meanings are accepted by us in our hands, i.e. based in tradition.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
It is implicit from the medrish that it would have been better if the Oral Torah would have originally been written down. People would have had the ability to understand it and retain it better, and there would have been more access for all Jews, no matter what their memory skills were to be able to learn it and live by it. It was only not written because the gentiles would have usurped it, translated it, and learned it themselves, thereby falsely proclaiming they were the chosen Jewish people, as they did with the Written Torah. Thereforeit was not originally written down and was in fact a sign of a covenant between Hashem and His Children as an everlasting difference between us and the gentiles. The reason why the gentiles should not have access to it is because they would mishandle it, besides for falsely claiming they are the Jews. But they would also incorporate smidgins or entire parts here and there into their bylaws and claim that they are the moral compass of society.

If the Written and Oral Torah is the handbook for of all mankind then why can’t all peoples just understand it by reading and delving into it on their own and figuring out what Hashem wants from them to make this world a better place?

The answer lies in the concluding statement quoted above from the Etz Yosef on Bamidbar Rabba: Mesora! Tradition!!🎻 The only way the Torah can properly be learnt, even if it is written down, is through mesora, the link from generation to generation, father to son, teacher to student going all the way back to Har Sinai, when Hashem, Himself, gave the Torah to the Jewish people. Without the chain, without the links which connects us to the author of the Torah, the Creator Of The World, then it is impossible to accurately understand the Torah and be able to live by the Blueprints of Creation, the Handbook for mankind the way Hashem destined for us to live our lives. Because the gentiles rejected their chance of receiving the Torah directly from Hashem they lost the opportunity to live by the Handbook in its entirety, unless they choose to convert and honestly join the chain of mesora. We must say though that although  the Oral Torah has indeed been written down and published since the times of Rebbe Yehuda HaNasi, which was an emergency protocol to ensure the Torah would not be forgotten, but by that point the gentiles were so far gone and even until today with all the advancement of translated Torah works, they are even more far gone, b’chasdei Hashem, that they are too far from being  interested in picking up and proactively delving into the Oral Torah.

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Tetzave – No Pain No Gain

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This week’s parsha of Tetzave discusses the making of the priestly garments. The last pasuk in perek 28, pasuk 43 states:

They must be worn by Aharon and his sons whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the outer Altar to serve in the Sanctuary, so that they not bear a sin and die. This is a rule for him and for his offspring after him for all time. מגוְהָיוּ֩ עַל־אַֽהֲרֹ֨ן וְעַל־בָּנָ֜יו בְּבֹאָ֣ם | אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֗ד א֣וֹ בְגִשְׁתָּ֤ם אֶל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֨חַ֙ לְשָׁרֵ֣ת בַּקֹּ֔דֶשׁ וְלֹֽא־יִשְׂא֥וּ עָוֹ֖ן וָמֵ֑תוּ חֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֛ם ל֖וֹ וּלְזַרְע֥וֹ אַֽחֲרָֽיו:

Regarding the fact that it’s a statute for Aharon and his offspring forever, Rabbeinu Bachye comments that this refers to, “that the kohen gadol wears 8 garments when doing the Holy Service, and a regular kohen wears 4 garments during the Holy Service, which are the pants, tunic, cone shaped hat and belt. It was quite a wonderment, the kohanim who did the sacrificial services every day, for their bodies essentially only wore the tunic which was a shirt and they withstood the cold in the rainy months and didn’t die. Therefore Chaza”l say in Shekalim 5a that they appointed someone to check over them and heal them from their sicknesses because most of them had intestinal ailments because their work throughout the year was only in their tunic during the Holy Service and they also stood barefoot on the [stone] floor.” The gemara Yerushalmi in Shekalim 5a further details that because the kohanim walked barefoot on the ground and ate meat and drank water, they would then have intestinal sicknesses. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
It is a marvelous wonder that none of the kohanim died in such conditions; in fact it would seem to be a miracle! The Kohanim were doing Hashem’s will, and in fact a statute without any simple reason behind it, by serving in the Mishkan and Beis Hamikdash in the priestly garments, which includes the strenuous and crafty work of the sacrificial offerings and a requirement to eat parts of the sacrifices in a specific time frames while being simply dressed in the priestly garments, just pants, tunic, hat, and a belt. They weren’t allowed to wear gloves or an overcoat and scarf in the cold, and they even had to work barefoot. All this was a show of honor and respect to The Holy One Blessed Be He while serving in His Palace. Granted, they had a doctor on call to take care of them daily but how could Hashem, who is All Merciful, Kind and Caring, put His cherished and loved ones in such painful predicaments even if He assured them they would not die from the work they did if they did it properly?

 It must be that if this is, according to strict justice, logically the proper way to give respect and honor to the King Of All Kings, then it’s the right thing to do and it’s not considered an abusive work environment. On the contrary, we see a whole new dimension of the concept of mesiras nefesh, self-sacrifice, for the sake of honoring Hashem and doing His will and service. The kohanim, in fact eagerly and competitively, sought to serve in the Beis Hamikdash each day. They felt it was an honor for them to be able to serve Hashem, even if it meant just cleaning up the ashes from the day before. But anything which is serving Hashem, especially in His Palace, is a means of creating a closer relationship with Hashem which deserves to be done at whatever cost it takes withing the parameters of Jewish Laws.

The toll on their bodies was part of serving Hashem and they did it eagerly, with complete passion, knowing and accepting the consequences, for the sake of the good. Their mesiras nefesh was part of their avodah and therefore it was the right thing to do.

