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At the very end of this week’s Torah portion of Shemini, while discussing kosher and non-kosher animals, the Torah says in reference to small, non-kosher animals like frogs, turtles, vermin etc., “These are the contaminated ones to you among the creepy crawlers that crawl on this earth” (Vayikra 11:29).
The Daas Zekeinim points out that it sounds like for “you” they are a contamination, but not for the gentiles. This is what it means when the pasuk in Chabakuk (3:6) says “He gave up on the nations,” for he allowed them to eat creepy crawlers and vermin. This is comparable to two sick people who the doctor came to visit, as brought down in the Medrish Tanchuma, parshas Shemini, paragraph 6. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The medrish there is discussing how Hashem purposefully gave the Torah in public to the Jewish people after he went around to every nation asking if they wanted the Torah and each one refused. Hashem was ready to revert the waters back to the second day of creation when there was no dry land, but the Jewish people accepted the Torah, and the world was spared. At that time Hashem passed a verdict on the gentile nations that prohibitions on the Jews were permitted to them and they were even allowed to eat creepy crawlers and vermin. The medrish gave this parable to explain why Hashem did this. “A doctor visited two sick people, he saw one of them was in danger of dying, and told his family to give him anything he wanted to eat. He saw that the other one would live in the future. He said to them [his family] that you should feed him this food but not that food. They asked the doctor, ‘what is this? To one you said he can eat whatever he wants and to the other you said he shouldn’t eat this and that?’ The doctor responded to them, ‘The one who will live I said he should eat this and not that. But the one who will die, I told them whatever he wants to eat give him, because he won’t live any way.’ So to Hashem permitted creepy crawlers and vermin to the gentiles but the Jews who will have [eternal] life, he told them, ‘And you shall be holy for I am Holy’ (Vayikra 11:44) ‘Don’t make your souls abominable’ (11:43) ‘This you should eat and this you should not eat, do not be contaminated by them…’ Why? For the sake of your life, as it says, ‘And you who cling to Hashem your G-D, will all have life that day…” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The Daas Zekeinim brought this parable mentioned in the medrish to explain why the Jews were commanded to keep kosher, while gentiles were not only not commandedto, but were permitted to eat whatever they want, as if Hashem gave up on their lives and their purity. A purity which gives one the ability to come closer to Hashem. Why is that fair on the gentiles? How is it possible that The All Merciful All Gracious Hashem could just give up on and let the gentiles just rot like that? They are also human beings, made in the image of Hashem, with the potential to strive and to grow, to choose between good and bad?
However, in pasuk 45, Hashem reiterates, “You shall be holy for I am holy.” The Daas Zekeinim on this pasuk says that for this reason its befitting that since Hashem is holy then His servants should also be holy, and the poet pointed this out in the liturgy of the high holy days when we say each year during mussaf, right after kedusha, “It is fitting that the Holy One be glorified by holy ones.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The Daas Zekeinim is sending us a message in these back-to-back commentaries. Hashem expects the Jewish people to conduct themselves on a different plane than the gentiles because we’re the servants of Hashem, the elite vanguard of the King Of Kings, Holy and Blessed is He. A priestly nation and a light onto the world, we are therefore treated and correspondingly expected to act in a more pure and sanctified manner. We chose life while the gentile nations rejected the eternal life. They have the ability individually, on their own, to choose life and convert. It’s a responsibility, not just an honor, which is supposed to be taken seriously. Hashem didn’t give up on the nations, the nations gave up on themselves; but they can individually come back and are accepted by Hashem if they completely accept Him.
However, because we Jews accepted Hashem when we were asked to accept Him and His Torah then even if we stray from Hashem and contaminate ourselves, He never gives up on us and is always waiting with open arms like a father to a son, for us to return and purify ourselves.
Purim – Brotherly Jealousy
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In the story of Yosef and his brothers, the jealousy amongst the brothers got out of control on some level. But at the very end of the Megillas Esther we find a whole different perspective on brotherly jealousy. The last pasuk of the megilla writes, “For Mordechai the Jew was viceroy to King Achashverosh; he was a great man among the Jews and found favor with most of his brethren; he sought the good of his people and spoke for the welfare of all his seed” (Esther 10:3).
