Category: Food for Thought

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

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3 Weeks – Shiv’ah Asar B’Tammuz & Tisha B’Av


Rav Avigdor Miller zt”l in his preface to the Gate of Bechina in Chovos Halevavos says, “One of the main purposes of praying is to stimulate our minds to think. But what are the thoughts that we should have? They are not in the prayers themselves. However, proper use of the regular prayers can serve as a table of contents and an index to almost all the general principles of the Torah, especially the duties of the mind, including love and fear of Hashem.”

My Rosh HaYeshiva, Rav Henach Leibowitz zt”l, has a shmuz about the impact of deep, heartful prayer and how it could have prevented the destruction of the First Beis HaMikdash. Melachim Beis (22:14-20) relates: “And Hilkiah the priest and Ahikam and Achbor and Shaphan and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah the son of Harhas, the keeper of the raiment, and she was sitting in Jerusalem in the study-hall, and they spoke to her. And she said to them, ‘So has Hashem, G-D of Israel spoken, ‘Say to the man who sent you to me, ‘So has Hashem said, ‘Behold I bring calamity to this place and upon its inhabitants-all the words of the scroll that the king of Yehuda read. Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to pagan deities, in order to provoke Me with all the deeds of their hands, My wrath is kindled against this place, and it shall not be quenched.’ And concerning the king of Yehuda who has sent you to inquire of Hashem, so shall you say to him, ‘So has Hashem, G-D of Israel said, ‘The words are what you heard. Since your heart has become soft, and you have humbled yourself before Hashem, when you heard what I spoke about this place and about its inhabitants, to become a desolation and a curse, and you rent your garments and wept before Me, I, too, have heard [it],’ says Hashem. Therefore, behold I gather you in to your forefathers, and you shall be gathered into your graves in peace, and your eyes shall not see any of the calamity that I am bringing upon this place.’ And they brought back word to the king.”

There was a delegation that went to Chulda the prophetess, asking that she pray on behalf of the Jewish People to try to stop the upcoming destruction and exile threatened by the Babylonian forces. Rashi addresses why they went to Chulda the Prophetess and not to Yirmiyahu, who was a great prophet in that day and age: “Our Rabbis said that because a woman is more merciful than a man, he, therefore, did not send to Yirmiyahu. “

This Rashi is based on a gemara in Megilla14b that says: “Huldah was a prophetess, as it is written: “So Hilkiah the priest and Ahikam and Achbor and Shaphan and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess” (II Kings 22:14) as emissaries of King Josiah. The Gemara asks: But if Yirmiyahu was found there, how could she prophesy? Out of respect for Yirmiyahu, who was her superior, it would have been fitting that she not prophesy in his presence. The Sages of the school of Rav say in the name of Rav: Huldah was a close relative of Yirmiyahu, and he did not object to her prophesying in his presence. The Gemara asks: But how could Josiah himself ignore Yirmiyahu and send emissaries to Huldah? The Sages of the school of Rabbi Sheila say: Because women are more compassionate, and he hoped that what she would tell them would not be overly harsh.” The Maharsha on this gemara adds that women are compassionate and will beseech mercy in order to change bad to good.

The Rosh HaYeshiva zt”l, in summary, put into perspective the situation. Yirmiyahu was the leader of the generation and a greater prophet than Chulda. He was extremely compassionate and had all the other pristine attributes of a righteous and modest leader. He clearly understood the state of emergency and the dire state of Jewish People, for he was the one who wrote Megillas Eichah, Lamentations. If that was the case, then why in fact did the delegation not go to him? The gemara answers because Chulda was a woman, someone who has more of a natural tendency to be compassionate, even more than the greatest prophet and leader of the generation. Although he was proven to be compassionate and very merciful, on some miniscule level the delegation believed Chulda would muster more kavana, intent, in her prayers because of the natural, inborn feelings of compassion that any woman has, especially such a prophetess as her. That is why they went to her as opposed to Yirmiyahu to pray on behalf of the nation to save them from destruction. It would seem that it would have worked if she had prayed on their behalf, but prophecy said they were doomed as mentioned in the pesukim.

The Rosh HaYeshiva zt”l concludes by saying that the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash was an incredibly great tragedy for the Jewish people, which we have been mourning for over 2000 years. It is apparent from what we just discussed that the little bit more of intent that Chulda would have had over Yirmiyahu in her prayers could have prevented the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. From all this we learn how much we must invigorate and focus our emotions in order to add to our prayers more intentionality, since kavana, intent, is what tips the scales for our prayers to be answered. Indeed, even a minimal amount of additional kavana might cause a change to the decree of Hashem in matters that can be world changing. (Chiddushei Halev Megillas Esther 5:8 see the second part). The attitude towards prayer mentioned above by Rav Avigdor Miller might help with expounding on kavana.

The mussar sefer, Menoras HaMeor (5:3:3:1), discussing fast days, says that fasts are a great help in repentance for two reasons:
1. To weaken one’s body and break one’s haughty heart which sinned.
2. To squelch one’s physical desires and to clear one’s fats and blood according to one’s guilt and feel as if one is offering his body as a sacrifice to Hashem.
Just as when one has a physical ailment, such as a stomachache, the way to heal it is to stop eating, so too it is it beneficial for a spiritual ailment. But the opposite is also true; for one who is not sick, or if he is sick and his whole body is weak, then if he does not eat he will get sicker and weaker. So to mistreat your body without reason will also harm you.

 In the next chapter the Menoras HaMeor quotes a gemara in Taanis 26a which says there were 5 things that happened on the 17th of Tammuz:
1. The luchos, tablets were smashed,
2. The Daily Offering was suspended due to a decree by the enemy,
3. The walls of Yerushalayim were ruptured open by the enemy,
4. Apostumus burned a Torah scroll, and
5. In the days of the evil king Menashe he set up an idol in the heichal, sanctuary of the Beis Hamikdash.

On Tisha B’Av 5 things also happened:
1. It was decreed the Jews in the desert would not enter The Land,
2. The first Beis Hamikdash was destroyed,
3. Also the second,
4. Beitar was captured,
5. The city of Yerushalayim was plowed like a field.