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Teruma – Triggering Impressions

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When speaking in terms of pleading to Hashem in prayer, the image usually conjured up in one’s mind is of a person with his hands to the sky, eyes closed, calling out to Hashem. Why is this the typical image? Where did it come from?
We find in this week’s Torah portion of Teruma the architectural plans of the Mishkan. By the building of the Keruvim on top of the Aron Kodesh, the Torah writes, “The Keruvim shall be with wings spread upward, sheltering the Cover with their wings with their faces towards one another; towards the Cover shall be the faces of the Keruvim” (Shemos 25:20). The classic understanding of the symbolism of the Keruvim is that it is either a sign of unity or conflict between Hashem and His people. Chaza”l say that a miracle happens when we are unified with Hashem – the two Keruvim face each other. But when we are not doing Hashem’s will as a whole, and we anger Hashem, the Keruvim turn away from each other.
However, the Daas Zekeinim says there is a specific lesson that can be learned from the reason why the wings are spread upward, “above their heads, which is a manner of humility and fear. And their faces were bent down words towards the Cover.” This is exactly the image of a person in prayer pleading to Hashem. This act is supposed to fill one with humility and fear of Hashem. What is it doing on top of the Aron Kodesh (it was also embroidered into the curtain of the Kodesh Hakodashim)? (Click here for Hebrew text.)

The Medrish Pesiksa Rabbasi DiRav Kahana (34:1) brings down a halacha, “Our Rabbis have taught, if one is praying where should he direct his heart? This is what our Rabbis have taught (Brachos 30a) a person should direct his heart towards the Kodesh Hakodashim. Rebbe Eliezer ben Yaakov said if one is praying outside of Israel direct his heart to the Land of Israel. If one is praying in Israel direct his heart to Yerushalayim. If he is praying in Yerushalayim he should direct his heart to the Beis Hamikdash and if he is by the Beis Hamikdash he should direct his heart to the Kodesh Hakodashim.” This Chaza”l is the source of how we should position ourselves during davening, and the Biur on this medrish explains the reason why is because from there is where all the prayers go up to Hashem. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
What follows is that the reason why the Keruvim had their wings extended towards Heaven as a sign of humility and fear is to remind us to have in our prayers that all our prayers go that way, straight up to Hashem.

What is interesting to note is that Keruvim were only found in the Beis Hamikdash by or inside the Kodesh Hakodashim. So not too many people were able to see them to remind themselves to instill fear and humility into their prayers. So how does this help us?

However it would seem, that just knowing that the Keruvim are in the spot where our prayers go up to Heaven can trigger us to make an effect in our hearts, if we focus on this knowledge.

Triggers can be very helpful in remembering and acting upon something sincerely, if one first learns about it and tries to take it to heart. What we also see from here is how far Hashem helps us to create a relationship with Him.

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Mishpatim – Gratitude: The Purpose of the Holidays

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Nestled in this week’s Torah portion of Mishpatim between the laws of damages and the prelude to the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, where the Jewish people said נעשה ונשמע, “we will do and then we will listen,” the Torah discusses three Yom Tovim , Sukkos, Pesach, and Shavuos. “Three times during the year shall all your menfolk appear before the L-rd, Hashem” (Shemos 23:17).

Rabbeinu Bachye says on this pasuk, “These 3 holidays are on 3 different times of the year. Pesach is in springtime, Shavuos is in the harvest time, and Sukkos is in the ingathering time. These 3 holidays are celebrated for the sake of the grains and vegetation of the land. We are obligated by them to thank Hashem because He is good and to show our face by our master Hashem [in the Beis Hamikdash] for supporting His servants and giving sustenance to the entire world.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)

People normally view Pesach as a celebration of our exodus from Egypt, Shavuos as celebrating the giving of the Torah, and Sukkos as celebrating Hashem having taken care of us in the desert. However, it sounds from this Rabbeinu Bachye that the main reason for these three holidays is really to show gratitude to Hashem for the food and sustenance that He provides us and prepares for us, every step of the way, throughout the year. If you think about it, it’s quite astonishing! According to this, Hashem orchestrated taking us out of Egypt, at that time of the year, gaving the Torah at that time of the year, and deciding to celebrate Sukkos at that time of the year. All to ensure that we can properly express gratitude to Him at these set times, that there are accomplishments in our produce, between the grains and fruits blossoming in the spring, harvesting at Shavuos time, and being gathered in on Sukkos. This means that showing gratitude for being given food is more important than celebrating our freedom, having been turned into the Chosen Nation, and sustaining us during our travels in the desert. We learn this from the holidays being designated at these specific times of the years, around the blossoming, harvesting, and ingathering seasons.

Why is gratitude for our food and sustenance so important? Wasn’t being freed from servitude, becoming a nation and the prince and princesses of the King Of All Kings, and accepting His gift, the blueprints of creation and handbook book for mankind, more important? Indeed, what about appreciating how He took care of us for the first years of our nationhood as His beloved children; this being more of an important reason to celebrate than thanking Hashem for our annual means of livelihood which should be secondary? Also why do we have to celebrate three times a year; why not at the end, when we have all our food brought into our houses?

However, it would seem that we can’t take for granted each step along the way, every buildup and success that Hashem provides for us as food is being produced throughout the year. Even in today’s day and age, where most of us just buy our food at supermarkets, we have an obligation to contemplate where it all comes from. Imagine and think about the sources, the farms, the fields, etc. etc., all down the line until it gets to our table. We have to appreciate the fact that without Hashem making the farmers’ crops successful we would not have challah, wine, kugel, etc. on our table; therefore, we have to be thankful every step of the way, three times a year, for Hashem keeping us alive and sustaining us.