The Ibn Ezra explains the last part of the pasuk. “And found favor with most of his brethren, for it is not possible for a person to make everyone happy since there is brotherly jealousy. He sought the good for his people, it would have been enough for him to do good to those that asked him for a favor, but he sought out people to do good to them. His seed, refers to his children and grandchildren. Normally children fear their fathers and behold he first spoke peacefully even to his children who are like his servants and even to the rest of his nation. The pasuk mentioned his great attributes and humility just as it mentions about Moshe our master, ‘And the man Moshe was the humblest person of all mankind.'” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
Mordechai just saved the Jewish people from complete annihilation at the hands of Haman. He was the one who convinced Esther to confront Achashveirosh. He was the one who got Bigsan and Seresh killed for the attempted assassination of the king, which led to Mordechai’s reward and Haman’s ultimate downfall. He also was a part of the Sanhedrin, the high Jewish court, and a tremendous sage who knew 70 languages and helped many Jews resolve their issues. Besides the Jews being totally indebted to Mordechai for saving their lives, once he became viceroy to Achashveirosh he became even more active in the Jewish community. Normally a good politician will be open to helping anyone who asks for help if they can, but he went out of his way to search for Jews who needed his help. He was also gentle and soft spoken to everyone including his family members, searching out peace, and not intimidating anyone.
Such humility, on par with Moshe Rabbeinu; how then even for Mordechai the Righteous, was it possible for anyone not to like him but only find favor in their eyes? It would seem according to the Ibn Ezra that this concept of “brotherly jealousy ” on some level makes it impossible to have everyone like you, no matter how nice of a person you are. It’s a natural tendency in the world, not necessarily outright jealousy, but a familial, lower-grade jealousy that always exists and is impossible to avoid. Therefore it’s impossible to expect for everyone to like you; that’s just the way of the world.
Vayikra-A Hyper Focus on Science
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It’s very important to note that this week is Parshas Zachor and there is a Torah level obligation fulfilled when listening to the maftir aliyah. There is also a special haftorah. However, there is a very important message in this dvar Torah taken from the haftorah that would have been normally read for this week’s Torah portion of Vayikra.
Towards the beginning of Nishmas, which is said at the end of pesukei dizimra on Shabbos and yom tov, it states, “From this world to the World to Come You are G-D and other than You we have no king, redeemer, or savior.” This statement is based on a pasuk in the haftorah taken from Yeshayahu (44:6), “So said Hashem, King of Israel and its Redeemer, Hashem Master of Legions: I am the first and I am the last, and aside from Me there is no G-D.”
The Radak on this pasuk points out that when it says, “So said Hashem, King of Israel and its Redeemer,” it means that when we will be redeemed, He will be the Jewish King by himself. We won’t be under the control of any non-Jewish nation. He is the Master of Legions, down below and on high, and everything is within His ability, and it is within His ability to take us out of exile. Hashem is saying, ‘I am the first and I created everything, and I am the last. Everything has an end, but I am everlasting, and there is no other all-powerful force. This comes to nullify any belief in serving the sun or the moon and stars, they are only powerful upon My command. With my permission they rule over what they rule over.’ (Click here for Hebrew text.)
This pasuk seems to be one of the ultimate, all-encompassing verses about our belief in Hashem within Tanach. The simple message being that Hashem was before time and existence and will be after everything is said and done. He created everything and is in constant control of what has happened, is happening, and will happen, speedily in our days. The Radak seems to emphasize that there is a purpose to understanding the science and the greatness and power of the universe and world around us, in order for us to better appreciate the All-powerful Hashem who created all of it and is constantly keeping it and us in existence.
However, 1,042 years after the creation of the world, in the generation of Enosh, as alluded to in Shabbos 118b, people started to worship idols. Why? The Radak says in Breishis 4:26 that “he saw in the words of Chaza”l, and this is the view of most people, that in the days of Enosh people mistakenly went after idolatry.” This means that at that time people referred to stars and constellations in the name of Hashem, meaning they would worship and pray to them. For they thought they were the intermediaries between G-D and the rest of His creation and because of their greatness and awesomeness it was befitting to worship them. They believed that they gave success to whoever worshiped them, for they were the leaders of the lower world. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
We see from the mistake of the generation of Enosh that focusing on the greatness and awesomeness of nature can result in idolatry; so how can the Radak say that doing the same thing will result in a better appreciation of Hashem? Shouldn’t there be a concern of making a mistake and going astray just as the generation of Enosh did? They also believed in Hashem! They just thought that Hashem was in a different domain and that the things in charge down here were the stars and astrology.
However, it would seem from the Radak in Yeshayahu that a person must have a solid foundation in the basic belief that Hashem is where everything starts and ends and without Him constantly maintaining our existence we will cease to exist. We just have a mitzvah to fortify that foundation and build a fortress of belief in Hashem by appreciating as much as possible the greatness and all-powerful awesomeness of Hashem, which can be done by looking into his creation through science, astronomy, astrology, and the like, to see that if the nature of this world is so great and detailed, then how much more greater the One who created it, and is constantly maintaining it, must be.