After discussing how Tisha B’Av is the most severe fast, the Menoras HaMeor quotes another gemara in Taanis 30a in the name of Rebbe Akiva which says that whoever works on Tisha B’Av will never see a sign of blessing from that work, whoever  eats on Tisha B’Av will not see Yerushalayim in its joy, but whoever mourn over Yerushalayim will merit to see Yerushalayim in its joy as the pasuk in Yeshayahu (66:10) states: “Rejoice with Jerusalem and exult in her all those who love her: rejoice with her a rejoicing, all who mourn over her.” (Click here for Hebrew text)

There is an imperative concept to mourn over the destruction and exile; however that obviously isn’t the ideal. Men, especially women, and children have the ability to potentially get us out of this exile by mustering up heartfelt prayers like never seen before, so that instead of mourning over Yerushalayim we will rejoice!

There is a lot to daven for, in general for the physical safety of the world and the moral fabric of society but specifically for the safety of the Jewish people and ultimate peace in Eretz Yisrael may it come speedily in our days.

Pray well,
Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder
Dovid Shmuel ben Sarah Leah 
I am having surgery on my shoulder in a couple of weeks, and this will be the last dvar Torah indefinitely until I recuperate enough to get back into the swing of things.

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Chukas – Frustration: OK, Anger: Not

The passing of Miriam in this week’s Torah portion of Chukas was the catalyst for Moshe’s notorious sin of hitting the rock. As the Torah says, “The entire congregation of the Children of Israel arrived at the desert of Zin in the first month, and the people settled in Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there. The congregation had no water; so they assembled against Moshe and Aharon. The people quarreled with Moshe, and they said, ‘If only we had died with the death of our brothers before Hashem…’Moshe and Aharon moved away from the assembly to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and they fell on their faces. [Then] the Glory of Hashem appeared to them. Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: ‘Take the staff and assemble the congregation, you and your brother Aharon, and speak to the rock in their presence so that it will give forth its water. You shall bring forth water for them from the rock and give the congregation and their livestock to drink.’ Moshe took the staff from before Hashem as He had commanded him…Moshe raised his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, when an abundance of water gushed forth, and the congregation and their livestock drank. Hashem said to Moshe and Aharon, ‘Since you did not imbue faith in Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly to the Land which I have given them’” (Bamidbar 20:1-12).
There are many lessons the Ralbag learns from this episode in the desert and by putting it all together we will, b’ezras Hashem [with G-D’s help], learn an important lesson. When Miriam passed away the Ralbag says that when one person from a group dies the whole group should be worried. For we see that when Miriam died, immediately the [potential] for death was decreed on her brothers even though they were of such great stature, to the extent that they both died within a month of each other. As was explained in the Torah and in the Prophet Yehoshua, that Moshe didn’t live more than a month after Aharon passed away. Aharon died on the first of the month of Shevat in the 40th year of traveling in the desert as explicitly stated in parshas Massei (33:38), and Moshe died on the first of the month of Adar as stated in the Torah (Devarim 34:5-8) and in the Prophet Yehoshua, as Chazal explain. (There is an argument between the Medrish Rabba Esther 7:11 who says Moshe was born and died on the first of Adar and the Gemara in Megilla 13b who says that Moshe was born and died on the seventh of Adar. The Ralbag seems to be siding with the Medrish, but either way they all died in close proximity to each other.)
The Ralbag learns another lesson; that one should feel distressed over the death of the righteous because their passing makes an impact. We saw that when Miriam died the water from the rock, known as the Well of Miriam, which previously delivered water to the entire nation, stopped doing so. A similar thing happened when Aharon passed away; in whose merit there were the Clouds of Glory. This impacted the lives of all the Jews, even though Moshe Rabbeinu, the master of all the prophets, was still alive at the time!
This being the case, after Miriam passed away, the water ceased coming forth from “the well,” and the Jewish people began to complain of terrible thirst. Hashem was not upset at them over a lack of faith in Him and in fact the lesson the Ralbag learns from here is that “it’s unfitting to denigrate a person very much for blurting out inappropriate words in times of pain, loss, and injury. For when the Jews were experiencing great suffering due to thirst and were afraid of dying, they lashed out with very harsh words against Moshe, and we don’t find that they were punished for this. On the contrary, Hashem wanted to give them water in the fashion explicitly mentioned in the pesukim above.”
Yet when it comes to Moshe Rabbeinu hitting the rock, the Torah states that before doing so Moshe told the Jewish people, “Now listen, you rebels, can we draw water for you from this rock” (Bamidbar 20:10)? Moshe was punished and lost his right to live and lead the Jewish People into the Land of Israel. And the Ralbag learns from here that “a person should distance himself from the attribute of anger, as anger was the reason why Moshe didn’t execute Hashem’s intentions perfectly, as commanded. Even though he was of such a great height, and reached such greatness in perfection of his character. Hashem had said to speak to the rock and it would bring forth water. As a result of his action, bad things continued for the Jews with the fact that harm came to their prophet.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
We have to put into perspective what took place. Everything started with Miriam’s passing, which left a void on the Jews, who in her merit had been given water.  For this reason, Hashem overlooked any offensive rhetoric that was inappropriately lashed out at His prophet Moshe Rabbeinu, and even planned a great miracle for the water to return. However, what must also be taken into account is that Moshe was in the same plight, and he felt even more pressure knowing the concept that he should be worried once someone in his group, one of his sibling in this case, had passed on. It seems in fact that the mazel of Moshe and Aharon was susceptible, and they were tested to see if they would be deserving of severe punishment. That was probably troubling and on the forefront of Moshe’s mind, in addition to mourning the great loss of his sister. That being the case, then wasn’t Moshe in the same position as the rest of the Jewish people, in a state of agony and pain? So he also should have been exempt from any punishment for acting and speaking rashly?
Yet he was punished, and the Ralbag does not say it was because on his level Hashem judges stricter; rather the Ralbag says it was due to his anger. It must have been that on some miniscule level, Moshe let anger enter his heart, which allowed him to speak and act as he did, which minimized the miracle that could have taken place, which “impacted” Hashem’s goal.
We see from here that there is a difference between being angry and being agitated. Moshe slightly crossed the line into feeling anger and that caused him not to fulfill Hashem’s will with exactitude. (It must also be that because Aharon was standing right there at the time, next to Moshe, and didn’t make sure that Moshe executed Hashem’s instructions perfectly, so he was also punished with Moshe. We see this in the Ralbag, lesson 9, later on).
Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder

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Korach –

Going Cold Turkey Vs. A Slow Weaning
There is a well-known debate in the substance abuse community as to whether it is better to go cold-turkey or slowly wean your way off of an addictive substance or behavior. Although there are two different schools of thought, the latter, weaning, seems to be more prevalent. However, one might think that in a situation of clear and imminent danger, or under immediate threat, it is best to go cold-turkey and stop things at once.