Hakaras hatov, gratitude for our daily lives, seems to be more important than thanking Hashem for the monumental events that shaped us as a people. Remembering those monumental events is just a means of enhancing our gratitude towards Hashem; but our main focus should be thanking Hashem for all the good He does for us. for keeping us alive and sustaining us, year in and year out.

We see how important hakaras hatov towards Hashem is, even for the simplest things. That’s what builds our relationship with Hashem.

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Yisro – Selflessness: The 3rd of the Ten Commandments



We normally view the third mitzva of the Ten Commandments, enumerated in this week’s Torah portion of Yisro, as a prohibition to not say Hashem’s Name in vain. This is specifically when falsely testifying, as it says, “You shall not take the Name of Hashem, your G-D in vain, for Hashem will not absolve anyone who takes His Name in vain,” “לא תשא את שם ד’ אלוקיך לשוא כי לא ינקה ד’ את אשר ישא את שמו לשוא” (Shemos 20:6).
However the medrish, Pesiksa Rabasi diRav Kahana (22:4,5), asks a compelling question and gives 2 answers. The medrish asks how this pasuk teaches us a prohibition against swearing falsely; isn’t there another pasuk that clearly says: “You shall not swear falsely in My name” (Vaikra 19:12)? Therefore, it must be that the third mitzva of the Ten Commandments is something else?
The medrish answers in the name of Rav Bibi that the mitzva here is that one shouldn’t be נושא, carrying his tefillin on him and wrapped in a tallis and going around sinning. The Zera Ephraim explains that one shouldn’t trick people into thinking that they are a good person by always wearing tallis and tefillin, while actually committing sins, or going to commit sins, while wearing them. The words נושא and תשא are from the same root word, and by tricking people by wearing tefillin and purposefully, discreetly sinning at the same time, it is as if the person is putting down Hashem’s name and making Hashem look unimportant. It is therefore understandable how this can be a severe sin, deserving of being put in the Ten Commandments. (Click here for Hebrew text.)

The medrish also quotes Rebbe Zeira, who says this mitzva is referring to not taking a position of leadership when you are not deserving of it or able to handle it. Based on the Be’ur and Zera Ephraim, we see this from the pasuk that because the word תשא can be referring to נשיאות, leadership, the pasuk is saying ‘don’t take on leadership for naught when you aren’t befitting for the job.’ Even though the words of the pasuk are talking about not taking Hashem name in vain, just as Chaza”l teach that the pasuk of “את ד’ אלוקיך תירא” “You shall fear the L-rd your G-D” includes fearing sages or Rabbis, so too this pasuk is referring to not accepting upon yourself leadership as if you are a sage or rabbi when you are really not deserving of the position.

The medrish goes on to say, “Rebbe Menachma said in the name of Rebbe Yaakov who said in the name of Rebbe Mani, from where do we see a similar pasuk? From the pasuk in Mishley (25:8) ‘אל תצא לר[י]ב מהר’ [which literally means don’t go out to argue so quickly,] but the word is written לרב, [meaning don’t rush to be a rabbi so quickly]. One should never run after leadership. Why is this so? For what will you do in the end if your acquaintances humiliate you? What if they come and ask you questions? What will you answer them [if you don’t know or don’t know how to find out the answer?] Some say it was Rebbe Menachma in the name of Rebbe Tanchum from the Yeshiva of Rebbe Chiya who said in the name of Rebbe Mani, who said in the name of Rebbe Yossi bar Zevida… One who ‘destroys his essence (נפש)’ that’s who [leadership] is made for. Like Moshe, which the pasuk (Shemos 32:32) relates him saying, ‘And now if You would but forgive their sin! But if not, erase me now from Your book that You have written.’ Or like Yehoshua where the pasuk (Yehoshua 7:8) relate that Yehoshua said ‘If you please My L-rd [what shall I say now that Israel has turned the back of its neck before it’s enemy.’ He blames it on himself ‘My L-rd’ not Their Lord. And like Dovid where he says, as quoted in Divrei Hayamim Alef (21:17), ‘Hashem my G-D let Your hand be against me and my father’s house, but against Your people there shall not be a plague.’ Rebbe Abahu said [referring to Hashem talking], I am called holy and you are called holy, if you don’t have all the attributes that I have, then you shouldn’t accept upon yourself leadership.” The Zera Ephraim adds that Moshe Rabbeinu was befitting to accept leadership because he didn’t lead for his own benefit, as we see that he was willing to destroy his essence for the sake of the Jewish People, unlike what Korach and his followers falsely suspected, that he ruled for the sake of his own benefit.
It makes sense that it can be a very severe sin, even deserving to be part of the “Big Ten,” to accept a leadership role which he can’t handle. This is because it is a lie that could destroy many people’s lives, if one cannot handle a leadership role. But a person, even on a level of Moshe Rabbeinu, who is fit to lead, who has the charisma, intelligence, and organization to successfully lead a people – why should he be sinning such a grave sin just because he is doing it for his own motivations? Be it honor, wealth, or whatever selfish reason it might be? If it works it works!

It must be that a person, no matter how talented he is, cannot be a good enough leader if he is not selfless, willing to risk everything for his followers! If that’s the case then it will have major ramifications, just like one who isn’t fit for the job, because he is not fit for the job and therefore to take on such a role selfishly, is transgressing the third of the Ten Commandments.