The generation of Enosh had a weak foundation, so they began to worship other things when they analyzed them all and realized the incredible G-D given powers everything in creation had. But they didn’t focus on the G-D given part. Today it is worse, the foundation doesn’t even exist amongst atheists, and therefore they look into the science and create a whole world which doesn’t even exist, based on speculations and hypotheses because they have no foundation in believing the existence of Hashem.
Pekudei –
Difference Between Work and Service
In the conclusion of the Book of Shemos, the Torah portion of Pekudei, it records in Perek 39:
| 42. In accordance with all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel do all the work. | מבכְּכֹ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶת־משֶׁ֑ה כֵּ֤ן עָשׂוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֵ֖ת כָּל־הָֽעֲבֹדָֽה: | |
| 43Moses saw the entire work, and lo! they had done it-as the Lord had commanded, so had they done. So Moses blessed them. | מגוַיַּ֨רְא משֶׁ֜ה אֶת־כָּל־הַמְּלָאכָ֗ה וְהִנֵּה֙ עָשׂ֣וּ אֹתָ֔הּ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה כֵּ֣ן עָשׂ֑וּ וַיְבָ֥רֶךְ אֹתָ֖ם משֶֽׁה: |
Rabbeinu Bachye observes in pasuk 42 that it should have said כל המלאכה, all the work, but instead the Torah calls the work of the mishkan an עבודה, which is better translated as a service. Meaning, that they did the service of Hashem, just as it writes in Shemos (23:25), “And you shall serve Hashem your G-D,” and also in Devarim perek (13:5), “And Him shall you serve.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
In the very next pasuk we see that it says Moshe ‘saw the entire work,’ so it makes sense that the previous pasuk refers to the same thing; however the term used is ‘service,’ not ‘work.’ The reason for this is to teach us that the Jews weren’t just treating the building of the Mishkan like any other building, but they had the attitude that they were serving Hashem through its building.
But what if they hadn’t had this attitude; wouldn’t they still be building Hashem’s palace, the resting place of the Shechina, Hashem’s Holy Presence, in this world? So either way they would be doing Hashem’s handiwork.
It would seem from here that without the proper intentions, even if you are doing the most holy of jobs, it is simply a job. But if your motivation is that I am working to serve Hashem, then it is transformed into serving Hashem.
Attitudes have such a transformative effect!
Vayakhel – Siman Tov and Mazel Tov
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Very important note: This is not the haftorah for this week since it is Shabbos Shekalim. However, there is a very nice message learned from this haftorah and I apologize for any inconveniences. Enjoy the dvar Torah for the sake of learning, lihagdil Torah viya’adir!
In years where we read the haftorah for the Torah portion of Vayakhel, the Sefardim read from Melachim Alef perek 7 pesukim 13-26. The haftorah discusses pillars that were erected in the Beis Hamikdash, just as the Torah portion discusses the actual building of the Mishkan.
There is a commentary on the Mishna by the Tiferes Yisrael referred to as Yachin Boaz. This name comes from a pasuk in this haftorah. In pasuk 21 it states, “He erected the pillars by the hall of the Sanctuary; he erected the right pillar and called its name Yachin and he erected the left pillar and called its name Boaz.”
The Radak on this pasuk explains why each pillar was given a name. “The fact that he called each pillar was as a siman tov, a good sign, because they were in the entrance of the house, therefore he gave them names as a good sign. One was called Yachin, which comes from the word that means preparation, that the house should be set up forever as it says, “Like the moon it shall be set up forever.” Boaz comes from the word that means strength and it’s actually a combination of a word that means ‘in it shall be strength,’ meaning G-D shall give it strength so that it will last, as it says, “Hashem is the source of strength for his nation.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
Was King Shlomo really so superstitious that he needed to erect good signs, siman tov, to the entrance of the Beis Hamikdash? What was the point of the pillars? The Beis Hamikdash was the palace on earth for Hashem, the Almighty King Of All Kings, and there were ten miracles that constantly occurred during the First Beis HaMikdash. So why were good signs needed, seemingly to protect the Temple? Furthermore, we know that the Beis Hamikdash was actually destroyed because of our sins. So, it was absolutely pointless to have “a good luck charm” of sorts on the entrance. If so, why did King Shlomo do this?
It’s true that the permanency of the structure of the Temple depended upon our loyalty to Hashem; but we must say that there really is something to having good signs, and at the very least it adds, even if it is not needed.