The opposite, if possible, is taught in this week’s Torah portion of Korach, where there was an immediate threat of a rebellion and action had to be taken quickly. But as the Ralbag explains, there was a process put in place in order to win over the rebels. The Torah states, “They assembled against Moshe and Aharon, and said to them, ‘You take too much upon yourselves, for the entire congregation are all holy, and Hashem is in their midst. So why do you raise yourselves above Hashem’s assembly?’ Moshe heard and fell on his face. He spoke to Korach and to all his company, saying, ‘In the morning, Hashem will make known who is His, and who is holy, and He will draw [them] near to Him, and the one He chooses, He will draw near to Him. Do this, Korach and his company: Take for yourselves pans. Place fire into them and put incense upon them before Hashem tomorrow, and the man whom Hashem chooses he is the holy one; you have taken too much upon yourselves, sons of Levi’” (Bamidbar 16:4-7).

The Ralbag in his Toaliyos learns a lesson that “it’s befitting for a person, when he sees people who want to do the wrong thing, that he should steer them from the bad little by little. If he would try to change them in one shot, they would not listen to him because of their steadfast will in their mission. For this reason, we find that when Moshe wanted to steer Korach and his followers from the bad, they had chosen, he began by addressing the goal they were trying to achieve. He said that Hashem chooses who is fit to be a kohen. This was considered a wise statement because he showed them that this whole matter came from Hashem, and their claim in the position was useless. This was also considered one of the great attributes and wisdom of Moshe that he began appeasing them with this statement because they were not giving up on their request. He then went on to explain to them in a fashion which would really appeal to them, which would have completely changed them from the bad they were engrossed in. And for this reason, Moshe fell on his face before Korach to beseech him to not continue in this manner.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)

The obvious question is: what did Moshe Rabbeinu do that was so incredible? He just told the truth, that all these appointments to leadership roles were appointed by Hashem? And it didn’t even work! In the end there was a whole process that had to be played out, and after several attempts and thousands of people dying miraculous deaths, the nation conceded that Aharon and his family deserved the priesthood, and the rebellion was squelched. But why take so much time; why not act forcibly, immediately to get rid of the problem?

It must be that if Moshe would have forcibly gotten rid of the problem instead of strategically going through the whole process that he did, then the acceptance of his actions would not have been as well met as it was in the end. For in the end no one ever questioned the rights of the priesthood ever again. What was so incredibly smart was the strategy he took to first try to appease them, to state the obvious, before employing more extreme tactics to prove his point and them wrong. This resulted in a more lasting impact, even though in the short-term people weren’t getting the message so quickly.

This is the philosophy of why weaning usually works better than going cold-turkey.

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Shelach – Derogatory Name Calling

In modern society people sometimes call each other just by their last name. For example, one would say, “Shwartz come over here.” But is this is a derogatory way to refer to someone?

We find in this week’s Torah portion of Shelach the episode of the “Meraglim,” the spies who reconnoitered the Land of Canaan and brought back a bad report. Calev was one of the two spies, besides Yehoshua, who was not going to bring back a bad report, but he had to get everyone’s attention so they would listen to him. So, what did he do? The Torah states, and Rashi comments (Bamidbar 13:30):

Calev silenced the people to [hear about] Moshe, and he said, “We can surely go up and take possession of it, for we can indeed overcome it.”לוַיַּ֧הַס כָּלֵ֛ב אֶת־הָעָ֖ם אֶל־משֶׁ֑ה וַיֹּ֗אמֶר עָלֹ֤ה נַֽעֲלֶה֙ וְיָרַ֣שְׁנוּ אֹתָ֔הּ כִּֽי־יָכ֥וֹל נוּכַ֖ל לָֽהּ:
Calev silenced: Heb. וַיַּהַס, he silenced them all [the spies so that the people could hear what he was going to say].וַיַּהַס כָּלֵב: הִשְׁתִּיק אֶת כֻּלָּם:
to Moshe: to hear what he would say about Moshe. He cried out, “Is this the only thing the son of Amram has done to us?” Anyone listening might have thought that he intended to disparage him, and since there was [resentment] in their hearts against Moshe because of the spies’ report, they all became silent so they could hear his defamation. But he said, “Didn’t he split the sea for us, bring down the manna for us and cause the quails to fly down to us?” – [Sotah 35a]אֶל־משֶׁה: לִשְׁמֹעַ מַה שֶּׁיְּדַבֵּר בְּמֹשֶׁה, צָוַח וְאָמַר “וְכִי זוֹ בִּלְבַד עָשָׂה לָנוּ בֶן עַמְרָם?” הַשּׁוֹמֵעַ הָיָה סָבוּר שֶׁבָּא לְסַפֵּר בִּגְנוּתוֹ, וּמִתּוֹךְ שֶׁהָיָה בְלִבָּם עַל מֹשֶׁה בִּשְׁבִיל דִּבְרֵי הַמְרַגְּלִים, שָׁתְקוּ כֻלָּם לִשְׁמֹעַ גְּנוּתוֹ, אָמַר “וַהֲלֹא קָרַע לָנוּ אֶת הַיָּם וְהוֹרִיד לָנוּ אֶת הַמָּן וְהֵגִיז לָנוּ אֶת הַשְּׂלָו”:
We can surely go up: even to heaven; if he tells us,“Make ladders and go up there,” we will succeed in whatever he says. — [Sotah 35a]עָלֹה נַֽעֲלֶה: אֲפִלּוּ בַּשָּׁמַיִם, וְהוּא אוֹמֵר עֲשׂוּ סֻלָּמוֹת וַעֲלוּ שָׁם, נַצְלִיחַ בְּכָל דְּבָרָיו (סוטה ל”ה):
silenced: Heb. וַיַּהַס, a term denoting silence; similarly, “Silence (הַס) all flesh” (Zech. 2:17); “’Still (הַס)! This is for not mentioning [the Lord’s Name]’” (Amos. 6:10). Similarly, it is the custom for someone who wants to silence a group to say, “Shhh!”וַיַּהַס: לְשׁוֹן שְׁתִיקָה, וְכֵן “הַס כָּל בָּשָׂר” (זכריה ב’), “הַס כִּי לֹא לְהַזְכִּיר” (עמוס ו’), כֵּן דֶּרֶךְ בְּנֵי אָדָם, הָרוֹצֶה לְשַׁתֵּק אֲגֻדַּת אֲנָשִׁים אוֹמֵר “שי”ט”:

The Mizrachi commentary, upon summarizing Rashi, makes a couple of very fascinating points. Calev had to stealthily figure out a way to gain everyone’s attention whilst they were eagerly listening to the slander of the rest of the spies. The Mizrachi says that the phrase וַיַּהַס כָּלֵב, Calev silenced, comes from the word הַס, (hoss) or hush, as in the way one shushes a crowd; they would say hoss (or hush, which may be where that expression comes from). We also find this in the Medrish Bamidbar Rabba, that Calev stood on a bench and quieted the people by saying “hoss hoss” (hush hush) and they became quiet. The Mizrachi also says that everyone wanted to listen to him because they thought that he would also slander the land. Calev even said aloud, “I am on your side;” but in his heart he thought the truth. The other spies therefore told everyone that Calev could be trusted. At that point he stood on the bench, quieted everyone who was screaming at Moshe Rabbeinu, and they listened, for they thought he would continue with slander (lashon hara). But as the pasuk recounts, he defended Moshe Rabbeinu and the land. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
However, the Mizrachi makes one other point. He says, “It would seem to me that besides this, just by the way he spoke, that he called [Moshe} ‘Ben Amram’ and not by his [first] name we can understand this, and he called him in this way in order to mislead them in thinking that his intent was to degrade him.”
Why is calling Moshe Rabbeinu by the name ben Amram [the son of Amram], who he was, derogatory? It must be that calling a person by his first name is a sign of endearment and that calling him otherwise might indicate a sign of negativity or hostility. At the very least, it is certainly disrespectful.

Yet we can also learn from here that although calling someone by only their last name, or the son of so and so, can be a lack of respect and improper manners, calling them by their first name is in fact a sign of endearment. So what logically follows is that when one must show proper respect to someone of authority, or one who is of an older generation, where a casual endearment would be inappropriate, it is certainly derech eretz [proper manners] to use titles like Mr., Mrs., Dr., Rabbi, etc. and their last name, or Reb/Rav so and so (with their first name).

Calev’s actions speak to the heart of the matter on the subject of proper manners, in how to refer to people in a respectful manner.

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Bihaaloscha – Stay Away From Bad Friends


Among the travails recounted in this week’s Torah portion of Biha’aloscha was the “Asafsuf,” Egyptians who had joined the Jews in their Exodus from Egypt. They were also known as the Eirev Rav, and they originally started out with proper intent to follow Hashem, but soon began trying to convince the Children of Israel to complain to Hashem again, this time about a lack of meat, going so far as to say that they preferred Egyptian bondage over the presence of Hashem (see Bamidbar 11:20).

“The rabble (Asafsuf) that was among them cultivated a craving, and the Children of Israel also wept once more and said, ‘Who will feed us meat?’ We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt free of charge; the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now, our life is parched, there is nothing; we have nothing to anticipate but the manna” (Bamidbar 11:4-6)!

Based on these pesukim the Ralbag learns a lesson that we must guard ourselves from unscrupulous friends. This we see from the fact that because the Jews were connected to the Asafsuf (Eirev Rav) who went out with them out of Egypt, the Jews stumbled when they were pulled towards their weakness, a physical craving for meat, by the Asafsuf. This was even though they had ample provisions that they didn’t have to put any hard work into or go to any trouble to receive, i.e. the manna. This is what the pasuk meant when it said, “The rabble that was among them cultivated a craving and Children of Israel also wept.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)

This was not the first time the Eirev Rav caused trouble for the Jewish People. They were also the ringleaders of the sin of the golden calf which had taken place a short time earlier, about a year or so before. The sin of the golden calf almost led to the annihilation of the Jews, if not for Moshe’s prayers. So the Jews should have known to stay far away from these rabblerousers and not to listen to them, lest they get into big trouble again. Furthermore, the Jews had done complete teshuva [repentance] from the sin of the golden calf, with the unified initiative of building and inaugurating the Mishkan, the House of Hashem and completely subjugating themselves to His Service and Will. How could they have fallen into the trap again, again succumbing to the tricks and complaints of the Eiruv Rav?

We see how much of an influence friends or even acquaintances that live in close proximity to us can have! Indeed, we also see the fact that negativity has a powerful draw, easily overwhelming the good and positivity. Therefore it is best to stay as far away as possible from bad friends, to not risk being influenced by them.

Think twice before associating with people who might have a bad influence on you, even if they are well intentioned. The Eirev Rav left their home country to join the Jewish People on their journey towards truth, but unfortunately they were still drawn to their past and where they came from; the desires and attitudes from their upbringing, which got them into a lot of trouble. It’s worthwhile to stay far away from people like this, even if they look like they mean well and are trying to change; if they have a negative effect on you then one should keep their distance.

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Naso – Counting Your Blessings


When thinking in terms of gadlus ha’adam, the greatness of man, normally we consider how much of a positive impact a person has the potential to make in this world, and the great heights one can strive for with his G-D-given abilities. However, we can also unfortunately see the great power and depth of mankind through the potential wickedness and destruction that they can wrought onto this world.