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder
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Beshalach – Being Attuned to Physical Needs and Desires

Soon after the Jews crossed through the split sea in this week’s Torah portion of Beshalach, they started complaining about a lack of food, and Hashem began providing them with manna, which lasted throughout their forty-year journey in the desert. The Torah states, “They journeyed from Elim, and the entire assembly of the Children of Israel arrived in the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai on the 15th day of the second month from their departure from the Land of Egypt. The entire assembly of the Children of Israel complained against Moshe and Aharon in the wilderness. The Children of Israel said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of Hashem in the land of Egypt, as we sat by the pot of meat, when we ate bread to satiety, for you have taken us out to this wilderness to kill this entire congregation by famine.’… and Moshe said, ‘When, in the evening, Hashem gives you meat to eat and bread to satiety in the morning, as Hashem hears your complaints that you complain against Him – for what are we? – not against us are your complaints but against Hashem'” (Shemos 16:1-8)! Hashem began by giving them manna and did not punish them for complaining at that juncture.

The Moshav Zekeinim asks a question that I have been wondering about for many years: “Rabbeinu asked a major question, ‘Why weren’t they punished here for asking for meat just as they were by the Burials of Desire (Kivros Hataava)?’ The answer is that at this point they didn’t have the manna yet. But by Kivros Hataava they inappropriately asked because they already had the manna and so they were punished.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The episode of the Asafsuf, as those individuals were called, which means complainers, is mentioned in the Torah portion of Bihaaloscha, and took place after the Jews received the Torah and dedicated the Mishkan. The Torah there states, “The rabble (Asafsuf) that was among them cultivated a craving, and the Children of Israel wept once more, and said ‘Who will feed us meat?’… Moshe was brought into the camp, he and the elders of Israel. A wind went forth from Hashem and blew quail from the sea and spread them over the camp… The people rose up all that day and all the night and all the next day and gathered up the quail… The meat was still between their teeth, not yet chewed, when the wrath of Hashem flared against the people, and Hashem struck a very mighty blow against the people. He named that place Kivros Hataava, because there they buried the people who had been craving” (Bamidbar 11:4-35).

The Moshav Zekeinim in Bamidbar 11:4 says that the Asafsuf was testing Hashem, to see if He had the power to give them meat. The Moshav Zekeinim actually wonders about what was going through their heads; Hashem already proved in Beshalach that He could provide meat? He answers that in Beshalach they were still located near the sea, where the quail lived, so it was not as big of a deal to find quail to eat. But now that they were farther into the desert, they then thought that Hashem might not be able to provide them with meat. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The claim of the Asafsuf is quite astonishing! How could they honestly believe that Hashem didn’t have the power to give them quail because they were more inland than the first time the Jews complained they had no meat, when they  were by the seashore? After seeing Hashem’s awesome and dynamic strength, all the plagues, miracles at the sea, and already having manna coming down from Heaven and water coming out of a rock, what hesitation might anyone have that Hashem could bring birds to catch and eat more inland into the desert? Especially as we see how easy it was; He didn’t even make an outright, open miracle, but rather Hashem sent a strong gust of wind to blow the quail inland to the camp. What then was their doubt and challenge against Hashem?!

However my Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Alter Chanoch Henach Leibowitz zt”l, remarks in a shmuz on Bamidbar (2:2 found in the Chiddushei HaLev:) “We have to say that this is the power of תאוה, desire, it has the ability to completely confuse an) [even] perfected human being’s mind and bring him to believe in reasoning that has no basis to it. For the attribute of תאוה, desire (or lust) is ingrained and inborn in the heart of every flesh and blood. Hagaon Rav Yisrael Salanter zt”l already poskined, ruled, that one shouldn’t completely uproot from his heart those general attributes that are ingrained in everyone’s heart because Hashem doesn’t want to uproot them since they are part of the very essence of a human being. Rather it is incumbent upon us to suppress them when they get in the way of serving The Creator. We find that even in the heart of the most perfected human being there is this attribute of תאוה, desire. Chaza”l has also said (Vayikra Rabba 14:5), ‘Even if one would be the righteous of the righteous it’s still impossible that he won’t have just one side of sin.’ And therefore, it’s granted that the attribute of תאוה, lust, can potentially cause a righteous person to run after his desires, to cause him to stumble in severe sins and to switch in a split second from righteous to wicked.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
We see the power of תאוה, lust, that even people on the level of the דור הדעה, those people who were so close to Hashem that Chaza”l say that even the maidservants saw a level of prophesy that not even the prophet Yechezkel was able to see, when they crossed the Red Sea. Indeed, they heard Hashem give the Torah at Mount Sinai; but if they lost control of their desires they could turn from good to evil in a split second. It must be also that the Jews here in parshas Beshalach, on some level, were questioning Hashem’s power, from the fact that the Moshav Zekeinim compares them to the Asafsuf and doesn’t answer that the Asafsuf was testing Hashem and had a lack of faith in Hashem on some level. This must mean that at this point there was some lack of faith, and their complaint was challenging the power of Hashem, even though they had just witnessed the ten plagues and the splitting of the sea. Hashem miraculously provided them  with fresh water coming out of the walls of salty water while they were passing through, and fresh fruit growing from trees that sprouted from the sea floor. Still in all, their physical desires warped their minds and they complained about wanting meat, questioning whether Hashem could provide it for them. So why then weren’t they also punished? The Moshav Zekeinim said that the Asafsuf asked inappropriately, since they already had manna, food that was of perfect nutrition, sustenance, and tasted whatever they wanted it to taste like, including meat. Whereas at this point in parshas Beshalach, when they just crossed the sea, the Jews didn’t have the manna yet. But why does that difference make for a difference? Either way, they allowed their lust to overtake them, and complained and questioned their complete faith in Hashem?