We see from here that there really is a concept of an ayin hara, evil eye, and ayin tov, a good eye. A good sign, siman tov, is something of value which should be treated seriously, assuming that there is a basis for it in our mesora, our tradition, and not something which was just made up or borrowed from other people.
However, what’s important to realize is that good signs are not what drives a successful existence rather it is doing G-D’s will, being scrupulous in serving Hashem which brings us success and plenty, the good signs are just an added plus, a reinforcing of the good quality of life that we are living by serving Hashem properly.
Ki Sisa – Proactive Positive Reinforcement
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The Tur (581) begins the halachos of Rosh Hashana by quoting a medrish, in the Pirkei DiRebbe Eliezer (46), which is related to this week’s Torah portion of Ki Sisa. The medrish relates the chronological events that took place before and after the sin of the golden calf:
“Rebbe Yehoshua ben Karcha said, ’Forty days Moshe was there on the mountain, he read the Written Torah by day and learned the Oral Torah by night. After 40 days he took the tablets and went down to the camp. On the 17th of Tammuz, he shattered the tablets and killed the accursed of the Jews. He was involved in the camp for 40 days with burning the golden calf, and pulverizing it into the dust of the earth, and he killed all who kissed the golden calf. He also cut out any lasting semblance of idolatry from amongst the Jews and set up each tribe in their perspective place. On Rosh Chodesh Elul, the first of the month of Elul, Hashem told Moshe, ‘Go up the mountain to Me and they blew the shofar throughout the entire encampment for Moshe was going up the mountain so that they won’t be tricked again into idolatry. Hashem was elevated on that day by that shofar as it says, ‘G-D was elevated by the shofar blast, Hashem with the voice of the shofar’ (Tehillim 47:6). Therefore, the Rabbis enacted the shofar to be blown on Rosh Chodesh Elul every year.”
The Bayis HaGadol comments on the line “and they blew the shofar through the entire encampment for Moshe was going up the mountain;” this means that because of the shofar blasts everyone came together, and they told them that Moshe was to go up the mountain. Since one could say that if they had simply made an announcement, that would have traveled around to everyone and been sufficient to prevent anyone from sinning, and there was therefore no point to the shofar, it was therefore necessary to say that Hashem was uplifted on that day with the shofar. As it says, ‘G-D was elevated by the shofar blast…’ meaning Hashem was uplifted by the blast which refers to the blast of Rosh Hashana as it says by it, ‘A day of blast shall be for you’. However, the end of the pasuk, ‘Hashem with a voice of the shofar’ is superfluous, and must be written to teach us about the voice of the shofar in the desert. That because of it they went after Hashem, and they didn’t have any other mistaken beliefs. Also, in this way, Hashem was elevated and therefore it was enacted that the shofar will be blown on Rosh Chodesh Elul every year to remember that shofar blast. The Bayis HaGadol goes on to say that the Tur concludes that the custom of blowing the shofar throughout the entire month of Elul, in addition to the first day, is to arouse us to repent; but the blowing on the first day is specifically dedicated to remembering the blast which announced Moshe going back up the mountain to receive the second set of tablets which he brought back on Yom Kippur.(Click here for Hebrew text.)
It would seem according to this medrish that on some level the sin of the golden calf had to do with idolatry. The Prisha (2) on the Tur also comments that because Hashem was elevated by the same shofar that saved the Jews from sinning, that is why we blow it on Rosh Chodesh Elul. Elaborating on the Bayis HaGadol’s question, why was the Shofar needed to ensure everyone knew Moshe was going up the mountain another time for 40 days so that they will be careful not to succumb to idolatry again? Isn’t it safe to assume that there was a 99.9% chance that they would not make a mistake going down the same path again, especially after just seeing thousands of people killed for the sin of the golden calf? In addition, the golden calf was melted down and pulverized into ashes, and any other remanence of idolatry were wiped out of the camp; therefore wouldn’t the feelings of yiras ha’onesh, fear of punishment, be running very high at that moment? Furthermore, nowhere does it say that Hashem ceased giving them manna from heaven, water from the rock, and clouds of glory by day and fire by night just because of the sin of the golden calf. Fear of punishment coupled with a sense of gratitude knowing Hashem was still performing open miracles for them even though they rebelled against Him should have been enough to deter them from falling into the trap of idolatry again; so why was the Shofar blast needed?
It would seem that the shofar blast was a positive physical oractive reinforcement, that being in this case the royal trumpet blasts uplifting Hashem’s sovereignty and majesty over everything, to ensure that there was no room for making a mistake and turning to idolatry again.