The Moshav Zekeinim brings a very fascinating inquiry about the need for birkas kohanim, the priestly blessings, that are listed in this week’s Torah portion of Naso (Bamidbar 6:24-26). The Moshav Zekeinim is quoting The Chasid who asks, ‘what is the point of the priestly blessings? If it’s for the righteous then they are already blessed by the portion of Bechukosai, “If you walk in my ways etc.” If it is for the wicked, they were in fact rebuked the first time (in Bechukosai) and second times (in Ki Savo)?’ He answers that the priestly blessings are in fact for the righteous, because there are many wicked people who have good luck in cursing even the righteous; therefore birkas kohanim was created to save the righteous from potential evil curses. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
We see from this Moshav Zekeinim that in a perfect world there would be no need for birkas kohanim [the kohanim giving the priestly blessings to the congregation at duchening] because the righteous will earn the blessings delineated in the Torah portion of Bechukosai (and Ki Savo) if they observe Hashem’s mitzvos and walk in His ways. And the wicked don’t deserve it anyways, unless they repent after being rebuked, and at that time they would be deserving of the blessings in Bechukosai and Ki Savo! So either way, there should have been no reason for Hashem to create the priestly blessings for anyone; so why were they created? He answers that they were created as a defense mechanism, a sort of combative forcefield, against curses that wicked people might hurl at the righteous.

Why would Hashem, All- Good, All-Righteous, create such a system in the world? The answer is that part of Hashem’s perfect, positive calculations is free choice; the ability to choose between good and evil. Hashem gave humanity equal opportunity and skill to reach great heights and achieve incredible feats, whether for good or evil. This is gadlus ha’adam, the greatness of mankind, which no other being in existence has. Yet despite it being our responsibility to choose to do the right thing, but the reality is that not all people choose the path of righteousness, and the All-Knowing Hashem knows that. So He created a backup of birkas kohanim, as security for the righteous, against the negative spiritual onslaught of the wicked.

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Bamidbar – Vis a Vis

Towards the end of this week’s Torah portion of Bamidbar (7th aliya, perek 4) we find the census of the family of Kehas and the role they played in moving the Mishkan from place to place during the Jews’ travels. Part of the family of Kehas was Aharon and his sons, the kohanim who had the role of disassembling the Mishkan. The rest of the family were plain Leviim, and carried the utensils of the Mishkan, which included, just to name a few, the Menorah, the Shulchan, and Aron HaKodesh [The Holy Ark]. The Torah portion concludes, “Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aharon saying, ‘Do not let the tribe of the Kehas Families be cut off from among the Leviim. Thus shall you do for them so that they shall live and not die: when they approach the Holy of Holies, Aharon and his sons shall come and assign them, every man to his work and his burden. But they shall not come and look when the holy is inserted, lest they die'” (Bamidbar 4:17-20).

The Medrish Rabba (Bamidbar 5:8) asks on this portion, “What did Hashem see to heed warning to the Family of Kehas more than the other families? Rebbe Yehuda the son of Rebbe Simone said in the name of Rebbe Shmuel the son of Rebbe Yitzchak, there is something better about the tribe of Levi and the family of Kehas which the rest of Jews don’t have. How so? The rest of Jews have no connection to the structure of the Mishkan but the tribe of Levi carried the vessels of the Mishkan. Some carried the planks, some carried the bars, and some carried the sockets, this was what the children of Merari carried. The family of the children of Gershon carried the embroidered tapestries and the family of the children of Kehas carried the Aron. Another answer as to what made the tribe of Levi better than the rest of the Jews is that the rest of the Jews would walk around in sandals but the tribe of Levi who carried the vessels of the mishkan would walk barefoot. (The Yidei Moshe says the reason they walked barefoot was so that they would not have to stop doing their job if their sandal became untied or broke. The Etz Yosef says the reason for walking barefoot was in honor of Hashem’s Holy Presence which rested on the Aron and the vessels). We learn from here that the tribe of Levi was better than all the tribes. And the best of the tribe of Levi was the family of Kehas, for a normal Levite would carry the planks, bars, or sockets, or anything else on wagons, but the family of Kehas carried on their shoulders because they weren’t allowed to place the Aron on a wagon… There is another way that they were better than the rest of the Leviim, for all the Leviim when walking with the parts of the mishkan would walk straight but [two] of the Kehatites [who would be in front] when carrying the mishkan would walk backwards to not turn their backs on the Aron. We find to say that even though they were greater than all the other families, and no doubt from the rest of the Jews but they did not become haughty but rather they were subjugated to the Aron. Why is this? It is because there is no greatness before Hashem. We can say that even though the family of Kehas was of the elite noble class but because they were appointed to carry the Aron they had to carry it like slaves. Hashem says the Torah is life as it says “It’s a tree of life to those that grab onto it” (Mishley 4:2), for it is life for all those that find it and heals their flesh. And The Kehatites grabbed onto the Torah, which is life by carrying the Aron which held in it the Torah, it makes sense they should live and not die…”

The Etz Yosef elaborates when the medrish says “there is no greatness before Hashem,” that means that a person shouldn’t feel conceited in his heart, for if he is arrogant then he is not pleasing before Hashem. And when a person is reminded about the greatness of Hashem, Blessed Is He, and His awesomeness, then how can that person be conceited even if he is better and loftier than any other person; but still in all what is he compared to Hashem, His Creator! (Click here for Hebrew text.)
 The medrish determined that the people who were more subjugated, doing the menial work, were greater. This is in fact the opposite of the way we normally think. Typically, the menial, hard labor is left for the lower class, and the important people, managers, the CEO, are just walking around or sitting behind their desks. But when it comes to serving Hashem and taking care of His Palace and Throne in this world, the elite of the elite are in charge and are doing such lowly tasks as carrying the Aron on their shoulders, even walking backwards to face the Aron at all times and also walking barefooted all in honor of the Holy One Blessed Be He.

But isn’t this a lack of gadlus ha’adam? Hashem endowed us with a piece of Him, our soul; we were created in His image. We ourselves are holy. Isn’t it demeaning and degrading, a lack of proper decency, to treat a human being in this fashion? It is treating them more like an animal, having them go barefoot, carrying heavy weight on their shoulders, it’s torturous and potentially dangerous to walk backwards! Why would the Kindest, All Good, Merciful Father, Blessed Be He expect His precious children who were made in His image to do such a patronizing thing?