We must say that Hashem excused the Jewish People when they complained the first time because, even though they allowed there תאוה, lust, on some minute level to overcome their logic and trust in Hashem, but as Rav Yisrael Salanter said, Hashem doesn’t expect or want them to be without the attribute of lust. We need to have an appetite, to keep ourselves alive and healthy to serve Hashem; they just didn’t have the proper balance and control, so when they were first begging for food, Hashem overlooked the fact that they went a bit overboard. But by the Asafsuf, they got even more carried away by their תאוה, desire for physical enjoyment, to the point that they weren’t satisfied with perfectly sufficient nourishment that sustained them in the desert and tasted like pretty much whatever they wanted it to taste like. So why complain, why test Hashem; that complaint is לא כהוגן, not normal or natural. Therefore they indeed deserved to be punished for allowing their lust to get the better of them.

We see an illustration how it’s possible to live with our physical desires, control them, and even use them to our own benefit to serve Hashem from the Yesod HaTeshuva by Rabbeinu Yona. This is in terms of a penitent, who usually has to go to opposite extremes to repent and change from his bad ways: “If he is a frail person who cannot endure difficult mortifications and fasts, he could withdraw from his appetite. He should not satisfy all his desires, neither in food or drink. So said Rabbi Avraham ben Dovid who was one of the most devout people in the world, ‘The greatest, finest, and most wondrous barrier to sin is to refrain from foods.’ This is how he explained his words, ‘Let one not refrain completely from eating meat or drinking wine, for what the Torah prohibited is enough. Rather, while one is eating and still desires to eat, let him, in honor of the Creator, set aside some of his desires, and not eat according to his appetite. This method will prevent him from sinning and remind him more than a weekly fast to love the Creator. For this is everyday, continuously, whenever he eats and whenever he drinks, to set aside part of his desire in honor of his Creator. ‘” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
We see that by having a well-balanced attitude of acknowledging one’s physical desires while also using one’s mind and logic to control them, this is the ultimate demonstration of love and commitment in serving Hashem. Its simply very difficult; but as the last mishna in Pirkei Avos says, “according to one’s efforts is one’s reward.”

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Bo – Firstborn, Yaakov, Moshiach, Shabbos & Pesach


What does it mean that Yaakov was considered the firstborn (bechor) if he was not born first? Why are firstborn (bechor) Jewish boys consecrated to Hashem? What does Shabbos have to do with the Exodus from Egypt? And how do all these questions relate to each other?
The Medrish Rabba (Shemos 19:7 or 8 in some editions) elaborates on a pasuk, “Sanctify to Me every bechor” (Shemos 13:2) in this week’s Torah portion of Bo and says, “Rebbe Nosson said, Hashem said to Moshe, just as I made Yaakov a bechor (the Etz Yosef says which means He gave him greatness and importance) as it says, ‘My son, My bechor, Yisrael’ (Shemos 4:22). So to I will make the King Moshiach a bechor (in terms of importance and greatness -Etz Yosef) as it says ‘I too will make him a firstborn’ (Tehillim 89:28). So to ‘Sanctify Me for Me every firstborn’ (Shemos 13:2). (The Etz Yosef points out that even though the sanctification of the firstborn were because Hashem saved them from Egypt one might still think that only applied to those that actually left Egypt but those of later generations are sanctified because they are comparable [in importance and greatness] to Yaakov Avinu.) And [G-D] warned the Jewish People that just as I created the world and I told the Jews to remember the Shabbos in order to remember the creation, as it says ‘Remember the day of Shabbos [to sanctify it]’ (Shemos 20:8), so to you should remember the miracles that I did for you in Egypt and remember the day that you went out from there, as it says, ‘Remember this day when you went out from Egypt’ (Shemos 13:3). Why? Because with a strong arm did Hashem take you out from Egypt and there should not be seen leavened bread by you for seven days. (The Etz Yosef explains that they should remember the day of the Exodus to Sanctify it every year and not forget it. This shall be a reason to remember the miracles that G-D performed, in the same vein as remembering the Shabbos to make it holy, for the mitzvah of remembering the Shabbos is in order to make it holy, and through the Shabbos we will remember The Creation that Shabbos came as a result of.) Just as in the beginning the world was created in seven days and just as Shabbos is once every seven days so to these seven days should be fulfilled every year, as it says, ‘You shall observe this decree at its designated time from year to year’ (Shemos 13:10). A parable this can be compared to is of a king who marries a woman from across the ocean a lot of troubles and travail came her way during her travels before arriving and marrying the king. He said to her, don’t remember all the trouble and travail that happened to you, rather remember the day you escaped from them, in order to remember me, and you should make a celebration every year. So to the Jews, Hashem revealed Himself to them to redeem them, and many troubles and travails they passed through and then He made for them a salvation, therefore he warned them that they should celebrate it every year, as it says ‘They should rejoice in Hashem and the righteous shall be gleeful’ (Tehillim 32:11).”  (Click here for Hebrew text.)