We can take a lesson from this that even though a person might feel a tremendous amount of love and fear for Hashem, positive proactive reinforcement still helps to ensure a person will not mistakenly turn down the wrong path and is worthwhile to use even if it seems highly unlikely that a mistake could happen.
We find this lesson in the beginning of this medrish as well. The medrish said that Moshe read the Written Torah by day and learned the Oral Torah by night. The Bayis HaGadol quoting a Medrish Tanchuma says this means that Hashem taught Moshe the Written Torah by day and the Oral Torah by night. The Bayis HaGadol explains that the intent is to show us that even at night the mind (literally in the Hebrew text, the heart) of a person does not rest, and if one cannot look into a book, he should learn Torah by heart and it should flow from his lips.
Everyone knows there is a mitzva to learn Torah 24/7 as it says in Yehoshua 1:8, “This book of the Torah shall not leave your mouth; you shall meditate therein day and night.” So why does Hashem have to specifically teach Moshe the written Torah by day and the Oral Torah by night? Isn’t it obvious that if there is a mitzva to learn at night we can figure out logically on our own how to do it even if it is hard to read at night, especially if we know there is such thing as an Oral Torah? Why then did Hashem specifically teach Moshe the Torah in this manner in order to teach us this lesson?
The answer must be that positive reinforcement is worthwhile to be done to ensure people won’t make up any excuses that one’s heart or mind is meant to shut down at night, and obviously, if you can’t see there is no obligation of Torah learning at night even though it is extremely clear that the obligation of Torah study never stops, therefore this positive reinforcement emphasizes otherwise.
No matter how confident you are positive proactive reinforcement helps.
Tetzave – If You Believe it, it Will Come
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The beginning of this week’s haftorah for the Torah portion of Tetzave writes, “You, Son of man, describe the House to the House of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; let them measure its plan. And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, let them know the form of the House and its scheme, its exits and its entrances, and all its forms, and all its laws and all its teachings, and write it down in their sight so that they keep the whole form thereof and the laws thereof, and do them. This is the teaching of the House; Upon the top of the mountain, all its boundary round about shall be most holy; behold, this is the teaching of the House” (Yechezkel 43:10-12).
Just as the end of the Torah portion elucidates the dimensions of the Incense Alter, so too the haftorah details the dimensions of the alter that will be built in the times of the Third Beis HaMikdash, according to the Radak, may it come speedily in our days.
The Radak says that Hashem told Yechezkel to speak to the exiles of the First Beis HaMikdash after its destruction and tell them that they were at fault for the destruction of this temple. However, a future Temple will never be destroyed because they will not sin, as it says, ‘They will distance their sins, and I will live among them forever.’ They should calculate and measure the schematics of this future temple so that they can picture it and prepare it as a sign, for it will be made in the future, when The Final Redemption takes place, and the dead will be resurrected. They should prepare it now as a sign that those who see these diagrams will live during building of this future House. This is one of the proofs for the resurrection of the dead; “and if they are ashamed” of all they had done then they should be informed of the dimensions and looks of the temple. “In their sight” that they will see the building of the temple in the future, and they will do it, but if they aren’t [ashamed, in order to repent,] then they will not [see it]. They should keep them in their hearts and believe in them, for then they will make the buildings, forms, and laws in the future. If they will not keep them in their heart and they will not believe, then they will not do them. For this is the attribute of Hashem, The Holy One Blessed Be He; He pays a person measure for measure. Whoever believes in the coming of the redemption will merit to be redeemed, and if he does not believe he does not merit it. So too, if he believes in the resurrection of the dead he will merit to be resurrected and if he does not believe he will not merit it. One cannot say “And they shall make it” is talking about making the Second Beis HaMikdash when the exiles returned from Bavel because there were many aspects of the building mentioned here which was not in the Second Beis HaMikdash. Therefore it must be referring to building in the future, and it says specifically “They shall make it” as a great proof for the resurrection of the dead. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
What if no one would believe in the Final Redemption, the building of the Third Beis HaMikdash, and the resurrection of the dead? It would seem from this Radak that they would never happen. Would that mean the atheists and non-believers are correct? G-D forbid, of course not! It would just be a tragedy!!
But how could that be? How does this make sense? It would seem that belief is the foundation of reality and existence in this world. Of course, if Hashem says something will happen it will happen, or has happened above time and this world; but that does not mean it has to manifest itself in this world if we don’t give it a chance for it to happen. That is part of our free choice. But that does not mean that the Torah is wrong, Hashem really doesn’t exist, and our belief system is flawed. Rather it means we didn’t earn or deserve what Hashem has in store for us.