It must be that it is not a lack of gadlus ha’adam. The reason being is that vis a vis who it’s being done for: The King Of All Kings, Master Of The Universe. Only for Him does it make sense that such levels of respect, in this fashion, is expected to be given to Him, but to no one else. That is why those that had this job were considered to be on a higher tier than the rest of humanity. It is only proper that the best of the best would be chosen to show honor to the All Perfect, All Powerful and Almighty G-D. Anything less is disrespectful. Therefore, what is inhumane treatment for a human, even a human king to have a person do for them, is rightfully honorable for the greatest of nobleman to do for Hashem, and is in fact a show of gadlus ha’adam, the greatness of man.

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Bechukosai – A Story about A Life of Giving


 This dvar Torah is based on a shmuz I heard many, many years ago from Rav Moshe Chait zt”l.
 Towards the end of this week’s Torah portion of Bechukosai, which is the last portion of the Book of Vayikra, it states: “Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them, if a man articulates a vow to Hashem regarding an evaluation of living beings” (Vayikra 27:2). This pasuk refers to a person who isn’t just making a vow, but is evaluating how much he should give as part of a pledge of donation to the Mishkan or Beis Hamikdash.
 A Medrish Rabba (37:2) expounds on this pasuk and the Maharz”u says it is a kind of contrast to the value of a human being. The medrish says that the deeds of a man will be repaid for the actions he shows in his lifetime, and the manner a person seeks to walk, he will find that path. The deeds and actions will be the reward for the person, and the way one was is the way he will find them.

The medrish brings a story to explain this point: There was once an incident with a man that had two sons. One of them always did the mitzvah of tzedaka and the other never gave tzedaka. One time the son that always gave tzedaka sold his house and all of his property and gave it to tzedaka. On Hoshana Rabba his wife gave him ten coins and said to her husband, ‘Go out and buy something for your children.’ When he went to the market the gabbai tzedaka spotted him and came over. He said, ‘Here comes the mitzva man!’ He then asked the man to please contribute to a mitzva of supporting a certain orphan in need. The man gave the collector the ten coins, but was ashamed to go home emptyhanded. He was scared and didn’t know what to do. So, he went to a shul and found the esrogim that were left behind on the last day of Sukkos, which were pretty much worthless. The children would take these extra lulavim and use them as toys to hit things with, and the esrogim they used to eat. The man collected a bag full of esrogs. He then decided to take a voyage across the sea to the capital of the country he lived in. When he got there something had happened and the king had a stomach ailment. The king had a dream that he had to eat citrons (esrogs) which Jews had at this time of the year. Only then would he be healed. The king’s advisors scoured the town for the esrogs but couldn’t find any. They kept on searching and finally stumbled upon this man sitting on a sack full of esrogs. They asked him if he had anything to sell. He said he was poor. They asked to search his sack. Upon searching they asked what are these? So he answered that they were used for the Jewish holiday. They took him to the king who ate from the esrogs and was cured. The advisors emptied the esrogs and filled the man’s bag with coins. The king was so happy about all that transpired that he told the man he can take anything he wishes. The Jew said, ‘Give me back my esrogs and I will give you back the money.’ The king was so impressed with his humility and lack of care for money he paraded him around the country and announced that everyone should come to greet him. Included in those coming out to greet him was his brother and brother’s children. As they were crossing a bridge over a river a title wave came and wiped them out. This man wound up inheriting his brother’s estate. This is what the pasuk in Iyov (34:11) means when it says, “For the action of a person, He will pay him for.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
This Chaza”l is telling us that a person can have something worthless, and it is really priceless.

Towards the end of “the rebuke,” which was part of the first part of the Torah portion, Hashem says that if you follow My commandments then you will get all the rewards listed above. Chaza”l say that even though “the rebuke” looks bleak, you don’t know the results. We think things are against our wishes and we pray for the better. But you don’t know what the end result will be, what will happen to you. If you hold on to the mitzvos and emuna (faith) then those misfortunes could turn into benefits.

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder

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Behar – Giving vs. Helping


 The Torah in this week’s portion of Behar states, “If your brother becomes impoverished and his means falter in your proximity, you shall strengthen, proselyte or resident, so that he can live with you” (Vayikra 25:35). From this pasuk the Medrish Rabba expounds in great detail on the fundamentals of the concept of doing acts of kindness. 
The Medrish Rabba (Behar 34:8) discusses four reasonings about one who does chesed (kindness). The Yefeh Toar explains that the Medrish is inspired by the repetitive language in this pasuk of  “if your brother becomes impoverished” and “and his means falter.” From here the medrish extrapolated four perspectives concerning chesed:
1. Doing kindness with one who does not need it. Hashem will reward his children for this. The example the medrish gives is Avraham taking care of the angels when they were passing by his tent, standing over them under a tree, feeding them and quenching their thirst, even though they were angels and didn’t need worldly sustenance. In return Hashem rewarded his descendants with manna from Heaven, water from the rock, quail, and the Clouds of Glory protecting them while wandering in the desert. The Medrish goes on to say that if a person is rewarded for doing kindness to someone who does not need kindness, then all the more so will he be rewarded for giving to someone in need. In any event, this notion is teaching us the concept of doing acts of kindness simply because it is the right thing to do, whether needed or not. Hashem is the ultimate example of a giver, and we have to emulate Him and want to give for the sake of giving, for the sake of being like Hashem. So being a giver, even if you aren’t a helper, is still a level of kindness and logically if just being a giver is rewarded then all the more so being a helper will be even more rewarded.
2. One who does not do kindness to one who does not need it. One is punished by Hashem for such inaction. The medrish provides the example of the Ammonites and Moabites who did not approach the Jewish People to offer food and drink to them as they passed by their land on the way to the Land of Israel. They were punished even though Hashem was already providing the Jews Manna from Heaven and water from the rock, quail, protection and a tour guide by means of the cloud for all forty years in the desert. Still these nations did not act with proper manners, derech eretz, and therefore they were punished as no male Ammonite or Moabite was allowed to marry a Jewish woman, even if he converted. Now, if they were punished for not doing kindness with people that didn’t need it, all the more so will one be punished for not showing kindness with one who needs help. This is the view of those who are stingy.
3. Doing kindness with someone you owe debt of gratitude towards, or you feel obligated to be kind to. This person is still rewarded even if he was obliged to act in this way anyways. For example, Yisro who brought Moshe into his house and took care of him after Moshe saved his daughters and flock from harassment of the other shepherds. The medrish says Yisro was rewarded for this in the days of Shaul, “Shaul came to the city of Amalek, and he fought them in the valley. Shaul said to the Kenites [who were descended from Yisro], ‘Go, withdraw, descend from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you acted kindly to all the Children of Israel when they went up from Egypt…'” (Shmuel Alef 15:5, 6). Was Yisro really helpful to all the Jews? Wasn’t it only with Moshe? Rather, this is coming to teach us that when one does kindness with one of the leaders of the Jewish People it is as if he did kindness with the entire nation. If one is rewarded for showing kindness to someone he feels a debt of gratitude towards all the more so, will one be paid in kind for a good deed that he does to a person he doesn’t feel obligated to.
4. Doing kindness to someone who needs it even if you do only a small amount of kindness. The reward is still tremendous! For example, Boaz with Rus, where Boaz gave Rus bread to dip into vinegar, which is supposedly good for you during a heat wave.