The Maharz”u points out that the comparison between Pesach and Shabbos is that just as Shabbos [is a trigger for our belief] in G-D creating the world, so too the day of the Exodus from Egypt hints to the miracles and the signs that the world is all His. That is why it is called a statute; the only difference is that Shabbos is once a week and Pesach is only once a year for seven days. The Maharz”u then makes a very interesting inference when explaining the parable. He says that the king was telling his new queen, “‘You should not remember the troubles to mourn over them for it will belittle the greatness of the salvation but rather remember the troubles for the sake of rejoicing in the salvation and greatly intensify the miracle…’and so to in the lesson learnt by the application.”

The shortened Ibn Ezra commentary says that after there was a decree that every firstborn person and animal was to die in the tenth plague, then even the Jewish firstborns must have been deserving to die in the plague; but Hashem miraculously saved them (as the Bechor Shor and the Maharz”u here points out). So  when the bechor of a Jew is redeemed, it is an atonement. But as the Maharz”u points out, maybe that was only for that generation that went out of Egypt, but for all other generations the bechor is sanctified because they represent an important status symbol, just like Yaakov Avinu.
Indeed, the entire Jewish People were uplifted and made important through the Exodus from Egypt, the seven days of traveling through the desert until they reached the sea, its splitting, crossing it, and ultimately receiving the Torah on Har Sinai. At that point Chaza”l say they reached a plane equivalent to that of Adam HaRishon before he sinned; and they would have stayed on that lofty level if not for the sin of the golden calf. In fact, we see a great parallel between the seven days of creation culminating with Shabbos and the seven days of the Exodus culminating with the splitting of the sea. The second being the climax of freedom from Egyptian bondage that ultimately led to their lofty status of being like Adam HaRishon before sin when accepting the Torah at Har Sinai. No wonder Shabbos and Pesach are connected with each other. They are both clear proofs of Hashem’s involvement in the world and support a belief system of His constant hand in existence. They are also a testimony to the heights a person can reach, gadlus ha’adam, the greatness of man, and the close relationship one can have with his or her Creator.

What is interesting to note is that when the Maharz”u explains the parable of the medrish as to the reason why and how we should celebrate Pesach each year, he says that the queen and us, in the application, must make mention of both the pain and suffering she and we went through along with the miracles and ultimate goal that came to fruition in the end (though the basic understanding of the medrish was that the king told her to forget her troubles). But then he said ‘don’t think of those hard times to mourn over them but as an impetus to be happy over the joyous anniversary of us coming together and forging a relationship with each other which resulted in such greatness and pristine importance.’ The Maharz”u even made it sound as if that if she mourned over her past woes, it would belittle the results. But how would that attitude make for a difference? If something is mentioned every year, remembering all the horrors, travails, and hardships of the journey, and then mentioning the results, the freedom, the royalty, the joy of finally coming together and living happily ever after –  then why would it make a difference whether, when talking about the hardship, the attitude would be to mourn over it versus celebrating it? Because of the fabulous results at the end of the day, isn’t the same thing said either way?

However, it would seem that even if two people are saying the same thing, expressing both the bad and the good, but one does so with an attitude of bemoaning the bad and the other with an attitude of enhancing the miracle with the need to rejoice over the ultimate salvation they had, then the one bemoaning the bad will actually belittle the ultimate good that came out of it. And the one celebrating will enhance the celebration by mentioning the bad, because they will recognize it in contrast to how low and pathetic a situation they were in, to the lofty levels they reached, through some incredible miracles that took place, which is worth expressing an immense amount of joy over.

If this joyous ecstasy is what one realizes and feels when celebrating Pesach then he or she has truly observed it properly.

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Vaera -Hashem Looks Out for Even the Farthest Gone

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As we grow older, especially in old age, it becomes harder to change, and it becomes especially difficult to enact significant changes in our lives. An example of such a monumental change would be one who didn’t grow up Torah-observant but has ‘found the light’ and made great strides to change to the best of his or her ability. Hashem never gives up on a person and always hopes a person will change and repent until the very end. He ‘drops crumbs’” of support to try to guide us to choose a more righteous way of living.

We see this from how Hashem dealt with Pharaoh, based on a Medrish Tanchuma (11) in this week’s Torah portion of Vaera. Expounding upon a pasuk in Yeshayahu (47:10), he writes: “From the beginning I foretell the outcome; and from earlier times, what has not been; but I say My plan will stand, and I will carry out My every desire”, the medrish relates, “Rebbe Pinchas the kohen, the son of Chama says, whoever reads this pasuk, might think there are two G-Ds on high. That one says, ‘but I say My plan will stand’ and [one says], ‘and I will carry out all that I desire.’ [Meaning it seem repetitive, but in truth, the Etz Yosef (It’s the Anaf Yosef in the Hebrew edition below that you can click on.) explains, that it says ‘And I will carry out all that I desire’ to expound upon what He desires…] for He wants to make His creations righteous, as it says, ‘Hashem desires for the sake of his righteousness’ (Yeshayahu 42:21), [meaning] to make others righteous. He does not wish to hold people liable [for their sins] as it says, ‘for I do not desire the death of the one who should die’ (Yechezkel 18:32). Therefore, it says, ‘And I will carry out all that I desire’.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The Etz Yosef explains this medrish by saying that Hashem always desires to cause His creatures to be righteous and He helps them in doing so by giving them the tools in their hand to do what He desires, in the manner of ‘one who comes to purify himself, He will help him.’ Included in this is the fact that Hashem doesn’t want to have to find people liable for their wrongdoings; that even after a person engages wicked deeds, Hashem doesn’t want to punish, but rather what He desires is to try to make them righteous and guide them towards repentance. Just like Hashem did with Pharaoh; that even though Pharaoh said “who is Hashem etc.,” still in all Hashem warned him before every plague and showed him a path towards repentance, as the medrish in this parsha goes on to spell out at a later point.
This is an incredible thing if you really think about it! Pharaoh not only denied the existence of Hashem, as the Etz Yosef points out, but he went so far as to proclaim himself a god, enslaved around 15 million people, brutally torturing and killing hundreds of thousands of them, perhaps millions; men, women and children, even babies! Not only did he do this, he even hardened his heart a number of times throughout the plagues, when Hashem was trying to get him to repent. And when he finally broke and gave in, letting the Jews go, he soon ran after them to the Red Sea with his army. We see that  even the signs sent to help him to repent and change his evil ways he ignored or didn’t fully commit to; so why does Hashem have the patience to try to change evil people, and not just do away with evil doers before they do too much harm?