Hashem is ready and willing to give all that has been promised and guaranteed to happen, which we believe through mesora, tradition, from generation to generation. The process just has to play out for us to ultimately deserve it. Just as Noach and his family were the only believers in their generation and were the only ones saved from world destruction, so too Hashem is ready and willing to bring on the Final Redemption, resurrect the dead, and build the Third Beis HaMikdash, even for one person, if he was the only one to believe it.
However, we have the strength and fortitude to never give up and to be steadfast to our belief system, and G-D willing, speedily in our days there shall be a sanctification of Hashem’s Holy Name with millions, if not billions of believers coming forth in the End Days for the Final Redemption, resurrection of the dead, and the building of the third and final everlasting Holy Temple. May it happen smoothly and peacefully sooner than later!
Teruma – Patience with the Process
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This week’s Haftorah for the Torah portion of Teruma discusses the building of the first Beis HaMikdash just as the Torah portion discusses the building of the Mishkan . It begins, “And Hashem gave Shlomo wisdom, as He had promised him, and there was peace between Hiram and Shlomo, and they both made a peace treaty together” (Melachim Alef 5:26). The Ralbag points out that the Navi is telling us that the abundance of wisdom Shlomo possessed was the reason why there was peace between Shlomo and Hiram, for because of his wisdom Hiram loved him. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
This was a wisdom which was a gift from Hashem, which Hashem granted Shlomo in a prophetic dream – to be the wisest person in the world, after Hashem granted Shlomo one thing, whatever he wanted. Yet with all this wisdom and, as the haftorah goes on to record, using this wisdom for the good, the betterment of mankind and to bring close the relationship between Hashem and His children through the building of the Beis HaMikdash, the palace for the Shechina, The Holy Presence of Hashem – still in all towards the end of the haftorah it writes, “And the word of Hashem came to Shlomo saying” (Melachim Alef 6:11). The Ralbag goes out of his way to emphasize at this juncture that since the Navi states after this “And Hashem appeared to Shlomo a second time as he did in Givon” we learn from there that this prophecy here did not come to Shlomo himself, but rather it came to him through some other prophet while he was building the Holy Temple. The Radak says that prophet was Achiha HaShiloni. (Click Here for Hebrew text.)
Though Shlomo was very young, taking the reigns at the ripe age of 12, he was very mature. So with all his wisdom and righteousness, why couldn’t Shlomo have a consistent line of prophesy with Hashem, especially during this important time of building the Beis HaMikdash, similar to Moshe Rabbeinu?
However, one has to realize the greatness of a prophet and what it takes to reach and stay on such a high spiritual level. It is a process of perfection which isn’t so easy to meet. This process is based on perfecting the levels set down in a gemara in Avoda Zara 20b by Rav Pinchas ben Yair. There are 11 levels before prophesy and to even start, Rebbe Pinchas ben Yair says that it begins with learning Torah. Only after perfecting those levels, the last one being the ability to resurrect the dead, is one able to reach the level of prophesy, but even the Amoraim, the rabbi in the times of the gemara, where there are stories of them resurrecting the dead, were not able to reach the level of prophesy. It is known that if one perfects his character based on the teaching of the Mesilas Yesharim, The Path of the Just, by Rav Moshe Chain Luzzato then one would reach the level of Kedusha, holiness, which is 3 levels off from prophesy. Yet Rav Yechazkel Sarna zt”l, the Rosh Yeshiva of Chevron, explains that the Ramban wrote a letter to his son, the famous Iggeres HaRamban, whose main topic is humility because he had reached the perfection of the level of humility, which is 2 levels below Kedusha. This was in the 1200s. The venerable Vilna Gaon attested about himself in 1700s that he had perfected the level of Prishus, separation, which is 3 levels lower than the level of humility. Nowadays they say that even the greatest of the generation at best can perfect the first two levels, of Zehirus, watchfulness, and Zrizus, alacrity. The reason for such a downslide throughout history is because of the concept of hiskatnus hadoros, the diminishing of the generations. In Judaism, we believe that the pinnacle of mankind was created by Hashem in the beginning with Adam. He was as close as can be to Hashem; physically, spiritually, and mentally, before the sin. The farther away from the source, the weaker we become in every way. Therefore, King Shlomo as wise as he was, a special gift given to him from Hashem, he still didn’t have the consistent level of prophesy as Moshe Rabbeinu had. That is why the Ralbag points out at this juncture that someone else came to him with a message from Hashem and he didn’t receive it himself through his own prophecy.