The Yefeh Toar goes on to explain that this is what is meant when it says here, ‘And his means falter in your proximity;’ he or she needs your help. For now, with these four viewpoints, we can learn how we should rush to support him. Either because of the kalvachomer (fortiori) of the first two views, or if one thinks ‘I don’t feel indebted to him or her’ then the kal vachomer in the third view will encourage you to act anyways. And based on this we see that the fourth view, even if it is not easy to give, but if he still gives, whether a lot or a little, then it is absolutely accepted and greatly rewarded.

The medrish goes on to say that the Torah wants to teach us derech eretz (proper manners), that when a person does a mitzvah he should do it with a joyous heart. For if Revain had known that Hashem wrote about him, ‘Reuvain heard and saved him from their hands’ (Breishis 37:21), he would have picked Yosef up and carried him to Yaakov. Also, if Boaz had known what Hashem wrote about him he would have fed Rus fattened meat. (The Yefeh Toar quotes another medrish, in Rus Rabba, with the same example that if Aharon knew what Hashem wrote about him on his way to meet Moshe on his return to Egypt to save the Jews then Aharon would have come out to greet Moshe with trumpets and tambourines). The Yefeh Toar warns us not to G-D forbid think that Reuvain, Boaz, or Aharon were trying to run after honor and because of the honor that the Torah would have rewarded them if they had known then they would have done more then what they in fact did, or with more enthusiasm. Instead, what the medrish is really teaching us is that for example if Reuvain would have known that if he would have saved Yosef the Torah would have recorded that and future generations would have learned to act like him, then he would have mustered up the strength to be even more courageous to bring Yosef back to Yaakov, in order that future generations who learn the Torah would act more courageously to do like him, with much valor.

The Yefeh Toar goes on to point out something very fascinating but scary. For one might be wondering how one of such stupendous stature as Reuvain, Aharon, or Boaz would not have been inspired to act in the best possible way on their own? He gives three excuses:
1. There are bad people that proactively try to stop one from doing a mitzvah.
2. There are scoffers who discourage one from doing a mitzvah and say why are you trying to be so righteous.
3. There are others who degrade a person and say you are only doing this for your own honor and not for the sake of Hashem.
Therefore, the medrish is telling us don’t give in to these excuses.

The medrish goes on to ask that back in the days of the prophets (i.e. Tanach) a person would do a mitzvah and it would be recorded by a prophet, but nowadays when a person does a mitzvah who records them? The medrish answers that Eliyahu HaNavi or The King Moshiach and Hashem sign it, as it says “Then the God-fearing men spoke to one another, and Hashem hearkened and heard it. And a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who feared Hashem and for those who valued His name highly” (Malachi 3:16). The Yefeh Toar explains that it used to be that there were people who were able to write down every good deed so that it would be a reminder for later generations. But now, who could write it and publicize it? So the medrish answers, Eliyahu HaNavi or The King Moshiach and Hashem sign it, meaning Hashem publicizes every good thing that happens on earth, and makes sure it is always remembered. In fact, this will be done through the leaders of the generation like Eliyahu HaNavi or the King Moshiach. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
What we can take from all this is a guidebook of motivation to do chesed, acts of kindness, in the best ways possible, even at the hardest of times. These are tools and tricks to motivate and re-inspire a person to be the best he can be in the area of doing the right thing.

But the Yefeh Toar had mentioned that great people like Reuvain, Aharon, and Boaz were not looking for fame when it says that if they would have known they would have done what they had done but with even more style, but rather they felt that if they would have known how much it would be publicized (the Bible is the greatest best seller in the world) and that they could teach everyone an important lesson in how to act, then they would have led by example and would have been more elaborate in their actions for the sake of teaching others how to do the right thing. But doesn’t that also sound a little arrogant?

 We must say that at the core of all this motivation is the basic fact that we must be givers, not necessarily helpers. Whether what one is doing is useful or not he should do and act correctly, because that is the right thing to do. Also, emulating Hashem, just as Hashem is a constant doer, and if He would stop for one instant, we would all cease to exist, so too we have to be doers and givers. But as we aren’t G-D, we can’t be giving constantly, and it takes a lot of work and effort for us to do the best we can. With this attitude and balance, that we simply must do and try our best in whatever circumstance, and, also, that Hashem is ultimately the one who produces the results, we are just his servants and messengers, that is a humbling thought for those who are examples to the world in how to properly act. Then it will be a lesson worth emulating.