The answer is that in Hashem’s infinite compassion and mercy He doesn’t want to see one of his creatures, even the most abominable, fail. So He tries His best, working within the realm of free will, to guide those that shouldn’t even deserve it, towards repentance and righteousness.

At the end of the day, there are opinions that state that Pharaoh survived the splitting of the sea. He sent his army but himself stayed out of it and in fact finally repented. The Yalkut Shimone in Yonah (chapter 3) quoting a Pirkei DiRebbe Eliezer states: “Rebbe Nechunya ben Hakana said you should know about teshuva (repentance) from Pharaoh. For he rebelled very much against Hashem. He said ‘who is Hashem that I should listen to His voice.’ In the same language that he sinned did he repent, for he said ‘Who is like you among the heavenly powers oh G-D’ (Shemos 15:11). Hashem saved him from certain death in order to speak up about the power of His might, as it says “However for this reason did I leave you standing.” [Pharaoh] went on to become king of Nineveh. The people of Nineveh started… to steal… (and do other abominable sins) and Hashem sent Yonah to give prophesy about them that they will be destroyed. Pharaoh heard this, stood up from his throne and tore his clothes and put on sack cloth. He also announced to the entire nation to fast for 3 days… he influenced over a 100,000 people and Hashem overturned the decree of destruction [on Nineveh]…” (Click here for Hebrew text.)

It is never too late, and it is never a helpless cause! No one is ever too old!! If Pharaoh could repent and inspire an entire other nation to repent hundreds of years later (even if it was temporarily, Hashem granted an abnormally long life in order to make such a kiddush Hashem as he did in Nineveh), it is still a big kiddush Hashem worth noting. If Pharaoh could make such a turnaround, anyone, from whatever background, no matter what age, or how far gone and off the path of serving Hashem, can do the same if they so choose!

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Shemos – Kindness Within the Boundaries of Modesty

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In this week’s Torah portion of Shemos we find Moshe fleeing for his life from Egypt and, according to the basic interpretation of the pesukim, he went straight to Midian. The Torah states: “Pharaoh heard about this matter and sought to kill Moshe; so Moshe fled from before Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian. He sat by the well. The minister of Midian had seven daughters; they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s sheep. The shepherds came and drove them away. Moshe got up and saved them and watered their sheep. They came to Reuel their father. He said ‘How could you come so quickly today?’ They replied, ‘An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds and he even drew water for us and watered the sheep.’ He said to his daughters ‘Then where is he? Why did you leave (עזבתן) the man? Summon him and let him eat bread’ (Shemos 2:15-20)!”

Rabbeinu Ephraim ben Shimshon (a Rishon that lived in the times of the Rokeach) was bothered by Reuel’s (aka  Yisro) response to the words “למה עזבתם את האיש;” “Why did you abandon the man.” Rabbeinu Ephraim asks: “Is it the way of maidens to bring young men home? It appears to me that when Moshe ran away, he left without any provisions for the journey, just like a person running away for his life. That is why he said to them ‘Why didn’t you give him bread.’ A person without bread is called a “נעזב” forsaken as it says in Tehillim (37:25) ‘I have not seen a righteous man forsaken etc.'”
This pasuk in Tehillim is what we say at the end of bentching [The Grace After the Meal], “נער הייתי גם זקנתי ולא ראיתי צדיק נעזב וזרעו מבקש לחם.” “I was a youth and also have aged, and I have not seen a righteous man forsaken, with his children begging for bread.”

The question of Rabbeinu Ephraim seems to be based on the fact that Yisro’s (Reuel) daughters were acting modestly, and the issue was that what then was wrong with the way they conducted themselves by not bringing Moshe back home with them? Modesty is an inborn trait for every single woman, Jewish or not Jewish. The Maalos Hamiddos in the chapter of modesty brings a medrish (Breishis Rabba 18:3) which says that Hashem specifically created Chava out of Adam’s rib, which is hidden, to instill in her and her gender the genetic make-up of modesty. If that is the case, then what did the daughters of Yisro do wrong? They returned home without Moshe just as any modest woman would do. Even if he was forsaken and destitute, why should it have been expected that the girls would bring him home to feed this stranger of a man? Imagine if your daughter brought home any random man, especially a homeless, smelly, haggard man off the street! Moshe was a runaway from Egypt; he probably looked disheveled, smelly and unkempt. Granted, he proved himself not to be dangerous (which is why, for the most part, nowadays one should never bring a stranger home), because he saved them from harassment of the other shepherds. But the Rabbeinu Ephraim didn’t say that Yisro expected them to help Moshe out of gratitude; rather, because he clearly looked destitute and forsaken. So why did Yisro expect them to have brought Moshe home?