It’s a process to reach such great heights, and one must realize it’s not an easy process. Chaza”l teach us “that a person was born to toil” and “according to his efforts is his reward.” There are even times when there are spurts of perfection, which go above and beyond the rule of hiskatnus hadoros, achieved through great diligence and intense discipline. Like by Matan Torah, where Chaza”l say the Jewish people reached the level of Adam before he sinned when they received the Torah.
In a similar vein, the Haftorah also writes, “And it was in the four hundred and eightieth year after the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt, in the fourth year, in the month Ziv, which (is) the second month of Solomon’s reign over Israel, that he did [begin to] build the house of Hashem” (Melachim Alef 6:1). This means it took 480 years for the Jewish people to be able to deserve starting to build the Beis HaMikdash! Can one fathom how long that is, almost five lifetimes of centennials!! A people who were at such great heights, living on miracles when they inherited The Land with Yehoshua; yet being ready to build Hashem’s Palace was a process that takes time.
Matters that are important don’t just happen overnight; the Jewish People received the Torah 2,448 years after the creation of the world. That is longer than our current exile! Chaza”l says that this current exile will end with the Final Redemption with the coming of Moshiach. May we merit to have a spurt of spiritual energy to reach this level of perfection speedily in our days. However, it is up to us to speed up the process, to pour all our energy into serving Hashem properly and deserving this illustrious time in world history, through learning Torah in-depth and mussar, books of character development, like Mesilas Yesharim, and at least trying to apply to the best of our abilities lessons from these sefarim, may we merit to have a spurt of perfection and end this long process towards the Final Redemption speedily in our days.
Mishpatim – “I Was Born That Way” is No Excuse
The events of the revelation at Sinai before and after are split up into 3 sections in the Book of Shemos. The first is in last week’s Torah portion of Yisro, a detailed account leading up to and including the actual giving of the Torah, andthe Ten Commandments. The second is at the end of this week’s portion of Mishpatim, which according to Rashi is an overview of what took place right before the Torah was given, including the famous proclamation by the Jewish people of na’aseh vinishma, “we will do and then we will listen.” The third section is in Ki Sisa, discussing what took place after the Jews received the Torah, specifically concerning the sin of the golden calf.
There is a famous Chaza”l about how Hashem went around to all the nations, giving them a chance to accept the Torah before he came to the Jews and they wholeheartedly said na’aseh vinishma, without even asking what was inside the Torah. There is a very important lesson that could be learnt from the version of the story presented in the Pesiksa Rabasi of Rav Kahana (21:3).
The medrish writes that in the beginning Hashem went to the descendants of Esav. He asked them, will you accept the Torah? They said before Him, “Master of the Universe, what is written inside it?” He said, “Don’t kill” (Shemos 20:13). They said, “The whole essence of our being is that our forefathers guaranteed we will live by the sword, as it says, ‘By your sword you shall live’ (Breishis 27:40), we can’t accept the Torah.” Afterwards Hashem went to the descendants of Ammon and asked them if they will accept the Torah. They said before Him, “Master of the Universe, what is written inside it?” He said to them, “Don’t have incest.” They said to Him, “The whole essence of our being came from incest, as it says ‘Thus, Lot’s two daughters conceived from their father’ (Breishis 19:16), we can’t accept the Torah.” Afterwards Hashem went to the descendants of Yishmael and asked them if they would accept the Torah. They said before Him, “Master of the Universe, what is written inside it?” He said to them, “Don’t steal.” They said to Him, “The whole essence of our being lives off of stealing and burglarizing, as it writes, ‘And he will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be upon all, and everyone’s hand upon him’ (Breishis 16:12), we can’t accept the Torah.” Afterwards Hashem came to the Jews, and they said na’aseh vinishma, “we will do and then we will listen” (Shemos 24:7). For this reason the Torah writes, “He appeared from Mount Paran and came with some of the holy myriads; from His right hand was a fiery Law for them. Indeed, You showed love for peoples” (Devarim 33:2, 3). (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The Bi’ur on this medrish, explaining why the medrish brings the pasuk of “from His right hand was a fiery Law for them. מִֽימִינ֕וֹ אֵ֥שׁ דָּ֖ת (כתיב אשדת) לָֽמוֹ,” says in Hebrew, “ “ואפשר דדריש מימינו כמו מאמינו . This means that it is possible to understand the Hebrew term that refers to “from His right hand” to be read as the Hebrew term for believers. The intention being that because of the faith and trust that the Jews entrusted in Hashem, and said, “we will do and then we will listen,” as it says in Gemara Shabbos 88a “About us, who proceed wholeheartedly and with integrity, it is written: “The integrity of the upright will guide them” (Proverbs 11:3), whereas about those people who walk in deceit, it is written at the end of the same verse: ‘And the perverseness of the faithless will destroy them,’” therefore the medrish concludes that they merited to have ‘a fiery law for them.’ (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The other nations seemed to have very valid excuses for why they couldn’t accept the Torah. What could they do, what could you expect from them if it is within their genetic makeup, the way they were born was with a drive to kill, act immodestly, or steal? They even proved it was part of their destiny because of the traditions they had from their progenitors which were even quoted in the Torah. For example the blessing Hagar received for Yishmael her son by an angel, and the blessing that Yitzchak gave to Esav. If that is the case, then why did Hashem pick the hardest mitzvah for them when they asked what was in the Torah? Why doom them from the start?