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Emor – Gadlus Ha’adam: Realizing You are a Whole Miniature World


At the end of this week’s Torah portion of Emor we find the story of the “Mekalel,” the one who cursed Hashem: “The son of an Israelite woman went out, and he was the son of an Egyptian man, among the Children of Israel; they fought in the camp, the son of the Israelite woman and an Israelite man. The son of the Israelite woman pronounced the Name and blasphemed, so they brought him to Moshe; the name of his mother was Shelomis bas Divri, of the tribe of Dan. They placed him in custody to clarify for themselves through Hashem. Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: Remove the blasphemer to the outside of the camp, and all those who heard shall lean their hands upon his head: the entire assembly shall stone him” (Vayikra 24:10-13). 
Why did Mekalel do this despicable act? We have to first understand the background of what happened. Rabbeinu Bachye has a pasuk-by-pasuk explanation of what took place. Quoting a Medrish Tanchuma (parshas Emor, paragraph 23) he explains why the Torah at this portion begins, “The son of the Israelite woman went out;” where did he go? Rebbe Levi said he went out from his world. (The Etz Yosef quoting the Yefeh Toar on this Medrish Tanchuma said that not only did he lose his life in this world, but he lost his share in the World To Come because he died without repenting). Rabbeinu Bachye points out that the word before the beginning of this sentence is “world,” and what it means is that “he left his world” is that a person is a miniature world.

A few lines later Rabbeinu Bachye explains the pasuk, “He was a son of an Egyptian man whom Moshe had killed.” This man was the taskmaster who was in charge of Shlomis’s husband. This son of Shlomis had converted [and was living amongst the converts]. (There is an opinion, which we don’t hold like nowadays, that the son of a non-Jewish man to a Jewish woman is in the category of a convert and must do something to complete his conversion to a full-status Jew). There is another Chaza”l that says he left the court of Moshe guilty, for he had wanted to set up camp in the tribe of Dan. They asked him what’s your place here? He said to them, I am from the daughter of Dan. They quoted a pasuk (Bamidbar 2:2) back to him, “a man according to his flag, with signs from the house of his father” but not from the house of his mother. He entered the court of Moshe, was found guilty (meaning he lost the case), and he then left the courtroom and cursed Hashem. Rabbeinu Bachye, upon discussing the argument between the son of the Israelite woman and the Israelite man, asks: if they were arguing with each other, why did he choose to curse Hashem; he should have spoken out against Moshe or gone to hit or kill the person he was arguing with? However, it makes sense that he cursed Hashem for the Israelite man must have reminded this person that his father had been killed and how he was killed, for Moshe had used Hashem’s Holy Name, therefore this son of the Israelite woman said out that Holy Name and cursed it.

Rabbeinu Bachye then proposed a question: What forced the Torah to tell over this story? It should have been hidden for the sake of Hashem’s honor, and not revealed it at all. Rather, the Torah should have just mentioned the law to the Jews and said any person who curses Hashem and carries out this sin and spells out Hashem’s Holy Name shall surely die. For we already know that even non-Jews have the mitzva of not cursing Hashem as one of the seven Noahide laws, and of course Jews would have the same mitzva? Rabbeinu Bachye has two answers to this question. Number one, the intent of the Torah in telling over this story was first to inform everyone that no one else in the generation of the desert had the audacity to commit this despicable sin. Only this decisively evil indignant who was bad to the core due to his conception coming from an adulterous act (his mother consented to an Egyptian taskmaster, who Moshe found beating her husband the next day, and murdered).

At first glance one might ask what he did wrong? Isn’t he a victim of societal oppression? The poor guy was born into a dysfunctional situation; why is he blamed for his mother’s adulterous act? He just wanted to be integrated into society; why can’t he rely on his mother’s side to do that? Just because the Torah excludes that option and Moshe’s court reinforced the decision to be true (that one’s portion in a tribe is based on the father’s side), why should that be fair? Furthermore, he let out all his anger on Hashem because it was through His Holy Name that his father was murdered by Moshe; so why was he so severely punished and ostracized by society?

The truth is that he is responsible for his actions and decisions; there are no excuses. This is because of what Rabbeinu Bachye said earlier, that when the Torah says he went out, it was referring to leaving himself, that he is a miniature world which he abandoned. (Click here for Hebrew text.)

What does this mean? The Etz Yosef quotes a Matnas Kehuna explaining Rabbeinu Bachye saying that by the time he decided to curse out Hashem he was already compared to an animal, or even worse than an animal. To the point that he had no connection to mankind who are small worlds equivalent to the World in Heaven. (Click here for Hebrew text.) What the Matnos Kehuna is saying is that this person lost his human identity; he chose to leave it and lower himself even lower than an animal. If he would have sat down and realized how valuable he was, gadlus ha’adam, he is a precious world, a complete illustrative world with greatness built-in inside him, which can emulate and spark greatness as incredible as the Celestial Heavens. If he would have realized that he has his own unique purpose in the world and can be great at doing and being what he was created to be then he would not have sunken so low as giving up on himself and His Creator.

 A person who focuses on gadlus ha’adam, the greatness of man, in general and the potential heights he can personally achieve, will feel encouraged to strive for greatness in whatever situation he is put into.

In this manner we can understand the second reason why Rabbeinu Bachye says this episode was recorded in the Torah: “for from here it’s understandable to us a major tenant and a deep cornerstone in the concept of blessings and how a person is obligated to bless Hashem. For this blasphemer first said out Hashem’s name then went on to curse Him, as it says ‘the son of the Israelite woman pronounced Hashem[‘s Holy Name and then] he cursed’ and he was liable capital punishment for this. But the opposite is true regarding blessing Hashem and the reward for doing so, that one needs, when he is blessing Hashem, to focus in his heart the meaning of His Holy Name, each letter, what they reflect and have proper intent in one’s mind [when pronouncing His name] and then bless Hashem and verbalize it. With this one will receive reward and live long. A hint to this is what we say [in Ashrei every day] ‘ארוממך אלוקי המלך ואברכה שמך לעולם ועד’ ‘I will exalt You, My G-D the King and I will bless Your name forever and ever’ (Tehillim 145:1). It says ‘I will exalt You’ first and afterwards ‘I will bless…’ Just as they (Chaza”l) say: One should always enter [the shul] the amount of two doorways inside and then start praying.”

The message here is that if one actively puts effort into focusing himself and thinking about what he stands for, and what his role in life is, and how he can be the greatest servant of the King Of All Kings, then he can overlook all his frailties and disappointments which are worthless in the grand scheme of things, and he can then be quite successful in life.