It must be that as important and ingrained as modesty is in a woman, kindness still has to be balanced and ultimately weighed as a higher priority. There might be a hint to this from the opening statements of the Maalos Hamiddos in the chapter of Modesty: “My children, come and I will teach you the quality of modesty. You should know my children, that the quality of modesty is one of the most important and distinguished character traits because it is one of three traits Hashem expects of the Jews, as it says ‘And what does Hashem ask of you but only to do justice, love kindness, and walk in modesty with your G-D’ (Micha 6:8).” From the fact that loving kindness comes before walking in modesty, it can be implied that although both are very important attributes, which should be adhered to at all times as best as possible, but kindness should be prioritized before modesty, when balanced and weighed together, while adhering to both of them simultaneously.

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Vayechi – Appreciating the Value of Happiness

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The Orchos Tzadikim begins The Gate of Happiness with describing the ultimate state of happiness: “The trait of happiness comes to man through the enjoyment of great tranquility in his heart unmarred by mishap. A person who attains his desires and never experience anything that saddens him, will always be happy, his face will shine, his countenance will be radiant, his body will be healthy, and old age will not come quickly upon him, as is written, ‘A happy heart is as healing as medicine’ (Mishley 17:22).” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
There is a picture-perfect depiction of the ideal state of happiness in this week’s parsha. This week’s Torah portion, Vayechi, is the last of Sefer Breishis. Normally a Torah portion is delineated by starting off on a new line or at least having a space of nine letters from the last verse of the previous portion. But there is no space at all between the end of the Torah portion of Vayigash and the beginning of Vayechi. The new Torah portion abruptly begins with “Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt…” (Breishis 47:28).
The Medrish Rabbah, in the opening of this parsha asks, “Why of all the portions of the Torah is this portion ‘closed’? It is because once our forefather Yaakov passed away, the Egyptian subjugation of Israel began. Another interpretation: why is this portion ‘closed’? Because Yaakov our forefather sought to reveal [to his sons] the End [the date of the Final Redemption], but it was closed off (concealed) from him. Another interpretation: Why is this portion ‘closed’? Because Hashem closed off from him all the troubles in the world [during his sojourn in Egypt]” (Breishis Rabba 96:1).

The Maharz”u wonders why the first two reason of why the parsha starts off ‘closed’ is even here, because according to the first answer it should have the ‘closure’ in perek 49, pasuk 33 where it discusses Yaakov’s death and the second one could have been by perek 49, pasuk 1 where the pasuk says straight out that Yaakov was planning on revealing the date of the End of Days to his children? He answers that we find spaces and closures all throughout the Torah, but every other beginning of a parsha definitely has a space or starts on a new line; this one doesn’t, so it must be to highlight something. The medrish gives 3 reasons for the highlighting. Either because of the impending servitude; when the beginning of the portion writes “Yaakov lived” it means when Yaakov lived 17 years in Egypt and reached the age of 147 and was close to death. Then fear fell upon his children, from the exile in Egypt, even though the servitude didn’t actually start until all 70 people who came down to Egypt had died. The second reason was that he wanted to reveal the End of Days when he was about to die, and this was hinted to by the closure. The third interpretation was the closure of his suffering. In Eretz Canaan he was open to suffering and in Egypt he was closed. True, it would have been better to have the “closure” in their respected places as mentioned above, but the third reason was why the closure was by this pasuk. (Click here for Hebrew text)

Similarly, the Matnos Kehuna explains this 3rd opinion, of why the parsha begins without any space between it and the previous parsha; that Yaakov Avinu forgot all his suffering when he was in Egypt. Those 17 years were the main part of his life, without suffering.
It makes a bit of sense why the Torah would go out of its way at the beginning of this portion to do something which is different than any other beginning of a parsha. This is in order to hint at a message that is so important that it can affect an entire generation or so, such as hinting to the advent of the enslavement or something that would have an impact for generations to come, such as revealing when Moshiach would finally come at the End of Days. But what is so special about hinting to us that Yaakov’s suffering was done and over with, and his last 17 years were lived in bliss and tranquility; who cares? Why does it make for a difference and why is it worth changing the rules of Torah portions, how they start; especially since it was really only because of this 3rd reason why the hint was put specifically here at this place, as the Maharz”u point out in the end of his piece?

However, we must appreciate what the Orchos Tzadikim says at the beginning of the Gate of Happiness; what the ultimate state of happiness is. A state of peace and tranquility without any issues and problems in one’s life. This is something transformative that could literally “add years,” radiance, and youth to one’s life. This is exactly what happened to Yaakov, in fact; Yaakov’s shine did come back, and in the last 17 years of his life Divine Inspiration and prophesy was imbued inside him on a constant basis, which had left him when he was suffering in sorrow when Yosef had disappeared.

The Torah is teaching us a lesson, that we have to really focus in and really, really appreciate the chance of living a life of true happiness without any suffering. It is worth changing the rules of how to set up the portions in the Torah, just to bring this message across! Therefore, it must be a very important lesson that one must contemplate and imbibe in oneself emotionally and intellectually.

It doesn’t even mean that one has to go his whole entire life without any problems. But even a segment of one’s life as Yaakov had, it is worth appreciating the gift that Hashem gives you of a life of peace, tranquility, and bliss, even if it is for a short amount of time. Yaakov forgot all the woes and sorrows he had in the past, because of the wonderful state he was in during the last 17 years of his life, and it was deeply appreciated. So too, we have to recognize, appreciate, and especially be joyous for the good that Hashem gives us, especially a chunk of time without any worries, problems, and tribulations.