However, it would seem from Hashem’s response to the Children of Israel that what Hashem was really looking for was a people who truly believed and trusted in Him. So, when the other nations asked what was in the Torah, Hashem gave them the hardest mitzvah for them to observe to test their faith in Hashem and His Torah and obviously they were not willing to be faithful. If they would have been trusting and faithful, they would have realized and believed in the fact that they had the ability to overcome their inborn challenges and that Hashem would not have given them or even created mitzvos they would not be able to adhere to. But the Jewish people showed the ultimate enthusiasm and wholehearted true faith by not even asking what was inside the Torah but by blindly accepting “we will do and then we will listen.” For showing Hashem they were willing and ready to accept whatever Hashem commanded and expected of them they merited to have ‘a fiery law for them,’ they received the Torah, Hashem’s blueprints of creation and the handbook for mankind.
Yisro – Individual Attention
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This week’s dvar Torah is built upon a shmuz Rav Moshe Chait zt”l, the venerable Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim Yerushalayim, gave over 20 years ago.
Parshas Yisro is one of the most important Torah portions because it discusses kabbalas haTorah, the acceptance of the Torah by the Jewish people. The reason why it is so important is because it is one of the foundations of the Jewish people and one of the bases for the future of the Jews.
Chaza”l refer to this event as ma’amad Har Sinai, literally, standing at Mount Sinai. Just standing there was inspirational as we say in Dayeinu in the Haggada on Pesach, “If He had brought us to Mount Sinai and had not given us the Torah it would have been for us sufficient (dayeinu).” Just the fire and the voices heard and seen at Mount Sinai could inspire a person to come close to Hashem.
Everyone was at ma’amad Har Sinai! Everyone heard even future generations!
Why did Hashem begin the Ten Commandments in singular form, I am Hashem your (singular) G-D? In fact the Pesiksa DiRabasi of Rav Kahana (21:14) says there might be a possible defense or excuse for why part of the Jewish people succumbed to the sin of the golden calf, for Hashem said in singular form “I am Hashem your G-D” and perhaps He was only speaking to Moshe, therefore from then after Hashem said “I am Hashem your (plural) G-D,” (as He said in the last pasuk of the paragraph about tzitzis that we say in our shema every day); to be sure everyone felt they were warned. Since Hashem was speaking to the entire Jewish people at Har Sinai, why then was the Torah given in singular form?
To teach us that every single Jew must say Hashem gave the Ten Commandments to me, and I must preserve them. One should not say the Torah was given for everyone else. Hashem had to speak to the Jewish people who were at a level of prophesy to convey the message that Hashem expects me to observe the Torah, and if it is not observed by me then there is no Torah.
One could say, I believe there is a Jewish Nation and a Torah but who needs it. Man’s inclination says he wants someone else to observe the Torah; he doesn’t want responsibility. That attitude will cause destruction to himself and the Torah. It will cause a negative effect to all of creation.
The Pesiksa Rabasi of Rav Kahana (21:6) describes kabbalas haTorah with a parable to a realistic painting of a face; the eyes seem to be looking at you whichever corner of the room you are at. The eyes are looking at every single individual in that room at one time. So too, kaviyachol, Hashem had to speak to every single person at Har Sinai personally “looking at them straight in the eye” to impress upon them the need to observe the Torah. The point is that you must obligate yourself; don’t think it is not for me. The acceptance of the Torah at Mount Sinai is virtually meaningless if not thought of in these terms. A person could understand, review, and even do mussar bihispa’alus, getting an emotional charge or inspiration, connecting the brain with the heart on this subject, but still not think it is for me.
Gadlus Ha’adam, the greatness of man is inherent in every person. Hashem placed His Righteousness in man but gave man free choice to make calculations of how to feel and act. If a person does not make the right calculations, then only he will cause his own demise.